OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

A level noun

ADJ. mock I did all right in my mock A levels and then failed the real exams.

A LEVEL + NOUN course | exam | preparation, revision | paper, questions | grades, results

PREP. in your ~s What grades did you get in your A levels? | ~ in He's got A levels in maths and history.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abandon verb

¹ leave sb/sth

ADV. hastily The village had been hastily abandoned.

PHRASES be found/left abandoned The car was found abandoned in a nearby town.

² stop doing/supporting sth

ADV. altogether, completely, entirely, totally The government does not propose to abandon the project altogether. | effectively, largely, virtually This principle has now been effectively abandoned. | simply Traditional policies were simply abandoned. | formally | quickly | quietly The plans for reform were quietly abandoned. | temporarily | voluntarily

VERB + ABANDON be forced to | decide to

PREP. for He abandoned the army for politics. | in favour of She abandoned teaching career in favour of sport.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abashed adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. a little, slightly | suitably He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abbreviation noun

ADJ. common, standard

ABBREVIATION + VERB stand for The abbreviation PC stands for ‘personal computer’.

PREP. ~ for A/C is the standard abbreviation for ‘account’. | ~ of Ad lib is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase ‘ad libitum’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abhorrent adj.

VERBS be | become | find sth

ADV. totally, utterly I find the idea totally abhorrent.

PREP. to Such a savage punishment is abhorrent to a civilized society.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ability noun

¹ skill/power to do sth

ADJ. exceptional, extraordinary, great, outstanding, remarkable, uncanny | inherent, innate, natural discovering the natural abilities of each child | proven | academic, acting, artistic, athletic, creative, intellectual, linguistic, mathematical, musical, reading, technical | mental, physical

VERB + ABILITY have | demonstrate, show Both players demonstrated their ability to hit the ball hard. | acquire, develop | lack | lose I seem to have lost my ability to attract clients. | appreciate, recognize Fox's abilities were soon recognized.

PHRASES to the best of your ability We will keep you informed to the best of our ability.

² speed with which sb learns

ADJ. high The school does nothing for children of high ability. | limited, low | average, mixed It is much more difficult to teach a mixed-ability class.

VERB + ABILITY assess, test

PHRASES a level of ability There was a high level of ability among the school leavers. | a range of ability/abilities I taught a wide range of abilities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ablaze adj.

VERBS be | set sth Truck after truck was set ablaze as the fire spread.

ADV. well By the time firefighters were called the house was well ablaze.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

able adj.

¹ able to do sth having the ability to do sth

VERBS be, feel, prove, seem

ADV. perfectly, quite, well He is well able to take care of himself. | better, more Once you've had some sleep you'll feel better able to cope. | just I was just able to make out a dark figure in the distance. | barely, hardly, only just, scarcely | less

² clever; doing your job well

VERBS be, seem She seems very able.

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, reasonably

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abode noun

ADJ. humble (humorous) Welcome to my humble abode.

VERB + ABODE take up your (formal or humorous) I had been invited to take up my abode at Government House.

PHRASES of no fixed abode (law) (= without a permanent address) An 18-year-old man of no fixed abode appeared at Teesside magistrates court yesterday. | the right of abode (law) (= the right to live in a place)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abolish verb

ADV. altogether, completely, totally Some MPs want to abolish the tax altogether. | virtually | largely Foreign exchange controls were largely abolished.

VERB + ABOLISH seek to | decide to, vote to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abortion noun

ADJ. back-street, illegal | legal | induced, spontaneous, therapeutic

VERB + ABORTION have When she got pregnant at 16 she decided to have an abortion. | carry out, do (informal), perform Some nurses wanted the right to refuse to perform abortions.

ABORTION + NOUN law, legislation the country's strict abortion laws | clinic, counselling

PREP. ~ on He carried out an abortion on a fifteen-year-old girl.

PHRASES abortion on demand (= the right to have an abortion if you want one) Women's groups are calling for free contraception and abortion on demand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abscess noun

VERB + ABSCESS develop, get I developed an abscess on my neck. | burst, drain, lance | treat

ABSCESS + VERB burst Once an abscess has burst it should be bathed with antiseptic liquid.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

absence noun

¹ fact of not being present

ADJ. lengthy, long, prolonged | brief, temporary | unauthorized

QUANT. period, spell You will not be paid for the full period of absence.

PREP. during/in sb's ~ (= while sb is not there) My father did all the cooking in my mother's absence. | ~ from absence from work

PHRASES conspicuous/notable by your absence (= very obviously absent when you ought to be present) When it came to clearing up afterwards, Anne was conspicuous by her absence. | leave of absence (= permission to be absent) He asked for leave of absence from the army.

² lack

ADJ. complete, total | virtual | conspicuous, notable a conspicuous absence of evidence

PREP. in the ~ of In the absence of stone, most houses in the area are built of wood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

absent adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | virtually | largely | temporarily | conspicuously, markedly, notably, noticeably, strikingly Local people were conspicuously absent from the meeting. | strangely He played with an abandon that was strangely absent from his performance last week.

PREP. from He was absent from work for two weeks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

absorbed adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become, get | keep sb A jigsaw puzzle can keep me absorbed for hours.

ADV. extremely, very | completely, fully, totally, utterly He was totally absorbed in his book.

PREP. in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

absorb verb

¹ liquid/gas/energy, etc.

ADV. quickly, rapidly | directly, easily, readily

PREP. into Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream.

² make part of sth larger

ADV. gradually | increasingly

PHRASES be absorbed into sth These committees were gradually absorbed into the local government machine.

³ information/atmosphere

ADV. easily, readily The information is presented so that it can be readily absorbed. | passively

⁴ interest

ADV. completely, totally, utterly His work absorbed him completely. | deeply

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abstract adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very | entirely, purely purely abstract drawing | increasingly | fairly, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

absurd adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become | find sth She found the whole concept faintly absurd.

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, utterly | clearly, manifestly, patently | faintly, rather, slightly, somewhat | wonderfully

PHRASES a sense of the absurd His sense of the absurd kept him from becoming too solemn.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abundance noun

ADJ. great, sheer We were amazed by the sheer abundance of food. | relative

VERB + ABUNDANCE have The country has an abundance of natural resources | produce, provide

PREP. in ~ Exotic plants grew there in great abundance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abuse noun

¹ wrong/bad use of sth

ADJ. alcohol, drug, solvent, substance (= drugs or solvents)

VERB + ABUSE be open to The legal system is open to abuse.

PHRASES the abuse of power

² bad, usually violent treatment of sb

ADJ. emotional, physical, sex/sexual | child, elder victims of child abuse | human rights ~s allegations of human rights abuses | alleged, suspected

QUANT. case six cases of suspected child abuse

VERB + ABUSE carry out, subject sb to She was subjected to regular sexual abuse. | suffer, take The child had taken a lot of emotional abuse. | suspect sb of

ABUSE + VERB happen, occur, take place

PHRASES an allegation of abuse, a perpetrator of abuse, a victim of abuse

³ insulting words

ADJ. verbal | personal, racial

QUANT. stream, torrent He was subjected to a torrent of abuse.

VERB + ABUSE hurl, scream, shout, shower sb with, subject sb to, yell | endure They had to endure continual racial abuse.

PHRASES heap abuse on sb/sth Abuse and scorn were heaped on the proposals. | a target for/of abuse The team who lost became a target of abuse for angry fans. | a term of abuse Calling someone stupid is definitely a term of abuse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abuse verb

ADV. emotionally, mentally, physically, sexually, verbally All the children had been physically and emotionally abused.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

abusive adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. very | quite | openly He became openly abusive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

academic adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. merely, purely, strictly The distinction being made is purely academic. | largely, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

academy noun

ADJ. military, naval, police, riding

VERB + ACADEMY attend, go to

PREP. at an/the ~ He later studied at the Royal Academy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accelerate verb

¹ go faster

ADV. hard, quickly | smoothly The runners accelerated smoothly round the bend. | suddenly | away The car purred into life and accelerated away.

² develop quickly

ADV. dramatically, greatly, rapidly, sharply The Aids epidemic is accelerating dramatically.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acceleration noun

¹ increase in speed

ADJ. rapid

PREP. ~ in There has been a rapid acceleration in the growth of industry.

² ability of a car to accelerate

ADJ. fast, good This model has the best acceleration of any available sports car. | poor, slow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accelerator noun

VERB + ACCELERATOR depress, hit, press, put your foot (down) on, step on She put her foot on the accelerator and we sped through the traffic lights. | take your foot off

ACCELERATOR + NOUN pedal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accent noun

QUANT. hint, trace Her French was excellent, without a trace of an accent.

VERB + ACCENT have, speak in/with | acquire | affect, assume, imitate, put on She put on a posh accent when she answered the phone. | cultivate | lose He lost his northern accent after moving south.

PREP. in an ~ She spoke in a broad Midlands accent. | with/without an ~ a tall man with an American accent

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acceptable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | make sth an attempt to make the reforms acceptable to both sides | consider sth, deem sth, find sth We must come up with a solution that our shareholders will find acceptable.

ADV. eminently, highly, very Her breeding and background made her eminently acceptable in royal circles. | completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally Yogurt is a perfectly acceptable substitute for cream in cooking. | fairly, reasonably | (not) remotely the only national newspaper even remotely acceptable to the left wing | generally, mutually, universally, widely | easily, readily | equally Are all political and religious groups equally acceptable? | publicly | commercially, culturally, environmentally, ethically, grammatically, morally, politically, socially a grammatically acceptable sentence socially acceptable behaviour

PREP. to a compromise that is acceptable to both sides

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acceptance noun

ADJ. complete, full, total, unconditional, wholehearted | conditional, grudging, reluctant | gradual | greater, growing, increasing Alternative medicines are now winning greater acceptance among doctors. | general, popular, public, universal, wide, widespread | blind, easy, immediate, ready, uncritical, unquestioning, voluntary Their attitude was condemned as blind acceptance of authority. | implicit, passive, tacit | formal, official | social

VERB + ACCEPTANCE find, gain, win The idea was slow to gain general acceptance. | seek The group is now seeking formal acceptance.

ACCEPTANCE + NOUN speech

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accept verb

¹ take/receive

ADV. gladly, graciously, gratefully, willingly She graciously accepted my apology. | reluctantly

VERB + ACCEPT be glad to, be happy to | be reluctant to, be unwilling to | be unable to I am unfortunately unable to accept your kind invitation.

PREP. from I accepted the gift from my sister.

² agree/admit

ADV. readily Some people readily accept that they may have to pay for medical treatment. | fully

VERB + ACCEPT be happy to, be prepared to, be ready to, be willing to | be reluctant to, be unwilling to | be unable to, refuse to | can/cannot, could (not), will/won't, would (not) The university cannot accept responsibility for items lost or stolen on its premises. | be forced to

PHRASES be commonly/generally/universally/widely accepted It is generally accepted that people are motivated by success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accessible adj.

¹ able to be reached

VERBS be | become | remain | make sth

ADV. directly, easily, freely, readily | fully | reasonably, relatively | publicly

PREP. by The museum is easily accessible by public transport. | for All the buildings are accessible for people in wheelchairs. | from The garden is accessible from the lane. | to The beach should be accessible to everyone.

² easy to understand

VERBS be | become | make sth

ADV. easily, highly, immediately, readily, very It is written in simple language, immediately accessible to the reader. | widely

PREP. to The cartoon strips are designed to make Shakespeare accessible to children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accessory noun

¹ extra item

ADJ. essential, perfect, useful This silk scarf is the perfect accessory for stylish summer evenings. | bathroom, car, fashion

² person who helps in crime

PREP. ~ to an accessory to murder

PHRASES an accessory before/after the fact (= a person who knows about a crime before/after it was committed and protects the criminal) (law) If you were lying to the police, then you have been an accessory after the fact for all these years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

access noun

ADJ. direct, easy, free, good, ready, unlimited, unrestricted I lived deep in the country, without easy access to shops. | limited, poor, restricted Access to this information is severely restricted. | improved | immediate, instant, quick, rapid | equal Men and women should have equal access to education and employment. | public | vehicular, wheelchair | random (computing) random access memory

ACCESS + NOUN road, route

PREP. ~ for improved access for disabled visitors | ~ to He was finally granted access to the medical records.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accidental adj

VERBS be

ADV. completely, purely, quite | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accident noun

¹ unexpected event that causes damage/injury

ADJ. dreadful, horrific, major, nasty, serious, terrible, tragic, unfortunate | fatal a fatal road accident | minor, slight | freak Their boat sank in a freak accident. | near (= that nearly happens, but does not) | hit-and-run | aircraft, canoeing, car, climbing, flying, industrial, motor, nuclear, road, traffic, etc.

VERB + ACCIDENT be involved in, have, meet with She met with an accident while on holiday in Spain. | cause | prevent | survive

ACCIDENT + VERB happen, occur, take place

ACCIDENT + NOUN prevention | rates, statistics

PREP. in an/the ~

PHRASES an accident involving He was badly hurt in an accident involving two cars and a lorry. | the scene of the accident The ambulance took only six minutes to reach the scene of the accident.

² sth not planned in advance

ADJ. pure, sheer By pure accident he had come across the very man who could solve the mystery.

PREP. by ~ We met by accident at the airport.

PHRASES be no accident that … It is no accident that men fill most of the top jobs. | by accident or design It happened, whether by accident or design, that Steve and I were the last two people to leave.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acclaim noun

ADJ. great | general, public, universal, wide, widespread | popular | critical Her latest novel has won great critical acclaim. | international, national, worldwide

VERB + ACCLAIM earn (sb), gain (sb), meet with, receive, win His discoveries earned him wide acclaim.

PREP. to … ~ The play opened last week to universal acclaim. | ~ for She received international acclaim for her interpretation of Chopin. | ~ from acclaim from the critics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acclaim verb

PHRASES be critically acclaimed, be highly/internationally/widely acclaimed This book has been widely acclaimed as a modern classic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accolade noun

ADJ. greatest, highest, supreme, ultimate Four restaurants have been awarded the highest accolade of a three-star rating.

VERB + ACCOLADE earn, receive, win | award (sb), bestow, grant (sb) | deserve

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accommodate verb

ADV. comfortably, easily It was a large hall, where a lot of people could be comfortably accommodated.

VERB + ACCOMMODATE can/could The car park can accommodate about 200 cars.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accommodation noun

¹ place for sb to live/stay

VERB + ACCOMMODATION have The council should be able to help families who have no accommodation. | look for, seek | find, get, secure | offer (sb), provide (sb with) It is the duty of the local community to provide accommodation for the homeless.

ACCOMMODATION + NOUN costs

PREP. in ~

² satisfactory arrangement

VERB + ACCOMMODATION come to, make, reach, work out | seek

PREP. ~ between Some accommodation between conservation and tourism is essential. | ~ to accommodation to the harsh circumstances of rural life | ~ with They were forced to reach an accommodation with the rebels.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accompaniment noun

¹ sth eaten/drunk with food

ADJ. delicious, good, ideal

VERB + ACCOMPANIMENT be, make

PREP. ~ for/to These wines also make a good accompaniment for vegetarian dishes.

² music played to go with singing, etc.

ADJ. instrumental, musical, orchestral | piano, string, etc.

VERB + ACCOMPANIMENT provide | compose, write

PREP. to the ~ of She sang to the accompaniment of guitars. | with an ~ I prefer to sing with an accompaniment.

³ sth that happens at the same time

ADJ. essential, inevitable, necessary

PREP. to the ~ of The women's medical school opened in 1874, to the accompaniment of much ridicule of ‘lady doctors’. | with the ~ of the market, with its inevitable accompaniment of bustle and noise

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accomplice noun

ADJ. willing | unwilling | unwitting | alleged

PREP. ~ in She became his unwitting accomplice in the robbery. | ~ to an accomplice to murder

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accomplished adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very | technically a technically accomplished musician

PREP. at Sarah had become accomplished at running the house. | in He came to London in 1976, already accomplished in the English language.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accomplishment noun

ADJ. considerable, great, real, significant | technical Her technical accomplishment on the piano is startling.

PREP. of … ~ a work of real accomplishment | ~ in It is a great accomplishment in singing to take the melodic line up to a position of energy and hold it there.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accomplish verb

ADV. safely, successfully A rather difficult task had been successfully accomplished. | easily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accord noun

ADJ. draft | peace, trade

VERB + ACCORD draw up, negotiate, reach A peace accord was reached on 26 March. | endorse, ratify, sign

PREP. ~ between a trade accord between Europe and the United States | ~ on an accord on environmental protection | ~ with They signed a trade accord with the Americans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accord verb

ADV. fully

PREP. with His version of events does not accord fully with the facts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accountability noun

ADJ. greater, increased | local, public demands for greater public accountability in the police service | democratic, financial, managerial, moral, parliamentary, police, political, professional | government, police

VERB + ACCOUNTABILITY enhance, improve, increase, strengthen | reduce, weaken This process of centralization further weakens accountability. | ensure

PREP. ~ for to ensure accountability for decisions made | ~ to police accountability to the public

PHRASES a demand for accountability, a lack of accountability the apparent lack of accountability of the security forces | a need for accountability There is a need for increased professional accountability.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accountable adj.

VERBS be | become | make sb | hold sb The directors are held accountable by the shareholders.

ADV. fully, properly | directly Senior managers are directly accountable to the Board of Directors. | publicly Local authorities should be publicly accountable to the communities they serve. | democratically a democratically accountable parliament | financially, politically

PREP. for In the end, we are all accountable for our actions. | to Politicians are accountable to Parliament.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accountancy noun

ADJ. chartered | creative It had taken considerable ‘creative accountancy’ on my part to produce a set of figures that showed us making any profit at all.

ACCOUNTANCY + NOUN firm, practice | body the members of the different professional accountancy bodies | profession > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accountant noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

account noun

¹ description

ADJ. brief, short | blow-by-blow, comprehensive, detailed, full, graphic, vivid He gave us a blow-by-blow account of the incident. | accurate, clear, eyewitness, factual, first-hand, true, verbatim | glowing, good She received a glowing account of her son's progress. | newspaper the newspaper account of the trial

VERB + ACCOUNT give (sb), provide (sb with), write (sb) Can you give us an account of what happened?

PREP. in an/the ~ Dr Richards describes this very well in his account of the events.

PHRASES by all accounts (= according to what people say) I've never been there, but it's a lovely place by all accounts. | by sb's own account By his own account he had an unhappy childhood.

² arrangement with a bank

VERB + ACCOUNT have, hold Go and see the manager of the bank where your account is held. | open She opened a savings account at the building society. | close | credit sth to, pay/put sth into The money will be credited to your account tomorrow. | debit (sth from), draw sth out (of), pay sth from, take sth out (of), withdraw sth (from) She had taken all her money out of her account. | overdraw Your account is overdrawn.

PREP. ~ at He opened an account at a bank in Germany. | ~ with an account with Barclays Bank

³ accounts: record of money a business earns/spends

VERB + ACCOUNT do, keep Try to keep accurate accounts. | audit, check, look at | submit Your accounts will need to be submitted to the tax office.

ACCOUNT + VERB be in order The accounts are all in order. > Special page at BUSINESS

⁴ arrangement with a shop/business

ADJ. expense (= an arrangement to charge expenses to your own employers) taking clients for expense account lunches

PREP. on ~ Ring for a cab on account. | ~ at/with an account with a large store

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

account verb PHRASAL VERBS account for sth

ADV. fully The increase can be fully accounted for. | partly The differences in achievement between the pupils are partly accounted for by differences in age.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accumulate verb

ADV. gradually, slowly | steadily | rapidly

VERB + ACCUMULATE begin to | be allowed to Dirt must not be allowed to accumulate. | tend to Toxic chemicals tend to accumulate in the body.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accumulation noun

ADJ. rapid | steady the steady accumulation of evidence by the police | slow | great, impressive, large, massive a massive accumulation of facts about the motor industry | capital (finance)

VERB + ACCUMULATION lead to | prevent

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accuracy noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, deadly, perfect, pinpoint, total, unerring The needle has to be positioned with pinpoint accuracy. | amazing, considerable, great, high (technical), remarkable, uncanny | reasonable, sufficient | factual, historical, technical

QUANT. degree, level The missiles are capable of a very high degree of accuracy.

VERB + ACCURACY improve, increase We are hoping to improve the accuracy of our forecasts. | check, confirm, test | ensure Great care is taken to ensure the accuracy of research data. | doubt, question Many people began to question the accuracy of his statement.

PREP. with ~ It is possible to predict the outcome with reasonable accuracy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accurate adj.

VERBS be, prove His predictions proved accurate.

ADV. deadly, extremely, highly, very | amazingly, remarkably, surprisingly, uncannily | completely, perfectly, totally | not completely, not entirely, not quite, not strictly, not wholly The figures he gave were not strictly accurate. | partially | broadly, fairly, generally, largely, pretty, quite, reasonably, sufficiently | historically, statistically

PHRASES full and accurate He gave a full and accurate account of his movements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accusation noun

VERB + ACCUSATION level at, make an accusation frequently levelled at junior doctors | face Their father now faces an accusation of murder. | deny, dismiss, refute, reject | prove, support New evidence has emerged which supports the accusation against her.

ACCUSATION + VERB fly about/around There seem to be a lot of wild accusations flying around.

PREP. amid ~s He fled the country amid accusations of fraud. | ~ against You made a public accusation of misconduct against Nigel.

PHRASES bring an accusation against sb She rejected all the accusations brought against her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accuse verb

ADV. practically, virtually She practically accused me of starting the fire! | falsely, unjustly, wrongly | angrily | openly, publicly They openly accused her of dishonesty.

VERB + ACCUSE cannot/could not You can't accuse me of being selfish.

PREP. of No one could ever accuse this government of not caring about the poor.

PHRASES stand accused of He stands accused of murdering his wife and children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

accustomed adj. accustomed to sth

VERBS be | become, get, grow She had grown accustomed to his long absences.

ADV. quite, well He was well accustomed to hard work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ace noun

¹ playing card > Note at CARD

² winning first hit in tennis

VERB + ACE serve Rafter has served fifteen aces in the match so far.

³ person who is very good at sth

ADJ. fighter, flying, goal, motorcycle, soccer, tennis

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ache noun

¹ physical pain

ADJ. dull, nagging, throbbing | familiar | muscular, stomach, tummy

VERB + ACHE be aware of, feel I felt the familiar ache in my lower back. | ease He changed his position once again to ease the ache in his back.

ACHE + VERB throb A dull ache throbbed at the back of David's head.

PREP. ~ in a nagging ache in her knee

PHRASES aches and pains He was always complaining about his various aches and pains.

² great sorrow

ADJ. deep, dull, nagging

VERB + ACHE feel, have She kept feeling the nagging ache in her heart.

PREP. ~ in She could hardly speak for the ache in her heart. | ~ inside, ~ of the ache of loneliness inside him

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ache verb

ADV. badly, really My feet ached badly. | a bit My left foot ached a bit.

PREP. from I still really ache from all that cycling yesterday.

PHRASES ache all over Her head felt hot and she was aching all over.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

achievement noun

¹ thing done successfully

ADJ. considerable, extraordinary, fine, great, important, impressive, major, no mean, notable, outstanding, real, remarkable, significant, tremendous This was no mean achievement for the government. | rare | unique | concrete, solid | crowning, main, proudest, supreme | lasting | modest | personal | architectural, artistic, cultural, economic, educational, engineering, literary, scientific, sporting, technical, technological

VERB + ACHIEVEMENT be, constitute, represent This conference in itself constitutes a solid achievement.

PREP. ~ in She was given a prize for her achievements in textile design.

PHRASES quite an achievement To be offered a place at such a good university is quite an achievement.

² act of achieving sth

ADJ. high two years of consistently high achievement | positive | individual, personal | human He believes European civilization was the high point of human achievement. | academic, educational, intellectual Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of achievement Climbing the mountain gave him a tremendous sense of achievement. | a lack of achievement, a level/standard of achievement, a record of achievement an impressive record of achievement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

achieve verb

VERB + ACHIEVE fail to The present law has failed to achieve its objectives. | be designed to | be difficult to, be easy to, be impossible to, be possible to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acid noun

¹ chemical compound

ADJ. concentrated, strong | dilute, weak | acetic, amino, carbolic, citric, folic, hydrochloric, lactic, nitric, nucleic, prussic, sulphuric, etc.

VERB + ACID produce | neutralize You will need a special chemical to neutralize the acid.

ACID + VERB burn sth The acid burned a hole in her overalls.

² illegal drug

VERB + ACID drop smoking joints and dropping acid > Note at DRUG

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acknowledgement noun

VERB + ACKNOWLEDGEMENT amount to, be This amounted to an acknowledgement that she had been wrong. | get, receive I wrote to them but never got any acknowledgement. | grunt, nod, wave She merely nodded acknowledgement of his statement.

PREP. in ~ (of) He raised his hand to her in acknowledgement. | ~ from She is still waiting for some acknowledgement from her fellow academics.

PHRASES with due acknowledgement He borrowed from a number of sources, with due acknowledgement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acknowledge verb

¹ admit/recognize

VERB + ACKNOWLEDGE fail to, refuse to | be forced to Mental illness can exist for years before families are forced to acknowledge the truth.

PHRASES be generally/universally/widely acknowledged a truth that is universally acknowledged

³ reply to letter

ADV. duly The company duly acknowledged receipt of the letter. | hereby I hereby acknowledge receipt of your letter of 25 July.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acne noun

ADJ. bad, terrible

VERB + ACNE have, suffer from He had terrible acne when he was younger. | develop, get A lot of teenagers develop acne. | treat Doctors can treat acne with pills or creams.

ACNE + VERB clear (up) Acne often clears up with a change in diet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acquaintance noun

¹ person you know

ADJ. casual I bumped into a casual acquaintance in town. | casual, new | close, old | business, mutual, personal, social

VERB + ACQUAINTANCE bump into, meet | greet (sb as) He was greeted as an old acquaintance.

PHRASES friends and acquaintances

² knowledge of sb/sth

ADJ. nodding, passing, slight a man with whom I had a passing acquaintance | brief, short | close, intimate

VERB + ACQUAINTANCE make sb/sth's (= become acquainted with sb/sth) I first made his acquaintance in 1992. | strike up I first met Simon in 1998 and struck up an acquaintance with him. | renew

PREP. of sb's ~ He introduced me to a lady of his acquaintance. | ~ with her acquaintance with modern French philosophy

PHRASES have an acquaintance with They have little acquaintance with colloquial English. | on close/closer acquaintance, on first acquaintance On first acquaintance she seemed a little odd

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acquainted adj.

¹ familiar with sth

VERBS be | become

ADV. well | fully

PREP. with Are you fully acquainted with the facts?

² knowing sb personally

VERBS be | become, get I would like to get acquainted with her. | get sb Playing a game with the children is a good way of getting them acquainted.

ADV. closely, intimately, well | personally

PREP. with I am not personally acquainted with her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acquisition noun

¹ thing you have obtained

ADJ. latest, new, recent

² act of obtaining sth

ADJ. data, language, property Language acquisition begins in the first months of a baby's life.

VERB + ACQUISITION complete, make The company has just made another acquisition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acquittal noun

VERB + ACQUITTAL return The jury returned an acquittal after only seventeen minutes. | direct, order The trial judge had directed an acquittal. | gain (sb), obtain, secure | lead to, result in The trial resulted in an acquittal. | uphold The judge upheld their acquittal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acre noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acting noun

ADJ. brilliant, excellent, good | bad, poor, wooden The film is spoiled by some very wooden acting.

VERB + ACTING do I did quite a lot of acting when I was at college.

ACTING + NOUN career, profession

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

action noun

¹ process of doing sth

ADJ. decisive, effective, firm, strong, vigorous | immediate, prompt, swift, urgent | drastic, emergency The situation calls for drastic action. | collective, concerted, joint, united | direct, positive | evasive | corrective, remedial | disciplinary, legal, military, political, strike Disciplinary action will be taken against students who cheat. (see also industrial action)

VERB + ACTION take | call for | agree on The leaders have agreed on joint action to combat terrorism. | leap/spring/swing into The emergency services swung into action as soon as the disaster was reported. | carry out, perform, take Only the priest can perform these actions. We shall take whatever actions are necessary. | galvanize/prod/spur sb into We have to galvanize people into action. | bring/put sth into We need to put these ideas into action. | keep/put sb/sth out of A fire has put the factory out of action.

PREP. in ~ I have not yet seen the machines in action. | out of ~ He is out of action following an ankle injury. | ~ against against drug dealers | ~ on The government is taking strong action on refugees.

PHRASES a course of action Is this the best course of action to follow?

² legal case

ADJ. court | civil, criminal, libel

VERB + ACTION bring, take out Her husband brought a civil action against her after their divorce.

PREP. ~ against

³ fighting

ADJ. enemy He was killed during enemy action.

VERB + ACTION see I never saw action during the war.

PHRASES killed/missing/wounded in action He was reported missing in action.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

active adj.

VERBS be | become | keep (informal), remain Try to keep active in the cold weather.

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly active volcano | increasingly | fairly, quite, reasonably | equally a businessman who is equally active in politics | mentally, physically It's important to remain mentally active after retirement. | sexually A minority of children are sexually active before they are in their teens. | economically, politically When did you first become politically active?

PREP. against drugs that are active against cancers | in She has been active in local politics for some years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

activity noun

QUANT. burst, flurry There was a flurry of activity as the film star appeared on the balcony. | level Newspapers report a higher level of activity in the foreign exchange markets.

VERB + ACTIVITY do Here's an activity you can do with mixed ability classes. | be involved in, engage in, participate in, take part in, undertake We suspect he may be involved in illegal activities. Teachers here are not allowed to engage in any political activity. | stop, suspend, terminate The party's activities have been suspended. | stimulate It will only be possible to stimulate business activity with an injection of public funds. | curb | resume | buzz with The room was buzzing with activity.

PHRASES a hive of activity (= a very busy place) The classroom was a hive of activity as the children prepared for the concert. | a sign of activity Police watched the house all day, but there was no sign of activity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

actor, actress noun

ADJ. accomplished, born, brilliant, consummate, experienced, fine, good, great, talented, wonderful You're a born actor! | celebrated, famous, leading, principal, sought-after, star, veteran, well-known | successful | bit-part, struggling, unknown | out-of-work, unemployed | aspiring, would-be | frustrated Lecturers are often frustrated actors who enjoy performing before a live audience. | amateur | professional | character, classical, comedy/comic, Shakespearean, straight | film, Hollywood, screen, stage, television | child | supporting the award for best supporting actor

VERB + ACTOR, ACTRESS audition, cast

ACTOR, ACTRESS + VERB act (sth), perform (sth), play (sth) The same actor plays three different parts in the film. | rehearse (sth) | audition He was one of many actors who auditioned for the part of Hamlet. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

actor, actress noun

VERB + ACTOR, ACTRESS audition, cast

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

act noun

¹ thing that sb does

ADJ. charitable, kind | heroic a heroic act of bravery | aggressive, barbaric, hostile, provocative, terrorist, violent | appalling, despicable, outrageous, terrible | criminal, illegal, unlawful, wrongful | careless, foolish, impulsive | conscious, deliberate, positive, voluntary, wilful | private a private act of revenge | public | creative, dramatic, physical, political, symbolic | homosexual, sex/sexual | balancing, disappearing, juggling, vanishing The UN must perform a difficult balancing act between the two sides in the conflict.

VERB + ACT commit (law), perform charged with committing an act of gross indecency

PREP. in the ~ of (= doing something) | ~ of For Jane, the act of writing was always difficult.

PHRASES an act of faith, love, violence, will, worship, etc., catch sb in the act (of doing sth) He was caught in the act of stealing. | the simple/very act of doing sth The very act of writing out your plan clarifies what you need to do.

² (also Act) law made by a government

VERB + ACT bring in, introduce, pass The Act was passed by a majority of 175 votes to 143. | amend | repeal The old Act has now been repealed. | breach, contravene The company had breached the 1994 Companies Act.

ACT + VERB become law, come into force The new Children's Act will come into force next year. | contain sth, say sth, state sth The Act contains regulations for banks and building societies.

PREP. under an/the ~ He was charged under the Firearms Act of 1977.

³ entertainment; entertainers

ADJ. class (informal) (used for sb who does sth well) Their new striker looks a class act. | double comedy double act French and Saunders | live their reputation as one of rock's most impressive live acts | main, support The main act will come on at about ten o'clock. | cabaret, circus, comedy, song-and-dance, stage, variety

VERB + ACT do, perform He does a little song-and-dance act. | rehearse, work on

⁴ division of a play

ADJ. opening | final, last | first, second, etc.

PREP. in (the) ~ The king is killed in the opening act.

⁵ insincere behaviour

VERB + ACT put on Don't take any notice?she's just putting on an act!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

act verb

¹ do sth/behave

ADV. at once, immediately, promptly, quickly, swiftly The government must act promptly to change this law. | correctly, legally, properly | illegally, improperly, unconstitutionally, unlawfully, wrongly | reasonably, responsibly, sensibly, wisely | dishonestly, dishonourably, unreasonably | oddly, strangely, suspiciously Jenny has been acting rather strangely recently. | bravely | decisively | effectively | in good faith His defence was that he had acted in good faith. | in self defence The jury accepted that he had acted in self defence. | accordingly George knew about the letter and acted accordingly.

PREP. against The government needs to act against the sale of these dangerous toys. | for/on behalf of sb His solicitors are continuing to act for him. | like Stop acting like a spoilt child. hormones in the brain that act like natural painkillers | on Alcohol acts quickly on the brain. | out of I suspected that he was acting out of malice.

PHRASES act in sb's best interests We are all acting in the best interests of the children.

² perform in play/film

ADV. brilliantly, well | badly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acumen noun

ADJ. considerable, great | business, commercial, critical, financial, political

VERB + ACUMEN demonstrate, show He had demonstrated considerable business acumen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

acupuncture noun

QUANT. course My doctor recommended a course of acupuncture.

VERB + ACUPUNCTURE have I'm having acupuncture for a bad back. | give sb, practise, use Acupuncture has been practised in China for thousands of years.

ACUPUNCTURE + NOUN point Needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points in the body. | needle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adaptable adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | make sb/sth

ADV. highly, very Many old market buildings have proved highly adaptable. | fairly, quite | easily, readily

PREP. to The vehicles are large and not easily adaptable to new uses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adaptation noun

¹ a change/the process of changing

ADJ. successful | special

VERB + ADAPTATION make making adaptations to your home

ADAPTATION + VERB occur Adaptations in plants occur over thousands of years.

PREP. ~ for The Antarctic species have few special adaptations for polar life. | ~ to adaptation to the workplace

PHRASES a process of adaptation The process of adaptation to a new school is difficult for some children.

² film, TV programme

ADJ. film, screen, television/TV He specializes in screen adaptations of classic novels.

VERB + ADAPTATION film, make, produce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adapt verb

¹ change your behaviour

ADV. successfully, well The children have adapted well to the heat. | quickly | easily, readily The company can easily adapt to changing demand. | accordingly We need to assess the new situation and adapt accordingly.

VERB + ADAPT be able/unable to, can/cannot | have to, must | need to

PREP. to

PHRASES the ability to adapt Some animals have a remarkable ability to adapt to changing environments. | find it difficult/hard to adapt A lot of companies have found it hard to adapt to the new system.

² change a thing

PREP. for to adapt a book for television. | from The radio play had been adapted from a novel.

PHRASES specially adapted The classroom has been specially adapted to take wheelchairs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

addicted adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. totally | hopelessly

PREP. to She had become addicted to tranquillizers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

addiction noun

ADJ. alcohol, cocaine, drug, etc.

PREP. ~ to She had an addiction to heroin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

addictive adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very Cocaine is a highly addictive drug.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

addict noun

ADJ. cocaine, drug, heroin, etc. | computer, television, etc. Many young boys become computer addicts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

addition noun

¹ sth that is added

ADJ. useful, valuable, welcome, worthy | important, major, notable, significant | latest, new, recent

VERB + ADDITION make We have made several additions to the collection recently.

PREP. ~ to the latest addition to the family (= a new baby)

² process of adding numbers/amounts

ADJ. simple He worked it out through simple addition.

VERB + ADDITION do She can do addition, but she hasn't learned subtraction yet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

address noun

¹ where you live/work

VERB + ADDRESS give, leave, write

ADDRESS + NOUN book

PREP. at a/the ~ I'm afraid there's nobody called Williams at this address.

PHRASES a change of address Please inform us of any change of address. | name and address, no fixed address a man of no fixed address

² speech

VERB + ADDRESS deliver, give The prime minister delivered the keynote address at the conference.

PREP. in a/the ~ He gave details of the policy in an address to party members. | ~ by an address by the Chancellor of the University | ~ to a radio address to the nation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

address verb

¹ write name and address

ADV. correctly, properly | personally The minister did not reply to my letter although I addressed it to him personally.

PREP. to

PHRASES a stamped addressed envelope Please send a stamped addressed envelope and we will send you a copy of our brochure.

² say sth to sb

ADV. by name, directly She did not address him by name. He never addressed her directly.

PREP. to He addressed his comments to the chairman.

³ deal with problem

ADV. directly, explicitly, specifically | fully | adequately These concerns were not adequately addressed in the report. | successfully

VERB + ADDRESS seek to the problems we are seeking to address | fail to

PHRASES address yourself to sth The authors of the book address themselves to the question of unemployment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

add verb

ADV. quickly, softly He added softly, ‘I missed you.’

VERB + ADD hasten to I hasten to add that I knew nothing of the fraud at the time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adept adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very | quite

PREP. at He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adequate adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | remain | consider sth, think sth The trains were not considered adequate for use on the modern railways.

ADV. really, very | perfectly, quite, totally | more than The system is more than adequate to deal with any problems. | barely, hardly, less than, not entirely, not wholly The grants given to students are less than adequate. | more or less The amount of money we have been given is more or less adequate. | still | no longer

PREP. for The old computer is still perfectly adequate for most tasks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adherence noun

ADJ. blind, close, faithful, firm, rigid, slavish, strict

PREP. ~ to strict adherence to a diet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adhere verb

ADV. properly The tiles may not adhere properly if you do not use the correct glue.

PREP. to The glue would not adhere to the metal surface. PHRASAL VERBS adhere to

ADV. closely, firmly, rigidly, rigorously, scrupulously, strictly This principle must be strictly adhered to. | fully, properly The guidelines were not always fully adhered to.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adjacent adj.

VERBS be, be situated, lie, stand The vineyards of Verzy lie adjacent to those of Verzenay.

ADJ. directly, immediately There is a row of houses immediately adjacent to the factory.

PREP. to The miller's house stands adjacent to the mill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adjective noun

ADJ. attributive, predicative Attributive adjectives precede the noun. | possessive ‘My’ is a possessive adjective.

VERB + ADJECTIVE apply ‘Enterprising’ is not an adjective you would apply to him!

ADJECTIVE + VERB describe adjectives describing texture | modify, qualify Adjectives qualify nouns. | follow Predicative adjectives follow the noun. | precede

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adjourn verb

ADV. indefinitely The trial was adjourned indefinitely.

PREP. for At midday the meeting was adjourned for lunch. | pending The inquest was adjourned pending further investigations. | to Shall we adjourn to your office?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adjustable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. fully The straps are fully adjustable to fit any size.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adjustment noun

¹ small change made

ADJ. delicate, fine, minor, slight, small | important, major, significant | appropriate, necessary | automatic | financial

VERB + ADJUSTMENT make The mechanic made the necessary adjustments to the engine. | need, require

PREP. ~ for a cut of 1.5% in real terms (after adjustment for inflation) | ~ in adjustments in the exchange rates | ~ to a few minor adjustments to the timetable

² process of changing

ADJ. successful | emotional, personal, social

PREP. ~ to The company's adjustment to the new markets has been successful.

PHRASES a period of adjustment There was a long period of adjustment under the new boss. | the process of adjustment The process of adjustment to life in another country can be very difficult.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adjust verb

¹ change sth slightly

ADV. slightly | finely It is important to have equipment that can be finely adjusted. | automatically | carefully | accordingly Children are sensitive to disapproval and adjust their behaviour accordingly. | downwards, upwards This estimate may have to be adjusted downwards.

PREP. for Salaries are adjusted for inflation.

² get used to new situation

ADV. quickly, rapidly | gradually, slowly

VERB + ADJUST be difficult/hard to

VERB + ADJUST need/take time to It may take a little time to adjust to the climate here.

VERB + ADJUST try to

PREP. to She will gradually adjust to her new role.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

administer verb

ADV. effectively, efficiently | centrally, locally The legislation was to be centrally administered by the Board of Education. | jointly

VERB + ADMINISTER be difficult/easy/simple to, be cheap/expensive to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

administration noun

¹ organizing how sth is done

VERB + ADMINISTRATION be in charge of, be responsible for

ADMINISTRATION + NOUN costs

² people who manage an organization

ADJ. college, hospital, prison, etc.

³ government

VERB + ADMINISTRATION form On September 27 a new coalition administration was formed.

⁴ giving a drug

ADJ. intravenous, oral | drug

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admirable adj.

VERBS be | find sb/sth

ADV. very | wholly She had acted in ways that he found wholly admirable. | truly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admiral noun

ADJ. rear, vice > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admiration noun

ADJ. deep, genuine, great, sincere, tremendous | frank, open | sneaking Inwardly, I had a sneaking admiration for them. | grudging, reluctant | mutual

VERB + ADMIRATION be filled with, be full of, feel, have I'm full of admiration for him. I have the greatest admiration for the nurses. | express, show She wrote to him expressing her admiration. | compel, draw, fill sb with, gain, win a dignity that compels admiration The way he dealt with the crisis filled me with admiration. He gained the admiration of thousands of people. | be worthy of As a writer she is certainly worthy of admiration. | lose He never lost the admiration of his students.

PREP. in ~ She stared at him in open admiration. | with ~ gazing at her with admiration | ~ for admiration for his work

PHRASES a gasp of admiration The picture was greeted with gasps of admiration. | have nothing but admiration for sb/sth I have nothing but admiration for the way she tackled those bullies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admirer noun

ADJ. ardent, devoted, fervent, great, keen | secret Perhaps the flowers were sent by a secret admirer!

QUANT. band, circle, host She was always surrounded by a circle of admirers.

VERB + ADMIRER have | gain, win She soon gained admirers in England and France.

PHRASES friends and admirers The funeral was attended by the singer's friends and admirers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admire verb

¹ have high opinion of sb/sth

ADV. deeply, enormously, greatly, hugely, particularly, really He admires you enormously. | rather | clearly, openly | secretly She secretly admired and envied him.

VERB + ADMIRE have to You have to admire their dedication and commitment.

PREP. about What do you most admire about her? | for I rather admire him for his determination.

PHRASES be generally/widely admired He is widely admired as a journalist. | can't/couldn't help admiring/but admire I couldn't help but admire his determination. | you can only admire sb/sth You can only admire her courage and determination.

² look at sth attractive

VERB + ADMIRE pause to, stop to | stand/step back to He stood back to admire his handiwork.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admission noun

¹ entrance

ADJ. free, half-price | emergency emergency admissions to hospital | cinema, hospital, school, university

VERB + ADMISSION apply for, seek He's applied for admission to the local college. | gain to gain admission to university | grant sb | refuse sb

ADMISSION + NOUN charge, fee, price | criteria, policy | procedure | rate hospital admission rates

PREP. on ~ On admission to hospital, you will be examined by a doctor. | ~ to

² statement admitting sth

ADJ. clear, frank, full This is a clear admission that you were wrong. | tacit | grudging

VERB + ADMISSION make

PREP. ~ of She has made no admission of any involvement in the plot.

PHRASES an admission of defeat/failure/guilt/liability She saw his leaving the company as an admission of failure. | by sb's own admission By his own admission he should never have driven so fast.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admittance noun

VERB + ADMITTANCE gain They were unable to gain admittance to the hall. | allow sb | deny sb, refuse sb

PREP. ~ to The ticket will allow you admittance to the theatre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

admit verb

ADV. freely, readily He freely admitted that he had taken bribes. | frankly, honestly | openly | privately Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise. | grudgingly, reluctantly In the end he'd done a good job, Caroline admitted grudgingly.

VERB + ADMIT be forced to, have to, must I must admit that the results were disappointing. | refuse to | be honest enough to, be prepared to, be the first to, be willing to, dare (to), have the courage to He was honest enough to admit his mistake. She would be the first to admit that she is very difficult to work with. She dared not admit her fear. | be ashamed to, be embarrassed to, be loath to, be reluctant to, be unwilling to, hate to, not care to I hate to admit it, but I think he is right. He had caused her more pain than she cared to admit.

PREP. to He admitted to feeling a bit tired.

PHRASES I don't mind admitting I was scared and I don't mind admitting it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adolescence noun

ADJ. early, late

VERB + ADOLESCENCE reach

PREP. during/in ~ She developed the problem in early adolescence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adolescent noun

ADJ. young | spotty | awkward, disturbed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adoption noun

¹ of child

VERB + ADOPTION offer sb for, place sb for, put sb up for She has decided to put the child up for adoption. | be available for When will the child be available for adoption?

ADOPTION + VERB go through They were so happy when the adoption went through successfully.

ADOPTION + NOUN agency

² taking/using sth

ADJ. general, widespread | formal The party announced the formal adoption of George Smith as their

VERB + ADOPTION recommend, urge The committee recommended the adoption of new safety procedure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adopt verb

¹ child

ADV. legally The child has now been legally adopted.

PHRASES have sb adopted She was forced to have her baby adopted.

² take and use sth

ADV. formally, officially The policy has not yet been formally adopted.

VERB + ADOPT tend to | decide to | be forced to

PREP. towards the policies employers adopt towards the labour force

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adore verb

ADV. absolutely, simply She absolutely adores her grandchildren. | clearly, obviously

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adrenalin noun

ADJ. pure

QUANT. burst, flow, rush, surge He felt a surge of pure adrenalin as he won the race.

VERB + ADRENALIN feel

ADRENALIN + VERB course, flow, pump, surge The adrenalin was coursing through his system.

ADRENALIN + NOUN rush

PHRASES get the adrenalin flowing/going We'll start with a bit of dancing to get the adrenalin going.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adrift adj.

VERBS be | come I nearly suffocated when the pipe of my breathing apparatus came adrift. | cast sb/sth, cut sb/sth, set sb/sth Their boat had been set adrift.

PREP. from (figurative) She had been cut adrift from everything she had known. | in (figurative) cast adrift in a vulgar, materialistic society

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adultery noun

VERB + ADULTERY be guilty of, commit | accuse sb of | admit

PREP. ~ with He admitted adultery with several women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adulthood noun

ADJ. early, young

VERB + ADULTHOOD attain, reach children who lose their parents before reaching adulthood | make it to, survive into/to

PREP. during/in ~ His problems began in early adulthood. | into ~ Her childhood problems persisted into adulthood. | towards ~ a step towards adulthood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adult noun

ADJ. young This book will definitely appeal to teenagers and young adults. | single The number of single adult households has doubled in the past 30 years. | consenting What consenting adults do in private is their own business. | responsible I simply can't believe that responsible adults allowed a child to wander the streets.

ADULT + NOUN life She spent her entire adult life caring for others. | education, literacy | population

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advanced adj.

¹ modern and highly developed

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly advanced economy | fairly, quite, relatively | industrially, technically, technologically

² at a late stage of development

VERBS be

ADV. far, greatly, well The disease was too far advanced for doctors to operate. | fairly, quite | further

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advancement noun

PREP. ~ in advancements in science advancement in the profession | ~ to her advancement to the position of Supervisor

PHRASES an opportunity for advancement There are good opportunities for advancement within the company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advance noun

¹ forward movement

ADJ. rapid | Allied, British, German, etc.

VERB + ADVANCE make The regiment made an advance on the enemy lines. | order The general ordered an advance to the front line. | halt, resist, stop

PREP. on ~ the advance on Leningrad | to ~, towards ~ the Russian advance towards Berlin

² development

ADJ. big, considerable, dramatic, enormous, great, spectacular, substantial, tremendous | important, major, notable, remarkable, significant | rapid, steady rapid advances in science and technology | recent | economic, educational, medical, political, scientific, social, technical, technological | theoretical

VERB + ADVANCE make We need more money if we are to make any further advances in this area of science.

PREP. in ~ two major advances in orthopaedic medicine | on ~ an advance on the existing techniques | towards ~ an advance towards a better understanding of God

³ money

ADJ. large | cash

VERB + ADVANCE give, pay The publishers have paid me an advance. | get, receive

PREP. ~ of an advance of £10,000 | ~ on He was paid £5,000 as an advance on royalties.

⁴ advances: sexual

ADJ. amorous, sexual

VERB + ADVANCE make He made amorous advances to one of his students.

PREP. ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advance verb

¹ move forward

ADV. quickly, rapidly | cautiously, slowly

PREP. from advancing from the south | into The troops advanced into central Europe. | on/upon The army advanced on the capital. | towards He advanced towards me in aggressive style.

² develop

ADV. considerably, greatly, significantly | rapidly

PREP. beyond Society needs to advance beyond prejudice and superstition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advantageous adj.

VERBS be, prove Membership of the union could prove advantageous. | become | make sth Lower fares make it advantageous to travel in winter. | find sth You may find it advantageous to wait a few weeks before replying.

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly, quite | mutually This trade arrangement could be mutually advantageous | economically, financially | politically

PREP. for This scheme could be advantageous for people on low incomes. | to The new tax system is advantageous to higher-rate taxpayers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advantage noun

¹ thing that helps

ADJ. big, considerable, enormous, great, huge, overwhelming | clear, decided/decisive, definite, distinct, material, obvious, positive, real Breastfeeding offers a clear advantage to your baby. | key, main, major, important, significant | dubious | unfair The company has an unfair advantage over its competitors. | added, additional These computers have the added advantage of being cheap. | special | potential | comparative, relative | mutual The plan would be to our mutual advantage. | natural the natural advantages of countries with low labour costs | commercial, competitive, economic, educational, electoral, financial, military, personal, political, practical, psychological, social, strategic, tactical, technical, technological | cost, price, speed, tax

VERB + ADVANTAGE have | gain, get He would gain considerable advantage from staying in that job. | bring (sb), give sb, offer (sb) Another qualification would give me a big advantage at job interviews. | press home The commanders were keen to press home their advantage with a further offensive in the north. | outweigh They argue that the possible risks attached to such vaccines vastly outweigh any advantages.

PREP. to sb's ~ It is to your advantage to delay things for as long as possible. | ~ in There may be some advantage in laying down a clearer procedure. | ~ over East coast resorts have the advantage over west coast ones. | ~ to the advantage to both countries of closer economic ties

PHRASES to good advantage, to sb/sth's best advantage The bright lighting showed the jewels to their best advantage.

² take advantage of: make use of

ADJ. full, maximum We took full advantage of the hotel facilities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adventure noun

VERB + ADVENTURE embark on, have | be looking for, want Those of you looking for adventure can shoot the rapids. | offer Perhaps the war offered adventure, travel, a use for his gifts.

ADVENTURE + NOUN film, novel, story | holiday | playground

PHRASES quite an adventure (= very exciting) Our trip to London was quite an adventure for the children. | a sense/spirit of adventure The journey began cheerfully with a sense of adventure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adverb noun

ADJ. interrogative, sentence

ADVERB + VERB modify sth, qualify sth Adverbs qualify verbs.

PHRASES an adverb of degree/manner/place/time

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adversary noun

ADJ. fearsome, formidable | worthy The British considered him a worthy adversary. | old The two of them were old adversaries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adversity noun

VERB + ADVERSITY be faced with, meet with When faced with adversity she was never tempted to give up. | overcome, triumph over

PREP. in ~ patience in adversity

PHRASES in the face of adversity courage in the face of adversity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advertisement noun

VERB + ADVERTISEMENT place, put, take out We placed advertisements in a number of national newspapers. | carry, display, publish, run, show Television and radio refused to carry advertisements for the record. | find, see, spot | answer, reply to, respond to

ADVERTISEMENT + VERB appear | say sth, show sth, state sth | feature sb/sth

PREP. in a/the ~ A lot of claims are made in the advertisement. | ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advertise verb

ADV. heavily These products have been advertised very heavily. | widely There are plans to advertise the job more widely. | locally, nationally

PREP. for We are advertising for a babysitter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advert noun

ADJ. classified, front-page, full-page | magazine, newspaper, television/TV | chocolate, job, etc.

VERB + ADVERT place, put, take out I put an advert in the local newspaper. She took out a full-page advert in a magazine. | carry, publish, run, show The paper ran our advert last week. | find, see, spot I saw the advert in ‘The Times’. | answer, reply to, respond to

ADVERT + VERB appear The advert appeared in ‘The Guardian’. | say sth, show sth, state sth | feature sb/sth The advert featured a dolphin swimming around a goldfish bowl.

PREP. in a/the ~ A lot of claims are made in the advert. | ~ for an advert for jeans

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advice noun

QUANT. bit, piece, word Can I give you a friendly word of advice?

VERB + ADVICE give (sb), offer (sb), pass on, provide (sb with) I hope I can pass on some useful advice. | get, obtain, receive, take I think you need to take legal advice. | ask (for), go to sb for, seek, turn to sb for Go to your doctor and ask for advice. She asked her mother's advice. | accept, act on, follow, heed, listen to, take I wished that I had followed her advice. | ignore, reject

ADVICE + NOUN centre The Local Authority runs an advice centre in the town.

PREP. against sb's ~ Permission was given against the advice of the planning officers. | on sb's ~ On the advice of his experts he bought another company. | ~ about advice about bringing up children | ~ for Here is some advice for pregnant women. | ~ on Can you give me some advice on where to buy good maps? | ~ to My advice to you would be to wait a few months.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advisable adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sth, deem sth, think sth We thought it advisable to seek police assistance.

ADV. always It is always advisable to make a will.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

adviser noun

ADJ. chief, lead, principal, senior, special the government's chief medical adviser | close, trusted The duke was the king's most trusted adviser. | personal | expert, professional | independent | government, presidential | business, careers, economic, environmental, financial, legal, medical, military, policy/political, public relations, scientific, security, technical

VERB + ADVISER act as | appoint, appoint sb (as) | have Do you have a financial adviser? | consult (with), go to, see, speak to, talk to You ought to consult an independent legal adviser.

ADVISER + VERB advise sb/sth

PREP. ~ on an adviser on environmental issues | ~ to She acts as an adviser to the president.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advise verb

¹ tell sb what you think they should do

ADV. strenuously, strongly I strongly advise you not to do this. | badly, wrongly We were badly advised by our solicitor. | properly | legally

PREP. about We can advise parents about education. | against They advised me against sending cash by post. | on We will be happy to advise on any financial matters.

PHRASES be ill/well advised to do sth John would be ill advised to rely on their support. You would be better advised to consult an accountant.

² inform sb of sth

VERB + ADVISE be pleased to I am pleased to advise you that your application has been accepted. | regret to

PREP. of

PHRASES keep sb advised Please keep me advised of new developments in this case.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advocate noun

¹ sb who supports sth

ADJ. ardent, enthusiastic, firm, great, outspoken, powerful, staunch, strong She's a staunch advocate of free trade. | chief, leading, main, principal

PREP. ~ for He is one of the leading advocates for a more modern style of worship. | ~ of an advocate of pacifism

² lawyer

ADJ. defence > Note at PROFESSIONAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

advocate verb

ADV. seriously, strongly Heart specialists strongly advocate low-cholesterol diets.

PHRASES be widely advocated These policies have been widely advocated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ad noun

ADJ. classified, full-page, small You can put your own small ads in local papers. | magazine, newspaper, radio, television/TV | detergent, job, tobacco, etc.

VERB + AD place, put, take out She took out a full-page ad in a women's magazine. | publish, run, show | answer, reply to, respond to

AD + VERB appear The ad appeared on all major channels. | say sth, show sth, state sth | feature sb/sth

AD + NOUN campaign | agency

PREP. in an/the ~ A lot of claims are made in the ad. | ~ for TV ads for cars

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aerial noun

ADJ. radio, television/TV

AERIAL + VERB transmit sth | pick sth up, receive sth The aerial receives signals from the ground.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aeroplane noun

ADJ. private | vintage | model, paper

VERB + AEROPLANE fly in, go in, travel in I've never flown in an aeroplane. | fly, pilot

AEROPLANE + VERB fly aeroplanes flying overhead | take off | come down, land | crash | carry sb/sth The aeroplane was carrying 350 people.

PREP. in a/the ~ flying in an aeroplane | on a/the ~ The president was never on the aeroplane at all. > See PLANE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

affair noun

¹ event/situation

ADJ. whole She saw the whole affair as a great joke. | glittering, grand I knew that the wedding would be a grand affair. | sordid, sorry, squalid

VERB + AFFAIR deal with, handle Many people have criticized the way the government handled the affair. | be involved in | investigate

PHRASES sb's involvement in the affair He has tried to play down his involvement in the affair. | a state of affairs How did this state of affairs come about? | wash your hands of the affair (= to refuse to be responsible for sth or involved in sth)

² sexual relationship

VERB + AFFAIR carry on, conduct, have He's having an affair with a colleague.

AFFAIR + VERB go on How long has the affair been going on?

PREP. ~ between It's the story of a secret affair between a married teacher and her teenage student. | ~ with an affair with a married man

³ sth that concerns one person/small group

ADJ. family, personal, sb's own It's a family affair.

PHRASES sb's affair What I do at the weekend is my affair. | no affair of sb's That's no affair of yours.

⁴ affairs: important matters

ADJ. current a current affairs programme on television | private, public | domestic, home, internal, national | community, local | European, foreign, external, international, world the minister for foreign affairs | business, financial, legal | commercial, consumer, cultural, economic, environmental, military, political, religious, social

VERB + AFFAIR administer, arrange, attend to, conduct, manage, run I am trying to arrange my father's financial affairs. | settle, wind up | interfere in, meddle in

PHRASES affairs of state The Cabinet will be discussing certain affairs of state. | put/set your affairs in order I want to put my affairs in order before I die. | a state of affairs the current state of affairs in schools

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

affection noun

ADJ. deep, genuine, great, real, special, strong, warm | mutual

VERB + AFFECTION feel, have, hold sb in, retain He was held in great affection by hundreds of students. | display, express, give sb, show (sb) | get, receive | crave, need, want He just wants a bit of affection. | gain, win She had tried hard to win his affection. | alienate

PREP. with ~ He'll be remembered with genuine affection. | ~ for I have a deep affection for his mother. | ~ to/towards The teacher showed affection towards all her pupils.

PHRASES a display of affection I don't go in for public displays of affection. | a feeling of affection a strong feeling of affection | love and affection I yearn for the love and affection I once had. | the object of sb's affections The object of his affections was a young opera singer. | a sign of affection, a show of affection

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

affect verb

¹ influence

VERB + AFFECT be likely to developments that are likely to affect the environment

² make sb sad/angry

ADV. deeply, profoundly Her death affected him deeply.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

affinity noun

¹ strong feeling that you like/understand sb/sth

ADJ. close, great, natural, real, special, strong I felt a great affinity with the people of the Highlands. | natural He has a natural affinity with numbers.

VERB + AFFINITY feel, have, share It's important that you share an affinity with your husband. | display, show

PREP. ~ between an affinity between the two women | ~ for Many girls do show an affinity for craft skills. | ~ towards Jo feels a great affinity towards Pamela. | ~ with an affinity with animals

² similar quality in two or more people/things

ADJ. close, great

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + AFFINITY have A house design should have some affinity with the surrounding architecture. | show In his poems he showed some affinity with Coleridge.

PREP. ~ between There is a close affinity between these two species. | ~ with an affinity with earlier poets

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

afflict verb

ADV. badly, severely

PHRASES be afflicted with He's badly afflicted with a skin disorder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

afford verb

ADV. easily, well She can well afford to pay for herself. | barely, hardly, ill, (only) just, not really an amount which we could ill afford to pay

VERB + AFFORD be able/unable to, can/can't, could (not) I can't afford to eat in restaurants.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

affront noun

ADJ. personal

VERB + AFFRONT cause | regard/see/take sth as He took his son's desertion as a personal affront.

PREP. ~ to This remark caused affront to many people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

afloat adj.

¹ floating on water

VERBS be | remain, stay | set sth The children set their new boat afloat on the lake. | keep sth struggling to keep the vessel afloat

² able to survive financially

VERBS keep, stay He is struggling to keep afloat after a series of emotional and health problems. | keep sth They had to sell their assets to keep the business afloat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

afraid adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, grow | make sb What has made you so deeply afraid of your boss?

ADV. deeply, desperately, extremely, horribly, mortally, really, terribly, very | almost She was tense, almost afraid to open the letter. | a bit, half, a little, rather, slightly He was half afraid to look at her. | just, simply You do know, don't you? You are just afraid to tell me. | genuinely | suddenly He stopped abruptly, suddenly afraid to say the words out loud. | physically

PREP. for Roger was very afraid for her. | of Charlie is afraid of marriage.

PHRASES nothing to be afraid of Don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aftermath noun

ADJ. immediate The president visited the region in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

VERB + AFTERMATH cope with, deal with How does a country cope with the aftermath of war?

PREP. in the ~ of He first took office in the aftermath of the civil war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

afternoon noun

VERB + AFTERNOON spend We spent the afternoon sitting by the pool.

AFTERNOON + VERB progress, wear on As the afternoon wore on he began to look unhappy.

AFTERNOON + NOUN tea Afternoon tea is served on the terrace. | light, sun The afternoon sun shone full on her.

PREP. by ~, during the ~, in the ~, on Monday, etc. ~

PHRASES an/the afternoon off You deserve an afternoon off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agency noun

PREP. through an/the ~ He managed to find a job through an agency. > Note at ORGANIZATION(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agenda noun

VERB + AGENDA have | agree on, draw up, establish, set The college needs to draw up an agenda for change. | follow We were following an agenda set by the students themselves. | add sth to, put sth on I will put this on the agenda for the next meeting. | leave sth off, remove sth from, take sth off The question of pay had been left off the agenda. | circulate A copy of the agenda is circulated to delegates a month before the conference.

AGENDA + NOUN item

PREP. on a/the ~ Safety at work is on the agenda for next month's meeting. | off the ~ (figurative) An expensive holiday is definitely off the agenda this year (= not sth we can consider). | ~ for We have an agreed agenda for action.

PHRASES firmly/high on the agenda In our company, quality is high on the agenda. | an item/a point on the agenda, next on the agenda Next on the agenda is deciding where we're going to live. | top of the agenda Improving trade between the two countries will be top of the agenda at the talks. > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agent noun

¹ works in an agency

ADJ. advertising, election, estate, insurance, land, letting, literary, managing, parliamentary, patent, press, publicity, travel | local The company has developed sales through local agents in key markets.

VERB + AGENT employ, have, use I have an agent who deals with all my contracts. | appoint, engage, get (sb), hire If you want to get published, get yourself an agent! | act as | sack

PREP. through an ~ She got the work through an agent. | ~ for an agent for a shipping company > Note at JOB

² spy

ADJ. intelligence | enemy, foreign | federal, government | secret, undercover | double As a double agent, he worked for the Americans and the Russians.

VERB + AGENT work as

³ person/thing that has an effect

ADJ. chief, main, primary, prime, principal | effective | human | moral, rational | free I told him I couldn't stop him, he was a free agent.

PREP. ~ for The charity is an agent for social change.

PHRASES an agent for/of change

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

age noun

¹ how old sb/sth is

ADJ. early, young He was sent away to school at an early age. | advanced, great, old He was still active even at the advanced age of 87. White hair is a sign of great age. She dreaded old age. | middle a pleasant woman in early middle age | childbearing, pensionable, retirement, school, school-leaving, voting, working children of school age

VERB + AGE attain, get to, live to, reach When you get to my age you get a different perspective on life. She lived to the age of 75. | feel, look She was beginning to feel her age (= feel that she was getting old). | lower, raise The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years.

AGE + NOUN group, range | limit

PREP. at a/the ~ At your age, I had already started work. | between the ~s children between the ages of five and eleven | by the ~ He could read by the age of four. | for sb's ~ He's quite a big boy for his age. | over the ~ Twelve million people in Great Britain are over retirement age. | under ~ It is illegal to sell alcohol to children who are under age (= not legally old enough). | under the ~ It is illegal to sell alcohol to children under the age of 18. | with ~ A lot of wines improve with age. | ~ of He left school at the age of 18.

PHRASES the age of consent The general age of consent for sexual activity is 16. | sb's own age She needs a friend of her own age to play with. | years of age He's 20 years of age. > See OLD AGE

² period of history

ADJ. another, different This exquisite little hotel seemed to belong to a different age. | Elizabethan, Victorian, etc. | Bronze, Ice, Stone | computer, modern, nuclear, etc. | golden the golden age of cinema

PREP. during the ~ He lived during the Elizabethan age. | in a/the ~ In an age when few women became politicians, her career was unusual. | through the ~s an exhibition of spinning through the ages | ~ of the age of the wireless communication

PHRASES in this day and age (= in the period we now live in) Why dress so formally in this day and age?

³ ages/an age: a very long time

VERB + AGE spend, take It took an age for us all to get on the boat.

PHRASES absolutely ages I've been sitting here for absolutely ages. | ages ago Carlos left ages ago. | for ages We had to wait for ages!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

age verb

ADV. considerably, greatly, a lot, really The shock has aged her considerably. My mother has really aged since she became ill. | a little He had put on weight and aged a little. | rapidly, suddenly a rapidly ageing population | prematurely | well This wine has not aged well.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aggravate verb

ADV. greatly, seriously, severely Their negative reactions have greatly aggravated the situation. | further

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aggression noun

QUANT. act Acts of aggression against local shop owners should be reported to the police.

VERB + AGGRESSION display, express, show the brutality and aggression displayed by the soldiers | channel, direct He managed to channel his aggression into sport. | control | release | encourage Do toy guns encourage aggression?

PREP. ~ against, ~ by Aggression by one nationality against another often leads to war. | towards It showed no aggression towards other dogs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aggressive adj.

¹ likely to fight/argue with other people

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get | make sb Watching violence on TV makes some children more aggressive.

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very | increasingly | quite, rather | openly Her mood became openly aggressive when his name was mentioned.

PREP. towards He warned that his dog was aggressive towards strangers.

² behaving in a determined way

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very the company's highly aggressive marketing techniques | fairly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aggrieved adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound

ADV. deeply, much, very | rather, slightly, somewhat

PREP. at James was rather aggrieved at Cameron. | by The villagers felt deeply aggrieved by the closing of the railway station.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agility noun

ADJ. considerable, great, surprising | mental, physical I admired his considerable mental agility.

VERB + AGILITY have | show She shows great agility on the tennis court.

PREP. with ~ He jumped over the wall with surprising agility.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agitated adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound He sounded very agitated on the phone. | become, get, grow | make sb

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very | increasingly | a little, quite, rather, slightly | visibly

PREP. about She's agitated about getting there on time. | at She started to grow agitated at the sight of the spider.

PHRASES in an agitated state By now he was in a very agitated state.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agitation noun

¹ worry/excitement

ADJ. acute, considerable, extreme, great

VERB + AGITATION show trying not to show her agitation | conceal, hide He could not hide his agitation.

PREP. in sb's ~ He knocked his glass over in his agitation. | with ~ She was wriggling on the seat with agitation.

PHRASES a feeling/state of agitation

² public protest

ADJ. growing | mass, popular, public | political

VERB + AGITATION engage in, turn to The organization is turning to political agitation in order to achieve its aims. | stir up

PREP. ~ against There has been mass agitation against the president. | ~ for There is growing agitation for reform of local government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agony noun

ADJ. extreme, intense | absolute, pure, sheer | exquisite | mental, physical | death The little creature squirmed in its death agonies.

VERB + AGONY endure, go through, suffer He endured agonies of loneliness and misery. They went through agony in the search for their missing relatives. | cause, inflict She was causing David a great deal of agony. | prolong Don't prolong the agony?just tell me the result! | groan in, scream in | be contorted in, writhe in His face was contorted in agony as he tried to lift himself out of the chair.

PREP. in ~ The soldier died in agony. | in an ~ of She mumbled an apology in an agony of embarrassment.

PHRASES a groan/scream of agony

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agreeable adj.

¹ pleasant

VERBS be, look, sound It all sounds very agreeable. | find sb/sth He finds her very agreeable. | make yourself She did her best to make herself agreeable. | highly, most, particularly, very It was a most agreeable evening. | quite

ADV. mutually We tried to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution.

² willing to accept/do sth

VERBS be

ADV. perfectly, quite

PREP. to He was perfectly agreeable to the idea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agreement noun

¹ contract/decision

VERB + AGREEMENT negotiate, work towards We are working towards a formal ceasefire agreement. | conclude, enter into, reach, sign After hours of talks the government and the union have reached an agreement. | have We have an agreement to always tell each other the truth about everything. | be bound by We signed the agreement so we are now bound by it. | adhere to, honour, keep to, stick to You have not kept to our agreement. | break, go back on, renege on, violate Some employers reneged on agreements once the recession set in.

PREP. in an/the ~ a clause in the agreement | under an/the ~ Under the agreement, the farmer is not allowed to use this field. | ~ between an agreement between the company and the unions | ~ on They signed two agreements on improving economic co-operation. | ~ with a trade agreement with China

PHRASES breach of agreement He sued the company for breach of agreement. | the terms of the agreement The terms of the agreement do not allow such exports.

² state of agreeing

ADJ. absolute, complete, full, total | broad, general, widespread | mutual

VERB + AGREEMENT arrive at, come to, reach I am hopeful that we can come to an agreement. The two sides failed to reach agreement. | nod He nodded his agreement. | get We will need to get the agreement of the local council.

PREP. by ~ The separation is by mutual agreement. | in ~ I think we are all in agreement that prices should be kept low. | in ~ with I am in agreement with you that she should be given more responsibilities. | with ~ With the agreement of all members of the club, we decided to organize a trip. | ~ among There is agreement among teachers that changes need to be made. | ~ between As yet there is no agreement between the two sides. | ~ on As yet there is no agreement on policies. > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agree verb

¹ share opinion

ADV. heartily, strongly, very much I very much agree with the prime minister. | absolutely, completely, entirely, fully, wholeheartedly I agree entirely with what you have said. | broadly, generally It is generally agreed that more funding is needed for education. | unanimously | gravely, lamely, meekly, soberly, tartly ‘That's true,’ she agreed gravely.

VERB + AGREE cannot | be inclined to I'm inclined to agree there's nothing we can do.

PREP. about We don't always agree about everything. | on/upon Are we all agreed on this? | with Do you agree with me that the scheme won't work?

PHRASES I couldn't agree more I couldn't agree more with what has just been said. | I quite agree, I'm sure you will agree I'm sure you'll agree that this issue is vitally important to the success of the company.

² say yes

PREP. to He agreed to our proposals.

³ decide

ADV. expressly | tacitly | verbally | provisionally It was provisionally agreed that 12 August was to be the date.

VERB + AGREE be unable to, fail to The two countries were unable to agree on a common strategy.

PHRASES agree to differ/disagree We must just agree to disagree on this point. | (be) mutually agreed working towards mutually agreed goals | internationally/nationally agreed nationally agreed guidelines

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

agriculture noun

VERB + AGRICULTURE be employed in, be engaged in, work in | depend on 50 % of the country's population depend on agriculture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aide noun

ADJ. close, trusted one of the prime minister's closest aides | senior, top | junior | personal, presidential, royal

VERB + AIDE act as, serve as, work as

PREP. ~ to He served as an aide to the former president.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Aids noun

ADJ. full-blown Once you are infected you will?sooner or later?develop full-blown Aids.

QUANT. case Six cases of Aids have been reported.

VERB + AIDS have, suffer from | be/become infected with, contract, develop, get | die of | diagnose

AIDS + NOUN patient, sufferer, victim | virus

PHRASES the spread of Aids a worldwide campaign to prevent the spread of Aids > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aid noun

¹ money, food, etc.

ADJ. emergency | humanitarian | cash, development, economic, financial, food, legal, medical, military, relief Legal aid (= government money for legal advice) is a fundamental part of our system of justice. | federal, government, state | bilateral, external, foreign, international, overseas The country relies on foreign aid

VERB + AID appeal for, call for The country's president has appealed for international aid in the wake of the disaster. | extend, give (sb), grant (sb), provide (sb with), send (sb) | get, receive | depend on, rely on | promise | cut (off), suspend, withdraw, withhold The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.

AID + NOUN agency, worker | budget, package, programme a $14 million aid package

² help

VERB + AID ask for, enlist We enlisted the aid of John and his family. | come/go to sb's (= to help someone) She screamed loudly and two people came to her aid.

PREP. in ~ of collecting money in aid of charity | with/without the ~ of She is now able to walk with the aid of a stick.

³ person/thing that helps

PREP. ~ to essential aids to learning > See FIRST AID

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ailment noun

ADJ. common, minor, trivial | chronic, serious | childhood | physical | chest, heart, stomach

VERB + AILMENT be afflicted with, get, have, suffer from I got all the usual childhood ailments. | cure, treat | cause

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aim noun

¹ purpose/goal

ADJ. broad, general, overall | basic, central, essential, fundamental | chief, first, key, main, major, primary, prime, principal, overriding | sole His sole aim in life is to enjoy himself. | clear, explicit It is important to have a clear aim in view. | ambitious | high, worthy Simple truth must be the highest aim of any real enquiry. | limited, modest | legitimate | common I want to see a strong and united country in which people work together with common aims. | underlying Although the report covers many areas, its underlying aim is to ensure that another accident never happens. | immediate, initial | original | eventual, ultimate His ultimate aim was to force the prime minister to resign. | long-term, short-term | avowed, declared, express/expressed, stated The express aim of the treaty is to keep the whole region free from nuclear weapons. | war | policy/political, strategic

VERB + AIM have | set youself | achieve, fulfil You will have to work hard to achieve your aim. | further, pursue They were intent on furthering their aims. The country is still pursuing its aim of joining the EU.

PREP. with the ~ of She started the organization with the aim of helping local people.

PHRASES aims and objectives What are the aims and objectives of this visit?

² pointing weapon, etc.

ADJ. careful I'll take more careful aim next time. | poor His aim was poor and he missed the target.

VERB + AIM take

PREP. ~ at He took aim at the target and fired.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aim verb

¹ try/plan to achieve sth

ADV. directly

PREP. at She's aiming at a scholarship this year. The initiative is aimed at helping young people. | for He is aiming for a win in this race.

PHRASES aim high (= to attempt to achieve a lot) a young man who is prepared to aim high

² intend sth for sb

ADV. clearly, directly, squarely | largely, mainly, mostly, primarily, principally | particularly, specifically

PHRASES be aimed at educational courses aimed particularly at older people

³ point/direct sth at sb

ADV. directly, straight | deliberately

PREP. at She aimed the gun straight at the intruder. | for Aim for his legs, not his body.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aircraft noun

ADJ. fixed-wing, jet, light, low-flying, microlight, supersonic attacks by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft | cargo, civil/civilian, commercial, passenger, private | combat, fighter, military, reconnaissance, surveillance, transport | enemy | burning, crashed, damaged, stricken | model His passion is making model aircraft.

VERB + AIRCRAFT fly, pilot The aircraft was flown by a young American pilot. | land | crash The pilot overshot the runway and crashed his aircraft. | shoot down To be an ace you had to shoot down five enemy aircraft.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

airline noun

ADJ. big, large, major | domestic, international, national | commercial, private, state/state-owned He operates a private airline. | charter, scheduled Prices on charter airlines are usually lower.

VERB + AIRLINE operate, run

AIRLINE + VERB fly, operate The airline operates mainly between Florida and Puerto Rico.

AIRLINE + NOUN business, company, industry | flight, service All scheduled airline services will be affected by the strike. | employee, operator, pilot | passenger | reservation, ticket

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

airport noun

ADJ. big, large, major | small | busy | domestic, international, local, regional | civilian, military

VERB + AIRPORT depart from, fly from, take off from We will fly from Chicago's O'Hare airport. | arrive at, land at, touch down at The plane touched down at Glasgow airport just before midday. | pass through, use

AIRPORT + NOUN building, terminal | lounge | security | hotel

PREP. at an/the ~ waiting at the airport

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

airspace noun

ADJ. controlled, restricted | British, French, etc.

VERB + AIRSPACE cross (into), drift into, enter, fly into, stray into, violate The jet had crossed into Russian airspace. | fly out of, pass out of | open They have decided to open their airspace to commercial aircraft. | close

PREP. in ~ The glider was in Dutch airspace. | out of ~ They were now out of controlled airspace.

PHRASES a violation of airspace The president said that all future violations of our airspace would result in serious consequences.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

air noun

¹ gas/space

ADJ. hot, warm | chill, cold, cool, crisp | clean, clear, fresh, pure We need some fresh air in this stuffy room! | sweet The air was sweet with incense. | foul/foul-smelling, polluted, stale the polluted air of our cities

QUANT. blast, gust We felt a blast of cold air as she opened the door. | current warm currents of air | breath He drew in another breath of air.

VERB + AIR breathe (in), gulp in, suck in Land crabs breathe air and cannot swim. She gulped in the fresh mountain air. | fight for, gasp for She was gasping for air as she ran out of the burning house. | smell, sniff The dog stretched and sniffed the air. | fill, hang in The tang of some wild herb hung in the air.

AIR + VERB blow, rise, waft The cool night air wafted in the open windows.

AIR + NOUN pollution | quality equipment to monitor air quality | pressure | current

PREP. in/into the ~ I kicked the ball high into the air. | through the ~ Spicy smells wafted through the air.

PHRASES in the open air (= outside) The market is held in the open air.

² for planes

AIR + NOUN travel | fare | traffic We are cleared by Air Traffic Control to taxi and take off. | crash, disaster | attack, strike Three buildings were bombed last night in an air strike on the city.

PREP. by ~ (= by plane) It only takes three hours by air. | from the ~ The hideout is clearly visible from the air.

PHRASES in mid-air The two planes collided in mid air.

³ impression

VERB + AIR have, retain You have an air of authority. | add, bring, give (sth) A stone balcony gives the building an air of elegance.

PREP. with an/the ~ He leaned towards Melissa with an air of great confidentiality. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

air verb

ADV. in public, openly, publicly The issues were openly aired and discussed by the group.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ajar adj.

VERBS be, stand The office door stood ajar. | leave sth She had left the kitchen door slightly ajar.

ADV. slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

akin adj. akin to sth

VERBS be

ADV. closely This game is closely akin to rugby. | somewhat A balalaika is an instrument somewhat akin to a guitar.

PHRASES something akin to sth She was wearing something akin to a pineapple on her head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alarmed adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow She began to grow alarmed when she realized how late it was.

ADV. extremely, greatly, seriously, thoroughly, very | increasingly | faintly, a little, quite, rather, slightly | (not) unduly The government is not unduly alarmed by these figures.

PREP. at She was alarmed at the prospect of travelling alone. | by I was slightly alarmed by what Susan told me.

PHRASES nothing to be alarmed about The doctors have decided to keep him in hospital overnight but there is nothing to be alarmed about.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alarming adj.

VERBS be, seem | find sth I find the prospect of being without work extremely alarming.

ADV. extremely, particularly, very | faintly, a little, quite, rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alarm noun

¹ fear/worry

ADJ. considerable, great | growing | sudden | public There is growing public alarm at this increase in crime. | unnecessary

VERB + ALARM cause, create, provoke The head teacher's policies have provoked alarm among parents. | express, register Many people have expressed alarm at the plans. His face registered no alarm at all when I told him the news.

PREP. in ~ He shouted out in alarm. | to sb's ~ To her parents' alarm, she announced that she intended to travel the world. | with ~ The news has been greeted with alarm. | ~ about/at/over There has been considerable alarm about the new proposals.

PHRASES alarm and despondency (often humorous) He loves spreading alarm and despondency. | cause for alarm I see no cause for alarm, as she often arrives late.

² warning of danger

ADJ. false The fire service was called out, but it was a false alarm.

VERB + ALARM give, raise, sound The guard raised the alarm when he discovered that six prisoners had escaped.

ALARM + NOUN call Many birds give alarm calls to warn of danger.

³ device

ADJ. fire, smoke | burglar, intruder, security | car | personal, rape Lizzie was carrying a rape alarm but it was out of reach in her handbag. | radio

VERB + ALARM set I set my alarm for 6.30. | activate, set off, trigger Unfortunately any little noise can set off the alarm. | switch off, turn off | be fitted with The fire brigade recommends that every house is fitted with a smoke alarm. | fit, install | test

ALARM + VERB go off, ring, sound The alarm went off at 7 o'clock. Suddenly the alarm sounded and they all had to leave the building.

ALARM + NOUN bell, clock, signal, system | call Book an alarm call if you need to make an early start.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

album noun

¹ book

ADJ. family, wedding | photo/photograph, stamp

PREP. in an/the ~ I keep the photographs in an album.

² CD/cassette/record

VERB + ALBUM make, produce, record The singer recorded her second album in Los Angeles. | put out, release She has not put out a new album this year.

ALBUM + VERB come out His latest album comes out in the spring.

ALBUM + NOUN chart

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alcoholic noun

ADJ. chronic | reformed

VERB + ALCOHOLIC become, turn into Howe was turning into an alcoholic because of the stress of his job.

ALCOHOLIC + VERB dry out, recover I don't think an alcoholic can dry out without proper medical help.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alcoholism noun

ADJ. chronic

VERB + ALCOHOLISM suffer from Three people in the family suffer from alcoholism. | combat, treat > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alcohol noun

ADJ. excess/excessive the dangers of excessive alcohol | pure Is it possible for cars to run on pure alcohol?

QUANT. drop, unit You need to be careful how many units of alcohol you drink in a week. | level The driver had more than the permitted level of alcohol in his blood.

VERB + ALCOHOL consume, drink | avoid, keep off, not touch, stay off I haven't touched a drop of alcohol for three weeks. | abuse (formal) Most drinkers do not abuse alcohol at all.

ALCOHOL + NOUN content, level It can take a long time for blood alcohol levels to fall. | consumption, intake, use | abuse, addiction, misuse | problem People can find it hard to admit they have an alcohol problem.

PHRASES low alcohol (= containing very little alcohol) a low alcohol beer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alert adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | remain, stay | keep sb The machine should help to keep the pilot alert.

ADV. very | fully | immediately, instantly, suddenly There was a noise outside and he was suddenly alert. | always, constantly | mentally He was as mentally alert as a man half his age.

PREP. to Climbers need to be alert to possible dangers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alert noun

ADJ. red His sudden disappearance triggered a red alert among his friends. | nationwide | bomb, fire, flood, pollution, security A security alert was issued after four men escaped from the prison.

VERB + ALERT issue, put out, raise, sound They rang the church bells to sound the alert and the villagers then fled. | spark, trigger | call off The alert was called off when it was found that the bomb was not live.

ALERT + VERB go out A nationwide alert went out for three escaped prisoners.

PREP. on the ~ | ~ for You should always be on the alert for anyone who looks suspicious.

PHRASES be on full alert The security forces are now on full alert. | keep/put/place sb on full alert Thousands of police were put on full alert at all main roads leading to the city. | a state of alert The army was yesterday placed on a state of alert in case of more riots.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ale noun

ADJ. fine, good This pub specializes in fine ales. | real (= made and stored in the traditional way), traditional the growth in demand for real ale | brown, light, pale | strong

QUANT. pint | barrel, bottle, can, glass, tankard Fresh barrels of ale were brought up from the cellar.

VERB + ALE down (informal), drink, sip He drank several pints of ale. | brew, make

ALE + NOUN house

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alias noun

VERB + ALIAS adopt, use After her escape from prison, Claire Potter adopted the alias Margaret Smith.

PREP. under an/the ~ (= using another name) Five years ago he had lived in France under an alias.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alibi noun

ADJ. cast-iron, good, perfect, solid She was in the office all of Wednesday and so has a cast-iron alibi. | false

VERB + ALIBI have | establish, provide, supply The videotape would have been useful to establish alibis for the defendants.

PREP. ~ for The accused was not able to provide an alibi for the evening.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alienation noun

ADJ. growing

PREP. ~ from his growing alienation from his family

PHRASES a feeling/sense of alienation There is a growing feeling of alienation among young unemployed people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alien adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | find sth It was an act of violence that she found alien and shocking.

ADV. very | completely, entirely, totally, utterly | quite, somewhat | essentially living in an essentially alien culture

PREP. to They spoke a language totally alien to him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alien noun

ADJ. enemy During the war, he was imprisoned as an enemy alien. | illegal Illegal aliens are usually deported to their country of origin. | undesirable | resident

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alight adj.

¹ burning

VERBS be | catch His clothing caught alight. | remain, stay hoping that the fire would remain alight overnight | set sth The building had been set alight by the killer. | keep sth The fires had to be kept alight each night.

ADV. well The fire should be well alight by now.

² excited

VERBS be

PHRASES alight with excitement/laughter/pleasure The children's eyes were alight with excitement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alignment noun

¹ arrangement in correct position

ADJ. correct

VERB + ALIGNMENT bring sth into

PREP. in ~ (with sth) The door needs to be in alignment with the frame before you start work on it. | out of ~ A few of the tiles were clearly out of alignment.

² political support

ADJ. close | military, political

VERB + ALIGNMENT establish, form | maintain

PREP. ~ between It is very difficult to maintain the alignment between the two countries since the trade dispute. | ~ with Britain formed a close alignment with Egypt in the last century.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

align verb

ADV. accurately, correctly, properly | fully | roughly | horizontally, vertically

PREP. along He argued that important historical sites were aligned along straight lines of mystic energy. | with This pillar is roughly aligned with the others. PHRASAL VERBS align yourself with sb/sth

ADV. closely, firmly The group does not want to align itself too closely with the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alike adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. remarkably, very (much) | exactly Though John and Andrew look exactly alike, they act quite differently.

PREP. in The two towns are very much alike in size and population.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alive adj.

¹ living

VERBS be, seem | remain, stay Lost and so far from other human life, he faced a desperate struggle to stay alive. | keep sb Doctors fought to keep her alive. | be buried, be burnt

ADV. very much The old rascal is still very much alive. | barely, only half For four days he seemed barely alive. | still I wasn't sure if he was still alive.

PHRASES alive and kicking My mother is still alive and kicking. | alive and well At any moment he may turn up alive and well. | dead or alive The police are desperate to catch this man dead or alive. | lucky to be alive It was a very narrow escape and we are lucky to be alive. | more dead than alive Poor child, she looks more dead than alive.

² full of life

VERBS be, feel, seem I feel really alive in the country! | come The city comes alive at night. | bring sb/sth The wealth of detail in his book really brings it alive.

ADV. really, truly, very | fully | intensely | only half She realized that she had only been half alive for the last four years. | suddenly His eyes were suddenly alive with excitement.

PREP. with The hall was alive with the sound of voices.

³ continuing to exist

VERBS be | remain | keep sth The people try to keep the old traditions alive.

ADV. very much The old customs are still very much alive in this region.

PHRASES alive and well The art of debate is alive and well in our schools.

⁴ aware of sth

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. very much | keenly

PREP. to He remained keenly alive to the dangers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allegation noun

ADJ. damaging, serious | false, unfounded, unproven, unsubstantiated, untrue, wild | true The defendants in the libel case maintain that their allegations are true. | fresh, further, new There have been fresh allegations of atrocities. | widespread | corruption

VERB + ALLEGATION make, publish | retract, withdraw I advise you to withdraw your allegation before I contact my lawyer. | be at the centre of, be confronted with, face the school at the centre of these allegations | deny, dismiss, dispute, reject | answer, counter, refute The minister has the right to answer specific allegations. He will need to counter allegations that he accepted money from criminals. | prove, support The committee found no evidence to support allegations of smuggling. | disprove It took over two months to disprove the allegation. | give rise to, lead to, prompt, provoke The sudden collapse of the business led to allegations of corrupt dea | examine, investigate, look into, probe (used in journalism) The governor of the prison is investigating allegations that a prisoner was attacked and beaten by a prison warder.

PREP. amid/amidst ~ He has resigned amid corruption allegations. | ~ about/concerning allegations about the president's private life | ~ against He has made certain allegations against the company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allegiance noun

ADJ. full, strong We will give our full allegiance to the party and everything it believes in. | traditional | changing, shifting It is hard to keep up with the changing allegiances between the various political parties. | political, religious | class, party

VERB + ALLEGIANCE give, owe He owed his allegiance to the organization that had given him all his opportunities. | pledge, swear The rebels now have to swear allegiance to the queen they hate. | abandon Many people have abandoned their traditional party allegiances. | change, shift, switch, transfer | claim The various splinter groups all claim allegiance to the true spirit of the movement. | claim, command Catholicism claims allegiance from more than 80% of the population. | retain The union needs to retain the allegiance of all its members for the strike to succeed.

PREP. to ~ He is now very rich but his allegiance to his working-class origins is still strong.

PHRASES an oath of allegiance Every day the schoolchildren pledge an oath of allegiance to their country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allergy noun

ADJ. food

VERB + ALLERGY have, suffer from | develop | cause Hair and feathers can cause allergies.

ALLERGY + NOUN sufferer

PREP. ~ to He developed an allergy to pollen. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alleviate verb

ADV. considerably, greatly These problems have been greatly alleviated by the passing of the new Act. | partly, somewhat

VERB + ALLEVIATE be designed to, help (to) These measures are designed to alleviate the situation. | do little/nothing to Her words did little to alleviate his fears.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alley noun

ADJ. dark | little, narrow a maze of narrow alleys | stinking I don't want to be left for dead in some stinking alley. | cobbled | back, side

ALLEY + VERB lead onto sth, lead to sth The alley leads to the village square.

ALLEY + NOUN cat

PREP. along an/the ~ I walked back along a side alley. | down an/the ~ a bookshop down a little alley | in an/the ~ They had cornered him in an alley. | through an/the ~ She wandered through the back alleys. | up an/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alliance noun

VERB + ALLIANCE have They have alliances with other companies. | build (up), create, enter into, forge, form, make, strike up The government has tried to forge alliances with environmentalists. | cement To cement the alliance with England, Charles married Margaret, sister of the English king. | break off They broke off the alliance with Sparta. | seek

PREP. in ~ with The government, in alliance with the army, has decided to ban all public meetings for a month. | ~ against old alliances against enemies that no longer exist | ~ between an alliance between Britain and France | ~ with an alliance with Germany

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allied adj.

VERBS be

ADV. closely | loosely an offensive by seven loosely allied guerrilla groups

PREP. to His decision to move to London is closely allied to his ambition to become manager of the company. | with The party is allied with the Communists.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allocate verb

ADV. efficiently Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently. | randomly

PREP. for More money should be allocated for famine relief. | to More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allocation noun

¹ process of giving sth out

ADJ. efficient, inefficient | random | budget, grant, housing, land, resource, time

VERB + ALLOCATION make The allocation must be made according to a strict set of criteria.

² amount given to sb

ADJ. big, generous, large | modest | total

VERB + ALLOCATION give The school gave them a generous allocation of money with which to purchase books. | get, receive | increase, up The charity is trying to get its allocation upped for next year. | cut, reduce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allowance noun

¹ amount of sth that you are allowed

ADJ. baggage, holiday

VERB + ALLOWANCE be entitled to, get, have I get four weeks' holiday allowance a year.

² amount of money sb receives regularly

ADJ. generous, large | meagre, small | annual, daily, monthly, weekly | child, disability, family, housing, living, travel

VERB + ALLOWANCE be entitled to You may be entitled to a housing allowance if you are in a low-paid job. | get, receive | give sb, grant The company gives me a travel allowance.

PREP. ~ for The weekly allowance for each child is £15.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

allusion noun

ADJ. clear, direct | indirect, veiled She was made uncomfortable by his veiled allusion to the previous night. | classical, cultural, literary

VERB + ALLUSION make He makes several allusions to these events in his latest book.

PREP. ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ally noun

VERB + ALLY have Jane felt that she had an ally. | find, gain, get | lose

PREP. ~ against He now had an ally against his boss.

PHRASES find/have an ally in sb She had found an ally in her old teacher. | a friend and ally a friend and ally of the president

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

almond noun

ADJ. whole | blanched, flaked, ground biscuits made with ground almonds | sugared, toasted | bitter

ALMOND + NOUN essence, oil, paste | blossom, tree

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alone adj.

VERBS be, feel, sit, stand These islands are too small to stand alone as independent states. | leave sb, let sb Don't touch me! Leave me alone!

ADV. very much I felt vulnerable and very much alone. | all, completely, entirely, quite Carol felt all alone in the world. He felt lost and completely alone. | together Finally the two of us were alone together.

PREP. with She did not want to be alone with him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aloof adj.

¹ not friendly

VERBS be, look, seem | find sb Some people find her aloof and unfriendly.

ADV. a bit, a little, somewhat

² not involved in sth

VERBS hold (yourself), keep (yourself), remain, stand Some thought that Britain was standing aloof from Europe. | keep sb There were many things that had kept her aloof and apart from the crowd.

ADV. largely

PREP. from He has remained largely aloof from the hurly-burly of parliamentary politics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alphabet noun

ADJ. Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Roman | phonetic, runic

VERB + ALPHABET know, learn

PREP. in the ~ How many letters are there in the Greek alphabet?

PHRASES the letters of the alphabet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

altar noun

ADJ. high, main | makeshift, portable | sacrificial

VERB + ALTAR approach, go up to The bride approached the altar.

ALTAR + NOUN boy | cloth, frontal | rail | table

PREP. at an/the ~ Helen and Tony knelt at the altar. | before an/the ~ He lay prostrate before the high altar. | on an/the ~ He placed the candles on the altar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alteration noun

ADJ. dramatic, extensive, fundamental, major, material, radical, significant, substantial | minor, slight, small, subtle

VERB + ALTERATION make | need, require The leaflets require no alteration from year to year.

PREP. ~ in There will be no alteration in corporation tax. | ~ to We will have to make a slight alteration to the plans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alternative noun

ADJ. attractive, constructive, effective, good, radical, useful | acceptable, available, credible, possible, practical, real, realistic, reasonable, satisfactory, serious, suitable, viable Is there a viable alternative to prison? | clear, obvious | cheap, healthy, interesting, safe a healthier alternative to fizzy drinks

VERB + ALTERNATIVE have We have two alternatives. | offer, provide His idea seemed to offer a possible alternative. | seek seeking alternatives to nuclear power | find We'll have to find an alternative.

PREP. ~ for There is no alternative for those with no car of their own. | ~ to Is there an alternative to surgery for this complaint?

PHRASES have little/no alternative (but to) She had no alternative but to do as he said. | leave sb with no alternative (but to) He was left with no alternative but to hobble to the nearest telephone box.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

alter verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, drastically, fundamentally, greatly, radically, significantly, substantially He had not altered greatly in the last ten years. | slightly

PHRASES not alter the fact that Unemployment has come down slightly but this does not alter the fact that it is still a major problem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

altitude noun

ADJ. great, high | low | cruising The plane took off and climbed to cruising altitude.

VERB + ALTITUDE cruise at, fly at, maintain The aircraft maintained an altitude of 28,000 feet. | reach, rise to The aviators reported the columns of smoke rising to an altitude of 2,000 feet. | gain | lose The plane suddenly started to lose altitude.

ALTITUDE + NOUN sickness

PREP. at an/the ~ No trees will grow at that altitude.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amateur noun

¹ sb who does sport, etc. for pleasure, not money

ADJ. competent, gifted, talented, top | enthusiastic, keen | gentleman International affairs today are no longer for gentleman amateurs.

² sb who is not very good at sth

ADJ. rank, real The others had been skiing since they could walk and made her look a rank amateur.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amazed adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound, stand

ADV. absolutely, quite, totally, utterly | mildly | genuinely | always, constantly, continually | still I am still amazed that she won first prize.

PREP. at Frances was amazed at her sudden strength. | by I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.

PHRASES never cease to be amazed I never cease to be amazed at the way people hurt one another.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amazement noun

ADJ. complete, sheer, utter | mock She raised her eyebrows in mock amazement.

VERB + AMAZEMENT express

PREP. in ~ He stared at the animal in amazement. | to sb's ~ To her amazement she got the job. | with ~ Laura looked around her with amazement. | ~ at He expressed amazement at being left out of the match.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amaze verb

ADV. really His skill as a dancer really amazed me.

VERB + AMAZE never cease to It never ceases to amaze me what some people will do for money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amazing adj.

VERBS be, look, sound, taste | find sb/sth

ADV. just, pretty, really, truly He remembered our names from ten years ago? isn't that just amazing? a truly amazing achievement | absolutely, most, quite I saw the most amazing film yesterday!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambassador noun

ADJ. former | British, French, etc.

VERB + AMBASSADOR serve as | appoint, appoint sb (as), make sb She's been appointed British ambassador to the UN. | send The King sent an ambassador to Paris. | recall, withdraw The US ambassador was recalled to Washington in protest. | expel

PREP. ~ in the Israeli ambassador in London | ~ to He served as ambassador to Syria.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambiguity noun

ADJ. possible, potential | moral, sexual

QUANT. degree, element There is a degree of ambiguity in this statement.

VERB + AMBIGUITY lead to Incorrect choice of words leads to ambiguity for the reader. | avoid The document has been carefully written to avoid ambiguity. | reduce | remove, resolve They had to change some of the wording in the document to resolve the ambiguity.

AMBIGUITY + VERB arise, occur Ambiguity arises when students' spoken English is very limited.

PREP. ~ about There will always be some ambiguity about what actually happened. | ~ in There was some ambiguity in what he said.

PHRASES a source of ambiguity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambiguous adj.

VERBS be | remain | make sth, render sth The paragraph is rendered ambiguous by the writer's careless use of pronouns.

ADV. highly, very | rather, slightly, somewhat | deliberately, intentionally I suspected that he was being deliberately ambiguous.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambition noun

¹ strong desire to be successful

ADJ. driving, great, naked She's a woman of driving ambition. | personal

VERB + AMBITION have He's got little ambition. | lack

AMBITION + VERB burn Ambition burned within her.

² sth you very much want to have/do

ADJ. big, burning, driving, great, high, main, overriding, ultimate Her biggest ambition was to climb Everest. | lifelong, life's, longstanding At last he had realized his life's ambition. | modest | personal | secret | youthful | frustrated, thwarted, unfulfilled This is a tale of jealousy and thwarted ambitions. | career, imperial/imperialist, literary, political, presidential, social, sporting, territorial

VERB + AMBITION cherish, harbour, have, nurture He had only one ambition in life. | abandon, give up | achieve, fulfil, realize | limit, restrain | frustrate, thwart He felt great resentment at having his ambition frustrated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambitious adj.

¹ determined to be successful

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, very He is a highly ambitious politician. | socially

PREP. for She is very ambitious for her four children.

² difficult to achieve

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, hugely, very | rather | overly Phases 2 and 3 seem overly ambitious.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambivalence noun

VERB + AMBIVALENCE feel | express, show The document expressed some ambivalence over the doctrine of predestination.

PREP. with ~ She viewed her daughter's education with ambivalence. | ~ about their ambivalence about supporting the government | ~ over his ambivalence over money | ~ towards She felt a certain ambivalence towards him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambivalent adj.

VERBS be, feel, sound | remain

ADV. deeply, highly, very The party's position on nuclear weapons is deeply ambivalent. | fairly, rather, somewhat

PREP. about He feels rather ambivalent about his role as teacher.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambulance noun

ADJ. air

VERB + AMBULANCE call (for), get, phone/ring/telephone for, send for Quick, call an ambulance! | drive

AMBULANCE + VERB be on its way Don't worry?the ambulance is on its way. | arrive, come When the ambulance came, I carried her out.

AMBULANCE + NOUN service | crew, staff | driver, man, worker | station

PREP. by ~ She was rushed to hospital by air ambulance. | in an/the~ He went in the ambulance with Lizzy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ambush noun

VERB + AMBUSH lay, prepare, set up The soldiers set up an ambush on the road. | lie in, wait in The soldiers lay in ambush for the enemy troops. | carry out, stage They staged an ambush on an army patrol. | be caught in, run into, walk into We ran into an ambush in the valley.

AMBUSH + VERB take place

PREP. in an/the ~ Twelve men were killed in the ambush. | ~ on an ambush on an army patrol

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amenable adj.

VERBS be, seem | find sb/sth

ADV. highly, most, very The manager was most amenable: nothing was too much trouble.

PREP. to You should find him amenable to reasonable arguments.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amendment noun

ADJ. important, major, significant A major amendment was introduced into the legislation. | minor, slight, small | draft, proposed | detailed | constitutional

VERB + AMENDMENT introduce, make | draft The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. | move, propose, put forward, suggest, table He moved an amendment limiting capital punishment to certain very serious crimes. | withdraw She withdrew her amendment and left the meeting. | accept, adopt, approve, carry, pass, ratify, support, vote for Parliament accepted the amendment and the bill was passed. On a free vote, the amendment was carried by 292 votes to 246. | oppose, reject | be subject to The programme is subject to amendment.

PREP. without ~ The new clause was accepted without amendment. | ~ to an amendment to the Clean Water Act

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amenity noun

VERB + AMENITY have The hotel has excellent amenities. | offer, provide They will provide an amenity for local residents. | lack The flats lacked basic amenities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amiable adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. very | perfectly a perfectly amiable young man | enough, quite I've only met Jane once but she seems amiable enough.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ammunition noun

ADJ. live | blank

QUANT. round

VERB + AMMUNITION carry, have | issue They issued live ammunition to the troops. | fire, use | run out of A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.

AMMUNITION + NOUN dump, store

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amnesty noun

ADJ. general, political

VERB + AMNESTY give sb, grant, offer The government granted an amnesty to all political prisoners. | announce, declare

PREP. under an/the ~ He was released from prison under an amnesty. | ~ for They announced a general amnesty for crimes committed during the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amount noun

ADJ. considerable, copious ~s, enormous, huge, large, massive, significant, substantial, tremendous, vast a considerable amount of money He drank copious amounts of beer. | disproportionate, excessive, inordinate | increasing | fair There was a fair amount of traffic on the roads. | limited, minute, moderate, negligible, small, tiny | full, total You must pay back the full amount of money that you owe. | maximum, minimum He aimed to cause the maximum amount of embarrassment. | exact | equal, equivalent Mix the colours in equal amounts. an amount equivalent to 0.3% per annum | varying Tap water also contains varying amounts of rust and grit.

VERB + AMOUNT double, increase | decrease, limit, reduce They want to limit the amount of cash available.

AMOUNT + VERB double, increase The amount of reclaimed glass used in industry has doubled in the last five years. | decrease, fall The average amount of pocket money received by teenagers fell to £4 a week this year.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amused adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound She looked faintly amused. | keep sb He kept the children amused for hours.

ADV. greatly, highly, much, vastly, very He was much amused by all this talk. | not at all I was not at all amused to find they had eaten all the cake. | faintly, a little, mildly, quite, rather, slightly | clearly Mr Stopes was clearly amused by the confusion. | genuinely | wryly | quietly

PREP. at Tony was very amused at the story. | by She seemed greatly amused by his jokes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amusement noun

¹ feeling of wanting to laugh

ADJ. great, much | faint, mild | quiet | ironic, sardonic, wry | genuine, real

QUANT. gleam, glimmer | hint, note, trace There was a note of amusement in her voice.

VERB + AMUSEMENT afford sb, cause, provide I am happy to have afforded you amusement. | derive, find, get He seemed to be deriving amusement from her discomfort. | show | conceal, hide

AMUSEMENT + VERB show A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.

PREP. for (sb's) ~ What do you do for amusement round here? The play was written for the amusement of the other students. | in ~ Her wide mouth twitched in amusement. | to sb's ~ Much to their amusement, I couldn't get the door open. | with ~ She chuckled with amusement.

PHRASES a source of amusement His son was a constant source of amusement to him.

² sth that makes time pass pleasantly

ADJ. popular She disapproved of popular amusements such as fairs.

AMUSEMENT + NOUN arcade, park | machine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amuse verb

ADV. greatly Her discomfort amused him greatly.

VERB + AMUSE seem to The thought of me on the stage seemed to amuse him. | try to

PREP. with He amused us with his stories.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

amusing adj.

VERBS be, sound | find sth

ADV. extremely, highly, most, really, very | mildly, quite, rather, vaguely | not remotely There is nothing even remotely amusing about the situation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anaesthetic noun

ADJ. general, local

VERB + ANAESTHETIC administer, give sb He was given a general anaesthetic. | use The operation was completed in ten minutes using only local anaesthetic. | have She had a local anaesthetic to stop the pain. | come round from, recover from

ANAESTHETIC + VERB take effect, work The anaesthetic began to take effect. | wear off

PREP. under (an/the) ~ It would have to be done under anaesthetic. | without (an/the) ~ They had to operate without anaesthetic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

analogous adj.

VERBS be

ADV. closely | directly, exactly | broadly, roughly The two situations are roughly analogous.

PREP. to The company is in a position closely analogous to that of its main rival. | with The national debt is analogous with private debt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

analogy noun

ADJ. appropriate, apt, useful | close, obvious A close analogy with the art of singing can be made.

VERB + ANALOGY draw, make, suggest, use She drew an analogy between running the economy and a housewife's weekly budget.

ANALOGY + VERB fit, hold The Wild West analogy does not fit here.

PREP. by ~ (to/with) We can understand this theory by analogy with human beings. | ~ between She suggested an analogy between the human heart and a pump. | ~ for The computer is a useful analogy for the brain. | ~ with There is an analogy here with the way an engine works.

PHRASES argument by/from analogy Argument from analogy is not always valid.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

analyse verb

ADV. carefully, critically, fully, in depth/detail, painstakingly, scientifically, systematically The results must be analysed in detail.

VERB + ANALYSE attempt to, try to | be difficult to, be impossible to The precise reasons for the disaster are difficult to analyse. | be possible to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

analysis noun

ADJ. careful, close, comprehensive, detailed, in-depth, systematic, thorough | brief | objective, subjective | comparative, critical, qualitative, quantitative, statistical, theoretical | cost-benefit, discourse, economic, financial, historical, linguistic, strategic, structural, stylistic

VERB + ANALYSIS carry out, do, make, perform They carried out an in-depth analysis of the results. | give He gave a brief analysis of the present economic situation.

ANALYSIS + VERB indicate sth, show sth Analysis of the wine showed that it contained dangerous additives.

PREP. in an/the ~ In his analysis of the novel he discusses various aspects of the author's own life.

PHRASES in the final/last analysis In the final analysis, the king's power was greater than the bishop's.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

analyst noun

ADJ. leading a leading business analyst | business, computer, data, financial, industry, investment, market, military, policy, political, retail, systems

PREP. ~ of He was a shrewd analyst of players' strengths and weaknesses. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anatomy noun

ADJ. animal, human | female, male | comparative

VERB + ANATOMY study studying human anatomy

PHRASES part of your anatomy (often humorous) He was hit in a rather sensitive part of his anatomy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ancestor noun

ADJ. direct The builder of the manor house is a direct ancestor of the present owner. | immediate | distant, early, remote a distant ancestor of mine Our earliest ancestors lived in a world fraught with danger. | common The two species share a common ancestor. | illustrious The Romans built these monuments to glorify their illustrious ancestors.

VERB + ANCESTOR be descended from, have, share A lot of the people there are descended from a common ancestor. | trace He can trace his ancestors back to the reign of James the First.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ancestry noun

ADJ. common The two species have developed from a common ancestry. | Celtic, French, etc.

VERB + ANCESTRY claim, have, share She shares a common ancestry with the Queen. | trace We can trace our ancestry back to the 16th century.

ANCESTRY + VERB date/go/reach/stretch back to The firm claims an ancestry dating back to 1727.

PHRASES be of French, German, etc. ancestry He is of Chinese ancestry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anchor noun

VERB + ANCHOR cast, drop The ship cast anchor in the bay. We dropped anchor off a small island. | raise, weigh We raised the anchor and set sail. We weighed anchor next morning and sailed south. | lie at, ride at The ship lay at anchor in the bay.

PREP. at ~ the ships at anchor in the harbour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anchor verb

ADV. firmly, securely The crane is securely anchored at two points.

PREP. to The ropes were anchored to the rocks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ancient adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. extremely, incredibly, very | quite | positively The man looked positively ancient.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anecdote noun

ADJ. amusing, entertaining, humorous | personal

VERB + ANECDOTE relate, tell She is good at telling anecdotes. | exchange, swap

PREP. ~ about We swapped anecdotes about old friends.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

angel noun

¹ heavenly being

ADJ. guardian | avenging He liked to think of himself as an avenging angel fighting for justice. | fallen a book about anti-heroes and fallen angels

QUANT. choir, host a whole host of angels

² good/kind person

ADJ. absolute, little Deborah's children are little angels. | ministering I could hardly see Lisa in the role of ministering angel.

PHRASES be an angel Be an angel and make the tea, will you? | be no angel I'm no angel, but I wouldn't dream of doing a thing like that.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anger noun

QUANT. burst, fit, outburst He slammed the door in a fit of anger.

VERB + ANGER be filled with, feel, shake with, tremble with His eyes were filled with anger. She was trembling with anger. | express, give vent to, show, vent, voice Children give vent to their anger in various ways. | control, hide, suppress It is not healthy to suppress your anger. | arouse, cause, fill sb with, fuel, provoke, stir up His words fuelled her anger. | change to, give way to, turn to His joy soon turned to anger when he heard the full story.

ANGER + VERB boil over/up, bubble up, build up, flare (up), grow, mount, rise, well up Henry stood up, his anger rising. | abate, drain, evaporate, fade, subside The anger drained from his face. Her anger subsided as quickly as it had flared up.

PREP. in ~ He raised his voice in anger. | with ~ His face was flushed with anger. | ~ against her feelings of anger against the murderer | ~ at I felt a sudden anger at his suggestion. | ~ over There is much anger over plans to close the hospital. | ~ towards her anger towards her parents

PHRASES a feeling of anger, in a moment of anger He had walked out in a moment of anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anger verb

ADV. deeply, greatly I was deeply angered by their lack of concern.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

angle noun

¹ space between lines/surfaces that meet

ADJ. acute, oblique, obtuse, right | external, internal | narrow, sharp, steep The plane started descending at a steep angle. | shallow, slight, wide The instrument has a wide angle of view. | awkward, crazy, odd The calf's legs were splayed out at awkward angles.

VERB + ANGLE form, make The vertical line makes an angle with the horizontal line. | draw Draw a 130° angle in your exercise books. | adjust, alter, change She adjusted the angle of the legs to make the table stand more firmly. | increase, reduce | measure | move through, rotate through Each joint can move through an angle of 90°.

PREP. at an ~ The tower of Pisa leans at an angle. | ~ between the angle between these two lines

² position

ADJ. unusual The subject is considered from an unusual angle. | camera The variety of camera angles gives her photographs interest. | viewing

VERB + ANGLE consider/look at/see/view sth from We've looked at the problem from every possible angle but still haven't found a solution. Seeing herself from this angle, she realized how like her mother she looked.

PHRASES angle of vision How you see the building depends on your angle of vision. | from all angles You need to consider the question from all angles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

angry adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow | remain, stay She couldn't stay angry with him for long. | make sb That man makes me angry every time I see him.

ADV. bitterly, extremely, furiously, really, terribly, very, wildly | a bit, pretty, quite, rather | increasingly | coldly | suddenly

PREP. about Local people are very angry about the plans to close another hospital. | at The members of the group are frustrated and angry at their lack of power. | with I got terribly angry with him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anguish noun

ADJ. bitter, deep, great, real | inner, personal, private | mental, physical, spiritual

VERB + ANGUISH cause The loss of a pet can cause some people real anguish. | experience, feel, suffer He suffered the anguish of watching his son go to prison.

PREP. in (sb's) ~ to cry out/groan/scream in anguish In her anguish, she turned to her father for help. | with ~ His mouth felt dry with anguish. | ~ at/over his anguish at the death of his son

PHRASES a cry/groan/scream of anguish, pain and anguish All the pain and anguish inside her rose like a tidal wave.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

animal noun

VERB + ANIMAL have, keep In court he was banned from keeping animals. | breed, raise, rear animals bred in captivity | tame, train This animal can be trained to follow simple orders. | hunt, trap | butcher, slaughter

PHRASES the animal kingdom/world the wonders of the animal kingdom

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

animosity noun

ADJ. personal

VERB + ANIMOSITY bear Despite everything, she bore her former boss no animosity. | arouse, stir up

PREP. without ~ They managed to discuss their past disagreements without animosity. | ~ between The two rivals for party leadership insist that there is no animosity between them. | ~ towards the animosity of some locals towards asylum seekers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ankle noun

ADJ. bad, broken, injured, sprained, swollen, twisted | slender, slim, well-turned She has long legs and slender ankles.

VERB + ANKLE break, hurt, injure, sprain, turn, twist

ANKLE + NOUN boots, socks | injury | bone, joint, ligament

PHRASES ankle deep in sth We waded through the river, ankle deep in mud.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

annex verb

ADV. formally The region was formally annexed in 1892. | illegally

PREP. to The territory had been annexed to Poland.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

annihilation noun

ADJ. total | nuclear

VERB + ANNIHILATION face They were to surrender immediately or face total annihilation. | threaten

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anniversary noun

¹ of an important event

ADJ. first, second, etc.

VERB + ANNIVERSARY celebrate, commemorate, mark They held celebrations to mark the anniversary of Mozart's death.

ANNIVERSARY + VERB be, fall The anniversary of the founding of the charity falls on 12th November.

PREP. on an/the ~ on the 20th anniversary of his death

² of a wedding

ADJ. first, second, etc. | wedding

VERB + ANNIVERSARY celebrate

PREP. on sb's ~ He bought her a diamond ring on their tenth wedding anniversary.

PHRASES a diamond, golden, silver, etc. wedding anniversary

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

announcement noun

ADJ. formal, official | public | government | dramatic, surprise Baker issued his surprise announcement in Paris after two hours of talks.

VERB + ANNOUNCEMENT issue, make We will make a formal announcement tomorrow. | greet, welcome The announcement of the ceasefire was greeted with relief.

ANNOUNCEMENT + VERB come The announcement of further job losses comes at a bad time.

PREP. in a/the ~ In an announcement to Parliament, the minister said that the peace negotiations would continue. | ~ about an official announcement about the disaster | ~ by/from an announcement from the prime minister

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

announcer noun

ADJ. continuity, radio, sports, station, television/TV The station announcer warned us that the train was running late. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

announce verb

ADV. formally, officially, publicly | proudly The company proudly announced the launch of its new range of cars.

VERB + ANNOUNCE be expected to, expect to We expect to announce details of the scheme later this week. | be delighted to, be pleased to, be proud to Mr and Mrs James are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Henrietta. | regret to We regret to announce the death of our chairman, Alfred Sidebottom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

annoyance noun

¹ feeling of being annoyed

ADJ. deep, great, intense A look of deep annoyance crossed his face. | obvious She tapped the table with her pen in obvious annoyance.

QUANT. flicker A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. | surge He felt a violent surge of annoyance.

VERB + ANNOYANCE cause He had been causing annoyance to the other guests. | feel I felt some annoyance when he told me his plans. | express, show She tried not to show her annoyance. | conceal, hide

PREP. in ~ He shook his head in annoyance. | with ~ Her cheeks flushed with annoyance. | ~ at/over, ~ with her annoyance with him over his failure to cooperate

PHRASES a look of annoyance There was a look of annoyance on his face. | a source of annoyance A dog that barks constantly can be a source of annoyance to the neighbors.| (much) to sb's annoyance I dropped out of university, much to the annoyance of my parents.

² thing that annoys

ADJ. minor, petty A leaking roof is just one of life's petty annoyances!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

annoyed adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get | make sb His attitude made me extremely annoyed.

ADV. extremely, really, very | thoroughly | increasingly | faintly, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | clearly, obviously

PREP. about I was a little annoyed about the whole thing. | at We enjoyed the game but were rather annoyed at being beaten. | by I was quite annoyed by her remarks. | with Susan felt slightly annoyed with herself.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

annoying adj.

VERBS be, prove | become, get Please stop making that noise?it's getting annoying. | make sth | find sth I found it really annoying not to be able to communicate.

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, mildly, rather

PREP. to The proposal will probably prove annoying to opposition MPs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

annoy verb

ADV. intensely, really His air of calm superiority annoyed her intensely. It really annoys me when people forget to say thank you. | slightly

VERB + ANNOY be beginning to The wasps were beginning to annoy me.

PHRASES do sth just/only to annoy sb I only stay out late to annoy my parents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anonymity noun

ADJ. complete, total | relative This British author has chosen to live in relative anonymity on a Pacific island.

VERB + ANONYMITY ensure, guarantee, preserve, protect Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. | demand, insist on, prefer, request, seek Some people prefer the anonymity of life in a big city.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anonymous adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. completely, entirely

PHRASES prefer/wish to remain anonymous My client wishes to remain anonymous.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

answer noun

¹ sth that you say/write/do as a reply

ADJ. brief, quick, short The short answer to your query is that he has acted completely illegally. | blunt, direct, straight I expect a straight answer to a straight question. | detailed, full, precise | immediate | final | affirmative, positive | negative | honest, reasonable, sensible | dusty (= unsatisfactory) I complained to the water company and received a very dusty answer.

VERB + ANSWER get, have, receive Did you ever get an answer to your letter? | demand | wait for | give sb, offer Please give her your answer, so she can make the necessary arrangements. She repeated her question, but he offered no answer. | guess, know I think you can guess the answer?they won't lend us the money.

ANSWER + VERB come The answer came in a postcard she sent from Devon.

PREP. in ~ to In answer to your enquiries, I can only say that we did not find her work of a satisfactory standard. | ~ to her answer to his question

² solution to a problem

ADJ. easy, instant, ready, simple | clear, clear-cut, obvious The obvious answer would be to cancel the party. | logical, reasonable, sensible | adequate, real, satisfactory | complete, convincing, definitive, effective, good, long-term, perfect | partial

VERB + ANSWER have, know We are aware of this problem, but we do not have the answer. | look for, seek | arrive at, come up with, find We have arrived at an answer which we hope will satisfy everyone. | give sb, offer, provide If you want to save time, this machine will provide the answer.

PREP. ~ to There is no easy answer to the problem.

PHRASES have/know all the answers He's so arrogant, he thinks he knows all the answers.

³ to questions in a test

ADJ. acceptable, appropriate, correct, right | incorrect, wrong | written This part of the exam requires a written answer.

VERB + ANSWER give | guess It's not worth guessing the answer, as you may lose marks. | know | print, write Please print the answers to questions 1 to 9.

PREP. ~ to Do you know the answer to the question?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

answer verb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antagonism noun

ADJ. great, strong | mutual | class, personal, racial

VERB + ANTAGONISM feel, have She felt nothing but antagonism towards her boss. He seems to have an antagonism to the local people. | express, show | arouse, cause, create, lead to, provoke The new rules will create a lot of antagonism.

PREP. ~ between the antagonism between the two brothers | ~ to/towards her antagonism towards her mother

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anthology noun

VERB + ANTHOLOGY compile, edit, publish, put together We have put together an anthology of children's poetry.

PREP. in an/the ~ The essay first appeared in an anthology of feminist criticism. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anthropology noun

ADJ. cultural, social Social anthropology examines family relationships in detail. > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antibiotic noun

ADJ. effective

QUANT. course, dose The doctor put her on a course of antibiotics.

VERB + ANTIBIOTIC be on, take Did you remember to take your antibiotics? | give sb, prescribe, put sb on, treat sth with The doctor prescribed antibiotics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anticipate verb

PHRASES be eagerly/keenly anticipated one of the most eagerly anticipated arts events of the year | be widely anticipated It is widely anticipated that she will resign.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anticipation noun

ADJ. great, keen | eager, excited, happy, pleasurable We look forward to your lecture with eager anticipation. a feeling of pleasurable anticipation | growing There is growing anticipation that the prime minister will have to resign.

VERB + ANTICIPATION be full of We are full of anticipation, and can't wait to visit you.

PREP. in ~ of People are buying extra groceries in anticipation of heavy snowstorms.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of anticipation, a shiver/thrill of anticipation The unexpected news sent a thrill of anticipation through the group.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antics noun

ADJ. amusing, crazy, playful

VERB + ANTICS get up to, perform The youngsters got up to all sorts of amusing antics. | enjoy, laugh at, smile at She was laughing at his antics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antidote noun

¹ against poison/disease

ADJ. effective | natural

VERB + ANTIDOTE administer, give The doctor administered an antidote.

PREP. ~ for Quinine is a natural antidote for this fever. | ~ to We do not have an effective antidote to this poison.

² thing that takes away the effects of sth unpleasant

ADJ. effective, good, perfect, powerful

VERB + ANTIDOTE act as, serve as | offer, provide The resort offers the perfect antidote to the pressures of modern life.

PREP. ~ for I think that stricter punishment is the best antidote for crime. | ~ to Creative activity serves as an effective antidote to depression.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antipathy noun

ADJ. deep, profound, strong, violent | growing, increasing | mutual They have a mutual antipathy to each other. | personal Despite his personal antipathy to me he was still able to be polite. | natural a natural antipathy towards people in authority

VERB + ANTIPATHY feel, have | express, show

PREP. ~ between There was a lot of antipathy between the two doctors. | ~ for his antipathy for his boss | ~ to/towards I feel a profound antipathy to using any weapon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antique noun

ADJ. fine | genuine | priceless, valuable

VERB + ANTIQUE collect

ANTIQUE + NOUN dealer | antiques fair/shop

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antiquity noun

¹ ancient times

ADJ. classical, Greek, Roman, etc. legends from Greek antiquity | late | immemorial, remote

VERB + ANTIQUITY date from, survive from | be lost in The origins of this ancient structure are lost in antiquity.

PREP. from ~ a study of urban life from antiquity to the present day | in ~ vases that were manufactured in late classical antiquity

² a work of art, etc. from ancient times

ADJ. classical, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, etc.

VERB + ANTIQUITY collect He collects Egyptian and Roman antiquities.

³ great age

ADJ. considerable, great the considerable antiquity of the rocks in this region

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antiseptic noun

ADJ. powerful | mild Mint is a mild antiseptic.

VERB + ANTISEPTIC apply, put on You should put some antiseptic on that cut.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

antithesis noun

ADJ. complete, exact, very | sharp

VERB + ANTITHESIS be, represent

PREP. ~ between the sharp antithesis between their views | ~ of The company represented the antithesis of everything he admired.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anxiety noun

QUANT. level the high level of anxiety created by entering a new environment

VERB + ANXIETY arouse, bring, cause, create, provoke | lead to | experience, feel, suffer from She felt a nagging anxiety that could not be relieved. | express, share The mothers were able to share their anxieties with each other. | cope with, deal with skills to cope with anxiety | allay, alleviate, dispel, reduce, relieve The aim is to reduce anxiety and help the patients relax. | aggravate, increase

ANXIETY + VERB grow The more reports I study the more my anxiety grows. | arise (from/out of sth), surface A few anxieties surfaced during the meeting.

ANXIETY + NOUN attack | level

PREP. ~ about her growing anxiety about her health | ~ at anxiety at the deterioration of relations between the powers | ~ for deep anxiety for the whole family | ~ over There are anxieties over the effects of unemployment.

PHRASES fear and anxiety They were encouraged to express their fears and anxieties.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

anxious adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow The bus was late and Sue began to get anxious. | make sb The delays only made him more anxious.

ADV. desperately, extremely, very | increasingly She was watching the clock and becoming increasingly anxious. | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | genuinely | naturally, understandably Final-year students are naturally anxious about getting work after graduation. | unduly There's no need to get unduly anxious on my account. | suddenly

PREP. about I'm becoming very anxious about my son. | for We are extremely anxious for her safety.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apartment noun

¹ a flat

VERB + APARTMENT buy | lease, rent We will be renting the apartment for a year. | live in, share, stay in I share an apartment with two friends. | look for I'm looking for an apartment on the east side of the city. | find | move into/out of

APARTMENT + NOUN block, building, complex, house high-rise apartment blocks

² apartments: set of rooms

ADJ. private, royal, state the private apartments of the imperial family

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apathy noun

ADJ. general, widespread | political, public

VERB + APATHY suffer from | fall into, sink into Once defeated, he sank into apathy. | lead to Such attitudes can only lead to apathy.

PREP. ~ among widespread apathy among students | ~ towards a general apathy towards politics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apologetic adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound

ADV. profusely, very | almost Barney sounded almost apologetic. | faintly, slightly, vaguely | suitably I hope she was suitably apologetic afterwards.

PREP. about He was profusely apologetic about the mistake. | for She was apologetic for taking so long.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apologize verb

ADV. sincerely | profusely He apologized profusely for the damage he had caused. | humbly I do apologize most humbly. | publicly

VERB + APOLOGIZE ought to, should | want to, wish to, would like to I would like to apologize most sincerely for any embarrassment caused.

PREP. for She apologized for being late. | to He apologized to his colleagues.

PHRASES I do/must apologize I must apologize for cancelling our meeting at such short notice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apology noun

VERB + APOLOGY convey, give sb, issue, make, offer (sb), publish, send (sb) The newpaper has issued an apology to the minister. | get, receive | demand, deserve, expect We expect a full written apology. | owe sb She certainly owes you an apology. | mumble, murmur, mutter John muttered an apology then went back to his book. | accept Please accept my sincere apologies. | reject She rejected my apology, saying it was not enough.

PREP. without ~ He backed out arrogantly and without apology. | ~ for an apology for arriving late | ~ from Apologies have been received from the Browns. | ~ to my apologies to your wife

PHRASES a letter of apology, make no apology/apologies for I make no apologies for bringing this issue to your attention once again.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appalling adj.

VERBS be, look, sound

ADV. really, truly | absolutely, the most, quite, utterly They had to wait for hours in the most appalling weather.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apparatus noun

ADJ. breathing, chemical, electrical, experimental, laboratory, scientific | administrative, bureaucratic, legal, party, security, state the state's powerful security apparatus

QUANT. piece a very sophisticated piece of laboratory apparatus

PHRASES the apparatus of government/(the) state

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apparent adj.

VERBS be, seem | become It soon became apparent that the company was losing money. | make sth He made it apparent that he was very annoyed.

PREP. to His lack of experience was quite apparent to everyone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appealing adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | make sth The large salary made their offer even more appealing to him. | find sth I find his manner very appealing.

ADV. enormously, extremely, very | quite, rather | immediately

PREP. to These toys are not immediately appealing to children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appeal noun

¹ serious request for sth you need/want very much

ADJ. desperate, emergency, emotional, urgent | direct | fresh, further a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward | mute She gazed at him in mute appeal.

VERB + APPEAL issue, make They made a direct appeal to the government for funding.

PREP. ~ for an appeal for help | ~ to an appeal to reason

² formal request to sb in authority

ADJ. formal, personal

VERB + APPEAL bring, file, lodge, make He's lodged an appeal against the size of the fine. | win | lose | allow (formal), consider, hear The judge has agreed to allow his appeal. The court will hear the appeal on 10 June. | uphold His appeal was upheld and he was released immediately. | deny, dismiss, reject, throw out, turn down

APPEAL + VERB fail | succeed

APPEAL + NOUN court, tribunal | hearing | judge | procedure, process, system

PREP. on ~ On appeal, it was held that the judge was correct. | under ~ a case currently under appeal | ~ against an appeal against his conviction of fraud | ~ for an appeal for leniency | ~ to an appeal to the High Court

PHRASES a court of appeal, give/grant sb leave to appeal, grounds of appeal, pending appeal The players have been suspended pending appeal. | a right of appeal You have the right of appeal to the Consitutional Court.

³ event for raising money

ADJ. charity, fund-raising | radio, television

VERB + APPEAL hold, launch An appeal is to be launched on behalf of the refugees. | back, support

APPEAL + VERB raise sth The radio appeal raised over three million pounds.

APPEAL + NOUN fund

⁴ attraction/interest

ADJ. considerable, great, growing, obvious, powerful, special, strong | immediate, instant the book's immediate apeal to young children | limited, little | broad, mass, popular, universal, wide a publication designed for mass appeal | aesthetic, commercial, electoral, intellectual, sex, visual Unfortunately, the film lacks commercial appeal.

VERB + APPEAL have, hold His views hold no appeal for me. | broaden, extend, widen We are trying to broaden the appeal of classical music. | lose

APPEAL + VERB lie in sth His considerable appeal lies in his quiet, gentle manner.

PREP. ~ for School lost its appeal for her in the second year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appeal verb

¹ make serious request for sth

ADV. directly He went over the heads of union officials, appealing directly to the workforce.

PREP. for, to Police have appealed to the public for information about the crime.

² to sb in authority

ADV. succesfully, unsuccessfully | directly

PREP. against She appealed unsuccessfully against her conviction for murder. | to He has decided to appeal to the European Court.

³ be attractive/interesting to sb

ADV. enormously, really, strongly The prospect of teaching such bright children appealed enormously. The idea of retiring early really appeals to me. | directly

PREP. to These characters will appeal directly to children's imaginations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appearance noun

¹ way that sb/sth looks

ADJ. attractive, handsome, youthful | distinctive, odd, strange, striking | dishevelled, scruffy, unkempt, unprepossessing | external, general, outward, overall, personal, physical, visual attempts to improve the general appearance of the town centre attention to personal appearance and hygiene

VERB + APPEARANCE have Inside, the house had the appearance of a temple. | take on Towns merged to take on the appearance of a city. | give The report gives an appearance of scientific credibility. | alter, change Shaving off his beard changed his appearance dramatically. | enhance, improve | keep up When she lost all her money, she was determined to keep up appearances (= hide the true situation and pretend that everything was going well). | judge (sb/sth) by To judge by appearances, Roger was rather embarrassed.

PREP. contrary to ~s, despite ~s The American president, despite appearances, has only limited power. | in ~ rather bird-like in appearance

² arrival of sb/sth

ADJ. dramatic, sudden, surprise, unexpected | brief

VERB + APPEARANCE make, put in She made a sudden appearance just as we were about to leave. I feel I must put in at least a brief appearance at the party.

³ act of appearing in public

VERB + APPEARANCE make She made a cameo appearance in the film.

APPEARANCE + NOUN money (sport)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appear verb

¹ come into sight

ADV. suddenly A man suddenly appeared in the doorway. | from nowhere A police officer appeared as if from nowhere and ordered us to halt.

² perform in public

ADV. currently

PREP. at She is currently appearing at the Liverpool Playhouse.

PHRASES appear on television She regularly appears on television.

³ in court

PREP. at He will appear at Manchester Crown Court next week.

PHRASES appear before a court/judge/magistrate The man will appear before magistrates in Birmingham later today. | appear in court A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of seven women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appendicitis noun

ADJ. acute | suspected

QUANT. case

VERB + APPENDICITIS have | get | diagnose > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appendix noun

ADJ. burst, grumbling (= painful from time to time), inflamed, perforated, ruptured He was taken to hospital with a burst appendix.

VERB + APPENDIX remove, take out Doctors had to take out his appendix. | have out She might have to have her appendix out.

APPENDIX + VERB burst, rupture If the condition is not treated, the appendix can rupture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appetite noun

¹ desire for food

ADJ. big, enormous, gargantuan, good, healthy, hearty, huge, insatiable, large, ravenous special double-decker sandwiches for big appetites | poor, small The symptoms of depression can include poor appetite and weight loss. I have always had a small appetite. | jaded magnificent meals to tempt the most jaded appetites

VERB + APPETITE have She had no appetite and began to lose weight. | lose | build up, develop, work up I went for a walk to work up an appetite for breakfast. | get back, regain After a week she had regained her appetite. | give sb All that digging has given me an appetite. | give an edge to, increase The cold air had given an edge to my appetite. | control, curb, suppress (technical), take away, take the edge off Some drugs can suppress the appetite. | ruin, spoil This is something you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite. | satisfy This meal will satisfy even the healthiest appetite.

APPETITE + VERB grow, increase | come back, return His appetite has returned to normal.

PHRASES a lack of appetite, a loss of appetite The symptoms include aching limbs and a loss of appetite.

² strong desire for sth

ADJ. enormous, great, huge, insatiable, voracious an insatiable appetite for books | public The BBC recognizes the public appetite for serious information. | sexual

APPETITE + VERB grow, increase

PREP. ~ for His appetite for power had grown.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

applaud verb

¹ clap your hands

ADV. loudly The audience applauded loudly.

² praise sb/sth

ADV. strongly, warmly The decision to save the company has been warmly applauded.

PHRASES is to be applauded, should be applauded His efforts to help people should be applauded.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

applause noun

ADJ. deafening, loud, thunderous, tumultuous | enthusiastic, rapturous, warm, wild | prolonged, sustained | spontaneous a little burst of spontaneous applause | gentle, muted, polite To muted applause a small flag was raised over the building.

QUANT. burst, ripple, roar, round The crowd gave them a round of applause.

VERB + APPLAUSE be greeted with, draw, earn, get, receive, win The speech drew loud applause. | break into, burst into The audience broke into applause. | acknowledge She stood back and acknowledged the applause of the crowd. | deserve He deserves the respect and applause of his colleagues.

APPLAUSE + VERB break out, greet sb/sth A great roar of applause broke out. Wild applause greeted this remark. | grow | die away/down, subside The applause died down as the curtain closed.

PREP. to ~ He left the stage to thunderous applause. | ~ for There was a ripple of applause for the speaker.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apple noun

VERB + APPLE bite into, eat, munch (on) He just sat there munching on an apple. | core, grate, peel

APPLE + NOUN crumble, pie | core, pip | tree > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appliance noun

VERB + APPLIANCE switch on, turn on | switch off, turn off Always switch off appliances that are not in use. | run, use Many household appliances are expensive to run. | maintain, service

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

applicable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem new developments in research that could prove directly applicable to the treatment of some cancers | become | make sth

PREP. for The offer is only applicable for journeys made during the week. | to The law is applicable to everyone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

applicant noun

VERB + APPLICANT attract The advertisement attracted a number of applicants. | shortlist Eighteen applicants were shortlisted. | interview | appoint, select | reject, turn away/down

APPLICANT + VERB apply All applicants should apply in writing.

PREP. ~ for There were over fifty applicants for the job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

application noun

¹ written request

ADJ. formal, written | successful I am pleased to tell you that your application for the post of Assistant Editor has been successful. | unsuccessful | job, membership, patent, planning, etc. All planning applications should be submitted to the local council.

VERB + APPLICATION file, lodge, make, send in, submit The applicant must file a written application to the court. | withdraw | consider, examine, process, screen It takes time to process each application. | invite Applications are invited for the post of Lecturer in French. | grant (law) His application for bail was granted. | refuse (law), reject, turn down

APPLICATION + NOUN form

PREP. by ~ (formal) Admission is obtained by written application. | on ~ A permit is available on application to the company. | ~ for an application for a new licence | ~ to an application to the local authority

² practical use

ADJ. practical What are the practical applications of this work? | general The program is designed for general application. | wide | agricultural, industrial

³ computing

ADJ. client-server, database, multimedia, software

VERB + APPLICATION run You can run several applications at the same time. | develop

APPLICATION + VERB run > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apply verb

¹ be relevant

ADV. equally These principles apply equally in all cases.

PREP. to These restrictions do not apply to us.

PHRASES the same applies British companies are subject to international laws and the same applies to companies in Europe.

² put/spread on a surface

ADV. directly | evenly | freely | sparingly Apply the insecticide sparingly.

PREP. over Apply the glue evenly over both surfaces. | to Never apply the cleaning liquid directly to the surface.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appointment noun

¹ agreement to meet sb

VERB + APPOINTMENT have | arrange, book, fix, make I'd like to make an appointment to see the doctor, please. | get I didn't know if I would get an appointment at such short notice. | give sb Tom has been given an appointment at the local hospital. | keep He failed to keep his appointment. | break, miss She has already broken three appointments. | cancel

PREP. by ~ Viewing is only allowed by appointment. | with/without an ~ He called without an appointment. | ~ with an appointment with a doctor

² job/position

ADJ. permanent, temporary | senior | academic, cabinet, court, diplomatic, ecclesiastical, executive, government, judicial, military, ministerial, political, public, university

VERB + APPOINTMENT hold Employees may not hold any other appointments. | give sb, offer sb He was offered an appointment in the Education Department. | accept | obtain | take up He takes up his appointment in January. | resign Miss Green resigned her appointment as our regional representative. | secure By reorganizing the Church hierarchy, the king was able to secure the appointment of men whom he personally favoured.

³ choosing sb for job

ADJ. key The company has announced five key appointments at its Teesside plant. | formal, official | staff

VERB + APPOINTMENT make | announce | confirm The board has confirmed the appointment of Howard Kendall as Sales Manager.

PREP. to the first appointments to the new government

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appraisal noun

VERB + APPRAISAL carry out, give, make He was asked to give an independent appraisal. She made a quick appraisal of the other guests.

APPRAISAL + NOUN interview We are holding staff appraisal interviews.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appreciate verb

¹ recognize good qualities

ADV. really | fully, properly The sound quality was poor so we couldn't fully appreciate the music.

² be grateful

ADV. deeply, greatly, really, very much We do really appreciate your help.

³ understand

ADV. fully, properly I fully appreciate your concern. We will do all in our power to help. | easily, readily The problems should be easily appreciated.

VERB + APPRECIATE fail to The government failed to appreciate the fact that voters were angry.

PHRASES be generally/widely appreciated It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appreciation noun

¹ understanding and enjoyment of sth

ADJ. deep, fine, great, real | aesthetic

VERB + APPRECIATION have They have little appreciation of the arts. | show | cultivate, develop, gain I have now developed an appreciation of poetry.

PREP. in ~ She gazed in appreciation at the scene.

² feeling of being grateful for sth

ADJ. deep, genuine, heartfelt

VERB + APPRECIATION express, show I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.

PREP. in ~ (of) I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help. | with ~ ‘Thank you,’ she murmured, with heartfelt appreciation. | ~ for his appreciation for all the work she had done

PHRASES a lack of appreciation, (as) a token of your appreciation As a token of our appreciation we would like to offer you this small gift.

³ understanding of what sth involves

ADJ. better, clear, deep, full, great, keen, real, wider | growing There is a growing appreciation of the need for change.

VERB + APPRECIATION have | gain The course helped me to gain a deeper appreciation of what scientific research involves.

PREP. ~ of She had no appreciation of the difficulties we were facing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apprehension noun

ADJ. considerable, great, growing | sudden

VERB + APPREHENSION be filled with, be full of, feel They were filled with apprehension as they approached the building. | express, show | overcome | cause The change in the law has caused apprehension among many people. | allay How can I allay your apprehensions?

APPREHENSION + VERB grow There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.

PREP. with ~ School reports are always received with some apprehension. | ~ about/over her apprehension about being in hospital | ~ at She felt some apprehension at the thought of seeing him again. | ~ for There is great apprehension for the future.

PHRASES a feeling/look of apprehension

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

apprehensive adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow | remain | make sb The long delay had made me quite apprehensive.

ADV. deeply, extremely, very | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly

PREP. about She was deeply apprehensive about her future. | of He was rather apprehensive of failure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

approach noun

¹ way of dealing with sb/sth

VERB + APPROACH have Some teachers have a more formal approach to teaching. | adopt, develop, take, try, use We need to adopt a more pragmatic approach. | favour, prefer She favoured the direct approach.

PREP. ~ to I liked her approach to the problem

² act of coming nearer

VERB + APPROACH make The aircraft had to make a steep approach to the landing strip.

PREP. at the ~ of The children fell silent at the approach of their teacher. | with the ~ of The weather turned colder with the approach of autumn. | ~ to The plane crashed during its approach to the runway.

³ discussion with sb in order to ask them for sth

VERB + APPROACH make | have, receive

PREP. ~ from We've received an approach from the director of a rival firm. | ~ to We'll have to make an approach to the managing director.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

approach verb

¹ come nearer

ADV. slowly | cautiously, warily, with caution

PREP. from The army approached from the south.

² come nearer in time

ADV. fast, rapidly The time is fast approaching when we will have to replace these old machines.

³ speak to sb, usually to ask for sth

ADV. directly It's best to approach her directly.

VERB + APPROACH be easy to | be difficult to She found her father difficult to approach.

PREP. about Have you approached John about doing a concert? | for I approached the bank for a loan.

⁴ come close in amount/quality/style

ADV. closely Here Wordsworth's verse movement closely approaches that of Gray. | not nearly, not remotely There is no other player even remotely approaching her calibre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

appropriate adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sth, deem sth, think sth It was thought appropriate to award her the prize.

ADV. extremely, very | entirely, quite

PREP. for It might be appropriate for him to attend the course. | to Tutors can construct tests appropriate to individual students' needs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

approval noun

ADJ. full, total, unqualified, warm, wholehearted The scheme did not meet unqualified approval. | grudging, qualified | general, overwhelming, popular, public, unanimous, universal, widespread | final, initial, preliminary, prior All development requires the prior approval of the planning authority. | tacit | written | formal, official | government, parliamentary, royal

VERB + APPROVAL need, require | seek, submit sth for We have submitted a design for approval. | gain, get, meet with, obtain, receive, win You are not allowed to build anything without first obtaining the approval of the local authority. | give, grant The government has now given its approval for the new examinations. | refuse, withhold | express, nod, show The people listening nodded approval.

PREP. on ~ The goods were supplied on approval (= they could be sent back if they were not satisfactory). | with ~ Jane's father regards her fiance with approval. | with/without sb's ~ You may not decorate the flat without the landlord's approval. | ~ for He won approval for his project. | ~ from We're waiting for approval from the authorities.

PHRASES a nod of approval She gave him a nod of approval. | a roar of approval There was a roar of approval from the crowd. | a seal/stamp of approval The government has given its seal of approval to the project. | subject to approval The offer is subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

approve verb

¹ like sb/sth

ADV. heartily, thoroughly, very much, wholeheartedly I wholeheartedly approve of his actions.

PREP. of I very much approve of these new tests.

² agree to sth

ADV. formally, officially His appointment has not been formally approved yet. | overwhelmingly, unanimously

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

approximation noun

ADJ. close, good, nearest, reasonable This is the nearest approximation of cost that they can give us. | crude, rough This is only a crude approximation of the actual conditions in the area.

VERB + APPROXIMATION make We do not have the true figures so we will have to make some approximations. | give (sb), provide (sb with)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

April noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aptitude noun

ADJ. great, natural, special He has a natural aptitude for this work.

VERB + APTITUDE have | display, show children who show an aptitude for sport

APTITUDE + NOUN test

PREP. ~ for an aptitude for mathematics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Arabic noun

ADJ. classical, modern

ARABIC + NOUN script > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arbitrary adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. completely, entirely, purely, quite, wholly | fairly, rather, somewhat, to some extent The decision is to some extent arbitrary. | essentially | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arbitration noun

ADJ. binding Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. | independent, international

VERB + ARBITRATION agree to, go to, refer sth to, submit (sth) to, take sth to Both parties agreed to independent arbitration. The matter will go to arbitration. | determine sth by, settle sth by The matter will be settled by arbitration.

ARBITRATION + NOUN procedure, scheme, service, system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

archaeologist noun

ADJ. amateur, professional

ARCHAEOLOGIST + VERB excavate sth | dig sth up, discover sth, find sth, uncover sth, unearth sth examples of life thousands of years ago, unearthed by archaeologists > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

archaeology noun

ADJ. Anglo-Saxon, classical, medieval, etc. | environmental, industrial, marine, underwater > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

archbishop noun

ADJ. Anglican, Roman Catholic

VERB + ARCHBISHOP be appointed (as), become, be consecrated, be enthroned (as), be made, succeed sb as He was enthroned as archbishop in Canterbury Cathedral in 1980.

PREP. ~ of He was made Archbishop of Milan.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

architecture noun

¹ style/design of a building

ADJ. classical, medieval, modern | vernacular | Gothic, Romanesque, etc. | church, domestic, ecclesiastical, landscape, naval, railway

PHRASES a school/style of architecture > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

² design and structure of a computer system

ADJ. client-server, hardware, network, processing, processor, software, system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

architect noun

ADJ. famous, great, leading, talented | church, city, landscape, naval, railway

ARCHITECT + VERB design sth, draw up plans (for sth) The house was designed by architecy Louis Kahn. > Note at PROFESSIONAL(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

archive noun

ADJ. extensive | electronic, film, photo/photographic, sound The programme is preserved in the BBC sound archives. | company, corporate, county, family, local, national, official, personal, private, state

VERB + ARCHIVE build up, create, set up collecting documents to build up an archive | house, keep, maintain the person responsible for keeping the archives the building which houses the state archives | hold sth in, keep sth in, preserve sth in The data is now held in the company archives. | consult, examine, look through

ARCHIVE + VERB contain sth, hold sth

ARCHIVE + NOUN collection | film, footage archive foortage of the victory celebrations | material

PREP. among/amongst the ~s There are many clues hidden amongst the archives of the local museum. | from an/the ~ some photographs from the library's archives | in an/the ~ No record of this letter exists in the archives.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arch noun

ADJ. pointed, round, semi-circular | brick, iron, masonry, stone | monumental, triumphal | Gothic, Romanesque, etc. | proscenium, railway an old theatre with a proscenium arch Mean little houses clustered under the railway arches.

VERB + ARCH build, erect This huge triumphal arch was erected at the beginning of this century. | form, make The branches of the trees formed an arch over the bench.

PREP. beneath an/the ~, through an/the ~, under an/the ~ We rode under the arch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arc noun

ADJ. great, high, long, sweeping, wide firing shells in a high arc over our heads | perfect

VERB + ARC describe (technical), form, make forming a perfect arc in the sky

PREP. in an ~ The islands lie in a wide arc just off the mainland.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

area noun

¹ part of place

VERB + AREA live in | move into/to A lot of new people have moved into the area recently. | leave, move away from | cover | be scattered over, be spread over Wreckage from the plane was scattered over a large area.

AREA + NOUN manager, office

PREP. in an/the ~ Few homes in the area had electricity. | outside an/the ~ I live outside the London area. | within an/the ~ | ~ around/round the area around London

² space

ADJ. dining, lounge, reception | picnic, play | no smoking, smoking | penalty

PREP. in an/the ~ I'll meet you in the reception area.

³ subject/activity

ADJ. important, key, main | complex, difficult, problem, sensitive Taxation is a very complex area. | growth The big growth area of recent years has been in health clubs. | subject | grey The proposals contain too many grey areas (= aspects that are not clear).

VERB + AREA cover The course covers two main subject areas. | identify The primary need is to identify problem areas.

PREP. in an/the ~ There have been some exciting new developments in this area.

PHRASES an area of activity/life People with this disability can cope well in most areas of life. | an area of concern/difficulty We are generally pleased with how the scheme is operating but there are one or two areas of concern. | an area of interest/research/study

⁴ measurement

ADJ. large | small | total | floor, surface A large building with a floor area of 100m2.

VERB + AREA cover, have The estate covers an area of 106 acres.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arena noun

¹ for sports/entertainment

ADJ. Olympic | showjumping, sports | indoor

VERB + ARENA enter | leave He left the arena to loud applause.

PREP. in/into an/the ~ The rider has to halt the horse in the arena.

² area of activity

ADJ. international, world | wider Trades unions are active both in individual workplaces and in the wider arena of the state. | public | commercial, political | competitive

VERB + ARENA provide The conference should provide an arena for marketing our new products. | emerge into, enter, move into Some documents have now emerged into the public arena. He had no desire to enter the political arena.

PREP. in/within an/the ~ The company has been very successful in the commercial arena. | outside an/the ~ I want to work outside the arena of competition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

argue verb

¹ disagree

ADV. fiercely, furiously, heatedly | endlessly

PREP. about arguing endlessly about money | over They were arguing over who should have the car that day. | with She's always arguing with her mother.

² give reasons to support opinion

ADV. forcefully, passionately, strongly | convincingly, persuasively, plausibly, successfully The report argues convincingly that economic help should be given to these countries. | sensibly

VERB + ARGUE be disposed to, wish to I would wish to argue that appreciation of the arts should be encouraged for its own sake. | be prepared to Are you prepared to argue that killing is sometimes justified? | attempt to, try to | go on to In her paper she goes on to argue that scientists do not yet know enough about the nature of the disease. | be possible to It is possible to argue that the rules are too strict. | be difficult to

PREP. against She argued against a rise in interest rates. | for The general argued for extending the ceasefire. | in favour of They argued in favour of stricter punishments.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

argument noun

¹ angry discussion

ADJ. angry, bitter, heated, violent | big I had a big argument with my mother this morning. | little, silly, stupid

VERB + ARGUMENT become/get involved in, get into, have I don't want to get into an argument with her. | cause, provoke, start | lose, win I was determined to win the argument.

ARGUMENT + VERB arise, break out, develop, erupt Minutes later a violent argument erupted.

PREP. ~ about We had an argument about what we should buy. | ~ between an argument between her parents | ~ over The argument over decentralization will probably continue for ever. | ~ with an argument with his wife

² reason supporting opinion

VERB + ARGUMENT advance, deploy, offer, present, put forward He put forward some very convincing arguments. | develop This argument is developed further in the next chapter. | illustrate, support, underline Do you have any evidence to support your argument? | consider, hear, listen to | accept, agree with | dismiss, reject The company dismissed his arguments as alarmist. | counter, refute She tried to think how to refute the argument on moral grounds.

ARGUMENT + VERB be based on sth The government's argument is always based on how much such a scheme would cost. | go, run Centralized government, so the argument goes, is too far removed from the problems of ordinary citizens. | apply (for sth) The same argument applies to fox-hunting. | justify sth | suggest sth These arguments suggest that the medical establishment had an interest in suppressing the research.

PREP. ~ against the arguments against increasing taxes | ~ concerning arguments concerning the nature of morality | ~ for There is a very good argument for increasing spending on education. | ~ in favour of What are the arguments in favour of change?

PHRASES all/both sides of an argument He was able to see both sides of the argument. | a flaw in the argument I can see no flaw in the argument as she has just explained it. | a line of argument I can see a few problems with this line of argument.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arise verb

ADV. naturally, spontaneously | directly

VERB + ARISE may, might | be likely/unlikely to

PREP. from Some learning difficulties arise from the way children are taught at school. | out of The current debate arose out of the concerns of parents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aristocracy noun

ADJ. British, French, etc. | landed, landowning | local

PHRASES a member of the aristocracy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arithmetic noun

ADJ. basic, simple | mental a test of mental arithmetic

VERB + ARITHMETIC do By the age of ten, the children can do simple arithmetic. | check I've worked out the price, but I need to check the arithmetic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

armaments noun

ADJ. conventional, nuclear

VERB + ARMAMENTS manufacture, produce

ARMAMENTS + NOUN factory, industry, production

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

armchair noun

ADJ. big, deep, large | comfortable, comfy | battered, old, worn | leather, upholstered, wicker, wooden

VERB + ARMCHAIR be seated in, be slumped in, be sprawled in, sit in | collapse into, flop into, throw yourself into | curl up in, ease yourself into, settle into He eased himself into the big armchair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

armed adj.

VERBS be

ADV. heavily, well | lightly | fully

PREP. with The soldiers were all armed with automatic rifles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

armistice noun

VERB + ARMISTICE ask for, call for, seek | negotiate, work out | agree to, sign

PREP. ~ with to sign an armistice with the Americans

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

armoured adj.

VERBS be

ADV. heavily a convoy of heavily armoured vehicles | lightly | fully a horse capable of carrying a fully armoured knight

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

armour noun

ADJ. full, heavy | light | body the police should be protected by body armour. | protective

VERB + ARMOUR have on, wear | put on, take off | penetrate, pierce An arrow had pierced his armour.

PREP. in ~ warriors in full armour

PHRASES a suit of armour He wore a suit of heavy armour and carried a sword.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arms noun

ADJ. nuclear | small fighters using small arms and home-made grenades

VERB + ARMS bear, carry The right to bear arms is enshrined in the constitution. | call sb to (formal) He called his comrades to arms (= urged them to fight). | take up (formal) The people took up arms to defend their country. | lay down (formal) The government called on them to lay down their arms and surrender. | supply He was accused of supplying arms to terrorists

ARMS + NOUN race | control, embargo | deal, industry, sales, trade

PREP. under ~ (formal) There were more than a million men under arms during the American Civil War.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

army noun

¹ group of soldiers

VERB + ARMY have | go into, join After leaving school Mike went into the army. | leave | be in command of, command, lead He was in command of the British Army in Egypt. He led the army into battle. | drill, train | amass, build up, raise, recruit The king was unable to raise an army. | equip, supply | mobilize | deploy, field The French army was deployed in the Western Desert. | concentrate | crush, decimate, defeat, put to flight, rout The army was finally defeated in the autumn. | demobilize, disband The emperor was deposed and his army disbanded.

PREP. in the ~ Her husband is in the army.

² large group

ADJ. vast a vast army of personnel | small a small army of volunteers | growing, increasing | reserve

PREP. of He argued that unemployment created a useful reserve army of labour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arm noun

ADJ. left, right | upper the muscles of the upper arm | strong | good He used his good arm to support his weight. | bad, broken, weak, withered I've got a bad arm so I'm afraid I can't help you. | open (often figurative), outstretched They're sure to welcome you with open arms. | bare

VERB + ARM bend, move | lower, raise The figure in the boat raised an arm. | break, dislocate, hurt, twist | hold out, open, stretch out He held out his arms with a broad smile. | cross, fold She folded her arms and stared at him. | link The couple linked arms and set off along the beach. | wave He was running towards them, waving his arms. | catch (at), catch hold of, grab, take A hand reached out and caught hold of her arm. She moved towards her father and took his arm. | grip, hold, squeeze, touch | fall into They fell into each other's arms. | draw/gather/pull sb into, take sb in He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. | hold sb in

ARM + VERB drop | hang His arm hung awkwardly against his side. | tighten Her arms tightened convulsively round the child.

PREP. by the ~ The officer grabbed him by the arm (= grabbed his arm). | in sb's ~ The child lay in its mother's arms. | on the ~ She touched him gently on the arm. | on your ~ Lucy felt the warm sun on her bare arms. He walked in with a tall blonde on his arm (= next to him and holding his arm). | under an/your ~ She carried the dog under one arm.

PHRASES arm in arm They walked along arm in arm (= with the arm of one person linked with the arm of the other), at arm's length He held the dirty rag at arm's length (= as far away from his body as possible). | the crook of an/sb's arm She lay curled up in the crook of his arm. | fling/put/throw, etc. your arms around/round sb/sth He ran towards her and flung his arms around her. He put an arm around her shoulders. | in each other's arms They fell asleep in each other's arms (= holding each other). | with arms akimbo (= with your arms bent and your hands on your hips) She stood looking at him with arms akimbo.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aroma noun

VERB + AROMA savour, smell As soon as I opened the front door I smelled the distinctive aroma of fresh coffee. | be filled with, have The room was filled with a strong aroma of woodsmoke.

AROMA + VERB linger, waft The aroma of fresh baking wafted towards her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrangement noun

¹ plans/organization

VERB + ARRANGEMENT make | complete, confirm, finalize Arrangements for the trip have now been completed. | discuss We are just discussing the final arrangements for the concert. | upset All her careful arrangements had been upset!

ARRANGEMENT + VERB stand As far as I know the arrangement still stands. | fall through The catering arrangements for the conference have fallen through.

PREP. ~ for Arrangements for the funeral are complete. | ~ with I have made arrangements with the shop for the goods to be delivered here.

² agreement

VERB + ARRANGEMENT have The company has a special arrangement with the bank. | agree, come to, make She made an arrangement with her employer whereby she worked a reduced number of hours.

PREP. by (an/the) ~ Viewing of the property is only possible by arrangement with the owner. The couple have an arrangement by which they each contribute equally to the cost of the house. | under an/the ~ Under this arrangement you can pay for the goods over a longer period. | ~ between an arrangement between the two men | ~ with He finally came to an arrangement with his landlord.

PHRASES by prior arrangement A tour of the theatre is available by prior arrangement.

³ group of things placed together

ADJ. complex, complicated a complex arrangment of rods and cogs | physical Even the physical arrangement of the classroon can influence the way children learn. | floral, flower

VERB + ARRANGEMENT design, do Who did this beautiful flower arrangement?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrange verb

¹ plan/organize sth

ADV. easily | with difficulty These things can be arranged with difficulty. | hastily, hurriedly, quickly | secretly | specially

VERB + ARRANGE try to | be able to, can/could Todd will be able to arrange matters. | be difficult/easy/possible to These matters are easy to arrange.

PREP. for I'd be very grateful if you could arrange for this work to be carried out.

² put in order; make neat/attractive

ADV. carefully, neatly Her red hair was carefully arranged and her face made up. | alphabetically, chronologically, symmetrically, systematically The books are arranged alphabetically by author.

PREP. in She arranged the chairs in neat rows. | into She took the list of visitors' names and arranged them into groups of four.

PHRASES arrange sth in alphabetical/chronological order The names are arranged in alphabetical order.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

array noun

ADJ. broad, diverse, extensive, huge, vast, wide | bewildering, colourful, confusing, dazzling, fascinating, fine, formidable, glittering, impressive, remarkable, rich, splendid, staggering, stunning, wonderful a dazzling array of talent

VERB + ARRAY have, offer, provide The store offers a bewildering array of garden tools. | be faced with The customer is faced with a formidable array of products. | choose from, select from It is difficult to choose from the vast array of wines on offer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrears noun

ADJ. debt, mortgage, rent, tax

VERB + ARREARS fall into, get into, owe They fell into arrears with their rent. The government has agreed to pay all arrears owed to members of the armed forces. | accumulate The country had accumulated arrears of $80 million on loans of $400 million. | pay (off) struggling to pay off her mortgage arrears | recover The local authority must try to recover arrears of rent.

ARREARS + VERB amount to sth, total sth By this time the arrears amounted to £12,000.

PREP. in ~ She was six months in arrears with the mortgage. You will be paid monthly in arrears. | ~ on There have been sharp increases in arrears on interest payments.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrest noun

ADJ. illegal, unlawful, wrongful | arbitrary | mass, widespread | citizen's He grabbed the intruder by the arm and said, ‘I am making a citizen's arrest.’ | house Following the coup, parliamentary leaders were put under house arrest.

VERB + ARREST make | place sb under, put sb under | lead to A reward has been offered for information that leads to the arrest of the murderer. | avoid, escape, evade | resist He was charged with violent behaviour and resisting arrest.

ARREST + NOUN warrant

PREP. under ~ The man is now under arrest in London. | ~ for They made 11 arrests for possession of drugs.

PHRASES the power of arrest The government may remove the power of arrest from military police. | under close arrest Woolley was placed under close arrest for mutiny. | a warrant for sb's arrest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrival noun

¹ act of arriving

ARRIVAL + NOUN time

PREP. on/upon (sb's) ~ Guests receive dinner upon arrival at the hotel. | with the ~ With the arrival of John's friends, the party became really enjoyable. | ~ at his arrival at the theatre | ~ in their arrival in Paris

PHRASES arrival on the scene They were saved by the arrival on the scene of another boat. | arrivals and departures There are 120 arrivals and departures every day. | time of arrival your expected time of arrival is 7.15.

² sb/sth that arrives

ADJ. early, first | late Someone should stay here to meet the late arrivals. | latest, new, recent The club has a dinner to welcome new arrivals to the town. We're expecting a new arrival (= a baby) in the family soon.

VERB + ARRIVAL expect | meet | welcome

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrive verb

VERB + ARRIVE be due to We are due to arrive in Rome at ten o'clock. | fail to The package failed to arrive.

PREP. at We arrived at the hotel late. | in I should arrive in London tomorrow morning.

PHRASES the first/last to arrive

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrogance noun

ADJ. breathtaking, supreme | unconscious

VERB + ARROGANCE have She had the arrogance to believe the law did not apply to her. | display, show

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arrow noun

¹ weapon

ADJ. poison/poisoned

QUANT. hail, volley A hail of arrows descended from the tower.

VERB + ARROW fire, shoot

ARROW + VERB hit sb/sth The arrow hit its target. | miss (sb/sth) She aimed carefully at the tree but the arrow missed.

ARROW + NOUN head (also arrowhead) | slit the arrow slits in the castle's battlements

PHRASES a bow and arrow The people used bows and arrows for hunting.

² symbol

ADJ. left, right | down, up The down arrow indicates rain. | broken, curved The old road is shown on the map by broken arrows.

VERB + ARROW follow Follow the red arrows to get to the camp reception.

ARROW + VERB denote sth, indicate sth, mark sth, point, show sth You will see an arrow pointing to the left.

ARROW + NOUN key You can scroll through the text using the up and down arrow keys.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arson noun

ADJ. attempted

ARSON + NOUN attack > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

artery noun

ADJ. main, major | blocked, clogged | severed | carotid, coronary, pulmonary, etc.

VERB + ARTERY block | widen The surgeon will widen her arteries. | rupture, sever

ARTERY + VERB clog up Too much fatty food will make your arteries more likely to clog up.

PHRASES hardening of the arteries (= a disease of the arteries) She suffers from hardening of the arteries. | veins and arteries blood flowing through veins and arteries

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

arthritis noun

ADJ. severe | chronic | rheumatoid

VERB + ARTHRITIS have, suffer (from) | develop, get It is unclear why some people develop arthritis. | treat

ARTHRITIS + NOUN sufferer

PHRASES crippled with arthritis > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

article noun

¹ piece of writing

ADJ. brilliant, excellent, good, informative, interesting | influential, major, seminal | controversial, critical, provocative | in-depth | feature, lead/leading, review A leading article in ‘The Times’ accused the minister of lying. | occasional (= not part of a series) It was her job to commission occasional articles. | offending An advertisement will now replace the offending article. | academic, learned, scholarly | journal, magazine, newspaper, periodical, press

QUANT. series

VERB + ARTICLE commission | do I'm doing an article about ways of preventing pollution. | contribute, submit | read, see Did you see the article on Europe in today's paper? | carry, feature, print, publish, run The magazine refused to print his article.

ARTICLE + VERB appear The article appears in this week's edition of ‘The Spectator’. | describe sth, detail sth, explain sth, point sth out, say sth, state sth | discuss sth, examine sth, explore sth, focus on sth, look at sth The article looks at two questions. | allege sth, argue sth, claim sth, imply sth, suggest sth | attack sb/sth, criticize sb/sth | cite sb/sth, quote sb/sth | continue, go on The article goes on to quote from Darwin's ‘Origin of Species’. | conclude sth

PREP. in an/the ~ She admitted she was wrong in an article in the newspaper. | ~ about, ~ by an article about atomic clocks by Professor Keith Runcorn | ~ on an article on the dangers of sunbathing

PHRASES an article called/entitled/headed sth an article entitled ‘Think Yourself Thin’

² part of law

ADJ. key The key articles of the constitution can only be changed by referendum.

VERB + ARTICLE be in breach of, breach, contravene, flout, infringe, violate The actions of the organization are in breach of Article 12 of the treaty.

ARTICLE + VERB provide sth, specify sth, state sth Article 10 provides that all businesses must be registered correctly.

PREP. under an/the ~ The judge ordered the child's return home under Article 12 of the Convention.

PHRASES the terms of an article The terms of Article 3 will be changed by the new government.

³ thing

ADJ. finished The finished article takes two months to manufacture. | the genuine Fake designer watches are sold at a fraction of the price of the genuine article. | offending | household, toilet

VERB + ARTICLE make, manufacture, produce

PHRASES an article of clothing

⁴ grammar

ADJ. definite, indefinite

VERB + ARTICLE take Names of countries in English do not usually take an article.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

articulate adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly, very a highly articulate woman

PREP. about The teachers help the children to be more articulate about their strengths and weaknesses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

articulate verb

¹ pronounce sth carefully

ADV. carefully, clearly, well She spoke slowly, articulating each word clearly. | poorly

² express sth

ADV. clearly, well She cannot articulate her feelings very well. | fully | poorly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

artificial adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. highly, very | completely, entirely, totally | increasingly | a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | patently a patently artificial contrivance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

artillery noun

ADJ. field | heavy The enemy has enough heavy artillery to win the war.

ARTILLERY + NOUN attack, barrage, bombardment, fire | piece, shell | train, unit The soldiers of the artillery train had panicked and cut the traces of their horses. nuclear artillery units

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

artist noun

¹ person who creates works of art

ADJ. gifted, great, talented | distinguished, established, famous, leading, major, successful, well-known | aspiring, budding, up-and-coming | struggling, unknown | amateur, professional | self-taught | serious He is a serious artist, and totally committed to his work. | local | female, woman | male | creative | real, true (figurative) My husband is a real artist in the kitchen. | abstract, avant-garde, commercial, conceptual, figurative, fine, graffiti, graphic, landscape, make-up, pavement, performance, pop/popular, scenic, visual, war, watercolour, wildlife | contemporary, living, modern, nineteenth-century, etc.

VERB + ARTIST commission In 1942 the city commissioned war artist John Piper to paint its bombed cathedral. | feature an exhibition featuring wildlife artist Emma Gray

ARTIST + VERB create sth, draw (sth), paint (sth), produce sth an artist who paints in oils | work artists who work in different media | exhibit sth, show sth Local watercolour artists are currently exhibiting their work in the town hall.

PHRASES an artist in residence the new artist in residence at the Tate Gallery

² (also artiste) a professional entertainer

ADJ. guest The Blue Note Quartet will be the guest artists tomorrow night. | solo | recording | cabaret, escape, mime, music hall, rap, reggae, trapeze, variety

VERB + ARTIST feature The festival featured artists such John Mclaughlin and Russell Malone.

ARTIST + VERB perform (sth) | work > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

art noun

¹ paintings, drawings, etc.

ADJ. great, high | abstract, avant-garde, commercial, conceptual, figurative, fine, graphic, performance, pop/popular, sacred, visual | contemporary, modern

VERB + ART create, produce one of the greatest works of art ever produced

² the arts: art, music, theatre, literature, etc.

ADJ. creative, decorative, dramatic, performing, plastic, visual

PHRASES arts and crafts an exhibition of Peruvian arts and crafts | funding for the arts, a patron of the arts, sponsorship of the arts 3 arts not sciences

ART + NOUN subject | degree

PHRASES arts and sciences

⁴ ability/skill

VERB + ART master, perfect I've never mastered the art of making bread.

PREP. ~ of Television has ruined the art of conversation.

PHRASES get sth down to a fine art (= learn to do it very well) She's got the business of buying Christmas presents down to a fine art. > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ascend verb

ADV. gently | steeply

PREP. from The road ascends steeply from the harbour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ascent noun

¹ act of climbing/moving up

ADJ. gradual, slow

VERB + ASCENT make The climbers made their ascent of the mountain without oxygen.

PREP. ~ from the ascent from the valley | ~ to their ascent to the summit

² upward path/slope

ADJ. steep | long

VERB + ASCENT climb climbing the steep ascent on to the plateau | to a steep ascent to the village

³ becoming more important or powerful

ADJ. rapid | gradual | ~ to her rapid ascent to power

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ashamed adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | make sb His foul-mouthed way of speaking made me ashamed of him.

ADV. deeply, really, terribly, very | thoroughly | a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | bitterly | instantly, suddenly Then she smiled and Rose was instantly ashamed of her jealous feelings.

PREP. about I've done nothing to be ashamed about. | at He was slightly ashamed at having run away. | of She was ashamed of what she had done.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ash noun

¹ powder that is left after sth has burnt

ADJ. glowing, hot, red-hot, smouldering the glowing ashes of the dying fire | cold, dead The fire had died to cold ashes. | fine Fine ash covered the hill near the volcano. | bonfire, cigarette, coal, volcanic, wood

QUANT. cloud A cloud of ash rose from the volcano.

VERB + ASH flick, tap (used about cigarette ash) He flicked ash into the ashtray. | reduce sth to, turn to ~es a village reduced to ashes by war (figurative) All her dreams had turned to ashes.

ASH + VERB fall Ash from the volcano fell over a wide area.

PHRASES rise from the ashes (figurative) The party had risen, like a phoenix, from the ashes of electoral disaster.

² ashes: remains of a dead body

VERB + ASH scatter His ashes were scattered on his beloved farm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ask verb

¹ put a question to sb

ADV. gently, quietly, softly ‘How do you feel?’ she asked softly. | amiably, conversationally, politely ‘Did you sleep well?’, he asked politely. | belligerently, crossly, icily, nastily, querulously, sarcastically, slyly, testily | casually, dryly, innocently ‘Oh, Sue went too, did she?’ I asked innocently (= pretending I did not know that this was important). | curiously, incredulously, pointedly, suspiciously | anxiously, apprehensively, fearfully, solicitously ‘Will he be all right?’, Sabrina asked anxiously. | legitimately We can legitimately ask what competence an official based in Whitehall has to solve the problems of rural Scotland. | rhetorically

VERB + ASK long to, want to She longed to ask Mary if she knew what was wrong. I wanted to ask him a question. | dare (to) I wondered how old she was but I didn't dare ask. | forget to I completely forgot to ask his name.

PREP. about He asked about her family.

PHRASES get asked sth I often get asked that. | if you don't mind me/my asking How old are you?if you don't mind my asking?

² request sth

ADV. nicely If you ask her nicely, she'll give you a sweet.

PREP. for asking for money

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

asleep adj.

VERBS be, lie, seem The baby lay peacefully asleep in its pram. All the houses seemed asleep. | drop, fall I fell asleep almost immediately. | remain, stay

ADV. deeply, fast, heavily, sound The children were all sound asleep in bed. | almost, half, nearly At the end of the afternoon they were exhausted and half asleep. | peacefully | still

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aspect noun

ADJ. central, crucial, essential, fundamental, important, key, main, major, principal, significant | basic, broad, general Questions also cover much broader aspects of general health and fitness. | appealing, attractive, beneficial, encouraging, exciting, fascinating, interesting, pleasing, positive | alarming, controversial, difficult, disappointing, disturbing, negative, sinister, terrible, worst the worst aspects of tourism | bizarre, curious, intriguing, puzzling | remarkable, striking | subtle | mundane | neglected | formal, functional, practical, theoretical the formal aspects of the language system | business, commercial, cultural, economic, environmental, ethical, financial, historical, human, legal, military, moral, physical, political, psychological, religious, scientific, social, technical

VERB + ASPECT have The project has two main aspects. | take on Events began to take on a more sinister aspect. | consider, cover, deal with, discuss, emphasize, examine, explore, focus on, look at, study We will be looking at many different aspects of pollution. | demonstrate, illuminate, illustrate a unique collection illustrating aspects of Irish transport history | ignore, neglect

PREP. from the … ~ This scheme is very good from the social aspect. | ~ to the positive aspects to retirement

PHRASES all aspects of sth, (in) every aspect (of sth) The service was excellent in every aspect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aspiration noun

ADJ. high, lofty He has high aspirations and wants to improve his qualifications. | failed | career, national, personal, political, social

ADJ. have | achieve, fulfil, meet, realize, satisfy a political party that fulfils the aspirations of the British people

PREP. ~ for an aspiration for personal power | ~ to the country's aspirations to independence | ~ towards aspirations towards starting his own business

PHRASES dreams/hopes/needs/values and aspirations She talked about her hopes and aspirations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aspirin noun

ADJ. soluble

QUANT. dose

VERB + ASPIRIN take She took an aspirin and went to bed. | dissolve Dissolve two aspirin in water.

ASPIRIN + VERB dissolve Aspirin dissolves quickly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assassinate verb

VERB + ASSASSINATE attempt to, try to | plan to, plot to He was executed in 1887 for plotting to assassinate the tsar.

PHRASES an attempt/a plot to assassinate sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assassination noun

ADJ. attempted | failed | political Three local leaders have been killed in political assassinations. | character a vicious campaign of character assassination

VERB + ASSASSINATION carry out | plan, plot It is believed that they plotted the assassination of the king. | escape, survive The judge escaped assassination by drug dealers.

ASSASSINATION + NOUN attempt, plot He has survived several assassination attempts. | squad

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assassin noun

ADJ. attempted, would-be | hired, professional He was killed by a hired assassin. | trained

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assault noun

¹ crime of attacking sb

QUANT. series, wave

VERB + ASSAULT carry out, commit assaults committed by teenagers | be the victim of, suffer

ASSAULT + VERB happen, take place

PREP. ~ against Better street lighting has helped reduce the number of assaults against women. | ~ on/upon

PHRASES allegations of assault allegations of police assault on the boy | assault and battery (law) > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

² military/verbal attack

ADJ. all-out, direct, frontal, full-scale, major, massive After an all-out assault the village was captured by the enemy. | fresh, further | sustained She used the article to make a sustained assault on her former political allies. | successful | air, amphibious, ground air assaults by fighter planes | military | verbal

QUANT. series

VERB + ASSAULT carry out, launch (into), lead, make, mount Enemy troops launched an assault on the town. He launched into a verbal assault on tabloid journalism. | come under The factory came under assault from soldiers in the mountains | withstand The garrison was built to withstand assaults.

ASSAULT + NOUN course They took part in a vigorous army assault course. | rifle | force

PREP. under ~ Today these values are under assault. | ~ on a series of assaults on enemy targets

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assault verb

ADV. badly, brutally, savagely, seriously, violently | indecently, physically, sexually, verbally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assemble verb

ADV. carefully | badly | hastily, quickly a hastily assembled force of warriors | easily | together

VERB + ASSEMBLE begin to The French began to assemble an army | manage to | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to

PREP. for We had assembled for the first rehearsal. | into the force that permits atoms to assemble into molecules

PHRASES fully/partially assembled The shelves are available in kit form or fully assembled.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assembly noun

¹ elected group

ADJ. elected, representative | consultative, general, legislative | local, national, provincial, regional, state

VERB + ASSEMBLY create, form, set up | elect, vote for | dissolve

ASSEMBLY + VERB meet Provincial assemblies meet once a year. | vote The assembly voted to delay the legislation to allow further consultation to take place.

ASSEMBLY + NOUN member | seat

PREP. in an/the ~ These issues have been discussed in the regional assemblies.

PHRASES a meeting/session of the assembly > Note at ORGANIZATION

² group gathered together

ADJ. public | peaceful | unlawful

VERB + ASSEMBLY hold They demanded the right to hold peaceful assemblies.

ASSEMBLY + NOUN point When the fire alarm sounds, leave the building and proceed to your assembly point.

PHRASES freedom of assembly, the right of assembly (= the right to gather freely)

³ at school

ADJ. school | morning

VERB + ASSEMBLY conduct, have, hold We hold an assembly every morning. | attend, go to

ASSEMBLY + NOUN hall

PREP. at/during/in ~ The announcement was made during morning assembly.

⁴ putting parts together

ADJ. easy | home furniture designed for home assembly | correct | final This factory deals with final assembly and testing.

ASSEMBLY + NOUN line workers on the assembly line | plant The company has twenty assembly plants in Europe. | work

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assent noun

ADJ. common, general, universal Medicine is, by common assent, a good profession. There was general assent about his achievements. | royal The Education Act received the royal assent in 1944.

VERB + ASSENT give sth, grant The government gave their assent to the project. | withhold | meet with, obtain, receive | express, grunt, indicate, nod He nodded his assent when I asked if I could leave.

PREP. in ~ She smiled in assent. | with/without sb's ~ The raising of taxes without the assent of Parliament was declared illegal.

PHRASES a murmur/nod of assent The suggestion was greeted with a murmur of assent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assertion noun

ADJ. bold, confident, proud | categorical, dogmatic, general, sweeping sweeping assertions about the role of women in society | simple The argument needs to progress beyond the simple assertion that criminals are made not born. | unfounded, unsubstantiated, unsupported

VERB + ASSERTION make How can you make such an assertion? | justify, prove, support Your assertion is not supported by the facts. | accept, agree with | challenge, question Researchers have recently challenged these assertions. | reject | refute

PREP. ~ about assertions about human nature

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assert verb

¹ say sth clearly and firmly

ADV. boldly, confidently, emphatically, forcefully, strongly The report asserts confidently that the industry will grow. | directly, explicitly | simply He had no real evidence?he simply asserted that what he said was true. | repeatedly | rightly

² make other people recognize your rights/authority

ADV. successfully They successfully asserted their right to protect their homes.

VERB + ASSERT need to | be determined to, wish to She wished to assert her independence from her parents. | seek to, try to | be able to, manage to He managed to assert his power over the media. | be unable to, fail to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assessment noun

VERB + ASSESSMENT carry out, do, give, make, undertake The new manager carried out an assessment of the sales department.

ASSESSMENT + NOUN methods, procedures, technique | criteria | process, system

PHRASES a form/method of assessment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assess verb

¹ form an opinion

ADV. fully | accurately, correctly, properly

VERB + ASSESS attempt to, try to | help to | be difficult to It is difficult to fully assess the damage.

² amount/value

ADV. accurately, correctly, properly

VERB + ASSESS attempt to, try to | be difficult to It is difficult to assess the building's value properly without seeing it.

PREP. at The legal costs have been assessed at £75,000.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

asset noun

¹ useful person/thing

ADJ. big, considerable, great, important, invaluable, precious, priceless, real, tremendous, useful, valuable The teachers are the school's biggest asset. | best, main, major, principal, prize | cultural The tourist industry requires that the country's cultural assets be made more accessible. | natural Bow windows are a natural asset to any room and should be highlighted.

PREP. ~ to She will be an asset to any school she attends.

² what a company owns

VERB + ASSET have, hold, own, possess assets held by the company in Asia | transfer He transferred all his assets into his wife's name. | accumulate, acquire, buy | dispose of, realize, sell The business disposed of all its capital assets. | increase, reduce The company has increased its UK assets. | freeze The courts can order a company's assets to be frozen. | release, unfreeze

ASSET + VERB appreciate, grow Net assets have grown to $169 million. | decline, depreciate, dwindle

ASSET + NOUN value | management | sale | stripping measures to prevent asset stripping

PHRASES assets and liabilities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assignment noun

¹ task

ADJ. special | important | dangerous, difficult, tough | business, work | modelling, photographic

VERB + ASSIGNMENT accept, take on Why did you take on this assignment if you're so busy? | carry out | refuse If you refuse this assignment you risk losing your job. | complete, finish | give sb

PREP. on ~ The photographer is on assignment in China at the moment.

² piece of school/college work

ADJ. practical, reading, written

VERB + ASSIGNMENT give, hand out, set The teacher set an assignment on pollution. | do | complete, finish | hand in The students handed in their assignments.

PREP. ~ on an assignment on Roman history

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assimilate verb

¹ learn/understand

ADV. easily, quickly, readily Children assimilate new information very quickly.

² become/make sb part of sth

ADV. fully Many new immigrants have not yet assimilated fully into the new culture.

PREP. into

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assistance noun

ADJ. considerable, great, real, substantial | limited | invaluable, valuable | practical | special | direct, emergency, immediate People in the flooded areas are in need of direct assistance. | mutual The treaty pledged mutual assistance in the event of an attack on either country. | expert, professional | external, outside | foreign, international | government, national They argued the case for extra government assistance for the poorest regions. | public, social, welfare the stigma attached to receiving social assistance | personal disabled people who need personal assistance to enable them to live in their own homes | humanitarian | economic, financial, legal, material, medical, military, technical

VERB + ASSISTANCE give sb, offer (sb), provide, render We provide assistance if your car breaks down. | get, receive Did you receive any assistance from the authorities? | pledge, promise (sb) The World Bank promised assistance to the value of $5 million. | be in need of, need, require | expect | ask for, call for, seek I advise you to seek assistance from the police. | turn to sb for She had no one to turn to for assistance. | be of, come to sb's Do let us know if we can be of any assistance to you. A sympathetic neighbour came to his assistance. | welcome

PREP. with/without ~ The work was completed with the assistance of local carpenters. | ~ for humanitarian assistance for refugees | ~ from assistance from friends and family | ~ in assistance in finding suitable accommodation | ~ with assistance with rent for people on a low income

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assistant noun

ADJ. chief, senior | personal I'll ask my personal assistant to deal with this. | administrative, care, catering, checkout, clerical, laboratory, library, production, research, sales, shop, technical She took up a post as research assistant in the Department of Pharmacology.

VERB + ASSISTANT employ (sb as), have She had a clerical assistant to do her paperwork. | get, hire (sb as), recruit (sb as) I'm getting a new assistant next month. | sack

PREP. ~ to assistant to the Production Manager > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assist verb

ADV. greatly, materially We have been greatly assisted by individuals and organizations. | actively

VERB + ASSIST be designed to measures designed to assist people with disabilities

PREP. in He had to assist her in opening the gates. | with She offered to assist with the marketing of the product.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

associate noun

ADJ. close a close associate with whom he started a business | former, old Her former associates refused to see her. | business, political

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

association noun

¹ an organization

ADJ. international, local, national, regional | private, public, voluntary | arts, business, community, constituency, consumer, football, housing, industry, library, neighbourhood, parent-teacher, professional, student, trade, etc.

ASSOCIATION + VERB meet The association meets four times a year. > Note at ORGANIZATION(for more verbs)

² relationship between people/organizations

ADJ. close | free It was to be a free association of equal partners. | loose a loose association of sovereign states | long, long-standing | personal

VERB + ASSOCIATION form | maintain They have maintained a close association with a college in the US.

PREP. in ~ with (= together with) The book was published in association with British Heritage. | ~ between the association between the two countries | ~ with His association with such criminals can only destroy him.

PHRASES freedom of association One of the most important political freedoms is freedom of association.

³ connection between things

ADJ. clear, close, direct, intimate, strong a close association between the two nations | loose | early, long, traditional | formal | free the technique of free association in which the patient is encouraged to say the first thing that comes to mind

VERB + ASSOCIATION have The city has had a long association with the mining industry. | form You want the child to form an association between good behaviour and rewards. | demonstrate, find, prove, show The research showed an association between diet and various diseases.

PREP. by ~ Dogs learn mainly by association. | in ~ with (= together with) We are working in association with several charities. | ~ between a clear association between good health and regular exercise | ~ with the traditional association of the Democrats with minority interests

PHRASES guilty/tainted by association He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime.

⁴ associations: feelings/memories

ADJ. strong | happy, positive, pleasant | negative, unhappy, unpleasant | cultural, historical, literary Tourists visit the city for its historical associations.

VERB + ASSOCIATION have, hold Does the name ‘Baxter’ have any associations for you? | call up, evoke, spark off, trigger The smell of fresh bread triggers all kinds of associations for me.

PREP. ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assortment noun

ADJ. large, rich, wide | mixed, varied | odd, strange She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.

PREP. ~ of a mixed assortment of sweets

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assume verb

ADV. automatically, naturally I automatically assumed that you knew about this. | reasonably, safely I think we can safely assume that this situation will continue.

VERB + ASSUME can, might | tend to | be fair to, be reasonable to, be safe to It is reasonable to assume that the economy will continue to improve. | be a mistake to, be wrong to | be easy to It's all too easy to assume that people know what they are doing.

PHRASES let us assume Let us assume for a moment that the plan succeeds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assumption noun

ADJ. basic, fundamental, hidden, implicit, tacit, underlying, unspoken | common, conventional, general, shared, widespread shared assumptions between teachers and parents | correct, reasonable, valid | erroneous, false, flawed, incorrect, mistaken, questionable, wrong

QUANT. number, series, set Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.

VERB + ASSUMPTION make She's always making assumptions about how much money people have. | base sth on, start from, work on We are working on the assumption that the techniques are safe. | accept | challenge, disprove, question, test

ASSUMPTION + VERB underly sth, underpin sth the assumptions underlying their beliefs

PREP. on the ~ that I set the table for eight people, on the assumption that Jo would come. | ~ about assumptions about how women should behave

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assurance noun

¹ promise

ADJ. absolute, categorical, clear, firm, full | further, repeated | formal, official, personal, verbal, written He gave me his personal assurance that the vehicle was safe.

VERB + ASSURANCE have We now have a firm assurance of support from the government. | give sb, offer sb, provide | gain, get, obtain, receive | ask for, demand, seek, want | accept, be satisfied with They accepted his assurance that patients would be treated as soon as possible. | go back on, renege on He accused the minister of reneging on assurances given earlier.

PREP. ~ about an assurance about the safety of this equipment | ~ by/from assurances from the head teacher

PHRASES despite/in spite of assurances Despite assurances from the government, the chemicals are known to be dangerous.

² feeling of calm and confidence

ADJ. calm, quiet She spoke with calm assurance.

VERB + ASSURANCE have | show Even at a very young age she showed a great deal of assurance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assured adj.

¹ confident

VERBS be, feel, look, rest, seem You can rest assured that your children are in good hands.

ADV. very Although the situation was tense, her voice was calm and very assured. | totally

² certain to happen

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. absolutely | virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

assure verb

VERB + ASSURE can | hasten to He hastened to assure us that the press would not be informed.

PREP. of We can assure you of our full support.

PHRASES let me assure you

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

asthma noun

ADJ. severe | acute, chronic | bronchial

VERB + ASTHMA have, suffer from | treat

ASTHMA + NOUN attack | sufferer > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

astonished adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. absolutely, quite

PREP. at She was quite astonished at his rudeness. | by He was astonished by the amount of junk in the house.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

astonishing adj.

VERBS be, seem | find sth I find his attitude absolutely astonishing.

ADV. really, truly | absolutely, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

astonishment noun

ADJ. great | absolute, utter | mild an air of mild astonishment | blank a look of blank astonishment

VERB + ASTONISHMENT express | hide She could not hide her astonishment.

PREP. in ~ She gazed at him in astonishment. | to sb's ~ Then, to my great astonishment, he started to cry. | with ~ Everyone gasped with astonishment. | ~ at He expressed astonishment at the results.

PHRASES a cry/gasp/look of astonishment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

astute adj

VERBS be

ADV. very | financially, politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

asylum noun

¹ protection given by a government

ADJ. temporary | political

VERB + ASYLUM apply for, claim, request, seek She fled the country, and is now seeking asylum in Sweden. | give sb, grant sb, offer sb, provide (sb with) | get, receive | deny sb, refuse sb Over 400 people have been refused asylum.

ASYLUM + NOUN seeker bogus/genuine asylum seekers | application, claim

PHRASES an application for asylum, the right to asylum Those fleeing from the war have the right to asylum.

² mental hospital

ADJ. lunatic, mental

PREP. in ~ He spent three years in an asylum.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

atheist noun

ADJ. committed, confirmed, dedicated

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

athlete noun

ADJ. fine, good, great, Olympic, outstanding, talented, top, world-class one of the greatest athletes of all time | natural She has the build and strength of a natural athlete. | all-round, field, track | amateur, professional

ATHLETE + VERB train The athletes are training hard for the Olympics. | compete, perform Our field athletes have performed well.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

athletics noun

ADJ. indoor, outdoor | junior, senior | amateur, schools | international, world

VERB + ATHLETICS compete in, do, take part in My daughter wants to compete in athletics. | take up She didn't take up athletics until she was 20. | quit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

atmosphere noun

¹ general feeling in a place

ADJ. calm, congenial, convivial, cosy, family, friendly, happy, homely, informal, pleasant, relaxed, warm, welcoming | (highly) charged, emotional, heavy, hostile, oppressive, stifling, strained, tense | carnival, electric, heady, lively Before the parade, the atmosphere was electric. | intimate, romantic | gloomy | rarefied, unique the rarefied atmosphere of academic life

VERB + ATMOSPHERE create She tries to create an atmosphere of calm and security for her children. | poison, ruin, sour, spoil His blunt comments really soured the atmosphere. | clear, improve, lighten His funny remarks lightened the atmosphere. | be aware of, be sensitive to, sense She could sense the hostile atmosphere in the room.

ATMOSPHERE + VERB be charged (with sth) The atmosphere was charged with excitement. | pervade sth, prevail A relaxed atmosphere prevails in the club.

PREP. ~ between Since their argument there had been a strained atmosphere between them.

² the air

ADJ. heavy, humid, oppressive, polluted, smoky, stale, stifling, stuffy

VERB + ATMOSPHERE poison, pollute Pesticides can kill wildlife and pollute the atmosphere. | clear Last night's storm had cleared the atmosphere.

³ gases around the earth

ADJ. lower, upper

VERB + ATMOSPHERE enter, leave, re-enter The spaceship should re-enter the earth's atmosphere later today. | be emitted/released into, escape into Dangerous gases have escaped into the upper atmosphere.

PREP. in the ~ levels of radiation in the atmosphere

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

atom noun

ADJ. charged, unstable positively charged atoms | carbon, nitrogen, etc.

VERB + ATOM split The scientist Ernest Rutherford was the first person to split the atom.

ATOM + NOUN bomb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

atrocity noun

ADJ. appalling, dreadful, terrible, worst one of the worst atrocities of the war | alleged | terrorist

VERB + ATROCITY be responsible for, carry out, commit, perpetrate In the war, both sides committed atrocities. | suffer

ATROCITY + VERB occur, take place

ATROCITY + NOUN stories

PREP. ~ against atrocities against the civilian population | ~ by reports of atrocities by gunmen

PHRASES accounts/allegations/reports of atrocities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attached adj.

¹ full of affection

VERBS be | become, grow We've grown very attached to this village and wouldn't want to move. | remain

ADV. deeply, strongly, very | increasingly | quite | emotionally, personally

PREP. to Mr Wells is obviously quite attached to you.

² joined to sth

VERBS be | remain, stay

ADV. firmly, securely Make sure all the wires remain firmly attached. | loosely | directly | permanently | physically

PREP. to The ball was attached to a length of thin chain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attachment noun

ADJ. close, deep, passionate, special, strong | enduring, lasting | emotional, romantic, sentimental

VERB + ATTACHMENT feel, have I feel no attachment to the countryside. | develop, form Prisoners can develop attachments to their warders.

PREP. to her strong attachment to her mother

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attach verb

ADV. firmly, securely | loosely

PREP. to He attached the rope securely to a tree.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attack noun

¹ violence against sb

ADJ. brutal, frenzied, horrific, savage, serious, vicious, violent | unprovoked | racist, sexual | arson, gun, knife an increase in knife attacks on police officers

QUANT. series, spate, wave

VERB + ATTACK carry out Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper. | be subjected to He was subjected to a violent attack.

ATTACK + VERB happen, occur, take place Where did the attack happen?

PREP. ~ against vicious attacks against pensioners | ~ by an attack by an armed gang | ~ on an attack on a bus driver

PHRASES a victim of an attack

² act of violence in war

QUANT. series The southern border towns have suffered a series of attacks.

VERB + ATTACK carry out, launch, lead, make, mount, spearhead The soldiers mounted an all-out attack on the village. | come under, suffer They came under sustained attack from the air. | repel, repulse, resist | survive, withstand Most of the population would stand little chance of surviving a nuclear attack. | press home, renew Bombers pressed home their attack, causing severe damage to harbour installations.

ATTACK + VERB happen, occur, take place The attack took place under cover of darkness. | fail, succeed

PREP. under ~ The province has been under attack from the rebels. | ~ against attacks against civilians | ~ by an attack by rebel forces | ~ on an attack on enemy positions

³ criticism

ADJ. bitter, blistering, fierce, outspoken, savage, scathing, scurrilous, stinging, vigorous | personal Is this a personal attack on the president, or a criticism of the government? | concerted | verbal

VERB + ATTACK deliver, go on the, launch, make, mount, unleash Doctors have gone on the attack, accusing the government of incompetence. | come under, provoke All politicians come under attack for their views. The government's decision has provoked an attack from leaders of the health service.

PREP. ~ on/upon an attack on my integrity

PHRASES a/the line of attack The first line of attack is often name-calling. | open to attack He has laid himself wide open to attack.

⁴ sudden illness

VERB + ATTACK experience, have, suffer (from) He suffers from attacks of anxiety. | bring on, cause, trigger a heart attack brought on by stress

ATTACK + VERB happen, occur, take place

PREP. ~ of a sudden attack of nerves

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attack verb

¹ use violence

ADV. brutally, savagely, viciously, violently She was brutally attacked by two men. | physically

PREP. with He attacked her with a knife.

² criticize

ADV. fiercely, savagely, sharply, strongly, vigorously

PREP. for The police have been strongly attacked for not taking immediate action.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attainable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. fully, perfectly We believe that this level of performance is fully attainable. | easily, readily

PREP. by This standard of English should be easily attainable by every child in the class.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attempt noun

ADJ. successful | abortive, botched, failed, fruitless, futile, ill-fated, unsuccessful, vain her vain attempt to save her son's life | conscious, deliberate | brave, bold, concerted, determined, serious, valiant | blatant | feeble, half-hearted, weak | clumsy, crude | desperate, frantic, last-ditch a desperate attempt to find survivors of the accident | repeated repeated attempts to break through enemy lines | assassination, coup, rescue, suicide Rescue attempts were stopped because of bad weather.

VERB + ATTEMPT make She has made no attempt to contact her mother. | succeed in He succeeded in his attempt to break the world record. | abandon, fail in, give up He abandoned his attempt to reach the summit. | foil, thwart Their attempt to break out of prison was foiled.

ATTEMPT + VERB succeed | fail

PREP. in an/the ~ In an attempt to ward off criticism, the government has made education a priority. | ~ at He made a feeble attempt at a smile. | ~ by an attempt by workers to prevent redundancies

PHRASES an attempt on sb's life (= to kill sb)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attendance noun

ADJ. good, large, record It was a record attendance for a midweek game. | low, poor | falling Despite falling attendances, the zoo will stay open. | average, daily The average attendance at matches increased last year. | total | constant, regular Regular attendance at lectures is important. | compulsory | church, cinema, school, etc.

VERB + ATTENDANCE boost, improve, increase Building a new stadium has boosted attendances by 40%.

ATTENDANCE + VERB drop, fall, go down Attendances at the pool always fall in winter. | go up, increase

ATTENDANCE + NOUN figures, rate, record

PREP. in ~ The emergency services were in attendance within 22 minutes. | ~ at attendance at the meetings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attendant noun

ADJ. car park, cloakroom, garage, lavatory, museum, petrol pump, pool Pool attendants kept a constant watch on the swimmers. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attend verb

ADV. regularly to attend church regularly.

VERB + ATTEND be able/unable to | be asked to, be invited to He was invited to attend a seminar in Paris.

PHRASES well attended The event was well attended.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attention noun

¹ act of watching/listening/showing interest

VERB + ATTENTION devote, direct, give (sb/sth), pay, turn How many times do I have to ask you to pay attention? He had a cup of tea and then turned his attention to the report. | get, have, receive Can I have your attention, please? These poems have received a lot of critical attention. | attract, call, capture, catch, command, compel, draw, excite, grab I tried to attract the waiter's attention. Wherever he goes, he commands attention. She doesn't like to draw attention to her illness. | deflect, distract, divert, draw The government is trying to divert attention away from the economy. | hold, keep, rivet There was something in the way he spoke that riveted her attention. | concentrate, confine, focus In this chapter we shall confine our attention to non-renewable energy sources. | refocus, transfer The firm decided to refocus its attention back onto its traditional strengths and expertise. | deserve, need, require a matter requiring urgent attention | jostle for, vie for dozens of concerns jostling for your attention She was surrounded by men all vying for her attention. | repay an interesting essay that repays close attention | bring sth to My boss was grateful that I had brought the matter to his attention. | come to | avoid, escape Her primary aim was to avoid the attentions of the newspapers.

ATTENTION + VERB focus Media attention focused today on the prince's business affairs. | wander I felt my attention wandering during the lecture.

ATTENTION + NOUN span

PREP. for sb's ~, for the ~ of a letter for the attention of your doctor

PHRASES attention to detail He is a designer known for his meticulous attention to detail. | care and attention He was convicted of driving without due care and attention. | the centre of attention Some children love being the centre of attention. | the focus of attention The focus of attention must now be how to improve the economy. | force your attentions on sb A man like Luke had no need to force his attentions on unwilling women. | not pay much attention to sth, pay little/no attention to sth (= not take something very seriously) Pay no attention to what Bill said?he's a complete liar!

² care

ADJ. constant | individual, personal, special The child needs special attention. | medical

VERB + ATTENTION devote, give, lavish He devoted all his attention to his mother. She lavishes attention on those silly little dogs. | be in need of, need, require, want a patient requiring attention

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attic noun

ADJ. cramped, little, small, tiny | converted Her photography studio was a converted attic. | dark, dusty

ATTIC + NOUN bedroom, flat, room | stairs, steps | skylight, window

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attitude noun

ADJ. conciliatory, favourable, friendly, positive, responsible, right, sympathetic She seems to have the right attitude for the job. | aggressive, bad, belligerent, cavalier, critical, hostile, irreverent, negative, patronizing, wrong | carefree, casual, flexible, laid-back, liberal, relaxed The teachers seem to have a very relaxed attitude towards discipline. | conservative, inflexible, rigid, uncompromising | ambivalent | general, prevailing, public The general attitude of the public is sympathetic. | changing | mental, moral, sexual

VERB + ATTITUDE adopt, have, take The government has taken a positive attitude to this problem. | change The experience changed his attitude to religion.

ATTITUDE + VERB exist, persist, prevail This sort of attitude exists among certain groups of people. | change

ATTITUDE + NOUN problem At school he was thought to have an attitude problem.

PREP. ~ about changing attitudes about death | ~ of an attitude of confidence and trust Youth is simply an attitude of mind. | ~ to/towards There has been a marked change in attitude towards the European single currency.

PHRASES a change in/of attitude, with attitude (informal) (= having a confident, aggressive attitude that challenges what people think) a rock band with attitude

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attraction noun

¹ fact of attracting/being attracted

ADJ. fatal, irresistible, obvious, powerful, strong | mutual They shared a powerful mutual attraction. | gravitational, magnetic, physical, sexual

VERB + ATTRACTION feel the strong attraction that she felt for him | see I could now see the attraction of a steady job and regular income. | have, hold Long holidays hold no attraction for him. | exert All matter exerts a gravitational attraction.

PREP. ~ between the attraction between two people | ~ to/towards His attraction to you is obvious.

PHRASES the centre of attraction Sophie was plainly the centre of attraction in the room.

² sth that attracts people

ADJ. added, big, chief, great, main, major, obvious, special, star The main attraction of the place is the nightlife. | popular, tourist

VERB + ATTRACTION have A freelance career has the attraction of flexibility. | be, prove Feeding the animals proved a popular attraction for visitors to the farm.

PREP. for The lack of heat was an attraction for cyclists.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attractive adj.

VERBS be, look She looked attractive and beautifully dressed. | become, grow She had grown more attractive with age. | make sb/sth | find sb/sth This is an idea that I find very attractive.

ADV. extremely, very | stunningly a stunningly attractive woman | quite | physically, sexually, visually He no longer found her physically attractive. a visually attractive display

PREP. to Schools must try to make science more attractive to youngsters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attribute noun

ADJ. chief, great, key, main | desirable, essential, important, necessary, positive, useful Patience is an essential attribute for a teacher. | common | divine, human | cultural, personal, physical, social Her physical attributes were much admired.

VERB + ATTRIBUTE have, possess

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

attribute verb

ADV. directly | solely | in large measure, largely, mainly | in part, partly

PREP. to They claim that one in twenty deaths can be directly attributed to air pollution.

PHRASES be commonly/generally/usually/widely attributed to The goals commonly attributed to management are status, power, salary and security.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

auction noun

ADJ. public | charity | art, cattle, furniture, etc.

VERB + AUCTION hold The estate is holding an auction to raise money. | conduct My father will be conducting the auction tomorrow. | attend, go to He regularly attended auctions. | put sth up for The horse will be put up for public auction. | be/come/go up for The paintings will come up for auction next month. | pick sth up at a bargain that she had picked up at auction

AUCTION + VERB take place

AUCTION + NOUN house, room | price | market, mart, sale

PREP. at ~ I try to buy furniture at auctions because it is cheaper that way. The house was sold at auction for half a million pounds. | by ~ a jumble sale by auction

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

audible adj.

VERBS be | become, grow

ADV. clearly, perfectly The shot was clearly audible in the silence. | barely, hardly, scarcely | faintly, just The singer's voice was just audible. | almost

PREP. above The noise was audible even above the roar of the engines. | to The sounds made by bats are not audible to the human ear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

audience noun

¹ group of people watching/listening to sth

VERB + AUDIENCE address, perform to, play to He prefers playing to live audiences. | attract, draw, pull in Such a well-known politician should draw a big audience. | reach We want to reach a target audience that's younger in age. | captivate, grip, thrill The film has thrilled audiences throughout the country. | move The audience was visibly moved.

AUDIENCE + VERB applaud, cheer The audience cheered loudly. | boo, jeer | laugh

AUDIENCE + NOUN participation

PREP. before/in front of an/the ~ He felt nervous standing up in front of the large audience.

² formal meeting with a very important person

ADJ. private

VERB + AUDIENCE have | ask for, request, seek | give sb, grant sb The Pope granted him an audience.

PREP. ~ with He sought a private audience with the Queen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

audition noun

VERB + AUDITION do, go for/to, have I did an audition for the part of the queen. | give sb, hold holding auditions for new actors | pass | fail

PREP. ~ for an audition for a place at drama school | ~ with an audition with the Royal Ballet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

auditorium noun

ADJ. huge, vast | 200-seat, 250-seater, etc. | empty, packed | darkened

VERB + AUDITORIUM fill

AUDITORIUM + VERB hold sb, seat sb The auditorium seats over a thousand people. | be filled with sth The darkened auditorium was filled with muttering.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

auditor noun

PREP. ~ to His firm has been appointed the auditors to the company.

PHRASES the Auditor General, an auditors' report > Note at PROFESSIONAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

August noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aunt noun

ADJ. aged, elderly | maiden, unmarried | maternal, paternal | great (= the sister of one of your grandparents) Great Aunt Emily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aura noun

ADJ. magical | faint

VERB + AURA be surrounded by, exude, have, retain He exuded an aura of wealth and power. | take on The picture seemed to take on the aura of an ancient work of art. | create, give sb/sth The sunlight created an aura of beauty around her. | lose

PREP. ~ about, ~ of There was always a faint aura of mystery about him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

austerity noun

ADJ. post-war, wartime

AUSTERITY + NOUN measures, package, plan, policies, programme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

authenticity noun

VERB + AUTHENTICITY cast doubt on, doubt Some journalists have cast doubt on the authenticity of the official version of events. | check, test | confirm, establish, prove, verify

PHRASES a certificate of authenticity Despite its certificate of authenticity, the painting was found to be a fake. | a debate over the authenticity of sth There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. | of doubtful authenticity a document of doubtful authenticity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

authoritarian adj

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly, very | increasingly | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

authority noun

¹ sth with the power to give orders

ADJ. district, local, regional | government, public | education, health, military, planning, tax The government is urging education authorities to spend less money. | competent, lawful, relevant, statutory

AUTHORITY + VERB agree sth, claim sth, decide sth, deny sth, promise sth The local health authority denied negligence. | allow (sb) sth, give (sb) sth, grant (sb) sth The local authority has not granted planning permission.

² power/right to give orders

ADJ. absolute, complete, full, supreme | governmental, judicial, legal, ministerial, parental, presidential

VERB + AUTHORITY have Parents have the authority to discipline their children. | assume He assumed full authority as tsar in 1689. | give sb | assert, demonstrate, establish, exercise, exert, show, use, wield The new manager obviously felt the need to demonstrate her authority. | delegate | give up, relinquish | abuse | challenge, defy, deny, rebel against, reject, undermine She had challenged my authority once too often. | usurp

AUTHORITY + NOUN figure adult authority figures such as parents and teachers

PREP. in ~ I need to talk to someone in authority. | under the ~ of This can only be done under the authority of the government minister. | without ~ He took the car without authority. | ~ over Central government has extensive authority over teachers.

PHRASES an air of authority He bore an air of authority. | position of authority She holds a position of authority in the local church.

³ person with special knowledge

ADJ. leading, respected, world | unimpeachable, unquestioned

VERB + AUTHORITY cite, invoke Copernicus justified his innovation by citing respected authorities.

PREP. ~ on She's a leading authority on genetics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

authorization noun

ADJ. formal, official, written | prior You will need prior authorization from your bank.

PREP. with/without ~ You cannot take a day off without authorization. | ~ for Formal authorization for the trip was given last week. | ~ from The change of plan would require authorization from the minister.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

author noun

ADJ. best-selling | prolific | famous, well-known | anonymous the anonymous author of this pamphlet | children's Primarily a children's author, she has also written books for adults.

VERB + AUTHOR read Stephen King is an author I've never read.

AUTHOR + VERB write (sth) The author was writing in the seventeenth century.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

autistic adj.

VERBS be

ADV. severely a school for severely autistic children | mildly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

autograph noun

VERB + AUTOGRAPH give sb, sign He signed his autograph for the little girl. | ask for | get, have Can I have your autograph, please?

AUTOGRAPH + NOUN album, book | hunter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

automatic adj.

¹ working by itself

VERBS be The machine is fully automatic.

ADV. completely, fully, totally

² certain to happen

VERBS be

ADV. almost, virtually Promotion was almost automatic after two or three years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

autonomous adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. completely, fully, totally | largely | relatively | effectively Although officially a dependent territory the island is effectively autonomous. | politically

PREP. from Higher education is relatively autonomous from the state.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

autonomy noun

QUANT. degree, measure a high degree of autonomy

VERB + AUTONOMY enjoy, have The subsidiary companies will now have more autonomy. | gain | seek, struggle for, want | give sb, grant (sb) Head office is giving the regional offices more autonomy. | increase the need to increase worker autonomy | reduce

PREP. ~ from Schools have gained greater autonomy from government control.

PHRASES a demand for autonomy demands for cultural autonomy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

autopsy noun

VERB + AUTOPSY carry out, conduct, do, perform

AUTOPSY + VERB find sth, reveal sth, show sth The autopsy revealed that he had been poisoned.

AUTOPSY + NOUN report, result

PREP. ~ on They carried out an autopsy on the victim.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

autumn noun

ADJ. last, next, this (coming) | early, late, mid- | wet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

availability noun

ADJ. easy, ready the easy availability of many illegal drugs | general, wide, widespread | greater, increased | limited | land, staff, ticket, etc.

VERB + AVAILABILITY check, ensure Before travelling we must ensure the availability of petrol and oil. | increase | reduce, restrict They want to restrict the availability of abortion.

PHRASES subject to availability All holiday bookings are subject to availability.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

available adj.

¹ that you can get, buy, use, etc.

VERBS be | become | make sth The product will now be made available throughout the market.

ADV. easily, freely, readily | widely

PREP. for Grants should be available for all students. | from Details are available from the above address. | to This information is freely available to anyone wishing to see it.

PHRASES available for hire/sale

² free to be seen, talked to, etc.

VERBS be | become She is in a meeting at present, but I will let you know as soon as she becomes available.

PHRASES not available for comment The chairman was not available for comment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

avalanche noun

¹ large amount of snow falling

AVALANCHE + VERB happen, strike sth The avalanche struck the ski resort in the late afternoon. | engulf sb/sth | kill sb They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.

PREP. in an/the ~ They died in an avalanche.

² large number/amount of sth

VERB + AVALANCHE be buried under

AVALANCHE + VERB engulf sth the avalanche of lawlessness threatening to engulf our civilization

PREP. ~ of We've been almost buried under the avalanche of mail.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

avenue noun

¹ wide street

ADJ. broad, wide | leafy, tree-lined

AVENUE + VERB be lined with sth an avenue lined with elms

PREP. along, down, in, through, up an/the ~ strolling down a tree-lined avenue

² way of doing/getting sth

ADJ. possible, promising | fruitful

VERB + AVENUE explore, pursue, try We need to explore every possible avenue. | exhaust After two months of negotiations we had exhausted all avenues. | open (up), provide

AVENUE + VERB be open to sb There was only one avenue open to him.

PREP. ~ for to provide a new avenue for research | ~ of the two main avenues of enquiry | ~ to an avenue to success

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

average adj.

ADV. very Peter was a very average golfer. | fairly | above, below an above average climb in prices

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

average noun

ADJ. annual | national The national average is just over two children per family. | overall | weighted | batting, bowling (both in cricket)

VERB + AVERAGE arrive at, calculate, find, work out You'll have to calculate the average.

PREP. above ~ His test results are well above average. | below ~, on ~ On average, prices have risen 6%.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aversion noun

ADJ. strong He has a strong aversion to dogs. | natural

VERB + AVERSION have | develop | overcome

AVERSION + NOUN therapy I underwent aversion therapy for my addiction to smoking.

PREP. ~ to Have you developed an aversion to babies?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

avert verb

¹ prevent sth

ADV. narrowly A tragedy was narrowly averted when a lorry crashed into a crowded restaurant.

VERB + AVERT attempt to, try to | manage to He managed to avert the closure of the factory. | fail to

PHRASES an attempt/effort to avert sth

² turn sth away

ADV. hastily, quickly They hastily averted their faces to hide their giggles.

VERB + AVERT try to

PREP. from averting his eyes from the dead child

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

avocado (also avocado pear) noun

ADJ. ripe

VERB + AVOCADO eat, have | halve, peel, stone

AVOCADO + NOUN dip, mousse > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

avoidable adj.

VERBS be Most accidents are easily avoidable.

ADV. entirely, wholly | easily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

avoid verb

¹ prevent sth

ADV. altogether It is sometimes impossible to avoid conflict altogether. | narrowly They narrowly avoided defeat in the semi-final. | at all costs Getting involved in a court case is something to be avoided at all costs.

VERB + AVOID be anxious to, want to, wish to They are anxious to avoid any further misunderstandings. | attempt to, try to | be careful to, take care to He was careful to avoid any sentimentality in his speech. | help (to) | be able to, manage to | be possible to | be difficult to, be impossible to

PHRASES an attempt/effort to avoid sth He failed in his attempt to avoid having to pay.

² keep away from sb

ADV. carefully, deliberately, studiously The two men carefully avoided one another.

VERB + AVOID try to

³ not hit sb/sth when driving

ADV. narrowly He braked hard and narrowly avoided a parked van.

VERB + AVOID brake to | swerve to She swerved to avoid a cyclist.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

await verb

ADV. anxiously She is anxiously awaiting a decision on her future. | eagerly, keenly, with interest The outcome of the appeal is awaited with interest. | patiently

PHRASES long awaited her long awaited return to professional tennis

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awakening noun

ADJ. rude, sudden If they expected a warm welcome, they were in for a rude awakening. | slow | political, sexual, spiritual the political awakening that followed the Second World War

PREP. ~ from, ~ to an awakening from a terrible vision to cheerful realities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awaken verb

ADV. early, late

PREP. from She was just awakening from sleep.

PHRASES be rudely awakened He was rudely awakened by the sound of drilling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awake adj.

VERBS be, lie At night, he lay awake beside her. | come, jerk Claudia came awake slowly. Stephen jerked awake from a nightmare. | keep, remain, stay He was struggling to stay awake. | jerk sb, jolt sb, nudge sb, shake sb A few hours later Benjamin shook me awake. | keep sb The noise had kept her awake.

ADV. fully, wide By now, the baby was wide awake. | hardly, only half It was very early and I was only half awake. | still The children were still awake when we went out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awake verb

ADV. early, late She awoke early the next morning.

PREP. from I awoke from a deep sleep at six o'clock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

award noun

¹ prize that sb gets for doing sth well

ADJ. annual | national | coveted, highest, major, prestigious, special, top | bravery, design, literary, man of the match, etc. His goalkeeping won him the man of the match award.

VERB + AWARD give sb, hand out, make (sb), present (sb with) The award was made for his work in cancer research. | carry off, earn (sb), get, receive, win Stephen's quick thinking has earned him a bravery award. | accept

AWARD + VERB go to sb The best director award went to Sam Mendes for ‘American Beauty’.

AWARD + NOUN ceremony, scheme

PREP. ~ for the award for best actor | ~ from to receive an award from the Queen

² money given to sb

ADJ. compensatory, discretionary, mandatory | pay The union is unhappy with this year's pay award. | damages, libel

VERB + AWARD get, receive | make The judge has the power to make discretionary awards.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

award verb

ADV. automatically | jointly He was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize with Alex Mueller. | mentally She mentally awarded herself top marks for staying cool under pressure. | posthumously

PREP. to Honours were automatically awarded to senior officials just because they were senior.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awareness noun

VERB + AWARENESS have Politicians now have much greater awareness of these problems. | build, develop, encourage, foster, heighten, increase, raise The group is trying to raise public awareness about homelessness.

AWARENESS + VERB increase, spread Environmental awareness has increased over the years.

PREP. ~ among/amongst building awareness among the target audience | ~ of an increased awareness of the risks

PHRASES a lack of awareness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

aware adj.

¹ conscious

VERBS be, seem | become | make sb We need to make people more aware of these problems.

ADV. acutely, keenly, very, well | fully, perfectly Mr Bush did not appear fully aware of the importance of this act. | dimly, vaguely | hardly, not really He was not really aware of what he was doing. | horribly, painfully Moran was painfully aware of Luke's absence.

PREP. of The police are well aware of the dangers.

² informed

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | environmentally, politically, socially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awesome adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. really, simply, truly The Niagara Falls are a truly awesome sight. | fairly, pretty, quite, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awe noun

ADJ. great

VERB + AWE be/stand in, hold sb in Most people hold him in some awe. | feel | inspire Everest has always inspired awe and respect among climbers.

PREP. in/with ~ We gazed in awe at the massive building. | ~ at What I mostly felt was awe at her achievement.

PHRASES a sense of awe They experienced a tremendous sense of awe in the cathedral.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, smell, sound, taste I felt awful when I realized what I'd done. The fish tasted awful.

ADV. bloody (taboo), fucking (taboo), just, quite, really, simply, truly a truly awful book | absolutely, the most She's the most awful snob. | pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

awkward adj.

¹ difficult

VERBS be, look, seem | make sth

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, rather, slightly, somewhat She asked some rather awkward questions.

PHRASES make things awkward He could make things very awkward for me if he wanted to.

² not relaxed

VERBS be, feel, look | become | make sb He was embarrassed, which made him awkward.

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, rather | painfully As a teenager he was painfully awkward in company.

PREP. about They felt awkward about having to leave so soon. | with She is awkward with people she doesn't know.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

axe noun

¹ tool

VERB + AXE brandish, carry, hold, wield A man used to wielding an axe fought best on foot. | chop sth down/up with, use | swing | sharpen

AXE + VERB fall The executioner's axe fell.

PREP. with an/the ~ to chop a tree down with an axe

PHRASES a blow from/of an axe With a few swift blows of the axe, she severed the cable.

² the axe: complete loss of sth/big reduction in sth

VERB + AXE swing, wield Wielding the axe on the prison plan would be one way of saving money. | face Up to 300 workers are facing the axe at a struggling Merseyside firm. | save sb/sth from Patients are delighted their local hospital has been saved from the axe.

AXE + VERB fall We were expecting bad news but had no idea where the axe would fall (= where the loss/reduction would be).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

axis noun

ADJ. horizontal, vertical | x, y, z

PREP. along an/the ~ the wage is measured along the horizontal axis | on an/the ~ The earth spins on its axis.

PHRASES an axis of rotation the earth's axis of rotation | an axis of symmetry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baby noun

VERB + BABY have I want to have a baby. | conceive, make babies (informal) Darling, I just want to stay with you and make babies! | carry, expect She's not sure yet how many babies she's carrying. She's expecting a baby in July. | give birth to, produce | deliver The baby was delivered by a midwife. | lose She lost her baby (= had a miscarriage) three months into her pregnancy. | care for, look after | feed | bottle-feed | breastfeed, nurse | burp The baby needed burping after every bottle. | wean You can start weaning your baby when it's four months old. | change You should change your baby about six times a day. | bath | comfort, cradle, cuddle, hold, pick up, rock, take She rocked the baby to sleep in her arms. Could you take the baby? I need to bring in the washing. | swaddle | play with | adopt They would like to adopt a newborn baby. | have adopted, put up for adoption She decided to put her baby up for adoption. | abandon | sleep like He was so tired after all his exertions, he slept like a baby.

BABY + VERB be due The baby is due in October. | arrive, be born Their first baby arrived exactly nine months after the wedding. | bawl, cry, scream | babble, coo The baby cooed happily on the rug. | be sick, dribble, drool Babies drool a lot when they are teething. | be teething | crawl, sit up, take his/her first steps, toddle, walk | kick, move I could feel the baby moving inside me. | sleep

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bachelor noun

ADJ. confirmed He was 38, and a confirmed bachelor. | eligible one of the country's most eligible bachelors

BACHELOR + NOUN days, life | flat, pad | status

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backdrop noun

ADJ. dramatic, magnificent, perfect, picturesque, romantic | economic, historical, political

VERB + BACKDROP have | provide

PREP. against a/the ~ of The conference begins this week against a backdrop of unmitigated gloom. | ~ for The Alps provided the perfect backdrop for a romantic holiday. | ~ of The large bay has a superb backdrop of mountains. | ~ to War is more than just a dramatic backdrop to the novel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backfire verb

ADV. badly, disastrously

PREP. on The surprise I had planned backfired on me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

background noun

¹ type of family/social class sb comes from

ADJ. broad, narrow It is important to have a broad educational background. | mixed | privileged, wealthy | deprived, disadvantaged, poor | middle class, upper class, working class | academic, class, cultural, educational, ethnic, family, military, professional, religious, social, socio-economic

VERB + BACKGROUND come from, have He came from a very privileged background. | be drawn from The students are drawn from very mixed social backgrounds.

BACKGROUND + VERB be in sth Her background was in biology and medicine.

PREP. from a ~ children from deprived backgrounds | with a ~ an economist with a background in business | ~ in

PHRASES a range/variety of backgrounds

² facts connected with a situation/event

ADJ. general | factual | cultural, economic, historical, political, technical

VERB + BACKGROUND describe, give (sb), outline, provide (sb with) The book provides the background to the revolution. | form Those discussions formed the background to the decision.

BACKGROUND + NOUN information, knowledge, reading background information on the country

PREP. against the ~ Against that general background I shall give you a more detailed view of current medical practice. | ~ to the technical background to the report

³ part of a view/picture behind the main parts

PREP. against a/the ~ The areas of water stood out against the dark background. | in the ~ The mountains in the background were capped with snow. | on a/the ~ bright blue on a red background

⁴ position in which sb/sth is not important/noticed

VERB + BACKGROUND blend into, fade into, melt/merge into, recede/retreat into, slip into The dispute over the new contract allowed her other problems to fade into the background. He had learnt how to melt invisibly into the background. | keep/remain/stay in He prefers to remain in the background and let his assistant deal with the press. | hover in I could see my secretary hovering in the background.

BACKGROUND + NOUN music, noise, radiation

PREP. in the ~ There was a radio on in the background.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backing noun

ADJ. strong | full, unanimous, whole-hearted The teachers have the full backing of the school governors. | financial, legal | government, official, popular

VERB + BACKING have | gain, get, receive, secure, win They have won financial backing from the EU. | need, seek | give sb, provide (sb with) Who's going to provide the backing?

BACKING + VERB come from sb/sth The backing will come from the government.

PREP. with/without the ~ They brought the legal action with the backing of their MP. | ~ for They want backing for more research. | ~ from backing from management

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backlash noun

ADJ. conservative a conservative backlash against the feminism of the 80s | political | public

VERB + BACKLASH cause, produce, provoke Such a decision may provoke a backlash from their supporters. | expect, fear | face

PREP. ~ against a backlash against any future reforms | ~ from They face a backlash from shareholders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backlog noun

ADJ. big, considerable, enormous, huge, large

VERB + BACKLOG be faced with, have We are faced with a backlog of orders we can't deal with. | catch up on, clear, deal with, reduce

BACKLOG + VERB accumulate, build up A huge backlog of work had built up.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backpack noun > See RUCKSACK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backstroke noun > Note at STROKE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

backward adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. very | rather, somewhat a rather backward child | economically, educationally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

back noun

¹ part of the body

BACK + VERB arch | stiffen His back stiffened as he saw the photographers waiting. | ache

BACK + NOUN injury, pain, trouble | muscles | support a seat with good back support

PREP. behind your ~ They blindfolded him and tied his hands behind his back.

(figurative) People say bad things about him behind his back, but never to his face. | flat on your ~ I was flat on my back for six weeks when I broke my leg. | on your ~ He was carrying a small child on his back. She was lying on her back on the sofa. | in the/your ~ I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. | ~ to He was standing with his back to the fire.

PHRASES sb's back is turned (figurative) The boss was certain that the staff would stop working as soon as his back was turned. | back to back The children sat back to back so they couldn't see each others' drawings. | a pat/slap on the back He smiled and gave me a hearty slap on the back.

(figurative) She deserves a pat on the back for her efforts. | the small of your back She felt a sharp pain in the small (= the lowest part of) her back. | turn your back (on sb/sth) Actors should never turn their backs on the audience.

(figurative) She decided to turn her back on Paris and return to her home town.

² part furthest from the front

PREP. around/round the ~ If you'd like to come round the back (= to the area behind the house), I'll show you the garden. | at the ~ We could only get seats at the back. | down the ~ My money's all fallen down the back of the cushion. | in the ~ Two passengers sat in the back of the car. | to the ~ The man was refusing to go to the back of the queue. | towards the ~ The arts page is usually towards the back of the newspaper.

PHRASES back to front I had my pullover on back to front (= with the back where the front should be).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

back verb

¹ move backwards

ADV. hastily, hurriedly She backed away hurriedly. | away, in, off, up If you can't drive in forwards, try backing it in. Back off! There's no need to yell at me. Can you back your car up so that I can get through?

VERB + BACK try to He tried to back away.

PREP. across She backed across the room. | away from The children backed away from him in fear. | into She backed into the garage. | out of He backed out of the drive.

² support sb/sth

ADV. firmly, strongly Teachers are strongly backing the new educational policies. | fully | overwhelmingly | unanimously | openly, publicly | financially his election bid was financially backed by a soft drinks company. | up I'll back you up if they don't believe you. PHRASAL VERBS back down

VERB + BACK refuse to | be forced to, be obliged to

PREP. from The government was forced to back down from implementing these proposals. | on She refused to back down on a point of principle. | over The committee finally backed down over the issue of spending cuts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bacon noun

ADJ. lean | streaky | back | crisp/crispy Fry the bacon until crisp. | smoked, unsmoked

QUANT. bit, piece, rasher, slice I'll have two rashers of bacon and a fried egg. | side A whole side of bacon was hanging from a hook on the ceiling.

VERB + BACON eat, have | cook, fry, grill | cure

BACON + NOUN fat, rind | butty, sandwich > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bacteria noun

ADJ. harmful | beneficial

VERB + BACTERIA attack, destroy, fight, kill Neither chilling nor freezing kills all bacteria.

PHRASES a strain of bacteria

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bad-tempered adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become, grow | make sb It is his illness that makes him bad-tempered.

ADV. extremely, very | increasingly, more and more He grew more and more bad-tempered as the afternoon wore on. | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

badge noun

ADJ. blazer, cap, lapel | club | name | button

VERB + BADGE wear

BADGE + NOUN holder

PHRASES a badge of office His badge of office, a large gold key, hung round his neck.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bad adj.

¹ not good; serious

VERBS be, look, sound | become, get The weather got very bad later in the day.

ADV. extremely, really, very | enough Things are bad enough without our own guns shelling us. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather John's in a pretty bad mood this morning.

PREP. at He's really bad at maths. | for Smoking is very bad for you.

² not safe to eat

VERBS be, look, smell, taste The sausages tasted bad. | go, turn This meat has gone bad.

³ guilty/sorry

VERBS feel

ADV. really, very | enough I feel bad enough without you constantly telling me how it was all my fault! | fairly, pretty, quite, rather

PREP. about She felt pretty bad about leaving him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baffled adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound | remain

ADV. completely, totally, utterly | rather | clearly | frankly

PREP. about Officials say they're baffled about the cause of the gas explosion. | as to The referee remains baffled as to why his decision caused so much anger. | by The doctors are completely baffled by her illness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baggage noun

ADJ. carry-on, hand | excess At the airport I found that I had 100kg of excess baggage. | emotional, spiritual (figurative) She's still carrying all that emotional baggage from her first marriage.

QUANT. item, piece

VERB + BAGGAGE carry | go through, search | check in Where do we check in our baggage? | claim, reclaim Let's claim our baggage first.

BAGGAGE + NOUN allowance | trolley | handler | claim, reclaim the baggage reclaim hall | train Extensive baggage trains followed the troops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bag noun

VERB + BAG open, unfasten, unzip | close, zip up | pack | empty, unpack | seal sth in The mushrooms are sealed in a bag for freshness. | cram/push sth in/into, put sth in/into, shove sth in/into, slip sth in/into, stuff/thrust sth in/into The camera caught him slipping a CD into his bag. | draw sth out of, produce sth from, pull/take sth from/out of | delve in/into, dive into, ferret (around) in, fumble in, reach into, rummage in, scrabble in I rummaged in my bag for a pen. | clutch, hold | carry, drag, haul, lug There was no lift so I had to lug my bags up the stairs. | heave, lift | shoulder He shouldered his bag and left. | drop, dump, put down | deposit, drop off, leave We dropped our bags off at the hotel and went straight out. | grab, snatch She grabbed her bag and ran out of the door. Two youths snatched her bag as she was walking home. | swing He was walking along swinging his school bag. | look in, search | gather They were gathering their bags, preparing to leave.

BAG + VERB bulge (with sth) The bag bulged with papers and letters. | contain sth, hold sth | be crammed with sth, be (stuffed) full of sth

PREP. in a/the ~, inside a/the ~ | ~ of a bag of groceries

PHRASES the contents of a bag The customs officer asked him to empty out the contents of his bag. | sling your bag over your shoulder She stepped down off the bus with her bag slung over her shoulder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bailiff noun

ADJ. court | private

VERB + BAILIFF send in Their landlord has threatened to send in the bailiffs if they don't pay their rent.

BAILIFF + VERB seize sth The bailiffs seized the car and house.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bail noun

ADJ. conditional, unconditional | police

VERB + BAIL apply for | allow sb, give sb, grant (sb) She has been granted conditional bail. | set The judge set bail at £50,000. | get She couldn't get bail and now she's lost those 20 months she spent on remand. | oppose The police were successful in opposing bail. | refuse (sb) | post, put up, stand A wealthy businessman has stood bail for him. | free sb on, release sb on, remand sb on They were released on police bail pending further enquiries. | jump, skip (= not return for your trial after bail has been granted)

BAIL + NOUN application | conditions | hostel He was sent to a bail hostel until the case came to court.

PREP. (out) on ~ He committed another robbery while out on bail. | without ~ The accused were held without bail.

PHRASES an application for bail

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bait noun

ADJ. fresh, live He used maggots as live bait.

VERB + BAIT put out, set out We'll put out the bait and see what happens. | use sth as | nibble (at), rise to, take (all often figurative) We hope that potential investors will take the bait.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bake verb

PHRASES freshly/newly baked The house was filled with the scent of freshly baked bread.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

balanced adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. properly, well The report was accurate and well balanced. a properly balanced diet | completely, perfectly a perfectly balanced design | equally, evenly | fairly, reasonably, sufficiently | carefully, closely, delicately, finely, nicely The issues are finely balanced and there is no simple answer to the question. | beautifully a beautifully balanced orchestra | precariously

PREP. between The parliament was evenly balanced between the two parties.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

balance noun

¹ even combination/distribution

ADJ. correct, equal, even, exact, ideal, necessary, optimum, perfect, proper, right With children, it is important to achieve the right balance between love and discipline. | comfortable, equitable, excellent, good, happy, harmonious, healthy a healthy balance of foods | acceptable, adequate, appropriate, fair, reasonable, sensible How do you find an acceptable balance between closeness and distance in a relationship? | careful, delicate, fine, subtle Being a good boss requires a fine balance between kindness and authority. | fragile, precarious, uneasy | overall It is the overall balance of the diet that is important. | ecological, natural Pulling up all the plants will disturb the natural balance of the pond. | hormonal, nutritional | ethnic, gender, social There is an even gender balance amongst staff and students (= equal numbers of men and women).

VERB + BALANCE require | seek | achieve, create, find, strike We need to strike a balance between these conflicting interests. | keep, maintain, sustain You have to maintain a balance in your life or else you'll go crazy. | disturb, upset Tourists often disturb the delicate balance of nature on the island. | redress, restore | affect | alter, change, shift

BALANCE + VERB change, shift

PREP. on ~ (= after considering all the information) On balance, the company has had a successful year. | in ~ It is important to keep the different aspects of your life in balance. | ~ between the balance between academic and practical work | ~ of the balance of animals and plants in the environment

PHRASES the balance of nature

² division of power/influence

ADJ. changing, shifting | military, political

VERB + BALANCE hold to hold the balance of power (= to be in a position where your support would be just enough to give overall power to one group or another) | affect | change, shift | swing, tilt, tip (= to influence a result/decision) In an interview, smart presentation can tip the balance in your favour.

BALANCE + VERB change, shift

PHRASES the balance of advantage The balance of advantage has shifted from the unions to employers. | the balance of forces/power the changing balance of power between the working and middle class | checks and balances Democracy depends on a system of checks and balances.

³ of the body

ADJ. excellent, good | poor

VERB + BALANCE have Gymnasts have excellent balance. | affect Tightness in one set of muscles will affect your whole balance. | keep I struggled to keep my balance on my new skates. | lose She lost her balance and fell. | recover, regain | knock sb off, throw sb off The sudden movement threw him off balance.

PREP. off ~

PHRASES a sense of balance Cats have a very good sense of balance.

⁴ money

VERB + BALANCE have Everyone likes to have a healthy bank balance. | ask for, request He asked the cashier for the balance of his current account. | check I'll need to check my bank balance before I spend so much money. | show | achieve | be due The final balance is due six weeks before departure. | pay I'll pay the balance later. | use The balance of the proceeds will be used for new equipment. | bring forward, carry forward the balance brought forward from the previous year

BALANCE + NOUN sheet the company's balance sheet

PHRASES the balance of payments (= the difference between the amount of money coming into and going out of a country), the balance of trade (= the difference in value between imports and exports)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

balance verb

¹ keep steady

ADV. carefully, precariously

PREP. on He balanced the glasses carefully on the tray.

² compare two things; give them equal value

VERB + BALANCE have to, need to | seek to, try to The plan seeks to balance two important objectives. | manage to

PREP. against We have to balance the risks of the new strategy against the possible benefits. | with She tries to balance the needs of her children with those of her employer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

balding adj.

VERBS be He's in his twenties but already balding.

ADV. already, prematurely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bald adj.

VERBS be | go He started to go bald in his twenties.

ADV. completely, quite, totally | almost, nearly | prematurely young men who go prematurely bald

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ballet noun

¹ style of dance

ADJ. classical, modern

VERB + BALLET study He's studying classical ballet.

² performance of a ballet

ADJ. classical, modern, romantic

VERB + BALLET compose, write | choreograph > Note at PERFORMANCE(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

balloon noun

¹ toy

ADJ. helium helium balloons for the children's party

VERB + BALLOON blow up, inflate | burst, pop

BALLOON + VERB burst, pop

² in the sky

ADJ. barrage, hot-air

VERB + BALLOON go up in We went up in a balloon.

BALLOON + NOUN flight | race

PREP. by ~ She crossed the Atlantic by hot-air balloon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ballot noun

VERB + BALLOT carry out, hold | organize | cast Only 40% of eligible voters cast their ballots.

BALLOT + NOUN box | paper | rigging

PREP. at a/the ~ They voted against him at the second ballot. | by ~ The jury cast their vote by secret ballot. | in a/the ~ The club members decided in a ballot to suspend the captain. | on a/the ~ I voted for her on the first ballot. | ~ for a ballot for the Conservative leadership | ~ on a ballot on the new contracts | ~ over a ballot over strike action

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ball noun costume, fancy dress, masked

¹ round object in games We're going to a masked ball.

ADJ. billiard, cricket, golf, rugby,

VERB + BALL have, hold, organize tennis, etc. | beach | match, We're organizing a charity ball. | practice attend, go to

VERB + BALL play with | bat, blast,

BALL + NOUN gown bounce, bowl, chip, dribble,

BALL + VERB fly, go, roll, sail The ball flew over the bar into the sea of Middlesbrough fans. The ball's gone over the fence. | hit, land The ball hit the wall and rolled along the road. | bounce, rebound

BALL + NOUN game | control, skills His ball control was excellent. > Special page at SPORT

² kick/hit of a ball

VERB + BALL play, send | pick up, pounce on, punish He pounced on a loose ball and scored.

PREP. ~ from a great ball from Beckham

³ round object like a ball

ADJ. tight | fiery The sun was a fiery ball, low on the hills. | crystal (= used for telling fortunes) Without a crystal ball it's impossible to say where we'll be next year. | cannon, musket

VERB + BALL curl/roll (up) into The little girl curled up into a ball in her mother's arms. | form/make sth into, roll/screw sth (up) into, shape sth into He screwed the letter up into a tight ball.

PHRASES a ball of fire/flame, a ball of string/wool

PHRASES a ball and chain (figurative) The responsibility was a ball and chain around my ankle.

³ party

ADJ. college, charity, hunt |

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

banana noun

ADJ. ripe | green | mashed

QUANT. bunch I bought a small bunch of bananas.

VERB + BANANA eat, have | pick | peel

BANANA + NOUN skin (figurative) The company has acquired an unhappy knack of slipping on banana skins (= being led into making mistakes that make it look stupid). | plant, tree | leaf | grove, plantation > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bandage noun

ADJ. tight | loose | crepe

VERB + BANDAGE put on, wind around/round, wrap around/round Wrap the bandage firmly around the injured limb. | have on, wear | change, remove, take off

PREP. ~ around/round, ~ on She had a bandage on her arm.

PHRASES be in bandages, be swathed/wrapped in bandages He'll be in bandages for a few weeks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bandwagon noun

VERB + BANDWAGON climb on, join, jump on Competitors have jumped on the bandwagon and started building similar machines.

BANDWAGON + VERB be rolling, gather momentum/pace, sweep along The Scottish Nationalist bandwagon is gathering pace. | slow down

BANDWAGON + NOUN effect There is now a bandwagon effect with more and more firms joining the scheme.

PHRASES get/start a bandwagon rolling They seem to have got an anti-government bandwagon rolling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

band noun

¹ group of musicians

VERB + BAND form | join, play in, sing in She plays in a rock band. | conduct, lead

BAND + VERB perform, play | strike up We heard a band strike up in the park.

BAND + NOUN leader, member

PREP. in a/the ~ a singer in a rock band | with a/the ~ a drummer with a jazz band

PHRASES a member of the band

² group of people

ADJ. select, small He is one of a select band of top class players. | dwindling | growing

VERB + BAND join

PREP. ~ of a band of rebels

³ range

ADJ. age, price, tax the 25?35 age band

VERB + BAND be in, fall into Which tax band do you fall into?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bang noun

¹ sudden loud noise

ADJ. almighty, big, enormous, huge, loud, massive, terrific, tremendous

VERB + BANG let out, make The engine let out a bang. Will the firework make a loud enough bang? | hear We suddenly heard an almighty bang from the kitchen.

BANG + VERB echo

PREP. with a ~ She slammed the door with a loud bang.

² sudden hard hit

ADJ. nasty He got a nasty bang on the head.

VERB + BANG get, have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bang verb

¹ hit noisily

ADV. hard, loudly

PREP. against He kept banging his chair against the wall. | on She banged loudly on the table.

PHRASES bang sth about, bang (sth) down, bang (sth) open/shut The bedroom door banged shut. She banged the door shut.

² part of the body/person

ADV. badly, hard I had banged my head badly.

PREP. into He banged into me in the corridor. | on I banged my leg on the table.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

banking noun

BANKING + NOUN system | market | group | business, industry, sector | community the international banking community

PREP. in ~ This software is used in banking.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bankruptcy noun

ADJ. personal

VERB + BANKRUPTCY face Small travel operators are facing bankruptcy. | be close to, be on the brink/verge of | be driven/forced/thrown into, go into | file for, petition for The company has been forced to file for bankruptcy. | declare It is the only country to have declared bankruptcy. | be saved from, escape (from)

BANKRUPTCY + NOUN order, proceedings The defendant has a bankruptcy order against him.

PHRASES the threat of bankruptcy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bankrupt adj.

VERBS be | become, go Hundreds of firms went bankrupt during the recession. | adjudge sb, adjudicate sb, declare sb, make sb She had to pay the mortgage after her husband was declared bankrupt.

ADV. almost, nearly, virtually | economically, ideologically, morally (figurative)

PREP. of (figurative) a government bankrupt of new ideas

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bank noun

¹ for money

ADJ. big, large, major | small | central, clearing, commercial, investment, issuing, reserve, savings The central bank has put up interest rates. The bond will be priced by the issuing bank. She has her money in one of the largest savings banks. | private | foreign, international, overseas

VERB + BANK go to | borrow (sth) from

BANK + VERB lend sb sth The bank lent her money to buy a car. | underwrite sth A group of ten international banks is to underwrite and sell the bonds. | collapse, crash Investors lost millions when the bank crashed.

BANK + NOUN account, balance, charges, deposit, loan, statement | manager | robber

PREP. from a/the ~ He got a large loan from the bank. | in a/the ~ I'll put half the money in the bank and spend the rest. | out of a/the ~ I need to get some money out of the bank.

² by a river/canal

ADJ. far, opposite, other We could see them waving on the opposite bank. | canal, river

VERB + BANK burst, overflow The River Frome had burst its banks after torrential rain.

PREP. along a/the ~ We strolled along the river bank. | on a/the ~ a picnic on the banks of the Thames

³ area of sloping ground

ADJ. steep | grassy

PREP. down a/the ~ The children rolled down the grassy bank. | up a/the ~

⁴ mass of cloud, etc./row of machines, etc.

ADJ. huge, vast a huge bank of switches and buttons

PREP. ~ of a vast bank of cloud

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

banner noun

VERB + BANNER drape, hang (out) | carry | wave | unfurl

BANNER + VERB hang | flutter, fly, wave banners waving in the wind | bear sth The demonstrators carried banners bearing various slogans. | demand sth, proclaim sth, read sth, say sth Banners demanded the president's resignation. | be strung across sth A banner strung across the road read, ‘Welcome home, boys!’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

banquet noun

ADJ. grand, great, lavish, sumptuous | veritable (humorous) The meal that followed was a veritable banquet. | five-course, six-course, etc. | formal, official | royal, state | celebration/celebratory, farewell, wedding | medieval Visitors to the castle can enjoy a medieval banquet with entertainment, in an authentic setting.

VERB + BANQUET give, hold | arrange, prepare (for) The kitchens are preparing for a lavish banquet. | attend The Lord Mayor attended a state banquet last night.

PREP. at a/the ~ He was suddenly taken ill at a banquet given in his honour. | ~ for a banquet for the president

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

banter noun

ADJ. easy, friendly, good-natured, lively, pleasant | idle | bawdy, ribald

VERB + BANTER swap | be engaged in, engage in She engages in friendly banter with her customers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ban noun

BAN + VERB come into force, start | apply to sth, cover sth The ban only covers tropical hardwood.

PREP. ~ on a ban on traffic in the town centre

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ban verb

ADV. effectively | formally, officially

VERB + BAN attempt to, seek to, try to | vote to MPs voted to ban hunting with dogs.

PREP. from He has been banned from driving for a year.

PHRASES an attempt/a move to ban sth a move to ban cigarette adverts | a decision to ban sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barefoot adj., adv.

VERBS be, go, pad, stand, walk The children had to go barefoot because there was no money for shoes. He padded barefoot across the carpet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barefoot adj., adv.

VERBS be, go, pad, stand, walk The children had to go barefoot because there was no money for shoes. He padded barefoot across the carpet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bare adj.

¹ not covered by clothing

VERBS be He was standing there, completely bare!

ADV. completely

² not containing/covered by anything

VERBS be, look | remain | leave sth You shouldn't have left the wires bare. | lay sth, strip sth The earth had been laid bare. The walls have been stripped bare.

ADV. very | completely, quite The room was completely bare. | almost, rather | strangely The room looked strangely bare without the furniture.

PREP. of The house was almost bare of furniture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bargaining noun

ADJ. hard There will be some hard bargaining before an agreement is reached. | collective Unions were insistent on the right to collective bargaining. | plea (= where a defendant pleads guilty to a lesser charge in return for having a more serious charge dropped)

BARGAINING + NOUN position, power We are now in a strong bargaining position.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bargain noun

¹ sth sold at a lower price

ADJ. absolute, amazing, good, real

VERB + BARGAIN find, get, pick up I picked up a really good bargain in the market.

BARGAIN + NOUN buy, price | hunter, hunting | holiday | basement

² agreement

ADJ. excellent, good

VERB + BARGAIN make, strike

PREP. into the ~ (= as well) He's very strong and completely fearless into the bargain. | ~ between A bargain was struck between the employers and the unions. | ~ with I'll make a bargain with you.

PHRASES drive a hard bargain (= force sb to agree to the arrangement that is best for you), keep (to) your half/part/side of the bargain You haven't kept your side of the bargain. | sb's side/part/half of the bargain Her part of the bargain was to look after the car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bargain verb

ADV. hard He bargained hard and was stubborn. | collectively the right of workers to bargain collectively

PREP. about He was prepared to bargain about money. | for to bargain for a decent wage | over crowds of men bargaining over horses | with He tried to bargain with her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barge noun

ADJ. brightly painted | canal, river | sailing | cargo, coal, etc.

VERB + BARGE tow | load (sth into), unload (sth from) | moor, tie up

BARGE + VERB be laden/loaded with sth, carry sth

PREP. by ~ I travelled by barge. | in/on a/the ~ cruising the canals of France in a barge

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baritone noun

ADJ. lusty, melodious, pleasant, rich

BARITONE + NOUN voice | solo

PREP. in a … ~ He sang in his rich baritone

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bark noun

¹ on a tree

ADJ. rough | tree | birch, cinnamon, willow, etc.

VERB + BARK peel off, strip The people strip the bark and use it in medicines.

BARK + VERB peel off The bark peels off in summer.

BARK + NOUN chippings

² of a dog

ADJ. loud, noisy

VERB + BARK give The dog gave a loud bark.

³ loud sound/voice

ADJ. short | harsh

VERB + BARK give He gave a harsh bark of laughter.

PHRASES a bark of laughter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bark verb

ADV. excitedly, frantically, furiously, loudly

PREP. at The dog was barking furiously at a cat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barley noun

ADJ. malted/malting Malt whisky is made from malted barley. | roast/roasted | pearl | spring, winter

QUANT. ear | field

VERB + BARLEY grow | sow | cut, harvest | thresh | grind

BARLEY + VERB grow | ripen

BARLEY + NOUN harvest | field

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barometer noun

¹ instrument that measures air pressure

ADJ. aneroid, digital | high, low | steady The barometer has been steady for three days now.

VERB + BAROMETER check, read | tap He tapped the barometer and noted where the needle was pointing.

BAROMETER + VERB rise | drop, fall

² sth that shows the state of sth

ADJ. accurate, good, reliable, sensitive, useful Infant mortality is a highly sensitive barometer of socio-economic conditions. | political

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baroness, baronet noun > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baroness, baronet noun > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baron noun

¹ noble > Note at PEER

² powerful businessman

ADJ. media, newspaper, press | cocaine, drug, oil the oil barons of Texas | robber

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barracks noun

ADJ. army, military, police | fortified

VERB + BARRACKS live in | be confined to He was confined to barracks for three weeks as a punishment. | besiege | go back to, return to, withdraw to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barrage noun

¹ firing of guns

ADJ. heavy, intense | artillery

VERB + BARRAGE launch, unleash

BARRAGE + NOUN balloon

PREP. ~ of Troops unleashed a barrage of grenades.

² large number of questions, etc.

ADJ. constant, continuous, endless

VERB + BARRAGE be faced with, endure, face | keep up The reporters kept up a constant barrage of questions.

PHRASES a barrage of abuse/complaints/criticism/questions The president is facing a barrage of criticism over his handling of the crisis.

³ wall of earth

ADJ. tidal

VERB + BARRAGE build, construct

PREP. ~ across They built a barrage across the bay.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barrel noun

¹ container

ADJ. beer, wine

VERB + BARREL fill They filled the barrels with cider

BARREL + VERB contain sth

PREP. a/per ~ The price of oil had fallen to $16 per barrel. | by the ~ Beer is sold by the barrel. | ~ of a barrel of beer/oil

² of a gun

ADJ. gun, rifle I felt the gun barrel at my head

VERB + BARREL look down, peer/squint along She found herself looking down the barrel of a gun. Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel.

BARREL + VERB point

PHRASES the barrel of a gun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barren adj.

VERBS appear, be | become | make sth The years of growing cotton had made the land completely barren.

ADV. completely, entirely, utterly | almost | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barricade noun

ADJ. human

VERB + BARRICADE build, construct, erect, put up, set up | form The protesters formed a human barricade. | dismantle, remove, take down | smash, storm The army used tanks to storm the barricades. | man There were six miners manning the barricades.

PREP. behind a/the ~ fighting from behind their barricades | over a/the ~ The two sides watched each other over the barricades. | ~ across a barricade across the main road | ~ against Students built a barricade against the police. | ~ of a barricade of wooden benches

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barrier noun

¹ fence/gate

ADJ. physical | crash, crush, flood, police, protective, security, ticket | sound (figurative) the first plane to break the sound barrier

VERB + BARRIER build, erect, install | break through The crowd managed to break through the barriers and get onto the pitch.

PREP. at a/the ~ Please show your ticket at the barrier. | behind a/the ~ The police waited behind the barriers. | through a/the ~ There was a slow trickle of people through the barriers.

² thing that causes problems

ADJ. effective, formidable, major | class, cultural, language, racial, trade

VERB + BARRIER build, create, erect, put up, set up The old laws created barriers to free trade. | break down, lift, lower, reduce, remove | cross They believe that sport can cross any barriers. | be faced with, encounter, face | overcome, transcend

PREP. ~ against The country has set up barriers against imports. | ~ between a class barrier between the two families | ~ to a formidable barrier to communication

³ physical object that prevents sb/sth passing

ADJ. impassable, impenetrable | natural

VERB + BARRIER form

PREP. ~ between The mountains form a natural barrier between the two countries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

barrister noun

ADJ. brilliant, good, leading, successful, top | practising, qualified | junior, trainee | defence/defending, prosecuting/prosecution

PREP. ~ for the barrister for the ferry company > Note at PROFESSIONAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bar noun

¹ for drinks/food

VERB + BAR drop into, go to, stop at He often drops into a bar on the way home from work. | manage, run

BAR + NOUN food, menu, snacks | stool

PREP. in a/the ~ There were not many people in the bar.

² counter

VERB + BAR be propping up (humorous), drink at, lean on, sit at, stand at You can usually find him propping up the bar of the Red Lion. | serve behind I didn't recognize the man who was serving behind the bar.

PREP. at the ~ They were chatting at the bar. | behind the ~ The barmaid stood behind the bar.

³ in music

VERB + BAR hum, play, sing She played a few bars on the piano.

PREP. in a/the ~ the notes in the first bar

PHRASES two, four, etc. beats to the bar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bar verb

ADV. effectively

PREP. from The curfew has effectively barred migrant workers from their jobs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

basement noun

ADJ. dark, unlit, wndowless | bargain (often figurative) bargain basement prices

BASEMENT + NOUN apartment, bar, flat, kitchen, room, studio | door, stairs, steps, window | car park

PREP. in a/the ~ The canteen is down in the basement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

base noun

¹ lowest part

ADJ. firm, solid, strong

VERB + BASE have The statue has a solid concrete base.

² original idea/situation

ADJ. firm, secure, solid, sound, strong | economic, ideological His arguments have a sound economic base.

VERB + BASE have | establish, give sb, provide (sb with) These policies give us a solid base for winning the next election. | use sth as

PREP. ~ for He used the notes as a base for his lecture.

³ of support/income/power

ADJ. solid, sound | broad, narrow These policies have a broad base of support. | power a politician with a rural power base | commercial, economic, financial, industrial, manufacturing, tax The country has a sound commercial base. | client, customer

VERB + BASE have | develop, expand, improve, increase The company is trying to expand its customer base.

BASE + VERB grow | shrink

⁴ main place

ADJ. excellent, ideal, perfect

VERB + BASE have The company has its base in New York. | establish, set up The company has set up its new base in the north.

BASE + NOUN camp

PREP. ~ for an ideal base for mountain expeditions

⁵ military centre

ADJ. foreign Demonstrators demanded the removal of foreign bases. | air, air force, military, missile, NATO, naval, RAF

VERB + BASE have | build, establish The Americans established a naval base on the island in the 1960s.

PREP. at a/the~ equipment kept at the base | on a/the ~ people living on the air force base | to (the) ~ The planes have all returned to base.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

base verb PHRASAL VERBS base sth on/upon sth

ADV. closely, firmly | broadly, loosely The novels are all loosely based on the author's life. | largely Their research was based largely on anecdotal evidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bash noun

¹ strong hit

VERB + BASH give sb/sth | get

PREP. on She got a bash on the head.

² party

ADJ. big | birthday, charity, farewell

VERB + BASH give, throw They're throwing a big bash to celebrate their anniversary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bash verb

ADV. hard She bashed him so hard she broke his nose.

PREP. on Someone bashed him on the nose. | with She bashed him with her book.

PHRASES bash sb about/up He had been attacked and bashed about a bit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

basics noun

VERB + BASICS grasp, know, learn, master, pick up, understand | cover The book covers the basics of massage. | concentrate on, stick to It's best to stick to basics when planning such a large party. | get/go back to, get down to It's time our education system got back to basics

PHRASES get the basics right The important thing is to get the basics right.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

basis noun

¹ starting point

ADJ. firm, solid, sound

VERB + BASIS form, provide

PREP. ~ for The proposal provides a sound basis for a book.

PHRASES have no basis in sth These allegations have no basis in fact.

² principle/reason

ADJ. whole

PREP. on the ~ of We made our decision on the basis of the information we had. | ~ for The whole basis for your argument is false.

³ way sth is done/organized

ADJ. regular | daily, monthly, weekly, etc. Staff are employed on a monthly basis. | permanent, temporary | casual, part-time, voluntary | commercial

PREP. on a … ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

basketball noun

ADJ. college, professional

QUANT. game

VERB + BASKETBALL play | watch

BASKETBALL + NOUN championship, match | court | coach, player, star, team | referee, umpire > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

basket noun

¹ container

BASKET + VERB be filled with sth, be full of sth, contain sth a basket filled with delicious fruit

PHRASES in/into a/the ~ The cat lay curled in its basket. | ~ of a basket of flowers/fruit

² in basketball

VERB + BASKET shoot | make, score, sink

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bassoon noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bass noun

¹ lowest part in music

ADJ. boomy, loud, pounding | solid The bass clarinet forms a solid bass for the woodwind group. | ground The church organist may improvise on a ground bass. | figured (= a bass line in which the chords are represented by figures, not written out in full) the abandonment in the late 18th century of figured bass in favour of completely written out orchestral scores

VERB + BASS sing He sings bass in our local choir. | turn down/up He always plays his stereo with the bass turned right up.

BASS + NOUN note, sound | line a pounding bass line | clef

² lowest male singing voice

ADJ. deep, low

VERB + BASS sing Don has agreed to sing bass (= sing the bass part).

BASS + NOUN voice | part

PREP. in a … ~ He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.

³ bass guitar

ADJ. electric | fretless

VERB + BASS tune (up)

BASS + NOUN guitar > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

batch noun

¹ number of people/things

ADJ. large, small | whole A whole batch of original drawings will be on sale. | fresh, new He baked a fresh batch of rolls. Each summer a new batch of students tries to find work. | latest the latest batch of opinion polls

PREP. in the ~ How many books are there in each batch? We deliver the goods in batches. | ~ of a batch of letters

² in computing

BATCH + NOUN job to process a batch job | file, program | processing | mode to run in batch mode | queue

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bathroom noun

VERB + BATHROOM go to, use (= go to the toilet)

BATHROOM + NOUN cabinet, cupboard | accessories, equipment, fittings, suite | mirror | scales I weigh myself on the bathroom scales every day. | facilities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bath noun

VERB + BATH fill, run Could you run the bath for me? | have, take | lie in, soak in | need

BATH + NOUN tap, water (also bathwater) | mat, towel | time It's the children's bath time.

PREP. in the ~ Please answer the phone. I'm in the bath!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

baton noun

¹ used by police/soldiers

ADJ. electric | wooden | police

VERB + BATON carry, hold | draw, use The police were ordered to draw their batons and disperse the crowd.

BATON + NOUN charge Five people were injured in the baton charge.

² used by a conductor

VERB + BATON raise, wave

PREP. under the ~ of The orchestra made the recording under the baton of a young German conductor.

³ used in a relay race

ADJ. hand, pass Each runner passes the baton to the next. | take (up) | drop

⁴ used by a drum majorette

VERB + BATON swing, twirl

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

battered adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, get

ADV. badly, very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly | emotionally She felt emotionally battered.

PHRASES battered old She wore a battered old robe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

battery noun

¹ for electricity

ADJ. dead, flat The car won't start?the battery's flat. | rechargeable | car, torch | alkaline, lithium

VERB + BATTERY charge, recharge | change, replace | connect Is the battery connected correctly? | be powered by, run on, use, work on The machine can also run on batteries.

BATTERY + VERB give out, go dead, run down, run out After about six hours, the battery will run down.

BATTERY + NOUN power | life With our product you get longer battery life. | failure | charger

PHRASES battery-operated, battery-powered a small battery-powered car

² large group of similar things

ADJ. full, whole

PREP. ~ of I had to answer a whole battery of questions.

PHRASES a battery of tests

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

battle noun

¹ between armies

VERB + BATTLE fight (in) | win | lose | do, give, go into, join Charles V refused to give battle. The two armies joined battle. | send sb into Many young men were sent into battle without proper training.

BATTLE + VERB begin, take place | rage | continue | be over, end

PREP. at a/the ~ Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. | in (a/the) ~ He died in battle.

² violent fight between two groups

ADJ. fierce | pitched | running | gun

VERB + BATTLE fight

PREP. ~ against Police fought a pitched battle against demonstrators. | ~ between a gun battle between police and drug smugglers | ~ with Scores of people have been hurt in running battles with police.

³ struggle

VERB + BATTLE be engaged in, do, fight Are you prepared to do battle with your insurance company over the claim? | face | win | lose

BATTLE + VERB begin | be over, end

PREP. ~ against his long battle against cancer | ~ between a fierce battle between developers and the local community | ~ for the battle for human rights | ~ over The government now faces a new battle over tax increases. | ~ with They are engaged in a long-running legal battle with their neighbours.

PHRASES a battle of ideas/words, a battle of wills/wits, a battle royal (= a major battle in which all available forces take part), fight your own battles My parents believed in leaving me to fight my own battles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

battle verb

ADV. hard | bravely The child battled bravely for her life. | in vain Doctors battled in vain to save his life. | constantly | away We'll keep battling away and hope that the goals start to come.

PREP. against Rescuers battled against torrential rain and high winds. | for battling for control of the party | over Residents are battling over plans for a new supermarket. | through We battled through the snowstorm. | with Riot police battled with 4,000 students. battling with leukaemia

PHRASES battle it out Competitors battled it out against the clock. | battle your way He battled his way to the bar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bat noun

¹ in games

ADJ. baseball, cricket, table tennis

VERB + BAT grip, hold | carry | swing

² small flying animal

ADJ. fruit, pipistrelle, vampire

BAT + VERB flutter, fly | roost | squeak

PHRASES a species of bat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bat verb

VERB + BAT go in to Hick went in to bat after Hussain. | put sb in to India won the toss and put England in to bat.

PREP. for Smith was first to bat for Warwickshire.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bayonet noun

ADJ. fixed troops with fixed bayonets

VERB + BAYONET fix | thrust A bayonet had been thrust through his belly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bay noun

¹ part of a coast

ADJ. sheltered | wide | sandy

VERB + BAY overlook holiday flats overlooking the bay

PREP. across the ~ Lights twinkled across the bay.

² area used for a particular purpose

ADJ. docking, landing, loading

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beach noun

ADJ. beautiful, fine, lovely, magnificent, palm-fringed, sun-drenched | golden, sandy, white | pebble, shingle | bathing, pleasure | deserted, empty, private, secluded

BEACH + VERB stretch a beautiful golden beach stretching for miles

PREP. along a/the ~ He walked along the beach. | at a/the ~ They met at the beach. | on a/the ~ She lay on the beach and read her book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bead noun

¹ small piece of glass, wood, etc.

ADJ. amber, glass, wooden, etc. | prayer, rosary

QUANT. strand, string a string of wooden beads

VERB + BEAD wear | fasten, put on | take off, undo, unfasten | thread She threaded the beads carefully.

BEAD + VERB hang A strand of coral beads hung round her neck.

BEAD + NOUN curtain

² small drop of liquid

PHRASES a bead of moisture/perspiration/sweat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beaker noun

ADJ. glass, plastic a glass beaker containing copper sulphate solution She drank from a plastic beaker.

VERB + BEAKER fill, refill | drain, empty | lift, pick up, raise | place, put down, replace, set down | drink from/out of

BEAKER + VERB contain sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beak noun

ADJ. short, small | large, long | curved, hooked, pointed, sharp | powerful | black, yellow

VERB + BEAK open | close

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beam noun

¹ ray of light

ADJ. bright, intense, piercing, powerful | narrow, thin | electron, laser, searchlight, torch

VERB + BEAM direct, point, send, shine | play He played the beam of his torch over the wall of the cave. | catch sb/sth in He was suddenly caught in the full beam of a searchlight.

BEAM + VERB shine | illuminate sth, light sth up

PREP. ~ from the beam from the lighthouse | ~ of A beam of sunlight shone in through the window.

PHRASES on full beam car headlights on full beam

² long piece of wood/metal

BEAM + VERB support sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beam verb

ADV. broadly He beamed broadly at them, clearly very pleased to see them. | positively She positively beamed with satisfaction. | cheerfully, happily, proudly

PREP. at She beamed happily at Maxim. | with His face beamed with pleasure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bean noun

¹ vegetable

ADJ. black-eyed, broad, butter, chilli, French, green, haricot, kidney, runner, soya, string | canned, dried, refried | baked baked beans on toast

BEAN + NOUN curd | sprout > Special page at FOOD

² seed of other plants

ADJ. cocoa, coffee

VERB + BEAN roast | grind

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bearable adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable. | find sth He found the dullness of his work scarcely bearable.

ADV. almost | hardly, scarcely | just

PREP. for The money made life more bearable for her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beard noun

VERB + BEARD grow | have, sport, wear He sported a neat goatee beard. | clip, cut, trim | shave (off) | pull (at), stroke, tug (at) Jim stroked his beard reflectively.

BEARD + VERB grow My beard's grown a lot. | be streaked with sth His beard is streaked with grey.

BEARD + NOUN growth, stubble He had two days' beard growth across his jowls and chin.

PREP. with a/the ~ She's scared of men with beards.

PHRASES a three-day/seven-day, etc. growth of beard, a three-day-old, etc. beard

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bearing noun

¹ way in which sth is related

ADJ. direct, important, significant The rise in interest rates had a direct bearing on the company's profits.

VERB + BEARING have

PREP. ~ on

² direction/position

ADJ. compass

VERB + BEARING check He checked his bearings on the map in the car. | find, get Everything was in darkness and it was difficult to get my bearings. | keep To keep your bearings in a desert sandstorm is impossible. | lose She lost her bearings in the thick forest.

PHRASES take a (compass) bearing on sth Take a compass bearing on that mountain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bear verb

¹ accept/deal with sth

VERB + BEAR be able/unable to, can/could (hardly/scarcely) Don't leave me alone. I wouldn't be able to bear it. How can you bear this awful noise? We could hardly bear to be outdoors in the blinding sunlight.

² be responsible for sth

VERB + BEAR have to, must Do parents have to bear the whole cost of tuition fees? You must bear at least some responsibility for what has happened. PHRASAL VERBS bear on/upon sb/sth

ADV. heavily The burden of the tax bore most heavily on the poor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beast noun

¹ animal

ADJ. ferocious, savage, snarling, wild Savage beasts once roamed these forests. | exotic, fabled, fantastic, legendary, mythical, rare, strange paintings of mythical beasts | great, huge, magnificent, mighty

PHRASES a beast of burden, a beast of prey

² unpleasant/cruel person

ADJ. filthy You filthy beast! | sex Local people live in fear of this unknown sex beast.

PHRASES the beast in sb (= the violent or sexual part of sb's character) The beast in her wanted to destroy his house. | bring out the beast in sb Somehow she brought out the beast in him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beating noun

ADJ. brutal, savage, severe, terrible, violent

VERB + BEATING get, receive, suffer, take The team took a terrible beating. | give sb/sth They caught him and gave him a violent beating.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beat noun

¹ rhythm

ADJ. regular, rhythmic, steady | pounding

VERB + BEAT clap to, dance to, sway to They danced to the rhythmic beat of the music.

PHRASES two, three, four, etc. beats to the bar The piece has four beats to the bar. | sb's heart misses/skips a beat (= sb feels very nervous) As I opened the letter, my heart missed a beat.

² of a police officer

VERB + BEAT pound, walk We have two officers walking the beat after midnight.

PREP. on the ~ officers on the beat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beat verb

¹ in a game

ADV. comfortably, comprehensively, convincingly, easily, hands down, soundly He beat her hands down. | narrowly He was narrowly beaten by his opponent.

PREP. at She beat him at chess. | by beating her by just three points

PHRASES beat sb into second, third, etc. place He was beaten into second place by the American.

² hit sb

ADV. badly, brutally, savagely, severely, violently

PREP. with She was beaten with a metal bar.

PHRASES beat sb about/over the head He had been beaten about the head with a rock. | beat sb to death, beat sb unconscious

⁴ of heart/wings

ADV. fast, frantically, painfully, rapidly, wildly I could feel my heart beating wildly.

⁵ mix

ADV. thoroughly, well Beat the mixture well, until it is light and creamy. | lightly Add three eggs, lightly beaten. PHRASAL VERBS beat down

ADV. mercilessly, relentlessly

PREP. on/upon The African sun beat relentlessly down on his aching head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beautiful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, grow | make sb/sth We did all we could to make the room beautiful. | find sb/sth He found her exquisitely beautiful.

ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, outstandingly, really, remarkably, supremely, truly, very | absolutely, perfectly, quite, utterly | just, simply (informal) ‘They're just beautiful,’ breathed Jo, when she saw the earrings. | almost I remember her as pretty, almost beautiful. | rather | astonishingly, breathtakingly, dazzlingly, incredibly, staggeringly, startlingly, strikingly, stunningly, unbelievably, wonderfully | uniquely | exquisitely | serenely | classically Her features were classically beautiful, with perfectly structured high cheekbones. | coldly The designs were pure, austere and coldly beautiful. | achingly, eerily, hauntingly, painfully a hauntingly beautiful melody

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beauty noun

¹ quality of being beautiful

ADJ. breathtaking, extraordinary, great, outstanding, sheer an area of breathtaking beauty | classical the classical beauty of her face | natural | physical | scenic

BEAUTY + VERB last | fade Her beauty faded as she got older.

BEAUTY + NOUN competition, contest | queen | parlour, salon | treatment | spot

PHRASES beauty is in the eye of the beholder, beauty is only skin-deep

² beautiful person or thing

ADJ. great She was known as a great beauty in her time. | absolute, real My new car's a real beauty! | little Isn't she a little beauty?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bedroom noun

VERB + BEDROOM share I used to share a bedroom with my brother. | convert They converted the spare bedroom into an office. | decorate, redecorate

BEDROOM + NOUN furniture, suite | window | slippers | scene The actress refused to appear naked in the bedroom scenes.

PREP. around a/the ~ There were dirty clothes strewn around the bedroom. | in a/the ~

PHRASES a 3-bedroom, etc. house The larger houses are four-bedroom houses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bedside noun

VERB + BEDSIDE be called to, be summoned to The doctor was summoned to his bedside. | stay at/by | leave His wife never left his bedside.

BEDSIDE + NOUN cabinet, lamp, light, table

PREP. at sb's/the ~, by sb's/the ~ I like to keep a glass of water by my bedside.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bedtime noun

ADJ. normal, usual

BEDTIME + NOUN reading, story | drink

PREP. at ~, before sb's ~, past sb's ~ It's well past my normal bedtime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bed noun

¹ piece of furniture for sleeping on

ADJ. double, king-size, single, twin | bunk, camp, feather, folding, four-poster, hospital, sofa | warm | unmade a messy room, with an unmade bed and clothes on the floor | marriage

VERB + BED do (informal), make, make up | strip Please strip the beds and put the sheets in the washing machine. | climb into, crawl into, get into, go to, tumble into She crawled into bed exhausted. | climb out of, get out of, leap out of | lie (down) on, lie in, sit on He lay in bed, reading his book. Elizabeth was sitting on her bed writing a letter. | put sb to, tuck sb up in It's your turn to put the children to bed. | wet Don't punish a child who wets the bed.

BED + NOUN clothes, linen

PREP. in ~ I like to be in bed before 11 o'clock. | out of ~ Are you out of bed yet?

PHRASES bed and breakfast, the edge/side of the bed, the foot/head of the bed, get sb into bed (= have sex with sb), go to bed with sb (= have sex with sb), take to your bed (= go to bed because you are ill), time for bed Come on, children, it's time for bed.

² piece of ground for growing flowers, vegetables, etc.

ADJ. flower, rose, strawberry | ornamental | raised

PREP. ~ of ornamental beds of roses

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beef noun

QUANT. bit, piece, slice | fillet, joint, rib, side

VERB + BEEF eat | boil, braise, cook, fry, roast, stew | carve, cut carving a joint of beef

BEEF + NOUN stew, stock | cattle | farmer | industry, production

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beer noun

QUANT. litre, pint I ordered half a pint of beer with my sandwich. | barrel, bottle, can, glass, keg, tankard | crate

BEER + VERB chill Put the beer in the fridge to chill. | foam | go flat | flow (figurative) The beer flowed freely after the match. | slop He slammed his glass down and the beer slopped over the sides.

BEER + NOUN drinker, lover | maker | barrel, bottle, can, crate, glass, keg, mug, tankard | mat | festival | consumption, production, sales | cellar, garden The pub has a beer garden round the back. | belly He's only twenty but he's already got a beer belly (= a fat stomach from drinking too much beer). | money Playing non-league football keeps him in beer money (= earns him enough money to buy beer, but he has to do another job to earn a living).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bee noun

ADJ. bumble (also bumblebee), honey, killer | queen, worker | angry He was stung by thousands of angry bees.

QUANT. swarm

BEE + VERB buzz, hum A bee buzzed in my ear. | sting (sb) | fly, swarm The bees swarmed round the hive.

BEE + NOUN hive (also beehive) | sting | keeper (also bee-keeper)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beginner noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, real

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beginning noun

ADJ. new She spoke of a new beginning for the nation.

VERB + BEGINNING herald, mark This invention marked the beginning of the modern age. | see 2001 saw the beginning of a period of rapid growth.

PREP. at the ~ (of sth) I'm paid at the beginning of each month. | from the ~ Tell me the whole story, right from the beginning. | in the ~ In the beginning I found the course very difficult.

PHRASES the beginning of the end That holiday together was the beginning of the end of our friendship. | early/first beginnings The society had its early beginnings in discussion groups. | from beginning to end The play was rubbish from beginning to end. | from humble/modest/small beginnings From these small beginnings it grew into the vast company we know today. | the very beginning I disliked her from the very beginning.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

begin verb

ADV. (all over) again Once it has finished, the video automatically begins again. We had to begin all over again.

VERB + BEGIN be due to, be expected to, be scheduled to The entertainment was due to begin at 8.30. | be ready to | be about to, be going to A new life was about to begin for him.

PREP. by Let's begin by writing down a few ideas. | with We will begin with a brief discussion of the problems. Can you think of a word beginning with V?

PHRASES begin at the beginning Begin your story at the beginning, and carry on to the end.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beg verb

¹ ask sb for food, money, etc.

VERB + BEG be forced to, have to

PREP. for begging for food | from He had to beg food from passers-by.

² ask for sth with great emotion

ADV. almost, practically In the end they almost begged him to take the job. | humbly We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. | silently Don't leave me, he begged her silently.

VERB + BEG be forced to, have to

PREP. for We went to him to beg for forgiveness. | of (formal) Do not do that, I beg of you.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

behave verb

ADV. impeccably, perfectly, well | aggressively, badly, disgracefully, outrageously Children who behave badly are rejecting adult values. | appropriately, correctly, properly, responsibly The enquiry investigated whether officers had behaved correctly. | improperly, irresponsibly | rationally, reasonably | stupidly, unreasonably | normally | oddly, out of character, strangely, suspiciously | accordingly Children, if they are used to being treated with respect, will behave accordingly. | naturally the freedom to behave naturally

PREP. as if/though He behaved as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. | like Stop behaving like a three-year-old! | towards He had always behaved in a friendly manner towards us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

behaviour noun

VERB + BEHAVIOUR control, influence Parents can influence the behaviour of their children. | alter, change, modify | display, exhibit, show Animals in zoos often display disturbed behaviour.

BEHAVIOUR + NOUN pattern

PREP. ~ towards his behaviour towards his parents

PHRASES behaviour and attitudes, be on your best behaviour (= to behave very well in order to impress sb), a code of behaviour, a pattern of behaviour, standards of behaviour a new study looking at the behaviour and attitudes of young men

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

belief noun

ADJ. absolute, deep-seated, deeply held, fervent, firm, passionate, profound, strong, strongly held, unshakeable | genuine, honest, sincere She was strict with her children in the genuine belief that it was the right thing to do. | entrenched, fanatical | common, commonly held, general, popular, widely held, widespread | growing | long-held, long-standing | belief how things could have got this bad.

BELIEF + VERB persist Belief in the magical properties of this herb persisted down the centuries.

BELIEF + NOUN system

PREP. beyond ~ (= too great, difficult, etc. to be believed) Dissatisfaction with the government has grown beyond belief. icy air that was cold beyond belief | in the ~ that She did it in the belief that it would basic, central, core, fundamental the basic beliefs of Christianityhelp her career. | ~ about beliefs | personal, private I think the rights and wrongs of eating meat are a matter of personal belief. | rational, reasonable | irrational, superstitious | instinctive | naive | strange | conflicting, contradictory | erroneous, false, misguided, mistaken I took the job in the mistaken belief that I would be able to stay in London. | ancient, traditional The people still follow their traditional beliefs. | orthodox | cultural, moral, political, religious, spiritual They were persecuted for their religious beliefs. | Catholic, Christian, pagan, etc.

QUANT. set, system Each religion has its set of beliefs.

VERB + BELIEF have, hold I have very firm beliefs about moral issues. | share He shared his father's belief that people should work hard for their living. | adhere to, cling to, follow, hold on to, stick to She clung to the belief that he would come back to her. The Labour Party must stick to its beliefs. | abandon, give up, renounce | lose She has lost her belief in God. | affirm, assert, declare, express, state Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the scriptures are ‘inspired’. | emphasize, stress | encourage, foster, fuel The exam results encouraged the belief that he was a good teacher. | confirm, reinforce, strengthen, support This latest evidence strengthens our belief that the government is doing the right thing. | question, shake, shatter, undermine, weaken The child's death shook her belief in God. | respect You must respect other people's beliefs. | beggar, defy (= to be impossible to believe) It beggars about the origin of the universe | ~ among There is a belief among young people that education is a waste of time. | ~ in a belief in God

PHRASES contrary to popular belief (= in spite of what people think) Contrary to popular belief, rainforests are not jungles through which you have to slash a path.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

believable adj.

VERBS be, sound | find sth

ADV. very All the characters were very believable. | hardly I find her story hardly believable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

believer noun

¹ sb who has religious faith

ADJ. devout, genuine, true | religious

² sb who believes that sth is good

ADJ. fervent, firm, great, passionate, staunch, strong

PREP. ~ in I'm a firm believer in the benefits of exercise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

believe verb

ADV. firmly, really, seriously (only used with negatives), sincerely He firmly believed that he was right. No one seriously believes that this war will happen. | mistakenly

VERB + BELIEVE can't/cannot, could not I couldn't believe what I was hearing. | be hard to It's hard to believe that this campaign has been going on for ten years. | give sb to The boss gave me to believe that we would all get a pay rise. | have reason to We have reason to believe that the escaped prisoner may be hiding in this house. | be inclined to I'm inclined to believe you. | lead sb to The advertisement led us to believe that all prices had been cut.

PHRASES can/could hardly/scarcely believe sth, not believe a word of sth I didn't believe a word of what he said.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bellow noun

ADJ. great, loud | angry

VERB + BELLOW give, let out She gave a great bellow of laughter. | hear

PREP. with a ~ He woke with a bellow of rage. | ~ of

PHRASES a bellow of laughter, a bellow of rage > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

belly noun

ADJ. empty, full | flat | fat, pot Since he turned 30 he's started to develop a pot belly. | distended, swollen | beer (= a fat stomach from drinking too much beer)

BELLY + VERB bulge | hang He's so fat, his belly hangs over his trousers. | swell

PREP. in your ~ She felt the child in her belly kick.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bell noun

¹ hollow metal object that rings

ADJ. church, temple | wedding (often figurative) The two of them went everywhere together and their friends could already hear wedding bells (= were sure they would get married). | cow | distant

VERB + BELL ring | hear

BELL + VERB chime, clang, jangle, peal, ring (out), sound, tinkle, toll The bells on the harness tinkled softly. The church bells tolled for Evensong.

BELL + NOUN tower | pull, rope

PHRASES a chime of bells the faint chime of bells | a peal of bells She heard a peal of church bells. | a sound of bells The sound of bells echoed across the valley.

² other object that rings

ADJ. bicycle, door (also doorbell) | dinner, school | electric | alarm, warning (often figurative) Alarm bells were ringing inside Stuart's head.

VERB + BELL press, ring, sound | answer She hurried to answer the doorbell.

BELL + VERB go, ring, sound The school bell goes at three every afternoon.

BELL + NOUN push

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

belongings noun

ADJ. personal

VERB + BELONGINGS collect/gather (together/up), pack (up) She collected up her personal belongings and left. | go through, look through, rifle through, search In her absence, someone had gone through her belongings. | sort through He was trying to sort through his belongings and bring them to some sort of order.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beloved adj.

VERBS be

ADV. dearly, much the death of his much beloved wife

PREP. by an area beloved by artists | of She ran one of the little tea rooms so beloved of Londoners at the turn of the century.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

belt noun

¹ narrow piece of leather, etc. worn round the waist

VERB + BELT buckle, do up, fasten | unbuckle, undo, unfasten | tighten | loosen

BELT + NOUN buckle, loop > Special page at CLOTHES

² in a machine

ADJ. conveyor, drive, fan

³ area of land

PREP. ~ of a narrow belt of trees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bemused adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. totally Sarah looked totally bemused. | a bit, faintly, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat I was beginning to feel slightly bemused.

PREP. by Connie was rather bemused by all the attention she was getting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bench noun

¹ long seat

VERB + BENCH sit (down) on

BENCH + NOUN seat

PREP. on a/the ~ He often sleeps on park benches.

² in Parliament

ADJ. government, Opposition | Conservative, Labour, etc. | back, front (Government ministers and the most important members of the Opposition sit on the front benches. Back-bench MPs have no official position besides that of MP.)

VERB + BENCH be on, sit on

PREP. from the … ~s There were cheers from the Labour benches. | on the … ~s Some MPs on the government back benches are starting to question the government's handling of the war.

³ long narrow table that people work at

ADJ. work (also workbench) | carpenter's, laboratory

PREP. at a/the ~ He was working at his bench.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bend noun

ADJ. gentle, slight, wide | hairpin, sharp, tight Some of the hairpin bends had Ruth clinging to her seat. | dangerous | blind mountain roads with steep gradients and blind bends | left-hand, right-hand | final (= in a race) He had a winning lead off the final bend.

QUANT. series a series of dangerous bends

VERB + BEND come round, negotiate, round, take, turn He slowed down to negotiate the bend.

PREP. around/round a/the ~ The car vanished round a bend. | into a/the ~ I inched the car into the bend. | off a/the ~ He came off the bend in the lead. | on a/the ~ Slow down on the tight bends. | ~ in a wide bend in the river

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bend verb

PREP. at Avoid bending at the waist when lifting heavy objects. | towards He came closer and bent towards her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

benefactor noun

BENEFACTOR + VERB donate sth, give sth A private benefactor donated £20,000.

PREP. ~ to She was a generous benefactor to the library.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

beneficial adj.

VERBS be, prove Some alternative treatments may prove highly beneficial. | consider sth

ADV. extremely, highly, very | entirely, wholly | clearly | mutually The arrangement was mutually beneficial. | medically, socially

PREP. for I think it would be beneficial for each committee member to have a copy of the report. | to Exercise is extremely beneficial to health.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

benefit noun

¹ advantage

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, major, real, substantial This could bring real benefits for teachers. | maximum | additional The scheme has many additional benefits. | fringe (= extra things that an employer gives as well as wages) The fringe benefits include free health insurance. | mutual The different environmental groups could work together to their mutual benefit. | potential | long-term, short-term | economic, environmental, financial, health, social | tax

VERB + BENEFIT enjoy, have The motor industry will be one of the first to enjoy the benefits of the recovery. children who have the benefit of a stable home background | derive, gain, get, obtain, reap, receive The company derived substantial benefit from the deal. I reaped the benefits of all my early training. | bring, offer, provide The new factory will bring considerable benefits to the area. This deal will offer major benefits to industrialists and investors.

BENEFIT + VERB accrue the benefits that accrue from a good education

PREP. for sb's ~ We shall do this for the benefit of the patients. | of ~ to This arrangement will be of great benefit to you both. | to sb's ~ It will be to everyone's benefit. | with/without the ~ of managing to work without the benefit of modern technology | ~ for the benefits for companies | ~ from the benefits from tourism | ~ of the benefit of a steady income | ~ to What are the benefits to investors?

² money

ADJ. welfare | state | means-tested, universal One way to cut spending is to move from universal benefits?those paid to everyone regardless of need?to means-tested ones. | cash | child, housing, sickness, social security, unemployment

QUANT. amount, level

VERB + BENEFIT be eligible for, be entitled to, qualify for | claim You may be able to claim housing benefit. | draw, get, receive He receives unemployment benefit. | be dependent on | lose She is worried that if she takes on a job she will lose her benefits. | cut The government has cut unemployment benefit. | increase

BENEFIT + VERB be paid Benefit is paid monthly.

BENEFIT + NOUN benefits agency | office | payment | system

PREP. on ~ He's on social security benefit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

benefit verb

PREP. from

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

benign adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. fairly, rather, relatively The effects of this chemical are fairly benign. | environmentally We are looking for an environmentally benign alternative to bleach.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bent adj.

VERBS be, look | become, get The lamp post got bent in the crash.

ADV. slightly He stood with knees slightly bent.

PHRASES bent double The man shuffled back a few paces, bent almost double.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bent noun

ADJ. natural | artistic, intellectual, literary, philosophical, scientific

VERB + BENT have She has an artistic bent. | show He showed a literary bent from a young age.

PREP. with ~ a child with a scientific bent | ~ for a natural bent for languages

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bequest noun

ADJ. generous, large, substantial The library has received a generous bequest from a local businessman. | small | charitable

VERB + BEQUEST leave (sb), make (sb) In his will he made a substantial bequest to his wife. | receive

PREP. by ~ The picture was acquired by bequest in 1921. | ~ from a bequest from the late Jack Dawkins | ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bereaved adj.

VERBS be

ADJ. newly, recently a recently bereaved family

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bereavement noun

ADJ. recent | family, personal

VERB + BEREAVEMENT suffer He has suffered a bereavement. | come to terms with, cope with, get over

BEREAVEMENT + NOUN counselling, counsellor

PHRASES the pain/shock of bereavement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

berry noun

ADJ. ripe | wild | poisonous | holly, juniper, etc.

VERB + BERRY have, produce Does this bush have berries? | pick We picked a few of the berries. | eat

BERRY + VERB ripen | drop off > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

berth noun

ADJ. empty | upper | lower

VERB + BERTH have | book, get, take I've managed to get berths on the overnight ferry.

PHRASES a two-berth, three berth, etc. cabin

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

best adj.

VERBS be | consider sth, deem sth, judge sth, think sth Owen judged it best to make no reply.

ADV. very We aim to give our guests the very best attention. | by far, easily This is by far the best restaurant in the town.

PREP. at Who in the class is best at maths? | for I'm only trying to do what's best for you.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

betrayal noun

ADJ. personal | final, ultimate His defection to the other side was the ultimate betrayal.

VERB + BETRAYAL regard sth as, see sth as, view sth as The business community regarded the measures as a betrayal of election promises.

PREP. ~ of a betrayal of his friends The decisions were a betrayal of everything my father stood for.

PHRASES an act of betrayal, a betrayal of (sb's) trust, a feeling/sense of betrayal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

better adj.

¹ comparative of ‘good’

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | get Cars are getting better all the time. | make sth We must make our inner cities better to live and work in. | consider sth, deem sth, judge sth, think sth I thought it better to tackle him outside of business hours.

ADV. a damned/darned sight, even, far, a lot, markedly, (very) much, still, substantially, ten/a hundred/a thousand times His latest book is a darned sight better than the one before. | a bit, a good/great deal, a little, marginally, slightly

PHRASES no better Charles VII was a bad king, and Charles VIII was no better. | nothing better than There's nothing better than a nice juicy peach!

² recovered from an illness

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | get I hope you get better soon. | get sb, make sb Don't worry. The doctor will soon make you better. | kiss sth Did you hurt yourself? Poor thing?come here and let me kiss it better.

ADV. a lot, (very) much | a bit, a good/great deal, a little, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bet noun

ADJ. good, safe, sure | fair | outside (= with a very small chance of winning)

VERB + BET have, make, place, put I'm going to place a bet on that white horse. | accept, take We are now taking bets on the election result. | win | lose

PREP. ~ on I had a bet on the three o'clock race. | ~ with I made a bet with a friend.

PHRASES do sth for a bet, my bet is/it is my bet (that) … My bet is that Liverpool will win.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bewildered adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become | leave sb She packed her bags and left?leaving Matthew bewildered and confused.

ADV. very | completely, quite, thoroughly, totally, utterly | a little, rather, slightly, somewhat

PREP. at He was rather bewildered at seeing her there. | by She was totally bewildered by his message.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bewildering adj.

VERBS be, seem | find sth I found the experience quite bewildering.

ADV. very It was all very bewildering. | completely, quite, totally a totally bewildering array of different wines | a bit, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

biased adj.

VERBS be

PREP. against Fate was strongly biased against him. | in favour of The methods they employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. | towards Managers are naturally biased towards projects showing a quick return.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bias noun

ADJ. clear, definite, marked, obvious, strong | left-wing, right-wing | cultural, political

VERB + BIAS have The newspaper has a clear bias towards the Conservative Party. | display, show | avoid, eliminate, reduce | correct We have now tried to correct the bias in our original report. | be free from The newspaper was free from political bias.

BIAS + VERB creep in, exist Bias often creeps in through the wording of questions.

PREP. with/without ~ All material must be selected and presented without bias. | with a ~ a newspaper with a strong left-wing bias | ~ against a bias against women | ~ in favour of/towards a bias in favour of small firms

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Bible noun

ADJ. Holy

VERB + BIBLE read, study

BIBLE + VERB say sth, tell sb sth, teach sth The Bible teaches that all people are equal before God.

BIBLE + NOUN reading, story | study

PREP. in the ~ You can read the story of Noah in the Bible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bibliography noun

ADJ. brief, select, selective | comprehensive, extensive an extensive bibliography of books and articles

VERB + BIBLIOGRAPHY compile, put together | contain, include | publish | consult Consult the bibliography for further reading on the subject.

PREP. in a/the ~ You'll find the professor's book in the bibliography. | ~ of The book includes a selective bibliography of works on French art.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bicycle noun

BICYCLE + VERB get/have a puncture

BICYCLE + NOUN ride | chain, frame, wheel | rack, shed | hire

PREP. by ~ Did you come by bicycle? | on a/the ~ watching the boys on their bicycles

PHRASES lean/prop a bicycle against sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bid noun

¹ attempt

ADJ. successful | failed, unsuccessful | desperate | takeover

VERB + BID launch, make, mount A German firm launched a takeover bid for the company. | succeed in | fail in They failed in their bid to buy the holiday company.

BID + VERB succeed | fail

PREP. in a/the ~ He attacked his guards in a desperate bid for freedom. | ~ by a bid by the president to boost his popularity | ~ for This play was her last bid for recognition.

PHRASES a bid for freedom/power, a bid to escape

² offer of a sum of money to buy sth

ADJ. high | low | opening | cash

VERB + BID make, put in, submit He made a cash bid for the company. | retract | call for, invite They have invited bids for the property. | increase, raise | accept

PREP. ~ by/from a £24-million bid by a rival football club | ~ for a bid for the chair | ~ of a bid of £100

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bid verb

¹ offer money for sth

PREP. against Two dealers bid against each other for the antique table. | for She bid £10,000 for the painting.

² offer to do work

ADV. successfully

PREP. for We have successfully bid for the contract.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

big adj.

¹ large

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get, grow

ADV. extremely, incredibly, really, very | fairly, pretty, quite, rather This house is rather big for us. We need something smaller.

PHRASES big fat He was a big fat chap with a beard.

² important

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, really, very hoping the show would be a really big success | fairly, pretty This is a fairly big decision to make.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bike noun

ADJ. mountain, racing, touring, trail | exercise

BIKE + VERB get/have a puncture

BIKE + NOUN ride | shed

PREP. by ~ Did you come by bike? | on a/the ~ watching the boys on their bikes

PHRASES lean/prop a bike against sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bikini noun

ADJ. brief, minuscule, skimpy

BIKINI + NOUN bottoms, top | line > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bilingual adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. fully | virtually

PREP. in He is virtually bilingual in Spanish and Portuguese.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bill noun

¹ showing money owed for goods/services

ADJ. big, high, huge, large | outstanding, unpaid | itemized | electricity, fuel, gas, hospital, hotel, phone/telephone, etc. | tax

VERB + BILL get, have Could I have the bill please? I've just got a huge tax bill. | be landed with, face The company could now face higher fuel bills. | run up We ran up a very large hotel bill. | foot, pay, pick up, settle Don't worry?the company will pick up the bill. | present sb with, send sb, submit They presented us with a very large bill. | cut, reduce We need to cut our electricity bills.

PREP. on a/the ~ Are the coffees on the bill? | ~ for the bill for the meal

² proposal for a new law

ADJ. controversial | emergency | private member's

VERB + BILL bring before Parliament, bring forward/in, introduce, propose, put forward, submit The bill will be brought before Parliament next year. The government has put forward an emergency bill to limit the powers of the police. | force through, push through, railroad through, rush through The opposition will try to force the bill through Parliament. | draft, prepare | amend | debate | adopt, approve, pass | support, vote for | defeat, reject, throw out, veto | oppose, vote against | shelve, withdraw

³ programme of entertainment

ADJ. double

VERB + BILL head, top Tom Jones is topping the bill.

PREP. on a/the ~ Mozart is on the bill this evening.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

binding adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. absolutely | legally, morally

PREP. on/upon The decisions of the European Court are binding on the United Kingdom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bind noun

ADJ. awful, dreadful, real, terrible | double

PREP. in a ~ He's in a double bind: he needs experience to get a job but he can't get experience without working.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bind verb

¹ tie with rope/fabric

ADV. tightly They bound his hands together tightly.

ADV. together

PREP. to, with The sails are bound to the mast with cord.

PHRASES bind and gag sb, bind sb hand and foot She found herself bound hand and foot.

² make sb do sth

ADV. contractually, legally, morally

³ book

PHRASES be beautifully/handsomely/richly bound, be bound in sth two volumes bound in leather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

binge noun

ADJ. drinking, drunken | eating

VERB + BINGE go on, have He went on a drunken binge when he heard the bad news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

binoculars noun

ADJ. high-powered, powerful

QUANT. pair

VERB + BINOCULARS look through | focus, train He focused his binoculars on the building in the distance. | adjust | lift, raise She raised her binoculars to the distant road across the valley. | lower

PREP. through ~ watching the race through binoculars

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bin noun

ADJ. litter, rubbish, waste, wastepaper She threw the letter in the wastepaper bin. | storage | pedal, wheelie

VERB + BIN chuck sth in/into, put sth in, throw sth in/into

BIN + NOUN bag, liner | man

PREP. in a/the ~ Put the wrapper in the bin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

biography noun

ADJ. authorized, official | unauthorized, unofficial | brief, potted The book gives potted biographies of all the major painters.

VERB + BIOGRAPHY work on, write | publish | read

PREP. ~ by a biography by Antonia Fraser | ~ of a biography of the prime minister

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

biologist noun

ADJ. distinguished, senior | field, research She's a research biologist for a pharmaceutical company. | evolutionary, forensic, marine, molecular | plant, wildlife > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

biology noun

ADJ. cell, developmental, environmental, evolutionary, human, marine, molecular, population, reproductive | applied | modern > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bird noun

QUANT. flock

BIRD + NOUN call | sanctuary | life an area with a very varied bird life | watcher, watching

PHRASES a bird of passage (= a migratory bird), a bird of prey (= a predatory bird), a breed/species/type of bird

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

birth control noun

ADJ. effective

VERB + BIRTH CONTROL practise, use

PHRASES a form/method of birth control

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

birthday noun

ADJ. last, next I'll be 28 next birthday.

VERB + BIRTHDAY have I hope you have a nice birthday. | spend She spent her 50th birthday in Paris. | celebrate | mark an exhibition to mark the artist's 70th birthday | forget, remember | approach He is approaching his 40th birthday, and thinking of retiring from sport.

PREP. for your ~ What do you want for your birthday? | on your ~ She'll be 34 on her next birthday.

PHRASES Happy birthday!, wish sb a happy birthday Wish John a happy birthday from me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

birthmark noun

ADJ. large, small | disfiguring, unsightly | faint | purple, red

VERB + BIRTHMARK have

BIRTHMARK + VERB fade

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

birth noun

VERB + BIRTH give She gave birth to a baby boy. | register

BIRTH + NOUN certificate | rate | weight

PREP. at ~ The baby weighed 7 pounds at birth. | at/during a/the ~ The child's father was present at the birth. | by ~ He was American by birth, but lived in France.

PHRASES births, marriages and deaths a registry of births, marriages and deaths | your date/place of birth, of low/noble birth (= born to a poor/aristocratic family), the moment of birth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

biscuit noun

ADJ. dry | soggy, stale | chocolate, ginger, etc. | digestive, shortbread, wafer | cat, dog

QUANT. box, packet, tin a packet of coconut biscuits

VERB + BISCUIT eat, have | nibble | bake, make | cut out He was cutting biscuits out and putting them on a baking tray.

BISCUIT + NOUN barrel, tin | crumbs He brushed the biscuit crumbs from his jacket.

PHRASES cheese and biscuits > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bishop noun

ADJ. Anglican, Episcopal/Episcopalian, (Greek/Russian) Orthodox, Roman Catholic | diocesan He's the diocesan bishop and he has three suffragan bishops to help him. | assistant, suffragan

VERB + BISHOP appoint, appoint sb (as), make sb | succeed sb as

PREP. ~ of He was appointed Bishop of Ely.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bite noun

¹ act of biting/amount of food

VERB + BITE have, take

PREP. between ~s She tried to talk between bites. | ~ from I took a bite from the apple. | ~ of Can I have a bite of your sandwich? | ~ out of She took a bite out of the slab of cake.

² of an insect/animal

ADJ. insect, mosquito, snake, etc.

VERB + BITE get I got a lot of mosquito bites last night.

BITE + NOUN mark

PREP. ~ from a bite from a poisonous snake

³ small amount to eat

ADJ. quick

VERB + BITE grab, have We managed to grab a bite at the theatre before the show started.

PREP. ~ of a quick bite of lunch

PHRASES a bite to eat We'll have a bite to eat in town.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bite verb

¹ use your teeth

ADV. badly Their cat was badly bitten by a dog. | off He bit off a chunk of bread.

PREP. at He bit at his lower lip. | into She bit into the apple. | through The dog had bitten right through its rope.

PHRASES bite sth in half/two

² have an effect

ADV. deep, hard As the recession bites harder, many small companies are going bankrupt.

VERB + BITE begin to, start to After two cold months, the coal shortage was beginning to bite.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bitterness noun

ADJ. considerable, great, real

QUANT. edge, hint, touch, trace

VERB + BITTERNESS feel She feels no bitterness towards him. | show He's never shown any bitterness.

PREP. with/without ~ She spoke slowly and with some bitterness. | ~ about/over their bitterness over the strike | ~ against/towards his bitterness towards his own father | ~ among the bitterness among nurses about this pay deal | ~ between There is no bitterness between them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bitter adj.

¹ angry/unhappy

VERBS be, feel, seem | become, grow, turn He had grown bitter as the years passed. Loving relationships can turn bitter. | remain | leave sb, make sb The divorce had left her bitter.

ADV. extremely, very | quite, rather, slightly

PREP. about She still seems quite bitter about it. | towards I felt very bitter towards them.

² very cold

VERBS be | become, turn The weather turned bitter. | remain

ADV. extremely, really, very | quite, rather

³ having a sharp taste

VERBS be, taste The drink tasted bitter.

ADV. extremely, very | rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bit noun

¹ a bit small amount

ADJ. little, teensy (informal), wee He helped me a little bit in the afternoon.

PHRASES just a bit I'm still just a bit confused.

² a bit: large amount

ADJ. fair, good It rained a fair bit during the night. We made a good bit of progress.

VERB + BIT take The new system will take quite a bit of getting used to (= it will take a long time to get used to).

PHRASES quite a bit It rained quite a bit during the night. | just a bit (ironic) ‘Has it been difficult for you at work?’ ‘Just a bit (= it has been very difficult).’

² part/piece of sth

ADJ. little, small, tiny | big, large A big bit of stone had fallen off the wall. | good, nice The best bit of the holiday was seeing the Grand Canyon. I've got us a nice bit of fish for dinner. | boring I read it, but I missed out the boring bits. | odd He managed to get odd bits of work, but no regular job.

VERB + BIT pick out, pick up Listen to the interview again and pick out the bits you want to use in the article. She tore the letter up and threw it on the floor. Marion stooped to pick up the bits. I picked up a bit of information that might interest you.

BIT + VERB fall off I'm worried because bits keep falling off my car.

PREP. ~ of

PHRASES bits and bobs/pieces (= small items of various kinds) My mother has some bits and pieces to give you. | blow/pull/smash sth to bits All the crockery had been smashed to bits. | do your bit (= do your share of a task) We can finish this job on time if everyone does their bit. | fall to bits My briefcase eventually fell to bits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bizarre adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | find sth I found the whole situation very bizarre.

ADV. most, truly, very He walked off in a most bizarre fashion. | quite, totally He made some totally bizarre comments. | increasingly | a little, pretty, rather, slightly, somewhat It's a pretty bizarre film.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

black market noun

ADJ. thriving

PREP. on the ~ You could buy anything you needed on the black market. | ~ in During the war, there was a thriving black market in food.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blackboard noun

VERB + BLACKBOARD write on | copy from Please copy the homework from the blackboard. | clean

BLACKBOARD + NOUN work

PREP. at a/the ~ You can't just stand at the blackboard and talk. | on a/the ~ The homework is on the blackboard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blacklist noun

VERB + BLACKLIST place sb on, put sb on | draw up

PREP. on a/the ~ She was on the company's blacklist.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blackmail noun

ADJ. emotional, moral

BLACKMAIL + NOUN threat > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blackmail verb

ADV. virtually

VERB + BLACKMAIL attempt to, try to

PREP. into She says she was virtually blackmailed into giving up her claim to the property.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

black adj.

ADV. very The sky looks very black. | all His hands were all black from messing about with the car.

ADJ. jet, pitch (used about the night) She had beautiful jet-black hair. It was pitch black outside. > Special page at COLOUR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bladder noun

ADJ. full | irritable, weak

VERB + BLADDER empty

BLADDER + NOUN control | cancer, infection, problem He died of bladder cancer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blade noun

ADJ. sharp | blunt | pointed, serrated | knife, razor, saw, sword | rotary

VERB + BLADE sharpen

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blameless adj.

VERBS be

ADV. quite (= totally) She herself was quite blameless. | far from, not entirely Johnson himself was far from blameless.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blame noun

VERB + BLAME get My brother broke the window, but I got the blame. | accept, bear, shoulder, take The company refused to accept any blame for the damage. | apportion, attach, attribute, lay, pin, place, put They placed the blame squarely on the doctor. | share The government must share the blame for this confusion. | escape, shift trying to shift the blame onto someone else | absolve sb from/of He was absolved of all blame.

BLAME + VERB fall on sb, lie with sb, rest with sb The blame lies with the police, who failed to act quickly enough.

PREP. ~ for He tried to escape blame for what he did.

PHRASES lay the blame at sb's door, part of the blame, a share of the blame The government tried to lay the blame at the door of the unions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blame verb

ADV. unfairly, unjustly

VERB + BLAME can't/cannot, couldn't, don't ‘I just slammed the phone down when he said that.’ ‘I don't blame you!’ | can/could hardly You can hardly blame Peter for being angry with her.

PREP. for I don't blame Jack for the mistake. | on Whenever something goes wrong, everyone blames it on me.

PHRASES be (partly) to blame (for sth) A spokesman said that bad weather was to blame for the delay. | be widely blamed for sth The government has been widely blamed for the crisis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blanket noun

ADJ. heavy, thick | thin | warm | electric

VERB + BLANKET cover sb with, wrap sb in | draw up, pull up She pulled the blanket up and went to sleep. | kick off, push off, throw off

PREP. beneath/under a/the ~ They shivered under their thin blankets.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blank adj.

¹ with nothing written, recorded, etc. on

VERBS be | go The screen's gone blank. | remain | leave sth I left the third column blank.

ADV. completely, entirely

² without emotion/interest/understanding

VERBS be, look Gina looked blank; then understanding dawned. | go What if my mind goes completely blank with panic? | remain

ADV. completely | studiously His expression remained studiously blank.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blank noun

¹ empty space on paper

VERB + BLANK fill in In the test, we had to fill in the blanks. | leave If you don't know the answer, just leave a blank.

² cartridge for a gun

VERB + BLANK fire Soldiers fired blanks into the sky.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blasphemous adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sth | declare sth, deem sth The book was declared blasphemous and all copies ordered to be burnt.

ADV. almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blasphemy noun

VERB + BLASPHEMY commit

BLASPHEMY + NOUN law

PREP. ~ against His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.

PHRASES a charge of blasphemy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blast noun

¹ explosion

ADJ. huge, powerful | bomb, nuclear, shotgun

BLAST + VERB hit sth, rip through sth, rock sth A huge bomb blast rocked central London last night.

PREP. in a/the ~ Twenty people were killed in the blast.

² sudden rush of air/wind

ADJ. hot, icy She felt an icy blast of air.

PREP. ~ of a blast of cold air

³ sudden loud sound

ADJ. long | short | shrill

VERB + BLAST give

PREP. ~ on He gave a short blast on his trumpet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blaze noun

ADJ. fierce, intense, massive

VERB + BLAZE attend, fight, tackle The fire brigade attended the blaze. | control, bring/get under control | extinguish, put out | fan Strong winds fanned the blaze.

BLAZE + VERB spread, sweep through sth The blaze swept through the whole building.

PREP. in a/the ~ The antiques were destroyed in a blaze last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bleak adj.

¹ without hope

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very Prospects for the industry are extremely bleak. | increasingly | unnecessarily The report paints an unnecessarily bleak picture of the town.

² bare/empty/without pleasant features

VERBS be, look, seem The moors looked bleak and desolate in the rain. | become

ADV. very | a bit, rather It was a rather bleak and dismal place.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bleeding noun

ADJ. heavy, massive | uncontrollable | internal

VERB + BLEEDING have, suffer from | cause | control, staunch, stem, stop

PREP. ~ from Some drugs can cause bleeding from the small intestine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bleed verb

ADV. badly, heavily, profusely | easily The small blood vessels in the nose bleed easily.

PREP. from She was bleeding heavily from a head wound.

PHRASES bleed to death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blemish noun

ADJ. minor, slight

VERB + BLEMISH have The police say the suspect has a slight blemish on his left cheek.

PREP. without (a) ~ (figurative) He was pilloried, but she escaped without blemish.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blend noun

ADJ. delightful, good, perfect, right just the right blend of work and relaxation | curious, special, strange, subtle, unique a scarf with a subtle blend of colours

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blend verb

¹ mix

ADV. together Blend all the ingredients together.

PREP. into Blend the cocoa into the eggs. | with Blend a little milk with two tablespoons of treacle.

² combine well

ADV. happily, harmoniously, perfectly, well | in The colour of the carpet doesn't blend in.

PREP. with The ornamental pool blends perfectly with its surroundings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blessing noun

¹ thing that brings happiness/improves your life

ADJ. great, real | mixed (= a thing that has advantages and disadvantages)

PREP. ~ for A TV can be a real blessing for old people.

PHRASES a blessing in disguise (= a thing that seems unfortunate, but is later seen to be fortunate), count your blessings (= to be grateful for the good things you have)

² approval/support

ADJ. full | official

VERB + BLESSING have | give sb/sth The government has given its official blessing to the project. | get, receive She received the full blessing of her employers.

PREP. with/without sb's ~ He went off to Latin America with his mother's blessing.

³ prayer

ADJ. traditional

VERB + BLESSING give, make, pronounce, say The blessing was said in Hebrew. | ask (for)

PREP. ~ on ask God's blessing on their pastoral work

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blind adj.

¹ unable to see

VERBS be, be born | be registered (as) | go She went blind at the age of ten. | make sb

ADV. totally | almost, virtually | partially

PHRASES as blind as a bat, be blind in one eye/in both eyes He is almost blind in one eye.

² blind to sth: not willing to notice/admit sth

VERBS be, seem | become | make sb

ADV. completely, totally His own problems have made him completely blind to the sufferings of others.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blind noun

ADJ. roller, venetian

VERB + BLIND open, pull up, raise | close, draw, lower, pull down

PREP. through a/the ~ She saw a shadowy figure through the blind.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blind verb

ADV. almost, nearly The strong light almost blinded him. | momentarily, temporarily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blink verb

ADV. hard He blinked hard and forced a smile. | rapidly

PREP. at She blinked at him, astonished. | in/with He blinked in surprise.

PHRASES blink away a tear, blink back tears She had to blink back her tears before she continued her story. | blink your eyes/your eyes blink

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bliss noun

ADJ. sheer The first six months of marriage were sheer bliss. | domestic | marital, married, wedded They're celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss.

PHRASES sb's idea of bliss My idea of bliss is a hot day and an ice-cold beer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blister verb

ADV. badly Her feet were badly blistered.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blitz noun

¹ sudden military attack, often by air

ADJ. bombing | wartime

VERB + BLITZ carry out

PREP. during/in a/the ~ Many people died in the London blitz. | ~ on Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city.

² campaign; sudden, great effort

ADJ. marketing, media, sales

VERB + BLITZ have, launch, mount We decided to have a blitz on the kitchen (= to clean the kitchen thoroughly).

PREP. ~ on a blitz on illegal parking

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blizzard noun

ADJ. fierce, howling

VERB + BLIZZARD blow After a short while it began to blow a blizzard.

BLIZZARD + VERB hit (sth), strike (sth) The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain. | blow, rage

BLIZZARD + NOUN conditions

PREP. in/into ~ We got stuck in a howling blizzard. | through ~ He fought his way through the blizzard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blockade noun

ADJ. complete, total | tight | partial | virtual | economic, military, naval

PREP. ~ against the need to enforce a naval blockade against the country | ~ around/round a blockade around the city | ~ by the blockade by Western nations | ~ of, ~ on The president imposed a complete blockade on the island's harbours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blockage noun

ADJ. complete, total | partial

VERB + BLOCKAGE cause, create | prevent | clear, remove They used chemicals to clear the blockage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

block noun

¹ solid piece of sth

² large building divided into offices/flats

ADJ. high-rise, tower | administration, apartment, cell, office The prisoners had been transferred to a different cell block.

PREP. in a/the ~ She lives in a modern apartment block. | ~ of a block of flats

³ temporary loss of abilities

ADJ. mental, writer's The author denies that she is experiencing writer's block.

VERB + BLOCK experience, have, suffer from I suddenly had a mental block and couldn't remember his name.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

block verb

¹ make it difficult to pass

ADV. completely | almost | partially, partly | off, up The old route is completely blocked off. Don't block up the corridor with all these boxes.

VERB + BLOCK try to | move to One of the men moved to block their path.

PREP. with The exit was blocked with beer crates.

² prevent sth being done

ADV. successfully | effectively The new rules would effectively block protesters' attempts to assert their rights.

VERB + BLOCK attempt to, seek to, try to | move to The group has moved to block the government's proposals. PHRASAL VERBS block sth out

ADV. completely Black clouds had completely blocked out the sun. | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bloc noun

ADJ. large, solid, substantial A solid bloc of union members support the decision. | economic, military, trading | Communist, Eastern, Soviet Eastern bloc countries

PREP. in/within a/the ~ There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.

PHRASES en bloc (= all together; all at the same time)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bloke noun

ADJ. decent, good, great, lovely, nice | average, ordinary He's an ordinary bloke, despite being famous. | funny He's a funny bloke?you never really know what he's thinking. | poor He's got so many problems, poor bloke!

PHRASES the kind/sort/type of bloke He's the sort of bloke who will never let you down.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blonde noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blood pressure noun

ADJ. high, low, normal

VERB + BLOOD PRESSURE check, measure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blood transfusion noun

ADJ. emergency

VERB + BLOOD TRANSFUSION have, receive | give sb | need, require

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blood vessel noun

ADJ. major | broken, burst

VERB + BLOOD VESSEL block, constrict | dilate, enlarge | burst He burst a blood vessel in a fit of coughing.

BLOOD VESSEL + VERB carry sth, supply sth blood vessels supplying nutrition to the skin | burst | dilate, enlarge | contract

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bloodshed noun

ADJ. further | massive, widespread

VERB + BLOODSHED cause, end in, lead to This election result could well lead to further bloodshed. | end, halt, stop | avoid, prevent

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bloodstream noun

VERB + BLOODSTREAM enter | absorb sth into The drug is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.

PREP. in sb's/the ~ Traces of banned substances were detected in his bloodstream. | into sb's/the ~ Bacteria was introduced into his bloodstream through an unsterile needle. | through sb's/the ~ Red blood cells transport oxygen through the bloodstream.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blood noun

QUANT. drop, pool, trickle The body lay in a pool of blood. A thin trickle of blood ran down from a cut above her eye. | spots, traces He worked to remove all traces of blood.

VERB + BLOOD lose She'd lost a lot of blood and doctors decided to do a transfusion. | shed, spill (literary) He was a hot-headed warrior, always too quick to shed blood. | donate, give The hospital appealed for more people to give blood (= for blood transfusions). | pump The heart pumps blood around the body. | choke on He choked on his own blood after being shot in the throat. | smear There was blood smeared down his shirt.

BLOOD + VERB dribble, drip, flow, gush, ooze, run, seep, splash, spurt, stream, trickle, well (up) Blood oozed slowly from the corner of his mouth. | spread The blood spread rapidly from where he lay. | spatter, splatter Blood spattered the seats of the vehicle. | soak (into) sth | cake sth, stain sth Dried blood caked his hands. | clot, coagulate | circulate He rubbed his limbs vigorously to get the blood circulating. | course, rush, surge I felt the blood coursing in my veins as I ran. The blood rushed to her face as she realized her error. | drum, hammer, pound, pulse, thud, thunder The blood drummed in her ears. | drain The blood drained from his face when I told him the news. | freeze, run/turn cold, turn to ice (figurative) Our blood ran cold at the thought of how easily we could have been killed.

PREP. in ~ His shirt was soaked in blood. | in sb's/the ~ Traces of an illegal substance were found in his blood. | ~ from My handkerchief was soaked in blood from my nose.

PHRASES caked in/with blood The dog's fur was caked in blood when we found him. | covered in/with blood He was lying on the floor, covered in blood. | in cold blood He shot them in cold blood (= in a way that was planned and deliberately cruel).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bloom noun

ADJ. beautiful, exquisite, perfect a tree with exquisite blooms | fragrant | exotic

VERB + BLOOM bear, have, produce | burst into, come into The spring flowers have come into bloom.

BLOOM + VERB appear The small white blooms appear in May. | fade The blooms have started to fade now.

PREP. in ~ banks of rhododendrons in bloom

PHRASES in full bloom The roses are now in full bloom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blossom noun

ADJ. beautiful, lovely | pale, pink, white a tree with pale pink blossoms | apple, peach, etc.

VERB + BLOSSOM bear, have, produce Hopefully the tree will produce some blossom next year.

BLOSSOM + VERB be out It's lovely in the spring when the cherry blossom is out. | come out

PREP. in ~ I love it when the apple trees are in blossom.

PHRASES in full blossom The plum tree is in full blossom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blouse noun

VERB + BLOUSE have on, wear | put on | button up, unbutton | take off

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blow noun

¹ act of blowing

VERB + BLOW give sth Give your nose a blow.

² hard knock that hits sb/sth

ADJ. hard, heavy, nasty, painful, powerful, severe, sharp, stinging, violent | fatal, final, mortal | glancing, light Jack caught him a glancing blow on the jaw. | single He killed the man with a single blow of his cricket bat.

QUANT. flurry, hail The man went down in a hail of blows.

VERB + BLOW get, receive, suffer, take He suffered a severe blow to the head. | catch sb, deal sb, deliver, give sb, land, rain (down), strike sb It was the gardener who delivered the fatal blow. She landed a nasty blow on his nose. He rained heavy blows on the old woman. | exchange The boys exchanged blows with the police. | come to The children came to blows over the new toy. | aim She aimed a blow at Lucy. | avoid, deflect, dodge, parry, ward off

BLOW + VERB fall, land The blow landed on my right shoulder.

PREP. ~ of two blows of the axe | ~ on a nasty blow on the head | ~ to a blow to the victim's chest

³ sudden shock/disappointment

ADJ. big, great, major, serious, severe, terrible | bitter, crippling, cruel, crushing, devastating, knock-out | double | decisive, mortal a mortal blow to British industry | body

VERB + BLOW deal (sb/sth), deliver, strike His defeat dealt a crushing blow to the party. | receive, suffer | cushion, soften to soften the blow of tax increases | come as The news came as a bitter blow to the staff.

BLOW + VERB come, fall The blow came at a meeting on Saturday.

PREP. ~ for A tax on books would be a body blow for education. | ~ to Her decision to live abroad was a terrible blow to her parents.

PHRASES a bit of a blow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blow verb

¹ of wind/air, etc.

ADV. hard, strongly | gently

PREP. from a gale blowing from the west | off The wind blew the papers off the table.

PHRASES be blowing a gale It's blowing a gale out there! | blow sth off course The ship was blown off course in the storm.

² send air out of your mouth

ADV. hard

PREP. on He blew on his soup to cool it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blueprint noun

ADJ. new | final | economic, personal

VERB + BLUEPRINT have The government does not have a blueprint for reform. | create, develop, draw up | act as, form, provide, serve as The charter should serve as a blueprint for cooperation.

PREP. for a blueprint for change

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blues noun

¹ type of slow sad music

VERB + BLUES play, sing He plays blues on the accordion. She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.

BLUES + NOUN band, musician, singer | song 2 the blues state of feeling sad/depressed

QUANT. attack, fit a bad attack of the blues

VERB + BLUES have | get, suffer from | banish, beat I plan a holiday as a way to beat the blues.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blue adj.

ADV. very | quite, slightly

ADJ. dark, deep, rich | light, pale | bright, brilliant, vivid a brilliant blue sky her vivid blue eyes | cobalt, navy, royal, slate a navy blue jumper > Special page at COLOUR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blunder noun

ADJ. big, major | stupid | fatal, terrible, tragic | tactical | administrative, bureaucratic, economic, political

QUANT. series

VERB + BLUNDER commit, make The minister has made a series of political blunders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blur noun

ADJ. dim, faint, pale The object was a dim blur in the moonlight.

PREP. ~ of a blur of colours and patterns

PHRASES be all a (bit of a) blur/just a blur I can't remember that day very well. It's all a bit of a blur.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blush noun

ADJ. deep, fiery, hot, warm | faint

VERB + BLUSH produce His jokes produced blushes from the ladies. | hide She tried to hide her fiery blush.

BLUSH + VERB deepen | creep, rise, spread A deep blush spread from her head to her neck.

PREP. with/without a ~ She lowered her eyes with a deep blush. | ~ of a hot blush of embarrassment

PHRASES a blush comes to sb's cheeks/face, bring a blush to sb's cheeks/face, save/spare sb's blushes (= to save sb from an embarrassing situation)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

blush verb

ADV. deeply, furiously, hotly | faintly, a little, slightly | readily She blushed more readily when she was a teenager. | angrily, guiltily

VERB + BLUSH make sb Stop teasing him?you're making him blush.

PREP. at He blushed at the mention of her name. | with She blushed crimson with embarrassment.

PHRASES blush crimson/scarlet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boardroom noun

ADJ. company, corporate

BOARDROOM + NOUN battle, coup, row, shake-up | table | pay, salary The massive boardroom pay awards were criticized by the workers.

PHRASES in a/the ~ The directors were working overtime in the boardroom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

board noun

¹ flat piece of wood, plastic, etc.

ADJ. chess, dart, drawing, emery, ironing, notice, running, skirting, sounding

PREP. on a/the ~ There's a notice on the board.

² group of people who control an organization

ADJ. advisory, editorial, executive, management | health, school, etc.

VERB + BOARD be on, serve on, sit on He sits on the company's management board. | join | appoint sb to | resign from | go to The project will go to the board for consideration. | put sth to, submit sth to, take sth to She put her ideas to the board.

BOARD + NOUN member | meeting

PREP. ~ of the company's board of directors

PHRASES at board level The issue has been discussed at board level. | chairman of the board, a member of the board, a seat on the board She was promoted and offered a seat on the board.

³ meals that are provided when you stay in a hotel

ADJ. full | half

PHRASES board and lodging

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boast noun

ADJ. proud | empty, idle, vain

VERB + BOAST make

PREP. ~ about a boast he made about his achievements | ~ of her boast of having seen all the countries of Africa

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boast verb

¹ talk with too much pride

ADV. openly

PREP. about/of He openly boasted of his talents.

² have sth good/impressive

ADV. proudly This is a region which proudly boasts its own distinct culture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

PREP. by ~ The cave can only be reached by boat. | in a/the ~ I took them in my boat. | on a/the ~ They ate on the boat. | ~ from, ~ to a boat from Jamaica to Trinidad

ADJ. little, small | open He was adrift in an open boat for three days. | flat-bottomed | glass-bottomed | inflatable, plastic, rubber | wooden | motor, paddle, pedal, power, rowing, sailing, speed, steam | canal, narrow, river We spent our holiday going up a canal on a narrow boat. a Mississippi river boat | banana, cargo, charter, ferry, fishing, flying, passenger, patrol, pilot, pleasure, racing, rescue, torpedo, touring | model, paper, toy | stricken The lifeboat was preparing to go to the aid of the stricken boat. | upturned

QUANT. fleet, flotilla a flotilla of small boats

VERB + BOAT take out You couldn't take a boat out in that wild sea. | take sb out in My brother took us all out in his new boat. | get into/on/onto | get off/out of | launch, lower A new type of patrol boat was launched from the Essex coast yesterday. | push out I pushed the boat out into the middle of the river. | propel, row, sail The boat is propelled by a powerful outboard motor. | handle Where did you learn to handle a boat? | guide, steer, turn | pilot, skipper | crew Normally the boat is crewed by five people. | beach He beached the boat and the children leapt out to explore. | moor, tie up | untie | anchor, berth The harbour was crowded, with boats berthed two and three abreast. | load, unload | rock Sit down, you're rocking the boat.

(figurative) She was told to keep her mouth shut and not rock the boat (= take unnecessary action that would cause problems). | capsize, overturn, upset | swamp The boat was swamped by a huge wave. | build, design | catch, take They crossed the island to catch a boat for islands south of Skye. | miss (often figurative) If you don't buy now, you may find that you've missed the boat (= cannot take advantage of this offer because it is too late). | meet Beth had gone down to Bombay to meet the boat on which her sister was arriving.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bob verb

ADV. gently | about, along an old cigarette packet bobbing along in the current

PHRASES bob up and down the small boats bobbing gently up and down in the harbour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bodyguard noun

ADJ. armed | personal He never goes anywhere without his personal bodyguards.

VERB + BODYGUARD have, keep She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.

BODYGUARD + VERB protect sb

PREP. ~ of He keeps a bodyguard of ten men. | ~ to a former bodyguard to the prince > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

body noun

¹ whole physical form of a person/an animal

ADJ. whole Her whole body trembled. | upper | lower | healthy | human

BODY + NOUN heat, temperature | shape, size, weight to maintain your ideal body weight | fat | odour | language

PREP. in the/your ~ Extreme heat may cause changes in the body. | on the/your ~ She still had the marks from the ropes on her body.

PHRASES part of the body, sell your body (= to work as a prostitute)

² dead human body

ADJ. dead | decomposed, decomposing | bloated

VERB + BODY examine | bury, cremate, embalm | exhume

PREP. on a/the ~ A diary was found on the body.

³ amount of sth

ADJ. large, substantial, vast a large body of evidence

PHRASES a body of water The two islands are separated by a large body of water.

⁴ main part of sth

ADJ. main The bar is in the main body of the hotel.

⁵ group of people who work/act together

VERB + BODY create, establish, form, set up | elect

PREP. in a ~ The students marched in a body to the government offices. > Note at ORGANIZATION

⁶ object

ADJ. foreign They removed a foreign body from her eye. | celestial, heavenly Stars are celestial bodies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bogus adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | dismiss sth as 75 paintings which art experts dismiss as bogus

ADV. completely, entirely | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bog noun

ADJ. vast | stagnant, swampy | peat

VERB + BOG sink into The more she struggled the deeper she sank into the bog.

PREP. in a/the ~ He found himself in a vast stagnant bog. | through a/the ~ walking through a bog

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boiler noun

ADJ. coal-fired, coke, electric, gas, gas-fired, oil-fired, solid-fuel, steam, water | central-heating

VERB + BOILER install, put in | service

BOILER + VERB come on I've just heard the hot water boiler come on. | go off | burst, explode

BOILER + NOUN system | suit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boiling point noun

VERB + BOILING POINT reach | bring sth to, heat sth to Bring the sauce to boiling point.

PREP. at ~ Add the powder when the water is at boiling point.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boil noun

¹ the boil state of boiling

VERB + BOIL come to Just before the milk comes to the boil, turn down the heat. | bring sth to Bring the soup to the boil, then simmer for five minutes. | go off (usually figurative) He played brilliantly for the first set but then went rather off the boil.

² infected spot

VERB + BOIL burst, lance The doctor lanced the boil.

BOIL + VERB erupt A boil had erupted on his neck. | burst

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boil verb

ADV. rapidly Boil the beans rapidly for ten minutes.

VERB + BOIL put sth on to I'll put the kettle on to boil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bold adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, grow | make sb The exciting news had made him bold. | consider sth

ADV. extremely, really, very | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bolt noun

¹ for fastening things together

VERB + BOLT tighten (up) | loosen | undo, unscrew

PHRASES nuts and bolts

² for fastening a door

VERB + BOLT draw back, pull back, slide back | push home, slide home She closed the door quickly and pushed the bolts home.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bolt verb

ADV. firmly, securely Make sure that the rails are securely bolted in place. | together The two parts are bolted together.

PREP. to The yacht's keel is bolted to the hull.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bombardment noun

ADJ. constant, continuous | heavy, intense | aerial, artillery, naval

VERB + BOMBARDMENT conduct, launch, mount | stop | be subjected to, be under, come under, suffer | survive, withstand They have withstood heavy bombardment for many months.

BOMBARDMENT + VERB begin, start | continue, resume | (come to an) end, cease, stop

PREP. during/in a/the ~ Many people were killed in the bombardment. | under ~ The city has been under constant bombardment for three days. | ~ against The army launched artillery bombardments against enemy positions. | ~ from bombardments from the sea | ~ with a three-hour bombardment with rockets and mortars

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bombard verb

¹ attack with bombs

ADV. heavily The city has been heavily bombarded for the last three days.

² direct a lot of things at sb

ADV. constantly, continually

PREP. with We're all constantly bombarded with television advertisements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bombing noun

BOMBING + NOUN attack | blitz, campaign | mission, raid, sortie He was shot down during a bombing raid over London. | target | victim

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bombshell noun

VERB + BOMBSHELL be, come as The news came as a bombshell. | drop Then she dropped the bombshell?she was pregnant.

BOMBSHELL + VERB come, drop

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bomb noun

VERB + BOMB place, plant, put Police suspect terrorists planted the bomb. | carry The plane had been adapted to carry bombs. | drop, release Enemy planes dropped bombs along the railway line. | defuse | detonate, explode, set off | build, construct, develop (These verbs are only used about countries.) India started to build a nuclear bomb. | make He used a clock to make a home-made bomb.

BOMB + VERB fall, rain (down) Eighty people died when bombs rained down on the city's crowded streets. | hit sth | detonate, explode, go off | blow sb/sth to pieces, blow sth up, destroy sth, kill sb, rip through sth Fifteen people were blown to pieces by the car bomb. A terrorist bomb ripped through the town's packed shopping centre. | be ticking away

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bomb verb

ADV. heavily The city had been very heavily bombed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bond noun

¹ feeling of friendship

ADJ. close, strong | common | natural | emotional, spiritual A strong spiritual bond exists between them.

VERB + BOND be linked by, feel, have She felt a bond of affection for the other girls. | create, develop, forge, form | strengthen | break, destroy

BOND + VERB exist | link sb the bond that links us

PREP. ~ between trying to forge bonds between the different communities | ~ of bonds of friendship

² certificate for money you have lent

ADJ. long-term | government, savings, treasury | junk the high yield on junk bonds

VERB + BOND buy, invest in, purchase, put money into I decided to invest in some government bonds. | cash in, redeem The bonds were redeemed in 2002. | issue, sell

BOND + NOUN market

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bone noun

ADJ. delicate, fine the delicate bones of her face | healthy | brittle, fragile She was diagnosed as having brittle bones. | broken, cracked, splintered | weary | bleached, dry Her eyes were black in a face the colour of bleached bones. | ankle, breast, cheek, collar, hip, leg, shin, thigh | animal, chicken, dinosaur, human

VERB + BONE break, chip, crack, fracture | rest He longed to get home to bed and rest his weary bones.

BONE + NOUN structure The black and white photographs emphasized her fine bone structure. | marrow a bone marrow transplant | cancer, disease, disorders | graft, surgery

PHRASES (break/jar) every bone in sb's body The shock jarred every bone in his body. | skin and bone He's all skin and bone after his illness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bonfire noun

ADJ. blazing, roaring

VERB + BONFIRE build, have, make | light | put out | put sth on, throw sth on | gather/sit around/round

BONFIRE + VERB blaze, burn

BONFIRE + NOUN Night It was 5 November?Bonfire Night?and the children were excited.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bonkers adj.

VERBS be | go I went a bit bonkers when he told me the news. | drive sb The noise nearly drove me bonkers.

ADV. absolutely, completely, plain, stark raving, totally I think he's absolutely stark raving bonkers! The whole idea is just plain bonkers. | a bit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bonus noun

¹ money added to wages, etc.

VERB + BONUS award (sb), give sb, pay sb | earn, get, receive You will receive a bonus for high levels of productivity. | lose If you don't meet our targets, you'll lose your bonus.

BONUS + NOUN payment, scheme All workers participate in the bonus scheme.

PREP. ~ of He was awarded a cash bonus of £200.

² sth extra that is good

ADJ. great, huge, major, real | added, extra The house is very comfortable, and as an added bonus, it's near to buses and trains. | unexpected | welcome

PREP. ~ for The sunshine on the final day was a welcome bonus for the spectators.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bookcase noun

ADJ. glass-fronted

PREP. from a/the ~ I chose a book from the bookcase. | in a/the ~ I found this book in your bookcase.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

booking noun

VERB + BOOKING make I made the booking through a travel agent. | cancel | confirm | change | accept, take We accept both telephone and postal bookings.

BOOKING + NOUN fee, form, system | office | clerk

PREP. ~ for a booking for the Saturday performance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bookkeeping noun

ADJ. double-entry | routine, simple

VERB + BOOKKEEPING do I run the shop and my wife does the bookkeeping.

BOOKKEEPING + NOUN entry | system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

book noun

¹ for reading

ADJ. latest, new, recent | forthcoming | hardback, paperback | printed one of the earliest printed books | rare | second-hand | delightful, excellent, fascinating, fine, good, great, interesting, remarkable, useful There's nothing like curling up with a mug of tea and a good book. | famous, important, influential | controversial a controversial book about the royal family | favourite a survey to find the nation's favourite children's book | library | set ‘Emma’ was one of our set books for A level. | children's, comic, cookery, guide, hymn, phrase, picture, prayer, reference, school, story, text (also textbook), travel | address, autograph, cheque, exercise, log, order, phone/telephone, sketch

QUANT. copy How many copies of the book did you order?

BOOK + VERB appear, come out His latest book will appear in December. | be/go out of print

BOOK + NOUN title | shop (also bookshop) | review, reviewer | club

PREP. in a/the ~ These issues are discussed in his latest book. | ~ about/on She's busy writing a book on astrology. | ~ by a book by Robert Grout | ~ for a book for new parents | ~ from a new book from the publishing company, Bookworm | ~ of a book of walks in London 2 books company records

ADJ. account

VERB + BOOK audit, do, keep She does the books for us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

book verb

ADV. early, in advance There are few places on the course, so it is essential to book in advance.

PREP. with Book with Suntours and kids go free!

PHRASES be booked solid (= be fully booked), be booked up, be fully booked

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boom noun

¹ period of sudden increase

VERB + BOOM cause, create, fuel, lead to The boom was fuelled by accelerated demand for consumer products.

BOOM + NOUN period, time, year | town

PREP. during/in a/the ~ He was born during the post-war baby boom. | ~ in a boom in house prices

PHRASES boom and bust/slump the ordinary business cycle of boom and bust

² deep hollow sound

ADJ. big | deep | distant | sonic (= the explosive sound made when an aircraft flies faster than the speed of sound) We heard the sonic boom of a jet overhead.

VERB + BOOM hear

BOOM + VERB echo The deep boom of a foghorn echoed across the bay.

PREP. with a ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boon noun

ADJ. enormous, great, real, tremendous

VERB + BOON be, come as, prove

PREP. ~ for The building scheme comes as an enormous boon for the building industry. | ~ to These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boost noun

ADJ. big, great, major, tremendous | much-needed, welcome | unexpected | confidence, financial, morale, psychological

VERB + BOOST give sb, provide (sb with) | need | get, receive

PREP. ~ for a boost for British products | ~ in a big boost in exports | ~ to a boost to the economy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boost verb

ADV. considerably, greatly, substantially

VERB + BOOST help (to) The new service helped boost pre-tax profits by 10%.

PREP. to The total was boosted to nearly £200 by donations from parents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

booth noun

ADJ. phone, photo, polling, ticket, voting

PREP. in a/the ~ She waited in the phone booth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

booty noun

ADJ. war

VERB + BOOTY capture, carry off, seize, take | divide, share, split They divided the booty among the troops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boot noun

QUANT. pair a pair of heavy walking boots

VERB + BOOT have on, wear | put on, take off | lace up, unlace | polish

BOOT + NOUN polish

PHRASES as tough as old boots The meat was as tough as old boots. | the toe of sb's boot She kicked at the snow with the toe of her boot. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

booze noun

ADJ. cheap | free There was free booze at the party.

VERB + BOOZE smell I could smell booze on his breath. | bring, take We need to take some booze to the party. | turn to He turned to booze (= started drinking a lot of alcohol) when his wife died. | kick She's still trying to kick the booze (= stop drinking so much alcohol).

BOOZE + NOUN problem

PREP. off the ~ (= not drinking alcohol) She's been off the booze for a month now. | on the ~ (= drinking alcohol) He was dry for years but now he's back on the booze.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boo noun

ADJ. loud

VERB + BOO be greeted/met with His speech was met with boos.

PREP. ~ from There were loud boos from the audience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

borderline noun

BORDERLINE + NOUN case | applicant, candidate

PREP. on the ~ She's on the borderline between a first- and second-class honours degree. | ~ between the borderline between myth and philosophy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

border noun

¹ line that divides two countries

ADJ. open | closed | common Poland has a common border with Germany. | disputed

PREP. across/over a/the ~ to smuggle goods across the border | along a/the ~ There has been fighting along the border. | at/on a/the ~ We were stopped on the border. | on the ~ of a farm on the border of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire | up to the ~ He drove us right up to the Russian border. | ~ between/of the border between Austria and Switzerland | ~ with the border with Mexico

PHRASES north/south of the border, one side/both sides of the border There has been fighting on both sides of the border.

² decorative band/strip round the edge of sth

ADJ. wide | narrow | decorative

VERB + BORDER have The tablecloth has a narrow lace border. | draw

PREP. with a/the ~ a white handkerchief with a blue border | ~ around/round She drew a decorative border around the picture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boredom noun

ADJ. sheer, utter | terminal

VERB + BOREDOM prevent | alleviate, combat, relieve A walkman can relieve the boredom of running. | die from/of, go mad with I'd die of boredom if I lived in the country. | drive sb mad with Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.

PHRASES a high/low boredom threshold Sorting mail is not a job for people with a low boredom threshold.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bored adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow Some children get bored very quickly. | remain

ADV. really, terribly, very | thoroughly | a bit, faintly, a little, pretty, rather, slightly

PREP. at bored at the prospect of going shopping | by He seemed faintly bored by the whole process. | with He was bored with their conversation.

PHRASES bored out of your (tiny) mind He walked along, bored out of his mind. | bored rigid/silly/stiff I remember being bored stiff during my entire time at school. | bored to death/distraction/tears She was alone all day and bored to death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bore noun

¹ person

ADJ. awful, crashing, dreadful, real, terrible, utter Her husband is a crashing bore.

PHRASES a bit of a bore 2 a bore sth that you have to do

ADJ. awful, great, real, terrible It's an awful bore having to meet my aunt for lunch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bore verb

ADV. easily I'm very easily bored.

PREP. with I won't bore you with too many details.

PHRASES bore sb out of their (tiny) mind, bore sb rigid/silly/stiff, bore sb to death/distraction/tears That lecture bored me to tears!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boring adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become, get | make sth Try not to make the diet boring. | consider sb/sth, find sb/sth, think sb/sth She found her job boring.

ADV. awfully, dead, extremely, incredibly, really, terribly, very That film was dead boring. | completely, downright, utterly | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, slightly

PREP. for The game was boring for the spectators.

PHRASES boring old Green is much better than boring old white.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

born verb be born

ADV. prematurely

PREP. into She was born into a wealthy family. | of (formal) to be born of noble parents | to babies who are born to very young mothers | with Their child was born with a serious medical problem.

PHRASES American, British, etc. born The part is played by an American-born actress. | be born alive/dead, be born and bred/brought up/raised I was born and bred in Liverpool. | be born blind, deaf, etc., be born out of wedlock/outside marriage

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

borough noun

ADJ. county, metropolitan, municipal

BOROUGH + NOUN council, councillor

PREP. in/within a/the ~ to establish unemployment committees in all metropolitan boroughs | throughout a/the ~ There are factories scattered throughout the borough. | ~ of the London borough of Lambeth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

borrow verb

¹ money/things

ADV. heavily He borrowed heavily to set the company up.

PREP. from She borrowed £50 from her mother. | off (informal) I'll borrow some coffee off the neighbours.

² ideas, etc.

ADV. freely

PREP. from His designs borrow freely from the architecture of ancient Egypt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bosom noun

ADJ. ample, enormous, large, full

BOSOM + VERB heave, rise and fall Her bosom rose and fell; she was out of breath from keeping up with him.

PHRASES clutch sb/sth to your bosom (literary) She clutched her son tightly to her bosom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boss noun

ADJ. big | company, party, union

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bothered adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | get He never got too bothered about the mess.

ADV. not at all, not in the least I'm not in the least bothered about the price. | not particularly, not really, not (all) that, not too He is not that bothered about his appearance. They're not really bothered about what you do.

PREP. about He wasn't too bothered about the slight leak. | by He was still bothered by a persistent leg injury. | with They did not want to be bothered with her problems.

PHRASES can't/couldn't be bothered He couldn't even be bothered to turn round. | (get all) hot and bothered She had got herself all hot and bothered about the test.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bother noun

VERB + BOTHER have I had a little bother finding your house. | cause, give sb Your little boy didn't give me any bother. | go to I wouldn't go to the bother of making the cakes myself. | put sb to I'd love to come and stay with you, but I don't want to put you to any bother. | save sb Getting a taxi will save you the bother of picking me up from the station.

PHRASES a bit/a little/a lot/a spot of bother He's in a spot of bother with the police. | no bother The children were no bother.

PREP. without any ~ We found the hotel without any bother. | ~ to I don't mind looking after your dog?it's no bother to me. | ~ with He's got a spot of bother with his eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bottle noun

VERB + BOTTLE fill She filled the bottle with water. | empty | break/crack open (only used about alcoholic drinks), open, uncork Let's crack open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. | drink, have, wash sth down with We washed the stew down with a bottle of cheap red wine. | share | bring (= to bring a bottle of alcoholic drink to a party)

BOTTLE + NOUN top | opener | bank | feeding

PREP. over a/the ~ We discussed the problem over a bottle of wine. | ~ of

PHRASES be on the bottle (= to be an alcoholic), hit the bottle/take to the bottle (= to start drinking alcohol heavily)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bottom noun

¹ lowest part of sth

ADJ. false a case with a false bottom

VERB + BOTTOM arrive at, fall to, get to, reach, sink to He reached the bottom of the steps in no time. The boat sank to the bottom of the sea. | touch She could only just touch the bottom (= of a swimming pool, etc.).

BOTTOM + NOUN end, half

PREP. along the ~ We rode along the bottom of the valley. | at the ~ at the bottom of the hill | from the ~ strange sounds from the bottom of the well | in the ~ in the bottom of my bag | on the ~ on the bottom of the box | near/towards the ~ near the bottom of the page

² least important position

VERB + BOTTOM start at, work up from He started at the bottom and worked his way up through the company.

PREP. at the ~, near/towards the ~ He's near the bottom of the class.

³ part of the body

ADJ. bare

VERB + BOTTOM smack

⁴ basic cause of sth/truth about sth

VERB + BOTTOM be at, lie at I'd love to know what lies at the bottom of all this. | get to The only way to get to the bottom of it is to confront the chairman.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boulevard noun

ADJ. broad, wide | tree-lined

BOULEVARD + VERB be lined with sth a boulevard lined with pavement cafes

PREP. along, down, up, etc. a/the ~ They sauntered along the tree-lined boulevard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bounce verb

ADV. high The ball bounced high and she missed it. | back, off The stone hit the window but bounced off.

PREP. against, down, into, off, on, towards Short sound waves bounce off even small objects.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boundary noun

¹ line that marks the limits of a place

ADJ. common | northern, southern, etc. | national, state | district, parish

BOUNDARY + NOUN fence, hedge, line, wall | dispute a boundary dispute with their neighbours

PREP. across/over the ~ They drove across the boundary. | along the ~ We continued along the southern boundary of the county. | at/on the ~ We had to stop at the boundary. on the boundary of the two countries | beyond the ~ She had never strayed beyond the city boundaries. | within the ~s within the boundaries of the old city walls | ~ between the boundary between Sussex and Surrey | ~ with The state has a boundary with Ontario.

² limit

ADJ. traditional

VERB + BOUNDARY cross This job crosses the traditional boundary between social work and health care. | extend, push back research which extends the boundaries of human knowledge | overstep

PREP. across ~s His policies appeal across party political boundaries. | beyond the ~s going beyond the boundaries of accepted behaviour | on the ~ on the boundary of physics and chemistry | within the ~s keeping within the boundaries of the law | ~ between the boundary between sanity and insanity

PHRASES the boundaries of taste In her performance she had clearly overstepped the boundaries of good taste.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bound adj.

¹ bound to do sth certain to do sth

VERBS be, seem

ADV. almost These problems were almost bound to arise.

² bound (to do sth): obliged to do sth

VERBS be, feel | become | remain | hold sb The president said the country could not be held bound by a treaty signed by the previous regime.

ADJ. absolutely | irrevocably | by law, contractually, legally Officials are bound by law to investigate any possible fraud. He was legally bound to report them to the authorities. | (in) honour, in duty (also duty-bound), morally I felt in duty bound to report the incident.

PREP. by We are legally bound by this decision.

³ travelling in a particular direction

VERBS be

ADV. homeward, outward

PREP. for tourists who are bound for Europe

⁴ bound up: closely connected

VERBS be | become

ADV. closely, intimately | inevitably, inextricably | intrinsically | together A person's name and their sense of their own identity are often closely bound up together.

PREP. with From that moment my life became inextricably bound up with hers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bouquet noun

ADJ. huge, large | small | bridal, wedding

VERB + BOUQUET carry | send (sb)

PREP. in a/the ~ Are there any roses in your bouquet? | ~ of He sent her a large bouquet of wild flowers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boutique noun

ADJ. chic, elegant, exclusive, smart | fashion

VERB + BOUTIQUE open | run

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bout noun

ADJ. bad, nasty, prolonged, serious, severe I got a bad bout of flu last winter. | mild | drinking

VERB + BOUT get, have, suffer from

PREP. during a/the ~ | ~ of a bout of depression

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bowel noun

ADJ. large, small

VERB + BOWEL empty, evacuate, move, open

BOWEL + NOUN action, function, habit, movement Patients are asked to report any change in bowel habit. He's been having painful bowel movements. | frequency | wall | cancer, disease, disorder, obstruction, problems, tumour | biopsy, surgery

PREP. in the ~

PHRASES irritable bowel syndrome

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bowling noun

¹ indoor game

ADJ. tenpin

VERB + BOWLING go Let's go bowling on Saturday.

BOWLING + NOUN ball | alley | green > Special page at SPORT

² in the game of cricket

ADJ. fast, pace, quick | slow | seam, spin, swing | short-pitched | intimidatory

VERB + BOWLING open McArthur opened the bowling on the first day of the match.

BOWLING + NOUN attack England were no match for the Indian bowling attack. | average | crease

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bowl noun

ADJ. deep, shallow | empty, full | ceramic, china, crystal, cut-glass, earthenware, enamel, glass | food, fruit, porridge, pudding, punch (also punchbowl), salad, soup, sugar, water I refilled the dog's water bowl. | mixing, serving | washing-up | finger I put down the chicken bone and rinsed my fingers in the finger bowl. | begging (figurative) The school is always having to get out the begging bowl for books and basic equipment. | goldfish | lavatory, toilet

VERB + BOWL fill, pour (sb), pour sth into He poured himself a bowl of soup. | empty | drink from/out of, eat from/out of

BOWL + VERB contain sth, hold sth a bowl containing flour This bowl holds about four pints. | overflow The washing-up bowl was overflowing.

PREP. from a/the ~ I helped myself to an apple from the bowl. | out of a/the ~ The boy was drinking milk out of a bowl. | in/into a/the ~ Mix the ingredients in a deep bowl. Sieve the flour into a bowl. | ~ of a bowl of cherries

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bow1 /baq/ noun

¹ act of bowing

ADJ. deep, low | little, slight | formal, stiff

VERB + BOW give, make He gave a formal bow and left the room. | take (= used about a performer) The song ended and Albert took a bow. (figurative) The team's chairman takes his final bow at this match (= is retiring after this match).

PREP. ~ to He made a deep bow to the king.

² front part of a ship

ADJ. port, starboard There's a small boat on the port bow.

VERB + BOW cross A huge whale crossed our bows.

PREP. across the ~ They fired a shot across our bows. | in the ~ We left two men in the bows to receive the cargo. | off the ~ 100 yards off our bows | on the ~ The ship's name was printed on her bow. | over the ~ There were huge waves breaking over the bows.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bow2 /baq/ verb

ADV. deeply, low He swept off his hat and bowed deeply to the Queen. | slightly | politely, respectfully | down

PREP. before The Emperor's subjects bowed down before him. | to The pianist stood up and bowed to the audience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

box office noun

BOX OFFICE + NOUN hit, success | receipts, takings Box office receipts for the film have hit $50 million.

PREP. at a/the ~ Tickets are available at the box office.

PHRASES do well/badly at the box office The musical has done very well at the box office (= a lot of tickets have been sold).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boxing noun

ADJ. heavyweight, lightweight, middleweight, etc. | amateur, professional, unlicensed Unlicensed boxing can be very dangerous. | world the most respected coach in world boxing | kick, Thai | shadow (also shadow-boxing) (= boxing with an imaginary opponent) (figurative) The two candidates engaged in shadow-boxing before the election.

VERB + BOXING do He does boxing in his spare time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

box noun

¹ container

ADJ. oblong, rectangular, square | upturned They were sitting round the fire on upturned boxes. | cardboard | storage | chocolate, cigar, egg | jewel/jewellery, shoe, tool (also toolbox) | cassette, CD, video | gift | lunch, sandwich | first-aid | (safe/safety) deposit, security There is a safety deposit box in every room of the hotel. | cash, money The cash box was kept in the safe at the back of the shop. She opened her money box to see if she had saved enough for a tennis racket. | collection, donation The exhibition is free, but there is a collection box for donations.

QUANT. pile, stack

BOX + VERB contain sth, be filled with/full of sth, hold sth This box holds ten candles and costs £21. | be labelled sth, be marked sth a box marked ‘fragile’ | be covered in/with sth, be lined with sth The dog sleeps in a box lined with an old blanket.

PREP. in/into a/the ~, inside a/the ~, out of a/the ~ | ~ of a box of chocolates

PHRASES the lid of a box

² enclosed area

ADJ. soundproof | call, phone, telephone | jury, witness | commentary, press There was a babble of languages in the commentary box when the race began. | director's, executive, hospitality They drank champagne as they watched the match from the executive box. | private, Royal a private box at the theatre | signal | horse (also horsebox) The car in front was pulling a horsebox.

PREP. in/into a/the ~

³ square on a form/screen

ADJ. appropriate, relevant Tick the relevant box below. | dialog/dialogue Click on ‘open file’ in the dialogue box. | question

VERB + BOX fill in, put sth in, tick, write (sth) in Put a cross in the box if you agree with the comments.

PREP. in/into a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boycott noun

ADJ. mass, total, worldwide | consumer, economic, trade a consumer boycott of GM foods

VERB + BOYCOTT declare, impose, introduce Opposition groups declared a boycott of the elections. | call for, threaten Lawyers threatened a boycott of the courts. | end, lift Politicians want to end their boycott of the talks. | join There is pressure on the biggest union to join the boycott.

BOYCOTT + NOUN campaign

PREP. ~ by a boycott by international singers | ~ of The group is calling for a mass consumer boycott of these products. | ~ on The US has imposed a boycott on some European goods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boycott verb

ADV. officially

VERB + BOYCOTT threaten to | call on sb to, urge sb to They have urged people to boycott foreign products.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boyfriend noun

QUANT. string, succession She had a string of wealthy boyfriends before she finally married.

VERB + BOYFRIEND have Have you got a boyfriend? | meet | live with | sleep with | marry

BOYFRIEND + NOUN trouble She's unhappy because she's been having boyfriend trouble.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

boy noun

ADJ. big Your boy is quite big for his age. Don't cry?you're a big boy now. | little, small A little boy rode by on a tricycle. Their boy is small for his age. | young Our youngest boy is just starting school. | elder, eldest, older How old is your eldest boy? | baby | adolescent, teenage | good Eat up your greens?there's a good boy. | naughty | bright, clever

VERB + BOY have They've had a baby boy. I've got three boys.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brace noun

¹ for supporting a part of the body

ADJ. leg, neck, shoulder

VERB + BRACE have, wear I used to wear a brace.

PREP. ~ on a brace on his teeth

² braces: for holding trousers up

BRACE + VERB hold sth up, support sth The braces held up his trousers. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bracket noun

¹ brackets marks round extra information in writing

ADJ. angle, curly, round, square

VERB + BRACKET enclose sth in, give sth in, put sth in The prices are given in square brackets.

PREP. in The words in brackets should be deleted. | inside, outside, within The numbers outside the curly brackets are the sales figures.

² range

ADJ. age, income, price, tax | higher, top, upper | middle | lower

PREP. in/within These machines are in the higher price bracket. | outside people outside this age bracket

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brain noun

¹ part of the body

ADJ. human | left, right The left brain controls the right-hand side of the body.

PREP. in the/your ~ Doctors tried to reduce the swelling in his brain. | on the/your ~ He was found to have a blood clot on his brain. (figurative) He's got football on the brain (= thinks about nothing but football).

PHRASES blow your brains out While cleaning his shotgun he had accidentally blown his own brains out.

² ability to think/intelligence

ADJ. fertile, fine, good, great, quick | muddled, tired My tired brain couldn't cope with such a complex problem. | analytical

VERB + BRAIN rack We racked our brains but we couldn't come up with a solution. | pick sb's (= ask sb for information because they know more about a subject than you) I need to pick your brains: what can you tell me about credit unions? | take It doesn't take much brain to work out that both stories can't be true.

BRAIN + VERB function, tick over, work It's important to keep your brain ticking over. | reel His brain reeled as he realized the implication of his dismissal. | register sth The stopping distance includes the time taken for the brain to register the need to stop.

BRAIN + NOUN power (also brainpower)

PREP. ~ behind the brains behind the robberies

PHRASES brains and brawn/brains and not brawn, etc. They relied on brains rather than brawn (= intelligence, not strength). | have a brain for sth She has a good brain for mathematics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brake noun

ADJ. defective, faulty | front, rear | foot, hand | air, anti-lock, disc, drum, vacuum

VERB + BRAKE apply, hit, jam on, put/slam your foot on, put on, slam on She slammed on the brakes to try to avoid the dog. | keep your foot on | let off, release, take your foot off He released the brake and sped off.

BRAKE + VERB work My brakes are not working properly. | fail The car crashed after its brakes failed. | screech, squeal | be on/off Is the brake on?

BRAKE + NOUN failure | cable, fluid, lights, pads, pedal, pipes

PHRASES act/serve as a brake on sth (figurative), put a brake/the brakes on sth (figurative) The need to earn some money put the brakes on my wilder ambitions. | a screech/squeal of brakes We heard the screech of brakes, followed by a loud crash.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brake verb

ADV. hard, heavily, sharply, suddenly, violently

PHRASES brake to a halt The train braked to a shuddering halt. | brake to avoid sth She braked suddenly to avoid a cat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

branch noun

¹ part of a tree

ADJ. top/topmost | low, overhanging Be careful of overhanging branches. | bare, dead the bare branches of a tree in winter

² part of a larger organization

ADJ. central, high street, local, overseas, regional

VERB + BRANCH establish, open, set up The store is opening more local branches. | close (down)

BRANCH + NOUN chairman, manager, member, office, representative, secretary > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brandy noun

ADJ. double, large | single, small | stiff a stiff brandy and soda (= containing a lot of brandy and not much soda) | straight | cherry, plum, etc.

QUANT. dash, drop, nip He added a dash of brandy to his coffee. | measure, shot, tot She poured herself a large measure of brandy. | bottle, flask, glass, hip-flask

BRANDY + NOUN bottle | balloon (= a kind of glass), glass He sat cradling his brandy glass.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brand noun

¹ type of product made by a particular manufacturer

ADJ. leading, major, principal, top the world's leading brand of whisky | famous, favourite, popular, well-known | own (= goods marked with the name of a particular shop instead of that of the manufacturer) Supermarkets make a lot of profit on their own brand products.

BRAND + NOUN identity, image, name The company owes its success to brand image. | leader | loyalty

PREP. ~ of a well-known brand of toothpaste

² particular type of sth

ADJ. particular, special, unique His designs have a unique brand of stylishness. | ~ of his particular brand of humour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brass noun

¹ metal

ADJ. gleaming, glittering, polished, shiny | solid

VERB + BRASS be made from/in/(out) of candlesticks made of solid brass

PREP. in ~ The door knocker was a female figure in brass.

² musical instruments made of brass

BRASS + NOUN band | instrument | section the brass section of the orchestra > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bravado noun

ADJ. sheer | mere | false, forced

PREP. out of ~ He behaved aggressively out of bravado. | with ~ ‘I'll be fine on my own,’ she said with bravado.

PHRASES a display/show of bravado

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bravery noun

ADJ. great, outstanding

VERB + BRAVERY demonstrate, display, show

BRAVERY + NOUN award, medal

PREP. with ~ The men fought with great bravery.

PHRASES an act of bravery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brave adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | make sb The whisky had made me brave.

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, really, terribly, very | quite | amazingly, incredibly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brawl noun

ADJ. drunken | bar-room, pub, street | mass

VERB + BRAWL provoke, spark, start | be/become/get involved in, be/get caught up in, get into

PREP. in a/the ~ They got caught up in a street brawl. | ~ between a brawl between different gangs of football supporters. | ~ over a brawl over a woman

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bra noun

ADJ. padded, strapless, underwired, uplift | maternity, nursing | sports

VERB + BRA put on | take off | do up | undo, unhook

BRA + NOUN strap > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breach noun

¹ breaking of a law/an agreement/a rule

ADJ. clear, fundamental, grave, serious | deliberate, flagrant He refused to bow to the Queen, in deliberate breach of etiquette. | minor | security

VERB + BREACH constitute Such behaviour constitutes a breach of confidentiality. | commit

PREP. in ~ of The court's decision is in breach of the European Convention on human rights. | ~ of a minor breach of discipline

PHRASES a breach of confidence/trust, a breach of confidentiality/contract He was sued for breach of contract. | a breach of security, a breach of the peace

² break in friendly relations

VERB + BREACH cause, lead to | heal, repair

PREP. ~ between What caused the breach between the two brothers? | ~ with She left home following the breach with her family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breadth noun

¹ distance between two sides of sth

PREP. in ~ The pool is 5 metres in breadth.

PHRASES the length and breadth of sth He travels the length and breadth of (= all over) the country.

² great extent or variety

ADJ. full, great, sheer

PHRASES breadth of experience I need a greater breadth of experience. | breadth of interest/knowledge/understanding, breadth of mind, breadth of vision

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bread noun

QUANT. loaf | chunk, crumb, crust, hunk, morsel, piece, slice She tore off a large hunk of bread.

VERB + BREAD bake, make the smell of freshly-baked bread | cut, slice | butter, put sth on, spread bread thickly spread with plum jam | toast

BREAD + NOUN dough | pudding, roll, sauce | bin, knife

PREP. on the ~ What would you like on your bread?

PHRASES bread and butter/margarine a plate of bread and butter | bread and cheese/jam, bread and water He had to live on bread and water for two weeks. | bread and wine (= the food given to Christians during the Communion service) People started going up to receive the bread and wine. > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

break-in noun

ADJ. attempted | factory, house, etc. BREAK-IN + NOUN happen, take place

PREP. ~ at a break-in at the factory

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breakdown noun

¹ mechanical failure

ADJ. electrical, mechanical

BREAKDOWN + VERB occur

BREAKDOWN + NOUN organization, service The national breakdown organizations are on hand to help motorists 24 hours a day. | crane, lorry, vehicle

² failure/end of sth

ADJ. serious | complete, irretrievable The only ground for divorce is the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. | communication, family, marital, marriage, relationship

VERB + BREAKDOWN cause, lead to

PREP. ~ in/of a breakdown in negotiations

³ collapse of mental health

ADJ. emotional, mental, nervous, psychological

VERB + BREAKDOWN have, suffer

⁴ list of the details of sth

ADJ. detailed, full | cost

VERB + BREAKDOWN prepare I have prepared a detailed cost breakdown for the project. | give sb, provide (sb with)

PREP. ~ by, ~ of Please provide us with a breakdown of expenditure by department.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breakfast noun

BREAKFAST + NOUN cereal | dishes, things Would you clear away the breakfast things? | room | meeting | show, television

PHRASES bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast accommodation is available near the museum. | breakfast in bed He treated his wife to breakfast in bed on her birthday. > Note at MEAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breakthrough noun

ADJ. big, crucial, great, historic, important, major, real, significant | diplomatic, medical, political, scientific, technological

VERB + BREAKTHROUGH be, represent | achieve, make We have achieved a real breakthrough in the search for peace.

BREAKTHROUGH + VERB come, happen The crucial breakthrough came almost by accident.

PREP. ~ for The new deal represents a major breakthrough for the company. | ~ in a significant breakthrough in computer design

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breakup noun

ADJ. family, marital, marriage

VERB + BREAKUP lead to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

break noun

¹ short rest/holiday

ADJ. short | coffee, lunch, tea | Christmas, Easter Are you going away for the Easter break?

VERB + BREAK have, take We'll take a break now and resume in half an hour. | need

BREAK + NOUN time

PREP. at ~ I'll see you at break. | during (a/the) ~ I had a word with John during the break. | without a ~ We worked all day without a break. | ~ for a break for lunch | ~ from a break from looking after the children

² change/interruption in sth

ADJ. clean, complete | career | commercial

VERB + BREAK make His new work makes a break with the past. I wanted to leave but was nervous about making the break.

PREP. ~ from a break from tradition | ~ in a break in the weather | ~ with

³ opportunity

ADJ. big, lucky

VERB + BREAK get I always knew I would get my lucky break one day. | give sb He's the director who gave her her first big break.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

break verb

ADV. easily | in half, in two She broke the chocolate bar in two and gave a piece to me. | up She broke the chocolate up into small pieces.

PREP. into The glass broke into hundreds of pieces. PHRASAL VERBS break down

¹ fail

ADV. completely, irretrievably They were divorced on the grounds that their marriage had broken down irretrievably.

² start crying

PHRASES break down and cry/weep, break down in tears She broke down in tears as she spoke to reporters. break off

ADV. abruptly He broke off abruptly when Jo walked in.

PREP. from She broke off from the conversation to answer the telephone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breaststroke noun > Note at STROKE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breast noun

¹ part of a woman's body

BREAST + NOUN cancer | screening | milk

PHRASES put a baby to the breast (= to feed a baby from the breast), take the breast (= to feed from the breast)

² your chest

PHRASES beat your breast, hold/clutch sb/sth to your breast He held the letter to his breast.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breather noun

ADJ. quick, short, slight

VERB + BREATHER have, stop for, take | enjoy | give sb The weekend will give me a slight breather to finish this work in.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breathe verb

¹ air/breath

VERB + BREATHE can/can't, could/couldn't, could barely/hardly/scarcely | not dare He hardly dared breathe in case they heard him.

PREP. through Always breathe through your nose.

² say quietly

ADV. huskily, softly ‘I love you, ’ she breathed softly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breathing noun

ADJ. deep | shallow | controlled, even, regular, steady | hoarse, laboured, uneven His breathing was laboured, and he could hardly speak. | heavy She picked up the phone and heard sounds of heavy breathing.

BREATHING + NOUN apparatus | difficulties | exercise Try breathing exercises to calm your nerves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breathless adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | become | leave sb, make sb The unaccustomed exercise left him breathless.

ADV. very | a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat He felt quite breathless. | suddenly

PREP. with By the end of the walk, she was breathless with exertion. The children peered through the open door, breathless with excitement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breathtaking adj

VERBS be

ADV. absolutely, quite, truly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breath noun

ADJ. big, deep, long, slow | quick, shallow, short | bad Smoking gives you bad breath.

VERB + BREATH draw (in), suck in, take He spoke solidly for twenty minutes, barely pausing to draw breath. Take a deep breath and try to relax. | let out He let out a long breath. | hold How long can you hold your breath for? | get back I needed a few minutes to get my breath back after the run. | catch When he said he had resigned, I caught my breath in surprise. | gasp for He came up out of the water gasping for breath. | pause for She poured out her story, hardly pausing for breath. | save (figurative) It's useless talking to him?you may as well save your breath. | waste (figurative) Don't waste your breath. He never listens to advice.

BREATH + VERB come in gasps/pants/puffs His breath came in short gasps.

PREP. on sb's ~ I could smell gin on her breath. | out of ~ I'm a bit out of breath after my run. | under your ~ He was whispering rude remarks about her under his breath. | ~ of It was a still day, without a breath of wind.

PHRASES a breath of fresh air I'm going outside for a breath of fresh air. | an intake of breath When the news was announced, there was a sharp intake of breath. | in the same breath How can we trust a government that mentions community care and cutbacks in the same breath? | short of breath I felt a bit short of breath and had to sit down. | take sb's breath away (figurative) The sheer audacity of the man took my breath away.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breeding noun

¹ activity of producing plants/animals

ADJ. animal, fish, plant | selective Certain characteristics can be developed through selective breeding. | captive a campaign to save the condor by captive breeding

BREEDING + NOUN season | stock | programme

² good manners/behaviour

ADJ. good Her good breeding shows in her exquisite manners.

VERB + BREEDING have The young man clearly has breeding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breed noun

¹ type of animal

ADJ. new | rare | hardy

VERB + BREED keep a farm that keeps rare breeds

PREP. ~ of a new breed of dairy cattle

² particular type of person

ADJ. new | dying, rare Entertainers of this sort are now a dying breed.

PREP. ~ of a new breed of international criminals

PHRASES a breed apart Health workers are a breed apart in their commitment and dedication to duty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breed verb

ADV. in captivity | successfully | commercially | selectively fish that have been selectively bred for their appearance

PREP. for dogs that are bred for their fighting ability | from She's a lovely cat. Will you breed from her?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breeze noun

BREEZE + VERB blow, come, drift A light breeze came off the sea. | ruffle sth, rustle sth, stir sth A sudden breeze rustled the long dry grass. | come up A breeze came up in the late afternoon. | drop

PREP. in a/the ~ The curtains fluttered in the night breeze.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

breezy adj.

¹ windy

VERBS be

ADV. very | a little, slightly It's a little breezy up here.

PHRASES bright and breezy The weather at the seaside was ideal?bright and breezy.

² cheerful and relaxed

VERBS be, seem, sound She tried to sound breezy on the phone.

PHRASES bright and breezy His bright and breezy manner sometimes irritated people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bribery noun

ADJ. political

VERB + BRIBERY resort to

BRIBERY + NOUN scandal

PHRASES bribery and corruption The charge in the present case is one of bribery and corruption. > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bribe noun

VERB + BRIBE give sb, offer (sb), pay sb He admitted paying bribes to police officers. | accept, take

PREP. in ~s He paid out millions of dollars in bribes. | ~ of a bribe of £200

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brick noun

ADJ. red a house of red brick

VERB + BRICK lay learning to lay bricks properly

BRICK + NOUN wall | building | works He got a job at the local brick works.

PREP. in/of ~ houses of brick

PHRASES brick by brick They moved the whole house, brick by brick. | bricks and mortar investing in bricks and mortar | a course of bricks They put an extra course of bricks round the pool.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bridegroom noun

ADJ. future, prospective

BRIDEGROOM + VERB receive the guests The bride and bridegroom received their guests in the great hall.

PHRASES the bride and bridegroom

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bridesmaid noun

ADJ. chief

VERB + BRIDESMAID toast The bridegroom asked the guests to stand and then toasted the bridesmaids.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bride noun

VERB + BRIDE give away The bride's father traditionally walks with her to the altar to give her away. | toast Everyone raised their glasses to toast the bride.

BRIDE + VERB wear sth | receive the guests

PHRASES the bride and groom

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bridge noun

¹ structure across a river, road, etc.

ADJ. high, humpback, narrow | railway, road | Bailey, cantilever, pontoon, suspension | toll

VERB + BRIDGE build, erect | destroy | wash away Floods washed away several bridges. | cross Cross the bridge and turn right into the town.

BRIDGE + VERB cross sth, span sth The new bridge will cross the Thames at this point. | link sth

PREP. across over a/the ~ driving over a humpback bridge | under a/the ~ The road goes under the old railway bridge. | ~ across, over a bridge over the river

² card game

QUANT. game, rubber I enjoy a game of bridge occasionally.

VERB + BRIDGE play

BRIDGE + NOUN tournament | partner, player

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

briefcase noun

ADJ. battered He wore a torn suit and carried a battered briefcase. | bulging | executive | leather, plastic

VERB + BRIEFCASE open, snap open, unlock | close, lock, shut, snap shut | carry, hold, pick up | drop, put down

BRIEFCASE + VERB be bulging with sth, be full of sth, be stuffed with sth, contain sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

briefing noun

ADJ. detailed, full, thorough | formal, informal | final She returned to Washington for a final briefing. | press

VERB + BRIEFING give sb All staff will be given a full briefing tomorrow. | get, receive | arrange, hold I asked him to arrange a formal briefing. | attend

BRIEFING + NOUN session | document, paper

PREP. at a/the~ Details of the scheme will be announced at a press briefing later today. | ~ by/from a briefing by the commanding officer | ~ on a briefing on security issues

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brief adj.

VERBS be I promised to be brief. | keep sth, make sth Could you make it brief? I've got a meeting in ten minutes.

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite, rather | comparatively, relatively | necessarily This necessarily brief account concentrates on two main areas. | mercifully The wait was mercifully brief, little more than an hour. | tantalizingly The diary entries were tantalizingly brief.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brief noun

ADJ. clear, detailed, written | legal, technical

VERB + BRIEF prepare, produce, write

PREP. in a/the ~ She makes all these points in her brief. | outside sb's ~ How the new policy is to be implemented is outside his brief. | ~ on a technical brief on food hygiene

PHRASES be part of sb's brief It's not part of my brief to advise on financial matters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brief verb

ADV. fully, properly, well

PREP. about The men have been fully briefed about the intended mission. | on Each member of my crew took it in turn to brief me on his particular duties.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brigade noun

ADJ. armoured, fire, infantry

VERB + BRIGADE command, lead | form A special army brigade is to be formed. | join

BRIGADE + NOUN commander | headquarters

PREP. in a/the ~ units in 1st Commando Brigade | ~ of a brigade of infantry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brigadier noun > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brighten verb

ADV. considerably | a bit, a little | visibly Their rather heavy faces brightened visibly. | suddenly | up She brightened up a bit at the thought of the holiday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bright adj.

VERBS be, look, seem The factory's future now looks quite bright. | become

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, incredibly, intensely, really, surprisingly, unusually, very a really bright child | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably The morning was quite bright, but it clouded over in the afternoon. | unnaturally Her eyes were unnaturally bright.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brilliance noun

ADJ. great, sheer | academic, intellectual, technical

QUANT. flash There were flashes of brilliance from several of the players.

PREP. with ~ He played with great brilliance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brilliant adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. bloody (taboo), just, really Winning that race was just brilliant. | absolutely, quite, totally, utterly an absolutely brilliant idea | technically Her performance was technically brilliant but lacked feeling.

PREP. at He's brilliant at football.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brim noun

¹ top edge of a cup, bowl, etc.

PHRASES be filled/full to the brim, fill sth to the brim She filled the bowl to the brim.

² flat edge around the bottom of a hat

ADJ. broad, deep, wide a straw hat with a wide brim

PREP. beneath/under a/the ~ She watched the crowd from beneath the brim of her hat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bring verb PHRASAL VERBS bring sb up

ADV. badly, well children who have been well brought up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brink noun

ADJ. very

VERB + BRINK be (poised) on, hover on, stand on, teeter on Scientists are on the brink of making a major new discovery. animals hovering on the very brink of extinction | bring sb to | fight/pull back from | bring/pull sb/sth back from He pulled the company back from the brink (= saved it from disaster).

PREP. ~ of the brink of bankruptcy/death/war

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broadcaster noun

ADJ. commercial Existing commercial broadcasters claim the new stations are illegal. | independent | public service The country needs a national public service broadcaster like the BBC. | local, national | satellite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broadcast noun

ADJ. radio, satellite, television | live | outside | election, news, party political, religious

VERB + BROADCAST give, make The president gave a radio broadcast to mark the end of the war. | hear, see

PREP. in a/the ~ More details will be given in our news broadcast. | ~ by a broadcast by the prime minister | ~ on a radio broadcast on the problems of unemployment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broadcast verb

ADV. live

PREP. from We will broadcast live from the ship. | to a Christmas message broadcast to the nation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broad adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably, relatively | enough, sufficiently He questioned whether the school curriculum was broad enough in scope. | unusually His job gave him an acquaintance with an unusually broad spectrum of society.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brochure noun

ADJ. (full) colour, glossy | illustrated Send for our illustrated brochure. | holiday, hotel, travel

QUANT. copy

VERB + BROCHURE browse/leaf/look through I leafed through the travel brochure. | produce, publish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broken adj.

VERBS be | get How did the jug get broken?

ADV. badly One of his legs was badly broken.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broker noun

ADJ. credit, insurance, mortgage Ask advice from an insurance broker. | honest (= an independent person or country that acts between two sides in a dispute)

VERB + BROKER be, act as

PREP. ~ between acting as broker between the two opposing sides | ~ for a broker for the company > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broke adj.

VERBS be | go (= go bankrupt) The company went broke last year.

ADV. completely, flat (informal), stony (informal) I'm stony broke at the moment. | nearly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bronchitis noun > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bronze noun

¹ metal

VERB + BRONZE be cast in, be made from/in/(out) of The figure was cast in bronze.

BRONZE + NOUN ingot

PREP. in ~ She works mainly in bronze.

² (also bronze medal) in sports

ADJ. Olympic

VERB + BRONZE get, take, win She got a bronze in the long jump.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brooch noun

ADJ. cameo | diamond, pearl, etc.

VERB + BROOCH have on, wear | pin She pinned a large amethyst brooch to her lapel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

broom noun

ADJ. witch's | stiff

VERB + BROOM sweep sth with, use

BROOM + NOUN cupboard | handle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brothel noun

VERB + BROTHEL go to, visit He used to visit a brothel in Paris. | run She ran a brothel in Soho.

BROTHEL + NOUN keeper

PREP. in a/the ~ She works in a brothel in Brighton.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brother noun

ADJ. big, elder, older Bill idolizes his big brother, who is a professional footballer. | baby, kid, little, small, wee, younger | twin | full (= sharing both parents) | half-(= sharing one parent), step-(also stepbrother) (= the son from an earlier marriage of your stepfather or stepmother) | beloved, much-loved She wrote daily to her beloved brother, Leo. | long-lost His old teacher greeted him like a long-lost brother. | dead, deceased, late He married the wife of his late brother. | bachelor, unmarried

PHRASES blood brothers (= close friends who have sworn to remain friends for life), brother and sister Have you got any brothers and sisters? | like brothers The boys are so close, they're like brothers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brown adj.

ADV. very He looked very brown after his holiday. | quite, rather, slightly | uniformly The once-green fields were now uniformly brown.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

browser noun

ADJ. web | default What do you use as your default browser? | frames-capable, frames-enabled

VERB + BROWSER update, upgrade

BROWSER + VERB support frames

BROWSER + NOUN toolbar, window

PREP. on a/the ~ Click the ‘back’ button on your browser. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brow noun

¹ eyebrow

ADJ. dark, heavy | bushy, shaggy | winged | delicate | sardonic She raised a sardonic brow.

VERB + BROW arch, raise She arched a brow when she saw the bill. | draw together, knit He knitted his brows in concentration.

BROW + VERB lift, rise | twitch | draw together, snap together His brows snapped together ferociously when he heard the remark.

² forehead

VERB + BROW mop, wipe | furrow, pucker, wrinkle She wrinkled her brow thoughtfully.

BROW + VERB crease, furrow, pucker, wrinkle His brow furrowed as he racked his brains over the question. | clear For a while she looked puzzled; then her brow cleared. | darken His brow darkened in anger.

PREP. across your ~ His shaggy grey hair fell loosely across his brow. | from your ~ She brushed back a stray lock of hair from her brow. | over your ~ His hair fell over his brow as he turned his head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bruise noun

ADJ. black, dark, livid, purple | swollen

VERB + BRUISE suffer She suffered only minor cuts and bruises.

BRUISE + VERB form A bruise had formed below his left eye. | fade

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brunt noun

ADJ. full, main

VERB + BRUNT bear, take The prime minister has taken the brunt of the criticism.

PREP. the ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brush noun

ADJ. fine, soft, stiff Scrub the wood thoroughly with water and a stiff brush. | nylon, wire | clothes, lavatory, nail, pastry, scrubbing, shaving, toilet

VERB + BRUSH apply sth with Apply the paint with a clean brush. | use, wield

BRUSH + NOUN stroke The artist has used tiny brush strokes.

PREP. with a/the ~ Remove all the rust with a wire brush.

PHRASES a brush and comb, a dustpan and brush

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brush verb

¹ clean with a brush

ADV. down She hummed happily as she brushed down her coat.

PREP. at Lucille brushed at the blood on his jacket.

PHRASES brush sth clean

² touch lightly

ADV. gently, lightly | accidentally

PREP. against She carefully avoided brushing against the man sitting beside her at the table. | by She brushed by him and dashed up the stairs. | past I hardly noticed the man who brushed past me in the corridor. | with He brushed her lips with his.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

brutality noun

ADJ. extreme, great | police There have been many complaints of police brutality.

QUANT. act This was an act of extreme brutality.

PREP. ~ against brutality against prisoners | ~ by brutality by the security forces | ~ to/towards brutality to others

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bubble noun

ADJ. air, soap

VERB + BUBBLE blow children blowing bubbles | burst They jumped about, bursting the bubbles.

BUBBLE + VERB form Soap bubbles formed on the surface. | burst

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bubble verb

¹ form bubbles

ADV. furiously The water in the saucepan was bubbling furiously. | away, up The soup was bubbling away on the stove.

² feeling

ADV. to the surface Emotions quickly bubble to the surface. | over, up He was bubbling over with excitement.

PREP. inside She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her. | with The business was still small but I was bubbling with ideas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bucket noun

VERB + BUCKET fill She filled the bucket with fresh water. | carry | empty, pour, throw She poured the bucket of dirty water down the drain.

BUCKET + VERB be filled with/full of sth, contain sth, hold sth | overflow

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ of a bucket of oats for the horses

PHRASES a bucket and spade The children ran down to the beach with their buckets and spades. | mop and bucket The cleaner put down his mop and bucket and sat down.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buckle noun

ADJ. belt, shoe

VERB + BUCKLE do up, fasten | undo, unfasten > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Buddhism noun

ADJ. Zen She became interested in Zen Buddhism. > Note at RELIGION(for verbs and phrases)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Buddhist noun

ADJ. devout

BUDDHIST + NOUN beliefs, philosophy, teaching | monk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

budget noun

VERB + BUDGET get, have The organization has a large annual budget. | allocate, draw up, plan, set The council has to draw up its budget for next year. | present, propose, submit | approve | balance The school has a struggle to balance its budget. | adhere to, keep to, stick to Work out a weekly budget and stick to it. | exceed, go over, overspend | cut, reduce, slash | increase

PREP. in the ~ Is there any money left in the budget? | below/under ~ Costs have been held below budget. | on (a) ~ All his projects are on time and on budget. This hotel caters for people travelling on a tight budget. | over ~ The project is now well over budget. | within ~ to keep within budget | ~ for The budget for next year has not yet been set. | ~ of a budget of $5,000

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

budget verb

ADV. carefully, sensibly If we budget carefully we should be able to afford a holiday this year.

PREP. for We have budgeted £10,000 for advertising.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

budge verb

VERB + BUDGE refuse to, will/would not

PREP. from He refuses to budge from his principles. | on The union won't budge on its demand.

PHRASES not budge an inch He threw all his weight against the door, but it wouldn't budge an inch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bud noun

ADJ. flower, leaf

VERB + BUD be in, come into The roses are in bud.

BUD + VERB burst, open

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buffer noun

VERB + BUFFER act as | provide | use sth as

BUFFER + NOUN state, zone

PREP. ~ against A family can provide a buffer against stress at work. | ~ between The organization acts as a buffer between the management and the union.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buffet noun

¹ on a train/in a station

ADJ. station

BUFFET + NOUN bar, car, service

² meal

VERB + BUFFET serve A finger buffet will be served. | lay out A buffet was laid out for the conference delegates.

BUFFET + NOUN breakfast, dinner, lunch, meal, supper | table | reception | style Breakfast is served buffet style.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buggy noun

ADJ. baby | beach, golf

VERB + BUGGY push parents pushing baby buggies

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bug noun

¹ infectious illness

ADJ. nasty | flu, stomach, tummy

VERB + BUG have | catch, come/go down with, get, pick up

BUG + VERB go around/round A stomach bug has been going round at school. | strike sb down

PREP. with a/the ~ off work with a flu bug > Special page at ILLNESS

² sudden interest in sth

VERB + BUG be bitten by, catch, get She's been bitten by the travel bug.

BUG + VERB bite (sb)

³ sth wrong in a system/machine

ADJ. minor, slight | computer, software

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

build-up noun

¹ gradual increase

ADJ. gradual, slow | steady | rapid | massive VERB + BUILD-UP cause, lead to The leak led to a slow build-up of carbon dioxide. | avoid, prevent

PREP. during/in the ~ | ~ of

² period of time before an event

ADJ. pre-match, pre-trial, etc.

PREP. ~ to Tension is mounting in the build-up to the elections.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

builder noun

ADJ. good, reputable | jobbing, self-employed | local We got a local builder to do the work for us.

VERB + BUILDER be apprenticed to

BUILDER + VERB build sth

PHRASES builder's merchant, builder's yard The house looked like a builder's yard, with stacks of bricks and piles of sand in the garden. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

building noun

¹ house, church, school, etc.

ADJ. big, high-rise, large, tall | low, single-storey, small | attractive, beautiful, fine, imposing, impressive, magnificent | crumbling, derelict, dilapidated, ramshackle, tumbledown | ancient, historic, old | seventeenth-century, etc. | listed They were refused planning permission for a modern extension because it was a Grade II listed building. | brick, concrete, stone, timber, wooden | industrial, public, residential | airport, apartment, church, factory, farm, headquarters, hospital, office, prison, school

VERB + BUILDING build, erect, put up Several new buildings are now being put up. | demolish, destroy, flatten, gut, knock down, pull down, raze, tear down The building was gutted by fire. | damage | renovate, restore They're renovating the old farm buildings.

BUILDING + VERB collapse

² process/business of building sth

ADJ. nest, road | empire, team

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

build noun

ADJ. average, medium | slight, slim, thin | heavy, muscular, powerful, stocky, strong, thickset | athletic

PREP. in ~ He's heavier in build than his brother. | of ~ She is slight of build and very agile. | with a ~ a small woman with a slim build

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bulb noun

¹ (also light bulb) part of an electric lamp

VERB + BULB change, replace Switch the light off before you change the bulb. | put in | remove, take out Can you take out the clear bulb and put a pearl one in? | switch on | take The fitting in the kitchen takes a fluorescent bulb.

BULB + VERB light sth The room was lit only by a single 40-watt light bulb. | fail, go I think the bulb over the sink is going to go. It's been flickering all evening. | flicker | flash, go off Coloured bulbs flashed on and off around the sign. There was a startled look on his face when the flash bulb went off. | dangle, hang A single electric light bulb dangled from the ceiling. | last These low-energy bulbs last much longer than the ordinary ones.

PHRASES by the light of a … bulb They sat reading by the light of a 40-watt bulb. | the glow of a light bulb

² round plant root

ADJ. autumn, spring, spring-flowering, summer, summer-flowering | daffodil, hyacinth, tulip, etc. | garden, indoor | dwarf

VERB + BULB place, plant, put in I'm putting in some bulbs for next year. Place the bulbs close together. | dig up, take up, uproot | grow | water She usually waters the indoor bulbs once a week. | force, treat These daffodils flower so early because the bulbs have been forced.

BULB + VERB grow | flower | be over, go over The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. | increase Over the years the bulbs gradually increase. | sprout | shrivel Get the bulbs into the ground, or they will begin to shrivel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bulk noun

¹ large size

ADJ. considerable, formidable, huge, massive, sheer I was amazed by the sheer bulk of the creature. | dark, looming, solid

VERB + BULK ease, heave, shift (used about people) He heaved his considerable bulk into the chair.

² large amount

ADJ. great, large, overwhelming, vast

BULK + NOUN buying, order, purchasing

PREP. in ~ Sugar is imported in bulk from the mainland.

PHRASES the bulk of (= most of) The great bulk of the work has now been done. | buy in bulk It's usually cheaper to buy in bulk.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bulletin noun

¹ short news report/official statement

ADJ. official | news, weather

VERB + BULLETIN issue, put out, release The government will issue an official bulletin later this week.

PREP. in a/the ~ More details will be given in our next news bulletin. | ~ on a bulletin on the president's health

² short newspaper

ADJ. annual, monthly, quarterly, weekly

VERB + BULLETIN produce, publish | read

PREP. in a/the ~ The details are in the June bulletin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bullet noun

VERB + BULLET fire, spray sth with The embassy was sprayed with bullets. | shoot (used of a gun) faster than a machine-gun can shoot bullets | be riddled with The body was riddled with bullets. | put They had put a bullet through his brain.

BULLET + VERB hit sb/sth, shoot sb, strike sb/sth The second bullet hit her in the back. | miss sb/sth The bullet missed his heart by less than an inch. | enter sb/sth | kill sb | be lodged, lodge Surgeons are trying to remove a bullet lodged near his spine. | go, pass | fly across, around, etc. sb/sth, rip through sb/sth, smash/thud into sb/sth, whistle past sb/sth A stray bullet whistled past his ear. | bounce, ricochet The bullets ricocheted off the stones.

BULLET + NOUN hole | wound | scar

PREP. ~ from It is a bullet from the same gun that killed the Italian. | ~ in/through The second bullet hit her in the back.

PHRASES a hail/volley of bullets They died in a hail of bullets. | a sniper's bullet She was shot through the head by a sniper's bullet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bully noun

ADJ. big, real Leave him alone, you big bully! He's a real bully! | class, playground, school

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bumper noun

ADJ. front | back, rear

PHRASES bumper to bumper The cars crawled along bumper to bumper (= very close to each other).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bump noun

¹ sudden strong blow

ADJ. loud | slight

PREP. with a ~ We landed with a loud bump.

² lump on the body

ADJ. big | little, small

VERB + BUMP have | get

PREP. ~ on He got a nasty bump on his head.

³ lump in a flat surface

VERB + BUMP hit We hit a bump and the car swerved.

PREP. ~ in a bump in the road

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bump verb

ADV. accidentally

PREP. against I ran after her, bumping against people in my rush. | into I bumped into the corner of a table as I left. | on I bumped my head on the door frame.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bum noun

¹ person's bottom

VERB + BUM feel, pinch A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him. | sit on They've been sitting on their bums all day, doing nothing.

² lazy/useless person

ADJ. low-down, no-good | lazy | beach He dropped out of college and became a beach bum.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bunch noun

¹ things fastened/growing together

ADJ. big, huge, large | small

PREP. in a/the ~ She put all the flowers together in one big bunch. | ~ of He gave me a huge bunch of red roses.

² group of people

ADJ. mixed, motley

PREP. ~ of They are a bunch of amateurs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bundle noun

ADJ. big, large, thick carrying a thick bundle of clothes

VERB + BUNDLE tie sth (up) in, wrap sth (up) in He tied his belongings up in a bundle and left.

PREP. in a/the ~ The papers are in a bundle on my desk. | ~ of a bundle of newspapers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bungalow noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bun noun

¹ small round cake

ADJ. fresh | stale | cinnamon, cream, currant, hot cross, iced, sticky | hamburger

VERB + BUN eat, have | bake, make > Special page at FOOD

² hair fastened in a round shape

ADJ. neat, severe, tight | loose

PREP. in a ~ a woman with her hair in a loose bun

PHRASES pull/draw your hair back in(to) a bun Her black hair was drawn back into a neat bun. | tie your hair (back) in a bun, wear your hair in a bun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burden noun

¹ responsibility/worry

ADJ. great, heavy, onerous | crippling, intolerable | administrative, economic, financial, tax

VERB + BURDEN bear, carry The manager carries the greatest burden of responsibility. | assume, shoulder, take on She had to shoulder the burden of childcare. | impose, place His illness placed an intolerable burden on his family. | increase | ease, lighten, reduce, relieve | lift, remove The administrative burden must be lifted from local government. | shift plans to shift the burden of taxation onto larger companies | share I need to share my burden with someone.

BURDEN + VERB fall on sb/sth The economic burden falls mainly on businesses.

PREP. ~ for a burden for the whole family | ~ of the burden of high taxation | ~ on/upon easing the financial burden on families | ~ to She felt she was a burden to her parents.

PHRASES the burden of proof (law) (= the responsibility of proving that sth is true) The burden of proof falls on the prosecution: the accused is presumed innocent until proved guilty. | have a burden on your shoulders He has the burden of a large family on his shoulders. | lift a burden from sb's shoulders

² heavy load

VERB + BURDEN carry The women carried their burdens on their backs. | pick up | lay down, put down

PHRASES a beast of burden (= an animal used to do heavy work such as pulling or carrying things)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bureaucracy noun

¹ administrative system

ADJ. vast | government, state

² official rules and procedures

ADJ. cumbersome, excessive, unnecessary

VERB + BUREAUCRACY cut out, eliminate, reduce The organization has promised to eliminate cumbersome and unnecessary bureaucracy. | increase

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bureaucratic adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very The organization is highly bureaucratic. | rather, somewhat | unnecessarily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bureaucrat noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bureau noun

ADJ. citizen's advice, employment, information, missing persons | government, press

VERB + BUREAU contact, go to

BUREAU + VERB deal with sth, handle sth The information bureau handles millions of enquiries each year.

BUREAU + NOUN staff

PREP. at a/the ~ You can get more information at your local citizen's advice bureau. | in a/the ~ She had a friend in the press bureau.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burglary noun

ADJ. attempted | aggravated (law) (= burglary involving further violence or unpleasant behaviour) | house

BURGLARY + VERB happen, take place

PREP. ~ at Audio equipment was stolen in a burglary at a house in Main Road. > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burglar noun

ADJ. professional | cat (= a burglar who climbs up the outside of buildings) | suspected

VERB + BURGLAR hunt (informal) Police are hunting burglars who stole property worth £3,500. | catch

BURGLAR + VERB break in The burglar had broken in through a window. | steal sth | strike Burglars had already struck twice that week in their road.

BURGLAR + NOUN alarm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burial noun

ADJ. decent, proper | Christian, etc.

VERB + BURIAL give sb We want to give him a decent Christian burial. | attend, be present at, go to

BURIAL + VERB take place

BURIAL + NOUN chamber, ground/grounds, mound, place, plot, site, vault disturbing an ancient burial site | ceremony, rites, service

PREP. for ~ His body was returned home for burial. | ~ in preventing the body's burial in consecrated ground

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burn noun

ADJ. horrific, nasty, serious, severe, terrible | minor, slight | first-/second-/third-degree | cigarette

VERB + BURN suffer | die from/of | treat, treat sb for

BURN + NOUN mark

PHRASES 20, 50, etc. per cent burns He was treated in hospital for 60 per cent burns.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burn verb

¹ damage/injure by fire/heat

ADV. badly, seriously, severely | completely The car was found abandoned in a wood, completely burnt out. | partially, partly | easily fair skin that burns easily | ceremonially Bishop Tunstall preached a sermon against the book, after which copies were ceremonially burnt. | down, out The factory burned down last year.

PHRASES be burnt alive, be burnt to ashes/a cinder/a crisp I like my steak burnt to a cinder on the outside and blood red and juicy inside. | burn/be burnt to death Several people were burnt to death. | be burnt to the ground The building was burnt to the ground.

² be on fire

ADV. fiercely The fire was still burning fiercely. | steadily | slowly Fresh leaves will burn slowly with billows of smoke.

³ produce light

ADV. brightly Their torches burnt brightly in the dark.

⁴ be filled with strong feeling

ADV. fiercely Her eyes burned fiercely. | slowly She could sense the anger burning slowly inside him.

PREP. with He was burning with indignation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burrow verb

ADV. deep | away, down He switched off the bedside lamp and burrowed down beneath the bedclothes.

PREP. beneath/under Rabbits had burrowed under the fence. | into Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil. | through worms that burrow through dead wood

PHRASES burrow your way Ivy had burrowed its way through the walls.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bursary noun

ADJ. sports, travel

VERB + BURSARY award sb, offer sb, provide sb with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burst noun

ADJ. short a short burst of energy | sudden a sudden burst of enthusiasm | rapid a rapid burst of gunfire | intense an intense burst of anger

PREP. in ~s He works in short bursts. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

burst verb

ADV. suddenly | apart The ship was burst apart and its crew blasted to pieces.

VERB + BURST be about to, be going to, be ready to My whole head felt like a ripe tomato, ready to burst.

PREP. with (figurative) He felt he would burst with anger. PHRASAL VERBS burst into sth

ADV. suddenly | immediately, instantly, promptly She took one look at the mess and promptly burst into tears.

VERB + BURST be about to, be going to, be ready to He was just about to burst into song.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bury verb

¹ dead person

PHRASES be dead and buried Those people are now all dead and buried. (figurative) Their ambitions were finally dead and buried. | bury sb alive

² hide in the ground

ADV. deep | underground The waste is buried deep underground.

³ cover

ADV. completely a fallen tree trunk almost completely buried in the long grass

PHRASES be buried alive The miners were buried alive when the tunnel collapsed. | be/get buried beneath/under sth The building was now buried under three metres of soil. Your letter got buried under a pile of papers.

⁴ put sth deeply into sth

ADV. deep/deeply He slumped forward, the knife buried deep in his chest. (figurative) her deeply buried pain

PHRASES lie/remain buried (often figurative) The king is dead and lies buried at Jedburgh Abbey. What secrets lie buried in the past?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bush noun

¹ plant

ADJ. gorse, rose, thorn, etc. | prickly, scrubby

QUANT. clump a large clump of rose bushes

VERB + BUSH plant | prune to prune the rose bushes

BUSH + VERB grow

PREP. among/in the ~es She was hiding in the bushes at the side of the lane.

² wild land in Africa/Australia

ADJ. dense, thick | native hills that have become a wasteland after the removal of native bush

BUSH + NOUN fire

PREP. in/into the ~ going out into the bush

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

businesslike adj.

VERBS be, sound | become | remain | keep sth I'd rather keep the relationship strictly businesslike.

ADV. very a very businesslike manner | strictly | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

businessman, businesswoman noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

businessman, businesswoman noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

businessman, businesswoman noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

business noun

¹ buying and selling of goods

VERB + BUSINESS carry on (often law), conduct, do, transact a company that has ceased to carry on business He's someone I can do business with (= that I find it easy/pleasant to do business with). | work in She works in the computer business. | go into, set up in | go out of The firm went out of business during the recession. | put sb/sth out of The new regulations will put many small firms out of business.

PREP. in ~ He's in business. What business are you in? (figurative) All we need is a car and we'll be in business (= we'll have everything we need to start what we want to do). | on ~ going to Paris on business

PHRASES business as usual (= things will continue as normal in spite of a difficult situation) It's business as usual at the factory, even while investigators sift through the bomb wreckage. | business or pleasure Is the trip to Rome business or pleasure? | mix business with pleasure When I travel abroad I like to mix business with pleasure. | a place of business

² amount of trade done

ADJ. brisk, good Business was brisk and they had sold out by midday. | bad, slack, slow

VERB + BUSINESS drum up, generate She's in Europe drumming up business for her new company. | tout for insurance salesmen touting for business | lose We're losing business to our main rivals.

BUSINESS + VERB boom Business is booming for estate agents in the south as the property market hots up. | pick up After a slack period business is now picking up.

³ firm/shop

VERB + BUSINESS have, own | manage, run It was always my dream to run my own business. | set up, start They decided to start their own business. | build up We built up the business from nothing. | work in He works in the family business. | take over | expand, grow We are looking to grow the business over the next couple of years. | join, leave

BUSINESS + VERB do/go well, take off After six months the business really took off. | expand, grow The business is expanding fast. | collapse, fail

BUSINESS + NOUN assets, premises | failure > Note at ORGANIZATION

⁴ work/responsibility

ADJ. daily

VERB + BUSINESS go about market traders going about their daily business | make sth I shall make it my business to find out who is responsible.

PHRASES have no business doing sth/to do sth You have no business (= no right) being here. | mind your own business (= think about your own affairs and not try to get involved in other people's) ‘What are you reading?’ ‘Mind your own business!’ I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when a man started shouting at me. | none of your business/no business of yours My private life is none of your business (= does not concern you).

⁵ important matters

ADJ. private | important, pressing, urgent | unfinished We've got some unfinished business to discuss.

VERB + BUSINESS get down to OK, let's get down to business. | deal with, discuss, talk I'm not going to talk business tonight.

PHRASES any other business (= items discussed at the end of a meeting) I think we've finished item four. Now, is there any other business?

⁶ situation/event

ADJ. whole I'll be glad when the whole business is over and done with. | awful, bad, dreadful, terrible It was an awful business?he couldn't work for months. | funny, strange

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

busy adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get | keep, remain She needed to keep busy. | keep sb I've got enough work to keep you busy.

ADV. awfully, extremely, really, terribly, very | exceptionally, particularly | desperately, frantically | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather | constantly

PREP. with She was busy with her make-up.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bus noun

ADJ. regular There are regular buses to the city centre. | double-decker, open-topped | last I missed the last bus and had to walk. | airport, local, school, sightseeing, tourist

BUS + VERB go, run Local buses run regularly to and from the nearest town. | arrive, come | pull up, stop The bus pulled up and we got on. The buses stop outside the post office. | pick sb up The double-decker bus stopped to pick up some more passengers. | go from, leave (from) Buses leave from here every hour or so. | carry sb a bus carrying 56 passengers

PREP. by ~ It's about 15 minutes away by bus. | on a/the ~ people travelling on buses | ~ for Is this the bus for Oxford? | ~ from, ~ to We took the bus from Reading to Bristol.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

butcher noun

ADJ. local | halal, kosher | master > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

butterfly noun

¹ insect

VERB + BUTTERFLY collect

BUTTERFLY + VERB flit, flutter, fly | emerge The butterfly emerged from the pupa.

BUTTERFLY + NOUN wing

² swimming stroke > Note at STROKE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

butter noun

QUANT. knob, pat, slab He put a large knob of butter on the potatoes.

VERB + BUTTER put on, spread (sth with) Put some butter on the crackers, please. He spread butter on the roll. | heat, melt, soften | beat (in), cream, mix, rub in Cream the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Rub the butter into the flour. | make

BUTTER + VERB spread This butter doesn't spread very well. | melt The butter melted in the heat.

BUTTER + NOUN sauce | dish, knife

PREP. in ~ courgettes sauteed in butter

PHRASES bread and butter > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

butter verb

ADV. generously, thickly | lightly lightly buttered toast

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buttock noun

ADJ. firm | plump, rounded | scrawny

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

button noun

¹ for fastening clothes

ADJ. bottom, top The top button of his shirt was undone. | coat, shirt, etc.

BUTTON + VERB be missing, come off, pop (off) There was a button missing from his shirt. > Special page at CLOTHES

² small switch

VERB + BUTTON click (on) (computing), depress, hit, hold down, press, push Click the left mouse button twice. | keep your finger on | release, take your finger off

PHRASES at the touch of a button The remote control allows you to change channel at the touch of a button. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buyer noun

ADJ. potential, prospective | first-time The houses are small and inexpensive, ideal for first-time buyers.

VERB + BUYER have | find, get They quickly found a buyer for their house. | sell sth to

PREP. ~ for Have you got a buyer for your house yet?

PHRASES buyer beware In matters of second-hand cars, your motto should be ‘buyer beware’ (= the buyer is responsible for checking the quality of the goods). | a buyer's market In a buyer's market, the commodity is plentiful and so its price is not high.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buy verb

ADV. cheaply Old bikes can be bought quite cheaply.

VERB + BUY can/can't afford to

PREP. for He bought a car for his daughter. I bought it for £25. | from I bought some books from a friend.

PHRASES buy and sell She makes her living buying and selling antiques. | money can/can't buy It's the best that money can buy. There are some things money can't buy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buzzer noun

VERB + BUZZER press, sound Press the buzzer when you want to talk.

BUZZER + VERB go (off), sound The buzzer went off at eight o'clock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

buzz noun

ADJ. a high/high-pitched | low | loud | angry the angry buzz of a wasp | background the background buzz of conversation

VERB + BUZZ hear

PREP. ~ of (figurative) I love the buzz (= excitement) of a big city.

PHRASES a buzz of conversation, a buzz of excitement There was a buzz of excitement all round the room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

bypass noun

QUANT. stretch That stretch of bypass will be finished by January.

VERB + BYPASS build

PREP. along a/the ~ speeding along the bypass | on a/the ~ the traffic on the bypass | round a/the ~ We drove round the bypass to the airport. | ~ around/round building a new bypass around the town

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cabbage noun

ADJ. green, red, white | savoy, spring | boiled, pickled, raw

VERB + CABBAGE eat, have | boil, cook, prepare | chop, shred

CABBAGE + NOUN leaf | patch > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cabinet noun

¹ (usually Cabinet) in government

ADJ. full There was a meeting of the full Cabinet this afternoon. | inner The inner Cabinet is to meet again today. | shadow (= the most important members of the opposition party) | war

CABINET + VERB meet | discuss sth

CABINET + NOUN member, minister | meeting | reshuffle The affair led to a mid-term Cabinet reshuffle (= when the prime minister/president changes some of the people in the Cabinet).

² cupboard

PREP. in a/the ~ Past reports are kept in the filing cabinet in my office.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cable noun

ADJ. electric, telephone | overhead, underground | fibre-optic

QUANT. length a length of electric cable

VERB + CABLE lay, run Roads have to be dug up to lay underground cables. Engineers plan to run the telephone cables under the river. | connect Connect the cable to the correct terminal.

CABLE + VERB go, run a cable running under the road | connect sth new cables connecting major cities in Europe | carry sth These fibre-optic cables can carry telephone calls and computer data.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cab noun

ADJ. black, yellow London black cab drivers | taxi | hackney, hansom | horse-drawn

CAB + VERB draw up, pull up The cab pulled up and they got out. | pick sb up, take sb I ordered a cab to take him home.

CAB + NOUN driver | rank | fare | ride

PREP. by ~ I came by cab. | in a/the ~ The driver was sitting in his cab.

PHRASES the back of a cab I left my umbrella in the back of the cab.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cackle noun

VERB + CACKLE give, let out The old woman gave a cackle of laughter. | hear

PHRASES a cackle of laughter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cackle verb

ADV. loudly, wildly He cackled wildly at the thought.

PREP. with to cackle with delight/glee/laughter/mirth/pleasure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cadet noun

ADJ. army, military, naval, police | officer The military academy trains up to 2,000 officer cadets each year.

VERB + CADET train

CADET + NOUN corps

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cafe noun

ADJ. pavement, transport

VERB + CAFE go to | manage, run | own

CAFE + VERB serve sth a pavement cafe serving drinks and light meals

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cake noun

ADJ. home-made | moist, rich, sticky a rich, moist fruit cake | apple, carrot, chocolate, cream, fruit, seed, sponge | layer, sandwich | birthday, Christmas, wedding I blew out the candles on my birthday cake.

QUANT. bit, piece, slice He cut her a slice of cake.

VERB + CAKE eat, have | bake, make | decorate, ice, spread with sth Spread the cake with the butter cream. | cut Everyone cheered as the bride and groom cut the wedding cake.

CAKE + NOUN crumbs She brushed some cake crumbs off her lap. | recipe | mix, mixture a packet of cake mix Pour the cake mixture into a greased and lined tin. | board, tin | shop, stall, stand > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calculate verb

¹ work out a number, etc.

ADV. accurately, exactly

PREP. according to The amount is calculated according to the number of years you have paid into the scheme. | at The sum involved was calculated at $82 million.

² guess

ADV. carefully, shrewdly | correctly He correctly calculated that the others would not dare fight back.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calculating adj.

VERBS be

ADV. coldly, coolly She caught a coolly calculating glint in the other woman's eye.

PHRASES cold and calculating He has a cold and calculating mind.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calculation noun

¹ act of calculating/sum calculated

ADJ. accurate, correct, exact, precise an exact calculation of the amount spent so far If your calculations are correct, then we will make a large profit. | incorrect, wrong It turned out that our calculations were incorrect. | approximate, rough Even a rough calculation shows that you have spent too much. | complex, detailed | simple | quick, rapid | arithmetical, mathematical | economic, financial

VERB + CALCULATION do, make She did a rapid calculation in her head. We cannot make a precise calculation of the price until we have all the costs.

PHRASES a method of calculation

² careful planning to get what you want

ADJ. cold, cool

QUANT. act an act of cold calculation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calculator noun

ADJ. desk, hand-held, pocket | electronic, programmable | advanced Exam candidates are not allowed to use advanced calculators with database capability.

CALCULATOR + NOUN display

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calendar noun

ADJ. busy, full The group has a busy sporting calendar. | golfing, racing, social, sporting, etc.

PREP. in/on a/the ~ the most important event in the year's golfing calendar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calf noun

ADJ. bull, heifer | beef, dairy, veal | weaned

VERB + CALF produce A dairy cow needs to produce a calf each year. | rear These calves are reared for beef. | graze The calves are grazed intensively during their first season.

CALF + VERB graze, suckle

PREP. in/with ~ Their prize cow is in calf (= pregnant).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

call noun

¹ on the telephone

(figurative) Last night's defeat should be a wake-up call for the team.

VERB + CALL give sb, make, place Give us a call to say when you have arrived. She asked her secretary to place a call through to England. | get, have, receive | answer, take I'll take the call upstairs. | return I left a message but he didn't return my call. | put through, transfer Ask the receptionist to put your call through to my room.

CALL + NOUN box

PREP. ~ for Were there any calls for me while I was out? | ~ from You had a call from Fred. | ~ to I made a call to a friend in London.

² sound to attract attention

VERB + CALL let out | hear

PREP. ~ for a call for help

³ short visit

ADJ. business, courtesy, social

VERB + CALL make, pay (sb) The doctor has several calls to make this morning.

PREP. on a ~ She's out on a call. | ~ on Her first call was on the local library.

PHRASES first/last/next port of call Our first port of call (= the first place we went to) was the chemist's.

⁴ request/demand

ADJ. renewed, repeated | last This is the last call for passengers travelling on British Airways flight 199 to Rome. | strike

VERB + CALL issue | renew Drink-drive campaigners have renewed their call for the introduction of random breath tests. | answer, heed, respond to Around 10,000 workers heeded the union's strike call. | reject

PREP. ~ for The charity issued a call for donations to assist victims of the earthquake.

PHRASES a call to arms (= a strong request for people to fight in the army) (figurative) The president's speech was a call to arms to restore the vitality of the American dream.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

call verb

PREP. by We usually call him by his nickname.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calm adj.

¹ not worried or angry

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound I may have appeared calm but I certainly didn't feel it. | become | keep, remain, stay Sit down and keep calm! The pilot urged the passengers to remain calm. | keep sb Keep the patient calm.

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very You seem remarkably calm. | completely, perfectly, utterly Her voice was firm and perfectly calm. | fairly, pretty, quite | apparently, outwardly | curiously, strangely The pain had receded and he felt curiously calm. | reassuringly The voice sounded reassuringly calm.

PREP. about She seemed pretty calm about it.

PHRASES cool, calm and collected He remained at all times cool, calm and collected.

² not rough or stormy

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. absolutely, dead, flat, perfectly The sea was dead calm. flat calm conditions | fairly, quite, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calm noun

¹ peaceful situation/manner/feeling

ADJ. apparent Under his apparent calm lay real anxiety. | inner the pursuit of inner calm | uneasy | forced, studied With a forced calm she said, ‘How do you know?’ | dead She felt not fear, but a kind of dead calm. | deadly, icy ‘I'm calling the police, ’ he stated with deadly calm.

VERB + CALM appeal for, call for The government appealed for calm after the riots broke out.

CALM + VERB descend, settle After the bomb, an uneasy calm settled on the city.

PHRASES a period of calm

² at sea

ADJ. dead, flat Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

calorie noun

ADJ. empty Sweets and biscuits have a lot of empty calories in them.

VERB + CALORIE contain, have | consume, eat | burn (off) You need to exercise more to burn off the calories. | count, watch Some people count calories all their lives. I'm trying to watch my calories at the moment.

CALORIE + NOUN content, intake foods with a high calorie content

PHRASES high/low calorie a low calorie drink | high/low in calories Fruit is relatively low in calories.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

camera noun

ADJ. 3D, automatic, box, cine, closed-circuit, digital, electronic, infra-red, microfilm, movie, pinhole, polaroid, SLR, television/TV, underwater, video | compact | security, surveillance | hand-held, mobile | candid

VERB + CAMERA focus, point Simply point your camera at the subject and press the button. | pose for The royal couple posed for the cameras. | brave, face He couldn't bring himself to face the cameras and left by a back exit. | mount The film was taken by a camera mounted on a hang-glider. | install Closed-circuit cameras have been installed throughout the building. | set up The crews have been setting up their cameras. | load

CAMERA + VERB film sth | catch sth The camera has caught the expression on the Queen's face beautifully. | focus on | roll The director gave the signal and the cameras rolled. | click She stepped onto the balcony and a thousand cameras clicked.

CAMERA + NOUN crew, team | assistant | bag, equipment, lens, tripod | angle, position | work

PREP. in front of the ~s He played his first match at Everton in front of the TV cameras. | off ~ The incident occurred off camera (= was not filmed). | on ~ The moment was caught on camera.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

camouflage noun

ADJ. effective, excellent, good, perfect | protective | army He was wearing army camouflage.

VERB + CAMOUFLAGE act as, provide The animal's markings provide effective camouflage. | wear

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

camouflage verb

PREP. with They camouflaged their truck with fallen pine branches.

PHRASES be carefully/heavily/well camouflaged The vehicles were all well camouflaged.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

campaigner noun

ADJ. effective, good, great, successful | active, tireless, vigorous | experienced, seasoned, veteran | leading, prominent

PREP. ~ against a prominent campaigner against drugs | ~ for an active campaigner for animal rights | ~ on behalf of a veteran campaigner on behalf of the disabled

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

campaign noun

VERB + CAMPAIGN launch, mount, start The company launched a huge advertising campaign. | conduct, fight, organize, run, wage People have criticized the way in which she conducted her election campaign. | lead, manage, spearhead She led a successful campaign against the closure of the library. | take part in | intensify, step up The government has intensified the military campaign against the rebels.

CAMPAIGN + VERB begin, get underway, start The general election campaign gets underway today. | be aimed at sb/sth a concerted campaign aimed at educating young people about the dangers of drugs | aim to The campaign aims to inform the public of the dangers of this disease. | call for sth, demand sth | fail to The campaign failed to achieve its objectives.

CAMPAIGN + NOUN manager, team | strategy | issue Education has become an important campaign issue. | trail election candidates on the campaign trail (= travelling around the country campaigning)

PREP. during a/the ~ They met regularly during the campaign. | ~ against a fierce campaign against hunting | ~ by the political campaign by the Labour Party | ~ for the campaign for racial equality

PHRASES a plan of campaign After sliding in the opinion polls, the party had to rethink its plan of campaign.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

campaign verb

ADV. actively, hard, strongly, tirelessly, vigorously We will campaign hard for an end to the ivory trade. | effectively, successfully Local people have successfully campaigned against the building. | openly, publicly

PREP. against Local communities are campaigning against the dumping of toxic waste. | for We have campaigned for better rural transport. | on The group campaigns on a range of environmental issues. | on behalf of campaigning on behalf of the British consumer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

campus noun

ADJ. large | small | college, university

VERB + CAMPUS have De Montfort University has campuses in Milton Keynes and Leicester.

CAMPUS + NOUN novel

PREP. at a/the ~ Students at the Belfast campus have access to excellent sports facilities. | off ~ They moved off campus to share a flat in the town. | on ~ She lives on campus.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

camp noun

¹ in tents/huts

VERB + CAMP make, pitch, set up We pitched camp just outside the woods. | break, strike We broke camp early the next morning. | leave

CAMP + NOUN fire (also campfire) sitting round the campfire | site (also campsite)

PREP. at a/the ~ The children are spending a week at a summer camp.

² prison, etc.

ADJ. concentration, detention, internment, labour, prison, prisoner-of-war | death, extermination | refugee the appalling conditions in the refugee camps

PREP. in a/the ~ She spent five years in a labour camp.

³ group with shared beliefs

ADJ. hostile, opposing, rebel, rival | ideological, political | armed The region split into two armed camps.

VERB + CAMP switch a politician who switches camp when it suits him | divide into, split into

PREP. in a/the ~ people in both main political camps

PHRASES have a foot in both camps (= show loyalty to two different groups) He can unite the party because he has a foot in both camps.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

canal noun

ADJ. irrigation | ship

VERB + CANAL build, dig

CANAL + NOUN barge, boat | bank | towpath

PREP. along a/the ~ The barge moved slowly along the canal. | on a/the ~ sailing on the canal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cancellation noun

ADJ. last-minute | sudden | outright They opted for rescheduling rather than outright cancellation.

VERB + CANCELLATION have We may be able to offer you some tickets if we have any cancellations. | make Cancellations must be made in writing. | cause Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.

CANCELLATION + NOUN charge, fee

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cancer noun

ADJ. breast, cervical, lung, prostate, skin, etc.

CANCER + VERB spread The cancer has spread to his stomach.

CANCER + NOUN cell | patient, sufferer, victim | risk The cancer risk among smokers was found to be higher. | research | drug, treatment

PHRASES a battle/struggle against cancer He died after an 18-month battle against cancer. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

candidate noun

ADJ. potential, prospective Prospective parliamentary candidates met party leaders last week. | likely, possible She's a likely candidate for promotion. | good, ideal, suitable There were no suitable candidates for the position. | unsuitable | successful The successful candidate will be fluent in French and German. | congressional, ministerial, parliamentary, presidential | Conservative, Democratic, etc.

VERB + CANDIDATE put yourself forward as, stand as She decided to stand as a candidate in the union elections. | field, nominate, put up, run Our organization is putting up five candidates in the elections. | back, support, vote for | choose, select The committee will select the best candidate for the job. | reject We rejected most of the candidates as unsuitable.

PREP. ~ for She was the only candidate for the post.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

candid adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very | extraordinarily, remarkably | perfectly, quite | less than

PREP. about He was quite candid about the way the case had been handled. | with I felt she was being less than candid with me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

candle noun

ADJ. lighted | flickering

VERB + CANDLE light | blow out, snuff (out)

CANDLE + VERB burn | flicker | go out

CANDLE + NOUN flame

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cannabis noun

QUANT. trace Traces of cannabis were found in the pilot's blood.

VERB + CANNABIS smoke | grow

CANNABIS + NOUN leaf, plant, resin > Note at DRUG(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cannon noun

ADJ. water Riot police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

VERB + CANNON load | aim | fire, shoot

CANNON + VERB boom, roar, thunder Cannons thundered to their right. | fire (sth) As the king stepped ashore the cannons fired a salute.

CANNON + NOUN ball, shell | fire, shot | crew | fodder (figurative) The foot soldiers were just used as cannon fodder (= considered not as people but as material to be used up in war).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

canoe noun

ADJ. dugout, open

VERB + CANOE paddle

PREP. by ~ We crossed the lake by canoe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

canopy noun

ADJ. dense, thick a thick canopy of branches | forest, leafy, tree

VERB + CANOPY form The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.

PREP. beneath/under a/the ~ | ~ of sitting beneath a canopy of branches

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

can noun

VERB + CAN come in This special type of milk comes in a can. | open We opened a can of sardines for lunch. | drain, empty She drained her can of beer and threw it away. He emptied a can of beans into the pan. | drink, sip at | fill He was filling a jerry can with petrol from the pump. | recycle

CAN + NOUN opener (also can-opener)

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ of cans of oil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capability noun

VERB + CAPABILITY have She has the capability to become a very fine actress. | increase The government wants to increase its military capability. | lose

PREP. beyond your ~ Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability. | within your ~ I'm sure that your new job is well within your capabilities. | ~ for her capability for making sensible decisions

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capable adj.

¹ having a lot of skill

VERBS be, seem She seems very capable.

ADV. extremely, highly, quite, very He has proved himself an extremely capable manager.

² capable of: able to do sth

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, prove, seem | become | believe sb, consider sb She could hardly believe him capable of such kindness.

ADV. fully, more than, perfectly, quite, well She is more than capable of looking after herself. | barely, hardly, scarcely He was barely capable of writing his own name. | reasonably | clearly, obviously | potentially, theoretically | physically He was not physically capable of climbing out of the window.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capacity noun

¹ amount held/produced

ADJ. high, large a high capacity electric pump large capacity disk drives | limited, small | maximum, total a total capacity of 50 litres | excess, spare spare capacity in the health service | economic, productive | earning The qualification should increase my earning capacity. | carrying, nuclear, seating, storage | engine, lung

VERB + CAPACITY have | be filled/packed to The theatre was filled to capacity (= was full) for every performance. | expand, increase | reduce

CAPACITY + NOUN audience, crowd

PHRASES operate/work at full capacity (= to produce the maximum amount possible)

² ability

ADJ. amazing, enormous, great, remarkable | limited | innate, natural Children have an innate capacity to understand language. | intellectual, mental | human the human capacity for compassion

VERB + CAPACITY have | lose She seems to have lost the capacity to enjoy herself. | increase | reduce, restrict

PREP. beyond your ~ This maths is beyond the capacity of most school children. | within your ~ The mountain walk is well within the capacity of most fit people. | ~ for her amazing capacity for organization

³ official position

VERB + CAPACITY act in, work in I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.

PREP. in your ~ In my capacity as president, I would like to thank Jack for his hard work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capitalism noun

ADJ. advanced, contemporary, late, modern | global, world | competitive, consumer, entrepreneurial, free market, industrial, laissez-faire, liberal, monopoly, popular, state, welfare

VERB + CAPITALISM fight (against), protest against, struggle against | abolish, overthrow, replace

PREP. under ~ a study of the development of agriculture under capitalism

PHRASES the advance/rise of capitalism, the fall of capitalism predicting the fall of world capitalism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capital noun

¹ money used to start a business, etc.

ADJ. fixed, starting | working | foreign, private | equity, investment, share | risk, venture

VERB + CAPITAL have We don't have enough capital to buy new premises. | accumulate, attract, borrow, generate, raise He had various ideas on how to raise capital for the project. | invest, provide, put (up), sink The company has put a lot of capital into the project. We can't expect the government to put up the capital. He sank vast amounts of capital in the venture. | free up, release, unlock | tie up Our capital is all tied up in property.

PHRASES capital intensive capital intensive industries | an injection of capital Inner city areas require a large injection of capital. | a return on your capital Investors want an immediate return on their capital. > Special page at BUSINESS

² city

ADJ. great, major The department store has branches in all major capitals. | British, Japanese, etc. | foreign | provincial, regional, state | cultural, financial, etc.

PREP. in a/the ~ the fast pace of life in the capital | ~ of

PHRASES … capital of the world Las Vegas is the gambling capital of the world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capsule noun

VERB + CAPSULE swallow, take To avoid capture by the enemy, he swallowed a cyanide capsule.

CAPSULE + VERB contain sth capsules containing a poisonous drug

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

captain noun > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

captive adj.

VERBS be | take sb He was taken captive on the border. | hold sb, keep sb She was held captive in a castle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

captive noun

VERB + CAPTIVE free, release The terrorists will only release their captives if they get what they want.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

captivity noun

VERB + CAPTIVITY hold/keep sb in The children were held in captivity until British soldiers entered the village. | bring/take sb into | free/release sb from The prisoners were released from captivity after three months. | escape from

PREP. during (sb's) ~ She was tortured many times during her captivity. | in ~ trout bred in captivity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capture noun

VERB + CAPTURE avoid, escape, evade The refugees evaded capture by hiding in the forest. | lead to This information led to the capture of the murderer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

capture verb

ADV. perfectly That description captures perfectly the feeling of being invisible. | brilliantly, neatly

VERB + CAPTURE attempt to, try to | manage to | fail to The exhibition on India fails to capture the great diversity of this fascinating country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cap noun

¹ soft flat hat

ADJ. flat, peaked | cloth | baseball, bathing, cricket, forage, school, shower, skull, swimming

CAP + NOUN badge > Special page at CLOTHES

² covering for the end/top of sth

ADJ. filler, hub, lens | screw The bottle has a screw cap.

VERB + CAP put on, screw on Put the cap back on the pen. | remove, take off, unscrew

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

caravan noun

ADJ. horse-drawn, motor | gypsy | holiday, touring

VERB + CARAVAN pull, tow | live in, stay in

CARAVAN + VERB park The local farmer lets holiday caravans park on his land.

CARAVAN + NOUN holiday | park, site | rally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carbohydrate noun

¹ substance in food

VERB + CARBOHYDRATE be rich/high in, contain Cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrate.

CARBOHYDRATE + NOUN content | diet a high carbohydrate diet

PHRASES a source of carbohydrate

² food

ADJ. simple | complex complex carbohydrates such as pasta | refined | unrefined

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carbon dioxide noun

VERB + CARBON DIOXIDE absorb, take in Trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. | emit, give out, produce, release | form, give How is carbon dioxide formed? Coke burns with oxygen to give carbon dioxide.

CARBON DIOXIDE + NOUN emissions

PHRASES a build-up of carbon dioxide, emissions of carbon dioxide

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carbon noun

ADJ. pure Diamonds are crystals of pure carbon. | organic | radioactive | activated

CARBON + NOUN content iron with a high carbon content | atom, isotope | fibre

PHRASES a form of carbon

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cardboard noun

ADJ. thick | thin | stiff | corrugated

QUANT. piece, sheet a sheet of stiff black cardboard

VERB + CARDBOARD be made from/(out) of, make sth from/out of | cut

CARDBOARD + NOUN box, carton, tube | cut-out There was a life-size cardboard cut-out of Elvis Presley in the shop window.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cardigan noun

ADJ. wool/woollen/woolly | hand-knitted

VERB + CARDIGAN knit > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

card noun

¹ giving information

PREP. on a/the ~ She wrote the main points of her speech on index cards.

² used to pay/get money

ADJ. plastic He had a wallet full of plastic cards. | cash, charge, cheque (guarantee), credit, debit | phone | ration

VERB + CARD pay by, put sth on, use She paid for her holiday by credit card. I'll put the meal on my card. | accept, take The restaurant accepts all major credit cards. | issue (sb with) The bank hasn't issued me with a cheque card yet.

CARD + NOUN number | holder | fraud

³ greetings card

ADJ. greeting/greetings | birthday, Christmas, get-well, sympathy

VERB + CARD give sb, send sb | sign, write Everyone at work signed a card for her. | get, receive

⁴ used for a game

ADJ. playing | winning | court, picture | trump (figurative) This defender's ability to score vital goals has often proved a trump card. | wild

QUANT. deck, pack

VERB + CARD cut, deal, shuffle | pick ‘Pick a card,’ said the conjurer. | hold (often figurative) The kidnappers hold all the cards (= are in control of the situation).

CARD + NOUN game, player, table 5 cards game

QUANT. game

VERB + CARD play We play cards every Friday night. | lose/win at He always wins at cards.

CARD + NOUN game > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

career noun

¹ series of jobs that a person has

ADJ. long | brief, short | brilliant, distinguished, glittering, good, great, successful He had a distinguished career as a diplomat. | promising | flagging He did a film for Hollywood to boost his flagging career. | chosen She achieved a lot in her chosen career. | academic, acting, diplomatic, literary, medical, military, musical, political, sporting, teaching | playing, professional, recording, stage the album that launched his recording career

VERB + CAREER build, carve out, have, make, pursue He made a good career for himself in football. She pursued a successful career in medicine. | begin, embark on, launch, start (out on) young actors just starting out on their careers | boost | abandon, give up | cut short, end, ruin, wreck a car crash which wrecked his career | resume | change

CAREER + VERB last sth, span sth Her stage career spans sixty years. | start, take off | be over, end

CAREER + NOUN careers advice/guidance/information, careers adviser/officer, careers service | break a career break to have children | advancement, development, ladder, path, progression a move higher up the career ladder | choice, move a smart career move | opportunities, prospects, structure The profession has no clear career structure. | civil servant, diplomat, soldier | girl, woman

PREP. during/throughout your ~ She won many awards during her acting career. | ~ in a career in computers | ~ with a brilliant career with the Royal Ballet

PHRASES the peak/height of your career She was at the peak of her playing career when she injured herself. | a change of career

² period of your life spent working/doing sth

ADJ. chequered, colourful, turbulent, varied He has had a somewhat chequered career. | school, working She started her working career as a waitress.

VERB + CAREER have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

career verb

ADV. wildly A sudden gust caught her hat and sent it careering wildly down the road. | around children careering around the playground

PREP. down, into, off, through The lorry careered off the road and hit a tree.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

careful adj.

VERBS be | make sb Bitter past experience had made her careful of what she confided to Nadia.

ADV. awfully, doubly, especially, extra, extremely, particularly, really, specially, very Be extra careful when walking along country roads. | a bit, a little, fairly, quite | scrupulously

PREP. about She was quite careful about how she spoke to him. | of He's very careful of his reputation. | with She's extremely careful with money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

careless adj.

VERBS be | become, get, grow She had begun to grow careless. | make sb Boredom made him careless.

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, a little, rather a rather careless mistake | notoriously

PREP. about She's careless about her spelling. | of When performing his stunts he was notoriously careless of his own safety. | with He's very careless with money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

caress noun

ADJ. gentle, light the gentle caress of his fingers | warm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

caress verb

ADV. gently, lightly His fingers gently caressed her cheek.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

care noun

¹ looking after sb/sth

VERB + CARE take He left his job to take care of his sick wife. I'll take care of hiring the car. | provide (sb with) | need, require | receive | take sb into The boys were taken into care when their parents died.

PREP. in ~ He had been in foster care since he was five. | in sb's ~ You won't come to any harm while you're in their care. Many historic sites are in the care of the National Trust. | under the ~ of He's under the care of Dr Parks. | ~ of

PHRASES the quality/standard of care

² attention/thought given to sth

ADJ. extreme, good, great Great care should be taken to ensure that the equipment is clean. | extra, special | infinite, the utmost | exquisite, meticulous, painstaking, scrupulous The little girl was writing her name with painstaking care. | exaggerated, excessive He takes excessive care of his appearance. | due (formal), proper, reasonable The householder has a duty to take reasonable care for the visitor's safety.

VERB + CARE exercise, take

PREP. with ~ A label on the box read: ‘Glass?handle with care’. | without ~ He was found guilty of driving without due care and attention.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

care verb

ADV. deeply, genuinely, a lot, passionately, really, truly | hardly, not greatly, not much, not particularly He hardly cares what he does any more. I don't know which she chose, nor do I greatly care.

PREP. about He really cares about the environment. | for You genuinely care for him, don't you?

PHRASES be past caring I'm past caring what he does (= I don't care any more).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cargo noun

ADJ. big, bulk, heavy, large | small | precious, valuable a precious cargo of antiques | deadly The terrorists parked the van with its deadly cargo in a dark alleyway. | dry dry cargo, such as fruit | human The boats discharged their human cargo a little way from the shore.

VERB + CARGO carry | load, take on The ship stopped to take on a cargo of fruit. | discharge, unload | handle The port handles cargo from all over Europe.

CARGO + NOUN aircraft, boat, carrier, plane, ship, vessel | bay, hold | handler, handling

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

caricature noun

¹ funny drawing of sb

VERB + CARICATURE draw She draws caricatures of well-known politicians.

PREP. ~ of a caricature of Sherlock Holmes

² exaggerated description of sb/sth

ADJ. crude, grotesque

VERB + CARICATURE give The film gives a crude caricature of African history.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carpeted adj.

VERBS be

ADV. richly, softly, thickly the quiet, thickly carpeted corridors | fully, throughout a comfortable, fully carpeted bedroom The house is carpeted throughout.

PREP. with (figurative) The churchyard was thickly carpeted with snowdrops and primroses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carpet noun

¹ material for covering floors

QUANT. roll

VERB + CARPET make, weave | fit, lay I'm having the carpets fitted today. | roll back/up, take up | beat

CARPET + NOUN design | tile The grey vinyl floor gave way to carpet tiles. | fitter | cleaner, sweeper

PREP. on a/the ~ The cat curled up on the carpet.

² thick layer of sth that covers the ground

ADJ. deep, thick

VERB + CARPET form The leaves formed a carpet under the trees.

PREP. ~ of a deep carpet of snow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carriageway noun

ADJ. dual, single | northbound, etc.

PREP. on a/the ~ The accident happened on the southbound carriageway of the M1.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carriage noun

¹ vehicle pulled by horses

ADJ. horse-drawn, open

VERB + CARRIAGE ride in | drive | climb into, get into | alight from, get out of, step out of

PREP. in a/the ~

² part of a train

ADJ. railway | full | empty | first-class, second-class | no-smoking/non-smoking, smoking

VERB + CARRIAGE get in/into | get out of | pull

CARRIAGE + NOUN door, window

PREP. in a/the ~ There's a seat in the next carriage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carrot noun

¹ vegetable

ADJ. raw | baby | diced, grated

VERB + CARROT eat, have | cook, prepare | peel, scrape | chop, dice, grate

CARROT + NOUN top | cake | juice > Special page at FOOD

² sth attractive offered to sb

VERB + CARROT dangle, hold out, offer (sb) They dangled the carrot of a large salary in front of me.

PHRASES a carrot and stick to adopt the carrot-and-stick approach (= to persuade sb to try harder by offering them a reward if they do, or a punishment if they do not)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carton noun

ADJ. cardboard, plastic | ice-cream, juice, milk, yogurt Why are these milk cartons so difficult to open?

VERB + CARTON open

PREP. in a/the ~ The soup is sold in cartons. | ~ of a carton of cream

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cartoon noun

ADJ. animated, strip

VERB + CARTOON draw He draws strip cartoons for ‘The Guardian’.

CARTOON + NOUN character | strip | series

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cart noun

¹ vehicle pulled by animals

ADJ. heavy | bullock, donkey, horse-drawn, ox | farm

VERB + CART drive | draw, pull | ride in | climb off/on/onto, get off/on/onto | load, unload

CART + VERB roll | creak, lumber The cart creaked on up the street. | carry sth

CART + NOUN track

PREP. by ~ In the old days coal supplies came by cart. | in a/the ~ She brought the vegetables in an ox cart. | on/onto a/the ~ piling their furniture onto a cart

PHRASES the back of a cart Jump in the back of my cart. | a horse/pony and cart

² small vehicle

ADJ. golf, hand, ice-cream

VERB + CART push, trundle, wheel a man wheeling an ice-cream cart along | drive driving a golf cart

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

carved adj.

VERBS be

ADV. beautifully, delicately, elaborately, finely, intricately, ornately, richly a richly carved doorway | crudely, roughly a crudely carved wooden figure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

car noun

ADJ. fast | new | second-hand, used a used car salesman | veteran, vintage | private The government wants more people to use public transport instead of private cars. | diesel, electric, motor, petrol | estate, hatchback, saloon, sports | armoured, Panda, patrol, police, squad, unmarked Police in an unmarked car had been following the stolen vehicle for several minutes. | racing, rally, stock | company, hire | getaway The robbers abandoned their getaway car in Sealand Road. | parked There was a line of parked cars in front of the building.

CAR + VERB start Despite the cold, the car started first time. | run on sth cars that run on diesel | do sth The car does 55 miles per gallon. The car was doing over 100 miles an hour. | pull out, turn out What cheek! That car pulled out right in front of me! | drive off, pull away | overtake sb/sth, pass sb/sth | accelerate | slow down | come to a halt, draw up, pull up, stop | skid, spin Her car skidded on a patch of ice. | break down, stall | collide with sth, crash, hit sth, leave the road His car hit a van coming in the opposite direction.

PREP. by ~ They take the children to school by car. | in a/the ~ I'll wait for you in the car.

PHRASES cars on the roads The number of cars on the roads is increasing all the time. | a make/model of car

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

case noun

¹ example

ADJ. classic, textbook, typical | clear, obvious, simple It was a simple case of mistaken identity. | borderline After the exams, the teacher gave all borderline cases a spoken test. | extreme | isolated, rare Except in a few rare cases, bee stings are not dangerous. | exceptional, special | striking

VERB + CASE highlight, illustrate, show He highlighted the case of Harry Farr, 25, who was executed for cowardice in 1916.

CASE + VERB arise, occur The committee has full powers to deal with any cases of malpractice that arise.

CASE + NOUN study a case study of an Amazonian tribe | example

PREP. in sb's/this ~ In her case, she failed the exam because she wasn't well. | ~ of a case of animal cruelty

PHRASES case by case/on a case by case basis Complaints are dealt with on a case by case basis. | a case in point Many professions feel they deserve higher pay, and nurses are a case in point.

² true situation

VERB + CASE be, remain It remains the case that not enough graduates are going into teaching. | overstate, understate I agree with him, but don't you think he slightly overstates the case?

³ of a disease

ADJ. acute, chronic | advanced, serious, severe | mild

CASE + NOUN history Medical students study the case histories of many patients. | file, notes, records, report

PREP. ~ of a severe case of food poisoning

⁴ police investigation

ADJ. notorious the notorious case of the Botley strangler | tragic | murder, robbery

VERB + CASE investigate, work on Four police officers are investigating the case. | crack, solve They never solved the Jones murder case.

CASE + NOUN officer Carter was the senior case officer on the investigation.

PREP. on the ~ A detective is on the case at the moment. | ~ of a case of theft

⁵ in a court of law

ADJ. court | criminal | civil | test This is a test case which will influence what other judges decide. | divorce

VERB + CASE bring The victim decided to bring a case of rape against him. | handle This was the hardest case she had handled since becoming a lawyer. | consider, hear, try The court will consider the case soon. The case will be heard in the Court of Appeal. | adjourn | dismiss, throw out The case was thrown out for lack of evidence. | drop The prosecution decided to drop the case. | decide, settle The case was settled out of court. | win | lose | review

CASE + VERB come before sb, come to court, go to court, go to trial The case came before Judge Hales in the Crown Court. He was so clearly innocent, the case should never have gone to court. | collapse The case against her collapsed when a key witness was proved to have lied. | centre on sth, hinge on sth, rest on sth, turn on sth The case hinged on the evidence of the only witness to the killing. | raise sth The case raises a number of issues.

PREP. in a/the ~ the evidence in the case | ~ against The case against her was very weak. | ~ of

PHRASES a/no case to answer The judge ruled that the defendant had no case to answer, as the evidence had been discredited. | the circumstances/facts of a case

⁶ arguments

ADJ. convincing, good, powerful, strong | open-and-shut, unanswerable With his current superb form, he presents an unanswerable case for selection in the team. | weak | defence, prosecution/prosecution's

VERB + CASE have Our lawyer didn't think we had a case (= had enough good arguments to win in a court of law). | prepare The defendant requested more time to prepare his case. | outline, set out | deliver, make (out), present, put, state You can make out a case for changing our teaching methods. | argue, plead I thought she argued her case very well. | take up The local MP has taken up the case of the family of six who have been left homeless. | judge The teacher must judge each case according to its merits. | bolster, help, support What evidence do you have to support your case? | weaken

CASE + VERB exist A strong case exists for adopting a similar system in this country.

PREP. ~ against Is there a case against wearing school uniforms? | ~ for

PHRASES the case for the defence/prosecution, the merits of a case The disciplinary committee considered the merits of his case before fining him.

⁷ container

ADJ. display She kept all her trophies in a display case. | presentation a gold wristwatch in a presentation case | carrying He put the binoculars back in their carrying case. | packing | glass The room was full of stuffed animals in glass cases. | cigarette, glasses, jewellery, pencil, pillow | guitar, violin, etc.

PREP. in/inside a/the ~, out of a/the ~

⁸ suitcase

ADJ. attache | overnight > See SUITCASE (for other collocates with case)

⁹ grammar

ADJ. ablative, accusative, dative, genitive, instrumental, locative, nominative, vocative

VERB + CASE take In Polish the verb ‘to be’ takes the instrumental case.

CASE + NOUN ending

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cash noun

¹ money in the form of coins or notes

ADJ. hard, ready The drugs are sold for hard cash. | petty

VERB + CASH pay (in) We'll have to pay cash for the tickets. | hold The bank should hold enough cash to satisfy customer demand. | convert/turn sth into

CASH + NOUN desk, register | dispenser, machine | balance | book

PREP. in ~ The thieves stole £200 in cash. You can pay by cheque or in cash.

PHRASES cash in hand (= if you pay for goods and services cash in hand, you pay in cash, especially so that the person being paid can avoid paying tax on the amount), cash on delivery (= a system of paying for goods when they are delivered)

² money in any form

ADJ. ready, spare | hard-earned Imagine having to pay some of my hard-earned cash on a parking fine!

VERB + CASH generate, raise They had a football match to raise cash for the hospital. | be short of, be strapped for, run out of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

casserole noun

¹ dish of meat/vegetables

ADJ. beef, chicken, vegetable, etc.

VERB + CASSEROLE eat, have | cook, make, prepare

CASSEROLE + NOUN dish

² dish for cooking casseroles

ADJ. deep, large | shallow | flameproof, ovenproof

PREP. in a/the ~ Put the chicken pieces in a casserole.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cassette noun

VERB + CASSETTE insert He inserted a cassette into the machine. | play, put on She put on a U2 cassette. | pause, stop | eject | fast forward, rewind

CASSETTE + NOUN deck, player, recorder | tape | box | format, version

PREP. on ~ I've got it on cassette.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

caste noun

ADJ. high, low He belongs to one of the highest castes.

VERB + CASTE belong to

CASTE + NOUN system the Hindu caste system

PHRASES a member of a caste, of high/low caste

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

castle noun

VERB + CASTLE approach They had to approach the castle through thick swamps. | build, fortify | attack, besiege, lay siege to | capture, seize, take | defend, hold Edinburgh castle was loyally held in the queen's name.

CASTLE + VERB perch, stand The castle perches on a high rocky outcrop. | overlook sth The castle overlooks the town.

CASTLE + NOUN gate, grounds, keep, tower, wall | ruins

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cast noun

VERB + CAST have The play has a large cast of characters. | join | head Jane Simms heads the cast of this brilliant production.

CAST + VERB perform sth

CAST + NOUN list, member

PREP. in a/the ~ Who is in the cast?

PHRASES a cast of characters, a member of the cast

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

casualty noun

¹ person killed/injured in a war/an accident

VERB + CASUALTY cause, inflict The guerrillas inflicted heavy casualties on the local population. | incur, suffer Our division suffered only light casualties.

CASUALTY + NOUN figures, list, rate

² part of a hospital

VERB + CASUALTY be admitted to He was admitted to casualty with head injuries. | rush sb to, take sb to

CASUALTY + NOUN department, unit, ward

PREP. in ~ He works as a doctor in casualty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

casual adj.

VERBS appear, be, sound | become

PREP. about He was very casual about it all.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

catalogue noun

¹ list of books/objects

ADJ. exhibition, library

VERB + CATALOGUE produce, publish | look through Look through the catalogue and find this picture.

PREP. in a/the ~ More details are given in our catalogue.

² book of goods for sale

ADJ. colour, illustrated | mail-order

VERB + CATALOGUE produce, publish The gallery produced a catalogue of young artists. | browse through, look at/through | send (off) for Send off for our illustrated catalogue of garden plants.

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cataract noun

VERB + CATARACT have | develop | remove A cataract can be removed under local anaesthetic.

CATARACT + NOUN operation, surgery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

catastrophe noun

ADJ. absolute, big, complete, great, major, terrible, total | minor | national | global, international, world | ecological, economic, environmental, natural, nuclear

VERB + CATASTROPHE cause, lead (sth) to These policies could lead the country to environmental catastrophe. | have We had a few catastrophes with the food for the party. | be faced with, be heading for, face The area is now facing economic catastrophe. | avert, avoid, head off, prevent moves to avert a national catastrophe

CATASTROPHE + VERB happen, occur, take place

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

catastrophic adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. absolutely, quite | potentially

PREP. for potentially catastrophic for the environment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

catch noun

¹ act of catching sth

ADJ. brilliant, clean, easy, fine, good, nice

VERB + CATCH take Roger took some brilliant catches at today's match. | drop, miss

² number of fish that sb has caught

ADJ. big, bumper, good, huge, large, record Fishermen have been landing record catches this season. | poor

VERB + CATCH land, make

CATCH + VERB decline, fall Catches fell because of the new dam. | go up, increase

PREP. ~ of a bumper catch of tuna

PHRASES the day's catch a restaurant where you can sample the day's catch

³ device for fastening sth

ADJ. door, window | safety the safety catch on a gun

VERB + CATCH slip (off), undo, unfasten, unlock Fran slipped the catch on the door, then turned to say goodbye. | close

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

categorize verb

ADV. conveniently, easily These factors can be conveniently categorized under three headings.

VERB + CATEGORIZE be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to Her work is difficult to categorize.

PREP. according to categorizing people according to their jobs | by We categorize voters by their choice of newspaper. | into Categorize the plants into four groups.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

category noun

VERB + CATEGORY be included in, belong to, come into, fall into, fit (into) The towns investigated fell into two broad categories. | assign sb/sth to, divide sb/sth into, group sb/sth under, put sb/sth in/into | create, define, establish

CATEGORY + VERB comprise sth, include sth

PREP. in/within a/the ~ He competed in the youngest age category. | ~ of a higher category of prison

PHRASES be in a category (all) of its/your own (= to be unique)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

catering noun

ADJ. commercial, contract, industrial | hotel, in-flight, school

VERB + CATERING do Who's doing the catering for the party?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cathedral noun

ADJ. great, magnificent | medieval, modern | baroque, Gothic, Romanesque | Anglican, Catholic

VERB + CATHEDRAL build | see, visit

CATHEDRAL + VERB dominate sth The great Gothic cathedral dominates the city.

CATHEDRAL + NOUN city, town | church

PREP. in a/the ~ We went to mass in the cathedral.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Catholicism noun

ADJ. ardent, fervent | Roman

VERB + CATHOLICISM convert to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Catholic noun

ADJ. Roman | devout | practising | lapsed

VERB + CATHOLIC be brought up (as)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cattle noun

QUANT. head 5,000 head of cattle died of the disease in one month. | herd

CATTLE + VERB browse, graze cattle grazing in the fields | low | stray, wander Cattle that stray onto the electric railway line are killed instantly.

PHRASES a breed of cattle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cat noun

VERB + CAT have, keep, own We have a pet cat called Archie. | feed | stroke | neuter, spay They didn't want kittens, so they had their cat spayed. | worm The stray cats are wormed and treated with flea powder. | put down The cat was in constant pain so they had it put down.

CAT + VERB hiss, mew, miaow, purr, spit, yowl The cat miaowed pitifully. There was a cat yowling outside my window last night. | bite (sb), scratch (sb) | creep, pad, (be on the) prowl, slink A cat padded silently past. The cat slunk away into the darkness. | arch its back | cower, crouch | curl up | catch sth, hunt (sth), stalk sth | leap, pounce (on sth), spring | spray (sth) Cats mark their territory by spraying.

PHRASES fight like cat and dog In our childhood Irina and I fought like cat and dog. | play (a game of) cat and mouse Young car thieves enjoy playing cat and mouse with the police.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cause noun

¹ sb/sth that makes sth happen

VERB + CAUSE discover, find, identify attempts to identify the immediate cause of the breakdown

CAUSE + VERB be, lie in sth The real cause of the problem lies in the poor construction of the bridge.

PHRASES cause and effect, the cause of death, due to/from/of natural causes He died of natural causes.

² reason

ADJ. good, great, real, reasonable

VERB + CAUSE have We have good cause to believe that he was involved in the crime. | find The experts may find cause to disagree with the school's decision. | give (sb) Her health is giving us great cause for concern. | show The onus is on government departments to show cause why information cannot be disclosed.

PREP. ~ for There is no cause for alarm.

PHRASES cause for concern, with/without good cause, without just cause

³ aim that people believe in

ADJ. deserving, good, just, noble, worthwhile, worthy The money she left went to various worthy causes. | bad, unjust | common The different groups support a common cause. | hopeless, lost (= one that has failed or that cannot succeed) | humanitarian, social | communist, socialist, etc.

VERB + CAUSE be committed/sympathetic to, champion, fight for, further, help, promote, serve, support young men willing to fight for the cause She was keen to do anything that would further the cause. | take up She has taken up the cause of animal rights. | plead He pleaded the cause of the local fishermen.

PREP. in a/the ~ prominent figures in the socialist cause | in the ~ of to disregard the strict letter of the law in the cause of true justice

PHRASES a cause celebre (= a controversial issue that attracts a great deal of public attention), (all) for/in a good cause The function took a lot of organizing, but was all in a good cause.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

caution noun

¹ great care

ADJ. considerable, extreme, great, utmost The utmost caution must be exercised when handling explosives. | excessive | due We proceeded with due caution.

VERB + CAUTION exercise | advise, counsel, urge We urge caution in the use of this medication.

PREP. with ~ The information should be treated with some caution.

PHRASES err on the side of caution (= to be too cautious), the need for caution I must stress the need for caution. | sound a note of caution The minister sounded a note of caution about the economy. | cast/throw caution to the wind/winds (= to start taking risks), a word of caution I would just like to add a word of caution.

² spoken warning given by a judge/policeman

ADJ. formal He received a formal caution.

VERB + CAUTION get off with, receive | give sb, issue, let sb off with They let her off with a caution.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cautious adj.

VERBS be | become, get, grow | remain | make sb Her experiences have made her cautious.

ADV. distinctly, extremely, highly, very | fairly, a little, quite, rather | sensibly, suitably, understandably Doctors are understandably cautious about this new treatment. | excessively, unduly He accused the government of being unduly cautious. | deliberately | suddenly What's made you so suddenly cautious?

PREP. about cautious about spending money | of He warned us to be cautious of accepting their statements as fact.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cave noun

VERB + CAVE explore

CAVE + VERB collapse a collapsed limestone cave

CAVE + NOUN ceiling, entrance, floor, mouth, roof, wall | system | art, drawing, painting | dweller

PREP. in a/the ~ We took shelter in a dark, dank cave.

PHRASES the ceiling/floor/roof/wall of a cave, the entrance to/mouth of a cave

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

CD-ROM noun

PREP. on ~ This dictionary is also available on CD-ROM. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

CD noun

ADJ. budget, full-price, mid-price | double | audio, music, multimedia, photo

VERB + CD insert She inserted a CD into the machine. | play, put on | record You can record your own CD if you have the right equipment. | burn, burn sth onto, copy, duplicate, record | listen to | release The band's new CD is released next week.

PREP. on ~ That was the first album to come out on CD. | on a/the ~ How many tracks are on the CD? | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ceasefire noun

ADJ. complete | immediate | unilateral

CEASEFIRE + VERB come/go into effect | hold, last There are concerns that the ceasefire might not hold.

CEASEFIRE + NOUN agreement, terms

PREP. ~ between a ceasefire between the government and the rebels

PHRASES a violation of a ceasefire

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cease verb

PREP. with The matches ceased with the outbreak of war.

PHRASES without ceasing Prayer was made without ceasing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ceiling noun

¹ top surface inside a room

ADJ. high, low | domed, sloping, suspended, vaulted | painted The palace is famous for its 17th-century painted ceilings.

CEILING + VERB collapse

PREP. on the ~ a fly on the ceiling

PHRASES from ceiling to floor/from floor to ceiling The bathroom has mirrors from ceiling to floor.

² top limit on wages/prices, etc.

ADJ. expenditure, price

VERB + CEILING impose, place, put, set They have put a ceiling on the price of petrol. | abolish | lift, raise The government has decided to lift price ceilings on bread, milk and other staples. | lower

PREP. ~ on a ceiling on imports

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

celebrated adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | justly, rightly his justly celebrated portrait of Queen Juliana | internationally

PREP. as He has become celebrated as an artist. | for The area is celebrated for its food and wine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

celebration noun

ADJ. big, great, noisy | little, quiet, small | family | joyous a joyous celebration of life | double a double birthday celebration | special | national, official, public, street There were wild street celebrations when England won the Cup. | anniversary, birthday, centenary, Christmas, New Year, victory, wedding (usually with celebrations) 50th anniversary celebrations | religious

VERB + CELEBRATION have, hold They held a special celebration in his honour. | join (in) I hope you'll join in the Christmas celebrations.

CELEBRATION + NOUN dinner

PREP. in ~ of They organized a dinner in celebration of the year's successes.

PHRASES a cause for celebration The victory was a cause for great celebration. | a celebration of (sb's) life, a celebration to mark sth They held a celebration to mark forty years of the lifeboat service.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

celebrity noun

ADJ. minor | local, international, national | overnight | guest, visiting | showbiz, sporting, television

QUANT. host Tonight's show features a host of celebrities.

VERB + CELEBRITY make sb The show's success made her an overnight celebrity.

CELEBRITY + NOUN status | chef

PHRASES something of a celebrity He became something of a celebrity in his home town.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

celery noun

QUANT. stick

VERB + CELERY eat, have | cook, prepare | chop, dice, slice Chop the celery and add it to the salad.

CELERY + NOUN leaf, salt, stalk, stick > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cellar noun

CELLAR + NOUN steps | bar, bistro

PREP. in/into the ~ I went down into the cellar for more wine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cello noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cell noun

¹ smallest living part of an animal/a plant body

VERB + CELL form

CELL + VERB divide Cells divide and form new cells.

CELL + NOUN proliferation

PHRASES the nucleus of a cell, the proliferation of cells the proliferation of cells in leukaemia

² small room

ADJ. monk's, nun's | police, prison | padded

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cement noun

ADJ. wet | dental

VERB + CEMENT mix

CEMENT + VERB harden, set

CEMENT + NOUN mixer | factory, works

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cemetery noun

ADJ. local | private, public He was buried in a private cemetery. | military | Catholic, Jewish, etc.

VERB + CEMETERY be buried in | visit

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

censorship noun

ADJ. strict | government, military, state, wartime | film, media, political, press

VERB + CENSORSHIP impose The government has imposed strict censorship on the press. | abolish, lift | tighten Political censorship has been tightened under the new regime. | relax | practise to take action against institutions practising censorship

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

censor verb

ADV. heavily The film has been heavily censored.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

censure noun

ADJ. severe | public

VERB + CENSURE come under, face He could face censure from his colleagues. | avoid, escape Costs will have to be kept down if severe public censure is to be avoided.

CENSURE + NOUN motion

PHRASES a motion/vote of censure Right-wing parties tabled a motion of censure against the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

censure verb

ADV. severely The manager was severely censured for negligence.

PREP. for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

census noun

ADJ. complete, full | general, national, official | decennial | population

VERB + CENSUS carry out, conduct, take A national census is taken every ten years.

CENSUS + NOUN data, figures, records, results, return, statistics

PREP. in a/the ~ the questions asked in the census

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

centenary noun

VERB + CENTENARY celebrate, commemorate, mark The club will hold a party to celebrate its centenary.

CENTENARY + NOUN celebrations, year

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

centimetre noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

centimetre noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

centralized adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly a highly centralized bureaucracy | fully | increasingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

central adj.

¹ in the centre

VERBS be

ADV. very Our house is very central, so we can easily get to theatres and cinemas. | quite

² most important

VERBS be

ADV. absolutely This distinction is of absolutely central importance.

PREP. to These facts are central to the case.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

centre noun

¹ middle point/part of sth

ADJ. dead, very We've bought a flat in the very centre of Cambridge. | city, town | soft chocolates with soft centres

PREP. at the ~ (of) at the centre of the universe | in the ~ (of) a museum in the centre of Birmingham

PHRASES the centre of the city, the centre of (the) town

² important place for sth

ADJ. important, leading, main, major, nerve (figurative) the economic nerve centre of Germany | international, local, national, regional, world | commercial, cultural, economic, financial, industrial, trading, urban London is one of the main financial centres of the world.

PREP. ~ for The university is a major centre for scientific research.

PHRASES a centre of excellence (= a place where a particular kind of work is done well), a centre of government/population/power 3 the centre moderate political position

CENTRE + NOUN party | ground a party that occupies the centre ground of British politics

PHRASES left/right of centre Politically, she is slightly left of centre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

century noun

ADJ. 19th, 20th, etc. a 17th-century building | earlier, last, later, past, previous Later centuries saw the development of a complex transport system. | new, next a celebration to welcome the new century | present

PREP. during the ~ The town's population doubled during the 19th century. | for ~s There have been orchards in this region for centuries.. | in the … ~ He lived in the 16th century. | over the ~s a marble floor worn smooth over the centuries | through the ~s a tradition passed down through the centuries | throughout the ~ America's influence on culture grew throughout the 20th century.

PHRASES centuries old a centuries old custom | the turn of the century

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cereal noun

¹ plant

VERB + CEREAL grow, produce | harvest

CEREAL + NOUN crop, foods, products | farmer, grower, producer | production

² food

ADJ. fortified fortfied breakfast cereals | breakfast | bran, wholegrain, wholewheat

QUANT. bowl a big bowl of cereal | packet

VERB + CEREAL eat, have having cereal for breakfast

CEREAL + VERB be fortified a wholewheat cereal fortified with B group vitamins

CEREAL + NOUN bowl, packet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ceremonial adj.

VERBS be

ADV. purely The monarch's role is purely ceremonial. | essentially, largely, primarily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ceremony noun

¹ formal public/religious event

ADJ. brief, short | quiet, simple | elaborate, glittering | moving, solemn | private, public | formal, important, official, special an official ceremony to welcome the new director | opening the opening ceremony of the Olympic games | closing | award/awards | civil | cake-cutting, dedication, degree, funeral, graduation, inauguration, initiation, marriage, naming, presentation, prize-giving, signing, swearing-in, tea, unveiling, wedding, wreath-laying the Japanese tea ceremony

VERB + CEREMONY conduct, hold, perform The marriage ceremony was performed by the bishop. | attend, be present at, take part in

CEREMONY + VERB take place | mark sth a special ceremony to mark the end of the war

PREP. at a/the ~ the guest of honour at the ceremony | during a/the ~ A lot of people wept during the funeral ceremony. | in a/the ~ They were married in a simple ceremony.

² formal behaviour/traditional actions and words

VERB + CEREMONY stand on I won't stand on ceremony (= be formal).

PREP. without ~ Without ceremony, the woman slammed the door shut in my face.

PHRASES pomp and ceremony the pomp and ceremony of a royal wedding | with due/great ceremony With due ceremony, he took the oath to become president.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

certainty noun

ADJ. absolute, complete | reasonable, virtual It's a virtual certainty that petrol will go up in price.

QUANT. degree It's difficult to predict with any degree of certainty how much it will cost.

PREP. with ~ I couldn't say with absolute certainty that he's here.

PHRASES a lack of certainty There seems to be a lack of certainty over what we should do. | the one/only certainty The one certainty left in a changing world is death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

certain adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem Digby looked certain to be the next president. | become, grow I grew more and more certain that she was lying to me. | make Make certain that you lock the door if you go out.

ADV. very | absolutely, quite | by no means It's by no means certain that she'll get the job. | almost | fairly, pretty

PREP. about/of Are you quite certain about this?

PHRASES can't/couldn't say for certain I think she's a teacher, but I couldn't say for certain. | not know for certain I don't know for certain how many people are coming.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

certificate noun

ADJ. birth, death, marriage | medical | school, school-leaving

VERB + CERTIFICATE award (sb), issue The police are waiting for the doctor to issue a death certificate.

PREP. ~ of a certificate of motor insurance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chain noun

¹ line of rings joined together

ADJ. long She wore a long gold chain round her neck. | rusty | bicycle | daisy, paper

QUANT. length

CHAIN + VERB clank

CHAIN + NOUN mail (= armour made of chains)

PREP. in ~s The prisoner was led away in chains. | off sb's/the ~ Let the dog off its chain. | on a/the ~ They kept the dog on a chain all day long.

PHRASES a chain of office The mayor was wearing his chain of office. | a chain on the door Put the chain on the door before you go to bed. | a link in the chain

² number of things in a line

ADJ. island, mountain | human

VERB + CHAIN form The people formed a human chain to pass the supplies up the beach.

PREP. ~ of a chain of volcanic islands

PHRASES a chain of command (= a system by which instructions are passed from one person to another)

³ group of shops, etc. owned by the same company

ADJ. big, large | small | hotel, supermarket, etc.

CHAIN + NOUN store

PREP. ~ of a chain of clothes shops

PHRASES part of a chain This hotel is part of a large chain.

⁴ number of connected events/situations

ADJ. complex the complex chain of events that led to the war | unbroken There has been an unbroken chain of great violinists in the family. | causal | food efforts to ensure that dioxins do not enter the food chain

CHAIN + NOUN reaction

PHRASES a chain of events

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chairman, chairwoman noun

ADJ. club, committee, company, party She is married to a company chairman. | acting, former, incoming, new, outgoing a report by the outgoing chairman

VERB + CHAIRMAN, CHAIRWOMAN hold the post of | elect (sb)

CHAIRMAN, CHAIRWOMAN + VERB resign, stand down The chairman resigned following the allegations. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chairman, chairwoman noun

ADJ. club, committee, company, party She is married to a company chairman. | acting, former, incoming, new, outgoing a report by the outgoing chairman

VERB + CHAIRMAN, CHAIRWOMAN hold the post of | elect (sb)

CHAIRMAN, CHAIRWOMAN + VERB resign, stand down The chairman resigned following the allegations. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chair noun

¹ piece of furniture

QUANT. row | set a set of antique mahogany dining chairs

VERB + CHAIR draw up, pull up ‘Can I join you?’‘Yes, pull up a chair.’ | pull out He pulled out a chair for her. | have, take Come in and take a chair. | give sb He gave her his chair. | push back He pushed back his chair and got to his feet. | collapse into/onto, flop (back/down) in/into/on/onto, lower yourself into, settle (back) in/into/on, sink (back/down) into, slump (back/down) in/into, sit (down) in/on She dropped her bags and flopped down into the nearest chair. | lean back in, lie back in, lounge (back) in, recline (back) in, relax (back) in, sprawl/be sprawled in He put his feet up on the desk and lay back in his chair. | lean forward in | straighten (up) in They straightened in their chairs when the manager burst in. | get out of, get up from/off, jump (up) from/out of, leap out of/from, rise from He got up from his chair to address the meeting. | rock backwards and forwards in/on, shift (about) in, tip back He was shifting about uneasily in his chair. She tipped her chair back and fixed her gaze full upon him. | swivel (on), swivel (round) in She swivelled round in her chair and picked up the phone.

CHAIR + VERB be placed, stand A chair stood facing the window. | swivel | fall over, tip up, topple over | creak The chair creaked every time I moved.

CHAIR + NOUN arm, back, leg, seat | cover, frame | lift A chair lift carried us to the top of the ski run.

PREP. into a/the ~ He sank into his chair and opened the letter. | in a/the ~ She leaned back in her chair and lit a cigarette. | on a/the ~ A cat was asleep on the chair.

PHRASES the arm/back/edge/leg of a chair She gripped the arm of her chair as she spoke. He sat nervously on the edge of his chair. > See ARMCHAIR

² person controlling a meeting

ADJ. acting, deputy

VERB + CHAIR occupy, take Anne took the chair (= was chairperson) in Carol's absence. | address (sth to) Please address your questions to the chair. | appoint sb (as), elect sb (as)

PREP. in the ~ Paul Ryan was in the chair (= was chairman) at today's meeting.

³ position of university professor

ADJ. professorial

VERB + CHAIR hold, occupy He held the Chair of Botany at Cambridge University for thirty years. | appoint sb to | relinquish, resign | endow, establish A private benefactor endowed the new Chair of Japanese Literature.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chalk noun

¹ white rock

VERB + CHALK quarry

CHALK + NOUN cliff, downs, hill | pit, quarry

² small stick of chalk

ADJ. coloured a box of coloured chalks

QUANT. piece, stick

CHALK + NOUN drawing | dust

PREP. in ~ She had scrawled a note in chalk across the blackboard. | with ~ to write with chalk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

challenger noun

ADJ. closest, main, nearest, serious, strong Her nearest challenger is the vice-president.

VERB + CHALLENGER take on He took on various challengers, but refused to fight Jackson.

PREP. ~ for the main challengers for the European title | ~ to a challenger to the prime minister

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

challenge noun

¹ sth new and difficult

ADJ. big, considerable, enormous, great, huge, radical, real, serious, significant, strong | difficult, tough | major, main | fresh, new | exciting, interesting | economic, environmental, intellectual, political, technical, technological Liszt's piano music presents an enormous technical challenge.

VERB + CHALLENGE be, pose, present | face, meet, respond to, rise to, take on/up The gallery has risen to the challenge of exhibiting the works of young artists. He has taken on some exciting new challenges with this job.

CHALLENGE + VERB face sb the challenges facing nurses in casualty

² that shows that sb refuses to accept sth

ADJ. serious | direct | effective | legal

VERB + CHALLENGE be, present, represent The demonstration represents a direct challenge to the new law.

PREP. ~ to a legal challenge to the president's power

³ invitation to compete

ADJ. leadership, title his title challenge to the heavyweight champion

VERB + CHALLENGE issue, mount plans to mount a leadership challenge within the party | accept, take up I accepted his challenge to a game of chess. | beat off, fight off Our team will have to fight off the challenge from better trained teams.

PREP. ~ from a challenge from the other political party

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

challenge verb

¹ question whether sth is right/true

ADV. directly The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy. | seriously | effectively She was effectively challenging the whole basis on which society was run. | successfully The story was completely untrue and was successfully challenged in court.

PREP. on She challenged him on his old-fashioned views.

² invite sb to compete, argue, etc.

ADV. seriously No one has seriously challenged the champion. | successfully, unsuccessfully

PREP. for She was poised to challenge for the party leadership. | to The count challenged him to a duel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

challenging adj.

VERBS be, prove | make sth We have changed the course to make it more challenging. | find sth He found the course academically challenging.

ADV. extremely, very | quite | enough, sufficiently The tasks were not challenging enough for me and I got bored. | academically, intellectually, politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chamber noun

¹ room/enclosed space

CHAMBER + NOUN door

² large room, especially used for formal meetings

ADJ. grand, great, large, vast | high-ceilinged, vaulted | conference, council, debating

PREP. in a/the ~

³ part of a government

ADJ. first, lower, second, upper | elected She believes there should be an elected second chamber to replace the House of Lords. | legislative, parliamentary

PHRASES the Chamber of Deputies

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

champagne noun

QUANT. bottle, magnum | glass

VERB + CHAMPAGNE have I'll have some champagne, please. | drink, quaff, sip Do you drink champagne? They sat there sipping their champagne. | pour (sb) | celebrate (sth) with | chill

CHAMPAGNE + VERB flow (figurative) The champagne flowed like water at the wedding reception. | be/go flat The champagne had been left open and had gone flat.

CHAMPAGNE + NOUN bottle, flute (= a kind of glass), glass | cork We heard the sound of popping champagne corks next door. | breakfast, reception There was a champagne reception before the concert. | house (= company)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

championship noun

¹ competition

ADJ. major | international, national, world | British, European, etc. | swimming, tennis, etc.

VERB + CHAMPIONSHIP hold The championships are to be held in Rome. | compete in, take part in Over thirty children will compete in the swimming championships. | win She has won four major championships in the last five years. | lose

CHAMPIONSHIP + VERB take place

CHAMPIONSHIP + NOUN final, game, match, race | title, winner

PREP. at a/the ~ I saw him play at last year's tennis championship. | in a/the ~ the teams in the championship

² position/title of champion

VERB + CHAMPIONSHIP hold Who holds the championship at the moment? | take, win He's won the championship for the third time in a row. | lose | regain | retain She managed to retain the championship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

champion noun

VERB + CHAMPION become, be crowned He was crowned champion after his fight in Atlanta.

CHAMPION + VERB defend her/his title

CHAMPION + NOUN fighter, jockey, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chance noun

¹ possibility

ADJ. excellent, good, high, strong | fair, fighting, sporting, realistic, reasonable There's a fair chance that nobody will come to the talk. | little, the merest, million-to-one, minimal, outside, slender, slim, slight There was only a million-to-one chance of it happening. As long as there is an outside chance, we will go for it. | fifty-fifty, one-in-three, -four, etc., 10, 20, etc. per cent They have a 90 per cent chance of success. | survival What are his survival chances? | election, electoral

VERB + CHANCE give sb The doctors gave him (= said that he had ) little chance of surviving the night. | be in with, have, stand After a poor start, they are now in with a chance of winning the league. He doesn't stand a chance of winning against such an experienced player. | assess, rate How do you rate our chances of finding her? | fancy I don't fancy our chances of getting there on time. | boost, enhance, improve, increase, maximize | compromise, jeopardize, lessen, minimize, prejudice, reduce, ruin, scupper, spoil

PREP. by any ~ Are you by any chance Mr Ludd? | ~ of The missing climber's chances of survival are slim.

PHRASES fat chance (informal) Fat chance (= there is no chance) of him helping you! | have every chance She has every chance of passing the exam if she works hard. | no chance! ‘Will he lend us his car?’ ‘No chance!’ | on the off chance (= just in case) I rang the firm just on the off chance that they might have a vacancy.

² opportunity

ADJ. fair, good, great, ideal, wonderful She played left-handed to give her opponent a fair chance. This is the ideal chance for him to show his ability. | big This is your big chance?grab it with both hands. | once-in-a-lifetime | last, second The teacher gave her one last chance to prove she could behave. There are no second chances in this business. | educational, life The new college is intended to improve the life chances of children in the inner city. | clear, clear-cut, scoring (sport)

QUANT. element There is always an element of chance in buying a used car.

VERB + CHANCE get, have I finally had the chance to meet my hero. | deserve He deserves the chance to give his side of the story. | welcome I would welcome the chance to give my opinion. | give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) | deny sb No child should be denied the chance of growing up in a family. | wait for | create, make (sport) The team created several clear chances but failed to score. | spot She spotted her chance of making a quick profit. | grab, grasp, jump at, seize, take Travis had left the door open?she seized her chance and was through it like a shot. Take every chance that comes your way. | blow, miss, pass up, squander, throw away, turn down, waste They blew their chance to go second in the league. I wouldn't pass up the chance of working for them.

CHANCE + VERB arise, come up, come your way When the chance came up to go to Paris, she jumped at it.

PHRASES given the chance Given the chance, I'd stop work tomorrow. | half a chance The dog always runs off when it gets half a chance. | let a chance slip (by) If she let this chance slip, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

³ risk

VERB + CHANCE take The guide book didn't mention the hotel, but we decided to take a chance.

PREP. ~ on The manager took a chance on the young goalkeeper. | ~ with The police were taking no chances with the protesters.

⁴ luck/fortune

ADJ. pure, sheer | happy, lucky By a happy chance he bumped into an old friend on the plane. | unlucky

VERB + CHANCE leave sth to Leaving nothing to chance, he delivered the letter himself.

PREP. by ~ The police came upon the hideout purely by chance. | due to ~ The results could simply be due to chance. | through ~ I got most answers right through sheer chance.

PHRASES a game of chance Chess is not a game of chance. | take your chances (= take a risk in the hope that things will turn out well) He took his chances and jumped into the water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

change noun

¹ becoming/making sb/sth different

ADJ. big, considerable, dramatic, drastic, enormous, extensive, far-reaching, fundamental, important, major, marked, massive, momentous, profound, radical, revolutionary, sea, significant, substantial, sweeping, wholesale Television has undergone a sea change in the last two years. | complete | irreversible | systematic | cosmetic, marginal, minimal, minor, slight, small, subtle | long-term, short-term | abrupt, rapid, sudden | gradual | seasonal | net, overall net change in incomes | global | qualitative, quantitative | beneficial, desirable, effective, exciting, nice, pleasant, refreshing, welcome | unwelcome | unanticipated, unexpected, unforeseen | climate, constitutional, cultural, demographic, economic, environmental, legislative, organizational, political, population, social, structural, technological | culture, gear, name, policy, rule, sex the need for a culture change within the industry He made a rapid gear change as he approached the bend.

VERB + CHANGE make I made a couple of minor changes to my opening paragraph. It made a pleasant change not having to work. | bring about, cause, effect, force, produce How far does war bring about social change? | introduce We are going to introduce a few changes to the system. | undergo | show He needs to show a change in attitude if he is to succeed. | reflect Courses offered in schools reflect changes in the job market. | adapt to Businesses have to adapt to change. | call for, demand He called for a change of mood in Scottish politics. | oppose, resist We resist change because of fear of the unknown. | prevent | be subject to Train times are subject to change without notice.

CHANGE + VERB occur, take place Major economic changes have occurred recently.

PREP. for a ~ I usually take the bus to town, but today I cycled for a change. | ~ from, ~ in The last few years have seen a change in attitudes to single parents. | ~ of a change of government | ~ to the change from the old to the new system

PHRASES a change for the better/worse I reckon we've all made a big change for the better. | a change of clothes (= an extra set of clothes to change into) Take a change of clothes in case you get dirty. | a change of heart/mind He said he's not coming, but he might have a change of heart. | a change of scene I needed a change of scene after being in the job for so long. | a climate of change In the current climate of change, adaptability is vital. | the pace/rate of change A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change. | a period of change The eighties were a period of great change in publishing. | the tide of change The president realized he could not hold back the tide of change, and resigned.

² coins/notes of low value

ADJ. loose, small He emptied his pockets of loose change.

PREP. in ~ I've got about 25 dollars in change. | ~ for Ask the cashier if she has change for a £20 note.

³ money you get back if you pay too much

VERB + CHANGE check, count | give This machine does not give change. | get | take | keep I told the taxi driver to keep the change.

PREP. ~ from/out of The meal left me with not much change from £100.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

change verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, fundamentally, a lot, radically, significantly Our way of life has changed dramatically over the last ten years. Jane has changed a lot since she went to university. | completely | (very) little The village has actually changed very little in the last hundred years. | all the time, constantly, continually The language is changing all the time. | fast, rapidly, suddenly Attitudes to marriage are changing fast. | gradually, slowly

PREP. from Leeds changed from a small market town into a busy city. | into, to His anger changed to sadness.

PHRASES change out of all recognition The town had changed out of all recognition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

channel noun

¹ television/radio station

ADJ. radio, television/TV, video | cable, satellite, terrestrial | commercial, independent | movie, sports, etc.

VERB + CHANNEL change (to), switch (to/over to), tune (in) to I changed channels when the news came on.

CHANNEL + VERB broadcast This channel broadcasts 24 hours a day.

PREP. on a/the ~ There's an interesting documentary on Channel 4 tonight.

² route for sending information

ADJ. direct, indirect Journalists always have indirect channels for getting information. | formal, official She first tried to get a doctor's certificate through official channels. | informal | appropriate, conventional, normal, proper, right, usual | effective an effective channel for communication | diplomatic | communication, distribution worldwide distribution channels

VERB + CHANNEL go through, use If you want a visa, you will have to go through the proper channels. | establish, open (up) attempts to open up new channels of communication

PREP. through a/the ~ The government hopes to settle the dispute through diplomatic channels.

PHRASES a channel of communication, channels of distribution

³ narrow area of water

ADJ. deep | narrow | drainage, irrigation Irrigation channels supply the crops with water. | river, water The estate has fountains and water channels. | shipping

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chant noun

ADJ. incessant | melodious | ritual, traditional | Gregorian a group of monks singing Gregorian chant | football You could hear the football chants a long way from the stadium.

VERB + CHANT sing | keep up The crowd kept up an incessant chant of ‘Out! Out! Out!’ | hear

PREP. amid ~s, to ~s The band left the stage to chants of ‘We want more! We want more!’ | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chaos noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, total, utter | general | administrative, domestic, economic, financial, political, social, traffic

VERB + CHAOS bring, cause, create, lead to A serious road accident caused traffic chaos yesterday. | end in, result in The game ended in chaos. | be plunged/thrown into, descend/slide into The country is sliding into economic chaos. | face | avert, avoid

CHAOS + VERB break out, ensue Chaos broke out when the fire started. I lost my bag in the ensuing chaos. | reign, rule The government collapsed and chaos reigned.

PREP. in ~ The airport was in chaos during the strike.

PHRASES on/to the brink of chaos The country was brought to the brink of chaos. | order out of chaos His brave leadership has created order out of chaos. | a route to chaos, a scene of chaos Doctors worked day and night amid scenes of utter chaos. | a state of chaos

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chaotic adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem Things often appear chaotic to the outsider. | become, get Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.

ADV. really, very It was really chaotic just before the show started. | absolutely Heathrow airport is absolutely chaotic. | increasingly | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, somewhat Things can be fairly chaotic in our house.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chapel noun

¹ part of a church; room/building used as a church

ADJ. little, small | side The funeral was conducted in one of the smaller side chapels. | family, hospital, memorial, prison, private, royal, school, wedding They were married in a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.

CHAPEL + VERB be dedicated to sb The chapel is dedicated to St Michael.

PREP. in a/the ~

² church for some Protestant groups

ADJ. Baptist, Methodist, Nonconformist, etc.

VERB + CHAPEL attend, go to He goes to chapel every Sunday.

PREP. at ~ They are still at chapel (= at a service). | at a/the ~ They agreed to meet at the chapel after the service.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chapter noun

¹ part of a book

ADJ. introductory, opening

VERB + CHAPTER read I read the first few chapters and then got bored.

PREP. in a/the ~ His influence on other writers will be discussed in the next chapter. | ~ about/on a chapter on the city's architecture

² particular period

ADJ. difficult, sad, unhappy Her return to France ended a particularly unhappy chapter in her life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chap noun

PHRASES not (such) a bad chap He's not such a bad chap really. | sort of chap He's a decent sort of chap.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

characteristic adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very his highly characteristic features | entirely, utterly | fairly, quite

PREP. of a problem that was fairly characteristic of late eighteenth century society

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

characteristic noun

ADJ. defining, distinctive, distinguishing, identifying, individual, marked, special, striking, unique | personal | common, family, inherited, national, shared | basic, general | chief, dominant, main, major, outstanding, principal | essential, fundamental, important, key, salient | desirable | behavioural, biological, cultural, demographic, economic, genetic, physical, psychological, racial, sexual, social | human

VERB + CHARACTERISTIC have The two species have several characteristics in common.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

character noun

¹ person's nature/person with a particular nature

VERB + CHARACTER be, have | form, make up | reveal She revealed her true character when anyone disagreed with her. | conceal, hide | reflect His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.

CHARACTER + NOUN trait | defect | change She's undergone a complete character change since her promotion. | reference Applicants were required to obtain character references before being considered for the work. | assassination The defence lawyer attempted a character assassination of the witness (= tried to show the witness had a bad character). | actor, actress

PREP. in sb's ~ It's not in his character to tell lies. | out of ~ The lawyer argued that his client's violent behaviour was out of character.

² nature of sth

ADJ. distinctive, individual, unique | essential, fundamental, intrinsic | original | traditional The renovated buildings retain their traditional character. | international, national, regional Food in Italy has a distinct regional character. the features that make up the national character | intimate | public the public character of material published on the Internet | serious offences of a serious character | military, political | rural, urban The development detracts from the rural character of the area.

VERB + CHARACTER have Each house in the street has its own distinctive character. | assume, take on As you move north, the landscape takes on a different character. | form, make up factors that form the character of a nation | lose The town centre has lost much of its original character. | retain | preserve | give sth It's the basil that gives the sauce its essential character.

PREP. in ~ The houses are Mediterranean in character.

³ interesting quality that sth has

ADJ. considerable, great

VERB + CHARACTER have His face has character?I'll say that for it. | add, give sth the individual touches that give character to a house

PREP. of ~ buildings of considerable character

PHRASES full of character The restaurant is cheap and full of character. | have a character of its own/all (of) its own Your handwriting has a character of its own.

⁴ person's inner strength

ADJ. great

VERB + CHARACTER show The team showed great character in coming back to win. | build Adventure camps are considered to be character-building.

PHRASES strength of character

⁵ person in a story/film, etc.

VERB + CHARACTER play, portray The main character is played by Nicole Kidman. | develop the artist who developed the Superman character | kill off The writers killed off her character when she wanted to leave the soap.

CHARACTER + NOUN development

PREP. in ~ The actors remained in character to answer questions from the audience.

⁶ letter/sign in writing/printing

ADJ. Chinese | ASCII, numeric

QUANT. set, string

VERB + CHARACTER insert | delete

CHARACTER + NOUN set, string

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charade noun

ADJ. clever, elaborate | pathetic, ridiculous

VERB + CHARADE continue, go along with, keep up, maintain, take part in I refused to go along with their pathetic charade.

PREP. ~ of She struggled to maintain the charade of not being afraid.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charcoal noun

ADJ. activated

QUANT. lump, piece

VERB + CHARCOAL make, produce | burn

CHARCOAL + NOUN stick | drawing, sketch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charged adj.

¹ full of electricity

VERBS be

ADV. fully It's wise to take a fully charged spare battery with you. | negatively, positively | oppositely | electrically electrically charged particles

PREP. with

² full of strong feeling

VERBS be

ADV. highly She had a highly charged emotional life. | emotionally, erotically, politically an emotionally charged atmosphere

PREP. with The room was charged with hatred.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charge noun

¹ price asked for sth

PREP. at a ~ This service is available at a nominal charge. | for a ~ The hotel operates a bus service to the village for a small charge. | ~ for There is no charge for cashing traveller's cheques. | ~ on a charge on company profits

PHRASES free of charge (= without any charge) The company will deliver free of charge.

² official statement accusing sb of a crime

ADJ. grave, serious | lesser, reduced He was found guilty on a reduced charge of assault. | baseless, false, trumped-up | civil, criminal, disciplinary | assault, corruption, drug/drugs, fraud, murder, etc.

VERB + CHARGE bring, file, lay, level, make Police have brought a charge of dangerous driving against the man. | bring, prefer, press (only used with charges) | drop, withdraw | answer, face She is almost certain to face criminal charges. | admit He has admitted the murder charge. | deny, dismiss, refute, reject The prime minister dismissed the charge that he had misled Parliament. | fabricate, trump up He accused the government of fabricating the charges for political reasons. | investigate | prove, substantiate The charges will be difficult to prove. | dismiss, throw out The court dismissed the charge against him.

CHARGE + VERB allege sth new charges alleging the misuse of funds

CHARGE + NOUN sheet At the police station a charge sheet was made out.

PREP. on a/the ~ She appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and assault. | without ~ to be detained/held/released without charge | ~ against The charges against you have been dropped. | ~ of a charge of armed robbery | ~ relating to charges relating to the embezzlement of public funds

PHRASES bring/prefer/press charges (against sb) Many victims of crime are reluctant to press charges against their attackers.

³ control

ADJ. overall The conductor has overall charge of the train. | personal She took personal charge of the files. | sole Stephen will resume sole charge for the time being. | temporary

VERB + CHARGE have | take We need somebody to take charge of the financial side. | resume | place/put sb in John has been put in charge of marketing.

PREP. in ~ (of sb/sth) I need to feel more in charge of my life. | in/under sb's ~ The child is under my charge until the mother returns from abroad.

⁴ sudden attack

ADJ. baton, cavalry They were driven back by a police baton charge.

VERB + CHARGE lead Allen led the charge, but could they get a goal back? | sound The bugle sounded the charge.

CHARGE + VERB drive sb back

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charge verb

¹ ask sb to pay money

ADV. directly

VERB + CHARGE be entitled to, be free to, have a right to Firms are free to charge whatever they like for their services.

PREP. against Research and development expenditure is charged against profits in the year it is incurred. | at Stamp Duty will be charged at one per cent. | for We don't charge for delivery. | on The bank charges a commission on all foreign currency transactions. | to The cost is charged directly to the profit and loss account.

PHRASES charge sth to sb's account £50 will be charged to your account.

² make an official accusation

ADV. formally | jointly The teenagers were jointly charged with attempted murder.

PREP. in connection with A man has been charged in connection with the attack. | with She has not yet been formally charged with the offence.

³ rush/attack

ADV. headlong | around/round, in, out The children were all charging around outside.

PREP. at I was worried that the animal might charge at us. | down I heard the sound of feet charging down the stairs. | into She charged into the room. | out of, through, towards The rhino charged headlong towards us. | up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charity noun

ADJ. local, national | registered | private | animal, cancer, conservation, educational, housing, medical

VERB + CHARITY donate (money) to, give (money) to, support | go to All the proceeds from the sale will go to charity. | ask for | accept They are proud people who don't accept charity. | depend on, live on They have no money and are forced to live on charity.

CHARITY + NOUN appeal, auction, ball, concert, event, match, show | school | shop | work | worker

PREP. for ~ The school raised over a hundred pounds for charity. | ~ for a charity for sick children

PHRASES an act of charity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charming adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | find sb/sth

ADV. extremely, really, very | absolutely, altogether, perfectly, quite, thoroughly, utterly She looked small and gentle and altogether charming. | rather | exquisitely an exquisitely charming portrait

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charm noun

ADJ. considerable, great, immense a woman of considerable charm | easy, natural, quiet, real, special His natural charm and wit made him very popular. | personal | boyish, feminine | old-fashioned, old-world, period, traditional | rural, rustic The farmhouse had a certain rustic charm about it.

VERB + CHARM have, possess | keep, retain The village still retains a lot of its old-world charm. | turn on, use He can certainly turn on the charm when he wants to! I nagged him for a week and used all my feminine charm. | exude, ooze He oozes charm, but I wouldn't trust him. | be immune to, resist He was unable to resist her charms. | succumb to Many women had succumbed to his charms. | be lacking in, lack The dining room was dark and gloomy, and the food was similarly lacking in charm. | lose The idea of being a farmer had lost its charm for me by this time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charred adj.

VERBS be

ADV. badly | slightly The meat was slightly charred. | hideously her hideously charred and blackened features

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

charter noun

¹ official written statement of principles, rights, etc.

ADJ. draft | founding | environmental, social | national, UN/United Nations | citizens', patients', etc.

VERB + CHARTER draw up | sign

CHARTER + VERB set sth out The charter clearly sets out children's rights.

PREP. ~ for a national charter for the protection of animals | ~ of a charter of workers' rights

² document giving rights to a town/an organization

ADJ. royal

VERB + CHARTER give sb/sth, grant sb/sth, issue | sign | apply for | receive | revoke

PREP. by ~ They were given this right by royal charter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chart noun

¹ diagram showing information

ADJ. bar, flow, pie | flip, wall Each classroom has a flip chart to write on. | organization, progress, weather

CHART + VERB give sth, show sth a bar chart showing how sales have increased

PREP. in a/the ~ the information given in the chart | on a/the ~ The percentage of school-leavers is shown on the chart.

² detailed map of the sea/sky

ADJ. aviation, nautical, navigation

PREP. on a/the ~ The islands were not marked on their chart.

³ the charts: list of pop music records

ADJ. album, pop, singles

VERB + CHART enter, go into, hit Their single went straight into the charts at number one. His latest single hit the charts last week. | be top of, top The song topped the charts for three weeks.

CHART + NOUN hit

PREP. in the ~ Is that song still in the charts?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chase noun

ADJ. long, short | high-speed | car The film ends with a long car chase. | police | wild goose He sent us on a wild goose chase (= a search for sth that cannot be found).

VERB + CHASE give, take up The old lady shouted for help and then gave chase. A police officer arrived on the scene and took up the chase. | abandon, give up Exhausted and hungry, the hunters finally gave up the chase. | join (in) Several children joined in the chase.

PREP. in ~ (of) She ran in chase of the pram.

PHRASES the thrill of the chase What did he really want? Was it just the thrill of the chase?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chasm noun

¹ hole in the ground

ADJ. deep, gaping, great, huge, yawning

CHASM + VERB open (up) Suddenly a huge chasm opened in the earth.

² great difference of feelings/interests

ADJ. great, huge, unbridgeable, wide, yawning

VERB + CHASM bridge

CHASM + VERB separate sth A chasm separates my generation from my parents'.

PREP. ~ between an attempt to bridge the unbridgeable chasm between the two cultures | ~ of a huge chasm of hate and prejudice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chatter noun

ADJ. constant, endless, incessant Her constant chatter was starting to annoy me. | excited, nervous, noisy | idle I wish you'd stop wasting time in idle chatter.

PREP. ~ about She was full of chatter about her new friends.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chatter verb

ADV. excitedly, happily | away, on He chattered on happily for about half an hour.

PREP. about We chattered about work. | to chattering excitedly to her friends

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chat noun

VERB + CHAT have We had a nice chat over a cup of tea.

CHAT + NOUN show

PREP. ~ about a chat about his new job | ~ between a chat between Mr Blair and a journalist | ~ to/with I'll have a chat to John about it. a friendly chat with a neighbour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chat verb

ADV. briefly | amicably, casually, easily, informally You will have a chance to circulate and chat informally. | politely | away They chatted away to each other.

PREP. about We chatted briefly about the weather. | to George was in the kitchen chatting to some friends. | with I spent a happy half-hour chatting with a friend.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chauffeur noun

ADJ. uniformed

CHAUFFEUR + VERB drive (sb/sth) The chauffeur drove them straight to the theatre.

PHRASES chauffeur-driven The newly-weds set off in a chauffeur-driven limousine. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chauvinism noun

ADJ. male | national | British, Russian, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chauvinist noun

ADJ. male

PHRASES a male chauvinist pig

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheap adj., adv.

¹ low price

VERBS be, be going a brand new radio going cheap | buy sth, sell sth They're selling fabrics cheap this week. | not come Shoes like that don't come cheap.

ADV. amazingly, extremely, incredibly, remarkably, ridiculously, very It's a good restaurant, and incredibly cheap. | comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively | hardly, not exactly At £60,000 the car is not exactly cheap (= it is very expensive). | suspiciously The watch was suspiciously cheap; it was probably a fake. | buy/get sth on the cheap The school managed to get a couple of computers on the cheap.

² poor quality

VERBS be, look The glasses are plain without looking cheap.

PHRASES cheap and nasty cheap and nasty products with brand names you've never heard of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheap adj., adv.

¹ low price

VERBS be, be going a brand new radio going cheap | buy sth, sell sth They're selling fabrics cheap this week. | not come Shoes like that don't come cheap.

² poor quality

VERBS be, look The glasses are plain without looking cheap.

PHRASES cheap and nasty cheap and nasty products with brand names you've never heard of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

check-up noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

checklist noun

ADJ. useful | mental

VERB + CHECKLIST have | use | draw up, produce My boss is drawing up a checklist of my duties. | go through, run through We ran through the checklist of points to consider when buying a computer.

PREP. ~ for a useful checklist for assessing different schools | ~ of a checklist of questions

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

checkout noun

ADJ. supermarket

VERB + CHECKOUT go through, walk through You can't just go through the checkout without paying!

CHECKOUT + NOUN assistant, girl, operator

PREP. at the ~ He hates waiting at the checkout.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

checkpoint noun

ADJ. border | army, military | vehicle

VERB + CHECKPOINT set up The army has set up checkpoints on all the major roads in the area.

PREP. at a/the ~ We were stopped at the checkpoint. | through a/the ~ The police waved our car through the border checkpoint.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

check noun

¹ close look to make sure sth is safe/correct

VERB + CHECK carry out, conduct, do, give sth, have, make, run I'll just have a quick check to see if the letter's arrived. A thorough check is made before the luggage is put on the plane. We're running a police check on all applicants for the job. | keep, maintain Police are keeping a close check on the house. | go for I have to go for a dental check.

PREP. ~ on a routine check on the factory

² control/restraint

ADJ. natural Leaving some fields fallow provided a natural check on insect populations.

VERB + CHECK act as, provide | hold sth in, keep sth in You need to keep your temper in check!

PREP. ~ on The law acts as a check on people's behaviour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

check verb

ADV. always, daily, regularly Always check that the electricity is switched off before you start. Check the engine oil level regularly. | carefully, thoroughly

VERB + CHECK had better, must, need to, should We had better check that all the doors are locked.

PREP. against I'll need to check these figures against last year's. | for Check the roof for loose slates. | with I checked with her to see if she needed any help.

PHRASES be worth checking It's worth checking that there is no rust on the car. | check to see if/whether He was just checking to see if I was in my room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheekbone noun

ADJ. high, prominent | perfect, sculptured | broken, cracked, fractured

PREP. beneath sb's ~s The hollows beneath his cheekbones showed his stress. | on sb's ~s A flush of anger appeared on her cheekbones. | over sb's ~s The skin stretched taut over his cheekbones.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheek noun

¹ part of the face

VERB + CHEEK brush, dab (at), stroke, touch She dabbed at her cheeks with a handkerchief. | kiss, peck | give (sb), proffer She proffered her cheek to kiss.

CHEEK + VERB blaze, burn, flame, grow hot, redden He felt his cheeks burning with shame.

PREP. across sb's/the ~ She gave him a sharp slap across his cheek. | against sb's ~ She laid her cheek against his. | down sb's ~ A tear slid down her cheek. | in sb's ~s She had a healthy bloom in her cheeks. | on sb's/the ~ He kissed his mother on both cheeks and got on the train.

PHRASES bring the colour (back) to your cheeks, the colour floods/rises/rushes to your cheeks The colour flooded to his cheeks when he realized he was being watched. | a kiss/peck on the cheek She gave him a peck on the cheek and said goodbye.

² lack of respect

ADJ. awful, bare-faced, colossal It's an awful cheek, the way he keeps asking you to lend him money. | bleeding (taboo), bloody (taboo), damned

VERB + CHEEK have He's got a cheek, making you wait outside his office.

PHRASES Of all the cheek!/What (a) cheek! He asked you for money? Of all the cheek!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheerful adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become | keep, remain, stay I'm amazed that she keeps so cheerful. | keep sb We tried to keep him cheerful.

ADV. amazingly, extremely, incredibly, remarkably, very | almost | fairly, quite | falsely ‘The doctor is on her way, ’ said Mrs Morris, sounding falsely cheerful.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheer noun

ADJ. big, deafening, great, hearty, huge, loud, rousing The players were greeted by rousing cheers.

VERB + CHEER give (sb) They gave a big cheer when I finally arrived. | be greeted by/with, get, raise She got a loud cheer when she finished speaking.

CHEER + VERB go up A deafening cheer went up from the crowd.

CHEER + NOUN leader

PREP. amid/amidst ~ He accepted the prize amid cheers. | to ~s She went off the stage to loud cheers. | ~ for a cheer for democracy | ~ from There were loud cheers from the crowd. | ~ of cheers of welcome

PHRASES three cheers for sb/sth Three cheers for Mr Jones, who has been such a wonderful teacher!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheer verb

¹ shout to encourage sb

ADV. loudly, wildly The crowd cheered loudly as the goalkeeper made a brilliant save.

PREP. for The fans cheered for their team.

² make sb happy/more hopeful

ADV. greatly, a lot I was greatly cheered by this news. Talking to Jane cheered me up a lot. | a bit | up

PREP. (up) with I cheered her up with memories of our holidays together.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheese noun

QUANT. chunk, crumb, hunk, lump, piece, slice

VERB + CHEESE eat, have | make | cut, grate, slice Cut the cheese into cubes. | melt | sprinkle (sth with), top (sth with) Sprinkle the cheese over the beans. Sprinkle the potatoes with grated cheese and grill for a few minutes.

CHEESE + NOUN fondue, omelette, roll, sandwich, sauce, souffle | board (= a board on which cheese is cut and served; a selection of cheeses served during a meal) | factory

PHRASES bread and cheese, cheese and biscuits, cheese on toast, a selection of cheeses > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chef noun

ADJ. excellent, good | cordon bleu | head, maitre, master | apprentice, second, sous, trainee He took a job as a sous chef in a London hotel. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chemical noun

ADJ. pure | organic | inorganic, synthetic | dangerous, harmful, hazardous, poisonous, toxic | agricultural, household, industrial

VERB + CHEMICAL manufacture, produce | discharge, dump chemicals discharged by industry into our lakes and rivers | be exposed to Many workers are regularly exposed to dangerous chemicals.

CHEMICAL + NOUN factory, plant, works pollution from a big chemicals plant | business, company | industry, manufacturing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chemistry noun

¹ subject of study

ADJ. analytical, applied, theoretical | environmental, physical | industrial | inorganic, organic

CHEMISTRY + NOUN set For her twelfth birthday, she asked for a chemistry set. > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

² chemical structure of substance

ADJ. blood, soil, water, etc. | body natural changes in body chemistry

³ personal feelings/attraction

ADJ. personal | sexual

PREP. ~ between The personal chemistry between the two stars of the film is obvious.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chemist noun

¹ person who prepares and sells medicines

ADJ. local | dispensing

PHRASES chemist's (shop), the chemist's I've just got to go to the chemist's.

² specialist in chemistry

ADJ. distinguished, leading | government, industrial | analytical, research | inorganic, organic > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cheque noun

VERB + CHEQUE issue, make out, sign, write (out), write sb Shall I make the cheque out to you? Can I write you a cheque? | draw He drew a large cheque on his company's account. | make payable Cheques should be made payable to Toyland plc. | give sb, hand sb, hand over | deposit, pay in She deposited the cheque in her husband's account. I've got to go to the bank to pay this cheque in. | pay by | cash I'll cash a traveller's cheque at the bank. | accept Does the restaurant accept cheques? | clear, honour, pass He was sacked for passing bad cheques. | bounce | cancel, stop | endorse

CHEQUE + VERB bounce The cheque will bounce if your salary doesn't reach your account today.

CHEQUE + NOUN account | (guarantee) card Cheques must be supported by a cheue guarantee card. | book, stub

PREP. ~ for a cheque for ten pounds

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cherry noun

ADJ. black, red | glace, morello | juicy, sour, sweet

QUANT. bunch

CHERRY + NOUN stone > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chess noun

ADJ. computer, machine

QUANT. game

VERB + CHESS play

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chestnut noun

ADJ. bright, glossy, rich | dark, deep > Special page at COLOUR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chest noun

VERB + CHEST clutch (at) Clutching his chest in agony, he fell to the ground. | thump ‘You've got to have courage, ’ he said, thumping his chest.

CHEST + VERB expand, heave, rise and fall | puff (out/up), swell His chest puffed out with indignation at the suggestion. His chest swelled with pride as he accepted the award. | tighten Her chest tightened with fear. | ache She ran until her chest ached.

PREP. in the/your ~ She was hit in the chest by two of the bullets. | on the/your ~ the hairs on his chest | to the/your ~ He suffered burns to the chest and neck. She clutched her baby tightly to her chest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chew verb

ADV. well, thoroughly | vigorously | thoughtfully | up Chew your food up thoroughly before you swallow it.

PREP. at She was chewing at her lower lip. | on The baby chewed on a rusk.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chickenpox noun > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chicken noun

¹ bird

ADJ. battery, corn-fed, free-range Battery chickens have miserable lives. | plump | scrawny | live a crate of live chickens

VERB + CHICKEN keep | kill | pluck | truss (up) Are we just going to sit here like trussed up chickens?

CHICKEN + VERB peck | scratch A few scrawny chickens were scratching around the yard. | cluck | roost | wander

CHICKEN + NOUN farmer | coop, run | wire | feed

² meat

ADJ. fresh, frozen | juicy, succulent, tender | cold

QUANT. piece

VERB + CHICKEN eat, have | cook | barbecue, fry, grill, roast, etc. | stuff

CHICKEN + NOUN breast, drumsticks, giblets, joint, leg, liver, piece, thigh, wing | casserole, curry, pie, salad, sandwich, soup, stock

PHRASES (a) breast/leg of chicken, chicken and chips > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chief noun

ADJ. tribal | army, council, industry, intelligence, military, party, police, security, union | education, health, etc.

PHRASES chief of police, chief of staff

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

childbirth noun

ADJ. natural

VERB + CHILDBIRTH die in His wife died in childbirth in 1928.

PHRASES the pain of childbirth She dreaded the pain of childbirth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

childhood noun

ADJ. happy | deprived, difficult, lonely, traumatic, unhappy | normal | early From earliest childhood she'd had a love of dancing. | late His health remained poor into later childhood.

VERB + CHILDHOOD have She had a very happy childhood. | spend He spent most of his childhood in Egypt. | survive Her second son didn't survive childhood.

CHILDHOOD + NOUN days, years | dream, experience, fantasy, memories | friend, sweetheart | home | disease, illness, mortality

PREP. during ~ He became diabetic during childhood. | from ~ She still retained many friends from childhood. | in ~ She died in childhood. | throughout ~ He travelled a lot throughout his childhood.

PHRASES scenes from/of sb's childhood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

child noun

ADJ. little, small, young My father died while I was still a small child. | teenage We've got three teenage children. | good, obedient, well-behaved | delinquent, difficult, disobedient, fractious, mischievous, naughty, problem, sulky, unruly, wayward, wilful She works in a centre for delinquent children. He's always been a problem child. The children were quite unruly and ran around the house as if they owned it. | bright, gifted, intelligent, precocious a school for gifted children What a precocious child?reading Jane Austen at the age of ten! | dull, slow Teaching is particularly difficult when a class contains both slow and bright children. | well-cared for | abandoned, abused, neglected therapy for sexually abused children | sickly | loving | only It was a bit lonely being an only child. | fatherless, motherless | illegitimate | unborn an organization that campaigns for the rights of the unborn child | dependent tax concessions for families with dependent children | street There are a lot of street children in the poorer parts of the city.

VERB + CHILD have How many children have you got? | give birth to, have She didn't have her first child until she was nearly forty. | conceive We had trouble conceiving our first child. | expect They are expecting a child in June. | adopt | bring up, raise, rear He had old-fashioned ideas on how to bring up children. | indulge, pamper, spoil You can't spoil a child by giving it all the affection it wants. | abduct | abandon

CHILD + VERB be born Their first child was born with a rare heart condition. | develop, grow (up) Children grow up so quickly! good food for growing children | cry, scream, whimper, whine | misbehave

CHILD + NOUN actor, bride | welfare

PREP. with ~ (literary) big with child (= pregnant)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chilled adj.

VERBS be, feel I suddenly felt chilled and had to go indoors. | serve sth The wine is best served chilled.

PHRASES chilled to the bone/marrow You must be chilled to the bone sitting out here!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chilli noun

ADJ. fresh | dried | hot | green, red

CHILLI + NOUN pepper | oil, powder, sauce | beans > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chilly adj.

VERBS be, feel She was beginning to feel chilly. | get We were starting to get a bit chilly. | turn (only used about the weather) It turned chilly in the afternoon.

ADV. decidedly, distinctly, very | a bit, pretty, quite, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chill noun

¹ coldness

ADJ. bitter, deep | cold, damp | slight | evening, morning, night | autumn/autumnal, winter

VERB + CHILL feel I could feel the chill as soon as I went outside. | take off I'll add some hot water to the milk to take the chill off it (= to make it slightly warmer).

CHILL + NOUN factor With the chill factor, it's nearly minus forty here.

PHRASES a chill in the air There's a slight chill in the air.

² feeling of fear

ADJ. sudden | icy

VERB + CHILL feel She felt a sudden chill at the thought of the dangers he faced. | strike Her words struck a chill in his heart.

CHILL + VERB run down/up sb's spine, run through sb A chill ran through me at the thought.

PREP. ~ of a chill of fear

PHRASES send a chill through sb/down sb's spine The news sent a chill down her spine.

³ mild illness

ADJ. bad, nasty, severe | slight

VERB + CHILL catch, get I caught a nasty chill after my swim last week. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chimney noun

VERB + CHIMNEY clean, sweep

CHIMNEY + VERB belch sth factory chimneys belching smoke over the town | draw This chimney doesn't draw very well.

CHIMNEY + NOUN breast, flue, piece, pot, stack | sweep

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

china noun

¹ hard white substance

ADJ. fine | bone fine bone china tableware

VERB + CHINA be made of

CHINA + NOUN cup, dish, etc. | clay

² cups/plates, made of china

ADJ. best She got out the best china for the visitors. | broken, cracked

QUANT. set

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Chinese noun

ADJ. Mandarin

CHINESE + NOUN character > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chin noun

VERB + CHIN lift, raise, stick out, tilt She tilted her chin at him defiantly. | finger, rub, scratch, stroke He stroked his chin thoughtfully. | rest She sat with her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her cupped hands.

CHIN + VERB rise His chin rose in a proud gesture.

CHIN + NOUN strap Fasten the chin strap or the helmet will fall off.

PREP. beneath/under sb's ~ He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his. | down sb's ~ The juice dribbled down his chin. | on sb's/the ~ He had bits of food on his chin. She caught him with a hard blow on the chin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chip noun

¹ (usually chips) long thin piece of fried potato

ADJ. greasy | frozen, oven-ready

QUANT. bag, plate

VERB + CHIP eat, have All he'll eat is chips. | live on I never cook anything grand?we live on chips and baked beans. | cook, fry

CHIP + NOUN pan | shop

PHRASES and/with chips fish and chips > Special page at FOOD

² microchip

ADJ. computer, silicon | graphics, memory, microprocessor

VERB + CHIP make, manufacture, produce | design, develop | use This computer uses the DX chip.

CHIP + VERB contain sth a chip containing the coding devices

CHIP + NOUN design, technology | set a Pentium-compatible chip set

PREP. on a/the ~ Advances in chip technology have made it possible to pack even more circuits on a chip. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chip verb

ADV. badly She fell and chipped her tooth quite badly. | away He was chipping away at the stone. (figurative) They chipped away at the power of the government (= gradually made it weaker).

PREP. off We chipped the paint off the wood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chocolate noun

¹ sweet brown food

ADJ. dark, plain | milk | white | bitter | cooking

QUANT. bar, slab | bit, piece, square He broke off a few squares of chocolate. | box I gave her a box of hand-made Belgian chocolates.

VERB + CHOCOLATE eat, have | break (up) into pieces/squares She broke a bar of dark chocolate into four pieces. | grate | melt Melt 100g of cooking chocolate in a basin over hot water. | coat/cover sth in/with, dip sth in, spread/sprinkle (sth with) a box of brazil nuts coated in chocolate

CHOCOLATE + VERB melt Stir until the chocolate has melted.

CHOCOLATE + NOUN bar, chip | biscuit, cake, eclair, egg, gateau, ice cream, mousse, sauce | factory > Special page at FOOD

² small sweet made from chocolate

ADJ. soft-centred | hand-made

QUANT. box

CHOCOLATE + NOUN box

³ drink made from powdered chocolate

ADJ. hot | drinking

QUANT. cup, mug

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

choice noun

¹ act of choosing

ADJ. careful, good, informed, right, wise a careful choice of words | bad, wrong | difficult, hard, stark She faced the stark choice of backing the new scheme or losing her job. | natural | moral Doctors have to make moral choices every day of their lives. | career

VERB + CHOICE make | be faced with, face

PREP. by/from/out of ~ (= because you have chosen) I wouldn't have come to this bar by choice! | of ~ (= that is/should be chosen by a particular group of people for a particular purpose) It's the software of choice for business use. | of your ~ (= that you choose yourself) First prize will be a meal for two at a restaurant of your choice. | ~ about to make choices about their future

² chance/ability to choose

ADJ. clear | free Students have a free choice from a range of subjects. | first You can have first choice of all the rooms. | multiple a test with multiple choice questions | consumer, parental

VERB + CHOICE have I now had a clear choice: either I accept their terms or I leave. | exercise Everyone in a democracy has the right to exercise choice. | give sb, present sb with We gave her the choice, and she decided she'd like a bike for her birthday. | extend

PREP. ~ about He had no choice about that. | ~ as to to extend parental choice as to which schools children should attend | ~ between She has a choice between three different universities. | ~ of a choice of wines

PHRASES freedom of choice, have little/no choice but to do sth I had no choice but to cancel my holiday. | have no choice in the matter The way he behaved meant that we had no choice in the matter. | leave sb with little/no choice Your decision leaves me with no choice but to resign.

³ things from which you can/must choose

ADJ. good, wide | limited | available a range of available choices

VERB + CHOICE have, offer We offer a choice of ten different holiday destinations.

CHOICE + VERB be available (to sb), be open to sb a range of choices available to buyers

PREP. ~ of The shop has a very limited choice of ties.

PHRASES be spoilt for choice (= to have a large number of things from which to choose)

⁴ sb/sth that is chosen

ADJ. excellent, good, happy It was a happy choice of venue | obvious Bill is the obvious choice for captain of the team. | popular | first, second Our first choice for a holiday is the north of Scotland.

PREP. ~ as Mary is a popular choice as chair of the committee. | ~ for I think she's a very good choice for captain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

choir noun

ADJ. massed a massed choir of local schoolchildren | 50-strong, etc. | ladies', male-voice, mixed, etc. | school | cathedral, church, etc.

VERB + CHOIR be in, sing in She sings in the church choir. | conduct | accompany

CHOIR + NOUN practice Choir practice is on Wednesday evenings.

PREP. in a/the ~ two of the girls in the choir

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

choke verb

ADV. almost, nearly

VERB + CHOKE threaten to The panic rising in his throat threatened to choke him. | make sb The fumes from the burning tyres made her choke.

PREP. on My son nearly choked on one of those sweets.

PHRASES choke (sb) to death He choked to death when a fish bone got stuck in his throat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cholera noun

VERB + CHOLERA have, suffer from | catch, contract | die from/of

QUANT. outbreak

CHOLERA + NOUN epidemic, outbreak A cholera epidemic swept the country. | toxin | case, victim > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cholesterol noun

ADJ. high, raised | low | blood raised blood cholesterol levels

QUANT. level a high/low level of cholesterol

VERB + CHOLESTEROL have (only used with high or low) He has high cholesterol. | contain chips containing no cholesterol | reduce Eating garlic can significantly reduce cholesterol in the blood.

CHOLESTEROL + NOUN level

PHRASES be high/low in cholesterol foods that are low in cholesterol

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

choose verb

ADV. carefully He chose his words carefully. | freely They can choose freely from a wide range of courses.

VERB + CHOOSE be able to, be free to, can You are free to choose whichever courses you want to take.

PREP. between She had to choose between giving up her job or hiring a nanny. | from There are several different models to choose from.

PHRASES pick and choose You have to take any job you can get?you can't pick and choose.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chop noun

ADJ. lamb, mutton, pork | loin pork loin chops

VERB + CHOP eat, have | braise, cook, fry, grill > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chop verb

ADV. finely Add finely chopped parsley. | roughly Roughly chop the cabbage. | up I spent the day chopping up wood. | down There are concerns over how quickly the forests are being chopped down. | off He chopped off the small branches before cutting down the tree.

PREP. into Chop the meat into small cubes.

PHRASES chop sth to pieces The furniture had been chopped to pieces.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chord noun

VERB + CHORD play, strum

CHORD + NOUN change, progression, sequence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chore noun

ADJ. little, small | daily, day-to-day, routine | administrative, domestic, household

VERB + CHORE carry out, do It'll take me an hour to do the household chores.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chorus noun

¹ part of a song that is repeated

ADJ. rousing | final

VERB + CHORUS join in, sing

² sth that a lot of people say together

ADJ. general | growing There is a growing chorus of protest against the policy.

VERB + CHORUS join Many teachers have joined the chorus of voices that disapprove of the new tests. | be met with, bring His suggestions were met with a chorus of jeers.

CHORUS + VERB greet sb/sth

PREP. in ~ (= all together) ‘Hello,’ they shouted in chorus. | ~ of a chorus of boos

PHRASES a chorus of voices

³ large group of singers/dancers

ADJ. double | female, male | dawn (= of birds before dawn)

CHORUS + NOUN girl, line

PREP. in a/the ~ She is singing in the chorus.

PHRASES a member of the chorus

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

christening noun

VERB + CHRISTENING attend, go to

CHRISTENING + VERB take place

CHRISTENING + NOUN gift, present | mug, spoon | robe/robes | party

PREP. at a/the ~ We all got together at the christening.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Christianity noun

ADJ. evangelical, fundamentalist, orthodox | muscular Victorian ‘muscular Christianity’ was all about achieving self-control through strict mental and physical discipline. | Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant > Note at RELIGION(for verbs and phrases)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Christian noun

ADJ. believing, committed, devout, good, practising | born-again, evangelical, fundamentalist

VERB + CHRISTIAN be brought up (as)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Christmas noun

ADJ. good, nice | traditional | white hoping for a white Christmas (= with snow on the ground)

VERB + CHRISTMAS have, spend Did you have a good Christmas? We're going to spend Christmas at home this year. | celebrate to celebrate Christmas in the traditional way | get sth for What did you get for Christmas?

CHRISTMAS + VERB come Christmas is coming and the food shops are full.

PREP. at ~ There are lots of parties at Christmas. | for ~ For Christmas he gave her a silk blouse. | over ~ The library is closed over Christmas.

PHRASES Happy/Merry Christmas!, wish sb a happy/merry Christmas

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chronological adj.

VERBS be

ADV. strictly a strictly chronological account of the events | broadly The anthology is broadly chronological.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chuckle noun

ADJ. little, soft | deep/deep-throated, low

VERB + CHUCKLE give, have, let out She gave a little chuckle. | suppress | hear

PREP. with a ~ ‘I was only kidding,’ he said with a low chuckle. | ~ about/over We had a chuckle about it afterwards.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chuckle verb

ADV. softly

PREP. about/over She was still chuckling about the story the next day. | at He chuckled at the thought of the two of them stuck in the snow.

PHRASES chuckle to yourself She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chug verb

ADV. slowly, steadily The train chugged steadily along the West Highland Line.

PREP. along, down, in, out, past, etc. The boat chugged slowly down the river.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chunk noun

ADJ. big, great, huge, large, sizeable, substantial He bit a great chunk out of the apple. This one project has taken a substantial chunk of our budget. | bite-size/bite-sized, manageable He cut the food up into bite-size chunks. (figurative) The listening texts consist of short, bite-sized chunks which are accessible to beginners. | pineapple a tin of pineapple chunks

VERB + CHUNK cut sth (up) into

PREP. in a/the ~ I bought the cheese in one big chunk. | ~ of a huge chunk of meat/rock/text

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

church noun

¹ building where Christians go to worship

ADJ. local, parish, village

VERB + CHURCH build | consecrate, found The church was consecrated in 1250. | dedicate The church is dedicated to St Paul.

CHURCH + NOUN bells, clock, steeple, tower | hall | fete

PREP. at a/the ~ a chamber concert at our local church | in a/the ~ There's an interesting organ in the village church.

² meeting for public worship in a church

VERB + CHURCH attend, go to Do you go to church?

CHURCH + NOUN service | music

PREP. after/before ~ Come to our place for lunch after church. | at/in ~ Mrs Parsons wasn't at church this Sunday.

³ the Church: all Christians regarded as a group

ADJ. early The early Church believed miracles were proof of who Jesus was.

VERB + CHURCH enter, go into He went into the Church (= became a priest) when he was 23. | leave He left the Church after a loss of faith.

CHURCH + NOUN authorities, leaders, member4 particular group of Christians

ADJ. high, low He loves all the high church traditions?incense and processions and vestments. | evangelical, fundamentalist | established (= official), free (= nonconformist) | Christian, etc.

CHURCH + NOUN authorities, elder, leader, member

PHRASES a member of a church

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

chute noun

ADJ. garbage, laundry, rubbish, water a swimming pool with a long water chute

PREP. down a/the ~ The rubbish goes down the chute into a large bin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cider noun

ADJ. dry | sweet | rough, strong The cider was very strong and went straight to our heads. | farmhouse

QUANT. litre, pint | bottle, glass, jug

VERB + CIDER have I'll have a glass of dry cider, please. | drink | sip, swig, take a sip/swig of

CIDER + NOUN apples | vinegar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cigarette noun

ADJ. lighted, lit carelessly throwing a lighted cigarette in the litter bin | half-smoked | illicit She slipped outside for an illicit cigarette. | filter tip, hand-rolled, king size, low-tar, menthol

QUANT. pack, packet She smokes a packet of cigarettes a day.

VERB + CIGARETTE smoke | draw on, pull on, suck on He pulled on his cigarette and waited for the train. | light | extinguish, put out, stub out Please extinguish all cigarettes now. | roll She rolls her own cigarettes. | flick (away) The old man flicked his cigarette onto the roadside. | advertise Posters advertising cigarettes have to carry government health warnings.

CIGARETTE + VERB burn The cigarette burned slowly in the ashtray. | glow The cigarettes glowed in the dark.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cigar noun

ADJ. fat | expensive | cheap

QUANT. box

VERB + CIGAR smoke | draw on, pull on He paused and drew on his cigar. | light | extinguish, put out, stub out

CIGAR + VERB burn Her thin cigar burned quite quickly. | glow His cigar glowed in the darkened room.

CIGAR + NOUN ash, smoke | butt, end | case, holder | smoker

PHRASES brandy/port and cigars They left the men to their port and cigars.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cinder noun

ADJ. glowing, hot, red a fireplace full of glowing red cinders

CINDER + NOUN path, track

PHRASES burnt to a cinder (= completely burnt) By the time I got home, the cake was burnt to a cinder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cinema noun

¹ place where you go to see a film

ADJ. packed The cinema was packed every night for ‘Shrek’. | multiplex a new multiplex cinema on the edge of town

VERB + CINEMA go to How often do you go to the cinema? | be on at What's on at the cinema tonight?

CINEMA + NOUN screen | audience | advertising, commercial | chain

² films in general

ADJ. commercial, Hollywood, mainstream, popular | art, arthouse, independent | avant-garde, modernist, realist, social | silent She started making films in the last years of silent cinema.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circle noun

¹ shape

ADJ. complete, full The stones form a complete circle. How long does it take for the dial to rotate through a full circle? | concentric | widening The water rippled in widening circles round the fountain. | overlapping a design of overlapping circles | tight He turned the car in a tight circle. | half | Antarctic, Arctic, polar

VERB + CIRCLE draw | describe (technical), go around/round in If you follow the road signs you will simply find yourself going round in a circle. | form, make | cut out

PREP. in a/the ~ The children stood in a circle. The planets move in circles round the sun. | ~ of

PHRASES the area/circumference/diameter/radius of a circle, the centre/middle of a circle

² group of people

ADJ. wide She has a wide circle of acquaintances. | narrow, small | charmed, close/closed, intimate, magic, select He invited only a select circle of friends to the wedding. | exalted, high | immediate They treat anyone outside their immediate circle with suspicion. | inner He's joined the inner circles of the court early in his career. | academic, aristocratic, artistic, business, court, diplomatic, government, intellectual, literary, official, political, royal, social, sporting, theatrical ~s She moves in the highest social circles. | family

VERB + CIRCLE have | move in My brother and I move in completely different circles (= we have very different friends). | join | widen You need to widen your circle of friends.

PREP. in a/the ~ Talk of religion was forbidden in the family circle. friends in government circles

PHRASES a circle of acquaintances/admirers/friends

³ in a theatre

ADJ. dress, upper Our seats are in the front row of the dress circle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circle verb

¹ move in a circle

ADV. slowly The helicopter was circling slowly, very low. | overhead A buzzard was circling overhead.

PREP. above Several airliners were circling above the airport. | around/round The vultures were already circling around the dead animal.

² draw a circle round sth

PHRASES circle sth in black, red, etc. She circled her birthday in red on the calendar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circuit noun

¹ path for an electric current

ADJ. short The lights were not working because of a short circuit. | closed | integrated, printed | electrical, electronic

VERB + CIRCUIT break

CIRCUIT + NOUN diagram

² places visited by sb in a particular job/sport

ADJ. amateur, professional Talent scouts spotted him playing on the amateur circuit. | international, world | cabaret, festival, lecture, tennis, etc.

PREP. on a/the ~ She's a well-known figure on the international lecture circuit.

³ circular journey around sth

ADJ. complete

VERB + CIRCUIT do, make We did a complete circuit of the park in twenty minutes.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circular adj.

VERBS be, look From a front view the small birds can look almost circular.

ADV. perfectly He had round unblinking eyes and a perfectly circular head. | almost, nearly, roughly, virtually The crater was two miles across and roughly circular.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circulate verb

¹ liquid/gas/air

ADV. freely Air can circulate freely through the tunnels.

PREP. around/round The heart circulates blood around the body. | through Blood circulates through the arteries and veins.

² story/idea/information

ADV. widely The book was circulated widely in Russia. | freely

PREP. among/amongst newspapers circulating among minority communities | around/round There's a story circulating around the office that you are about to leave the company. | to The document will be circulated to all members.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circulation noun

¹ movement of blood round the body

ADJ. good | bad, poor | blood

VERB + CIRCULATION have I've got poor circulation. | improve, stimulate to have a massage to stimulate your circulation

PHRASES the circulation of the blood

² passing of sth between different people

ADJ. general | restricted Restricted circulation of the report will reduce the risk of leaks outside the ministry.

VERB + CIRCULATION go into The new banknotes will go into general circulation next year. | put sth into | take sth out of, withdraw sth from Copies of the magazine were withdrawn from circulation.

PREP. in/out of ~ the amount of money in circulation (figurative) I was out of circulation for months after the baby was born.

² of a newspaper/magazine

ADJ. large, mass, wide | limited, small | daily, monthly | national, nationwide

VERB + CIRCULATION enjoy, have The newspaper has a daily circulation of 20,000. | boost, increase

CIRCULATION + VERB increase, rise | fall

CIRCULATION + NOUN figures

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circumference noun

VERB + CIRCUMFERENCE have | calculate, measure to measure the circumference of a circle

PREP. in ~ an area three miles in circumference

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

circumstance noun

¹ (usually circumstances) facts/events that affect sth

ADJ. favourable The scheme might work better with more favourable circumstances. | adverse, difficult, tragic, trying, unfavourable people facing adverse circumstances He died in tragic circumstances. | normal In normal circumstances I would let you use my car, but today I need it. | exceptional, special, unusual Only if the circumstances are exceptional will we accept late applications. | mysterious, suspicious She died in rather suspicious circumstances. | extenuating, mitigating His sentence was reduced because of the extenuating circumstances. | changed, changing, different | unavoidable, unforeseen | economic, financial, political, social life in the changing economic circumstances of China

QUANT. set an unfortunate set of circumstances that made her life difficult

CIRCUMSTANCE + VERB change | conspire, dictate sth I felt that circumstances were conspiring against me. Circumstances dictate that I should leave this town forever.

PREP. according to ~ The amount paid will vary according to circumstances. | due to … ~s Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to reschedule the concert. | in … ~s She died in suspicious circumstances. | in/under the ~s In the circumstances, you'd better ring the police. | ~ surrounding The bank will investigate the circumstances surrounding the robbery.

PHRASES by/through force of circumstance The survivors ate plants and insects through force of circumstance. | circumstances beyond our control The delays were due to circumstances beyond our control. | a combination of circumstances We lost our position in the market due to a combination of circumstances. | in/under no circumstances Under no circumstances should you leave the door unlocked. | a victim of circumstance He was simply a victim of circumstance.

² circumstances: amount of money you have

ADJ. desperate, reduced, straitened | domestic, family, personal

CIRCUMSTANCE + VERB improve | worsen

PREP. in … ~ He was a writer living in straitened circumstances.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cite verb

ADV. above, already, earlier, previously This is similar to the example cited above. | commonly, frequently, often The most commonly cited reasons for stopping the treatment were lack of efficacy and side effects. | widely

PREP. as He cited the fall in unemployment as one of the government's successes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

citizenship noun

ADJ. full | dual | British, Chinese, etc.

VERB + CITIZENSHIP have, hold He has German citizenship. | give sb, grant sb They were granted full French citizenship. | acquire, take Ten years later, she chose to take Australian citizenship. | refuse sb | be stripped of, lose He was stripped of his citizenship when he criticized the government. | give up, renounce You will have to renounce citizenship of this country if you apply for citizenship of another. | apply for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

citizen noun

ADJ. full a group of indigenous people fighting for acceptance as full citizens of the country | naturalized | Italian, Thai, etc. | decent, good, honest, law-abiding, respectable, responsible, upright This terrible crime has shocked all law-abiding citizens. | leading, prominent She is a prominent citizen of the town. | average, ordinary It's not clear how the new law will affect the ordinary citizen. | second-class minorities who felt they had been treated as second-class citizens | private The king was visiting France as a private citizen. | senior travel concessions for senior citizens

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

city noun

VERB + CITY build, found

CITY + VERB grow The city grew rapidly in the nineteenth century. | flourish

CITY + NOUN dweller | centre, street Parking is difficult in the city centre. | council | life

PREP. in a/the ~ We live in a big city. | outside a/the ~ There's a park just outside the city.

PHRASES the centre/middle/heart of a city, the edge/outskirts of a city

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

civilian noun

ADJ. innocent, unarmed We demand an end to the killing of innocent civilians.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

civilization noun

ADJ. ancient, early the early civilizations of the Middle East and China | modern the benefits of modern civilization | advanced | primitive | Greek, Roman, etc. | European, Western diseases that are common in Western civilization | great the great civilizations of the past | industrial | human Art and music are among the great products of human civilization.

VERB + CIVILIZATION bring to bring civilization to the outer reaches of the country | create a movement that aims to create a new civilization | destroy | save

PHRASES the beginnings/dawn of civilization, civilization as we know it Could this be the end of civilization as we know it? | the collapse/decline/end of a civilization, a level of civilization to reach a higher level of civilization

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

civil adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very | perfectly, quite

PREP. to The teachers were all quite civil to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clad adj.

VERBS be

ADV. fully He returned fully clad. | lightly, partially, scantily a scantily clad young woman | appropriately, suitably She went home and returned more suitably clad. | decently

PREP. in Ed, clad in his best suit, was waiting for her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

claim noun

¹ statement saying that sth is true

ADJ. false, unfounded, unsubstantiated | conflicting There are conflicting claims about the cause of the fire. | absurd, astonishing, extravagant, grandiose

VERB + CLAIM make The company had made false claims about its products. I make no claim to understand modern art. | accept They accepted her claim that she had been ill-treated. | challenge | deny, dismiss, dispute, reject Claims of a cover-up were dismissed. | back up, substantiate, support They were able to produce witnesses to support their claim. | investigate

PREP. ~ about to investigate claims about appalling prison conditions | ~ of Claims of corruption within the police force were denied.

² demand for sth

ADJ. large, small | excessive excessive wage claims | legal, legitimate | bogus, fraudulent Police are investigating fraudulent claims for fire damage. | accident, compensation, damage/damages, insurance, pay, wage | civil to file a civil claim for damages

VERB + CLAIM bring, file, lodge, make, put forward/in, submit She brought a claim for damages against the company. | drop, waive, withdraw | investigage | allow, uphold His claim for compensation was upheld in court. | dismiss | win | meet, pay, settle We will need extra funds to meet all the insurance claims.

CLAIM + VERB arise claims arising out of accidents at work | fail The claim failed because the company had not been misled.

CLAIM + NOUN form

PREP. ~ against claims against the company for breach of contract | ~ for a claim for compensation | ~ on to make a claim on your insurance policy I have many claims on my time.

³ right to have sth

ADJ. good, strong | competing, rival competing claims for public money | prior She had a prior claim on his affections. | moral | territorial

VERB + CLAIM have He has a good claim to the land. | assert, lay, press, stake Four men laid claim to leadership of the country. to stake a claim to some of the prize money | establish, prove You will have to prove your claim to the property in a court of law. | relinquish, renounce, withdraw

PREP. ~ on His children have a claim on his estate. | ~ to She renounced her claim to the property.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

claim verb

¹ say that sth is true

ADV. justifiably, rightfully, rightly | falsely, wrongly The company had falsely claimed that its products were biodegradable.

VERB + CLAIM attempt to, try to He tried to claim that he had acted in self-defence.

² ask for sth you think you have a right to have

ADV. back You can claim back some of the cost of your treatment.

VERB + CLAIM be able to, be entitled to, can/could You might be entitled to claim compensation if you are injured at work. | attempt to, try to

PREP. on Can't you claim on your insurance?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clamour noun

ADJ. noisy, raucous | growing | public | sudden

VERB + CLAMOUR still He raised a hand to still the clamour.

CLAMOUR + VERB break out | grow | subside

PREP. above/amid the ~ She could barely make herself heard above the clamour of the rain. | ~ for The clamour for her resignation grew louder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clamp verb

ADV. firmly, tight/tightly | together Clamp the pieces of wood together while the glue sets.

PREP. around/round She clamped her arms around him. | on/onto He clamped his hand firmly onto Jack's shoulder. | over A large hand clamped over her mouth. | to The dog's jaws werwe clamped to his leg.

PHRASES clamped between your teeth He had a large cigar clamped between his teeth. | clamp shut His mouth clamped shut. PHRASAL VERBS clamp down

ADV. hard

PREP. on to clamp down hard on bullying

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clang noun

ADJ. loud | metallic

VERB + CLANG give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ The door shut with a loud clang. | ~ of

PHRASES the clang of metal > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clank noun

ADJ. loud

PREP. with a ~ The door opened with a clank. | ~ of the clank and rattle of the trams

PHRASES the clank of machinery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clap noun

ADJ. big

VERB + CLAP give sb

PREP. ~ for A big clap for our last contestant!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clap verb

ADV. enthusiastically, loudly The audience clapped enthusiastically.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clarification noun

ADJ. further

VERB + CLARIFICATION ask for, call for, seek Employers are seeking further clarification of the proposals. | need, require | give sb, provide sb with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clarify verb

ADV. fully | further Headings and sub-headings further clarify the structure of the article.

VERB + CLARIFY attempt to, seek to, try to | need to | help (to), serve to | should | be delighted to, be happy to, be pleased to I am happy to clarify any points that are still unclear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clarinet noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clarity noun

VERB + CLARITY have | lack

PREP. with ( … ) ~ She expressed herself with great clarity. | ~ of clarity of thought

PHRASES for the sake of clarity For the sake of clarity she went back over the key points.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clash noun

ADJ. angry, bitter, fierce, serious | armed, bloody, violent | head-on The leaders are preparing for a head-on clash at the summit. | culture, personality

VERB + CLASH lead to

CLASH + VERB break out

PREP. in a/the ~ Several people were injured in violent clashes with the police. | ~ between Clashes between the rebels and government forces have broken out in the north. | ~ of a clash of opinions | ~ over Differences in the aims of the two unions have led to serious clashes over policy. | ~ with

PHRASES a clash of cultures/interests/wills

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clash verb

ADV. violently | repeatedly

PREP. on/over He has clashed repeatedly with the team coach over training schedules. | with They often clash violently with rival gangs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clasp verb

ADV. tightly She clasped her bag tightly as she walked through the crowd. | lightly, loosely | warmly He clasped my hand warmly in welcome. | together She faced Will, her hands clasped together.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

classic noun

¹ famous book/play, etc.

ADJ. great | minor | contemporary, modern | all-time | pop/popular

PREP. ~ of one of the great classics of English literature

² Classics: study of Greek/Roman culture > Note at SUBJECT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

classification noun

VERB + CLASSIFICATION defy a style of dancing that defies classification

CLASSIFICATION + NOUN system

PREP. ~ into the broad classification of music into classical and pop

PHRASES a system of classification

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

class noun

¹ lesson/group of students

ADJ. big, large | small | advanced, beginners', elementary, intermediate | biology, history, etc. | evening

VERB + CLASS attend, go to, take He's taking classes in pottery. | miss | hold The institute holds evening classes throughout the year. | conduct, give, take, teach Who's taking the class today? | dismiss Class dismissed! | observe, sit in on

CLASS + NOUN member, teacher | size

PREP. in (a/the) ~ We'll start the exercise in class and you can finish it for homework. Which history class are you in? | ~ in She's going to evening classes in Italian.

PHRASES the back/front of the class He sat at the back of the class. | be/come top of the class She came top of the class in maths.

² social/economic group

ADJ. lower, lower-middle, middle, upper, upper-middle, working sections of the working class | chattering (informal), educated, landed, landowning, privileged, professional, ruling topics being discussed at the breakfast tables of the chattering classes | dominant | social Membership of gardening clubs is drawn from all social classes.

CLASS + NOUN structure, system | consciousness | interests | conflict, differences, divisions, struggle, war

³ group of things

ADJ. large, small | distinct | rare

VERB + CLASS form These writers form a distinct class in Russian literature.

PREP. ~ of a rare class of butterflies

PHRASES be in a class of your own/in a different class (= to be much better than sb/sth)

⁴ high quality/style

ADJ. great, real a player of great class

VERB + CLASS have She's got real class.

PHRASES a touch of class The musical entertainment added a touch of class to the occasion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clatter noun

ADJ. loud, noisy, terrible | metallic | sudden

VERB + CLATTER make The wheels of the cart made a terrible clatter on the cobblestones. | hear

PREP. with a ~ She dropped her fork with a clatter. | ~ of There was a clatter of hooves and a party of riders drew up.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clatter verb

ADV. noisily

PREP. against The mug clattered against her teeth. | down Something heavy came clattering down the stairs. | on His boots clattered on the stairs. | to The knife clattered noisily to the floor.

PHRASES come clattering

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clause noun

¹ in a legal document

ADJ. clawback (= for retrieving money already paid out), confidentiality, escalator (= that allows for a rise in wages or prices under certain conditions), force majeure, indemnity, liability, limitation, penalty The penalty clause specifies that late delivery will be fined. | escape, exclusion, exemption, get-out, let-out, opt-out

VERB + CLAUSE contain, have The contract contains a confidentiality clause. | add, include, insert, put in We added an opt-out clause to the agreement. | delete, take out | amend

PREP. in a/the ~ There is some ambiguity in this clause. | under a/the ~ Under Clause 5.8, the company is responsible for the health of its employees. | ~ on a clause on pollution

² in grammar

ADJ. main, subordinate | conditional, coordinate, dependent, finite, independent, infinitive, non-finite, relative | non-restrictive, restrictive a restrictive relative clause | adverbial, nominal, noun

PREP. in a/the ~ The completed action is in the main clause.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

claustrophobia noun

VERB + CLAUSTROPHOBIA get, suffer from | give sb I hate lifts?they give me claustrophobia.

PHRASES a feeling of claustrophobia

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

claustrophobic adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem I felt a bit claustrophobic in the tiny room. | become, get | make sb Crowds make me claustrophobic. | find sth I find that building intensely claustrophobic.

ADV. intensely, very | a bit, rather, somewhat The atmosphere was somewhat claustrophobic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

claw noun

ADJ. sharp a cat with sharp claws | powerful, strong

VERB + CLAW sharpen | dig, sink The tiger dug its claws into his leg. | show The lion growled and showed its claws. | retract

CLAW + NOUN mark

PREP. in sb's ~s The cat held a bird in its claws.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clay noun

ADJ. heavy | fine | soft | damp, sticky, wet | china, modelling

QUANT. lump

VERB + CLAY mould, shape She moulded the clay into the shape of a head. | bake, fire | be made from/in/(out) of, make/mould sth from/in/out of a figure made of clay

CLAY + NOUN modelling | mould

PREP. in ~ plants that grow in damp clay

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cleaner noun

¹ person who cleans

ADJ. hospital, office, school, street > Note at JOB

² substance/instrument used for cleaning

ADJ. bathroom, carpet, household, oven, toilet chemicals that are found in all household cleaners

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cleanliness noun

ADJ. excessive | personal His mother gave him a lecture about personal cleanliness.

PHRASES a standard of cleanliness, a state of cleanliness The bathroom was in a good state of cleanliness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cleanse verb

ADV. thoroughly | gently

PREP. of a treatment to cleanse the body of toxins

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clean adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, smell The room smelled clean and fresh. | stay The bathroom doesn't stay clean for long. | brush sth, get sth, scrape sth, scrub sth, wipe sth scrubbing the floor to get it clean She wiped all the surfaces clean. | leave sth Please leave the kitchen clean. | keep sth You're supposed to keep your room clean.

ADV. extremely, very | spotlessly The whole house was spotlessly clean. | almost, nearly It's almost clean. I've just got to wipe the table. | fairly, pretty, quite

PHRASES clean and tidy Is your room clean and tidy now? | lovely and clean The water was lovely and clean.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clean verb

ADV. effectively, well This product cleans baths very effectively. | properly, thoroughly I clean the house thoroughly once a week. | carefully, gently He gently cleaned the wound and dressed it. | out, up I cleaned out all the cupboards.

PREP. off I cleaned the mud off the kitchen floor. | with Clean the glass with a soft cloth.

PHRASES need cleaning Your shoes need cleaning!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clearance noun

¹ removal of sth old/unwanted

ADJ. forest, land, site, slum

CLEARANCE + NOUN work | sale (= in a shop when goods are sold cheaply to get rid of them quickly)

² official permission

ADJ. official | customs, diplomatic, entry, security

VERB + CLEARANCE get, obtain, receive You'll need to get security clearance for this job. | apply for, seek | give sb, grant sb The pilot was granted clearance to land. | refuse sb

³ distance between sth and sth passing under/beside it

ADJ. ground We need to increase the vehicle's ground clearance.

VERB + CLEARANCE allow (sb/sth), give sb/sth, leave Make sure you allow enough clearance on each side. Always give cyclists plenty of clearance.

PREP. ~ above clearance above the light to prevent overheating | ~ between There wasn't enough clearance between the bus and the top of the bridge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clear adj.

¹ easy to understand

VERBS be, seem | become | make sth | find sth

ADV. abundantly, extremely, very | crystal, perfectly, quite You've got to make your intentions crystal clear to them. | by no means, not entirely, not quite It wasn't entirely clear whether she wanted us to help. | fairly, pretty, reasonably

PREP. to It was clear to us that there was a problem.

² sure/certain

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, quite

PREP. about She was quite clear about her reasons for leaving. | on Are you clear on that point?

³ easy to see/hear

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. extremely, very The photograph wasn't very clear. | fairly, pretty, reasonably

⁴ easy to see through

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, completely | fairly, reasonably The water was fairly clear.

⁵ free from things that are blocking the way

VERBS be, look, seem | remain, stay | keep sth Make sure you keep all gutters and drainpipes clear of leaves.

ADV. completely | fairly, pretty, reasonably

PREP. of The roads are reasonably clear of snow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clear verb

¹ remove sth that is not wanted/needed

ADV. completely, totally The site must be completely cleared and made safe for children. | partially | hastily, quickly She hastily cleared a space for him to sit down. | away Can you clear away all your toys now?

PREP. from They cleared the mud from the steps. | of We cleared the path of leaves. | off Clear those papers off the desk.

² your head/mind

ADV. suddenly His face suddenly cleared as understanding dawned.

VERB + CLEAR try to I went for a walk to try to clear my head. | help (to) Correct breathing helps to clear the mind and reduce tension.

³ prove sb innocent

ADV. formally The three defendants were formally cleared by the judge.

PREP. of Four men accused of assault have been cleared of all charges.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clench verb

ADV. tight/tightly His jaw was tightly clenched. | involuntarily Her hands clenched involuntarily. | together She sat with hands clenched together in her lap.

PHRASES clenched between sb's teeth He had a pipe clenched between his teeth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clerk noun

ADJ. chief, senior | assistant, junior | articled an articled clerk working for a large law firm | bank, council, office, parish, railway, solicitor's | accounts, booking, filing

PREP. ~ to He held the post of Clerk to the Council.

PHRASES the office/post of clerk > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clever adj.

¹ intelligent/skilful

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. awfully, extraordinarily, extremely, incredibly, really, very | pretty, quite, rather

PREP. at I'm not very clever at maths. | with clever with his hands

PHRASES too clever by half Bob irritates me?he's too clever by half! | too clever for your own good

² (of a thing) ingenious

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, fiendishly, really, very a simple yet fiendishly clever idea | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

click noun

VERB + CLICK give (out) The answerphone gave a sharp click. | hear

PREP. with a ~ He closed his briefcase with a click. | ~ of She heard the click of shoes on the marble floor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clientele noun

ADJ. large, small | broad, narrow | regular, usual | exclusive, fashionable, select | international

VERB + CLIENTELE attract, have The restaurant has a large regular clientele. | cater for/to, serve The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. | build (up), establish It takes time to build up a clientele.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

client noun

VERB + CLIENT serve A new branch has been opened to serve clients in East London. | act for, represent | take on She's so busy that she's not taking on any new clients. | attract a campaign to attract new clients

PREP. on behalf of ~ On behalf of my client, I would like to remind you of your obligations in this matter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cliff noun

QUANT. line a long line of cliffs surrounding the bay

VERB + CLIFF climb, scale

CLIFF + VERB fall (away), rise (up) The cliffs fall away to the north. Rugged sandstone cliffs rose up from the beach. | overlook sth, tower Steep cliffs towered above the river. | crumble crumbling cliffs

CLIFF + NOUN edge, face, ledge, top | path, walk

PHRASES be perched (high) on a cliff The hotel was perched high on a cliff overlooking the sea. | the base/bottom/edge/foot/top of the cliff

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

climate noun

¹ weather conditions of a particular region

VERB + CLIMATE have The city has a warm climate.

CLIMATE + NOUN change

PREP. in a/the ~ Little grows in such a dry climate.

² opinions, etc. people have at a particular time

ADJ. favourable | hostile, unfavourable | current, present, prevailing | changed, changing | business, economic, emotional, financial, ideological, intellectual, moral, political, social

VERB + CLIMATE create

PREP. in a/the ~ His ideas on equality are viewed as utopian in the current political climate. | ~ for a climate for economic recovery | ~ of The new policies have created a climate of fear.

PHRASES a climate of opinion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

climax noun

¹ exciting/important event, point in time, etc.

ADJ. big, dramatic, exciting, grand, great, powerful, thrilling | fitting

VERB + CLIMAX come to, reach The crisis reached its climax in the 1970s. | approach, near, rise to, build up to, work up to The story gradually builds up to a powerful climax. | bring sth to The affair was brought to a climax when the chairman resigned. | mark Yesterday marked the climax of the celebrations.

CLIMAX + VERB come The climax came at the end of the second act of the play.

PREP. at the ~ The hero dies at the climax of the opera. | in a/the ~ In a dramatic climax, our team lost the match by one goal. | ~ to His promotion was a fitting climax to a worthy career.

² highest point of sexual pleasure

ADJ. sexual

VERB + CLIMAX achieve, reach She found it hard to achieve a/reach climax.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

climb noun

¹ act of climbing

ADJ. long, slow | short | arduous, difficult, exhausting, hard, sharp, steep | easy | steady

VERB + CLIMB do, make I was fitter the first time I did the climb.

PREP. on a/the ~ I broke my ankle on a climb last week. | ~ from/to the short climb from the road to the summit | ~ up They began the long climb up the hill.

² increase in value/amount/status

ADJ. long, slow | rapid | gradual, steady

PREP. ~ against the dollar's climb against the euro | ~ in a steady climb in the cost of travel | ~ out of a long slow climb out of recession | ~ to her rapid climb to stardom

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

climb verb

¹ move up towards the top of sth

ADV. high Don't climb too high. | slowly

PREP. up He climbed slowly up the ladder.

PHRASES climb to the top We climbed right to the top of the mountain. | go climbing (= climb up mountains for sport) He goes climbing in Scotland every summer.

² move/lead upwards

ADV. gradually, slowly | steadily | steeply | up

VERB + CLIMB begin to The path began to climb quite steeply.

PREP. from The road gradually climbs up from the village. | to The plane took off and climbed to 20,000 feet.

³ increase

ADV. sharply, steeply Prices have climbed sharply in recent months. | steadily

PREP. above The temperature had climbed above 90 degrees. | from, to Unemployment has climbed from two million to three million.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cling verb

¹ hold tightly

ADV. firmly, tightly | desperately, precariously houses clinging precariously to sheer cliffs | together The children clung together in fear.

PREP. onto She clung onto my arm. | to He clung tightly to the raft to keep himself afloat.

² stay close

ADV. close/closely The ground mist clung closely to the hedgerows.

PREP. to PHRASAL VERBS cling (on) to sth

ADV. still | rigidly, stubbornly, tenaciously He still clings stubbornly to his socialist ideas. | desperately, fiercely She was desperately clinging on to life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clinical adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. purely She regarded her patients from a purely clinical standpoint. | almost He looked at the body with an almost clinical detachment.

PREP. about How can you be so cold and clinical about your son's accident?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clinic noun

VERB + CLINIC attend, go to | hold The surgery holds a baby clinic every Wednesday afternoon. | be treated at She is being treated at a special diabetic clinic.

PREP. at a/the~ He was treated at the hospital's eye clinic. | in a/the~ She works in a birth control clinic. | ~ for a clinic for asthma sufferers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clip noun

¹ used for holding things together

ADJ. bulldog, crocodile, spring | bicycle, hair, nose, paper, suspender, tie

VERB + CLIP fasten, put (in/on) She put a clip in her hair. He put his bicycle clips on and set off. | take off, undo, unfasten

CLIP + VERB hold sth Paper clips held the picture in place.

² small section from a film

ADJ. brief, short | film, movie, video

VERB + CLIP see | show

PREP. in a/the ~ You will see in this clip how well she acts. | ~ from a clip from a Sherlock Holmes movie

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cloak noun

ADJ. heavy | hooded

VERB + CLOAK be wrapped in | drape, throw She threw a heavy woollen cloak over her shoulders. | draw, pull, wrap He pulled his cloak tightly around himself. | throw off

CLOAK + VERB flow, fly, sweep, swirl a flowing black cloak She stormed off, her cloak flying behind her. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clock noun

ADJ. 12/24-hour | atomic, digital, electric | bedside, kitchen | alarm, carriage, cuckoo, grandfather, long-case, time, travelling, wall

VERB + CLOCK set, wind I've set my alarm clock for six tomorrow. | put back/forward He forgot to put his clock forward and turned up an hour late. | stop (for example in a game) Pressing the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response button stops the clock. | glance at, look at | watch employees who are always watching the clock (= wanting their day's work to end)

CLOCK + VERB chime (sth), strike sth, tick The clock struck the hour. I could hear a clock ticking somewhere in the house. | stop | be fast/slow, gain/keep/lose time This clock doesn't keep time. | go back/forward The clocks go back (= for a return to standard time)/forward (= for summer time) tonight. | say sth The clock on the mantelpiece said twelve o'clock. | go off My alarm clock didn't go off this morning.

CLOCK + NOUN face, tower | radio

PREP. against the ~ to work against the clock (= to work fast in order to finish before a particular time) | around/round the ~ (= all day and all night) to work around the clock | by the ~ It's ten o'clock by the kitchen clock.

PHRASES the dial/face/hands of a clock

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

close-up noun

ADJ. extreme CLOSE-UP + NOUN detail The slide gave close-up detail of petal formation. | photograph, picture, shot, view

PREP. in ~ The wound was photographed in extreme close-up.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

closed adj.

VERBS be | remain The library will remain closed until next week. | keep sth Keep that door closed, will you?

ADV. firmly, properly, tightly Are the windows firmly closed? Her mouth was tightly closed. | completely, fully Make sure the lid is completely closed. The valve can be adjusted from fully open to fully closed. | almost, nearly squinting through almost closed eyes | half, partially, partly Her eyes were half closed. | officially | permanently, temporarily

PREP. for The building is closed for repairs. | to Twenty-five miles of beaches were officially closed to the public.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

close adj.

¹ near

VERBS be | draw, get She grew increasingly nervous as the date of the audition drew closer. | keep, stay Keep close to me.

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite | together Their birthdays are very close together.

PREP. to Get close to the microphone.

² friendly and loving

VERBS be, feel, seem The two sisters seemed very close. | become, grow After the death of their parents the two children grew very close. | remain

ADV. very | quite

PREP. to He was quite close to his older brother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

close noun

VERB + CLOSE bring sth to The chairperson brought the meeting to a close. | come to, draw to The decade drew to a close with the threat of war hanging over Europe.

PREP. at/by/towards the ~ of At the close of trading, he had lost thousands of pounds on the stock market.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

close verb

¹ door, book, eyes, etc.

ADV. firmly, tightly He closed the door firmly.

² shop, business, road, etc.

ADV. permanently, temporarily | down, off, up That factory's been closed down now.

PREP. to The museum has been temporarily closed to the public.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

closure noun

VERB + CLOSURE be earmarked for, be threatened with, face Several schools face eventual closure. | cause, force Imposing higher taxes would force the closure of many bookshops. | prevent, save sth from, stop The mine has been saved from closure.

CLOSURE + NOUN plan, programme | order

PHRASES (be) under threat of closure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clothed adj.

VERBS be

ADV. fully Jenny was fully clothed. | lightly, partially It was warm and she was lightly clothed. Her partially clothed body was found in woods nearby.

PREP. in clothed in white

PHRASES fed and clothed the problems of keeping the family fed and clothed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clothes noun

QUANT. set, suit I'm going to take a set of clean clothes with me. a new suit of clothes for the baby

VERB + CLOTHES put (back) on | remove | change Aren't you going to change your clothes for the party? | make | dry, iron, mend, wash

CLOTHES + NOUN shop | designer | basket | sense

PREP. in ~ She didn't recognize him in his sloppy everyday clothes.

PHRASES a change of clothes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clothing noun

QUANT. article, item, piece | layer

CLOTHING + NOUN business, company, factory, firm, industry, manufacturer, shop, store, trade

PHRASES a change of clothing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cloth noun

¹ material used for making clothes, curtains, etc.

ADJ. coarse, fine | homespun | woven | cotton, damask, linen, woollen a jacket made from woollen cloth

QUANT. bale, bolt, length | piece, scrap, strip

VERB + CLOTH make, produce, weave | dye

CLOTH + NOUN industry, manufacture, merchant, mill, trade

² piece of cloth used for a particular purpose

ADJ. damp, dry, soft Wipe the table with a damp cloth. | cleaning, floor, polishing | table (also tablecloth) | tea | loin (also loincloth)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clot noun

ADJ. blood a blood clot on her brain

VERB + CLOT dissolve, remove

CLOT + VERB form

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cloudy adj.

¹ full of clouds

VERBS be | start England and Wales will start cloudy. | become Later it will become cloudy with rain in places. | remain, stay It stayed cloudy for most of the day.

ADV. very | rather, slightly a rather cloudy sky

² not clear

VERBS be, look The beer looked cloudy. | become | make sth The warm water is made cloudy by adding some milk.

ADV. very | rather, slightly Sometimes the drinking water becomes rather cloudy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cloud noun

¹ mass of very small drops of water in the sky

QUANT. band, bank, layer, mass, wisp a layer of high cloud

VERB + CLOUD seed (= to place a substance in a cloud to make it produce rain)

CLOUD + VERB form, gather, mass Dark clouds were gathering in the west. | cover sth, envelop sth, obscure sth | break, clear, disperse, lift, part The clouds broke a little, and the sun came out. | drift, float, hang, hover, loom, move, pass, race, roll, scud, swirl Thick cloud hung over the moor. A cloud passed over the sun. White clouds scudded across the sky.

CLOUD + NOUN bank, cover, formation The cloud cover is quite dense today.

PREP. above/below the ~s flying above the clouds | through the ~s She could see the sun through the clouds.

PHRASES a break in the cloud(s), a layer of cloud

² mass of smoke, dust, etc.

ADJ. great, huge a great cloud of grey smoke | dense, thick | billowing, swirling | mushroom the mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb | dust, radioactive, smoke

PREP. ~ of a thick cloud of steam

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clout noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous a politician with enormous clout | economic, financial, political the growing political clout of the army

VERB + CLOUT carry, have, wield He has a lot of clout within the party. | exercise, use The companies used their clout to influence the policy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

club noun

¹ group of people who meet to share an interest

VERB + CLUB belong to She belongs to a book club. | become a member of, join | form, start | run Who runs the tennis club?

CLUB + NOUN chairman, manager, member, official, player, secretary | cricket, football | bar

PREP. in a/the ~ How many people are there in the club? > Note at ORGANIZATION

² where people go and listen to music, dance, etc.

ADJ. jazz, night (also nightclub)

CLUB + NOUN scene a new style of music on the London club scene

³ playing card > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clue noun

ADJ. good, important, useful, valuable | vital | tell-tale | obvious

VERB + CLUE have, hold So far, the police haven't got any clues as to the motive for the crime. Diet may hold the clue to the causes of migraine. | give (sb), furnish/provide/supply (sb with), yield The hat gives a clue to the identity of the killer. The letter yielded no clues. | hunt for, look for, search for | discover, find, uncover | leave The burglar left no clues. | follow (up)

PREP. ~ about This research might provide an important clue about how cancer develops. | ~ (as) to a clue as to her whereabouts

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clump noun

ADJ. great, large | little, small | dense These plants quickly form dense clumps. | straggling, tangled

VERB + CLUMP form

PREP. in a/the ~ situated in a clump of trees | ~ of great clumps of rhododendrons

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cluster noun

ADJ. little, small | compact, dense

PREP. in a/the ~ The church stood in a small cluster of farmers' cottages. | ~ of a dense cluster of buildings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cluster verb

ADV. closely, tightly | together The group clustered together closely.

PREP. about/around/round The children clustered around their teacher.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clutch noun

¹ sb/sth's clutches sb/sth's power/control

VERB + CLUTCH fall into She fell into the clutches of the rebel forces. | escape (from)

PREP. in sb's ~ They had him in their clutches. | out of sb's ~ Once she was out of their clutches, she fled across the border.

² in a car

VERB + CLUTCH drop, engage, put your foot on | disengage, let in/out, release, take your foot off Put it into first gear and let the clutch out slowly. | ride (= to keep in a state between full engagement and disengagement) The driver at the traffic lights was riding his clutch.

CLUTCH + VERB engage | disengage | slip

CLUTCH + NOUN pedal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clutch verb

ADV. firmly, tightly | desperately

PREP. at He felt himself slipping and clutched at a branch.

PHRASES clutch sth in your hand She clutched her handbag tightly in one hand. | clutch sth to your chest She clutched the letter to her chest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

clutter noun

ADJ. personal | screen to get rid of screen clutter (= on a computer)

VERB + CLUTTER clear (up), get rid of

PREP. amid/amidst/among/amongst the ~ The cat managed to find a spot to sleep amidst all the clutter of my study. | in a/the ~ The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coach noun

¹ bus for longer journeys

ADJ. express | private | luxury | air-conditioned

VERB + COACH go by, travel by | board, get on | get off | drive | hire

PREP. by ~ They are planning to tour the United States by coach. | in/on a/the ~

² large carriage pulled by horses

ADJ. royal

VERB + COACH drive | ride in

COACH + VERB drive

COACH + NOUN road This is the old coach road. | house

PHRASES a coach and four/six (= a coach and four/six horses) a gateway wide enough for a coach and four to drive through | a coach and horses

³ person who trains people in sport, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coalition noun

VERB + COALITION create, form The centre-right opposition parties have formed a coalition. | join | lead a coalition led by the Socialist Party

COALITION + VERB break up, collapse, fall (apart)

COALITION + NOUN government | forces, member, partner, party

PREP. in (a/the) ~ The two parties governed in coalition for four years. the biggest party in the government coalition | ~ between a coalition between the Socialists and Communists | ~ of a broad coalition of democratic and republican groups | ~ with They formed a coalition with the Greens.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coal noun

¹ black mineral

ADJ. hard | soft | brown | bituminous, coking | opencast opencast coal mining

QUANT. lump, piece

VERB + COAL mine, produce | burn, use | shovel

COAL + VERB burn

² (usually coals) burning pieces of coal

ADJ. burning, glowing, hot, live, red-hot

VERB + COAL glow Red-hot coals glowed in the fireplace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coastline noun

QUANT. stretch long stretches of unspoilt coastline

VERB + COASTLINE follow The road follows the Pacific coastline. | erode

COASTLINE + VERB stretch The coastline stretches for miles.

PREP. along a/the ~ They sailed along the rugged coastline. | around/round a/the ~ sailing around the Atlantic coastline of France | off a/the ~ the search for oil off the Welsh coastline

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coast noun

ADJ. forbidding, rocky, rugged, wild | north, northern, etc. | indented | mainland | sea

QUANT. stretch the long stretch of coast between Lowestoft and Felixstowe

VERB + COAST follow, hug The path hugs the coast all the way to Tenby.

COAST + VERB stretch The coast stretched far into the distance.

COAST + NOUN road

PREP. along the ~ We travelled south along the coast. | around/round the ~ They sailed round the coast to Falmouth. | at the ~ We spent a day at the coast. | off the ~ an island two miles off the west coast of Scotland | on the ~ a village on the Mediterranean coast

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coating noun

VERB + COATING be covered in/with, have The fruit is covered in a thick coating of milk chocolate. | apply Apply a thin coating of glue to the surface.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coat noun

¹ piece of clothing

VERB + COAT pull on, shrug (yourself) into, shrug on, throw on | pull off, shrug off | button (up) The coat was buttoned up wrong. | unbutton | hang (up)

COAT + NOUN collar, pocket, sleeve, tail | hook > Special page at CLOTHES

² fur/hair covering an animal's body

VERB + COAT shed The dog sheds its winter coat once the weather becomes warmer.

³ layer of sth covering a surface

ADJ. thick | thin | fresh, new The room needs a fresh coat of paint. | base | final, top

VERB + COAT apply, put on Make sure the base coat has thoroughly dried before applying the top coat.

COAT + VERB dry

PREP. ~ of a coat of paint/varnish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coat verb

ADV. completely | heavily, thickly | lightly | specially The fabric has been specially coated to improve its water resistance.

PREP. in Coat the fish in the sauce. | with The furniture was thickly coated with dust.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coax verb

ADV. gently

VERB + COAX try to | manage to | fail to

PREP. from He could coax tears and laughter from his audience. | into He gently coaxed life back into my frozen toes. | out of She never failed to coax good results out of her pupils.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cocaine noun

ADJ. crack, freebase

QUANT. line, packet

VERB + COCAINE freebase, inject, shoot, smoke, sniff, snort

COCAINE + NOUN possession | injection | export | baron | cartel > Note at DRUG(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cock-up noun

ADJ. complete, real, total VERB + COCK-UP make He made a real cock-up of it.

PREP. ~ over There's been a bit of a cock-up over the travel arrangements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cocktail noun

¹ mixed alcoholic drink

ADJ. pre-dinner | champagne

VERB + COCKTAIL mix | have, drink | sip

² dish of small pieces of food

ADJ. prawn, seafood | fruit

³ mixture of different things

ADJ. deadly, lethal | heady, powerful The show was a heady cocktail of jazz, dance and political satire.

PREP. ~ of a lethal cocktail of drink and drugs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cock noun

ADJ. fighting | barnyard The market traders cried out like barnyard cocks.

COCK + VERB crow The cock crowed at dawn.

COCK + NOUN fight, fighting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coconut noun

ADJ. dessicated, fresh

QUANT. bunch huge bunches of fresh coconuts

VERB + COCONUT eat, have | grow | harvest, pick | break open, open She broke open the coconut and drank its sweet milk.

COCONUT + NOUN milk, oil | palm, tree a bay fringed with swaying coconut palms | fibre, husk, matting, shell

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

code noun

¹ system of letters, numbers, etc. for secret information

ADJ. secret | Morse

VERB + CODE break, crack, decipher The code was difficult to crack. | use, write in | invent, make up

CODE + NOUN word

PREP. in ~ All the messages were in code.

² numbers/letters for identifying sth

CODE + NOUN number

³ set of rules for behaviour

ADJ. strict | ethical, moral | civil, criminal, disciplinary, penal | Highway the Highway Code (= the official rules for users of public roads in Britain) | dress

VERB + CODE have | devise, draw up, establish, formulate, lay down The company has drawn up a new disciplinary code. | comply with, follow | break, infringe, violate He was thrown out for infringing the club's strict dress code.

PHRASES a code of behaviour/conduct/ethics/honour/practice The profession has a strict code of practice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coexist verb

ADV. peacefully What makes it difficult for the communities to coexist peacefully?

PREP. alongside/with Modern farming methods coexist with more traditional practices.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coffee noun

QUANT. cup, mug, pot

VERB + COFFEE drink Do you drink coffee? | have I had two coffees while I waited. | take ‘How do you take your coffee?’ ‘Milk, no sugar, thanks.’ | sip, take a mouthful/sip of He took a sip of his coffee. | drain, drink up, finish | stir | pour (sb) | go for Let's go for a coffee when you've finished your essay. | brew, make freshly-brewed coffee I'll make some coffee for breakfast. | grind a packet of freshly-ground coffee

COFFEE + VERB get/go cold | be laced with sth coffee laced with cognac

COFFEE + NOUN cup, mug | machine, percolator, pot | dregs | break

PREP. in your ~ I have milk but no sugar in my coffee.

PHRASES an aroma/a smell of coffee An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room. | coffee-making facilities Tea and coffee-making facilities are available in the kitchen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coffin noun

VERB + COFFIN carry, take | lower The coffin was lowered into the grave.

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coherence noun

ADJ. internal Your essay lacks internal coherence. | ideological, intellectual, logical, theoretical theories which lack ideological coherence

VERB + COHERENCE have, possess | achieve, create, give sth, maintain They have struggled to create coherence within the group. | lack

PREP. ~ between a lack of coherence between the policy and the speech | ~ in/within There's a strong sense of coherence in the school curriculum.

PHRASES a degree/sense of coherence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coil noun

ADJ. neat, tight | thick thick coils of blonde hair

COIL + VERB unwind

PREP. in a ~ She wore her hair in a neat coil. | ~ of a coil of rope

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coil verb

ADV. tightly | loosely | neatly | up He coiled the rope up tightly and put it away.

PREP. around/round The snake coiled itself around a branch. | into Her hair was neatly coiled into a bun.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coincidence noun

ADJ. complete, pure, sheer It was pure coincidence that they were both in Paris on the same day. | mere | happy What a happy coincidence to meet you at the airport just when I wanted to see you. | unfortunate, unhappy | amazing, curious, extraordinary, funny, incredible, odd, remarkable, strange, wonderful

QUANT. series, set, string They met through a series of strange coincidences.

COINCIDENCE + VERB happen Remarkable coincidences do happen in real life.

PREP. by (a) ~ By coincidence, we both went to the same school. By an unfortunate coincidence, their house was burgled on the day he lost his job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coincidental adj.

VERBS be

ADV. entirely, merely, purely, quite These parallels cannot be merely coincidental. | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coincide verb

¹ happen at the same time

ADV. exactly Her visit coincided exactly with a visit by the American president. | roughly

VERB + COINCIDE be planned to, be timed to

PREP. with The singer's arrival was timed to coincide with the opening of the festival.

² be the same

ADV. closely | exactly

PREP. with Our views on this issue coincide closely with yours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coin noun

ADJ. copper, gold, silver | antique, rare | commemorative | counterfeit, fake | penny, pound, etc.

VERB + COIN issue | mint, strike The first English gold coin was struck in 1255. | flip, spin, toss They tossed a coin to see who should go first. | collect

COIN + VERB be in circulation, circulate Very few old 5p coins are still in circulation. | clink, jingle coins jingling in his pockets

COIN + NOUN collector

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coke noun

¹ Coke drink

ADJ. diet

QUANT. bottle, can, glass

VERB + COKE have I'll have a Coke, please. | drink, sip

COKE + NOUN bottle, can | machine

PHRASES rum and Coke

² cocaine

QUANT. line

VERB + COKE sniff, snort

COKE + NOUN fiend, sniffer > Note at DRUG

³ fuel

QUANT. lump, piece

VERB + COKE manufacture, produce | burn, use

COKE + NOUN works | boiler, fire

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coldness noun

¹ state of being cold

ADJ. icy The icy coldness of the water revived her.

² unfriendliness

ADJ. marked There was a marked coldness in her voice.

VERB + COLDNESS treat sb with

PREP. ~ between the coldness between Jack and Martha | ~ towards his coldness towards his parents

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cold adj.

¹ not hot or warm

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get, grow, turn As evening fell it got very cold. The room grew cold. In January it turned very cold. | make sb/sth The rain overnight had made the water cold. | keep sth Use ice to keep the drinks cold.

ADV. bitterly, extremely, freezing, ice-, icy, terribly, very It's bitterly cold outside. There was a freezing cold wind. an ice-cold beer | fairly, quite, rather

² not cooked/having become cold after cooking

VERBS be | get, go Your dinner's getting cold. I'm afraid the coffee's gone cold. | eat sth, serve sth Bake in the oven for twenty minutes. Serve hot or cold.

ADV. stone This soup is stone cold!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cold noun

¹ lack of heat; low temperature

ADJ. biting, bitter, extreme, freezing

VERB + COLD feel I don't feel the cold as badly as many people. | keep out The house has double glazing to keep out the cold. | be blue with, be numb with My hands were blue with cold.

PREP. against the ~ We were well wrapped up against the cold. | out in the ~ He stood out in the cold and waited. (figurative) When the coalition was formed the Liberals were left out in the cold (= were not invited to join it).

² common illness

ADJ. bad, heavy, nasty She won her match despite suffering from a heavy cold. | slight | common When will they find a cure for the common cold? | chest, head

VERB + COLD have, nurse, suffer from Jim stayed at home because he was nursing a cold. | catch, go down with, take I must have caught a cold on the bus. If you stay out in the rain you'll catch cold! He took cold, developed pneumonia, and that was the end of him. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

colic noun

ADJ. violent | biliary | infantile

QUANT. attack, bout

VERB + COLIC have, suffer from | develop | treat > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collaborate verb

ADV. actively, closely

PREP. on, with We have collaborated closely with the university on this project.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collaboration noun

ADJ. active, close | effective, fruitful, happy, successful | international

PREP. in ~ with Rock musicians are working in collaboration with an orchestra to create a new opera. | ~ between a collaboration between two writers | ~ with the results of a fruitful collaboration with the industry

PHRASES a degree of collaboration

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collapse noun

¹ building, etc. suddenly falling

ADJ. sudden the sudden collapse of the bridge

PHRASES be in danger of collapse

² medical condition

ADJ. sudden | mental, nervous, physical

VERB + COLLAPSE be close to, be on the point/verge of She was on the verge of nervous collapse.

PREP. ~ from his collapse from exhaustion

PHRASES a state of collapse He was in a state of mental and physical collapse.

³ sudden/complete failure of sth

ADJ. complete, total | general | virtual | sudden | economic, financial the sudden economic collapse of 2001

VERB + COLLAPSE bring about, contribute to, lead to, result in The war has led to the collapse of agriculture in the area. | face, be faced with | be on the brink/point/verge of | prevent

PREP. ~ into a collapse into anarchy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collapse verb

¹ of a building

ADV. completely

PREP. into Several buildings have collapsed into the sea. | under The roof collapsed under the weight of snow.

² of a sick person

ADV. suddenly

PREP. against The man collapsed against the wall and slid down it. | from She collapsed suddenly from a heart attack. | with He collapsed with shock.

³ fail

ADV. eventually, finally In November the strike finally collapsed. | quickly, rapidly | suddenly | virtually

PHRASES to collapse in the face of sth The scheme collapsed in the face of determined opposition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collar noun

¹ on a shirt, coat, dress, etc.

COLLAR + NOUN stud | size

PHRASES collar and tie He wore a collar and tie for the occasion.

² round an animal's neck

ADJ. dog | flea

VERB + COLLAR have on, wear | slip The dog slipped its collar and ran off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

colleague noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collection noun

¹ group of objects

ADJ. big, extensive, huge, large, major, substantial, vast | small | growing | complete, comprehensive | core, permanent The permanent collection is displayed on the first floor, whilst the ground floor houses temporary exhibitions. | reserve The museum has a large reserve collection in storage, which members of the public rarely get to see. | amazing, extraordinary, fascinating, fine, good, great, important, impressive, interesting, magnificent, outstanding, remarkable, rich, stunning, superb, unique, useful, valuable | bizarre, disparate, diverse, heterogeneous, jumbled, miscellaneous, motley, odd, random, strange, varied | representative to assemble and analyse a representative collection of data | celebrated, distinguished, famous, prestigious, renowned | family, personal, private the largest private art collection in the world | public | international, local, national | historical | reference, research a research collection available for study by archaeologists | archive, library, museum a historical archive collection of 20,000 documents | antiques, art, book, CD, coin, manuscript, photographic, picture, plant, record, stamp

VERB + COLLECTION boast, have The museum boasts a superb collection of medieval weapons. | acquire, amass, assemble, build up, compile, make He built up his collection over a period of ten years. She made a collection of Roman coins and medals. | start | add to a new painting to add to their collection | complete She needed only one more stamp to complete her collection. | hold, house a new building to house the national collection of arms and armour | display, exhibit, show A glass-fronted cabinet displayed a collection of china figurines. | view, visit, see I was allowed to view his family collection of portrait miniatures. | consult, study Historians frequently ask to consult the collection. | organize She had the task of cataloguing the library and organizing the collection of rare manuscripts.

COLLECTION + VERB consist of sth, contain sth, include sth The collection contains some 500 items. | cover sth The collection covers all phases of Picasso's career. | come from … | date from … major collections dating from the 11th to the 19th century | grow The museum's collection is growing all the time. | be available, be/go on display/show/view The collection is to go on public display for the first time next month. The collection is rarely on view to the public.

PREP. ~ of a valuable collection of antique porcelain > Note at ART

² taking sth away/bringing sth together

VERB + COLLECTION await, be ready for Your car is awaiting collection at our garage. | arrange, organize They will arrange collection of the chairs.

COLLECTION + NOUN point a lack of collection points for waste paper | service a refuse collection service

PREP. ~ of There are some difficulties with the collection of reliable data.

PHRASES a method of collection different methods of data collection

³ poems/stories/music

VERB + COLLECTION compile, edit, publish to publish a collection of scholarly essays

PREP. ~ of

⁴ money

ADJ. house-to-house, street | charity, church

VERB + COLLECTION have, make, organize, take We will have a collection for charity at the end of the concert. A collection will be taken at the end of the service.

COLLECTION + NOUN box, plate the church collection plate

PREP. ~ for a street collection for famine relief

⁵ new clothes

ADJ. new | autumn, spring, etc. | ready-to-wear

VERB + COLLECTION show, unveil the first designer to unveil his collection for the spring season

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collector noun

ADJ. great, major a major collector of Japanese art | ardent, assiduous, avid, enthusiastic, keen, serious | private | art, coin, plant, record, stamp

PHRASES a collector's item This vase is quite rare and is almost a collector's item.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

college noun

ADJ. community, local | sixth form, tertiary | tutorial | university | agricultural, art, FE/further education, military, music, police, secretarial, teacher training, technical, theological, veterinary, etc.

VERB + COLLEGE attend, go to | finish, graduate from

COLLEGE + NOUN lecturer, principal, teacher | staff | student | course | chapel, library, room

PREP. at ~ She's at college in Swindon. | in ~ Not all the lecturers are in college at any one time.

PHRASES a college of (further/higher) education

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collide verb

ADV. nearly | head-on Two trains collided head-on.

PREP. with His car nearly collided with a bus.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

collision noun

ADJ. serious | near | multiple | head-on, mid-air

VERB + COLLISION be involved in, have I had a near collision with a lorry. | avoid | cause

COLLISION + VERB happen, occur The collision occurred near the hospital.

PREP. in a/the ~ She was injured in a collision. | in ~ with The car was in collision with a lorry. | ~ between a head-on collision between two cars | ~ with a collision with a train

PHRASES be on a collision course with sth An iceberg was on a collision course with the ship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

colonel noun > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

colony noun

¹ country ruled by another country

ADJ. overseas Britain's overseas colonies | self-governing | penal, plantation

VERB + COLONY establish Settlers established a new colony in the early 18th century.

PREP. in a/the ~

² group of animals/plants

ADJ. huge, large, thriving | small | breeding | ant, bird, seal, etc. | coral

VERB + COLONY form Some of the insects will leave to form a new colony.

PREP. in a/the ~ The birds nest in huge colonies. | ~ of a colony of ants

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coloured adj.

VERBS be

ADV. boldly, brilliantly, brightly, gaily, highly, richly, strikingly, strongly, vividly She wore a richly coloured silk dress. | beautifully | delicately | uniformly | variously variously coloured birds

ADJ. dark, light | cream, gold, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

colouring noun

ADJ. natural | dark, fair

VERB + COLOURING have He daughter has very fair colouring.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

colour noun

PREP. off ~ (= looking or feeling ill)

¹ quality that makes sth red, etc.

³ interesting or exciting details

ADJ. bold, bright, brilliant, vivid,

ADJ. local a journalist in search of a vibrant | dark, deep Dark colours bit of local colour suit you best. | intense, rich,

VERB + COLOUR add, give sth, lend strong the intense colour of new His asides lent colour to the story. leaves | light, muted, pale,

QUANT. dash, flash, splash | mass, riot The garden is a riot of colour in spring. | spot, touch

VERB + COLOUR change The chameleon changes colour to match its surroundings. | add The silk cushions add colour to an otherwise dull room.

COLOUR + VERB match (sth) | clash | fade | run This colour runs, so wash the shirt separately.

COLOUR + NOUN combination, range, scheme We have to choose a colour scheme for the dining room. | illustration, photograph, photography, printing, reproduction | monitor, television

PREP. in ~ The flowers are pale blue in colour. Is the film in colour or black and white? The book is lavishly illustrated in full colour. | in a ~ The scarf is available in six different colours.

PHRASES a combination/range of colours2 redness in the face

ADJ. heightened, high You could tell she was excited by the heightened colour in her cheeks. | faint

VERB + COLOUR have You have a bit more colour in your cheeks now. | bring The walk brought colour to her face. | be drained of, drain of, lose His face drained of all colour.

COLOUR + VERB flood sth, rise Colour flooded her cheeks. The colour rose in his face. | drain The colour drained from her face when she saw him. | come back, return Gradually the colour returned to his cheeks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

colour verb

ADV. heavily, strongly His opinions are heavily coloured by his own experiences. | naturally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

column noun

¹ tall stone post

ADJ. huge, tall | fluted colonnades of fluted Doric columns | classical | Corinthian, Doric, Ionic

COLUMN + VERB support sth The roof is supported by four huge columns.

² piece of writing in a newspaper

ADJ. regular He has a regular column in a weekly newspaper. | daily, weekly, etc. | newspaper | agony, correspondence, death, editorial, financial, gossip, leader, letters, lonely hearts (= with advertisements for a new lover or friend), obituary, personal, travel

VERB + COLUMN have, write | syndicate

COLUMN + NOUN inches So many column inches are devoted to film stars.

PREP. in a/the ~ She saw his name in an obituary column. | ~ about/on a weekly column on films showing in London

³ long line of people, vehicles, etc.

ADJ. huge, long | armoured, tank | marching

PREP. in ~s to march in columns | ~ of a column of troops

PHRASES the head of the column

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coma noun

ADJ. deep | irreversible

VERB + COMA fall into, go into, sink into, slip into He sank into a coma after suffering a brain haemorrhage. | come out of

COMA + NOUN victim

PREP. in a/the ~ He has been in a coma since his car accident three months ago.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

combat noun

VERB + COMBAT be engaged in, be locked in, engage in The troops were locked in hand-to-hand combat. | send sb into

COMBAT + NOUN mission | zone | force, troops, unit | aircraft, vehicle | boots, fatigues, gear, jacket, kit, suit, uniform

PREP. in ~ He was killed in combat. | in ~ with The soldiers are in combat with rebel forces. | ~ against in mortal combat against dragons | ~ between a fierce combat between two champions

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

combination noun

ADJ. perfect, right, unbeatable, winning The orchestra played with a winning combination of gusto and precision. | attractive, delicious, good, happy, powerful | curious, rare, strange, unique, unusual | colour an unusual colour combination

PREP. in ~ (with) The materials can be used singly or in combination. Hepatitis D exists only in combination with the hepatitis B virus. | ~ of a delicious combination of flavours

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

combine verb

ADV. successfully She successfully combines her career with family life.

PREP. against to combine against a common enemy | with Combine the flour with the water to make a stiff paste.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comb noun

¹ used for making your hair tidy

VERB + COMB use

PHRASES a brush and comb, drag/run a comb through sth She ran a comb through her tangled hair.

² act of combing

VERB + COMB could do with, need Your hair could do with a comb! | give sth She gave her hair a comb.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comeback noun

ADJ. big, dramatic, fighting, great, remarkable, successful | long-awaited | political

VERB + COMEBACK make, stage He made one of the most remarkable comebacks in modern politics. | attempt

COMEBACK + NOUN trail The player is on the comeback trail after a serious knee injury.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comedian noun

ADJ. celebrated, great, popular | film, radio, stand-up, television/TV He started out as a stand-up comedian in Liverpool. | alternative > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comedy noun

ADJ. high, low | alternative, black, light, musical, romantic, situation, slapstick, stand-up a popular romantic comedy The show contains some wonderful slapstick comedy.

VERB + COMEDY do, play Does he play comedy?

COMEDY + NOUN actor, actress, writer | film, series, show

PHRASES a comedy of manners > Note at PERFORMANCE(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comfortable adj.

¹ allowing you to feel relaxed

VERBS be, feel, look The bed felt comfortable. | make sth We must think how we can make the room more comfortable for you.

ADV. extremely, incredibly, superbly, very, wonderfully an extremely comfortable chair | perfectly | enough, fairly, moderately, quite, reasonably The hotel was comfortable enough. | surprisingly

² not having any pain/worry

VERBS be, feel, look Did you feel comfortable and relaxed at the party? | become, get This bed is lumpy?I just can't seem to get comfortable. | make sb/yourself Make yourself comfortable!

ADV. very | completely, entirely, quite, totally I was not entirely comfortable about the plans they had made.

PREP. about They didn't feel comfortable about her travelling alone. | with I don't feel comfortable with him.

³ having/providing enough money for all your needs

VERBS be

ADV. very | quite, relatively I had a relatively comfortable life in Brazil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comforting adj.

VERBS be, feel | find sth

ADV. extremely, most, very, wonderfully | hardly, not particularly | strangely She found his voice strangely comforting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comfort noun

¹ having all your body needs/a pleasant life

ADJ. great, maximum, modest, reasonable They live in modest comfort. | comparative, relative | added a quilted cover for added comfort | domestic, personal, physical

PREP. for ~ I dress for comfort rather than glamour. | in ~ I like to travel in reasonable comfort.

PHRASES a degree/standard of comfort, in the comfort of your own home, too close/hot for comfort The hotel offers a high standard of comfort. The sound of gunfire was too close for comfort.

² help/kindness to sb who is suffering

ADJ. great | cold A drop in the unemployment rate was cold comfort for those without a job (= not much comfort at all).

QUANT. crumb, word

VERB + COMFORT bring sb, give sb, offer sb, provide sb with His kind words brought some comfort to the grieving parents. | derive, draw, find, get, seek, take They sought comfort in each other. We took great comfort from the fact that at least some of our savings were safe.

COMFORT + NOUN food Chocolate is a great comfort food.

PREP. ~ in She found comfort in music.

PHRASES a source of comfort

³ sb/sth that helps when you are suffering, etc.

ADJ. great

PREP. ~ to The children have been a great comfort to me through all of this.

⁴ sth that makes life easier

ADJ. modern | creature, home, material I hate camping?I miss all my creature comforts. | spiritual

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comfort verb

ADV. greatly The idea that he was not alone comforted him greatly.

PHRASES be comforted to know He was comforted to know that most people in the class knew even less than he. | being comforted by family/friends/relatives The victim's widow was today being comforted by family and friends. | feel comforted

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comical adj.

VERBS be, look, sound | become | make sth What made it so comical was that their hats kept falling off.

ADV. extremely, very | almost | faintly, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat He is a faintly comical figure who fears being made fun of.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comic adj.

VERBS be

ADV. richly, truly, wonderfully Many of the scenes in the book are richly comic. | almost | faintly, mildly, slightly | blackly, grotesquely a blackly comic futuristic fantasy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commander noun

ADJ. supreme | deputy | air force, army, military, naval, navy, police | company, flight, group, platoon, squadron, station | Allied General Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander in Western Europe.

PHRASES Commander-in-Chief > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

command noun

¹ order

ADJ. peremptory

VERB + COMMAND carry out, obey | bark, give, issue an army officer barking commands at his men He issued the command to retreat.

PREP. at sb's ~ I am at your command (= ready to obey you). At her command all work stopped.

² control over sb/sth

ADJ. complete, full, total He was in complete command of the situation. | direct under the direct command of Lieutenant Sykes | sole She was in sole command of one million pounds. | personal | integrated, joint, unified NATO's integrated military command | overall | high, supreme the military high command | army, military

VERB + COMMAND have He had command of 3,000 soldiers. | assume, take (over) | give sb, put sb in | relinquish | lose, be relieved of She has lost command of her senses.

PREP. in ~ Who is in command? She is second in command. | in ~ of He was put in command of the navy. | under sb's ~ The division was under the command of General George. | ~ over his command over resources

PHRASES the chain/line of command

³ ability to do/use sth

ADJ. excellent, fluent, good, perfect | poor

VERB + COMMAND have

PREP. at your ~ The vast knowledge of the country he has at his command will be invaluable in the job. | ~ of She has an excellent command of French.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commendable adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. highly, very The government's action here is highly commendable. | entirely, wholly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commend verb

PREP. for He was commended for his brave actions. | to She said she would commend the proposal to the Board.

PHRASES be highly/widely commended His book was highly commended. | sth has little/much to commend it The proposed site has much to commend it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commentary noun

¹ on the radio/television

ADJ. brief | live | running (= continuous) She kept up a running commentary on the festivities. | radio, television listening to the radio commentary on the match

VERB + COMMENTARY give, keep up, provide | listen to

COMMENTARY + NOUN box the reporters in the commentary box

PREP. ~ on BBC1 will give a live commentary on the election results.

² criticism/discussion of sth

ADJ. detailed | critical | political, social

VERB + COMMENTARY provide The novel provides a powerful social commentary on post-war Germany.

PREP. ~ on

PHRASES be a sad commentary (on sth) (= to reflect badly on sth) The petty quarrels were a sad commentary on the state of the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commentator noun

¹ person who commentates on sth

ADJ. cricket, football, rugby, sports, etc. | match, race | radio, television/TV > Note at JOB

² person who gives opinions on sth in the media

ADJ. influential | independent | foreign | media | cultural, economic, political, social Political commentators are predicting that the minister will have to resign.

PREP. ~ on a commentator on current affairs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comment noun

ADJ. brief | fair, favourable What she said was (a) fair comment. | adverse, derogatory, disparaging, hostile, negative, sad, unfair, unfavourable The attack is a sad comment on the public's understanding of mental illness. | critical Highly critical comments have been made about the conduct of some ministers. a book with critical comment on the various strands of feminism | caustic, ironic, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing, wry | constructive, helpful | cryptic | incisive, interesting, perceptive, shrewd | uninformed | general | detailed | casual, off-the-cuff, passing, throwaway He made a few casual comments to her about her hair and now she's gone and chopped it all off! This idea deserves more than passing comment. | editorial, official, personal, press, public Editorial comment in ‘The Guardian’ tended to support the government in this matter. | written | political, social Her novels were a vehicle for shrewd social comment.

VERB + COMMENT have, make, pass If you have any comments, please send them to the above address. She made a cryptic comment about how the film mirrored her life. I would prefer not to pass comment before I have more information on the case. | attract, cause, draw, elicit, excite The programme attracted much adverse comment. | invite, welcome The school has invited comments from parents about the new curriculum. | receive We have received many helpful comments from fellow-sufferers.

PREP. without ~ She accepted his diagnosis without comment. | ~ about/on a general comment on the weather

PHRASES be available/not available/unavailable for comment The minister was unavailable for comment last night. | no comment When asked about the rumours, the chairman replied, ‘no comment’. | a source of comment His visits were the source of much comment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comment verb

ADV. favourably | adversely, critically, unfavourably | bitterly | drily, wryly | publicly

VERB + COMMENT decline to, refuse to The minister refused to comment on the affair.

PREP. about People were commenting about her gifts and abilities. | on He commented favourably on the proposals. | to She commented to me that she liked it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commerce noun

ADJ. domestic, international

VERB + COMMERCE carry on, engage in The marketplace was where commerce was traditionally carried on.

PREP. ~ between commerce between Germany and Italy | ~ with the development of commerce with Asia

PHRASES a chamber of commerce, the world of commerce She has little experience of the world of commerce.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commercial noun

ADJ. cinema, radio, television/TV | 30-second, etc.

VERB + COMMERCIAL do, make She ended up doing commercials, which ironically revived her acting career. The company has made commercials for leading sportswear manufacturers.

COMMERCIAL + VERB appear | feature sb/sth The commercial features a teenage girl with spots.

COMMERCIAL + NOUN break The film was so full of commercial breaks it was impossible to enjoy.

PREP. in a/the ~ She's in a commercial for cars. | ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commissioner noun

ADJ. high | assistant, deputy | special | European Union/EU, police, United Nations/UN

VERB + COMMISSIONER appoint, appoint sb (as)

PREP. ~ for He was appointed United Nations High Commissioner for refugees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commission noun

¹ asking sb to do a piece of work for you

ADJ. private, public

VERB + COMMISSION accept, get, receive I have received a private commission to paint the prince's family. | give sb

² official group asked to report on sth

VERB + COMMISSION appoint, establish, set up The government has set up a joint commission to consider the problem. | chair, head, preside over

PREP. ~ for the commission for racial equality | ~ on a commission on domestic violence

PHRASES a commission of enquiry

³ money for selling sth/providing a service

ADJ. big, high | small | fixed

VERB + COMMISSION earn, get, receive | pay | charge That bank charges a high commission for cashing traveller's cheques. | deduct

PREP. in ~ She earned £2,000 in commission last month. | on ~ Most of the salespeople are on commission. | ~ for/on They get a 10% commission on every encyclopedia they sell.

PHRASES on a commission basis to work on a commission basis

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commission verb

ADV. specially specially commissioned works

PREP. from The report was commissioned from scientists in five countries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commitment noun

¹ willingness to give time/energy to sth

ADJ. absolute, complete, full, total | clear, deep, firm, genuine, great, passionate, real, serious, strong | continued, continuing, increased, increasing, lifelong, long-term, ongoing | general, open-ended | government, personal, professional, public | emotional, ideological, moral, political, religious

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + COMMITMENT give, make The prime minister made a firm commitment to increasing spending on health. | demonstrate, display, show to demonstrate a commitment to human rights | lack | affirm, reaffirm | require Learning to play the violin requires strong commitment. | gain The government has managed to gain the commitment of employers to the scheme.

PREP. ~ on The government avoided giving any commitments on pensions. | ~ to his lifelong commitment to the socialist cause

PHRASES a lack of commitment

² a responsibility

ADJ. big, considerable, major | binding | prior | international, overseas | business, domestic, family, financial, military, social, teaching, work

VERB + COMMITMENT have, take on I don't want to take on any more commitments. | fulfil, honour, meet She can't meet her financial commitments. | get out of, wriggle out of He is trying to wriggle out of his various domestic commitments.

PREP. ~ on to honour commitments on reduction of air pollution

³ agreeing to use money/time/people for sth

ADJ. heavy a heavy commitment of capital

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

committed adj.

VERBS be, feel | become | remain

ADV. deeply, fiercely, firmly, heavily, highly, seriously, strongly, very | absolutely, completely, fully, totally, wholly | genuinely | irrevocably The country was now irrevocably committed to war. | actively | personally The prime minister is personally committed to this legislation. | emotionally, financially, ideologically, politically She cared for Jem in her way but did not want to become emotionally committed.

PREP. to We are committed to improving services.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

committee noun

VERB + COMMITTEE create, establish, form, set up | chair Lord Stansfield will chair the committee. | appoint (sb to), elect (sb to) He was appointed to the advisory committee last month. | be on, serve on, sit on She serves on several committees. | leave, stand down from | disband

COMMITTEE + VERB meet The committee meets every Thursday.

COMMITTEE + NOUN member | meeting

PREP. on a/the ~ I talked to some of the people on the committee. | ~ on a committee on the safety of medicines > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commodity noun

¹ product/raw material

VERB + COMMODITY produce

COMMODITY + NOUN market | futures, prices | export, trade, trading | broker, trader

PHRASES trade in commodities

² sth that is useful

ADJ. precious, valuable Time is a very valuable commodity. | rare, scarce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

common ground noun

VERB + COMMON GROUND have, share The people on the course all share a lot of common ground. | establish, find | find yourself on

PREP. on ~ We found ourselves on common ground on the question of education. | ~ between to find common ground between the two sides

PHRASES an area of common ground

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

common sense noun

ADJ. good, sound | plain, pure, simple | practical

VERB + COMMON SENSE have That child has got no common sense! At least he had the common sense to turn the water off before he left. | exercise, rely on/upon, show, use Use a bit of common sense!

COMMON SENSE + VERB prevail I hope that common sense will prevail. | dictate sth, suggest sth, tell sb sth Common sense should tell you that people will find out sooner or later.

PHRASES (not) an ounce of common sense He hasn't an ounce of common sense.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commonplace adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | regard sth as Such actions were regarded as commonplace during the war.

ADV. very | almost | enough, fairly, quite, rather Her situation sounded commonplace enough.

PREP. among/amongst These ideas are commonplace among teenagers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

common adj.

¹ happening/found often

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | increasingly | fairly, quite These problems now seem fairly common.

² shared

VERBS be

PREP. to This attitude is common to most young men in the armed services.

PHRASES have sth in common Jane and I have nothing in common (= share no interests, ideas, etc.). I have nothing in common with Jane. The two cultures have a lot in common (= have the same features, characteristics, etc.). | hold sth in common They hold the property as tenants in common (= they share it). | in common with Britain, in common with (= like) many other industrialized countries, has experienced major changes over the last 100 years.

³ showing a lack of education

VERBS be, seem, sound I wish you wouldn't use that word?it sounds so common.

ADV. very | a bit, rather, slightly I don't like Sandra. She seems a bit common to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commotion noun

ADJ. dreadful, great, terrible | sudden

VERB + COMMOTION cause, make, set up The people upstairs were making a great commotion. The dogs set up a terrible commotion as we came near the house. | hear

COMMOTION + VERB break out | die down

PREP. in a/the ~ Lots of furniture had been knocked over in the commotion. | ~ about/over What's all the commotion about?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commune noun

ADJ. hippy

VERB + COMMUNE join He gave up his job in the city and joined a commune. | belong to | form, set up

PREP. in/on a/the ~ She lives in a commune.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

communicate verb

ADV. clearly, effectively, successfully, well | directly | easily | verbally By the age of two most children have begun to communicate verbally. | electronically

PREP. by We usually communicate by letter. | through We communicated through an interpreter. | to She is unable to communicate her ideas to other people. | with couples who communicate well with one another

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

communication noun

¹ act of communicating

VERB + COMMUNICATION have I haven't had any communication with him for several years. | establish | facilitate, improve | prevent measures which prevented the prisoners' communication with the outside world

COMMUNICATION + VERB break down Communication between the two sides has broken down.

COMMUNICATION + NOUN skills | breakdown

PREP. in ~ with We are in regular communication with the kidnappers. | ~ between to establish direct communication between the lookout towers | ~ by communication by letter | ~ with We need better communication with clients.

PHRASES a breakdown in communication(s), channels/lines of communication to keep open the channels of communication | a lack of communication, a means/method/system of communication Letters are their only means of communication.

² communications: systems for sending information

ADJ. good | online | global, international | mass | radio, rail, road, telephone

VERB + COMMUNICATION have | cut off, disrupt

COMMUNICATION + NOUN centre, links, network, satellite, system, technology

PREP. ~ between They tried to disrupt communications between the two headquarters. | ~ with Paris has good rail communications with other major cities.

³ message

ADJ. formal, official

VERB + COMMUNICATION receive | send

PREP. ~ about He received an official communication about the reorganization of the Ministry. | ~ from, ~ to a communication from the officer to the general

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

communion noun

¹ Communion in church

ADJ. Holy | First

VERB + COMMUNION go to We went to Holy Communion in the cathedral. | administer, celebrate, give Communion was celebrated by the Reverend John Harris. | receive, take Most of the people present took Communion.

COMMUNION + NOUN service

PREP. at ~ There were only half a dozen people at Communion.

² sharing thoughts/feelings

ADJ. close | personal

PREP. in ~ with He lived in close communion with nature. | ~ with her personal communion with God

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

communism noun

ADJ. revolutionary | international

VERB + COMMUNISM embrace | overthrow, reject

PREP. under ~ a book describing life under communism

PHRASES the collapse/fall of communism, the fight/struggle against communism, the rise/spread of communism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

communist noun (also Communist)

ADJ. militant, revolutionary | hardline, old-style, orthodox | reform/reformed | former The president of the new democracy is actually a former Communist.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

community noun

COMMUNITY + NOUN care, centre, college, service, work | action, relations | group, leader | spirit

PREP. in/within a/the ~ divisions within the scientific community

PHRASES the community as a whole/at large a cultural programme that should benefit the community at large | a member of the community, part of a community, a pillar of the community (= a strong supporter of the community), a sense of community There is a strong sense of community in this town.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

commute verb

ADV. daily, every day

PREP. between He commuted daily between London and Surrey. | from, to She commutes from Peterborough to London every day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

companionship noun

ADJ. close | constant | female, male | human | intellectual

VERB + COMPANIONSHIP need | provide (sb with) A dog provides some companionship. | seek | enjoy

PREP. for ~ She had only her cat for companionship. | ~ with She had never had any close companionship with another woman.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

companion noun

PREP. ~ for/to She lived in the house as a companion to our grandmother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

company noun

¹ business organization

ADJ. big, large, major, medium-sized, small | start-up a major European company | associated, commercial, joint-stock, limited, private, public a public limited company | international, multi-national, national | trading an international trading company | bus, record, etc. a small insurance company

QUANT. group

COMPANY + VERB make sth, produce sth The company produces cotton goods. | expand, grow | shrink | fail, go bankrupt, go bust, go into liquidation, go out of business, go to the wall (informal), go under During the recession many small companies went out of business.

COMPANY + NOUN director, policy, profits | car

PREP. in a/the ~ He has shares in several companies. | within a/the ~ the division of power within a company

PHRASES a director of a company > Special page at BUSINESS

² group of actors/dancers, etc.

ADJ. large, small | touring | ballet, theatre, etc. a small touring theatre company > Note at ORGANIZATION(for verbs)

³ being with sb else

ADJ. good, pleasant He's very good company. | poor

PREP. for ~ I took my mother with me for company. | in sb's ~ He's nervous in the company of his colleagues.

PHRASES have/request the pleasure of sb's company (formal), like/prefer your own company (= to like being alone)

⁴ group of people together

ADJ. mixed (= men and women) | assembled He glanced round the assembled company.

VERB + COMPANY keep (= to spend time with) John's mother was worried about the company he kept.

PREP. in ~ Those children don't know how to behave in company. That's not something to say in mixed company.

PHRASES get into/keep bad company (= to be friends with people that others disapprove of), present company excepted (= used after being rude or critical about sb to say that the people you are talking to are not included in the criticism)

⁵ visitor or visitors

VERB + COMPANY expect, have We're expecting company this afternoon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comparable adj.

VERBS be | become

PREP. in The two machines are comparable in size. | to a job comparable to mine | with The earthquake was comparable with others in recent years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compare verb

ADV. favourably, well The city compares favourably with other parts of Brazil. | unfavourably

VERB + COMPARE cannot, do not These mountains do not compare with (= are not nearly as high, impressive, etc. as) the Himalayas.

PREP. with Few things compare with (= are as good as) the joy of cycling on a bright, sunny spring morning.

PHRASES be nothing compared to sb/sth I've had some difficulties but they were nothing compared to yours (= they were not nearly as bad as yours).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comparison noun

ADJ. favourable, unfavourable | broad, crude, simple | close, detailed, direct | fair, good, meaningful, useful, valid | unfair

VERB + COMPARISON draw, make It's difficult to make a direct comparison?the two things are so different. | allow, enable, facilitate, invite The similarity between the two invites comparison. | bear, stand Our problems don't bear comparison with those elsewhere.

PREP. by ~ (with) Jane is still quite young, and Fiona seems old by comparison. | for ~ Let's put them side by side for comparison. | in ~ to/with The glasses are small in comparison with the old ones. | ~ between a comparison between figures for last year and this year | ~ with a comparison with other schools

PHRASES a basis for comparison to provide a basis for comparison | a point of comparison

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compartment noun

¹ section of a railway carriage

ADJ. first-class, second-class | non-smoking, smoking | passenger, sleeping, luggage

PREP. in a/the ~

² section of a container, etc.

ADJ. separate | secret | battery, freezer, glove, storage Your sunglasses are in the glove compartment.

VERB + COMPARTMENT be divided into The case is divided into four separate compartments.

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compassionate adj.

VERBS be, feel, sound

ADV. deeply, very a deeply compassionate man

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compassion noun

ADJ. deep, great | genuine

VERB + COMPASSION be filled with, feel, have I survived. Someone or something had had compassion on me. | show (sb) | lack

PREP. ~ for He was filled with overwhelming love and compassion for his wife. | ~ towards I felt no compassion towards her. | with ~ The old people are treated with great compassion.

PHRASES love and compassion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compass noun

ADJ. magnetic

VERB + COMPASS use | check

COMPASS + VERB show sth A compass shows you which direction is north.

COMPASS + NOUN needle | bearing, reading | direction, point | error

PHRASES a map and compass, the points of the compass The railway fanned out from Moscow to all points of the compass.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compatible adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. highly, very | entirely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally, wholly three different, yet entirely compatible programs | directly | hardly | logically, sexually, technologically

PREP. with The theory does not seem compatible with his other ideas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compelling adj.

¹ holding your attention

VERBS be | become | find sth

ADV. very | utterly | oddly, strangely His eyes were strangely compelling.

² strong/convincing

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very | logically There is no logically compelling argument to support their claims.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compensate verb

¹ remove/reduce the bad effect of sth

ADV. amply, fully | more than The advantages of the scheme more than compensate for the risks associated with it. | partially, partly

PREP. for

² pay money for a loss/injury

ADV. adequately, properly | fully, in full People whose health has suffered will be compensated in full. | financially I expect to be compensated financially.

PREP. for The company will compensate you for the losses you have suffered.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compensation noun

ADJ. full | partial, small | adequate, appropriate, sufficient | financial, monetary

QUANT. amount

VERB + COMPENSATION award (sb), give (sb), grant (sb), offer (sb), pay (sb), provide (sb with) | accept, gain, get, obtain, receive She got some compensation for damages. | deny sb, refuse sb | claim, demand, fight for, seek | be eligible for, be entitled to

COMPENSATION + VERB be payable If the government is proved negligent, compensation will be payable.

COMPENSATION + NOUN claim | fund | order | payment | scheme

PREP. as ~ (for) She received £7,000 as compensation for her injuries. | in ~ (for) They will have to pay £5,000 in compensation. | ~ for The money was small compensation for unfair dismissal. | ~ from compensation from the government | ~ to compensation to Mrs Parker

PHRASES compensation in money

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

competence noun

¹ ability to do sth well

ADJ. great | basic | administrative, managerial, professional, social, technical | communicative, language, linguistic, reading

VERB + COMPETENCE have | demonstrate, display, prove, show She shows a high level of technical competence. | lack | achieve, acquire, develop, gain He gradually developed the competence to deal with the more difficult cases. | challenge, question

PREP. beyond sb's ~ I'm afraid the work is beyond his competence. | within sb's ~ This should be well within your competence. | ~ as Students had questioned her competence as a teacher. | ~ for He displayed great competence for the job. | ~ in competence in English

PHRASES a level/standard of competence

² power to deal with sth

ADJ. formal | exclusive

VERB + COMPETENCE have The commission has no formal competence in cultural matters.

PREP. outside sb/sth's ~ matters that fall outside the court's competence | within sb/sth's ~ The decisions come within the competence of the council.

PHRASES an area of competence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

competent adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become | make sb A year of college had made her more socially competent. | consider sb, regard sb as He was not considered competent to teach seven-year-olds.

ADV. extremely, highly, very a small number of highly competent officials | fully, perfectly | fairly, moderately, quite, reasonably | mentally She was mentally competent and she had the capacity to decide for herself. | socially, technically

PREP. in She is competent in five languages.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compete verb

ADV. effectively, successfully | directly Their products compete directly with ours. | internationally, nationally The price must be right in order to compete internationally. | fiercely The big firms are competing fiercely on price.

VERB + COMPETE can't/cannot Small independent bookshops can't compete with the large stores.

PREP. against He welcomed the chance to compete against professional athletes. | for Animals in the wild have to compete for food. | in He regularly competes in road races. | with We have to compete with several larger companies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

competition noun

¹ event in which people try to win sth

ADJ. international, national | knock-out | dancing, piano, sporting, etc.

VERB + COMPETITION win She won an international dancing competition. | lose | have, hold, stage We're going to have a competition to see who can swim the furthest. | enter, take part in | withdraw from

COMPETITION + VERB take place | be open to sb The competition is open to all readers of the magazine

PREP. in a/the ~ I won the car in a competition. | ~ between a competition between the best teams in the country | ~ for a competition for the best chef

² trying to achieve the same thing/gain an advantage

ADJ. cut-throat, fierce, intense, keen, serious, severe, stiff, strong, tough intense competition for the contract | direct Public transport is run in direct competition with the private sector. | fair, free, healthy, open | domestic | foreign, global, international, overseas | economic

VERB + COMPETITION be up against, face | go into to go into competition with British Telecom | beat off, fight off to fight off competition from foreign firms

PREP. against ~ They won the order against fierce international competition. | in ~ with We are in competition with some very large companies. | in the face of ~ The gas companies are having to lay off staff in the face of stiff competition from oil. | ~ among/between There is a lot of competition between rival airlines. | ~ for, ~ from We face strong competition from other countries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

competitive adj.

VERBS be | become | remain, stay | make sth skills training to make our industries more competitive in world markets | keep sth

ADV. extremely, fiercely, highly, intensely, very a fiercely competitive sport highly competitive prices a very competitive person | fairly, quite, rather

PREP. with Investment in research is needed to keep Britain competitive with countries like Japan.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

competitor noun

¹ in business

ADJ. biggest, chief, leading, main, major | fierce, serious, strong The company has no serious competitors in this area. | closest, direct, nearest | domestic, local | foreign, international, overseas

PREP. ~ for fierce competitors for the dominant position in the Asian market

² person who takes part in a competition

ADJ. strong, top She is one of the sport's top competitors. | successful

COMPETITOR + VERB enter sth Ten competitors entered the race.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complacent adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound | become, get, grow

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very | far from Teachers are far from complacent about this problem. | rather, somewhat | alarmingly, dangerously This view seems alarmingly complacent.

PREP. about It is vital that we do not get complacent about this disease.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complaint noun

¹ act of complaining

ADJ. bitter, serious | common, familiar, frequent | formal, official | consumer, customer

VERB + COMPLAINT have I have a complaint about the food. | bring, file, lodge, make, register, voice He brought a complaint against his former manager. They filed a complaint with the European Commission. | get, have, receive We have had some serious complaints from parents. | deal with, handle, hear, investigate, respond to The tribunal heard complaints against the director. | resolve | reject

COMPLAINT + VERB arise complaints arising from late payment | concern sth, relate to sth

COMPLAINT + NOUN complaints procedure

PREP. ~ about a complaint about working conditions | ~ against a complaint against the police | ~ from a complaint from the neighbours | ~ of a complaint of unfair dismissal | ~ to to make a complaint to the authorities

PHRASES cause/grounds for complaint The way I was treated gave me no cause for complaint. | a chorus of complaint, a letter of complaint, a matter of complaint

² illness

ADJ. mild, minor | chronic | common Not being able to sleep at night is a very common complaint. | back, chest, etc. | medical

VERB + COMPLAINT have, suffer from He has a minor skin complaint.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complain verb

ADV. bitterly She complained bitterly about the lack of help she received. | loudly | constantly, repeatedly

VERB + COMPLAIN can't/couldn't, can/could hardly It was entirely my own idea, so I can hardly complain. | have cause to, have reason to, have a right to He really has no right to complain. | begin to, start to

PREP. about All the guests complained about the noise. | at She complained at the unfairness of it all. | to I'm going to complain to the council about this!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complementary adj.

VERBS be

ADV. essentially | mutually These two aims are not always mutually complementary: at times they conflict.

PREP. to We provide a service that is essentially complementary to that of the banks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complement noun

¹ sth that goes well with sth else

ADJ. ideal, natural, necessary, perfect

PREP. ~ to This wine is the perfect complement to fish.

² total number that makes a group complete

ADJ. full | large | normal

VERB + COMPLEMENT take We've taken our full complement of trainees this year.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complement verb

ADV. well | perfectly The flavours in the dish complement each other perfectly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complete adj.

¹ having/including all the parts

VERBS be, seem | survive The book survives complete only in the second edition of 1533. | make sth You've made my life complete.

ADV. remarkably, unusually a remarkably complete account of the negotiations | far from, less than, not quite | almost, nearly, virtually | fairly, reasonably

² finished

VERBS be, seem

ADV. almost, nearly, substantially, virtually The job is almost complete. | far from | not yet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complete verb

¹ finish sth

ADV. on schedule, on time | successfully The project has now been successfully completed.

² write information

ADV. accurately, correctly Has the form been correctly completed?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

completion noun

ADJ. rapid, speedy | early | satisfactory, successful

VERB + COMPLETION near, reach The renovation of the theatre is now nearing completion. | bring sth to to bring the project to completion | delay | be due for The bridge is due for completion in May.

COMPLETION + NOUN date

PREP. after/following ~ Payment will be made following successful completion of the job. | before/prior to ~ The floorboards were replaced prior to completion of the sale. | near ~ The book is near completion. | pending ~ Development of the site has been delayed pending completion of the sewerage scheme. | on/upon ~ of The committee will report back to us on completion of the study.

PHRASES the date of completion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complexion noun

¹ colour/quality of the skin/face

VERB + COMPLEXION have | give sb Years of heavy drinking had given Alison a florid complexion.

² general nature/character of sth

ADJ. serious | different, new | political, social a change in the political complexion of the council

VERB + COMPLEXION put, take on What you have told us puts quite a different complexion on the situation. The joke took on a rather serious complexion when the police became involved.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complexity noun

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + COMPLEXITY convey, highlight, illustrate, reveal It is difficult to convey the sheer complexity of the situation. | grasp, understand

COMPLEXITY + VERB arise (from sth)

PREP. of … ~ a pay system of unnecessary complexity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complex adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. enormously, especially, exceedingly, exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, infinitely, particularly, very This is a highly complex matter. | increasingly | fairly, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat | surprisingly | unnecessarily | technically technically complex surgery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complex noun

¹ set of buildings

ADJ. huge, large, vast | conference, entertainment, factory, holiday, hospital, housing, industrial, leisure, museum, office, shopping, sports

VERB + COMPLEX build

² mental/emotional problem

ADJ. real, terrible | inferiority, superiority | castration, guilt, Oedipus, persecution

VERB + COMPLEX have, suffer from | develop, get Don't keep on at him about his handwriting or he'll get a complex. | give sb

PREP. ~ about She has a complex about her big ears.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complicated adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound It all sounds very complicated. | become, get This is where the story gets complicated.

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, fiendishly, highly, immensely, incredibly, particularly, terribly, very | increasingly | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, somewhat | unnecessarily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complicate verb

ADV. enormously, greatly These events will greatly complicate the situation. | further

PHRASES be complicated by the fact that The issue is complicated by the fact that a vital document is missing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complication noun

¹ problem

ADJ. major | added, additional, further | undue, unnecessary | political

VERB + COMPLICATION add, cause The presence of an armed gang added a major complication. | avoid We always try to avoid any unnecessary complications.

COMPLICATION + VERB arise, occur Further complications arose when the newspapers published an interview with the prisoner's family.

² medical

VERB + COMPLICATION develop, have, suffer She developed complications two weeks after the treatment. | die from/of | avoid, prevent

COMPLICATION + VERB develop, occur, arise Complications develop if the drug is not used properly. | result from sth

PHRASES a risk of complications The treatment carries a high risk of complications.

PREP. ~ with complications with her pregnancy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complicity noun

ADJ. alleged, apparent her alleged complicity in the bombing | active | government, police

PREP. ~ between the complicity between the army and drug smugglers | ~ in her complicity in a plot to kill the president | ~ with She did not suspect him of complicity with the authorities.

PHRASES an act of complicity > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

complimentary adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very She made some highly complimentary remarks about their school. | quite

PREP. about

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compliment noun

¹ expression of praise

ADJ. great, higher/highest, tremendous To listen to someone is the greatest compliment you can pay. | pretty | unexpected | backhanded, double-edged, dubious In a backhanded compliment she said he looked very good for his age.

VERB + COMPLIMENT pay sb | mean sth as Please don't misunderstand me?I meant it as a compliment. | get, receive | accept, acknowledge She acknowledged their compliments with a big smile. | regard sth as, take sth as I'll take that as a compliment. | fish for She's always fishing for compliments about her looks. | repay, return He returned her compliment by saying how well she looked.

PREP. ~ on She received several compliments on her speech. | ~ to If Mark's wearing a suit, that'll be a compliment to you!

² your compliments: good wishes

VERB + COMPLIMENT give sb, present (sb with), send sb Please give my compliments to your wife.

COMPLIMENT + NOUN slip The only enclosure was a formal compliments slip from the accounts department.

PREP. with sb's ~ (= free) All guests will receive a bottle of champagne with our compliments. | ~ to my compliments to the chef (= to show that you like a particular dish)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comply verb

ADV. fully, strictly

VERB + COMPLY fail to, refuse to When requested to leave, they refused to comply.

PREP. with Candidates must comply strictly with these instructions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

component noun

ADJ. basic, central, core, critical, crucial, essential, fundamental, important, integral, key, main, major, necessary, principal, significant, vital | minor | common The researchers discovered a common component in all types of the organism. | standard Our software is becoming a standard component of many computer systems. | individual, separate, simple Individual components for the car can be very expensive. | chemical, genetic | electrical, electronic | aircraft, engine, etc. | course

COMPONENT + NOUN failure Component failure was the cause of the accident. | manufacturer, supplier

PREP. ~ in a crucial component in our success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

composed adj.

¹ composed of made up of sth

VERBS be

ADV. entirely, exclusively, solely, wholly The committee was composed entirely of specialists. | chiefly, largely, mainly, mostly, overwhelmingly, predominantly, primarily Bones are largely composed of calcium.

² in control of your feelings

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very | perfectly He was pale but perfectly composed. | fairly, quite | outwardly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

composer noun

COMPOSER + VERB compose sth, write sth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compose verb

ADV. specially music specially composed for the occasion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

composition noun

¹ parts that form sth

ADJ. overall The overall composition of the Senate was Democrats 57 and Republicans 43. | internal the character of the state and its internal composition | exact, precise | changing the changing composition of the labour force | age, class, demographic, ethnic, family, gender, household, population, racial, social the ethnic composition of the region | species | chemical, mineralogical

VERB + COMPOSITION determine elections to determine the composition of the assembly

COMPOSITION + VERB change, differ Has household composition changed in the last decade?

PHRASES a change in the composition of sth

² piece of music

ADJ. classical, instrumental, musical | original an original composition by a popular young composer

VERB + COMPOSITION write | perform, play

PREP. ~ by a composition by John Cage | ~ for a composition for violin and piano

³ art of writing music

ADJ. classical, free, instrumental, musical

PHRASES a method of composition

VERB + COMPOSITION study

⁴ piece of writing

ADJ. literary, original, prose

VERB + COMPOSITION do, write In the exam, you have to do a composition.

PREP. ~ on a composition on the effects of crime

⁵ art of writing

ADJ. literary, metrical, poetic, prose, written

PHRASES a method of composition

⁶ work of art

ADJ. abstract, figure, formal, pictorial | original | perfect

PREP. ~ by a composition by the sculptor, Bernt Notke

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

composure noun

ADJ. cool, perfect

VERB + COMPOSURE keep, maintain | lose She totally lost her composure and began shouting. | recover, regain | ruffle Nothing could ruffle his composure.

PREP. with ~ She answered with perfect composure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compound noun

¹ chemical

ADJ. chemical Scientists have produced a new chemical compound. | inorganic, organic | synthetic | molecular, simple Dalton believed that the simplest compound of two elements must have one atom of each. | active, dangerous, potent, toxic, volatile | carbon, iron, etc.

VERB + COMPOUND form, produce At the right temperature, the chemicals will form a compound.

COMPOUND + VERB contain sth | be derived from sth, derive from sth, be found in sth, occur compounds derived from rainforest plants

PREP. ~ of a compound of oxygen and hydrogen

² area of land and buildings

ADJ. palace, prison, military | walled, secure Police are investigating a raid on a secure compound.

PREP. in/inside a/the ~ life inside the prison compound

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comprehend verb

ADV. fully

VERB + COMPREHEND be able/unable to | cannot, fail to She failed to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. | be difficult to, be impossible to It is difficult to comprehend how far away the stars are.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comprehensible adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth We changed the wording of the text to make it more comprehensible. | easily, readily The instructions should be easily comprehensible to parents. | entirely, fully, perfectly | barely His French was barely comprehensible.

PREP. to The system is perfectly comprehensible to most people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comprehension noun

¹ understanding

VERB + COMPREHENSION have She has no comprehension of the seriousness of the situation. | check There are exercises for checking comprehension.

PREP. beyond (your) ~ Why he can't do it himself is beyond my comprehension. | without ~

PHRASES a lack of comprehension He showed a total lack of comprehension.

² language exercise

ADJ. listening, reading

VERB + COMPREHENSION do We did a listening comprehension.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

comprehensive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very | fully, totally fully comprehensive insurance | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably The list is fairly comprehensive. | truly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compromise noun

ADJ. acceptable, fair, good, happy, honourable, possible, pragmatic, reasonable, sensible, suitable | ideal | muddled, uneasy, unsatisfactory After months of negotiations, they have reached an uneasy compromise. | inevitable, necessary

VERB + COMPROMISE agree on, arrive at, come to, find, make, reach, work out I'm not making any more compromises. They're still trying to work out an acceptable compromise. | look for, seek It is best to try to seek a compromise rather than a perfect solution. | offer, suggest After much discussion, she offered a compromise. | accept | reject

COMPROMISE + NOUN agreement, deal, formula, proposal, resolution, solution | candidate He might be an attractive compromise candidate if both sides' first choices are rejected.

PREP. ~ between It was a fair compromise between the two sides. | ~ on/over They came to a compromise over the exact amount to be paid. | ~ with There could be no compromise with the nationalists. > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compromise verb

¹ in order to reach agreement

VERB + COMPROMISE be prepared to, be ready to | refuse to He wanted his own way and refused to compromise.

PREP. on Unions and management seem ready to compromise on the level of the pay increase. | with They debated whether to compromise with the opposition parties.

² damage/put in danger

ADV. seriously The affair seriously compromised the party's prospects of electoral success.

VERB + COMPROMISE be prepared to, be ready to | refuse to

PREP. on We are not prepared to compromise on safety standards.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

compulsion noun

ADJ. strange | inner

QUANT. element There is an element of compulsion in the new scheme for the unemployed.

VERB + COMPULSION feel, have He felt an inner compulsion to write.

PREP. under ~ You're under no compulsion to take part.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

computer noun

ADJ. powerful | desktop, home, laptop, mainframe, notebook, personal, portable the market for home computers | analogue, digital, parallel

COMPUTER + VERB run | hold sth, store sth The computer stores data in a buffer until the printer can accept it. | crash | be down/up The computers are all down (= not functioning) at the moment.

COMPUTER + NOUN network, program, system | equipment, hardware, software | language | science, technology | keyboard, screen, terminal, etc. | game, graphics, model A computer model is used to predict forces affecting the aircraft in flight. | expert, hacker, programmer, user | company, industry, manufacturer | time Such a large sorting operation can take up a lot of computer time.

PREP. on (a/the) ~ It's all stored on the computer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

computing noun

COMPUTING + NOUN skills

PREP. in ~ He works in computing > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conceal verb

VERB + CONCEAL be able/unable to She was unable to conceal her surprise. | try to | manage to

PREP. from He concealed the truth from her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concede verb

ADV. eventually, finally | readily She readily concedes that there is much work still to be done. | grudgingly, reluctantly He reluctantly conceded that he was not fit enough to play in the match.

VERB + CONCEDE be forced to | be prepared to, be willing to He was not prepared to concede that he had acted illegally. | be reluctant to, be unwilling to | refuse to

PREP. to The firm should concede a significant salary increase to its employees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conceivable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. entirely, perfectly, quite It's quite conceivable that she hasn't heard the news yet. | just I suppose it's just conceivable that we've made a mistake. | barely, scarcely

PHRASES every conceivable sth We had to draw up plans for every conceivable emergency.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conceive verb

¹ think of/imagine

ADV. brilliantly, carefully The plan was brilliantly conceived. | poorly | broadly The course is very broadly conceived (= it covers a wide range of topics). | narrowly | originally The dam project was originally conceived in 1977.

VERB + CONCEIVE can't/cannot I cannot conceive why you paid out so much money. | be difficult to, be impossible to It is difficult to conceive of a society without money. | be easy to, be possible to

PREP. of We conceive of ourselves as individuals.

² become pregnant

ADV. naturally She was unable to conceive a child naturally and was offered fertility treatment.

VERB + CONCEIVE be able/unable to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concentrated adj.

¹ of your attention

VERBS be

ADV. totally Kate sat up fully, her attention now totally concentrated.

² of a substance

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very The liquid is found in a highly concentrated form.

³ found in one place

VERBS be

ADV. heavily, highly, particularly, strongly, very | increasingly | largely, mainly, mostly, overwhelmingly, primarily | disproportionately These jobs are disproportionately concentrated in the service sector. | geographically The immigrant community is strongly concentrated geographically.

PREP. at, in Most of the country's industry is concentrated in the north. | within Childbearing is concentrated within the first decade of married life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concentrate verb

ADV. fiercely, hard, intently She was sitting at her desk concentrating hard. | fully, properly | mainly, predominantly, primarily | particularly | entirely, exclusively, purely, solely

VERB + CONCENTRATE be unable to, can't, couldn't I tried to work but I found I couldn't concentrate. | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | tend to UK banks tend to concentrate on short-term lending. | try to

PREP. on/upon He concentrated mainly on the flying and spoke very little.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concentration noun

¹ giving all your attention/effort to sth

ADJ. deep, great, intense | total a look of total concentration on her face | poor | exclusive

VERB + CONCENTRATION demand, require The game requires great concentration. | lose | break, disturb Don's voice from outside broke my concentration.

CONCENTRATION + NOUN span

PREP. ~ on his concentration on his writing

PHRASES a lack of concentration, a lapse in/of concentration One momentary lapse in concentration could prove fatal. | powers of concentration She has great powers of concentration for a child her age.

² large number/amount of sth in one place

ADJ. great, heavy, high, large The greatest concentration of traffic is in the city centre. | low | geographical

CONCENTRATION + VERB increase, rise The concentration of nitrates in the drinking water has risen in recent years. | decrease, fall

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conception noun

¹ idea/understanding

VERB + CONCEPTION have

PREP. in ~ His work is strikingly fresh in conception.

PHRASES have no conception of sth You have no conception of what her life is like.

² becoming/making sb pregnant

VERB + CONCEPTION prevent

PREP. at ~ Sex identity is fixed at conception.

PHRASES the moment of conception

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concept noun

ADJ. basic, simple | broad, general, overall, wider ‘Mental handicap’ should be replaced with the broader concept of ‘learning difficulties’. | entire, whole The whole concept of responsibility was alien to him. | central, core, essential, fundamental, important, key | clear, precise | ambiguous, elusive, nebulous, vague The concept of ‘adequate medical care’ is too vague. | complex, difficult, sophisticated | abstract, intellectual, theoretical | alien, bizarre | underlying | useful | modern, new, novel | old-fashioned, traditional | business, design, economic, historical, legal, mathematical, political, psychological, religious, scientific

VERB + CONCEPT have Teachers should have a clear concept of what a multiracial society is. | grasp, understand She finds it difficult to grasp abstract concepts. | define, formulate, frame the need to create new words to frame new concepts | introduce | develop

PREP. ~ of He formulated the concept of imaginary time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concerned adj.

¹ worried about sth

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow | remain

PREP. about/at/by/over Doctors are concerned at the prospect of heart patients having to wait up to a year for surgery. | for We are now deeply concerned for his safety.

² interested in sth

VERBS be

ADV. especially, particularly, specifically | entirely, exclusively, solely | centrally, chiefly, essentially, largely, mainly, mostly, predominantly, primarily, principally Mathematics is concerned essentially with understanding abstract concepts. | closely, directly, intimately

PREP. with Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concern noun

¹ feeling of worry

ADJ. considerable, deep, grave, great, major, serious | growing, mounting | common, widespread | national, public public concern about increased taxes

VERB + CONCERN feel He felt some concern for her safety. | express, show, voice | cause The lack of firefighting equipment has caused concern.

PREP. in sb's ~ She forgot her own worries in her concern for him. | out of ~ | ~ about/over She expressed her deep concern about conditions at the factory. | ~ for Out of concern for her health, we suggested she take a week off work.

PHRASES be of (no) concern to sb Increased use of drugs is of great concern to parents. | (a) cause for concern The president's health is giving serious cause for concern. | a lack of concern I was surprised by her lack of concern. | a matter of concern Stress at work is a matter of concern to staff and management.

² sth that worries/affects you

ADJ. chief, main, major, overriding, paramount, primary What are your main concerns as a writer? | common a common concern for new parents

PHRASES be none of sb's concern How much we paid is none of your concern.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concern verb

¹ affect/involve

ADV. directly

PREP. in Everyone who was directly concerned in (= had some responsibility for) the incident has now resigned.

² worry sb

ADV. a lot, really It really concerns me that he doesn't eat properly. | slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concerto noun

ADJ. piano, violin, etc. | D major, B minor, etc.

VERB + CONCERTO compose, write | perform, play | conduct | record

PREP. ~ for a concerto for clarinet and orchestra > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concert noun

QUANT. series

VERB + CONCERT attend, go to | give, perform (in), play (in) | have, hold, present, put on, stage The band is putting on its biggest concert of the year. | organize

CONCERT + NOUN hall, platform, room, venue | performance, programme | artist, pianist | series, tour

PREP. at a/the ~ | ~ of a concert of military music | ~ for/in aid of organizing a concert for charity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concession noun

¹ sth you agree to in order to end an argument

ADJ. important, key, major, significant, substantial | limited, minor, small | special

VERB + CONCESSION grant (sb/sth), make, offer (sb/sth) | get, obtain, win

PREP. ~ on The pressure group has won a number of concessions on environmental policy. | ~ to The firm will be forced to make concessions to the union.

PHRASES make no concessions to sb/sth They made no concessions to his disability.

² special right to do sth

ADJ. trade

VERB + CONCESSION grant (sb/sth) | obtain, secure, win The company has just won a mining concession in the north of the country.

³ lower charge for certain groups of people

ADJ. tax, travel

CONCESSION + VERB be available to travel concessions available to older people

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conclusion noun

¹ opinion reached after considering the facts

VERB + CONCLUSION arrive at, come to, draw, reach I can't draw any conclusions from what she said. | jump to, leap to We don't want to jump to the wrong conclusion. Don't go jumping to conclusions before you know the facts. | lead to, point to It all points to the conclusion that nobody knew what was going on.

² ending of sth

ADJ. satisfactory, successful | foregone The result of the match was a foregone conclusion. | hasty

VERB + CONCLUSION bring about, bring sth to The meeting was brought to a hasty conclusion. | come to

PREP. in ~ In conclusion, I would like to thank you all for your hard work. > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conclusive adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. absolutely | fairly, pretty They produced some fairly conclusive evidence. | by no means, far from, hardly, not very The argument was far from conclusive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concrete noun

ADJ. solid | bare a floor made of bare concrete | wet | pre-cast, ready-mix/ready-mixed, reinforced

QUANT. layer, slab

VERB + CONCRETE mix | lay, pour | be made from/(out) of | set sth in The pathway is formed from large pebbles set in concrete. (figurative) I do not regard the constitution of the United Kingdom as set in concrete.

CONCRETE + VERB set Before the concrete sets the surface can be given a final smoothing over.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concur verb

ADV. strongly I strongly concur with that idea. | entirely, fully

PREP. in, with Historians have concurred with each other in this view.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

concussion noun

ADJ. bad | mild, minor, slight

VERB + CONCUSSION have, suffer

PREP. with ~ He was carried off the field with slight concussion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

condemnation noun

ADJ. utter, wholesale | firm, severe, strong | universal, widespread | official, public There's been no official condemnation of the bombing.

VERB + CONDEMNATION express, issue I can only express my strong condemnation of this dreadful behaviour. The United Nations issued a condemnation of the regime. | draw The violence has drawn firm condemnation from all the main political leaders.

CONDEMNATION + VERB come from sb/sth Condemnation of this policy has come from all political parties.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

condemn verb

ADV. fiercely, roundly, strongly, vehemently, vigorously, vociferously | unequivocally, utterly | unanimously, universally | openly, publicly She publicly condemned the opposition leader.

PREP. for He was roundly condemned for his mistake.

PHRASES be widely condemned The action has been widely condemned by human rights groups.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

condition noun

¹ state of sth

ADJ. excellent, good, immaculate, mint, peak, perfect, pristine | fair, reasonable | bad, poor | original The clock was restored to its original condition. | physical

PREP. in … ~ The car is still in excellent condition.

² sb's state of health

ADJ. critical, serious | stable Doctors say his condition is now stable. | mental, physical There has been a serious deterioration in her mental condition.

CONDITION + VERB get better, improve Without this treatment, her condition won't improve. | deteriorate, get worse

PREP. in a … ~ He is still in a critical condition in the local hospital. | out of ~ I haven't been excercising much recently, so I'm a bit out of condition.

PHRASES be in no condition to do sth You're in no condition to tackle the stairs.

³ illness

VERB + CONDITION have, suffer from He has a rare skin condition. | be born with All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.

⁴ conditions: situation/circumstances

ADJ. favourable, good, ideal, optimum Conditions are very favourable for starting a business. | adverse, appalling, awful, difficult, dreadful, freak (only used about the weather), harsh, poor, severe, terrible, treacherous adverse conditions for driving freak weather conditions | normal, prevailing | controlled The experiment is conducted under strictly controlled conditions. | experimental, laboratory | driving, housing, living, operating, working The working conditions in the factory are dreadful. | economic, market, political, social | climatic, environmental, physical, soil, weather

VERB + CONDITION live in, work in/under An enormous number of people live in conditions of severe poverty.

CONDITION + VERB exist, prevail As long as these weather conditions prevail, we are unable to rescue the climbers. | change | improve | deteriorate

PREP. in ~ in normal flight operating conditions | under ~ The samples are heated under experimental conditions.

⁵ rule

ADJ. strict | special

VERB + CONDITION attach, impose, lay down, set out the conditions attached to the grant of a residential licence The United Nations has imposed strict conditions on the ceasefire. | accept, agree to They would not agree to our conditions. | abide by, comply with, fulfil, meet, observe, satisfy To get a basic pension you must satisfy two conditions: … | be subject to The bar was licensed subject to the condition that no children under 15 be admitted. | be in breach of He denied being in breach of bail conditions.

CONDITION + VERB apply Special conditions apply to the use of the library's rare books.

PREP. on ~ that They agreed to lend us the car on condition that (= only if) we returned it before the weekend. | on … ~ I'll agree to the scheme on one condition: my name doesn't get mentioned to the press. | under the ~s of Under the conditions of the agreement, all foreign troops will leave by May.

PHRASES a breach of a condition, conditions of employment/sale, terms and conditions the terms and conditions of the contract

⁶ necessary situation

ADJ. necessary, sufficient a necessary and sufficient condition for the eradication of unemployment

PREP. ~ for

⁷ state of group

ADJ. human Work is basic to the human condition (= the fact of being alive).

VERB + CONDITION improve aiming to improve the condition of the urban poor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

condolences noun

ADJ. heartfelt, sincere

VERB + CONDOLENCES convey, express, extend, offer (sb), send (sb) We would like to take this opportunity to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. | accept Please accept our sincere condolences.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

condom noun

QUANT. packet

VERB + CONDOM unroll | put on, use, wear

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

condone verb

ADV. tacitly

VERB + CONDONE cannot/could not We cannot condone violence of any sort.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conducive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very Daylight is highly conducive to good plant growth. | hardly The noise was hardly conducive to a good night's sleep.

PREP. to an environment conducive to learning

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conductor noun

¹ person who directs an orchestra

ADJ. great | famous | chief, principal | guest | opera/operatic, orchestra/orchestral

PREP. ~ of/with the principal conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra

PHRASES the conductor's baton > Note at JOB

² substance that allows heat/electricity to pass through

ADJ. good | bad, poor | electrical | lightning

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conduct noun

¹ behaviour

ADJ. good The prisoner was released early for good conduct. | discreditable, disgraceful, immoral, improper, ungentlemanly, unprofessional, unseemly | aggressive, violent | criminal, fraudulent, illegal, negligent, unlawful, wrongful | homosexual, sexual | personal | business, professional The business conduct of this bank will be subject to UK rules. Our organization sets high standards of professional conduct. | police | human It is tempting to think of morality as a guide to human conduct.

VERB + CONDUCT engage in The committee concluded that the senators had engaged in improper conduct. | regulate Efforts were made to regulate the conduct of crowds at football games. | explain The minister was called to court to explain his conduct.

CONDUCT + VERB constitute sth conduct constituting a crime

PREP. ~ by The violent conduct by the strikers was condemned. | ~ towards her conduct towards her husband

PHRASES a code of conduct, rules of conduct, standards of conduct

² management of sth

ADJ. proper The elders were responsible for the proper conduct of community life. | day-to-day the day-to-day conduct of the business of the company

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conduct verb

¹ organize sth/carry sth out

ADV. independently The enquiry must be independently conducted. | personally | properly | successfully

² lead/guide sb

ADV. personally How about a personally conducted tour of the house?

PREP. along, around/round, down, through, to, etc. A guide conducted us around the museum.

³ conduct yourself: behave

ADV. honourably, well, with dignity She conducts herself with great dignity.

⁴ heat/electricity

ADV. well a substance which conducts electricity well

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confederation noun

ADJ. loose The Franks were originally a loose confederation of Germanic tribes.

VERB + CONFEDERATION establish, form, found | join

PREP. ~ between a confederation between two states | ~ of a confederation of employers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conference noun

QUANT. series

VERB + CONFERENCE attend, go to | hold | organize | call, convene

CONFERENCE + VERB meet, take place | begin, open | close, end | bring sb together The conference brought together historians working in a variety of fields. | be entitled sth a conference entitled ‘Strategies for Epidemic Control’ | be devoted to sth, examine sth, focus on sth, look at sth a conference devoted to the topic of peace an inter-governmental conference examining cross-border cooperation | hear sth The conference heard an appeal from a representative from one of the more deprived areas. | agree sth, decide sth, vote sth The conference agreed to adopt a set of compromise proposals. | adopt sth, approve sth, back sth, support sth The conference adopted a resolution on minority rights. | recommend sth | condemn sth, reject sth

PREP. at a/the ~ We met at an international conference. | in ~ with He was in conference with (= in a meeting with) his lawyers all day. | ~ about Few reporters turned up to his press conference about low pay. | ~ between a conference between the warring parties | ~ for a conference for catering managers | ~ on a conference on economic monetary union | ~ with Management had a joint conference with the union.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confession noun

¹ admitting guilt

VERB + CONFESSION make | sign | extract, get, obtain, secure He claims his confession was extracted under torture. | retract She made a false confession during the trial which she later retracted. | exclude The court excluded the confession wrongly obtained by the police.

PREP. ~ by an alleged confession by the defendant | ~ from a confession from the prisoner | ~ of a true confession of a terrible crime | ~ to a confession to murder

PHRASES force/get a confession out of sb The police forced a confession out of him.

² embarrassing statement

ADJ. candid, open | shy

VERB + CONFESSION made The government made open confession of its inability to cope with the crisis.

PREP. ~ of her shy confession of love

PHRASES have a confession to make I have a confession to make. I read your private emails.

³ to a priest

VERB + CONFESSION go to I used to go to confession every Saturday as a child. | hear The priest heard her confession and granted absolution.

CONFESSION + NOUN box

PHRASES an act of confession

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confess verb

ADV. freely, openly | allegedly | ruefully, sheepishly

VERB + CONFESS have to, must I must confess that I didn't have much faith in her ideas.

PREP. to He was arrested and confessed to the murder. She confessed to me that she had known his true identity for some time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confetti noun

QUANT. shower

VERB + CONFETTI shower (sb with), throw The winning team was showered with confetti.

CONFETTI + VERB shower down Confetti showered down on the newly-weds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confidence noun

¹ belief in others

ADJ. absolute, complete, full, total The company needs the full confidence of its investors. | great, high, real Confidence is high among the team's supporters. | reasonable | growing, increased, increasing | new, renewed | misplaced The general's confidence in his army proved misplaced. | international | popular, public public confidence in the government | business, consumer, customer, investor, market

VERB + CONFIDENCE enjoy, feel, have This government no longer enjoys the confidence of the public. We all have complete confidence in this product. | express He expressed confidence in the new plans. | be lacking in, lack | share She wished that she shared his confidence. | maintain, preserve to maintain public confidence in the system of justice | bolster, boost, build (up), enhance, improve, increase, lift, raise Higher profits should raise business confidence. | gain | command, create, develop, encourage, engender, generate, give (sb), inspire, instil The training is designed to give staff confidence in managing problems. The company's record does not really inspire confidence. | rebuild, restore, revive Only if the chairperson resigns will we be able to restore the confidence of our members. | lose This government has lost the confidence of the public. | damage, dent, sap, shake, undermine, weaken Only one bank scandal is needed to shake the confidence in the financial markets. | destroy, shatter

CONFIDENCE + VERB decrease | grow, increase, rise | return Confidence has returned to the market.

PREP. ~ about The captain was not lacking in confidence about his team's prospects. | ~ among a loss of confidence among investors | ~ between efforts to build confidence between employers and unions | ~ in They have no confidence in the legal system.

PHRASES a crisis of confidence There is a crisis of confidence in the university about its future role. | have every/little/no/some confidence The captain of the football team said he had every confidence in his men. | a lack of confidence, a loss of confidence, a vote of (no) confidence This is a tremendous vote of confidence for the government. | a (no) confidence motion/vote The government lost a parliamentary confidence vote.

² belief in yourself

VERB + CONFIDENCE have She has very little confidence in her own abilities. | show | feel ‘I can explain,’ he said, with a confidence he did not feel. | brim with, exude, be full of, ooze, radiate Since she got the new job, she's been brimming with confidence. a man who exudes confidence | be lacking in, lack A lot of children are lacking in confidence. | acquire, develop, gain, gather She's gained a lot of confidence over the last year. | grow in As the weeks went by he grew in confidence. | lose During his illness he really lost his confidence. | get back, rebuild, recover, regain, restore He's really striking the ball well and has got his confidence back. | bolster, boost, build (up), enhance Winning the competition really boosted her confidence. | give sb, instil to instil confidence in staff who feel nervous about taking on new roles | dent, sap, shake, undermine, weaken Failing his exams really dented his confidence. | destroy, shatter

CONFIDENCE + VERB drain (away), evaporate, go My confidence went completely after my first major defeat. | grow, increase, rise Their confidence grew with each success. | return

CONFIDENCE + NOUN boost, booster The home side badly need a confidence booster. | building Getting the certificate does a lot in terms of confidence building.

PREP. with ~ She answered the question with confidence. | ~ about I lacked confidence about how I looked | ~ in his confidence in himself

PHRASES a lack of confidence, a loss of confidence

³ trust

ADJ. absolute, complete, full, total | mutual

VERB + CONFIDENCE enjoy, have The Cabinet must enjoy the confidence of Parliament. | keep, retain | gain, get, win | build an environment which builds mutual confidence | betray, break | place, put Are we to place confidence in a minister who cannot remember a phone call he made last week? | withhold | take sb into She thought she might take Leo into her confidence.

CONFIDENCE + NOUN trick, trickster

PREP. in ~ She told me in confidence?I couldn't break that confidence, could I?

PHRASES a breach of confidence Telling other people what I'd said was a total breach of confidence. | in strict confidence Enquiries will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.

⁴ secret

ADJ. whispered

VERB + CONFIDENCE exchange, share The girls exchanged whispered confidences. | keep | betray I could never forgive Mike for betraying a confidence. | encourage, invite She didn't encourage confidences.

PHRASES an exchange of confidences

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confidentiality noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, strict, total It is important to maintain strict confidentiality at all times. | commercial, professional

VERB + CONFIDENTIALITY ensure, maintain, preserve, protect efforts to protect the confidentiality of the client | breach, break He breached confidentiality by releasing information on weapons tests.

CONFIDENTIALITY + NOUN agreement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confidential adj.

VERBS be | remain | keep sth, treat sth as The affair must be kept confidential. Information about prices is to be treated as confidential.

ADV. extremely, highly | absolutely, completely, strictly, totally The findings are strictly confidential. | commercially commercially confidential data

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confident adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow He's got more confident as he's got older. She gradually grew more confident. | remain | make sb Going to university has made her more confident.

ADV. extremely, really, remarkably, very | absolutely, completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, supremely, totally | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably | calmly, quietly, serenely He came out of the interview feeling quietly confident. She sauntered onto the set, looking serenely confident. | cautiously | socially You get young people who appear to be socially confident, but inside they are a bundle of neuroses.

PREP. about We are confident about the future. | of I'm fully confident of winning the title.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confinement noun

ADJ. close The animals are kept in close confinement. | solitary

VERB + CONFINEMENT be held in, be kept in | be placed in, be put in

PREP. in ~ He spent eleven years in solitary confinement. | ~ to their confinement to army barracks

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confines noun

ADJ. close, cramped, limited, narrow, strict issues that go beyond the limited confines of the book within the strict confines of the law | immediate | comfortable, comfy, safe

VERB + CONFINES leave It took him some effort to leave the comfy confines of his armchair.

PREP. beyond/outside the ~ of She wanted to experience things outside the close confines of family life. | in/within the ~ of He spent three years within the narrow confines of the prison.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confine verb

ADV. entirely, exclusively, solely, strictly, totally Reliance on state funding is not confined solely to industry. | increasingly | largely, mainly, principally The discussion will be confined largel to general principles. | generally, normally | effectively | by no means, not necessarily Poverty and deprivation are by no means confined to the north of the country.

PREP. to Let's confine our attention to the problem of illegal drugs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confirmation noun

ADJ. further | independent | direct | final | official, written

CONFIRMATION + VERB come Written confirmation came three days later.

PREP. in ~ She nodded in confirmation.

PHRASES confirmation in writing We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confirm verb

ADV. merely, only, simply This latest tragedy merely confirms my view that the law must be tightened. | officially The plans were officially confirmed yesterday.

VERB + CONFIRM be able/unable to, can/could | appear to, seem to, tend to These new symptoms tend to confirm my original diagnosis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conflict noun

¹ fight/argument

VERB + CONFLICT bring sb/sth into, cause, come into, create, lead to, provoke His work brought him into conflict with more conventional scientists. The decision led to a bitter conflict between the management and unions. | avert, avoid, prevent They hid their feelings to avoid conflict. | handle | end, resolve, settle, solve The United Nations are hoping to resolve the conflict quickly.

CONFLICT + VERB arise (from sth), occur The conflict arose from different ambitions within the team.

PREP. during/in a/the ~ Thousands have been arrested in violent ethnic conflicts in the region. | in ~ They found themselves in conflict over the future of the firm. | in ~ with in conflict with management | ~ about/over a conflict over ownership of the land | ~ between conflicts between different ethnic groups | ~ with to end the conflict with France | ~ within serious conflicts within the ruling party

PHRASES an area/a source of conflict, in direct conflict with sb

² difference between ideas/wishes, etc.

ADJ. fundamental, serious, sharp | direct | inherent the inherent conflict between the demands of farmers and wishes of environmentalists | inner | ideological

CONFLICT + NOUN situation | management, resolution the key to successful conflict management

PREP. in ~ with in direct conflict with his wishes | ~ between the conflict between science and religion | ~ of a serious conflict of opinion

PHRASES a conflict of interests/loyalties

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conflict verb

ADV. apparently how to reconcile apparently conflicting goals | potentially potentially conflicting values

PREP. with His opinions conflicted with mine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conformity noun

ADJ. complete | strict | outward a society of outward religious conformity | political, religious, sexual, social

QUANT. degree

VERB + CONFORMITY achieve, bring sth into, ensure to bring national laws into conformity with European laws

PREP. in ~ with The procedure is in strict conformity with standard international practices. | ~ between to achieve conformity between all the schemes | ~ to conformity to the accepted standards | ~ with We work to ensure conformity with the customer's wishes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conform verb

ADV. fully

VERB + CONFORM be required to, must, should | fail to The toys fail to conform to current safety standards.

PREP. to All companies are required to conform to these rules. | with This equipment conforms fully with the latest safety regulations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confrontation noun

QUANT. series

VERB + CONFRONTATION have | cause, end in, lead to, provoke | bring sb into His actions brought him into direct confrontation with the authorities. | avoid

CONFRONTATION + VERB arise, take place

PREP. ~ between a head-on confrontation between the two governments | ~ over She had a series of heated confrontations with her parents over homework. | ~ with a confrontation with the police

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confront verb

ADV. directly He is willing to confront problems directly. | immediately, suddenly

PHRASES be confronted with sth I was suddenly confronted by the task of rewriting the entire book. | find yourself confronted by sth The demonstrators found themselves confronted by a line of police, blocking the road.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confused adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get He was beginning to get rather confused. | remain | leave sb He left his audience thoroughly confused.

ADV. extremely, highly, hopelessly, very a highly confused picture of a complex situation | completely, thoroughly, totally, utterly | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | momentarily George paused, momentarily confused.

PREP. about He was very confused about his feelings. | by I'm confused by the whole thing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confuse verb

¹ make sb unable to think clearly; make sth unclear

ADV. completely, totally Seeing the two of them together totally confused me. | slightly, somewhat | further I will try to be brief and avoid further confusing the issue.

² mistake sb/sth for another person/thing

ADV. easily You can easily confuse the two paintings.

PREP. with I sometimes confuse Jane with her sister.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confusing adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become, get | make sth Both teams were wearing the same colours, which made things confusing. | find sth I find the government policy extremely confusing.

ADV. extremely, highly, hopelessly, very | a bit, a little, pretty, rather, slightly, somewhat | potentially

PREP. for The new signs will be very confusing for tourists. | to All this information can be confusing to the user.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

confusion noun

VERB + CONFUSION cause, create, lead to, result in | add to This latest decision has only added to the general confusion. | clear up | plunge sb/sth into, throw sb/sth into The local council has been thrown into total confusion by her resignation.

CONFUSION + VERB arise, reign Confusion reigned when the two managers gave conflicting instructions. | surround sth The government needs to clear up the confusion surrounding its policy on water.

PREP. in (the) ~ She stared at them both in utter confusion. In the confusion that followed, she managed to slip away unnoticed. | ~ about/over There is widespread confusion about the government's transport policy. | ~ among The announcement caused a lot of confusion among the students. | ~ as to confusion as to the whereabouts of the man | ~ between confusion between letters of the alphabet | ~ with the confusion of this book with her last one

PHRASES a scene/state of confusion, to avoid confusion To avoid confusion, label each box clearly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

congested adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. heavily, highly, severely, very The roads to Bordeaux were heavily congested.

PREP. with The city streets were congested with vehicles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

congestion noun

ADJ. serious, severe | increased, increasing | road, traffic Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion. | nasal

VERB + CONGESTION cause, lead to | avoid, ease, reduce, relieve measures to ease the increasing congestion in the centre of London | increase

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conglomerate noun

ADJ. big, huge, large, vast | international, multinational | business, financial, industrial | food, media, mining, publishing, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

congratulate verb

ADV. warmly

VERB + CONGRATULATE must, wish to, would like to I must congratulate you on your excellent exam results.

PREP. for The employees should be congratulated for the part they have played in the success. | on She congratulated me warmly on my performance.

PHRASES sb is to be congratulated The company is to be congratulated on its success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

congratulations noun

ADJ. deepest | heartfelt, hearty, sincere, warm May I offer my heartiest congratulations on your promotion?

VERB + CONGRATULATIONS express, extend, give (sb), offer (sb), send (sb) Please give your parents my congratulations. | accept

PREP. ~ on/upon Please accept my warmest congratulations on your engagement. | ~ to Congratulations to Tony on his new job!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

congregation noun

ADJ. full | large | small

VERB + CONGREGATION address The vicar stood up to address the congregation.

PREP. in a/the ~

PHRASES a member of a congregation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

congress noun

¹ large formal meeting/series of meetings

CONGRESS + VERB take place | agree to sth, approve sth, adopt sth The congress agreed to the tax-cutting package. | call for sth | elect sb | vote

CONGRESS + NOUN delegate, leader | debate

PREP. at a/the ~ We met again at the annual congress. | in ~ It was a year before the association met again in congress. | ~ on a congress on language in education

² Congress: group of people elected to make laws

CONGRESS + VERB approve sth Congress approved most of the new powers. | pass sth Congress passed a series of important measures. | vote Congress voted to delay a decision.

PREP. in ~ The Liberals in Congress felt the reforms did not go far enough.

PHRASES a member of Congress, a session of Congress legislation for the next session of Congress

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conjecture noun

ADJ. pure Whether the business will survive another ten years is pure conjecture.

PREP. ~ about/as to There was a lot of conjecture as to the extent of her wealth.

PHRASES a matter for conjecture, open to conjecture Whether she will run for a second term in office is open to conjecture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conjunctivitis noun > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

connection noun

¹ relationship between two things

ADJ. clear, close, direct, intimate, strong There is a close connection between family background and academic achievement. | tenuous | obvious | causal

VERB + CONNECTION have His death had no connection with drugs. | discover, establish, find, make, see Researchers have now established a connection between air pollution and asthma. She did not make the connection between her diet and her poor health. | break, sever She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.

PREP. in ~ with I am writing in connection with your recent job application. | ~ between the connection between crime and alcohol | ~ to/with What is your connection with the school?

PHRASES in that/this connection (= for reasons connected with sth recently mentioned)

² place where wires/pipes join together

ADJ. loose | electrical, pipe

VERB + CONNECTION break If you break the connection, the light won't come on.

CONNECTION + NOUN charge

PREP. ~ to waiting for connection to the water mains

³ bus/train/plane

ADJ. good | bus, rail/railway, train

VERB + CONNECTION make | miss

PREP. ~ between There are good connections between the resort and major cities. | ~ to We'll be lucky if we make our connection to Paris. | ~ with good connections with New York

⁴ person you know

ADJ. good | aristocratic | business, family, personal, political, professional, social

VERB + CONNECTION have I have some good business connections in New York. He has connections (= he knows important people who would be able to help him). | use She used her connections to get the job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

connect verb

¹ join

ADV. directly Downstairs toilets were connected directly to the drains. | up We need to connect all the pipes up to the water tank.

PREP. to Connect the machine to the power supply. | with A corridor connects his office with the main building.

² link

ADV. closely, intimately Bad diet is closely connected with many common illnesses. | directly

PREP. with The police were looking for evidence to connect him with the crime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

connoisseur noun

ADJ. great, real Only the real connoisseur could tell the difference between these two wines. | art, music, wine

PREP. ~ of a great connoisseur of Japanese art

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

connotation noun

VERB + CONNOTATION carry, have That word has strong sexual connotations. | attach, give sth the negative connotations attached to the word ‘academic’

PREP. ~ of The word carries connotations of romance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conquest noun

ADJ. rapid the rapid conquest of Madrid | military | Norman, Roman, Spanish, etc. the Roman conquest of Britain | sexual

VERB + CONQUEST make The army made many conquests in the east. | complete

PREP. by/through ~ He continued to expand his kingdom by conquest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conscience noun

ADJ. clear, easy, good I have a clear conscience. | bad, guilty, terrible, troubled, uneasy | civic, moral, political, social a government with no social conscience

VERB + CONSCIENCE have He had no conscience about taking his brother's money. | appease, ease, salve, soothe After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience. | prick, trouble | appeal to, arouse, rouse, stir | wrestle with He wrestled with his conscience all night long.

CONSCIENCE + VERB trouble sb Her conscience was troubling her a little. | dictate sth My conscience dictates that I resign.

PREP. on your ~ I'm sure she has something on her conscience. It was on his conscience that he hadn't called her.

PHRASES a crisis of conscience, freedom of conscience, in (all/good) conscience (= honestly) We cannot in all conscience refuse to help. | a matter of conscience This question is a matter of individual conscience. | a pang/prick/twinge of conscience I had a sudden pang of conscience that I really ought to tell the truth. | the voice of conscience She refused to listen to the voice of conscience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consciousness noun

¹ being able to see/hear/feel things

ADJ. full | higher to aspire to a higher consciousness | individual | human

VERB + CONSCIOUSNESS lose She hit her head on a rock and lost consciousness. | recover, regain | bring sb back to The cold water brought me back to full consciousness. | enter The words slowly entered her consciousness.

PHRASES a level/state of consciousness an altered state of consciousness

² being aware of sth

ADJ. full I left the room with full consciousness of the impression I would make. | growing | altered | collective, public | national | modern | black | working-class | class, environmental, feminist, green, political, religious, social a new political consciousness among young people | false (technical) She sees racism as a form of false consciousness, where a society collectively believes untrue things about other races.

VERB + CONSCIOUSNESS develop, raise They have succeeded in raising consciousness on many issues. | enter imagery that has entered the national consciousness through the media | be lodged in, lodge itself in The idea firmly lodged itself in the public consciousness.

PREP. in (the) ~ a key position in feminist consciousness | ~ among, ~ of a growing consciousness of environmental issues among children

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conscious adj.

¹ aware of sth

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. acutely, deeply (formal), extremely, highly, intensely, terribly, very She became acutely conscious that someone was watching her. We are now deeply conscious of these issues. | fully, perfectly | increasingly | hardly I was hardly conscious of my surroundings. | clearly | dimly, vaguely He fell, and was dimly conscious of Tara standing over him. | painfully All the time he was painfully conscious of how hard it was going to be to explain. | environmentally, politically, socially The company is extremely environmentally conscious (= aware of environmental problems and how to deal with them).

PREP. of I am very conscious of the need for secrecy.

PHRASES fashion/health/safety/security conscious fashion conscious teenagers

² able to see/hear/feel

VERBS be | become | remain She remained conscious throughout the operation.

ADV. fully The patient is not yet fully conscious. | barely, hardly One man was so drunk as to be barely conscious. | half I was only half conscious.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conscription noun

ADJ. universal | military

VERB + CONSCRIPTION introduce | abolish, end | avoid He injured himself to avoid conscription.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consensus noun

ADJ. broad, clear, common, general, overwhelming, strong | emerging, growing | tacit, unspoken | international, national | political, social

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + CONSENSUS achieve, arrive at, reach | break He was the first to break the consensus and criticize the proposal.

CONSENSUS + VERB exist No clear consensus exists over the next stage of the scheme. | emerge A general consensus on the problem is beginning to emerge.

CONSENSUS + NOUN view

PREP. by ~ They have always governed by consensus. | ~ about/on/over It is difficult to reach a consensus about electoral reform. | ~ among/between no consensus among the members

PHRASES a consensus of opinion The general consensus of opinion is that a high-fat diet is bad for you. | a lack of consensus

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consent noun

VERB + CONSENT give (sb), grant (sb) You must give written consent before the documents can be released. | refuse (sb), withhold | gain, get, have, obtain Do you have the consent of your employer? | require, seek

PREP. by (common/general/mutual) ~ The contract can only be broken by mutual consent. | with/without sb's ~ Your property cannot be sold without your consent. | ~ for He gave his consent for treatment. | ~ from consent from the parents | ~ to He withheld his consent to the marriage.

PHRASES the age of consent (= the age at which sb is legally old enough to agree to have a sexual relationship)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consent verb

ADV. freely | kindly He has kindly consented to give us some of his valuable time.

PREP. to Her father would not consent to the marriage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consequence noun

VERB + CONSEQUENCE have, lead to The practice had far-reaching environmental consequences. | accept, bear, face (up to), suffer, take You must accept the full consequences of your behaviour.

CONSEQUENCE + VERB arise, ensue, follow the important electoral consequences that will follow from this decision

PREP. as a ~ Hundreds of people lost their jobs as a direct consequence of the merger. | in ~ (of) (formal) The child was born deformed in consequence of an injury to its mother. | ~ for This could have serious consequences for the economy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conservation noun

ADJ. energy, environmental, forest, nature, soil, water, wildlife | bird, elephant, etc. | architectural, building | art, painting/paintings

CONSERVATION + NOUN body, group, organization | efforts, measure, policy, programme, project, scheme, work | area No new building is permitted in conservation areas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conservatism noun

ADJ. diehard, entrenched | moderate, relative | inherent, innate, natural the innate conservatism of British businessmen | economic, fiscal, ideological, political, religious, social

PREP. ~ in people's conservatism in musical taste

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conservative adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, profoundly, very | increasingly | largely, predominantly | fairly, rather, relatively | basically, essentially She takes a basically conservative view of society. | generally | innately, instinctively, naturally the army's innately conservative values | notoriously Banks are notoriously conservative about their dealings with clients. | traditionally a traditionally conservative profession | culturally, morally, politically, socially the culturally conservative world of commerce and industry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conservative noun

ADJ. diehard, dyed-in-the-wool, hardline, staunch | right-wing | back-bench disagreement among back-bench Conservatives | senior Senior Conservatives are opposed to the change. | political

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consideration noun

¹ careful thought about sth

ADJ. careful, detailed, full, serious | adequate, due, proper, sufficient | special, urgent | active

VERB + CONSIDERATION give sth, take sth into We will give your proposals serious consideration. You must take the size of the room into consideration. | deserve, need, require | receive

PREP. after ~ After due consideration, it was decided not to offer her the job. | for sb's ~ I enclose the report for your consideration. | in ~ of (formal) (= as payment for sth), on ~ On consideration, we have decided not to come. | under ~ proposals under active consideration

² thinking about other people's wishes and feelings

VERB + CONSIDERATION have Have some consideration for those without a job. | show sb, treat sb with She showed little consideration for the beginners.

PREP. out of ~ He did it out of consideration for his daughter. | ~ for

³ sth you think about when deciding sth

ADJ. main, major, important, prime | overriding, paramount | minor | aesthetic, commercial, economic, environmental, ethical, financial, health, legal, moral, personal, political, practical, safety, security

VERB + CONSIDERATION take account of, take into account There are several important safety considerations that must be taken into account.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consider verb

ADV. carefully, seriously I'm seriously considering the possibility of emigrating. | briefly I did briefly consider going on my own.

PREP. for We are considering her for the job of designer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consistency noun

¹ always having the same standard/opinions, etc.

ADJ. absolute, complete, total | great, remarkable | internal

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + CONSISTENCY show He has shown remarkable consistency in his exam results. | achieve, ensure, maintain | lack

PREP. ~ in/of a consistency in/of approach | ~ with to maintain consistency with past practice

² thickness/firmness of a liquid substance

VERB + CONSISTENCY have The mixture should have the consistency of thick cream. | give, produce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consistent adj.

¹ always behaving in the same way

VERBS be | remain

ADV. highly, remarkably, very | absolutely, completely, entirely, quite, wholly His attitude isn't absolutely consistent. | largely | fairly, reasonably

² in agreement with sth

VERBS be, seem | remain

ADV. completely, entirely, fully, perfectly | broadly, largely | fairly, quite, reasonably | internally His argument is not even internally consistent (= different parts of the argument contradict each other). | mutually It is desirable that domestic and EU law should be mutually consistent. | logically

PREP. across These findings are consistent across all the studies. | with The figures are fully consistent with last year's results.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consist verb PHRASAL VERBS consist of sth

ADV. entirely, exclusively, merely, only, simply, solely Their conversation consisted almost entirely of gossip. | chiefly, essentially, largely, mainly, mostly, predominantly, primarily, principally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consolation noun

ADJ. great | small

VERB + CONSOLATION have She had the consolation of coming second in her last race of the day. | seek He went to seek consolation in the local pub. | draw, find, gain, take He drew little consolation from this fact. When her mother died, she found consolation in her religious beliefs. Although we lost the game, we took some consolation from the fact that we played well. | afford (sb), bring (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) The next match will probably offer them the consolation of winning.

PREP. ~ for providing consolation for her loss There is some consolation for fans because the team still stands a chance of winning the local championship. | ~ to The children were a great consolation to me at that time.

PHRASES be (of) little/small/some consolation to sb This news was of little consolation to us. | if it is any consolation (to sb) If it's any consolation to you, the weather here is also awful. | sb's one/only consolation When she lost her job, her only consolation was that she had some savings in the bank.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conspicuous adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | make sb Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.

ADV. highly, very | rather, somewhat The new building was rather conspicuous. | horribly, uncomfortably The stain on her dress was horribly conspicuous.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conspiracy noun

ADJ. criminal, political charges of criminal conspiracy and corruption | alleged | international, worldwide

VERB + CONSPIRACY be involved in, be part of I suspected that he was involved in the conspiracy. This action was part of a conspiracy to deceive the public. | organize Who organized the conspiracy against the president? | uncover Party officials have uncovered a conspiracy to discredit the prime minister.

PREP. ~ against a conspiracy against the king | ~ between a conspiracy between the police and the right-wing parties

PHRASES a conspiracy of silence There is a conspiracy of silence about the killer (= nobody will say what they know). > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constable noun

ADJ. police | Chief, Detective | beat, special, uniformed The force hopes to increase the number of its beat constables. Special constables provide part-time assistance for the regular police force.

PHRASES the rank of constable

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constant adj.

VERBS be | remain, stay The level of unemployment remains fairly constant at around 10%. | hold sth (technical), keep sth All variables except one must be held constant. The temperature must be kept constant.

ADV. remarkably | absolutely | almost, nearly, virtually | fairly, reasonably, relatively | more or less, roughly

PREP. across These figures were virtually constant across the 1991 and 2001 censuses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consternation noun

ADJ. considerable, great | widespread

VERB + CONSTERNATION cause, create, fill sb with The announcement created surprise and consternation. The thought of meeting him filled me with consternation. | express, feel, greet sth with Many greeted his resignation with consternation.

PREP. in ~ She stared at me in consternation. | ~ among There is some consternation among business leaders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constipated adj

VERBS be | become, get | make sb

ADV. severely, very | a bit, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constipation noun

ADJ. severe | acute, chronic

QUANT. bout

VERB + CONSTIPATION have, suffer from | cause | prevent > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constituency noun

¹ district that elects an MP

VERB + CONSTITUENCY be elected for/to, represent She was elected to a rural constituency. He represents a constituency in the north of England.

CONSTITUENCY + NOUN boundaries | MP

PREP. in a/the ~ the people in this constituency

² group in society likely to support a particular party

ADJ. broad, wider | natural, traditional These people are Labour's natural constituency. | political, social

VERB + CONSTITUENCY appeal to The party needs to appeal to a broader constituency.

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constitution noun

¹ laws/rules of a country

ADJ. federal, state | codified, written Britain does not have a written constitution. | unwritten | draft, proposed | interim

VERB + CONSTITUTION draft, draw up, prepare plans to draft a new constitution | have | adopt, approve, enact, promulgate, ratify The new constitution will be adopted next year. | amend Parliament will vote to amend the constitution. | contravene, violate The president's actions violate the constitution. | suspend The constitution was suspended and the army was placed in full control. | be enshrined in These principles are enshrined in the country's constitution.

CONSTITUTION + VERB forbid sth, guarantee sth, stipulate sth The constitution stipulated that a general election must be held within 120 days.

PREP. according to/under a/the ~ Under the constitution, an election must be called every five years. | in a/the ~ These rights are established in the federal constitution.

PHRASES an amendment to a constitution, a clause in a constitution, the principles of a constitution, the provisions/terms of a constitution

² ability of the body to stay healthy

ADJ. good, strong | weak

VERB + CONSTITUTION have The child had a weak constitution and was always ill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constrained adj.

VERBS be, feel

ADV. severely, tightly She felt tightly constrained by her family commitments.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

constraint noun

ADJ. important, major | severe, tight The government has placed tight constraints on spending this year. | budget, financial

VERB + CONSTRAINT impose, place, put | remove

PREP. within a/the ~ We have to work within severe constraints. | without ~ I felt free to speak to her without constraint. | ~ on/upon There are major financial constraints on all schools.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

construction noun

¹ roads/buildings

ADJ. gigantic, huge, large, massive massive constructions of bamboo and paper | basic, simple It has a basic construction of brick under a tiled roof. | complex | heavy the heavy construction industry | solid walls of solid construction | careful The drainage system needs careful construction. | brick, fibreglass, steel, timber, timber-frame, wooden a two-storey brick construction a schoolhouse of brick construction | bridge, building, canal, house/housing, railway, road Road and bridge construction is underway.

VERB + CONSTRUCTION begin, start | complete Construction of the new road has now been completed.

CONSTRUCTION + VERB be underway

PREP. during (the) ~ Major engineering challenges will be faced during construction. | under ~ A new factory is under construction.

² grammar

ADJ. grammatical, linguistic, sentence, syntactic | active, passive | adjectival, infinitive, predicative

³ interpretation

ADJ. literal | logical, sensible | proper, true ruling on the proper construction to be given to section 78 of the Act | strict a strict construction of the clause | ideological, social, theoretical changes in the social construction of marriage (= the meaning of marriage in society)

VERB + CONSTRUCTION give sth, put on sth What construction do you put on this letter (= what do you think it means)?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consultant noun

¹ sb who gives advice

ADJ. business, design, financial, management, public relations | independent, outside

VERB + CONSULTANT act as He was happy to act as a consultant to the company. | bring in, employ (sb as), engage (sb as), hire (sb as), use We brought in a management consultant to sort out the mess.

PREP. ~ in a consultant in design, printing and advertising | ~ on a consultant on business ethics | ~ to/with They work as consultants to a software company. > Note at JOB

² hospital doctor of high rank

ADJ. hospital, NHS She is now a hospital consultant.

CONSULTANT + NOUN cardiologist, gynaecologist, obstetrician, paediatrician, pathologist, physician, psychiatrist, etc.

PREP. ~ in a consultant in psychiatry > Note at DOCTOR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consultation noun

ADJ. close | extensive, full, wide | proper | joint a joint consultation with doctors and patients | public There will be a period of public consultation before a decision is reached.

VERB + CONSULTATION have, hold The prime minister will hold a consultation with all the relevant groups.

CONSULTATION + NOUN document, paper | period

PREP. in ~ with The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community. | without ~ They have taken this decision without any consultation. | ~ about/on The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans. | ~ between a consultation between teachers and parents | ~ with We need more consultation with trade unions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consult verb

ADV. widely We consulted quite widely before deciding what to do. | closely | adequately, properly They felt they had not been properly consulted.

VERB + CONSULT need to, should If the pain persists you should consult your doctor.

PREP. about I need to consult my teacher about changing my course. | with We are consulting closely with our partners and allies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consumer noun

ADJ. big, great, large The UK is the biggest consumer of tropical hardwoods after Japan. | average, ordinary | potential | passive Mass culture turns audiences into passive consumers, their participation limited to the choice between buying and not buying. | sophisticated | domestic, foreign | commercial, industrial | green Green consumers should be wary of manufacturers' claims that their products are environmentally friendly. | electricity, energy

VERB + CONSUMER supply supplying domestic consumers | persuade | exploit to exploit consumers by charging a high price | protect What can be done to protect the ordinary consumer from unscrupulous service operators? | satisfy

CONSUMER + VERB buy sth, spend sth

CONSUMER + NOUN durables, electronics, goods, products, services the market for consumer durables | attitudes, awareness, behaviour, choice, confidence, demand, expenditure, needs, preferences, spending, tastes | protection, rights | group, organization, watchdog Consumer watchdogs have accused banks of ‘appalling arrogance’ in the way they treat customers. | society We are living in a consumer society. | market | prices | boom Government policy encouraged a consumer boom followed by a deep recession. | boycott The country could face a consumer boycott of its beef exports.

PREP. among ~ two years of research among consumers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

consumption noun

QUANT. level

VERB + CONSUMPTION boost, encourage, increase, stimulate Doctors say that children need to increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables. The industry faced a serious challenge in trying to stimulate consumption. | cut down, reduce You need to reduce your alcohol consumption.

CONSUMPTION + VERB go up, increase, rise | decline, decrease, fall, go down

CONSUMPTION + NOUN expenditure, spending | figures, levels | habits, patterns

PREP. for sb's ~ (= intended to be read or heard by sb) The documents were for the committee rather than for public consumption.

PHRASES fit/unfit for human consumption (= safe/not safe to be eaten) meat that is unfit for human consumption

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contact lens noun

ADJ. gas-permeable, hard, soft | daily-wear | tinted

VERB + CONTACT LENS have in, wear | put in | remove, take out | clean, disinfect | rinse, soak

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contact noun

¹ meeting/talking/writing to sb

ADJ. close She is still in close contact with Sarah. | regular | direct Have you had any direct contact with the director of the company? | face-to-face

VERB + CONTACT be in, have | come into, establish, get in, make In his job, he comes into contact with many different people. We first established contact with the organization in 1999. When I arrive in New York, I'll get in contact with him. | put sb in I put my cousin in contact with a friend who works at the company. | keep, maintain, stay in Maintaining contact after many years can be difficult. | break off | lose

PREP. ~ between There has been no contact between them for several years. | ~ with I have very little contact with Simon now.

² person you know who can help you

ADJ. good, useful, valuable | business, personal

VERB + CONTACT have He has a lot of good contacts in the music industry. | build up, make It takes time to build up contacts. I made a lot of useful business contacts at the conference.

³ when people/things touch each other

ADJ. physical, sexual The disease is transmitted through physical contact.

VERB + CONTACT come into Do not let the glue come into contact with water.

PREP. in ~ For a brief moment their lips were in contact. | on ~ The light will go out on contact with water. | ~ between There should be no contact between the separate samples. | ~ with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contact verb

ADV. immediately | directly | personally | by email, by phone/telephone He can be contacted by phone on the telephone number given below.

PHRASES do not hesitate to contact sb Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contagious adj.

VERBS be, prove The new disease proved contagious.

ADV. highly, very Enthusiasm is highly contagious.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

container noun

¹ box/bottle/packet, etc.

VERB + CONTAINER fill Fill the container with water. | store sth in

CONTAINER + VERB contain sth, hold sth a container holding five litres

PREP. in a/the ~ Keep the seeds in an airtight container. | ~ for childproof containers for dangerous substances | ~ of a container of milk

² large metal box for transporting goods

ADJ. empty | full | bulk, cargo

CONTAINER + VERB contain sth, hold sth containers holding shipments of bananas

CONTAINER + NOUN lorry, ship, truck | port

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contaminated adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. badly, heavily, highly A lot of our drinking water is now heavily contaminated. | potentially

PREP. with The meat was believed to be contaminated with salmonella.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contamination noun

ADJ. massive, serious, widespread | cross- Chopping boards can be a source of cross-contamination. | environmental, food | bacterial, radioactive

QUANT. level There is already a high level of environmental contamination.

VERB + CONTAMINATION avoid, prevent | reduce

PREP. ~ by Always keep food covered to prevent contamination by flies. | ~ from There is a danger of serious contamination from radioactive waste. | ~ with Wash everything thoroughly to avoid contamination with bacteria.

PHRASES a source of contamination

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contemplate verb

ADV. seriously She was seriously contemplating working abroad.

VERB + CONTEMPLATE be prepared to, be willing to Are you prepared to contemplate retraining? | cannot, could not | refuse to

PHRASES too awful/horrible/horrific to contemplate The thought of war was too awful to contemplate.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contemplation noun

ADJ. quiet, silent | deep

VERB + CONTEMPLATION be deep in, be lost in She was lost in contemplation of the scene in front of her.

PREP. in ~ (of) He spent many hours in deep contemplation. | ~ of the contemplation of beauty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contemporary adj.

¹ belonging to the same time as sb/sth else

VERBS be

ADV. strictly She used only strictly contemporary documents to research the book. | almost, nearly | broadly, roughly a period broadly contemporary with the Shang dynasty

PREP. with a composer contemporary with Beethoven

² modern

VERBS be

ADV. very His work is very contemporary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contemptuous adj.

VERBS be, feel, sound Her voice sounded almost contemptuous.

ADV. savagely | utterly | almost | rather | openly

PREP. of He was utterly contemptuous of her efforts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contempt noun

¹ lack of respect

ADJ. deep, utter, withering | cold, icy | healthy She'd developed what she considered a healthy contempt for authority. | barely/thinly disguised

VERB + CONTEMPT feel, have, hold sb/sth in He felt nothing but contempt for them. Politicians seem to be generally held in contempt by the police. | betray, demonstrate, display, show His remarks betray an utter contempt for the truth (= are completely false). | develop | regard sb/sth with, treat sb/sth with | deserve I shall treat that suggestion with the contempt it deserves.

PREP. ~ for He has a deep contempt for racists. | beneath ~ His treatment of his children is beneath contempt (= so bad it is not even worth feeling contempt for). | with ~ She looked at him with barely disguised contempt.

² (also contempt of court) refusal to obey a court

ADJ. civil, criminal

VERB + CONTEMPT be held in She was held in contempt for refusing to testify.

PREP. in ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contender noun

ADJ. serious, strong | leading, main, major, number one, obvious, top | genuine, likely, possible

PREP. ~ for a strong contender for the gold medal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contented adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. deeply, extremely, very He gave a deeply contented sigh. | perfectly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contention noun

¹ opinion that sb expresses

ADJ. main Her main contention is that staff should get better training.

VERB + CONTENTION support There is no evidence to support her contention. | reject

² disagreement between people

PREP. ~ between There is no contention between the two groups.

PHRASES an area of contention, a bone/point/source of contention Where to go on holiday is always a bone of contention in our family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contentious adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | remain

ADV. highly, very Abortion is a highly contentious issue. | rather, somewhat | politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contentment noun

ADJ. deep, quiet, real, true He gazed out to sea, with a feeling of deep contentment.

VERB + CONTENTMENT find They finally found contentment in living a simple life.

PREP. with ~ She sighed with contentment.

PHRASES a feeling of contentment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

content adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem

ADV. perfectly, quite, utterly I'm perfectly content just to lie in the sun. | fairly, reasonably, relatively | apparently | curiously, strangely She felt curiously content.

PREP. with She seemed quite content with the idea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

content noun

¹ contents things inside sth

VERB + CONTENT empty She emptied the contents of her bag on the floor

² amount of a substance that sth contains

ADJ. high foods with a high fibre content | low | alcohol, calorie, carbon, fat, fibre, moisture, protein, sugar, sulphur, vitamin, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contest noun

ADJ. close, closely fought, equal, even | one-sided, unequal The contest was too one-sided to be exciting. | open This contest is wide open: any of half a dozen teams could win it. | fair The other bidders for the contract complained that it had not been a fair contest. | exciting, good, great, thrilling | bitter | head-to-head The contestants are eliminated one by one until the last two compete in a head-to-head contest. | global, international, local, national, regional | election/electoral, gubernatorial, leadership, political, presidential | beauty, song, sporting, talent

VERB + CONTEST have, hold, run We have three major beauty contests a year. Sporting contests are held in the arena. | compete in, enter, take part in A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination. | win, lose

CONTEST + VERB take place

PREP. during a/the ~ During the election contest newspapers are not allowed to publish public opinion polls. | in a/the ~ Both sides are predicting victory in this close contest. | out of a/the ~ Jackson has injured his knee and is now out of the contest. | ~ against They won the doubles contest against the Williams sisters. | ~ between the contest between these two great boxers | ~ for the contest for the leadership of the party | ~ over In the animal kingdom intruders usually lose contests over territories. | ~ with The New Zealanders are looking forward to future contests with South Africa.

PHRASES be no contest (= used when one side in a contest is much stronger than the other and is sure to win), the winner of a contest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contest verb

¹ in a competition

ADV. bitterly, fiercely, hotly, keenly The election was bitterly contested. | successfully, unsuccessfully

² oppose

ADV. fiercely, hotly, strongly, vigorously His views on evolution are strongly contested by other scientists. | successfully, unsuccessfully Defence lawyers successfully contested the case.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

context noun

ADJ. broad, general, larger, overall, wider You can't just look at it in terms of the immediate problem. You've got to see it in a wider context. | narrow | immediate A work which transcends its immediate historical context and speaks to later generations. | correct, proper, real, right | appropriate, realistic, relevant to present examples of language in use in an appropriate context | certain, given, particular, specific These actions only have meaning within certain specific contexts. | original | changed, changing, different, new, novel | meaningful Children need meaningful contexts for their work in science. | neutral | contemporary, modern | everyday, normal | global, international, local, national, regional | human It is natural to find conflict in the work environment, in the family, or any other human context. | communicative, conversational | experimental, practical, theoretical | classroom, school | business, commercial, cultural, economic, educational, fictional, geographical, historical, legal, literary, political, religious, social | Christian, Islamic, etc. | African, Asian, etc.

VERB + CONTEXT offer (sb), provide (sb with) Institutions provide a context in which individuals can take on different roles. | place sth in, put sth into, set sth in This speech needs to be set in the context of Britain in the 1960s. | consider/examine/look at/see/understand/view sth in His decision can only be understood in context. | quote sth out of, take sth out of Her reply was quoted out of context and seemed to mean something quite different from what she had intended.

PREP. in (a/the) ~ Similar problems have arisen in other contexts. | within a/the ~ You've got to look at these remarks within the context of the recent scandals. | ~ for a neutral context for sharing and debating ideas

PHRASES a range/variety of contexts

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

continent noun

ADJ. Antarctic, Australian, African, etc.

VERB + CONTINENT cross the first railway to cross the North American continent

CONTINENT + VERB drift The evidence that the continents have drifted is overwhelming.

PREP. across a/the ~ He travelled across continents in his quest for adventure. | on the ~ Wolves are still found on the continent of Europe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contingent noun

ADJ. large, strong, substantial | military, naval, police | British, UN, etc.

PREP. ~ from a strong contingent from Camberwell Art School | ~ of a large contingent of American troops

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

continuation noun

ADJ. direct | natural

VERB + CONTINUATION see The years 2000?01 saw the continuation of the university's planned expansion. | ensure | be seen as His research could be seen as a natural continuation of the work done by Professor Lang.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

continuity noun

ADJ. greater | remarkable | unbroken After twelve or thirteen centuries of unbroken continuity the landscape was being changed out of all recognition. | underlying | historical, narrative

VERB + CONTINUITY need | ensure, give sb/sth, maintain, provide (sb/sth with), secure More liaison between the old manager and the new one should ensure greater continuity. | break The author deliberately breaks the narrative continuity in order to confound the reader's expectations.

PREP. ~ between There is often a lack of continuity between one government and the next. | ~ in historical continuity in the feminist movement

PHRASES a lack of continuity, a need for continuity the need for continuity of employment | a sense of continuity giving children a sense of continuity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contraception noun

ADJ. effective, safe | artificial | emergency | oral

VERB + CONTRACEPTION practise, use A lot of couples now practise contraception. They never used any contraception.

PHRASES the availability of contraception, a form/method of contraception a very reliable method of contraception

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contraceptive noun

ADJ. effective | oral

VERB + CONTRACEPTIVE use

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contractor noun

ADJ. external, independent, outside, private | government | approved a list of approved contractors | building, defence, electrical, engineering, haulage

VERB + CONTRACTOR employ, hire, use We'll need to employ a building contractor to do the work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contract noun

¹ written agreement

VERB + CONTRACT have Many workers do not have written contracts. | bid for, tender for Eighteen companies are bidding for the contract. | award (sb), give sb | get, win | lose The firm lost the contract to a large London company. | negotiate She managed to negotiate a permanent contract with the firm. | draw up, write | conclude, enter into, make, sign He entered into a contract with his former employer. | carry out, execute the firm carrying out the construction contract | cancel, end, repudiate (law), rescind (law), terminate Either party can terminate the contract at any time. | be subject to The offer has been accepted, subject to contract (= the agreement is not legally binding before contracts are signed). | be in breach of, break, violate If you go on strike you will be in breach of contract. | enforce (law) | exchange (law) When a house is auctioned the successful bidder must exchange contracts immediately and pay a deposit.

CONTRACT + VERB expire The contract expires at the end of next year. | be worth sth a series of major contracts worth millions of pounds

CONTRACT + NOUN worker (= one on a fixed-term contract) | law

PREP. in a/the ~ They put a clause in the contract stipulating that the work should be finished by next month. | on a ~ He's on a three-year fixed-term contract. | under ~ (to) At that stage of her career she was still under contract to one of the big Hollywood studios. | under a/the ~ Under her contract of employment, Mrs Lee could not be required to work at a different site. | ~ between the contract between the employer and the employee | ~ for They won a contract for the delivery of five fighter planes. | ~ with Do you have a contract with your employer?

PHRASES (a) breach of contract The company is being sued for breach of contract. | a contract of employment/sale You should make sure that you have a formal contract of employment. | the terms of a contract By using cheaper materials, the company has broken the terms of its contract. | under the terms of a contract Under the terms of the contract the job should have been finished yesterday.

² agreement to kill sb

VERB + CONTRACT take out | have out He has a contract out on you.

CONTRACT + NOUN killer, killing

PREP. ~ on She took out a contract on her ex-husband.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contradiction noun

PREP. in ~ to/with That's in direct contradiction to what he said yesterday. | ~ between There is an apparent contradiction between the needs of workers and those of employers. | ~ of That's a contradiction of what you just said.

PHRASES a contradiction in terms The idea is almost a contradiction in terms.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contradictory adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound

ADV. completely, directly, totally The evidence is completely contradictory. | quite, rather, somewhat | apparently, seemingly two apparently contradictory opinions | internally The argument is internally contradictory (= contradicts itself). | mutually The evidence demonstrates how easily people can hold mutually contradictory beliefs.

PREP. to He did something contradictory to his orders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contradict verb

ADV. clearly, completely, directly, flatly John's account of the event directly contradicts Stephen's.

VERB + CONTRADICT appear to, seem to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contrary adj.

VERBS be, run, seem These results run contrary to our expectations. It seems contrary to common sense.

ADV. completely, directly, entirely, quite, totally My own experience is completely contrary. The new claim is directly contrary to what was originally stated. | clearly

PREP. to Contrary to what the public was told, weapons were still being exported.

PHRASES contrary to expectations Contrary to expectations, we didn't have any hold-ups on the journey. | contrary to popular belief Contrary to popular belief, the economy is doing well.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contrast noun

ADJ. clear, marked, sharp, stark, startling, striking, strong There is a stark contrast between the lives of the rich and those of the poor. | complete, direct

VERB + CONTRAST make, offer, provide The fresh fruit provides a contrast to the rich chocolate pudding.

PREP. by ~ When you look at their new system, ours seems very old-fashioned by contrast. | in ~ (to/with) The company lost $13 million this year, in contrast with a profit of $15 million last year. | ~ between, ~ in The contrast in appearance between the sisters was striking. | ~ to This busy social life was a complete contrast to his old quiet life.

PHRASES stand in … contrast to sb/sth Their attitudes towards love and marriage stand in stark contrast to those of their parents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contrast verb

¹ compare things in order to show differences

ADV. favourably, unfavourably He contrasted her brashness unfavourably with his mother's gentleness.

PREP. with

PHRASES compare and contrast Compare and contrast the two main characters in the play.

² be clearly different

ADV. markedly, sharply, starkly, strikingly, strongly, vividly | nicely | oddly | favourably, unfavourably The open approach contrasts favourably with the exclusivity of some universities.

PREP. with This statement contrasts starkly with his previous statements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contravene verb

ADV. blatantly, clearly blatantly contravening the rules of civilized warfare

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contravention noun

ADJ. clear, direct

PREP. in ~ of He was in direct contravention of the law. | ~ of This was a clear contravention of the rules.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contribute verb

¹ give

ADV. enormously, generously, greatly, handsomely, heavily, substantially His research has contributed enormously to our understanding of this disease. Many people contributed generously to the appeal. | equally a situation where husband and wife contribute equally to the family budget | fully | financially

VERB + CONTRIBUTE be asked to, be encouraged to

PREP. to I would like to contribute to the church restoration fund. | towards The company contributed £50,000 towards training costs.

PHRASES have little/a lot/much to contribute (to sth) He had very little to contribute to the conversation.

² help cause sth

PREP. to Several factors might contribute to the development of the disease.

³ write for a newspaper, etc.

ADV. regularly a talented photographer who contributed regularly to ‘The Face’

PREP. to Students are encouraged to contribute articles to the university magazine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contribution noun

¹ sth that helps cause/increase sth

ADJ. important, significant | big, enormous, great, huge, major, strong, substantial | minor, modest, small | invaluable, positive, useful, valuable We like to think that we are making a positive contribution to society. | notable, outstanding

VERB + CONTRIBUTION make He made a major contribution to peace in the region.

PREP. ~ to a valuable contribution to science

² money given to help pay for sth

ADJ. generous, large | small | voluntary We rely entirely on voluntary contributions.

VERB + CONTRIBUTION make, offer, pay

PREP. ~ to/towards I'd like to make a small contribution to the cost of the holiday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contributor noun

ADJ. important, significant | big, large | main, principal | net net contributors to the economy | regular The core of regular contributors is essential to the magazine.

PREP. ~ to Carbon dioxide is the largest contributor to the greenhouse effect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

contrived adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. highly, very highly contrived laboratory conditions | a little, rather, somewhat | carefully the carefully contrived image of party unity | cleverly, cunningly | artificially, deliberately

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

controller noun

ADJ. air traffic | programme He is the new programme controller for BBC2. | credit, financial, marketing, production | district, divisional, group, regional

PREP. ~ for the company's marketing controller for the north-west > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

control noun

¹ power over sb/sth

ADJ. absolute, complete, full, total | effective, proper | close, strict Weeds should be kept under strict control. | direct | government, parental, political, state

VERB + CONTROL have | assume, establish, gain, get, take, win A military junta took control of the country. | keep, maintain, retain She struggled to keep control of her voice. | lose, relinquish He lost control of the car when he swerved to avoid a cyclist. | wrest attempts to wrest control of the town from government forces | get out of, go out of The car went out of control on the icy road. | re-establish, regain Enemy forces have now regained control of the area. | give sb/sth The idea is to give councils full control of their own budgets. | exercise, exert Editors do not exercise control over large sections of their newspapers. | bring/get sth under They soon got the situation under control.

PREP. beyond/outside your ~ Parking is outside my control. | in ~ (of) The elected government is back in control. | out of ~ I had this feeling that things were out of control. | under (sb's) ~ Everything is under control The department was under the control of Bryce Thompson. | ~ over They have little control over that side of the business.

PHRASES circumstances beyond sb's control The event has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control.

² limiting/managing sth

ADJ. air-traffic, arms, birth, budgetary, cost, crowd, gun, pest, pollution, quality, rent, social, stock, traffic The police are experts in crowd control.

³ (usuallycontrols) method of limiting/managing sth

ADJ. strict, stringent, tight, tough | lax | border, export, price calls for tougher export controls

VERB + CONTROL impose, introduce The government has imposed strict controls on new building. | tighten The country has tightened its border controls. | ease, relax plans to relax price controls | lift, remove

PREP. ~ on They have introduced controls on public spending.

⁴ for operating a machine

ADJ. remote | volume

VERB + CONTROL take Once we were in the air, I was allowed to take the controls.

CONTROL + NOUN panel

PREP. at the ~s Chief Air Officer Sedley was at the controls of the Boeing 707.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

control verb

ADV. carefully, strictly, tightly Conditions in the greenhouse are carefully controlled. Expenditure within the company is tightly controlled. | effectively, properly | centrally, directly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

controversial adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly controversial subject | rather, somewhat | politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

controversy noun

VERB + CONTROVERSY arouse, cause, create, excite, fuel, give rise to, provoke, spark (off), stir up What they are doing is bound to stir up controversy. | be dogged by, be marked by, be riven by, be surrounded by This year's championships have been dogged by controversy. | avoid The prime minister seemed anxious to avoid controversy about these appointments. | run into The network ran into controversy over claims of faked documentary footage. | be no stranger to The MP, who is no stranger to controversy herself, said the scandal could have serious repercussions. | court The singer deliberately courts controversy with his racist and sexist lyrics.

CONTROVERSY + VERB arise, break out A fierce controversy has broken out over the issue. | rage Controversy is raging over the route of the new motorway. | exist Controversy exists as to how safe these drugs are. | centre on sth The controversy centred on the issue of compensation for the victims. | surround sth Much controversy surrounds the new exam.

PREP. amid ~ The minister has resigned amid continuing controversy over his education proposals. | ~ about/concerning/over There has been a lot of controversy over the use of these drugs. | ~ among controversy among historians | ~ between controversy between the two leaders | ~ surrounding the bitter controversy surrounding the introduction of the new regulations | ~ with her long-running controversy with fellow academics

PHRASES a matter/source/subject of controversy, a storm of controversy The book raised a storm of controversy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convenience noun

¹ being useful/easy/suitable

ADJ. great | extra All our holiday chalets include a microwave and food processor for extra convenience. | administrative The system is based on administrative convenience rather than public benefit.

CONVENIENCE + NOUN food The children like convenience food such as sausages or fish fingers and chips. | store

PREP. at your ~ Can you telephone me at your convenience (= when it is convenient for you) to arrange a further meeting? | for (your) ~ I keep my cookery books in the kitchen for convenience. An order form is enclosed for your convenience.

PHRASES a marriage of convenience (= a marriage for financial, political or practical reasons, not love), at your earliest convenience (business) (= as soon as possible), comfort and convenience In this resort you can enjoy all the comfort and convenience of modern tourism. | for the sake of convenience We leave the keys near the front door for the sake of convenience.

² sth useful

ADJ. great It's a great convenience living next door to a post office. | modern They wouldn't like to live without modern conveniences such as microwaves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convenient adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem, sound | make sth | find sth I find the new system much more convenient.

ADV. extremely, highly, very | quite | mutually We arranged a mutually convenient time to meet. | politically

PREP. for Would this be convenient for you? The house is quite convenient for the shops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conventional adj

VERBS be, seem

ADV. highly, very | entirely, quite, strictly | largely | fairly, pretty, rather, relatively, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convention noun

¹ way sth is done

ADJ. accepted, established, long-standing, old, traditional, well-established It's an established convention that the part of the prince is played by a woman. | normal, standard, usual | polite Her work refuses any concession to polite conventions of ‘good taste’. | arbitrary | rigid, strict | cultural, legal, social the rigid social conventions of Victorian Britain | dramatic, fictional, literary, narrative, operatic, poetic The novel refuses to conform to the narrative conventions of 19th century realism. | orthographic, punctuation, rhetorical

QUANT. set

VERB + CONVENTION adhere to, conform to, follow, keep to, observe They followed the Greek convention of pinning gifts of money to the bride's dress. | be bound by, be hidebound by Life with the Leighs was not hidebound by rules or convention. | break (with), cut through, defy, flout She knew that she had broken an important social convention. He had the freedom of spirit to cut through convention. No young politician can afford to flout convention in this way.

CONVENTION + VERB demand sth, dictate sth Convention dictated that dangerous physical action is the part of heroes, not heroines.

PREP. according to/by ~ By convention, the Queen gives the Royal Assent to all measures passed by Parliament.

PHRASES a break with convention In a surprising break with convention, she wore a red wedding dress. | a matter of convention

² conference

ADJ. annual | international, national | Democratic, Republican, etc. | careers, constitutional, party, political A constitutional convention was elected to try to agree on a new form of government.

VERB + CONVENTION arrange, have, hold, organize | attend, go to | address He addressed the annual Republican convention.

CONVENTION + VERB take place

CONVENTION + NOUN centre | delegate

PREP. at a/the ~ She was at the Democratic convention.

PHRASES delegates to a convention

³ international agreement

ADJ. global, international | European, UN/United Nations, etc. | climate, human rights, etc. | draft

VERB + CONVENTION adopt, ratify, sign Over 60 countries have yet to ratify the climate convention. | adhere to, comply with Most countries have adhered to the convention. | breach This practice breaches the arms convention.

CONVENTION + VERB apply, govern sth a convention governing the conditions under which mining is permitted | establish sth The convention established procedures for the transport of toxic waste. | ban sth

PREP. under a/the ~ This is forbidden under the European Convention on Human Rights. | ~ between the 1869 convention between Turkey and Persia | ~ for the Berne Convention for the Conservation of European Wildlife | ~ on the 1951 United Nations Convention on refugees

PHRASES a breach of a convention

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convent noun

ADJ. Carmelite, Catholic, Franciscan, Ursuline, etc.

VERB + CONVENT enter She entered a convent (= became a nun) at the age of sixteen. | leave | establish, found, set up The nuns established a convent here in 1692.

CONVENT + NOUN building, wall within the convent walls (= inside the convent) | education, school

PREP. in a/the ~ She spent her whole life in a convent. | ~ of the Convent of St Saviour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conversation noun

ADJ. brief, short | lengthy, long We engaged in a long conversation. | endless listening to endless conversations about high prices and food shortages | casual, everyday, general, informal, normal, ordinary It's not a subject that often crops up in casual conversation. | intimate, personal, private | face-to-face | overheard, recorded, taped | phone/telephone | civilized, polite We sat making polite conversation and feeling rather uncomfortable. | friendly, pleasant | animated | fascinating, good, intelligent, interesting, stimulating He said that television had been the death of good conversation. | proper, real, serious There was no time away from the topic of money. She turned the conversation to her work. | enter, join (in) | break off | conclude, end, finish | avoid She avoided conversation with the other passengers. | encourage I was courteous but didn't encourage conversation. | hear, listen to, overhear | interrupt | resume | have no a plain girl who had no conversation (= could not make conversation) and no social graces

CONVERSATION + VERB take place When did this conversation take place? | continue, proceed The conversation proceeded in French. | flow They all relaxed and conversation flowed freely. | come back/round to, drift, move on (to), switch, turn to, veer back/off The conversation drifted for a proper conversation. | simple When you are struggling with an unfamiliar language, the simplest cinto family chat. The | strange | chance A chance conversation led to a brilliant new career for the young catering student. | desultory, halting, stilted We carried on a rather halting conversation. | hushed, low-voiced, murmured, muted, muttered, quiet, whispered | shouted | one-sided, two-way Think of prayer as a two-way conversation. | imaginary | after-dinner | adult Young children become quickly bored by adult conversation.

QUANT. snatch I overheard snatches of a conversation between two doctors.

VERB + CONVERSATION carry on, have, hold, make You can't hold a private conversation there. I tried to make conversation with the three silent people round the table. | begin, draw sb into, engage sb in, fall into, get into, open, start, strike up I got into conversation with one of the directors. He was waiting for her to open the conversation. I was keen to strike up a conversation with him. | be deep in, be engaged in They were deep in conversation and didn't notice the time. | continue, keep up Cara kept up a one-sided conversation. | control, dominate | bring around/round, steer, turn I managed to bring the conversation round to why they were leaving. He tried to steer the conversation conversation moved on to other things. The conversation turned to holidays in France. | cease, end, stop All conversation ceased and everyone turned round. The conversation ended when the vacuum cleaner started up. | run out All too soon the stilted conversation ran out.

PREP. during ~ In the Western world it is polite to maintain eye contact during conversation. | in ~ with In the programme tonight we hear Dr Chris Toole in conversation with the artist Mary Witherspoon. | ~ about We had a long conversation about old cars. | ~ between a conversation between Jane and her parents | ~ on a conversation on the topic of activities for children | ~ with I had an interesting conversation with Dick Whortly.

PHRASES an attempt at conversation She ignored all my attempts at conversation. | be in close/deep/earnest conversation (with sb) Don was in close conversation with the girl on his right. | a babble/buzz/hum of conversation She could hear him over the buzz of conversation and laughter. | during the course of (the) conversation During the course of conversation, it emerged that Sheila had lived in Nigeria. | keep the conversation going Our hostess did her best to keep the conversation going. | a lull in the conversation, a topic of conversation The main topic of conversation was the big football match.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conversion noun

¹ change to a new form/system/use

ADJ. careful Today, after a careful conversion, it is a very comfortable and elegant country home. | barn, loft | office | currency There are no charges for currency conversion. | data, file | energy Cheap solar energy conversion has been the dream of some scientists since the 1970s.

VERB + CONVERSION carry out, undertake

PREP. ~ from, ~ into A local building firm will carry out the conversion of the farm buildings into business units. | ~ to conversion from analogue to digital data

² religious

ADJ. religious | deathbed | overnight, sudden (figurative) her overnight conversion to market economics

VERB + CONVERSION experience, undergo In the late eighties he underwent a religious conversion.

CONVERSION + NOUN experience

PREP. ~ from, ~ to her conversion from Buddhism to Christianity

³ in rugby

VERB + CONVERSION kick | add The try came in the third minute and Jon Bland added the conversion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convert noun

ADJ. recent | enthusiastic | reluctant | Catholic, Jewish, etc.

VERB + CONVERT become | gain, make, win an attempt to gain converts to Communism

PREP. ~ from One of the early popes, Clement was a convert from paganism. | ~ to a recent convert to Catholicism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convey verb

ADV. clearly, vividly The novel vividly conveys the experience of growing up during the war. | accurately, adequately | effectively, successfully

VERB + CONVEY can/could Gestures can convey meaning as well as words. | try to | manage to | fail to

PREP. to He managed to convey his enthusiasm to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

conviction noun

¹ for a crime

VERB + CONVICTION have He has three previous criminal convictions. | lead to A reward is offered for information leading to the conviction of the attacker. | obtain, secure They need strong evidence to secure a conviction. | escape He believes that too many defendants are escaping conviction by claiming that they are insane. | appeal against He appealed against his conviction for murder. | overturn, quash | uphold

CONVICTION + NOUN rate The conviction rate for rape is extremely low.

PREP. on ~ an offence which carries, on conviction, a sentence of not more than five years' imprisonment | ~ against The appeal court overturned the conviction against her. | ~ for a conviction for murder

PHRASES the rate of conviction

² belief/appearance of belief

ADJ. absolute, complete, total, unshakeable, utter | deep, deeply held, fervent, firm, fundamental, great, intense, passionate, real, strong It is the firm conviction of the governors that this child should not be admitted to the school. There was no great conviction in his voice. | growing | personal | inner | ideological, moral, political, religious | Catholic, Christian, etc.

VERB + CONVICTION have She had this absolute conviction that what she liked others would like. | share The ex-leaders share a deep conviction that their views on world matters are still vitally important. | express | shake Nothing could shake her conviction that ‘abroad’ was a dangerous place. | strengthen | carry Her explanation failed to carry conviction in the face of the facts. | lack Her arguments lacked conviction.

CONVICTION + NOUN politics The demise of consensus and the rise of conviction politics.

PREP. with/without ~ ‘Not true!’ she said with conviction. | ~ about He had a strong personal conviction about the power of the printed word.

PHRASES have the courage of your convictions (= to be brave enough to do what you feel to be right)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convict noun

ADJ. escaped

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convinced adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem, sound | become She became convinced that something was wrong. | remain

PREP. of He was convinced of her innocence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convincing adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | find sth I found his argument pretty convincing.

ADV. extremely, very | completely, thoroughly, totally, utterly | hardly, not altogether, not entirely, not wholly | far from, not remotely He was far from convincing as a leader. | fairly, pretty, quite | enough, sufficiently She produced a convincing enough performance as the wronged wife.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convoy noun

ADJ. armed, army, military, naval, troop | road, vehicle | aid, food, humanitarian, relief the proposal to send 500 armed soldiers to escort food convoys | UN/United Nations

VERB + CONVOY lead | escort, protect | attack

CONVOY + VERB carry sth | arrive

PREP. in ~ The ships travelled in convoy. | ~ of a large convoy of lorries carrying medical supplies | ~ to the next aid convoy to the war-torn region

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

convulsion noun

ADJ. violent | slight | sudden

VERB + CONVULSION go into, have, suffer The patient lost consciousness and went into convulsions. | cause

CONVULSION + VERB shake sb A sudden convulsion shook him, and he fell to the ground.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

con noun

¹ (also con trick) trick

ADJ. big The scheme was all a big con.

CON + NOUN artist, man

² (usuallythe cons) disadvantage

VERB + CON consider, discuss, weigh up Before making a decision, you need to weigh up the pros and cons of the situation.

PHRASES the pros and cons

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cookery noun

VERB + COOKERY learn

COOKERY + NOUN demonstration | class, course, lesson, school | book, column, magazine, programme | expert, writer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cooker noun

ADJ. electric, gas | pressure | free-standing

COOKER + NOUN hood, point

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cooking noun

VERB + COOKING do Who does most of the cooking in your house?

PREP. during ~ Stir the mixture to prevent the beans sticking to the bottom during cooking. | in ~ I use yogurt quite a lot in cooking.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cook noun

ADJ. excellent, good He's a very good cook | amateur, professional She wants to become a professional cook. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cook verb

ADV. thoroughly, well Make sure you cook the meat well. | evenly, gently, slowly Turn the fish over so that it cooks evenly. | quickly

PHRASES be cooked through Ensure that the meat is cooked through.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cool adj.

¹ fairly cold

VERBS be, feel, look The forest looked cool and shady. | become, get It will probably get cool later, so bring a coat. | keep sth Try to keep the drinks cool.

ADV. very | fairly, quite, rather | beautifully, blissfully, deliciously, pleasantly, refreshingly, wonderfully The temple was light, spacious and blissfully cool.

² calm

VERBS appear, be, look | keep, remain, stay She managed to stay cool during the meeting. | act, play it (informal) He forced himself to count to ten and act cool. For once I felt uncertain about my real feelings. I decided to play it cool.

ADV. very | completely | pretty | professionally Professionally cool, she went back to her patient.

PHRASES cool, calm and collected He did his best to appear cool, calm and collected.

³ not friendly/enthusiastic

VERBS appear, be, sound | remain

ADV. distinctly, very | rather, somewhat

PREP. about She was distinctly cool about their plans. | towards He was cool towards me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cool verb

¹ become colder

ADV. completely, thoroughly | a little, slightly | down, off He went for a swim to cool off.

VERB + COOL allow sth to, let sth Allow the cake to cool thoroughly before removing it from the tin.

² become calmer

ADV. considerably | slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cooperate verb

ADV. fully He has said he will cooperate fully with the police enquiries. | closely

VERB + COOPERATE will/would | agree to, be prepared to, be willing to | refuse to

PREP. in The two companies are cooperating in the development of a new engine. | on cooperating on a research project | with The firm has agreed to cooperate with the employment survey.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cooperation noun

VERB + COOPERATION need, require | ask for, call for, demand, seek She called for closer cooperation on drugs control. They are seeking the cooperation of senior medical staff. | enlist, get We are hoping to enlist the cooperation of women's groups. | give (sb), offer (sb) | encourage, promote promoting cooperation between universities and industry | ensure

PREP. in ~ with The film was made in cooperation with the Sports Council. | with/without sb's ~ With the cooperation of the public, the police may be able to catch this man. | ~ among increased technical cooperation among large companies | ~ between political cooperation between the two groups | ~ from You will need a bit of cooperation from your family. | ~ in We asked for their cooperation in the collection of data. | ~ on They offered their cooperation on the project. | ~ with We should like to thank you for your cooperation with us.

PHRASES a lack of cooperation, a need for cooperation There is a need for greater economic cooperation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cooperative noun

ADJ. community, worker | agricultural, farmer/farming | production

VERB + COOPERATIVE form | run sth as The family business is now run as a cooperative.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coordinate verb

ADV. carefully a carefully coordinated policy

PREP. with We try to coordinate our activities with those of other groups.

PHRASES a coordinated approach/policy/programme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coordination noun

¹ working together

ADJ. better, greater | poor | international | economic, market, policy | colour advice on colour coordination (= colours that look good together)

VERB + COORDINATION need, require | ensure, facilitate We must make a real effort to ensure greater coordination between the different groups.

PREP. in ~ with a pamphlet produced by the government in coordination with the Sports Council | ~ between to facilitate better coordination between departments | ~ in a lack of coordination in government policy | ~ with

PHRASES a lack of coordination, a need for coordination a need for coordination with the training department

² ability to control your movements

ADJ. good | poor | physical | hand-eye You need good hand-eye coordination to play racket sports.

VERB + COORDINATION have | lack

PHRASES a lack of coordination

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cope verb

ADV. admirably, well She copes very well under pressure. | adequately Will the prison system cope adequately with the increasing numbers of prisoners? | easily

VERB + COPE be able/unable to, can/can't She is unable to cope with her increasing workload. He felt that he couldn't cope any longer. | have to She had to cope without any help. | learn to | struggle to, try to struggling to cope with the demands of a new baby | be difficult to

PREP. with Some people find unemployment very difficult to cope with.

PHRASES sb's ability to cope, a way of coping a way of coping with bereavement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

copper noun

ADJ. molten | beaten | unalloyed | burnished Her hair shone like burnished copper.

VERB + COPPER mine | produce | be alloyed with silver alloyed with copper

COPPER + VERB be alloyed with sth copper alloyed with arsenic

PREP. in ~ (= using copper) She works mainly in copper.

PHRASES an alloy of copper and/with sth Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

copyright noun

VERB + COPYRIGHT have, hold, own The publisher has the copyright on all his books. | breach, infringe By publishing the book, they were guilty of infringing copyright. | be protected by Databases are generally protected by copyright.

COPYRIGHT + VERB protect sth Copyright protects your work from being commercially exploited by someone else without your consent.

PREP. in ~ The songs remain in copyright. | out of ~ His work is now out of copyright. | ~ on The family still holds the copyright on his works.

PHRASES breach/infringement of copyright They sued her for breach of copyright. | ownership of copyright Ownership of copyright can be transferred.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

copy noun

¹ document/work of art

ADJ. accurate, faithful, good | cheap, crude, poor It was not the original painting, but a crude copy. | carbon, duplicate, exact, facsimile, identical, perfect, true The twins were carbon copies of each other. It must be certified as a true copy of the original document. | draft, working | clean, fair | master, original, top Take a photocopy of the master copy. | additional, extra, further, spare | multiple The photocopier had been set for multiple copies. | modern | certified | photographic, photostat | back-up Remember to make back-up copies of all your disks. | hard, paper, printed (computing) You will need to supply a hard copy version of all files.

VERB + COPY make, print, run off, take I ran off a couple of copies of the letter. | attach, enclose, send I attach a copy of the report. Please find enclosed a copy of the draft document. | circulate, distribute, supply Copies of the article were circulated to members of the committee. | obtain, receive | keep Remember to keep copies of all your correspondence.

² book/newspaper/tape, etc.

ADJ. additional, extra, further, spare | back, old I have a few back copies of the newspaper. | advance Advance copies of the book were sent out to reviewers. | review | complimentary, free Free copies of the leaflet are available from the Department of the Environment. | illegal, illicit, pirate/pirated, unauthorized | manuscript, printed, proof | bound, hardback, leather-bound, paperback, presentation The candidate must submit two bound copies of his or her thesis. | battered, tattered, well-thumbed my battered copy of Shakespeare's plays | perfect, pristine | personal Charles I's personal copy of the psalter | signed

VERB + COPY circulate, distribute | sign Author Bob Woodhouse will be signing copies of his new book.

COPY + VERB circulate Even with the new legislation pirate copies will circulate. | be available

³ written material

ADJ. good, great | advertising | editorial | knocking (informal) Knocking copy (= writing that just says how bad sb/sth is) is simply lazy journalism.

VERB + COPY edit, prepare, produce, write The subeditors prepare the reporters' copy for the paper. | make This will make great copy for the advertisement.

COPY + NOUN editor | date, deadline Copy date (= the date for handing in copy) for the next issue is 1 May.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

copy verb

¹ make a copy

ADV. illegally illegally copied software

PREP. from, onto Data can be copied from the computer onto floppy disks.

² write sth down exactly

ADV. carefully, laboriously, painstakingly | down, out I copied down several phone numbers from the list. laboriously copying out an old manuscript

PREP. from, into She copied all the addresses into her address book. | off copying a recipe off the packet | onto He copied all the details from the brochure onto a piece of paper.

³ do the same as sb else

ADV. slavishly She slavishly copies the older girl's style.

PREP. from He's copied that mannerism from his brother. | off She was caught copying off another student.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cordial adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very | not entirely | quite Relations between the two governments remained quite cordial.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cordon noun

ADJ. tight | police, security

VERB + CORDON form, throw Police officers threw a cordon around his car to protect him. | break through The crowd managed to break through the police cordon.

CORDON + VERB prevent sth A police cordon prevented the marchers from entering the main square.

PREP. ~ around/round There is a tight security cordon around the area.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cord noun

QUANT. length, piece You need a piece of thick cord about two metres long.

VERB + CORD pull | knot, tie (sth with) He knotted the cord of his dressing-gown. | undo, untie

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

core noun

ADJ. hollow Each fibre has a hollow core trapping still air and aiding warmth. (figurative) There was a hollow core of sadness inside me. | solid | copper, iron, etc. | reactor nuclear reactor cores | central, essential, inner, innermost, very This is seen as the central core of the government's policy. A new spirit welled up from the very core of the nation. | common a common core of shared understanding about law and government | hard A hard core of supporters, mostly teenage girls, gathered at the airport to see the star arrive. | emotional the emotional core of her music

VERB + CORE form, make up These ideas formed the core of his philosophy. | get to We want to get to the core of the problem.

CORE + NOUN activity, area, course, curriculum, discipline, module, programme, skill, subject the core area of management studies Students study five core subjects. | component, element, group | business, service We need to stop this expansion and concentrate on the core business. | belief, value | vocabulary

PREP. at sth's ~ At the core of our convictions is belief in individual liberty. | to the ~ She was shaken to the core by the news. He's a politician to the core (= in all his attitudes, beliefs and actions).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corner noun

¹ where two lines/edges meet

CORNER + NOUN cupboard, seat, table The waiter led us to a corner table.

PREP. in a/the ~ Put your address in the top right-hand corner of the page.

² of roads

ADJ. street There were a lot of young men hanging about on street corners. | sharp, tight It's a rather sharp corner and she took it a little too fast. | blind I hate coming out of that lane because it's a blind corner.

VERB + CORNER round, take, turn As they turned the corner all the parcels slid to one side.

CORNER + NOUN shop the local corner shop

PREP. around/round a/the ~ A white van came round the corner. | at a/the ~ at the corner of West Street and Park Street Turn right at the first corner. | on a/the ~ the shop on the corner of Mount Street

³ place/region

ADJ. quiet He found a quiet corner and got on with his work. | little, small, tiny Welcome to our little corner of Surrey. | distant, far, far-flung, remote a remote corner of Afghanistan | picturesque | dark, gloomy, shadowed, shadowy She sat in a dark corner of the room. | shady, sheltered a cool shady corner of the garden | forgotten, hidden, obscure, odd, secret The box had been tucked away in an odd corner of the attic.

PREP. in a/the ~ She tucked herself away in a corner and read all day.

PHRASES the corner of your mind (figurative) He pushed the thought back into the darkest corner of his mind.

⁴ difficult situation

ADJ. tight He was used to having to talk his way out of tight corners.

VERB + CORNER back/drive/force sb into | get sb/yourself into They had got her in a corner and there was nothing she could do about it.

PHRASES be in a bit of a corner I'm in a bit of a corner over finding staff for Friday evening.

⁵ in sport

ADJ. penalty | short

VERB + CORNER award (sb) The referee awarded a corner. | take Beckham took the corner and Scholes headed it into the net. | force, win He put the goalkeeper under pressure and managed to force a corner. | concede James blocked the shot but conceded a corner. | miss | clear

CORNER + NOUN kick

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corn noun

¹ grain crops

ADJ. ripe | green The corn is still green. | young | standing a field of standing corn

QUANT. ear, sheaf | bag, sack | field

CORN + VERB grow

CORN + NOUN field | harvest | cob | mill

PHRASES corn on the cob (= maize cooked with all the grains still attached to the cob)

² area of hard skin on the toe

VERB + CORN have, suffer from | treat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coroner noun

ADJ. deputy

CORONER + VERB issue sth The coroner issued a burial certificate. | order sth The coroner ordered an investigation into the man's death. | record a verdict of sth The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

PHRASES a coroner's court/inquest, a coroner's report/verdict

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corporal noun > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corporation noun

CORPORATION + NOUN tax > Note at ORGANIZATION(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corpse noun

VERB + CORPSE lay out The corpse had been laid out on a marble slab. | embalm | butcher, dismember, eviscerate, mutilate

CORPSE + VERB be sprawled, lie, sprawl They saw the corpse sprawled on the steps.

PHRASES be littered/strewn with corpses The ground was littered with the corpses of enemy soldiers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corps noun

ADJ. elite the elite corps of the Sultan's army | multinational a multinational corps under UK command | cadet, officer, volunteer | army, diplomatic, medical | media, press the UN press corps

CORPS + NOUN commander

PREP. in a/the ~ He's in the Royal Army Medical Corps.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correction noun

ADJ. minor, small | necessary Make any necessary corrections before the text is printed. | error, spelling

VERB + CORRECTION make | need, require There are some programming errors that need correction.

PREP. ~ to I've got to make one or two small corrections to the text before it's finished.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correctness noun

ADJ. grammatical, ideological, political (sometimes disapproving) Political correctness is the principle of avoiding language or behaviour that may offend certain groups of people.

VERB + CORRECTNESS doubt, question She doubted the correctness of the information. | be convinced of She was convinced of the correctness of the decision. | confirm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correct adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem His first idea proved correct.

ADV. absolutely, completely, entirely, perfectly, quite What you say is perfectly correct, but it gives the wrong impression. | not entirely, not strictly He is not entirely correct in his assumptions. | basically, broadly, essentially, fundamentally, largely, more or less, substantially His estimate has turned out to be more or less correct. | clearly, undoubtedly | demonstrably None of the explanations offered is demonstrably correct?or demonstrably incorrect. | ideologically, politically (sometimes disapproving) (= avoiding language or behaviour that may offend some groups of people) He was an interesting speaker, if not always politically correct in his views. | legally, technically | morally | anatomically, botanically, factually, grammatically The flower drawings are all to scale and botanically correct.

PREP. in The diagram is correct in every detail. I think I am correct in saying that this project is the first of its kind in this country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correlate verb

ADV. closely, highly, significantly, strongly, well | positively | inversely, negatively

VERB + CORRELATE be found to, be shown to High morale among staff was found to correlate positively with productivity.

PREP. to Property values are negatively correlated to the tax rate. | with The average speed of the vehicles correlates closely with the severity of the accident caused.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correlation noun

VERB + CORRELATION have The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first. | discover, establish, find, observe, show The study showed a significant correlation between the baby's sleeping position and the risk of cot death.

CORRELATION + VERB exist A strong correlation exists between the fatness of parents and their children.

PREP. ~ between the correlation between speed and risk of accident | ~ with the correlation of height with weight

PHRASES lack of correlation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correspondence noun

¹ letters exchanged

ADJ. confidential, personal, private | business, commercial, diplomatic, official | regular | voluminous | lively a lively correspondence in ‘The Times’ about ways of preparing tripe

QUANT. item Numerous items of correspondence have been received on this subject. | pile He was leafing through piles of correspondence.

VERB + CORRESPONDENCE enter into, have It would be foolish for a doctor to enter into correspondence with a patient. I have had correspondence with the company director on this matter. | carry on, keep up We kept up a correspondence for many months. | send Please send correspondence to ‘Letters to the Editor, Model Railway Journal’. | receive | read | answer, deal with, handle The secretary deals with all the correspondence. | catch up on I would spend the time reading or catching up on my correspondence. | intercept The department intercepted the correspondence of foreign diplomats.

CORRESPONDENCE + NOUN column the correspondence columns of the ‘London Review of Books’ | course I did a correspondence course in economics.

PREP. by/through ~ All our business is conducted by correspondence. | in ~ with I have been in correspondence with the manager of the store. | ~ about/on/concerning/regarding/relating to files full of confidential correspondence relating to the company's expansion plans | ~ between I have seen the correspondence between the company and the local authority. | ~ from The editor welcomes correspondence from readers on any subject. | ~ with copies of his correspondence with the Queen

² connection

ADJ. direct, exact, one-to-one The child can see the one-to-one correspondence of the buttons and buttonholes. | close

PREP. ~ between a close correspondence between theory and practice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correspondent noun

¹ reporter

ADJ. newspaper, television | business, education, foreign, health, industrial, legal affairs, media, parliamentary, political, royal, science, sports, war | special A report from our special correspondent at the UN. | American, Moscow, New York Times, etc.

CORRESPONDENT + VERB write (sth)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

correspond verb

¹ be the same/match

ADV. closely | directly, exactly, precisely | approximately, broadly, roughly

PREP. to Their nursery schools correspond roughly to our infant schools. | with The movement of the dot on the screen corresponds exactly with the movement of the control lever.

² write letters

ADV. regularly

PREP. with She corresponded regularly with her former music teacher.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corridor noun

VERB + CORRIDOR line Portraits line the corridors of the palace.

CORRIDOR + VERB lead Narrow corridors lead off from the main hallway. | run along/down sth The corridor runs down the middle of the building. | link sth The corridor links the old part of the hospital with the new.

CORRIDOR + NOUN wall

PREP. along a/the ~, at/to the end of a/the ~, down a/the ~ The office is just down the corridor on the left. | in a/the ~ I put my head down as I passed him in the corridor.

PHRASES the corridors of power (figurative) She was a minister with considerable influence in the corridors of power. | a labyrinth/maze of corridors She led us through a maze of hotel corridors to our room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corrode verb

PHRASES be badly corroded If the pipe is badly corroded, it should be replaced.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corrosion noun

VERB + CORROSION cause | prevent | suffer from a building whose structure is suffering from corrosion

PHRASES signs of corrosion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corrosive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, strongly, very Many highly corrosive substances are used in the nuclear industry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corruption noun

QUANT. case

VERB + CORRUPTION attack, combat, curb, eliminate, fight, root out, stem, tackle He strongly attacked corruption and favouritism in the government. This police unit was established to fight corruption. | be involved in

CORRUPTION + NOUN scandal She was brought down by a corruption scandal. | allegation The corruption allegations proved false. | investigation

PREP. ~ among corruption among high-ranking government officials

PHRASES accusations/allegations of corruption, bribery and corruption > Note at CRIME

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

corrupt adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. thoroughly, totally The whole regime is thoroughly corrupt. | notoriously one of the most notoriously corrupt city councils | morally, politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cosmetic adj.

VERBS be

ADV. merely, purely Opponents described the reforms as a purely cosmetic exercise. | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cosmetic noun (usually cosmetics)

ADJ. expensive | cheap

VERB + COSMETIC use, wear | apply, put on

COSMETIC + NOUN business, company, industry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cosmopolitan adj

VERBS be

ADV. distinctly, truly, very

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

costly adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. enormously, exceptionally, excessively, extremely, very | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, rather | potentially | relatively

PREP. for The six-month delay will be costly for the company. | in This process is costly in computer time. | in terms of These teaching methods are too costly in terms of staff resources. | to These measures could be costly to employers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

costume noun

VERB + COSTUME be dressed in, dress in, have on, wear He had a cowboy costume on.

COSTUME + NOUN design | designer | drama The film is a costume drama based on a 19th-century novel. | change The main character had five costume changes.

PREP. in ~ The battle was re-enacted by actors in period costume.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cost noun

¹ money needed to buy sth

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, high, huge, prohibitive The high cost of energy was a problem for consumers. The cost of repairs would be prohibitive. | low | escalating, rising | basic | full, overall, total You will have to bear the full cost of the building work. | additional, extra She was unwilling to pay the extra cost to get a room to herself. | average A total of 3.6 million tickets at an average cost of $58 are available for the Games. | gross, net | estimated | budgeted | likely, potential | real | annual, monthly, etc. | replacement What is the current replacement cost of these assets? | capital, start-up (business) The capital cost of these projects (= what it costs to set them up) is some $100 million?then there'll be the operating costs. | marginal (business) Competition will drive the price down near to the marginal cost (= the cost of the labour and materials to produce the product). | unit (business) (= the cost of producing one item) | fixed, variable (business) Fixed costs include rent. | direct, indirect

VERB + COST bear, cover, meet, pay Allow £15 per day to cover the cost of meals. MPs receive allowances to meet the cost of travel. | increase, push up Inflation is pushing up the cost of living beyond our reach. | bring down, cut, lower, reduce | keep down | estimate, put I would put the cost of a new employee at £30,000 a year. | calculate, work out | reimburse

COST + VERB escalate, go up, increase, rise The cost of dental treatment is increasing. | fall, go down

COST + NOUN reduction, savings the pursuit of cost reduction | overrun There were cost overruns on each project. | base It is essential that we operate with the lowest possible cost base and most efficient facilities.

PREP. at a ~ of A new computer system has been installed at a cost of £80,000. | ~ to The cost to the government will be quite high.

PHRASES an increase/a reduction in cost, at no extra cost The hotel offers tea and coffee at no extra cost. | cost of living The cost of living has risen sharply in the last year.

² costs: money needed to run a business/home, etc.

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, high, huge | low | escalating, rising We have had to raise our prices because of rising costs. | administration/administrative, fuel, labour, operating, production, (research and) development, running, transport, travel

VERB + COST incur The corporation will pay all costs and expenses incurred with its written consent. | pay | increase | bring down, cut, lower, reduce The company has to find ways of cutting costs. | keep down The use of cheap labour helped to keep costs down. | cover We're hoping that we'll at least cover costs at the conference.

COST + VERB be associated, be involved the costs associated with buying and selling property | escalate, rise

³ effort/loss/damage to achieve sth

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, heavy, huge They advanced a few hundred metres, but at a heavy cost in life. | dreadful, terrible the terrible cost of the war in death and suffering | real | environmental, financial, human, personal, political, social the environmental cost of nuclear power

VERB + COST outweigh Do the benefits outweigh the costs? | count The town is now counting the cost of its failure to provide adequate flood protection.

PREP. at (a) ~ (to) The raid was foiled, but at a cost: an injured officer who was lucky to escape with his life. He worked non-stop for three months, at considerable cost to his health. | at the ~ of She saved him from the fire but at the cost of her own life. | ~ in I felt a need to please people, whatever the cost in time and energy.

PHRASES at all costs/at any cost You must stop the press finding out at all costs (= whatever it takes to achieve this). | to your cost He's a ruthless businessman, as I know to my cost (= I know from my own bad experience).

⁴ costs: in a court case

ADJ. legal

VERB + COST incur Both sides incurred costs of over £50,000. | pay He was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs. | be awarded If you win your case you will normally be awarded costs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cost verb

ADV. fully, properly The project has not been properly costed yet.

PREP. at The programme was costed at £6 million.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cottage noun

COTTAGE + NOUN home | garden

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cotton noun

QUANT. reel (= pf cotton thread) | bale, bolt (= both of fabric)

VERB + COTTON grow | pick

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

couch noun

ADJ. comfortable | wide | psychiatrist's She spends several hours a week on the psychiatrist's couch.

VERB + COUCH lie (down) on, recline on, sink back on, sink into, sit (down) on, sprawl on, stretch (out) on They sat down on the wide couch. | get up from, rise from, slide off, swing your legs/yourself off

PREP. on a/the ~ He slept on the couch.

COUCH + NOUN potato (figurative) (= sb who spends all their time sitting on a couch) He's turned into a real couch potato since he subscribed to the sports channel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cough noun

VERB + COUGH give He gave a slight, apologetic cough and said, ‘Excuse me.’ | have, suffer from | catch, develop, get

COUGH + NOUN medicine, mixture, sweet > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cough verb

ADV. a bit, a little, slightly | apologetically, discreetly, nervously, politely | loudly, violently | up He vomited and began coughing up blood.

PHRASES cough and splutter The whisky made her cough and splutter. | a coughing fit He had a coughing fit and couldn't speak for a few moments. | cough into life (figurative) The old engine coughed into life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

councillor noun

ADJ. borough, city, county, district, local, parish, town | Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Tory, etc. | former | newly-elected

VERB + COUNCILLOR elect sb (as)

PHRASES the office of councillor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

council noun

¹ local government

ADJ. local | metropolitan, rural, urban | borough, city, community, county, district, municipal, parish, provincial, regional, town | elected

VERB + COUNCIL elect | control Many county councils are now controlled by the Conservatives. | apply to Students should apply to their local council for a grant.

COUNCIL + NOUN elections | member | meeting | chamber | tax

PREP. on a/the ~ She's on the borough council.

PHRASES a seat on a council Our party won the majority of seats on the city councils.

² group chosen to give advice, money, etc.

ADJ. advisory, funding, research | arts, sports

VERB + COUNCIL create, establish, form, found, set up, start | apply to As a struggling young composer she applied to the Scottish Arts Council for a grant.

COUNCIL + VERB award sb sth, give sb sth In Britain, the Arts Council gives grants to theatres.

COUNCIL + NOUN member

PREP. ~ for setting up a new council for the arts > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

counselling noun

ADJ. group, individual | professional | proper | abortion, bereavement, business, career, debt, family, marriage guidance, retirement, stress

VERB + COUNSELLING give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) | have, receive | be in need of, need Many of the victims of the tragedy still need counselling. | seek

COUNSELLING + NOUN service the new student counselling and guidance service | session | skills

PREP. ~ for counselling for parents and children counselling for depression

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

counsellor noun

ADJ. accredited, professional, trained | career, debt, marriage guidance, student

VERB + COUNSELLOR see, talk to He talked to a counsellor about his marriage difficulties. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

counsel noun

¹ advice

ADJ. good, wise

VERB + COUNSEL give (sb), offer (sb) | accept, follow, get, listen to, take Listen to the counsel of your elders.

COUNSEL + VERB prevail In the end, wiser counsels prevailed.

PREP. ~ on He is there to give you counsel on all matters.

PHRASES a counsel of despair (= advice not to try to do sth because it is too difficult), a counsel of perfection (= advice that is good but difficult or impossible to follow)

² lawyer

ADJ. legal They were denied legal counsel or the right to call witnesses in their defence. | chief, senior | junior | leading The accused was represented by a leading counsel. | Crown, prosecuting/prosecution The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. | defence/defending | King's/Queen's

VERB + COUNSEL appoint | brief, instruct My solicitor will brief the senior counsel.

COUNSEL + VERB represent sb | cross-examine sb, question sb | argue sth, claim sth, say sth, state sth, submit sth His counsel argued that he had not intended to harm the women.

PHRASES counsel for the appellant/defendant/plaintiff/respondent, counsel for the defence/prosecution to be questioned by the counsel for the prosecution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

counter-attack noun

ADJ. strong VERB + COUNTER-ATTACK launch, mount

PREP. ~ against The soldiers mounted a strong counter-attack against the rebels.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

counterpart noun

ADJ. direct the difficulty of translating terms with no direct counterpart in the other language | modern the modern counterparts of those medieval writers | female, male Women soldiers will join their male counterparts at the army base. | older, younger | domestic, foreign | rural, urban | northern, southern, etc. | British, French, etc.

VERB + COUNTERPART have British environmentalists have their counterparts in Europe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

counter noun

¹ long flat surface

ADJ. bar, delicatessen/deli, display, post office, reception, shop | kitchen | glass, mahogany, wooden, zinc

VERB + COUNTER serve at/behind, work at/behind Mary served behind the counter at Bacon's for a few hours a week. | wipe (down) The barman wiped down the counter in silence.

COUNTER + NOUN staff post office counter staff

PREP. across a/the~ He pushed the money across the counter to her. | at/behind a/the ~ The assistant behind the counter gave a curt nod. | on a/the ~ all the goods on the counter

² action used to prevent sth

ADJ. effective

PREP. ~ to The government's programme should be an effective counter to unemployment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

countryside noun

ADJ. attractive, beautiful, delightful, glorious, lovely, lush, magnificent, picturesque, pleasant, spectacular, stunning, unspoilt, wonderful miles of unspoilt countryside | open | green, wooded a walk through the lush green countryside | flat | hilly, mountainous, rolling, rugged, undulating | wild | peaceful, quiet, tranquil | local, nearby, surrounding | native The feel for his native countryside comes through strongly in his photographs. | English, Kent, etc.

QUANT. area, stretch, tract a delightful stretch of countryside vast tracts of countryside

VERB + COUNTRYSIDE conserve, preserve, protect | destroy, ravage, ruin, spoil The countryside has been ravaged by pollution. | roam, wander (around/through) In the afternoons they roamed the countryside roundabout.

PREP. in the ~ living in the countryside | surrounded by ~ a small village surrounded by glorious countryside | through (the) ~ travelling through pleasant open countryside | ~ around the countryside around Oxford

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

country noun

¹ area of land with its own government

VERB + COUNTRY govern, rule, run The country was ruled by a brutal dictatorship. the politicians who run the country | lead He accused the government of leading the country to disaster. | divide, split The issue of the single currency has divided the country. | flee, leave The former president has been forced to flee the country. | serve | love He loved his country deeply. | betray | play for, represent She represented her country at the Sydney Olympics. | tour, travel, visit He travelled the country on his motorbike.

COUNTRY + VERB border sth countries bordering the Black Sea | export sth, import sth The country exports around 80% of its output. | agree sth, sign sth The two countries signed a basic treaty of cooperation.

PREP. across a/the ~ travelling across the country | all over a/the ~ They are holding special events all over the country. | around/round a/the ~ This is just one of 30 sites around the country. | in a/the ~ people who live in this country | throughout a/the ~ New schools are being built throughout the country.

PHRASES country of origin All goods must be clearly labelled with their country of origin. | a part of a country There will be rain in many parts of the country tomorrow. | the country as a whole The rich benefited from the reforms, not the country as a whole.

² area of land with particular features

ADJ. desert, hill/hilly, mountain/mountainous, open, wooded The village is surrounded by miles and miles of open country. | rough, wild | farming This part of Africa is rich farming country. | hunting, walking superb walking country

QUANT. stretch, tract a beautiful stretch of country Whole tracts of country, once fertile, have become arid.

³ land away from towns/cities

PREP. across ~ riding across country | in the ~ She lives in the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

county noun

ADJ. border, coastal, rural the Welsh border counties | eastern, western, etc. | historic/historical the historic county of Westmorland (= that no longer exists) | home London and the home counties (= the counties around London) | native He was elected MP for his native county of Merioneth. | neighbouring | dry (= where it is illegal to sell alcohol)

VERB + COUNTY represent She represents the county in Parliament.

PREP. in a/the ~ people who live in this county

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

count noun

¹ act of counting

VERB + COUNT do, have We did a quick count of the children and there were none missing.

PREP. for a ~ Raise your leg and hold it there for a count of ten.

PHRASES at the last/latest count At the last count she had 43 cats!

² measurement/total

ADJ. high | low | blood, calorie, cell, pollen, sperm The pollen count is very high in the spring. | body, head The movie depends on good dialogue rather than violence and a high body count. The firm now has a head count of around 70 staff.

VERB + COUNT keep Keep a count of your calorie intake for one week. | lose I've lost count of the times I've heard that joke.

COUNT + VERB go up, increase, rise | drop, go down Her white cell count has gone down again.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

couple noun

ADJ. beautiful, handsome, lovely | elderly, middle-aged, retired, teenage, young | bridal, honeymoon, married, newly-married, newly-wed The bridal couple stood up for the first dance. The hotel was full of honeymoon couples. | cohabiting, unmarried | heterosexual | gay, homosexual, lesbian, same-sex | childless, infertile childless couples seeking to adopt

VERB + COUPLE make They make a beautiful couple.

PHRASES the happy couple (= the bride and groom) We stood and drank a toast to the happy couple.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coupon noun

ADJ. valid This coupon is valid until 31 January. | money-off | entry To enter the competition, fill in the entry coupon on page 6. | clothing, petrol, etc.

VERB + COUPON collect, save She had saved enough coupons to get a free flight. | complete, fill in | post, return, send (off) Cut out and return this coupon to claim your free holiday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coup noun

¹ (also coup d'etat) violent change of government

VERB + COUP launch, mount, stage | foil, put down The coup was immediately put down and the plotters were shot. | plan, plot | lead | come to power in, seize power in He seized power in a military coup

COUP + NOUN attempt, plot | leader, plotter

PREP. ~ against an army coup against the president

² achievement

ADJ. big, brilliant, great, major, real, spectacular Winning that contract was her greatest coup. | diplomatic, financial, intelligence, propaganda, publicity

VERB + COUP pull off He managed to pull off a major diplomatic coup.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

courageous adj

VERBS be, seem

ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, incredibly, tremendously, very | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

courage noun

ADJ. considerable, great, outstanding, tremendous | moral, physical Caring for elderly relatives requires considerable moral courage.

VERB + COURAGE require, take It takes courage to sing in public. | have I didn't have the courage to tell him. | show | find, pluck up I finally plucked up enough courage to speak to Rachel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

courier noun

ADJ. diplomatic | drug | cycle, motorcycle

VERB + COURIER act as He has admitted to acting as a drug courier. | send sth by Urgent deliveries of medicine may be sent by motorcycle courier. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

course noun

¹ complete series of lessons/studies

COURSE + VERB run The course runs from 10?15 May.

PREP. ~ in a course in applied linguistics | ~ on a course on the development of capitalism

² route/direction

VERB + COURSE alter, change The boat altered course during the storm. | chart, plot, set We set course for Malta. | be blown off | follow The path follows the course of the river.

PREP. off ~ We're a long way off course | on ~ We're on course for our destination.

PHRASES on a collision course The two planes were on a collision course.

³ (also course of action)

ADJ. best, better

VERB + COURSE adopt, follow, pursue, take It was the best course of action to take in the circumstances.

COURSE + VERB be open to sb It was the only course open to him.

⁴ development of sth over a period of time

VERB + COURSE change an event that changed the course of his life | follow, run, take Her career followed a similar course to her sister's. We could do nothing but let the disease run its course.

PREP. during the ~ of during the course of the war | in the ~ of In the course of time, I began to understand.

PHRASES the course of history This was an event that changed the course of history. | in due course (= at the appropriate time; eventually), in the normal/ordinary course of events In the normal course of events, you should get a reply by Monday. | let nature take its course When the dog responded so badly to the treatment, we decided to let nature take its course (= stop treating it and let it die naturally).

⁵ part of a meal

ADJ. main | first, second, etc.

PREP. for a/the ~ We had chicken for our main course.

PHRASES a two-/three-course, etc. meal

⁶ in sport/a race

ADJ. golf, obstacle, race

VERB + COURSE complete Only ten yachts completed the course.

⁷ series of medical treatments

VERB + COURSE give sb, put sb on She's been put on a course of injections. | prescribe (sb) | take

PREP. ~ of a course of antibiotics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

court martial noun

VERB + COURT MARTIAL order The general ordered an immediate court martial. | hold | face

PREP. at a/the ~ The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial. | by ~ He was tried by court martial.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

courteous adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, very | entirely, perfectly | always, invariably, unfailingly She was unfailingly courteous and helpful. | naturally

PREP. to He was perfectly courteous to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

courtesy noun

ADJ. great, unfailing, utmost | common It's common courtesy to warn your neighbours if your children are going to have a party. | exaggerated He apologized with exaggerated courtesy.

VERB + COURTESY do sb, have, show, treat sb with She might have done me the courtesy of replying to my letter. You could at least have had the courtesy to let me know.

PREP. with ~ He listened to all the complaints with great courtesy. | ~ to her unfailing courtesy to everyone

PHRASES a matter of courtesy It's a matter of courtesy to write and thank people after a party.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

courtship noun

ADJ. long | brief, whirlwind After a whirlwind courtship, they married and went to live in Bath.

VERB + COURTSHIP conduct Because of the war they were obliged to conduct their courtship by post.

COURTSHIP + NOUN display, ritual the elaborate courtship display of the pigeon

PREP. during a/the ~ They went there together during their courtship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

courtyard noun

ADJ. central, inner, interior, internal | outer | enclosed, walled | open | cobbled, paved

VERB + COURTYARD surround The courtyard is surrounded on three sides by stables.

PREP. around a/the ~ The hotel is built around a paved central courtyard. | in a/the ~ sitting in the inner courtyard of the college

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

court noun

¹ law

ADJ. high This is the highest court in the land. | appeal, civil, crown, high, juvenile, magistrates, military They took their case to the appeal court. | supreme | county, federal, etc. | European, French, etc.

VERB + COURT go to, take sb/sth to We are prepared to go to court to get our compensation. Their neighbours took them to court. | come to, get to, go to The case should not be allowed to go to court. | bring sth to There wasn't enough evidence to bring the case to court. | settle sth out of The dispute was settled out of court. | a court of appeal The case will be heard by the court of appeal next month. | a court of law I don't think that argument would stand up in a court of law. | a ward of court The child was made a ward of court when her parents were jailed.

² for sport

ADJ. basketball, squash, tennis, etc. | clay, grass, hard Do you prefer playing tennis on grass courts or hard courts?

PREP. off (the) ~ Off court she is just as aggressive as she is on the court. | on (the) ~ The players have been on court for an hour.

³ kings/queens

ADJ. royal appear before, appear in, attend She is too young to appear before the court.

COURT + NOUN circles Mozart quickly became a favourite in court circles. preside over The court was presided over by Judge Owen. life at court He will appear in court tomorrow charged with the murder. |

PREP. at (a/the) ~ life at the court of Charles I

COURT + VERB hear sth The court heard how the mother had beaten the 11-year-old boy. | acquit sb, clear sb The court acquitted Reece of the murder of his wife. | dismiss sth, quash sth The court dismissed the appeal. The guilty verdict was quashed by the appeal court. | uphold sth The court upheld the plaintiff's claim of unfair dismissal. | hold sth, order sth, rule sth The court held that she was entitled to receive compensation.

COURT + NOUN action, case, proceedings | hearing, trial | injunction, order, summons She tried to get a court order to prevent him from coming near her. He received a court summons for non-payment of tax. | decision, ruling | appearance Divorce no longer requires a court appearance. | battle They could now face a court battle for compensation. | bailiff, clerk, judge, official, registrar, staff, usher She was appointed a high court judge in 1998. | procedure, process | system | building

PREP. at ~ He was found guilty at Swindon Crown Court. | before a/the ~ The case is now before the court. | in ~ Relatives of the dead girl were in court.

PHRASES contempt of court He was charged with contempt of court after shouting at a witness. |

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

court verb

ADV. assiduously He spent three months assiduously courting a newspaper editor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cousin noun

ADJ. first (= the child of the brother or sister of one of your parents), second (= the child of a cousin of one of your parents) | distant, remote | close (figurative) These pigs are close cousins of the wild hog. | female, male | long-lost Completely out of the blue, she got a letter from her long-lost cousin in New York.

PHRASES cousin once, twice, etc. removed She's my first cousin once removed (= the daughter of my cousin).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cover-up noun

ADJ. big, major | government VERB + COVER-UP be engaged in, be implicated in, be involved in Military leaders were involved in a major cover-up. | accuse sb of

PREP. ~ by cover-ups by the police | ~ over evidence of a cover-up over arms sales

PHRASES allegations/claims of a cover-up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coverage noun

ADJ. considerable, extensive, massive There's been massive television coverage of the World Cup. | comprehensive, full | detailed, in-depth | wide, widespread | national, international, worldwide | limited | media, news, newspaper, press, radio, television/TV The television company was given a special award for its news coverage. | live There's live coverage of the match on BBC1. | exclusive

VERB + COVERAGE give sth, provide (sth with) The minister's resignation was given widespread coverage. | attract, get, have, receive The wedding had wide press coverage.

COVERAGE + VERB focus on sth Media coverage of the march focused on the few fights that broke out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

covered adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | leave sb/sth The car sped past, leaving us covered in mud.

ADV. well Make sure all cooked meat is well covered. | absolutely, completely, entirely, totally | closely, densely, thickly four sheets of paper closely covered in unfamiliar handwriting | evenly | sparsely, thinly the ground was sparsely covered with grass. | permanently, temporarily 60% of the land is permanently covered in ice. | usually

PREP. by Each body was covered by a blanket. | in I was covered in blood. | with The path was now completely covered with thick snow.

PHRASES covered from head to foot/toe He crawled out, covered from head to foot in soot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cover noun

¹ sth put on/over sth

VERB + COVER put on | take off

PREP. ~ for a cover for the swimming pool

² sth that is over sth

ADJ. thick a thick cover of snow | cloud, snow We descended into Heathrow through thick cloud cover. | forest, ground plants that provide good ground cover

³ outside of a book/magazine

ADJ. back, front | hard, soft | book, magazine

COVER + NOUN design | story | girl

PREP. on a/the ~ There's a picture of the author on the back cover.

⁴ the covers: blankets, sheets, etc.

ADJ. bed

VERB + COVER get under | pull up | pull back, throw back She threw back the covers and got out of bed.

PREP. under the ~

⁵ insurance against sth

VERB + COVER have | give sb, provide (sb with)

PREP. ~ against cover against accidental damage | ~ for cover for contents

⁶ shelter/protection from the weather/damage, etc.

ADJ. air The RAF provided air cover for the attack.

VERB + COVER dive for, run for, take We ran for cover as it started to rain. | seek | find | give sb, provide (sb with) | break (= leave) The deer broke cover as the hunters approached.

PREP. under ~ All the seats are under cover. | under ~ of We attacked at night, under cover of darkness. | ~ from They sought cover from the wind.

⁷ sth that hides the real nature of sth

ADJ. perfect | diplomatic spies operating under diplomatic cover

VERB + COVER blow (= reveal) He realized his cover had been blown

PREP. ~ for The club is a cover for various criminal activities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cover verb

¹ put sth over sth to hide/protect it

ADV. completely | loosely | up She used dried leaves and twigs to cover up the hole.

VERB + COVER try to She tried to cover her face with her hands. (figurative) He tried to cover his embarrassment by starting to rub his hands together. | use sth to

PREP. with He covered the body with a cloth.

² form a layer on sth

ADV. completely

PREP. in The cars were all covered in snow. | with The children were completely covered with mud.

³ money/tax/insurance

ADV. barely, hardly The payments he gets barely cover his expenses.

VERB + COVER help (to) | be intended to | be extended to VAT may be extended to cover books.

PREP. against This policy should cover you against accidental injury. | for a policy that covers you for fire and theft

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cowardice noun

ADJ. moral It is an act of moral cowardice for a society to neglect its poor.

VERB + COWARDICE display, show | accuse sb of

PHRASES an act of cowardice, cowardice in the face of the enemy Any soldier displaying cowardice in the face of the enemy was shot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coward noun

VERB + COWARD brand sb, call sb, label sb He was branded a coward in some newspapers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cow noun

ADJ. beef | dairy, milch (often figurative) | sacred (often figurative) the sacred cow of free market economics

QUANT. herd

VERB + COW breed | milk

COW + VERB low, moo | chew the cud, graze | calve The cow had difficulties calving.

COW + NOUN byre, shed (also cowshed) | dung, manure, muck, pat (also cowpat) | bell

PHRASES a breed of cow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

coy adj.

¹ pretending to be shy

VERBS be | go

ADV. all, extremely, very He went all coy when I mentioned her name. | a bit, a little, rather She gave him a rather coy look.

² unwilling to say sth directly

VERBS be | remain

ADV. extremely, very | a little, rather Alicia was a little coy about how much the new dress had cost. | uncharacteristically

PREP. about

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crackdown noun

ADJ. bloody, violent | army, government, military, police

VERB + CRACKDOWN promise, threaten | call for, demand, order The government has ordered a crackdown on truancy. | have, launch, mount

PREP. ~ on They're having a crackdown on private phone calls from the office.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crack noun

¹ line on the surface of sth where it has broken

ADJ. big, deep, huge, large, long, serious | short, small | fine, hairline, thin

CRACK + VERB appear | develop, spread | run A fine crack ran up the wall.

² narrow opening

ADJ. narrow, small, tiny | wide

VERB + CRACK fill We filled the cracks in the plaster before hanging the wallpaper.

CRACK + VERB appear Wide cracks appeared in the ground during the drought. | open up, widen

PREP. ~ in There's a crack in the fence big enough to look through.

PHRASES a crack of light a tiny crack of light under the door | open a door/window a crack Could you open the window just a crack?

³ sudden loud sound

ADJ. loud, sharp

VERB + CRACK give, let out He gave a crack of laughter. | hear

PREP. with a ~ The chandelier hit the floor with a crack. | ~ of

PHRASES the crack of a whip, a crack of thunder > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crack verb

¹ break

ADV. badly The dish had cracked quite badly. | slightly

² become mentally ill

ADV. completely | finally The stresses of her job became too great and she finally cracked. | up He thought he'd never get through the ordeal without cracking up.

PHRASES crack under the pressure/strain, show signs of cracking He is under a lot of pressure but is showing no signs of cracking. PHRASAL VERBS crack down

ADV. hard

PREP. on to crack down hard on crime

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cradle verb

ADV. gently He picked the child up and gently cradled him in his arms.

PREP. against She sat with the child cradled against her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

craftsmanship noun

ADJ. exquisite, fine, skilled, superb We admired the superb craftsmanship of the furniture.

PREP. with ~ bowls made with exquisite craftsmanship

PHRASES standard of craftsmanship a very high standard of craftsmanship

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

craftsman noun

ADJ. fine, good | master, skilled, trained | local | itinerant, travelling | independent

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

craft noun

¹ activity needing skill with your hands

ADJ. skilled Sheep shearing is a highly skilled craft. | ancient, traditional | country, local, rural

VERB + CRAFT practise The men practised various traditional crafts, such as carving toys out of bone.

CRAFT + NOUN activity, work | industry | worker | centre, exhibition, fair, shop, workshop | skill

PHRASES art and craft Subjects taught include art and craft, drama, languages and maths. | arts and crafts The gallery has major exhibitions of arts and crafts.

² all the skills needed for an activity

VERB + CRAFT learn, master, perfect It took her years to perfect her craft.

PHRASES a master of your craft a carpenter who is a real master of his craft

³ boat

ADJ. small | assault, fishing, landing, patrol, pleasure, river, sailing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cramp noun

ADJ. agonizing, painful | sudden She had a sudden painful cramp in her left leg. | abdominal, stomach

QUANT. attack I was suddenly seized by an attack of cramp.

VERB + CRAMP have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crash noun

¹ sudden loud noise

ADJ. almighty, deafening, great, loud, thunderous | distant | sickening, terrible There was a sickening crash as her head hit the ground.

VERB + CRASH hear

PREP. with a ~ The plates fell to the floor with an almighty crash. | ~ of a distant crash of thunder

PHRASES a crash of thunder, the crash of the waves

² car/plane, etc. accident

VERB + CRASH cause

CRASH + VERB happen, occur | involve sth a crash involving two cars and a lorry | kill sb | claim sth The crash claimed three lives.

CRASH + NOUN victim | site | landing | barrier

PREP. in a/the ~ He was killed in a train crash.

³ business failure

ADJ. financial | bank, property, stock market the stock market crash of 1987

PREP. ~ in a crash in share prices

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crater noun

VERB + CRATER blow, form, leave, make

PREP. in a/the ~

PHRASES the edge/lip/side of a crater We peered over the lip of the crater into the volcano.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crate noun

ADJ. sealed | upturned The cat was sitting on an upturned crate. | beer, milk, orange | shipping Their possessions had all been packed into shipping crates.

QUANT. pile, stack

VERB + CRATE pile, stack They stacked the crates in the corner of the yard. | pack (sth in/into), unpack They packed the crates with books. | load, unload | ship a company specializing in shipping crates

CRATE + VERB contain sth

PREP. ~ of a crate of oranges

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

craving noun

ADJ. desperate

VERB + CRAVING feel, have He had a craving to see the world. | satisfy She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. | curb, reduce

PREP. ~ for a desperate craving for affection

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crawl noun

¹ very slow speed

ADJ. slow

PREP. at a ~ The traffic was moving at a slow crawl.

VERB + CRAWL be down to The traffic on the motorway was down to a crawl. | slow (down) to

² swimming stroke > Note at STROKE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crawl verb

ADV. slowly | about, along, around/round, away, back, fowards, through We spent an hour crawling around on our hands and knees looking for the key.

VERB + CRAWL manage to As night fell, we managed to crawl back to our lines. | start to Has the baby started to crawl yet?

PREP. across, along, into, over, out of, under, up There's an insect crawling up your leg!

PHRASES crawl on (your) hands and knees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crayon noun

ADJ. coloured | wax

QUANT. box

VERB + CRAYON colour sth in with, draw (sth) with, use She coloured the picture in with crayons.

CRAYON + NOUN drawing

PREP. in ~ The notice was written in crayon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

craze noun

ADJ. latest, new | passing Is this interest in health foods just a passing craze? | dance, fashion, fitness, etc.

VERB + CRAZE start The princess started a craze for huge earrings.

CRAZE + VERB sweep (across/through) sth Doctors warned of the latest drug craze to sweep America. | hit sth It's the latest craze to hit San Francisco.

PREP. ~ among the latest craze among children | ~ for the craze for fashionable sports clothing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crazy adj.

¹ mad/wild

VERBS be, seem, sound | go I'd go crazy if I lived here. | drive sb The group's performance always drives the audience crazy.

ADV. really | absolutely, completely, totally | a bit, half, a little, pretty, quite, slightly

PREP. with We were crazy with excitement.

² very angry

VERBS be | go | drive sb The kids would answer back, and that drove her crazy.

ADV. absolutely, completely

PREP. at He was crazy at me for letting the goal in.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creak noun

ADJ. loud | little

VERB + CREAK give, let out The gate gave a loud creak as he pushed it open. | hear

PREP. with a ~ The gate swung open with a creak. | ~ of

PHRASES the creak of a floorboard/door > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creak verb

ADV. slightly

PREP. under The chair creaked under his weight.

PHRASES creak and groan The ice creaked and groaned underfoot. | creak open The door creaked open an inch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creamy adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, taste Stir the mixture until it looks creamy. It tastes deliciously creamy.

ADV. deliciously, very, wonderfully

PHRASES creamy white creamy white flowers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cream noun

¹ fatty part of milk

ADJ. clotted, thick, whipped | double, single | fresh | sour/soured | pouring, whipping

QUANT. dollop She piled great dollops of cream onto her apple pie.

VERB + CREAM beat, whip, whisk Whisk the cream and icing sugar together. | fill sth with, serve sth with, top sth with Fill the meringues with whipped cream.

CREAM + VERB go off This cream's gone off!

CREAM + NOUN bun, cake, cheese, sauce | tea (= a meal of tea with scones with jam and cream)

PHRASES and/with cream We had strawberries and cream for pudding. > Special page at FOOD

² substance that you rub into your skin

ADJ. face, hand | day, night She was massaging night cream into her face and neck. | antiseptic, barrier, cleansing, shaving, sun

VERB + CREAM apply, massage, put on Put a little antiseptic cream on the grazed skin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crease noun

¹ untidy line/fold

ADJ. deep

VERB + CREASE have She had lots of deep creases at the corners of her eyes. | iron out, remove, smooth (out) She smoothed the creases from the tablecloth.

PREP. ~ in There were a lot of creases in her skirt.

² neat line that is put onto fabric/paper

ADJ. knife-edge, sharp

PREP. ~ in a sharp crease in his trousers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crease verb

ADV. badly, easily This material creases very easily. | a bit, slightly His shirt had creased a bit in the suitcase.

PHRASES be/get creased Her clothes were badly creased.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creation noun

ADJ. employment, job | wealth

VERB + CREATION advocate, call for, propose, recommend, urge They recommended the creation of a new government agency to be responsible for the environment. | encourage, foster, support | allow for The new Act allows for the creation of vocational schools. | allow, enable | avoid, prevent | lead to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creative adj.

VERBS be, feel I don't always feel creative. | become

ADV. highly, really, very a highly creative artist | genuinely, truly genuinely creative thinking

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creativity noun

ADJ. great | artistic, musical

VERB + CREATIVITY develop, encourage, stimulate A good teacher can encourage artistic creativity. | inhibit, stifle This rigid approach stifles creativity.

PREP. ~ in This exercise encourages creativity in the use of language.

PHRASES scope for creativity My job does not give me much scope for creativity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creature noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

credentials noun

¹ qualities/training/experience

ADJ. excellent, impeccable, impressive, perfect | academic, educational | diplomatic, political, scientific, etc. | democratic, green, socialist, etc.

VERB + CREDENTIALS have He has perfect credentials to make an officer. | establish, prove City established their championship credentials with a 6?0 win. | emphasize, strengthen, underline

PREP. ~ as First, he had to establish his credentials as a researcher. | ~ for She had excellent credentials for the job.

² documents

VERB + CREDENTIALS present | check, examine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

credibility noun

VERB + CREDIBILITY carry, have The certificate has great credibility in France and Germany. | be lacking in, lack | gain, regain The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public. | lose | establish, give, lend Recommendations from two previous clients helped to establish her credibility. Funding from the World Bank lends credibility to the project. | restore | add, enhance The use of computers adds credibility to the forecasts. BBC backing for the scheme will enhance its credibility. | damage, destroy, undermine

CREDIBILITY + VERB suffer The prime minister's credibility suffered in his handling of the crisis.

CREDIBILITY + NOUN gap Newspapers were talking of a credibility gap between her policies and her achievements. | problem Athletics' anti-dope campaigners are faced with a credibility problem.

PREP. ~ among, ~ as her credibility as a witness | ~ for There is little credibility among scientists for the book's claims.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

credible adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | make sth | find sth I'm not sure that I find her story credible.

ADV. highly, very | completely, fully, quite You need imagination to make what you write fully credible. | barely, hardly, scarcely It seems barely credible that anyone could have walked so far in a day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

credit card noun

ADJ. valid Your credit card is no longer valid.

VERB + CREDIT CARD pay by, use We paid by credit card. | accept, take Do you accept credit cards? | issue | put sth on I put the bill on my credit card.

CREDIT CARD + VERB expire My credit card expires at the end of June.

CREDIT CARD + NOUN details, number Can you give me your credit card number?

PREP. on your ~ He ran up a huge bill on his credit card.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creditable adj.

VERBS be, seem | make sth

ADV. highly, very She gave a highly creditable performance as the wicked queen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creditor noun

VERB + CREDITOR pay (off), repay They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

credit noun

¹ buy now?pay later; money borrowed/lent

ADJ. long-term, short-term | interest-free | foreign | bank | consumer, export, trade

VERB + CREDIT have, use When poorer people use credit, mail order is the key source. | get, obtain If you don't have a regular income you may be unable to get credit. | extend, give sb, grant (sb), offer (sb) Most shops selling furniture or electrical goods will offer credit. | deny sb, refuse sb The bank refused further credit to the company. | arrange | expand We propose to expand credit in order to create demand.

CREDIT + NOUN account, agreement, arrangement, facilities, system, terms | limit Your credit limit is now £2,000. | period | sale, transaction, transfer | rating, scoring, standing He has a bad credit rating (= seems unlikely to pay the money back). | risk He's a bad credit risk. | control | crunch, squeeze | institution, market, union | note If damaged items have to be returned, the manufacturer may issue a credit note.

PREP. on ~ I bought it on credit.

PHRASES a letter of credit (= a letter from one bank to another that enables you to obtain money) I have arranged for my branch to send a letter of credit to the branch nearest the hotel.

² money in a bank account

ADJ. direct I'm paid by direct credit into my bank account.

VERB + CREDIT have I have three credits on my bank statement.

CREDIT + NOUN balance a credit balance of £265

PREP. in ~ My account is in credit. | ~ of a credit of £35

³ praise/approval

ADJ. great | full | eternal, everlasting | due We should give due credit to all who helped make the event a success.

VERB + CREDIT give sb | claim, get, receive, take Why should she get all the credit? | do sb, reflect Your concern does you credit. The success of the venture reflects great credit on the organizers. | deserve

PREP. to sb's ~ To her eternal credit, she gave them a home. | ~ for At least give him credit for trying.

PHRASES give credit where credit is due 4 the credits list of people who worked on a film, etc.

ADJ. opening | final | film

CREDIT + VERB roll We left the cinema before the final credits began to roll.

⁵ sb/sth that brings honour to sb/sth else

ADJ. great

PREP. ~ to He's a great credit to the school.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

credit verb

¹ put money in the bank

PREP. with The bank credited the oil company with £500,000.

PHRASES credit sth to sb's account

² with an achievement/quality

PREP. with I credited you with a little more sense.

PHRASES be credited as/with sth She is generally credited as having written over 50 novels. | be credited to sb The work has been credited to a sixteenth century bishop. | be generally/widely credited with sth He is widely credited with having started the Middle East peace process.

³ believe

VERB + CREDIT can/could hardly/scarcely I could hardly credit it when she told me she was leaving. | be hard to I find what he says rather hard to credit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

credulity noun

VERB + CREDULITY strain, stretch The plot of the novel stretches credulity to the limit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creed noun

ADJ. political, religious

VERB + CREED adopt, embrace Other countries have adopted this political creed enthusiastically. | reject

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creepy adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem It feels a bit creepy in here. | get It can get pretty creepy in the cellar at night.

ADV. a bit, pretty, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

creep verb

ADV. quietly | slowly | stealthily | about, around, back, in, out, up I could hear someone creeping around downstairs. He crept up behind me.

PREP. along He crept stealthily along the corridor. | down, into (figurative) Suspicion crept into her voice. | over (figurative) A feeling of dread crept over him. | out of, up on The cat quietly crept up on the pigeon. (figurative) Fatigue was creeping up on her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crescendo noun

ADJ. deafening

VERB + CRESCENDO reach, rise to The music reached a deafening crescendo.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crest noun

VERB + CREST gain, reach We finally reached the crest of the ridge.

PREP. on a/the ~ We stood on the crest of the hill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crew noun

ADJ. experienced | inexperienced, novice | emergency, skeleton | aircraft, bomber, lifeboat, ship's, submarine, tank, train | cabin, flight, ground, maintenance, support | ambulance, camera, demolition, film, fire, gun, production, road, stage, television, TV Fire crews were called to the scene.

CREW + NOUN member

PREP. in a/the ~ all the men and women in the crew

PHRASES a member of the crew

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cricket noun

¹ sport

QUANT. game

VERB + CRICKET play | watch | follow

² insect

CRICKET + VERB chirp The only sound was a cricket chirping.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crime noun

¹ illegal act

ADJ. appalling, awful, barbaric, barbarous, bloody, brutal, despicable, dreadful, grave, great, heinous, horrible, horrific, serious, terrible, vicious one of the most horrific crimes of recent times (figurative) Not returning phone calls is a grave crime in today's culture. | big, major the biggest crime since the Great Train Robbery | lesser, minor, petty He was charged with the lesser crime of possessing a forged bond, rather than actually forging it. | real She claimed that the real crime is that burglars and muggers usually get a light sentence. | violent | non-violent | perfect He boasted of having carried out the perfect crime. | notorious one of the most notorious crimes in British history | capital (= for which the penalty is death) After the reforms the only capital crimes were treason and murder. | indictable | alleged She never faced trial for her many alleged crimes. | unsolved | copycat the danger of copycat crimes in the wake of the shootings | motiveless an apparently motiveless crime | victimless Insider dealing has been called a victimless crime. | white-collar | drug-related | sex/sexual | war | political | terrorist

VERB + CRIME carry out, commit | report Many crimes are never reported to the police.

CRIME + VERB involve sth crimes involving firearms | be punishable by sth crimes punishable by death

PREP. ~ against crimes against humanity

PHRASES a crime of passion/violence, the scene of the crime No weapon was found at the scene of the crime.

² illegal activity in general

CRIME + VERB double, increase, rise

CRIME + NOUN figures, level, rate, statistics | control, prevention | problem, wave the country's crime problem | squad a senior detective with the serious crime squad | syndicate leading members of an organized crime syndicate | fiction, novel, series, story the latest TV crime series | reporter, writer the newspaper's crime reporter a new short story by the popular crime writer

PHRASES a crackdown on crime a crackdown on drug-related crime | crime and disorder, crime and punishment, fear of crime Fear of crime imprisons many elderly people in their homes. | an increase in crime, a life of crime Unemployed young people were likely to be tempted into a life of crime. | sb's partner in crime, a victim of crime Victims of crime may be able to obtain compensation. > Note at CRIME

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

criminal noun

VERB + CRIMINAL catch I told him to pass the information to the police so they could catch the criminals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crimson adj.

¹ red

ADJ. dark, deep, rich a beautiful deep crimson colour > Special page at COLOUR

² red in the face

VERBS be | blush, flush, go, turn He flushed crimson and began to shout angrily at Frank.

ADJ. bright, deep He turned bright crimson.

PREP. with She was crimson with rage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cripple verb

¹ injure

ADV. for life, permanently As a child she contracted polio and was crippled for life.

PHRASES be crippled with He's eighty and crippled with arthritis. | leave sb crippled The disease left him crippled.

² damage

ADV. financially The industry has been financially crippled by these policies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crisis noun

VERB + CRISIS be faced with, be hit by, face, go through, have (informal), suffer With competition from cheap imports, the British coal industry is facing a serious crisis. He's having a mid-life crisis. | cause, create, lead to, precipitate, provoke, spark off | deal with, defuse, ease, handle, overcome, resolve, respond to, solve, tackle Union leaders are taking immediate steps to defuse the crisis. attempts to ease the town's housing crisis | survive, weather | avert, prevent | aggravate

CRISIS + VERB arise waiting for the next crisis to arise | deepen, worsen | be over As soon as the crisis was over, she relaxed.

PREP. during a/the ~ Three people died during the hostage crisis. | in (a/the) ~ The government is in crisis. She's no good in a crisis. | ~ in the growing crisis in education | ~ over a crisis over pensions

CRISIS + NOUN point The team's dismal season has reached crisis point. | management an expert in crisis management

PHRASES a crisis of confidence The company is suffering a severe crisis of confidence. | at/in moments/times of crisis In times of crisis it's good to have someone you can rely on for advice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crisp noun (usually crisps)

ADJ. potato | plain | cheese and onion, ready salted, salt and vinegar, etc.

QUANT. bag, packet a packet of smoky bacon crisps

VERB + CRISP eat

CRISP + NOUN bag, packet > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

criterion noun

ADJ. sole | main | strict, stringent | objective | eligibility, selection

QUANT. range, set

VERB + CRITERION fulfil, meet, satisfy She failed to meet the stringent selection criteria. | establish, lay down | adopt, apply, use The other groups agreed to adopt our criteria.

PREP. according to a/the ~ Team members will be selected according to strict criteria. | by a/the ~ By this criterion, very few people are suitable. | ~ for The report lays down criteria for disciplining staff. | ~ of What are the criteria of success for a training scheme?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

critical adj.

¹ disapproving

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. bitterly, deeply, extremely, fiercely, harshly, highly, severely, sharply, strongly, very | increasingly | a little, mildly, quite | openly She became openly critical of party policy.

PREP. of The report was highly critical of the railway's poor safety record.

² important

VERBS be | become

ADV. really | absolutely | increasingly

PREP. for Maintaining control of the the budget is absolutely critical for success. | to This reorganization is critical to the long-term future of the company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

criticism noun

¹ expressing disapproval of sb/sth

QUANT. barrage The film star faced a barrage of criticism for his behaviour.

VERB + CRITICISM direct, express, level, make, voice Criticism was levelled at senior managers. | attract, be open to, be singled out for, come in for, come under, draw, face, get, meet with, prompt, provoke, receive The government came under fierce criticism for its policies. The proposal is open to several important criticisms. | avoid, deflect, escape, forestall, ward off She sought to deflect criticism by blaming her family. | accept, meet, reply to, respond to, take He finds it hard to take criticism. | counter, dismiss, reject She countered my criticisms by saying we had no choice in the matter. | imply None of what has been said should be taken to imply criticism. | offer to offer criticism and receive it

CRITICISM + VERB come from sb The harshest criticism came from right-wing ideologists. | centre on sth Criticism centred on the lack of information provided.

PREP. ~ about The main criticism about the information provided is that it arrives too late. | ~ against criticisms against the European single currency | ~ for They received criticism for continuing to supply the faulty goods. | ~ from We are bound to face criticism from both sides. | ~ of There has been serious criticism of the teaching methods used in the school. | ~ over We came in for some sharp criticism over this decision.

² of a play, book, film, etc.

ADJ. practical, textual | academic, art, biblical, cultural, film, historical, literary, music, scientific, social | feminist, Marxist, structuralist

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

criticize verb

ADV. bitterly, fiercely, heavily, roundly, severely, sharply, strongly | openly, publicly She has openly criticized the government. | implicitly | justifiably, rightly Their record on human rights has been justifiably criticized. | constantly, frequently, repeatedly | reportedly

PREP. for She criticized the system for being secretive.

PHRASES be widely criticized (as sth) The law was widely criticized as racist. | criticize sb/sth on the grounds that The film was criticized on the grounds that it glorifies violence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

critic noun

¹ says what is bad/wrong with sth

ADJ. bitter, fierce, harsh, hostile, severe, trenchant She is one of her husband's severest critics. | outspoken, vocal, vociferous | persistent | chief, great, leading, major He is now a major critic of the nuclear industry.

VERB + CRITIC prove wrong She is looking for a chance to prove her critics wrong.

CRITIC + VERB accuse sb Critics accused the government of giving in to pressure from the tobacco companies. | argue sth, believe sth, claim sth, charge sth, fear sth, point sth out, say sth, suggest sth Critics point out that poverty still exists. | be right/wrong

PREP. ~ of an outspoken critic of government policy

² gives opinions about plays/books/films, etc.

ADJ. good, great, incisive | distinguished, influential | art, drama, film, literary, music, restaurant, social, television, theatre

CRITIC + VERB hail sth, praise sth The film was hailed by critics as a triumphant piece of realism. | attack sth, pan sth, slate sth The play was panned by critics. | describe sth Critics described the paintings as worthless rubbish. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

critique noun

ADJ. detailed, devastating, effective, far-reaching, penetrating, radical, searching, telling, thorough, trenchant, wide-ranging | feminist, social, structuralist

VERB + CRITIQUE give, present, provide

PREP. ~ of The book provides a thorough critique of current theories.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crook noun

ADJ. small-time

VERB + CROOK catch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crop noun

¹ plants grown for food

VERB + CROP grow, produce Most of the farmers grow arable crops. | plant, sow | bring in, gather, harvest, reap | damage, destroy Summer flash floods destroyed the crops. | rotate | spray Crops are sprayed with highly toxic chemicals to prevent insect damage.

CROP + VERB fail Isolated communities were extremely vulnerable if crops failed.

CROP + NOUN rotation Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion. | damage, failure | production, yield to boost crop yields | spraying

PREP. ~ of a crop of carrots

² total amount of grain, fruit, etc. grown

ADJ. abundant, bumper, excellent, good, heavy, record | poor | early Bring strawberry plants indoors for an early crop. | potato, rice, etc.

VERB + CROP gather, get, harvest, have, reap a record crop was harvested We had a very good crop of apples last year. | bear, produce, yield It takes three to five years for a new plantation to bear a crop.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crop verb

ADV. closely His hair was closely cropped.

PHRASES crop sth short His hair had been cropped short and he looked different.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cross section noun

ADJ. broad, fair, good, large, representative, wide

VERB + CROSS SECTION be drawn from The contestants are drawn from a cross section of society. | represent

PREP. ~ of We interviewed a wide cross section of people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cross-examination noun VERB + CROSS-EXAMINATION be subject to, face Evidence is given on oath and witnesses are subject to cross-examination. | bear, stand up to, withstand His alibi would not have withstood cross-examination.

PREP. during/in ~ He was found to have lied twice in cross-examination. | under ~ The defendant broke down under cross-examination.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cross-eyed adj.

VERBS be, look | go You'll go cross-eyed if you try to look at things so close to you.

ADV. slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crossing noun

¹ journey across a stretch of water

ADJ. rough | smooth | ferry The price includes accommodation and ferry crossing. | river, sea | Atlantic, Channel, etc.

VERB + CROSSING make You can only make the crossing in good weather.

PREP. during a/the ~ We discussed our plans during the crossing. | ~ from, ~ to a very rough crossing from England to Ireland

² place where you can cross sth

ADJ. border | level (= over a railway) | pedestrian, pelican, zebra (These are all places where people walking can cross a road.)

PREP. at a/the ~ They were stopped and searched at the border crossing. | on a/the ~ A passenger train smashed into a truck on a level crossing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crossroads noun

¹ place where two roads cross

VERB + CROSSROADS come to

PREP. at the ~ Turn right at the next crossroads.

² important point in your life/career, etc.

ADJ. important | historic

VERB + CROSSROADS stand at | reach

PREP. at a/the ~ We are standing at an important crossroads in the history of Europe. | ~ in He had reached a crossroads in his career.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crossword noun

ADJ. cryptic, quick

VERB + CROSSWORD do, fill in, solve

CROSSWORD + NOUN clue, puzzle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cross adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get I'm going to get very cross before long. | make sb It really makes me cross to see people dropping litter in the street.

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, quite, rather, slightly

PREP. about Are you still cross about me forgetting the flowers? | at She was very cross at the way she'd been treated. | for, with She was quite cross with him for being late.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cross noun

¹ mark made by drawing one line across another

VERB + CROSS draw, put I've put a cross on the map to show where the hotel is.

² Christian symbol

ADJ. gold, silver, stone, wooden She wore a gold cross on a chain around her neck. The grave was marked with a stone cross. | market, village, wayside

PREP. on the ~ a painting of Jesus Christ on the cross

PHRASES (make) the sign of the cross The priest blessed her, and made the sign of the cross over her.

³ in football or hockey

ADJ. deep, low, perfect

PREP. ~ by/from a deep cross from Beckham

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cross verb

ADV. quickly, slowly | safely, successfully teaching children to cross the road safely | back, over Let's cross over now while the road is clear.

VERB + CROSS try to They were arrested trying to cross the border.

PREP. from, into They crossed from the States into Canada. | over We crossed over the river into Sweden. | to She crossed to the door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crouch verb

ADV. low The hare crouches low on the ground. | down We crouched down to avoid being seen.

PREP. behind crouching behind the sofa | over They crouched over the dead animal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crowded adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. densely, extremely, very living in densely crowded conditions The shops were all very crowded. | increasingly | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather

PREP. with The store was crowded with shoppers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crowd noun

¹ large number of people in one place

ADJ. big, bumper, capacity, good, great, huge, large, massive, record, sell-out, vast The show played to capacity crowds. | small | gathering, growing | assembled The president read a declaration to a vast assembled crowd. | jostling, madding, milling, surging We pushed our way through the milling crowds of guests. | admiring, appreciative, cheering, enthusiastic, excited, expectant | angry, hostile, partisan | rush-hour | motley the usual motley crowd of tourists, hawkers and pigeons | football, theatre | home (at a football match)

VERB + CROWD attract, draw, pull (in) Boxing is a sport that always attracts large crowds. | break up, disperse Police were called to disperse the crowd. | control | address, play to | join, mingle with

CROWD + VERB assemble, collect, gather An expectant crowd gathered outside his house. | grow, swell The crowd grew to over 15,000. | flock, mill, throng Crowds have been flocking to the beaches in this hot weather. A crowd thronged around the wounded man. | disperse, melt away, thin out After the ambulance drove off, the crowd dispersed. | cheer, roar | boo, hiss, jeer | line the street Crowds lined the streets of the city as the president's car approached.

PREP. among a/the ~ A bewildered child was wandering among the crowd. | in a/the ~ I saw some familiar faces in the crowd. | through a/the ~ She fought her way through the crowd. | ~ of a big crowd of football supporters

CROWD + NOUN control

PHRASES the back/front/middle of a crowd 2 the crowd ordinary people

VERB + CROWD be one of, follow She's happy to follow the crowd. | stand out from We all like to think we stand out from the crowd (= are different from other people).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crown noun

¹ that a king/queen wears

VERB + CROWN wear | place, put on The crown was placed upon the new monarch's head.

² the crown: position/power of a king/queen

ADJ. imperial, royal

VERB + CROWN offer sb In 1688 the crown was offered to William and Mary. | refuse | succeed to He succeeded to the crown of Spain

CROWN + VERB pass In 1553 the crown passed from Edward VI to Mary.

PHRASES the heir to the crown 2 the Crown the state as represented by a king/queen

VERB + CROWN serve

CROWN + NOUN court | jewels | land a piece of Crown land

³ honour of being the best in a sports competition

ADJ. Olympic, world, etc.

VERB + CROWN take, win | lose He lost his Olympic crown to George Rice. | fight for | defend, retain

⁴ top of the head

ADJ. bald

PREP. at the ~ She swept her hair into a bun at the crown of her head. | on your ~ There were raindrops on his bald crown.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crow noun

ADJ. black | carrion

QUANT. flock

CROW + VERB fly | perch The black crow perched on the telephone pole. | caw, shriek

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crow verb

ADV. triumphantly, with delight She gave the purse to Ruby, who crowed with delight.

PREP. about/over The company hasn't much to crow about, with sales down compared with last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crucial adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | remain | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. really | absolutely It's absolutely crucial that we get this right. | fairly, quite | hardly | clearly, obviously

PREP. for The talks are crucial for the success of the plan. | to Secrecy is crucial to this police operation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cruelty noun

ADJ. extreme, great an act of extreme cruelty | deliberate | mental | animal, child Cases of child cruelty occur more often than they are observed.

VERB + CRUELTY inflict, show (sb) How can you inflict such cruelty on a child? Her stepmother showed her nothing but cruelty. | suffer The children suffered mental cruelty and neglect.

PREP. ~ to/towards cruelty to animals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cruel adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

ADV. extremely, unspeakably, very an extremely cruel regime | a little, rather | deliberately | unnecessarily

PREP. to I can't stand people who are cruel to animals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cruiser noun

ADJ. battle, heavy, light, merchant | cabin, motor, pleasure, sailing

PREP. on a/the ~ He served on a merchant cruiser.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cruise noun

ADJ. leisurely, luxury, pleasure a pleasure cruise around the bay | Caribbean, Mediterranean, world, etc.

VERB + CRUISE go on, take She used all her savings to go on a world cruise.

CRUISE + NOUN liner, operator, ship

PREP. on a/the~ They met on a cruise. | ~ along a cruise along the coast | ~ around/round

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crumb noun

ADJ. biscuit, bread (also breadcrumb), cake

VERB + CRUMB brush (away), sweep (away) She brushed the cake crumbs off the table. | drop, scatter He bit into the roll, scattering crumbs.

PREP. ~ of a few crumbs of bread

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crunch verb

ADV. loudly | underfoot Snow crunched underfoot. | up

PREP. on He was crunching loudly on an apple

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crusade noun

ADJ. great | moral, personal

VERB + CRUSADE embark on, launch, mount The charity tonight launched its great crusade against homelessness. | be engaged in, carry out, conduct, join She seems to be carrying out a personal crusade to stop this building work. | lead

PREP. on a ~ He is on a crusade to take the church to the people. | ~ against urging parents to join a crusade against crime | ~ for For 23 years he led a crusade for peace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crush noun

ADJ. huge | schoolgirl, teenage

VERB + CRUSH have | develop, get

PREP. ~ on She had a huge crush on one of her teachers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crush verb

ADV. badly His hand was badly crushed in the accident. | slightly | finely Crush the biscuits finely before adding them to the mixture. | underfoot insects that had been crushed underfoot

PREP. against She was crushed against the wall. | beneath/under crushed beneath a bus | between crushed between two cars

PHRASES be/get crushed, crush sb to death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crust noun

¹ on a loaf of bread/pie

ADJ. thick, thin | pastry, pie

PHRASES a crust of bread We saved a few crusts of bread for the birds.

² hard layer on the outside of sth

ADJ. thick, thin

VERB + CRUST form The mud had formed a thick crust on the surface of the road.

CRUST + VERB form Put the lid on properly, or a crust will form on the paints.

PREP. ~ of a thin crust of ice

PHRASES the earth's crust

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crutch noun

ADJ. emotional, psychological (both figurative) He saw religion as a psychological crutch.

VERB + CRUTCH need, use He needs crutches to walk.

PREP. on/with ~ She can only walk with crutches.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crux noun

CRUX + VERB lie The crux of the matter lies in our lack of expert knowledge.

PHRASES the crux of the matter/problem

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crystal ball noun

VERB + CRYSTAL BALL gaze into, look into I can't gaze into my crystal ball and tell you what will happen!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

crystal noun

ADJ. single | quartz, rock, etc. | ice, snow

CRYSTAL + VERB form, grow Ice crystals had formed on the window.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cry noun

¹ shout/loud noise

VERB + CRY give, let out, raise, utter She gave an agonized cry as they lifted the fallen branch from her leg. He was too weak to raise even the smallest of cries. | hear

CRY + VERB go up A cry went up when it was discovered their man had escaped. | escape An involuntary cry escaped her as he entered the room.

PREP. with a ~ He fell to the ground with a cry. | ~ for (figurative) Her suicide attempt was really a desperate cry for help. | ~ of a cry of despair/delight > Note at SOUND

² act of crying

ADJ. good | little

VERB + CRY have You'll feel better when you've had a good cry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cry verb

¹ produce tears

VERB + CRY begin to, start to | make sb | leave sb to children who are left to cry alone

PREP. about What are you crying about? | for a child crying for his mother | over I wasn't going to waste time crying over him! | with Anna was almost crying with frustration.

PHRASES cry like a baby Finally he broke down and cried like a baby. | cry your eyes out, cry yourself to sleep, feel like crying I felt like crying when I found out what had happened. | a shoulder to cry on (figurative) He was a fatherly shoulder to cry on when things went wrong.

² shout

VERB + CRY want to She wanted to cry out to him not to be so stupid. | hear sb I heard her cry out in her sleep.

PREP. in ‘What do you mean?’ she cried in agitation. ‘Who's there?’ she cried in a shrill voice.

PHRASES cry for help She cried for help as the fire spread. | cry out in anguish/fear/pain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cubicle noun

ADJ. small, tiny | screened-off, separate | changing, shower, toilet

CUBICLE + NOUN curtain, door

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cuddle noun

ADJ. big He gave her a big cuddle and told her not to worry.

VERB + CUDDLE have They were having a cuddle on the sofa. | give Give Mummy a big cuddle.

PHRASES a kiss and a cuddle He just wants a comforting kiss and a cuddle and he'll be all right.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cue noun

VERB + CUE wait for | take Her husband took his cue, and said that it was time for them to leave. | miss | give sb She had not yet been given the cue to go on to the stage.

PREP. on ~ I can't just cry on cue! | ~ for This was the cue for him to come into the room.

PHRASES right on cue Ella came in right on cue, just as they were being rude about her. | take your cue from sb/sth They all took their cue from their leader.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cuisine noun

ADJ. excellent, fine, superb | local, regional We sampled the local cuisine. | traditional | haute, nouvelle | French, Italian, etc.

VERB + CUISINE offer, serve The hotel has a large dining room serving superb local cuisine. | sample, try

PHRASES a standard of cuisine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

culmination noun

ADJ. logical This massive autobiographical work was the logical culmination of her long career.

VERB + CULMINATION mark, represent The show marked the culmination of months of hard work. | reach The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk. | see 2001 saw the culmination of the project.

PREP. at the ~ of A decision will be taken at the culmination of the initial research.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

culpable adj.

VERBS be, seem | believe sb

ADV. highly, very

PREP. in The prime minister is highly culpable in this affair. | of She believed him culpable of murder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

culprit noun

ADJ. big, chief, main, major, prime, real, worst Keep the kitchen clear of all sources of bacteria, not forgetting the biggest culprit of all?the dishcloth. | likely, obvious

VERB + CULPRIT hunt Police hunting the culprits have condemned the attack. | apprehend, catch, identify, find, track down

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cultivate verb

¹ land

ADV. intensively The land here has been intensively cultivated for generations.

² crops

ADV. successfully Olives have been cultivated successfully in southern Australia.

³ try to develop sth

ADV. actively, assiduously, carefully, deliberately This modern image is actively cultivated by the company. | successfully

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cultured adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. deeply, highly a highly cultured man

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

culture noun

¹ customs/ideas/beliefs

ADJ. ancient | primitive | dominant | alien, foreign | indigenous, native | local, national | traditional | African, black, Greek, Western, world, etc. These ideas have always been central to Western culture. | rural, urban | mainstream | underground | wider Prisoners are isolated from the wider culture of society at large. | bourgeois, working-class, etc. | street, youth As young people started to have more money, a significant youth culture developed. | dance, drug, football, etc. | academic, business, company, corporate, intellectual, legal, political, professional, religious, scientific, etc. the political culture of the United States | capitalist, computer, consumer, enterprise, materialistic, etc. the development of the enterprise culture in Britain

VERB + CULTURE assimilate (sb into) The Romans gradually assimilated the culture of the people they had conquered. Newcomers to the company are soon assimilated into the culture. | create, develop, foster, produce The new director is trying to foster a culture of open communication within the company.

CULTURE + VERB develop

CULTURE + NOUN group a country containing many language and culture groups | shock She experienced great culture shock when she first came to Europe.

PREP. in a/the ~ In some cultures children have an important place. | ~ of The social security system has been accused of producing a culture of dependency.

² art/literature/music, etc

PREP. a man/woman of culture She is a woman of wide culture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cult noun

¹ worship of a person/thing

ADJ. personality the personality cult of the president

CULT + NOUN figure, hero He became a cult figure during the 1960s. | status The book achieved cult status as soon as it was published. | following The show has built up a cult following. | band, book, film

PREP. ~ of the cult of youth

² religious group

ADJ. religious the members of a religious cult

CULT + NOUN leader, member | image, object, statue | practice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cunning noun

ADJ. great | devious, low | animal | native She relied on her native cunning to survive.

VERB + CUNNING have She had great cunning and ruthlessness. | show | use He had used cunning to get what he wanted.

PREP. with ~ She managed him with great cunning.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cupboard noun

VERB + CUPBOARD open | close | look in | put sth in Put the clothes in the airing cupboard. | keep sth in

CUPBOARD + VERB be full of sth The cupboard was full of old toys.

CUPBOARD + NOUN door | unit We had some new cupboard units fitted in the kitchen. | space Do you have much cupboard space in your new house?

PREP. in a/the ~ Put the plates in the cupboard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cup noun

¹ container

QUANT. set

VERB + CUP fill, refill | drain, empty She was so thirsty that she drained her cup. | lift, pick up, raise She raised her cup to her lips. | place, put down, replace, set down | drink from/out of Customers didn't like drinking out of plastic cups.

CUP + VERB contain sth

PHRASES a cup and saucer

² drink

ADJ. strong I like a good strong cup of tea first thing in the morning. | fresh My coffee was cold, so I ordered a fresh cup.

PREP. ~ of

PHRASES a nice cup of tea You sit down and I'll make you a nice cup of tea.

³ in sport

ADJ. challenge | knockout | European, World, etc.

VERB + CUP win Who won the cup? | lose | present (sb with) The cup will be presented to the winning team by the president himself. | lift He lifted the cup for the sixth time this year (= it was the sixth time he had won).

CUP + NOUN competition They were the first Turkish team to win a major cup competition. | clash, match The team are ready for next week's World Cup clash with Italy. | final, quarter-final, semi-finals | win, winner

PHRASES the first, etc. round of the cup

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curb noun

VERB + CURB impose, introduce, put | act as Counselling acted as a curb on his violent behaviour.

PREP. ~ on Many companies have imposed curbs on smoking in the workplace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curb verb

ADV. drastically, greatly This legislation will greatly curb the power of local authorities.

VERB + CURB attempt to, try to | be designed to, be intended to a new law designed to curb harmful emissions from factories

PHRASES aimed at curbing sth a range of policies aimed at curbing inflation | an attempt/effort to curb sth, measures to curb sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cure noun

¹ medicine/treatment that can cure an illness

ADJ. effective, instant, miracle, wonder There is no instant cure for this condition. | rest His new job was almost a rest cure after the stresses of the army. | cancer

VERB + CURE look for, seek | develop, discover, find

CURE + VERB work The cure works by boosting the body's immune system.

PREP. ~ for scientists seeking a cure for Aids | ~ from He was hoping for a cure from his debilitating illness.

PHRASES no (known) cure There is no known cure for the disease. | prevention is better than cure Prevention is better than cure, so start looking after your heart now. | the search for a cure the search for a cure for the common cold

² return to good health

ADJ. miraculous | complete, permanent

VERB + CURE bring about, effect, provide These drugs can sometimes effect miraculous cures. (figurative) Science cannot provide a cure for all the world's problems.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cure verb

ADV. completely | miraculously She still believed that somehow she could be miraculously cured.

PREP. of He was now completely cured of his illness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curfew noun

ADJ. strict | dusk-to-dawn, night, night-time, 24-hour, 7 p.m., etc.

VERB + CURFEW declare, impose, order, place sth under A five-day curfew was declared by the government. The whole area has been placed under curfew. | lift The strict curfew has now been lifted. | break, defy Protesters defied the curfew and took to the streets.

CURFEW + VERB be in force A dusk-to-dawn curfew was in force.

PREP. under ~ The city is still under curfew. | ~ on Many people are in favour of a curfew on young people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curiosity noun

VERB + CURIOSITY have | arouse, awaken Their curiosity was aroused by his strange behaviour. | satisfy

CURIOSITY + VERB get the better of sb, overcome sb Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he unlocked the cupboard

PREP. out of ~ We went to the show out of curiosity more than anything else. | with ~ The children watched us with mild curiosity. | ~ about I needed to satisfy my curiosity about what it was like to make records.

PHRASES a sense of curiosity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curious adj.

¹ eager to find out about sb/sth

VERBS be, feel, seem | became, get, grow | remain | make sb Her secretive manner had made me curious.

ADV. deeply, extremely, intensely, very I was intensely curious to know more about him. | a little, mildly, rather, slightly | frankly She coped with the frankly curious looks of the men. | genuinely | idly He saw a book on the table and picked it up, idly curious. | naturally Puppies are naturally curious.

PREP. about I was curious about how she would react. | as to She was curious as to why he was there.

PHRASES curious to find out/know/see sb/sth

² strange/unusual

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, taste | find sb/sth

ADV. extremely, very I find it very curious that you did not tell anyone. | a little, rather, slightly, somewhat The wine tasted rather curious.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curly adj.

VERBS be | go

ADV. all (informal), very Your hair's gone all curly! | naturally She wished she had naturally curly hair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curl noun

¹ piece of hair

VERB + CURL press/push/stroke back, smooth back/down | ruffle, run your fingers through | tease He carefully teased his curls into place. | shake She shook her dark curls sadly.

CURL + VERB fall, tumble Her auburn curls tumbled about her face. | bounce | frame sth Her face was framed by a mop of black curls.

PREP. in ~s His hair spilled in curls over his forehead. | through the/your ~s She raked a comb through her wayward curls.

PHRASES a cascade/mass/mop of curls Her hair was styled into a cascade of spiral curls. | lose its curl Her hair lost its curl as she got older.

² sth with a curved round shape

ADJ. faint, little, slight He acknowledged her remark with a faint curl of his lips.

PREP. ~ of a curl of smoke

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curl verb

ADV. tightly | slightly | up She curled her legs up under her.

PREP. around/round His fingers curled tightly round the steering wheel. | from Smoke was curling up from the chimney. | into The cat curled into a ball and fell asleep.

PHRASES be/lie/sit curled up She was lying curled up on her bed. | curl (up) at the edges The photograph was brown and curling at the edges.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

currency noun

¹ money used in a particular country

VERB + CURRENCY change, convert sth into/to, exchange | buy, sell | devalue | support The fund supports weak currencies. | raise The country needs to raise enough hard currency to pay for its oil imports.

CURRENCY + VERB rise | fall | float, fluctuate For four months all major currencies floated. The system allows currencies to fluctuate within certain limits.

PREP. in … ~ She had £50 in foreign currency.

² being believed/accepted/used by many people

ADJ. general, wide, widespread

VERB + CURRENCY enjoy, have This belief has general currency. | gain How did the idea gain currency? > Note at CURRENCY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

current noun

¹ continuous flowing movement of water

CURRENT + VERB flow | carry sb/sth, sweep sb/sth The strong current carried the boat downstream. She was swept away by the treacherous currents.

PREP. against a/the ~ He was swimming against the current. | in a/the ~ The boat was carried along in the current. | with a/the ~ It's easier to go with the current.

² flow of air

ADJ. warm | air Birds of prey use warm air currents to lift them high in the sky.

PHRASES a current of air

³ flow of electricity through a wire

ADJ. strong, weak | electric, electrical | alternating | direct | input, output

VERB + CURRENT generate, produce | carry, pass, transmit | switch off/on Check all your wiring before switching on the current.

CURRENT + VERB flow, pass through sth Measure the current flowing in the wire.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curriculum noun

ADJ. broad, broadly-based, wide | narrow Teachers feel that the present curriculum is too narrow. | core Student choose from optional subjects in addition to the core curriculum. | national, official, statutory | mainstream His disability does not prevent him from following the mainstream curriculum. | academic, educational | higher education, primary, school, secondary, undergraduate | subject-based | English, geography, mathematics, etc. | hidden Children learn many of their attitudes to life from the hidden curriculum at school.

VERB + CURRICULUM design, develop, plan | broaden | introduce sth into Film Studies has been introduced into the curriculum as an option. | follow

CURRICULUM + NOUN content, subjects | materials | design, development, planning | aims, objectives | change, reform, review

PREP. across the ~ Pupils use computers across the curriculum (= in all or most subjects). | on a/the ~ They all have to study French because it's on the curriculum. | in a/the ~ More room should be given to foreign languages in the curriculum. | within a/the ~ the balance of subjects within the curriculum

PHRASES areas of the curriculum We cover all areas of the curriculum.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curry noun

ADJ. hot | mild | beef, chicken, vegetable, etc. | Indian | madras, vindaloo, etc.

VERB + CURRY eat, have | cook, make, prepare | go for Let's go for a curry after the film.

CURRY + NOUN paste, powder | sauce | house (= a restaurant that serves curry) > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curse noun

¹ word used for expressing anger

ADJ. impatient

VERB + CURSE mutter, utter

² wish that sth terrible will happen to sb

VERB + CURSE utter | put

PREP. under a ~ She thought that she must be under a curse. | ~ on/upon The witch is supposed to have put a curse on the house.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curse verb

ADV. roundly | loudly | quietly, softly, under your breath He cursed under his breath as the spanner slipped. | inwardly, silently

PREP. for I cursed her roundly for being late.

PHRASES curse the day He was now cursing the day he had ever got involved in the project. | curse your luck She cursed her luck that she had had to queue for so long.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cursor noun

VERB + CURSOR insert, move, place, position, put > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curtail verb

ADV. drastically, seriously, severely His power has been severely curtailed. | further | abruptly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curtain noun

¹ fabric that covers a window

VERB + CURTAIN close, draw, open, pull (across/aside/back/closed) They sat in the dark with the curtains drawn. She pulled back the curtains, and sunlight streamed in.

CURTAIN + VERB hang Heavy red velvet curtains hung either side of the huge window. | billow The curtains billowed madly as the wind caught them.

PREP. behind a/the ~ He took a bag from a shelf behind some curtains.

² in a theatre

ADJ. final

CURTAIN + VERB go up, open, part, rise | close, come down, fall At the end of the play the curtain came down to tremendous applause.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curve noun

ADJ. gentle, graceful, slight, smooth | sharp, tight The road went round in a tight curve. | wide | sensual, voluptuous the voluptuous curve of her hips | downward, upward

VERB + CURVE form, make The seats were arranged to form a curve.

PREP. in a ~ The road follows the coast in a wide curve.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

curve verb

ADV. gently, slightly a gently curving stream | away, down, up The path curved down towards the village.

PREP. around/round, towards, etc. The road curved away round the back of the hill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cushion noun

ADJ. plump, soft He sank back into the soft cushions of the sofa. | sofa

VERB + CUSHION plump (up) She plumped up the sofa cushions before the guests arrived.

CUSHION + NOUN cover

PREP. on a/the ~ I rested my elbow on a cushion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

custard noun

ADJ. creamy, thick | thin | smooth | lumpy | banana, egg, vanilla

VERB + CUSTARD make | pour | strain Strain the custard to remove lumps.

CUSTARD + VERB thicken | set

CUSTARD + NOUN powder | pie

PHRASES and/with custard some apple pie and custard > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

custody noun

¹ legal right/duty to take care of sb/sth

ADJ. child a bitter child custody dispute | joint, sole | safe If valuables are placed in the safe, the hotel is responsible for their safe custody.

VERB + CUSTODY ask for, claim, demand, fight for, seek | award sb, give sb, grant sb The parents were given joint custody of the two children. | gain, get | have

CUSTODY + NOUN battle, dispute | hearing

PREP. ~ of

² being guarded/kept in prison

ADJ. military, police The man died while in police custody. | protective The opposition leader has been taken into protective custody.

VERB + CUSTODY be remanded in, be taken into A man has been remanded in custody charged with the murder of an eight-year-old girl. | be held in, be kept in, be/remain in | escape from | be released from

PREP. in ~ She will remain in custody while reports are prepared about her mental condition. | out of ~ trying to keep young people out of custody

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

customer noun

ADJ. big, favoured, good, important, key, large, major They are one of our biggest customers. They organized an evening's entertainment for favoured customers. | long-standing, long-time, loyal | regular | current, existing | potential, prospective, would-be There are a large number of potential customers for the new product. | dissatisfied, unhappy | satisfied We like to think that we have satisfied customers. | domestic | external, outside | international, overseas | personal, private | business, commercial, corporate, industrial

VERB + CUSTOMER have | deal with, serve | attract, entice, get It's a special offer to attract new customers. | lose We can't afford to lose any more customers.

CUSTOMER + NOUN care, relations, service, support If you have a complaint, contact the customer care unit. Part of good customer relations is knowing how to deal with complaints. | account, order | agreement The terms of the guarantee will be set out in the customer agreement. | demand/demands, needs, requirements, specifications This cheaper model was produced in response to customer demand. | reaction The questionnaire is to test customer reaction to the new store design. | dissatisfaction, satisfaction They carried out a customer satisfaction survey. | loyalty | complaints, enquiries | survey | profile, records | base They are hoping that TV advertising will increase their customer base.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

customs noun

ADJ. French, UK, etc.

VERB + CUSTOMS clear, go through We cleared customs by five o'clock. You will have to declare these goods when you go through customs. | wave sb through We were waved through customs without a pause.

CUSTOMS + NOUN control/controls, regulations the removal of European customs controls | duty/duties We had to pay customs duties on the beer. | building, hall, post the customs post on the border | agent, man, officer, official, staff | authorities | formalities, procedures | declaration, document, documentation, form We had to fill out customs forms on the plane. | clearance We were waiting for the goods to receive customs clearance.

PREP. at ~ We got stopped and searched at the Italian customs. | through ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

custom noun

ADJ. accepted, age-old, ancient, established, old, traditional | quaint | local | social

VERB + CUSTOM follow, observe, respect They still follow the custom of pinning money to the bride's dress. | maintain, preserve, revive

CUSTOM + VERB die out, disappear The custom died out in the nineteenth century. | prevail, survive These customs still prevail in remote areas.

PREP. according to a/the ~, in accordance with (a/the) ~ They poured wine round the trees in accordance with local custom. | through ~ The rules have grown up through custom and are not laid down by law. | ~ of

PHRASES as is/was the custom People threw coins onto the stage, as was the custom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cutback noun

ADJ. major, severe, sharp | budget, budgetary, economic, financial | government

VERB + CUTBACK impose, make Many theatres are having to make major cutbacks. | announce

PREP. ~ in a sharp cutback in military spending

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cutting noun

¹ piece cut out from a newspaper

ADJ. newspaper, press She had kept all the press cuttings about the murder.

PREP. ~ from a cutting from ‘The Guardian’

² piece cut off from a plant

ADJ. leaf, root, stem

VERB + CUTTING take

CUTTING + VERB root, take After about four weeks you will be able to see whether the cuttings have taken.

PREP. from a/the ~ These plants are easy to propagate from leaf cuttings. | ~ from Take cuttings from mature plants in the spring.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cut noun

¹ hole/opening made by cutting

ADJ. clean, neat

VERB + CUT make | give a high-quality blade that gives a clean cut

PREP. ~ in Using sharp scissors, make a small cut in the material.

² wound

ADJ. bad, deep, nasty | minor, small, superficial He's got a small cut on his finger. | clean

VERB + CUT have | get, suffer She got a bad cut over her right eye. | clean Clean the cut and cover it to prevent infection. | bandage, cover, dress

CUT + VERB heal A clean cut heals quickly.

PREP. ~ on a cut on her hand | ~ to One man was attacked and suffered cuts to his face.

PHRASES cuts and bruises

³ act of cutting sth

ADJ. hair

VERB + CUT have I've made an appointment to have a hair cut.

⁴ reduction

ADJ. big, deep, drastic, large, major, massive, real, savage, severe, sharp, significant, substantial, swingeing | government | financial | budget, defence, education, expenditure, interest-rate, job, pay, price, service, spending, staff, tax, wage They get a lot of power cuts because they have overhead wires. | power

QUANT. round The company has announced a new round of job cuts.

VERB + CUT make They are planning to make substantial cuts in the service. | announce, propose proposed tax cuts | suffer, take The staff have all had to take a cut in salary.

CUT + VERB come into effect The cuts will come into effect next May.

PREP. ~ in cuts in public spending

⁵ piece of meat

ADJ. choice, expensive, good, lean | cheap | cold ~s

PREP. ~ of The recipe calls for a good lean cut of beef.

⁶ share in the profits

VERB + CUT get, have, take By the time the organizers have had their cut, there won't be much left.

PREP. ~ of He takes a cut of the profits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cut verb

¹ with a knife/scissors, etc.

ADV. thick Make sure you cut the bread nice and thick. | thinly | cleanly Cut the stem cleanly, just beneath a leaf joint. | easily Sandstone cuts easily. | crossways, lengthways Cut the courgette in half lengthways. | away, down cutting down trees

PREP. from They cut away all the dead branches from the tree. | into She picked up the knife and cut into the meat. He cut the bread into thin slices. | through I can't cut through this wood.

PHRASES cut and paste (computing) You can cut and paste between different programs. | cut sb/sth free Two survivors were cut free after being trapped for twenty minutes. | cut sth into pieces Cut the cake into six pieces. | cut sth in half/two She cut the loaf in two and gave me one of the halves. | cut sth open She fell and cut her head open.

² reduce sth

ADV. considerably, drastically, significantly | short His career was cut short by injury.

VERB + CUT try to | manage to We have managed to cut our costs quite drastically. | be forced to, have to

PREP. by The department has to cut its spending by 30%. | from, to The price has been cut from £250 to £175. PHRASAL VERBS cut back

ADV. drastically, savagely, severely, significantly Social work services have been cut back drastically.

VERB + CUT be forced to, have to

PREP. on Local authorities have been forced to cut back on expenditure. cut down

ADV. considerably, drastically | gradually

VERB + CUT try to | manage to | advise sb to

PREP. on I'm trying to cut down on fatty foods. cut sb/sth off

¹ interrupt sb/sth

ADV. abruptly, suddenly His thoughts were abruptly cut off by a blinding flash of pain.

² prevent sb/sth leaving/reaching a place

ADV. completely, totally, utterly, wholly | effectively, largely, virtually

PREP. from They were completely cut off from the outside world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cycle noun

¹ series of events that happen repeatedly

ADJ. annual, daily, monthly, regular, seasonal, weekly the annual cycle of church festivals | complete, entire, whole | endless the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth | natural Life is a natural cycle, just like the changing seasons. | vicious caught up in a vicious cycle of bingeing and dieting | lunar, solar the 76-year solar cycle | breeding, menstrual, reproductive | business, economic | water a diagram of the water cycle | life the life cycle of the butterfly

VERB + CYCLE go through The European market is simply going through an economic cycle. | complete To complete the cycle, oxygen is necessary. | repeat

CYCLE + VERB begin again Male and female adults mate, the female lays eggs, and the cycle begins all over again. | repeat (itself) This cycle of events continually repeats itself.

CYCLE + NOUN length, time

PREP. in a/the ~ at this point in the cycle | per ~ The number of young produced per breeding cycle varies from species to species.

PHRASES part of the cycle (of sth) part of the cycle of birth and death

² bicycle

ADJ. motor (also motorcycle), pedal

VERB + CYCLE ride

CYCLE + NOUN ride, tour We're going for a cycle ride this afternoon. | helmet | lane, path, route, track Cars are not allowed in the cycle lanes. | race

PREP. by ~ They completed their journey by cycle. | on a/the ~ lots of people in cars or on cycles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cyclone noun

ADJ. violent | tropical

CYCLONE + VERB hit sth, strike sth An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night. | damage sth, destroy sth, devastate sth In 1974 Darwin was devastated by Cyclone Tracy.

PREP. in a/the ~ trees damaged in the cyclone

PHRASES the eye of the cyclone (= the central point)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cymbal noun

ADJ. clashing, crashing

VERB + CYMBAL clash, hit

CYMBAL + NOUN crash The piece ends with a cymbal crash.

PHRASES a clash/crash of cymbals > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cynical adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem, sound I hope I don't sound unduly cynical. | become, get, grow | remain

ADV. deeply, extremely, very his deeply cynical attitude | completely, totally, utterly | overly, unduly | a bit, fairly, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat

PREP. about I'm a little cynical about her motives.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

cynicism noun

ADJ. bitter, weary He spoke in a tone of weary cynicism. | widespread

QUANT. hint, note, touch, trace There was not a trace of cynicism in his voice.

PREP. with ~ She viewed his new interest in her with cynicism. | ~ about There is now widespread cynicism about the political system.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

daft adj., adv.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | act, talk (both informal) Don't talk daft!

ADV. bloody (taboo), really | completely, plain The decision is just plain daft. | a bit, pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

daft adj., adv.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | act, talk (both informal) Don't talk daft!

ADV. bloody (taboo), really | completely, plain The decision is just plain daft. | a bit, pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dagger noun

ADJ. curved | ceremonial, jewelled, ornamental

VERB + DAGGER draw | sheathe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

damage noun

¹ harm/injury

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, serious, severe, substantial, untold | minor, slight | extensive, widespread | irreparable, irreversible, lasting, long-term, permanent The incident did permanent damage to relations between the two countries. | criminal, malicious, wilful He was prosecuted for criminal damage to a vehicle. | accidental The insurance policy covers the building for accidental damage. | emotional, environmental, mechanical, psychological, structural | brain She suffered serious brain damage at birth.

VERB + DAMAGE cause, do, inflict The earthquake caused widespread damage to property. They inflicted severe psychological damage on their opponents. | suffer | repair | prevent

PREP. ~ by The palace suffered extensive damage by fire in 1825. | ~ from Crops are sprayed with chemicals to prevent damage from insects. | ~ to lasting damage to the environment

PHRASES the cost/value of the damage The cost of the damage is estimated at around $2 billion. | the extent of the damage At the moment it is difficult to assess the extent of the damage.

² damages: money you can claim from sb

ADJ. heavy, substantial

VERB + DAMAGE incur, suffer damages incurred by the unfairly sacked workers | claim, seek, sue (sb) for He decided to sue the company for damages. | assess The court will assess the damages. | apportion, award (sb) | pay (sb) | obtain, receive, recover, win | be liable for, be liable in (law) If goods are lost in transit, the carrier will be liable for damages.

DAMAGE + NOUN action, claim A woman is to bring a civil damages action against the men she alleges murdered her son. | award

PREP. in ~ They are claiming £45 million in damages. | ~ for He received damages for personal injury. | ~ of She was awarded damages of £90,000.

PHRASES an action/a claim for damages The judge upheld her claim for damages against her former employer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

damage verb

ADV. badly, seriously, severely The building was badly damaged by fire. | slightly | irreparably, permanently She may have damaged her health irreparably.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

damaging adj.

VERBS be, prove | become

ADV. deeply, extremely, gravely, highly, immensely, profoundly, seriously, severely, very This scandal could prove seriously damaging to the government. | quite, rather | possibly, potentially | positively These new measures will do nothing to raise school standards: they may be positively damaging. | economically, environmentally, politically, psychologically Building the proposed new road would be environmentally damaging.

PREP. to Smoking is damaging to health.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

damp adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, smell The room smelled damp. | become, get | remain | make sth The rain had made the walls damp.

ADV. very | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly Our clothes had got a bit damp.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

damp noun

ADJ. penetrating, rising

VERB + DAMP have, suffer from The house had got woodworm and rising damp. | check for, look for | find The surveyor found damp in the kitchen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dam noun

ADJ. hydroelectric

VERB + DAM build, construct | breach The dam has been breached and there is a danger of flooding.

DAM + VERB burst The dam burst and the valley was flooded. | hold sth back The dam holds back the water.

PREP. ~ across/on a large hydroelectric dam on the River Danube

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dancer noun

ADJ. brilliant, excellent, good, great, wonderful He's a brilliant dancer! | professional | trained | leading, principal a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet | male | ballet, ballroom, classical, clog, disco, flamenco, go-go, tap She's a very good flamenco dancer.

DANCER + VERB perform (sth) dancers performing in the street classical dancers performing modern work > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dance noun

¹ series of steps/movements to music

VERB + DANCE dance, do, perform In her delight she got up and did a little dance. | have May I have the next dance? I felt like having a dance. | like Would you like a dance? | sit out She had to sit out the last dance because of a twisted ankle.

DANCE + NOUN music, rhythm | routine, sequence, step | class, teacher | floor, hall, studio

² social meeting with dancing

ADJ. barn | school | dinner, supper, tea

VERB + DANCE go to | hold

DANCE + NOUN band

PREP. at a/the ~ They met at a dance.

³ dancing as a form of art/entertainment

ADJ. contemporary, modern | classical

DANCE + NOUN company, troupe

PHRASES a school of dance, a style of dance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dance verb

ADV. almost | wildly They danced wildly down the street. | about, around, away | together

VERB + DANCE ask sb to | want to

PREP. for He was almost dancing for joy. | to We danced to the music. | with Will you dance with me?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dancing noun

ADJ. wild | ballet, ballroom, belly, country, disco, flamenco, folk, line, maypole, morris, sequence, traditional She does line dancing and yoga in the evenings.

VERB + DANCING do, go They liked to go dancing every Saturday night.

DANCING + NOUN display | lesson She's taking dancing lessons. | school | career | partner

PHRASES dancing in the streets There was dancing in the streets when we heard that the war was over.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dangerous adj.

VERBS be, look, prove, seem, sound | become, get The situation could get quite dangerous. | remain | make sth The ice is making the roads very dangerous tonight. | consider sth, regard sth as

ADV. bloody (taboo), exceedingly, extremely, highly, incredibly, really, terribly, very a highly dangerous situation | increasingly | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly | possibly, potentially | downright, positively It's a risky idea, if not downright dangerous! | inherently | notoriously This route through the mountains is notoriously dangerous. | politically Raising income tax is considered politically dangerous.

PREP. for This treatment is extremely dangerous for the mother. | to not dangerous to humans

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

danger noun

ADJ. big, considerable, enormous, extreme, grave, great, mortal, obvious, real, serious, terrible They are in grave danger of losing everything. She knew that she was now in mortal danger. There is a real danger that the bridge will collapse from the weight of traffic. | acute, immediate, imminent, impending They are in imminent danger of attack. | constant, ever-present the ever-present danger of crime | long-term | inherent There are inherent dangers in the system. | slight | possible, potential | personal | physical | public The pollution from the factory is a public danger.

PREP. in ~ We weren't in any danger. | in ~ of The plant is now in danger of extinction. | out of ~ They ran until they were out of danger. | ~ from, ~ of We're in serious danger of becoming a nation of worriers. | ~ to There is no danger to the public from these chemicals.

PHRASES be off/on the danger list He was admitted to hospital in critical condition, but is now off the danger list.

VERB + DANGER be exposed to, face On their journey across the desert they faced danger of all sorts. | be fraught with, involve The task was fraught with danger. | cause He was convicted of causing danger to other road users. | pose the dangers posed by the possession of nuclear weapons | be aware of, foresee, identify, realize, recognize, see, sense, smell, spot No one foresaw the danger. The animal seemed to sense danger. | run A company must keep developing or it runs the danger of stagnating. | court Some people take crazy risks because they get a thrill from courting danger. | avert Vigorous action is needed to avert the danger of runaway inflation. | lessen, minimize, reduce | avoid, escape | ignore

DANGER + VERB exist, face sb, lie in sth, lurk, threaten sb One of the biggest dangers facing us may be climate change. The danger lies in becoming too complacent. Where would they hide if danger threatened? | arise, come (from sb/sth) The biggest danger to gorillas comes from humans. | pass We waited until all danger had passed.

DANGER + NOUN area, spot, zone Despite the high levels of radiation, people are now moving back into the danger zone. | signals, signs He recognized the danger signs and gave up smoking. | money The divers were paid danger money for working in such hazardous conditions. | man The United manager believes Figo is the opposition's danger man.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dare verb

ADV. hardly, scarcely I hardly dared breathe.

VERB + DARE wouldn't I wouldn't dare go by myself.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

daring adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, get, grow He had grown more daring. | consider sth, think sth Her behaviour was considered very daring at the time.

ADV. greatly, very Greatly daring, he covered her hand with his own. | a little, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

darkness noun

ADJ. complete, pitch, total The building was in pitch darkness. | deep, inky the inky darkness of the tunnel | gathering It was becoming impossible to see the map in the gathering darkness.

VERB + DARKNESS be plunged into The electricity failed and the house was plunged into darkness. | lie in, stand in The valley lay in darkness.

DARKNESS + VERB come, close in, descend, fall We arrived at the village just as darkness fell. | lift waiting for the darkness to lift

PREP. in (the) ~ The building was in darkness. Her eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. | into the ~ The car disappeared into the darkness. | out of the ~ A figure appeared out of the darkness.

PHRASES the hours of darkness The bombing took place during the hours of darkness. | under cover of darkness They moved about under cover of darkness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dark adj.

VERBS be, look | get, go, grow It gets dark at about six o'clock. Suddenly the whole sky went dark. As it grew dark, they gathered round the fire. | remain, stay

ADV. very | completely | almost, nearly It's only three o'clock and it's nearly dark already. | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dark noun

ADJ. pitch I fumbled for the light switch in the pitch dark. | gathering We could just make out some figures in the gathering dark.

PREP. after ~ The girls weren't allowed out after dark. | before ~ We'd better try and finish this job before dark. | in the ~ I hate getting up in the dark.

PHRASES afraid of the dark Many small children are afraid of the dark.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dash noun

¹ sudden quick movement

ADJ. quick, sudden | frantic, headlong, mad | final, last-minute

VERB + DASH make

PREP. ~ across We had to make a frantic dash across town to get our plane | ~ for He made a sudden dash for the door. | ~ from, ~ through The book starts with a quick dash through the country's history. | ~ to He made a 200-mile dash to the hospital when a kidney donor became available.

² small amount of sth

VERB + DASH add Add a dash of lemon juice.

PREP. ~ of The food is European with a dash of Morocco.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dash verb

¹ go/run quickly

ADV. frantically | about, around, back, forward, off, out I've got to dash off now.

VERB + DASH have to, must I must dash?I'm late.

PREP. across, along, down, in, into, out of, through, to, up He dashed frantically across the road.

² destroy sth

ADV. quickly | cruelly Her hopes were cruelly dashed when her parents refused to let her go.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

database noun

ADJ. large | comprehensive | national | computer, computerized, electronic | online

VERB + DATABASE create, establish, set up We're trying to create our own computerized database. | add to, update The database is updated monthly. | access

DATABASE + VERB contain sth The new database contains 200,000 images.

PREP. on a/the ~ The information is stored on a large database. | ~ of a very large database of information

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

data noun

ADJ. accurate, reliable | comprehensive, detailed, extensive | raw We have amassed the raw data and are about to begin analysing it. | factual, hard There is no hard data to support these theories. | empirical, experimental, numerical, observational, scientific, statistical | demographic, environmental, financial, geological, historical, technical

QUANT. item, piece One vital item of data was missing from the table. | mass, set Special software is needed to manipulate the mass of data. Although we were using the same set of data, we obtained different results.

VERB + DATA acquire, amass, capture, collect, gather, get, obtain We need to collect more data before we can do any more work. | enter, feed in | have, hold, record, store They are not allowed to hold data on people's private finances. | access, retrieve | analyse, examine, interpret, look at, study | handle, manage, manipulate, process The computer can manipulate massive amounts of data. | exchange, share, transfer | present (sb with) | provide (sb with) The government departments refused to provide the data that we required.

DATA + VERB be derived from sth The data derived from this project has vastly increased our knowledge of how genes work. | indicate sth, reflect sth, show sth, suggest sth Data indicates that most crime is committed by young males. This data reflects the magnitude of the problem. | support sth

PREP. in the ~ We have found some very interesting things in the data. | ~ about Data about patients is only released with their permission. | ~ for We have no data for southern Spain. | ~ from My aim is to synthesize data from all the surveys. | ~ on data on the effects of pollution

PHRASES the acquisition/handling/storage, etc. of data, a source of data

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dated adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. hopelessly, very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat These ideas seem a bit dated now. | curiously This drama series is supposedly modern yet its characters live in a curiously dated world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

date noun

¹ particular day

ADJ. earlier, earliest She suggested an earlier date for the meeting. | later, latest | exact, firm, specific I can't give you specific dates. | provisional, tentative | unspecified | significant 7th May, 1999 was a very significant date in my life. | closing The closing date with Camilla on Friday night. | make We must make a date to have lunch. | keep She wanted to arrive in time to keep her date. | break, cancel He was late, and ended up breaking their dinner date.

PREP. on a ~ She's out on a date with her new boyfriend. | ~ with for applications is May 22. | expiry What's the expiry date on your credit card? | delivery | due The baby was born exactly on its due date. | birth | anniversary | sell-by This yogurt is past its sell-by date. | cut-off Historians disagree on the cut-off date for the medieval period. | commencement, completion The building was not finished by the completion date.

VERB + DATE agree (on), arrange, decide (on), fix, set Can we fix dates for the holiday? Has a date been fixed for the meeting?

PREP. after a/the ~ We cannot accept applications received after this date. | at a … ~ The election is scheduled to take place at an unspecified date in the autumn. | before a/the ~, by a/the ~ The building must be finished by the date agreed. | from a/the ~ The agreement runs from that date. | on a/the ~ I've got two meetings on that date. | ~ for We need to set a date for the wedding. | ~ of the date of the election

PHRASES the/your big date Joe's getting ready for his big date on 3rd March, when he gets married. | at a/some future date More money will be made available at some future date. | at a later date We can do that at a later date. | date of birth Please give your name, address and date of birth. | of recent date The foundations are Roman, but the rest of the building is of more recent date. | put a date on/to sth It's difficult to put a date on when this neighbourhood became fashionable. | today's date What's today's date?

² appointment to meet sb socially

ADJ. dinner, lunch | blind (= a date with sb you have not met before) She met her husband on a blind date. | hot (= exciting) She had a hot date and wanted to look her best.

VERB + DATE have I've got a date

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

date verb

ADV. accurately, precisely It has not yet been possible to date the paintings accurately.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

daughter noun

VERB + DAUGHTER have They've got three young daughters. | bear (formal), give birth to His wife recently gave birth to a daughter. | bring up Living alone and trying to bring up a small daughter is no easy task.

DAUGHTER + VERB grow up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dawn noun

¹ early morning

ADJ. grey

VERB + DAWN greet (literary) He always got up to greet the dawn.

DAWN + VERB break, come (up) Dawn was breaking over the valley.

DAWN + NOUN light, sky | chorus The dawn chorus (= birds singing) woke Robyn at five. | patrol, raid Ammunition was seized during a dawn raid on the flat.

PREP. at ~ That morning, she rose at dawn. | before ~, by ~, till/until ~, towards ~

PHRASES (at) the crack of dawn (= as soon as it begins to be light), from dawn to dusk He works from dawn to dusk, and often well into the night.

² beginning

ADJ. false This sudden success may prove to be a false dawn (= not the beginning of continued success). | new

PREP. ~ of the dawn of civilization/history/a new era Let's think back to the dawn of time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dawn verb

¹ begin

PHRASES dawn bright, sunny, clear, cold, etc. The day dawned bright and sunny.

² become clear

ADV. suddenly | gradually, slowly It slowly dawned on me that he might have been mistaken. | eventually, finally

VERB + DAWN begin to It was beginning to dawn on her that she had been fooled.

PREP. on The dreadful truth finally dawned on me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

daylight noun

ADJ. broad, full He was robbed in broad daylight. | natural I prefer to work in natural daylight.

VERB + DAYLIGHT let in The thin curtains let in the daylight. | shut out The shutters were closed to keep out the daylight. | emerge into The prisoners emerged, blinking, into daylight.

DAYLIGHT + VERB filter through sth, flood in, penetrate sth A little daylight was filtering through the curtains. He drew back the curtains and the daylight flooded in. The daylight penetrated to the far corners of the room. | break Towards 6 a.m. daylight broke. | fade The evening turned cool as daylight faded.

DAYLIGHT + NOUN hours The public has access during daylight hours.

PREP. before ~ She was up before daylight. | by ~ By daylight the fire was almost under control. | in ~ I can see better in daylight. | into the ~ She went back out into the daylight.

PHRASES the hours of daylight The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

daytime noun

DAYTIME + NOUN phone number, telephone number | television | temperature | hours

PREP. during the ~, in the ~ Resist the temptation to nap in the daytime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

day noun

¹ period of 24 hours

ADJ. the following, (the) next | the previous | the other I was in your area the other day (= recently). | one, some I hope we meet again some day. | the very It happened on the very day (= the same day) that Kemp was murdered. The parcel arrived the very next day. | auspicious, big, eventful, field, historic, memorable, red-letter, special The tabloid press had a field day with the latest government scandal. | fateful, sad those killed in the hail of bullets fired on that fateful day | Christmas, Mother's, etc. | feast, holy | election, opening, market, pay, polling, sports, visiting, wedding | rest, school, study, training the pattern of the school day

DAY + VERB pass He thought of her less as the days passed.

PREP. by the ~ He's getting stronger by the day. | for a/the ~ They stayed for ten days. | in a/the ~ We hope to finish the job in a few days. | on the ~ (of) On the day of his wedding he was very nervous. | ~ of It was the day of the big match.

² time between sunrise and sunset

ADJ. beautiful, bright, fine, glorious, hot, nice, sunny, warm | cold, grey, rainy, windy | autumn, spring, summer/summer's, winter/winter's a fine summer's day | fun, good, great, happy, lovely, wonderful Memories of happy days on the hills never fade. | bad On a bad day chaos reigns and nobody can predict when a plane will leave. | full I knew I had a full day's driving ahead of me.

VERB + DAY spend We spent the day gardening.

DAY + VERB break, dawn As day dawned I found her already hard at work.

PREP. by ~ We travelled at night and rested by day. | during the ~, for a/the ~ We went to the seaside for the day.

PHRASES all day (long), at the end of the day, day and night, one of those days It's been one of those days when everything's gone wrong.

³ hours of the day when you work

ADJ. working | bad, busy, hard, long, tiring a hard day at the office | good, quiet | 7-hour, 8-hour, etc. a 9-hour working day

PHRASES a good day's work

⁴ (often days) particular period of time

ADJ. early, former, old, olden in the early days of the cinema | school, student, young in his younger days | golden, happy, heady the heady days of the ‘swinging sixties’ | dark the dark days of recession

PREP. in sb's ~ Things were very different in my grandfather's day. | of the ~ the government of the day | since the ~s of Much has changed since the days of my youth.

PHRASES gone are the days when … Gone are the days when you could do a week's shopping and still have change from £20. | the bad/good old days That was in the bad old days of rampant inflation. | in this day and age, in those days, the present day (= the situation that exists in the world now) a study of European drama, from Ibsen to the present day | these days Kids grow up so quickly these days. | those were the days (= used to suggest that a time in the past was better than now) > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dazed adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound She looked dazed and frightened. | leave sb The punch left him dazed and bleeding.

ADV. almost | half | a bit, a little, slightly I still felt a little dazed.

PREP. by half dazed by shock

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deadline noun

ADJ. strict, tight

VERB + DEADLINE have, work to We're working to a very tight deadline. | impose, set The deadline set by the High Court is Monday 3rd March. | extend We're asking them to extend the deadline. | meet It will be a struggle to meet the deadline. | miss

DEADLINE + VERB approach She began to panic as the deadline approached. | expire, pass The Wednesday deadline passed without any communication from the rebel leader.

PREP. before a/the ~, by a/the ~ I must get this report finished by tomorrow's deadline. | ~ for The deadline for entries is noon Thursday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deadlock noun

ADJ. complete | political

VERB + DEADLOCK end in, reach The negotiations ended in deadlock. The strike appeared to have reached a deadlock. | break, resolve

PREP. in ~ The negotiations were adjourned in deadlock last week. | ~ between the deadlock between striking workers and their employer | ~ in The summit called for an end to the deadlock in the peace talks. | ~ over The government has called new talks in an attempt to break the deadlock over the issue of redundancy money.

PHRASES a state of deadlock Talks between the two sides remain in a state of complete deadlock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dead adj.

VERBS be, lie His wife lay dead beside him. | look | sham The animal will sometimes escape danger by shamming dead. | drop He just dropped dead one day in his garden. | shoot sb, strike sb Gunmen shot dead a policeman. She had been struck dead by lightning. | find sb The woman was found dead with a rope round her neck. | declare sb, pronounce sb She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

ADV. quite I'm afraid he's quite dead.

PHRASES dead and buried (figurative) In ten years he'll be dead and buried as a politician. | dead and gone That won't happen until long after I'm dead and gone. | dead or alive We didn't know whether the fish was dead or alive. | more dead than alive Poor child, she looks more dead than alive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deaf adj.

VERBS be | be born Their child was born deaf. | become, end up, go He eventually went deaf. | remain She remained deaf until she died. | leave sb, make sb Standing next to the machine all day left her deaf in one ear.

ADV. very | profoundly (technical), stone, totally Many of these children are profoundly deaf. It's no good shouting?he's stone deaf. | a little, partially, rather, slightly She spoke loudly because her mother was a little deaf. | chronically helping chronically deaf patients

PREP. ~ to (figurative) The committee remained deaf to our suggestions.

PHRASES deaf in one ear

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dealer noun

ADJ. licensed It is always a good idea to sell through a licensed dealer. | reputable Always buy from a reputable dealer. | shady, unscrupulous | antique/antiques, arms, art, car, drug

PREP. through a/the ~ She sold the painting through a London art dealer. | ~ in a dealer in antiques > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dealings noun

VERB + DEALINGS have They had extensive dealings with officials in Rome.

PREP. in your ~ with We need to be very careful in our dealings with these distressed young people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deal noun

ADJ. fair, good | major They are hoping to clinch a major deal to supply computers to the army. | exclusive The TV station has signed an exclusive deal to show all United's home games. | lucrative | five-year, etc. | long-term | compromise | cut-price The company are offering cut-price deals on many flights. | shady He has been mixed up in several shady deals with arms dealers. | package The union accepted a package deal including higher pension and longer holiday allowance. | business, financial, political, trade | pay, sponsorship | arms, weapons | two-book, three-film, etc. The band signed a two-album deal with a record company.

VERB + DEAL agree, arrange, close, complete, conclude, cut, do, make, negotiate, reach, seal, sign, strike Management and unions have agreed a new deal on pay and productivity. I'll make a deal with you?I'll work evenings if you'll work weekends. | clinch, get, secure, win Nurses have taken to the streets to get a fair deal from the government. | have She has a lucrative deal with a cosmetics company. | pull out of Britain pulled out of the deal because of rising costs. | scupper Any sponsorship deal would be scuppered if Jones misses the Olympics. | offer (sb), propose | accept Staff have accepted a deal offering them a 2% share of profits. | reject

DEAL + VERB go ahead The pay deal will not now go ahead. | fall apart, fall through The deal fell through when the author received a more attractive offer.

PREP. in a/the ~ They took over the company in a £750,000 deal. | under a/the ~ Under the deal, you save money if you repay the loan early. | ~ between a deal between France and Spain | ~ from You may get a better deal from another bank. | ~ on I got a very good deal on my new car. | ~ over The unions are ready to do a deal over pay. | ~ with The company has done a deal with the catering staff.

PHRASES get/have a bad/raw/rotten/rough deal Immigrants often get a bad deal when it comes to pay. | get/have a fair/square deal The union tries to get a square deal for all its members. | part of the deal Increased holiday allowance is part of the deal. | the terms of the deal Under the terms of the deal, the band has to make two albums a year. > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deal verb

ADV. directly

PREP. in The shop deals in second-hand books. | with Our factory deals directly with its customers. PHRASAL VERBS deal with sth

ADV. quickly, speedily | at length, fully This topic is dealt with at greater length in the following chapter. | effectively | fairly, properly You have not dealt fairly with me. | easily Not all complaints are so easily dealt with. | separately The two issues should be dealt with separately. | together

PHRASES a way of dealing with sth We discussed different ways of dealing with the problem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

death noun

VERB + DEATH bring, cause, lead to, mean, result in the drivers who bring death to our roads Poor living conditions can lead to early death. Touching the wires means instant death. The brutal attack resulted in the man's death. | die, face, meet She died a slow and painful death. He met his death two years later. | contemplate | risk | fear | approach, be near, near | cheat, escape He escaped death by inches when a tree fell on his tent. | save sb from | mourn mourning the death of their daughter | bleed to, burn to, choke to, freeze to, starve to | condemn sb to, sentence sb to | batter sb to, beat sb to, burn sb to, choke sb to, club sb to, crush sb to, flog sb to, hack sb to, kick sb to, put sb to, stab sb to, stone sb to, torture sb to, trample sb to | be punishable/punished by Incest was punishable by death. Your next of kin will receive death benefit if you die in an accident. | duties After the death duties had been paid, there was little money left for the family. | threat The actor has received death threats since appearing in the controversial film. | wish He took drugs as if he had some kind of death wish. | agonies, throes The snake was writhing in its death agonies.

(figurative) By 1740 European feudalism was in its death throes. | bed (also deathbed) On his deathbed, my father made me promise not to sell the house. | squad Paramilitary death squads are rumoured to be operating in the area. | warrant (often figurative) By publicly condemning the terrorists he was signing his own death warrant. | camp He died as a prisoner of war in an enemy death camp.

PREP. after (sb's) ~ Do you believe in life after death? | at ~ (formal) The average age at death of plague victims was 14. | before (sb's) ~, in ~ His face looked more peaceful in death than it had during his last days. | near (to) ~ It was clear that the dog was near death. | on sb's ~ On Samuel's death, the farm passed to his sons. | ~ by death by starvation | ~ from Two deaths from cholera have been reported.

PHRASES cause of death The coroner said the cause of death was a stroke. | a matter of life and/or death Fulfilling orders on time is a matter of life and death for a small company. | sentence of death Four prisoners were under sentence of death.

DEATH + VERB come, happen, occur Her death came at the age of 82. More deaths occur in winter. | result from deaths resulting from disease

DEATH + NOUN rate The government's campaign aims to cut the death rate from heart attacks. | toll The death toll in the earthquake has been put at over one thousand. | penalty, sentence If found guilty of drug trafficking, the pair could face the death penalty. | row There are currently over 3,000 prisoners on death row. | certificate | benefit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

debatable adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. highly, very This is a highly debatable point. | somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

debate noun

¹ discussion

ADJ. considerable | fierce, heated, intense, lively, vigorous There has been heated debate about whether the film should be allowed. | wider You cannot separate unemployment from the wider debate about the economy. | public Television actually encourages public debate about such issues. | political

VERB + DEBATE have | contribute to Many leading charities have contributed to the debate on world poverty. | encourage, promote A healthy society promotes vigorous debate. | spark off This accident has sparked off an intense debate on road safety. | stifle He accused the government of trying to stifle debate. | lose, win The environmentalists seem to have lost the debate over the building of this road. | be a matter for, be open to The benefits of the new law are open to debate.

DEBATE + VERB rage, take place A debate about safety is taking place in schools everywhere.

PREP. under ~ The issue is still under debate. | ~ about/on/over the debate on the environment | ~ among the debate among academics | ~ surrounding the debate surrounding contemporary art

PHRASES the subject of debate The proposed changes to the law have been the subject of much debate.

² a formal discussion

ADJ. brief | lengthy, long | acrimonious, fierce, heated, lively, stormy a stormy debate in the House of Commons | congressional, parliamentary a parliamentary debate on the fishing industry

VERB + DEBATE have, hold We had a brief debate about whether or not to accept the offer. The union holds debates for students. | participate in, speak in, take part in Do you ever speak in debates? | open The prime minister will open the debate. | close | lose, win The government lost the debate in the House of Commons.

PREP. during/in a/the~ | ~ about/on Many of these points were raised during the debate on prison reform.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

debate verb

ADV. fully, properly, seriously, thoroughly | fiercely, hotly The issue is still being hotly debated. | openly, publicly The question of security needs to be debated publicly. | at length, endlessly, extensively

PREP. with a presidential candidate debating with his opponent He sat there debating with himself what to do.

PHRASES be widely debated The report has been widely debated in the industry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

debit verb

ADV. automatically

PREP. from The money will be debited from your account. | with Your current account is automatically debited with the amount of your purchase.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

debris noun

ADJ. flying She was hit on the head by flying debris. | food, plant, rock These worms feed on plant debris. | garden, industrial, volcanic

QUANT. piece | heap, pile

VERB + DEBRIS scatter, shower The tank exploded, scattering debris all over the field. | clear (away/up), clear sth of, remove Teams of people are working to clear the debris. Remember to clear the drain of debris regularly. | search through, sift through Police have spent the day sifting throught the debris for clues.

DEBRIS + VERB accumulate Debris accumulates at the bottom of the bottle.

PREP. among the ~, in the ~ She found a pair of children's shoes among the debris. | through the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

debt noun

¹ sum of money owed

ADJ. big, crippling, enormous, high, huge, large, massive, substantial He was burdened with crippling debts. | mounting a company faced with mounting debts | outstanding, unpaid She used her lottery winnings to pay off her outstanding debts. | overdue | bad (= that cannot be repaid) Bad debt has hit the bank's profits this year. | long-term, short-term | overall, total | gross, net | commercial, corporate | external, foreign, international | national, public The country has a national debt of 80% of GNP. | gambling

VERB + DEBT be burdened with, have, owe (sb) the substantial debts that the company owed to the bank | incur, run up She ran up huge debts on her credit card. | clear, meet, pay (back/off), repay, settle Without a job, he'll never clear his debts. It'll take months to pay off all your debts. | reduce | tackle The new governments main aim is to tackle the country's massive debt. | default on The firm defaulted on its debt and its assets were seized. | cancel, wipe off/out, write off After a series of meetings, the banks were forced to write off the company's debts. | service (= pay interest on) The fall in exports has left the country unable to service its debts. | reschedule, restructure The company has reached a deal with its major creditors allowing it to restructure its debts. | secure a debt secured on property

DEBT + VERB fall due | stand at sth, total sth The national debt stands at $7,000 million. | arise from sth debts arising from bad investments

DEBT + NOUN collection, collector | burden

PREP. of ~ $80 million of debt

PHRASES a burden of debt Faced with a mounting burden of debt, he sold off the company. | payment/repayment/settlement of a debt

² state of owing money

ADJ. serious

VERB + DEBT go into, get into, slip into It is easy to get into serious debt with a credit card. | get out of You can get out of debt by strict economizing.

PREP. in ~ He was heavily in debt by the time he sought advice. | out of ~ struggling to stay out of debt

PHRASES deeply/heavily in debt

³ sth that you owe sb

ADJ. great

VERB + DEBT owe | acknowledge, recognize

PREP. in sb's ~ I am in Ruth's debt for the excellent advice she gave me. | ~ to In the introduction, the author acknowledges her debt to other writers on the subject.

PHRASES owe a debt of gratitude to sb We owe a great debt of gratitude to our families for their support.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decade noun

ADJ. present | coming, following, next | last, past, preceding, previous, recent

DECADE + VERB elapse, go by, pass This decade has passed uneventfully. | begin, open, start This decade began badly for us. | close, end | see sth The past decade has seen a huge rise in the number of computer owners.

PREP. during a/the ~, for a/the ~, in a/the ~, over a/the ~, throughout a/the ~, within a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decayed adj.

VERBS be, look, smell | become

ADV. badly Some of her teeth were very badly decayed. | completely The wood was completely decayed. | sadly New Shoreham, now sadly decayed, has barely 100 inhabitants.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decay noun

VERB + DECAY rapid | slow | dental, tooth | economic, industrial, urban | moral, physical, social

VERB + DECAY cause Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth, causing decay. | stop Without a lot of money, the mayor won't be able to stop urban decay. | reverse This government promises to reverse industrial decay. | prevent The wood is treated with preservative to prevent decay. | fall into old buildings that had fallen into decay

PREP. in ~ The derelict buildings are the signs of a town in decay. | ~ in Smoking accelerates age-related decay in the heart and arteries. | ~ of the slow decay of the castle and the surrounding buildings

PHRASES the process of decay, signs of decay My dentist could not find any signs of decay. | an odour/a smell/a stench of decay A smell of decay pervaded the air. | a state of decay

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deceased adj.

VERBS be

ADV. recently her recently deceased husband | sadly His mother is now sadly deceased.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deceive verb

ADV. easily Human nature is such that we easily deceive ourselves.

VERB + DECEIVE attempt to, try to

PREP. into The public should not be deceived into buying inferior goods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

December noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decency noun

ADJ. common, human a lack of common decency | public Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.

VERB + DECENCY have He might have had the decency to let us know.

PHRASES a sense of decency, standards of decency

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decent adj.

¹ good/acceptable

VERBS be, look The pub looked decent enough.

ADV. really, very | perfectly | half/halfway, pretty, quite We had trouble finding a hotel that was halfway decent. | enough

PREP. to My uncle has been pretty decent to me.

² honest/respectable

VERBS be

ADV. very | perfectly, thoroughly

PHRASES do the decent thing I think the minister should do the decent thing and resign.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deception noun

ADJ. cruel | elaborate This elaborate deception fooled his family for ages. | deliberate

VERB + DECEPTION practise, use He'll use deception to get what he wants. | see through She failed to see through his deception. | obtain sth by (especially law) She was charged with obtaining property by deception.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deceptive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very | dangerously

PHRASES can be deceptive Appearances can be deceptive?dangerously deceptive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decide verb

ADV. finally We finally decided to stay where we were. | sensibly, wisely He decided very wisely to keep his money rather than spend it.

VERB + DECIDE be able/unable to, can/can't, could (not) I can't decide what to do. | have to, must You will have to decide soon. | try to | be difficult to

PREP. against They decided against taking legal action | between It was difficult to decide between the various options. | in favour of They decided in favour of reducing the fees. | on/upon We're still trying to decide on a venue.

PHRASES decide for yourself She should be allowed to decide for herself. | the task of deciding sth The committee will have the task of deciding whether more cash should be made available. | to be decided The exact time of the meeting is still to be decided.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decision noun

ADJ. big, crucial, fateful, important, key, landmark (law), major, momentous It was a big decision to have to make. In a landmark decision, the court agreed to hear evidence from twenty years earlier. | difficult, hard, tough the difficult decision of whether to go to university or nurse her sick mother | firm We need a firm decision by Friday. | prompt, snap I had to make a snap decision about what to do with the money. | hasty, knee-jerk, rash | final, irreversible, irrevocable On Monday, the board of directors will meet to make their final decision. The decision is irreversible. | informed I need more facts before I can make an informed decision. | arbitrary | good, rational, right, sensible, wise | bad, poor, unwise, wrong | collective, joint, unanimous In the end, the decision to scrap the project was unanimous. | majority, split | court, government, etc. | investment, policy, etc.

VERB + DECISION arrive at, come to, make, reach, take Key decisions are always taken by the editor. | announce, give (sb) The committee will give us their decision tomorrow. | abide by The decision has been made, and we must all abide by it. | affirm, uphold The management committee upheld her decision to fire two of her staff. | reconsider | appeal against, challenge plans to challenge this decision in the High Court | overrule, overturn, quash, reverse Nobody has the authority to overrule his decision. | defer

DECISION + NOUN maker

PREP. ~ about/on a decision on her future > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decisive adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. absolutely | potentially He had one potentially decisive factor in his favour: the element of surprise. | ultimately It is the chief executive's opinion which is ultimately decisive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deck noun

¹ top outside floor of a ship/boat

ADJ. open

VERB + DECK go up on When we heard the alarm, we went up on deck.

PREP. below ~ The passengers were trapped below deck. | on ~ I joined the others on deck.

² one of the floors of a bus/ship

ADJ. lower, top, upper | aft/after, main, poop, promenade, saloon, sun (on a ship)

PREP. on a/the ~ sitting on the top deck of the bus

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

declaration noun

ADJ. formal, solemn | ringing The Russian leader received a ringing declaration of support yesterday. | joint | unilateral | public

VERB + DECLARATION issue, make The government will issue a formal declaration tomorrow. | adopt, sign All four countries have adopted the declaration against hunting rare animals.

PREP. ~ about/on the UN declaration on Human Rights | ~ of a declaration of war

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

declare verb

ADV. virtually He has virtually declared war on the right-wingers in his party. | immediately, promptly Martial law was immediately declared. | formally, officially | openly, publicly | grandly, proudly She proudly declared that she had once been introduced to the Queen. | loudly | boldly, confidently, firmly, roundly, stoutly | brightly ‘I'm as fresh as a daisy,’ he declared brightly. | solemnly | unanimously | unilaterally The communists had unilaterally declared a ceasefire. | hereby (law or formal) We, the people of Indonesia, hereby declare Indonesia's independence.

PREP. to He declared his true feelings to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decline noun

ADJ. catastrophic, considerable, dramatic, drastic, massive, marked, precipitate, precipitous, rapid, serious, sharp, significant, steep, substantial | gentle, gradual, modest, slight, slow | continuing, progressive, steady a steady decline in manufacturing | general, long-term, overall | absolute, inevitable, inexorable, irreversible, terminal an industry in terminal decline | economic, industrial, moral, political, urban the moral decline of the nation | national

VERB + DECLINE fall into, go into, suffer The cloth trade went into gradual decline. | cause, lead to The increased gold price lead to the decline of his jewellery business. | arrest, halt, stop We must halt this decline in health services. | prevent | accelerate | see We have seen a sharp decline in educational standards over recent years.

PREP. in ~ The motor industry is still in decline. | on the ~ This area has been on the decline for some years now. | ~ in a steep decline in sales | ~ of the decline of British farming

PHRASES the decline and fall of sth the decline and fall of a great civilization

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decline verb

¹ refuse

ADV. politely | absolutely I absolutely decline to discuss my dealings with him or anyone.

² become smaller/weaker

ADV. considerably, dramatically, drastically, markedly, sharply, significantly, steeply The economy has declined sharply in recent years. | a little, slightly | fast, rapidly The market for these products is declining fast. | steadily | gradually, slowly | further

PREP. by Profits declined by 6% this year. | from, to The number of full-time staff has declined from 300 to just 50.

PHRASES decline in importance/numbers/size This section of the market has slowly declined in importance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decompose verb

PHRASES badly/partially/partly decomposed His badly decomposed body was found many weeks later.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decorate verb

¹ make sth attractive

ADV. beautifully, elaborately, elegantly, gaily, intricately, lavishly, ornately, richly The room was lavishly decorated with tinsel and holly.

PREP. with Decorate the cake with raspberries and whipped cream.

² with paint/wallpaper

ADV. nicely, pleasantly, tastefully The bedrooms are tastefully decorated.

PREP. in The room is decorated in pale blues and greens.

³ give sb a medal

PREP. for He was decorated for bravery.

PHRASES highly decorated the most highly decorated unit in the British Army

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decorative adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. extremely, highly, richly, very, wonderfully The style is ornate and highly decorative. | purely The items he makes are purely decorative. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decrease noun

ADJ. dramatic, large, sharp, significant There has been a sharp decrease in pollution since the law was introduced. | slight, small | gradual, progressive, steady | corresponding Fewer houses are available, but there is no corresponding decrease in demand.

VERB + DECREASE show This year's figures show a decrease of 30% on last year. | report Half the companies in the survey reported a decrease in sales. | cause, lead to, result in

PREP. on the ~ Marriage is still on the decrease. | ~ from … to … a decrease from 62% to just under half | ~ in The new treatment led to a huge decrease in the number of deaths. | ~ of a decrease of 20% | ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decrease verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, drastically, markedly, significantly | slightly Spending has decreased slightly this year. | rapidly | steadily | gradually

PREP. by Crime has decreased by 20 per cent. | from, to Average family size has decreased from five to three children. | with The number of quarrels among children decreases with age.

PHRASES decrease in number/size/value The heart gradually decreases in size.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

decree noun

ADJ. emergency The government had the power to legislate by emergency decree independently of Parliament. | papal, presidential, royal | court

VERB + DECREE adopt, issue, pass, publish The president issued a decree prohibiting trade unions. | sign | enforce Local inspectors helped enforce presidential decrees. | revoke | defy 10,000 demonstrators defied the decree and gathered in the square. | govern by, legislate by, rule by The general will rule by decree until a general election.

PREP. in a/the ~ In an emergency decree, the government banned all rallies. | ~ on a decree on property rights

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dedicated adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | remain

ADV. highly, really, truly, very The workforce is small but highly dedicated. | absolutely, totally, utterly

PREP. to She is totally dedicated to her job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dedication noun

ADJ. complete, total | great

VERB + DEDICATION have Not everyone has the dedication and the talent to achieve this. | show | need, require You will need dedication and determination to complete the course. The job requires total dedication.

PREP. ~ to I really admire Gina for her dedication to her family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deduce verb

ADV. easily | logically The total amount can be deduced logically from the figures available.

VERB + DEDUCE be able to, can | be possible to Using the evidence available it is possible to deduce quite a lot about how these people lived.

PREP. from We deduce from his behaviour that he is trying to gain attention.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deduction noun

¹ working things out from the facts

ADJ. brilliant | logical | reasonable

VERB + DEDUCTION make

PREP. by ~ She arrived at this conclusion by logical deduction. | ~ about We can make some deductions about the history of the ruins.

PHRASES powers of deduction a detective with excellent powers of deduction | a process of deduction She arrived at the solution by a simple process of deduction.

² taking an amount from a total/the amount taken

ADJ. monthly, weekly monthly deductions for health insurance | tax

VERB + DEDUCTION make The company automatically makes tax deductions from your salary.

PREP. ~ for deductions for travel costs | ~ from deductions from his wages

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deduct verb

ADV. at source Tax is deducted at source. | automatically This amount will be deducted automatically from your salary.

PREP. from

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deed noun

ADJ. brave, daring, glorious, good, great, heroic, mighty, noble She felt that she had done her good deed for the day. | dark, dastardly, dirty, evil, terrible The prince swore she would be punished for her dastardly deeds.

VERB + DEED do, perform, perpetrate She would not be able to relax until the deed was done. warriors who performed glorious deeds evil deeds perpetrated by wicked people

PREP. in ~(s) He frequently expressed his love for her in words if not in deeds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deep adj.

¹ a long way from top to bottom/front to back

VERBS be, look The water looks quite deep there.

ADV. really, very | fairly, pretty, quite

PHRASES ankle/knee/waist deep She stood knee deep in the water.

² low in tone

VERBS be, sound Her voice sounded very deep on the telephone. | become

ADV. very | fairly, quite

³ strongly felt

VERBS be, go, run This suspicion runs very deep among some government members. | become

ADV. very a very deep feeling of love | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defeat noun

ADJ. bitter, catastrophic, complete, comprehensive, crushing, decisive, devastating, disastrous, heavy, humiliating, ignominious, overwhelming, resounding, serious, stunning Their party suffered a heavy defeat in the election. The battle ended in a humiliating defeat. | narrow They lost 4?3 in their second narrow defeat of the week. | consecutive, successive | election, electoral, political | military

VERB + DEFEAT accept, admit, concede She is very determined, and will never admit defeat. The prime minister conceded defeat and resigned. | face | go down to, slump to, to suffer The team went down to their fifth consecutive defeat. | reverse A skilful politician can always reverse any defeats. | avoid We just need to avoid defeat in our last two matches. | inflict The army inflicted a heavy defeat on rebel forces. | end in | lead to

PREP. ~ against last week's crushing defeat against Manchester United | ~ by their defeat by the French

PHRASES defeat at the hands of sb The team suffered defeat at the hands of their oldest rivals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defeat verb

ADV. comprehensively, convincingly, decisively, easily, heavily, soundly, totally The English were heavily defeated by the Scots in the battle that followed. The proposed bill was decisively defeated in Parliament. | narrowly Our team was narrowly defeated in the final. | eventually, finally, ultimately

PREP. by The motion was defeated by 20 votes to 18.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defective adj.

VERBS be, prove If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation.

ADV. highly, seriously, severely Her vision is seriously defective.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defect noun

ADJ. fundamental, important, major, serious a fundamental defect in the product | minor, slight, small Goods with slight defects are sold at half price. | building, mechanical, structural | birth, congenital, genetic All lambs are checked for birth defects when they are born. | eye, heart, physical, sight, speech, visual | character

VERB + DEFECT contain, have, suffer from The book contains serious defects. He has a congenital heart defect. | find The inspector found defects in the aircraft's construction. | correct, cure, remedy, repair This is a physical defect that cannot be cured. The builders agreed to remedy the structural defects.

PREP. ~ in major defects in the education system | ~ of a defect of her character

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defenceless adj.

VERBS be, feel, lie The city lay defenceless before the most powerful fighting force on the continent. | leave sb They were left virtually defenceless against enemy attack.

ADV. entirely, quite, totally, utterly She felt utterly defenceless. | almost, virtually

PREP. against They were completely defenceless against enemy attack.

PHRASES poor defenceless stealing money from a poor defenceless old lady

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defence noun

¹ action to protect sb/sth from attack

VERB + DEFENCE organize, plan to plan the defence of harbour | come to, leap to, rush to, spring to He always sprang to Rose's defence when Ed tried to criticize her.

PREP. in ~ of to fight in defence of your country | ~ against defence against attacks from the north

PHRASES weapons of defence

² sth that protects sb/sth from sth

ADJ. effective | coastal, sea

VERB + DEFENCE put up They put up an effective defence against the guerrilla forces. | overcome, overwhelm With her tears and angry accusations she completely overwhelmed his defences. | build (up) They are building up defences along the river. | breach The sea breached the coastal defences in a number of spots.

DEFENCE + NOUN mechanism

PREP. ~ against

³ forces, etc. for protecting a country

DEFENCE + NOUN force/forces, system | minister, ministry | policy, strategy | industry | budget, cuts, expenditure, spending

⁴ legal argument

ADJ. good | robust, spirited, strong | adequate | legal

VERB + DEFENCE conduct, make, mount, put up, raise | destroy

DEFENCE + NOUN counsel, lawyer

PREP. in sb's ~ She spoke in his defence. | ~ of, ~ to a defence to murder

PHRASES counsel for the defence

⁵ in sport

ADJ. good, strong, stubborn

VERB + DEFENCE put up | destroy | strengthen

PREP. in ~ to play in defence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defendant noun

VERB + DEFENDANT charge The defendant was charged with disturbing the peace. | sue a defendant being sued by an insurance company | convict, find guilty The defendant was convicted of murder. The jury found the defendant guilty on all counts. | sentence The defendant was sentenced to three years in prison. | acquit, find not guilty | release

DEFENDANT + VERB plead guilty/not guilty

PREP. against the ~ the plaintiff's claim against the defendant | for the ~ Several witnesses gave evidence for the defendant. | ~ in a defendant in bankruptcy proceedings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defend verb

¹ protect against attack

PREP. against

PHRASES heavily defended The city was heavily defended against attack.

² support

ADV. fiercely, hotly, robustly, staunchly, stoutly, strenuously, strongly, vigorously The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce. | publicly

PREP. against She defended her department against accusations of incompetence.

³ in sport/competitions

ADV. successfully

PREP. against The champion successfully defended his title against the American challenger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defensive adj.

¹ protecting against attack

VERBS be

ADV. purely These are purely defensive measures. | essentially, largely a largely defensive campaign

² showing you feel sb is criticizing you

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get Whenever anyone mention women's rights, he gets rather defensive.

ADV. extremely, fiercely, very He did not once glance at his listeners and seemed fiercely defensive. | a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | oddly Her manner was oddly defensive, as he hadn't intended any criticism at all.

PREP. about He is extremely defensive about his work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deference noun

ADJ. great

VERB + DEFERENCE accord, show, treat sb with The actress was accorded all the deference of a visiting celebrity. Why do you treat your boss with such deference?

PREP. in/out of ~ to The traditional menu was changed in deference to Western tastes. | with ~ She spoke with great deference. | ~ to, ~ towards deference towards your elders

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defer verb

ADV. further | indefinitely The decision has been deferred indefinitely.

VERB + DEFER agree to, decide to

PREP. for Sentence was deferred for six months. | pending Diagnosis was deferred pending further assessment. | till/until We agreed to defer discussion of these issues until the next meeting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defiance noun

ADJ. blatant, flagrant, open flagrant defiance of the rules | childish

PREP. in ~ (of) She held up a clenched fist in defiance. They organized a street demonstration in defiance of the government ban. | out of ~ I left the room untidy out of sheer defiance.

PHRASES an act of defiance, a gesture of defiance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defiant adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem | become | remain Despite the criticisms, she remained defiant.

ADV. very | slightly He had a slightly defiant air. | openly Sylvia tossed back her dark hair in a gesture that was openly defiant. | persistently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deficiency noun

ADJ. major, serious, severe | slight, small | dietary, nutritional | enzyme, hormone, mineral, nutrient, vitamin | calcium, iron, etc.

VERB + DEFICIENCY have, suffer from suffering from a severe vitamin deficiency | correct, make good, make up, overcome, remedy I've been prescribed iron tablets to make up the deficiency. An engineer could remedy the deficiencies in the design.

PREP. ~ in serious deficiencies in the health service

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deficient adj.

VERBS be, prove | become

ADV. sadly, seriously, severely, very, woefully An educational system which fails to teach basic arithmetic is seriously deficient. | totally | rather, slightly

PREP. in Their food is deficient in iron.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deficit noun

ADJ. huge, large, massive, serious, substantial | small | net, overall | balance-of-payments, budget, budgetary, financial, fiscal, trade

VERB + DEFICIT face, have, run, show If the government didn't run such huge deficits, the country would not have financial problems. The trade balance shows a deficit of two million pounds. | go into, move into, run up, slip into to prevent the country moving into deficit The company has run up a deficit of £30,000. | cut, eliminate, make up, reduce, tackle, wipe out You cannot cut a budget deficit simply by raising taxes. We will find it hard to make up this deficit. | overcome, overturn United are hoping to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg. | finance, fund The government was forced to sell state-owned companies to fund the budget deficit.

DEFICIT + VERB run at sth a budget deficit running at 7% of GDP | grow, increase, rise, widen | decrease, fall, narrow, shrink

PREP. in ~ The UK remained in deficit with all countries outside the EU. | ~ with the US trade deficit with Japan

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

define verb

ADV. accurately, carefully, correctly, exactly, explicitly, precisely, specifically It is important to define these terms accurately. | clearly, fully, strongly, well | adequately There may be problems if responsibilities are not adequately defined. | ill, poorly | broadly We have chosen to define the scope of our study quite broadly. | loosely, vaguely | closely, narrowly, rigidly, strictly, tightly | simply, solely | easily | formally, officially | traditionally | culturally, geographically, socially the culturally defined role of women | legally

VERB + DEFINE be difficult to, be impossible to | be easy to Social values are not easy to define.

PREP. in terms of The difficulty of a problem was defined in terms of how long it took to complete.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

definition noun

ADJ. careful, clear, concise, exact, precise, unambiguous The term ‘partner’ requires careful definition. The author provides a clear definition of cultural awareness. | comprehensive, exhaustive | adequate, satisfactory | broad, loose, wide | narrow, rigid, strict According to a strict definition, the expenses of a self-employed person can be deducted from tax. | official, statutory The firm falls within the statutory definition of a ‘small company’. | conventional, standard | alternative | working We need a good working definition of ‘pollution’. | dictionary

VERB + DEFINITION give (sb), provide (sb with), offer (sb) | need, require | fit This unusual building barely fits the definition of a house.

DEFINITION + VERB encompass sth, include sth

PREP. according to a/the ~ According to a strict definition of ‘assault’, she was not assaulted. | by ~ A clinic for women would, by definition, deal with pregnancy and childbirth. | under a/the ~ Under the broader definition of ‘poverty’, thousands more people would be included.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deformed adj.

VERBS be | be born | become

ADV. badly, severely She had a badly deformed hand. | slightly | hideously, horribly

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deformity noun

VERB + DEFORMITY have, suffer from

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defunct adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth The long-playing record was made defunct by the arrival of the CD. | consider sth These machines are now considered defunct.

ADV. almost, virtually | largely | sadly He wrote many articles for the now sadly defunct newspaper, the Daily Correspondent. | long, now the ruined buildings of a long defunct mine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

defy verb

ADV. openly openly defying the authorities

VERB + DEFY be prepared to, be ready to Campaigners have said that they are prepared to defy the law in order to achieve their aims. | continue to

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degenerate verb

ADV. rapidly | easily

PREP. into The solemn event rapidly degenerated into farce.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

degrading adj.

VERBS be, seem | find sth He found the work extremely degrading.

ADV. extremely, really, very | rather, slightly the rather degrading conditions in the prison | socially

PREP. to pictures that are degrading to women

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

degree noun

¹ measurement of angles

VERB + DEGREE rotate (through), spin (through), turn (through) The car had spun through 180 degrees on impact.

DEGREE + NOUN angle Place the shelf at a 90 degree angle to the wall.

DEGREE + NOUN through … ~s If you study the sky through 360 degrees you will see a whole range of colours.

² measurement of temperature

VERB + DEGREE reach Temperatures inside the burning building are estimated to have reached 600 degrees centigrade.

PREP. at … ~s Water boils at 100 degrees centigrade.

PHRASES degrees above/below zero, degrees Celsius/centigrade/Fahrenheit, minus 10, 20, etc. degrees

³ amount/level

ADJ. considerable, exceptional, extraordinary, great, high, large, remarkable, substantial, surprising, unusual, the utmost the utmost degree of freedom | fair, moderate, modest It was possible to date these remains with a fair degree of accuracy. | low, minimal, slight, small He would try anything to make her even the smallest degree happier. | lesser The tax changes will especially hit those on high incomes and, to a lesser degree, small businesses. | varying keen amateurs who work hard, with varying degrees of success | alarming, dangerous, extreme His arguments are simplistic to an extreme degree. | acceptable, adequate, meaningful, real, significant The book fails to answer the question with any acceptable degree of certainty. | appropriate, necessary, proper, requisite, right | unacceptable

PREP. in … ~s The party leaders were all found to be corrupt in varying degrees. | of … ~ employees of various degrees of ability | to a … ~ The boss sometimes follows her instincts to a dangerous degree. | with a … ~ of We all tried to find out about the bus service, with varying degrees of success. | ~ of There is a degree of risk in any sport.

PHRASES by (slow) degrees By slow degrees, the company's turnover dwindled to nothing. | in (an) equal degree I felt excitement and sadness in equal degree as I waved goodbye to my colleagues. | a greater or lesser degree We were all disappointed to a greater or lesser degree. | to the nth degree (= to an extreme degree) The children tested her patience to the nth degree.

⁴ qualification

VERB + DEGREE have, hold | do, take He took a degree in law then joined a law firm. | be awarded, gain, get, obtain, receive | award sb, confer on sb The university conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.

DEGREE + NOUN course, level

PREP. ~ in a degree in economics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dehydration noun

ADJ. severe He died from severe dehydration.

VERB + DEHYDRATION suffer from | die from/of | cause | avoid

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deity noun

VERB + DEITY worship a tribe that worshipped two main deities

PHRASES the incarnation/manifestation/representation of a deity Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dejected adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look She looked sorrowful and dejected. | become, grow

ADV. completely, thoroughly, totally, utterly They were thoroughly dejected and miserable. | rather

PREP. about feeling rather dejected about the future

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delay noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, lengthy, long, major, serious, significant, substantial After a considerable delay, the government has agreed to accept the recommendations. | excessive, inordinate, undue, unnecessary Undue delays have been caused by people not doing their jobs properly. | inevitable, unavoidable | short, slight | unforeseen | frustrating | further | airport, flight, traffic, travel | time There is a five-minute time delay on the bank's safe.

QUANT. series After a series of lengthy delays, the case finally came to court.

VERB + DELAY be subject to Flights to New York may be subject to delay. | be plagued by, experience, face, suffer Passengers have experienced long delays. The project has been plagued by delays. | cause, lead to The strike has led to some delays in train services. | avoid, prevent, reduce Please address your letters properly so as to reduce delays. | apologize for I apologize for the delay in replying to you.

DELAY + VERB occur Travellers complained about lack of information when travel delays occurred.

PREP. without ~ Please send him the information without delay. | ~ in delays in getting to the airport | ~ of a delay of several weeks | ~ to further delays to the scheme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delay verb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delegate noun

ADJ. conference, congress, convention | government, party, trade union

VERB + DELEGATE elect | send They decided not to send a delegate to the conference.

DELEGATE + VERB attend (sth) No fewer than 2,000 delegates attended the conference.

PREP. ~ from a delegate from the local Labour party | ~ to the British delegate to the United Nations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delegation noun

¹ people who represent a company, country, etc.

ADJ. large, small | high-level, high-powered, high-ranking, important | international | all-party, joint The prime minister met with an all-party delegation from the city council. | government, military, official, parliamentary, trade union | business, peace, trade

VERB + DELEGATION send | head, lead A well-known academic will head the delegation. | form | invite The government invited an international delegation to inspect the plant. | meet

DELEGATION + VERB represent sth a delegation representing the new regime | include sth The delegation included representatives from nine nations. | visit sb/sth The delegation will visit several Middle Eastern countries for talks | meet sb | walk out The British delegation walked out of the discussions in protest.

PREP. in a/the ~ all the ministers in the delegation | ~ from an official delegation from Austria | ~ of a high-powered delegation of Asian businessmen

PHRASES the chairman/head/leader of a delegation, a member of a delegation

² giving a job to sb with a lower rank

ADJ. effective, successful All managers should learn effective delegation.

PREP. by ~ Many of these tasks can be dealt with by delegation. | ~ of delegation of responsibility

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delete verb

ADV. accidentally, by mistake, inadvertently | automatically

PREP. from His name will be deleted from the list.

PHRASES delete as appropriate Mr/Mrs/Ms (delete as appropriate)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deliberation noun

¹ careful consideration/discussion of sth

ADJ. careful After careful deliberation, it was agreed to abandon the project. | considerable | lengthy, long

PREP. ~ about/on your deliberations on his future

² speaking/moving slowly and carefully

ADJ. calm, cool, quiet, slow | great

PREP. with ~ With slow deliberation, he tore the letter into pieces.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delicacy noun

¹ rare and expensive type of food

ADJ. great | exotic, rare | local Have you tried any of the local delicacies?

VERB + DELICACY be considered The eggs of this bird are considered a great delicacy. | sample, try

² care and sensitivity/requiring care and sensitivity

ADJ. extreme, great, utmost He handled the situation with extreme delicacy.

PREP. with ~ These objects are very old and should be treated with great delicacy.

PHRASES a matter of (some) delicacy

³ lightness and gentleness

ADJ. exquisite the exquisite delicacy of the embroidery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delicate adj.

VERBS be, feel, look The glasses looked very delicate. Her bones felt as delicate as a bird's. | become

ADV. extremely, very | quite, rather, somewhat a rather delicate child This is a somewhat delicate subject. | surprisingly He had a surprisingly delicate touch. | politically a politically delicate situation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delicious adj.

VERBS be, look, smell, sound, taste The recipe sounds delicious. The beef tasted delicious.

ADV. most, really, truly The meal was really delicious. | absolutely, quite | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delighted adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem

ADV. greatly, highly, only too, really Mrs Cartwright said she would be only too delighted to present the prizes. | absolutely, quite | clearly, obviously, plainly | secretly ‘Poor Gloria, ’ she said, although she was secretly delighted. | genuinely

PREP. at They were highly delighted at the court's decision. | by I'm delighted by your news. | with He's really delighted with his new CD player.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delightful adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. most, really It has been a most delightful evening. | absolutely, entirely, quite, truly

PHRASES delightful little It was a delightful little fishing village.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delight noun

¹ feeling of great pleasure

VERB + DELIGHT express | find, take She took evident delight in frightening the children with horror stories. | give sb | scream with, squeal with, whoop with Alice squealed with sheer delight when she saw the monkeys. | be greeted with The news was greeted with great delight.

PREP. in/with ~ We danced around with childish delight. | of ~ She gave a whoop of delight and dived into the water. | to your ~ To my great delight, they phoned and offered me the job. | ~ at He expressed his delight at seeing us all again. | ~ in I find a perverse delight in listening to traffic.

PHRASES a cry/gasp/squeal of delight, much to sb's delight Much to the delight of the crowd, the band came back and did three encores.

² sth that gives great pleasure

ADJ. real | constant, continual The baby was a constant delight and source of amazement. | unexpected | culinary, gastronomic

VERB + DELIGHT explore, sample | enjoy, savour Savour the culinary delights of Morocco.

PREP. to The old lady's reminiscences were a continual delight to Constance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delivery noun

¹ act of delivering sth

ADJ. express, fast, immediate, prompt, quick | late | morning, next-day | recorded, scheduled, special Ensure all photographic material is properly packed and sent by recorded delivery. | guaranteed guaranteed express delivery to over 170 countries | safe | mail, milk, newspaper All mail deliveries were suspended during the strike. | service The cuts will inevitably impact on service delivery.

VERB + DELIVERY do, make We do all our deliveries in the mornings. | accept, take The government has now taken delivery of the new fighter planes.

DELIVERY + NOUN van | date, schedule, time | boy, man He was employed at the local grocery store as a delivery boy. | charge | service

PREP. for ~ completed orders for delivery | on ~ Please pay the driver on delivery. | ~ to The company offers free delivery to your home.

² goods delivered

ADJ. large, small

VERB + DELIVERY get, receive The shop receives only one delivery of books per week.

³ giving birth to a baby

VERB + DELIVERY have She had a very easy delivery with her second child.

DELIVERY + NOUN room

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deliver verb

¹ goods/letters

ADV. free of charge The company will deliver free of charge. | by hand The package had been delivered by hand.

PREP. to The letter was delivered to his office.

PHRASES have sth delivered You can either collect the goods or have them delivered.

² baby

ADV. safely The baby was delivered safely on Tuesday night. | by Caesarean (section)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

delusion noun

ADJ. dangerous | foolish I thought the whole idea was just a foolish and dangerous delusion. | paranoid

VERB + DELUSION get, have, suffer (from) The psychiatrist said she was suffering from paranoid delusions.

PREP. under a/the ~ He seemed to be under the delusion that he would make his fortune within a few years. | ~ about He had no delusions about his feelings for Kate. | ~ of She had delusions of persecution.

PHRASES delusions of grandeur (= a belief that you are more important than you actually are) Don't go getting delusions of grandeur.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demanding adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, get

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly, pretty, quite | physically, technically a technically demanding piece of music to play

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demand noun

¹ firm request

ADJ. legitimate, realistic, reasonable I think your demand for higher wages is perfectly reasonable. | unrealistic, unreasonable | radical | urgent | central, key, main, major | fresh, new, renewed There have been renewed demands for the government to take action to reduce crime. | growing, increasing | final A final demand for payment had been issued. | written | financial, political | government, opposition, popular, public, royal, union The management had no intention of meeting union demands. | pay, ransom, tax, wage A ransom demand has been made for the kidnapped racehorse.

VERB + DEMAND issue, make, present, press, put forward Demands have been made for the immediate distribution of food to the refugees. | renew, repeat, step up Campaigners have stepped up their demands for immediate government action. | face | respond to | agree to, give in to, meet, satisfy, yield to My government cannot give in to the demands of an illegal organization. | reject, resist

PREP. on ~ Campaigners insist that abortion should be available on demand. | ~ for, ~ from demands from the opposition for a recount of the votes

² need/desire for goods/services

ADJ. big, buoyant, considerable, enormous, great, heavy, high, huge, insatiable, peak, strong, unprecedented Demand for the product is buoyant. There's always a great demand for our soups in winter. | burgeoning, growing, increased/increasing, rising | excess, extra | constant, steady She is in constant demand to make public appearances and give interviews. | changing, fluctuating, seasonal | current, future | latent, likely, pent-up, potential, projected, prospective | overall, total We can estimate that total market demand for electrical goods will rise by 8%. | declining, falling, limited, low, reduced, sluggish | consumer, customer, market, popular, public By popular demand, the play will run for another week. | domestic, export, foreign, local, world, worldwide The slowdown in domestic demand was offset by an increase in exports. | electricity, energy, housing, labour, etc.

QUANT. level a high level of demand

VERB + DEMAND cope with, meet, satisfy The factories are staying open all weekend to try to meet the consumer demand for this product. | create, generate It is the job of the marketing manager to create demand for the new product. | boost, increase, stimulate | reduce | exceed, outstrip Supply normally exceeds demand for the bulk of consumer goods. | forecast It can be difficult to forecast demand in the construction industry. | manage policies aimed at managing demand

DEMAND + VERB grow, increase, rise Demand for personal computers has risen sharply. | decline, fall, slow (down) As demand slows, the need to export will return.

PREP. in ~ These old machines are still in demand. | ~ among the potential demand among children | ~ for increased demand for health products | ~ from the demand from consumers | ~ on This section of the population makes a high demand on health care resources.

PHRASES supply and demand the law of supply and demand > Special page at BUSINESS

³ demands: difficult/tiring things you have to do

ADJ. considerable, enormous, excessive, extra, great, heavy, high, impossible I think the demands of this job are excessive. | exacting, pressing | growing, increasing | competing, conflicting, contradictory | day-to-day, everyday the day-to-day demands of the job | immediate the need for scientific research freed from the immediate demands of industry | external The person who cannot say ‘no’ to others' requests is likely to be overwhelmed by external demands. | economic, emotional, financial, physical, practical, sexual, social, technical Life is hard for nurses on children's wards, where the emotional demands can be overwhelming.

VERB + DEMAND impose, make, place My elderly parents make a lot of demands on me. | respond to | cope with coping with the conflicting demands of work and family life

PREP. ~ on/upon My work seems to make more and more demands on my time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demand verb

ADV. aggressively, angrily, coldly, fiercely, furiously, harshly, indignantly, irritably, roughly, sharply ‘Where are the keys?’ she demanded angrily.

PREP. from He had demanded money from her. | of They failed to provide the information demanded of them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demise noun

VERB + DEMISE bring about, contribute to, lead to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

democracy noun

ADJ. genuine, true | political | constitutional, parliamentary | multi-party | Western

VERB + DEMOCRACY believe in, support people who believe in true democracy | fight for | establish | restore The military regime has promised to restore democracy soon.

PREP. in a/the ~ We live in a multi-party democracy.

PHRASES pro-democracy a pro-democracy demonstration in the capital | the road to democracy the need to overcome political apathy and advance on the road to democracy | the spread of democracy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

democratic adj.

¹ favouring/practising democracy

VERBS be | become | remain There have been major changes in the constitution, but the system remains democratic.

ADV. genuinely, truly | fully, thoroughly a fully democratic society | fairly, quite, reasonably They have a fairly democratic form of government. | dangerously In 1776 these were considered dangerously democratic principles.

² being fair to different sides

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite, reasonably I think it was a reasonably democratic decision.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demolition noun

VERB + DEMOLITION be due for, be threatened with The church has been threatened with demolition for years. | prevent, save sth from They started a campaign to save the houses from demolition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demonstrate verb

¹ show

ADV. amply, beyond doubt, clearly, conclusively, convincingly, successfully, well Our study demonstrates beyond doubt that the play was written by Shakespeare. | adequately | further | easily | elegantly, neatly | empirically, experimentally | graphically, vividly This tragedy graphically demonstrates the dangers of walking on the fells after dark.

PREP. to The prime minister must demonstrate to the country that he is really in control of his government.

² protest

ADV. peacefully

PREP. against Campaigners were demonstrating against the slaughter of dolphins. | for Their objective was to demonstrate peacefully for civil rights.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demonstration noun

¹ public protest/march

VERB + DEMONSTRATION hold, organize, stage Taxi drivers staged a demonstration against the new law. | go on, join, participate in, take part in | call off The demonstration was called off at the last minute. | break up, disperse Police in riot gear dispersed the demonstration. | ban, suppress | provoke, spark (off) The minister does not wish to provoke further demonstrations.

DEMONSTRATION + VERB take place | call for sth demonstrations calling for an end to sanctions | greet The visiting president was greeted by hostile demonstrations.

PREP. at a/the ~ police intervention at demonstrations | during a/the ~ Hundreds were arrested during demonstrations in the capital. | ~ against, ~ in protest at demonstrations in protest at the arrests | ~ in favour of, ~ in support of student demonstrations in favour of a multi-party system

² showing/explaining sth

ADJ. physical, practical physical demonstrations of affection | cookery, product, etc.

VERB + DEMONSTRATION do, give sb I'll give a quick demonstration of some knitting techniques. | watch

³ sth that shows clearly that sth is true

ADJ. clear, convincing, dramatic, impressive, perfect, vivid The strike was a dramatic demonstration of the power of the workforce.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demonstrator noun

ADJ. angry Angry demonstrators threw stones. | peaceful | anti-government, pro-democracy, etc.

QUANT. crowd, group Police opened fire on a crowd of peaceful demonstrators.

VERB + DEMONSTRATOR disperse Troops were brought in to disperse the demonstrators. | clash with, fire on, open fire on, use sth against Water cannon and tear gas were used against the demonstrators.

DEMONSTRATOR + VERB gather The demonstrators had gathered in the cathedral square. | march Demonstrators marched on the parliament building. | protest demonstrators protesting against the lack of housing | call for sth, demand sth demonstrators calling for the removal of the government | disperse The demonstrators dispersed when the soldiers arrived. | attack sb, clash with sb Demonstrators clashed with government soldiers in the country's ca | storm sth Demonstrators then tried to storm the police headquarters.

PHRASES clashes between police and demonstrators

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

demon noun

ADJ. evil tales of travellers attacked by evil demons

VERB + DEMON be plagued by, be possessed by He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. The villagers believed the girl was possessed by demons. | be pursued by He fled as if pursued by demons. | cast out, exorcise an ancient ritual to exorcise demons

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

denial noun

ADJ. firm, strong, vehement, vigorous When I asked if she had cheated in the exam, she answered with a vehement denial. | explicit The document contains an explicit denial that the company ever sold arms. | government, official Despite official denials, it appears the government did make a deal with the terrorists.

VERB + DENIAL issue, make The chairman of the company issued a denial of the allegations. Jefferson made no denial of his actions on that night.

PREP. ~ from a denial from senior officials

PHRASES a chorus of denials His question was greeted with a chorus of denials.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

denounce verb

ADV. angrily, bitterly, fiercely, strongly | publicly He was publicly denounced as a traitor. | formally

PREP. for The government was bitterly denounced for the emergency measures. | to Someone in the village must have denounced them to the authorities.

PHRASES be widely denounced These new regulations have been widely denounced.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

density noun

ADJ. high, low | average an average density of 2.4 people per hectare | population, traffic The population density in this city is very high.

VERB + DENSITY calculate, measure

DENSITY + VERB change, vary | increase, rise | decrease, fall

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dentist noun

ADJ. good | qualified, registered | NHS, private

VERB + DENTIST register with She couldn't get treatment because she wasn't registered with the dentist. > Note at DOCTOR(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dentures noun

ADJ. ill-fitting

QUANT. set a new set of dentures

VERB + DENTURES have in, wear She doesn't wear her dentures at night. | put in | remove, take out Remember to clean your dentures after you take them out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dent noun

ADJ. big, great, large | considerable, serious, severe, significant (all figurative) The latest health scare has made a very considerable dent in the sales of beef. | little, slight, small

VERB + DENT leave, make The impact of the stones made little dents in the metal. | have

PREP. ~ in My side of the car had a large dent in it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dent verb

¹ make a dent in sth

ADV. badly The car was quite badly dented on one side. | slightly

² damage sth

ADV. badly, seriously, severely Being turned down for the job dented his pride quite badly. The appearance of these cheap goods from abroad has severely dented the company's sales. | slightly

VERB + DENT fail to The experience failed to dent her confidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

denunciation noun

ADJ. angry, bitter, fierce, violent | public

VERB + DENUNCIATION issue, make In his speech, he made a fierce denunciation of government policy.

PREP. ~ of a public denunciation of the corrupt system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deny verb

¹ say sth is not true

ADV. emphatically, fiercely, firmly, hotly, strenuously, strongly, vehemently, vigorously Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. | angrily, indignantly | categorically, flatly He has categorically denied being involved in the fraud. | explicitly, expressly | implicitly | formally | publicly | immediately, promptly | simply If anyone accuses me I shall simply deny it. | consistently, repeatedly He has consistently denied murdering his estranged wife.

VERB + DENY cannot You can't deny that it seems a very attractive idea. | try to I know it was you I saw, so there's no use trying to deny it.

PHRASES no one could/would deny that No one would deny that there is a very great need for change. | there is no denying sth There is no denying the fact that she is an excellent scholar.

² refuse sb sth

ADV. cruelly They were cruelly denied victory by an injury-time strike from Owen. | effectively Children could be compelled to work on the farm, effectively denying them schooling.

PREP. to You cannot deny this opportunity to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

department noun

¹ of a government

ADJ. government | education, health, social services, etc. | fire, police The Tokyo police department is clamping down on organized crime.

DEPARTMENT + NOUN official, spokesman, spokesperson, spokeswoman, staff

PREP. ~ of the Department of the Environment

² of an organization

ADJ. accident and emergency, casualty, outpatient, physiotherapy | design, finance, marketing, personnel, planning, publicity, sales, etc. | biology, English, maths, etc.

VERB + DEPARTMENT manage, run Staff criticized the way the history department was run.

DEPARTMENT + NOUN head, manager, staff

PREP. in a/the ~ Complaints are dealt with in a different department. | within a/the ~ to gain promotion within the department | ~ of the Department of Town Planning

PHRASES the head of (a) department, a member of a department

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

departure noun

¹ leaving/going away from a place

ADJ. abrupt, sudden Everyone was a bit puzzled by her sudden departure. | hasty, speedy | early | imminent, impending The guard blew his whistle to warn of the train's imminent departure. | flight The last check-in time is 45 minutes before flight departure.

VERB + DEPARTURE make He made a hasty departure. | hasten Her row with the MD probably hastened her departure. | delay

DEPARTURE + NOUN point Atocha station was the departure point for our tour. | date | gate, lounge We sat in the departure lounge waiting for our flight to be called.

PREP. before ~, prior to ~ You should receive your flight tickets at least a week prior to departure. | on ~ All visitors must sign the book on arrival and again on departure. | ~ for his departure for Naples | ~ from her departure from London

PHRASES the day/time of departure, the point of departure (figurative) The author takes Freud's dream theories as the point of departure for his essay.

² sth different from what is usual/expected

ADJ. fresh, new | dramatic, fundamental, major, radical, revolutionary, significant

VERB + DEPARTURE be, mark, represent

PREP. ~ from This document marks a radical departure from earlier recommendations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depart verb

VERB + DEPART be due to, be scheduled to The plane was scheduled to depart at 8.30. | be waiting to | prepare to They shook hands all round and prepared to depart.

PREP. for He departs for New York tomorrow morning. | from We depart from Heathrow at ten o'clock tonight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dependable adj.

VERBS be, seem | find sb I find him very dependable.

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, totally, utterly She is loyal and totally dependable. | not entirely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dependence noun

¹ needing sb's help/support

ADJ. great, heavy a heavy dependence on imported materials | absolute, complete, total his total dependence on his family | continuing, growing, increased, increasing The country has a growing dependence on foreign aid. | excessive | mutual Their relationship is based on a strong mutual dependence. | economic, financial | emotional, physical, psychological

VERB + DEPENDENCE have | reduce The government wants to reduce industry's dependence on coal.

PREP. ~ on/upon her economic dependence on her husband

² being addicted to sth

ADJ. alcohol, drug, nicotine, etc.

PREP. ~ on dependence on alcohol

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dependent adj.

¹ needing sb/sth

VERBS be, feel | become | remain

ADV. closely, deeply, greatly, heavily, highly, very Many of the patients are closely dependent on staff for day-to-day emotional support. The country is heavily dependent on oil and gas imports. | critically, crucially Modern science is critically dependent on high-performance computing. | absolutely, completely, entirely, solely, totally, utterly, wholly Jane had never met anyone so utterly dependent. The land is dry and wholly dependent on irrigation. | increasingly | essentially, largely, mainly | partially, partly 34% of people in the survey were at least partially dependent on public transport. | directly | mutually The various organs of the body do not function in isolation but are mutually dependent. | economically, financially | emotionally

PREP. on/upon Small firms are dependent upon the local economy.

² dependent on/upon: influenced/decided by sth

VERBS be

ADV. strongly | entirely, solely, totally The amount of benefit you receive is entirely dependent on the amount you have paid in. | essentially, largely, mainly Your access to a good education is largely dependent on where you live. | partially, partly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depend verb PHRASAL VERBS depend on/upon sb/sth

¹ be affected by sth

ADV. crucially, greatly, very much The future of the company will depend crucially on how consumers respond. | entirely, solely | largely, mainly | partly, rather, to some extent | ultimately Whether or not we can go ultimately depends on the weather.

VERB + DEPEND seem to The outcome seems to depend on the type of soil used.

² need

ADV. heavily | entirely, solely

PREP. for She depends entirely on her parents for money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depict verb

ADV. vividly The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deplete verb

ADV. heavily, seriously, severely Both teams were severely depleted by injuries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depletion noun

ADJ. rapid | serious, severe, significant | resource | oxygen, ozone, etc.

VERB + DEPLETION cause, lead to Increased consumption of water has led to rapid depletion of groundwater reserves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deployment noun

ADJ. effective, efficient | rapid | full Without the full deployment of resources, we cannot achieve our aims. | staff | military, troop

VERB + DEPLOYMENT be available for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deploy verb

ADV. effectively Tanks were deployed effectively during the long campaign.

PREP. against She rejected the arguments that had been deployed against her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deportation noun

ADJ. mass the mass deportation of refugees | forced

VERB + DEPORTATION be threatened with, face | recommend sb for The Home Secretary has recommended the two drug dealers for deportation.

DEPORTATION + NOUN order The government issued a deportation order against the four men.

PHRASES the threat of deportation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deport verb

ADV. forcibly

PREP. (back) to Many refugees were forcibly deported back to the countries they had come from. | from He was deported from Britain last week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deposit noun

¹ money paid into a bank account

ADJ. bank, building society Building society deposits have increased by 2.3%. | cash | dollar, sterling, etc.

VERB + DEPOSIT make She made a deposit of £60 into her account.

DEPOSIT + NOUN account

² money which is the first payment for sth

VERB + DEPOSIT pay, put down

PREP. ~ on We've put down the deposit on our new car.

³ money paid when you rent sth

ADJ. refundable, returnable All deposits for holiday cottages are refundable.

VERB + DEPOSIT give (sb), leave (sb), pay (sb) You have to pay a deposit of £100 as well as two months' rent. | get back You'll get back your deposit once we've checked the bikes are all right. | forfeit, lose If furniture is damaged, you will forfeit your deposit.

PREP. ~ on I had to leave a £50 deposit on the bike.

⁴ layer of sth

ADJ. large | rich | thick, thin The floods left a thick deposit of mud over the fields. | gas, mineral, ore, etc. an area with large mineral deposits | geological, glacial, sedimentary

VERB + DEPOSIT have The region has many deposits of valuable oil. | leave

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depot noun

ADJ. distribution, storage, supply | freight, goods | arms, fuel, gas, etc. an explosion at an arms depot | bus, tram on its way back to the bus depot

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depreciate verb

ADV. quickly, rapidly

VERB + DEPRECIATE be expected to, be likely to

PREP. against Sterling is expected to depreciate against the dollar. | by The rupee depreciated by 9 per cent.

PHRASES depreciate in value Cars depreciate in value fairly rapidly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depressed adj.

¹ unhappy/mentally ill

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get You mustn't let yourself get depressed | remain, stay

ADV. acutely, deeply, extremely, really, severely, terribly, very She became severely depressed after her mother's death. | thoroughly | increasingly | a bit, a little, mildly, quite, rather, slightly | clinically, suicidally There is medical evidence to show that he is suicidal and clinically depressed.

PREP. about She's terribly depressed about losing her job. | by I was depressed by our lack of progress.

² not economically successful

VERBS be | become | remain, stay

ADV. badly, severely, very The shipping trade was badly depressed. | relatively | economically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depressing adj.

VERBS be | become, get | find sth

ADV. deeply, extremely, profoundly, really, very We found it a deeply depressing experience. | infinitely I find politics infinitely depressing: none of the parties appeal to me. | a bit, faintly, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depression noun

¹ unhappiness/mental illness

QUANT. bout, fit, period The actor says he suffers frequent bouts of depression. In a fit of depression, she threw away all her favourite books. A period of acute depression can sometimes follow childbirth.

VERB + DEPRESSION develop, fall into, go into, succumb to She fell into a black depression and refused to leave her room. | experience, have, suffer (from) She was diagnosed as having clinical depression. | be treated for His wife had left him and he was being treated for depression. | come out of, get over She was gradually coming out of her depression. | cause, lead to Bereavement can often lead to depression. | relieve, treat a new drug used to treat depression

DEPRESSION + VERB deepen | lift Her depression has lifted now.

PREP. in ~ He may have killed himself in depression. | with ~ He's been off work for months with depression.

PHRASES (a) cause for depression These results should not be a cause for depression. | the depths of depression I was in the depths of depression after receiving my exam results. | feelings of depression, the onset of depression The onset of depression often follows a traumatic event. | a state of depression He was in a state of acute depression. | symptoms of depression, treatment for depression She had been receiving medical treatment for depression. > Special page at ILLNESS

² period of reduced economic activity

ADJ. great, major, serious, severe | economic The country is experiencing a severe economic depression.

VERB + DEPRESSION be in the grip of, experience | go into The housing market has gone into depression. | face

DEPRESSION + VERB deepen The depression seems to be deepening. | end

PREP. during/in a/the ~ Many people lost their jobs in the great depression of the 1930s.

PHRASES the depths of a depression, a period of depression periods of severe economic depression

³ hollow part in the surface of sth

ADJ. shallow, slight | deep

PREP. ~ in, ~ on From the air, the photos show a shallow depression on the planet's surface.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deprivation noun

VERB + DEPRIVATION experience, suffer Many of the people suffered terrible deprivation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deprived adj.

VERBS be, feel

ADV. extremely, severely, terribly, very | totally | relatively | economically, emotionally, materially, socially emotionally deprived children

PREP. of children who are deprived of love

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

depth noun

ADJ. considerable, great going down to great depths below the surface Younger students cannot be expected to have great depth of understanding. | shallow Water normally moves more slowly at shallower depths. | abyssal the abyssal depths of the ocean | black, dark, murky | surprising, unexpected the unexpected depth of his feelings for her | emotional music of great emotional depth

PREP. at ~ The camera must be strong enough to resist the immense water pressure at depth. | at/from/to a ~ of These fish are found at a depth of over 100 metres. | at/from/to a … ~ The clam burrows in the sand to a considerable depth. | in ~ I studied phonology in depth at university. | out of your ~ I don't like going out of my depth in the sea. | ~s of The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.

PHRASES the depths (of the ocean/sea) sharks lurking in the murky grey depths of the sea | depth of emotion/feeling The demonstration showed the depth of feeling against the war. | the ocean depths

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deputation noun

VERB + DEPUTATION organize | send They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain. | meet, receive

PREP. ~ from The managing director agreed to receive a deputation from the factory. | ~ of A deputation of 40 strikers was organized.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deputy noun

¹ second most important person

ADJ. acting | former a former deputy chairman of the Democratic Party

VERB + DEPUTY appoint (sb as) A new deputy has not yet been appointed. | act as

DEPUTY + NOUN chair, chairman, director, governor, head, leader, manager, minister, president, etc. He was appointed deputy head of the school.

PREP. ~ to She is acting as deputy to the chairman of the board.

² member of a parliament

ADJ. congressional, parliamentary 133 of the parliamentary deputies voted against the treaty. | opposition | right-wing, socialist, etc.

VERB + DEPUTY elect Three women were among the 77 deputies elected.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deranged adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. a bit, slightly | mentally They took her into hospital because she was mentally deranged.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

derelict adj.

VERBS be, lie, look, seem, stand The land lay derelict for ten years. | become | make sth The houses were made derelict by the fire.

ADV. totally | almost, virtually | partially, partly a partially derelict mill

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

derive verb

PREP. from We can derive some comfort from this fact.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

descendant noun

ADJ. direct, lineal Quechua, the lineal descendant of the Inca language | collateral | immediate | distant, remote He was an O'Conor and a distant descendant of the last High King of Ireland.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

descend verb

¹ move downwards

ADV. quickly, rapidly | slowly

² lead downwards

ADV. sharply, steeply | gently, gradually

PREP. into, to The path descends steeply to the village.

³ be descended from sb/sth: be related to sb/sth

ADV. directly The breed is almost directly descended from the Eurasian wild boar.

VERB + DESCEND claim to He claims to be descended from a Spanish prince.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

descent noun

¹ movement down

VERB + DESCENT make

PREP. on/during a/the ~ The engines failed on the plane's descent to Orly. | ~ down I made a slow and painful descent down the stairs. | ~ from the descent from the top of the mountain | ~ into (figurative) his descent into alcoholism | ~ to The plane began its gentle descent to Heathrow.

PHRASES a rate of descent We slowed the balloon's rate of descent.

² surface that goes downwards

ADJ. gentle | steep

³ family origins

ADJ. direct, lineal She claims direct descent from Queen Victoria. | common Most European languages have a common descent. | mixed | Chinese, Irish, etc.

VERB + DESCENT claim, have | trace | share groups sharing common descent

PREP. by ~ She is Hungarian by descent. | ~ from He claims to have traced descent from Christopher Columbus.

PHRASES a line of descent Humans and other apes followed separate lines of descent from a common ancestor. | of Mexican, Scottish, etc. descent She is of mixed European and African descent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

describe verb

ADV. accurately, exactly, in detail Their daily lives are described in detail. | fully This process is fully described in section three of the book. | adequately | briefly He described briefly what happened. | vividly

VERB + DESCRIBE cannot Words cannot describe our feelings at that moment. | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | go on to He goes on to describe very vividly how Caesar was stabbed to death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

description noun

ADJ. complete, comprehensive, detailed, full The catalogue gives a full description of each product. | accurate, apt, exact, excellent, fair, fitting, good, perfect ‘Like a fish out of water’ was an apt description of how I felt in my new job. | vivid a vivid description of life in Ancient Rome | graphic, lurid She gave us a lurid description of the birth. | lengthy, long | brief, short | basic, simple | vague | objective A report is generally an objective description rather than a statement of opinion. | physical | job There was no mention of any cleaning in my job description.

VERB + DESCRIPTION give (sb), issue, provide (sb with) Police have issued a description of the gunman. She was able to provide a description of the intruder. | fit A man fitting your description was seen entering the building. | beggar, defy His face was so odd that it defies description.

DESCRIPTION + VERB apply to sb, fit sb I realized to my horror that the description of the killer fitted me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

descriptive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very a highly descriptive account of her journey through Africa | entirely, purely The passage is purely descriptive. | merely, simply | essentially, largely, mainly

PREP. of The terms are descriptive of strong emotion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deserted adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become

ADV. completely, quite, totally, utterly The streets were completely deserted. | almost, virtually | largely | apparently | temporarily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desert noun

ADJ. arid, barren, dry green fields surrounded by arid desert | vast | inhospitable | Arctic, polar | cultural (figurative) The theatre and cinema closed and the town became a cultural desert.

VERB + DESERT become, turn into/to The land loses its protective cover of vegetation and soon turns into desert. | cross He became the first person to cross the desert on foot.

DESERT + VERB stretch The desert stretched for endless miles on all sides of us.

PREP. across/through the ~ their journey across the desert | in the ~ cold nights in the desert | into the ~ He drove off into the desert.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deserve verb

ADV. certainly, really, surely You really deserve a medal! | justly, richly, rightly, truly He finally received the recognition that he so richly deserved. | fully, thoroughly This hotel fully deserves its four-star grading. | hardly, scarcely It's true she made a mistake but she hardly deserves to lose her job.

PREP. for She deserves some reward for all her hard work.

PHRASES deserve better His work received only a tiny mention in the journal; he deserves better. | well deserved At last she managed to have a well-deserved rest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deserving adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. eminently, very | fairly | equally All the causes seem equally deserving.

PREP. of the areas most deserving of study

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

designate verb

ADV. formally, officially The area has now been formally designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. | specially | clearly

PREP. for These areas have been specially designated for children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

designer noun

ADJ. good, talented | professional | chief, senior the company's chief fashion designer | dress, fashion, furniture, garden, graphic, industrial, interior, landscape, program, set, software, system/systems, textile, theatre They brought in an interior designer to suggest colour schemes for the house. She works as a set designer for the Royal Opera House.

VERB + DESIGNER bring in

DESIGNER + NOUN clothes, fashion | label, name > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

design noun

¹ making drawings of how sth should be made

ADJ. graphic | computer-aided a specialist in computer-aided design | architectural, industrial, interior

PHRASES art and design I'm doing a course in art and design.

² the way sth is made/a drawing of this

VERB + DESIGN come up with, create, produce He's come up with a really good design for a solar-powered car. | follow, use We followed the traditional design.

DESIGN + NOUN feature The latest model incorporates some novel design features. | concept, idea, solution The architect put forward two alternative design concepts for the new library. | brief, requirements, specifications The chair she had sketched was far bigger than stipulated in the design brief. | fault | award The car wouldn't win any design awards, but it's very reliable.

PREP. in ~ The machine is quite simple in design. | of … ~ a vehicle of revolutionary design | to a … ~ The other houses are built to a more conventional design. | ~ for the architect's designs for the cathedral

PHRASES at the design stage Their new car is still at the design stage.

³ pattern that decorates sth

ADJ. elaborate, intricate | simple | abstract, circular, floral, geometric, symmetrical

VERB + DESIGN have The building has intricate geometric designs on several of the walls.

⁴ intention

ADJ. evil, sinister | grand His grand design was to connect up every academic institution in the world.

VERB + DESIGN harbour, have I suspected that he had some sinister designs.

PREP. by ~ Had it happened by accident or by design?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

design verb

ADV. carefully, cleverly These shelves have been designed very cleverly to fit into corners. | specially, specifically They run specially designed courses for managers.

PREP. for The instruments are designed for use in very cold conditions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desirable adj.

¹ to be wished for

VERBS be, seem | become | consider sth, deem sth, feel sth, regard/see/view sth as, think sth A new direction was felt desirable for both parties. This kind of work is seen as desirable.

ADV. eminently, extremely, highly, very Experience of computers is highly desirable. | wholly | clearly, obviously It is clearly desirable that domestic and European law should be compatible. | inherently | theoretically | economically, morally, politically, socially

² causing sexual desire

VERBS be | become | find sb

ADV. extremely, intensely, very He found her intensely desirable. | infinitely | sexually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desire noun

ADJ. burning, deep, great, strong, urgent | insatiable, overwhelming Most children have an insatiable desire for knowledge. | genuine, real | natural | sexual

VERB + DESIRE feel, have I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to laugh | express The chairman expressed his desire to expand the company. | satisfy | be motivated by They were motivated by a deep desire for money and fame.

PREP. ~ for Horses need to satisfy their desire for space and freedom.

PHRASES an object of desire He felt he was nothing more to her than an object of desire.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desire verb

ADV. greatly, really, sincerely, very much A home of her own was something she had always very much desired.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desk noun

¹ type of table

VERB + DESK sit at | get up from He got up from his desk and went to the window. | clear My desk gets very cluttered if I don't clear it at the end of each day. | arrive on, land on A very strange request landed on my desk this morning.

DESK + NOUN drawer | diary, lamp | job

PREP. at a/the ~ He was sitting at his desk working when we got home. | behind a/the ~ The manager sat frowning behind his desk throughout the whole interview. | on a/the ~ I left the file on your desk.

² place in a building where a service is provided

ADJ. front, reception Leave your valuables at the reception desk. | cash, check-in, enquiry/enquiries, help, information, support She paid for the book at the cash desk. Staff experiencing problems with their computers should ring the help desk.

DESK + NOUN clerk

PREP. at the … ~ There was a long queue at the check-in desk. | on the … ~ We asked the man on the information desk for a map of the city.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desolate adj.

¹ empty and depressing

VERBS be, seem, stand The house stands desolate and empty. | become | leave sth The land was left desolate.

ADV. completely, quite The landscape was quite desolate. | rather a rather desolate place

² very unhappy

VERBS be, feel, look, sound He looked as desolate as Ruth felt. | become

ADV. quite, utterly She was utterly desolate after losing her baby. | a little Her voice sounded a little desolate.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

despair noun

ADJ. black, bleak, deep | complete, total, utter

VERB + DESPAIR feel | drive sb to The novel tells the story of a teenager driven to despair by the hypocrisy of the adult world.

PREP. in ~ Robert shook his head in despair. | of ~ She let out a cry of despair. | with ~ He cried out with despair. | ~ at I felt despair at being deceived.

PHRASES the depths of despair When he became ill he sank to the depths of despair. | in a moment of despair, a feeling/sense of despair I was overcome with a feeling of utter despair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desperate adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get I was starting to get desperate. | make sb The sudden loss of his money had made him desperate.

ADV. really | absolutely, utterly She felt utterly desperate. | increasingly | almost | a little, pretty, rather

PREP. about I felt desperate about my future.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

desperation noun

ADJ. sheer | quiet | growing We realized with a sense of growing desperation that nobody knew we were in there.

QUANT. hint, note There was a note of desperation in her voice.

VERB + DESPERATION feel | drive sb to Driven to desperation by our noisy neighbours, we called the police.

PREP. in (your) ~ In desperation, I decided to try acupuncture. In his desperation to escape, Tom had slipped and broken a leg. | out of ~ At the end of the film, the man becomes a thief out of sheer desperation. | ~ about/at Many of us feel a quiet desperation at the future.

PHRASES an act of desperation The robbery was an act of desperation. | courage, strength, etc. born of desperation With strength born of desperation, she managed to break down the door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

despicable adj.

VERBS be, seem | condemn sth as, consider sth, find sth Police have condemned the theft from an elderly widow as despicable. To fail was considered despicable.

ADV. absolutely, quite It was an absolutely despicable thing to do. | pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

despise verb

ADV. thoroughly | clearly | secretly He secretly despised his father. | openly

PREP. for She thoroughly despised him for his weakness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

despondent adj.

VERBS be, feel Patients often feel despondent. | become, get, grow His work was rejected again and again, and he grew more and more despondent.

ADV. very | utterly She was feeling utterly despondent. | a bit, pretty, rather, somewhat

PREP. about He had become rather despondent about his lack of progress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dessert noun

ADJ. delicious | rich This chestnut pudding is a rich dessert with a festive flavour.

VERB + DESSERT eat, have

DESSERT + NOUN apple, wine | menu, trolley

PREP. for ~ We had mousse for dessert. | ~ of We finished off with a dessert of honey and nuts. > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

destination noun

VERB + DESTINATION arrive at, reach At around 1.00 p.m. we reached our final destination.

PREP. to a/the ~ The deposed leader is reported to have fled the capital to an unknown destination. | ~ for a popular holiday destination for golf enthusiasts

PHRASES the country/port/state of destination The goods are examined by customs at the port of destination.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

destiny noun

VERB + DESTINY fulfil, meet She was convinced that sooner or later she would fulfil her destiny. The time was right for him to meet his destiny. | avoid, escape No man can escape his destiny. | shape Something was about to happen that would shape her destiny.

DESTINY + VERB await sb, lie the destiny that awaited him Her destiny lay in that city.

PHRASES be in control of your own destiny/be master of your own destiny She set up her own business because she wanted to be in control of her own destiny. | a sense of destiny He was driven on by a strong sense of destiny.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

destroy verb

¹ damage sth so badly that it no longer exists

ADV. completely, entirely, totally, utterly | all but, almost, effectively, practically, virtually Their lives have been virtually destroyed by this tragedy. | largely | partly | systematically The rainforest is being systematically destroyed. | by fire The building was destroyed by fire last year.

VERB + DESTROY can/could Drugs can destroy the health and lives of young people. | threaten to This disease threatens to destroy many of our native trees.

PHRASES an attempt to destroy sth a new attempt to destroy enemy positions | be capable of destroying sth These weapons are capable of destroying the entire planet. | be intent on destroying sth She seemed intent on destroying everything they had built up together.

² kill an animal

ADV. humanely

PHRASES have to be destroyed The horse broke a leg and had to be destroyed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

destruction noun

ADJ. complete, total, wholesale | large-scale, mass, massive, widespread modern weapons of mass destruction | rapid | systematic | wanton the wanton destruction of public property | environmental, forest, habitat the environmental destruction caused by road building

VERB + DESTRUCTION bring (about), cause, lead to, result in, wreak (formal) the destruction brought about by war He gasped as he saw how much destruction she had wrought with the hammer. | prevent Some shopkeepers closed early to prevent the wholesale destruction of their property by the hooligans.

PHRASES leave a trail of destruction The tornado left a trail of destruction behind it. | the seeds of destruction By doubling its prices, the industry sowed the seeds of its own destruction. | test sth to destruction Children will quickly test their toys to destruction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

destructive adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very | downright, wholly downright destructive behaviour | quite | potentially potentially destructive emotions | environmentally environmentally destructive policies

PREP. of Clearing trees by burning is highly destructive of the forest environment. | to These substances can be destructive to health.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detachable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. fully The lid is fully detachable. | easily, readily

PREP. from The handle is detachable from the bag.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detached adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | become | remain

ADV. largely, very | completely, totally, wholly | rather, slightly | curiously, oddly, strangely He felt curiously detached from what was going on. | emotionally

PREP. from She tries to remain emotionally detached from her patients.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detachment noun

ADJ. complete | clinical, professional She gazed at the body with almost clinical detachment. | cool | critical | emotional

VERB + DETACHMENT have, show He shows impartiality and detachment.

PREP. with ~ She watched with complete detachment as the others made all the preparations. | ~ from his increasing detachment from reality

PHRASES an air of detachment, a feeling/sense of detachment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detailed adj.

VERBS be, seem

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detail noun

ADJ. little, minor, minute, small, tiny It is important to get even the small details right. | considerable, fine, great, meticulous Now let us examine this idea in greater detail. Every new animal or plant found was recorded in meticulous detail. | exact, precise I don't need to know the precise details of your quarrel. | colourful, vivid | graphic, sordid I can still remember the accident in graphic detail. | intimate The diary contains intimate details of their life together. | complete, full We'll give you full details of how to enter our competition later. | bare, brief, sketchy ~s He only managed to give the police a few sketchy details of the robbery. | essential I only know the barest details of his plans. | practical I haven't sorted out the practical details of getting there yet. | complex, intricate | final Everyone must approve the basic plan before the final details are drawn up. | concrete Can you give me some concrete details of how you've been saving money? | factual, historical, technical

QUANT. point I must correct some points of detail in your article on Barcelona. | wealth The book provides a wealth of detail on daily life in Ancient Rome. | level Ensure that your diagrams contain the appropriate level of detail.

VERB + DETAIL give, go into, provide, send, supply Briefly describe the product, but do not give any technical details at this stage. I don't want to go into any more detail than absolutely necessary. | lay out, lay sth out in, set out, set sth out in, spell out, spell sth out in Details of the pension plan are set out below. The rules are set out in detail in chapter seven. | establish, finalize, work out, work sth out in We haven't yet worked out the the case. | show The receipt shows details of the item purchased. | disclose, pass on, release ~s The city council refused to disclose details of the proposed traffic ban. | find out ~s You can find o | enter ~s Enter your details in the form below then click on ‘submit’. | take ~s The secretary took my details and said they would get back to me. | check Make sure you check the details of the policy before you sign it. | record The computer records the details of everyone entering the country. | be lacking in, lack The speech was well delivered but lacking in detail.

PREP. for ~s For details contact Joanna Morland. | in ~ I haven't looked at the proposal in detail yet. | over a/the ~ They're still arguing over the details of the contract. | ~ about I won't go into detail about the threats she made. | ~ on For more detail on how to obtain a visa, see page 8.

PHRASES attention to detail The secret of their success lies in their attention to detail. | down to the last detail an expedition planned down to the last detail | every last detail She remembered every last detail of what I'd told her the month before. | an eye for detail He has an excellent eye for detail. | full of detail Her short stories are full of detail and humour. | a lack of detail The report was criticized for its lack of detail. travel details. | discuss, negotiate We still need to negotiate the details of the contract. | fill sb in on I'll give you a call later and fill you in on the details. | spare sb (informal) ‘We had a terrible time?’ ‘Oh, spare me the details (= don't tell me any more).’ | contain, have Tomorrow's papers will contain full details of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detain verb

ADV. briefly He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.

VERB + DETAIN need not This issue need not detail us long.

PREP. for She was arrested and detained for distributing pro-democracy leaflets. | in connection with Over 60 people have been detained in connection with the coup attempt.

PHRASES be detained in custody/hospital Two people were detained in hospital following the crash. | detain sb without charge/trial He has been detained without trial for nearly two years now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detection noun

ADJ. early Our aim is the early detection and treatment of all cancers.

VERB + DETECTION avoid, escape, evade Their prey can sometimes escape detection by remaining still.

DETECTION + NOUN rate The latest figures show falling crime detection rates.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detective noun

ADJ. private She hired a private detective to follow her husband. | undercover | store The store detective was keeping a close eye on a suspected shoplifter.

VERB + DETECTIVE hire

DETECTIVE + VERB investigate sth detectives investigating the case

DETECTIVE + NOUN agency | work We are going to have to do some detective work on this. | fiction, novel, series, story

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detect verb

ADV. early, late A lot of cancers can now be cured if they are detected early. | quickly | easily, readily Some substances can be detected fairly easily. | accurately

VERB + DETECT be able to, be sensitive enough to, can a machine that is sensitive enough to detect tiny amounts of explosives | be unable to | be designed to | fail to The test failed to detect any illegal substances. | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | be easy to, be possible to | be used to

PHRASES be capable of detecting sth, a means/method/way of detecting sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detention noun

ADJ. arbitrary Opponents of the regime had been subject to arbitrary detention, torture and execution. | pre-trial | indefinite If found guilty of smuggling drugs, she could face indefinite detention.

VERB + DETENTION be in, remain in 147 of the illegal immigrants remain in detention. | hold sb in, place sb in, sentence sb to He was held in detention from 1991 to 2001. They were sentenced to 12 months' detention in a young offender institution. | be subject to, face | release sb from

DETENTION + NOUN camp, centre

PREP. in ~ She spent 18 years in detention. | under ~ He made the confession while under detention.

PHRASES a period/term of detention The judge will fix the period of detention.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deteriorate verb

ADV. badly, seriously | dramatically, sharply, quickly, rapidly | gradually | further

VERB + DETERIORATE begin to His health began to deteriorate quite seriously. | continue to | be likely to

PREP. into The unrest rapidly deteriorated into civil war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deterioration noun

ADJ. marked, serious, significant a serious deterioration in relations between the two governments | rapid, sharp | gradual, progressive | mental, physical Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. | environmental

VERB + DETERIORATION cause, lead to, result in The stress led to a gradual deterioration in her health. | prevent Limits on the dumping of waste will at least prevent further environmental deterioration in the region. | arrest Steps need to be taken quickly to arrest the deterioration in the countries' relationship.

DETERIORATION + VERB occur

PREP. ~ in a rapid deterioration in his condition

PHRASES signs of deterioration The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

determination noun

ADJ. absolute, dogged, fierce, great, grim, gritty, ruthless, single-minded, steely, strong | clear The prime minister's speech revealed a clear determination to break the power of the unions.

VERB + DETERMINATION be full of, have She was full of determination to achieve her goals. He has the determination to succeed. | reveal, show She has shown great determination and skill. | express, signal The government last night signalled its determination to resist tax cuts. | require | lack

PREP. with ~ He hung on with grim determination.

PHRASES determination to succeed/win

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

determined adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become | remain | make sb The opposition to her scheme made her more determined than ever.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

determine verb

ADV. exactly, precisely We need a detailed investigation to determine exactly why these cancers are occurring.

VERB + DETERMINE try to | be used to, help to Computer models help to determine whether a particular area is likely to flood. | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to, be impossible to It is difficult to determine the exact cause of the illness. | be necessary to | be able to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deterrent noun

ADJ. effective, good, great, powerful, real | the ultimate Defenders of the death penalty clearly regard it as the ultimate deterrent. | nuclear They stressed the need for an independent nuclear deterrent.

VERB + DETERRENT act as, be a punishment that will act as a deterrent to other offenders

DETERRENT + NOUN effect They were arguing about the deterrent effect of nuclear weapons.

PREP. as a ~ The bodies of executed criminals were hung on the city gates as a deterrent. | ~ against a deterrent against cheating | ~ for There is no effective deterrent for these young criminals. | ~ to a deterrent to crime a deterrent to all but the most determined attacker

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deter verb

ADV. hardly Her words of warning would hardly deter him. | effectively, sufficiently Will this harsher punishment effectively deter criminals? | easily

VERB + DETER be likely/unlikely to | be enough to, be sufficient to | attempt to | be designed to | do little to, do nothing to The present system does little to deter corporate crime.

PREP. from These new rules are likely to deter people from coming forward for help.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detour noun

ADJ. lengthy, long | brief, short, small

VERB + DETOUR make, take We had to make a lengthy detour through the backstreets. | be worth The monument is well worth a detour.

PREP. ~ around Trucks now face a five-mile detour around the bridge. | ~ through, ~ to The ship made a detour to the south.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

detrimental adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become

ADV. extremely, highly, seriously, very | positively Sugar is positively detrimental to bodybuilding. | rather

PREP. to This move could be seriously detrimental to the economy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devalue verb

ADV. effectively

PREP. against The pound was devalued against the US dollar. | by The Cambodian currency was effectively devalued by 25 per cent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devastation noun

ADJ. complete, utter | widespread | ecological, environmental | economic

VERB + DEVASTATION cause The hurricane caused widespread devastation.

DEVASTATION + VERB be wrought We surveyed the devastation wrought by the fire.

PHRASES a scene of devastation He surveyed the scene of utter devastation beneath him. | a trail of devastation The tornado left a trail of devastation in its wake.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

developed adj.

VERBS be, seem

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

developer noun

ADJ. big, major | local A local developer is planning to build a supermarket on the site. | private The flats are being built by a private developer. | speculative | housing, property plans by a big property developer to build fifty new houses

DEVELOPER + VERB build sth, develop sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

development noun

¹ developing sth

VERB + DEVELOPMENT aid, allow, assist, encourage, enhance, facilitate, favour, foster, permit, promote, stimulate, support Education stimulates the stage in the development of Anglo-Irish relations | a stage of development This is a perfectly normal stage of development.

² new event/idea

ADJ. exciting, important, major, radical, remarkable, significant, striking | the latest, new, recent | logical The move from TV to film was a logical development in her career. | unexpected | welcome | political, scientific, technical, technological

DEVELOPMENT + VERB occur, take place the significant developments taking place in the health service

PREP. ~ in new developments in film-making

³ new buildings

ADJ. housing, property | development of rational thinking. A group of experts has been brought together to support the develop business, commercial | ribbon | accelerate, speed up Ribbon developments (= lines of Environmental factors can buildings) extended along the main accelerate the development of road.certain cancers. | arrest, discourage, halt, hinder, inhibit, prevent, restrict, retard, slow Too much emphasis on memorizing facts can inhibit the development of creative thinking. | finance The company went deep into debt to finance the development of the engine. | monitor, oversee A UN team is monitoring the development of the peace process. | trace In the opening chapter, the author traces the development of judo from its ancient roots.

DEVELOPMENT + VERB occur, take place

DEVELOPMENT + NOUN initiative, plan, programme, project, scheme | aid, assistance | work The invention requires more development work to make it viable. | process the lengthy development process of a new model of car | budget, capital, fund, grant | costs, expenditure

PREP. during ~ Cell divisions during development occur in a fixed sequence. | in ~ A more powerful version of this electric bus in currently in development. | under ~ The new vaccine is still under development.

PHRASES research and development I do quite a lot of research and development work in my job. | a stage in the development of sth an important

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

deviate verb

ADV. considerably, significantly

PREP. by Output may deviate from the average by as much as 30%. | from We had to deviate significantly from our usual route.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

device noun

VERB + DEVICE be fitted with, have All new cars are now fitted with these safety devices. | design, develop, make | use He measured the room using an ingenious new electronic device.

DEVICE + VERB consist of sth The device consists of a large wheel mounted on a metal post. | be designed to a tiny device designed to trace telephone calls | work The device worked exactly as I'd hoped.

PREP. ~ for a useful device for checking electrical circuits

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devil noun

VERB + DEVIL believe in Do you believe in the Devil? | worship | be possessed by He behaved like someone possessed by devils. | exorcize

DEVIL + NOUN worship | worshipper

PHRASES the devil incarnate (figurative) His strong left-wing views make him the devil incarnate to more extreme Conservatives.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devoid adj. devoid of

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | remain

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally, utterly Are you totally devoid of common sense? | almost, largely, practically, virtually The land is almost devoid of vegetation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devoted adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, completely, totally, utterly | passionately

PREP. to They were totally devoted to each other.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devotee noun

ADJ. ardent, committed, fervent, great, serious I'm a great devotee of jazz.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devote verb PHRASAL VERBS devote sth/yourself to sth

ADV. entirely, exclusively, solely, specifically She devoted herself entirely to writing. | mainly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devotion noun

ADJ. deep, enormous | great | fanatical, intense, passionate, single-minded Their single-minded devotion to the care of the dying was admirable. | total her total devotion to her husband | selfless | blind, dog-like He was mocked for his dog-like devotion to his boss. | lifelong, undying his lifelong devotion to his work | mutual a marriage rooted in mutual devotion and trust | religious a man of deep religious devotion

VERB + DEVOTION show

PREP. with ~ He cared for his mother with great devotion. | ~ to They showed great devotion to each other.

PHRASES devotion to duty The judge praised the firefighters for their bravery and devotion to duty. | devotion to the cause She will be remembered for her selfless devotion to the cause of the poor. | an object of devotion The statue of the emperor became an object of devotion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

devour verb

ADV. eagerly, greedily, hungrily He devoured the food greedily. | quickly The animal quickly devoured its prey.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dew noun

ADJ. heavy There was a heavy dew this morning. | morning The sun had dried the early morning dew.

QUANT. drop Drops of dew shone on the grass.

DEW + VERB fall, form

DEW + NOUN drop (also dewdrop)

PHRASES damp/heavy/wet with dew The grass was still wet with dew.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dexterity noun

ADJ. great | manual

VERB + DEXTERITY demand, require Video games demand great manual dexterity. | have I don't have the dexterity for juggling.

PREP. with ~ She handled the discussion with dexterity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diagnose verb

ADV. correctly | incorrectly, wrongly Her condition was wrongly diagnosed by the doctor.

PREP. with He was diagnosed with leukaemia.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diagnosis noun

VERB + DIAGNOSIS establish, give, make, reach The doctor cannot give a diagnosis without knowing the full medical history. | confirm Further tests have confirmed the diagnosis.

PREP. after ~, before ~ Patients may suffer from some of the symptoms years before diagnosis. | ~ of the diagnosis of the disease a diagnosis of cancer

PHRASES a method of diagnosis They are using new methods of diagnosis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diagram noun

VERB + DIAGRAM draw Draw a simple diagram of the leaf structure.

DIAGRAM + VERB depict sth, illustrate sth, indicate sth, represent sth, show sth a flow diagram showing the stages in the printing process

PREP. in a/the ~ Compare this system to the one shown in diagram B. | on a/the ~ The trees will be planted at the points marked on the diagram. | ~ of a diagram of the human nervous system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dialect noun

ADJ. local, native, regional | non-standard | northern, southern, etc. | Scottish, Ulster, etc.

VERB + DIALECT speak (in)

DIALECT + NOUN expression, form, word | speaker

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dialogue noun

ADJ. close There needs to be a closer dialogue between management and staff. | direct The government refused to engage in direct dialogue with the terrorists. | constructive, serious | political a serious political dialogue

VERB + DIALOGUE engage in, have, hold Managers are willing to hold a dialogue with union leaders. | begin, enter into, open | resume

PREP. ~ about dialogue about concrete issues | ~ among The head encourages a climate of open dialogue among the teachers. | ~ between the need for dialogue between the two sides in the dispute | ~ on a constructive dialogue on pay and working conditions | ~ with They have agreed to resume their dialogue with the teachers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dial noun

VERB + DIAL adjust, set, turn, twiddle, twist Set the dial for the number of copies required.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dial verb

ADV. direct It is possible to dial direct to many countries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diameter noun

ADJ. inside, internal The tubes have an internal diameter of 2mm. | external, outside | large, small

VERB + DIAMETER calculate, find, measure He used similar triangles to calculate the diameter of the earth. | have

PREP. in ~ The mirror is 25cm in diameter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diamond noun

¹ precious stone

VERB + DIAMOND cut | polish | set | be encrusted with, be studded with a brooch encrusted with diamonds | drip with an old woman dripping with diamonds

DIAMOND + VERB glitter, sparkle

DIAMOND + NOUN mine | industry, trade | broker, dealer, merchant

² playing card > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diarrhoea noun

ADJ. severe | mild | acute, chronic | intermittent, persistent

VERB + DIARRHOEA have, suffer from | develop, get > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diary noun

¹ for appointments

ADJ. appointments, bookings, engagement, social | desk, pocket | electronic

VERB + DIARY have sth in I haven't got the meeting in my diary. | put sth in, write sth in Put it in your diary before you forget.

PREP. in a/your ~

² for writing down what happens each day

ADJ. detailed | daily | personal, private, secret | field, gardening, travel He jotted down observations on the animals' habits in his field diary.

VERB + DIARY keep I starting keeping a diary when I was thirteen. | write sth in, note sth in, record sth in ‘It's all over,’ he wrote in his diary for April 21.

DIARY + NOUN entry

PREP. in a/your ~ I've made a note in my diary.

PHRASES an entry in a diary

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dice noun

ADJ. loaded

VERB + DICE roll, throw You decide who's going to start by throwing the dice.

PREP. on a/the ~ You move forward according to the number on the dice.

PHRASES a roll/throw of the dice The roll of the dice went against them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dictation noun

VERB + DICTATION do, have We did a French dictation in class. | give sb The teacher gave them a dictation. | take Her secretary is very good at taking dictation.

PREP. at sb's ~ I wrote some letters at his dictation. | from ~ I find it difficult to write letters from dictation. | in a/the ~ We had some very difficult words in our dictation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dictatorship noun

ADJ. communist, fascist | left-wing, right-wing | military | totalitarian | benevolent

VERB + DICTATORSHIP establish, set up The generals established a military dictatorship. | overthrow They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.

PREP. during a/the ~ the atrocities that took place during his dictatorship | under (a/the) ~ These men had all lived under dictatorship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dictionary noun

VERB + DICTIONARY consult, look sth up in, use If you don't know the meaning of a word, look it up in the dictionary. teaching children how to use dictionaries | compile, write | edit | publish

DICTIONARY + NOUN definition, entry

PREP. in a/the ~ I couldn't find the word in the dictionary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diesel noun

VERB + DIESEL run on, use These buses run on diesel.

DIESEL + NOUN power | fuel, fumes, oil | car, engine, locomotive, model, train The diesel model is noisier than the petrol model.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diet noun

¹ food sb/sth usually eats

ADJ. balanced, good, healthy, sensible | adequate People can fight infection more easily if they have an adequate diet. | bad, poor, unhealthy | staple a staple diet of cornmeal and vegetables | vegan, vegetarian

VERB + DIET eat, have It is important to eat a balanced diet. | live on, survive on They had to survive on a diet of insects and berries. | feed sb on

DIET + VERB consist of sth The animal's diet consists mainly of grasses.

PREP. in a/the ~ the amount of fat in your diet | on a ~ These animals live on a mainly vegetarian diet. | ~ of They were fed on a diet of rice and vegetables.

PHRASES a diet high/rich in sth a diet rich in vitamins and minerals

² when you want to lose weight/are ill

ADJ. strict | slimming, weight-loss, weight-reducing | crash, starvation Crash diets are not the best way to lose weight. | calorie-controlled, low-calorie | restricted, special | fibre-rich, gluten-free, high/low-fibre, high/low-protein, low-fat, salt-free, etc.

VERB + DIET follow, have If you follow this diet, you're bound to lose weight. | go on, start | stick to I have to stick to a low-fat diet. | be on I'd love some chips, but I'm on a diet.

DIET + NOUN drink, food | plan Lose pounds with our new diet plan!

PREP. on a ~ They're on a special high-protein diet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

die verb

ADV. in childbirth | in infancy, prematurely, young One of their children died in infancy. | peacefully | suddenly | tragically Her father died tragically in a car crash.

VERB + DIE be going to I thought I was going to die. | be allowed to She should be allowed to die peacefully.

PREP. for to die for your country | from The accident victim died from her injuries. | of He died of a heart attack.

PHRASES die a natural sudden, violent, etc. death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

difference noun

¹ way in which people/things are not the same

ADJ. big, broad, considerable, dramatic, enormous, great, huge, large, major, profound, radical, real, sharp, substantial, vast, wide A little extra care makes a big difference. I noticed a real difference in his attitude. | basic, essential, fundamental | crucial, important, key, significant | clear, distinct, marked, notable, noticeable, obvious, striking | minor, slight, subtle | national, regional | age, class, cultural, ethnic, gender, genetic, physical, psychological, racial, sex, social | historical, ideological, political | temperature, time What's the time difference between London and Tokyo?

VERB + DIFFERENCE make The new central heating has made an enormous difference to the house. What difference does it make if he doesn't have a car? | mean One tiny mistake when you're climbing could mean the difference between life and death. | exaggerate, emphasize, focus on, highlight, stress, underline We should be focusing on what we have in common rather than emphasizing our differences. | appreciate, be aware of, feel, know, notice, perceive, see, spot, tell Only an expert would know the difference between the male and the female. Can you spot the difference between these two photos? It's difficult to tell the difference between butterflies and moths. | explain, illustrate | examine, explore, look at The study explores the differences between the way girls and boys talk. | show The questionnaire showed vast differences in what kind of product people want. | reflect Our different attitudes to life reflect the differences in our backgrounds.

DIFFERENCE + VERB be, lie The difference lies in the way the fruit is prepared. | arise (from sth), exist The differences in size arise from the amount of sunshine each plant gets.

PREP. ~ between There's a big difference between reading about skiing and doing it yourself. | ~ from He was very aware of his difference from the other children. | ~ in The difference in price is not very significant. | ~ of a crucial difference of emphasis | ~ with There is one key difference with the earlier version of the software. The difference with this information service is that it's free.

PHRASES a … with a difference If you want a holiday with a difference, come to Iceland. | all the difference in the world There's all the difference in the world between choosing to do something and being forced to do it. | a great deal of/a lot difference The extra money will make a lot of difference to us. | make all the difference Just five minutes' exercise a day could make all the difference. | no difference/not much difference There's not much difference between baseball and softball.

² sum of money in addition to the sum expected

VERB + DIFFERENCE pay If you decide you would prefer the more expensive model, you can bring this one back and pay the difference. | make up He hadn't got quite enough money, but his aunt agreed to make up the difference. | pocket He sold the car for more than he'd paid and pocketed the difference. | split (figurative) I wanted to leave early and Ian wanted to leave late, so we split the difference and left at noon.

³ disagreement

ADJ. irreconcilable, major, serious, sharp | minor, slight | outstanding This round of talks aims to resolve the outstanding differences between the two sides.

VERB + DIFFERENCE have They have had some minor differences, but in general they get on well together. | make up, patch up, put aside, reconcile, resolve, settle We're going to get the two sides together to see if they can't settle their differences.

DIFFERENCE + VERB arise, emerge, occur Differences may arise when the young people do not have the same expectations as their parents. | remain Although the talks were generally successful, differences remain between the groups.

PREP. ~ as to/over There were some differences as to how to deal with the crisis.

PHRASES a difference of opinion She and Luke had a difference of opinion over how much money they should spend. | have your differences Like any married couple, we have our differences.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

differentiate verb

ADV. clearly

VERB + DIFFERENTIATE be important to | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to

PREP. between It is not always possible to differentiate between the two diseases. | from features which clearly differentiate this product from other similar ones

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

different adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound, taste

ADV. very | distinctly, markedly, radically, significantly, strikingly This school is radically different from most others. | completely, entirely, quite, totally | rather, slightly | subtly The same colour can appear subtly different on different types of paper. | materially, qualitatively | refreshingly a refreshingly different approach to language learning

PREP. from Human beings are different from other animals. | to Their customs are very different to ours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

differ verb

¹ be different

ADV. considerably, enormously, fundamentally, greatly, markedly, radically, sharply, significantly, substantially, widely The two approaches differ markedly Opinions differ widely on this issue. | little | slightly, somewhat | clearly

PREP. according to Conditions of employment differ according to the type of company you are working for. | between Social organization differs significantly between the different groups. | from His ideas differ little from those of his father. | in The models differ in size and shape.

² have a different opinion

VERB + DIFFER agree to In the end we agreed to differ. | beg to I beg to differ (= I disagree with you).

PREP. about/over The two sides still differ over details of the plan. | on The two parties differ on all the major issues. | with It didn't seem right that I should differ with him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

difficulty noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, grave, great, major, real, serious, severe We had enormous difficulty in getting hold of the right equipment. | insurmountable | increasing questions of increasing difficulty | inherent the difficulties inherent in treating overdose patients | particular, special English spelling presents special difficulties for foreign learners. | economic, financial | practical, technical I think we've managed to overcome most of the practical difficulties. | behavioural, emotional, learning children with learning difficulties

QUANT. level The games have various different levels of difficulty.

VERB + DIFFICULTY encounter, experience, face, get into, have, run into Among the difficulties encountered was a lack of cooperation on the part of the authorities. Anyone experiencing difficulty with radio reception should call us on the new helpline. Let me know if you have any difficulties. I had little difficulty in persuading the others to come. The scheme has run into serious difficulties. | cause, create, make, present Will it cause any difficulties if I go early? She is always making difficulties for herself. | cope with, deal with, overcome, resolve, solve, surmount | avoid how to avoid technical difficulties | be fraught with The situation was fraught with difficulty.

DIFFICULTY + VERB arise, crop up Difficulties arise when people fail to consult their colleagues. | lie (in sth) The difficulty lies in identifying the precise nature of the problem.

PREP. despite a/the ~ Despite all the difficulties, he still remains optimistic. | in ~ We could see that the swimmer was in difficulties. | with/without ~ We crossed the border without any difficulty. Life in the city was not without its difficulties. | ~ in She had difficulty in starting her car. | ~ of the difficulty of finding affordable accommodation | ~ with having difficulty with the engine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

difficult adj.

VERBS be, look, prove, seem, sound | become, get It is getting more and more difficult to find a job. | make sth The fog made driving very difficult. | find sth

ADV. exceedingly, extraordinarily, extremely, incredibly, particularly, really, very | doubly Her disability made taking care of the home and raising a family doubly difficult. | increasingly | a bit, quite, rather | notoriously Birth rates are notoriously difficult to predict.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

digestion noun

ADJ. good | poor

VERB + DIGESTION have She's got very poor digestion. | aid, help Peppermint aids digestion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

digest verb

ADV. easily Some foods are digested more easily than others. | fully | partially The parent bird partially digests food in its crop.

VERB + DIGEST can/can't He has to avoid fat because his body can't digest it. | be difficult to, be easy to Cheese is very difficult to digest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

digit noun

ADJ. binary, decimal the decimal digits 0 to 9

QUANT. sequence, series, set, string a sequence of binary digits

PHRASES three, four, etc. digits long The number can be up to eight digits long.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dignified adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | remain

ADV. very | quite | quietly He remained quietly dignified in defeat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dignity noun

ADJ. enormous, great | calm, quiet She spoke to him with quiet dignity. | human, personal the importance of human dignity

VERB + DIGNITY have, possess These people have enormous dignity. | keep, maintain, preserve, retain We all want to maintain our dignity in old age. | give sb Being treated in the privacy of your own room gives you more dignity. | lose The awful thing about old age is losing your dignity. | destroy, rob/strip sb of, threaten Slavery destroys human dignity. Keeping prisoners in such dreadful conditions strips them of all dignity. | muster With as much dignity as he could muster, he left the room. | stand on (= insist on the respect you think you deserve) She was never one to stand on her dignity.

PREP. beneath your ~ He clearly regarded manual work as beneath his dignity. | with ~ the right to die with dignity

PHRASES an air of dignity His aristocratic voice gives him an air of dignity and power. | lacking in dignity We felt that the way she was treated was lacking in dignity. | a lack of dignity, a loss of dignity He hoped that he could change his mind without loss of dignity. | a sense of dignity She had a strong sense of dignity. | with your dignity intact He needed a way to retreat with his dignity intact.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dig noun

¹ hard push

ADJ. sharp

VERB + DIG give She gave him a sharp dig in the ribs. | feel, get

PHRASES a dig in the ribs

² critical remark

ADJ. little | sly I resisted the temptation to get in a sly dig at Fred.

VERB + DIG get in, have, make

PREP. ~ about, ~ at They were having a little dig at her about the way she tells everybody else what to do.

³ in the ground

ADJ. archaeological

VERB + DIG go on I went on an archaeological dig over the summer.

DIG + VERB reveal sth The dig revealed the site of a Roman villa.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dig verb

ADV. deep We'll have to dig quite deep to get at the roots.

PREP. for digging for buried treasure | through digging through solid clay

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dilemma noun

ADJ. acute, appalling, big, difficult, genuine, great, impossible, real, serious, terrible, thorny | central, essential, fundamental The fundamental dilemma remains: in a tolerant society, should we tolerate intolerance? | familiar, perennial | human | personal | ethical, moral | policy, political

VERB + DILEMMA create, pose This poses a difficult dilemma for teachers. | be caught in, be faced with, confront, face, have They were caught in a real dilemma. | resolve, solve I could see no way of resolving this moral dilemma.

DILEMMA + VERB arise, occur, present itself the dilemma that arises when a doctor has to decide whether or not to prescribe an expensive treatment | lie The dilemma over human cloning lies at the heart of the ethical choices facing society. | confront sb, face sb The dilemma facing the country's allies was even more serious. | remain

PREP. in a/the ~ The minister is now in an impossible dilemma. | ~ about/over She faced a dilemma about whether to accept the offer or not. | ~ between the perennial dilemma between getting on at work and fulfilling family commitments

PHRASES a solution to a dilemma, a way out of a dilemma I couldn't see any way out of the dilemma.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dilute verb

¹ liquid

ADV. highly The fragrances are highly diluted. | slightly Dilute the juice slightly with water.

PREP. in The perfumes are diluted in vegetable oils. | with

² effect/quality

ADV. considerably, substantially The effect of this policy has now been considerably diluted.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dimension noun

¹ (often dimensions) measurements

ADJ. approximate | exact, precise It is important to measure the exact dimensions of the room. | overall | compact Despite the unit's compact dimensions, there's still plenty of room for expansion. | considerable a structure of considerable dimensions | fourth, second, third The fourth dimension, time, is also finite in extent. | physical, space/spatial, temporal/time | horizontal, vertical

VERB + DIMENSION check, measure Can we just check the dimensions of the bedroom again?

PHRASES in two/three dimensions a model in three dimensions

² aspect

ADJ. added, additional, different, extra, further, new | distinct In looking at population ageing we will consider two distinct dimensions. | wider There is a wider dimension to the question. | crucial, essential, important, main, major, significant | global, international, local, national, regional Communication via the Internet gives an important international dimension to the project. | aesthetic, class, cultural, economic, ethical, historical, human, ideological, moral, personal, political, religious, social, spiritual

VERB + DIMENSION add, give (sth) Her illness adds an extra dimension to the problem. | have The affair had a different dimension now. | acquire, take on The crisis acquired a new dimension.

PREP. ~ to the spiritual dimension to our lives

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dine verb

ADV. al fresco the joys of dining al fresco | in style We dined in style in the hotel restaurant. | out Dining out in attractive surroundings is one of life's great pleasures.

PREP. on We dined on fresh local fish.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dinghy noun

ADJ. inflatable, rubber | sailing

VERB + DINGHY row, sail She sailed the dinghy across the bay.

DINGHY + NOUN sailing, sailor

PREP. in/into a/the ~ She rowed ashore in the dinghy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dining room noun

DINING ROOM + VERB seat sb The dining room seats up to 60 guests. | serve sth a cosy dining room serving excellent home-prepared cooking

DINING ROOM + NOUN chair, table

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dinner noun

¹ main meal of the day

DINNER + NOUN table There was never much conversation at the dinner table in my family. | things We didn't wash up the dinner things until the morning after. | plates, service a bone-china dinner service | menu The school dinner menu always includes a balance of food types. | bell | money I always forgot to take my dinner money to school. | dance the society's annual dinner dance > Note at MEAL(for verbs)

² formal evening occasion, with dinner

VERB + DINNER give, hold, throw My old school is giving a fund-raising dinner | attend We're going to attend a formal dinner in aid of cancer research. | be invited to | change for, dress for Are we expected to dress for dinner? | speak at The former Olympic champion was invited to speak at a charity dinner.

DINNER + NOUN party They invited three couples to a dinner party at their house. | engagement | dance | guests | jacket, suit

PHRASES an after-dinner speaker/speech

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

din noun

ADJ. awful, raucous, terrible | constant

VERB + DIN make Who's making that awful din? | hear | hear sb above/over She could not be heard above the din of the crowd.

PREP. above/over the ~ Charles shouted above the din.

PHRASES the din of battle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diphtheria noun

VERB + DIPHTHERIA have, suffer from | catch, contract, get | immunize sb against Parents are advised to have their children immunized against diphtheria.

DIPHTHERIA + NOUN epidemic | vaccine > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diplomacy noun

¹ managing international relations

ADJ. careful, shrewd | ‘gunboat … ’ What they could not take by political intrigue they took by ‘gunboat diplomacy’ (= threatening military action). | international | secret | personal Churchill's highly personal diplomacy in seeking a meeting with the Russians | traditional a crisis lying outside the scope of traditional diplomacy | preventive | shuttle a round of shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Brussels | Anglo-French, European, Russian, etc.

VERB + DIPLOMACY use prefering to use diplomacy rather than force

DIPLOMACY + VERB go on Behind the scenes a lot of secret diplomacy was going on.

PREP. by/through ~ We must try and resolve this situation through diplomacy rather than conflict.

² skill in dealing with people

ADJ. great | quiet

VERB + DIPLOMACY have We need someone who has tact and diplomacy. | exercise, show, use I thought you showed great diplomacy in dealing with him. | call for, need, require Trying to get the divorced couple to agree calls for a great deal of diplomacy.

PREP. by/through ~ The way forward in this situation is by diplomacy and negotiation. | with ~ She handled the awkward situation with her usual quiet diplomacy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diplomat noun

VERB + DIPLOMAT be, serve as, work as He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diploma noun

VERB + DIPLOMA study for, take | have, hold | be awarded, gain, get, obtain, receive | award (sb), confer (on sb) The university awards diplomas in higher education. | lead to The course leads to a diploma in psychiatric nursing.

DIPLOMA + NOUN course, programme, studies | holder Diploma holders have a far better chance of employment than those with no qualification.

PREP. ~ in a diploma in hotel management | ~ of diploma of higher education

PHRASES at diploma level Most students here are studying for a qualification at diploma level.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dip noun

ADJ. sharp | slight | sudden

VERB + DIP suffer, take Share prices have taken a slight dip.

PREP. ~ in a sharp dip in temperature

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dip verb

¹ in liquid

ADV. lightly She dipped the brush lightly in the varnish.

PREP. in, into He dipped his finger in the water

² go/move downwards

ADV. gently hills which dip gently to the east | steeply | down The road dipped steeply down into the town.

PREP. below The sun dipped below the horizon.

³ prices/support, etc.

ADV. slightly | sharply Support dipped sharply to 51%.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

direction noun

¹ where to/from

ADJ. same They were both going in the same direction. | different, opposite | right, wrong Unfortunately, we were going in the wrong direction. | general I fired in the general direction of the officer's head, and missed. | unexpected Support came from an unexpected direction. | anti-clockwise, clockwise Turn the dial in a clockwise direction. | downward, upward These figures may have to be revised in an upward direction. | northerly, southerly, etc. The current flows in a south-easterly direction. | wind When sailing, keep a constant check on changes in wind direction.

VERB + DIRECTION take Which direction do we have to take? | change, reverse The wind had changed direction. What happens if you reverse the direction of the current? | flow in, go (off) in | head in, move in, travel in The convoy is moving in the direction of the capital. | veer off in While he was studying in Paris, his thinking suddenly veered off in a new direction. | come from/in He was hit by a lorry coming in the opposite direction. | face (in) I didn't see the accident because I was facing in the opposite direction. | glance in, look in, nod in, point in She glanced in his direction. ‘Look!’ she said, pointing in the direction of the coast. | nudge sb in, point sb in (figurative) We have to nudge politicians in the right direction. I can't come with you, but I can point you in the general direction. | pull (sb/sth) in (often figurative) There are different considerations, often pulling in different directions.

PREP. from a/the ~ There was shriek of laughter from the direction of Sarah's room. Let's approach the subject from a different direction. | in a/the ~ The aircraft was flying in a northerly direction.

PHRASES the direction of flow/movement/travel I prefer to be facing the direction of travel. | the direction of sb's gaze She followed the direction of his gaze. | from/in all/both directions The blast sent debris flying in all directions. The road was blocked in both directions. | a glance/nod in sb/sth's direction People passed by without a glance in her direction. (figurative) The report gives a brief nod in the direction of green issues before coming down firmly on the side of the market. | a sense of direction I haven't got much sense of direction.

² development

ADJ. new The party must take a new direction if it is to survive. | right, wrong | clear No clear direction in policy can be identified. | future the debate about the future direction of socialism | policy

VERB + DIRECTION take It is hard to know which direction the Church will take. | change It's time to change direction and find a new job. | go in, move in At least things are moving in the right direction now.

PHRASES a change of direction This was a major change of direction for Britain's foreign policy. | a step in the (right/wrong) direction The new law is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but it doesn't go far enough. The first step in this direction will be by way of discussion with the unions.

³ purpose

ADJ. clear Do not let the discussion fragment into a desultory conversation with no clear direction.

VERB + DIRECTION be lacking in, lack Once again her life felt lacking in direction.

PHRASES a sense of direction We are looking for somebody with a clear sense of direction.

⁴ instructions

ADJ. clear, good, precise Isabel's directions are always very precise. | stage Shakespeare's famous stage direction, ‘Exit, pursued by a bear.’

VERB + DIRECTION ask for Let's stop and ask for directions. | give sb Can you give me directions for getting to John's? | get We got directions to the hall from a man in the village. | follow It's ever so easy to cook. You just follow the directions on the packet.

PREP. ~ for Are there any directions for putting up the tent? | ~ to Can you give me directions to the town centre?

⁵ control/guidance

ADJ. clear In effective classrooms the teacher provided clear direction. | strategic the strategic direction of the company | spiritual The monarch looks to the archbishop for spiritual direction. | government All transport is under government direction.

VERB + DIRECTION give sb, provide (sb with)

PREP. under sb's ~ working under the direction of a senior manager | ~ from The new workers need direction from a supervisor. > Note at DIRECTION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

directive noun

VERB + DIRECTIVE issue The EU issued a new drinking water directive. | adopt, agree (on/upon), approve, sign | comply with, implement All companies must comply with the new directive. | block, oppose

DIRECTIVE + VERB come into force A new EU directive on maternity leave will come into force next month. | require sth The directive requires member states to designate sites of special scientific interest.

PREP. in accordance with a/the ~ They acted in accordance with the latest directive from Brussels. | in a/the ~ The proposals are contained in a European directive on wild birds. | under a/the ~ Private health services will be allowed under the directive. | ~ from a directive from the European Commission | ~ on a directive on data protection

PHRASES the provisions/terms of a directive

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

directory noun

ADJ. business, shopping, telephone, trade I found the company's name in a trade directory.

VERB + DIRECTORY consult, look sb/sth up in | compile, create | edit | produce, publish

PREP. in a/the ~ Names are listed alphabetically in the directory. | ~ of a directory of names and numbers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

director noun

¹ controls a company/an organization

ADJ. company, managing | executive, non-executive | assistant, deputy | commercial, finance, marketing, production, sales

PHRASES the board of directors, the post of director > Note at JOB

² of a film/play, etc.

ADJ. film, theatre | artistic, musical

PHRASES the role of director He now felt ready to take on the role of director. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

direct adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very He asked me some very direct questions. | fairly, quite, rather Her manner can be rather direct. | disconcertingly his disconcertingly direct gaze

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

direct verb

ADV. mainly, primarily, principally Tax cuts have been directed primarily at the better-off. | clearly | straight He directed the torch straight in her face. | specifically

PREP. against anger directed specifically against ethnic minorities | at criticism clearly directed at the Labour Party | away from directing attention away from the real issues | onto The machine directs light onto a special film. | to I directed my question to the chairman. | towards We are directing our efforts towards helping young people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dirty adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | get Go and play football if you like, but don't get dirty! | get sth, make sb/sth The soot had made everything dirty. (figurative) He's not frightened of getting his hands dirty (= doing physical work).

ADV. extremely, filthy (informal), really, very Everything in the room was filthy dirty. | a bit, rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dirt noun

¹ dust/soil/mud

ADJ. loose She brushed the loose dirt off her coat. | ingrained | dog

QUANT. speck | streak He had streaks of dirt all over his face. | layer

VERB + DIRT be covered in/with His shoes were covered in dirt. | brush off, clean off, remove, wash off | show The white rug really shows the dirt.

DIRT + VERB accumulate Dirt had accumulated in the corners of the windows.

DIRT + NOUN road, track | floor

PREP. in the ~ children playing in the dirt

² harmful/unpleasant information about sb

VERB + DIRT have

PREP. ~ on Do you have any dirt on the new guy?

PHRASES dish the dirt (= tell people unkind/unpleasant things about sb) She just loves to dish the dirt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disability noun

ADJ. severe | permanent | learning, mental, physical children who have severe learning disabilities

VERB + DISABILITY have | cope with, live with learning to live with disability

DISABILITY + NOUN movement, organization | discrimination | allowance, pension

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disabled adj.

VERBS be | be born | become | leave sb The accident left him badly disabled.

ADV. badly, profoundly, seriously, severely, very a new home for severely disabled people | partially, slightly | chronically, permanently | mentally, physically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disadvantaged adj.

VERBS be | become | remain These social groups remain disadvantaged.

ADV. badly, extremely, greatly, seriously, severely, very | doubly Part-time workers, the majority of whom are women, are doubly disadvantaged. | further | slightly | economically, educationally, financially, materially, socially

PREP. by Many people will be greatly disadvantaged by the new tax system.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disadvantage noun

ADJ. big, considerable, distinct, grave, great, main, major, manifest, obvious, real, serious, severe Lack of qualifications is an obvious disadvantage. | minor, slight | added, additional, further | long-term | competitive These requirements will have to be standardized if some banks are not to suffer a competitive disadvantage. | economic, educational, financial, racial, social the problems of racism, racial disadvantage and poverty

VERB + DISADVANTAGE experience, have, suffer (from) the disadvantage experienced by older people in the workplace The present system has the disadvantage that nobody really understands how it works. Competition has its disadvantages. | offset, outweigh The scheme's advantages outweigh the disadvantages. | overcome, remove | avoid | feel at a There was no reason for her to feel at a disadvantage. | place/put sb at a The fact that he didn't speak a foreign language put him at a disadvantage.

PREP. at a ~ We were at a distinct disadvantage compared with children from richer families. | despite a/the ~ Despite these disadvantages, many older people maintain an active social life. | to sb's ~ This change in the law will be to the disadvantage of small firms. | ~ for another disadvantage for the night-worker | ~ in There are disadvantages in using this treatment. | ~ to There are disadvantages to all those schemes.

PHRASES advantages and disadvantages Each plan has its own advantages and disadvantages.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disagreement noun

VERB + DISAGREEMENT be in, have They were in disagreement about the move to Cambridge. The things she said were always in disagreement, with the teacher or another member of the class. They had a disagreement about the best way to get to Manchester. | express She expressed disagreement with the government's policy. | resolve, settle, solve How is a basic disagreement of this nature to be resolved? | cause, lead to | be open to This view is subjective and therefore open to disagreement.

DISAGREEMENT + VERB arise, occur A disagreement arose over who should pay for the trip. | exist Disagreement exists over the pattern of demand for coal. | remain | centre around/on sb/sth a disagreement centring on the link between crime and unemployment

PREP. in ~ He shook his head in disagreement. | ~ about/over They had a major disagreement over who should clean the car. | ~ among/amongst, ~ as to There is considerable disagreement among archaeologists as to the age of the sculpture. | ~ between a serious disagreement between the two experts | ~ on There is fundamental disagreement on these matters. | ~ with He had a disagreement with his girlfriend.

PHRASES an area of disagreement There are several areas of disagreement between the two governments. | a source of disagreement Money was a constant source of disagreement. | room/scope for disagreement There is plenty of room for disagreement in this controversial area.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disagree verb

ADV. profoundly, sharply, strongly, vehemently The only time we sharply disagreed was over the children's education. | completely, entirely, totally I disagree totally with this policy. | fundamentally

VERB + DISAGREE be difficult to, be hard to, can/could hardly When I pointed out that it had been her idea in the first place, she could hardly disagree.

PREP. about Jack and Robert disagree about everything. | on We disagree on this matter. | over Ministers disagree over the scale of the changes. | with I disagree strongly with this idea. It is difficult to disagree with the chairman on this point.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disappearance noun

VERB + DISAPPEARANCE lead to Modern farming practice has led to the virtual disappearance of this bird. | investigate Essex police are investigating the mysterious disappearance of two young men. | explain

PREP. ~ from the disappearance of money from my desk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disappear verb

ADV. altogether, completely, entirely | all but, effectively, largely, practically, virtually The traditional way of life has all but disappeared. | gradually, slowly | overnight, quickly, soon He started the treatment and his symptoms disappeared overnight. | suddenly | eventually, finally | forever A number of species could soon disappear forever. | mysteriously, without trace Her father disappeared without trace when she was ten. | apparently | just, simply The plane suddenly just disappeared from the radar screen.

PREP. behind The sun disappeared behind a cloud. | from Wildlife is fast disappearing from our countryside. | into, through, under, etc.

PHRASES disappear from sight/view She watched until he had disappeared from view. | fast/rapidly disappearing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disappointed adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | leave sb The decision left them very disappointed.

ADV. bitterly, deeply, desperately, extremely, greatly, hugely, really, sadly, sorely, terribly, very I was bitterly disappointed when I didn't get into university. If you think I'll agree to that, then you're going to be sadly disappointed. | almost He seemed almost disappointed when I agreed to go. | a bit, a little, mildly, pretty, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | clearly, obviously | naturally | oddly After convincing myself that the result didn't matter, I felt oddly disappointed when we lost. | visibly

PREP. about I'm disappointed about John not coming. | at They're disappointed at the result. | by I was slightly disappointed by her attitude. | in He's disappointed in his daughter. | with We're disappointed with the new car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disappointing adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | find sth

ADV. bitterly, deeply, desperately, extremely, hugely, really, terribly, very The film was terribly disappointing. | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disappointment noun

¹ sadness because sth has not happened, etc.

ADJ. bitter, considerable, deep, great, intense, sharp | slight | obvious

VERB + DISAPPOINTMENT be aware of, feel He was aware of sharp disappointment and betrayal. She couldn't quite conceal the deep disappointment she felt. | express, voice | betray His voice betrayed his disappointment. | bite back, conceal, cover, hide, mask He bit back his disappointment. Her laugh covered her disappointment. | feign He feigned disappointment. Secretly, he was mightily relieved. | avoid To avoid disappointment, we recommend you book your holiday early. | be doomed to The scheme was doomed to disappointment. | share I know you will share our disappointment at the lack of progress on this issue.

DISAPPOINTMENT + VERB show He let his disappointment show. | grip sb, surge through sb Disappointment gripped her.

PREP. to your ~ To her disappointment, they didn't go through Oxford but skirted round it. | ~ at Paul couldn't hide his disappointment at not being asked to the party. | ~ over Campaigners have voiced disappointment over the government's decision.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of disappointment, tears of disappointment

² sb/sth that is disappointing

ADJ. big, bitter, considerable, crushing, grave, great, huge, major, sad, serious, severe, terrible I'm afraid I was a sad disappointment to my mother. | slight | inevitable | personal

VERB + DISAPPOINTMENT have She's had a lot of disappointments in the past. | come as This news has come as a disappointment to local business leaders.

DISAPPOINTMENT + VERB come, follow sth His second disappointment came last year when he failed to get selected for the first team. | await sb A terrible disappointment awaited them.

PREP. ~ for The cancellation of the tour was a great disappointment for the many fans of the band. | ~ to It was a big disappointment to us when she left.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disapproval noun

QUANT. note There was more than a note of disapproval in her voice.

VERB + DISAPPROVAL express, mark, register, show To mark his disapproval he refused to go to the wedding. Her face registered her disapproval. The students are showing their disapproval by refusing to attend lectures. | feel, sense Even at this distance she could sense his disapproval.

PREP. in ~ Her lip curled in disapproval. | with ~ Harold noted the boy's earring with disapproval. | ~ at She was stiff with disapproval at the notion. | ~ of his disapproval of Wallace's conduct

PHRASES a chorus/roar of disapproval There was a chorus of disapproval from the crowd. | an expression/a frown/a look of disapproval Seeing the look of disapproval on the doctor's face, I put out my cigarette. | a murmur/sniff of disapproval Dr Ali gave a great sniff of disapproval.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disapprove verb

ADV. strongly | thoroughly

PREP. of He strongly disapproved of the way his daughter was behaving.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disapproving adj.

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. deeply, very | mildly, quite, rather, slightly | coldly her coldly disapproving smile

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disarmament noun

ADJ. nuclear They campaigned for nuclear disarmament. | international, multilateral The party supports multilateral disarmament. | unilateral

VERB + DISARMAMENT campaign for | support

DISARMAMENT + NOUN negotiations, talks, treaty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disarray noun

ADJ. complete, total | some | financial

VERB + DISARRAY fall into His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him. | throw sth into Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.

PREP. in ~ The meeting broke up in disarray. | ~ within a period of disarray within the National Party

PHRASES a state of disarray

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disaster noun

¹ bad event/situation

ADJ. awful, big, dreadful, great, major, terrible, worst the biggest disaster in British mining history | near a near disaster in the city centre | imminent, impending It seemed that nothing could prevent the impending disaster. Everyone had the feeling that disaster was imminent. | potential | global, national | natural earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters | man-made | air, ecological, environmental, flood, military, mining, nuclear, rail fears of a nuclear disaster | business, economic, financial | personal

VERB + DISASTER bring, cause, lead to, spell One person's mistakes can bring disaster to someone else. attempts to find out what caused the disaster The drought spelt economic disaster for the country. | avert, avoid, prevent, save sb/sth from, stave off, ward off A major disaster was averted only just in time. What can be done to ward off environmental disaster? | predict, prophesy Independent analysts in the market predicted disaster. | court, invite It's courting disaster to go into the mountains without proper weatherproof clothing. | be heading for his firm belief that the whole world was heading for disaster | face In the last match of the series England were facing disaster. | suffer There are many who have suffered personal disasters but managed to rebuild their lives. | survive It was a miracle any of the passengers or crew survived the worst air disaster in Portugal for 20 years. | end in The show ended in disaster when the tent collapsed.

DISASTER + VERB happen, occur, strike finding out why the disaster occurred Everything was going fine. Then, without warning, disaster struck. | befall sb/sth, hit sb/sth, strike sb/sth the economic disaster that befell the country | loom, threaten We could all see that disaster loomed for the company.

DISASTER + NOUN area, zone Only rescue workers are allowed into the disaster area. | relief | victim

PREP. in a/the ~ In a disaster everyone needs to keep calm.

PHRASES a disaster waiting to happen Any one of these nuclear plants may be a disaster waiting to happen. | in the aftermath of a disaster In the aftermath of the disaster people were too shocked to give a clear picture of what had happened. | a recipe for disaster Letting her organize the party is a recipe for disaster (= sth that is likely to go badly wrong). | a victim of a disaster providing help for the victims of the disaster

² a failure

ADJ. absolute, complete, real, total, unmitigated The play was a complete disaster from beginning to end. | economic, financial, social Buying that house turned out to be a financial disaster.

VERB + DISASTER prove, turn out to be High-rise buildings proved a social disaster.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disastrous adj.

VERBS be, prove | become

ADV. absolutely, quite, utterly The policy was absolutely disastrous for the economy. | fairly, pretty | potentially | ecologically, electorally, financially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disbelief noun

ADJ. complete, outright, total, utter | widespread | open | mock He raised his eyebrows in mock disbelief. | amused, astonished, furious, horrified, shocked, stunned

VERB + DISBELIEF feel I felt disbelief first of all, then outrage. | express The president publicly expressed his disbelief at what had happened. | hide | greet sth with My stories were greeted with disbelief. | shake your head in, stare/watch in | suspend If you don't mind suspending your disbelief, you should enjoy this movie.

PREP. in ~ We could only watch in disbelief as the car rolled into the water. | to your ~ To my horrified disbelief, the animal was running towards me. | ~ at Hilary shook her head in disbelief at the news.

PHRASES an expression/a look of disbelief with looks of utter disbelief on their faces | suspension of disbelief The film version requires greater suspension of disbelief than the book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discard verb

ADV. completely, entirely These ideas have now been completely discarded.

PREP. in favour of Older managers have been discarded in favour of younger people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discernible adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. clearly, easily, readily The difference between the two is readily discernible. | just | barely, scarcely Her face was barely discernible in the gloom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discern verb

ADV. clearly, easily She could clearly discern a figure walking up towards the house. | dimly, just

VERB + DISCERN be able to, can/could | be difficult to, be hard to | be possible to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discharge noun

¹ substance

ADJ. thick | nasal, vaginal, etc. | effluent, industrial, sewage, waste | electrical, radioactive thunder and lightning caused by an electrical discharge

PREP. ~ from a thick discharge from the nose

² from court

ADJ. absolute | conditional

VERB + DISCHARGE give He was given an absolute discharge but banned from driving for 12 months.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discharge verb

¹ from army/navy, etc.

ADV. dishonourably, honourably

PREP. from He was found guilty and dishonourably discharged from the army.

² from prison/court

ADV. conditionally He was conditionally discharged after admitting the theft.

³ gas/liquid

ADV. directly

PREP. from, into Raw sewage was discharged from the treatment plant directly into the river.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disciple noun

ADJ. ardent She was an ardent disciple of Freud.

VERB + DISCIPLE become | make He commanded them to go out and make disciples of all nations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discipline noun

¹ controlling behaviour

ADJ. effective, firm, good, strong We need better discipline in our schools. | harsh, iron, rigid, strict strict military discipline | lax, poor Discipline was too lax. | staff, team | military, naval, party, prison, school, work

VERB + DISCIPLINE enforce, exercise, exert, impose the discipline that the party exercises over its members | keep, maintain The teacher was unable to maintain discipline. | accept, submit to They submitted to the discipline imposed by their leaders. | have The school was criticized for having very poor discipline. | lack Modern schools lack discipline. | tighten The new headmaster tightened discipline in the school. | relax | restore

PHRASES a breach of discipline It's unfair to dismiss somebody for a single breach of discipline. | a breakdown of discipline a breakdown of discipline in the classroom | a lack of discipline

² controlling yourself

ADJ. good, great, useful, valuable It is good discipline to learn to delegate. | strict | personal | mental, spiritual | business, commercial, financial, fiscal, industrial, market, monetary The chancellor has stabilized the economy through strict fiscal discipline.

VERB + DISCIPLINE have He'll never get anywhere working for himself?he's got no discipline. | show | lack | demand, require, take It takes great discipline to learn a musical instrument.

PHRASES a lack of discipline

³ subject of study

ADJ. core, main, major Students are to be tested on the three core disciplines: maths, English and science. | distinct, independent When did sociology emerge as a distinct discipline? | established, traditional | subject | academic, intellectual They established psychology as an academic discipline. | professional | humanities, science/scientific

PREP. across ~s There is a lack of communication across disciplines (= between teachers and students of different subjects). | within a/the ~ Within a discipline there may be more than one school of thought.

PHRASES a range of disciplines The university offers a wide range of disciplines.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disclose verb

ADV. fully He had not fully disclosed all his business dealings. | publicly

VERB + DISCLOSE be obliged to, be required to, must Members of Parliament are required to disclose all their financial interests. | be reluctant to | fail to, refuse to He failed to disclose all the information.

PREP. to She was accused of disclosing confidential material to a competitor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discomfort noun

¹ slight pain

ADJ. acute, considerable, great, severe, growing He became conscious of a growing discomfort. | mild, minor, slight You may experience some slight discomfort after the operation. | bodily, physical

QUANT. amount, degree

VERB + DISCOMFORT complain of, experience, feel, get, have, suffer Some of the patients complained of discomfort. I didn't have much discomfort after the operation. | cause | ease, lessen, reduce, relieve Not eating late at night should help to relieve the discomfort.

PREP. in ~ He appeared to be in great discomfort. | with/without ~ You should be able to drive without discomfort after about two weeks.

² embarrassment

VERB + DISCOMFORT cause The revelations caused some discomfort to the president. | enjoy Paula smiled, enjoying her sister's discomfort.

DISCOMFORT + VERB grow, increase

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disconcerting adj.

VERBS be | become | find sth

ADV. highly, very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat I found all that noise rather disconcerting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discontent noun

ADJ. general, widespread | growing, increasing | popular, public Public discontent with the economy remained at a high level. | political, social

VERB + DISCONTENT breed, cause, give rise to, lead to, provoke The higher tax provoked widespread discontent among the poor. | fuel Overcrowded conditions fuelled discontent and facilitated the spread of radical ideas. | feel the discontent that many people felt | seethe with The country was seething with discontent and the threat of revolution was real. | express, voice The peasants expressed their discontent. | stem The reforms failed to stem social discontent.

DISCONTENT + VERB grow, spread | simmer Discontent simmered and then came to a head with the nationalist protests. | come to a head

PREP. ~ among, ~ about/at/over discontent among students about the lack of funding for education | ~ with growing discontent with the government | ~ within There were reports of growing discontent within the army.

PHRASES a cause/source of discontent, murmurs/rumbles/rumblings of discontent

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discord noun

ADJ. internal | family, marital

QUANT. hint, note A note of discord surfaced during the leaders' meeting.

VERB + DISCORD avoid

PHRASES a source of discord The contrasts between rich and poor nations are a source of discord.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discount noun

ADJ. big, generous, good, high, huge, large, massive, substantial | low | special There is a special discount for staff. | staff, trade They offer a trade discount to builders. | cash, volume We offer a 5% cash discount for prompt payment.

VERB + DISCOUNT allow sb, give (sb), offer (sb) They only give you a discount if you buy more than a certain amount. | get, obtain, receive | be entitled to, qualify for If you collect ten bonus points, you will be entitled to a discount. | negotiate It is important to negotiate a good discount and obtain books on approval.

DISCOUNT + NOUN card, voucher Members are given a discount card which entitles them to 20% off. | scheme, system | price, rate | house, shop, store (= that regularly sells good at a discount)

PREP. at a ~ Tickets are available to members at a discount. | ~ of a discount of 30% | ~ on Customers are allowed a discount on orders over £500.

PHRASES a rate of discount

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discourage verb

ADV. actively, firmly, positively, strongly Smoking is actively discouraged in the university.

VERB + DISCOURAGE try to

PREP. from We tried to discourage him from resigning.

PHRASES be easily discouraged Children are easily discouraged from reading.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discovery noun

ADJ. amazing, big, exciting, great, important, major, remarkable, significant, startling, surprising, unexpected potentially the biggest archaeological discovery in Norway for fifty years | awful, chilling, grim, terrible the awful discovery that he had been deceiving her | latest, new, recent | accidental, chance All these were chance discoveries made by scientists engaged in other investigations. | archaeological, medical, scientific | personal The story tells of a man's journey of personal discovery up an African river.

VERB + DISCOVERY make New scientific discoveries are being made all the time. | lead to Their work led to some important medical discoveries. | await There may be many unexpected treasures awaiting discovery.

PREP. ~ by a discovery by a French scientist | ~ of the discovery of oil in the North Sea

PHRASES a process of discovery, a journey/voyage of discovery (figurative) To tour Sri Lanka is to take a voyage of discovery through a land of endless variety.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discover verb

ADV. quickly, soon We soon discovered we'd been mistaken. | suddenly | subsequently | eventually

VERB + DISCOVER be amazed to, be astonished to, be astounded to, be a surprise to, be surprised to She was surprised to discover he was perfectly capable around the house. | be alarmed to, be appalled to, be dismayed to, be horrified to, be a shock to, be shocked to It was a terrible shock to discover the full extent of the problem. | be delighted to, be fascinated to, be intrigued to | be fascinating to It would be fascinating to discover more about the town's history. | be difficult to | be possible to | aim to | attempt to, try to trying to discover the truth | be able/unable to

PHRASES an attempt to discover sth, newly/recently discovered recently discovered evidence | only to discover sth I arrived at the campsite, only to discover that it was closed for the winter. | an opportunity to discover sth, waiting to be discovered There's great talent out there just waiting to be discovered.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discredit noun

ADJ. great

VERB + DISCREDIT bring, reflect By telling lies he brought discredit upon Parliament. Your failure reflects no discredit upon you?you did your best. | bring sth into, do sb She brought the whole system into discredit. It does us great discredit to treat foreigners so badly.

PREP. to sb's ~ His selfish decision is greatly to his discredit. | ~ to They were a discredit to their country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discrepancy noun

ADJ. glaring, great, huge, large, major, marked, material, serious, substantial, wide | minor, slight, small | apparent

VERB + DISCREPANCY account for, explain How do you explain the apparent discrepancies between the money and the receipts? | find, note, notice, observe, perceive She failed to notice the discrepancy between the name on the cheque and the name on the driving licence. | ignore

DISCREPANCY + VERB exist | arise, occur

PREP. ~ between Discrepancies occurred between the written and electronic records. | ~ in There were wide discrepancies in the evidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discretion noun

¹ freedom to make decisions

ADJ. considerable, full, greater, more, wide | absolute, complete, unfettered The school governors have absolute discretion over which pupils they admit. | executive, judicial, management/managerial, personal, professional The president used his executive discretion to pardon the two men.

VERB + DISCRETION exercise, have, use The police exercise discretion in the area of minor traffic offences. | give sb They would like local authorities to be given greater discretion as to how the money is spent. | leave sth to ‘Do you want me to do the job myself or hire a photographer?’ ‘I leave it to your discretion.’

PREP. at sb's ~ Bail is granted at the discretion of the court. There is no service charge and tipping is at your discretion. | ~ about We have discretion about how much to charge. | ~ as to She has considerable discretion as to how the money is spent. | ~ over giving judges more discretion over sentencing

PHRASES the exercise/operation of discretion

² being discreet

ADJ. great, the utmost

VERB + DISCRETION call for, need, require This case calls for the utmost discretion. | rely on This is confidential, but I know that I can rely on your discretion.

PREP. with ~ to conduct enquiries with discretion.

PHRASES a lack of discretion, a need for discretion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discriminate verb

ADV. positively | unfairly

PREP. against The present law discriminates unfairly against women. | in favour of discriminating positively in favour of people from ethnic minorities | on (the) grounds of Workers must avoid discriminating on the grounds of race or sex.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discrimination noun

¹ treating a person/group unfairly

ADJ. age, class, gender, race/racial, religious, sex/sexual | widespread There is widespread discrimination against doctors of Asian origin. | active, blatant, direct, explicit, overt evidence of active discrimination against black workers | covert, indirect | positive, reverse positive discrimination in favour of disadvantaged racial groups | illegal, unlawful Overt sex or race discrimination is illegal. | employment, job | government, institutional/institutionalized institutionalized discrimination against women within the police force

QUANT. level Levels of discrimination against recent immigrants are high.

VERB + DISCRIMINATION amount to, constitute Racist remarks by an employer to an employee can amount to unlawful discrimination. | experience, face, suffer (from) Many disabled people suffer discrimination at work. | practise | allege law suits alleging discrimination | be opposed to, combat, fight | ban, end, forbid, outlaw, prohibit, stop

DISCRIMINATION + VERB occur The discrimination occurred at the shortlisting stage, not the interviews.

PREP. ~ against discrimination against women | ~ by Discrimination by age is as vicious as discrimination by race. | ~ in favour of Some firms practise discrimination in favour of older people. | ~ on the grounds of It's time we banned discrimination on the grounds of age.

PHRASES a victim of discrimination

² judgement

ADJ. great | careful, fine

VERB + DISCRIMINATION make Young children find it difficult to make fine discriminations. | show She showed great discrimination in rejecting the poor quality teas.

PREP. ~ between discrimination between right and wrong

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discussion noun

ADJ. detailed, full, in-depth, lengthy, long They had a detailed discussion of the issues. | brief | considerable After considerable discussion, they decided to accept our offer. | initial, preliminary | further The plan was agreed without further discussion. | general, wide-ranging a wide-ranging discussion on women's rights | public | formal, informal After the lecture there will be an opportunity for informal discussion. | bilateral, group, one-to-one, round-table a series of bilateral discussions between Israel and neighbouring states Women were asked to take part in small group discussions. | candid, frank, open | animated, heated, intense, lively a heated discussion about politics | serious | reasoned | useful | inconclusive

VERB + DISCUSSION have, hold We had a long discussion about the plans for next year. The two governments are to hold discussions on the border issue. | enter into We are hoping to enter into discussions with leaders of the prison service. | be involved in, join in, participate in, take part in They refused to take part in the discussions. | generate, initiate, provoke, stimulate These latest findings have generated a lot of discussion of the moral issues involved. | set up ways of setting up discussions between children to explore each other's viewpoints | lead, open, start The discussion was led by the director of marketing. Who is going to start the discussion? | bring sth up for, come up for, open sth up for The issue should come up for discussion at the climate change conference. The topic must be opened up for general discussion. | open up We need to open up a discussion on the basic aspects of the theory. | confine I wish to confine the discussion to income taxation. | sum up Let us sum up the discussion so far. | break off, conclude, end The government has broken off discussions with the unions. We decided to end the discussion before it got out of hand. | defer, postpone | follow up Discussion should be followed up by a written report.

DISCUSSION + VERB take place Discussions have taken place between the two leaders. | centre on Discussion centred on the contribution different groups would make to the project. | break out, ensue An intense discussion broke out about the importance of intuition. Adam raised the issue of multimedia applications and much useful discussion ensued. | continue

DISCUSSION + NOUN group | document

PREP. for ~ the subject for discussion | during/in a/the ~ During our discussions we raised many issues that need deeper consideration. | in ~ with The company had been in discussion with companies in Austria, Italy and Greece. | under ~ Plans for a new bypass are still under discussion. | ~ about/on a discussion about reform of the health service | ~ as to Discussion continues as to the relative merits of the different schemes. | ~ between discussions between management and union officials | ~ of a discussion of the issues involved | ~ with discussions with the government

PHRASES a basis for discussion We can use the draft document as a basis for discussion. | a forum for discussion The group provides a forum for the discussion of ideas. | the outcome of a discussion The outcome of the discussions is a decision to proceed with Phase 2 of the programme. | a subject/topic for/of discussion > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

discuss verb

ADV. exhaustively, fully, in detail, thoroughly The plan was discussed in great detail. | at length, endlessly, extensively These ideas will be discussed at greater length in the next chapter. | briefly | further | openly This problem has never been discussed openly before. | informally | critically, intelligently Pupils should be encouraged to discuss critically the information they are given.

VERB + DISCUSS convene (sth) to, meet to to convene a conference to discuss the country's political future The committee meets regularly to discuss these issues. | want to, wish to, would like to | refuse to He refused to discuss it with me. | be able to | be prepared to, be willing to I'm not prepared to discuss this on the phone.

PREP. with I'd like to discuss this matter with you later.

PHRASES an opportunity to discuss sth, widely discussed The proposals have been widely discussed in the media.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disc noun

¹ computer disk > See DISK

² CD/record

ADJ. vinyl I've got an old vinyl disc of her singing.

VERB + DISC play | hear, listen to | produce, record

PREP. on (a/the) ~ He is one of the greatest opera singers on disc. The Prokofiev sonata comes first on the disc. | ~ of a disc of the two Mozart piano quartets > See CD

³ part of the body

ADJ. prolapsed, slipped He's in bed with a slipped disc.

VERB + DISC slip She's slipped a disc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disdain noun

VERB + DISDAIN feel, have She did not hesitate to express the disdain that she felt. | express, show Judges sometimes show great disdain for the law. | look on/upon sb/sth with, treat sb/sth with Traditionalists look upon the changes with disdain.

PREP. in ~ She turned her head away in disdain. | with ~ Why does he treat his father with such disdain? | ~ for He has an aristocratic disdain for money.

PHRASES an expression/a look of disdain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disease noun

QUANT. outbreak fears of an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease

VERB + DISEASE have, suffer from He has a serious lung disease. | catch, contract, get You can't catch the disease just from physical contact. She got a rare liver disease when she was only twenty. | die from/of Children are still dying in their millions Tobacco lowers the body's resistance to disease. | the risk of disease the risk of coronary heart disease | the spread of (a) disease measures to prevent the spread of the disease | the symptoms of a disease, the treatment for/of a disease > Special page at ILLNESS from preventable diseases. | cause a disease caused by a vitamin deficiency | carry, pass on, spread, transmit the ticks that carry the disease Such unhygienic practices spread disease. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. | diagnose | treat | combat, fight The government must take action to fight this deadly disease. | control, manage new drugs which help to control the disease | cure | prevent It's better to prevent disease by ensuring a clean water supply. | eradicate, stamp out, wipe out The disease has been eradicated from the world.

DISEASE + VERB spread They want to stop the disease spreading. | afflict sb, strike sb | kill sb The disease has killed 500 people so far this year.

PREP. with a/the ~ the number of people with this disease | ~ of a disease of the digestive system

PHRASES a cure for a disease, the incidence of (a) disease the overall incidence of disease in the world | a patient with/sufferer from a disease Sufferers from Alzheimer's disease can't cope at home. | resistance to disease

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disfigure verb be disfigured

ADV. badly, grossly He was badly disfigured by the accident. | permanently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disgraceful adj.

VERBS be

ADV. absolutely, quite, utterly There's litter everywhere. It's absolutely disgraceful.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disgrace noun

¹ loss of respect

VERB + DISGRACE fall into Their father fell into disgrace and lost his business. | bring His crime had brought disgrace upon his whole family. | be sent away/home/off in She was sent home from the Olympics in disgrace.

PREP. in ~ He's in disgrace for having left his room in a mess.

PHRASES there's no disgrace in sth There's no disgrace in being poor.

² disgraceful person/thing

ADJ. absolute, utter This room is an absolute disgrace (= because it is very dirty/untidy)! | national, public The state of our hospitals is a national disgrace.

PREP. ~ to The filthy streets are a disgrace to the town.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disguise noun

VERB + DISGUISE adopt, put on, wear She adopted an elaborate disguise to help her pass through the town unrecognized. | see through We all saw through his disguise immediately.

PREP. in ~ The star travelled in disguise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disguise verb

ADV. cleverly, cunningly She was cleverly disguised as a policewoman.

VERB + DISGUISE cannot/could not | try to

PREP. from You cannot disguise what you are doing from your family.

PHRASES an attempt to disguise sth He made no attempt to disguise his liking for her. | heavily disguised speaking in a heavily disguised voice | barely/thinly disguised In her speech she made several thinly disguised attacks on the president.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disgusted adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become

ADV. really | absolutely, quite, thoroughly, totally | rather, slightly | visibly She looked visibly disgusted.

PREP. at I'm quite disgusted at the way he's treated you. | by I was absolutely disgusted by the whole business. | with I was thoroughly disgusted with her behaviour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disgusting adj.

VERBS be, look, smell, sound, taste That soup tastes disgusting! | find sth I find his behaviour disgusting.

ADV. really | absolutely, quite I think the way she's treated him is absolutely disgusting. | pretty, rather He's got some rather disgusting habits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disgust noun

ADJ. great | utter | obvious Mr Haynes shook his head in obvious disgust and walked off. | public

VERB + DISGUST feel | express, show | hide trying to hide the disgust that she felt | fill sb with Decent people were filled with disgust for whoever committed the crimes. | turn/walk away in He threw her one look, then turned away in disgust. | shake your head in, wrinkle (up) your nose in

PREP. in ~ Marion threw down the book in disgust. | with ~ They both looked with disgust at the men. | ~ at I couldn't find the words to express my disgust at his actions. | ~ over expressions of public disgust over the affair | ~ with People are showing their disgust with the existing regime.

PHRASES an exclamation/a snort of disgust He gave a snort of disgust. | an expression/a gesture/a grimace/a look of disgust, a feeling/sense of disgust, much to your disgust Much to his disgust, he found himself sharing a carriage with a noisy young family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dishonest adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as What they are doing is not considered dishonest.

ADV. very | downright I think he's downright dishonest! | rather, slightly | basically, fundamentally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dishwasher noun

VERB + DISHWASHER load, stack | empty | run It wastes energy to run the dishwasher half empty.

DISHWASHER + NOUN detergent, powder, salt

PHRASES dishwasher proof/safe Are these glasses dishwasher safe?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dish noun

¹ container

PREP. in a/the ~ Arrange the chicken and salad in a serving dish.

² the dishes: plates, bowls, etc.

ADJ. clean | dirty, unwashed The dirty breakfast dishes were still in the sink when we got home. | breakfast

VERB + DISH do, wash It's your turn to do the dishes. | dry He dried the dishes and put them away. | put away

³ type of food

VERB + DISH cook, make, prepare She cooked us a delicious French dish with pork and tomatoes. | serve a restaurant that serves traditional Indian dishes | recommend | sample, try They sampled all the local dishes.

PHRASES the dish of the day I can recommend the chef's dish of the day. > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disillusioned adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, get, grow

ADV. extremely, very | completely, thoroughly, totally, utterly | increasingly | rather | sadly If the king had hoped for peace, he was to be sadly disillusioned.

PREP. by They felt bitter and disillusioned by the decision. | with Later in life he grew rather disillusioned with communism.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disillusionment noun

ADJ. general, public, widespread | growing

VERB + DISILLUSIONMENT cause

PREP. ~ among causing widespread disillusionment among young people | ~ with There is growing public disillusionment with the present system of government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disintegrate verb

ADV. completely The plane completely disintegrated on impact. | slowly The social fabric of this country is slowly disintegrating.

VERB + DISINTEGRATE begin to The bag had already begun to disintegrate.

PREP. into The country has disintegrated into separate states. | under He was a lawyer who had disintegrated under the strain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disintegration noun

ADJ. complete, total | gradual the gradual disintegration of traditional values | rapid | political, social indicators of social disintegration such as divorce, suicide and petty theft

VERB + DISINTEGRATION lead to, result in This defeat led to the disintegration of the empire.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disk noun

VERB + DISK insert, put in Insert the disk into the drive slot. | remove, take out | format | read The computer reads the disk. | copy, duplicate I'll copy the disk into a file. | copy/save (sth) to, save sth on The program is set up so that you automatically save to disk every 15 minutes. Save the document to disk before closing it. The information can be saved on a disk. | wipe If you wipe that old disk, we can use it again. | hold sth on, store sth on The records will be stored on the computer's hard disk.

DISK + VERB contain sth The disk contains the program you'll need. | hold sth Each disk holds 700 MB.

DISK + NOUN capacity, space I'm running out of disk space on my computer. | drive | storage

PREP. from ~ The information required can then be retrieved from disk. | on (a/the) ~ Have you got the file on disk? the data on the disk | onto ~ It is safest to save your design onto disk. | to ~ You simply download the pages to disk. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dislike noun

¹ feeling of not liking sb/sth

VERB + DISLIKE feel, have She felt dislike rather than sympathy as he told his story. My grandfather has a great dislike of long hair on boys. | express, show | take I took an instant dislike to my new colleague.

PREP. with ~ Sonia stared at me with dislike and distrust. | ~ for She had a deep dislike for Robert's wife.

PHRASES a feeling/look of dislike

² sth you do not like

PHRASES your likes and dislikes I've told you all my likes and dislikes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dislike verb

ADV. cordially, greatly, heartily, intensely, positively, really, strongly She disliked her boss intensely. | particularly | simply He simply disliked working with committees and avoided it whenever possible. | instinctively | actively There are very few foods that I actively dislike. | clearly, obviously

PHRASES be universally/widely disliked The new teacher was universally disliked.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disloyalty noun

VERB + DISLOYALTY show | accuse sb of Her friends accused her of disloyalty.

PREP. ~ to He has shown disloyalty to the party and is not to be trusted.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dismal adj.

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. really It was a really dismal day. | a bit, fairly, pretty, rather Last year's results were fairly dismal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dismay noun

ADJ. deep, great The government has expressed ‘deep dismay’ at police violence against protesters. | growing, mounting | widespread

VERB + DISMAY feel I felt a mounting dismay at the prospect. | express | hide It was impossible to hide my dismay at what I had seen. | cause The laws on hunting cause dismay to many animal lovers. | be regarded with, be greeted with, be viewed with The news was greeted with widespread dismay.

PREP. in ~ Louise stared at the torn letter in dismay. | with ~ I read of her resignation with some dismay. | ~ at his dismay at her reaction | ~ over Brady made no secret of his dismay over his treatment.

PHRASES (much) to your dismay Much to my dismay, she was out when I called.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dismissal noun

¹ from a job

ADJ. automatic, immediate, instant, summary His attack on the manager led to his instant dismissal. | constructive, unfair, wrongful She won her claim for constructive dismissal because she had been pressured into resigning.

VERB + DISMISSAL lead to | call for Crash victims are calling for the dismissal of the coach driver. | be faced with, be threatened with, face, risk They were warned that they risked dismissal if the strike continued. | appeal against, claim Cooke, who was with the firm 30 years, claims unfair dismissal.

PREP. ~ for his dismissal for poor performance | ~ on the grounds of She is now faced with dismissal on the grounds of misconduct.

PHRASES grounds/reason for dismissal

² refusing to consider sth

ADJ. arrogant, callous, casual, disdainful, easy

PREP. ~ of his callous dismissal of her father's illness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dismissive adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. very | completely, entirely | mildly, rather, slightly, somewhat | coldly Her manner was coldly dismissive.

PREP. of She was very dismissive of his achievements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dismiss verb

¹ decide sth is not important

ADV. quickly | out of hand, summarily He dismissed her suggestion out of hand. | easily, lightly, readily Children's fears should never be dismissed lightly. | contemptuously She contemptuously dismissed their complaints.

VERB + DISMISS cannot/could not, unable to | be difficult to, be easy to, be possible to It was not easy to dismiss the matter from his thoughts. | try to

PREP. as, from She dismissed their arguments as irrelevant. She tried to dismiss the idea from her mind.

² remove sb from a job

ADV. fairly | unfairly, wrongfully The court ruled that Ms Hill had been unfairly dismissed. | constructively | summarily

PREP. from He was summarily dismissed from his job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disobedience noun

ADJ. civil He called for a campaign of civil disobedience if the president did not honour the election results.

VERB + DISOBEDIENCE punish (sb for)

PREP. ~ to their disobedience to the king

PHRASES an act of disobedience His behaviour was seen as another act of disobedience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disorder noun

¹ untidy state

ADJ. complete

VERB + DISORDER throw sth into The country was thrown into disorder by the strikes.

PREP. in ~ He died suddenly, leaving his financial affairs in complete disorder.

PHRASES a state of disorder

² violent behaviour

ADJ. major, serious | widespread | violent | civil, crowd, public, social | political

QUANT. outbreak There have been outbreaks of serious public disorder.

VERB + DISORDER create, lead to | quell Troops were sent in to quell the disorder. | prevent new restrictions aimed at preventing social disorder

³ illness

VERB + DISORDER have, suffer from She suffers from a rare blood disorder. | treat

DISORDER + VERB affect sth disorders affecting the very old, such as senile dementia > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disorganized adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. highly, hopelessly, very She never gets anywhere on time. She's hopelessly disorganized. | completely, totally | rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disparity noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, gross, wide | growing | clear, glaring, obvious

PREP. ~ between The great disparity between the teams did not make for an entertaining game. | ~ in the disparity in their salaries | ~ of a disparity of resources

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disperse verb

ADV. quickly, rapidly | quietly | widely The population in this area is quite widely dispersed. | geographically to decentralize and geographically disperse political and economic power

VERB + DISPERSE begin to The crowd slowly began to disperse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

display noun

¹ arrangement of things

ADJ. attractive, beautiful, colourful, dazzling, excellent, eye-catching, fascinating, fine, good, interesting, stunning | special | public | permanent, temporary | static The locomotive is normally kept on static display in the National Railway Museum. | audio-visual, visual An audio-visual display gives visitors an idea of what life was like aboard a sailing ship. | floral, photographic a beautiful floral display outside the Town Hall | in-store, wall, window | museum, shop

VERB + DISPLAY have The museum has a fine display of old medical instruments. | mount We plan to mount a display of the children's work in the lobby area. | go on Examples of her work will go on permanent display in the new museum. | put sth on The birds were put on display at the zoological society.

DISPLAY + VERB illustrate sth, show sth The display illustrates the traditional industries of the town.

DISPLAY + NOUN board, cabinet, case, stand a glass-fronted display cabinet

PREP. on ~ Designs for the new sports hall are on public display in the library. On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. | ~ of a display of Roman coins > Note at ART

² performing a skill

ADJ. astonishing, awesome, breathtaking, brilliant, devastating, flamboyant, great, impressive, magnificent, outstanding, spectacular, spirited, superb, virtuoso a flamboyant display of footballing skills | disappointing, lacklustre, poor | firework | pyrotechnic The sun set in a pyrotechnic display that burnt up the whole western sky. | aerial, aerobatic, air, flying, parachute | courtship, mating, sexual

VERB + DISPLAY give, perform, put on The male performs a magnificent courtship display. They put on a spectacular firework display. | treat sb to The crowd was treated to an impressive display of power tennis. | watch

DISPLAY + NOUN team an aerobatic display team

PREP. ~ of They gave a virtuoso display of disco dancing.

³ showing a particular feeling/quality

ADJ. brief | rare | impressive, incredible, striking Members of the community closed ranks in an impressive display of unity. | open, public an open display of affection for her husband | outward Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. | ostentatious, overt an ostentatious display of wealth | aggressive There may be specific events which trigger aggressive displays in your dog.

PREP. ~ of She slammed the door behind her in a display of ill-temper.

⁴ on a computer screen, etc.

DISPLAY + NOUN screen, terminal, unit display screen equipment a visual display unit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

display verb

ADV. clearly, prominently His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. | proudly

PREP. to She proudly displayed her degree certificate to her parents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

displeasure noun

ADJ. deep | divine, official, royal He saw the English victory as a sign of divine displeasure.

VERB + DISPLEASURE cause, incur His tactless words had incurred his father's deep displeasure. | express, show, voice | conceal, hide He made no attempt to hide his displeasure.

PREP. ~ at his displeasure at being ignored | ~ with her displeasure with her colleagues

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disposal noun

DISPOSAL + NOUN site | method | system, unit a kitchen waste disposal unit | company, expert, squad The device was defused by army bomb disposal experts.

PREP. at your ~ (= available for your use) He will have a car at his disposal for the whole month. Well, I'm at your disposal (= I am ready to help you in any way I can).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disposed adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem

ADV. agreeably, favourably, kindly, well | naturally

PREP. to She seems favourably disposed to the move. | towards being naturally disposed towards speculation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disposition noun

VERB + DISPOSITION have, show These dogs show a very sociable disposition.

PREP. of a … ~ This film is not recommended for those of a nervous disposition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disproportionate adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. grossly, vastly | quite, totally, wholly

PREP. to The punishment was grossly disproportionate to the crime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dispute noun

ADJ. considerable, major, serious There is considerable dispute over the precise definition of ‘social class’ as a term. The incident sparked off a major dispute between the two countries. | minor | acrimonious, bitter, fierce, heated | damaging | simmering The simmering dispute erupted in public when the two men came to blows at the party conference. | continuing, lengthy, long-running, long-standing, prolonged, protracted | outstanding He proposed a negotiated settlement of the outstanding disputes between the two countries. | public | local, international | internal There were lengthy internal disputes between the two wings of the party. | domestic, family | labour, industrial, pay | border, boundary, land, territorial | legal | ideological, political | commercial, financial, trade | religious

VERB + DISPUTE cause, lead to, provoke, spark (off) one of the many factors that led to the dispute | enter | be drawn into Governments are often drawn into disputes about matters of public taste and decency. | be embroiled in, be engaged in, be involved in They became embroiled in a dispute with their neighbours. | deal with, handle Police have difficulties in dealing with domestic disputes. | adjudicate, decide The purpose of industrial tribunals is to adjudicate disputes between employers and employees. | resolve, settle, solve | lose, win | avoid, prevent | be open to His theories are open to dispute (= can be disagreed with).

DISPUTE + VERB arise, begin, erupt No one could remember exactly how the dispute had arisen. | escalate | concern sth disputes concerning environmental protection | involve sb/sth

PREP. beyond ~ The matter was settled beyond dispute by the court judgment (= it could no longer be argued about). | in ~ (with) The actual sum of compensation due is still in dispute (= being argued about). The employees have been in dispute with management for three weeks. | under ~ the matters under dispute | ~ about/over, ~ among/amongst The exact relationship between the two languages is a matter of dispute amongst scholars. | ~ as to There is no dispute as to the facts. | ~ between a long-standing dispute between the families over ownership of the land. | ~ with

PHRASES an area/a matter of dispute, potential/room/scope for dispute to minimize the scope for dispute over the meaning of the terms employed | the resolution/settlement of a dispute

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dispute verb

ADV. fiercely, hotly The effectiveness of this treatment is still hotly disputed.

VERB + DISPUTE can/cannot No one can dispute the fact that men still hold the majority of public offices.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disregard noun

ADJ. complete, total, utter | blatant, flagrant | callous, cavalier, cynical | reckless, wanton their reckless disregard for human life | blithe, fine (ironic) With a fine disregard for geography, she decided to start her journey to Paris by sailing to the Hook of Holland.

VERB + DISREGARD demonstrate, show

PREP. ~ for He showed complete disregard for the feelings of his family. | ~ of their flagrant disregard of the rules

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disrepair noun

VERB + DISREPAIR fall into The building had fallen into disrepair.

PREP. in ~ Much of the old building was still in disrepair.

PHRASES a state of disrepair

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disreputable adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. highly, very | rather, slightly, vaguely He had a vaguely disreputable appearance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disrepute noun

VERB + DISREPUTE fall into The old system had fallen into disrepute. | bring sth into The players' behaviour on the field is likely to bring the game into disrepute.

PREP. in ~ This theory is now in disrepute.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disrespect noun

ADJ. total | healthy

VERB + DISRESPECT have, show, treat sb/sth with She felt he had total disrespect for women. | mean no I mean no disrespect to the team, but their performance was poor.

PREP. ~ for The new manager showed a healthy disrespect for formality.

PHRASES no disrespect intended/to … No disrespect intended sir; it was just a joke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disruption noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, major, massive, serious, severe | minimum how to organize the building work so as to cause minimum disruption | widespread | undue to allow the school to function without undue disruption | inevitable | economic, family, political, social the effects of family disruption during childhood | traffic

VERB + DISRUPTION cause, create, lead to | suffer The city centre suffered some disruption due to a bomb scare. | avoid, prevent | minimize

DISRUPTION + VERB occur

PREP. ~ to The bombing campaign caused massive disruption to industry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disruptive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very children with highly disruptive behaviour | slightly | potentially potentially disruptive elements in society | socially

PREP. to Long working hours are very disruptive to home life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disrupt verb

ADV. badly, seriously, severely The bad weather has seriously disrupted supplies of food. | completely, totally

VERB + DISRUPT threaten to | attempt to | be designed to The attacks are designed to disrupt plans for the elections.

PHRASES an attempt to disrupt sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dissatisfaction noun

VERB + DISSATISFACTION cause, give rise to, lead to Pay cuts have led to widespread dissatisfaction. | express

PREP. ~ about/over dissatisfaction over the slow progress of the peace process | ~ among There was widespread dissatisfaction among the public. | ~ at She expressed deep dissatisfaction at the way the interview had been conducted. | ~ with There is growing dissatisfaction with the current style of management.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of dissatisfaction, a cause/source of dissatisfaction

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dissatisfied adj.

VERBS be, feel | become | remain

ADV. deeply, very The decision left us feeling deeply dissatisfied. | increasingly

PREP. with She's very dissatisfied with her current job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dissent noun

ADJ. serious, strong He would brook no serious dissent. | growing | internal internal party dissent | political, religious Political dissent is not tolerated.

VERB + DISSENT arouse, cause, provoke | express, show There are many ways of expressing dissent. | brook, tolerate | stifle, suppress The regime ruthlessly suppresses all dissent.

PREP. ~ against popular dissent against the Church | ~ from His dissent from his family's religious beliefs caused a lot of ill-feeling.

PHRASES a voice of dissent In the early 1960s, the voices of dissent began to rise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dissertation noun

ADJ. research | doctoral, Master's, undergraduate | MSc, PhD, etc. | 15,000-word, etc.

VERB + DISSERTATION do, prepare, write Students can either do a dissertation or take part in a practical project. | complete, finish | hand in, present, submit Candidates are required to present a dissertation of between 8,000 and 12,000 words.

PREP. ~ on He wrote his Master's dissertation on rats.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disservice noun

ADJ. grave, great

VERB + DISSERVICE do sb

PREP. ~ to This violence will do a grave disservice to their cause.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dissident noun

ADJ. leading, prominent | political, religious | exiled, imprisoned

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dissimilar adj.

VERBS appear, be, look

ADV. very | quite, totally | not altogether, not entirely, not wholly

PREP. from His views are not dissimilar from those of the Health Minister. | to The way of life here is not altogether dissimilar to that in other parts of Europe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dissolve verb

¹ become/make sth liquid

ADV. completely The tablet hasn't dissolved completely yet. | gradually, slowly | away The limestone has simply dissolved away.

PREP. in Dissolve the sugar in water.

² end sth officially

ADV. formally, officially Their marriage was formally dissolved last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distance noun

¹ amount of space between two points

ADJ. appreciable, considerable, enormous, fair, good, great, huge, large, long, vast The town is a considerable distance from the coast. It's quite a good distance to the nearest village. The people travel vast distances to find food. | short, small | reasonable | certain, given | average, mean the average distance covered during pursuits by cheetahs | equal | maximum, minimum | optimum | correct, right | exact | full | extra | fixed | finite, infinite | careful, comfortable, convenient, discreet, respectful, safe The cat sat and watched us from a safe distance. | braking, stopping Allow for greater braking distances when pulling a loaded trailer. | geographical, physical These immigrants face problems of geographical distance and cultural isolation.

VERB + DISTANCE cover, fly, go, travel, walk The young birds were soon flying distances of 200 feet or more.

(figurative) Nobody thought he would last 15 rounds but he went the full distance. | keep I kept a comfortable distance behind the van. | determine, measure | gauge, judge It is very difficult to judge distances in the desert.

DISTANCE + NOUN runner, running a long-distance runner

PREP. at a ~ (from/of) When launching a kick it is essential to be at the correct distance from your opponent. The town is situated at a distance of twenty miles from Oxford. She followed them at a discreet distance. | from a ~ (of) Visitors can only view the painting from a distance of three metres. | over a ~ (of) The sound can be heard over a distance of more than five miles. | within a ~ children living within a certain distance of the school | ~ away from The house is a short distance away from the bus station. | ~ between What's the distance between London and Edinburgh? | ~ from, ~ to the distance from our house to the school

PHRASES a … distance ahead, away, apart, etc. A bomb exploded some distance away. | within commuting/driving/strolling/travelling/wal distance The shops are within walking distance. | within hailing/shouting/sniffing/spitting/striking/ distance The cat was now within striking distance of the duck.

(figurative) We came within spitting distance of winning the cup.

² point a long way away/being far away

ADJ. far, middle I could just see the hills in the far distance. | blue (literary) The moors stretched away into the blue distance (= the sky).

DISTANCE + NOUN learning The Open University offers a wide range of distance learning programmes. | vision to have good distance vision

PREP. at a ~ At a distance it is difficult to make out the detail on the building. | from a ~ We admired the palace from a distance. | in the ~ In the distance was a small village.

³ not being too closely involved

ADJ. critical, professional | emotional, psychological, social

VERB + DISTANCE keep, maintain She was warned to keep her distance from Charles if she didn't want to get hurt. Sociologists must maintain critical distance from the ideas of society at any particular time.

PREP. ~ from He felt a sense of distance from the others.

PHRASES a sense of distance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distant adj.

¹ far away in space

VERBS be, sound | become, grow The sound of the engine was growing more and more distant.

ADV. far (literary), very in far distant lands | increasingly | unimaginably It was only a few miles away but it seemed unimaginably distant. | geographically geographically distant areas of the world

PREP. from The stars are more distant from the earth than the sun.

² far away in time

VERBS be

ADV. very | increasingly | fairly, not too in the not too distant future

PHRASES the dim and distant past stories from the dim and distant past

³ not friendly/not paying attention

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | find sb

ADV. very | rather, slightly | strangely Even his children found him strangely distant and impersonal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distasteful adj.

VERBS be, seem | find sth

ADV. extremely, highly I find his attitude highly distasteful. | thoroughly | fairly, rather

PREP. to The work was thoroughly distasteful to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distaste noun

ADJ. deep, extreme, great, intense, profound, strong | growing | evident, obvious She regarded the child with evident distaste. | irrational | mock

VERB + DISTASTE feel, have | express, show trying not to show her distaste | conceal, hide He couldn't conceal the deep distaste that he felt for many of their customs. | look at sb/sth with, regard sb/sth with, view sb/sth with

PREP. in ~ She wrinkled her nose in mock distaste. | with ~ Jim looked with distaste at the cockroach in his soup. | ~ at He couldn't hide his distaste at having to sleep in such a filthy room. | ~ for Joe had a profound distaste for violence.

PHRASES an expression/a look of distaste, a feeling of distaste

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distinction noun

¹ clear difference

VERB + DISTINCTION draw, make She draws an important distinction between the different kinds of illness. | recognize, see We can see a sharp distinction between ambition and greed. | blur blurring the distinction between amateur and professional players

DISTINCTION + VERB lie Cultural distinctions lie at the heart of these issues.

PREP. without ~ All groups are entitled to this money without distinction (= without a difference being made between them). | ~ between

² excellence/fame

VERB + DISTINCTION have He has the dubious distinction of being the first railway baron to go bankrupt. | achieve She achieved distinction in several fields of scholarship. | add Fennel leaves add distinction to any dish.

PREP. of ~ She is a historian of great distinction. | with ~ He served with distinction in the First World War.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distinctive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very The shell has a highly distinctive pattern. | quite | fairly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distinct adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | keep sth It is necessary to keep these two issues distinct. | regard/see sth as

ADV. very | completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | fairly | essentially, fundamentally | clearly | analytically, conceptually, formally (= distinct in form), qualitatively Political power should be regarded as analytically distinct from economic power. | anatomically, geographically, historically geographically distinct regions

PREP. from The various dialects are quite distinct from one another.

PHRASES as distinct from She was studying lung cancer, as distinct from other types of cancer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distinguishable adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. clearly, easily, readily | barely, hardly, scarcely

PREP. by The animal is easily distinguishable by the black stripes above its eye. | from The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distinguish verb

ADV. clearly, sharply | carefully | easily, readily The adult can be readily distinguished by its orange bill.

VERB + DISTINGUISH be able to, can/could | be unable to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to, be possible to | be important to, be necessary to It is important to distinguish between cause and effect.

PREP. between It is often difficult to distinguish clearly between fact and fiction in this book. | from She could not distinguish one child from another.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distortion noun

¹ change in shape/sound

ADJ. severe | slight | inevitable

VERB + DISTORTION cause, create, lead to The wrong chemical balance can cause severe distortion of the photographic image. | avoid

² changing sth so that it is shown falsely

ADJ. gross, serious His report was attacked as a gross distortion of the truth. | deliberate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distort verb

ADV. grossly, seriously, severely He was accused of grossly distorting the facts. | completely | slightly | deliberately

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distracted adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become, get It's easy to get distracted when you're studying.

ADV. very | a little, slightly, somewhat She seemed slightly distracted, as if something was worrying her. | momentarily Luke looked momentarily distracted.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distraction noun

¹ sth that takes your attention away

ADJ. unwanted | welcome

PREP. without ~ She worked hard all morning, without distraction. | ~ from Work was a welcome distraction from her problems at home.

² being unable to think clearly

VERB + DISTRACTION drive sb to My kids drive me to distraction at times. | be bored to | love sb to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distract verb

ADV. easily He's easily distracted from his work | momentarily A noise outside momentarily distracted her.

PREP. (away) from an attempt to distract attention away from the real problems in the country

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distraught adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound She sounded absolutely distraught. | become | remain Weeks after the accident she remained distraught. | leave sb His mother's death left him utterly distraught.

ADV. extremely, really, terribly, very | absolutely, completely, quite, utterly

PREP. at They were terribly distraught at the news of his accident.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distressing adj.

VERBS be | become | find sth I found the story deeply distressing.

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very | quite, rather | emotionally

PREP. for The divorce was extremely distressing for the children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distress noun

ADJ. acute, considerable, deep, extreme, great, immense, severe | genuine, real | obvious | unnecessary | emotional, mental, personal, physical, psychological the physical distress of thirst and hunger the personal distress associated with unemployment | economic, financial, social The causes of social distress include inadequate housing.

VERB + DISTRESS cause (sb) | feel, suffer the distress that she felt when her parents argued The animals suffer great pain and distress when hunted. | show (signs of) She seemed calm and showed no signs of distress. | conceal He tried to conceal his distress, but the tremor in his voice was unmistakable. | avoid | alleviate, ease, relieve

DISTRESS + NOUN call, signal The sinking ship sent out a distress call.

PREP. in ~ The child was clearly in distress. a ship in distress | to sb's ~ He dropped out of college, to his family's distress. | ~ at her obvious distress at hearing such bad news | ~ over The president issued a statement expressing her distress over the affair.

PHRASES a damsel in distress medieval ballads about a knight saving a damsel in distress | a source of distress Grief over ageing is a source of distress to men and women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distribute verb

¹ give sth out

ADV. equally, fairly | unequally | widely The leaflets have been widely distributed. | free Copies of the book were distributed free to each school in the district.

PREP. among We distributed the money equally among the team members. | between, to distributing aid to people in need

² spread sth

ADV. evenly, uniformly Wealth is not evenly distributed between age groups. | unevenly | randomly Smokers were randomly distributed in the sample interviewed. | patchily, sparsely

PREP. among, between, throughout There are over 35,000 species of orchid distributed throughout the world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distribution noun

¹ way sth is shared or exists over an area

ADJ. egalitarian, equitable, fair to ensure a fair distribution of wealth | inequitable, unfair | equal an equal distribution of wealth between people of different age groups | unequal | even, uniform After applying the cream, comb through to ensure even distribution. | uneven The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources. | optimal, optimum | relative the relative distribution of continents and oceans | general, overall the general distribution of earthquakes around the world | broad, wide, widespread the broad distribution of Bronze Age artefacts across Europe the wider distribution of wealth throughout society | local, localized Fish populations assume highly localized distributions within each river. | global, regional, worldwide | spatial | income, wealth | weight | age, class, geographical, population, sex, social the social class distribution of the male population | normal, random, skewed, smooth (all mathematics) a normal distribution with a bell-shaped frequency curve | binomial, frequency, probability (all mathematics)

VERB + DISTRIBUTION achieve, ensure The engine is mounted in the middle to achieve a more even weight distribution. | determine Radiology was used to determine the distribution of the disease. | have, show (mathematics) These birds have a wide geographical distribution. IQs within the population show a normal distribution.

DISTRIBUTION + NOUN pattern Animal herds may form in response to the distribution patterns of food. | map an atlas containing distribution maps of the most important tropical diseases

PREP. ~ across the distribution of resources across society | ~ among data on wealth distribution among age groups | ~ between a disparity in age distribution between groups | ~ over the distribution of trees over the estate | ~ throughout uniform distribution of the chemical throughout the timber

PHRASES a change in distribution changes in the distribution of wealth and income

² giving/delivering sth to people

ADJ. free The document contains sensitive information and is not suitable for free (= unrestricted) distribution. The previously free (= not paid for) distribution of textbooks will now be confined to students who are needy. | general Our catalogue lists all our books that are available for general distribution. | selective | exclusive The publisher has signed an agreement for the exclusive distribution of the books in the US. | proper | electronic the electronic distribution of software to customers | global, international, local, national, worldwide Roads are used for local distribution of goods. | electricity, food, fuel, gas, land, milk, water the creation of 1,500 smallholdings as part of a land distribution programme | retail, wholesale the wholesale and retail distribution of a huge variety of goods

VERB + DISTRIBUTION control, handle, organize The company is to handle the distribution of the product in Europe. | available for 2,000 copies of the booklet have been printed and are available for distribution. | ensure to ensure the proper distribution of medical aid | allow (for) to allow for the distribution of aid

DISTRIBUTION + NOUN agreement, arrangement, deal Her company has signed a non-exclusive distribution agreement. | list I attach a copy of the distribution list so you can see who got the last edition. | rights | costs | channel We have man | network | method | system | facilities The company wants to invest in new distribution facilities. | base, centre, depot, outlet, point The company has decided to use Belfast as its distribution base. | operation The company has manufacturing or distribution operations in 33 countries worldwide. | business, company | industry

PREP. for ~ free colour leaflets for distribution overseas | ~ among food for distribution among the villagers | ~ between the distribution of the health budget between various hospitals | ~ by the distribution by the government of a leaflet explaining the new tax | ~ through distribution through department stores | ~ to The food was parcelled up for distribution to outlying communities.

PHRASES a/the chain of distribution There are savings to be made where retailers are bypassed in the chain of distribution. | a channel of distribution

³ payment

ADJ. capital, dividend, share | cash

VERB + DISTRIBUTION make When are distributions likely to be made to creditors? | be available for These are company reserves available for distribution as the directors may determine.

PREP. ~ to The promissory notes were purchased for distribution to investors.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distributor noun

ADJ. global, international, overseas, worldwide | local, national | exclusive, sole | authorized, licensed | independent, third party Third party distributors are used to distribute the product in areas where the group does not have offices. | large, leading, main, major, primary We are the primary distributor of the system in France. | car, computer, film, food, software | electricity the national electricity distributor

VERB + DISTRIBUTOR appoint (sb) as We have been appointed sole UK distributor of a number of Hungarian wines. | act as We will act as the exclusive distributor for these Russian goods to the world market.

PREP. through a/the ~ You can get the book through your local distributor. | ~ for the exclusive distributor for these goods a distributor for the German market a distributor for Hewlett-Packard Co

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

district noun

ADJ. neighbouring, surrounding Fire crews from all the surrounding districts helped to fight the fires in the city. | central Every city has its central business district. | outlying, remote a new railway station to help people commuting from outlying districts | northern, southern, etc. | affluent, exclusive, rich, wealthy | poor, working-class the shacks in the poorest districts of the city | slum | coastal, country, local, metropolitan, rural, suburban, urban | agricultural, business, commercial, financial, industrial, mining, residential, shopping | administrative, electoral, federal, health, military, polling, postal a federal district court in New York He has been transferred to a hospital in a different health district.

DISTRICT + VERB stretch Their district stretches nearly 150 miles, from the mountains to the sea.

DISTRICT + NOUN authority, council the district health authority | councillor, judge, nurse, etc. | court, hospital, etc. | boundary Redrawing district boundaries would change the election results.

PREP. in/within a/the ~ The hospital is only responsible for patients within its own district.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

distrust noun

VERB + DISTRUST feel, have | express, show | create The many policy changes have created growing distrust among employees. | overcome Great efforts were made to overcome public distrust. | retain Nonconformists retained a deep distrust of their Anglican neighbours.

PREP. ~ between distrust between the two police forces | ~ in his distrust in politics | ~ of a distrust of the media

PHRASES a climate of distrust

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disturbance noun

¹ actions that upset the normal state of sb/sth

ADJ. considerable, major, serious | minimal, minimum, minor, slight

QUANT. level an unacceptable level of disturbance to occupiers of adjacent properties

VERB + DISTURBANCE cause, create, make The traffic causes serious disturbance to residents. | suffer | prevent She moved the nest very carefully to prevent disturbance to the birds.

PREP. without ~ a place where you can work without disturbance | ~ from disturbance from noisy lorries | ~ of the major disturbance of marine life caused by oil spillages | ~ to Buildings should create minimum disturbance to the environment.

² violent public event

VERB + DISTURBANCE cause, give rise to, lead to, provoke, trigger (off) He was arrested and charged with causing a disturbance in a public place. An influx of refugees has triggered off disturbances. | be involved in Large numbers of workers involved in the disturbances have been arrested. | deal with, put down, quell Troops were brought in to put down the disturbance.

DISTURBANCE + VERB occur | involve sb disturbances involving members of a crowd of 550 demonstrators

PREP. during/in a/the ~ Several people were injured during a disturbance in the capital city. | ~ among There had been violent disturbances among the prisoners. | ~ between disturbances between members of two rival factions

PHRASES a disturbance of the peace The government advocated strong action against Mussolini's disturbance of the peace.

³ emotional/physical upset

ADJ. serious, severe | behavioural, emotional, mental, psychiatric, psychological teenagers suffering from a kind of psychological disturbance | bowel, menstrual | sleep

VERB + DISTURBANCE suffer from

PREP. ~ in a disturbance in liver function behavioural disturbances in children

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disturbed adj.

¹ mentally ill

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. acutely, deeply, highly, seriously, severely, very Many of our patients are severely disturbed. | behaviourally, emotionally, mentally, psychiatrically, psychologically emotionally disturbed children

² very anxious

VERBS be, feel | become

ADV. deeply, greatly, profoundly, very | a little, slightly, vaguely | oddly

PREP. by I felt oddly disturbed by the incident.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disturbing adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | find sth

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, profoundly, very a profoundly disturbing experience | rather, slightly, somewhat, vaguely | oddly, strangely | unexpectedly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

disuse noun

VERB + DISUSE be in The workforce has shrunk to less than a thousand and much of the plant is in disuse. | fall into A new bridge was built ten years ago and the old one has fallen into disuse.

PREP. from/through/with ~ Her muscles had become weak through disuse.

PHRASES a period of disuse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ditch noun

VERB + DITCH dig

DITCH + VERB run The ditch ran parallel to the road. | surround sth His lettuce garden was surrounded by a deep ditch.

PREP. in/into a ~ I tripped and fell into a muddy ditch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diverge verb

ADV. considerably, markedly, widely

PREP. from This country's interests diverge considerably from those of other European countries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diverse adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. enormously, exceptionally, extremely, highly, remarkably, very, widely | increasingly | quite, relatively | apparently | culturally, ethnically, socially an ethnically diverse population

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diversion noun

¹ change of direction

ADJ. brief, short | major

VERB + DIVERSION make, take From Poiso we make a short diversion to drive to the top of the mountain.

PREP. ~ from the diversion of water from the river into the reservoir | ~ to The pilot set the aircraft up for a diversion to the nearest suitable airfield.

² temporary route

ADJ. temporary A temporary diversion has been set up to take traffic away from the accident site. | traffic

VERB + DIVERSION set up | signpost The road will be closed for two days; diversions have been signposted.

DIVERSION + VERB be in operation The main road is now closed and diversions are in operation.

³ distraction

ADJ. welcome

VERB + DIVERSION create, provide The fire was started to create a diversion, allowing some prisoners to escape.

PREP. ~ from The cinema provided a welcome diversion from camp routine.

⁴ pleasant activity

ADJ. pleasant, pleasurable | minor

VERB + DIVERSION make, provide The party would make a pleasant diversion in his rather dull social life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diversity noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, extraordinary, great, immense, rich, wide There is need for greater diversity and choice in education. the rich diversity of the city's cultural life | growing, increased, increasing | biological, genetic the need to preserve biological diversity | cultural, ethnic, linguistic, political, regional

VERB + DIVERSITY create | encourage, promote Our party believes in encouraging cultural diversity, not division. | maintain, preserve, protect The producer was under pressure to maintain a diversity in his output. | decrease, increase | allow (for) Tyrannies do not allow diversity and disagreement.

PREP. ~ in diversity in the style of the reports | ~ of There is a wide diversity of views on this subject.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dive noun

¹ of an aircraft

ADJ. steep, vertical | gentle, shallow | spiral

VERB + DIVE go into The plane went into a steep dive. | pull out of The pilot seemed to be having difficulty in pulling out of the dive.

² move/jump/fall

ADJ. headlong, nose (also nosedive) (both often figurative) The economy is on a headlong dive to disaster. His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace. | sudden | running She made a running dive to get across the crevasse.

VERB + DIVE make, take She made a dive for the door. He took a dive in the penalty area and won his team a controversial penalty. (figurative) The market is volatile and profits could take a dive.

PREP. ~ for There would be a dive for the bar as soon as the show finished.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dive verb

¹ jump into water

ADV. deep, head first | down

PREP. for diving for pearls | from She dived from the top diving board. | into He dived head first into the water. | off

PHRASES go diving The main purpose of his holiday to Greece was to go diving.

² of birds/aircraft

ADV. suddenly | vertically Unlike some birds, it does not dive vertically.

PREP. from, to The plane suddenly dived from 10,000 feet to 5,000.

³ move/jump/fall

ADV. head first, headlong

PREP. beneath, into He dived headlong into the ditch. | through, under

PHRASES dive for cover We heard an explosion and dived for cover.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dividend noun

¹ payment on a company share

VERB + DIVIDEND pay | receive | announce, declare The company has not yet declared its dividends for this year. | recommend The board has recommended a final dividend of 6 pence per share. | boost, increase, lift, raise | hold, maintain The interim dividend is maintained at 2.5 cents per share. | cut, reduce, slash | pass During that time, dividends were cut or passed (= not paid) and there were plenty of closures.

DIVIDEND + VERB be up The dividend is up 10.6% to 11.3p. | go up, grow, jump, rise The dividend should jump to 5p. | stay The dividend stays at 0.5p. | be payable The final dividend, payable on July 1, is reduced to 1p.

DIVIDEND + NOUN payment, payout | growth, increase | cut | income, total, yield | policy

PREP. ~ on They have announced the quarterly dividend on the shares.

PHRASES an increase in a dividend

² benefit/reward

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, handsome, rich | economic

VERB + DIVIDEND bring, pay, produce, reap, yield Her hard work paid dividends when she won the school dancing competition. The company reaped rich dividends with its new strategy for packaging holidays.

PREP. ~ in The chain's investment in new stores is bringing dividends in new customers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

divide noun

ADJ. great, sharp | growing | north-south, etc. | class, cultural, ideological, religious, sectarian | party

VERB + DIVIDE close

DIVIDE + VERB widen | narrow | open (up)

PREP. ~ between the sharp divide between rich and poor regions | ~ in The leader's speech aimed to close the embarrassing divide in party ranks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

divide verb

¹ separate into parts

PREP. into The children divided into three teams.

PHRASES divide in two the point where the river divides in two

² share

ADV. equally | up

PREP. among/amongst The money was divided equally among his sons. | between They divided their time between London and their country cottage.

³ cause disagreement

ADV. bitterly, deeply, hopelessly, seriously, sharply This issue has bitterly divided the community. | evenly

PHRASES be divided about/on/over sth Cabinet ministers were deeply divided on the issue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

diving noun

ADJ. deep-sea, scuba, sub-aqua | commercial

VERB + DIVING go

DIVING + NOUN board | display The crowd enjoyed a diving display before the swimming races. | equipment, gear, suit | bell A diving bell is usually used for operations below 50 metres.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

divisible adj.

VERBS be

ADV. infinitely He argued that all matter was infinitely divisible.

PREP. by Twelve is divisible by four. | into Plants are divisible into three main groups.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

division noun

¹ dividing sth into separate parts

ADJ. clear, distinct, simple Sometimes there is no simple division between good and evil. | complex, elaborate | rigid | broad, rough | equal, fair | unequal, unfair an unequal division of the cake an unfair division of labour | conventional, time-honoured the conventional division of language into grammar and vocabulary | theoretical | hierarchical hierarchical division between ‘workers’ and ‘management’ | threefold, three-way, tripartite | cell

VERB + DIVISION make You can make a rough division of his music into ‘light’ and ‘serious’.

PREP. ~ among His will detailed his assets and gave instructions for their division among his children. | ~ between the division of the money between the members | ~ into In selling there is a broad division into direct and indirect methods.

PHRASES the division of labour, the division of wealth

² differences between two groups/things, etc.

ADJ. bitter, deep, great, sharp There are sharp divisions within the party over the privatization of the railways. | fundamental | factional, internal factional divisions within the party | traditional | north-south | class, cultural, ethnic, gender, ideological, linguistic, political, sexual, social, societal

VERB + DIVISION create, provoke | exploit | heal The prime minister's speech will attempt to heal divisions within his party.

PREP. ~ among There are reports of serious divisions among senior party members. | ~ between, ~ within division within the government

³ section of an organization

ADJ. regional | industrial, manufacturing, marketing, retail, sales, training, wholesale | administrative the administrative divisions of the Roman Empire | airborne, armoured, infantry, etc. | first, high, low, premier, second, senior, top, etc. (sport) He's now playing football in the higher divisions. | heavyweight, lightweight, middleweight, etc. (= in boxing, etc.)

PREP. in the … ~ They compete in the senior division of the chess league.

⁴ dividing one number by another

ADJ. long

VERB + DIVISION do Can you do long division?

PREP. ~ by division by three

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

divisive adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. deeply | potentially | economically, politically, socially He believes that unemployment is socially divisive and is leading to the creation of an underclass.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

divorce noun

ADJ. amicable, uncontested | acrimonious, bitter | messy, painful | quick

VERB + DIVORCE want | apply for, ask for, file for, petition for, seek, sue for, want She filed for divorce in 1996. | get, obtain He told her that he was married but getting a divorce. | experience, go through She watched her parents go through an acrimonious divorce. | agree to, consent to | contest These days divorce is rarely contested. | grant (sb) Over 50,000 divorces were granted last year. | refuse sb | end in An increasing number of marriages end in divorce.

DIVORCE + VERB come through He is waiting for the divorce to come through before he remarries.

DIVORCE + NOUN court | case, proceedings | decree, settlement | figures, rate, statistics The divorce rate has been growing steadily since 1971. | law

PREP. ~ from her divorce from the pop star | ~ on the grounds of seeking a divorce on the grounds of cruelty

PHRASES grounds for divorce He cited adultery as grounds for divorce.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dock noun

¹ place for loading/unloading ships

ADJ. commercial | coal, fish, etc.

VERB + DOCK build, construct | arrive at/in | enter

DOCK + NOUN company | strike | worker

PREP. at a/the ~ A car pulled up at the dock. | in ~ The ship is in dock for repairs. | on a/the ~ the cargo stacked on the dock

² the dock: in a court of law

VERB + DOCK enter, go into, step into | appear in, be in She was in the dock on charges of attempted fraud. | be put in, end up in, land in After a night of drunken revelry they ended up in the dock.

PREP. from the ~ an outburst from the dock | in the ~ The defendant stood in the dock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doctorate noun

ADJ. honorary | engineering, music, etc.

VERB + DOCTORATE do, study for, take, write She's doing a doctorate in ancient history. | complete He's completed his doctorate on Victorian sexuality. | have The applicants all have doctorates from good universities. | be awarded, be granted, gain, get, obtain, receive

DOCTORATE + NOUN degree | thesis, work

PREP. ~ from a doctorate from Edinburgh University | ~ in a doctorate in Business Administration | ~ of a doctorate of divinity | ~ on a doctorate on post-colonial development

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doctor noun

VERB + DOCTOR register with You should register with a doctor as soon as possible. | call, fetch, get, send for We called the doctor immediately. (For more verbs see note.) > Note at DOCTOR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doctrine noun

QUANT. point communities divided on points of doctrine | body an influential body of doctrine

VERB + DOCTRINE advocate, expound, preach, proclaim, teach | defend | develop, establish, formulate, produce | accept, adhere to, adopt, be committed to, believe (in), embrace, subscribe to, support, uphold They were all committed to the doctrine of social equality. | abandon, condemn, oppose, reject, undermine She rejected the traditional Christian doctrines. | apply, invoke | reconcile Thompson reconciled the doctrine of heat with that of mechanics in 1851.

DOCTRINE + VERB advocate sth | allow sth Their doctrine allows the use of violence.

PREP. in ~ The Church welcomed all who were considered sound in doctrine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

documentary noun

VERB + DOCUMENTARY make She has made a television documentary on poverty in our cities. | film | show | see, watch

DOCUMENTARY + NOUN feature, film, programme, series

PREP. in a/the ~ There were some interesting interviews in the documentary. | ~ about/on a documentary about identical twins

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

document noun

¹ official paper/book

QUANT. copy

VERB + DOCUMENT draft, draw up, prepare, produce, publish, type, write The government has produced an important new policy document. | revise | disclose (law), issue a consultative document issued by the Department of Trade and Industry | receive | obtain | file Copies of the relevant documents must be filed at court. | hand over/sb, present, submit Supporting documents must be submitted to the supervisory authority. | produce He was unable to produce the document that he claimed would prove his case. | keep | circulate, send (out) | leak documents leaked from the government to the press | read | go through, read through Go through the document checking for errors. | search through, sort through I had to search through 4,000 documents to find the information I needed. | consider, examine, study | accept, adopt, approve, endorse, execute (law), sign The conference adopted a document on minority rights. | authenticate | forge | refer to | address | attach, enclose The relevant documents are enclosed for your information. | scan Existing paper documents could be scanned into a computer.

DOCUMENT + VERB be concerned with sth, concern sth, deal with sth, focus on sth, relate to sth | contain sth, cover sth, include sth documents covering various points of concern | refer to sth | acknowledge sth, describe sth, detail sth, explain sth, indicate sth, list sth, note sth, outline sth, record sth, say sth, set out sth, state sth, tell sb sth The document says they are against tax rebates. | call for sth, propose sth, suggest sth a document calling for a ceasefire | aim at sth, envisage sth, seek sth documents aimed at stimulating discussion | reveal sth, show sth | purport sth Documents leaked to this newspaper purport to reveal that radioactive waste is being illegally dumped on the site. | summarize sth | confirm sth | be agreed (on/upon) a document agreed with the District Council | be called sth, be entitled sth, be headed sth, be known as sth a document entitled ‘Guidelines for Good Practice’ | be written The document is written in Chinese. | exist No other genuine document exists. | date back from/to … , be dated … documents dating back to the 1920s The document is dated 775.

PREP. according to a/the ~ According to leaked cabinet documents, no compensation would be paid. | in a/the ~ He particularly criticized the terminology in the document. | throughout a/the ~ There is a disclaimer throughout the official documents. | ~ about/concerning a document concerning arbitration procedures in Cairo | ~ of a document of 2,000 words a document of 1999 Her journal is an important document of Victorian rural life | ~ on a government document on transport policy

PHRASES a draft/version of a document

² computer file

ADJ. active, current Highlight a passage in the active document and click on the print icon. | printed

PREP. in a/the ~ Cut and paste is used to move text to a new place in the document. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dogma noun

ADJ. old | rigid | party, political, religious The newspaper seeks to be independent of political dogma.

VERB + DOGMA accept | question, reject People are beginning to question the old dogmas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dog noun

QUANT. pack

VERB + DOG have, keep, own The dog's owner was fined £500 and banned from keeping dogs for five years. | breed These dogs have been bred to work as guide dogs for the blind. | train He's trained his dog to sit on the back of his bike. | feed | take for a walk, walk I'm just going to walk the dog. | neuter We didn't want puppies so we had the dog neutered. | worm The stray dogs are wormed and treated with flea powder. | muzzle | destroy, put down A dog that savaged a five-year-old child was later destroyed, police have confirmed.

DOG + VERB bark, bay, growl, howl, pant, snarl, whine, yap, yelp The dog barked loudly at the stranger. The little dogs were yapping at my ankles. | bound, roam (sth), run, scamper, trot, walk, wander The dog bounded up to me and started licking my hand. Stray dogs roamed the streets at night. | come/walk to heel | attack sb/sth, bite sb/sth, go for sb/sth, maul sb/sth, savage sb/sth, set upon sb/sth, snap | lie, stretch (out) | lick | chew sth (up), gnaw (at) sth The dog chewed up one of my shoes. A dog was gnawing at an old bone. | sniff, snuffle A dog was sniffing round my heels. | prick up its ears, wag its tail | scratch The dog was scratching at the door to be let in. | foul sth Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dole noun

VERB + DOLE claim, go on, sign on She lost her job and had to claim dole. As soon as he was made redundant, he signed on the dole. | draw, get The factory closure will mean another few hundred people drawing the dole.

DOLE + NOUN money | queue School leavers were joining the dole queue every day. | office

PREP. off the ~ Many had come off the dole and set up their own small businesses. | on the ~ She was on the dole for three years before she got a job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dollar noun > Note at CURRENCY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doll noun

VERB + DOLL play with

PHRASES a dolls' house, dolls' clothes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

domain noun

ADJ. private, public | Internet

DOMAIN + NOUN name Register a domain name if you want people to find your website. | registration

PREP. in a/the ~, within a/the ~ This information is all in the public domain. | outside a/the ~ things that happen outside the domain of the home

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

domesticated adj.

¹ used to living with people

VERBS be These animals are only partly domesticated.

ADV. fully | partly

² able to cook/clean, etc.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. very | thoroughly He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dominance noun

ADJ. clear, complete, overwhelming, total | growing, increasing | cultural, economic, military, political, territorial | market | male

VERB + DOMINANCE achieve, assert, assume, establish, exert, gain The firm soon achieved complete dominance in the marketplace. | have, maintain, retain The firm is determined to maintain dominance in the market. | challenge, undermine Ex-colonial countries began to challenge the cultural dominance of Europe.

PREP. ~ in black American dominance in heavyweight boxing | ~ over He asserted his dominance over the other party members.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dominant adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | completely, overwhelmingly, totally | increasingly | fairly, relatively | economically, politically, socially the economically dominant class

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dominate verb

ADV. completely, entirely, totally She completely dominated the conversation. | increasingly His work increasingly dominates his life. | largely | overwhelmingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

domination noun

VERB + DOMINATION seek countries that seek world domination | achieve, establish They achieved political domination of the area. | maintain, retain The company has struggled to maintain its domination in the marketplace. | come under, fall under The country came under foreign domination. | be free from/of The country longs to be free of colonial domination.

PREP. under sb's ~ The country is still under foreign domination. | ~ over their economic domination over the Far East

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

donation noun

VERB + DONATION give, make, send He made a generous donation to the charity. | get, receive | appeal for, ask for | depend on, need, rely on

PREP. in ~s The charity has received over $10 million in donations. | ~ to a donation to a charity | ~ towards a donation towards the building of a new hospital

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

donkey noun

VERB + DONKEY ride

DONKEY + VERB bray | graze

DONKEY + NOUN cart | ride

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

donor noun

¹ gives a part of their body

ADJ. blood (transfusion), bone marrow, kidney, organ, etc. | potential | suitable The operation will go ahead as soon as a suitable donor can be found.

DONOR + VERB donate sth, give sth Donors give blood twice a year.

DONOR + NOUN blood, organ Donor organs are constantly required for transplant operations. | card

² gives money/goods

ADJ. anonymous The charity received £50,000 from an anonymous donor. | aid Japan has been one of the country's biggest aid donors.

DONOR + VERB give sth, make a donation, pledge sth Donors pledged a total of $1,000 million in relief aid.

DONOR + NOUN country, government loans from rich donor countries to developing nations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doomed adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. inevitably | ultimately

PREP. to The species was doomed to extinction.

PHRASES doomed to disappointment/extinction/failure The project was doomed to failure from the start.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doom noun

ADJ. approaching, impending

VERB + DOOM spell Fuel shortages spelt doom for such huge gas-guzzling cars.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of doom As I approached the exam room, I had a feeling of impending doom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doorbell noun

VERB + DOORBELL press, ring (on) | answer He refused to answer the doorbell.

DOORBELL + VERB ring, sound I heard the doorbell ring, and went to see who was there.

PHRASES a ring at/on the doorbell

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doorway noun

ADJ. open | shop We sheltered in a shop doorway.

PREP. in a/the ~ A tall figure was standing in the doorway. | through a/the ~ We passed through the doorway and found ourselves in a walled garden.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

door noun

ADJ. open | closed, shut | locked, unlocked | ajar, half-open He had left the door ajar. The door was half-open when we got there. | back, front, rear, side the back door of a house the rear door of a car | inner, internal The inner door leads to the safe and is always locked after 5 p.m. | external, outer All external doors should be bolted top and bottom. | big, great, heavy, huge, massive, solid, stout, thick She had trouble pushing the heavy door open. | narrow, wide | glass-panelled, glazed | double Go along the corridor and through the double doors. | unmarked | automatic, folding, revolving, sliding, swing He got stuck in a revolving door. She pushed her way through the swing doors. | bathroom, flat, kitchen, etc. | car, fridge, garage, lift, stage | trap (also trapdoor) | magic, mysterious, secret

VERB + DOOR fling/throw open, open, pull/push open He flung the door open and caught them stuffing a document back into a briefcase. | bang, close, pull closed/shut, pull/push to, push closed/shut, shut, slam (shut) He pulled the door to. | bar, bolt, lock He arrived home to find the door barred. Remember to bolt the door before you go to bed. | unbar, unbolt, unlock | keep/leave closed/open/shut, keep/leave on the latch (= closed but not locked), prop ajar/open I left the door on the latch so that I could sneak back in later. Someone had propped the fire door open with a pile of books. | come/go in (through), come/go out (of/through), come/go through, slip out of/through He came in the side door. | bang on, knock at/on I banged on the door for ages but still couldn't wake them. | answer Go and answer the door (= open the door to sb who has knocked on it). | see sb to (= accompany sb who is leaving to the door) | break down/in They had to break the door down to get into the flat.

DOOR + VERB creak | burst open, clatter open, creak open, fly open, open, slide open, swing open/shut/to The door burst open and a little boy ran in. | flap open, hang open The car drove off with its rear door flapping open. | be/stand ajar, be/stand open The door stood ajar so I could see a narrow section of the room. | be closed/shut, be jammed (open/shut), be stuck | bang (open/shut), clang open/shut, crash open/shut, rattle, shake I was woken by a door banging in the wind. | click (shut/to), close, shut, slam (shut) | connect sth, face sth, lead to sth, open onto sth The door connecting the two offices is kept locked. This door leads to my bedroom. The door opens onto a sunny terrace. | be set in/into the wall I stopped at a low oak door set into the stone wall. | bear a notice/plate/sign, be marked sth I went through the door marked ‘Enquiries’.

PREP. at the ~ There's someone at the door. | in the ~ He stood in the door for several minutes before deciding whether he'd stay. | through the ~ He looked through the door to make sure the children were all right. | ~ into/to the door into the back garden

PHRASES close/shut, etc. the door behind you He banged the front door behind him as he left. | hold/open the door for sb, pop/stick you head round/through the door She popped her head through the door to say goodbye. | shut/slam the door in sb's face

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dope noun

VERB + DOPE smoke | peddle

DOPE + NOUN fiend | scandal | peddler | test She was disqualified from competing for a year after failing a dope test. > Note at DRUG

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dosage noun

ADJ. high, low | correct, recommended

VERB + DOSAGE give (sb), take Always take the correct dosage. | increase | reduce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dose noun

VERB + DOSE receive, take patients who receive high doses of this drug I had forgotten to take my dose of antibiotic. | administer, give sb The nurse will administer the correct dose. She needs to be given a daily dose of the medicine. | increase | reduce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

double bass noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

double verb

ADV. more than Our profits have more than doubled this year. | almost, nearly, practically, virtually The price of houses has nearly doubled in the last ten years. | effectively | approximately, roughly

PREP. in The village has approximately doubled in size since 1960. | to The party almost doubled its share of the vote to 21.5%.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doubtful adj.

¹ feeling doubt

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound Eric was far from sure and Marion looked doubtful. | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, a little, rather

PREP. about She was rather doubtful about the wisdom of eating the two-day-old food.

² unlikely

VERBS be, look, seem | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, very Even if we could go, which is highly doubtful, John wouldn't be able to come with us. | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doubt noun

ADJ. considerable, grave, real, serious, severe | slight Without the slightest doubt this is a remarkable exhibition. | gnawing, lingering, nagging, niggling | growing, increasing | personal, private He made clear his own private doubts about it. | reasonable We have established beyond all reasonable doubt that the painting was indeed by Rembrandt. | religious

VERB + DOUBT arouse, raise His failure to appear raises serious doubts as to his reliability. | entertain, feel, harbour, have She still felt the same niggling doubt: was he really telling the truth? | express, voice | clear up, dispel, remove, resolve The announcement dispelled any doubts as to the prince's intentions. | cast, throw Her record of dismissals casts doubt on her ability to hold down a job. | call sth into, throw sth into The proposed development has been thrown into doubt by the decision. | be open to Their honesty is open to doubt.

DOUBT + VERB appear, arise Doubts have arisen over the viability of the schedule. | exist Considerable doubt exists as to the precise origin of this custom. | persist, remain | surround sth From the start, doubts surrounded her claim to be the missing heiress.

PREP. beyond (a/all/any) ~ The evidence proves beyond doubt that he is innocent. | in ~ The arrangements for the event still seemed to be in doubt. If in doubt, consult your doctor. | without (a) ~ She is without a doubt the best tennis player I know. | ~ about/over Some committee members still harboured doubts about the plans.

PHRASES beyond/without a shadow of (a) doubt This proves without a shadow of doubt that we were right. | have your doubts about sth They say they'll be here on time, but I have my doubts about that.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doubt verb

ADV. seriously, very much I never seriously doubted his story. | privately Lee privately doubted the truth of this statement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dough noun

ADJ. firm | soft | smooth | sticky | bread, pizza

QUANT. ball, lump, piece

VERB + DOUGH make | knead, shape Knead the dough lightly, then shape it into a round loaf. | roll out, turn out Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

DOUGH + VERB rise Leave the dough to rise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

downfall noun

ADJ. eventual, ultimate

VERB + DOWNFALL bring about, cause, lead to a scandal that brought about his downfall | contribute to, hasten The failure of this scheme contributed to her eventual downfall. | plot They were found guilty of plotting the downfall of the government.

DOWNFALL + VERB come The movement's downfall came with the failed coup d'etat.

PHRASES be sb's downfall His greed was eventually his downfall.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

downpour noun

ADJ. heavy, torrential | continuous, incessant, relentless, steady | sudden

PREP. in ~ We got caught in a torrential downpour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

downturn noun

ADJ. serious, severe, sharp, significant | mild, slight | economic

VERB + DOWNTURN experience, suffer The building industry is experiencing a severe downturn in its workload. | see, witness

PREP. ~ in The 1990s witnessed a sharp downturn in the party's fortunes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dowry noun

ADJ. large, substantial | small

VERB + DOWRY give sb, pay (sb) | bring His family hoped that his bride would bring a large dowry.

DOWRY + NOUN system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doze noun

VERB + DOZE have She had a little doze after lunch. | drift into, fall into Sitting in an armchair in front of the fire, I soon fell into a doze.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

doze verb

ADV. fitfully I dozed fitfully for a few hours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

draft noun

ADJ. early, first, initial, original, preliminary | rough | final

VERB + DRAFT draw up, prepare, produce, write She produced an initial draft of her plans. | approve The preliminary draft of the agreement has been approved.

DRAFT + NOUN agreement, bill, budget, constitution, contract, document, law, legislation, letter, plan, proposal, report, treaty

PREP. in a/the ~ These details were not included in the preliminary draft.

PHRASES in draft form The document is still in draft form.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

draft verb

ADV. carefully, properly | badly, poorly Some of the clauses in the contract had been very poorly drafted.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drain noun

¹ pipe/hole that dirty water goes down

ADJ. blocked

VERB + DRAIN block | clear, unblock | lay They were busy laying the drains for the new houses.

² sth that uses up time/money/resources

ADJ. heavy, major, serious | brain scientists joining the brain drain (= moving to a country where they can work in better conditions and earn more)

PREP. ~ on These losses have been a major drain on the company's resources.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drain verb

¹ make sth empty/dry

ADV. thoroughly, well Remove the artichokes, drain thoroughly and allow to cool. well-drained soil

² make sb/sth weaker/poorer, etc.

ADV. totally, utterly | emotionally, physically | away draining away the country's coal reserves

PREP. of His voice was utterly drained of emotion.

PHRASES be/feel drained Sue felt exhausted and emotionally drained.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dramatic adj.

VERBS be, sound

ADV. extremely, highly, intensely, very | fairly, quite, rather | suitably Her entrance was accompanied by suitably dramatic music.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drama noun

¹ play/theatre

VERB + DRAMA write It is very difficult to write good drama. | produce the first episode of a new police drama produced for television

DRAMA + NOUN production | serial, series | festival | critic the drama critic for the ‘Sunday Times’ | school, training

PREP. in a/the ~ the actors in a drama | ~ about a powerful television drama about inner-city life > Note at SUBJECT

² exciting event

ADJ. human | real-life The actor was involved in a real-life drama when he was held up at gunpoint last night.

DRAMA + VERB unfold a collection of people watching the drama unfold outside the nightclub

³ excitement

ADJ. high

QUANT. touch The argument added a touch of drama to an otherwise dull day.

VERB + DRAMA be full of The afternoon was full of drama and excitement. | heighten The arrival of the police heightened the drama further.

PHRASES a moment of drama

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drape verb

ADV. casually, loosely | elegantly | beautifully Some silk fabrics will drape beautifully.

PREP. across, around/round, over He sat with his arm draped casually around her shoulders.

PHRASES be draped in/with sth The body was draped in a blanket.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

draught noun

ADJ. cold, icy A cold draught of air blew in from the open window.

VERB + DRAUGHT create | prevent

DRAUGHT + VERB blow, come, whistle a draught coming under the door

DRAUGHT + NOUN excluder, proofing Fit draught excluders to the bottoms of doors.

PREP. ~ from the draught from the window

PHRASES a draught of air

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drawback noun

ADJ. big, main, major, real, serious | minor, slight | obvious | possible, potential

VERB + DRAWBACK have (its/their), suffer from This strategy has its drawbacks. The system suffers from two major drawbacks. | overcome We have to find ways of overcoming these drawbacks.

PREP. ~ to Bad weather was the main drawback to camping in the far north. | ~ with The one big drawback with the planned scheme was its high cost.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drawer noun

VERB + DRAWER open, pull open/out, slide open She pulled open the second drawer down to find the money had gone. | close, push in/shut, shut He pushed the drawer shut with a bang. | reach into She reached into the drawer and found the key to the safe. | go through, look through, ransack, rummage in/through What do you think you are doing, rummaging through my drawers?

PREP. from/out of a/the ~ She took the gun from the drawer. | in a/the ~ He put the letters in the drawer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drawing noun

ADJ. charcoal, ink, line, pencil a set of charcoal drawings by a local artist | scale a scale drawing of a jumbo jet | engineering, technical, working a working drawing of the proposed power station | life He earned money modelling for life drawing classes.

VERB + DRAWING do, make He made a drawing of how the Roman villa must have looked.

DRAWING + VERB show sth The drawing shows the Market Square.

DRAWING + NOUN board These days, designers spend more time at the computer than at the drawing board.

PREP. in a/the ~ The door opened onto a courtyard, as shown in the drawing. | ~ by a pencil drawing by Picasso > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drawl noun

ADJ. flat, nasal, slow, soft | Brooklyn, Southern, etc.

PHRASES in a ~ ‘Howdy, pardner,’ he said in his slow Texan drawl. | with a ~ She spoke with soft Southern drawl.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drawl verb

ADV. lazily, sardonically, slowly, softly ‘Come in,’ he drawled softly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

draw noun

ADJ. goalless, one-all, three-three, etc.

VERB + DRAW end in The game ended in a two-all draw. | earn, get, hold sb to San Marino held them to a goalless draw.

PREP. ~ against, ~ with their 1?1 draw with United

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

draw verb

¹ make pictures

ADV. accurately, beautifully, carefully, clearly, well a beautifully drawn picture He draws very well. | badly, crudely, roughly a crudely drawn child's face

² pull

ADV. half, partly The blinds were partly drawn. | back She drew back the curtains and let the sunlight in. | up | aside, to one side I tried to draw him aside so I could talk to him in private. | together (figurative) The project enables students to draw together their knowledge, skills and experience.

PREP. onto She drew me onto the balcony | out of He drew the cork out of the bottle. | to I drew my chair up to the fire. | towards

³ attract

ADV. immediately | inevitably, inexorably, irresistibly Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.

PREP. from The scheme has drawn interest from local businessmen. | to We asked the surfing champion what first drew him to the sport. PHRASAL VERBS draw on/upon sth

ADV. heavily The novelist draws heavily on her personal experiences. draw sth up

ADV. professionally, properly Make sure the contract is properly drawn up.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dreadful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, smell, sound, taste Poor thing! You look absolutely dreadful! (= very ill)

ADV. really I feel really dreadful about letting you down. | absolutely, quite, truly To be honest, her singing was quite dreadful. a truly dreadful hat | pretty, rather

PREP. for It must have been dreadful for you!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dread noun

ADJ. great, mortal Her greatest dread was that she would lose her job. | constant

VERB + DREAD feel, have He had a dread of hospitals. the dread she felt at the thought of meeting him again | live in He lived in constant dread that one day he might be found out. | fill sb with Does the thought of flying fill you with dread?

PREP. in ~ of After her shoplifting spree she lived in mortal dread of being found out. | ~ of her dread of discovery

PHRASES a feeling/sense of dread

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dread verb

ADV. absolutely I've got to go and tell the headmaster tomorrow and I'm absolutely dreading it! | rather | always He had always dreaded being singled out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dream noun

¹ while you are asleep

VERB + DREAM dream, have She fell asleep and dreamed strange dreams. I had a very disturbing dream last night. | awake/wake from, be awoken/woken from I was awoken from my dream by a knock at the door. | interpret | haunt Images of the crash still haunted his dreams years later.

DREAM + VERB come true I hope my dream about prison won't come true! | haunt sb vivid dreams that regularly haunted him

DREAM + NOUN interpretation

PREP. in a/the ~ In her dream, she was on board a ship heading for America. | ~ about a recurrent dream about being late for an exam

PHRASES as (if) in a dream She found herself standing in front of the crowded hall and making her speech, as if in a dream. | sweet dreams ‘Sweet dreams,’ she said, turning off the light.

² sth that you want very much to happen

ADJ. big, great Her biggest dream was to become a singer. | lifelong | distant His plans to travel the world now seemed like a distant dream. | impossible Peace no longer seemed an impossible dream. | utopian | romantic She had this romantic dream of living in a windmill.

VERB + DREAM cherish, have the great utopian dream that they have cherished for so long | achieve, fulfil, realize At last his dreams were fulfilled. | shatter The injury shattered her dream of running in the Olympics. | keep alive The victory keeps San Marino's dream of a World Cup place alive.

DREAM + VERB come true He put all his efforts into making his dream of a united country come true. | turn into a nightmare, turn sour Their dream turned into a nightmare as the cruise ship began to sink.

DREAM + NOUN holiday, home, house After Betty retired, she and her husband designed and built their dream house. | world The government is living in a dream world if they think voters will agree to higher taxes.

PREP. ~ of their dream of a fairer world

PHRASES the … of sb's dreams the house of her dreams | beyond sb's wildest dreams They achieved a success beyond their wildest dreams. | a dream come true Their holiday in the Bahamas was a dream come true.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dream verb

ADV. always As a child she always dreamt of working with animals. | never I never dreamt I'd actually get the job. | still | long People have long dreamt of an egalitarian society. | just, only It was the kind of trip most of us can only dream about.

VERB + DREAM wouldn't I wouldn't dream of going without you (= I would never go without you).

PREP. about, of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dressing noun

¹ covering put on a wound

ADJ. clean, fresh, sterile | surgical, wound

VERB + DRESSING apply, put on Clean the wound and put on a fresh dressing. | change | remove

² sauce for food, especially salads

ADJ. salad | French | herb | vinaigrette

PREP. in a ~, with a ~ salad with a vinaigrette dressing | ~ for a herb dressing for fish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dress noun

¹ piece of clothing

VERB + DRESS zip (up) | unzip | hitch up, lift, pull up She hitched up her long dress so it wouldn't drag in the mud. | pull down | smooth She sat down and smoothed her dress over her legs.

DRESS + NOUN material | shop | designer | size

PREP. in a/the ~ She appeared in a slinky satin dress. > Special page at CLOTHES

² clothes for either men or women

DRESS + NOUN code The club has a strict dress code. | sense He's got poor dress sense. | shirt | uniform in full dress uniform

PREP. in … ~ a performance of ‘Hamlet’ in modern dress

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dress verb

¹ put on clothes

ADV. hurriedly, quickly | slowly | carefully

PREP. in He dressed carefully in the brown suit he had been married in.

PHRASES be fully dressed She lay down on her bed, fully dressed. | get dressed She got dressed quickly.

² wear clothes

PREP. for I have to dress smartly for work. | in The women were all dressed in blue skirts and white blouses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drift noun

¹ slow movement towards sth

ADJ. gradual, slow

PREP. ~ (away) from the drift of people away from rural areas into urban slums | ~ (back) to As the strike went on, there was a gradual drift back to work. | ~ into his drift into crime | ~ towards

² general meaning of sth

ADJ. general, main

VERB + DRIFT catch, follow, get I didn't follow the speech exactly, but I caught the main drift of what was being said. | lose I lost the drift of what she was saying.

³ pile of snow/sand made by the wind

ADJ. deep, great | sand, snow (also snowdrift)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drift verb

¹ be carried along by the wind/water

ADV. slowly | helplessly Cold and hungry, they drifted helplessly towards the Arctic. | downriver, downstream, downwind The boat drifted slowly downstream. | along, back, down, out

PREP. from, to, towards, etc. drifting out to sea

² move slowly/without purpose

ADV. aimlessly | slowly | quietly, silently | about, around/round, apart, away, back, down, off, up Voices drifted up through the floorboards.

VERB + DRIFT begin to | seem to | allow sth to He allowed his thoughts to drift back to his conversation with Carrie.

PREP. about/around/round He spent the day drifting aimlessly about the house. | across She drifted across the room to where we were standing. | between She began to drift between sleep and wakefulness. | from We seem to be drifting away from the point. | in, into He drifted into teaching, but never really enjoyed it. | out of He drifted in and out of consciousness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drinker noun

ADJ. habitual, hard, heavy This liver condition is common in heavy drinkers. | moderate | problem help for the families and friends of problem drinkers | social She is a social drinker only?she never drinks at home. | beer, coffee, tea, etc. I'm not a big tea drinker.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drinking noun

ADJ. excessive, heavy the health problems associated with heavy drinking | moderate | underage new measures aimed at preventing underage drinking

VERB + DRINKING cut down on, limit His doctor had advised him to limit his drinking.

DRINKING + NOUN session | companion

PHRASES a bout of drinking

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drink noun

QUANT. round We ordered a round of drinks while waiting for a table.

VERB + DRINK drink, have I'll just drink my drink then we can go. She had a hot drink and went to bed. | sip | down, finish, knock back He knocked back his drink in one go and ordered another one. | take He took a drink of his beer and sat down. | go for Would you like to go for a drink after work? | buy (sb), get (sb), offer (sb), order (sb) Can I buy you a drink? | pour (sb), serve (sb) He poured himself a stiff drink to calm his nerves. | spike The robbers spiked his drink before taking his wallet and passport. | drive sb to Her money problems drove her to drink (= made her start drinking a lot of alcohol). | turn to After his wife died, he turned to drink.

DRINK + NOUN drinks party We've been invited to a drinks party. | drinks cabinet/cupboard She took a bottle from the drinks cabinet. | problem She suspected her boss had a drink problem.

PREP. in a/the ~ Do you want ice in your drink? | ~ of I'll have a drink of milk, please.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drink verb

¹ take liquid into the body

ADV. greedily I pulled the ring-top from the can and drank greedily. | down, up He filled a cup with water and drank it down in one gulp. Drink up, and let's go home.

VERB + DRINK get yourself sth to, find sth to, have sth to Go and get yourself something to eat and drink.

PREP. from He drank from a tumbler. | through drinking lemonade through a straw

PHRASES eat and drink

² drink alcohol

ADV. excessively, heavily, to excess, too much He's been drinking heavily since he lost his job. | in moderation, moderately, sensibly One way of persuading people to drink sensibly is to provide good-tasting alternatives with less alcohol. | steadily She had been drinking steadily since the early morning.

PHRASES drink and drive The campaign aims to persuade people not to drink and drive. | drink like a fish (= drink a lot) Simon was drinking like a fish that evening. | drink yourself to death He knew that he was probably drinking himself to death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drip noun

¹ water dripping

ADJ. slow, steady

PREP. ~ of the steady drip of water from the tap

² drop of water that falls down from sb/sth

VERB + DRIP catch There were buckets to catch the drips from the ceiling.

DRIP + VERB fall Drips fell from the roof of the cave.

PREP. ~ from drips from the tap

³ medical equipment

ADJ. intravenous | saline

VERB + DRIP fix up, set up | be attached to, be on He is on a saline drip. | attach sb to, put sb on | take sb off He was taken off his drip last night.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

driver noun

ADJ. careful, good, safe | bad, dangerous, reckless | drunk/drunken, hit-and-run He was killed by a drunken driver. | experienced, inexperienced | learner Learner drivers are not allowed on the motorways. | racing, rally | ambulance, bus, cab, car, coach, engine, lorry, tanker, taxi, train, truck, van > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drive noun

¹ car journey

VERB + DRIVE go for, take Let's go for a drive.

PREP. within a ~ All my family live within an hour's drive.

PHRASES a … drive away The lakes are only a short drive away.

² way a vehicle is moved

ADJ. all-wheel, four-wheel, front-wheel, rear-wheel | left-hand, right-hand Left-hand drive cars make driving in Britain difficult.

³ path/road outside a house

ADJ. sweeping, winding | gravel/gravelled | tree-lined | private | front

DRIVE + VERB sweep, swing A gravel drive swept between manicured lawns.

PREP. down the ~, in the ~, on the ~ There was a car parked on the drive. | up the ~ He walked up the front drive of the vicarage.

⁴ energy/determination

ADJ. competitive | personal | narrative A lack of narrative drive leaves the reader with piecemeal vignettes.

VERB + DRIVE have | lack He lacks the competitive drive needed to succeed.

⁵ desire/need

ADJ. innate, inner, instinctive/instinctual | creative | emotional, sex/sexual

⁶ effort

ADJ. big | relentless | national, nationwide | cost-cutting, efficiency, export, fundraising, marketing, membership, modernization, recruitment, sales | anti-corruption, anti-drug, etc.

VERB + DRIVE launch We're going to launch a big recruitment drive in the autumn.

PREP. ~ against a drive against corruption | ~ by the recent recruitment drive by the police | ~ for the country's drive for modernization | ~ towards a drive towards higher safety standards

⁷ computing

ADJ. CD-ROM, disk, DVD, floppy, hard, zip

⁸ in sport

ADJ. powerful, strong, thunderous | angled, crisp | left-foot, right-foot (in football) Cole scored with a thunderous left-foot drive. | backhand, forehand (in tennis) a forehand drive down the line

VERB + DRIVE hit | hook, slice (in golf) > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drive verb

ADV. fast, quickly You shouldn't drive so fast! She drove quickly back to the office. | slowly | carefully | recklessly He was arrested for driving recklessly. | around, away, back, off, on She got into the car and drove away.

PREP. from, to driving from London to Manchester

PHRASES drink and drive

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

driving licence noun

ADJ. current | clean | full | provisional

VERB + DRIVING LICENCE have, hold | lose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

driving noun

ADJ. good, safe a new campaign to promote safe driving | aggressive, bad, careless, dangerous, reckless She was charged with reckless driving. | drink, drunk, drunken Police stopped 30 motorists for drink driving on New Year's Eve.

VERB + DRIVING be banned from, be disqualified from He was banned from driving for six months after failing a breath test.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drizzle noun

ADJ. fine, light, thin | steady | patchy

DRIZZLE + VERB fall Light drizzle fell all afternoon.

PREP. in/through a/the ~ We walked home through the drizzle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drone noun

ADJ. faint | low | distant | constant, continuous, steady

VERB + DRONE hear

PREP. with a ~ The planes flew overhead with a low drone. | ~ of the continuous drone of the engine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drop noun

¹ reduction

ADJ. big, considerable, dramatic, huge, large, massive, significant, substantial | slight, small | rapid, sharp, sudden | steady | catastrophic

VERB + DROP suffer The restaurant has suffered a big drop in trade. | cause, lead to

PREP. ~ in The glut of coffee led to a sharp drop in prices.

² vertical distance down from a place

ADJ. sheer, steep, vertical The cliff plunged in a sheer drop down to the beach. | long

³ small round mass of liquid

DROP + VERB fall Great drops of rain started to fall. | roll down sth

PREP. ~ of Large drops of sweat rolled down her face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drop verb

¹ allow sth to fall

ADV. accidentally, carelessly | almost, nearly | promptly He saw Emma and promptly dropped his tray of drinks.

PREP. in/into, on/onto I accidentally dropped my glasses into the water.

² jump/move downwards

ADV. heavily | gently, lightly | quickly | limply, uselessly His arms dropped uselessly to his sides. | down, open Her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

VERB + DROP let sth She smiled and let her eyes drop again. | be/feel ready to I feel ready to drop (= because I am so tired).

PREP. into, onto, to He dropped lightly down onto the lawn beneath.

PHRASES drop like a stone (figurative) Her heart dropped like a stone at this news.

³ become lower

ADV. considerably, dramatically, drastically, sharply, significantly The price of oil has dropped significantly. | slightly | fast, rapidly | steadily | further

VERB + DROP be likely/unlikely to Sales are likely to drop further.

PREP. below The temperature rarely drops below 30°C. | by The price has dropped by 15 per cent. | from, to The number of children in the class has dropped from 25 to 18.

⁴ slope downwards

ADV. sharply, steeply | away

PREP. into/to/towards The land dropped steeply away into a small valley.

⁵ no longer include sb in sth

ADV. quietly

PREP. from He has been quietly dropped from the England team. | in favour of

⁶ stop doing sth/be stopped

ADV. quietly The subject was quietly dropped. | suddenly He suddenly dropped his habitual banter. | eventually, finally | altogether When nobody volunteered, the idea was finally dropped altogether.

VERB + DROP let sth Can't we just let the matter drop? | agree to, decide to Both countries have agreed to drop border controls.

PREP. in favour of The formal grade of Geologist was dropped in favour of Scientific Officer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drought noun

ADJ. severe, terrible, worst It has been the worst drought in the country's history. | long, prolonged | summer

VERB + DROUGHT have England has had several summer droughts in recent years. | cause | break A week of good rains has broken the drought.

DROUGHT + VERB affect sth Large areas of Africa are affected by severe drought.

DROUGHT + NOUN conditions

PREP. during/in ~ Some of the newer plants in the garden died during the drought.

PHRASES in times of drought, months/years of drought

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drug noun

¹ substance used as a medicine

ADJ. powerful, strong | modern, new | wonder They're hailing it as the new wonder drug. | sedative | anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, etc. | prescription You used to be able to buy this medicine over the counter, but it is now a prescription drug.

QUANT. course, dose

VERB + DRUG be on, take Are you taking any other drugs at present? | prescribe (sb), put sb on The doctor put me on anti-inflammatory drugs. | give sb, treat sb with | administer, give sb The nurses came round to give the patients their drugs. | develop new drugs that have been developed recently | be resistant to, not respond to Some infections are now resistant to drugs.

DRUG + VERB cure sth, help sth, treat sth drugs that help the growth of skin tissue

DRUG + NOUN company

PREP. ~ against a powerful drug against tuberculosis | ~ for He's taking drugs for depression.

² illegal substance

ADJ. illegal | addictive, hallucinogenic | dangerous, hard heroin and other hard drugs | soft (= not considered very dangerous) Many addicts start on soft drugs, such as cannabis. | designer (= artificially produced) She took a tablet of the designer drug Ecstasy.

VERB + DRUG inject (See note for more verbs.)

PHRASES drink and drugs the dangers of drink and drugs > Note at DRUG

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drum noun

ADJ. bass, kettle, side, snare

VERB + DRUM bang, beat, hit

DRUM + NOUN kit, machine | beat, pattern, rhythm, roll | major, majorette

PHRASES a roll of drums > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

drunk adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound I was beginning to feel very drunk. | get Harry went out and got drunk last night. | get sb, make sb Andrew decided to try and get Sharon drunk. The wine had made him drunk.

ADV. blind, completely, extremely, hideously, hopelessly, horribly, really, roaring, very He came home blind drunk, as usual. | almost (often figurative) She was almost drunk with all these new impressions. | fairly, half, a little, pretty, quite, rather, slightly He was still half drunk.

PREP. with (figurative) drunk with fatigue

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dry adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get, go, run Come into the warm and get dry, both of you. Ruth felt her mouth go dry. The wells in most villages in the region have run dry. (figurative) Vaccine supplies started to run dry as the flu outbreak reached epidemic proportions. | keep, remain, stay We managed to keep dry by huddling in a doorway. There is every prospect of the weather remaining dry this week. | pat sb/sth, rub sb/sth, towel sb Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. He towelled himself dry. | bleed sb, milk sb, squeeze sb, suck sb (all figurative) The big corporations are bleeding some of these small countries dry (= taking all their money). | keep sth This type of wound is best kept dry without a dressing.

ADV. excessively, extremely, very | bone, completely, perfectly, quite, thoroughly, totally The river was bone dry. Make sure the paint is thoroughly dry. | almost, nearly | barely, hardly, scarcely (often figurative) The ink was scarcely dry on the ceasefire agreement before fighting broke out again. | mainly, mostly The day will start bright and mainly dry. | a bit, a little, rather, reasonably, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dry verb

ADV. carefully, completely, thoroughly Wait until the paint has completely dried. Always dry clothes thoroughly before you wear them again. | quickly | slowly | naturally | off, out We left the wood in the shed to dry out.

VERB + DRY allow sth to, leave sth to, let sth It's best to let your hair dry naturally. PHRASAL VERBS dry up

¹ become empty of water

ADV. completely It's been so hot this year that the pond has dried up completely.

² be no longer available

ADV. completely Funds have completely dried up. | virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dubious adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

ADV. distinctly, extremely, highly, very some highly dubious information | rather, somewhat | morally It sounds a morally dubious proposition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duck noun

ADJ. wild | plastic, rubber A rubber duck floated in the bath. | roast

QUANT. flock, flotilla (only used for ducks that are swimming) A flotilla of ducks bobbed near the shore.

VERB + DUCK feed Every afternoon they went to the park to feed the ducks.

DUCK + NOUN breast Slice the duck breast and serve. | egg | pond

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duke noun > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dull adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become, get The work gets a bit dull at times. | make sth The long lectures made the afternoon dull. | find sth

ADV. deadly, extremely, stupefyingly, very The film was long and deadly dull. | a bit, a little, fairly, pretty, rather, somewhat | disappointingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dumb adj.

¹ unable to speak

VERBS be | become, be struck They were struck dumb by some sort of shock.

PREP. with She sat there, dumb with rage.

PHRASES deaf and dumb

² stupid

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound I'm sure my question sounded really dumb. | act, play I decided to act dumb.

ADV. really, very | pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dump noun

ADJ. garbage, refuse, rubbish, waste cleaning up a toxic waste dump | nuclear

DUMP + NOUN site Local residents have organized a protest against the planned dump site.

PREP. at a/the ~ Radioactive waste has been found at the dump. | to a/the ~ taking rubbish to the dump | ~ for a new dump for nuclear waste

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dump verb

ADV. illegally The firm had illegally dumped toxic waste. | legally | unceremoniously They carried him down to the beach and dumped him unceremoniously in the freezing water. | at sea dumping sewage at sea | down He dumped the boxes down in the kitchen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duplicate noun

VERB + DUPLICATE make We made a duplicate of the key.

PREP. in ~ The contract is prepared in duplicate, so that both parties can sign it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duplicate verb

ADV. exactly The original experiment cannot be exactly duplicated. | simply I wanted to avoid simply duplicating work that had already been done.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duplication noun

ADJ. unnecessary, wasteful Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.

VERB + DUPLICATION avoid, eliminate, prevent, reduce The new procedures should reduce duplication of medical care and treatment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duration noun

PREP. for the ~ (of) She stayed there for the duration of the journey. | of … ~ The next contract will be of shorter duration. | throughout the ~ of This continued throughout the duration of their marriage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dusk noun

ADJ. approaching, gathering

DUSK + VERB approach, fall, gather Dusk was falling as we drove home.

PREP. after ~, at ~, before ~, in the ~ The lamps twinkled in the gathering dusk.

PHRASES from dawn to dusk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dustbin noun

VERB + DUSTBIN chuck sth in, dump sth in, throw sth in She chucked the mouldy potatoes in the dustbin. | go in These old shoes can go in the dustbin now. | be consigned to, be destined for (figurative) The politicians who lost the elections will be consigned to the dustbin of history. | empty How regularly are the dustbins emptied? | put out We put out the dustbins on a Wednesday morning before the van comes.

DUSTBIN + NOUN bag, liner | lid | man The dustbin men forgot to empty our bin this morning.

PREP. ~ of (figurative) The pollution in this country makes it the dustbin of Europe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dust noun

ADJ. fine | brick, coal, radioactive

QUANT. cloud, layer The tractor came up the track in a cloud of dust. There was a layer of fine dust on the table. | particle, speck Remove any particles of dust on the surface of the paint. microscopic specks of dust

VERB + DUST gather Her chess set lay on a shelf gathering dust. | be covered in/with

DUST + VERB lie The dust now lay in a thick layer on her piano.

DUST + NOUN cloud | particle | storm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duty noun

¹ sth that you have to do because it is right or expected

ADJ. contractual, legal, mandatory, statutory Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. | general, primary the general duty of the police to preserve the peace | professional | civic, public I feel it is my civic duty to vote. | patriotic | family, filial, parental | ethical, moral He felt it was his moral duty to help his neighbour. | absolute, bounden, fundamental, sacred, solemn I feel it's my bounden duty to try and help her.

VERB + DUTY have, owe (law) You have a legal duty to take reasonable care. The railway company owes a duty of care to all its customers. | carry out, do, fulfil, meet, perform She put down the phone and went out, her duty done. She felt she had fulfilled her duty by providing him with a son. | fail in He had failed in his duty towards his daughter. | neglect, shirk I'd be shirking my duty if I didn't warn him. | assign, charge sb with, impose It was a duty imposed by her father. | assume, take on He took on the duty of maintaining the family home.

DUTY + VERB call I wanted to stop and chat, but duty called and I went back to the office.

PREP. under a/the ~ You are under a statutory duty to keep accurate records. | ~ of It's the duty of each and every one of us to do their best for the team. They have a duty of confidentiality. | ~ to, ~ towards They have a duty to their parents to work hard.

PHRASES a breach of duty It was a clear breach of professional duty. | do your duty I suppose we'd better do our duty and report the accident. | do your duty by sb You feel that you have to do your duty by your children. | be duty bound to do sth An employer is not duty bound to provide a reference when an employee leaves. | (above and) beyond the call of duty The time he put in helping new recruits went beyond the call of duty. | feel it your duty to do sth I felt it my duty to go to the police. | in breach of a duty (formal) It was ruled that the injured man was in breach of his duty by not wearing the safety equipment provided. | a sense of duty I did it out of a sense of duty.

² tasks that you do when you are at work

ADJ. light When I returned to work after my illness I was put on light duties. | onerous | day, night At 10.45 p.m. she reported for night duty. | beat, escort, guard, point, sentry Police usually do beat duty in pairs. The traffic lights were not working so there was a policeman on point duty. | daily, routine | official | administrative, professional, secretarial | domestic, household My household duties were not particularly onerous. | military

VERB + DUTY have The members of staff each have their own duties. | carry out, discharge, do, perform She was unable to carry out her duties because she was too ill. | come on, go on, report for Colleagues became suspicious when he failed to report for duty. | come off, go off What time do you go off duty? | neglect, shirk He was accused of neglecting his professional duties. | resume, return to He leaves hospital tomorrow and is expected to resume his duties at the beginning of next month. | be released from Her son was released from duty in the army to visit her in hospital. | be relieved of, be suspended from When he failed to turn up for training, he was relieved of his duties as captain.

DUTY + NOUN doctor, nurse, officer, pharmacist He went to the police station and spoke to the duty officer.

PREP. off ~ I'm off duty tomorrow night. | on ~ You're not allowed to drink alcohol on duty.

PHRASES the execution/performance of your duties The company is liable if you are injured during the execution of your duty.

³ tax

ADJ. heavy, high the heavy duty on cigarettes | low | customs, excise, export, import excise duty on spirits | alcohol, fuel, tobacco, etc. Tobacco duty is a major source of revenue for the government. | death

QUANT. amount We tried to estimate the amount of duty we would have to pay.

VERB + DUTY put on, slap on They are going to put duty on foreign cars. | take off | increase, put up, raise They're going to put up the duty on tobacco. | cut, lower, reduce | pay | avoid, evade They claim that the wine is for personal use and so evade the duty. | be liable to Perfume is liable to import duty. | carry Cider carries duty at the lower rate. | be exempt from Beer for personal use is exempt from duty.

PREP. in ~ By changing its supplier, the company saved thousands of pounds in import duty. | ~ on You have to pay duty on all electrical goods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

duvet noun

ADJ. double, king-size, single | light, lightweight, thick, thin | warm

VERB + DUVET pull She climbed into bed and pulled the duvet over her. | fling back, kick off, throw back He flung back the duvet and got out of bed.

DUVET + NOUN cover

PREP. beneath/under a/the ~ He snuggled down under the warm duvet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dweller noun

ADJ. city, town, urban | country, rural | slum the poor slum dwellers of the capital city | cave, forest, hill

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dwelling noun

ADJ. permanent | private | family | human The building looked more like a doll's house than a human dwelling. | characterful, elegant

VERB + DWELLING convert sth into an application to convert the old barn into a dwelling | occupy

DWELLING + NOUN house, place

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dwindle verb

ADV. fast, quickly, rapidly Supplies of coal are dwindling fast. | gradually, slowly | steadily | away Membership of the club had dwindled away to nothing.

PREP. to Profits slowly dwindled to nothing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dye noun

ADJ. fabric, food, hair, wood, etc. | chemical, synthetic | natural, plant, vegetable

PREP. in (a/the) ~ The cloth is then soaked in blue dye.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dynamic adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain The business has managed to change and remain dynamic.

ADV. highly, truly These countries are characterized by highly dynamic economies. | fully | increasingly | essentially, fundamentally The process is essentially dynamic with ideas and feedback flowing both ways.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dynamite noun

¹ explosive

QUANT. stick

VERB + DYNAMITE blow sth up with, use They used five tons of dynamite to blow up the rock. | detonate

DYNAMITE + VERB explode

² sb/sth that causes great excitement/shock, etc.

ADJ. absolute, pure | political Don't mention the single currency?it's political dynamite.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dynasty noun

ADJ. ancient Scotland's ancient dynasty | great | royal | ruling the ruling dynasties of the Visigoths

VERB + DYNASTY establish, found | bring to an end, overthrow

DYNASTY + VERB begin | come to an end, end | last, reign

PREP. during a/the ~ a porcelain figure made during the Tang dynasty | from a/the ~ bowls and pots from the twelfth dynasty | under a/the ~ The civil service was established under the previous dynasty.

PHRASES the end/fall of a dynasty, the founder of a dynasty, a member of a dynasty, the rise of a dynasty the rise and fall of the Habsburg dynasty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

dysentery noun

ADJ. amoebic

QUANT. attack | outbreak > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eager adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. only too, really, very They were only too eager to help us. | increasingly | quite

PREP. for We were eager for news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eagle noun

EAGLE + VERB circle, fly, soar | swoop | catch sth, prey on sth | nest | breed

EAGLE + NOUN eye (figurative) The tiny error didn't escape the eagle eye of her boss.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

early adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, relatively I'm sorry I'm a bit early. | surprisingly These discoveries were made at a surprisingly early date.

PREP. for It's a little early for lunch. | in He discovered these pleasures early in life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

earl noun > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

earnings noun

QUANT. level Levels of earnings are still rising.

VERB + EARNINGS have People with a university education tend to have higher earnings than those with a basic education. | calculate | declare You must declare all earnings to the tax office. | tax

PREP. ~ from Germany's earnings from exports rose by 2%. | ~ of annual earnings of £20,000

PHRASES earnings-related an earnings-related pension scheme | growth in earnings the growth in average earnings over the last ten years | loss of earnings She is also claiming compensation for loss of earnings. > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs) > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

earn verb

ADV. really ‘I feel I've really earned this, ’ she said, taking up her mug of tea. | deservedly, richly, rightly He deservedly earned the admiration of his colleagues.

VERB + EARN have to, need to First you have to earn their respect. | seek to, try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

earphones noun

ADJ. radio

QUANT. pair, set

VERB + EARPHONES have on, wear | put on | remove, take off

PREP. through ~ She was listening to a personal stereo through earphones.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

earring noun

ADJ. dangling, dangly | drop, hoop/hooped, stud

QUANT. pair She wore a pair of dangly earrings.

VERB + EARRING have on, wear | clip on, put in/on | take off

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

earthquake noun

ADJ. big, great, huge, major, massive, severe | minor, small

EARTHQUAKE + VERB happen, hit sth, occur, strike (sth) The earthquake hit the city at two in the morning. | shake sth The earthquake shook buildings throughout the business district. | destroy sth, devastate sth, kill sb, leave sb homeless | measure sth an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale

EARTHQUAKE + NOUN zone

PREP. in a/the ~ The block of flats was destroyed in an earthquake.

PHRASES the epicentre of an earthquake, the magnitude of an earthquake

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

earth noun

¹ the world

VERB + EARTH orbit satellites orbiting the earth

EARTH + VERB orbit sth, revolve, rotate The earth orbits the sun. The earth revolves on its axis.

EARTH + NOUN tremor Furniture fell over as the room was shaken by an earth tremor. | sciences

PREP. above the ~ We are flying at 30,000 feet above the earth. | around/round the ~ the moon's orbit around the earth | on (the) ~ The island was there before there was life on earth. | to ~ The astronauts were able to send the information back to earth.

PHRASES the centre/surface of the earth, the earth's core/crust/mantle/surface, (the) planet earth

² soil

QUANT. clod, clump, lump My boots were caked in big clods of wet earth.

EARTH + NOUN bank, mound I scrambled to the top of the steep earth bank.

PREP. in the ~ The plants must have their roots in the earth. | under the ~ in mines deep under the earth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ear noun

¹ part of the body

ADJ. left, right | inner, middle, outer | big, large | long a rabbit with long floppy ears | pointed/pointy | floppy | torn Blood from his torn ear was soaking his collar. | sharp His sharp ears had picked up the uncertainty in her voice. | trained To the trained ear the calls of these birds sound quite different. | listening In the silence everyone seemed to be aware of listening ears. | receptive, sympathetic She did not like the scheme, as she made clear every time she found a receptive ear (= sb willing to listen). The counsellor provided a sympathetic ear for students with problems.

VERB + EAR plug He plugged his ears with tissue paper to drown out the music. | close, shut, stop At first I stopped my ears to what I did not want to hear. | strain I strained my ears to catch the conversation in the other room. | prick up The dog pricked up its ears. | flatten, lay back, put back A horse may show annoyance by putting its ears back. | pierce I've just had my ears pierced so I'm going to buy some earrings. | syringe He could hear much better after having his ears syringed. | echo in, ring in The voices buzzing all around echoed in her ears. He went home with the teacher's warning ringing in his ears. | hiss in, whisper (sth) in | reach If news of the break-in reaches the boss's ears, we're in trouble.

EAR + VERB hear sth, pick sth up When the notes are played so close together the ear hears no space between them. | prick (up), twitch His ears pricked up when he heard his name mentioned. | be alert He waited in the darkness, his ears alert for the slightest sound. | strain She stood outside the room, her ears straining to hear what they were saying. | pop If you suck a sweet as the plane takes off it stops your ears popping. | ring The explosion set my ears ringing and even made me jump a bit.

EAR + NOUN canal, drum, lobe | infection | plug, protector | flap, muffs She put on her ear muffs and went out into the snow. | wax

PREP. in your ~ ‘Taxi?’ said a voice in my ear.

PHRASES beam/grin/smile from ear to ear, can't believe your ears She actually apologized. I couldn't believe my ears! | (drop/have) a word in sb's ear Drop a quiet word in her ear about it before it's too late. | fall on deaf ears Their complaints about the poor service fell on deaf ears (= were ignored). | for sb's ears alone I have a few words for your ears alone. | keep your ears open I'll keep my ears open for a second-hand bike for you. | music to sb's ears He arrived home hungry, and the noise of saucepans from the kitchen was music to his ears. | turn a deaf ear to sth The teacher turned a deaf ear to the boy's swearing (= ignored it). | with half an ear He listened to her with only half an ear as he watched TV.

² ability to recognize sounds

ADJ. fine, good

VERB + EAR have

PREP. by ~ She usually plays the guitar by ear, rather than reading the music. | ~ for He has a good ear for accents and can usually tell where a speaker comes from.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ease noun

ADJ. alarming, astonishing, consummate, great, remarkable I obtained the drugs with alarming ease. | comparative, relative | apparent I was surprised at the apparent ease with which he had got into the building. | contemptuous She returned her opponent's serve with contemptuous ease. | practised

PREP. for ~ in The back of the garment is split for ease in walking. | for ~ of The whole machine is designed for ease of use. | with ~ They passed the exam with ease. | ~ of The car brings ease of access to the countryside.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ease verb

¹ make sth less painful/serious/difficult

ADV. considerably, greatly The situation would be considerably eased if more money were made available. | slightly, somewhat | gradually, slowly | away The pain in my leg gradually eased away.

VERB + EASE help (to) The new road should help ease traffic problems. | begin to Tensions between the two countries are beginning to ease. | try to

² move carefully

ADV. carefully, gently | away, back, down, forward, etc. Jean eased back on the pillows and relaxed.

PREP. away from, into He eased himself into the driving seat. | out of She carefully eased the car out of the garage

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Easter noun

ADJ. early, late Easter is early this year.

VERB + EASTER have, spend Have a good Easter. I prefer to spend Easter at home. | celebrate

EASTER + NOUN egg | break, holiday/holidays, vacation | Day, weekend, Monday, Saturday, Sunday, week | festival | celebrations

PREP. at ~ Our next holiday is at Easter. | for ~ We usually go away for Easter. | over ~ The library is closed over Easter.

PHRASES Happy Easter!, wish sb a happy Easter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

easy adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become, get Life is getting easier for us. | remain | make sth These changes should make your job easier. | find sth I found the exam quite easy.

ADV. extremely, really, very | enough, fairly, quite, rather, relatively It is easy enough to see how it happened. | incredibly, ridiculously, surprisingly The written test was ridiculously easy.

PREP. for Writing is not easy for her.

PHRASES all too easy It was all too easy to forget why we had been sent there. | the easiest thing in the world It is the easiest thing in the world to blame your parents. | be no easy task Contacting everyone was no easy task. | quick and easy a book designed for quick and easy reference

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eater noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eat verb

ADV. well We ate very well most of the time (= had lots of nice food). | healthily, properly, sensibly trying to eat more healthily He had not eaten properly for days. She doesn't eat sensibly (= doesn't eat food that is good for her). | hungrily | sparingly Barton did not feel very hungry and ate sparingly. | up Come on, eat up your lunch.

VERB + EAT get yourself sth to, find sth to, have sth to Have you got anything to eat? | have enough to | try and/to Try and eat something. It will do you good.

PHRASES eat and drink Go and get yourself something to eat and drink. | eat like a horse (= eat a lot) She's very thin but she eats like a horse!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ebb noun

ADJ. strong

EBB + NOUN tide They left the harbour on the ebb tide.

PREP. against an/the ~ It was difficult sailing upstream against a strong ebb. | on an/the ~ By this time, the tide was on the ebb. We floated away from the beach on the ebb. | with an/the ~ They went out to sea with the ebb.

PHRASES the ebb and flow of the tide

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ebb verb

ADV. away He knew that his life was ebbing away.

VERB + EBB begin to Her strength began to ebb. | seem to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eccentric adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get The old lady was getting very eccentric. | consider sb, find sb, regard sb as We were definitely regarded as eccentric.

ADV. extremely, highly, very, wildly | a bit, faintly, fairly, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | endearingly, engagingly his engagingly eccentric brother

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

echo noun

ADJ. distant, faint | clear, distinct, strong (often figurative) There are distinct echoes of Elvis Presley in his vocal style. | hollow | returning The bat compares the sound of its cry with the sound of the returning echo.

VERB + ECHO hear, listen for/to We could just hear a faint echo. | produce, send back, send out Their footsteps on the bare boards sent out hollow echoes. | find (figurative) The political upheavals find an echo in the art of the time.

ECHO + VERB sound A faint echo sounded in the cave. | die (away) The echo slowly died away. | come back, return An echo came back from the walls of the building.

PREP. ~ from the echo from a brick wall

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

echo verb

¹ come back as an echo

VERB + ECHO seem to

PREP. across The protest seemed to echo across the room. | around/round His voice echoed around the room. | down Her footsteps echoed down the corridor. | in Her screams still echoed in his ears. | off The call echoed off the walls of the cave. | through Laughter echoed through the house. | with The great hall echoed with laughter.

² repeat/agree with sb/sth

ADV. exactly | faithfully, wholeheartedly | widely an opinion that is widely echoed in the tabloid press | clearly | merely, only, simply In his statement, the minister merely echoed the views of the chief police officer. | disbelievingly, incredulously ‘He's gone!’ Viv echoed incredulously.

VERB + ECHO seem to They had ideas which seem to echo our own.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eclipse noun

ADJ. lunar, solar | partial, total a total lunar eclipse

PHRASES an eclipse of the moon/sun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ecology noun

ADJ. fragile | animal, human, marine, plant

VERB + ECOLOGY damage, disrupt

ECOLOGY + NOUN movement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

economical adj.

VERBS be, seem Solid fuel would be more economical.

ADV. extremely, highly, remarkably, very This new oven is highly economical. | fairly, quite

PREP. in This arrangement is more economical in its use of staff. | of more economical of time and resources | with This arrangement is more economical with space.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

economics noun

ADJ. applied, theoretical | classical, free-market, Keynesian, liberal, market, neo-classical, supply-side | business, development, environmental, health, industrial, welfare

PHRASES a school of economics > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

economist noun

ADJ. chief, leading, senior | distinguished, respected | academic, government, professional | classical, free-market, Keynesian, liberal, neo-classical | agricultural, business, development, environmental, health, political > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

economy noun

¹ operation of a country's money supply

ADJ. booming, buoyant, dynamic, healthy, sound, stable, strong | ailing, depressed, flagging, fragile, stagnant, weak The government devalued the currency to try to revive the flagging economy. | advanced, developed, modern | agrarian, agricultural, capitalist, industrial, liberal, market, mixed, monetary, planned, rural, service-based, socialist a modern industrial economy | domestic, global, internal, international, local, national, world the increasingly competitive global economy | black, informal, underground The black economy booms when there is high unemployment.

VERB + ECONOMY build, rebuild Each party has its own strategy for building a strong economy. | control, handle, manage, manipulate, operate, regulate, run The government was accused of failing to run the economy competently. | boost, develop, expand, help, improve, kick-start, reinvigorate, rescue, revive, stabilize, stimulate, strengthen | liberalize | damage, harm, weaken, wreck

ECONOMY + VERB develop, expand, flourish, grow | be in/go into recession, collapse, contract, fail, slow, stagnate | pick up, recover, stabilize

PHRASES an area/a sector of the economy Transport workers are employed in all sectors of the economy. | the backbone/mainstay of the economy Agriculture was the backbone of the economy. | growth in/of the economy A small manufacturing sector inhibits growth in the economy. | control/handling/management of the economy 37% approved the president's handling of the economy. | the size of the economy, the state of the economy The government has been criticized over the state of the economy. > Special page at BUSINESS

² careful use of money/time/resources

ADJ. important, major, significant | false Buying cheap shoes is a false economy.

VERB + ECONOMY achieve, make We could achieve major economies in time with this new machinery.

ECONOMY + NOUN drive Savings are being planned as part of a huge economy drive.

PREP. ~ in possible economies in telephone costs

PHRASES economy of effort/movement It was impressive to see her economy of movement as she worked the machine. | economy of scale Large firms can benefit from economies of scale.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ecstasy noun

¹ feeling

ADJ. pure, sheer | religious, sexual

PREP. in ~ | ~ at Kate closed her eyes in ecstasy at the thought of a cold drink. | ~ over I was in sheer ecstasy over the prospect of meeting my idol.

² Ecstasy: drug

ECSTASY + NOUN tablet > Note at DRUG(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ecstatic adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look | become

ADV. absolutely | not exactly

PREP. about Annie was ecstatic about the idea. | at Martin was not exactly ecstatic at the news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

edge noun

¹ place where sth ends

VERB + EDGE reach We had reached the edge of the map and didn't know which way to go. | skirt The road skirts the western edge of the forest.

PREP. along the ~, around/round the ~ Smoke was making its way around the edges of the door. | at the ~ Soon we were at the edge of the woods. | on the ~ She sat on the edge of her bed. | over the ~ The car rolled over the edge of the cliff.

PHRASES right on the edge They live right on the edge of town.

² sharp side of sth

VERB + EDGE sharpen

³ advantage

ADJ. competitive | slight | decided

VERB + EDGE give sb/sth | gain, have to gain a competitive edge over rival suppliers

PREP. ~ over The intensive training she had done gave her the edge over the other runners.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

edge verb

ADV. carefully, cautiously, nervously | quietly | slowly

PREP. along He edged carefully along the narrow ledge. | towards We slowly edged our way towards the exit.

PHRASES edge your way

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

edition noun

ADJ. first a bookshop that specializes in rare first editions | limited, special The book appeared in a limited edition of 3,000. | cheap | hardback, leather-bound, paperback | pocket | abridged They have brought out an abridged edition of the encyclopedia. | illustrated | revised | critical a critical edition of Shakespeare's plays | facsimile a facsimile edition of Dr Johnson's Dictionary of 1755 | electronic | morning, evening The story made it into the evening edition of the newspaper.

VERB + EDITION bring out, issue, produce, publish

EDITION + VERB appear, be out, come out The first edition of the newspaper appeared in 1859.

PREP. in a … ~ The encyclopedia will shortly be out in a revised edition. | ~ of the November edition of ‘Vogue’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

editorial noun

ADJ. newspaper | lengthy | hard-hitting

VERB + EDITORIAL write | carry, publish, run The paper only occasionally carries editorials. The newspaper ran a hard-hitting editorial criticizing the government's economic policies.

PREP. in an/the ~ He declared his support for the minister in an editorial. | ~ on an editorial on the problem of crime

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

editor noun

¹ prepares a book, television or radio programme

² in charge of a newspaper/part of a newspaper

PHRASES a letter to the editor > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

educated adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

education noun

VERB + EDUCATION have, receive He was at a disadvantage because of the poor education he had received. | give sb, provide (sb with) The school provides an excellent all-round education. | enter students entering higher education | continue, extend She went to college to continue her education. | leave young people who are just leaving full-time education | complete, finish He went to America to complete his education.

EDUCATION + NOUN authority, committee, department, ministry, sector, service, system funds provided by the local education authority | minister, officer, official | policy | reform | campaign, initiative, programme, project, scheme The council has launched a new health education campaign. | facilities, materials, resources | class, course adult education courses | centre, college, establishment, institution

PREP. in ~ students in full-time education | through ~ We acquire much of our world knowledge through education. | ~ about education about danger on the roads

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eerie adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound

ADV. distinctly, downright This place has a distinctly eerie atmosphere. | almost a silence so long that it was almost eerie | rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

effectiveness noun

ADJ. overall | limited | operational, organizational, practical | educational, military, political | cost This hard-wearing material combines cost effectiveness with quality.

VERB + EFFECTIVENESS assess, check, determine, evaluate, judge, measure, monitor, test | demonstrate The exam results demonstrated the effectiveness of personal tuition. | enhance, improve, increase, maximize | destroy, impair, limit, reduce | lose The drugs work well at first but gradually lose their effectiveness.

PREP. ~ as They're doing tests to evaluate the effectiveness of this herb as an antiseptic. | ~ in the effectiveness of penicillin in controlling bacterial infection

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

effective adj.

¹ producing the result you want

VERBS be, look, prove, seem | make sth | find sth We find advertising on the radio very effective.

ADV. brilliantly, especially, extremely, highly, particularly, really, remarkably, very a highly effective technique | completely, fully, perfectly | increasingly | fairly, moderately, partially, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably | enough This method is effective enough with greenfly. | not sufficiently | immediately | potentially | devastatingly, powerfully, surprisingly Sneezes are devastatingly effective at spreading infection. | politically What makes a TV programme politically effective?

PREP. at effective at keeping out the wind | in effective in helping people to stop smoking

² of laws/rules

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. fully | partially | directly, immediately directly effective treaty provisions | legally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

effect noun

¹ change that is caused by sth

ADJ. decisive, dramatic, far-reaching, important, marked, powerful, profound, significant, strong | marginal, minimal, modest, negligible | chief, main, major, principal | full The full effects of the new tax have not yet been felt. | apparent, appreciable, detectable, discernible, measurable, noticeable, visible | likely, possible, potential, predictable, probable | subtle | disproportionate | residual | adverse, catastrophic, crippling, damaging, debilitating, deleterious, destructive, detrimental, devastating, disastrous, harmful, ill, negative, serious, traumatic, undesirable, unfortunate the crippling effect of sanctions on the economy He didn't seem to have suffered any ill effects from his fall. | beneficial, positive, salutary | the desired We had problems with mosquitoes, but this spray had the desired effect. | magical, remarkable Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina. | immediate | direct, indirect | short-term | lasting, long-term, permanent | domino, knock-on, ripple, spin-off Any delay in delivery of materials will have a knock-on effect throughout the production process. (see also side effect) | practical | aggregate, combined, cumulative, net, overall | qualitative, quantitative | cohesive | divisive | deterrent, disincentive The deterrent effect of the death penalty has long been questioned. Heavy taxation has a disincentive effect. | calming, hypnotic, soothing, soporific | curative, restorative, therapeutic | placebo | inflationary | corrosive | greenhouse policies to reduce emissions of gases which cause the greenhouse effect

EFFECT + VERB spread | last | wear off How soon will the effects of the drug wear off?

PREP. in ~ The border closure meant, in effect, that no trade took place between the countries. | to this/that ~ They told us to go away, or words to that effect. | with … ~ The plague struck London again with devastating effect. | ~ on/upon The dry weather had an adverse effect on the potato crops.

PHRASES cause and effect key historical concepts such as cause and effect | to little/no effect The air-conditioning came on, to little effect.

² use of an official rule/plan, etc.

ADJ. immediate

VERB + EFFECT come into The new regulations come into effect next month. | bring sth into, put sth into The recommendations will soon be put into effect.

PREP. in ~ Some laws from the eighteenth century are still in effect. | with ~ The bank has cut interest rates with immediate effect.

³ impression that a speaker/book/film, etc. gives

ADJ. dramatic, startling, striking, stunning | maximum, optimum | the desired I found that by adding white I could achieve the desired effect. | overall The overall effect of the painting is overwhelming.

VERB + EFFECT give (sth), have The stage lighting gives the effect of a moonlit scene. | achieve, create | enhance, heighten The dramatic effect was heightened by her black dress and dead white face. | mar, spoil

PREP. for … ~ ‘You know why I'm here?’ Doug paused for maximum effect. | to … ~ She uses animal sounds to startling effect in her music.

⁴ techniques used when making sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

efficiency noun

VERB + EFFICIENCY achieve | boost, enhance, improve, increase, maximize, promote | decrease, impair, reduce

EFFICIENCY + NOUN drive, measures New timekeeping procedures had been introduced as part of an efficiency drive. | gains, improvements, savings the efficiency gains resulting from improved technology

PREP. with ~ The uprising was put down with ruthless efficiency. | ~ in greater efficiency in energy use

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

efficient adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become | make sth

ADV. extremely, highly, really, remarkably, very | fully, perfectly The procedure is not fully efficient: improvements could be made. We already have a perfectly efficient system?why change it? | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively | briskly, quietly The receptionist was briskly efficient. A quietly efficient manservant brought them coffee and brandy. | formidably, incredibly, superbly, supremely His secretary was formidably efficient: her minutes were works of art. | economically, mechanically, technically

PREP. at Their equipment was not as efficient at finding gold as today's machinery. | in The heating system is very efficient in its use of of fuel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

effortless adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem Burton made the jump look effortless.

ADV. apparently, seemingly her apparently effortless performance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

effort noun

¹ physical/mental energy needed to do sth

QUANT. amount the amount of effort required

VERB + EFFORT demand, need, require, take It takes constant effort to become fluent in a language. | devote, expend, put in All the team members have put in a great deal of effort. | spare no No effort has been spared to make this hotel a welcoming, comfortable place. | be (well) worth The walk is difficult but well worth the effort.

EFFORT + VERB go into A lot of effort went into making the costumes.

PREP. with/without ~ This can be done quickly and with very little effort.

PHRASES a great deal of effort

² attempt to do sth

ADJ. all-out, big, brave, determined, enormous, great, herculean, heroic, huge, major, remarkable, special, strenuous, superhuman, tremendous, valiant I can see you have made a big effort to clean up. | desperate, frantic their frantic efforts to put out the fire | final, last, last-ditch The UN General Secretary flew in in a last-ditch effort to save the talks. | genuine, positive, real, serious | feeble She made a feeble effort to smile, then started crying again. | sporadic I make sporadic efforts to sort out my files. | successful | fruitless, futile, unsuccessful | collaborative, collective, concerted, cooperative, joint, team Students, teachers and families got together in a team effort to decorate the school. | conscious, deliberate I have to make a conscious effort to be polite so early in the morning. | voluntary The museum relies on the voluntary efforts of enthusiasts. | fund-raising

VERB + EFFORT make | increase, intensify, redouble, renew, step up The police have renewed their efforts to find the murderer. | channel, concentrate, focus The police channelled their efforts into searching around the river. | fail in He failed in h | resist The wound resisted all my efforts to stop it bleeding. | abandon | be rewarded for, reward Her efforts were rewarded when she won an Oscar. | applaud The gallery owner applauded the efforts of firefighters to save the exhibits.

EFFORT + VERB come to nothing, fail

PREP. in an/your ~ The club has changed the rules in an effort to make them fairer. | through sb's ~ Through their efforts, enough money was raised to buy the equipment.

PHRASES your best efforts Despite our best efforts, we didn't manage to win the match. | a reward for your efforts Second prize was a fair reward for his efforts. | make every effort We are making every effort to obtain the release of the hostages.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

egg noun

¹ of birds/as food

QUANT. clutch She lays a clutch of four eggs on average. | box

EGG + VERB hatch | break, crack

EGG + NOUN shell (also eggshell) | white, yolk | box | mayonnaise, noodles, pasta, sandwich

PHRASES the white/yolk of an egg > Special page at FOOD

² cell from which a new young creature is formed

ADJ. fertilized | unfertilized

VERB + EGG fertilize Only one sperm fertilizes an egg.

EGG + NOUN donor

PHRASES the nucleus of an egg

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ego noun

ADJ. big, enormous, huge, inflated, massive, strong a conceited man with a very big ego | fragile, weak

VERB + EGO bolster, boost, feed, flatter, massage She likes to mix with people who flatter her ego. | bruise, damage, deflate, dent, wound He was lucky to escape with just a bruised ego when he fell off his bike.

PHRASES a blow to your ego It was a huge blow to his ego to find out he was so unpopular. | a boost to your ego

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eject verb

¹ push/send sth out

ADV. forcibly | summarily They were summarily ejected by the security guard.

PREP. from He was forcibly ejected from the restaurant.

² make an emergency exit

ADV. safely

PREP. from All the crew members ejected safely from the plane.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elaborate adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound The plans looked very elaborate. | become

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, highly, very highly elaborate carvings | increasingly | fairly, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elaborate verb

ADV. further This point will be elaborated further in the next chapter. | at length

VERB + ELABORATE attempt to, try to | refuse to

PREP. on/upon They refused to elaborate on the reasons for their decision.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elastic noun

ADJ. loose, tight an old skirt with loose elastic

QUANT. length, piece The trousers are held up by a length of elastic around the waist.

ELASTIC + VERB break, go, snap The elastic in these socks has gone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elated adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. very | strangely

PREP. at I felt strangely elated at the news. | by elated by our victory | with elated with his success

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elation noun

ADJ. great, sheer | unbelievable | mild | curious

VERB + ELATION experience, feel | show

PREP. ~ at She showed her elation at having finally achieved her ambition.

PHRASES a feeling/mood/sense/surge of elation I felt a strange sense of elation. | tears of elation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elbow noun

ADJ. dislocated, fractured

VERB + ELBOW lean, place, rest He rested one elbow on the wall as he spoke. | lean on, prop/raise yourself up on She opened her eyes and propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. | catch, grasp, take He caught her elbow to steady her. | thrust She thrust her elbow into her attacker's face. | bang I banged my elbow on the table as I got up. | dislocate, fracture, injure

ELBOW + NOUN joint | injury | room The tiny toilet compartment gives you hardly any elbow room.

PREP. above the ~, at your ~ A voice at my elbow said, ‘Would Sir care to be seated?’ | below the ~ The whole of his arm below the elbow was badly burnt. | beneath/under your ~ She slid a hand under his elbow to guide him into the shop. | by the ~ He took his guest by the elbow and steered him in the direction of the bar. | on one ~ He raised himself on one elbow and looked at the bedside clock.

PHRASES be up to your elbows in sth He was up to his elbows in hot water, doing the washing-up. | the crook of your elbow She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow. | dig your elbow into sb's ribs She dug her elbow into Jim's ribs to remind him not to give the secret away.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

election noun

ELECTION + VERB take place | be due, be scheduled for Elections are scheduled for November.

PREP. at/in a/the ~ in the 2001 general election | by ~ Membership of the committee is by election. | ~ to her election to the Senate

PHRASES the outcome of an election, the run-up to an election opinion poll results in the run-up to elections

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

electorate noun

ELECTORATE + VERB choose sb, elect sb, go to the polls, vote the representative chosen by the electorate

PHRASES the electorate as a whole/the electorate at large the need to appeal to the electorate at large

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elector noun

ADJ. eligible | registered

ELECTOR + VERB choose sb, vote (for sb) Not all the registered electors actually voted.

PHRASES the register of electors If your name is not on the register of electors, you will not be able to vote.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

electric shock noun

ADJ. massive, severe, strong | mild

VERB + ELECTRIC SHOCK get, receive | give sb

ELECTRIC SHOCK + NOUN therapy, treatment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

electrician noun

ADJ. apprentice, qualified

VERB + ELECTRICIAN call in We need to call in an electrician to sort out the wiring.

ELECTRICIAN + VERB rewire sth, wire sth You'll need a qualified electrician to rewire your house. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

electricity noun

ADJ. high-voltage, low-voltage | mains | static | off-peak We run the washing machine at night because off-peak electricity is much cheaper.

VERB + ELECTRICITY generate, produce | provide, supply The hydroelectric plant provides electricity for half the island's population. | conduct Metals conduct electricity well. | be powered by, use | cut off, disconnect Her electricity was cut off when she didn't pay her bill. | save I switched the light off to save electricity.

ELECTRICITY + VERB flow Electricity flows through the wires in the circuit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

electronics noun

ADJ. high-tech, state-of-the-art | consumer, defence, medical

VERB + ELECTRONICS work in About 45,000 people worked in electronics in Scotland.

ELECTRONICS + NOUN company, firm, giant, group Their firm merged with a Japanese electronics giant. | industry, manufacturer | market, sector | product | engineer, specialist > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elect verb

PREP. to She has been elected to Parliament.

PHRASES be/get elected What changes will he make if he gets elected? | be declared elected Any candidate with more than half the votes shall be declared elected. | be elected unopposed Five were successful, three being elected unopposed. | newly elected the newly elected chairman

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elegance noun

ADJ. great | classical | sartorial John has never been known for his sartorial elegance.

QUANT. touch The ornamental ironwork lends a touch of elegance to the house.

VERB + ELEGANCE display, have The building has great elegance and charm. | lack | add, give sth, lend sth The pillars give a classical elegance to the room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elegant adj.

VERBS be, feel, look

ADV. extremely, very | quite, rather | beautifully the beautifully elegant spire of the church | casually, quietly the quietly elegant wives of the directors | impossibly, supremely the foyer of an impossibly elegant Paris hotel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

element noun

¹ one part of sth

ADJ. basic, critical, crucial, decisive, essential, fundamental, important, key, main, major, necessary, principal, significant, vital | dominant The promise of tax cuts became the dominant element in the campaign. | considerable, large There is a considerable element of danger in her job. | competitive There is too much of a competitive element in the sales department. | racial, sexual Police say there may have been a racial element to the attacks.

VERB + ELEMENT be, constitute, form | contain, have, include, involve These rumours do contain an element of truth. | introduce

PREP. ~ in This constitutes one of the key elements in this reform programme. | ~ of Practical work will form a major element of the syllabus. There may have been an element of jealousy in her response.

² the elements: bad weather

VERB + ELEMENT brave I put on my thick coat ready to brave the elements. | battle (against) He told us stories of how he had battled the elements on his mountaineering trips. | be exposed to, be open to The place was completely exposed to the elements. | be protected from, be sheltered from

PHRASES protection/shelter from the elements

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elephant noun

QUANT. herd

VERB + ELEPHANT hunt, poach | cull | drive, herd, round up

ELEPHANT + VERB trumpet | charge, stampede | trample sb

ELEPHANT + NOUN herd | tusk | conservation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eliminate verb

ADV. altogether, completely, entirely, totally The risk cannot be eliminated altogether. This procedure does not completely eliminate the possibility of an accident. | virtually | largely | effectively Getting this job has effectively eliminated his financial worries.

VERB + ELIMINATE seek to, take steps to, try to | help (to) | be designed to The single market is designed to eliminate barriers to the free movement of goods, services and people. | be impossible to

PREP. from Try to eliminate fatty foods from your diet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elite noun

ADJ. governing, ruling | business, political, social

VERB + ELITE create, form These people form an elite who have the power to make decisions. | join

PHRASES a member of an elite a club for members of the business elite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eloquent adj.

VERBS be | become, grow, wax He waxed eloquent about her talents as an actress.

ADV. extremely, very a very eloquent speaker | quite

PREP. about, on He grew quite eloquent on the subject.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

elusive adj.

VERBS be, prove Further movie roles have proved somewhat elusive for the young actor. | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | rather, somewhat | strangely Sleep was strangely elusive. | notoriously Truth is a notoriously elusive quality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emaciated adj.

VERBS be, look | become, grow

ADV. painfully, severely his severely emaciated body

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

email noun

EMAIL + NOUN address | message > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embargo noun

ADJ. complete, strict, total | selective | international | economic | arms, oil, trade

VERB + EMBARGO impose, place, put | enforce, tighten | lift The government has agreed to lift the embargo imposed ten years ago. | break, violate We knew the arms embargo was being broken.

PREP. ~ against the international embargo against the country | ~ on a strict embargo on oil imports

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embark verb PHRASAL VERBS embark on/upon sth

ADV. immediately | seriously some advice for anyone seriously embarking on a career in the music business

VERB + EMBARK be about to, be ready to She was now ready to embark on her adventure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embarrassed adj.

¹ shy/awkward/ashamed

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. acutely, deeply, excruciatingly, extremely, highly, particularly, really, terribly, very | almost | a bit, faintly, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat He looked a bit embarrassed. | clearly, obviously, visibly

PREP. about She's embarrassed about her height. | at He felt acutely embarrassed at being the centre of attention. | by She seemed almost embarrassed by her own outburst. | for His colour had risen and Isobel felt embarrassed for him.

² not having any money

VERBS be

ADV. financially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embarrassing adj.

VERBS be, prove, sound | become, get | make sth My mother's presence made the situation even more embarrassing. | find sb/sth I found the whole evening intensely embarrassing.

ADV. acutely, bloody (taboo), deeply, excruciatingly, extremely, highly, intensely, really, seriously, terribly, very a deeply embarrassing moment | increasingly | almost | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | potentially | politically, socially

PREP. for It was acutely embarrassing for us all. | to This latest incident could be embarrassing to the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embarrassment noun

¹ feeling of being embarrassed

VERB + EMBARRASSMENT feel I felt some embarrassment as we shook hands. | cover, hide | cause | avoid The government wishes to avoid further embarrassment over the affair. | blush/flush with, giggle with, squirm with I still squirm with embarrassment at the thought of it. | die from/of (figurative) I could have died of embarrassment when I saw her standing behind me. | ease, relieve | save sb, spare sb Helen changed the subject to save me the embarrassment of replying.

PREP. in ~ We all watched in silent embarrassment as Mr Rogers started to cry. | with/without ~ I could finally talk about my problem without embarrassment. | ~ at her embarrassment at being found out | ~ over the government's embarrassment over the affair

PHRASES (much) to sb's embarrassment Much to his embarrassment, Mike realized that a small crowd was watching him. | feelings of embarrassment, a flush of embarrassment A flush of embarrassment came to her cheeks. | a source of embarrassment

² sb/sth that makes you embarrassed

ADJ. considerable, great, huge, major, serious, severe | potential | financial, political, social

VERB + EMBARRASSMENT be, become, prove The protests were becoming something of an embarrassment to the government. | consider sb/sth

PREP. ~ for The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned. | ~ to The poor child was considered an embarrassment to his family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embassy noun

ADJ. foreign | British, Chinese, etc.

VERB + EMBASSY open, set up | close They broke off diplomatic relations and closed the embassies in each other's country.

EMBASSY + NOUN building, grounds | official, spokesman/spokeswoman, staff

PREP. at a/the ~ She works at the Malaysian embassy in London. | in a/the ~ a fire in the Spanish embassy | outside a/the ~ a protest outside the American embassy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embedded adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. deeply, firmly

PREP. in/within These ideas are deeply embedded in our culture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embrace noun

ADJ. close, passionate, tight, warm the comfort of her warm embrace

VERB + EMBRACE be locked in, hold sb in They were locked in a passionate embrace on the station platform. | escape (from), extract yourself from, free yourself from He managed to free himself from her embrace. | release sb from He released her from his embrace.

PREP. in an ~ two lovers in a tight embrace | into an ~ He drew her into his embrace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embrace verb

¹ put your arms round sb

ADV. tightly, warmly He rose from his chair and embraced her warmly.

² accept sth

ADV. fully, genuinely the only party which fully embraces the concept of a united Europe | enthusiastically, wholeheartedly, with enthusiasm She embraced the feminist cause with enthusiasm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embroider verb

ADV. beautifully, delicately, exquisitely | heavily, richly a robe of richly embroidered silk

PREP. on She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. | with She embroidered the dress with flowers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

embryo noun

ADJ. developing | early the cells of an early embryo | human, frog, etc.

VERB + EMBRYO implant Two or three embryos are implanted into the woman's body.

EMBRYO + VERB develop

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emergence noun

ADJ. gradual | rapid, sudden

VERB + EMERGENCE lead to Conditions after the war led to the emergence of a new type of political party. | herald, mark, signal | see, witness The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy. | encourage The annual competition has encouraged the emergence of several talented young musicians. | prevent

PREP. ~ as his emergence as the party's leader | ~ from the island's emergence from the sea

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emergency noun

ADJ. extreme (formal), major, real, serious Don't call me unless its a real emergency. | sudden, unexpected, unforeseen | international, national in times of national emergency | medical | military

VERB + EMERGENCY cope with, deal with, handle, respond to firefighters on call to respond to emergencies

EMERGENCY + VERB arise Call this number if any unforeseen emergency should arise.

EMERGENCY + NOUN action, measures, procedures | laws, legislation, regulations | powers The police have been given emergency powers to deal with the crisis. | rule | meeting, session, talks | cover The army provided emergency cover when the ambulance service went on strike. | services The emergency services are struggling to cope with the number of call-outs. | aid, assistance, funds, relief, supply Emergency supplies of food have been flown to the area. | fund | call The ambulance crashed while answering an emergency call. | admission, case Emergency admissions to hospital are given top priority. | surgery, treatment | repairs | exit | landing

PREP. for ~ She told me to keep the money for emergencies. | in an ~ I need to know what to do in an emergency.

PHRASES the accident and emergency department the closure of the hospital's accident and emergency department | in case of emergency/emergencies There's a fire blanket on the kitchen wall in case of emergencies. | a state of emergency The president immediately declared a state of emergency.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emerge verb

¹ come out

ADV. slowly | suddenly | finally, eventually

PREP. from The world is only slowly emerging from recession. | into They suddenly emerged into brilliant sunshine. | out of the musical forms that emerged out of the American black experience

² become known

ADV. clearly, strongly One thing emerges very clearly from this study. | gradually | quickly The answer to the problem quickly emerged. | recently | later, subsequently It subsequently emerged that he had known about the deal all along. | eventually, ultimately What eventually emerged from the election disaster was a realization that it was time for change.

VERB + EMERGE begin to, start to Problems with this drug are now beginning to emerge.

PREP. from Several facts started to emerge from my investigation.

³ start to exist

ADV. rapidly The Pacific region has rapidly emerged as a leading force on the world stage. | gradually, slowly

PHRASES newly emerged/emerging newly emerging areas of science

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emigration noun

ADJ. mass, massive

QUANT. wave He called for a halt to the recent wave of emigration.

PREP. ~ from emigration from Europe to America | ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emission noun

VERB + EMISSION cut, reduce We must take action to cut vehicle emissions. | control, limit, stabilize

EMISSION + VERB increase | decrease, fall

EMISSION + NOUN levels

PREP. ~s from measures to reduce harmful emissions from traffic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emotional adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound | become, get, grow He got quite emotional during the speech. | make sb Having all her friends around her made her very emotional.

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very | quite, rather

PREP. about Don't be so emotional about everything!

PHRASES in an emotional state He was in a very emotional state.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emotion noun

ADJ. deep, extreme, intense, overwhelming, powerful, profound, strong, violent | complex | conflicting, contradictory, mixed, tangled She felt torn by conflicting emotions. | destructive, negative Counselling can teach people to handle negative emotions such as fear and anger. | positive | inner, innermost | painful | fragile The nurse was handling his fragile emotions very carefully. | raw a moving performance full of raw emotion | pent-up, suppressed Years of pent-up emotion came out as he sobbed. | human Fear is a normal human emotion.

QUANT. flicker, hint, trace There wasn't a hint of emotion in his eyes. | flood, rush, surge, wave She felt a sudden rush of emotion at the thought of seeing him again. | display She could not cope with such public displays of emotion.

VERB + EMOTION experience, feel the emotions that we experience as children He felt no emotion as she left. | be choked with, be filled with, be overcome with Her voice was choked with emotion. | be devoid of, be drained of | display, express, show Drama can help children to express their emotions. The woman's face showed no emotion. | release Releasing these emotions is part of the healing process. | betray | shake with, tremble with She realized she was shaking all over with emotion. | bottle up, control, hide, stifle, suppress | cope with, deal with, handle | confront Counsellors encourage victims of crime to confront their emotions. | arouse, provoke, stir (up) an incident that has aroused strong emotions locally | be charged with, be full of a speech that was charged with emotion

PREP. with/without ~ She spoke with deep emotion.

PHRASES depth/intensity of emotion The film has a surprising depth of emotion for a comedy. | a gamut/range of emotions Her performance in the play covered the whole gamut of emotions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emotive adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. highly, powerfully, very He raised the highly emotive issue of bullfighting. | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

empathy noun

ADJ. deep, great, real | total

VERB + EMPATHY feel, have | demonstrate, show | develop, establish

PREP. ~ between The nurse should try to develop empathy between herself and the patient. | ~ for I felt real empathy for my mother and what she had been through. | ~ with She had a deep empathy with animals.

PHRASES a feeling of empathy, a lack of empathy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emperor noun

ADJ. reigning

VERB + EMPEROR crown sb Charlemagne was crowned Emperor on Christmas Day 800 AD.

PREP. under an/the ~ It was under the emperor Justinian that these advances were made. | ~ of the emperor of Japan

PHRASES the reign of an emperor during the reign of the last emperor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emphasis noun

¹ special importance/attention

ADJ. considerable, great, heavy, increased schools that put a heavy emphasis on sporting achievement | strong | main discussing where the main emphasis should be placed | particular, special Examine the events leading to the war, with particular emphasis on France's role in them.

VERB + EMPHASIS give, lay, place, put The company lays great emphasis on customer care. | shift The Democrats shifted the emphasis away from direct taxation.

EMPHASIS + VERB move, shift In recent years, the emphasis has moved away from punishing drug addicts towards helping them.

PREP. ~ on/upon The emphasis is on keeping fit rather than developing lots of muscles.

PHRASES a change/shift of emphasis

² stress on a word/phrase

ADJ. great ‘I’, he said with great emphasis, ‘was the one.’ | slight His slight emphasis on the word ‘Lady’ was definitely mocking.

VERB + EMPHASIS put

PREP. with ~ She repeated the question with emphasis. | ~ on Put the emphasis on the second syllable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emphasize verb

ADV. strongly | rightly The new law rightly emphasizes parental responsibility.

VERB + EMPHASIZE must, should I must emphasize that this is only a summary, and the full report will not be available until next week. | be important to It is important to emphasize this point. | seem to, serve to, tend to All the arguments and counter-arguments serve to emphasize the controversy surrounding this disease. | fail to | be at pains to, be keen to I have been at pains to emphasize the positive aspects of discipline.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

emphatic adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. most, quite, very

PREP. about He was most emphatic about me leaving.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

empire noun

¹ group of countries

ADJ. big, great, large, mighty, vast | colonial, overseas the decline of the old colonial empires

VERB + EMPIRE establish, found | dismantle The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. | expand | lose By now Britain had lost its empire.

EMPIRE + VERB grow | collapse, crumble, disintegrate The mighty empire finally crumbled.

PHRASES the break-up/decline/fall of an empire, part of an empire a country that is still part of the empire

² group of companies/organizations

ADJ. big, huge, large | little (= used to criticize sb's attitude to the things they control) All the bureaucrats jealously guarded their own little empires. | business, commercial, financial, industrial, media

VERB + EMPIRE build (up), create He has built a huge business empire from humble beginnings.

EMPIRE + VERB collapse, crumble

PHRASES the collapse of an empire

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

employee noun

VERB + EMPLOYEE have The company has only 60 employees. | recruit | dismiss, lay off, make redundant, sack a fair reason for dismissing an employee The company made hundreds of employees redundant.

EMPLOYEE + VERB join sth | work employees who work more than 20 hours per week | leave | earn sth

EMPLOYEE + NOUN benefits In addition to a competitive salary, the company offers attractive employee benefits. | status Freelance workers do not enjoy the benefits of employee status. | relations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

employer noun

ADJ. big, large, large-scale, major one of the region's major employers | good The hotel prides itself on being a good employer that treats its staff well. | unscrupulous the use of illegal workers by unscrupulous employers | potential, prospective, would-be

VERB + EMPLOYER have, work for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

employment noun

QUANT. level policies aimed at maintaining a high level of employment

VERB + EMPLOYMENT look for, seek recent graduates seeking employment | find, gain, get, obtain, secure He finally secured employment in a local factory. | take up (formal) He took up employment with the company in May 2002. | give up, lose She lost her employment when the firm closed. | give sb, offer sb | create, generate, provide This investment will certainly create employment in the area. The steelworks provided employment for thousands of people. | boost, increase, raise, stimulate policies designed to stimulate employment

EMPLOYMENT + VERB increase, rise | fall

PREP. in ~ Most of last year's graduates are now in employment. | out of ~ She had been out of employment for three years.

PHRASES conditions of employment trade union concerns such as conditions of employment and health and safety | a contract of employment, patterns/trends of employment significant changes in patterns of employment > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

employ verb

¹ pay sb to work

ADV. directly, indirectly By 1960 the arms industry in America directly employed 3.5 million people.

PREP. in A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.

PHRASES be fully employed 10% of 10?15-year-old girls were fully employed as late as 1911. | be gainfully employed Those not gainfully employed are dependent on their savings. | be permanently/temporarily employed, be regularly/irregularly employed

² use

ADV. commonly, extensively, frequently, often, widely The safety net is an image commonly employed in everyday life. | generally, usually | actively, deliberately teaching that actively employs computers in innovative and fruitful ways | successfully, usefully

VERB + EMPLOY can/could The army has far more junior officers than it can usefully employ.

³ be employed: be busy doing sth

ADV. better You'd be far better employed taking care of your own affairs. | busily, usefully

PREP. in Will and Joe were busily employed in clearing out all the furniture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

empty adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, lie, look, seem The box lay empty on the bed. | become, end up The reservoirs could end up empty if this dry weather continues. | remain, stand, stay The council is letting useful housing stand empty. | leave sth The house had been left empty for several weeks.

ADV. completely, quite, totally, utterly There was a vast expanse of utterly empty sky to look at. | almost, nearly, practically, virtually | largely, mostly | half a half-empty box of chocolates | fairly, relatively Some parts of the city are desperately overcrowded while others are relatively empty. | apparently | curiously, horribly The house felt curiously empty without the children.

PREP. of The streets were empty of people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

empty verb

¹ make sth empty

ADV. completely The cupboards had all been completely emptied. | half | out We emptied out the tank.

PREP. of He emptied the bottle of its contents.

² become empty

ADV. completely | half The hall half emptied as bored businessmen raced for the buffet tables. | out The room gradually emptied out.

PREP. into The castle had a deep moat which emptied into the lake. | of The streets soon emptied of shoppers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enclose verb

ADV. completely, fully, totally The garden is fully enclosed. | partially

PREP. in/within The ring is enclosed in a plastic case.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

encore noun

VERB + ENCORE give, play, take The singer gave four encores. He took several encores before the crowd finally began to leave. | get You'll never get an encore if you perform like that! | call for The audience called for an encore.

PHRASES as/for an ~ For an encore, he sang an unaccompanied folk song.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

encounter noun

ADJ. brief I did not see him again, except for a brief encounter on a train. | casual, chance, unexpected It was a chance encounter that led to the setting up of the new political party. | close I decided not to risk a second close encounter with the snakes. | face-to-face | direct The press conference was her first direct encounter with the media. | unpleasant, violent | social the language we use in everyday social encounters | sexual

VERB + ENCOUNTER have I had my first encounter with the president two years ago.

ENCOUNTER + VERB take place

PREP. ~ between violent encounters between police and protesters | ~ with my first encounter with my new boss

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

encounter verb

ADV. commonly, frequently, often, regularly Walruses were commonly encountered in the Shetland Islands until quite recently. | rarely | inevitably

VERB + ENCOUNTER be likely to What are the difficulties you are most likely to encounter?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

encouragement noun

ADJ. considerable, great | active, positive | the slightest Given the slightest encouragement, he'd be on his knees swearing eternal devotion.

VERB + ENCOURAGEMENT give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) Mick was always ready to offer advice and encouragement. | need | draw, get, have, receive, take I draw great encouragement from the fact that the classroom is always full.

PREP. with ~ With a bit of encouragement, she could do really well. | ~ by/from You need encouragement from people who understand what you are trying to do. | ~ to Getting the support of the Queen was a great encouragement to those involved in the project.

PHRASES words of encouragement Perhaps I can offer a few words of encouragement to those who did not win any prizes this time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

encourage verb

ADV. greatly, strongly We were greatly encouraged by the support we received. | actively, positively The government must actively encourage investment in these areas.

VERB + ENCOURAGE aim to | try to | be designed to These questions are designed to encourage debate. | be likely to Newspapers should not publish material that is likely to encourage discrimination on the grounds of race or colour.

PREP. in Her head of department encouraged her in her research work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

encouraging adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, immensely, most, really, tremendously, very This news is most encouraging. | mildly, quite, reasonably | positively | hardly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

encyclopedia noun

VERB + ENCYCLOPEDIA consult, look sth up in, use | compile, write | edit | publish

PREP. in an/the ~ I looked the Civil War up in my encyclopedia.

PHRASES an entry in an encyclopedia There are over 20,000 entries in the encyclopedia.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

endanger verb

ADV. greatly, seriously Taking these drugs could seriously endanger your health.

VERB + ENDANGER be likely to They are accused of causing an explosion likely to endanger life.

PHRASES highly endangered 14 per cent of primate species are highly endangered.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

endear verb

ADV. hardly, not exactly

VERB + ENDEAR (not) be calculated to ‘All better now, are we?’ he enquired in a patronizing manner hardly calculated to endear.

PREP. to She had an unfriendly manner which did not exactly endear her to her colleagues.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

endeavour noun

ADJ. cooperative, joint | brave, gallant, heroic | earnest, honest the government's honest endeavours to improve the lives of the poor | lifelong Learning a foreign language well can be a lifelong endeavour. | fruitless, futile, unsuccessful | successful | human Enthusiasm is a vital ingredient in all human endeavour. | artistic, creative, educational, intellectual, political, scientific She always encourages her children in their artistic endeavours.

VERB + ENDEAVOUR make You must make an endeavour to work harder.

PREP. in an ~ We wish her every success in this endeavour. In an endeavour to improve the service, they introduced free parking.

PHRASES your best endeavours Despite her best endeavours, she couldn't persuade anyone to volunteer. | a field of endeavour He has the ability to achieve success in whatever field of endeavour he should choose. | make every endeavour We will make every endeavour to obtain sufficient supplies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ending noun

ADJ. happy | sad, tragic, unhappy | dramatic | fairy-tale The crowd cheered on the unknown Tunisian, hoping for a fairy-tale ending to the race. | perfect The meal was the perfect ending to a great weekend. | abrupt I was surprised by the abrupt ending to the conversation.

VERB + ENDING have The book has a sad ending.

PREP. ~ to This is a happy ending to a rather sad story.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

endless adj.

VERBS be, seem The long walk back seemed endless.

ADV. almost, virtually | apparently, seemingly a seemingly endless list of repairs to be carried out

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

endorsement noun

ADJ. enthusiastic, full, overwhelming, ringing, strong, unanimous | lukewarm The new design only received a lukewarm endorsement from head office. | official

VERB + ENDORSEMENT give sth We are happy to give the product our full endorsement. | withdraw, withhold | require | seek They are now seeking endorsement for their ideas. | get, receive, win | have These measures have the strong endorsement of the Labour party.

PREP. ~ as her endorsement as leader of the delegation | ~ by endorsement of the product by the Consumer Council | ~ for endorsement for the plan | ~ from His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

endorse verb

ADV. enthusiastically, firmly, heartily, strongly, warmly, wholeheartedly | entirely, fully | overwhelmingly, unanimously | broadly The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. | explicitly, implicitly The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. | formally, officially | publicly | effectively

VERB + ENDORSE fail to, refuse to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

endurance noun

ADJ. great, remarkable | sheer | mental, physical

VERB + ENDURANCE have, show She showed great endurance in the face of pain. | test The astronauts will undergo a series of trials to test their physical and mental endurance in space. | build (up) Swimming a little further each session will build endurance.

ENDURANCE + NOUN test

PREP. beyond ~ This behaviour is beyond endurance.

PHRASES a feat of endurance They are capable of amazing feats of endurance. | the limit/limits of your endurance She was almost at the limits of her endurance. | powers of endurance The task was a test of their powers of endurance. | a test of endurance Running a marathon is seen by many as the ultimate test of endurance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

end noun

¹ furthest part of sth

(figurative) a dead-end job | deep, shallow (of a swimming pool) (figurative) The company believes in throwing new employees in at the deep end with at the end of the movie. | by the ~ He wants the reports by the end of the month. | in the ~ In the end, they decided to spend the holiday at home. | to the ~ He won't win, but he'll keep fighting to the end. | towards the ~ I was getting bored towards the end of the talk. | till/until the ~ I'm staying until the end of this week. | up to the ~ It stayed hot right up to the end of September. | ~ to What the business community wants is an end to the recession.

PHRASES the end of an era Her death marks the end of an era. | the end of the line/road (figurative) The loss of this no training. | free, knotted, loose Take the free end of the rope and pass it through the hole.contract could signal the end of

(figurative) The author tied up all the loose ends of the story in the final chapter. | west, western, etc. the southern end of the lake

VERB + END come to, get to, reach Continue until you reach the end of the road. | change The teams changed ends at half time.

PREP. at the ~ Turn into Hope Street and our house is right at the end. | on ~ Stand it on end (= upright).

PHRASES end of the spectrum The two parties represent opposite ends of the political spectrum. | (from) end to end We walked along the whole promenade, from end to end. They arranged the tables end to end.

² last part of sth

ADJ. abrupt, sudden | dramatic | early The injury brought her career to an early end. | fitting The award was a fitting end to a distinguished career.

VERB + END come to, get to, reach The meeting finally came to an end at six. I'll never get to the end of this book! | approach, draw to, near As the evening was drawing to an end, the firework display took place. | bring (sth to), put Talks were in progress to bring an end to the fighting. | call for call for an end to the violence

END + VERB be in sight There's no end in sight to the present crisis.

END + NOUN product, result The film's backers were delighted with the end product.

PREP. at an ~ The proceedings are expected to be at an end by 6 p.m. | at the ~ They get married the line for the shipyard. | from beginning to end His story was one big lie from beginning to end. | to/until the bitter end We will fight this court case to the bitter end.

³ aim/purpose

VERB + END achieve, further, pursue She was prepared to lie in order to achieve her ends. | work to

PREP. to … ends The money might have been used to more beneficial ends. | to this ~ She wished to have a house built, and to this end she engaged a local architect.

PHRASES an end in itself For her, travelling had become an end in itself rather than a means of seeing new places. | a means to an end I don't enjoy studying computing?it's just a means to an end. | the end justifies the means He defended a morality in which the end justifies the means. | to/for your own ends She is exploiting the current situation for her own ends. | with this end in view (= in order to achieve this)

⁴ death

ADJ. sad, tragic | bad, sticky to come to a sticky (= unpleasant, but deserved) end | untimely

VERB + END come to, meet (literary) He met his end at the Battle of Waterloo.

END + VERB come The end came when he collapsed after playing golf.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

end verb

ADV. abruptly, suddenly The meeting ended abruptly when the chairman was called away. | prematurely | at last, eventually, finally At last the war ended. | all but, effectively, virtually A back injury effectively ended her career. | inconclusively The peace talks have ended inconclusively, with neither side prepared to give way on key points. | peacefully | disastrously, tragically | disappointingly, unhappily

PREP. in The attempt finally ended in failure. | with The show ended with a song.

PHRASES end in disaster The military action could end in disaster. | end in tears (figurative) After all that excitement the day was bound to end in tears (= unhappily).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enemy noun

ADJ. arch, bitter, deadly, great, implacable, mortal, sworn | dangerous, formidable, powerful | ancient, old, traditional In today's match England play their old enemy, Scotland. | chief, main, principal The lion is the zebra's chief enemy. | natural The Church and the Communist Party were natural enemies. | common They united in the face of a common enemy. | political

VERB + ENEMY have She didn't have an enemy in the world. | make He made many enemies during his brief reign. I didn't want to make an enemy of Mr Evans. | attack, fight (against) He was prepared to use any weapon to fight against his enemies. | defeat, destroy | confront, face He turned to face his enemy. | defend sth against, protect sb/sth against/from The cat uses its claws to protect itself against enemies. | deter The skunk releases a pungent smell to deter the enemy.

ENEMY + VERB attack sb/sth

ENEMY + NOUN army, forces, soldiers, troops, unit | defences, front (line), lines, positions, ranks The spies managed to penetrate behind enemy lines. | camp | action, bombing, fire The men came under enemy fire. the first casualty from enemy action | activity Intelligence reported enemy activity just off the coast. | country | territory | aircraft, fighter, plane, ship | propaganda

PREP. against an/the ~ They decided to use the weapon against the enemy.

PHRASES fall into enemy hands The document must not at any price fall into enemy hands. | in the face of the enemy He was shot for desertion in the face of the enemy. | public enemy (number one) Since the scandal, the former minister has become public enemy number one.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

energetic adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, really, remarkably, very Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. She seems remarkably energetic for a woman her age. | quite I'm feeling quite energetic today.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

energy noun

¹ ability to be active/work hard

ADJ. boundless, indefatigable, inexhaustible, unflagging I admire her boundless energy. | surplus | nervous, restless | youthful | creative There was a lack of creative energy in the British film industry.

QUANT. amount, level You can judge how healthy you are by the amount of energy you have. | great deal Bringing up twins requires a great deal of energy. | burst With a sudden burst of energy, he ran to the top of the hill.

VERB + ENERGY be bursting with, be full of, have The children are always full of energy. I don't seem to have any energy these days. | lack He never seems to lack energy. | expend, put She put all her energies into her work. | channel, devote, direct, turn We're trying to deal with young offenders by channelling their energy into sport rather than crime. | conserve, save | work off The kids were running around crazily, working off their surplus energy. | waste We don't want to waste our energy trying to persuade people who are just not interested. | sap The hills sapped his energy and he got off his bike for frequent rests. | dissipate The volunteers' energy was dissipated by the enormous amounts of paperwork involved in the project.

ENERGY + VERB flag It was late and my energy was beginning to flag.

PHRASES an outlet for your energy Football gives them an outlet for their energy. | a waste of energy It's a waste of energy cutting this grass?nobody's going to see it.

² source of power

ADJ. renewable the change from fossil fuels to renewable energy | atomic, nuclear, solar, wave, wind

QUANT. amount The new power station produces vast amounts of energy.

ENERGY + NOUN production | consumption, use | demand, needs, requirements total energy requirements for the coming year | supply The nuclear plant provides a fifth of the nation's energy supplies. | resources, sources | conservation, savings equipment that offers long-term energy savings | efficiency | bill, costs, prices | crisis, problem, shortage The country could face an energy crisis if demand continues to rise. | company, industry, sector state control of the energy industries | market The cost of solar power needs to fall before it makes an impact on the energy market. | management, plan, policy, programme, project, strategy a government-sponsored renewable energy project

PHRASES a demand for energy The demand for energy and fuel is expected to increase dramatically. | energy-saving energy-saving features that can reduce energy bills by 50% | a form of energy, a source of energy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enforcement noun

ADJ. effective, proper | rigorous, strict, stringent, tighter, tougher, vigorous MPs called for tougher enforcement of the existing laws on drugs. | law | legal, police

ENFORCEMENT + NOUN agent, officer | authority, body law enforcement bodies | machinery, mechanism, powers, system The court is ineffective because it lacks the necessary enforcement machinery. | measures, methods, practices, procedures, proceedings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enforce verb

ADV. fully, properly, rigidly, rigorously, strictly, vigorously The rules were strictly enforced. | legally

VERB + ENFORCE can/cannot, could/could not The ban cannot be legally enforced. | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | help (to) a system of local inspectors to help enforce presidential decrees | seek to, take steps to The government may take steps to enforce compliance with the new measures. | decline to, refuse to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engaged adj.

¹ doing sth

VERBS be

PREP. in She was engaged in conversation with a client. | on He is actively engaged on several projects. | with Mrs Scott is engaged with a customer at the moment.

² having promised to marry sb

VERBS be | become, get The couple got engaged last month.

PREP. to She's engaged to an actor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engagement noun

¹ appointment

ADJ. previous, prior Mrs Spratt regrets that she is unable to attend owing to a previous engagement. | important | business, official, public, social | dinner, lunch

VERB + ENGAGEMENT have | keep It is important that I keep this engagement. | carry out (formal) The prime minister will carry out no official public engagements during the month of August. | cancel, fail to keep The president fell ill and was forced to cancel all public engagements.

ENGAGEMENT + NOUN diary

PREP. ~ with He had an important engagement with his financial adviser.

² agreement to get married

ADJ. long | broken

VERB + ENGAGEMENT announce | break (off)

ENGAGEMENT + NOUN ring

PREP. ~ to He announced his engagement to his long-time girlfriend.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engage verb

ADV. directly, fully

VERB + ENGAGE fail to, refuse to

PREP. with acknowledging the need to engage directly with these problems PHRASAL VERBS engage (sb) in sth

ADV. actively people who actively engage in shaping the world they live in

VERB + ENGAGE attempt to, seek to, try to He tried to engage me in conversation. | be eager to, be willing to | be reluctant to, be unwilling to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engineering noun

ADJ. heavy, light | conventional | precision | advanced | aeronautical, agricultural, chemical, civil, design, ecological, electrical, electronic, genetic, mechanical, process, software, systems, etc.

QUANT. piece The bridge is a fine piece of engineering.

ENGINEERING + NOUN company, firm, group | industry | services | work/works Train services on Sunday will be restricted, because of engineering works.

PHRASES a feat of engineering The new building is a remarkable feat of engineering. > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engineer noun

¹ designs/builds engines/roads, etc.

ADJ. chief | chartered, qualified, skilled, trained You need the advice of a qualified engineer. | consultant/consulting, production | aeronautical, agricultural, aircraft, chemical, civil, design, electrical, electronics, flight, marine, mechanical, mining, railway, recording, software, sound, structural

VERB + ENGINEER produce, train Britain isn't producing enough engineers. > Note at PROFESSIONAL(for more verbs)

² repairs machines/equipment

ADJ. qualified, registered, skilled, trained | maintenance, service | heating, lighting, telephone

VERB + ENGINEER call in/out > Note at JOB(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engineer verb

¹ manage to arrange sth

ADV. brilliantly, carefully She carefully engineered a meeting with the chairman.

VERB + ENGINEER seek to, try to

² design and build sth

ADV. carefully, finely, precisely, superbly the car is superbly engineered and a pleasure to drive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engine noun

¹ part of a vehicle that produces power

VERB + ENGINE crank (up), start, switch on | cut (informal), kill (informal), switch off He pulled up under some trees and cut the engine. | rev (up), run She sat at the traffic lights revving the engine. | repair, service, tune | lubricate | fit (sth with) The new model is fitted with a more powerful engine.

ENGINE + VERB run She waited with the engine running while he bought a paper. The engine runs on unleaded petrol. | idle, tick over, turn over The engine was just ticking over. | catch, start I pressed the starter and the engine caught first time. | stop | fire The engine's firing on all four cylinders now. | break down, die, fail, misfire, overheat, seize up, stall | cough, splutter The engine coughed and died. | roar, scream The plane's engine roared as it prepared for take-off. | race, rev (up) He heard a car engine racing behind him. | power sth This model is powered by a 1.8-litre petrol engine.

ENGINE + NOUN capacity, power, speed | compartment, room the ship's engine room | component | failure, problems, trouble It looks as if we've got a spot of engine trouble. | noise

PREP. in an/the ~ You need more oil in the engine.

PHRASES the noise/roar/sound of the engine

² vehicle that pulls a train

ADJ. large, powerful | diesel, electric, steam | railway, tank

VERB + ENGINE build

ENGINE + VERB break down, fail The engine broke down just outside the station.

ENGINE + NOUN driver | failure | speed | shed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

English noun

ADJ. plain You'd have no trouble understanding his point if he'd written the article in plain English! | spoken, written | American, British, Indian, etc. | BBC, the Queen's | Early, Middle, Modern, Old > Note at LANGUAGE(for more collocates)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

engrossed adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become, get

ADV. deeply, very | completely, entirely, thoroughly, totally | apparently | happily

PREP. in He seemed completely engrossed in his book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enhance verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, enormously, greatly, much, significantly, substantially The attractiveness of the book is much enhanced by Mark Stevens's drawings. | directly | further | undoubtedly

VERB + ENHANCE can/could, may/might things that can significantly enhance the quality of your life | help (to), serve to | be designed to, seek to reforms designed to enhance market efficiency

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enigmatic adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. highly, very His reply was highly enigmatic. | slightly, somewhat | curiously, strangely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enjoyable adj.

VERBS be, look, sound | become | make sth I always try to make my lessons enjoyable. | find sth

ADV. enormously, extremely, highly, hugely, immensely, most, really, very We had a most enjoyable evening. | thoroughly | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enjoyment noun

ADJ. full, great, huge, maximum, real A large income is not necessary for the full enjoyment of life. | pure, sheer For sheer enjoyment, you can't beat this game. | evident, obvious | quiet, simple

VERB + ENJOYMENT derive, find, get, have They found real enjoyment just in being together. | bring (sb), give sb, provide (sb with) The show brought enjoyment to millions of viewers. | add to, enhance, increase Food is there to keep you healthy and enhance your enjoyment of life. | spoil

PREP. for (sb's) ~ I play rugby purely for enjoyment. | with ~ Mackie was smiling with enjoyment. | ~ in The noise really spoilt her enjoyment in living there.

PHRASES a source of enjoyment Her little grandson has been a source of great enjoyment to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enjoy verb

ADV. enormously, greatly, hugely, immensely, really, thoroughly, tremendously She greatly enjoys her work. We enjoyed the game immensely.

VERB + ENJOY be able to | seem to The kids all seemed to enjoy themselves. | begin to I was just beginning to enjoy it when the rain came down.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enlarge verb

ADV. considerably, greatly The castle was enlarged considerably in the fifteenth century. | slightly

VERB + ENLARGE seek to The gallery is seeking to enlarge its holdings of Danish art.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enmity noun

ADJ. bitter, fierce | lasting, long-standing, old, traditional He had earned their lasting enmity.

VERB + ENMITY earn (sb), incur

PREP. ~ between the fierce enmity between the two groups | ~ towards his enmity towards the Church

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enormity noun

ADJ. full, sheer

VERB + ENORMITY appreciate, grasp, realize It's difficult to grasp the sheer enormity of the tragedy. | bring home Her words brought home the enormity of what was happening.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enquire (also inquire) verb

ADV. further | pleasantly, politely Adam enquired politely whether they had enjoyed the show. | anxiously, solicitously | eagerly, hopefully | casually, evenly, mildly | coldly, coolly ‘You wish to speak with me?’ he enquired coldly. | drily, sarcastically, sweetly (ironic), tartly ‘Do you mean blackmail?’ she enquired sweetly.

PREP. about To enquire about tickets, phone the number below. | after Rose was enquiring after you (= asking how you were). She enquired after my mother's health. | as to He didn't enquire as to my identity. | into A commission has been set up to enquire into alleged malpractice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enquiry (also inquiry) noun

¹ official investigation

VERB + ENQUIRY carry out, conduct, have, hold, undertake | announce The governor announced an enquiry into the events. | initiate, launch, open (up), set up, start Police have launched a murder enquiry. | adjourn | reopen | call for Local MPs are calling for a full independent enquiry into the way the police handled the affair. | demand, order The government has ordered a public enquiry into the affair. | be subjected to, face You may be subjected to a disciplinary enquiry. | attend | be involved in | chair, head, lead The enquiry will be chaired by a judge.

ENQUIRY + VERB be underway, take place A major enquiry is underway after the death of a union official. The enquiry will take place behind closed doors. | begin, commence, start | hear sth The enquiry heard this week that the crash was unavoidable. | consider sth, examine sth, investigate sth | reveal sth | conclude sth, establish sth, find sth An enquiry found that the vintage plane was in good working order. | rule sth The enquiry ruled that the cars should be fitted with bigger bumpers. | blame sb/sth

ENQUIRY + NOUN report | team

PREP. at an/the ~ At the enquiry the minister maintained that nothing illegal had been done. | during/in an/the ~ arguments during the enquiry | pending an ~ The director has been suspended on full pay, pending an internal enquiry. | ~ by an enquiry by the Charity Commission | ~ into a public enquiry into the environmental effects of the proposed new road

PHRASES the outcome/result of an enquiry, the subject of an enquiry He now finds himself the subject of an enquiry after reports of financial irregularities.

² request for information

QUANT. flood, stream After the disaster, the police had a flood of enquiries about missing relatives.

VERB + ENQUIRY make, pursue, direct, undertake The police are still pursuing their enquiries. The committee directed its enquiries to Mrs Taylor. | complete | welcome The faculty welcomes enquiries from prospective entrants. | get, have, receive | be inundated with | answer, respond to, deal with, handle | assist (sb) in/with, help (sb) in/with Police believe he can help them with their enquiries into a robbery.

ENQUIRY + NOUN desk, office | service | form You are requested to complete an enquiry form.

PREP. pending an/the ~ She has been released on bail pending further enquiries. | ~ about/as to/concerning/regarding/relating to/with regard to enquiries as to the whereabouts of Erin Smith | ~ by enquiries by police | ~ from enquiries from the public | ~ into I'm making enquiries into the possibility of going by train.

³ asking questions/collecting information

VERB + ENQUIRY encourage The subjects on the curriculum encourage intellectual enquiry.

PREP. ~ concerning/into enquiry into the origins of the universe

PHRASES an area of enquiry The purpose of the research is to put this area of enquiry on a sound experimental footing. | a board/commission/committee of enquiry, a line of enquiry No one has yet been arrested but the police have assured us that all possible lines of enquiry are being pursued. | a method of enquiry Methods of enquiry vary from subject to subject. | a spirit of enquiry Children are born with a spirit of enquiry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enrolment noun

ADJ. high, low | total Total enrolment fell between 1991 and 1997. | open (= not restricted) | school | candidate, student

ENROLMENT + VERB take place Enrolment will take place in the main hall. | be/go up, rise | be/go down, fall

PREP. at ~ You will be given a reading list at enrolment. | on ~ The full fee is payable on enrolment. | ~ for Enrolment for engineering courses is low this year. | ~ in enrolments in evening classes | ~ on enrolment on a computer course

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ensure verb

VERB + ENSURE must | aim to, try to | take action/care/steps to We must take steps now to ensure the survival of these animals. | be designed to provisions designed to ensure safe conditions of work | help (to) | be important to, be necessary to, be sufficient to It is important to ensure that delegates have been properly briefed.

PHRASES an attempt to ensure sth, efforts/measures to ensure sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entail verb

ADV. actually What does the job actually entail? | inevitably, necessarily Restructuring will inevitably entail compromises.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entangled adj.

VERBS be | become, get The fishing lines had become hopelessly entangled.

ADV. hopelessly

PREP. in He became entangled in legal disputes. | with Sara had got entangled with some political group.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enterprise noun

¹ plan/project

ADJ. great | exciting | ambitious, difficult, hazardous | common, cooperative, joint The programme is a joint enterprise with the National Business School.

VERB + ENTERPRISE embark on/upon, start, undertake They are willing to undertake a new enterprise. | abandon

ENTERPRISE + VERB fail, succeed

PREP. in an/the ~ The team leader will be the most important factor in this difficult enterprise.

² a business

ADJ. large, large-scale, medium-sized, small, small-scale | profitable, successful | family, private | public, state, state-owned | multinational | agricultural, business, commercial, economic, farming, industrial, manufacturing the complex organization of a business enterprise

VERB + ENTERPRISE control, manage, run He runs a successful small enterprise. | invest in

ENTERPRISE + VERB expand, grow, succeed | fail

PREP. in/within an ~ something that affects all the workers in the enterprise

³ development of businesses

ADJ. free, private The Act will encourage private enterprise. | local | corporate, individual, municipal

VERB + ENTERPRISE encourage, promote

ENTERPRISE + NOUN culture The government has promoted the small firm and the enterprise culture.

⁴ abilities/imagination

ADJ. great I thought she showed great enterprise.

VERB + ENTERPRISE show

PHRASES a spirit of enterprise

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entertaining adj.

VERBS be, sound | become | make sth He tried to make his speech more entertaining. | find sth The others seemed to find my discomfort hugely entertaining.

ADV. extremely, highly, hugely, marvellously, vastly, very, wonderfully It was highly entertaining for the people around them. | thoroughly | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entertainment noun

ADJ. lavish | pure Soaps like ‘Neighbours’ are pure entertainment and there is nothing wrong with that. | free | live | evening, nightly The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment. | mass, popular Cinema is a medium of mass entertainment. | family, light, musical Vote for your top light entertainment show. | home, public, street

VERB + ENTERTAINMENT lay on, offer, provide, put on They laid on lavish entertainment for their guests.

ENTERTAINMENT + NOUN business, industry, world | centre, venue | programme | value The films were bought chiefly for their entertainment value.

PREP. for sb's ~ Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment, we present Magic Man.

PHRASES a form of entertainment, a place of entertainment places of entertainment such as cinemas

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entertain verb

¹ invite sb to eat/drink with you

ADV. lavishly The Bradfords always entertained lavishly at Christmas.

PREP. to They entertained us to lunch in their new house.

² interest/amuse sb

ADV. thoroughly Everyone was thoroughly entertained.

PREP. with She entertained us with stories of her travels.

PHRASES keep sb entertained We hired a magician to keep the children entertained.

³ think about an idea/hope/feeling

ADV. seriously I am amazed that such a crackpot scheme could be seriously entertained. | briefly briefly entertaining hopes that he might keep the affair a secret

VERB + ENTERTAIN be prepared to, be willing to She would make no promises, but was prepared to entertain the idea. | refuse to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enter verb

¹ come/go into a place

ADV. illegally people who enter the country illegally

VERB + ENTER allow sb/sth to, permit sb/sth to He stood back to allow us to enter. | forbid sb to

PREP. by/through We entered through a large iron gate.

² add information to sth

ADV. manually You may need to enter this information manually.

PREP. in Your details have been entered in our database. | into, on Please enter all your personal details on the form provided. | onto Enter the data onto the computer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enthral verb

PHRASES be enthralled by/with sth They were enthralled with the play. | hold/keep sb enthralled She kept her audience enthralled throughout her twenty-minute performance. | listen/watch enthralled The children listened enthralled as the storyteller unfolded her tale.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enthusiasm noun

QUANT. burst, surge After an initial burst of enthusiasm for jogging, I gradually lost interest.

VERB + ENTHUSIASM be full of, feel, have Her voice was full of enthusiasm. | convey, express, show She managed to convey an enthusiasm she did not feel. The team have shown enthusiasm and commitment. | summon up | feign He accepted the invitation with feigned enthusiasm. | conceal, hide | share | maintain | lose | arouse, engender, fire (sb with), generate The trip has fired his enthusiasm for all things French. | dampen, dent This weather would dampen anyone's enthusiasm for swimming.

ENTHUSIASM + VERB bubble over/up trying to hide the boyish enthusiasm bubbling up inside him | grow | fade, wane, wear off

PREP. with/without ~ I look forward to the challenge ahead with great enthusiasm. | ~ about Few people expressed enthusiasm about the current leaders. | ~ among The idea aroused immense enthusiasm among party workers. | ~ for The initial enthusiasm for the project was wearing off.

PHRASES a lack of enthusiasm Both sides have shown a distinct lack of enthusiasm for discussion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enthusiastic adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get

ADV. all, extremely, highly, immensely, incredibly, really, very, wildly She's all enthusiastic about China now that she's been there. The audience was wildly enthusiastic. | less than, not overly, not particularly Mrs Neil did not seem particularly enthusiastic about her job. | largely Film critics are largely enthusiastic about the thriller. | fairly, quite | genuinely

PREP. about He was quite enthusiastic about the idea. | in enthusiastic in their support of him

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entity noun

VERB + ENTITY form The two companies will combine to form a new entity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entrance noun

¹ door/place through which you enter sth

ADJ. narrow, wide | main | back, front, rear, side | cave, church, harbour, school, tunnel, etc.

VERB + ENTRANCE use While the front door is being repaired, please use the side entrance. | mark The little porch marked the entrance to a churchyard. | have The building has only one entrance. | block She stood firm, blocking the entrance.

ENTRANCE + NOUN area, foyer, hall, lobby | door, doorway, gate, porch | passage

PREP. at the ~, by a/the ~ The band left by the rear entrance to escape photographers. | in the ~ She stood in the entrance to the ward. | through the ~ Go through the main entrance into the yard. | ~ from There is a back entrance from West Street. | ~ into the entrance into the car park | ~ to He was waiting at the entrance to the cave.

² act of coming in

ADJ. dramatic, grand

VERB + ENTRANCE make She made a grand entrance once all the guests were assembled. | gain Some of the protesters tried to gain entrance to the meeting.

PREP. ~ into her entrance into politics

³ right to enter a place

VERB + ENTRANCE gain students hoping to gain entrance to university

ENTRANCE + NOUN charge, fee | ticket an entrance ticket to the zoo | requirements | exam/examination

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entrant noun

ADJ. school, university | competition | winning The winning entrant received tickets to the theatre.

VERB + ENTRANT attract The essay competition attracted 46 entrants.

PREP. ~ for the entrants for the award | ~ in You will automatically be registered as an entrant in the Prize Draw. | ~ into another new entrant into the multimedia market | ~ to the number of entrants to higher education

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entrepreneur noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

entry noun

¹ right to enter sth

ADJ. free The club offers free entry to women on Thursdays. | school, university

VERB + ENTRY apply for | gain | allow sb, grant sb They were later allowed entry into the country. | refuse sb, restrict It has been necessary to restrict entry into the club. | guarantee sb

ENTRY + NOUN criteria, qualifications, requirements, standard | visa | ticket Entry tickets to most attractions are included in the price of the holiday.

PREP. ~ into These qualifications will not guarantee you entry into the police force. | ~ to She applied for entry to Nottingham University.

PHRASES right of entry The landlord had the right of entry to the flat with due warning.

² act of coming in

ADJ. forced, forcible The house was quiet, and there were no signs of a forced entry. | unauthorized The sign on the gates read ‘No Unauthorized Entry’. | illegal | dramatic | triumphal Caesar's triumphal entry into Rome

VERB + ENTRY force, gain He found the door locked, but he forced an entry. | make The champion made his usual dramatic entry into the arena.

ENTRY + NOUN point Drugs are believed to come into the country through five main entry points.

PREP. ~ into Hungary's entry into the EU | ~ to She wondered how she could gain entry to the building.

³ sb/sth that enters a competition

ADJ. winning The winning entry will be published in next month's issue.

VERB + ENTRY post, send (in) Send in your entry as soon as possible! | attract, get, have, receive The show attracted entries from all over the country. We have had a lot of entries this year. | judge

ENTRY + NOUN coupon, form | fee

PREP. ~ for We had too many entries for this event. | ~ in There were a record 2,000 entries in the under-17 section. | ~ to one of the best entries to our competition

⁴ one item in a list/book

ADJ. diary | dictionary

VERB + ENTRY make, write

PREP. in an/the ~ Very little information is given in the diary entries. | ~ for Look at the dictionary entry for ‘welcome’. | ~ in the last entry she made in her diary | ~ on First examine the entries on the marriage register.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

envelope noun

ADJ. fat, thick | self-addressed, stamped addressed Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope if you would like a reply. | post-paid, pre-paid, reply-paid To apply, use the enclosed reply-paid envelope (no stamp needed). | padded | airmail | brown, buff, manila, plain, white an official-looking manila envelope

VERB + ENVELOPE open, rip open, slit open, steam open, tear open The letter was suspicious, and I considered steaming open the envelope. | address, mark an envelope addressed in my mother's round handwriting The envelope was marked ‘Personal’. | seal

ENVELOPE + VERB contain sth

PREP. in an/the ~ I had put the letter in the wrong envelope. | into an/the ~ He quickly stuffed the money back into the envelope. | on an/the ~ I couldn't read the address on the envelope. | ~ of He gave her the envelope of certificates.

PHRASES the back of an envelope I scribbled his phone number on the back of an envelope.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

envious adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound She tried not to appear envious. | become | make sb Don't tell me any more?you're making me envious!

ADV. extremely, very | almost | a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat

PREP. of He had always felt envious of his brother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

environment noun

¹ conditions of the place where you are

VERB + ENVIRONMENT create, provide parents who strive to provide a stimulating environment for their children to grow up in | adapt to creatures that have adapted to hostile desert environments | improve | explore The cat walked round, exploring its new environment.

PREP. in an/the ~ people working in increasingly competitive environments

² the environment the natural world

ADJ. natural | global, world | local

PREP. in the ~ the amount of carbon in the environment

PHRASES conservation/protection of the environment, damage to the environment farming methods that minimize damage to the environment | harmful to the environment The label identifies the products that are least harmful to the environment. | pollution of the environment up, improve | have an impact on factors that have a huge impact on the environment | damage, harm, pollute industries which damage the environment

ENVIRONMENT + NOUN agency, committee, department, group, ministry | minister, official,

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

envisage verb

ADV. originally It was originally envisaged that the talks would take place in the spring. | always, never

VERB + ENVISAGE can/could I can envisage difficulties if we continue with this policy. | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | be easy to, be possible to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

envoy noun

ADJ. papal, personal, royal, special | diplomatic, peace | UN/United Nations | American, British, etc.

VERB + ENVOY be, serve as | appoint (sb as) The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area. | dispatch, send A special peace envoy was sent to the area.

PREP. ~ from a special envoy from the American president | ~ to He served as envoy to the French government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

envy noun

ADJ. extreme | unconscious | class, social

QUANT. tinge, touch I detected a tinge of envy in her tone. | pang, stab, twinge I felt a twinge of envy for the people who lived there.

VERB + ENVY be consumed with, be green with, feel, have I had no envy of his success. | express, show | arouse, excite, fill sb with, inspire Her youth and looks aroused extreme envy in her rivals.

PREP. with ~ I look with envy on those lucky people with big families. | ~ at I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle. | ~ for the envy she felt for her sister

PHRASES be the envy of sb/sth British television is the envy of the world (= is admired by everyone). | an object of envy Her car was an object of envy in the neighbourhood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

envy verb

ADV. greatly, really | secretly

PREP. for I secretly envied her for her good looks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

epidemic noun

ADJ. major | widespread, worldwide | cholera, flu, typhoid, etc.

EPIDEMIC + VERB break out, strike (sth) A typhus epidemic struck in the winter of 1919?20. | spread, sweep (sth) the flu epidemic sweeping the country

PREP. during/in an/the ~ Over fifty people died during the flu epidemic last winter. | ~ of an epidemic of cholera

PHRASES reach epidemic proportions Marriage breakdown in the West has reached epidemic proportions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

episode noun

¹ one separate event in sb's life/a story

VERB + EPISODE remember | forget

PREP. during an ~ during a brief episode of socialist rule | ~ from remembering episodes from our childhood | ~ in an extraordinary episode in American history

PHRASES the entire/whole episode He says he just wants to forget the whole unfortunate episode.

² one part of a TV/radio drama

ADJ. exciting, thrilling Don't miss next week's exciting episode! | next, | final, last

VERB + EPISODE see, watch | miss | film, make The next episode has not yet been filmed.

PREP. during/in an/the ~ It happened in the final episode of ‘Star Trek’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

epitaph noun

ADJ. fitting, perfect

VERB + EPITAPH write | make, stand as These films stand as an epitaph to the great director.

PREP. as an ~ He wanted these lines as his epitaph. | ~ for She wrote the perfect epitaph for the poet. | ~ on Joyce's epitaph on King Edward VIII | ~ to It makes a fitting epitaph to a great career.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

epoch noun

ADJ. new | present | past | historical

VERB + EPOCH mark The dropping of the first atom bomb marked a new epoch in warfare.

PREP. during/in an/the ~ the importance of the computer in the present epoch | ~ of an epoch of great social change

PHRASES the beginning/end of an epoch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equality noun

ADJ. complete, full, genuine, true | greater | economic, legal, political, racial, sexual, social

PHRASES equality of opportunity People from these minority groups must have equality of opportunity.

PREP. ~ between fighting for greater equality between the sexes | ~ for the task of achieving equality for gay men | ~ in These women are demanding fairness and equality in their pay. | ~ with The women are demanding full equality with the men of their tribe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equal adj.

¹ same in size/quantity/value, etc.

VERBS be | become | make sth We moved some of the better players to make the two sides equal.

ADV. absolutely, exactly, in every way, precisely Their test results were equal in every way. | almost, nearly, virtually | about, approximately, more or less, roughly The EU nations together have an economy about equal in size to that of the US. | just | at least Fitness is important in sport, but of at least equal importance are skills.

PREP. in The two books are more or less equal in length. | to Three feet is roughly equal to one metre.

² having the same rights

VERBS be | be born I believe everyone is born equal.

ADV. genuinely, truly 3 equal to sth able to do sth

VERBS be, feel, prove, seem I hope that he proves equal to the challenge. | become | make sb I felt that nothing could make me equal to the demands being made of me.

ADV. more than I felt more than equal to the task.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equal noun

ADJ. intellectual, social

VERB + EQUAL regard sb as, treat sb as He did not regard himself as her intellectual equal.

PREP. as an ~ He talks even to small children as equals. | between ~s An interview should be a conversation between equals. | without ~ His guitar playing is without equal.

PHRASES be sb's equal I shall never be his equal at chess. | first among equals He was regarded as the ‘first among equals’ by the other office clerks. | have few equals When it comes to plain speaking, she has few equals. | have no equal In fighting, they had no equals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equate verb

ADV. directly The constellations in the night sky cannot be directly equated with the heroes of Greek mythology. | roughly | simply | crudely crudely equating happiness with a high income

VERB + EQUATE can/cannot, could/could not | be difficult to, be hard to It's hard to equate this gentle woman with the monster portrayed in the newspapers.

PREP. with We are taught to equate beauty with success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equation noun

¹ mathematical statement

ADJ. complicated, simple This can be shown by a simple equation. | algebraic, mathematical

VERB + EQUATION solve, work out I could not find a way of solving the equation. | satisfy the range of values of x which would satisfy this equation

PREP. ~ for the equation for a straight line

PHRASES a side of the equation the numbers on the right-hand side of the equation

² situation

VERB + EQUATION be a part of, come into, enter (into) The availability of public transport is also part of the equation. Money also comes into the equation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equator noun

VERB + EQUATOR cross

PREP. around the ~ Rainforests occur around the equator. | at the ~ The sun heats the sea more at the equator than at the poles. | close to/near the ~ in an area near the equator | on the ~ The lake lies exactly on the equator.

PHRASES north/south of the equator The island is just 80 miles north of the equator.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equipment noun

QUANT. item, piece

VERB + EQUIPMENT provide, supply | use The plane uses state-of-the-art navigation equipment. | install | need, require No specialist equipment is needed.

EQUIPMENT + VERB consist of sth The basic equipment consists of a plastic mask and a length of rope.

PREP. ~ for high-tech equipment for keeping the temperature steady

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equip verb

ADV. lavishly, splendidly, superbly, well The centre is well equipped for sailing. | badly, poorly | comprehensively, fully, properly | adequately, suitably | specially

VERB + EQUIP seek to, try to

PREP. for The hostel is specially equipped for wheelchair access. | with The flat is fully equipped with a cooker and fridge.

PHRASES come equipped with Rooms vary in size and come equipped with hairdryers, television and telephone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equivalent adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. exactly, precisely | almost, closely, essentially, practically | approximately, broadly, more or less, roughly the price we would pay elsewhere for a broadly equivalent house

PREP. in, to These first computers were equivalent in power to a modern calculator.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

equivalent noun

ADJ. direct, exact, nearest the nearest equivalent we have to a carnival | approximate | modern the modern equivalent of the village inn | American, British, etc.

VERB + EQUIVALENT have a word which has no direct equivalent in English

PREP. ~ for There is no exact male equivalent for witches. | ~ in It is the approximate equivalent in height to the Matterhorn. | ~ of This qualification is the equivalent of a degree. | ~ to This concert hall has been described as the American equivalent to London's Albert Hall.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eradicate verb

ADV. completely, entirely, totally | successfully

VERB + ERADICATE try to | help (to) | be difficult to, be impossible to These insects are very difficult to eradicate.

PREP. from The disease has now been successfully eradicated from the world.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to eradicate sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erase verb

ADV. completely | virtually | partially

VERB + ERASE try to | be determined to They are determined to erase the bad memories of last year's defeats.

PREP. from These people have been virtually erased from the history book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

era noun

VERB + ERA usher in The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in a whole new era. | enter, move into The country has entered an era of high unemployment.

ERA + VERB begin | end

PREP. during/in an/the ~ We live in an era of religious uncertainty. | into ~ a practice that has survived into the present era | ~ in a new era in the history of art

PHRASES the beginning/dawn/dawning of a (new) era, be on the threshold of a new era, the end of an era

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erection noun

VERB + ERECTION get, have | lose | give sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erect adj.

¹ standing/sitting straight up

VERBS be, sit, stand He sat very erect, listening intently. | hold sth She held her head erect as she walked proudly up to the platform.

ADV. very

² stiff

VERBS be | become

ADV. completely, fully | stiffly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erect verb

ADV. hastily, quickly | specially The event will take place in a specially erected marquee.

PHRASES newly/recently erected the newly erected station buildings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erode verb

ADV. badly, deeply, seriously, severely Walkers should stick to obvious paths, even if they are badly eroded. The experience had seriously eroded his confidence in himself. | completely | further | gradually, slowly The distinction between social classes is slowly being eroded. | steadily The river bank had been steadily eroded over the years. | rapidly | easily | away The rocks have eroded away over time.

VERB + ERODE threaten to The pressure towards uniformity that constantly threatens to erode local traditions. | tend to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erosion noun

ADJ. serious, severe Acid rain has caused severe erosion on the hillside. | rapid | gradual, steady the steady erosion of their civil liberties | coastal, soil | glacial, water, wind

VERB + EROSION cause, contribute to, lead to, result in | protect sth from, reduce | suffer (from) The area suffers badly from coastal erosion.

EROSION + VERB affect sth the areas worst affected by soil erosion

PHRASES the rate of erosion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erotic adj.

VERBS be, feel | become | find sth

ADV. highly, powerfully | mildly | blatantly, overtly There were some overtly erotic scenes in the film.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

errand noun

ADJ. little, simple

VERB + ERRAND do, go on, run She made her brother run some little errands for her. | send sb on My boss kept sending me out on errands.

PREP. on an ~ She's gone on an errand for her mother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erratic adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very, wildly | completely | increasingly her increasingly erratic behaviour | fairly, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

error noun

ADJ. fundamental, glaring, grave, great, major, monumental, serious The report contained some glaring errors. | fatal He made the fatal error of borrowing more than he could pay back. | minor, small | embarrassing, unfortunate | past The ability to learn from past errors is vital in business. | common | grammatical, spelling, typing | factual | tactical The Kenyan athlete made a tactical error in starting too fast. | administrative, clerical | human, pilot The plane crash was caused by human error, not mechanical failure.

VERB + ERROR commit, make He had committed a grave error in letting them see the document. She made several serious errors during the race. | contain The document contained a lot of typing errors. | detect, discover, find, spot I found several factual errors in the report. | point out The error was pointed out to her by one of her colleagues. | realize I only realized my error when it was too late. | avoid She has avoided the common error of writing too much. | correct, rectify Glasses can correct most errors in your vision. | compound The paper accidentally printed the victim's address, then compounded their error by printing her name the next day.

ERROR + VERB arise (from sth), occur errors arising from inadequate information

ERROR + NOUN detection | correction | message An error message comes up when I try to open the program.

PREP. in ~ The machine had been switched off in error (= by mistake). | ~ in He checked his letter for errors in spelling. He realized his error in not attending the funeral. | ~ of The speech contained many errors of fact.

PHRASES a comedy of errors His attempts to arrange a party ended up as a comedy of errors. | an error of judgement The minister had made an amazing error of judgement. | a margin of error The margin of error for a racing driver is tiny.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eruption noun

¹ explosion of a volcano

ADJ. big, great, major, violent It was the biggest eruption of Vesuvius for some years. | minor | volcanic

VERB + ERUPTION predict

ERUPTION + VERB happen, occur, take place

PREP. in an/the ~ The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.

² sudden start of sth loud/violent

ADJ. sudden a sudden eruption of fighting

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

erupt verb

ADV. violently the volcano which erupted violently last month | suddenly His anger suddenly erupted into furious shouting.

VERB + ERUPT threaten to

PREP. into violence that threatened to erupt into a full-scale war

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

escalate verb

¹ become/make sth worse

ADV. rapidly | steadily Violence between the two sides has been steadily escalating. | suddenly

PREP. into The conflict could escalate rapidly into a full-scale war.

² increase

ADV. sharply The cost of raw materials has escalated sharply.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

escalation noun

ADJ. dramatic, major, serious | further | rapid

VERB + ESCALATION lead to The reorganization has led to a dramatic escalation in costs. | prevent

PREP. ~ in a serious escalation in the fighting | ~ into the escalation of the conflict into an all-out war

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

escalator noun

ADJ. down, up kids running up a down escalator

VERB + ESCALATOR take Take the escalator down to the lower level. | go up | descend, go down

ESCALATOR + VERB carry sb Passengers are carried by escalator to the first floor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

escape noun

¹ getting away from a place

ADJ. attempted | successful | great one of the greatest escapes of all time

VERB + ESCAPE effect, make, make good He made his escape through the window. I found an open door and made good my escape. | plan | foil, prevent

ESCAPE + NOUN attempt, bid | route

PREP. ~ from his escape from the prison camp

PHRASES a means/way of escape She looked round for a means of escape. | a possibility of escape There was clearly no possibility of escape.

² avoiding sth unpleasant or boring

ADJ. close, narrow, near | lucky, miraculous, remarkable A driver had a lucky escape after a brick was dropped on his car from an overhead bridge.

VERB + ESCAPE have

PREP. ~ from He had a narrow escape from gunfire.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

escape verb

ADV. narrowly They narrowly escaped being killed in the fire. | not entirely The head of department cannot entirely escape responsibility for this situation.

PREP. from to escape from prison | into They escaped into the forest. | to The family escaped to England. | with Thieves escaped with property worth over £5,000.

PHRASES escape alive Only two of the men escaped alive. | escape sb's clutches He had managed to escape the clutches of the police yet again. | escape unharmed/unhurt/uninjured/unscathed, escape with your life She was very lucky to escape with her life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

escort noun

ADJ. armed, military, motorcycle, police

VERB + ESCORT be accompanied by, have She had a police escort to the hospital. | give sb, provide (sb with), send Can you give us an escort? The army provided a small armed escort for the delegation. | need The referee needed a police escort as he left the stadium.

ESCORT + NOUN vehicle

PREP. under ~ The opposition leader was arrested and taken to the capital under escort. | with/without an ~ They left with a small escort. | ~ for an escort for the Queen's car | ~ of an escort of ten soldiers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

espionage noun

ADJ. industrial The big computer companies are very worried about industrial espionage. | international | American, British, etc.

VERB + ESPIONAGE be engaged in, be involved in, engage in | be executed for, be expelled for, be imprisoned for Two members of the embassy staff had been expelled for espionage.

ESPIONAGE + NOUN activities

PREP. ~ against She was found guilty of espionage against the United States. | ~ on behalf of espionage on behalf of foreign states

PHRASES the world of espionage the shadowy world of espionage > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

essay noun

QUANT. collection In 2001 she published a collection of essays.

VERB + ESSAY do, write Have you done your essay yet? | give in, hand in Essays handed in late will not be accepted.

ESSAY + NOUN question, title, topic You have to answer 3 out of 8 essay questions in the exam.

PREP. in an/the ~ He made some very good points in his essay. | ~ about/on We've got to write an essay on the environment. | ~ by an essay by Montaigne

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

essence noun

¹ basic/most important quality of sth

ADJ. real, true, very

VERB + ESSENCE capture, convey, embody, encapsulate, represent His paintings embody the very essence of the immediate post-war years.

PREP. in ~ His theory was not new in essence.

² concentrated substance

ADJ. almond, vanilla, etc.

QUANT. dash, drop Add a few drops of vanilla essence.

VERB + ESSENCE add, use

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

essentials noun

ADJ. bare, basic the bare essentials for existence

VERB + ESSENTIALS grasp Just try and grasp the essentials of the argument. | provide The relief agencies are trying to provide food and other basic essentials. | concentrate on Don't let's worry about the details at this stage. Let's concentrate on the essentials.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

essential adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become It is becoming almost essential for students to have a second language. | remain | make sth Increased competition makes it essential for the business to innovate. | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth Do you consider these textbooks essential for the course?

ADV. really | absolutely | almost, virtually | fairly | by no means Although useful, the accessories are by no means essential.

PREP. for the skills essential for success | to He believed that some form of religion was essential to human life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

establishment noun

¹ act of starting sth

ADJ. formal the formal establishment of the republic in 1948 | gradual, rapid

VERB + ESTABLISHMENT call for, support Opposition MPs are calling for the establishment of an independent food and drugs agency. | agree to, consent to | lead to This report led to the establishment of a special committee to investigate the matter. | allow (for), enable, provide for a law allowing the establishment of private television stations | announce | see The months that followed saw the establishment of a strong military presence in the region.

PREP. with the ~ of With the establishment of major new markets, the economy is thriving.

² shop/business/organization

ADJ. catering, educational, military, research, training She's now running a small government research establishment. > Note at ORGANIZATION(for verbs)

³ the establishment: people in positions of power

ADJ. academic, art, literary, medical, musical, political, religious, scientific | British, French, etc. The British Establishment is very slow to accept change.

VERB + ESTABLISHMENT offend His abstract paintings offended the art establishment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

establish verb

¹ start/create sth

VERB + ESTABLISH attempt to, seek to, try to trying to establish links with local schools | help (to), help sb (to) | agree to The two countries agreed to establish full diplomatic relations. | be able to | be important to

PHRASES an attempt/effort to establish sth, newly/recently established He was appointed to the newly established Department of the Environment.

² make sth known and accepted

ADV. firmly, securely His position in the organization is now firmly established.

VERB + ESTABLISH attempt to, seek to, try to | help (to), help sb (to) The exhibition helped her establish herself as an artist.

PREP. as He has now established his reputation as a popular musician.

PHRASES become/get established The festival has become established as one of the town's annual events.

³ make certain of sth

ADV. conclusively, definitely | empirically

PHRASES an attempt/effort to establish sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

estate noun

¹ land owned by a person/family/organization

ADJ. big, great, large, substantial, vast | small

VERB + ESTATE have, own The family owns a large estate in the north of the country. | buy Queen Victoria bought the estate in 1848. | manage, run

ESTATE + NOUN employee, manager, owner, worker | management

PREP. on an/the ~ the number of people living on the estate | ~ of an estate of 20,000 acres

PHRASES an heir to an estate The young prince is the heir to a vast estate in the west of the country.

² land with a lot of buildings of the same type

ADJ. large, massive | small | council, housing | private | industrial, trading The factory is on a large industrial estate on the outskirts of town.

VERB + ESTATE build

PREP. on an/the ~ She lives on a council estate in Leeds.

³ property that sb leaves when they die

ADJ. personal

VERB + ESTATE leave She left her whole estate to her niece. | inherit She inherited her father's estate. | own He owns personal estate worth $30 million.

ESTATE + VERB be valued at sth, be worth sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

esteem noun

ADJ. great, high | low | personal, self-I needed to do it for my own personal esteem. | popular, public, social

VERB + ESTEEM earn She had earned the esteem of everyone in the town. | lose It is easy for children to lose their self-esteem. | accord sb the level of social esteem accorded to doctors | fall in, rise in He fell in public esteem following the scandal.

PREP. in … ~ the status of teachers in the public esteem | ~ for the public's esteem for the prime minister | ~ of The school's aim is to build the self-esteem of the children.

PHRASES hold sb/sth in great/high/low esteem He is held in the highest esteem by all who know him. | a mark/token of esteem We would like to offer you this gift as a mark of our esteem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

estimate noun

ADJ. official, unofficial | current, recent Current estimates suggest that supplies will run out within six months. | early, initial, preliminary | accurate, fair, good, realistic, reasonable, reliable | best Flight times in the brochure are based on our best estimate, and will be confirmed as soon as possible. | approximate, rough | conservative, low I think 15,000 will turn out to be a very low estimate. | high According to the highest estimate, over 100,000 men died in the battle. | optimistic, pessimistic | cost

VERB + ESTIMATE make Can you make an estimate of the numbers involved? | give (sb), provide (sb with), submit Three firms submitted estimates for the work. | revise

ESTIMATE + VERB be based on sth | indicate sth, predict sth, show sth, suggest sth One estimate suggests that 30,000 jobs may be lost. | put sth at Some estimates put the figure as high as 50%. | range, vary Cost estimates vary from $50,000 to $200,000.

PREP. according to an/the ~ According to the revised estimate, four million people will be without homes. | at an ~ Even at a conservative estimate, there is a lot of work to be done. | in an/the ~ In his first estimate, he suggested a figure of £5,000. | ~ by, ~ from According to an estimate by a leading newspaper, she earns £40 million a year. | ~ for We will send you an estimate for the repairs. | ~ of an estimate of profits an estimate of £300

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

estimate verb

ADV. currently | accurately, reliably | provisionally | conservatively It is conservatively estimated that not less than half a million people died in the famine. | officially, unofficially The strike was officially estimated to have cost $80 million.

VERB + ESTIMATE be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | be used to The results of the survey were used to estimate the preferences of the population at large.

PREP. at We estimated the cost at £50,000.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

estimation noun

VERB + ESTIMATION go up in, rise in He went up in my estimation when I heard about his charity work. | go down in

PREP. in sb's ~ In my estimation, you've done a good job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

estranged adj.

VERBS be, feel | become

ADV. deeply | completely | increasingly

PREP. from He felt deeply estranged from the society he lived in.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ethics noun

ADJ. personal She resigned over an issue of personal ethics. | Christian | business, medical, professional The study was approved by the medical ethics committee.

PHRASES a code of ethics There should be a code of business ethics which indicates how clients are to be served. | a matter/question of ethics. It's the committee's job to decide on matters of ethics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

etiquette noun

ADJ. professional, social He showed his contempt for social etiquette by not wearing a tie. | correct What's the correct etiquette when addressing a judge? | strict the strict etiquette of palace life

VERB + ETIQUETTE breach He had breached etiquette by not informing his superiors of his decision.

ETIQUETTE + VERB require sth Etiquette requires that the bride's father makes a speech.

PHRASES a breach of etiquette The solicitor was accused of a breach of professional etiquette. | matters of etiquette He is an expert on matters of etiquette. | the rules of etiquette She knew how to address bishops according to the rules of etiquette. | a stickler for etiquette She's a real stickler for etiquette, so you'd better ask her advice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

euphoria noun

ADJ. early, initial after the initial euphoria | general

QUANT. wave The news sparked a wave of euphoria across the country.

VERB + EUPHORIA feel the euphoria we all felt when they were finally defeated

EUPHORIA + VERB evaporate, fade

PREP. ~ about All the euphoria about the ‘new methods’ soon faded. | ~ over By then, the euphoria over the fall of the Berlin Wall had evaporated.

PHRASES a feeling of euphoria, a state of euphoria

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

euro noun > Note at CURRENCY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

euthanasia noun

ADJ. voluntary | involuntary

VERB + EUTHANASIA perform, practise | legalize

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evacuate verb

ADV. safely

VERB + EVACUATE help (to) to provide aircraft to help evacuate refugees

PREP. from Helicopters were used to evacuate people from their homes. | to The man has now been safely evacuated to the mainland.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evacuation noun

ADJ. large-scale, mass | emergency, immediate | casualty | wartime

EVACUATION + NOUN area, zone | order | plan, programme, scheme | procedures

PREP. ~ from the evacuation of civilians from the area

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evade verb

¹ escape

ADV. narrowly They narrowly evaded a police car which was approaching. | successfully

VERB + EVADE attempt to, try to | manage to He managed to evade capture and escaped over the border.

² avoid dealing with sth

ADV. simply Her response was simply to evade the problem altogether. | carefully, skilfully | easily Responsibility could not be so easily evaded. | altogether

VERB + EVADE attempt to, try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evaluate verb

ADV. fully, properly, thoroughly | carefully, systematically The evidence should be carefully evaluated. | critically | positively The role of stay-at-home mother is more positively evaluated in working-class communities.

VERB + EVALUATE aim to, attempt to, be designed to | help (to) to help evaluate the success of the campaign | be used to criteria used to evaluate employees' performance | be difficult to, be hard to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evaluation noun

ADJ. comprehensive, thorough | objective | critical a critical evaluation of the film | job a new pay structure based on job evaluations

VERB + EVALUATION carry out, make We've still got to carry out an evaluation of the results.

EVALUATION + NOUN procedure, process | study

PREP. in an/the ~ In their evaluation of the project, they considered only certain aspects of it. | under ~ The new scheme is still under evaluation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evening noun

¹ part of the day

VERB + EVENING spend We spent the evening walking round the town.

EVENING + VERB progress, wear on As the evening wore on, Phil became very drunk.

PREP. during the ~, for an/the ~ Her parents were out for the evening. | in the ~, on Friday, etc. ~

PHRASES an/the evening off/out You deserve an occasional evening out. | good evening

² event happening in the evening

ADJ. gala, musical, social | open, parents' Prospective students were invited to the school's open evening. | convivial, enjoyable, lovely, memorable, pleasant, successful, wonderful

VERB + EVENING hold The club will hold a social evening to welcome new members.

EVENING + NOUN clothes, dress, gown, wear

PREP. during the ~, for the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

event noun

¹ sth that happens

ADJ. big, great, historic, important, key, main, major, momentous, significant Tonight's programme looks back at the main events of the year. | dramatic, remarkable | happy | sad, tragic, traumatic | rare Outside big cities, murder is a rare event. | subsequent Subsequent events proved him wrong. | historical, political

VERB + EVENT witness When the ship finally reached land, only a few of the crew were left to witness the event. | record We had a huge party, and hired a photographer to record the event. | celebrate, commemorate, mark Today is the hospital's fiftieth anniversary, and there will be a party to mark the event.

EVENT + VERB happen, occur, take place, unfold TV viewers watched in horror as events unfolded. | lead to sth These events quickly led to confusion. | lead up to sth The police are trying to establish a picture of events leading up to the killing.

PHRASES a chain/sequence/series of events, the course of events Would it have been possible to change the course of events?

² planned social occasion

ADJ. big, important, main, major, special | popular | prestigious The Birmingham meeting is one of the most prestigious events in the racing calendar. | inaugural | annual, regular | forthcoming Forthcoming events are listed on the back page of the local newspaper. | fund-raising, musical, social, sporting middle-distance, sprint

VERB + EVENT enter (for), take part in A record number of teams have entered the event. | win

EVENT + VERB take place The team events will take place later this week.

PREP. in an/the ~ African runners swept the medals in the distance events.

VERB + EVENT hold, organize, stage The event will be held in the grounds of the manor house. | publicize | attend, support I would like to thank everyone who attended our charity evening for supporting the event. | boycott Several leading players boycotted the event in protest at the reduced prize money.

EVENT + VERB take place

³ race/competition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

even adj.

¹ level/smooth

VERBS be, look The floor isn't completely even.

ADV. very | absolutely, completely

² same size/level

VERBS be | become | keep sth Try to keep your stitches absolutely even.

ADV. very | absolutely, completely | fairly Try to keep the room at a fairly even temperature.

³ equal

VERBS be, seem | remain

ADV. very | fairly, more or less The scores remained more or less even throughout the competition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eve noun

ADJ. Christmas, Midsummer's, New Year's

PREP. on the ~ of opinion polls published on the eve of the election

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eviction noun

ADJ. illegal, unlawful He claimed damages for unlawful eviction. | forcible

VERB + EVICTION be threatened with, face | resist

EVICTION + NOUN notice, order, warrant

PREP. ~ from They are facing eviction from their home.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evict verb

ADV. forcibly | unlawfully

VERB + EVICT seek to, try to

PREP. from They were forcibly evicted from their home.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evidence noun

ADJ. abundant, ample, considerable, extensive, plentiful, substantial, widespread | growing | clear, compelling, conclusive, convincing, decisive, good, hard, incontrovertible, irrefutable, overwhelming, persuasive, positive, powerful, solid, striking, strong, unambiguous, unequivocal | adequate | flimsy, inadequate, insufficient, scant | concrete, direct, firm, first-hand, objective, tangible The figures provide concrete evidence of the bank's claim to provide the best service. | indirect | available, current, present Available evidence points to pilot error as the cause of the crash. | fresh, further, more, new | crucial, important, valuable, vital The defence accused the prosecution of withholding crucial evidence. | corroborative They convicted the wrong man on the basis of a signed confession with no corroborative evidence. | conflicting Another team of scientists has come up with conflicting evidence. | damning The scandal is damning evidence of the government's contempt for democracy. | anecdotal, archaeological, circumstantial, documentary, empirical, experimental, factual, forensic, formal, historical, material, medical, photographic, scientific, statistical, video, visible, visual There was a mass of circumstantial evidence linking Watson to the murder. | false She admitted giving false evidence to the court.

QUANT. piece | body, mass A body of evidence emerged suggesting that smoking tobacco caused serious diseases.

VERB + EVIDENCE have We do not have the evidence to prove these claims. | look for, search for | accumulate, collect, come up with, find, gather, obtain, produce Scientists have found fresh evidence to suggest that a huge explosion led to the death of the dinosaurs. | offer (sb), provide (sb with), show (sb) The tapes provided evidence of her intentions. | give, present (sb with) She was hoping she would not have to give evidence in court. | see He says he's been working hard, but I haven't seen any evidence of it. | consider, examine, study | review | cite (sth as) The team cited evidence from a recent earthquake to back up their idea. The rise in crime is often cited as evidence of a general breakdown of authority. | use sth in The police officer took a statement which was later used in evidence. | hear We must wait to hear his evidence before we make any judgement. | admit, allow The judge can decide whether to admit or exclude evidence. | exclude

EVIDENCE + VERB exist | come to light, emerge | accumulate, grow Evidence is accumulating that a defective gene may be responsible for this disease. | confirm sth, demonstrate sth, establish sth, point to sth, show sth, suggest sth, support sth The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network. | be based on sth, be derived from sth, come from sth evidence of growing poverty based on extensive surveys | implicate sb/sth, link sb/sth evidence linking her to the crime

PREP. as ~ He cited Australia's sporting success as evidence for his theory. | in ~ A photo of the victim's injuries was produced in evidence. | on … ~ On present evidence the team will be lucky to make the final. | on the ~ of On the evidence of his latest exhibition, Miller is an artist who is past his best. | ~ about, ~ concerning, ~ regarding, ~ relating to The team have been collecting evidence about war crimes. | ~ against The woman went to court to give evidence against her attacker. | ~ for What evidence do you have for that claim? | ~ of Archaeologists found evidence of a rich and varied culture at the settlement. | ~ on The first chapter reviews the evidence on how children learn language.

PHRASES in the face/teeth of evidence The company denies, in the face of overwhelming evidence, that smoking causes cancer. | in the light of evidence In the light of new evidence, a new enquiry into the crash is likely to take place. | lack of evidence The kidnapping charge was dropped because of lack of evidence. | not a scrap/shred of evidence He made the accusations without a shred of evidence to back them up.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evident adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | make sth The silence of the forest was made evident by the occasional snap of a twig.

PREP. from It was fairly evident from her tone of voice that she disapproved. | in His anger was evident in his attitude to the others. | to It was evident to me that the mission would fail.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evil adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become

ADV. really, truly, very | wholly | basically, inherently, intrinsically He believes that all people are basically evil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evil noun

ADJ. great | lesser This sort of job is a lesser evil than unemployment. | moral, social combating the social evils of poverty, disease and ignorance

VERB + EVIL do His simple message was that God will punish those that do evil. | combat, fight, resist, turn (away) from You can always choose to resist evil.

PHRASES the forces of evil a perpetual struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil | good and evil not a simple choice between good and evil | the root of all evil He sees money as the root of all evil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evoke verb

ADV. clearly, vividly | still Her face, though sad, still evoked a feeling of serenity.

VERB + EVOKE try to | be designed to, be intended to narrative techniques that are intended to evoke sympathy from the reader

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evolution noun

VERB + EVOLUTION trace a book tracing the evolution of the English language

EVOLUTION + VERB occur, proceed, take place Evolution proceeds by a series of small changes.

PREP. ~ from … to … his evolution from comedian to serious actor | ~ towards the country's gradual evolution towards democracy

PHRASES the theory of evolution people who reject the theory of evolution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

evolve verb

VERB + EVOLVE continue to

PREP. from More complex animals gradually evolved from these very simple creatures. | into The protest movement has evolved into a well organized political party.

PHRASES fully/highly evolved These are very highly evolved animals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exaggerate verb

ADV. greatly, grossly, vastly, wildly These figures have been greatly exaggerated. | a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | further | easily The historical significance of these events can be easily exaggerated (= it is easy to think they are more significant than they are). | artificially, deliberately

VERB + EXAGGERATE tend to John does tend to exaggerate slightly. | be easy to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of developing good study habits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

examination noun

¹ exam

PREP. ~ in He failed his examination in history. | ~ on an examination on human anatomy

² looking at sth carefully

ADJ. careful, close, detailed, full, lengthy, rigorous, thorough Each of the proposals deserves careful examination. | brief, cursory, superficial | initial, preliminary | critical The school curriculum has undergone critical examination in recent years. | clinical, forensic, medical, physical, post-mortem, psychiatric, scientific

VERB + EXAMINATION carry out, conduct, do, make, perform He carried out a post-mortem examination. We will make a more thorough examination of the area later. | come under, have, be subject/subjected to, undergo I was advised to have a full eyesight examination. | stand up to His ideas about social change do not stand up to close examination.

EXAMINATION + VERB reveal sth, show sth A medical examination showed no signs of hypertension.

EXAMINATION + NOUN couch She lay on the examination couch and waited for the doctor to return.

PREP. on ~ On closer examination the wood was found to be rotten. | under ~ Several items of clothing are still under examination. | ~ by The school's controversial methods have come under examination by the local authority.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

examine verb

¹ consider/look at sb/sth carefully

ADV. carefully, closely, in detail, minutely Each case must be carefully examined. We shall now proceed to examine these two aspects of the problem in detail. | exhaustively, fully, properly, thoroughly | briefly | further | critically Critically examine your work as if you were looking at someone else's efforts. | medically

VERB + EXAMINE aim to, be designed to, seek to, set out to This study sets out to examine the possible effects of climate change. | proceed to | stop to Anna stopped to examine a plant growing by the stream. | be necessary to, need to | want to, wish to

PREP. for The room was examined minutely for clues.

PHRASES let us examine … Let us examine the implications of this theory.

² test what sb knows/can do

ADV. externally, internally The course is externally examined (= by people from outside the college, university, etc.).

PREP. in The students will be examined in all subjects at the end of term. | on You are only being examined on this semester's work. > See CROSS-EXAMINATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

example noun

¹ sth that is typical/demonstrates a point

ADJ. characteristic, classic, prime, representative, typical This is a classic example of a badly designed building. | excellent, fine, good, impressive, magnificent, outstanding, perfect, superb, wonderful a magnificent example of sixteenth-century architecture | fascinating, interesting, intriguing | notable, remarkable, striking | graphic, vivid | dramatic, extreme, spectacular | clear, obvious, simple, straightforward | blatant, flagrant, glaring His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance. | familiar, famous, well-known | notorious | common | rare | much-quoted, oft-quoted, often-quoted The oft-quoted example of Nero playing the violin as Rome burned shows the Emperor's detachment from reality. | illustrative | helpful, illuminating, instructive, useful | practical The book is full of practical examples of classroom activities. | concrete Let me give a concrete example of what I mean. | hypothetical

VERB + EXAMPLE give sb, provide (sb with) Let me give you a few examples of what I mean. | contain, include The leaflet includes several examples of bad grammar. | cite, draw, take (sth as) She illustrates her point with examples drawn from contemporary newspaper accounts. To take an obvious example, if there is a good harvest the price of grain will fall. | find

EXAMPLE + VERB illustrate sth, show sth

PREP. for ~ A touring cyclist, for example, might turn the pedals 80 times a minute. | in an/the ~ The teacher in our example is clearly wrong. | ~ of We can still find examples of discrimination today.

² sb whose behaviour is good and should be copied

ADJ. good, great, inspiring, shining She is a shining example of how to organize your time. | bad, poor

VERB + EXAMPLE set, show You must set a good example to the children. | follow I think all schools should follow the example of this one. | hold sb/sth up as The film was held up as an example of good cinema.

PREP. by ~ Children learn by example. | ~ to His generosity is an example to us all.

PHRASES make an example of sb The headmaster had made an example of him by scolding him in front of the whole school.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exam noun

VERB + EXAM prepare for, revise for, study for I can't go out because I'm revising for end of year exams. | do, sit, take When do you sit your final exams? | resit, retake | do well in, pass, scrape through In spite of her worries, she passed the exam with flying colours. I wrote two awful essays and was lucky to scrape through the exam. | do badly in, fail, flunk | cheat in Candidates found cheating in any exam will be disqualified from all their exams. | set The final exam is set by a board of professors. | administer, invigilate | mark

EXAM + VERB begin, start | be over, finish As soon as the exams are over I'm going on holiday.

PREP. in an/the ~ He did badly in his maths exam. | ~ for an exam for school leavers | ~ in an exam in chemistry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exasperation noun

ADJ. sheer | mild

QUANT. hint

VERB + EXASPERATION feel | express, give vent to The organization has expressed its exasperation with the government. | control, hide, suppress

PREP. in ~ She rolled her eyes in sheer exasperation. | with ~ He snorted with exasperation. | ~ at the exasperation he felt at his failure | ~ with their exasperation with the government rules

PHRASES a groan/grunt/sigh of exasperation With a groan of exasperation, he picked up the luggage himself.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excavate verb

ADV. completely, fully The area has not yet been fully excavated. | extensively | partially, partly | carefully

PREP. from Pottery has been excavated from the site.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excavation noun

ADJ. archaeological

VERB + EXCAVATION carry out, conduct Further archaeological excavations are now being carried out.

EXCAVATION + VERB reveal sth, uncover sth, unearth sth Excavations of the site have revealed an Iron Age settlement. | proceed, take place More discoveries were made as the excavation proceeded.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exceed verb

ADV. considerably, far, greatly, significantly, substantially | comfortably, easily The House voted by 327 votes to 93, comfortably exceeding the required two-thirds majority. | slightly | clearly | regularly | rarely Summer temperatures rarely exceed 27°C. | generally, normally, usually

VERB + EXCEED be expected to, be likely to Income is expected to exceed expenditure. | be unlikely to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excellence noun

ADJ. all-round | academic, artistic, culinary, educational, manufacturing, scientific, sporting, technical

VERB + EXCELLENCE pursue, strive for The school strives for academic excellence. | achieve

PREP. ~ in The Business School has a reputation for excellence in research.

PHRASES a centre of excellence The college aims to be a world centre of excellence in the field of marine biology. | levels/standards of excellence The restaurant's standards of excellence have won it several awards. | the pursuit of excellence her relentless pursuit of sporting excellence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excellent adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, prove, seem, sound | become | consider sth The school is considered excellent.

PREP. at Clancey was excellent at keeping the kids under control. | for These potatoes are excellent for baking.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exceptional adj.

VERBS be | remain | consider sb/sth The head teacher considers Jamie's performance altogether exceptional.

ADV. highly, really, very | altogether, quite, wholly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exception noun

ADJ. conspicuous, important, major, notable, obvious, significant, striking Most industries have suffered badly in the recession, but there have been a few notable exceptions. | minor, rare | honourable With a few honourable exceptions, MPs kept quiet about the corruption.

VERB + EXCEPTION make No parking is allowed, but an exception is made for disabled drivers.

PREP. with the ~ of The whole of the island was flooded with the exception of a small area in the north. | without ~ Without exception, all employees must carry their identity card with them at all times. | ~ to Guide dogs are the one exception to the store's ban on dogs.

PHRASES be no exception The weather had been rainy for days, and the day of the race was no exception. | be the exception rather than the rule Nowadays a job for life is very much the exception rather than the rule. | be the exception to the rule Most of his family are sports enthusiasts, but he's the exception to the rule.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excerpt noun

ADJ. short

VERB + EXCERPT feature, give, include, play, publish, quote, show The programme included excerpts from Verdi's operas.

PREP. ~ from The paper published some short excerpts from Mandela's memoirs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excessive adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as, see sth as He considered the level of tax excessive.

ADV. grossly | a bit, a little, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excess noun

¹ large amount of sth

ADJ. large

PREP. in ~ The drug can be harmful if taken in excess. | in ~ of The vehicle had been travelling at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour. | to ~ They never smoked or drank to excess. | ~ of a large excess of gas

² excesses: harmful actions

ADJ. worst

VERB + EXCESS avoid, curb | commit, perpetrate the worst excesses committed by the occupying army

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exchange noun

¹ giving/receiving sth in return for sth else

ADJ. fair | mutual, two-way We get together once a month for a mutual exchange of ideas.

PREP. in ~ (for) Woollen cloth and timber were sent to Egypt in exchange for linen or papyrus. | ~ between There were exchanges of goods between the two regions. | ~ for She considered free language lessons a fair exchange for free accommodation.

² angry conversation/argument

ADJ. brief | acrimonious, angry, bitter, heated, sharp | verbal a bitter verbal exchange

PREP. ~ about angry exchanges about the problem of unemployment | ~ between There were many acrimonious exchanges between the two men. | ~ with Opposition MPs were involved in heated exchanges with the prime minister.

PHRASES an exchange of views She had a full and frank exchange of views with her boss before resigning.

³ of foreign currencies

EXCHANGE + NOUN rate

⁴ visit

ADJ. academic, cultural | student, youth | official

VERB + EXCHANGE go on

PREP. on an/the ~ She is in France on a student exchange. | ~ to He's gone on an exchange to Rome. | ~ with an exchange with a German student

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excise noun

VERB + EXCISE impose, levy the excise levied on beer and tobacco | pay | increase, raise | cut, reduce

EXCISE + NOUN duty, revenue, tax | licence applications for vehicle excise licences | officer

PREP. ~ on to increase the excise on whisky

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excitable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. highly, very | quite, rather, somewhat | easily The horses have easily excitable nervous systems.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excited adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow | get sb Don't get the children too excited.

ADV. all, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, really, terribly, tremendously, very, wildly He was all excited about his new car. By now the crowd was wildly excited. | increasingly | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | strangely | sexually

PREP. about The kids seem pretty excited about the holiday. | at excited at the news | by He was puzzled but strangely excited by the commotion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excitement noun

QUANT. flicker, flurry, flush, frisson, ripple, surge She felt a surge of excitement when she heard the song.

VERB + EXCITEMENT be bubbling with, be filled with, be flushed with, be sick with, be trembling/tingling with, feel Her face was flushed with excitement. She was almost sick with excitement and apprehension. | cause, generate The news caused tremendous excitement among scientists. | conceal, control, hide, suppress He couldn't suppress the excitement in his voice. | add The element of risk just adds excitement.

EXCITEMENT + VERB build up, grow, mount, rise The tension and excitement built up gradually all day. | die down, evaporate, wear off

PREP. in ~ clapping her hands in excitement | ~ among The news has caused great excitement among scientists. | ~ at her excitement at the prospect of a new job | ~ of the excitement of meeting new people

PHRASES an air of excitement There was an air of excitement about the place. | a feeling/sense of excitement, a fever/state of excitement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exciting adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become, get The film was just getting exciting when we had to leave. | find sth She found the idea terrifically exciting.

ADV. enormously, extraordinarily, extremely, immensely, incredibly, really, terribly, terrifically, tremendously, unbelievably, very, wildly, wonderfully | pretty, quite, rather | potentially the germ of a potentially exciting innovation | undeniably | visually a book that is attractive and visually exciting | sexually

PHRASES exciting new an exciting new magazine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exclaim verb

ADV. loudly, softly | angrily, indignantly | helplessly, weakly | triumphantly | suddenly

PREP. at, in They exclaimed in horror at the price. | over standing in front of shop windows exclaiming over the beautiful clothes | with She exclaimed with delight at the sight of the presents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exclamation noun

ADJ. sharp, sudden | loud | muffled, small

VERB + EXCLAMATION give, let out, utter She gave a loud exclamation of delight. | stifle, suppress

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exclude verb

VERB + EXCLUDE attempt to, be designed to, purport to, seek to a clause that seeks to exclude liability for death or serious injury | tend to tending to exclude certain groups from full participation in society

PREP. from Women were excluded from the council.

PHRASES feel excluded Many local people felt excluded from decisions that affected their own community.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exclusion noun

ADJ. complete, total | virtual | continued women's continued exclusion from political life | social the problem of social exclusion

EXCLUSION + NOUN zone A 20-mile exclusion zone was set up around the power station to guard against further explosions.

PREP. to the ~ of Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others. | ~ from disciplinary measures including exclusion from school

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exclusive adj.

¹ belonging to/used by only one person/group

VERBS be

ADV. almost the course's almost exclusive concentration on grammar | not necessarily The recording deal is not necessarily exclusive. The band can record material for other companies as well.

PREP. to These products are exclusive to our shops.

² not welcoming to everyone

VERBS be | become | remain | keep sth The owners of the golf club are determined to keep it exclusive.

ADV. very | quite, rather, somewhat a somewhat exclusive venue | necessarily The school is expensive and necessarily exclusive. | racially, socially

³ not able to exist/be true at the same time

VERBS be

ADV. mutually The two options are not mutually exclusive (= you can have them both).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excursion noun

VERB + EXCURSION go on, make We decided to make an all-day excursion to the island. | arrange, organize | take sb on

PREP. ~ to He took us on an excursion to the ruined city.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

excuse noun

¹ reason given

ADJ. perfect, wonderful | good, legitimate, valid | convincing, plausible, reasonable | feeble, flimsy, lame, pathetic, poor | convenient, easy The children provided a convenient excuse for missing the party. | standard, usual | every She seized on every excuse to avoid doing the work. | the slightest He became moody and unreasonable, flailing out at Katherine at the slightest excuse.

VERB + EXCUSE have He had no excuse for being so late. | give, make, offer She made some feeble excuse about the car having broken down. You don't have to make excuses for her (= try to think of reasons for her behaviour). It's late. I'm afraid I'll have to make my excuses (= say I'm sorry, give my reasons and leave). | give sb, offer sb, provide (sb with) Delivering the stuff for Rodney gave me an excuse to take the car. Her mother's illness provided her with an excuse to stay at home. | need | look for | find, invent, make up, seize on, think up She had to find a valid excuse for leaving the room. He made up a rather lame excuse for the work being late. | use sth as The political crisis is being used as an excuse to dock people's pay. | run out of He's run out of excuses for not tidying his room. | accept, believe | reject

PREP. ~ about He invented a pathetic excuse about losing his watch. | ~ for It's just an excuse for a party.

PHRASES there is no excuse for … There's no excuse for such behaviour.

² bad example of sth

ADJ. pathetic, poor

PREP. ~ for Why get involved with that pathetic excuse for a human being?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

execute verb

¹ kill sb as an official punishment

ADV. summarily | extrajudicially, illegally | publicly | wrongly innocent people who are wrongly executed

PREP. for He was executed for treason.

² perform/carry out sth

ADV. beautifully, boldly, brilliantly, cleanly, meticulously, neatly, skilfully, successfully, well The movement was beautifully executed. | poorly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

execution noun

¹ killing sb as an official punishment

VERB + EXECUTION order The tribunal ordered the execution of 42 coup plotters. | carry out Executions were carried out in the prison yard. | face If caught, the men could face execution. | await prisoners who are on death row awaiting execution | suffer (formal) She was taken prisoner and suffered eventual execution. | attend, watch, witness

EXECUTION + VERB take place A bell was tolled when executions took place.

PREP. ~ by execution by hanging

PHRASES a stay of execution (= a delay in an execution being carried out) The judge had granted a stay of execution.

² carrying out a plan/order

ADJ. successful the successful execution of the contract

VERB + EXECUTION stay, suspend The court has discretion to stay or suspend execution of the order.

PHRASES the execution of your duty She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty. | a stay of execution (= a delay in an order being carried out)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

executive noun

¹ person with an important job in business

ADJ. chief, senior, top a top executive in a large corporation | junior | key contracts to prevent the loss of key executives | busy | high-flying, high-powered | female, woman The contract gives a female executive maternity leave rights. | business, company, corporate, industry | advertising, legal, marketing, media, public relations, sales, television

² group of people who run a company/organization

ADJ. central, national | political | government, party, union She is a member of the party's national executive. | strong Conservatives are by tradition believers in a strong executive. | elected

VERB + EXECUTIVE control Parliament's ability to control the executive

EXECUTIVE + VERB decide sth

EXECUTIVE + NOUN member | meeting

PHRASES a member of an executive

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exemplify verb

ADV. clearly, well

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exemption noun

VERB + EXEMPTION be entitled to, be subject to, enjoy, qualify for These goods are subject to exemption from tax. They enjoyed exemption from customs duties on goods to be used by themselves. | apply for, claim, seek | gain, get, obtain | give (sb), grant (sb) | refuse | waive (law)

EXEMPTION + VERB apply (to sb/sth), cover sb/sth, relate to sb/sth The exemption which applies to home-buyers.

EXEMPTION + NOUN clause

PREP. ~ for There are parking restrictions in the city centre with exemptions for disabled drivers. | ~ from You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes. | ~ on tax exemptions on gifts to spouses

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exempt adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. completely, entirely, totally, wholly | partially | automatically Pensioners are automatically exempt from prescription charges.

PREP. from This income is totally exempt from taxation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exempt verb

ADV. expressly, specifically

PREP. from Small businesses are expressly exempted from the requirements of this legislation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exercise noun

¹ use of the body to keep healthy

VERB + EXERCISE do, get, take John never does any exercise. Do you take enough exercise? | need

EXERCISE + NOUN programme, regime, routine | class | bike | video

PREP. during ~ Stop frequently to rest during exercise until you are fitter.

PHRASES a form/kind/type of exercise, lack of exercise Lack of exercise is a risk factor in heart disease.

² set of movements/activities

ADJ. basic, simple | keep-fit | warm-up | breathing, relaxation, strengthening, stretching | chest, leg, etc.

QUANT. set

VERB + EXERCISE do, perform Remember to do your breathing exercises every day. You may find it helpful to perform this exercise in front of the mirror. | devise You can devise your own exercises to music. | repeat

³ set of questions

ADJ. easy, simple | difficult, hard | oral, practical, written | practice | comprehension, grammar, listening, translation, writing

QUANT. set

VERB + EXERCISE do | give sb, set (sb) | create

PREP. ~ in an exercise in translation

⁴ use of a power/a right/a quality

ADJ. effective the effective exercise futile, pointless In the end it proved a pointless exercise. | academic, intellectual, mental, (pen and) paper, technical, theoretical This is not a purely academic exercise: it should have a real impact on the way we work as a department. Role-playing situations allows a finer assessment to be made than in pen and paper exercises. | costly, expensive | political The whole consultation process was just a cynical political exercise. | joint | pilot After a successful pilot exercise last year, the new system is being introduced throughout the company. | consultation, cost-cutting, costing, damage limitation, evaluation, marketing, propaganda, publicity, public relations, research

VERB + EXERCISE carry out, conduct, perform The company has just carried out a major cost-cutting exercise. | embark on, mount Before embarking on any exercise, you should conduct a cost-benefit analysis. | devise

PREP. ~ in The seminar was a valuable exercise in information exchange.

PHRASES the aim/object of the exercise The object of the exercise is to increase public awareness of environmental issues.

⁶ for soldiers/police

ADJ. training | flying, military, naval | joint US forces took part in joint exercises with the British Navy.

VERB + EXERCISE do, go on, take part in The troops go on exercises twice a year. | mount

PREP. on ~ Half the regiment was away on exercise. of power by the government | free the free exercise of informed choice | peaceful | legitimate, proper | improper

VERB + EXERCISE limit, regulate | justify

PHRASES the exercise of authority/power to limit the exercise of political power | the exercise of discretion

⁵ for a particular result

ADJ. simple, straightforward | major, massive | successful | interesting, useful, valuable, worthwhile | arbitrary, cosmetic, cynical, fruitless,

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exercise verb

ADV. effectively | properly | lawfully, rightfully the purposes for which power can be rightfully exercised

VERB + EXERCISE be able to | be free to Managers are free to exercise their discretion in these cases. | be necessary to, need to It is necessary to exercise caution when making recommendations. | continue to The all-powerful steering committee continued to exercise control. | fail to You need to prove that the company's representative failed to exercise due care.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exertion noun

ADJ. considerable, great | mental, physical Try to avoid physical exertion.

PREP. from the ~ She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill. | with ~ flushed and sweating with exertion after digging the garden

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exhausted adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get | leave sb The row had left him physically exhausted.

ADV. really | absolutely, completely, quite, thoroughly, totally, utterly He fell into bed utterly exhausted. | pretty, rather | emotionally, financially, mentally, physically financially exhausted countries

PREP. from I was exhausted from the day's work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exhausting adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | find sth

ADV. really, very a really exhausting day | quite | a bit, fairly, pretty | emotionally, mentally, physically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exhaustion noun

ADJ. complete, sheer, total, utter | emotional, mental, nervous, physical | heat

VERB + EXHAUSTION suffer from She was taken to hospital suffering from exhaustion. | be close to He was hollow-eyed and seemed very close to exhaustion. | be overcome by, collapse from/with Two of the horses collapsed with exhaustion. | drive sb to, lead to Don't work too hard and drive yourself to exhaustion. | die from/of

PREP. in ~ He fell silent, with his head bowed in exhaustion. | with ~ She was faint with exhaustion.

PHRASES at/to the point of exhaustion driven to the point of complete exhaustion | a state of exhaustion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exhaustive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. by no means, not necessarily This list is by no means exhaustive. | fairly After a fairly exhaustive investigation, they were able to put things right.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exhaust noun

ADJ. car, vehicle | diesel, petrol Diesel exhaust contains a lot of soot.

EXHAUST + NOUN emission, fumes, gas, pollution, smoke | pipe, system

PREP. from an/the ~ pollution from car exhausts

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exhaust verb

¹ make sb very tired

ADV. absolutely, completely, totally, utterly The swimming had completely exhausted him. | emotionally, mentally, physically The experience had exhausted her physically and emotionally.

² use sth up completely

ADV. completely, totally | almost, nearly The funds are nearly exhausted. | quickly, rapidly Their limited resources were quickly exhausted.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exhibition noun

ADJ. big, large | small | important, major a major exhibition of the painter's work | annual, summer | international, local | private, public | permanent | changing, special, temporary The library has a policy of mounting changing exhibitions. There is a series of special exhibitions throughout the year. | touring, travelling a touring exhibition of Impressionist drawings | collaborative, joint | one-man, one-person, one-woman, solo By 1914 Picasso had held one-man exhibitions in England, Germany and Spain. | retrospective | art, craft, photographic, etc. | trade the international food trade exhibition in Cologne

VERB + EXHIBITION have, hold, host The museum hosted a big exhibition of her work last year. | house The old factory has been converted to house an exhibition. | attend, go to, see, visit | arrange, organize, plan | display, mount, present, put on, show, stage They plan to stage an art exhibition in a nearby town. | launch, open The mayor will open the exhibition next week. | sponsor | go on The Mappa Mundi will go on permanent exhibition at Hereford Cathedral.

EXHIBITION + VERB open The exhibition opens at the Tate Gallery in July. | close, end | be on, be on view, run, take place The exhibition runs from 11 April to 5 July. | continue | move (on) to The exhibition moves on to the National Gallery, Washington, next month. | be called sth, be entitled sth | comprise sth, cover sth, feature sth, include sth, show sth The exhibition includes drawings by Rembrandt. | illustrate sth, trace sth an exhibition illustrating the history and development of the university | be dedicated to sb/sth, be devoted to sb/sth an exhibition devoted to female painters

EXHIBITION + NOUN centre, gallery, hall, venue | space The new wing will provide 20,000 more square feet of exhibition space. | stand Hundreds of firms had exhibition stands. | catalogue | programme the gallery's exhibition programme for next year

PREP. on ~ A selection of her paintings is on exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery. | ~ of an exhibition of contemporary art | ~ on an exhibition on local history > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exile noun

¹ being sent to live in another country

ADJ. long | permanent | enforced | self-imposed, voluntary | internal Many spent decades in labour camps or in internal exile.

VERB + EXILE be driven/forced/sent into | flee into, go into The king went into exile after the overthrow of his government. | live in They joined the many other Armenians living in exile. | die in | return from He still hopes to return from exile one day.

PREP. in ~ She had spent 40 years in exile. | ~ from Dante died in exile from Florence.

PHRASES a place of exile

² person forced to live in another country

ADJ. political | tax (= a rich person who moves to another country where taxes are lower)

EXILE + VERB return A general amnesty was granted, allowing political exiles to return freely.

PHRASES the recall of exiles, the return of exiles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exile verb

ADV. permanently, temporarily | effectively He was effectively exiled after a failed bid for power.

PREP. from The family was exiled from France. | to He was exiled to Siberia.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

existence noun

¹ state of existing

ADJ. actual, real El Cid's actual existence is not in doubt. Since her illness, other people had become shadowy and had no real existence for her. | brief | continued, future | very The peasants depend on a good harvest for their very existence (= in order to continue to live). | mere The mere existence of these strange creatures fascinated him. | autonomous, independent, separate any organism capable of independent existence | human the mystery of human existence | material, physical | social

VERB + EXISTENCE be in The idea of God in nature has been in existence for as long as human beings have worshipped. | come into, spring into The organization came into existence ten years ago. What are the chances of these molecules springing spontaneously into existence? | be crushed out of, go out of If you jump into a black hole you will get torn apart and crushed out of existence. There was a fear that the club might go out of existence for lack of support. | bring sth into, call sth into striving to bring into existence a new kind of society | be aware of, know of | be unaware of | assert | assume, postulate, presuppose The theory assumes the existence of a ‘meritocracy’?that there is equal opportunity for all. | accept, acknowledge, believe in, recognize He didn't believe in the existence of God. | deny | doubt | imply, indicate, suggest | discover, reveal | confirm, demonstrate, establish, prove | disprove | explain How do you explain the existence of closely related species in widely separated locations? | justify | forget, ignore The girl's parents continued to ignore her very existence. | resent Deep down I resented his existence. | jeopardize, threaten Climate changes threaten the continued existence of the species. | owe The school owed its existence to the generosity of one man. | be vital to A super-efficient sense of smell is no longer vital to our existence.

EXISTENCE + VERB depend on/upon sth The company's existence depends on continued growth.

PREP. in ~ the only instrument of its kind in existence

PHRASES a mode of existence the nature and significance of the temporal mode of existence | the struggle for existence Darwin viewed the struggle for existence as being the major promoter of evolution.

² way of living

ADJ. bare, frugal, hand-to-mouth, miserable, precarious He lived a hand-to-mouth existence in the less attractive areas of London. | comfortable, ordered, peaceful, quiet | dull, humdrum, routine | isolated, lonely, solitary | nomadic | rural, suburban, urban | daily, day-to-day, everyday | previous, prior He claimed to be able to remember a previous existence.

VERB + EXISTENCE enjoy, have, lead, live | eke out, endure They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exist verb

ADV. actually, really Do these creatures really exist? | already, still Few of these monkeys still exist in the wild. | currently | independently He argued that ideas do not exist independently of the language that expresses them.

VERB + EXIST be known to the enormous volcanoes now known to exist on Mars | continue to | cease to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exit noun

¹ way out

ADJ. front, rear, side | emergency, fire | the nearest She headed for the nearest exit.

VERB + EXIT head for, make for | bar, block Do not leave bags lying around which could block the emergency exits.

EXIT + NOUN door, gate, route

PREP. to/towards the ~ They moved to the exits.

² act of leaving

ADJ. fast, hurried, quick, swift | dignified | early her early exit from the tournament, in only the second round | mass

VERB + EXIT make She turned on her heel and made what she hoped was a dignified exit.

EXIT + NOUN visa

PREP. ~ from a mass exit of members from the party

³ for traffic

ADJ. motorway | northbound, southbound, etc.

VERB + EXIT take

PREP. ~ for At the roundabout, take the exit for Swindon and Bristol. | ~ from Traffic lights control the exit from the M8 at Newbridge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exorbitant adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. grossly | quite The hotel charges quite exorbitant prices. | pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expand verb

VERB + EXPAND aim to, be eager to, be keen to, hope to, look to, plan to, seek to, want to The firm is looking to expand its operations overseas. | help (to) The store has helped expand the British cheese market by encouraging small dairy farmers. | begin to | continue to | seem to

PREP. from The number of managers has expanded from 700 to 1,300. | into The village has expanded into a town. | to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expanse noun

ADJ. broad, endless, great, huge, large, vast, wide a vast expanse of sand | barren, bleak, empty a bleak expanse of concrete | flat looking out over the flat expanse of blackened fields | open | cold | grey, white the white expanses of the frozen north | shining the desk's shining expanse of polished wood

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expansion noun

VERB + EXPANSION show The economy is still showing healthy expansion. | allow (for), provide for The design of the front pockets allows for expansion. | be ripe for a ready-made hotel chain ripe for further expansion | be set for The company is set for further expansion into niche areas. | call for | go for, look for We are going for maximum expansion. | encourage, facilitate, promote | impede, limit, restrict | halt, stop | prevent | embark on | finance, fund In order to finance expansion on this scale, the government has relied heavily on borrowing.

EXPANSION + VERB occur, take place

EXPANSION + NOUN plan, programme

PREP. ~ into expansion into the luxury car market | ~ in a great age of expansion in trade and science

PHRASES a period of expansion a period of rapid economic expansion | the rate of expansion The rate of expansion of our overseas trade has been spectacular. | potential/room/scope/space for expansion The company believes there is scope for expansion in this sector.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expectation noun

VERB + EXPECTATION have, hold You have unrealistic expectations. differences in the expectations held by different social groups | form the way in which expectations are formed | arouse, build up, create, raise, set up the high expectations aroused by civil rights legislation | heighten | lower, reduce Her approach to welfare sought to lower people's expectations and impose work discipline. | influence, shape trying to influence public expectations of the police | come/live up to, fulfil, match, meet, realize, satisfy Her new car has not lived up to her expectations. | exceed, go beyond, surpass | fall short of The reality of the holiday fell short of our expectations. | confound The rise in share price confounded expectations.

EXPECTATION + VERB rise, soar Once the government's promise was made, popular expectations soared.

PREP. against ~ Against all expectations, she was enjoying herself. | contrary to ~ The building work was completed on time, contrary to expectation. | below ~ What should you do when an employee's performance is disappointing and below expectation? | beyond ~ The scheme has produced results way beyond expectation. He had been successful beyond his expectations. | in the ~ of/that The article was written before the election result in the clear expectation of a Labour victory. | ~ about the government's expectations about the economy | ~ for We have high expectations for her future. | ~ of We certainly had a reasonable expectation of success.

PHRASES have every expectation I have every expectation of cheering the team on to victory in the final. | in line with expectations The various categories of operating expenditure are broadly in line with expectations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expect verb

ADV. confidently She confidently expects to win. | fully My parents fully expect us to get married. | not really I didn't really expect them to come. | half I was half expecting to see Jim at the concert. | honestly Did you honestly expect me to believe that?

VERB + EXPECT be reasonable to, can, can realistically, can reasonably We can expect to see an improvement in the weather over the next few days. | be unrealistic to, be unreasonable to, can hardly It would be unreasonable to expect them to do all that work for free. You can hardly expect to learn a foreign language in a few months. | would, would normally I would expect the factory to be working again as normal by next week. | be entitled to You are entitled to expect certain minimum standards of accommodation.

PREP. from We expect good results from our employees.

PHRASES (only) to be expected This kind of behaviour is to be expected from a two-year-old. | expect a lot/too much of sb I think my parents always expected too much of me. | when you least expect sth An accident can happen anywhere, at any time, just when you least expect it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expedient adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | consider sth, deem sth, think sth | find sth The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.

ADV. politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expedition noun

ADJ. great, major Finally, the great expedition set off for the long journey to the Holy Land. | small | joint, international The British agreed to a joint expedition with the French. | foreign | successful | collecting, fishing, foraging, hunting, shopping | archaeological, scientific | military, naval | punitive In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. | Antarctic, Everest, etc.

VERB + EXPEDITION go on, make He had made two expeditions to Spain to study wild plants. | embark on, set off/out on, undertake She was about to embark on a major expedition. | head, lead | join | organize, plan | launch, mount They plan to launch an expedition into the mountains. | send

EXPEDITION + VERB leave, set off/out, start | return The expedition returned only two weeks after it had left. | reach sth On 21 January the expedition reached the South Pole.

EXPEDITION + NOUN leader, member

PREP. on an/the ~ She was out on a shopping expedition. | ~ against He led a military expedition against the rebels. | ~ into an expedition into the interior of Australia | ~ to a naval expedition to West Africa

PHRASES a leader/member of an expedition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expel verb

ADV. forcibly They were forcibly expelled from their farm by the occupying authorities.

PREP. for, from He was expelled from school for disruptive behaviour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expenditure noun

ADJ. considerable, heavy, high, huge, major, massive The group is calling for higher expenditure on education. | low, modest | average the family's average expenditure on food | aggregate, overall, total | gross, net | additional, extra, further | increased | excessive | necessary, unnecessary | budget, budgeted, estimated, planned, projected, proposed | actual The next two items refer to actual expenditures incurred, rather than estimated needs. | current, future Pay constitutes two-thirds of all current expenditure. | annual | per capita the country with the highest per capita expenditure on health care in the EU | direct the total direct expenditure on training | operating | capital Capital expenditure can be financed by borrowing; operating expenditure should not. | local, national | federal, government, public, state Public expenditure was running at 44.6% of GNP. | departmental, household, personal | consumer | advertising, research and development | defence, health, military, social, welfare

QUANT. item You may wish to take out a loan for a major item of expenditure. | level

VERB + EXPENDITURE increase | control, curb, cut, limit, reduce plans to cut health expenditure | allow for, budget, provide for, plan, set The budget provided for expenditure of $2 billion. Expenditure was set at £16 million. | estimate, project, put Expenditure was put at 100 million euros. | incur | finance, meet Make sure you have enough in the current account to meet expenditure. | have Both brands had heavy advertising expenditure. | monitor

EXPENDITURE + VERB go up, grow, increase, rise | fall, go down | amount to sth Total expenditure amounted to approximately £1 million. | run at sth | exceed sth people whose annual expenditure exceeds their income | arise from sth extra expenditure arising from the commission's report into health and safety

EXPENDITURE + NOUN cut public expenditure cuts | level | pattern

PREP. ~ of government expenditure of more than £500 million | ~ on increased expenditure on the railway network

PHRASES a cut/reduction in expenditure, an increase/a rise in expenditure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expense noun

¹ cost/money spent on sth

VERB + EXPENSE go to, incur They went to all the expense of redecorating the house and then they moved. | put sb to Their visit put us to a lot of expense. | bear, cover, meet She had to meet the expense herself. | spare no No expense was spared (= they spent as much money as was needed) to make the party a success. | avoid | be worth The results are well worth the expense.

EXPENSE + VERB arise

PREP. at sb/sth's ~ They had to repair the damage at their own expense. He built up the business at the expense of his health. | at … ~ The garden was transformed at great expense. The accommodation package includes admission to the golf course at no extra expense.

² sth that makes you spend money

ADJ. big, considerable | incidental Relocated employees received grants towards incidental expenses like buying carpets. | business, management Meetings, and the time for them, are a considerable management expense.

³ expenses: money spent for a particular purpose

ADJ. high Medical expenses can be quite high if you are not insured. | deduct You will have to pay income tax on the rent you receive, although you can deduct expenses such as insurance.

EXPENSE + VERB arise You can expect to receive compensation for all expenses arising out of the accident.

EXPENSE + NOUN expense account Put the cost of the meal on your expense account. | expense/expenses claim

PREP. on ~ a commercial traveller staying at the hotel on expenses

PHRASES all expenses paid a two-day, all expenses paid trip to London allowable, legitimate, reasonable You can claim back the tax on legitimate business expenses. | basic The guides are unpaid except for basic expenses. | out-of-pocket (= paid for by an employee, to be claimed back later from the employer) Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on the firm's business will be reimbursed. | personal | living | household | operating, overhead, running | business, work-related | travel/travelling | relocation, removal | legal, medical | funeral

VERB + EXPENSE incur | cover, defray, meet, pay, refund, reimburse He was given a sum of money to cover his travel expenses. | claim (back) They are claiming expenses for travel and overnight accommodation. |

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expensive adj.

VERBS be, look, prove, seem, sound Her suit looked extremely expensive. | become, get Holidays in this country are getting very expensive. | make sth Adding these safety features would make the cars too expensive. | find sth I found the food very expensive.

ADV. amazingly, astronomically, enormously, exceedingly, extortionately, extremely, frighteningly, hideously, highly, horrendously, horribly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, inordinately, ludicrously, massively, outrageously, ridiculously, ruinously, terribly, vastly, very Some of these legal cases are enormously expensive. | impossibly, prohibitively Giving every patient an annual anti-flu injection would be prohibitively expensive. | increasingly | a bit, comparatively, fairly, moderately, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | correspondingly Walls are generally the greatest source of heat loss and correspondingly expensive to tackle. | needlessly, unduly, unnecessarily | notoriously | obviously | discreetly discreetly expensive perfume

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

experienced adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

ADV. extremely, highly, immensely, really, vastly, very The staff are all highly experienced. | fully | quite | sufficiently, suitably The task needs the skills of a suitably experienced engineer. | widely a widely experienced and articulate politician | sexually

PREP. in She's very experienced in looking after children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

experience noun

¹ knowledge/skill got from seeing/doing sth

ADJ. considerable, long, wide | good, invaluable, relevant, unrivalled, valuable She didn't get paid much but it was all good experience. Both candidates for the presidency were short of relevant experience. Rolls Royce's unrivalled experience in high technology manufacturing | previous Do you have any previous experience of this type of work? | direct, first-hand, hands-on, practical the importance of hands-on experience as well as academic training | professional, work

VERB + EXPERIENCE have | lack | gain, get | broaden She wanted to broaden her experience in international affairs.

PREP. ~ of She has considerable professional experience of translation.

PHRASES a lack of experience, a wealth of experience The veteran goalkeeper will bring a wealth of experience to the team.

² the things that have happened to you

ADJ. past We're in for a difficult couple of weeks, if past experience is anything to go by. | direct, first-hand, hands-on, personal | subjective Experience is subjective and very hard to measure. | vicarious I love reading: I have an insatiable appetite for vicarious experience. | common, shared his peers, with whom he shares the common experience of being black in a white society | common It is a matter of common experience that disorder will increase if things are left to themselves. | everyday Choose illustrative examples from the children's everyday experience. | human There are few areas of human experience that have not been written about. | sensory

VERB + EXPERIENCE have | share | draw on, learn by/from/through In her book, she draws on her first-hand experience of mental illness. We all learn by experience. | be based on The book is based on personal experience.

EXPERIENCE + VERB suggest sth, teach (sb) sth Experience has taught me that life can be very unfair.

PREP. by/from ~ We know from experience that hot objects are painful to touch. | in sb's ~ In my experience, very few people really understand the problem. | ~ of He has direct experience of poverty.

³ event/activity that affects you

ADJ. enjoyable, exhilarating, good, interesting, liberating, pleasant, rewarding, unforgettable, valuable | bad, harrowing, painful, traumatic, unnerving, unsettling I had a bad experience with fireworks once. | hair-raising, nerve-racking a hair-raising experience of white-water rafting | humbling, salutary, sobering | personal, subjective | common, shared The use of drama can motivate students by allowing them to share a common experience. | common It is a common experience to feel that an author writes well, without being able to say why. | real-life | past | childhood, early, formative Early experiences shape the way we face up to and deal with crises in later life. | educational, learning | mystical, religious, visionary | psychic | sexual | near-death

VERB + EXPERIENCE enjoy, go through, have, undergo She has been through a very traumatic experience. I think you will enjoy the experience of taking part in the show. | come through, get over It could take him years to get over this experience. | describe, recount, talk about | share, swap Does anyone have any experiences?good or bad?that they would like to share with the group? | relive Reliving past experiences can release powerful feelings that have been pent up too long. | be based on The novel is based on his experiences in the war.

PHRASES quite an experience It was quite an experience being involved in making a television programme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

experience verb

ADV. actually | directly, first-hand He hadn't directly experienced the fighting in the city. people who have actually experienced these problems first-hand | subjectively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

experiment noun

VERB + EXPERIMENT carry out, conduct, do, perform | try The school decided to try an experiment in single-sex teaching. | design | set up | describe, report a classic experiment reported in 1964

EXPERIMENT + VERB confirm sth, demonstrate sth, find sth, illustrate sth, prove sth, show sth | indicate sth, suggest sth | be aimed at sth, be designed to do sth an experiment aimed at cutting road deaths resulting from excessive speeding | involve sth, use sth | be successful, work If the conditions are not right, the experiment will not work. | fail

PREP. by ~ The appropriate concentration of the drug is best determined by experiment. | during an/the ~ The animals seemed healthy during the experiment. | in an/the ~ In these experiments, chilling is necessary. | ~ in the country's brief experiment in multi-party democracy | ~ on The team carried out experiments on cancer tissue. | ~ with conducting an experiment with zinc chips and hydrochloric acid

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

experiment verb

ADV. successfully

VERB + EXPERIMENT begin to | continue to

PREP. on They experimented successfully on the plants to discover disease-resistant varieties. | with We have experimented with various different designs of kite.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expertise noun

ADJ. considerable, extensive, great | limited | appropriate, relevant Each area of the curriculum should be led by a staff member with appropriate expertise. | necessary MPs may lack the necessary expertise to scrutinize legislation effectively. | established, existing | particular, special/specialist, specific areas of special expertise | collective, combined, shared They met regularly to share experiences and develop their collective expertise. | in-house, local, outside We sometimes have to call on outside expertise. | staff | subject | academic, business, clinical, engineering, financial, legal, management/managerial, marketing, medical, professional, scientific, technical, technological

QUANT. degree, level A high degree of expertise is required for this stage of the manufacturing process.

VERB + EXPERTISE have She has great expertise in these matters. | lack | need, require | acquire, develop, gain | build on This project builds on the existing expertise of staff at the centre. | provide Professor Simpson provided expertise in engineering. | apply, bring, bring to bear, use How could he apply his academic expertise to practical matters? He will bring a great deal of expertise to bear on this issue. | bring together, call on, draw on The project brings together expertise in teaching and library provision. We need to draw on the professional expertise of a large number of teachers. | rely on | pass on, share The teachers would be available to share expertise and offer advice.

EXPERTISE + VERB be available We need to discover what relevant expertise is available to us.

PREP. ~ in gaining expertise in specialist financial areas | ~ on She brings expertise on general financial and technical matters.

PHRASES an area/a field of expertise, a range of expertise The variety of technology requires a wide range of expertise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expert noun

QUANT. committee, panel, team A panel of experts will answer questions from the television audience.

VERB + EXPERT consult, take advice from, talk to

EXPERT + VERB advise sb/sth, agree sth, argue sth, believe sth, claim sth, fear sth, predict sth, reckon sth, recommend sth, say sth Experts agree that a balanced diet is the key to great health.

PREP. ~ at He's an expert at getting his own way. | ~ in an expert in skin care | ~ on an expert on European art

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expire verb

VERB + EXPIRE be due to His contract is due to expire at the end of this year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explain verb

ADV. in detail I wrote explaining the issues in great detail. | fully The reasons for the accident have not been fully explained. | adequately, properly, satisfactorily | partly This partly explains why he was so late. | briefly | easily, readily This phenomenon can be easily explained. | clearly | carefully | patiently The doctor explained patiently what the treatment would be. | earnestly | concisely, succinctly, tersely The general principles behind the method used are explained clearly and concisely. ‘We've already paid,’ I explained tersely. | awkwardly, lamely | breathlessly, excitedly

VERB + EXPLAIN be able/unable to, can/could I know I'm late, but I can explain why. | attempt to, seek to, try to | help (to) | purport to Many theories purport to explain growth in terms of a single cause. | be difficult to, be hard to It's difficult to explain exactly how the system works. | hasten to She saw his quick frown and hastened to explain. | let sb Let me explain what I mean.

PREP. about She tried to explain about her fears and anxieties. | to She explained the plan to me very carefully.

PHRASES explain everything I've got a letter here which explains everything. | go a long way/some way towards explaining sth This goes some way towards explaining the hostility between the two groups.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explanation noun

ADJ. convincing, credible, good, likely, logical, natural, obvious, plausible, probable, rational The most likely explanation is that his plane was delayed. | implausible, inadequate, unlikely | acceptable, adequate, reasonable, satisfactory, sufficient | no apparent There was no apparent explanation for the attack. | clear, coherent | complete, comprehensive, detailed, full | partial | complex, complicated | easy, simple | innocent, prosaic There's sure to be a perfectly innocent explanation for all this?though I admit it looks bizarre. | convenient | accepted, traditional There is no generally accepted explanation of this practice. | official | possible | correct, real, true | brief | lengthy, long | verbal | general | common the common explanations for hooliganism | only, sole It's the only explanation that makes any kind of sense. | causal The causal explanation must be that old age causes poverty, not that poverty causes people to be old. | ad hoc, post hoc post hoc (= after the event) explanations of historical changes that would have made no sense to anyone living at the time | cultural, historical, political, psychological, scientific, sociological, technical, theoretical

VERB + EXPLANATION have I had no explanation for her strange behaviour. | give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) He only offered a partial explanation for his lateness. | enter into, go into, launch into She launched into a detailed explanation of every aspect of her work. | advance, propose, put forward one explanation advanced by Marxist historians | call for, need, require An explanation is clearly called for. | look for, seek | find, think of I can think of one possible explanation for her behaviour. | ask for, demand She wrote to the company demanding an explanation. | wait for | deserve, merit I suppose you deserve an explanation. | owe sb I think you owe me an explanation. | accept | defy Her success has been so remarkable as to defy explanation.

EXPLANATION + VERB lie The simplest explanation for his achievements lies in his greater ability and superiority over his contemporaries at university. | emerge, occur to sb, present itself, suggest itself No single clear explanation emerged from the experiments. A more credible explanation now occurred to her. Another quite plausible explanation presented itself.

PREP. in ~ ‘I've worked with them before, you see,’ he added, in explanation. | without ~ She left suddenly and without explanation. | ~ about He entered into a technical explanation about software and programming. | ~ as to He provided no explanation as to why he was late. | ~ for There is probably some perfectly logical explanation for their behaviour. | ~ from We are still waiting for a full explanation from the teacher concerned.

PHRASES an attempt at explanation The men left quickly with no attempt at explanation. | by way of explanation ‘I had to see you, ’ he said, by way of explanation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explicable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. easily, readily The sudden increase in sales is easily explicable. | entirely, perfectly, wholly His behaviour is entirely explicable. | largely | partly

PREP. by The delay is partly explicable by the roadworks. | in terms of The differences in the children's achievements were not wholly explicable in terms of their social backgrounds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explicit adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth, render sth We think such information should be made explicit and not left vague.

PREP. about The government has been quite explicit about its intentions. | as to She told him he needed to be more creative, without being explicit as to what this meant in practice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explode verb

¹ blow up

VERB + EXPLODE be liable to The chemical is liable to explode on contact with water. | fail to A blast bomb was thrown but the device failed to explode.

² get angry/dangerous/moving

ADV. literally | suddenly

VERB + EXPLODE be about to, be ready to, be set to A row over public spending is set to explode. | be liable to, be likely to | seem to

PREP. into He suddenly exploded into action. | with She literally exploded with anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exploitation noun

¹ unfair use of sb

ADJ. brutal, ruthless her ruthless exploitation of popular fear | capitalist, class, economic, industrial, sexual

VERB + EXPLOITATION prevent | struggle against The party's avowed aim was to struggle against capitalist exploitation. | be open to, be vulnerable to Migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation. | be based on societies based on the exploitation of slaves

² use of sth

VERB + EXPLOITATION be open for, be ripe for Emergent democracies created markets that were ripe for exploitation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exploit noun

ADJ. dare-devil, daring | legendary His courage and exploits were legendary. | military, sexual, sporting bragging about his sexual exploits

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exploit verb

¹ treat sb unfairly for your own advantage

ADV. mercilessly, ruthlessly The workers are ruthlessly exploited by their employers. | cynically He pursued his own interests, cynically exploiting his privileged position as trustee. | deliberately | sexually

² make the best use of sth

VERB + EXPLOIT be determined to, be keen to, hope to, seek to | be quick to The team were quick to exploit their competitive advantage. | attempt to | fail to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exploration noun

¹ of a place

VERB + EXPLORATION carry out Extensive exploration was carried out using the latest drilling technology. | continue

EXPLORATION + VERB take place areas where mineral exploration is taking place

EXPLORATION + NOUN activity, drilling Exploration activity slowed during the 1970s. | programme | company an oil exploration company

PREP. ~ for speculative exploration for oil

² of an idea/subject

VERB + EXPLORATION need | continue

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explorer noun

ADJ. great the great British explorers of the sixteenth century | intrepid | Antarctic, Arctic, polar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explore verb

¹ travel around an area

VERB + EXPLORE be keen to, want to, wish to | be free to In the afternoon you'll be free to explore a little on your own.

PREP. for exploring for oil

² think about sth in detail

VERB + EXPLORE need to | be keen to, want to, wish to | aim to, seek to | begin to, continue to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explosion noun

¹ sudden loud bursting/exploding

ADJ. almighty, big, deafening, enormous, huge, loud, major, massive, powerful, serious, tremendous, violent | minor, small | muffled There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. | distant The floor shook with a distant explosion. | controlled | test a nuclear test explosion | accidental | bomb, chemical, gas, mine, volcanic | atomic, nuclear | terrorist | political, social (figurative) The shock waves of this political explosion engulfed the whole of Europe.

VERB + EXPLOSION cause, set off, trigger The build-up of gas caused a small explosion. | carry out Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on the suspect package. | hear | prevent

EXPLOSION + VERB come, happen, occur, take place The explosion came 20 minutes after a coded warning to the police. The explosion occurred just after midday. | shake sth The explosion shook nearby homes. | destroy sth, rip through sth, wreck sth A massive explosion ripped through the chemical works. | injure sb, kill sb | echo A loud explosion echoed round the valley.

PREP. in an/the ~ 3 people were injured in the explosion.

² sudden large increase

ADJ. sudden | veritable In the 1860s a veritable explosion of major scientific publications took place. | population | information trying to keep up with the information explosion | price, wage

EXPLOSION + VERB occur, take place

PREP. ~ in a sudden explosion in the number of students | ~ of an explosion of interest in learning Japanese

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explosive adj.

¹ capable of exploding

VERBS be

ADV. highly a highly explosive mixture of gases

² causing strong feelings

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly Race is a highly explosive issue. | potentially The political situation is potentially explosive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

explosive noun

ADJ. high a bomb containing 200 lb of high explosive | commercial, home-made | chemical, conventional, plastic, semtex

VERB + EXPLOSIVE make, manufacture | plant They planted explosives in the tunnel. | detonate, set off

EXPLOSIVE + NOUN explosives expert

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exponent noun

ADJ. chief, foremost, leading, main, principal | great, outstanding | famous, well-known | early He was an early exponent of multimedia in the classroom.

PREP. ~ of a leading exponent of the Japanese flute

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exporter noun

ADJ. big, large | leading, major | food, oil the biggest oil exporter in the world | net The country is a net exporter of food.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

export noun

ADJ. important, main, major, principal, staple Coconut is one of the staple exports of the islands. | record The industry has achieved record exports in the past year. | total In 2001 total exports were valued at $2 billion. | British, US, etc. | world The US share of world exports has declined. | illegal, illicit stopping the illegal export of live animals | live lambs for live export | invisible Earnings from the sale of banking, insurance and other services to foreigners are described as ‘invisible exports’. | capital, commodity | agricultural, industrial, manufactured, manufacturing | arms, art, banana, beef, coal, coffee, food, grain, oil, timber, etc.

QUANT. level, value, volume

EXPORT + VERB grow, increase, rise Oil exports have risen steadily. | drop, fall | be valued at sth, total sth Exports totalled $10 billion in 2002. | account for sth Oil exports account for nearly 80% of the country's foreign earnings. | be destined for sth Scottish exports destined for Western Europe

PREP. for ~ This is where the fruit is packaged for export. | ~ from exports from the EU to Canada | ~ to

PHRASES a ban on exports to place a ban on exports of toxic waste | a decline/fall in exports, an increase/a rise in exports > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

export verb

ADV. widely a French breed of cattle that has been exported widely | illegally illegally exported works of art

PREP. from Last year 2,000 birds were exported from the island. | to The country exports sugar to Europe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exposed adj.

VERBS be, feel | become | leave sb/sth Depletion of the ozone layer leaves the earth's surface increasingly exposed to harmful radiation from the sun.

ADV. extremely, heavily (business), highly, very The country became highly exposed to the vagaries of international markets. | completely, fully, totally | increasingly | fairly, rather, relatively | dangerously, painfully The postponement of difficult decisions left the government dangerously exposed to American influence.

PREP. to The garden was very exposed to westerly winds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expose verb

¹ uncover sth

ADV. completely, fully | briefly | suddenly | deliberately She lifted her chin in a gesture that deliberately exposed the line of her throat.

PREP. to These drawings must not be exposed to the air.

² show the truth

ADV. fully | clearly a report which clearly exposes the weakness of the government's economic policy | publicly He was publicly exposed as a liar and a cheat. | cruelly He was outclassed by an Aston Villa side that cruelly exposed his lack of pace.

VERB + EXPOSE threaten to | seek to, try to

³ to sth harmful

ADV. directly | constantly The general public is constantly exposed to radiation. | regularly

PREP. to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exposure noun

¹ to sth harmful

VERB + EXPOSURE receive, suffer She suffered a massive exposure to toxic chemicals. | increase | limit, minimize, reduce Banks will seek to minimize their exposure to risk. | avoid

PREP. ~ to The report recommends people to avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight.

² to experience

ADJ. brief | greater | limited

VERB + EXPOSURE give sb | get, have | increase

PREP. ~ to giving children greater exposure to other cultures

³ showing the truth

ADJ. full full exposure of the links between government officials and the arms trade | public

⁴ on TV/in newspapers, etc.

ADJ. regular | media, press, television

VERB + EXPOSURE give sb/sth The magazine aims to give exposure to the work of women artists. | gain, get, have, receive a would-be television personality who is constantly trying to get media exposure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expression noun

¹ showing feelings/ideas

ADJ. clear, coherent Her statement was a clear expression of her views on this subject. | concrete, material, practical, tangible The report gave concrete expression to the fears of many immigrants. | direct Just because there is no direct expression of prejudice, that does not mean the prejudice does not exist. | full The new concept of form reached its fullest expression in the work of Picasso. | highest, perfect, ultimate His highest expression of praise was ‘Not bad!’ the highest expression of human creativity | effective, powerful | simple | natural He wanted to write a verse drama in which the verse would seem a natural expression of modern life. | spontaneous | free the right of free expression | open, overt, public the open expression of emotion | outward the outward expression of inner emotional feelings | formal | characteristic, classic Modernism was the characteristic expression of the experience of modernity. | unique | collective Harvest festival was the occasion for the collective expression of a community's religious values. | individual, personal to allow scope for individual expression | visible, visual | emotional, physical, sexual, verbal | artistic, creative, cultural, linguistic, literary, musical, poetic, political, religious | human

VERB + EXPRESSION achieve, find, reach, receive an anger and frustration that finds expression in (= is shown in) violence | allow sth, give sth The method is to listen to the music and allow expression to whatever comes to you. Only in his dreams does he give expression to his fears. | demand, need, require Suddenly her deeper feelings demanded expression.

PREP. beyond ~ She suddenly felt happy beyond expression (= so happy that she could not express it).

PHRASES freedom of expression Freedom of expression (= freedom to say what you think) is a basic human right. | a means of expression Words, as a means of expression, can be limiting.

² on sb's face

VERB + EXPRESSION have, wear She had a very bewildered expression on her face. The children's faces all wore the same rapt expression. | assume, put on She carefully put on her most innocent expression. | take on Rose's face took on the fierce expression of a schoolgirl talking about her most hated teacher. | catch, see Catching a fleeting expression on Lucy's face, she persisted with her question. | watch | gauge, read I looked at her, trying to read the expression on her face. | change His face never changed expression.

EXPRESSION + VERB alter, change His expression changed to embarrassment. | relax, soften His expression softened when he saw her. | darken, harden Her expression hardened into one of strong dislike. | freeze | betray sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth, tell sb sth Her expression betrayed nothing of her thoughts. His grim expression told her it would be useless. | give nothing away | cross sth, flit across sth She had been watching the expression that crossed his face.

PREP. without ~ ‘Go on, ’ she said, without expression. | ~ of He wore an expression of anxiety on his face.

PHRASES the expression in sb's eyes/on sb's face He looked at her with a very strange expression in his eyes.

³ words

VERB + EXPRESSION use He tends to use strange expressions like ‘It's enough to make a cat laugh’.

EXPRESSION + VERB mean sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expressive adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. deeply, highly, very, wonderfully She has a wonderfully expressive voice. | emotionally

PREP. of His art is deeply expressive of emotions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

express verb

ADV. well Perhaps I have not expressed myself very well. | fully She expresses herself most fully in her paintings. | openly He expressed his anger openly. | clearly | cogently Students must learn to express a point of view cogently and with clarity. | exactly, precisely | concisely, succinctly | eloquently The poet eloquently expresses the sense of lost innocence.

VERB + EXPRESS be/feel able/unable to Many patients feel unable to express their fears. | find it difficult to

PHRASES a chance/an opportunity to express sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expulsion noun

ADJ. automatic | immediate | mass | forced

VERB + EXPULSION lead to, result in Copying from another candidate results in automatic expulsion. | call for, demand | order The government ordered the immediate expulsion of the two men. | be threatened with, face Several pupils now face expulsion. | appeal against an ex-party member who intends to appeal against his expulsion

PREP. ~ from her expulsion from the society

PHRASES ground(s) for expulsion His disruptive behaviour was felt to be sufficient grounds for his expulsion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extend verb

ADV. greatly, significantly Next year we will greatly extend the range of goods that we sell.

PREP. from, to The repayment period will be extended from 20 years to 25 years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extension noun

¹ part added to a building

ADJ. planned, proposed | home, kitchen | one-storey, two-storey, etc.

VERB + EXTENSION add, build

PREP. ~ to They're building an extension to their house.

² extra time

ADJ. one-week, two-year, etc.

VERB + EXTENSION apply for, ask for, request He's applied for an extension of his visa. | get, receive She got an extension for writing her essay. | give sb, grant sb

³ making sth larger/taking sth further

ADJ. considerable, great, major, massive, significant | modest | further This new job is a further extension of his role as a manager. | general | gradual a gradual extension of the powers of central government | hair Hair extensions are pieces of artificial hair that are added to your hair to make it longer.

⁴ taking an argument/a situation further

ADJ. logical, natural, obvious The team appraisal is a logical extension of the individual appraisal interview.

PREP. by ~ The blame lies with the teachers and, by extension, with the Education Service.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extent noun

ADJ. full, greatest, maximum, overall The overall extent of civilian casualties remained unclear. | actual, exact, precise, true | geographical, territorial

VERB + EXTENT reach The railway network had reached its greatest extent in route mileage. | see | consider, examine, explore, investigate | assess, calculate, estimate, evaluate, gauge, judge, measure | define, determine, establish, identify a statement defining the extent of Latvia's territory | discover | acknowledge, appreciate, realize, recognize | know, understand We do not yet know the extent of her injuries. | demonstrate, illustrate, indicate, make clear, reflect, reveal, show The operation revealed the extent of the cancer. | outline a lengthy agenda outlining the extent of global environmental problems | discuss | clarify, explain | emphasize, highlight, underline The victory underlined the extent to which Prussia had become a major power. | exaggerate, overstate She was exaggerating the true extent of the problem. | overestimate | underestimate | play down, underplay, understate The government sought to play down the extent of the problem. | ignore | conceal, obscure | limit, reduce, restrict to reduce the extent of deforestation

PREP. in ~ The park is about 20 acres in extent. | to an ~ To an extent (= to some degree) East-West distrust continued throughout the war. | to a … ~ He had withdrawn from the company of his friends to an alarming extent.

PHRASES at sth's fullest/greatest extent At its fullest extent the Angevin Empire comprised most of western France. | to a considerable/great/large/significant extent, to a certain/to some extent To some extent, we are all responsible for this tragic situation. | to a lesser/limited/small extent The pollution of the forest has seriously affected plant life and, to a lesser extent, wildlife. | to the same extent People no longer live in small communities to the same extent as they used to.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exterior noun

¹ outside of a building

ADJ. elegant | plain

PREP. behind an/the ~ Hidden behind a plain exterior is a wonderful hotel. | on the ~ There is an abundance of fine sculpture, both on the exterior and inside.

² sb's outward behaviour

ADJ. bland, bluff, calm, charming, confident, cool, glacial Her calm exterior hides very passionate feelings.

EXTERIOR + VERB belie, conceal, hide His bluff exterior belied a connoisseur of antiques.

PREP. behind sb's ~ Behind his cool exterior lurks a reckless and frustrated person. | beneath/underneath sb's ~ Beneath her charming exterior lies a very determined woman.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extinction noun

ADJ. mass, total, widespread the mass extinction of the dinosaurs | near, virtual | imminent, impending

VERB + EXTINCTION cause, lead to Modern farming methods have led to the total extinction of many species of wild flowers. | be doomed to, be in danger of, be on the brink/edge/verge of, be threatened with, face The island's way of life is doomed to extinction. These animals are now on the verge of extinction. | be saved from

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extinct adj.

VERBS be | become, go | presume sth, think sth The species was presumed extinct.

ADV. completely, totally | all but, almost, nearly, practically, virtually The numbers of these animals have been falling steadily and they are now almost extinct.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extortion noun

ADJ. attempted | alleged

EXTORTION + NOUN racket He was known for running a brutal extortion racket. > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extract noun

¹ passage from a book/piece of music

ADJ. brief, short | long | literary

VERB + EXTRACT read | publish

EXTRACT + VERB be from, be taken from The extract is taken from a long essay.

PREP. ~ from He read out a brief extract from his book.

² substance taken from another substance

ADJ. natural conditioners made from natural plant extracts | herbal, malt, meat, plant, vanilla, yeast Add a few drops of vanilla extract.

PREP. ~ of extract of apricot

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extradition noun

VERB + EXTRADITION avoid, escape It won't be easy for them to escape extradition. | ask for, call for, demand, request, seek The new government will seek the extradition of the suspected terrorists. | allow, order A judge ordered her extradition to Britain. | await, face The smuggler is in prison tonight, awaiting extradition to Britain. | fight, resist His lawyer announced that he will fight extradition.

EXTRADITION + NOUN hearing, proceedings | agreement, treaty There is no extradition agreement between the two countries. | request

PREP. ~ from, ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extraordinary adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | make sth What makes it so extraordinary is that the experts had all dismissed her theories as rubbish. | find sth I find her attitude quite extraordinary. | regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. most, really, truly | absolutely, altogether, quite It seems altogether extraordinary. | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extravagant adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem I go to that restaurant for lunch if I'm feeling extravagant. | become

ADV. terribly, very, wildly He had a wildly extravagant lifestyle. | a bit, a little, rather, somewhat

PREP. with You mustn't be so extravagant with other people's money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extra noun

ADJ. little There was no money left over for luxuries or little extras. | optional | hidden £400 is a lot to pay for a weekend break, but there are no hidden extras. | added Regular guests also get added extras like free room service.

EXTRA + VERB include sth Optional extras include anti-lock brakes and an electric sunroof.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extreme adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

ADV. very | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, somewhat Some of his views seem rather extreme. | dangerously | politically

PHRASES at its most extreme This is hero-worship at its most extreme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extreme noun

ADJ. opposite, polar Their views are at opposite extremes from each other. | climatic, political, temperature It's a difficult place to live because of its climatic extremes.

VERB + EXTREME avoid Avoid any extremes of emotional behaviour. | go to He went to the extreme of adulation, describing Churchill as the greatest man who ever lived. | carry sth to, take sth to It's foolish to take any dieting to extremes.

PREP. at an/the At the extreme, some nuclear waste is so radioactive it has to be kept isolated for thousands of years. | between ~s There has to be a solution between these extremes. | in the ~ His voice was scornful in the extreme. | to the ~ She was always kindly and generous to the extreme. | ~s of These photographs show extremes of obesity and emaciation.

PHRASES at one extreme, at the other extreme At the other extreme, women still childless at 32 were more likely to be from a professional background. | go from one extreme to the other She goes from one extreme to the other, and either works very hard or does absolutely nothing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

extremist noun

ADJ. left-wing, right-wing an attack by right-wing extremists | political, religious | Muslim, Republican, etc.

EXTREMIST + NOUN group, party

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

exuberance noun

ADJ. sheer She was laughing from the sheer exuberance of the performance. | natural, youthful

VERB + EXUBERANCE curb He has to learn to curb his natural exuberance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eyebrow noun

VERB + EYEBROW arch, cock, lift, quirk, raise ‘Really?’ she said, raising a sardonic eyebrow. | pluck She spent hours in front of the mirror, plucking her eyebrows.

EYEBROW + VERB lift, rise His dark eyebrows lifted in surprise.

EYEBROW + NOUN pencil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eyelash noun

ADJ. thick | long | curling | artificial, false

VERB + EYELASH bat, flutter She smiled and fluttered her eyelashes at the ticket inspector.

EYELASH + VERB flicker, flutter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eyelid noun

ADJ. lower, upper | closed, half-closed, lowered | drooping, heavy, hooded

VERB + EYELID lift She lifted one eyelid to see what he was doing.

PREP. behind (your) ~ She watched him from behind half-closed eyelids.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eyesight noun

ADJ. good, keen | bad, deteriorating, failing, poor Failing eyesight finally forced her into an old people's home.

VERB + EYESIGHT have Owls have good eyesight.

EYESIGHT + VERB deteriorate, fail

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eye noun

¹ part of the body

VERB + EYE open | close, shut | lift, raise | cast, turn I cast my eyes around the room but couldn't see any familiar faces. He turned his eyes to the door when he heard the handle turning. | avert She averted her eyes from his face. | screw up He screwed up his eyes against the glare of the sun. | strain I didn't want to strain my eyes to read, so I put the light on. | protect Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun. | shade, shield He held up the newspaper to shield his eyes from the sun. | test | gouge She reached up and tried to gouge her attacker's eyes. | catch A movement in the reeds caught my eye (= attracted my attention). | look sb (straight) in, meet She looked her father straight in the eye and answered his question truthfully. He seemed unwilling to meet my eye.

EYE + VERB dilate, fly open, grow wide, open, round, widen Her eyes dilated with horror at what she had done. Her eyes flew open in surprise. His eyes rounded in mock amazement. | close, shut | stream, water My eyes stream when I chop onions. | hold sth His eyes held a sceptical gleam. | be alight with sth, blaze, flare, flash, gleam, glint, glisten, glitter, glow, light up, shine, smoulder, spark, sparkle, twinkle She laughed, her eyes alight with excitement. His eyes blazed with menace. | mirror sth, reflect sth His eyes reflected his anguish. | blur, cloud, brim/fill with tears, mist | darken, dim, dull, glaze (over) Her eyes glazed over when I said I worked in dictionaries. | harden His eyes hardened as he remembered how they had laughed at him. | narrow, sharpen | burn, hurt, prick, prickle, smart, sting Her eyes prickled with unshed tears. | be drawn to sb/sth, follow sb/sth, turn to sb/sth His eyes were drawn to a bundle of papers in the corner. My eyes followed his every move. | fall on sb/sth, settle on sb/sth | dwell on sb/sth, fasten on sb/sth, fix on sb/sth, be fixed on sb/sth, be intent on sb/sth, focus on sb/sth, gaze (up) at sb/sth, be glued to sb/sth, linger on sb/sth, lock on sb/sth, rest on sb/sth, be riveted on/to sb/sth, stare (at) sb/sth, be trained on sb/sth, watch sb/sth She tried to sit up, her eyes fixed on Jean's face. | look at sb/sth, peer at sb/sth, regard sb/sth | glare at sb/sth | lock (together), meet Their eyes locked together in a battle of wills. | dart, flick, flicker, flit, glance, go, leap, move, run, shift His eyes darted from face to face. | roll, swivel She tried the door, her eyes rolling in panic. | dance Her eyes danced with amusement. | roam, rove He let his eyes roam round the scene. | drift, slide, slip, stray, wander His eyes drifted over to Helen's chair. | probe sth, rake sth, scan sth, scour sth, search sth, sweep sth His eyes scanned the room as he entered. | drop, fall, lower Her eyes dropped to her lap as she answered. | lift | bore into sb, lance (through) sb, pierce sb She could feel the old lady's eyes bore into her. | accustom to sth, adjust to sth, become/grow accustomed to sth As my eyes accustomed to the darkness, I could make out a shape by the window. | blink | crinkle (up), squint, wrinkle His eyes crinkled up at the corners as he smiled. Her eyes squinted against the brightness. | strain My eyes strained to make anything out in the darkness. | slant | bulge, pop His eyes bulged in fury. | betray sb/sth, give away sb/sth His narrow eyes betrayed his impatience. | question sb, quiz sb | smile | mock sb | appraise sb/sth, examine sb/sth, scrutinize sb/sth, study sb/sth, survey sb/sth | take sth in My eyes took in every detail as I entered the house for the first time in twenty years.

EYE + NOUN muscles, socket | contact I knew he was lying because he wouldn't make eye contact with me. | movement Rapid eye movements frequently accompany dreaming. | doctor, specialist, surgeon | hospital | operation, surgery, treatment | examination, test | complaint, damage, defect, disease, disorder, infection, injury, strain, trouble | drops The doctor gave me eye drops to put in three times a day. | protection It is essential to wear some form of eye protection. | make-up | level Your computer screen should be at eye level so that you can work with your neck straight.

PREP. in your ~s There were tears in his eyes as he spoke. The sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see the road. | under sb's ~ I want you under my eye (= where I can see you).

PHRASES as far as the eye can see The tide was out, leaving nothing but mud as far as the eye could see. | before your very eyes Before our very eyes, the bird snatched the fish from the plate and flew off. | can't keep/take your eyes off sb/sth He couldn't keep his eyes off the girl sitting opposite him. | cast/raise/roll your eyes heavenwards (= to show that you are annoyed or impatient) She rolled her eyes heavenwards when she saw what her husband was wearing. | a gleam/glint/twinkle in sb's eye He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye. | have an eye on sb/sth (= be watching) The store detective had his eye on a group of boys who were acting suspiciously. | keep an eye on sb/sth (= watch) Could you keep an eye on my bag while I go to the toilet? | keep an eye open/out for sb/sth (= watch out for) I walked round the shops, keeping an eye out for bargains. | out of the corner of your eye Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry start forward. | set eyes on sb/sth From the moment he set eyes on her he knew that he wanted to marry her. | to/with the naked/unaided eye The planet should be visible to the naked eye (= without a telescope). | under sb's critical, watchful, etc. eye The team went through their paces under their trainer's critical eye. | with your own eyes If I hadn't seen his jump with my own eyes, I would never have believed it possible.

² ability to see

ADJ. eagle, good, keen, quick, sharp The children's eagle eyes spotted an ice-cream shop half a mile away. A surgeon needs a good eye and a steady hand.

PREP. ~ for Her skill at working with wood is coupled to a keen eye for design.

³ way of seeing

PREP. in sb/sth's ~ She can do no wrong in his eyes. In the eyes of the law his knife was an offensive weapon. | through sb's ~s You need to look at your website through the user's eyes. | to sb's ~ To my eye, the windows seem out of proportion. | with a … ~ She viewed the findings with a critical eye. | with the ~ of He looked at the design with the eye of an engineer.

PHRASES in your mind's eye (= your imagination) He pictured the scene in his mind's eye.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

eye verb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fabric noun

¹ cloth

QUANT. length, piece, strip

VERB + FABRIC produce, weave The fabric is woven on these machines.

² basic structure of a society/way of life

ADJ. basic the basic fabric of family life | economic, political, social

VERB + FABRIC destroy The government's policies have destroyed the social fabric.

PHRASES the very/whole fabric of sth a threat to the very fabric of society

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

facet noun

ADJ. essential, important | common | tiny | interesting | hidden

VERB + FACET have She has another important facet to her personality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

face noun

¹ front part of the head

VERB + FACE tilt, turn She turned her face away. He tilted her face up to his.

FACE + VERB look, peer, stare A face peered round the door at him.

PREP. in the/sb's ~ The ball hit him in the face. His eyes were sunken in his gaunt face. | on the/sb's ~ She put some powder on her face.

PHRASES a sea of faces (= a large crowd of faces) From the stage, he looked down at a sea of faces.

² expression on sb's face

ADJ. animated, cheerful, friendly, grinning, happy, radiant, smiling | anxious, frightened, troubled | angry, furious | hard, set, stern His face was set and hard. | grave, serious | long, sad The news for the company isn't good, judging from the long faces in the boardroom. | funny She made a funny face and gave a snorting sort of laugh. | honest, kind | expectant | rapt | expressive, open She looked at the honest, open face of her husband. | blank, expressionless, impassive His face remained impassive, so strong was his self-control.

VERB + FACE make, pull What are you pulling a face at now? | search He searched her face for some clue as to what she meant.

FACE + VERB brighten, glow, light up Her little face lit up when I gave her the present. | beam, smile The face smiled benignly at him. | cloud, crumple, drop, fall Her face crumpled and she started crying. ‘I can't come,’ she said. His face fell. | clear His face cleared and she smiled back. | darken, harden, set Her face darkened with anger. His face set in grim lines. | soften The father's face softened as he hugged his little boy. | flame, flush, go red, redden Jack's face flushed with embarrassment. | pale Her face paled with fright. | contort, crease, pucker, tighten, twist Her face contorted in pain. | betray sth, reveal sth Her face betrayed no emotion at all.

PREP. on sb's ~ She had a big smile on her face.

PHRASES a face like thunder (= a very angry face) Mr Hibbs came in with a face like thunder.

³ front part/side of sth

ADJ. front, rear | North, South, etc. | steep We slowly climbed the steep face of the crag. | cliff, rock | clock

PHRASES face down/downwards, face up/upwards She placed the cards face downwards on the table.

⁴ person

ADJ. familiar, (same) old I looked around for a familiar face. I'm so bored with seeing the same old faces! | different, fresh, new, strange, unfamiliar | famous, well-known a restaurant where you often see famous faces

VERB + FACE see

⁵ particular character/aspect of sth

ADJ. human bureaucracy with a human face | acceptable | unacceptable Social deprivation is the unacceptable face of capitalism. | true | changing the changing face of Britain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

facilitate verb

ADV. greatly The use of computers has greatly facilitated the firm's ability to keep accurate records. | further

VERB + FACILITATE be designed to, help (to)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

facility noun

¹ facilities buildings/services/equipment

VERB + FACILITY have, offer, provide | improve, upgrade | make use of, use I made full use of the computing facilities.

FACILITY + VERB be available, exist | include sth Facilities include a large indoor pool, jacuzzi and sauna.

PREP. ~ for The school has no facilities for the teaching of music. The hotel provides excellent facilities for children.

PHRASES a range of facilities

² special feature of a machine/service

ADJ. central The archive offers a central facility for cataloguing and indexing data. | back-up The report warns that there are no back-up facilities if the reprocessing plant breaks down. | support training and other support facilities | special | useful | flexible A First National Bank loan is an extremely flexible facility. | technical | cheque book, credit, loan, overdraft a bank account with an overdraft facility | editing, graphics, help, mail, search, word processing (all computing)

VERB + FACILITY have, offer, provide | use

FACILITY + VERB allow (for) sth The cheque book facility allows for a minimum withdrawal of £200.

PREP. ~ for The device has a facility for storing any sound you like.

³ natural ability

ADJ. amazing, great

VERB + FACILITY have | show

PREP. with ~ He played with great facility. | ~ for She showed an amazing facility for mind-reading.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

faction noun

VERB + FACTION lead

PREP. ~ in the largest faction in the civil war | ~ within the dominant faction within the government

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

factory noun

ADJ. large | small | modern | disused | aircraft, car, chemical, clothing, munitions, etc.

VERB + FACTORY open, set up capital to set up a ceramics factory | close (down), shut (down) They had to close the factory down in the recession. | manage, run

FACTORY + VERB make sth, produce sth | open | close (down), shut (down) The factory closed down ten years ago.

FACTORY + NOUN manager, owner, worker | job, production, work | buildings | closure

PREP. at/in ~ He works in a shoe factory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

factor noun

ADJ. important, main, major, relevant, significant one of the most significant factors | critical, crucial, deciding, decisive, determining, key, vital This is regarded as the crucial factor in deciding who should get priority. Money proved to be the deciding factor. | contributing, contributory Poor organization was certainly a contributory factor to the crisis. | complicating, distorting A complicating factor is her parents' refusal to cooperate with the police. | limiting | mitigating The appeal judges spoke of strong mitigating factors in the case. | aggravating | additional | single The closure of the mine was the single most important factor in the town's decline. | common Look for the common factor in all these cases. | external, extraneous, extrinsic External factors in the production of disease include pollution of the environment. | internal, intrinsic | causal, causative | risk Studies have established that smoking is a risk factor for cancer. | contextual, demographic, economic, environmental, genetic, political, psychological, situational, social

VERB + FACTOR consider, take into account A variety of other factors will be taken into account. | depend on

FACTOR + VERB be involved, operate the contextual factors which operate to hinder understanding | affect sth, be responsible for sth, contribute to sth, determine sth, influence sth, precipitate sth, predispose sb/sth to sth environmental factors which predispose children to middle-ear infections | constrain sth, inhibit sth, militate against sth one of the factors that influenced his decision | interact looking at how economic and social factors interact | include sth

PREP. ~ behind the main factors behind the dollar's weakness | ~ in a key factor in the decision

PHRASES a combination/number/range/variety of factors The outcome will depend on a number of factors.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

factual adj.

VERBS be | keep sth Try to keep your account as factual as possible.

ADV. entirely, purely, strictly | basically, largely | supposedly the speculative nature of the supposedly factual information conveyed through the media

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fact noun

ADJ. important, interesting, relevant, salient looking at all the relevant facts | basic | concrete, hard, incontrovertible, inescapable, observable, obvious, plain, straightforward, true, undeniable The police have to support their case with hard facts. These are all incontrovertible facts. | bare, brute, disturbing, harsh, sad, stark, unpalatable, unpleasant the bare facts of war a rather harsh fact of life | little-known, well-known It is a well-known fact that girls do better than boys at school. | mere The mere fact of your being there will arouse their suspicions. | historical

VERB + FACT be aware of, have, know We haven't got all the facts yet. She already knew the facts she needed. | ascertain, establish, find out the best way of establishing the facts | check, examine, look at I think you need to check your facts. For God's sake, look at the facts! | prove These facts have not yet been proved. | collect, gather | select Historians must first select the facts that they present. | give, impart, present, state The job of the teacher is not simply to impart facts. I'm not making excuses?I'm just stating a fact. | interpret different ways of interpreting the facts | account for, explain How do you account for the fact that unemployment is still rising? | accept, acknowledge, face, recognize She wouldn't accept the fact that she had lost. I'm afraid you'll have to face facts. She'll never marry you. | grasp He doesn't seem able to grasp this basic fact. | learn | assimilate Students need time to assimilate the facts. | deny, dispute No one can deny this fact. | ignore, overlook This approach ignores the fact that people, not computers, commit crimes. | be oblivious to | conceal, disguise, hide If he was bored, he managed to hide the fact very well. | obscure The recent improvements should not obscure the fact that general standards are still far too low. | draw attention to The report draws attention to the fact that the country is now a net exporter of the product. | emphasize, underline | confine yourself to, keep to, stick to Just stick to the facts. | be based on a novel based on historical fact | reflect Prices reflect the fact that the company is aiming at the luxury market. | stem from He knew their bitterness stemmed from the fact that he was in charge. | be explained by | be complicated by, be compounded by, be exacerbated by The problem was compounded by the fact that I had no idea what I was looking for?only ‘some sort of clue’. | lament, regret, resent We sat miserably in the pub, lamenting the fact that our dry clothes were a 60-mile bus journey away. She resented the fact that I was older and had more freedom than her.

FACT + VERB remain The fact remains that we are still two teachers short.

PREP. after the ~ On some vital decisions employees were only informed after the fact (= when it was too late to change them). | apart from the ~ She was happy, apart from the fact that she could not return home. | despite/in spite of/notwithstanding the ~ She's taking her children on holiday, despite the fact that school starts tomorrow. | due to the ~ Due to the fact that they did not read English, the prisoners were unaware of what they were signing. | given the ~ The findings are not surprising, given the facts: … | in ~ I used to live in France; in fact, not far from where you're going. | ~ about We learned several interesting facts about elephants.

PHRASES (as) a matter of fact It's not wild speculation! It's plain matter of fact.

‘I suppose you'll be leaving soon, then?’ ‘No, as a matter of fact I'll be staying for another two years.’ | facts and figures presenting all the facts and figures to the meeting | the fact of the matter A new car would be wonderful but the fact of the matter is that we can't afford one. | the facts of the case The facts of the case are quite straightforward. | a fact of life (= a situation that cannot be changed) It is an unpalatable fact of life that the most deserving people do no | the facts of life (= the details about sex and how babies are born, especially as told to children), fact or fiction? The Loch Ness Monster: fact or fiction? | the facts speak for themselves (= further explanation about sth is unnecessary because the facts prove it is true), get your facts right/wrong If you're going to make accusations, you'd better get your facts right. | have the facts at your fingertips When making your presentation, it is important to have all the facts at your fingertips (= to have the information you need and be able to find it and use it quickly). | in actual fact/in point of fact I thought the work would be difficult. In actual fact, it's very easy. | in view of the fact that … Voluntary work was particularly important in view of the fact that women were often forced to give up paid work on marriage. | know for a fact Do you know for a fact that he is in London? | a question/statement of fact It's a simple statement of fact. | a recognition of the fact that … a growing recognition of the fact that learning may take different forms

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

faculty noun

¹ natural ability of the body/mind

ADJ. higher the evolution of man's higher faculties | cognitive, intellectual, mental, rational He is not in full possession of all his mental faculties. | creative, critical, imaginative, moral | human

VERB + FACULTY be in possession of, have She is over eighty but still has all her faculties. | lose | develop trying to develop the student's critical faculties

PREP. ~ for our faculty for picking up speech even in noisy environments

² university department

ADJ. Arts, English, law, medical, etc.

FACULTY + NOUN board, head, member

PREP. across ~ collaboration across faculties | in a/the ~ students who are doing degrees in the Arts Faculty | ~ of the Faculty of Arts

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fade verb

ADV. fast, quickly, rapidly Hopes of a peace settlement were fading fast. | gradually, slowly | quietly It was impossible for her to fade quietly into the background. | away

VERB + FADE begin to | seem to All else seemed to fade into insignificance.

PREP. from The smile faded from his face. | into Their voices faded into the distance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fad noun

ADJ. current, latest, new | passing | management | food Most children have food fads at some time.

PREP. ~ for the fad for cookery programmes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

faeces noun

ADJ. fresh | dog, human, etc.

QUANT. mass, piece

VERB + FAECES be excreted in, be expelled in, be passed in The larvae may be excreted in the faeces. | collect A sample of fresh faeces should be collected each day.

FAECES + NOUN sample

PREP. in the ~ The amount of blood in the faeces was measured.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

failing noun

ADJ. major, worst Vanity is her worst failing. | common, human the very human failing of wanting to tell other people what to do | moral | personal

VERB + FAILING have We all have our failings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

failure noun

¹ lack of success

VERB + FAILURE be doomed to, end in, result in All her efforts were doomed to failure. | admit, confess He was too proud to admit failure. | expect Children who are doing badly tend to expect failure and criticism. | fear | avoid

FAILURE + NOUN rate There is a high failure rate with this treatment.

PHRASES fear of failure Fear of failure should not deter you from trying. | a history of failure John had a long history of academic failure. | a possibility/risk of failure, a sense of failure

² unsuccessful person/thing

VERB + FAILURE be, represent | prove The venture proved a costly failure. | feel I felt a complete failure. | consider sb/sth, regard sb/sth as | brand sb/sth, pronounce sb/sth Her parents had long since branded her a failure.

FAILURE + VERB arise from sth failures arising from circumstances beyond your control

PREP. ~ of The decision to withdraw funding represents a failure of imagination.

³ not doing sth

ADJ. fundamental | general | manifest | consistent, constant, continued/continuing, persistent, repeated | government, management government failure to listen to the voice of the electorate

VERB + FAILURE excuse, justify seeking to excuse his failure to ask her permission

⁴ of a machine/system/part of the body, etc.

ADJ. battery, brake, component, computer, engine, equipment, mechanical, power, system, technical | bank, business, commercial, company, corporate, market Business failures rose by 30% in 2001. | brain, heart, kidney, liver | crop, harvest | communication

VERB + FAILURE cause, lead to, result in a rare viral infection that can lead to heart failure

FAILURE + VERB occur A power failure occurred between 4 and 5 p.m.

PREP. ~ in a failure in the computer system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fail verb

¹ not succeed

ADV. dismally, miserably I tried to cheer her up, but failed miserably. | spectacularly The show didn't just fail, it failed spectacularly.

VERB + FAIL cannot/could not, can/could hardly The song can't fail to be a hit (= will definitely be a hit). | be bound to, be destined to, be doomed to an enterprise that was doomed to fail from the start

PREP. in Doctors are failing in their duty if they do not warn their patients of the dangers.

² fail to do sth: not do sth

ADV. totally The authorities have totally failed to address this problem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

faint adj.

¹ not strong or clear

VERBS be, look, sound His voice sounded faint and far away. | become, grow The whispers grew fainter and fainter, then stopped altogether.

ADV. extremely, very I can't make out the number?it's very faint. | rather

² near to losing consciousness

VERBS be, feel, look

ADV. extremely, very | almost | a bit, a little, quite I was beginning to feel a little faint.

PREP. with I was faint with hunger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

faint verb

ADV. almost, nearly

VERB + FAINT be about to, be going to He was so pale she thought he was going to faint.

PREP. at He would faint at the sight of blood. | from She fainted from lack of air. | with She almost fainted with shock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fairness noun

ADJ. strict

VERB + FAIRNESS achieve, ensure, guarantee a way of achieving fairness to the accused

FAIRNESS + VERB call for sth, demand sth, require sth Fairness demanded an equal division of the winnings.

PREP. in (all) ~ In all fairness to him, I should say that most of his story is true. | with ~ They were all treated with strict fairness. | ~ in the need for fairness in applying these rules | ~ to The new system of waiting lists should guarantee fairness to all patients.

PHRASES a sense of fairness Children have a very strong sense of fairness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fairy noun

ADJ. good | bad, wicked

VERB + FAIRY believe in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fair adj.

VERBS be, seem | make sth I'll give you ten pounds each to make it fair. | consider sth, think sth I didn't think it fair that the others should be allowed to go but not me.

ADV. scrupulously, very It's important to be scrupulously fair when marking the final exam paper. | absolutely, completely, entirely, perfectly, quite, totally I don't care what he thinks. It seems perfectly fair to me. That doesn't seem quite fair. | hardly It's hardly fair that I should be working while everyone else is enjoying themselves! | pretty, reasonably

PHRASES to be fair To be fair, we hadn't really spent enough time on the job.

PREP. to That seems fair to all sides.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fair noun

ADJ. major | annual | trade | antiques, book, craft, horse

VERB + FAIR attend, go to, visit | have, hold, host The city is holding its annual trade fair in May this year. | organize She is organizing next year's book fair.

FAIR + VERB take place

PREP. at a/the ~ I bought it at a local craft fair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

faithful adj.

¹ loyal

VERBS be | remain, stay soldiers who stayed faithful to the king

ADV. extremely, very He has been a very faithful friend to me. | absolutely, entirely, utterly

PREP. to He had remained entirely faithful to his wife.

² accurate

VERBS be

ADV. remarkably, very | fairly, quite

PREP. to The film is quite faithful to the original novel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

faith noun

¹ trust in sb/sth

ADJ. enormous, great, tremendous | absolute, complete, implicit, total, unshakeable | blind He seems to have a blind faith in his boss. | abiding an artist whose work reflects his abiding faith in humanity | touching She showed a touching faith in my ability to resolve any and every difficulty. | public Business crime undermines public faith in the business system.

VERB + FAITH have | place, pin, put He distrusted political systems and placed his faith in the genius of individuals. She did not pin much faith on their chances of success. | show | lose people who lose faith in themselves | shake, undermine | destroy | restore trying to restore faith in the political system | regain | retain If the company can retain its customers' faith it could become the market leader. | affirm, express, proclaim

PREP. ~ in Her faith in human nature had been badly shaken.

PHRASES an act of faith, a leap of faith These reforms are totally untested and will require a leap of faith on the part of teachers. | have every faith in sb

² strong religious belief

FAITH + NOUN healer, healing

PREP. through ~ They believe that people can come to salvation through faith. | ~ in After her son's death she lost her faith in God.

PHRASES an article of faith (often figurative) Manchester United's greatness was an article of faith for him (= a belief that could not be questioned).

³ religion

ADJ. living Christianity is a living faith which has shaped the history of Britain. | world The study of other world faiths is an important part of religious education. | Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc.

VERB + FAITH profess | practise Christians were allowed to practise their faith unmolested by the authorities. | keep alive, uphold Their aim was to keep alive the traditional Jewish faith. | hand on, pass on, preach, spread, teach the role of parents in passing on the faith to their children feeling the call to preach the faith to others

PHRASES people of different faiths

⁴ intention to do right

ADJ. bad, good The judge did not find any bad faith (= intention to do wrong) on the part of the defendants.

VERB + FAITH keep As club manager he was not prepared to keep faith with (= keep a promise to) the players who had failed him. | break (= break a promise to sb)

PREP. in … ~ We printed the report in good faith, but have now learnt that it was incorrect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fall noun

¹ accident

ADJ. bad, nasty, terrible She took a bad fall while out riding. | accidental

VERB + FALL have, suffer, take The doctor says she's had a very nasty fall. | break, cushion Luckily a bush broke his fall. | survive The chances of surviving a fall under a train are almost nil.

PREP. in a/the ~ He was hurt in a fall at his home yesterday. | ~ from She broke her neck in a fall from a horse.

² of snow/rocks

ADJ. heavy | light | fresh a fresh fall of snow | rock, snow (also snowfall)

PREP. ~ of covered by a light fall of volcanic ash

³ decrease

VERB + FALL bring, cause, contribute to, lead to, trigger | see, suffer Share prices suffered a slight fall yesterday. | record, reveal, show The opinion polls show a significant fall in her popularity. | report Both companies reported a fall in profits in the first quarter of this year. | represent This figure represents a fall of 21% on the same period last year.

FALL + VERB occur The fall in age at first marriage occurred during the second half of the 18th century.

PREP. ~ in a large fall in share prices

⁴ defeat

VERB + FALL bring about, cause, contribute to, lead to the actions that led to his eventual fall from power

PREP. ~ from

PHRASES the rise and fall of sth a book charting the rise and fall of the Habsburg Empire

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fall verb

¹ drop down towards the ground

ADV. heavily She fell heavily to the ground. | steadily The rain was falling steadily. | down, off, overboard A tile fell off the roof. He fell overboard in heavy seas.

VERB + FALL be about to | let sb/sth She lifted her arm, but then let it fall.

PREP. from, into One of the kids fell into the river. | on the snow falling on the fields | onto Loose bricks were falling down onto the ground. | to The plate fell to the floor.

² suddenly stop standing

ADV. almost, nearly He stumbled and almost fell. | headlong She fell headlong, with a cry of alarm. | down, over One of the children fell over.

VERB + FALL be about to The house looked as if it was about to fall down.

PHRASES stumble/trip and fall

³ decrease

ADV. dramatically, sharply, significantly, steeply The price of coal fell sharply. | slightly | steadily

VERB + FALL be expected to, be likely to Demand is likely to fall by some 15%. | continue to

PREP. below Winter temperatures never fall below 10°C. | by Expenditure on education fell by 10% last year. | from The number of people unemployed has fallen from two million to just over one and a half million. | to Her voice fell to a whisper.

⁴ belong to a group

ADV. squarely

PREP. into Out of over 400 staff there are just 14 that fall into this category. | outside That topic falls outside the scope of this thesis. | under This falls under the heading of scientific research. | within This case falls squarely within the committee's jurisdiction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

false adj.

¹ not true, genuine or real

VERBS be, look, prove, sound

ADV. absolutely, completely, entirely, quite, totally, utterly The gossip about her later proved to be entirely false. | partly | certainly, definitely | blatantly, clearly, obviously, patently, undoubtedly Their claim was patently false.

PHRASES true or false Lagos is the capital of Nigeria. True or false?

² not showing your true feelings

VERBS be, ring, sound Ella's enthusiasm rang false.

ADV. horribly, very She managed a horribly false smile. | slightly Helen's voice sounded slightly false.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

falter verb

ADV. slightly | never His courage never faltered.

VERB + FALTER begin to The economy is beginning to falter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fame noun

VERB + FAME enjoy He was enjoying his new-found fame. | achieve, come to, find, gain, rise to, shoot to, win She found fame on the stage. He shot to fame in 1997 when he won the US Open. | bring sb, earn sb HIs adventure brought him both fame and notoriety. | seek

FAME + VERB rest on sth Her fame rests on a single book. | come to sb a man to whom fame came very late | grow, spread The restaurant's fame spread quickly.

PHRASES at the height of sb/sth's fame In 1934, when at the height of his fame, he disappeared. | sb/sth's (chief/main/only) claim to fame The town's main claim to fame is being the home of one of the strangest buildings in the world. | fame and fortune After this concert she was firmly on the road to fame and fortune. | a/sb's rise to fame

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

familiarity noun

¹ knowing sb/sth well

ADJ. detailed, greater, intimate | basic

VERB + FAMILIARITY have I had only a basic familiarity with computers. | acquire, gain Over the years, he gained greater familiarity with the culture and way of life in the country.

PREP. ~ with her detailed familiarity with her subject

PHRASES a lack of familiarity

² friendly informal manner

ADJ. easy He treated her with the easy familiarity of an equal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

familiar adj.

¹ well-known

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound The place felt faintly familiar to me. | become | make sth

ADV. distinctly, very The room looked distinctly familiar. | entirely | increasingly | faintly, fairly, quite, rather, reasonably, slightly, vaguely | enough The report's conclusions were already familiar enough to the government. | already | immediately, instantly His face was instantly familiar, even after all those years. | somehow a name that was somehow familiar | curiously, disconcertingly, oddly, strangely Her face looked strangely familiar. | blessedly, comfortingly The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar. | all too, depressingly, horribly, painfully, sickeningly a situation which has become all too familiar to most teachers

PREP. to The name sounded vaguely familiar to her.

² familiar with sth: having a good knowledge of sth

VERBS be, seem | become, get, grow I was now getting much more familiar with the local area.

ADV. extremely, intimately, very | completely, fully, perfectly, thoroughly You will need to be thoroughly familiar with our procedures. | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably | already

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

family noun

¹ group of people related to each other

ADJ. large | old, old-established | land-owning, wealthy, well-to-do | hard-up, low-income, poor tax incentives for low-income families | homeless | close, close-knit We are a very close-knit family and support each other through any crises. | immediate We've only told the immediate family (= the closest relations). | conjugal, nuclear the nuclear family of parents and children | extended maintaining contact with members of his extended family | lone-parent, one-parent, single-parent the difficulties faced by one-parent families | two-parent | adoptive helping emotionally damaged children to find placements with adoptive families | patriarchal | middle-class, working-class, etc. | royal | bereaved a counselling agency to help bereaved families

VERB + FAMILY belong to, be one/part of, come from He belonged to an old-established family. We all knew her so well that we felt she was almost part of the family. Many of our students come from poor families. | marry into She married into a wealthy family. | run in a medical condition which runs in the family | be in This painting has been in our family for generations.

PREP. in a/the ~ These problems occur in all families. | within a/the ~ creating conflict within the family

PHRASES family and friends The support of family and friends is vital. | a member of a family

² children

ADJ. large, small | young parents with young families

VERB + FAMILY have I always wanted to have a large family. | start They got married last year and plan to start a family (= have children) soon. | bring up, raise struggling to bring up a family on a low income | feed, support It is difficult for them to earn enough to feed their families.

FAMILY + NOUN size Average family size has decreased since the Victorian era. | man a good family man, completely devoted to his wife and kids

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

famine noun

ADJ. great, severe, terrible | widespread | imminent, impending Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place.

VERB + FAMINE face, suffer Four million people are now facing famine. countries that regularly suffer famines | cause, produce | relieve

FAMINE + VERB strike When famine strikes, it is often women and children who suffer the most.

FAMINE + NOUN relief | victim

PREP. during a/the ~ Thousands of people died during the terrible famine of that year.

PHRASES a threat of famine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

famous adj.

VERBS be | become | make sb/sth The school was made famous by its association with Charles Dickens.

ADV. really, very | quite | internationally, locally internationally famous rock stars | justly, rightly The city is justly famous for its nightclubs.

PREP. as He was famous as both a teacher and a scientist. | for The town became famous for its lace.

PHRASES rich and famous One day I'll be rich and famous, you'll see! | world famous He became a world famous conductor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fanatic noun

ADJ. real | cricket, fitness, football, keep-fit, health, sports He's a real football fanatic. | religious

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fancy dress noun

VERB + FANCY DRESS don, wear Several of the managers donned fancy dress for the office party.

FANCY DRESS + NOUN ball, party

PREP. in ~ Many of the marathon runners compete in fancy dress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fanfare noun

ADJ. great (often figurative) The new building was opened with great fanfare in January 1895. | trumpet

VERB + FANFARE give, play

FANFARE + VERB sound A trumpet fanfare sounded and the procession began.

PHRASES a fanfare of trumpets

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fang noun

ADJ. long | sharp

VERB + FANG bare, show The wolf growled and bared its sharp fangs. | sink The snake sank its fangs into its victim.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fantastic adj.

¹ very good

VERBS be, feel, look, smell, sound, taste I felt fantastic after my swim. This cake tastes fantastic.

ADV. really, truly We had a really fantastic holiday. | absolutely, just, quite The sense of freedom was absolutely fantastic.

² strange

VERBS be, look, sound

ADV. rather It may sound rather fantastic, but it's the truth. | increasingly The plot gets increasingly fantastic as the film goes on.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fantasy noun

VERB + FANTASY enjoy, have, indulge in | build, weave She had woven a whole fantasy about living in a cottage by the sea. | cherish, nourish I cherished the fantasy that I might one day have a son who would fulfil the dream. | act out Children can act out their fantasies in a secure environment. | fulfil, live (out), play out, satisfy My childhood fantasies were finally fulfilled. He was able to play out his fantasy of pop stardom.

FANTASY + NOUN life, world living in a fantasy world

PREP. ~ about She had a fantasy about going to live on a South Pacific island.

PHRASES the realms of fantasy The idea belonged in the realms of fantasy. | a world of fantasy She felt she had entered a world of fantasy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fan noun

¹ enjoys watching/listening to sb/sth very much

ADJ. adoring, ardent, avid, big, dedicated, devoted, great, keen, loyal, number one, real I'm a big fan of Italian food. one of the team's biggest fans The singer says her dad is her number one fan. | lifelong | armchair For armchair fans back home, it was one of the highlights of the Sydney Olympics. | obsessive The actress is asking the court to protect her from an obsessive fan who is making her life a misery. | cricket, football, rugby, soccer, sports, etc. | jazz, music, pop, etc. | film, movie | home The goal was greeted by jubilation from the home fans. | away, travelling, visiting | opposing/opposition, rival There were clashes between rival fans after the match.

VERB + FAN delight The big band sound of Syd Lawrence and his Orchestra will delight fans. | disappoint, let down Fans will not be disappointed.

FAN + VERB converge on sth, gather, turn out/up Soccer fans converged on the capital for the cup final. More than 40,000 fans turned up for the 12-hour event. | watch sth | applaud (sb/sth), boo (sb/sth), chant sth Over 25,000 fans applauded both teams off the field. | besiege sth Hundreds of fans besieged the star's hotel.

FAN + NOUN club, letter, mail

² machine that creates a current of air

ADJ. electric | cooling | extractor | ceiling, overhead

FAN + NOUN belt, heater

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

far-fetched adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. extremely, impossibly, very The whole story was impossibly far-fetched. | a bit, a little, pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

farce noun

ADJ. complete, total The whole procedure has become a complete farce. | French, Whitehall (both figurative) It was like a Whitehall farce the way I was sent from department to department and everyone said it was someone else's job to help me.

VERB + FARCE become, degenerate into, end in, turn into The debate degenerated into farce when opposing speakers started shouting at each other.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

farewell noun

ADJ. fond | emotional, tearful | sad | silent I said a silent farewell to my village as I left for the city. | final

VERB + FAREWELL bid sb/sth, say, wish sb We bade them a final farewell. | wave I waved farewell to my friends from the deck of the ship. | make The court dignitaries made their farewells to the emperor. | exchange They exchanged fond farewells at the railway station. | be Is this farewell or will we see each other again?

FAREWELL + NOUN appearance This famous warplane is about to make its farewell appearance. | address, speech | performance, tour the band's farewell tour | dinner, party | card, gift, present

PREP. in ~ He raised his hand in farewell. | ~ to She was sorry to bid farewell to Portugal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fare noun

¹ money paid to travel by bus, taxi, etc.

VERB + FARE pay I'm afraid you will have to pay the full fare. | charge Buses charged a standard fare of about 20 pence per mile. | increase, put up | bring down, cut, reduce, slash air fares slashed by a massive 30% | introduce, offer The airline has introduced a cheap return fare to New York. | dodge He faces charges of dodging taxi fares.

FARE + VERB cost (sb) sth The return fare will cost you less than two single tickets. | go up, increase, rise | come down

FARE + NOUN increase, rise | reduction | deal a special fare deal for air travellers

PREP. at... ~ Children travel at half fare.

PHRASES an increase/a rise in fares, a reduction in fares The company is promising reductions in fares.

² passenger in a taxi

VERB + FARE pick up The taxi driver picked up a fare outside the opera house.

³ food; material for listening to, reading, etc.

VERB + FARE offer, serve a restaurant serving traditional Scottish fare | sample tourists seeing the sights and sampling the local Spanish fare

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fare verb

ADV. badly, well She should fare better in this competition. He fared well against his main rival.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

farmer noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

farming noun

VERB + FARMING be engaged in, work in

FARMING + NOUN community | industry | land | method, practice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

farm noun

FARM + VERB lie The farm lies on the hills above the lake. | produce sth a dairy farm producing speciality cheeses

PREP. at a/the ~ The police are investigating a fire at a farm near Whitby. | down on the ~ The myth of happy and contented animals down on the farm is now far from the truth. | on a/the ~ He had lived on that farm all his life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

farm verb

ADV. heavily, intensively The land has been intensively farmed. | organically They farm organically now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fascinating adj.

VERBS be, look, sound | become | make sth | find sth

ADV. deeply, most, really, terribly, truly, very a most fascinating book ‘This is all very fascinating,’ said Wilcox, ‘but I've got a meeting in five minutes.’ | absolutely, quite | endlessly I find the natural world endlessly fascinating.

PREP. to What was fascinating to me was the way the creatures moved.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fascination noun

VERB + FASCINATION have, hold The sea holds a fascination for all children. | develop, feel, find, have He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport. | exercise, exert These exotic plants exert a fascination all of their own. | share She shared his fascination for motorbikes. | gaze in/with, look (on) in/with, stare in/with, watch in/with | listen in/with He looked on in horrified fascination as the ship drew nearer to the rocks.

PREP. in/with ~ She watched in fascination as the cat pounced on the mouse. | ~ for She developed a fascination for these creatures. | ~ in He found great fascination in her quiet, frank manner. | ~ with a lifelong fascination with Baroque music

PHRASES part of the fascination Seeing over a thousand species of fish is part of the fascination of the reef. | a source of fascination to sb His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fashionable adj.

VERBS be, look | become | remain | make sth | consider sth

PREP. among These cars are no longer fashionable among the young.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fashion noun

¹ style of dressing, etc. popular at a particular time

ADJ. current, latest, modern, new | growing | changing, passing changing fashions in education This theory, though recent, is more than a passing fashion. | high The store sells everything from sports clothes to high fashion. | designer the influence of Italian designer fashion on the clothes industry | female, street, youth | architectural, cultural, intellectual

VERB + FASHION be, be in She wore a powdered wig, as was the fashion of the day. Black is always in fashion. | become, come into Pessimism has become the fashion. When did flares first come into fashion? | fall out of, go out of Careful spending has gone out of fashion in our consumer society. | be out of | come back into | be back in | introduce, set, start He set a fashion for large hats. | follow, keep (up) with, keep pace with I've given up trying to keep up with the latest fashions.

FASHION + VERB change watching how fashions change over the years

FASHION + NOUN statement Flared trousers were a fashion statement of the seventies. | model She started her career as a fashion model. | show | shoot photographers at fashion shoots | magazine | scene fresh interest in the New York fashion scene | capital Paris, the world's fashion capital | business, industry, market, trade, world Her summer collection took the fashion world by storm. | company, house, label one of the most successful fashion houses in Milan | retailer, shop | design, photography | designer, editor, photographer | accessory, clothes, garment | victim this season's must-have accessories that no fashion victim will be seen without

PREP. after the ~ of She spoke in French after (= copying) the fashion of the court. | ~ for the fashion for long dresses | ~ in Fashions in art come and go.

PHRASES changes in fashion, the fashion of the day, the height of fashion The palazzo represents the height of architectural fashion for the mid-17th century. | the world of fashion household names in the world of fashion and design

² way you do sth

ADJ. true … The inspector insisted the meeting be held, in true spy novel fashion, in the open air. | normal, orthodox, usual Application for the course can be made in the normal fashion. | conventional, time-honoured, traditional They celebrated their win, in time-honoured fashion, by spraying champagne everywhere. | typical We had just gone out when, in typical fashion, the rain came down. | limited He has a small vocabulary and is only able to express himself in a limited fashion. | positive | no uncertain Karpov struck back in no uncertain fashion to win the seventh game. | meaningful | parrot Students become frustrated with learning verbs parrot fashion. | best (often ironic), exemplary batons ready in best police fashion | civilized | appropriate | cavalier | controlled, orderly, organized, regular, systematic | ad hoc, desultory, haphazard, piecemeal, random, roundabout | arbitrary | straightforward | logical, predictable | linear Costs and revenues are assumed to behave in a linear fashion. | easy, leisurely, relaxed The descent of the footpath starts in easy fashion. | dramatic, spectacular | bizarre, peculiar | mysterious | friendly | jocular | business-like | democratic

VERB + FASHION behave in

PREP. after a ~ So they became friends, after a fashion (= to some extent). | in a ~ Why are they behaving in such a ridiculous fashion? | in … ~ The troops embarked in orderly fashion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fasten verb

ADV. firmly, properly, securely, tightly We fastened all the windows securely. | up | together She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.

PREP. to She fastened the rope to a tree.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fast adj., adv.

VERBS be, seem Her pulse seemed very fast.

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, really, remarkably, surprisingly, very I should make a very fast profit on these. | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively I suppose delivery in two days is quite fast really. | amazingly, blindingly, incredibly, unbelievably He came round the corner blindingly fast. | dangerously

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fast adj., adv.

VERBS be, seem Her pulse seemed very fast.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fast noun

ADJ. long | brief

VERB + FAST go on, keep, observe All members of the religious community keep these fasts. | break In the evening the people break their fast.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fatal adj.

¹ causing death

VERBS be, prove

ADV. near He has not driven since his near fatal crash earlier this year. | always, invariably, universally | often, sometimes, usually | rarely | potentially The disease is potentially fatal.

PREP. for This kind of accident is almost always fatal for the pilot. | to a chemical which is invariably fatal to small mammals

² causing serious trouble

VERBS be, prove

ADV. absolutely | ultimately Her disregard of this advice was ultimately fatal.

PREP. to Tax increases have proved fatal to the nation's business community.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fate noun

¹ sb/sth's future

ADJ. awful, dreadful, grim, terrible | cruel, unhappy | tragic | worse They decided to kill themselves rather than suffer a worse fate at the hands of their enemy. | common, normal, usual | likely Under-representation is the likely fate of small parties. | ultimate | unknown The ultimate fate of the captured troops is unknown. | the same, similar She broke her ankle before the big match, then suffered the same fate a month later.

VERB + FATE face He faces a grim fate if he is sent back to his own country. | meet, suffer, undergo | share He had no desire to share the fate of his executed comrades. | avoid, escape She managed to escape the fate of the other rebels. | deserve What had he done to deserve such a terrible fate? | accept, be resigned to The condemned men were resigned to their fate. | bemoan, bewail Instead of just bemoaning your fate, why not do something to change it? | ponder | seal He had signed his confession and sealed his own fate. | decide An extraordinary general meeting to decide the company's fate will be held on Thursday. | abandon sb/sth to, leave sb/sth to The generals abandoned the men to their fate. | rescue/save sb/sth from | discover, hear (of), know (of), learn (of) He will learn of his fate in court tomorrow. | await The convicts awaited their fate in prison.

FATE + VERB await sb/sth, be/lie in store for sb/sth They were warned of the dreadful fate that awaited them if ever they returned to their homes. | befall sb/sth Worst of all was the fate that befell the captured rebel general. | be/hang in the balance The fate of the African wild dog hangs in the balance (= is uncertain).

PHRASES hold/have sb/sth's fate in your hands The jury held the fate of the accused in their hands. | leave/place/put your fate in sb's hands, a fate worse than death (often humorous) Obeying her parents' wishes for her life seemed a fate worse than death.

² power controlling everything

ADJ. cruel He believed that the universe was controlled by the whims of a cruel fate. | kind Fate was kind to me.

VERB + FATE believe in Such coincidences are almost enough to make one believe in fate. | tempt It would be tempting fate to say that we will definitely win the game. | leave sth to I have a great deal of trust and I leave everything to fate.

FATE + VERB decide sth, decree sth Fate decreed that she would never reach America. | intervene He secretly hoped that fate would intervene and save him having to meet her. | strike Only weeks after her previous injury, fate struck again, leaving her unable to compete. | deal a/its hand, deal sb a hand Anne accepted the cruel hand that fate had dealt her. | take a hand Fate took a hand in (= influenced) the outcome of the championship.

PHRASES an accident/quirk/turn/twist of fate It seemed a cruel twist of fate that the composer should have died so young. | the hand of fate The new job had come at just the right time for him. Was it the hand of fate?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

father noun

ADJ. lone, single As a single father, he found it a struggle bringing up three children. | widowed | absent | biological, natural, real | adoptive, foster, step- | surrogate Elena's brother was a surrogate father to her kids after her husband died. | elderly, old | dead, deceased, late | caring, devoted, good, loving, marvellous He is very good with children and would make a marvellous father. | adoring, doting, indulgent | beloved She kept the books that had belonged to her beloved father. | proud He has just become the proud father of a baby girl. | domineering, overbearing, possessive | drunken, violent | doctor, engineer, immigrant, etc. Their musician father encouraged their love of music.

VERB + FATHER resemble, take after The two boys were like their mother in character, but Louise took after her father. | follow, succeed She followed her father into the legal profession. He succeeded his father as Professor of Botany. | inherit sth from She inherited the urge to travel from her father.

FATHER + NOUN figure Some of his students regard him as a father figure.

PHRASES a father of two, etc. Boland, a father of two, was arrested on charges of theft. | follow in your father's footsteps He followed in his father's footsteps and became a motor mechanic. | the death/loss of your father

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fatigue noun

¹ great tiredness

ADJ. extreme, severe | growing | general | mental, physical | battle, compassion soldiers suffering from battle fatigue Compassion fatigue among donor countries means there is less money for worthy causes. | driver car accidents caused by driver fatigue

VERB + FATIGUE suffer from, drop (down) with | combat, fight (off), reduce The right vitamins help you combat fatigue.

FATIGUE + VERB set in She had to stop work when fatigue set in. | overcome sb

PREP. from ~ crying from cold and fatigue | with ~ The man was shivering with fatigue.

PHRASES a feeling of fatigue, signs of fatigue 2 fatigues clothes worn by soldiers

ADJ. army, battle, combat | camouflage

PHRASES in ~ soldiers in combat fatigues > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fat adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, get, grow | make sb Try to cut out the foods that are making you fat.

ADV. enormously, hugely, immensely, really, very | quite, rather | grossly, monstrously

PHRASES big/great fat sitting next to a big fat woman a big fat envelope stuffed with banknotes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fat noun

¹ substance directly under your skin

ADJ. excess, surplus | body | puppy It wasn't easy to lose puppy fat when Mum fed her on stodgy home cooking.

VERB + FAT go to, put on, run to If you eat too much you will put on fat. She was middle-aged and running to fat. | burn (off), lose, shed Exercise helps you burn off excess fat. | break down Claims that anti-cellulite creams can break down fat are controversial.

FAT + VERB accumulate The waistline is usually the first area where fat accumulates.

PHRASES not an ounce of fat His body was all muscle, with not an ounce of fat. | a roll of fat He had great rolls of fat round his middle.

² in your diet/used in cooking

VERB + FAT contain, have This cheese has a lot of fat in it. | be high/low in fat Ice cream is high in fat and sugar. | eat The amount of fat you eat can affect the health of your heart. | cut down on It's easy to cut down on fat without changing your diet too much. | cut out She has cut out fat altogether in an effort to lose weight. | cut, trim Trim any visible fat off the meat before cooking. | drain (off), pour off, skim off Remove the turkey from the pan and drain off the excess fat.

FAT + VERB contain sth Fats contain more calories than carbohydrates for the same weight. | spit The only sound from the kitchen was the lamb fat spitting.

FAT + NOUN intake the relationship between fat intake and cholesterol levels | content Despite its very low fat content, it is deliciously creamy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fault noun

¹ responsibility for sth wrong

ADJ. stupid It's his own stupid fault his car was stolen?he should have kept it locked.

FAULT + VERB lie with sb The fault lay not with her but with her manager.

PREP. at ~ The party at fault in a court case usually pays the other party's legal costs. | through sb's ~ Many of the soldiers died through his fault. | without ~ Having made an error of judgement she was not without fault in the matter.

PHRASES be all/entirely your (own) fault It's all your own fault, you know. | be largely/partly your (own) fault, be hardly your (own) fault, fault on sb's part (law) the absence of fault on the part of the prosecution | through no fault of your own helping people who, through no fault of their own, have lost their homes

² weakness in sb's character

ADJ. great Her great fault was that she thought too well of herself. | moral

VERB + FAULT have We all have our faults. | be blind to, overlook He is blind to his son's faults. She was prepared to overlook his faults.

PREP. ~ in Incorrectness in speech was considered a great fault in a gentleman.

PHRASES for all sb's faults For all her faults (= in spite of her faults) she was a great woman. | to a fault He is generous to a fault (= very generous and perhaps too generous).

³ sth wrong or not perfect with sth

VERB + FAULT have The engine has a serious fault. | develop The car soon developed another fault. | look for | diagnose, discover, find, identify, locate They've found a major fault with the electrical system. When she tested the recorder she could find no fault with it. | find, pick My mother did nothing but find fault with my schoolboy manners. He's deliberately picking fault with the meal to get a reduction on the bill. | correct, fix, rectify, repair trying to correct the faults in the program | report You should report any fault directly to the phone company.

FAULT + VERB occur | lie in sth The fault lay in the structure of the economy.

FAULT + NOUN detection, diagnosis, finding

PREP. ~ in Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body. | ~ with She was always finding fault with his manners.

PHRASES for all its faults For all its faults (= in spite of the faults), we love this city.

⁴ in tennis

ADJ. double | foot

VERB + FAULT serve Even tennis champions sometimes serve double faults.

⁵ geology

ADJ. geological

FAULT + NOUN line | scarp | system, zone

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

favourable adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | remain

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, highly, very She gained a highly favourable impression of the company. | extraordinarily, overwhelmingly | fairly, moderately, quite | broadly, generally His proposals met with a broadly favourable response. | uniquely

PREP. for Conditions are now favourable for skiing. | to The court's judgement was favourable to their client.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

favourite noun

¹ sb/sth that you like more than others

ADJ. firm, great, huge, particular, special, very This painting is a particular favourite of mine. My very favourite film is ‘The Wizard of Oz’. | all-time, established, old, perennial, traditional This movie is my all-time favourite. You will find all your old favourites in this book of poems. | family, personal, popular

VERB + FAVOURITE choose If I had to choose a favourite, it would be Monet's ‘Water Lilies’.

PREP. ~ for The woods surrounding the estate were a favourite for family walks. | ~ among He is a favourite among his teammates. | ~ with The song is a firm favourite with their fans.

² competitor expected to win

ADJ. clear, firm, hot, odds-on, overwhelming, red-hot She is odds-on favourite to win a coveted Academy Award. | second | joint | even money The horse is an even money favourite. | 2?1, etc. Tiger Woods is 3?2 favourite to win the Million Dollar Challenge. | home, local | cup, race, title

VERB + FAVOURITE look, start (as) The Brazilians still look firm favourites to take the title. | emerge as

PREP. ~ for Jopanini is second favourite for Saturday's race, behind Bright Spark.

PHRASES favourite to win The Spanish are the favourites to win.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

favouritism noun

VERB + FAVOURITISM show | accuse sb of

PREP. ~ to/towards She denied showing favouritism to any of her students.

PHRASES accusations of favouritism He resigned over accusations of favouritism.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

favour noun

¹ sth that helps sb

ADJ. big, great | little, small | special | personal As a personal favour to me, please don't release my story to the press. | political, sexual

VERB + FAVOUR ask I came here to ask you a favour, a big favour. | expect Although I am friends with the tennis ace, I don't expect any favours from him on court. | bestow, do, grant sb Rodrigo accepted the favours bestowed on him by the new king. Do yourself a favour and cut your credit cards in half. | owe sb I'll ask Jane. She owes me a favour. | return Thanks very much. I'll return the favour one day. | seek | obtain | accept, receive

² approval or support for sb/sth

ADJ. great, high, particular Traditionally, vigilante groups have found greater favour on the political right. He stood in high favour at the court of Lewis the Pious. | divine, government, political, royal In the Christian tradition, the world exists only as an act of divine favour.

VERB + FAVOUR be in, enjoy, have, stand in The bishop was said to have enjoyed the king's favour. | find, gain, win Her political views have not found favour in recent years. | curry trying to curry favour with the teachers | show As an examiner, she showed no favour to any candidate. | be out of | fall from, fall out of, lose The senior officials were punished and rapidly fell from favour. This idea has long since fallen out of favour. | be back in, bring sth back into, come back into A style of art can go out of fashion and then come back into favour fifty years later. | argue in, speak (out) in to argue in favour of this policy | come down/out in, decide in, find in, resolve in, rule in, vote in The committee came down in favour of setting up a national body. The High Court found in favour of the plaintiffs. | work in Environmental conservation generally works in favour of maintaining the status quo. | go in The golf tournament went in the Americans' favour (= they won).

PREP. in ~ of He is strongly in favour of capital punishment. Early in his musical career he abandoned blues in favour of jazz. | in sth's ~ This piece of software has two points in its favour: it's fast and inexpensive. | ~ with She is too popular with the public to find much favour with the critics.

PHRASES an argument in sb/sth's favour an argument in favour of censorship | a bias in sb/sth's favour, look with favour on/upon sb/sth Depth of training is looked upon with favour by many employers. | without fear or favour (= in a fair way)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

favour verb

ADV. strongly We strongly favour reform of the system.

VERB + FAVOUR appear to, be known to, be likely to, be thought to, seem to, tend to The prime minister is thought to favour an early referendum on the issue.

PREP. at the expense of He favoured some individuals at the expense of others. | over News coverage should not favour one party over another.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fax noun

ADJ. incoming

VERB + FAX send (sb) | get, receive

PREP. by ~ There was still time to receive copies by fax. | ~ from, ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fearful adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem | become, grow | remain | leave sb, make sb The experience had left her fearful and uncertain.

ADV. extremely, very | almost | a bit, a little, rather, slightly | understandably

PREP. about understandably fearful about the future | for I felt fearful for my life. | of He was fearful of every shadow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fearless adj.

VERBS be, seem | make sb

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally, utterly

PREP. in She was fearless in her attacks on public figures.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fear noun

ADJ. deep, great, real, terrible It was the first time she had experienced real fear. | growing | irrational | unfounded, well-founded Our fears proved unfounded.

VERB + FEAR experience, feel, have She did not know why she should feel such fear. | be filled with, be gripped by, be paralysed by/with, be trembling with | express, show, voice The boy showed no fear. Doctors have voiced fears that we may be facing an epidemic. | cause, fuel, instil This incident has fuelled fears of a full-scale war. the fear that her mother had instilled in her | allay, dispel, overcome The government is keen to allay the public's fears. She managed to overcome her fear. | live in The people live in fear of attack by the bandits.

FEAR + VERB abate, subside When she heard the news, some of her fear subsided. | grip sb, haunt sb A sudden fear gripped him.

PREP. for ~ of Nobody refused for fear of losing their job. | in ~ He ran away in fear. | out of ~ He lied out of fear. | through ~ The pupils obeyed through fear of punishment. | without ~ She stared at him without fear. | with ~ His face was white with fear. | ~ about his fear about what might happen | ~ for my fear for her safety | ~ of They have a terrible fear of failure.

PHRASES fear and trepidation The men set off in fear and trepidation. | strike fear into (the heart of) sb The sound of gunfire struck fear into the hearts of the villagers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fear verb

ADV. genuinely, greatly, really, seriously This disease is greatly feared. I really feared that this might be the end. | rightly Everyone rightly feared the coming war.

VERB + FEAR seem to | begin to | have little/nothing to You have nothing to fear from him. | have reason to I have reason to fear that you might abuse your power.

PREP. for We feared for their safety.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feasibility noun

ADJ. economic, technical

VERB + FEASIBILITY consider, discuss, examine, explore, investigate, look at, study | assess, determine, evaluate, test a drilling project to assess the feasibility of bringing the water four miles into the village | demonstrate | prove | doubt, express doubts about, question Some of them doubted the feasibility of the proposal.

FEASIBILITY + NOUN study The local council called for a feasibility study into the new road scheme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feasible adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | consider sth A tunnel was not considered economically feasible.

ADV. entirely, perfectly, quite It's perfectly feasible to produce electricity without creating pollution. | barely, hardly, not really, scarcely | administratively, economically, financially, politically, technically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feast noun

¹ special meal

ADJ. delicious | great, sumptuous Villagers used to hold a great feast at harvest time. | village, wedding

VERB + FEAST give, have, hold | make, prepare The women were busy preparing the wedding feast. | provide (sb with) The migrating salmon provide a delicious feast for the brown bear. | attend

PREP. at a/the ~ | ~ of a feast of Spanish food and wine

² religious festival

ADJ. moveable (the date of which varies from year to year)

VERB + FEAST celebrate

FEAST + NOUN day

PREP. on the ~ of on the feast of St John | ~ of the feast of the Passover

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feather noun

ADJ. breast, neck, tail | ostrich, peacock, etc. | downy the downy feathers on the duck's breast

VERB + FEATHER preen a swan preening its feathers | fluff (out/up) The owl fluffed out its feathers. | ruffle Its feathers were ruffled by the chill breeze. | pluck plucking the dead hen's feathers

FEATHER + NOUN duster, pillow

PHRASES as light as a feather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feature noun

¹ important part of sth

ADJ. basic, central, essential, important, key, main, major, significant | conspicuous, distinctive, distinguishing, dominant, notable, noteworthy, noticeable, predominant, prominent a distinctive feature of his poems | outstanding, remarkable, striking | attractive, endearing, eye-catching | interesting, special, unusual | salient He took me around our new offices, pointing out all the salient features. | useful | characteristic, typical | unique | common the common feature in all these cases | permanent, regular These walks became a regular feature of his day. | recurring Self-deprecation is a recurring feature as Stevenson talks. | redeeming The one redeeming feature of the scheme was its low cost to the council. | original The house retains most of its original features. | built-in | additional | constructional, design, physical, structural | energy-saving, safety a car with new built-in safety features

VERB + FEATURE have The site had a number of interesting features. | retain | point out

FEATURE + VERB distinguish sth the essential feature that distinguishes anorexia nervosa from other eating disorders | characterize sth A feature that characterizes all anteaters is an extremely slow metabolic rate. | include sth Special features include passenger airbags and an electric sunroof.

² features: sb's face

VERB + FEATURE have She's got very delicate features.

PREP. with ~ a young woman with fine features

³ newspaper article/television item

ADJ. big, major, special | regular The magazine runs a regular feature on ethnic cooking. | in-depth

VERB + FEATURE do, have, publish, run Next month they will publish a special feature on computer books.

FEATURE + NOUN writer

PREP. ~ on an in-depth feature on the Italian fashion scene

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feature verb

¹ include sth as an important part

ADV. regularly Women's magazines regularly feature diets and exercise regimes. | rarely

PHRASES be featured in/on sth His work is featured in a special documentary tonight. The school has been featured on television.

² have a part in sth

ADV. heavily, highly, largely, prominently, significantly, strongly Reading over his past speeches, you'll see that housing, public health and education feature strongly.

PREP. in Garlic features prominently in her recipes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feat noun

VERB + FEAT accomplish, achieve, bring off, perform, pull off He has pulled off an extraordinary feat in completing the voyage single-handedly. | be capable of She was capable of remarkable feats of endurance. | repeat | emulate He emulated the feat of the legendary athlete Jesse Owens.

PREP. ~ of a remarkable feat of strength

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

February noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

federation noun

ADJ. loose He proposed a loose federation of small, local groups. | national | international, world the International Federation of Football Clubs | athletics, soccer, etc. the British Athletics Federation | employers', industry, labour, police, trade union

VERB + FEDERATION create, form, set up They were now ready to create a national labour federation.

FEDERATION + VERB break up The federation broke up in 1989.

PREP. in a/the ~ the six republics in the federation | within a/the ~ He urged them to remain within the federation. | ~ of a federation of over 3,000 organizations

PHRASES a member of a federation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feedback noun

ADJ. constructive, favourable, good, positive, useful, valuable | negative | appropriate, relevant | direct | immediate, instant The writer gets no immediate feedback and simply has to imagine the reader's reaction.

VERB + FEEDBACK give sb, provide (sb with) | get, have, obtain, receive | collect

PREP. ~ about/on They will be given feedback on their performance. | ~ from I've had a lot of very constructive feedback from the students about this.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feed verb

¹ give food to a person/animal/plant

ADV. properly, well Have they been feeding you well? | regularly

VERB + FEED help (to) Let us discipline ourselves so as to help feed a hungry world.

PREP. on She fed the children on baked beans and fish fingers. | to Most of the crop is fed to the cattle. | with The animals are fed with hay and grass.

PHRASES a mouth to feed He saw the new baby as just another mouth to feed.

² eat

ADV. voraciously The bears feed voraciously in summer and store energy as fat. | busily Egrets and a solitary grey heron were busily feeding. | mainly, predominantly | exclusively

PREP. on The seals feed mainly on fish and squid.

³ supply sth

ADV. directly

PREP. into The data is fed directly into a computer. | through This feeds the paper through to the printer. | to, with feeding the media with rumours and accusations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feeling noun

¹ sth that you feel/sense/believe

ADJ. strong | definite, distinct | nagging, sneaking/sneaky, vague I had a nagging feeling that I had forgotten something. | glorious, good, great, marvellous, warm, wonderful It was a good feeling to be arriving home again. | horrible, nasty, queasy, sick, sinking, terrible, tight, uncomfortable, uneasy He suddenly had a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. I've got a tight feeling in my stomach. | guilty | curious, eerie, odd, peculiar, strange | gut, instinctive My gut feeling was that we couldn't trust her. | general, popular, public The general feeling of the meeting was against the decision.

VERB + FEELING feel, get, have He felt a wonderful warm feeling come over him. Do you get the feeling that we're not welcome here? | give sb, leave sb with She was left with the feeling that he did not care. | know (informal) ‘I really resent the way he treated me.’ ‘I know the feeling (= I know how you feel).’ | arouse, evoke, inspire a case that has aroused strong public feeling

FEELING + VERB come over sb | be mutual ‘I'm going to miss you.’ ‘The feeling's mutual (= I feel exactly the same).’

PREP. ~ about I don't have any strong feelings about it one way or the other. | ~ of a feeling of excitement | ~ on What are your feelings on this issue?

² feelings: emotions

VERB + FEELING experience, harbour, have, suffer She experienced a whole range of feelings. He still harboured feelings of resentment. She was lucky that she had suffered no more than hurt feelings. | express, give vent to, release, show, vent He finds it difficult to express his feelings. I finally gave vent to my feelings and started yelling at him. | articulate, describe, discuss, talk about discussing his innermost feelings with me | bottle up, hide, mask, repress, suppress trying to hide her true feelings | banish He was determined to banish all feelings of guilt. | hurt I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings. | spare We didn't tell Jane because we wanted to spare her feelings. | arouse, engender, evoke, inspire The debate aroused strong feelings on both sides. | heighten It was the practical aspect of life that heightened her feelings of loneliness and loss. | understand | reciprocate, return Although she did not reciprocate his feelings, she did not discourage him.

FEELING + VERB come into sth Personal feelings don't come into it?we have to do what's right. | run high Feelings were running high (= people were very angry or excited)as the meeting continued.

PREP. ~ for It makes no difference to my feelings for you. | ~ of his feelings of grief | ~ towards her feelings of anger towards him

PHRASES no hard feelings (informal) Someone's got to lose. No hard feelings, Dave, eh?

³ understanding/sensitivity

ADJ. great, wonderful

VERB + FEELING have | develop He had developed a feeling for when not to disturb her.

PREP. with ~ She spoke with feeling about the plight of the homeless. | ~ for She has a wonderful feeling for colour.

⁴ sympathy/love

VERB + FEELING have You have no feeling for the sufferings of others.

PREP. ~ for She still had a lot of feeling for David.

⁵ anger

ADJ. bad, ill

VERB + FEELING cause, create, lead to | stir up

PREP. ~ against Their aim was to stir up feeling against the war. | ~ between There was a lot of bad feeling between the two groups of students.

⁶ ability to feel physically

VERB + FEELING lose | regain

PREP. ~ in After the accident he lost all feeling in his legs.

⁷ atmosphere

VERB + FEELING create, recreate They have managed to recreate the feeling of the original theatre.

PREP. ~ of Light colours create a feeling of spaciousness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feel verb

ADV. deeply, strongly She felt her mother's death very deeply.

PREP. about He feels very strongly about a lot of issues.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fee noun

ADJ. exorbitant, fat (informal), hefty, high, huge, large, substantial I expect you had to pay a fat fee to your divorce lawyers. | low, modest, nominal, reasonable, small We had to pay a nominal fee to join the club. Their fees are quite reasonable. | fixed, flat, set Many tax advisers now offer fixed fee interviews. | full | concessionary, reduced | normal, standard, usual | appropriate Send the form, together with the appropriate fee, to the Land Registry. | additional, extra, top-up There is no additional fee or paperwork for this insurance cover. | outstanding, unpaid We will be taking active steps to collect the outstanding fees. | annual, hourly, monthly | court, legal | consultancy, professional the professional fees of the solicitors and accountants involved | admission, entrance, entry, joining, membership, subscription a £30 membership fee | administration, arrangement, booking, cancellation, handling, licence, registration | college, course, school, student, tuition | transfer (= charges paid by a football club ‘buying’ a player from another team) | green (= a charge to use a golf course)

FEE + VERB be due, be payable All fees are payable when the invoice is issued. | cover sth, include sth The fee includes the cost of testing the electric wiring. | go up The admission fee has gone up.

FEE + NOUN income The firm's consultancy fee income rose by 3% last year. | structure

PREP. for a ~ For a small fee, anyone can use these facilities. | ~ for We now charge a fee for museum entrance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fellow noun

¹ man

ADJ. old, young | big, little | handsome | charming, fine, good, nice, splendid | lucky, poor (= unlucky)

² member of an academic society/college

ADJ. junior, senior | honorary, research, teaching

VERB + FELLOW elect sb

PREP. ~ of He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feminine adj.

VERBS be, feel

ADV. really, very | almost | traditionally Girls may be given fancier names because this fits in with a traditionally feminine image.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feminism noun

ADJ. contemporary, modern | egalitarian, liberal, socialist | militant, radical, revolutionary | Western

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feminist noun

ADJ. active, committed | egalitarian | militant, radical | Western

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fence noun

ADJ. high | low | barbed-wire, chain-link, iron, mesh, metal, picket, wire, wooden There was a cottage garden at the front and a white picket fence. | electric | boundary, garden, perimeter, security the airport perimeter fence | political (figurative) a proposal favoured by people on both sides of the political fence

VERB + FENCE build, erect, put up | climb (over), jump (over)

FENCE + NOUN post

PREP. over a/the ~ She leaned over the fence. | ~ around/round a fence around the site

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fend verb PHRASAL VERBS fend for yourself

VERB + FEND be able to | be left to, have to The children were left to fend for themselves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ferment noun

ADJ. heady, intense | artistic, creative, cultural, intellectual | political, revolutionary a period of intense political ferment

PREP. in (a) ~ The country was in ferment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ferocity noun

ADJ. great, sheer | unexpected

PREP. with ~ It attacks its prey with great ferocity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ferry noun

ADJ. cross-channel | night | car, passenger

VERB + FERRY get, go on, take, travel on, use | wait for | catch | board, drive onto | drive off, get off

FERRY + VERB carry sb, take sb a ferry carrying more than a thousand people | arrive, come in, dock We watched the ferry dock. | depart, go, leave, sail The last ferry sails at 4 p.m. | cross sth the ferries that cross the River Mersey | run Ferries run every hour or so.

PREP. aboard/on/on board a/the ~ the people on the ferry | by ~ We went by night ferry. | ~ across/over We caught the ferry across the river. | ~ between the ferry between Dundee and Tayport | ~ for/to the ferry for Italy | ~ from the ferry from Ramsgate to Dunkirk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fertile adj.

VERBS be, look | become | remain, stay

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly fertile soil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fertilizer noun

ADJ. natural | artificial, chemical | liquid

VERB + FERTILIZER spray, spread, use He spread fertilizer on the field with a rake.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fervour noun

ADJ. great | evangelical, moral, religious | nationalist, patriotic, revolutionary

VERB + FERVOUR arouse The speech aroused nationalist fervour.

PREP. with ~ He took up the cause with evangelical fervour. | ~ for their fervour for the cause

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

festival noun

¹ series of performances/events

ADJ. big, major | annual | autumn, spring, etc. | international, local | arts, beer, cultural, dance, drama, film, flower, folk, jazz, literary, music, rock, theatre

VERB + FESTIVAL have, hold | attend, go to, visit | organize | appear at, take part in The school has taken part in the festival since 1997.

FESTIVAL + VERB take place | begin, open, start | attract sb The festival attracts thousands of visitors every year.

FESTIVAL + NOUN organizer | events, programme

PREP. at a/the ~ He's appearing at a local folk festival tonight. | during a/the ~ the movies shown during the eight-day festival | in a/the ~ the events in this year's festival

² religious celebration

ADJ. great, important, major | annual | pagan, religious | Christian, Muslim, etc. | harvest

VERB + FESTIVAL celebrate, observe The family always observes the Jewish festivals.

PREP. at/on a/the ~ the pilgrims who arrived on major festivals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

festivities noun

ADJ. Christmas, seasonal

VERB + FESTIVITIES join in, take part in | enjoy

PREP. during the ~ She managed to disappear during the festivities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

feud noun

ADJ. long, long-running, long-standing, old | bitter | petty | blood Blood feuds and general gangsterism added to the local crime rate. | family, internecine, personal, private a long-standing family feud

VERB + FEUD have | start The incident started a family feud. | settle a time to settle old feuds

PREP. ~ between the feuds between rival companies | ~ over They had a long-running feud over money. | ~ with his personal feud with the city authorities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fever noun

¹ high temperature

ADJ. high, raging She had a very high fever. | slight | glandular, rheumatic, scarlet, etc.

QUANT. bout He suffered from recurrent bouts of fever.

VERB + FEVER have, run, suffer from He put his hand to my forehead as if I was running a fever. | catch, come/go down with, develop James has gone down with a fever. | die of | bring down, reduce drugs which can help to bring down the fever | be accompanied by Inflammation is frequently accompanied by fever.

PREP. with a ~ He was in bed with a fever. > Special page at ILLNESS

² nervous excitement

ADJ. election, World Cup

FEVER + VERB grip sb Election fever suddenly gripped the nation.

PREP. in a ~ of She was in a fever of anxiety about him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fibre noun

¹ in food

ADJ. dietary your total daily intake of dietary fibre | vegetable

VERB + FIBRE be high/rich in foods that are rich in fibre

FIBRE + NOUN content foods that have a high fibre content | intake

PHRASES a high/low fibre diet the problems associated with a low fibre diet | an intake of fibre, a source of fibre Peaches are a good source of fibre.

² material/body tissue

VERB + FIBRE be made from/of Wear underwear that is made from natural fibres.

FIBRE + NOUN optics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fib noun

VERB + FIB tell Don't tell fibs!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fickle adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very | a bit, rather | notoriously The television world was a notoriously fickle one.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fictional adj.

VERBS be The names of the shops are entirely fictional.

ADV. entirely, purely, wholly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fiction noun

¹ stories that are not true

ADJ. contemporary, modern | classic | light, popular, pulp | literary, serious | crime, detective, historical, romantic, science

VERB + FICTION publish, write | read

PHRASES a work of fiction He has written over 20 works of fiction. | a writer of fiction a well-known writer of crime fiction

² sth that is not true

ADJ. pure Don't believe what she says?it's pure fiction!

VERB + FICTION keep up, maintain She still tries to maintain the fiction that she is happily married.

PHRASES fact and fiction Fact and fiction became all jumbled up in his report of the robbery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fictitious adj.

VERBS be His story is wholly fictitious.

ADV. entirely, purely, totally, wholly | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fidelity noun

ADJ. great | absolute | marital

PREP. with ~ telling the story with great fidelity to the original | ~ to They swore an oath of fidelity to their king.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fidget verb

ADV. nervously

PREP. with She was fidgeting nervously with her pen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fieldwork noun

ADJ. extensive, intensive | detailed

VERB + FIELDWORK be engaged in, carry out, conduct, do, participate in, undertake

FIELDWORK + NOUN student

PREP. during/in the course of ~ evidence obtained during fieldwork | ~ on extensive fieldwork on chimpanzees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

field noun

¹ on a farm

VERB + FIELD work in People were working in the fields. | cultivate, work Despite the war, they continued to work the fields. | plough | plant He planted fields full of sunflowers. | graze in

PREP. across/through a/the ~ walking across the field | (out) in a/the ~ tractors working out in the field | ~ of a field of wheat

² subject/activity

ADJ. chosen, specialist All of them are experts in their chosen field. | research

VERB + FIELD work in people who work in this field | open up This discovery has opened up a whole new field of research.

PREP. in a/the ~ There has been no solid research in this field. | outside a/sb's ~ I can't answer that?I'm afraid it's outside my field (= outside the subject I am studying/know sth about). | ~ of now working in the field of computer science

PHRASES an expert/a leader in the field, a field of research/study

³ practical work

VERB + FIELD work in

FIELD + NOUN investigation, research, study, trial | methods | trip We went on a geology field trip.

PREP. in the ~ essential reading for those working in the field

⁴ for playing a sport

ADJ. playing, sports | football, rugby, etc.

VERB + FIELD take Today they take the field (= go on to the field to play a match) against county champions Essex.

PREP. on a/the ~ people walking their dogs on the school's playing field | off the ~ Players need discipline both on and off the field (= when playing and in other areas of their lives).

⁵ the field: competitors in a sport/business

ADJ. strong

VERB + FIELD head, lead She managed to head the field across the finishing line of the London Marathon. They lead the field in home entertainment systems.

FIELD + VERB include sb The strong field includes three world record holders.

PREP. ahead of the ~ His superb technique puts him head and shoulders ahead of the field.

⁶ in science

ADJ. electric, electromagnetic, energy, force, gravitational, magnetic the earth's magnetic field

FIELD + NOUN strength

⁷ computing

ADJ. display, input

VERB + FIELD create You will need to create separate fields for first name, surname and address. | move between the use of keys to move between fields > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fifty-fifty adj., adv.

VERBS be | divide sth, go, split sth We'll divide the profit fifty-fifty. We went fifty-fifty on the meal.

ADV. about, roughly The chances of reaching the survivors in time are about fifty-fifty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fifty-fifty adj., adv.

VERBS be | divide sth, go, split sth We'll divide the profit fifty-fifty. We went fifty-fifty on the meal.

ADV. about, roughly The chances of reaching the survivors in time are about fifty-fifty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fighting noun

VERB + FIGHTING end, halt, stop holding talks designed to end the fighting | take part in The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. | be killed in, die in | escape, flee refugees fleeing the fighting

PREP. during/in the ~ He was badly wounded during the fighting. | ~ between There has been renewed fighting between the government forces and the rebels.

PHRASES a lull in the fighting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fight noun

¹ struggle using physical force

ADJ. big | fierce, furious | real Suddenly the argument developed into a real fight. | good There's nothing he likes so much as a good fight. | fair It was a fair fight and Stephen won. | free They inadvertently got mixed up in a free fight involving some 20 people. | running He was killed during a series of running fights outside a disco. | stand-up, straight In a straight fight the crusaders usually won; in skirmishes, the Saracens often overcame their more numerous opponents. | pub, street | gang | fist | food, pillow, water | championship, title watching the world title fight between Tyson and Lewis | professional | heavyweight, etc. | bull (also bullfight), cock, dog

VERB + FIGHT pick, start He tried to pick a fight with me. I don't know who started the fight. | be looking for, be spoiling for, want Andy was drunk and spoiling for a fight. | be in, get into, get involved in, get mixed up in, have Don't get into any more fights! | break up, stop The fight was broken up by a teacher. | win | lose | watch

FIGHT + VERB take place The dog fights took place every Sunday morning. | break out, erupt, start | ensue A fight ensued which left one man dead.

PREP. in a/the ~ He killed a man in a fight. | ~ about/over They nearly had a fight over who should move first. | ~ between fights between police and football fans | ~ with They got involved in a fight with some older boys.

² trying to get/do sth

ADJ. brave, good, strong She died at the age of 43 after a brave fight against cancer. | hard, long, real, tough a long fight to beat inflation | bitter, desperate | legal

VERB + FIGHT put up Coal workers are determined to put up a fight to save their jobs. | lead, spearhead leading the fight for compensation for the sacked workers | join (in) Doctors have now joined in the fight to make this treatment available to all. | face Now he is facing his toughest fight yet?back to fitness after a series of injuries. | be engaged in He is still engaged in a bitter fight with his old firm. | carry on, continue, keep up She said they would continue their fight to find a cure for Aids. | step up The government has vowed to step up the fight against crime. | take She vowed to take her fight to the High Court. | win | lose Are we losing the fight against illegal drugs? | give up She just gave up her fight for life.

FIGHT + VERB be on The fight is on to have this brutal practice stamped out. | continue, go on The fight for justice goes on.

PREP. without a ~ I'm not giving up without a fight! | ~ against a new weapon in the fight against car crime | ~ for their fight for a fair deal

PHRASES a fight for life/survival the firm's desperate fight for survival in a cut-throat market | have a fight on your hands Union leaders know that they have got a real fight on their hands.

³ competition

ADJ. brave, good, great, strong, tremendous | straight

VERB + FIGHT put up The team put up a good fight (= they played well) but were finally beaten.

FIGHT + VERB be on

PREP. ~ between This will be a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives: the other parties are nowhere. | ~ for The fight for supremacy in the sport is on.

PHRASES a fight to the death (figurative) By 1807 politics had become a fight to the death between the two factions. | a fight to the finish If the polls are wrong and it's a fight to the finish, the result may not be known until all the votes have been counted. | have a fight on your hands She now has a fight on her hands (= will have to play very well) to make it through to the next round. | make a fight of it No doubt Ferguson wants his team to make a fight of it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fight verb

¹ in a war/battle

ADV. bravely, gallantly, valiantly | bitterly, hard | back, off

VERB + FIGHT be prepared to, be ready to He did not believe that the enemy was ready to fight. | continue to

PREP. against They fought bravely against the enemy. | alongside fighting alongside his comrades | for They fought for control of the island. | over fighting over disputed land

² struggle against/hit sb

ADV. bitterly, hard | back, off The jeweller was stabbed as he tried to fight the robbers off.

VERB + FIGHT be prepared to

PREP. against She fought hard against his strong grip. | with Riot police fought with militants demonstrating in support of the uprising.

³ in a contest

ADV. bitterly, hard | successfully

VERB + FIGHT be determined to, be prepared to, be ready to We need a good manager who is prepared to fight for a fair share of the funds. | continue to

PREP. for Regional monopolies were bitterly fought for.

PHRASES fiercely/keenly fought The second half was keenly fought, but neither side managed to score.

⁴ try to stop/achieve sth

ADV. hard, like a tiger, tooth and nail (= in a very determined way) He fought hard to overcome his disability. She'll fight like a tiger to protect her children. The residents are fighting tooth and nail to stop the new development. | doggedly, stubbornly, tenaciously | desperately | successfully | back, off It is time to fight back against street crime.

VERB + FIGHT be determined to, be prepared to, be ready to, vow to | continue to | help (to)

PREP. against They are committed to fighting against racism. | for fighting for equal rights

⁵ argue

ADV. bitterly

PREP. about It's a trivial matter and not worth fighting about. | over The children will fight over quite small things. | with He's always fighting with his brother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

figure noun

¹ amount/price

VERB + FIGURE reach The rate of inflation has now reached double figures. | add (together/up) | release The government has just released new unemployment figures.

FIGURE + VERB add up These figures don't add up. | be bandied about Lots of different figures were being bandied about.

PHRASES according to (the) figures The industry remains in the doldrums, according to official figures out today. | in round figures 2 figures arithmetic

PHRASES good/bad at figures I was never very good at figures. | have a head for figures

³ person

PREP. ~ of a figure of authority/fun

⁴ shape of a person

FIGURE + NOUN painter, painting

⁵ shape of sb's body

VERB + FIGURE cut, have He cut a dashing figure in his uniform. | keep She's kept her figure after all these years. | watch You need to watch your figure. | lose

PHRASES a fine figure of a man/woman

⁶ picture/diagram

VERB + FIGURE see See Figure 8.

FIGURE + VERB show sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

figure verb

ADV. largely, prominently, significantly, strongly | hardly, scarcely Vegetables hardly figure at all in their diet.

PREP. among This man did not figure among the suspects. | in The issue figured prominently in our discussion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

file verb

¹ put sth in a file

ADV. carefully | alphabetically | away These notes should be carefully filed away for future reference.

PREP. under The card is filed alphabetically under the name of the editor.

² record sth officially

ADV. formally He has now formally filed a complaint against the police.

PREP. for to file for bankruptcy/divorce | with A copy of the notice must be filed with the court.

³ walk in line

ADV. silently | out, past The long line of mourners filed silently past.

PREP. in, into, out of, past, through

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fillet noun

ADJ. anchovy, cod, haddock, salmon, etc. | beef, pork

FILLET + NOUN steak

PREP. ~ of fillet of beef with a red wine sauce > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

filling noun

ADJ. dental | amalgam, gold

VERB + FILLING have She's only eight years old and she's already got five fillings. I went to the dentist yesterday and had two fillings. | do, give sb The dentist said she would do the filling straightaway. | replace

FILLING + VERB come out, fall out

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fill verb

ADV. fast, quickly, rapidly At the moment, most reservoirs are filling fast. | gradually, slowly | up

VERB + FILL begin to The sails began to fill. | seem to He seemed to fill the room with his presence.

PREP. with Fill the bucket with water.

PHRASES be filled to capacity The school is filled to capacity?we simply can't take any more students. | be filled to the brim (with sth) The drawers were all filled to the brim.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

film noun

¹ movie

VERB + FILM see, watch | go to (see), take sb to (see) We went to an awful film last night. | direct, make, produce, shoot She makes children's films. The film was shot on location in Kenya. | take film taken by security cameras | cut, edit The film was heavily edited for screening on television. | distribute, release, screen, show The film was finally released after weeks of protest by religious groups. | ban, censor

PREP. in a/the ~ There is a great car chase in the film. | on ~ They captured the incident on film. | ~ about a film about Queen Victoria | ~ of They've just started shooting a film of the novel.

PHRASES the beginning/end of the film, be in films (= work in the film industry), a film with subtitles, the screening/showing of a film

² used for taking photographs

ADJ. black-and-white, colour | fast Fast film would be best for such action shots. | 35 millimetre, etc.

QUANT. length, reel, roll a roll of 35 millimetre film

FILM + NOUN crew, director, editor, maker, people, producer, team, unit, writer The film has plenty of what film people call ‘bankability’. | world | actor, actress, legend, star | part, role | career, debut, work | credits His film credits (= the films he has made) as director include ‘Mood Music’ and ‘Lies’. We stayed for the film credits (= the names of people involved in the making of a at a local shop. | expose In the darkroom they found that only half the film had been exposed. | splice He spliced the two lengths of film together.

³ thin layer of a substance/material

ADJ. fine, thin

VERB + FILM be covered in/with The books were covered in a thin film of dust.

PREP. ~ of There was a fine film of sweat on her forehead.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

film verb

ADV. secretly The controversial experiment involved secretly filming a group of children. | on location The serial was filmed on location in Italy.

PHRASES beautifully filmed fast-paced, well acted and beautifully filmed in the Blue Ridge Mountains

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

filthy adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, smell | get | leave sth, make sth He always leaves the bath absolutely filthy!

ADV. really | absolutely, completely | pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

finale noun

ADJ. dramatic, exciting, grand, rousing, thrilling The evening ended with a grand finale of fireworks and music. | fitting

VERB + FINALE end in/with, have, reach The match had a thrilling finale, with three goals scored in the last five minutes. | provide This victory provided a fitting finale to a brilliant season for the club.

PREP. ~ to a rousing finale to an evening of enthralling music

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

final noun

¹ last game/match in a competition

ADJ. grand He got through to the grand final of the competition. | area, national, regional, world | men's, women's | championship, cup

VERB + FINAL hold, stage | be/get through to, go through to, make it to, qualify for, reach If we play well, we hope to make it to the final. | compete in, meet sb in, play in Scotland met Wales in the final at Twickenham.

FINAL + VERB be played, take place

PREP. in the ~ Who is in the men's final?

² finals: final exams at university

VERB + FINAL do, sit, take | fail, pass

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

finance noun

¹ money needed to fund sth

VERB + FINANCE get, obtain, raise She struggled to get the necessary finance for her training. | allocate, arrange, provide | need, require

FINANCE + VERB be available the finance available to local government

FINANCE + NOUN company, house | sector The banking and finance sector was booming.

PREP. ~ for Several banks are providing finance for the housing programme.

PHRASES a source of finance

² managing money

ADJ. high the world of high finance (= finance involving large companies or countries) | company, corporate | (local) government, public, state | consumer, personal that most emotive of personal finance issues?taxation | international | capital (= paying money for sth) | credit, debt, loan (= borrowing money for sth) | equity (= issuing shares to get money)

FINANCE + NOUN director, minister, officer Local government finance officers found the tax very difficult to administer. | committee, department 3 finances money available

ADJ. healthy, sound Our family finances are not very healthy at the moment. | shaky The company's finances are looking a bit shaky. | company | government, public, state | family, household, personal, private

VERB + FINANCE have We don't have the finances to go on holiday this year. | lack | raise They are not sure how they will raise the finances to go on the trip. | deal with, handle, manage, plan, run how to plan your finances for a comfortable retirement | get/keep in order, sort out The company was under pressure to get its finances in order. | boost, improve | be a drain on, put a strain on, strain, stretch Buying a new car need not put a strain on your finances.

FINANCE + VERB be in a mess Their finances are in a mess: they plan to call in an accountant.

PHRASES the state of sb's finances > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

finance verb

VERB + FINANCE help (to) | be needed to, be required to the £37 million needed to finance the redevelopment | be used to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

finding noun

¹ result of research into sth

VERB + FINDING record, write up Students were asked to conduct a survey and write up their findings in the form of a report. | summarize | announce, make public, present, publish, report The findings of the commission have not yet been made public. They will present their findings to senior police officers. | explain, interpret | examine | comment on, discuss | confirm, support UN official reports supported the preliminary findings that the plane was brought down by a missile. | challenge Sociologists have challenged the findings of criminologists on the behaviour of prisoners.

FINDING + VERB be based on sth The findings are based on interviews with more than 2,000 people. | relate to sth Our findings relate to physically rather than the visually handicapped pupils. | apply to sth The findings from the case study school may apply to schools elsewhere. | indicate sth, point to/towards sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth Our findings point to a lack of training among social services staff. | agree with sth, be consistent with sth, be in agreement with sth, be in line with sth, confirm sth, support sth Our recent findings are in line with those of an earlier study. | conflict (with sth) | lead to sth The findings led to the conclusion that … | provide sth The research findings will provide practical assistance for teachers. | be made Similar findings were made in Spain. | emerge A similar finding emerged from a later experiment.

PREP. ~ about recent scientific findings about sleep patterns | ~ for The findings for one group can be applied to the others. | ~ from findings from a recent research project | ~ on findings on the depopulation of the countryside

² decision by a court

VERB + FINDING make | justify The facts of this case do not justify a finding of negligence. | uphold The appeal court upheld a finding that the agreement was unlawful.

PREP. ~ against a finding against him by the Independent Commission Against Corruption | ~ in favour of The court made a finding in favour of the defendant.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

find noun

ADJ. exciting, good, great, important, interesting, real, remarkable, significant, spectacular, startling The letters were a real find and James went on to publish two volumes of them. | small | lucky A lucky find in the Cotswolds is helping archaeologists discover what life was like in Roman Britain. | unexpected | stray Stray finds are more commonly discovered than whole new sites. | archaeological | medieval, prehistoric

VERB + FIND discover, make, unearth prehistoric finds made in an unexplored cave | yield To date the site has yielded many interesting finds. | report I reported my find to the landowner.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fine adj.

¹ good enough/suitable

VERBS be, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | turn out I knew that everything would turn out fine in the end.

ADV. absolutely, just Don't worry. Your voice sounds absolutely fine.

PREP. for This paper's not very good quality, but it's fine for rough work.

² in good health/happy and comfortable

VERBS be, feel, look, seem George looks fine now.

ADV. absolutely I feel absolutely fine.

³ bright and sunny/not raining

VERBS be | turn out It's turned out fine again today. | keep, remain, stay Let's hope it stays fine for the wedding this afternoon.

⁴ thin/small

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very Her hair is very fine. a very fine distinction | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fine noun

ADJ. big, heavy, hefty, large, massive, stiff, substantial | maximum | parking

VERB + FINE get I got a parking fine for parking on double yellow lines. | pay | give (sb), impose, levy Heavy fines were levied on motoring offenders. | be liable for/to, face, risk Drivers risk heavy fines for driving without a licence. | be punishable by, carry, lead to The offence carries a maximum fine of £500. | increase

PREP. in ~ The club is struggling to pay £75,000 in fines to the football league. | ~ for a fine for water pollution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fine verb

ADV. heavily Any company found to be breaking these rules will be heavily fined.

PREP. for He got fined £200 for parking illegally.

PHRASES get fined

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fingernail noun

ADJ. long | black, dirty | broken, torn | manicured, well-manicured | painted, red, scarlet

VERB + FINGERNAIL cut, manicure, polish | bite, chew | break, tear | dig in She dug her fingernails into my neck. | drag, draw, rake, scrape the sound of fingernails being dragged down a blackboard | examine ‘Actually, I'm leaving you’, she said, continuing to examine her fingernails.

FINGERNAIL + VERB dig in

PREP. under the/your ~s I noticed I had dirt under my fingernails.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fingerprint noun

QUANT. set The police were able to obtain a set of fingerprints from the suspect.

VERB + FINGERPRINT leave She was careful not to leave any fingerprints. | check (sth) for, dust sth for, examine sth for, look for The car is being examined for fingerprints. | find | obtain, take The investigator questioned him and took his fingerprints. | match The suspect's fingerprints have been matched with those found at the scene of the crime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

finger noun

VERB + FINGER point ‘It was them!’, she cried, pointing an accusing finger at the boys.

(figurative) The enquiry pointed the finger of blame at the driver of the crashed coach. | draw The man drew a finger across his throat in a threatening gesture. | jam, poke, put, stick Everyone put their fingers in their ears when the shooting started. | jab, stab The protester was jabbing a finger aggressively at a policeman. | hold up, raise She raised a finger to her lips to ask for silence. | wag, waggle ‘None of that!’ cried the teacher, wagging her finger. | dip I dipped my finger in the sauce and licked it. | run She ran her finger along the dusty shelf. | drum, tap He was drumming his fingers nervously on the arm of the chair. | click, snap We were swaying and clicking our fingers in time to the music. He snapped his fingers and the waiter came running. | stub I stubbed my finger painfully while reaching for a book. | shut, trap The child needed treatment after trapping her finger in the car door. | crook He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him. | extend He held up his hand with the fingers extended. | prick The nurse pricked my finger to get some blood. | count (sth) on Although she knew lots of people, she could count her friends on the fingers of one hand.

FINGER + NOUN bones, joints | movement | injury

PREP. with your ~s It's easiest to eat chicken legs with your fingers.

PHRASES the finger of fate/suspicion (figurative) The finger of suspicion was pointed at the chicken served for lunch. | the tips of the fingers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

finish noun

¹ last part/end of sth

ADJ. exciting, good, great, thrilling, tremendous His best finish was 11th in the Hungarian Grand Prix. | perfect It was the perfect finish to a wonderful day. | sprint, storming, strong The runners came round the bend for a sprint finish in the home straight. | close, dramatic, nail-biting, photo, tight It was a photo finish, with three horses neck and neck at the finishing line.

VERB + FINISH provide The rules of the game were changed to provide a more exciting finish for the television audience. | be in at Her car suffered from gearbox trouble, but she was still in at the finish.

FINISH + NOUN line

PREP. at the ~ Several runners needed medical attention at the finish. | to a/the ~ They fought bravely right to the finish. | ~ to a dramatic finish to the match

PHRASES from start to finish He was in the lead from start to finish.

² look/feel of sth

VERB + FINISH have This paint has a gloss finish. | achieve, get, obtain With our new tool for putting up wallpaper you can get a perfect finish every time. | create, give (sth), produce, provide This trim really does give the garment a professional finish. | match The steel roof has been coloured to match the finish of the original wrought iron. | apply Make sure the surface is clean and smooth before the finish is applied.

PREP. to a ~ Sand the wood to a fine finish using steel wool. | with a ~ a door handle with a brass finish | ~ on How did you achieve that finish on the wood?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

finish verb

ADV. almost, nearly | just She had just finished dressing when the telephone rang. | soon | eventually, finally | off He finished off by welcoming new arrivals to the school.

VERB + FINISH let sb Let me just finish what I'm doing.

PREP. by He finished by telling us about his trip to Spain. | with The evening finished with a few songs. Have you finished with the vacuum cleaner yet? I need it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fire alarm noun

VERB + FIRE ALARM set off It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank. | install Fire alarms have been installed in the building.

FIRE ALARM + VERB go (off), sound

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fire brigade noun

ADJ. local

VERB + FIRE BRIGADE call (out), phone Dial 999 to call the fire brigade. | join

FIRE BRIGADE + VERB put sth out The fire brigade have put out a blaze in a local post office.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

firearm noun

ADJ. imitation, replica | unlicensed

VERB + FIREARM be in possession of, possess The police charged her with possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. | carry

FIREARM + NOUN training | expert | certificate, licence | offence He is wanted for robbery and firearms offences.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

firefighter, fireman noun

ADJ. full-time, part-time

VERB + FIREFIGHTER, FIREMAN call (out) Firefighters were called to a house in Chaucer Avenue.

FIREFIGHTER, FIREMAN + VERB fight sth, tackle sth Firefighters from three counties tackled a warehouse blaze. | put sth out | rescue sb Firemen rescued a driver trapped in the wreckage of his car. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

firefighter, fireman noun

ADJ. full-time, part-time

VERB + FIREFIGHTER, FIREMAN call (out) Firefighters were called to a house in Chaucer Avenue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fireplace noun

ADJ. big, enormous, great, huge | empty | open | brick, cast-iron, marble, stone, etc.

VERB + FIREPLACE have Every room in the house has a fireplace. | build, install

PREP. in a/the ~ A log fire crackled in the fireplace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

firework noun

VERB + FIREWORK light Be very careful when lighting fireworks. | let off, set off They set off fireworks in their back garden.

FIREWORK + VERB explode, go off

FIREWORK + NOUN display, show

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fire noun

¹ destructive flames

ADJ. big, huge | fierce | serious | disastrous | bush, forest, house

VERB + FIRE be on The house is on fire! | catch A lantern was knocked over and the barn caught fire. | cause, set sth on, start Groups of rioters attacked and set the police headquarters on fire. | fan Strong winds fanned the fire. | add fuel to, fuel (both figurative) Frustrated ambitions can fuel the fire of anger and resentment. | extinguish, put out | fight He joined the crowds of men and women fighting the fire. | contain, control Firefighters struggled to control the fire. | be damaged by/in, be destroyed by/in The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists. | be killed by/in, die in

FIRE + VERB break out, start A fire broke out in the mail room. | go out | blaze, burn, rage The fire burnt for three days before it was finally contained. | spread, sweep through sth In 1925 a disastrous fire swept through the museum. | damage sth | destroy sth, gut sth The fire gutted the building, leaving just a charred shell.

FIRE + NOUN safety legislation open fire.

FIRE + VERB burn Although it was summer a fire burned in the great stone hearth. | kindle, light We had plenty of dry wood, so the fire lit easily. | die (down) The fire was beginning to die down. | burn (itself) out, go out | crackle | glow | smoke The fire smoked instead of burning properly.

PHRASES the glow from/of a fire The interior was only lit by the golden glow of the fire.

³ apparatus for heating rooms

ADJ. electric, gas

VERB + FIRE light, switch on, turn on Use a match to light the gas fire. | switch off, turn off

FIRE + VERB be off/on Is the fire still on?

⁴ shots from guns

ADJ. heavy | anti-aircraft, covering, friendly The commandos pushed forward under the covering fire of their artillery. Several soldiers were killed in friendly fire due a mistake by allied forces. | artillery, sniper | cannon, machine-gun, mortar, rifle

QUANT. burst a burst of machine-gun fire

PHRASES bring a fire under control Firefighters have now managed to bring the fire under control. | set fire to sth Someone had set fire to her car.

² burning fuel for cooking/heating

ADJ. blazing, crackling, hot, roaring, warm | dying, smouldering | little | open | charcoal, coal, log, oil, peat, wood

VERB + FIRE build, make | kindle, light Kim had managed to kindle a little fire of dry grass. | poke, stir, stoke (up) On cold nights we stoked up the fire to a blaze. | put sth on Put some more wood on the fire. | cook on/over When we go on safari we like to cook on an low wall. | cease, hold They were told to hold their fire until the enemy came closer. | be/come under We were under constant fire from enemy snipers. (figurative) The minister of transport came under fire (= was heavily criticized) for forcing increases in rail fares. | draw A few soldiers were sent out to draw (= attract) the enemy's fire.

PHRASES be in the line of fire Unfortunately he was in the line of fire (= between the people shooting and what they were shooting at) and got shot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fire verb

ADV. blindly, wildly She fired blindly into the mass of shadows. | wide Whitlock purposely fired wide. | back | off They fired off a volley of shots.

VERB + FIRE be ready to He grabbed the shotgun and levelled it, ready to fire if anyone entered. | order sb to He ordered the troops to fire over the heads of the crowd.

PREP. at She fired a revolver at her attacker. | into He fired the gun into the air. | on/upon The police fired on protesters in the city centre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

firing squad noun

VERB + FIRING SQUAD face He could face a firing squad if found guilty of the charges. | be executed by, be shot by She was executed by firing squad.

PREP. before/in front of a/the ~ Many died in front of the firing squad.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

firm adj.

¹ solid/strong

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | remain, stay Exercise is important if you want your muscles to stay firm. | make sth Use extra stuffing to make the cushions firmer. | keep sth exercises to keep your muscles firm

ADV. very | fairly, quite, reasonably

² not likely to change

VERBS be, sound | hold, remain, stand Jo held firm: nothing else would do. We stand firm on these principles.

ADV. very | fairly, quite

PREP. with I have always been quite firm with my children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

firm noun

VERB + FIRM establish, found, set up, start (up) She set up her own software firm. | manage, run | merge with They are likely to merge with a bigger firm. | acquire, buy (out), take over The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm. | close (down), dissolve the decision to close down the firm | own | work for | join, leave | employ, hire She hired a firm of private detectives to follow him.

FIRM + VERB be based in sth a firm called Data Incorporated, based in Chicago | expand, grow | merge | compete Local firms are finding it difficult to compete in the international market. | close (down), collapse, fail, go bust, go into liquidation The well-established firm closed down with the loss of 600 jobs. | develop sth, make sth, manufacture sth, produce sth | specialize in sth a firm specializing in high-technology products

PREP. in/within a/the ~ the different departments within the firm

PHRASES a client of a firm, a firm of accountants/consultants/solicitors, a partner in a firm > Note at ORGANIZATION> Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

first aid noun

ADJ. emergency

VERB + FIRST AID administer, give While one of you gives first aid, the other should call an ambulance. | receive | be trained in At least one member of staff should be trained in first aid.

FIRST AID + NOUN box, kit, manual | course | post Medics were bringing casualties to the first-aid post.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

first noun

¹ (also first gear) lowest gear on a bicycle/vehicle

VERB + FIRST engage She engaged first gear and pulled off. | get into, move into, slam into As he moved into first the gear-lever knob came off in his hand. | put sth into Put the car into first and pull off slowly. | find It's very difficult to find first on this car.

PREP. in ~ There was something wrong with the gearbox and I had to drive all the way home in first.

² highest level of university degree

ADJ. double She did Philosophy and English Literature and got a double first.

VERB + FIRST be awarded, gain, get, obtain

PREP. ~ in He got a first in modern history.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fisherman noun

FISHERMAN + VERB catch sth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fishing noun

ADJ. good, great This stretch of the river is renowned for its good fishing. | coarse, deep-sea, drift-net, fly-, sea One of his hobbies was fly-fishing. | game, salmon, shark, trout, etc. She has been big game fishing off the coast of Kenya. | commercial, industrial

VERB + FISHING go He goes fishing every weekend.

PREP. ~ for Ecuador announced a ban on fishing for shrimps.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fishy adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, smell, sound It all sounds very fishy to me.

ADV. very | definitely, distinctly | a bit

PHRASES something fishy There was definitely something fishy going on.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fish noun

¹ animal that lives and breathes in water

ADJ. freshwater, marine, salt-water, sea | tropical | predatory

QUANT. school, shoal

VERB + FISH catch, land He landed one very big fish. | breed, farm, have, keep fish farmed in Scotland He keeps tropical fish.

FISH + VERB swim | hatch | bite The fish aren't biting (= biting at the bait) today.

FISH + NOUN species | bowl, pond, tank | food | stocks the depletion of fish stocks

² fish as food

ADJ. fresh | dried, frozen, salted, smoked | oily | red, white

QUANT. bit, piece | fillet

VERB + FISH eat, have | clean, fillet, gut, prepare, skin I cleaned and filleted the fish. | marinade | bake, cook, fry, grill, poach, steam | flake Remove the skin and flake the cooked fish.

FISH + VERB taste This fish tastes funny.

FISH + NOUN bone | cake, dish, finger, oil, paste, pie, sauce, soup, stock | market, shop | knife, slice

PHRASES fish and chips, fish in batter > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fist noun

ADJ. clenched, tight | gloved

VERB + FIST clench | bang, pound, slam, smack, smash, strike, thump He banged his fist loudly on the table. | shake, wave The man was shaking his fist at us through the window. | swing He swung his fists wildly at his attacker's head. | draw back She drew back her fist and threw a punch at his nose.

FIST + NOUN fight

PREP. in your ~ She was holding a hammer in her fist.

PHRASES clench/make your hand into a fist

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fitness noun

QUANT. degree, level You need a good level of physical fitness for this sport.

VERB + FITNESS attain He has attained peak fitness this season. | maintain Regular exercise helps to maintain physical fitness. | be back to, get (sb) back to, regain, return to | build (up), enhance, improve, increase, work on A special trainer has been brought in to work on the tennis player's fitness. | prove The coach has given him until next week to prove his fitness.

FITNESS + NOUN level First, determine your present fitness level. | training | programme, regime | check, test | fanatic, freak She's a bit of a fitness freak. She goes running every night. | centre a fitness centre with gymnasium and squash courts

PHRASES health and fitness Walking is good for health and fitness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fitting noun

VERB + FITTING install Our bathroom fittings are easy to install. | remove | make | use a fitting used to join copper pipe

PHRASES fixtures and fittings The room still has the original fixtures and fittings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fitting noun

VERB + FITTING install Our bathroom fittings are easy to install. | remove | make | use a fitting used to join copper pipe

PHRASES fixtures and fittings The room still has the original fixtures and fittings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fit adj.

¹ healthy

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get the struggle to get fit and stay fit | keep, stay Go for a little jog to keep fit. | make sb Exercising once a week is not enough to make you fit. | keep sb gentle exercises designed to keep you fit

ADV. extremely, fighting, really, very He seemed fighting fit and ready for action. | fully John isn't fully fit yet after his operation. | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably | physically She felt physically fitter and more alive than she could ever remember.

PREP. for The doctor said she was now fit for work.

PHRASES as fit as a fiddle (= very healthy), fit and healthy/well She looks really fit and well. | fit and ready

² suitable

VERBS consider sth, see, think The newspaper did not see fit to publish my letter (= and I criticize it for that). You must do as you think fit (= but I don't agree with your decision).

PREP. for The food was not fit for human consumption.

PHRASES fit and proper (law) circumstances in which someone is not considered a fit and proper person to run a bank | fit for a king It was a meal fit for a king (= of very good quality). | in no fit state He's so angry he's in no fit state to see anyone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fit noun

¹ sudden attack of illness

ADJ. bad, major | convulsive, epileptic, fainting

VERB + FIT be seized by/with (literary), have, suffer She suffered a major fit last year. | suffer from He suffers from fits of depression. | die of | bring on, cause, trigger (off) He suffers from a brain disorder that can trigger off convulsive fits. | control new drugs that can control fits | prevent

FIT + VERB happen, occur The fits usually occur at night.

PREP. during/in a ~ She hurt her arm during one of her fits.

² short period of coughing/laughter/strong feeling

ADJ. coughing, screaming, sneezing

VERB + FIT have, throw My dad will throw a fit if he finds out! | burst into, collapse in/into, erupt in/into, fall into She collapsed in a fit of laughter. | bring on The cold air brought on one of his coughing fits.

FIT + VERB be over, pass When her coughing fit was over she continued to speak.

PREP. in a ~ of He pushed the referee in a fit of temper. | ~ of a fit of anger/giggles

PHRASES have sb in fits (of laughter) The comedian had them all in fits of laughter.

³ way sth fits/way two things match

ADJ. good We need to achieve the best fit between the staff required and the staff available. | correct, exact, perfect | poor The door was a poor fit and didn't open properly. | close, snug, tight | loose | comfortable The jersey is a comfortable fit?not too tight and not too loose. | statistical

VERB + FIT achieve, get, produce File away any excess metal until a snug fit is achieved. | ensure The shoe has a special strap to ensure correct fit. | give (sth) The formula gives a much better fit to the experimental data.

PREP. ~ between the statistical fit between the interest rate and investment

PHRASES a lack of fit He argues that there is a lack of fit between our system of values and capitalism.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fit verb

¹ right size/type

ADV. neatly, nicely, securely, snugly, tightly, well The pencils fit neatly into this box. | exactly, perfectly The screws fitted the holes exactly. | badly The top of the box fitted badly and some of the contents had spilled out. | easily That chair should fit into the room easily. | together These two pieces of wood fit together to make the base.

VERB + FIT be designed to The waste unit is designed to fit under the sink.

PREP. in, into, onto, over, under, etc. Will this box fit into the cupboard?

² agree/match

ADV. perfectly

PREP. for Your experience fits you perfectly for the job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fixed adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain, stay

ADV. very | firmly, securely Check that the boards are all securely fixed. | rigidly His gaze was rigidly fixed ahead. | relatively | irrevocably, permanently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fixture noun

¹ sporting event

VERB + FIXTURE play playing an important fixture this evening | fulfil The club was fined for not fulfilling its fixtures at the weekend. | make sth There are plans to make the race an annual fixture. | arrange, schedule | stage The golf club has staged many international fixtures. | postpone

FIXTURE + NOUN list a full fixture list of friendly matches

PREP. ~ against a home fixture against Leeds

² sth fixed in a house

ADJ. original an exceptional example of Victorian architecture with the original fixtures and fittings intact | permanent (often figurative) The new conductor is now a permanent fixture in the orchestra.

PHRASES fixtures and fittings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fix noun

¹ solution to a problem

ADJ. quick There is no quick fix to the breakdown in negotiations between the two companies. | technical, technological | bug The new software incorporates many bug fixes and product improvements.

² amount of sth, especially a drug

ADJ. regular

VERB + FIX have He gets withdrawal symptoms if he hasn't had his regular fix. | need | get

³ difficult situation

VERB + FIX be in I was in a fix. | get in/into How did you get into such a fix? | put sb in The power cut put us in a fix because we had invited people to dinner. | get (sb) out of I lent her the money to get her out of a fix.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fix verb

ADV. firmly, securely | directly

PREP. onto, to The handrail can be fixed directly to the wall.

PHRASES fix sth in place/position Fix the bars in position with the screws provided.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flag noun

ADJ. national | chequered Schumacher took the chequered flag to win his fourth Grand Prix of the season. | tattered A tattered flag hung from the roof of the burnt-out building.

VERB + FLAG fly, hang (out), hoist, raise, run up a ship flying a Russian flag | lower | wave The crowd all waved flags as the president came past. | unfurl | carry

FLAG + VERB hang | flap, flutter, fly, wave a flag fluttering in the breeze | be/fly at half mast

FLAG + NOUN pole (also flagpole)

PREP. under a/the ~ a ship sailing under a British flag | ~ of a flag of truce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flail verb

ADV. desperately, helplessly, wildly She ran along, her arms flailing wildly. | about, around He flailed about in the water, shouting ‘I can't swim!’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flair noun

ADJ. considerable, great | real | natural | artistic, creative, design, entrepreneurial, imaginative

VERB + FLAIR have She has a natural flair for languages. | show | lack His designs are all right, but he lacks artistic flair. | develop

PREP. with ~ jazz guitarists who improvise with flair | ~ for an activist with a flair for publicity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flame noun

¹ hot bright stream of fire

QUANT. ball, sheet, tongue The plane crashed in a ball of flames. Sheets of flame shot into the air.

VERB + FLAME ignite, spark (often figurative) His childhood interest in the game had ignited a flame of passion for football. | rekindle (often figurative) They tried to rekindle the flames of romance. | douse, extinguish, quench, snuff (out) | feel (often figurative) She felt a flame of anger flicker and grow.

FLAME + VERB burn The flame burnt brightly. | grow | die, go out The candle flame flickered and went out. | leap, rise, shoot Flames leapt from the burning house. Flames shot high into the air. | lick (sth) Orange flames were already licking round the foot of the stairs. | dance, flicker Flames danced in the gas lantern.

FLAME + NOUN thrower The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.

PHRASES the crackle of flames 2 flames fire

ADJ. roaring

VERB + FLAME be engulfed in, be in A large part of the building was in flames. | go up in All the historical records have gone up in flames (= have been destroyed by fire). | burst into, erupt in, explode in/into The helicopter burst into flames. | fuel Oxygen tanks fuelled the flames. | fan Winds fanned the flames. | shoot sb/sth down in The aircraft was shot down in flames. | fight He fought the flames for two hours. | control Firefighters have been trying to control the flames. | douse, extinguish, put out, quench, smother Men came with buckets of water and began to douse the flames. | be beaten back by They tried to get into to the house but were beaten back by the flames.

FLAME + VERB die down | spread, sweep through sth They watched the flames sweep through the old wooden barn. | engulf sth The flames quickly spread and engulfed their home. | light sth (up) The flames lit up the skyline.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flammable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly These materials are highly flammable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flank noun

ADJ. left, right | north, northern, etc. | lower the lower flanks of Vesuvius | mountain

VERB + FLANK attack They decided to attack their enemy's southern flank. | defend, protect | expose West Ham exposed the right flank of Norwich's defence (= showed that it could be attacked easily).

FLANK + NOUN attack

PREP. along a/the ~ along the eastern flank of Greenland | down the ~ a beautiful pass down the right flank | on a/the ~ The army was attacked on the left flank.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flannel noun

ADJ. damp, wet | cold | face

VERB + FLANNEL use Use a damp flannel to clean the skin.

PREP. with a ~ She wiped his eyes and nose with a wet face flannel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flap noun

¹ flat piece of paper, metal, etc.

ADJ. small | hinged | loose a loose flap of skin | tent | pocket a stylish jacket with leather cuffs and pocket flaps

VERB + FLAP undo The officer undid the flap of his holster and drew his gun. | draw back, lift back/up, open, pull back He drew back the tent flap. | close | lower The pilot lowered the flaps as the aircraft came into land.

² state of worry/excitement

ADJ. real

VERB + FLAP get in/into Far from getting into a flap over the controversy, the government has used the media attention to its advantage. | put sb in/into Having to cook for everyone at Christmas put his mother in a real flap.

PREP. in a ~ I've never seen her in a flap; she's always so calm. | ~ over a flap over nuclear issues

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flap verb

ADV. gently | wildly The sails flapped wildly in the stiff breeze. | about, around

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flare noun

¹ bright unsteady light/flame; sudden feeling

ADJ. brief, sudden There was a sudden flare as a fuel tank exploded. | bright | solar Radiation comes from the sun during solar flares.

VERB + FLARE see | feel She felt a sudden flare of anger.

² device producing a bright flame

ADJ. distress

VERB + FLARE see If they did not see a green flare in ten minutes, they were to launch the attack. | fire, send up, set off The ship's crew sent up a distress flare. | drop The bomber dropped a flare to illuminate the target.

FLARE + VERB go up The flare to mark the start of the attack went up at 0440. | burn They could see orange flares burning in the distance. | explode | hit sb/sth A flare fired by a supporter hit the referee in the face. | illuminate sth, light sth (up) Flares lit up the night sky.

FLARE + NOUN gun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flare verb

ADV. suddenly Anger suddenly flared in his eyes. | briefly A light flared briefly, then went out. | up Violence flared up in the capital last night.

PHRASES flare into life The fire flared into life again.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flashback noun

ADJ. sudden

VERB + FLASHBACK get, have

PREP. in (a) ~ The story is told in flashback. | ~ to I had a sudden flashback to the time immediately after the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flash noun

¹ sudden bright light; sudden idea/emotion/action

VERB + FLASH feel, have He felt a brief flash of jealousy. She had a sudden flash of inspiration. | catch, detect, notice, see We caught a flash of white in the bushes.

FLASH + VERB illuminate sth, light sth (up) A bright flash of lightning lit up the sky.

PREP. ~ from The flashes from the guns illuminated the sky. | ~ of a sudden flash of light

² bright light for a camera

ADJ. built-in | camera

VERB + FLASH use I don't think the picture will come out in this light. Try using the flash.

FLASH + VERB go off, work The flash didn't go off.

FLASH + NOUN photography | bulb | unit a camera with a built-in flash unit

PREP. with (a) ~ I took it with flash.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flash verb

¹ shine

ADV. briefly It was only the sun, flashing briefly on her bleached hair.

PREP. at A car flashed its headlights at me.

² show emotion

ADV. suddenly | angrily Her eyes flashed angrily.

PREP. with Her eyes suddenly flashed with anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flask noun

ADJ. Thermos(R), vacuum | hip | metal, silver | conical, culture, round bottom (all science)

VERB + FLASK fill | carry When he climbed in the snow he always carried a silver flask of brandy for emergencies. | pull out She pulled out her flask and drank from it. | uncork, unscrew | drink (sth) from, take a swallow from, take a swig from

FLASK + VERB contain sth a culture flask containing 4ml of the medium

PREP. ~ of We took a flask of tea with us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flattered adj.

VERBS be, feel

ADV. immensely, very | rather | a little, vaguely

PREP. at She felt vaguely flattered at the suggestion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flattering adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. enormously, extremely, tremendously, very | far from, hardly, less than, not entirely The descriptions of her were less than flattering. | quite, rather

PREP. to This style of dress is flattering to most women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flattery noun

ADJ. artificial

VERB + FLATTERY use Salespeople are often accused of using artificial flattery. | fall for She falls for his flattery every time.

PREP. through ~ He thinks he can get his way through flattery. | with ~ She persuaded him with flattery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flat adj.

VERBS be, look | become | lie, stay I can't get this material to lie flat. She lay flat on the ground. | fold sth, get sth, make sth, press sth Shall I fold the paper flat or roll it up?

ADV. very | absolutely, completely, quite The sea was almost completely flat. | almost | fairly, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flat noun

¹ set of rooms

QUANT. block The tall blocks of flats dominated the skyline.

VERB + FLAT have, own They have a flat in Paris and a house in Normandy. | rent, take The musician took a flat in a fashionable area of London. | let, sublet The landlady found they had been illegally subletting the flat. | buy | sell | find (sb), look for Do you think that the council could find me another flat? | get (sb) We got her a flat in the same block as ours. | live in, occupy, stay in Our flat is one of the two occupied in the block. | share | move into, move (out) from, move out (of) | build | decorate, refurbish a contract to refurbish 18 council flats | lock (up) | let sb/yourself into She let herself into the flat with the spare key. | leave, let sb/yourself out (of) | break (into) | evict sb from

FLAT + VERB be located The flat is located in a modern development. | face sth, overlook sth a luxury block of flats overlooking the marina

PREP. at a/the ~ I'll meet you back at your flat. | in a/the ~ She lives in the top flat.

PHRASES convert/divide/make/turn sth into flats The house has now been converted into flats.

² land

ADJ. coastal | tidal | mud (also mudflat), sand, salt mud and sand flats rich in animal life

PREP. on the ~ These birds live on the coastal flats.

³ musical note

ADJ. A, B, etc.

VERB + FLAT have The key of E flat major has three flats. | play

PREP. in … ~ Mendelssohn's Quintet in B flat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flaunt verb

ADV. deliberately, openly openly flaunting their wealth

PREP. in front of She flaunted her success in front of the others.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flavoured adj.

VERBS be The food they eat is very highly flavoured.

ADV. full, highly, richly, strongly, well | delicately a delicately flavoured clear soup

PREP. with This dish is flavoured with lemon grass and garlic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flavouring noun

ADJ. artificial, natural This product contains only natural flavourings. | food | peppermint, vanilla, etc.

QUANT. drop Add a few drops of peppermint flavouring.

VERB + FLAVOURING contain | use We don't use any artificial flavourings in our products. | add

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flavour noun

¹ taste of food

VERB + FLAVOUR have It's got a very mild flavour. | take on Coffee takes on a flavour all of its own when enjoyed with freshly cooked pastry. | keep Delicate herbs keep their flavour better when frozen. | lose | add, give sth, impart, lend (sth), provide a herb that adds a characteristic flavour to a range of dishes | bring out, release The lemon juice brings out the natural fruit flavours. Bay leaves should be broken to release their flavour. | enhance, improve | spoil | destroy Cooking the vegetable destroys its wonderful delicate flavour. | appreciate, enjoy, savour Enjoy the flavour of fresh fish.

FLAVOUR + NOUN enhancer Salt is a common flavour enhancer.

PREP. for ~ Cream may be added to the sauce for extra flavour. | with a ~ a dish with a strong spicy flavour

PHRASES full of flavour vegetables that are fresh and full of flavour

² particular quality/atmosphere

ADJ. distinctive, particular, true, unique | pronounced, strong | international, local, oriental, regional | American, Scandinavian, etc. | political

VERB + FLAVOUR have The college has a truly international flavour. | acquire, take on The music festival has taken on a distinctly German flavour. | lose | add, give sth, impart, provide The intervention of the authorities gave union struggles a decidedly political flavour. | experience, get The children experienced the flavour of medieval life. She rotated around the departments to get a flavour of all aspects of the business. | appreciate, enjoy | capture The film captures the flavour of rural life in this area. | convey

PREP. with a … ~ a TV show with an American flavour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flawed adj.

VERBS be, seem | remain

ADV. badly, deeply, hopelessly, seriously | fatally a series of fatally flawed judgements | crucially, fundamentally | slightly, somewhat | conceptually, methodologically The study was methodologically flawed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flaw noun

ADJ. main, major, serious | basic, fatal, fundamental | minor, slight, small | obvious | design

VERB + FLAW have Unfortunately, this plate has a slight flaw in it. | look for | discover, find, identify, see It took me a long time to find the flaw in her logic. Engineers have identified serious design flaws in the proposed nuclear waste dump. | expose, highlight, point out/to, reveal The markets have exposed the fatal flaw in the government's economic policy.

FLAW + VERB appear Flaws have appeared in the new version of the software.

PREP. ~ in one of the major flaws in his character

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flea noun

ADJ. cat, dog, etc.

VERB + FLEA get, have | be riddled with | control This drug is given to dogs to control fleas.

FLEA + VERB jump | bite | carry/spread disease

FLEA + NOUN bite | collar, powder

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fleet noun

VERB + FLEET operate, own He operated a small fishing fleet. | command | mobilize, send (in) The fleet was mobilized and the country prepared for war. | disband, ground | defeat, destroy | join The ship sailed to join the fleet at Barbados. | maintain The fleet was is very expensive to maintain.

PREP. in a/the ~ There were over 500 ships in the enemy fleet. | ~ of a fleet of taxis

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flee verb

ADV. abroad, across the border, into exile Hundreds of refugees fled across the border to escape the fighting. | north, south, etc. | in panic

VERB + FLEE be forced to, have to They were forced to flee the country. | try to | manage to | turn They turned and fled when they saw the gang of youths approaching them.

PREP. from She dropped the phone and fled from the office. | into/to They fled to Britain when the war started.

PHRASES flee empty-handed When the police arrived the burglars fled empty-handed. | flee for your life She had to flee for her life when soldiers attacked her village. | flee in panic/terror The children fled in terror as the hay caught fire. | flee like the wind When danger threatens, collect your possessions and flee like the wind. | flee to safety The family managed to flee to safety.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flesh noun

¹ soft part of sb's body

VERB + FLESH touch | cut (into) His shirt was too small for him and cut into the tender flesh at his armpit. | strip, tear at/off Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. African hunting dogs will tear at the flesh of their victim until it is weak. | dig into, pierce (into), tear (into) Cook the duck until the juices run pale yellow when the flesh is pierced. The weapon tore into his flesh. | eat According to Greek mythology, the minotaur would only eat human flesh. | become, make sth (literary) In the Christian tradition, God is made flesh (= becomes human).

FLESH + VERB tingle My flesh tingled as I got out of the ice cold pool. | crawl, creep (both figurative) The scary story made his flesh creep (= made him feel afraid).

FLESH + NOUN wound The injury was only a flesh wound and would heal in ten days or so. | tone In the centre of the painting there is a woman painted in blues, reds and flesh tones (= colours used to paint human skin).

PREP. in the ~ Thousands of fans gathered to see the band in the flesh (= see the band in reality and not just in a picture).

PHRASES flesh and blood She wasn't a ghost. She was flesh and blood (= alive/real). | flesh and bone Babies are born not just as bundles of flesh and bone (= not simply living bodies without thoughts or feelings) but with already distinctive personalities. | the lusts/pleasures/sins/temptations of the flesh His moral sermons always denounced the lusts of the flesh (= the fulfilment of purely physical or sexual desires). | the smell of flesh the smell of rotting flesh

² soft part of fruit/vegetables

ADJ. soft | sweet | juicy

VERB + FLESH chop, cut Pare the mangoes and cut the flesh away from the stone. | scoop (out) Cut the melon in half, remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flexibility noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great | added, additional, extra, increased, more | maximum, total | enough, sufficient | financial

QUANT. degree Police work involves a considerable degree of flexibility and discretion.

VERB + FLEXIBILITY have You have considerable flexibility in this job and can choose how to do things. | show | obtain Flexibility of labour was obtained through the break up of old trade union structures. | maintain, retain | restore She had physiotherapy to restore the flexibility of her muscles. | bring (sb/sth), give (sb/sth), introduce, provide (sb/sth with) The new range of machines will bring flexibility to your business computing. | allow (sb/sth), allow for, offer (sb/sth), permit (sb/sth) The courses are designed to allow maximum flexibility. | build, create reforms to build flexibility into the system | enhance, improve, increase | encourage an initiative to encourage greater flexibility in teaching and learning | reduce | need, require

PREP. ~ in This will give schools greater flexibility in their use of resources. | ~ over flexibility over the deadline

PHRASES a need for flexibility There is a need for greater flexibility in the way the network is managed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flexible adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | make sth We need to make the working day more flexible. | keep sth

ADV. extremely, highly, very | completely, fully, perfectly, totally | infinitely Human beings are infinitely flexible and able to adjust when survival depends on it. | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively | enough, sufficiently | insufficiently

PHRASES about My mother is fairly flexible about what time I need to be home.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flex noun

ADJ. long | trailing Long trailing flexes are a serious trip hazard. | electric/electical | kettle, telephone, etc.

QUANT. length

VERB + FLEX cut Side cutters are useful for cutting electrical flex to length.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flicker noun

ADJ. faint, slight, small, tiny She caught the faintest flicker of amusement on his face. | brief, momentary | last (often figurative) The secret police were determined to stamp out the last flickers of academic freedom.

VERB + FLICKER give The candle gave one last flicker and went out. | show | catch, notice, see | detect, feel She felt a brief flicker of jealousy.

FLICKER + VERB cross sth A flicker of guilt crossed his face. | catch your eye A flicker of movement caught her eye and she turned her head.

PREP. with a ~ of ‘He'll soon be here,’ she thought, with a flicker of excitement. | without a ~ of She spoke without any flicker of fear. | ~ of

PHRASES the flicker of a candle/flame The brief flicker of a candle flame caught our eyes. | the flicker of an eyelid, a flicker of sb's/the eyes Her only reaction was a slight flicker of her eyes. | a flicker of hope/interest European stock markets showed barely a flicker of interest in the election result. | a flicker of light/movement He saw a flicker of light in the darkness. | a flicker of recognition The witness stared at the accused but she showed not a flicker of recognition. | a flicker of a smile I noticed a flicker of a smile on her face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flicker verb

ADV. briefly, for a moment, momentarily | nervously Her eyes flickered nervously in anticipation. | (on and) off, out The lights flickered on and off.

PREP. across/over His gaze flickered over her.

PHRASES flicker into life The television screen flickered into life. | flicker open Katherine's eyes flickered open.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flick noun

ADJ. quick

VERB + FLICK give (sth) The fish gave a quick flick of its tail.

PREP. with a ~ With a flick of his wrist he removed the ash from the end of his cigarette. | ~ of

PHRASES at the flick of a switch Heat is available at the flick of a switch (= instantly, by simply switching on the electricity).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flick verb

ADV. casually | nervously | quickly | away, back

PREP. across His tongue flicked nervously across dry lips. | from He casually flicked away some dust from his jacket. | off She flicked the ash off her cigarette. | over His eyes flicked quickly over the screen.

PHRASES flick sth open She snatched up her briefcase and flicked it open. PHRASAL VERBS flick through sth

ADV. absent-mindedly, casually, idly She flicked idly through a magazine. | quickly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flight noun

¹ journey by air; plane making journey

VERB + FLIGHT catch, take, travel on They caught an early flight back to London. | miss | have Did you have a good flight? | make The aeroplane made its maiden flight in 1976. | be booked on/onto, be on I'm on the first flight to Milan in the morning. | book (sb), book sb/yourself on/onto, get He asked her to book him on the next available flight to Geneva. We managed to get a non-stop flight to New York. | charter The club has chartered a special flight from Manchester to Bologna for their fans. | confirm | cancel, suspend The UN has suspended relief flights because of shelling around the airport. | change | board | operate The airline operates regular flights to Greece. | delay, hold up | divert The flight was diverted to Gatwick because of a bomb scare. | blow up She was accused of planting the bomb that blew up flight 217.

FLIGHT + VERB be bound for sth a flight bound for Antigua | leave, take off | arrive | land | be full I'm afraid I can't book you onto that flight?it's full.

FLIGHT + NOUN number We need your time of arrival and flight number. | time The flight time from Heathrow to Marseilles is less than two hours. | delay Your travel insurance compensates you for flight delays. | attendant, crew | commander, engineer (both military) | instruments | recorder The flight recorder should help to establish why the plane suddenly crashed. | simulator | path They have persuaded the authorities to divert the flight path of the military jets away from their village.

PREP. aboard/on/on board a/the ~ passengers aboard a flight bound for Johannesburg | during a/the ~ Please refrain from smoking during the flight. | ~ for She took a flight for Los Angeles. | ~ from, ~ out of They waited for the first flight out of Lisbon. | ~ to a flight from S

² action of flying

VERB + FLIGHT be capable of Barn owls are capable of flight at 56 days. | achieve Bats are the only mammals to have wings and to achieve sustained flight. | take They watched the young eagles take flight.

PREP. during ~ The wings vibrate during flight. | in ~ a flock of geese in flight

PHRASES the line of flight Don't get into the line of flight of the bees?you'd be sure to get stung.

³ number of stairs/steps

VERB + FLIGHT climb (up), go/run/walk up | descend, go/run/walk down | fall down

FLIGHT + VERB lead … a flight of steps leading to the foyer | go down/up sth A flight of steps goes up the left-hand side of the room.

PREP. down/up a/the ~ The office is just round that corner and up a short flight of stairs.

PHRASES (at the bottom/top of) a flight of stairs/steps

⁴ running away

ADJ. headlong, panicked

VERB + FLIGHT put (sb/sth) to (literary) The army was defeated and the king put to flight. | take As soon as they detected the cheetah the antelope took flight.

PREP. in ~ Left-wing opposition leaders, in flight from persecution, went across the border. | ~ from a headlong flight from danger | ~ into a flight into the unknown | ~ to The story tells of his flight from East to West Berlin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flinch verb

VERB + FLINCH make sb Her finger touched the scar on his forehead, making him flinch.

PREP. at She flinched visibly at the sight of the body. | from She flinched away from him. (figurative) She won't flinch from speaking her mind. | with He flinched with the force of the blow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fling noun

ADJ. brief | (one) final, (one) last The athlete will have one final fling (= participate in one final competition) before retirement.

VERB + FLING have She's had her fling and now she's got to settle down.

PREP. ~ with He had a fling with his neighbour's wife.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

float verb

¹ on water/in air

ADV. gently | downstream, downwards | upwards In the dream my feet leave the ground and I start to float upwards. | about, around, away, off

VERB + FLOAT seem to Her voice seemed to float on the water as gently as a slight mist.

PREP. across A few small clouds floated across the sky. | down chunks of ice floating down the river | in pieces of wood floating in the water | on A few leaves floated on the surface of the water.

² currency

ADV. freely The government decided to allow the peso to float freely.

VERB + FLOAT allow sth to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flog verb

ADV. publicly Offenders were publicly flogged.

PHRASES flog sb to death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flood noun

¹ large amount of water

ADJ. devastating, great, heavy, severe | summer, winter

VERB + FLOOD cause Heavy rainfall in the mountains caused the floods.

FLOOD + VERB hit sth, strike sth This summer the region was struck by devastating floods. | inundate sth The meadowland was inundated by heavy floods. | cause sth The flood caused widespread destruction. | subside The floods are slowly subsiding.

FLOOD + NOUN water/waters | alert, damage, victim | control, defence, prevention, protection, relief

PHRASES be in (full) flood The river was in full flood (= had flooded its banks).

² large number/amount

ADJ. great | constant | sudden

FLOOD + VERB inundate sb/sth She was inundated by floods of fan mail.

PREP. ~ of a great flood of refugees

PHRASES in floods of tears (= crying a lot) The little girl was in floods of tears.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flood verb

VERB + FLOOD be liable to The area near the river is liable to flood.

PHRASES be badly flooded The village had been badly flooded.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

floorboard noun

ADJ. wooden | bare | polished | loose | creaking, squeaky

VERB + FLOORBOARD lay The builders are still laying the floorboards. | lift (up) Lift some loose floorboards to get at the pipes.

FLOORBOARD + VERB creak The wooden floorboards creaked as he walked down the corridor.

PREP. beneath/under/underneath the ~ They said that he kept his money under the floorboards.

PHRASES a gap between/in the floorboards She could hear voices through the gaps in the floorboards.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

floor noun

¹ lower surface of a room

ADJ. bare I can't sleep on the bare floor! | carpeted, parquet, tiled, wood, wooden | polished | bathroom, kitchen, etc.

VERB + FLOOR clean, mop, polish, scrub, sweep, wash, wax, wipe | drop to, fall to His glass fell to the floor and broke.

FLOOR + NOUN covering, tile | space

PREP. on the ~ Do you mind sitting on the floor?

PHRASES from floor to ceiling Bookcases lined the walls from floor to ceiling.

² bottom of the sea, a forest, etc.

ADJ. cave, forest, ocean, sea, valley

³ level in a building

ADJ. bottom, ground | top | first, second, etc. | mezzanine | lower, upper

VERB + FLOOR occupy The offices occupy the two top floors of the building.

PREP. on the ~ a cafe on the mezzanine floor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flop noun

ADJ. almighty, big, resounding, spectacular The show was the biggest flop in TV history. | complete | expensive The concert may prove an expensive flop unless more people decide to go.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flourish noun

ADJ. final | dramatic, rhetorical, theatrical a speech full of rhetorical flourishes

VERB + FLOURISH end in/with, finish with | start (off) with | sign with Bill signed on the bottom line with a flourish.

PREP. with a ~ With a final flourish she laid down her pen.

PHRASES a flourish of trumpets

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flour noun

QUANT. bag, packet, sack

VERB + FLOUR use | add, blend, fold in, mix (in), rub sth in/into, stir (in) Blend the flour with a little milk to make a smooth paste. Rub the butter into the flour. | sieve, sift Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.

FLOUR + NOUN mill > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flout verb

ADV. deliberately, openly The protesters have openly flouted the law.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flower noun

QUANT. bouquet, bunch

VERB + FLOWER have, produce It has deep pink scented flowers. It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers. | come into If the winter weather is mild, plants may come into flower too early. | pollinate The flowers are pollinated by insects. | press

FLOWER + VERB go to seed, seed

PREP. in ~ It was June and the roses were in flower.

PHRASES a bank/carpet/mass of flowers The alleys were adorned with banks of flowers. The forest floor was a carpet of wild flowers. | covered in flowers The bush was absolutely covered in flowers. > Note at FLOWER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flow noun

VERB + FLOW have Big pension funds have a constant flow of cash. | get, obtain Squeeze the tube of sealant slowly to obtain an even flow. | allow We like to allow a free flow of ideas in our company. | produce, provide The system provides a continuous flow of information to the market. | keep, maintain He kept up a flow of chatter. | ensure You must use a wide pipe to ensure an adequate flow of water. | control, regulate | assist, encourage, facilitate, stimulate to encourage the flow of revenue into the country | enhance, improve, increase The company is trying to enhance its cash flow. | disrupt, impede, reduce, restrict, slow (down) The continual bombing disrupted the flow of supplies to the ground troops. | block, break (up), cut (off), halt, interrupt, staunch, stem, stop They tried to staunch the flow of blood. | divert The main flow of water has been diverted to a new course. | join | measure

FLOW + NOUN rate The flow rate was measured at 9.5 litres per second. | chart, diagram

PREP. against the ~ They have to swim against the flow of the river. | ~ around/round air flows around the wings of an aircraft | ~ from First cut off the water flow from the boiler. | ~ into She joined the flow of immigrants to the country. | ~ through the flow of data through the system

PHRASES changes in the flow Changes in the flow of patients have reduced the number of beds available. | the ebb and flow the ebb and flow of the tide

(figurative) He was at the mercy of the ebb and flow of public opinion. | in full flow She tried to interrupt his speech, but he was already in full flow (= talking continuously and not thinking of stopping). | the rate of flow the rate of flow of water

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flow verb

ADV. easily, freely, smoothly We talked, and the conversation flowed freely. Wine and beer flowed freely. | fast, swiftly The river flows quite fast here. | slowly | naturally In a good production of the play, the action and the words flow naturally. | directly Some of these changes will flow directly from the legislation. | constantly, continuously | away, back, in, out, past

VERB + FLOW seem to | begin to, start to | continue to Imported food aid continued to flow in.

PREP. across, along, between, down a small stream that flowed down the hillside | from Blood was still flowing from the wound. | into One day seemed to flow into the next. | out of, over, through Information flows continuously through the network. | to to get blood flowing to the brain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fluctuate verb

ADV. considerably | sharply, widely, wildly Prices have fluctuated wildly in recent years. | constantly, continually constantly fluctuating patterns

PREP. according to Traffic congestion fluctuates according to the time of day. | around The number of boys at the school fluctuates around 100. | between The number of unemployed fluctuates between two and three million.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fluctuation noun

VERB + FLUCTUATION cause, produce factors which cause these exchange rate fluctuations | be subject to The number of students at a college can be subject to considerable fluctuation.

FLUCTUATION + VERB occur the climatic fluctuations that have occurred over the last ten years

PREP. ~ in There have been quite wide fluctuations in oil prices in recent years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fluency noun

VERB + FLUENCY achieve, acquire Some young children achieve great fluency in their reading.

PREP. ~ in Fluency in spoken English is essential.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fluid adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | keep sth I think we should try and keep our arrangements fluid at this stage.

ADV. extremely, highly, very It's a highly fluid situation. | fairly, quite, rather, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fluid noun

ADJ. excess | amniotic, bodily/body, intravenous | brake, cleaning

VERB + FLUID drink Change your diet and drink plenty of fluids. | lose | replace replacing vital body fluids and salts that are lost when you sweat | retain Retaining excess fluid could be a problem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flurry noun

¹ small amount of rain/snow

ADJ. snow

PHRASES a flurry of rain/snow

² short sudden burst of sth

ADJ. brief, sudden There was a sudden flurry of interest in the book.

PREP. ~ of

PHRASES a flurry of activity/excitement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flushed adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look | become

ADV. deeply, extremely, very | a bit, faintly, a little, quite, slightly | unnaturally

PREP. with Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flush noun

ADJ. faint, slight | deep, dull, pink, red, scarlet, warm | hectic, sudden a hectic flush of rising excitement | hot Hot drinks can cause sweating and hot flushes in the face and head.

VERB + FLUSH feel She felt a dull flush of anger creeping into her face. | bring The promise in his voice brought a warm flush to her cheeks.

FLUSH + VERB creep, rise, spread, suffuse sth A flush of embarrassment rose to her cheeks.

PREP. ~ of There was a faint flush of colour on those pale cheeks.

PHRASES (in) the first flush of enthusiasm, passion, youth, etc. (= a time when enthusiasm, etc. is new, exciting and strong)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flush verb

ADV. deeply | a little, slightly | angrily, guiltily, painfully He made his excuses, flushing guiltily.

PREP. with He flushed scarlet with embarrassment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flute noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flutter noun

¹ quick, light movement

ADJ. little

VERB + FLUTTER give His heart gave a little flutter as the ladder slipped a couple of inches.

² state of nervous excitement

VERB + FLUTTER be in, feel She felt a flutter of excitement. | get in | cause

PREP. in a ~ They arrived in a flutter. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

flu noun

ADJ. mild | gastric | summer

QUANT. bout, dose She's had a nasty dose of flu.

VERB + FLU be in bed with, be laid up with, have, suffer from | catch, contract, get, go down with

FLU + NOUN bug, virus | epidemic | victim | vaccine | jab > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fly noun

¹ insect

VERB + FLY swat I swatted the fly with a newspaper.

FLY + VERB buzz A fly was buzzing against the window. | crawl | land (on sth), settle (on sth) A fly settled on the butter.

FLY + NOUN larva | repellent, spray

² (also flies) on trousers

ADJ. button/button-up, zip/zipped

VERB + FLY button (up), do up, zip up | undo, unzip Do you know your flies are undone?

FLY + NOUN button > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fly verb

ADV. high, low | fast, slowly | about, around, past

PREP. above We watched the birds flying high above us. | over an aeroplane flying low over the sea

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

focal point noun

VERB + FOCAL POINT act as, become, form, make, provide (sth with), serve as

PREP. ~ for The school provides a focal point for the local community. | ~ in In what sense was the discovery of America a focal point in history?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

focus noun

¹ centre of interest/attention

ADJ. central, main, major, primary, prime, principal | important, special | greater, increased | clear, sharp, strong The company's restructuring is designed to give a sharper focus on key growth markets. | narrow I found the focus of the debate too narrow.

VERB + FOCUS act as, give sb/sth, provide (sb/sth with), serve as Cities have always acted as the principal focus of political life. | change, shift At this stage of the trial the defence lawyer often shifts the focus onto the victim. | bring sth into This case has brought the problem of drug abuse in schools into sharp focus. | come into The question of compensation comes into focus.

FOCUS + VERB be on sb/sth Our primary focus this term will be on group work. | shift The focus has now shifted towards the problem of long-term unemployment.

PREP. ~ for She became a focus for all his anger. | ~ on an increased focus on younger people

PHRASES a change/shift of focus, the focus of attention He found he was now their main focus of attention.

² point/distance at which sth is clearly seen

ADJ. sharp | soft soft focus shots of cuddly animals

VERB + FOCUS come into When I got glasses suddenly the whole world came into focus (= became clear to see).

PREP. in ~ The binoculars were not in focus (= were not showing things clearly). | out of ~ The children's faces are badly out of focus (= not clearly shown) in the photograph.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

focus verb

¹ give attention to sth

VERB + FOCUS need to | try to | decide to | tend to | help (to) Think of some questions that will help focus the discussion.

PREP. on/upon We need to focus upon the main issues.

PHRASES highly/tightly focused The department undertakes highly focused research. | narrowly focused The study was criticized for being too narrowly focused.

² direct your eyes towards sth

ADV. automatically

VERB + FOCUS try to She blinked and tried to focus.

PREP. on/upon The eye will automatically focus on the small group in the foreground.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foe noun

ADJ. bitter, dangerous, deadly, formidable, implacable, terrible He knew that Carlton could be an implacable foe. | common | old playing in the final against their old foes Italy

VERB + FOE vanquish (figurative) She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes.

PREP. against a ~ to join forces against a common foe

PHRASES friend and foe His newspaper articles criticized friend and foe alike. | friend or foe She was unsure as yet whether he was friend or foe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fog noun

ADJ. dense, heavy, thick | freezing | patchy Drizzle and patchy fog are forecast. | swirling

QUANT. bank, blanket, patch The town was shrouded in a thick blanket of fog.

VERB + FOG be shrouded in

FOG + VERB cover sth, lie, shroud sth A freezing fog lay over the valley. | close in, come down, descend, roll in A dense fog came down in the afternoon. A heavy fog rolled in from the sea. | clear, disperse, lift The fog had lifted by late morning. | drift, swirl fog drifting over the water | obscure sth A bank of fog obscured the farmhouse.

FOG + NOUN patches

PREP. in/into (a/the) ~ We got lost in the fog. | through (a/the) ~ We drove slowly through the fog.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foil noun

¹ metal in a thin sheet

ADJ. aluminium, gold, silver, tin | kitchen

QUANT. piece, sheet | roll

VERB + FOIL cover sth with, wrap sth in I wrapped the sandwiches in kitchen foil.

² sth that shows off the qualities of sth else

ADJ. good, ideal, perfect

VERB + FOIL be, provide

PREP. as a ~ She has used mosses as a foil for the brightly coloured flowers in the bed. | ~ for/to The couple provided the perfect foil for one another.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fold noun

¹ part of sth folded

ADJ. billowing, loose, soft billowing folds of clouds | deep, heavy | neat | vertical

VERB + FOLD be hidden behind/by/in The troops were hidden by the deep folds of the ground. | fall in, hang in ~s The fabric fell in soft folds. His face hung in heavy folds.

PREP. in a/the ~ It was a solitary spot in a fold between two hills. | ~ in a fold in the land

PHRASES folds of flesh/skin the loose folds of flesh under her chin

² the fold: group of people who feel they belong

ADJ. international | family | Anglican, Catholic, etc.

VERB + FOLD join | leave | come back into/to, return to | be back in The country is now firmly back in the international fold. | bring sb (back) into/to The indigenous people were brought into the Catholic fold. | accept sb back into, welcome sb (back) into/to His father finally accepted him back into the family fold.

PREP. within a/the ~ opposing viewpoints within the Anglican fold

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fold verb

ADV. carefully, neatly | deftly He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. | gently Her hands lay gently folded in her lap. | in half, in two She folded the piece of paper in half. | back, down, over | up I folded up the clothes and put them away.

PREP. into She folded the clothes into a neat bundle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foliage noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

folklore noun

ADJ. popular | local | cricket, sporting, etc.

VERB + FOLKLORE be part of | become part of, enter (into), pass into The victory became part of sporting folklore.

FOLKLORE + VERB have it that … Local folklore has it that prehistoric men drove cattle over these cliffs.

PREP. according to ~ According to popular folklore, anyone who owns such a picture will have bad luck. | in … ~ a character in American folklore

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

folk (also folks) noun

VERB + FOLK visit I am going to visit my folks (= parents) at the weekend.

FOLK + VERB live ordinary working-class folk who live near the factory | say sth, talk (of sth), tell (sb) sth Folks say that he is a hard man. If only I'd listened to the old folk telling their stories.

PHRASES the folks back home The visiting team lost 3?0, dismaying the folks back home (= the people from the place the team had come from).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

follow-up noun

ADJ. long-term | immediate | six-month, two-year, etc. | regular VERB + FOLLOW-UP plan | write She is writing a follow-up to her best-selling novel. FOLLOW-UP + NOUN period | action, work After the report, advisers are expected to carry out follow-up work. | discussion, interview, meeting, session | visit You will receive a follow-up visit from the person conducting the assessment. | operation a follow-up operation to consolidate military successes | treatment They were attending hospital for follow-up treatment. | report, study, survey a long-term follow-up study of all children born in Great Britain in one week

PREP. ~ to We are planning a follow-up to today's event.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

follower noun

ADJ. ardent, close, enthusiastic, keen a keen follower of football | dedicated, devoted, devout, faithful, loyal, true a true follower of Islam | local | sports | cricket, football, rugby, etc.

QUANT. band

VERB + FOLLOWER have She still has many loyal followers. | attract | lead The myth says that he led a small band of followers to seek their fortune in distant lands.

PREP. among sb's ~ The king was not powerful enough to command respect among his followers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

following noun

VERB + FOLLOWING command, enjoy, have | acquire, attract, build up, create, gain, gather

PREP. ~ among Top of the range Scotches attract a fanatical following among whisky buffs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

follow verb

¹ go after sb/sth

ADV. closely Johnson finished first, closely followed by Stevens and Higgins. | dutifully, obediently The dog followed obediently at her heels. | blindly She followed blindly, stumbling over stones in her path. | on You go ahead and we'll follow on later.

VERB + FOLLOW beckon (to) sb to She beckoned him to follow her.

² happen after sth

ADV. closely, quickly, shortly, swiftly The next programme will follow shortly. | immediately in the period immediately following the election

³ happen/be true as a result of sth

ADV. not necessarily It does not necessarily follow that sleep loss would cause these symptoms.

PREP. (on) from Several conclusions follow on from his statement.

⁴ accept advice/instructions

ADV. carefully Follow my instructions very carefully. | dutifully, obediently

⁵ copy

ADV. faithfully The film follows the book faithfully. | blindly, slavishly It wasn't in his nature to follow blindly. slavishly following the views of his teachers

VERB + FOLLOW be expected to, be likely to Banks are expected to follow the building societies in raising mortgage rates.

PHRASES follow suit (figurative) (= act or behave in the way that sb else has just done)

⁶ understand sth

ADV. not quite I'm sorry, but I don't quite follow you (= understand what you are saying).

VERB + FOLLOW be easy to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to His argument was difficult to follow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

folly noun

¹ lack of good judgement

ADJ. absolute, sheer | ultimate | youthful | human | economic, political

VERB + FOLLY realize, recognize, see Suddenly she saw the folly of it all. | demonstrate, show These facts demonstrate the folly of the policy. | underline

PHRASES an act of folly That would be an act of sheer folly! | the folly of your ways They have finally seen the folly of their ways. | the height of folly To sign away his rights to the book would have been the height of folly.

² building

ADJ. Gothic, Victorian | monumental | architectural

VERB + FOLLY build

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fondness noun

ADJ. great | certain, special

VERB + FONDNESS feel, have

PREP. ~ for I've always had a certain fondness for her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fond adj. fond of sb/sth

VERBS be, feel, seem | become, grow | remain

ADV. especially, extremely, genuinely, immensely, particularly, really, very She seems genuinely fond of the children. | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

food noun

QUANT. portion, plate | morsel, scrap They moved from village to village begging scraps of food.

VERB + FOOD consume, eat, have the amount of food that an average family consumes in a week You should eat more fresh foods. She had had no food for two days. | enjoy, like He obviously enjoys good food. | live on people who live on junk food | be off, go off The dog has gone off its food. | avoid, cut down on, cut out | be/go short of, run short of The city was under siege and began to run short of food. | be without, go without, live without We had been days without food. | offer (sb) The centre offers food and accommodation for students. | give sb, provide (sb with), serve (sb), supply (sb with) a restaurant that serves good healthy food Thanks to international aid, the town had been supplied with food for nine months. | feed sb/sth (on) He always fed Whiskers the best cat food. She fed her baby on wholesome food. | handle Always take great care when handling food. | cook, do, make, prepare A lot of people can't be bothered to cook good food. Who's doing the food for the party? | smell, taste Taste the food and tell me what you think. | cut (up) Please cut up the food for your baby sister. | pick at He had lost his appetite and picked at his food. | play with Stop playing with your food like a baby! | chew | swallow | bolt, gulp (down) She told the kids not to gulp down their food. | digest | order They sat down at the restaurant table and immediately ordered their food. | grow | import | beg (for), hunt for, look for, search for, scavenge for The female eagle broods and the male hunts for food. | find Most mammals use their sense of smell to find food. | keep, store Keep food fresher for longer with our new sealable containers. Bears store food for the winter. | put out He put out food for the birds. | share

FOOD + VERB smell, taste Does the food taste good? | be in short supply, be short We have strikes, food is short and the queues grow longer. | run out

FOOD + NOUN resource, source, supply Fruits are an important food source for bats. The seaside fish market is a ready food supply for scavenging seabirds. | supplies The UN has b | stuff (also foodstuff) Many basic foodstuffs, such as bread and milk, are tax-free. | crop, plant Peasants were encouraged to grow basic food crops such as beans and corn. | product The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content. | consumption | intake His doctor warned him to reduce his daily food intake. | preparation | hygiene, safety | scare There has been a food scare over salmonella in eggs. | distribution | crisis, shortage | rationing, rations | industry, market The country intends to increase its share of the European food market. | manufacturing, production | company, manufacturer, producer | market, outlet, retailer, shop, store, supplier Britain's first organic food market a fast food outlet | prices | bill I am trying to cut my weekly food bill by one third. | policy EU food policy | poisoning | additives | colouring | processor Blend the egg yolks, lemon juice and herbs in a food processor. | chain Plankton is at the bottom of the marine food chain.

PREP. for ~ killing animals for food | without ~ After three days without food, the men were close to starvation.

PHRASES food and drink Gina had prepared food and drink for the work party. | food and water Food and water were running out. | food and wine The Dordogne region is famous for its food and wine. | a smell of food There was a smell of food from the kitchen | a supply of food The ocean provided the villagers with an endless supply of food. | the taste of food the characteristic taste of our food

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foolish adj

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. exceedingly, extremely, incredibly, really, singularly, very | utterly | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly, vaguely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foolproof adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | make sth We're trying to work out a way to make the system foolproof.

ADV. absolutely, quite | nearly, pretty well, virtually The system is pretty well foolproof.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fool noun

ADJ. awful, big, bloody (taboo), damned, great, silly, stupid You're an even bigger fool than I thought. | absolute, complete, utter | poor (= unfortunate) | old (= used to show sympathy, affection or a lack of respect) The poor old fool was imprisoned on my account. | young | little You silly little fool! | court court fools who used to provide entertainment in the royal court

VERB + FOOL feel (like) I felt such a fool when I realized what I'd done. | look (like) They had left me looking like a fool. | act (like), behave like, play Stop behaving like a fool! He thought that being an actor only involved tap dancing and playing the fool (= acting in a childish/funny way). | suffer, tolerate She doesn't suffer fools gladly. | call sb | take sb for He had taken me for a complete fool. | be no/nobody's (= be too clever to be deceived by sb/sth) She's nobody's fool. She had the car checked by a mechanic before buying it.

PREP. like a ~ Like a fool, I told her everything. | ~ of a sth That fool of a doctor has prescribed me the wrong medicine!

PHRASES make a fool (out) of sb/yourself She was angry at having been made a fool of. | more fool (sb) I thought it was safe to leave my suitcase there. More fool me (= I was stupid to think so).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fool verb

ADV. completely | easily I'm not easily fooled by anyone, least of all you.

VERB + FOOL can't/couldn't | try to

PREP. into He fooled them into thinking he was a detective. | with You can't fool me with all that nonsense!

PHRASES have sb fooled She had me completely fooled for a moment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

footballer noun

ADJ. brilliant, good, skilful, talented | famous | keen | amateur, professional | international

FOOTBALLER + VERB play

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

football noun

QUANT. game

VERB + FOOTBALL play | watch | follow Young Italians follow football like we follow the royal family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foothold noun

¹ place to put your foot when climbing

ADJ. firm, secure

VERB + FOOTHOLD have | find, get, scrabble for He found a secure foothold and pulled himself up. scrabbling for a foothold on the steep grassy bank | give sb The bench gave me the foothold I needed to climb into the tree.

² strong position for making further progress

ADJ. firm, secure | permanent | big | small

VERB + FOOTHOLD have | establish, gain, get, obtain, secure The company is trying to gain a foothold in the European market. | maintain | lose | regain | give (sb/sth), provide (sb with) I hope the textbook will provide a foothold for students of the subject.

PREP. ~ in The firm has a firm foothold in this market.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

footing noun

¹ secure grip with your feet

ADJ. firm, sure

VERB + FOOTING keep He struggled to keep his footing on the slippery floor. | be sure of She looked over her shoulder to be sure of her footing. | struggle for | lose, miss | give (sb), provide (sb with) The sole of this shoe will give a firm footing even on slippery surfaces.

² basis on which sth exists/operates

ADJ. firm, proper, right, secure, solid, sound | wrong | equal, the same All claimants stand on an equal legal footing. | different, unequal | normal | permanent The arrangement was put on a permanent footing earlier this year. | commercial, competitive, financial, legal | war The army was placed on a war footing (= prepared for war).

VERB + FOOTING be on, stand on The two teams stand on an equal footing. | be back on | gain Town planning procedures gained a footing in local government. | get (sb/sth) off on Being inconsiderate to the doctor will get you off on the wrong footing. | get (sth) on, place sth on, set sth on We need to get the business on a sound footing. | get (sth) back on, put sth back on

PREP. on a … ~ an attempt to put the economy on a more secure footing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

footpath noun

ADJ. public | long-distance

VERB + FOOTPATH follow, take, use | keep to

FOOTPATH + VERB follow sth, lead, run The footpath runs along the canal. | cross sth a footpath crossing farmland | link sth the footpath linking Sprotton and Lumm

FOOTPATH + NOUN network, system

PREP. along a/the ~ We walked along the footpath. | by (a/the) ~ The monastery is an hour away by footpath. | down a/the ~, on the ~ We stood on the footpath and waited for a gap in the traffic. | up a/the ~ | ~ across, ~ along, ~ alongside, ~ from, ~ over, ~ through, ~ to the footpath through the wood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

footprint noun

ADJ. clear | fresh | muddy, wet

VERB + FOOTPRINT leave, make The intruder had left some clear footprints in the flower beds. Her wet boots made footprints on the dusty floor. | find The detective found fresh footprints in the mud next to the victim. | follow They had fled through the snow, and police had followed their footprints.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

footstep noun (usually footsteps)

VERB + FOOTSTEP hear, listen to | listen for listening for her mother's footsteps | retrace I am retracing the footsteps of the lost expedition.

FOOTSTEP + VERB run, walk | halt, stop The footsteps halted in the doorway. | approach, come The footsteps came closer as she listened. | recede | pass (on) The footsteps passed on, receding down the corridor. | descend the stairs | falter | die away, fade (away) Her footsteps died away as she walked down the path. | crunch, echo, pound, sound Hurried footsteps sounded on the stairs.

PHRASES the sound of (sb's) footsteps

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

footwork noun

ADJ. deft, fancy, fine, good, neat, nimble

VERB + FOOTWORK show She showed some nimble footwork and looked a promising player.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foot noun

¹ part of the body

ADJ. left, right | back, front He shifted his weight onto his back foot. | dainty (little), small | big, enormous | narrow, wide | flat He was excused military service because of his flat feet. | bare It's dangerous to walk on the beach in/with bare feet. | blistered, swollen | dirty, smelly, unwashed | booted, stockinged the rumble of many booted feet on the bridge He padded across the room in his stockinged feet (= wearing socks but no shoes). | webbed Ducks' webbed feet help them to swim. | silent He slipped across the corridor on silent feet. | leaden (figurative) He walked towards the examination room with leaden feet (= slowly). | winged (figurative) She flew on winged feet (= fast) up the narrow stair.

VERB + FOOT get to, jump to, leap to, rise to, scramble to He got shakily to his feet. | be on I've been on my feet all day and I need to sit down for a rest. | plant, put I planted my feet firmly on the chair and reached up to the top window. She put her foot down on the accelerator and the car lurched forward. | raise He raised his foot off the accelerator pedal. | stamp | swing He swung a foot at the ball but missed completely. | shuffle | drag She dragged her feet as she reluctantly followed her parents. | wipe Wipe your feet when you come in from the street. | tread on That man trod on my foot and he didn't even apologize.

FOOT + VERB catch His foot caught in the cable and he fell under the train. | slip My foot slipped as I was about to shoot and I missed the ball. | crunch, patter, pound, shuffle I heard feet crunching over the gravel outside the house. | dangle I sat by the river with my feet dangling in the water. | kick They carried him out of the room with his feet kicking. | sink My feet sank deep into the mud.

FOOT + NOUN massage | injury | passenger, soldier Foot passengers were allowed to leave the ferry before the vehicles. | patrol soldiers on foot patrol

PREP. beneath/under your ~ The snow crunched beneath her feet. | from ~ to ~ They looked unsure and shifted uneasily from foot to foot. | on ~ The city is best explored on foot. | in the/your ~ He's broken several bones in his left foot. | with the/your ~ She kicked the ball with her right foot.

PHRASES the ball of the/your foot I squatted down to speak to the boy, balancing on the balls of my feet. | from head to foot She was dressed from head to foot in green velvet. | put your feet up He likes to put his feet up and watch TV when he gets home. | set foot in/on sth Cook claimed to be the first European to set foot in Australia. | the sole of the/your foot The soles of my feet were covered in blisters.

² measurement > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forbid verb

ADV. strictly Smoking is strictly forbidden. | absolutely, totally, utterly You cannot do that. I absolutely forbid it. | expressly, specifically

PREP. from He was forbidden from leaving the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

force noun

¹ physical strength, power or violence

VERB + FORCE resort to, use In the end, we had to resort to brute force to get the door open. | take sth by The troops marched in and took the city by force. | feel Even the opposition MPs felt the force of the prime minister's argument.

PREP. by ~ The king made laws and imposed them by force.

PHRASES catch/experience/feel/meet/take the full force of sth Our shop took the full force of the bomb blast. I felt the full force of her criticism. | meet force with force The country's attempts to meet force with force (= resist an attack using force) led to the outbreak of war. | the use of force The regulations allow the use of force if necessary.

² effect that causes sth to move

VERB + FORCE exert The sun exerts a force on the earth. | increase | decrease | balance The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.

FORCE + VERB balance sth

FORCE + NOUN field the force field of a magnet (figurative) It was as if an invisible force field kept us apart.

PREP. ~ between the attractive and repulsive forces between individual particles

PHRASES a balance of forces the balance of nuclear forces in atoms | the force of gravity3 authority of sth

ADJ. binding, legal, statutory The contract was not signed and has no binding force.

VERB + FORCE come into The new law comes into force as from midnight tomorrow. | bring sth into

PREP. in ~ Some laws relating to obsolete customs are still in force.

PHRASES the force of law Professional standards often do not have the force of law (= cannot be enforced).

⁴ sb/sth with power/influence

ADJ. considerable, formidable, great, irresistible, major, overwhelming, potent, powerful, significant, strong | active, controlling, dominant, driving, moving | motivating | persuasive | constructive, creative, dynamic, positive, progressive | destructive, disruptive, negative, subversive She was seen as a potentially subversive force within the party. | cohesive, unifying | competitive, conflicting, countervailing, reactionary | internal | external, international, outside The play portrays a marriage torn apart by external forces. | natural powerful natural forces such as earthquakes and drought | spiritual, supernatural | dark, demonic, evil, malevolent ‘There are dark forces in the universe,’ he raved, ‘and we are powerless against them!’ | cultural, economic, intellectual, market, moral, political, productive, revolutionary, social powerful social and economic forces

VERB + FORCE remain Though officially retired, she remains the creative force behind the design business. | balance This is a politician who does not like to balance market forces.

PREP. ~ behind Local parents were the driving force behind the project. | ~ for Competition is a force for change in industry.

PHRASES a balance of forces shifts in the balance of political forces in Europe | a force to be reckoned with With its new players, the team is now very much a force to be reckoned with.

⁵ group of people trained for a particular purpose

VERB + FORCE assemble, create, form, mobilize, set up A large expeditionary force is now being assembled. | send the decision to send armed forces over the border | deploy, use A small peacekeeping force will be deployed in the area. | withdraw | demobilize | command, head (up), lead | join She decided to join the armed forces. | combine, join The two companies have joined forces to form a new consortium.

FORCE + VERB control sth Rebel forces now control most of the capital.

PREP. in a/the ~ people in the security forces

PHRASES a member of a force, the withdrawal of a force a UN deadline for the withdrawal of forces

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foreboding noun

ADJ. deep, gloomy

VERB + FOREBODING feel, have I felt a gloomy foreboding that something was going to go wrong. | be full of He returned, full of foreboding, to the scene of the accident. | fill sb with

PREP. with (a) ~ The sky was dull, with a foreboding of rain. | ~ of She had a foreboding of danger.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of foreboding

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forecast noun

VERB + FORECAST prepare, produce | give, issue, make, provide The government has issued a pessimistic economic forecast. | revise, update | rely on | be in line with The interest rate is in line with the forecast.

FORECAST + VERB predict sth, say sth, suggest sth Some forecasts suggest that the increase in heart disease will continue for some time. | assume sth | be based on sth forecasts based on a complicated procedure

PREP. ~ about Forecasts about the economy are often misleading. | ~ for forecasts for earnings forecasts for different sectors of the industry forecasts for the year

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forecast verb

ADV. accurately, correctly | originally higher costs than those originally forecast

VERB + FORECAST be difficult to, be hard to

PHRASES be widely forecast a result that was widely forecast

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forefront noun the forefront

VERB + FOREFRONT remain at/in Education remains at the forefront of the state's planning. | keep sb/sth at/in/to | come into/to She came to the forefront as governor after the political change. | bring sb/sth to, place sb/sth at/in/to, push sb/sth into/to, put sb/sth (back) at/in, take sb/sth into/to, thrust sb/sth into/to The new factory could put the town back at the forefront of steelmaking.

PREP. at/in the ~ (of) issues at the forefront of government policy

PHRASES at/in/to the forefront of sb's mind This question remained at the forefront of her mind.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foreground noun

VERB + FOREGROUND occupy A happy family occupies the foreground of the painting.

PREP. in the ~ This issue is very much in the foreground.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forehead noun

VERB + FOREHEAD wrinkle | mop, wipe | hit, rub, slap, smack, tap He groaned and slapped his forehead, as if suddenly remembering something obvious.

PREP. across your ~ He rubbed a hand across his forehead as though he were tired. | from your ~ He wiped the sweat from his forehead. | in the ~ He went to bed complaining of a pain in the forehead. | off your ~ She pushed her wet hair off her forehead. | over your ~ His hair fell over his forehead.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foreign adj.

¹ not coming from your own country

VERBS be, look, sound The name sounded foreign.

ADV. slightly a slightly foreign accent | distinctly He was a small man, distinctly foreign in appearance.

² foreign to sb: not typical of sb/not known to sb

VERBS be, feel, seem

ADV. very | completely, entirely, quite, totally, utterly This kind of behaviour is completely foreign to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forerunner noun

ADJ. early, immediate an early forerunner of the modern jet engine | direct

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foresee verb

ADV. clearly | reasonably He could not reasonably have foreseen the consequences.

VERB + FORESEE can/could We could foresee no difficulties with these proposals. | be difficult to, be impossible to It is impossible to foresee the future.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foresight noun

ADJ. considerable, great

VERB + FORESIGHT have He had had the foresight to bring in the washing before the rain started. | show The plans showed great foresight. | lack

PHRASES a lack of foresight

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forestry noun

ADJ. commercial, plantation | sustainable | tropical

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forest noun

QUANT. stretch, tract a large stretch of virgin forest

VERB + FOREST plant | chop down, clear, cut down, destroy Forest is being cleared to make way for new farming land. | be covered by/in/with Much of Europe was once covered in forest.

FOREST + VERB stretch Thick forest stretched as far as the eye could see.

FOREST + NOUN tree | floor | land | fire

PREP. in a/the ~ They got lost in the forest. | through a/the ~ We slashed our way through the dense forest.

PHRASES the edge/heart/middle of the forest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forethought noun

VERB + FORETHOUGHT have We had had the forethought to book places in advance.

PREP. with/without ~ He had made the remark completely without forethought.

PHRASES a lack of forethought

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forgery noun > Note at CRIME

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forget verb

ADV. clean, completely, entirely, quite, totally I'm terribly sorry?I clean forgot to give your brother the message. | almost, nearly | never I'll never forget the expression on his face. | quickly, soon | instantly, promptly ‘I will, ’ she promised, and promptly forgot about it. | momentarily, temporarily Her joy was so infectious that he momentarily forgot his own fears for the future. | easily The experience of nearly getting killed is not easily forgotten. | conveniently (ironic) He conveniently forgot to tell me he was married.

PREP. about Oh yes! I almost forgot about the party.

PHRASES forget all about sth In the excitement I forgot all about my little brother. | forgive and forget It was all a long time ago and now Ellen found she could forgive and forget. | keep forgetting She keeps forgetting where she's put her glasses. | largely forgotten His pioneering work in the field was largely forgotten until the late 1940s.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forgiveness noun

ADJ. complete

VERB + FORGIVENESS find, have, receive Do I have your forgiveness? | ask (for), beg (for), pray for, seek | find victims of violence who can nevertheless find forgiveness in their hearts | offer (sb), show (sb)

PREP. ~ for He begged her forgiveness for his mistake.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forgive verb

ADV. quite I suspect that Rodney has never quite forgiven either of them. | never | easily Donna would not easily forgive Beth's silly attempt to trick her.

VERB + FORGIVE be able/unable to, can/could I couldn't forgive him. | be easy to An insult like that isn't easy to forgive. | ask sb to, beg sb to He fell to his knees and begged God to forgive him. | try to

PREP. for She never forgave him for losing her ring.

PHRASES forgive and forget He was not the sort of man to forgive and forget.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forgo verb

ADV. willingly She would willingly forgo a birthday treat if only her warring parents would declare a truce.

VERB + FORGO have to Time to prepare was a luxury he would have to forgo. | decide to | be prepared to, be willing to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fork noun

¹ tool for eating

ADJ. toasting

VERB + FORK pick up | put down | use

PREP. on a/the ~ She impaled a piece of meat on her fork. | with a ~ Mash the mixture with a fork.

PHRASES a knife and fork He put the knives and forks on the table.

² place where sth divides into two parts

ADJ. left/left-hand, right/right-hand

VERB + FORK take As you pass the farm, take the right fork of the track up the hill.

PREP. at a/the ~ Bear left at the fork in the road. | ~ in sitting in the fork of the tree

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forlorn adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound, stand The house stood forlorn and empty. | become

ADV. very | quite, utterly She didn't belong, and felt utterly forlorn. | almost | rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

formality noun

¹ action that is necessary according to custom/law

ADJ. mere, simple Your acceptance into the club will be a mere formality. | customs, immigration, legal

VERB + FORMALITY complete, deal with, go through It only took a few minutes to complete the legal formalities. | dispense with Let's dispense with the formalities and get down to work.

PHRASES just/merely/only a formality She was clearly the best candidate for the job, so her interview was just a formality.

² polite formal behaviour

ADJ. cold, cool, icy, stiff

QUANT. degree, level It is important to be aware of the level of formality required at any social function.

VERB + FORMALITY maintain She preferred to maintain a cool formality in her dealings with her manager.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

formal adj.

¹ very correct/official

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

ADV. extremely, very | strictly Learning was by rote and strictly formal. | almost The greeting was polite, almost formal. | fairly, quite, rather, relatively | oddly Her words sounded oddly formal. | stiffly His manner was stiffly formal.

² concerned with the way sth is done

VERBS be

ADV. merely, purely Getting approval for the plan is a purely formal matter: nobody will seriously oppose it. | largely The monarch retains largely formal duties.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

formation noun

¹ making/developing sth

ADJ. policy the top civil servants who are responsible for policy formation

VERB + FORMATION lead to, result in This dispute led to the formation of a new breakaway group.

² arrangement/group/pattern

ADJ. close, tight | battle The troops advanced in battle formation. | family, household, social changing patterns of marriage and family formation

FORMATION + NOUN dancing, flying

PREP. in a … ~ The men were grouped in a close formation. | in ~ a squadron of planes flying in formation

³ sth that has been formed

ADJ. cloud, geological, rock | military, political

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

format noun

ADJ. large, small | standard

VERB + FORMAT change For this year, we have decided to change the format of the conference slightly.

PREP. in a/the ~ The book is now available in a slightly smaller format.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

formidable adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound The task looks formidable. | remain | find sth Men found her formidable.

ADV. really, truly, very a very formidable opponent | a bit, pretty, quite, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

formulate verb

ADV. fully | carefully, properly His ideas are always very carefully formulated. | clearly, explicitly | consciously He claims that Marx never consciously formulated his own theoretical position.

VERB + FORMULATE try to | help (to)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

formula noun

¹ group of signs/letters/numbers

ADJ. complex, complicated | simple | algebraic, chemical, mathematical, scientific

VERB + FORMULA devise, work out A simple mathematical formula has been devised to allow you to calculate the interest due. | apply, use

PREP. ~ for Do you know the formula for finding the area of a circle?

² method of solving a problem

ADJ. good, magic, successful, winning | time-honoured, traditional | face-saving The government was forced to find a face-saving formula to cover its misjudgement. | peace No one has yet come up with a successful peace formula. | political

VERB + FORMULA have No one has a magic formula for keeping youngsters away from crime. | come up with, devise, find, hit on, provide, work out We think we might have hit on a winning formula.

PREP. ~ for What is their formula for success?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

form noun

¹ type of sth/way of doing sth

ADJ. common Strikes are the most common form of industrial protest. | extreme an extreme form of socialism | pure In its purest form, the substance is highly explosive. | complex, simple | mild | virulent a virulent form of flu | early, final an early form of bicycle The document was edited before being circulated in its final form. | art, literary, musical Story-telling has acquired the status of an art form. | life primitive life forms at the bottom of the sea | digital, electronic The data is stored in digital form. | graphic, tabular The results of the survey are shown below in tabular form. | liquid

VERB + FORM take Bullying can take many forms.

PREP. in … ~ The gas is stored in liquid form. | in the ~ of These costs were passed on to the tenants in the form of higher rents. | ~ of Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise.

PHRASES in any shape or form The company will not tolerate discrimination in any shape or form. | in some form or other We spend most of our time communicating in some form or other.

² shape

ADJ. human paintings of the human form | adult

VERB + FORM alter, change a mythical creature that could change its form | assume, take on a god who could take on human form

PREP. in a/the ~ Two weeks later the moth will emerge in its adult form.

³ piece of paper with questions on it

ADJ. application, booking, entry, order

VERB + FORM complete, fill in/out Please complete the application form and return it to us. | sign | return

⁴ strength/fitness

ADJ. fine, good | poor | current, present

VERB + FORM maintain The team is hoping that it can maintain its current form.

PREP. in ~ She was in fine form for the tournament. Barcelona are the team in form. | off ~ Her recent illness possibly explains why she was off form in this race. | on (sb's) ~ He'll be a difficult opponent to beat; he's really on form today. On his present form it seems likely that he will win the match. | out of ~ The team was out of form and did not play as well as expected.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

form verb

¹ make/organize sth

VERB + FORM attempt to, try to | agree to, decide to | ask sb to, invite sb to The leader of the party with the most seats is invited to form a government. | help (to)

PHRASES newly/recently formed a newly formed political party

² make sth into a shape

PREP. into She formed the clay into a ball.

PHRASES fully formed The plan came in a flash of inspiration, fully formed. | perfectly formed a perfectly formed body

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forthcoming adj.

¹ available

VERBS be Help was duly forthcoming.

ADV. duly | readily | immediately

² willing to give information

VERBS be

ADV. unusually | not very

PREP. about She wasn't very forthcoming about where she'd been.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forthright adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. very | pretty | characteristically MacTavish was characteristically forthright in his reply.

PREP. about She's always been very forthright about her preferences.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fortified adj.

VERBS be

ADV. heavily, strongly

PREP. against The town was heavily fortified against attack.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fortnight noun

ADJ. next | last, past, previous | whole

VERB + FORTNIGHT spend We've spent the last fortnight in Spain.

FORTNIGHT + VERB elapse, go by, pass A fortnight passed and we still hadn't heard from them.

PREP. after a/the ~, during a/the ~, for a/the ~, in a/the ~ We hope to leave in the next fortnight. | over a/the ~, within a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fortress noun

ADJ. great | formidable, impregnable, strong | grim

VERB + FORTRESS attack, besiege, lay siege to | take Greek warriors took the fortress with little effort. | hold, occupy

FORTRESS + VERB be/come under attack, be/come under siege | fall The fortress fell after a nine-day siege.

FORTRESS + NOUN town

PREP. in a/the ~ They took refuge in the fortress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fortunate adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | consider sb, count yourself, think sb We consider ourselves extremely fortunate.

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very | comparatively, quite, rather | indeed He was indeed fortunate in his friends.

PREP. for It was fortunate for us that the rain stopped. | in We are fortunate in having quite a lot of land.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fortune noun

¹ luck

ADJ. good | ill

QUANT. piece, stroke By a stroke of good fortune, Steven was still in his office.

VERB + FORTUNE have | bring (sb) A horseshoe nailed to your door is supposed to bring good fortune.

FORTUNE + VERB be on sb's side, favour sb For once, fortune was on our side: the weather improved in time for the match. | smile on sb Fortune smiled on me that day (= I had good fortune).

PHRASES as good/ill fortune would have it As good fortune would have it, a bus came along just when I needed it. | a change in/of fortune All we can do is hope for a change in fortune. | have the good fortune to do sth I had the good fortune to work with people I liked.

² fortunes: what happens to sb/sth

ADJ. declining, flagging | changing, fluctuating, mixed a year of mixed fortunes for the company | economic, electoral

VERB + FORTUNE revive The party still hopes to revive its flagging electoral fortunes. | follow fans who follow the fortunes of their chosen team

FORTUNE + VERB change, fluctuate A company's fortunes can change overnight. | improve, rise | decline, fall as the country's fortunes rose and fell

PHRASES a reversal of fortunes The company suffered a great reversal of fortunes when public taste changed.

³ what is going to happen to sb in the future

VERB + FORTUNE read, tell They went to have their fortunes read.

FORTUNE + NOUN teller, telling

⁴ very large amount of money

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, immense, large, substantial, vast | small (= quite large) Rebuilding the house must have cost a small fortune. | family, personal

VERB + FORTUNE accumulate, acquire, amass, build (up), make, win | inherit | leave (sb) Her aunt died and left her a fortune. | lose, squander He lost his fortune in the stock market crash of 1929. squandering the family fortune | seek They went to seek their fortune abroad. | be worth (informal) Some of those old toys are worth a fortune now. | cost (informal) | pay, spend (both informal) She spends a fortune on clothes!

PREP. ~ from He built his fortune from breeding horses. | ~ in She made a fortune in the property boom. | ~ on They sold their house at the right time and made a fortune on it. | ~ out He has amassed a considerable fortune out of trading shares.

PHRASES fame and fortune They went to America in search of fame and fortune. | heir/heiress to a fortune He was sole heir to the family fortune.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fort noun

ADJ. hill | Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, etc. an Iron Age hill fort

VERB + FORT attack, besiege | hold Government forces managed to hold the fort.

FORT + VERB be/come under attack, be/come under siege The fort was under attack for three days. | fall The fort finally fell after a week of intense fighting.

PREP. at/in a/the ~ All was calm at the fort that night.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

forum noun

¹ way people can exchange ideas

ADJ. important, useful, valuable | public

VERB + FORUM create, provide (sb with) | act as, be used as, serve as

PREP. ~ for The conference provides a useful forum for the exchange of views and ideas.

² meeting at which people can exchange ideas

ADJ. open The film show was followed by an open forum on editing techniques. | international, national

VERB + FORUM hold | attend, go to

FORUM + VERB take place

PREP. ~ on An international forum on economic development took place in Brussels.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foster verb

ADV. carefully, deliberately The school has carefully fostered its progressive image. | energetically

VERB + FOSTER help (to) | be designed to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foul play noun

¹ criminal activity

VERB + FOUL PLAY suspect | rule out The police have ruled out foul play in the case of his death.

² play that is against the rules

ADJ. deliberate, serious

VERB + FOUL PLAY be guilty of He was clearly guilty of foul play and deserved to be sent off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foul noun

ADJ. blatant, clear, deliberate, nasty

VERB + FOUL commit He committed a second clear foul and was sent off.

PREP. ~ on He was sent off for a blatant foul on Giggs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foundation noun

¹ organization that provides money for sth

ADJ. charitable, private

VERB + FOUNDATION establish, set up a charitable foundation established in 1983

PREP. ~ for a private foundation for sport and the arts

² foundations: parts of a building below the ground

ADJ. deep | concrete

VERB + FOUNDATION dig, lay digging trenches and laying concrete foundations | shake, undermine The thunder seemed to shake the very foundations of the building. They had dug too deep and undermined the foundations of the house.

FOUNDATION + NOUN stone In 1853 Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone of the new palace.

³ basis for sth

ADJ. excellent, firm, good, secure, solid, sound, strong | insecure, shaky, weak | ideological, intellectual, philosophical, political, theoretical | economic

VERB + FOUNDATION build, lay, provide (sth with) This agreement laid a sound foundation for future cooperation between the two countries. | build on We now have a firm foundation to build on. | rest on The peace treaty rests on shaky foundations. | rock, shake, strike at, threaten, undermine an event which rocked the foundations of British politics

FOUNDATION + NOUN course, year The Fine Arts degree starts with a foundation year. | subjects All students have to do the foundation subjects of maths and English.

PREP. ~ for providing a solid foundation for this new democracy

PHRASES rock/shake sth to its foundations The scandal rocked the legal establishment to its foundations.

⁴ facts that show that sth is true

VERB + FOUNDATION have no malicious rumours which have no foundation

PREP. without ~ Rumours of his resignation are entirely without foundation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

founder noun

ADJ. original | joint a wife and husband who are joint founders of the company | company

FOUNDER + NOUN member a founder member of the band

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fountain noun

ADJ. ornamental | drinking Children were queuing at the drinking fountain.

FOUNTAIN + VERB play, splash A white marble fountain played in the middle of the square.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fox noun

ADJ. urban | rural

VERB + FOX hunt

FOX + VERB bark I heard a fox bark in the dark.

FOX + NOUN cub | hunt, hunting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

foyer noun

ADJ. entrance, reception | cinema, hospital, hotel, school, station, theatre | crowded, deserted

PREP. across the ~, in the ~ We arranged to meet up in the foyer of the Hyatt hotel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fraction noun

¹ part/amount

ADJ. large, significant, sizeable, substantial | mere, small, tiny A mere fraction of available wind energy is currently utilized.

PREP. ~ of Why not grow your own fruit at a fraction of the price?

PHRASES just/only a fraction The average income is high, though many people earn just a fraction of that average.

² exact part of a number

ADJ. vulgar | decimal | improper 11/8 is an improper fraction, equivalent to one and three-eighths.

VERB + FRACTION express sth as Express 25% as a fraction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fracture noun

ADJ. fatigue, stress He suffered a stress fracture of the right foot. | hairline | compound, depressed, double, multiple, simple, spiral | hip, leg, skull, spinal, etc.

VERB + FRACTURE suffer, sustain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fragile adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | remain

ADV. exceedingly, extremely, very | a little, rather | ecologically the ecologically fragile mountain forests

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fragrance noun

ADJ. exquisite, fresh, pleasant, sweet | delicate, faint, gentle, light, soft, subtle | floral

VERB + FRAGRANCE have This perfume has a light, fresh fragrance. | smell

FRAGRANCE + VERB fill sth The fragrance of lavender filled the room. | be reminiscent of sth Geranium oil has a sweet fragrance reminiscent of roses.

PHRASES full of fragrance fruits full of exquisite fragrance and flavour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fragrant adj.

VERBS be, smell | become

ADV. extremely, very, wonderfully a garden full of wonderfully fragrant flowers | mildly, slightly, subtly

PREP. with The air was fragrant with lavender.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frailty noun

ADJ. increasing Despite increasing physical frailty, he continued to write stories. | human a figure of authority, but one all too prone to human frailties | mental, physical

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frail adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get, grow

ADV. extremely, very | increasingly | rather | mentally, physically Many old people become mentally frail.

PHRASES old and frail She looked old and frail.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

framework noun

VERB + FRAMEWORK establish, have, set They established a basic framework of ground rules for discussions. | offer (sb), provide (sb with)

PREP. outside a/the ~ Negotiations were also conducted outside the framework of the treaty talks proper. | within a/the ~ The committee will work within the framework of certain broad objectives. | ~ for a legal framework for the regulation of public access to databases

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frame noun

¹ of a door/picture/window

ADJ. door, window | photo, photograph, picture

PREP. in a/the ~ pictures in gold frames

³ shape of sb's body

ADJ. athletic, big, bony, large, lean, muscular, powerful, skinny, slender, slight, small, tall, wiry

VERB + FRAME have She has quite a small frame.

PREP. with a … ~ a man with a lean, athletic frame

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

franchise noun

¹ right to vote in elections

ADJ. democratic | universal the fight for a universal franchise | limited, restricted | parliamentary

VERB + FRANCHISE qualify for It was decided that all men in the armed forces should qualify for the franchise. | exercise He had to exercise the franchise on behalf of other council members. | enlarge, extend, widen After the Second World War the franchise was extended to all adults over eighteen. | restrict

² permission to sell a company's goods/services

ADJ. catering, fast food, rail, television, etc.

VERB + FRANCHISE have, hold the company that holds the rail franchise for the south-east of the country | acquire, buy, win The company has just won a television franchise. | award (sb), give sb, grant sb The franchise was awarded to a French company. | auction, sell TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. | retain | lose The ITV licensee lost its franchise to Carlton TV.

PREP. ~ for The diving school has acquired a franchise for scuba equipment.

PHRASES on a franchise basis Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frank adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very | absolutely, perfectly, quite Let me be perfectly frank with you. | fairly | delightfully, disarmingly, refreshingly She surveyed Sophie from top to toe in a disarmingly frank way. | brutally She was brutally frank in her assessment of our chances. | surprisingly

PREP. about Macmillan was quite frank about his concerns. | with To be frank with you, I don't really think you've got a chance.

PHRASES full and frank a full and frank exchange of views

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frantic adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, get, go | drive sb The children have been driving me frantic all day!

ADV. really | absolutely, quite He was quite frantic by the time we got home. | increasingly | almost

PREP. with We were starting to get frantic with worry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fraud noun

FRAUD + NOUN squad detectives from the fraud squad > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freak noun

¹ strange/unusual event

FREAK + NOUN accident, result, storm, wave A driver was killed in a freak accident when a cow fell from a bridge. The manager described the 8?0 defeat as a freak result.

PREP. ~ of This was no more than a freak of history.

PHRASES by some freak of sth By some freak of fate, she won an enormous sum of money.

² person with a very strong interest in sth

ADJ. computer, fitness, health, speed For the real speed freak, there is a 2-litre, fuel-injection version of the car. | control Her dad seems to be a bit of a control freak, always keeping a close watch on what anybody's doing.

PHRASES a bit of a freak

³ sb who is considered to be strange

VERB + FREAK feel | regard sb as Other students regarded him as a freak.

PHRASES a bit of a freak I felt a bit of a freak in my strange clothes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freckle noun

ADJ. brown, dark, golden, light, pale

VERB + FRECKLE be covered with, have

PHRASES a crop/sprinkling of freckles She had wonderful clear skin with an attractive sprinkling of freckles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freedom noun

ADJ. complete, full, maximum, perfect, total | considerable, great The new syllabus allows students greater freedom of choice. | comparative, relative | basic, fundamental Living without war is a fundamental freedom. | individual, personal Individual freedom should be balanced against the rights of the community. | new-found When she lost her job, she at first relished her new-found freedom. | academic, artistic, creative, economic, intellectual, political, press, religious, sexual Without academic freedom, we cannot do any research.

QUANT. measure Teachers can exercise a measure of freedom in their choice of materials.

VERB + FREEDOM enjoy, have Publishers here enjoy comparative freedom to publish what they want. | enjoy, relish I was enjoying the freedom of not having to go to work. | exercise | achieve, gain, obtain, secure, win The women have won many new freedoms for themselves. | maintain, retain | give up, lose, surrender As Mike saw it, marriage would mean giving up his freedom. | cost sb His inability to resist temptation would eventually cost him his freedom. | allow sb, give sb, permit sb | curtail, inhibit, reduce, restrict, threaten I don't want to curtail my daughter's freedom. Our freedom was threatened by press censorship.

PREP. ~ from freedom from fear and pain | ~ in Branch managers have considerable freedom in running their offices. | ~ of The Official Secrets Act was amended to allow greater freedom of information.

PHRASES freedom of choice, freedom of expression/speech, freedom of movement, freedom of the press

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

journalist noun

VERB + JOURNALIST speak to, talk to, tell She was warned against speaking to journalists about the affair.

JOURNALIST + VERB investigate sth | write (sth) a journalist writing for a current affairs publication | report (on) sth

PREP. ~ on/with an investigative journalist with a French newspaper > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freezer noun

ADJ. domestic | fridge | chest | deep

VERB + FREEZER fill, stock | defrost

FREEZER + NOUN cabinet, compartment | bag, container | centre They bought all their frozen food from the same freezer centre. | contents Your freezer contents can be insured against loss.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freeze noun

¹ period of weather with a temperature below 0°

ADJ. big The weather report advised us to prepare for a big freeze.

² putting a particular level on sth

ADJ. immediate | complete, total a total freeze on gas emissions | virtual | pay, price, wage

VERB + FREEZE bring in, impose The government has imposed a price freeze on petrol. | announce, declare | lift It's too expensive to lift the freeze on pay.

PREP. ~ on a freeze on bus fares

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freeze verb

¹ become ice/extremely cold

ADV. solid The pond had frozen solid. | over, up The lake has frozen over. The pipes have frozen up.

PHRASES freeze to death Hundreds of homeless people could freeze to death this winter.

² preserve food

ADV. well Many vegetables freeze very well.

³ stop moving

ADV. suddenly | for a moment/second, momentarily His smile froze for a moment.

VERB + FREEZE seem to Suddenly, Ronny seemed to freeze.

PREP. in/with She froze with horror when she saw the body. | into Maggie's face had frozen into a cold mask.

PHRASES freeze to the spot He was so surprised he froze to the spot.

⁴ wages/prices

ADV. effectively Wages were effectively frozen for six months.

PREP. at Prices have been frozen at this level for over a year now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freezing point noun

VERB + FREEZING POINT get to, reach

PREP. above ~ In the Antarctic, the temperature rarely rises above freezing point. | at ~ the changes that take place at freezing point | below ~ The temperature dropped below freezing point this afternoon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freezing adj.

VERBS be, feel, look That water looks freezing.

ADV. bloody (taboo) | absolutely It's absolutely freezing out there!

PHRASES freezing cold It was a freezing cold day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

free adj., adv.

¹ not controlled by rules

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | remain | leave sb The government wants to leave companies free to make their own decisions.

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally The students are entirely free to choose their own courses. | fairly, reasonably, relatively

PREP. from The organization wants to remain free from government control.

² not in prison; not restricted/trapped

VERBS be, roam animals roaming free across the plains | break, get, pull, walk The ship broke free from its moorings. They tied him up but he managed to get free. She managed to pull free of her attacker. She walked free from jail. | remain | cut sb/sth, let sb/sth, pull sb/sth, set sb/sth He was trapped by his leg, but his rescuers cut him free. They let their prisoner free. The birds were set free.

ADV. completely, entirely, totally

³ costing nothing

VERBS be, come This full-colour poster comes free with the magazine.

ADV. absolutely, completely, entirely, totally

PHRASES for free We might be able to get some plants for free. | free of charge We will send you our booklet free of charge.

⁴ free from/of sth: without sth

VERBS be | become | remain, stay | keep sth We've managed to keep the garden free of weeds this year.

ADV. completely, entirely, totally At last he's totally free from pain. | relatively

⁵ not being used

VERBS be, look, seem | become | keep sth The hospital needs to keep some beds free for emergencies.

ADV. completely

⁶ not busy

VERBS be Are you free this afternoon? | keep sth We try and keep Sundays free.

ADV. completely, entirely, totally | fairly, pretty, reasonably

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

free adj., adv.

¹ not controlled by rules

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | remain | leave sb The government wants to leave companies free to make their own decisions.

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally The students are entirely free to choose their own courses. | fairly, reasonably, relatively

PREP. from The organization wants to remain free from government control.

² not in prison; not restricted/trapped

ADV. completely, entirely, totally

³ costing nothing

VERBS be, come This full-colour poster comes free with the magazine.

ADV. absolutely, completely, entirely, totally

PHRASES for free We might be able to get some plants for free. | free of charge We will send you our booklet free of charge.

⁴ free from/of sth: without sth

VERBS be | become | remain, stay | keep sth We've managed to keep the garden free of weeds this year.

ADV. completely, entirely, totally At last he's totally free from pain. | relatively

⁵ not being used

VERBS be, look, seem | become | keep sth The hospital needs to keep some beds free for emergencies.

ADV. completely

⁶ not busy

VERBS be Are you free this afternoon? | keep sth We try and keep Sundays free.

ADV. completely, entirely, totally | fairly, pretty, reasonably

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

free verb

VERB + FREE struggle to, try to She struggled to free herself from his grip. | manage to

PREP. from They succeeded in freeing their friends from prison. | of He had finally been freed of his responsibilities.

PHRASES be freed on bail The court ruled that he should be freed on bail of $50,000.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

freight noun

ADJ. heavy | air, rail, road

VERB + FREIGHT carry, handle, haul, move, transfer, transport All vehicles carrying freight need a special licence. an agent handling freight and passengers The freight was transferred to a train at Rotterdam.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

French noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frenzy noun

ADJ. erotic | feeding The smell of blood sent the sharks into a feeding frenzy.

VERB + FRENZY drive sb/sth into, send sb/sth into, throw sb/sth into, whip sb/sth (up) into, work sb/sth into He was so angry that he worked himself into a frenzy.

PREP. in a/your ~ She tore the letter open in a frenzy.

PHRASES a frenzy of activity, in a frenzy of excitement/rage/violence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frequency noun

¹ rate at which sth happens

ADJ. great | increased, increasing | relative The relative frequency of this illness in the area is of concern to all doctors. | alarming Bullets bounced off the rock with alarming frequency.

VERB + FREQUENCY decrease in, increase in Crime increases in frequency in less settled neighbourhoods. | decrease, increase, reduce The drug can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.

PREP. with ~ Accidents of this sort are happening with increasing frequency.

² of a wave

ADJ. high, low | ultrasonic | microwave, radio, television, vibration, wave | signal

FREQUENCY + NOUN range | band

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frequent adj.

VERBS be, seem | become The attacks have become increasingly frequent.

ADV. extremely, very | increasingly | fairly, quite, relatively She was a fairly frequent visitor to the house.

PREP. among Coughs and colds are frequent among young children.

PHRASES at frequent intervals She phoned home at frequent intervals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fresh adj.

VERBS be, look, smell, taste | stay Mushrooms don't stay fresh for long. | eat sth, have sth It's best to eat them fresh. | keep sth Put it in the fridge to keep it fresh.

ADV. really, very | quite

PHRASES lovely/nice (and) fresh There's some cold beef and a nice fresh loaf.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

friction noun

¹ disagreement between people/groups

ADJ. considerable, serious | increasing | constant I'm exhausted from the constant friction between my boss and my colleagues.

VERB + FRICTION cause, create, generate, lead to, produce His decision led to considerable friction in his family. | prevent

PREP. ~ between friction between neighbours | ~ with Her requests for time off created friction with her boss.

PHRASES a cause/source of friction

² rubbing of one thing against another

VERB + FRICTION cause, generate, produce Rubbing the stones together produces friction. | reduce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Friday noun > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fridge noun

ADJ. domestic

VERB + FRIDGE raid The kids tend to raid the fridge when they get home from school. | fill, stock The fridge was stocked with food and drink. | defrost

FRIDGE + NOUN freezer | door

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

friendless adj.

VERBS be, feel | leave sb With the departure of his remaining colleague he was left friendless.

ADV. totally, utterly | virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

friendly adj.

¹ behaving in a kind/pleasant way

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, genuinely, really, very Frank was a genuinely friendly sort. | perfectly He seemed detached, almost bored, but perfectly friendly. | almost For once he seemed almost friendly. | quite, reasonably | not exactly, not particularly Her manner was not exactly friendly | naturally

PREP. to, towards He was always friendly towards me.

² being friends

VERBS be, seem | become, get | remain

ADV. very | pretty, quite They were quite friendly when they worked together.

PREP. with She's very friendly with Maureen.

PHRASES be on friendly terms (with sb) We have managed to remain on friendly terms.

³ easy to use/helpful/not harmful

VERBS be

ADV. environmentally environmentally friendly cleaning products

PHRASES child-/family-friendly Employers are being encouraged to adopt family-friendly measures like flexible hours. | ozone-friendly, user-friendly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

friendship noun

ADJ. beautiful, close, intimate, deep, firm, great, warm Their quarrel meant the end of a beautiful friendship. They formed a close friendship at university. | innocent Their affair had started out as an innocent friendship. | eternal, lasting, lifelong, long, long-standing They made vows of eternal friendship to each other. It was a period of her life when she made some lifelong friendships.

VERB + FRIENDSHIP develop, establish, form, make, start up, strike up He finds it difficult to make lasting friendships. Jo struck up a friendship with a girl on her course. | cement We cemented our friendship with a meal and a few drinks. | cultivate He's keen on cultivating his friendship with the Edwards family. | promote The aim of the culture festival is to promote friendship between the two countries. | renew It will be a pleasure to renew our friendship. | destroy, spoil, wreck How can you let such a silly incident wreck your friendship? | betray He betrayed our friendship by revealing my secret to his cousin.

FRIENDSHIP + VERB develop Friendships need time to develop.

PREP. ~ between He was jealous of the friendship between his wife and daughters. | ~ with Her mother did not approve of her friendship with Ahmed.

PHRASES bonds/ties of friendship The ties of friendship between us will never be broken. | the hand of friendship The president extended the hand of friendship towards the country's former enemy. | a gesture of friendship In a gesture of friendship, the president invited his former enemies to a reception. | an offer of friendship She offended them by turning down their offer of friendship. | a spirit of friendship We hope the spirit of friendship and cooperation between our countries will remain strong. | a token of your friendship Please accept this gift as a token of our friendship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

friend noun

ADJ. best, bosom, close, dear, good, great, intimate, real, special Her best friend at school was called Anna. I'm inviting only my closest friends to the party. | faithful, loyal, true | lifelong, long-standing, old It was so relaxing to be among old friends. | female, male, woman He was last seen leaving a restaurant with a female friend. | fair-weather People he had trusted turned out to be only fair-weather friends (= stopped being his friends when he was in trouble). | mutual We met each other through a mutual friend. | family, personal | childhood, school Do you keep in touch with any school friends?

VERB + FRIEND become They became friends after meeting on holiday. | remain, stay We stayed friends even after we grew up and left home. | find, make He finds it difficult to make friends. She's made friends with the little girl who lives next door. | win He won't win any friends if he carries on talking like that. | have She doesn't have many good friends.

PHRASES a circle of friends He introduced me to his circle of friends. | a friend of mine, yours, etc. I was given this necklace by a good friend of mine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frightened adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get I got quite frigntened when he lost his temper. | remain

PREP. about I was nervous and frightened about the future. | at Simon was badly frightened at the result of his action. | by Most of us are frightened by our emotions. | of I'm rather frightened of dogs.

PHRASES frightened out of your wits, frightened to death (both informal) She was frightened to death when she saw her small daughter on the edge of the cliff.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frightening adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get The situation was getting quite frightening. | make sth What can we do to make the experience less frightening? | find sth He found the responsibility rather frightening.

ADV. extremely, genuinely, positively, really, truly, very | almost | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather

PREP. for This is extremely frightening for elderly people. | to It was all very frightening to a small boy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frighten verb

ADV. really The prospect of war really frightens me. | quite | almost | easily a man who doesn't frighten easily (= become frightened easily)

VERB + FRIGHTEN want to | not mean to I didn't mean to frighten you. | try to

PHRASES frighten sb out of their wits, frighten sb to death, frighten the life out of sb (all informal) Don't creep around like that! You frightened the life out of me!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fright noun

¹ fear

VERB + FRIGHT take | be shaking/trembling with | die of (informal) He almost died of fright when the fish jumped out of the water.

PREP. in ~ She cried out in fright. | with ~ They were paralysed with fright. | ~ at The birds took fright at the sight of the cat and flew off.

² sudden feeling of fear

ADJ. awful, bad, dreadful, nasty, terrible

VERB + FRIGHT get, have Emma got such a fright that she dropped the tray. I had a terrible fright this morning when I saw you there. | give sb

PHRASES a bit of a fright, the fright of your life You gave me the fright of my life, jumping out like that! | quite a fright

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fringe noun

¹ hair

ADJ. heavy, thick | light, wispy

VERB + FRINGE grow | cut, trim My fringe needs trimming. | brush, push She kept brushing her fringe off her forehead.

PREP. from beneath/under your ~ She stared at us from beneath her fringe. | in a ~ She has her hair pulled forward in a fringe.

² outer edge of a place/group/society, etc.

ADJ. outer | marginal | eastern, western, etc. | coastal, urban | delinquent, lunatic the delinquent fringe of the Nationalist Party

VERB + FRINGE keep to, remain on, stand on He has always remained on the fringes of mainstream politics.

FRINGE + NOUN area | group | meeting | theatre, venue He moved from fringe theatre to mainstream when he was chosen to play a leading role on Broadway.

PREP. along the ~ the forests along the eastern fringe of the Andes | around the ~ new housing around the urban fringe | at the ~ They pitched their tents at the fringe of the open fields. | beyond the ~ Beyond this marginal fringe no agriculture is possible. | on the ~(s) These people live on the fringes of society.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frog noun

FROG + VERB hop, jump, leap, plop into sth The frog plopped into the pond. | croak

FROG + NOUN spawn (also frogspawn)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frontier noun

¹ border between countries

ADJ. common Neither country would guarantee the integrity of their common frontier. | eastern, northern, etc. There were very few border controls on the south-western frontier. | Franco-Spanish, Hispano-French, Spanish-French, French, etc.

VERB + FRONTIER cross The army crossed the frontier in the middle of the night. | control, defend, guard The rebels control the frontier and the surrounding area.

FRONTIER + NOUN controls, post | guard | area, province, region, town, zone | line

PREP. across the ~ Many people travelling across the frontier were illegal immigrants. | along the ~ an army grouping along the frontier | at the ~ There was an army checkpoint at the frontier. | on the ~ people living on the German frontier | over the ~ They were forced to retreat back over the frontier. | ~ between the frontier between India and Pakistan | ~ with France's frontier with Germany

² border between what we know and do not know

ADJ. final, new

VERB + FRONTIER explore Space is the final frontier for us to explore. | advance, push back The scientists' work will push back the frontiers of physics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

front noun

¹ line/area where fighting takes place in a war

ADJ. eastern, western, etc. Thousands were killed on the eastern front.

VERB + FRONT send sb to Even young teenagers were sent to the front.

PREP. at the ~ A new battalion arrived at the front. | on the~ They had to fight on two fronts.

² way of behaving that hides your true feelings

ADJ. bold, brave

VERB + FRONT put on She put on a brave front, but I knew how miserable she was.

PREP. ~ for Her aggressive behaviour is just a front for her shyness.

PHRASES present a united front However much the directors disagree with each other, they always present a united front to the world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frosty adj.

¹ cold enough for frost

VERBS be, look | become, get, turn when the weather turns frosty | remain, stay

ADV. very

PHRASES cold and frosty The day dawned cold and frosty.

² unfriendly

VERBS be, look, seem | become, turn He cool green eyes became positively frosty. | remain

ADV. decidedly, distinctly, positively, very The atmosphere in the room was decidedly frosty. | pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frost noun

¹ weather condition

QUANT. touch There was just a touch of frost in the air. | degree There were ten degrees of frost last night.

FROST + VERB set in The winter frosts have set in up north. | nip at sth The sharp frost nipped at our noses.

² very thin layer of little pieces of ice

ADJ. white

VERB + FROST be covered in/with The windows were covered in frost.

VERB + FROST melt The car was wet with melting frost.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frown noun

ADJ. deep, heavy | faint, quick, slight, small, tiny | puzzled, thoughtful, worried | angry, black, fierce, grim, warning | deepening

VERB + FROWN give The boy gave a small frown. | wear She wore a worried frown. | crease into, pucker into, wrinkle in Her face creased into a frown. | be drawn/draw together in His brows drew together in a frown.

FROWN + VERB deepen, grow darker/deeper Her frown grew deeper at the memory. | crease sth Her frown creased her forehead. | marr sth A frown marred his handsome features. | cross sth, touch sth A frown crossed her brow.

FROWN + NOUN line

PREP. with a ~ | ~ of a frown of concentration/disapproval/puzzlement

PHRASES a frown in your eyes He looked at her with a puzzled frown in his eyes. | a frown on your face

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frown verb

ADV. darkly, deeply, heavily, sharply | slightly | impatiently | thoughtfully She studied the letter, frowning thoughtfully.

PREP. at She turned and frowned at him. | in He looked at the coded message, frowning in concentration. | with He frowned with annoyance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fruitful adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. enormously, extremely, remarkably, very | quite, reasonably | potentially

PREP. in This research has been enormously fruitful in helping our understanding of the disease.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fruition noun

ADJ. full

VERB + FRUITION come to, reach Their efforts came to fruition many years later. | bring sth to It was left to her successor to bring the plan to its full fruition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fruitless adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | render sth Dunbar's departure rendered the whole operation quite fruitless.

ADV. quite, utterly | largely | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fruit noun

¹ part of a plant

QUANT. piece Finish the meal with a piece of fresh fruit.

VERB + FRUIT eat, have | bear The crab apple bears a small, bitter fruit. | pick | core, peel, prepare

FRUIT + NOUN tree | juice, salad 2 the fruits good result/reward

VERB + FRUIT enjoy Their work left them enough time to enjoy the fruits of their success. | reap He was now reaping the fruits of all his hard work.

PHRASES the first fruits of sth the first fruits of the government's health campaign

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frustrated adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get starting to get frustrated | leave sb, make sb This failure leaves the child depressed and frustrated.

ADV. deeply, extremely, really, very | completely, totally | increasingly | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly She sounded rather frustrated to me. | sexually

PREP. at Both sides in the dispute appeared very frustrated at the lack of progress. | by We were frustrated by the long delays. | with Sometimes he gets really frustrated with his violin playing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frustrating adj.

VERBS be, prove | become, get | make sth | find sth I found the delays intensely frustrating.

ADV. deeply, extremely, incredibly, intensely, particularly, really, terribly, very | increasingly | a bit, quite, rather, slightly | ultimately It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.

PREP. for It was rather frustrating for all of us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

frustration noun

ADJ. considerable, great | sheer I shouted at him in sheer frustration. | angry, bitter | pent-up | sexual

VERB + FRUSTRATION experience, feel, seethe with He was still seething with angry frustration. | express, show, take out, vent He took his pent-up frustration out on his family. | hide | cause, lead to These petty rules can lead to frustration and anger.

PREP. in ~ He clenched his fists in frustration. | out of ~ crying out of bitter frustration | through ~ Several people resigned through frustration. | with ~ weeping with frustration | ~ at Many have expressed frustration at the delays. | ~ over showing frustration over the lack of progress | ~ with their frustration with bureaucracy

PHRASES a feeling/sense of frustration, tears of frustration There were tears of frustration in her eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fry verb

ADV. gently, lightly

PREP. in Fry the vegetables gently in oil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fuel noun

ADJ. clean, smokeless, unleaded | fossil, nuclear, solid | domestic, household | aviation | spent The plant reprocesses spent fuel from nuclear power stations.

VERB + FUEL burn, run on, use power stations which burn fossil fuels What sort of fuel does the car run on? | burn sth as, use sth as The power plant burns used vehicle tyres as fuel. | save, waste | process, reprocess

FUEL + NOUN bill, costs, prices | consumption a car with high fuel consumption | economy, efficiency The engine gives good fuel economy. | pump, tank

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fugitive noun

ADJ. hunted, wanted one of the most wanted fugitives sought by the Italian police

PREP. ~ from a sanctuary where fugitives from justice could shelter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fulfilment noun

¹ doing sth to the required standard

ADJ. proper the proper fulfilment of their duties

² feeling of satisfaction

VERB + FULFILMENT derive, find, gain, obtain | provide (sb with)

PREP. ~ from He derives a lot of fulfilment from his charity work. | ~ in I can't find fulfilment in doing housework.

PHRASES a desire/need for fulfilment, a sense of fulfilment They gain a sense of fulfilment from their work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fulfil verb

VERB + FULFIL be able/unable to, can/could Alan was finally able to fulfil his promise to Sarah. | must Students must fulfil the following entry criteria. | seek to, try to | fail to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

full adj.

¹ holding/containing as much as it will hold

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get The garage has got full of junk again. | leave sth He left the bath full of water.

ADV. absolutely, completely The kitchen was absolutely full of flies! | almost, nearly, virtually The reservoirs are all virtually full. | half

PREP. of The bottle was half full of mineral water.

² containing a lot of sth

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, pretty, quite Her wine glass was still quite full.

³ having had enough to eat or drink

VERBS be, feel

ADV. absolutely | rather

PHRASES full up I'm full up. I can't eat another thing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fumes noun

ADJ. acrid, choking, dangerous, noxious, poisonous, toxic | diesel, exhaust, petrol, traffic | cooking | petrol, solvent | carbon monoxide, sulphurous, etc.

QUANT. cloud Clouds of toxic fumes escaped from the chemical plant.

VERB + FUMES give off, produce The fire gave off choking fumes. an industrial process which produces toxic fumes | breathe (in), inhale

FUMES + VERB kill sb, overcome sb A firefighter was overcome by fumes at a blaze in a plastics factory. | escape Sometimes exhaust fumes escape into the vehicle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fume verb

ADV. inwardly, quietly

PREP. about/over She was still quietly fuming about Peter's remarks. | at We were all fuming at the delay.

PHRASES be left fuming Motorists were left fuming as police closed the motorway for six hours. | sit/stand (there) fuming He sat fuming over what he had just learnt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

function noun

¹ purpose/special duty of sb/sth

ADJ. crucial, essential, important, useful, valuable, vital | chief, main, major, primary, prime | dual The committee has a dual function, both advisory and regulatory. | bodily, brain, liver, mental, etc. Fortunately, his head injuries left his bodily functions unimpaired.

VERB + FUNCTION have | carry out, fulfil, perform, serve All members carry out their own particular functions. The club serves a useful function as a meeting place.

² important social event

ADJ. charity, official, social The princess attended a charity function in aid of cancer research.

VERB + FUNCTION hold | attend, go to

FUNCTION + NOUN room The wedding reception will be held in the Swan Hotel's function room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

function verb

ADV. effectively, efficiently, smoothly, successfully, well | perfectly | correctly, normally, properly All the instruments were functioning normally. | adequately, satisfactorily Problems arise when the body's immune system is not functioning adequately. | independently Can we devise a system in which judges function independently of party poltics? | actually This model does not describe accurately the way a market economy actually functions. | still The bombs continued to fall, but somehow the city still functioned.

VERB + FUNCTION be able/unable to, can/could When nutrients are in short supply the body cannot function properly. | begin to | continue to | cease to

PHRASES fully functioning The group has now become a fully functioning political organization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fundamentals noun

ADJ. basic | very The new law strikes at the very fundamentals of a free press.

VERB + FUNDAMENTALS teach | grasp, learn, master We quickly mastered the basic fundamentals of navigation. | go back to, return to The government went back to fundamentals, concentrating on avoiding food shortages.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fundamental adj.

VERBS be, seem | remain | consider sth, regard sth as We consider these freedoms fundamental to democracy.

ADV. truly, very | absolutely, quite This principle is clear and absolutely fundamental. | fairly, rather

PREP. to Improved funding is fundamental to the success of the project.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

funding noun

VERB + FUNDING give sb/sth, grant sb/sth, provide (sb/sth with) The refusal to grant extra funding to schools in the poorest areas caused a political storm. | attract, secure, seek, win | get, obtain, receive | increase | cut, reduce | withdraw, withhold

PREP. … in/of ~ £25 million in funding | ~ for The president called for greater funding for housing for the poor. | ~ from The school has attracted funding from a number of sources. | ~ to an increase in funding to drug rehabilitation clinics

PHRASES a cut/an increase in funding, a lack of funding, a level of funding Present levels of funding have forced the school to cut its teaching staff. | a means/source of funding

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fund noun

¹ sum of money collected for a particular purpose

ADJ. large | appeal, charitable, charity The newspaper launched an appeal fund for victims of the disaster. | benevolent, campaign, investment, memorial, pension, prize, social, trust a benevolent fund for retired actors

VERB + FUND create, establish, launch, set up, start They set up an investment fund to provide money for their retirement. | administer, manage | draw on They don't want to draw on the fund unless they have to.

PREP. in a/the ~ There is currently over £200,000 in the fund. | into a/the ~ The money received is paid directly into a pension fund.

FUND + NOUN holder, manager 2 funds money that is available and can be spent

VERB + FUND have We have insufficient funds to pay for the building work. | be out of, be short of We are short of funds at the moment, so we are not going on holiday. | appeal for The school is appealing for funds to invest in new equipment. | borrow, boost, build up, collect, generate, get, obtain, raise, receive, secure | allocate, lend, make available, provide, release Funds will be made available to ensure the provision of hospital services. | channel, direct, use The government is to channel more funds into local development schemes.

FUND + NOUN raiser (also fund-raiser), raising (also fund-raising)

PREP. ~ for a charity event to raise funds for local schools | ~ from Funds from the event will support the work of the hospice.

PHRASES access to funds The current account offers savers instant access to funds. | a flow of funds the flow of funds between various economic sectors | a lack/shortage of funds The project was hampered by lack of funds. > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fund verb

VERB + FUND be used to, help (to) This money will help to fund administration costs. | agree to | refuse to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

funeral noun

VERB + FUNERAL attend, come to, go to | arrange The dead man's son arranged the funeral. | conduct A clergyman friend of the family conducted the funeral. | have She had a simple funeral, as she had requested.

FUNERAL + VERB take place

PREP. at a/the ~ He gave the address at her funeral.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

funny adj.

¹ making you laugh

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get The movie gets funnier towards the end. | find sth

ADV. achingly, bloody (taboo), brilliantly, dead, extraordinarily, extremely, genuinely, hilariously, hysterically, really, riotously, terribly, uproariously, very, wickedly, wildly, wonderfully At last, a genuinely funny comedy show! His performance was hilariously funny. You should have seen it?it was terribly funny! | almost | pretty, quite | unintentionally

² strange

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, strike sb as, taste Didn't it strike you as funny that Adam wasn't there? This wine tastes funny. | find sth Don't you find it a bit funny that she never mentions her husband?

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, a little, pretty, rather Helen gave me a rather funny look.

PHRASES funny little He's a funny little man. | funny old It's a funny old world, isn't it?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fun noun

ADJ. enormous, excellent, good, great, terrific, tremendous, wonderful | harmless, innocent The boys' game started as harmless fun but ended in tragedy.

VERB + FUN have We had a lot of fun at Mick's party. | spoil We won't let a bit of rain spoil our fun.

FUN + NOUN day She organized an annual fun day for local children.

PREP. for ~ I write for fun, not because I expect to make money. | in ~ She only said that in fun?please don't take it seriously!

PHRASES be no fun It's no fun getting up at 4 a.m. on a cold, rainy morning. | a bit of fun I was only having a bit of fun. | just for fun, just for the fun of it They took up motor racing just for the fun of it, rather than to win anything. | a sense of fun You have to have a sense of fun to be a good teacher.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

furious adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get | make sb Their incompetence made me furious.

ADV. absolutely | simply | coldly | suddenly

PREP. about He was simply furious about what had happened to his mother. | at The prime minister is said to be furious at the newspaper report. | over She was still furious over suggestions that she had lied to the public. | with I got absolutely furious with him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

furnace noun

ADJ. blazing, fiery, hot, red-hot | electric, gas | glass, steel | blast

VERB + FURNACE fire enough coal to fire the furnaces

FURNACE + VERB burn, glow The furnaces glowed fiercely. | roar A dark shed, lit only by the glow of roaring furnaces.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

furnished adj.

VERBS be

ADV. fully The flat is fully furnished. | partially, partly | attractively, beautifully, charmingly, comfortably, elegantly, expensively, luxuriously, nicely, ornately, pleasantly, prettily, richly, sumptuously, tastefully, well His rooms were comfortably furnished. The villa was expensively furnished throughout. | basically, modestly, plainly, simply a simply furnished room | adequately | barely, sparsely | individually Each of the ten bedrooms is individually furnished.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

furniture noun

QUANT. piece

VERB + FURNITURE arrange, move around, rearrange The room would look bigger if we rearranged the furniture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

furore noun

ADJ. considerable | public | political

VERB + FURORE cause, create, provoke His choice of words created quite a furore.

FURORE + VERB surround sth the furore which surrounded her appointment as chairman | follow, result from sth | die down

PREP. amid a/the ~ (of) His resignation passed almost unnoticed amid the furore of the elections. | ~ about/over/surrounding the furore over the proposed introduction of tax on fuel | ~ among The sale of the two best players caused a furore among the fans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

furtive adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become The look in his eyes became furtive.

ADV. very | almost The secretary looked almost furtive when I walked in. | slightly | oddly He cast an oddly furtive glance at her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fury noun

ADJ. cold | controlled, inner, pent-up He growled with barely controlled fury.

VERB + FURY be beside yourself with, be shaking with, feel He was beside himself with fury. I had never felt such fury before. | vent He vented his fury on a telephone box. | arouse, drive sb to, provoke That kind of treatment would drive anyone to fury. The decision to close the factory has provoked fury.

FURY + VERB mount, rise | drain, fade His face and body sagged as the fury drained from him.

PREP. in (a) ~ She turned on him in a fury. | with ~ He reacted with cold fury | ~ against Her fury against him rose. | ~ at He kicked the tree in fury at his own stupidity.

PHRASES turn your fury on sb I hoped she wouldn't turn her fury on me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fur noun

VERB + FUR be wrapped in, wear She was wearing her fur (= for example, a fur coat). | be lined with, be trimmed with a cloak lined with fur

FUR + NOUN trade | farm

PREP. in a/sb's ~ (= wearing a fur coat, etc.) elegant women in furs | of ~ a collar of fur

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fuse noun

¹ device that makes a bomb explode

ADJ. short | long, slow | safety

VERB + FUSE set He set the fuse to thirty minutes. | light

² in an electric circuit

ADJ. 5-amp, 10-amp, 13-amp, etc.

VERB + FUSE fit Make sure that the correct fuse is fitted. | change, replace | blow When the machine was switched on it blew a fuse.

FUSE + VERB blow Fuses blow if they are overloaded.

FUSE + NOUN wire | box The fire started in the fuse box downstairs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fuss noun

ADJ. awful, big, great, terrible

VERB + FUSS cause, kick up, make She kicked up an awful fuss when she heard about it.

FUSS + VERB blow over, die down Once the fuss has blown over, we'll be able to get on with work as usual.

PREP. without ~ They left quietly, without fuss. | ~ about She made a big fuss about not having a window seat on the plane. | ~ over I think it's all a lot of fuss over nothing.

PHRASES make a fuss of sb The children were all making a great fuss of the new baby. | with the minimum of fuss The job was done with the minimum of fuss.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

futile adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | consider sth, describe sth as The president described these activities as futile.

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally, utterly an utterly futile struggle for justice | largely, rather | apparently, seemingly | ultimately Their attempts were impressive but ultimately futile.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

futility noun

ADJ. complete, utter

VERB + FUTILITY know, realize, see, sense She could see the utter futility of trying to protest.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of futility

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

future noun

¹ time that will come after the present

ADJ. foreseeable, immediate, near, not-too-distant Things will continue as they are for the foreseeable future. A new branch of the shop will be opening in the near future. | distant, remote

VERB + FUTURE look to, plan for Don't think too much about past troubles?look to the future. | foretell, look into, predict

FUTURE + VERB bring (sb), hold whatever the future may bring you Who can tell what the future holds?

PREP. for the ~ What are your plans for the future? | in (the) ~ In future, employees will park their vehicles away from the works entrance. The possibility of travel to other solar systems still lies in the distant future. | of the ~ The stars of the future are competing in the world junior athletics championships this month.

PHRASES a vision for/of the future In her speech, the director outlined her vision for the future.

² what will happen to sb/sth

ADJ. bright, great, promising, rosy, secure He has a great future as a designer. | bleak, dire, gloomy, grim, uncertain He forecasts a dire future for the industry. | long-term | economic, financial, political

VERB + FUTURE face, have The firm faces a very uncertain future. | determine, shape the right to determine their own future in a democratic fashion | forecast, predict, see | consider, ponder (on) After being dropped from the team the young defender is considering his future. | invest in She decided to invest in her future by taking a management course.

PREP. ~ as She has a very promising future as a musician. | ~ in He could see no future in his job.

PHRASES a question mark over the future of sb/sth A question mark hangs over the future of the company after shares plunged to a record low.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

fuzzy adj.

¹ unclear

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, go The screen suddenly went fuzzy.

ADV. all, extremely, very The truck's headlights were all fuzzy and ghostlike. | a bit, rather, slightly

² sticking up

VERBS be | go

ADV. all My hair's gone all fuzzy! | a bit, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gadget noun

VERB + GADGET invent

PREP. ~ for She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gag noun

¹ piece of cloth

VERB + GAG put on They tied him up and put a gag on him. | take off

² joke

ADJ. good, great | sight, visual a mixture of wit and instant visual gags | running There was this running gag about a penguin (= they kept telling penguin jokes).

VERB + GAG crack a non-stop comedian, cracking gags by the dozen

PREP. ~ about

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gag verb

PHRASES bind and gag sb The men left the security guards bound and gagged.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gain noun

ADJ. big, considerable, huge, major, real, significant, substantial This change in the tax system will mean big gains for some companies. | modest, small | long-term, short-term | potential | pre-tax | net, overall Labour made an overall gain of 39 seats. | ill-gotten She tucked her ill-gotten gains into her purse and left. | personal, private using the investments for their private gain | commercial, economic, financial, material There will be no financial gain for mothers from this new system. | electoral, political the far right made huge electoral gains | military, territorial | weight She was most upset by her recent weight gain. | efficiency, productivity There is still scope for efficiency gains (= gains to be made by being more efficient).

VERB + GAIN make | bring (sb) Better workplace design can bring real gains in productivity.

PREP. for ~ It's amazing what some people will do for gain. | ~ from £3.9 million gains from the sale of stock | ~ in Last year there was only a modest gain in earnings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gain verb

ADV. certainly, undoubtedly Consumers have certainly gained from the increased competition in the telecommunications industry. | clearly | quickly, rapidly | gradually, slowly His ideas gradually gained acceptance. | steadily | eventually, finally, ultimately | successfully | automatically Husbands and wives of British nationals do not automatically gain citizenship. | easily

VERB + GAIN stand to The company stands to gain (= is likely to gain) quite a lot from this government scheme. | expect to, hope to What do you hope to gain by this action? | attempt to, seek to, strive to, try to Protesters tried to gain access to the presidential palace. | fail to

PREP. by There is nothing to be gained by forcing people to comply. | from We all gained a lot from the experience.

PHRASES have everything/much/little/a lot/nothing to gain/be gained Why not give it a go? You've nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don't think there's anything to be gained from this course of action.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gait noun

ADJ. rolling, strolling, stumbling, waddling

PREP. with a ~ He walked with a rolling gait.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

galaxy noun

ADJ. distant | nearby, nearest, neighbouring

PREP. in a/the ~ scientists observing phenomena in nearby galaxies

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gala noun

ADJ. charity, Royal | swimming

VERB + GALA have, hold | attend, go to

GALA + NOUN concert, day, dinner, evening, event, night, occasion, performance, weekend

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gale noun

VERB + GALE blow It was blowing a gale outside. | get caught in We got caught in a howling gale.

GALE + VERB blow A severe gale was blowing along the coast.

GALE + NOUN force gale force winds | warning

PREP. in ~ The tree had come down in a fierce gale the night before.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gallantry noun

ADJ. great, outstanding

VERB + GALLANTRY demonstrate, show a soldier who had demonstrated outstanding gallantry

GALLANTRY + NOUN award, medal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gallery noun

¹ for art

ADJ. art, exhibition, picture, portrait | commercial, private, public | national He offered ten major paintings to start a national gallery of modern British art.

VERB + GALLERY go to, visit

GALLERY + VERB exhibit sth, show sth Some of his work has been exhibited by local art galleries. | specialize in sth a gallery specializing in ceramics | close, open

GALLERY + NOUN space The extension will provide 600 square metres of new gallery space.

PREP. at a/the ~ The painting is now on display at the National Gallery in London. | in a/the ~ There were very few people in the gallery.

² in a hall

ADJ. long, wide | first-floor, upper | public The packed public gallery at Teesside Crown Court erupted in a roar of approval.

PREP. in a/the ~ I found myself in a wide gallery looking down on the floor below.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gallon noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gallop noun

ADJ. fast, good, head-down, mad | steady

VERB + GALLOP break into The horses broke into a mad gallop when they heard the gunshot.

PREP. at a ~ They reached the farm at a gallop. | into a ~ The noise startled the horse into a gallop. | ~ through (figurative) The programme starts with a gallop through the history of the railway.

PHRASES at full gallop riders coming at full gallop

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gambler noun

ADJ. compulsive, heavy, inveterate Most compulsive gamblers are not successful. | notorious | professional

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gamble noun

ADJ. big, huge, major | calculated | desperate It was time for a last desperate gamble. | political

VERB + GAMBLE take

GAMBLE + VERB pay off, work I took a calculated gamble and it paid off.

PREP. ~ on Backpackers with a heavy load should resist taking a gamble on the weather.

PHRASES a bit/something of a gamble Trying to find the right pension can be a bit of a gamble.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gambling noun

ADJ. compulsive He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling. | illegal The police are trying to stop all illegal gambling. | legalized, legitimate

GAMBLING + NOUN casino, club, den | table | debt She ran up gambling debts worth a million pounds. | man If I were a gambling man, I'd put my money on him resigning soon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

game noun

¹ activity/sport

ADJ. ball, board, computer, video | good This is a good game for getting people to mix. | competitive competitive games in which there is always a winner and a loser | team How I hated team games at school! | party | children's children's party games like Musical Chairs | indoor, outdoor finding good indoor games for children

VERB + GAME have, play Shall we have a game of chess? | draw, lose, win We won the first game and drew the second.

PREP. ~ against/with, ~ of To pass the time, we played a game of cards.

² sports match

ADJ. big (= important) The team are in training for their big game. | first, opening | final, last | away, home | Cup, League their first League game of the season

VERB + GAME have, play United are playing a home game this week. | draw, lose, win

PREP. ~ against/with He's hoping to be fit before next week's game with Liverpool. | ~ of a game of tennis

³ how sb plays

ADJ. good, great That girl plays a great game of bridge.

VERB + GAME have, play Trescothick had a good game and was man of the match. | improve, raise Hendry raised his game to collect the £40,000 first prize.

⁴ games: sports competition

ADJ. Commonwealth, Olympic

VERB + GAME compete in, participate in, take part in She's hoping to participate in the next Olympic Games. | host Beijing's bid to host the Olympic Games

⁵ business/activity

VERB + GAME be in How long have you been in this game?

GAME + NOUN ~ of the game of life/politics

PHRASES all part of the game Getting dirty was all part of the game to the kids. | new to this game I'm new to this game myself.

⁶ secret plan

ADJ. little, silly, stupid

VERB + GAME play I realized that he had been playing a stupid game with me. | put an end to, put a stop to I'll soon put an end to her silly little games. | give away Don't let him talk to anybody or he'll give the game away.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gamut noun

ADJ. complete, entire, full, whole

VERB + GAMUT cover, run (through)

PREP. ~ of The exhibition runs the whole gamut of artistic styles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gangrene noun

VERB + GANGRENE have, suffer from | develop

GANGRENE + VERB set in The wound was not properly disinfected and gangrene set in. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gang noun

¹ group of criminals

ADJ. street a street gang known as the Hooligans | armed, criminal, organized, terror/terrorist The robbery was carried out by an armed gang. | teenage | rival Fights had ensued between rival gangs of football fans.

VERB + GANG belong to, join A lot of the lads belong to gangs. He pressed me to join his gang.

GANG + NOUN attack, fight, violence, warfare a gang fight between two rival teenage gangs | leader, member | life a tale of LA gang life | rape

PREP. in a/the ~ We were in the same gang. | ~ of a gang of skinheads

PHRASES a member of a gang

² group of friends

PREP. ~ of You probably go with a gang of friends to the same pub most Saturdays.

PHRASES one of the gang Her friends made me feel welcome and treated me as one of the gang.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gaol noun > See JAIL

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gape verb

PREP. at What are you gaping at?

PHRASES gape open She watched him, her mouth gaping open. (figurative) The empty cash box lay gaping open in one corner.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gap noun

¹ space between things

ADJ. big, huge, large, wide | narrow, small | awkward an awkward gap between the bed and the door

VERB + GAP leave | fill, seal Seal the gaps around the windows with an exterior-quality sealant.

GAP + VERB appear, open up He flashed his headlights and jumped lanes whenever a gap opened up.

PREP. through a/the ~ A rabbit ran along the fence and darted through a gap. | ~ between Position the tiles, leaving a narrow gap between the edges. | ~ in A huge gap had appeared in the hedge.

² period of time

ADJ. awkward | long, short | time

VERB + GAP fill wondering how to fill an awkward gap in the conversation

GAP + NOUN year I'm planning to travel in my gap year (= the year between school and university).

PREP. after a/the ~ She returned to teaching after a twelve-year gap. | ~ between a job to fill the gap between school and university | ~ in a gap in his career

³ difference

ADJ. big, huge, large, significant, substantial, wide, yawning | unbridgeable the unbridgeable gap between the two cultures | growing, widening | narrow | age, generation Despite the age gap, romance blossomed. | cultural/culture | gender the gender gap in earnings | credibility Newspapers were talking of a credibility gap between what he said and what he did. | information, knowledge, skills the knowledge gap between doctor and patient | trade (= the gap between export and imports; used in journalism)

VERB + GAP bridge an attempt to bridge the gap between the academic world and industry

GAP + VERB widen | narrow | separate sb/sth He realized how narrow was the gap separating him from his pagan ancestors.

PREP. ~ between The gap between rich and poor widened.

⁴ where sth is missing

ADJ. big, enormous, great, huge, important, large, serious, significant, terrible, yawning serious gaps in their knowledge

VERB + GAP create, leave His death left a huge gap in my life. | identify | close, fill (in), plug Her appointment will fill the gap created when the marketing manager left.

PREP. ~ in legislation to close a gap in the law

PHRASES a gap in the market We think we've identified a gap in the market (= a business opportunity to make or sell sth that is not yet available).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

garage noun

¹ for keeping cars in

ADJ. double, single | detached, integral, lean-to, lock-up | underground | bus

GARAGE + NOUN door

PREP. in a/the ~ Don't forget to put the car in the garage.

² for repairing cars/buying petrol

ADJ. local

VERB + GARAGE own, run | take sth to I took the car to the local garage to get it fixed.

GARAGE + NOUN mechanic, owner

PREP. at a/the ~ The car's still at the garage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gardener noun

ADJ. enthusiastic, keen | experienced, expert, good | amateur | jobbing She employs a jobbing gardener to keep the garden tidy. | assistant, head head gardener to the Duke of Devonshire | organic The organic gardener avoids the use of pesticides. | landscape, market > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gardening noun

ADJ. organic | landscape, market

VERB + GARDENING do It's my husband who does the gardening.

GARDENING + NOUN business She started up her own market gardening business two years ago. | book, magazine | programme, show a TV gardening show | equipment, gloves, tools | expert

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

garden noun

ADJ. beautiful, lovely, pretty | big, large | small, tiny | back, front people hanging out washing in their back gardens | flower, herb, kitchen, rose, vegetable Most of the hotel's salads are grown in its own kitchen garden. | rock, water a rock garden with an astonishing variety of alpine plants | botanical, cottage, formal, landscaped, public, town, walled a large country house with beautiful landscaped gardens plants suitable for a small town garden a lovely Victorian walled garden

VERB + GARDEN create, design, lay out, plan, plant creating a garden out of a wilderness We got someone to design the garden for us. The garden is laid out in eighteenth century style. | plant We planted the garden with herbs and wild flowers. | dig, do, tend, tidy (up), weed Weekends were spent doing the garden.

PREP. in/into a/the ~ Mary's out in the garden.

PHRASES the bottom/end of a garden

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

garlic noun

ADJ. wild

QUANT. clove

VERB + GARLIC peel | chop, crush

GARLIC + NOUN clove | bread | sausage > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

garment noun

ADJ. heavy | shapeless | knitted, woollen

VERB + GARMENT have on, wear She wore a shapeless knitted garment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gash noun

¹ deep wound

ADJ. deep, great, long | nasty, terrible

VERB + GASH get, have

PREP. on the ~ She got a nasty gash on the head.

² large hole

ADJ. deep, great, long

VERB + GASH carve, cut, tear The bulldozers carved a great gash through the forest. The rocks tore a long gash in the ship's hull.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gasp noun

VERB + GASP give, let out | stifle | bring The stunt brought shocked gasps from the audience. | hear | take (in) taking in great gasps of air

GASP + VERB escape sb

PREP. between ~s ‘Listen carefully,’ he said, between gasps of breath. | in ~s He leant against the railing, his breath coming in short gasps. | with a ~ She spun round with a little gasp of delight. | ~ of > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gasp verb

ADV. almost | aloud | breathlessly

VERB + GASP make sb The cold made her gasp. | manage to ‘No!’ she managed to gasp.

PREP. at She gasped at his boldness. | in Denis almost gasped aloud in astonishment. | with gasping with pain

PHRASES gasp for air/breath, leave sb gasping Her breath went and left her gasping for air.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gas noun

¹ substance like air

ADJ. noxious, poisonous, toxic | explosive, inflammable, radioactive | inert | exhaust, greenhouse pollution from greenhouse gases | nerve, tear Police used water cannon and tear gas against demonstrators.

VERB + GAS give off, produce It gives off a poisonous gas as it rots down.

GAS + VERB build up Noxious gases had built up in the sewer. | escape, leak Toxic gases can escape through one of the pipes.

² for heating/cooking

ADJ. butane, coal, natural, propane | bottled, Calor

VERB + GAS cook with I prefer to cook with gas. | light, turn on I lit the gas and put the soup on to warm.

PHRASES gas mark 2, 3, etc. Set the oven at gas mark 4.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gate noun

QUANT. set a set of ornamental gates

VERB + GATE open | bar, close, fasten, lock, shut Don't forget to shut the gate when you leave. The defenders had closed and barred all the city gates. | go through Go through the gate and continue down the track.

GATE + VERB open, swing open The heavy gate swung open. | close, shut The gate shut behind him.

PREP. through a/the ~ He led us through a gate into a little garden.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gathering noun

¹ meeting

ADJ. big, large | small | informal, private, public | illegal | family, political, religious, social

VERB + GATHERING attend, go to Women are not allowed to attend public gatherings. | have, hold, organize We're having a small family gathering to mark our wedding anniversary. | address

GATHERING + VERB take place

PREP. ~ of The prime minister addressed a gathering of local government officials.

PHRASES a gathering of the clan/clans (humorous) All the children and grandchildren are going to my parents' at Christmas for the annual gathering of the clan.

² collecting

ADJ. information, intelligence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gather verb

¹ come together in a group

ADV. quickly | around/round, together

PREP. about/around/round The boys gathered around the car. | for They are all gathering for a major conference.

² bring people/things together

ADV. hastily, quickly She hastily gathered all her belongings together. | carefully | together, up

³ increase

ADV. quickly, rapidly The movement for reform rapidly gathered momentum. | slowly | steadily

VERB + GATHER begin to, start to As the weeks passed, Charlotte began to gather strength.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gauge noun

¹ measuring instrument

ADJ. accurate | fuel, oil, petrol | depth, pressure, temperature

VERB + GAUGE check, glance at, look at, read The pilot checked the fuel gauge frequently.

GAUGE + VERB read sth, show sth, tell sb sth The petrol gauge was reading ‘full’. The depth gauge tells you how deep you have dived.

² distance between rails

ADJ. broad, narrow, standard

VERB + GAUGE adopt Eventually all the British railway companies adopted the standard gauge of 4 feet 8,1/2 inches.

³ fact for judging sth

ADJ. reliable, useful

VERB + GAUGE be seen as, serve as This company is seen as a gauge of Britain's industrial well-being.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gauge verb

ADV. accurately, correctly | carefully

VERB + GAUGE be able to, can/could | try to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to It is difficult to gauge accurately how much fuel is needed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gay adj.

VERBS be, look, sound

ADV. openly He is now openly gay.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gaze noun

ADJ. direct, fixed, level, steady, unblinking, watchful She felt embarrassed under his steady gaze. | intense, intent, penetrating, piercing, searching | clear | cold, cool, hard, steely, stony | admiring, angry, critical, etc. | blue, brown, dark, grey His deep blue gaze held hers. | public (figurative) Pop stars are constantly exposed to the public gaze.

VERB + GAZE direct, fix (sb with), focus, turn They fixed their gaze on the dark line of the coast ahead. She fixed him with a level gaze. He turned his gaze on me. | meet She refused to meet my gaze. | hold | follow I followed her gaze and spotted a new arrival at the far side of the room. | avert, drop, lower She deliberately averted her gaze when he came in. | avoid She avoided his gaze.

GAZE + VERB drift, flick, flicker, fly, move, rake (sth), roam (sth), run, shift, slide, sweep (sth), travel, wander His gaze flickered an instant. His gaze flickered over the room. | follow sth Her gaze followed Simon's through the archway. | fix on sth, lock (with sth), meet sth Her gaze fixed on his and held it unblinkingly. His gaze locked with hers. | hold sth | linger, rest Rebecca's gaze rested on the child thoughtfully. | fall Her gaze fell on Kate's tousled hair. | narrow The dark gaze narrowed.

PREP. under sb's ~ He blushed under her angry gaze.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gaze verb

ADV. calmly, steadily | intently, unblinkingly He gazed unblinkingly into the distance. | absently, blankly, unseeingly He gazed absently at the passing crowd. | thoughtfully | admiringly, adoringly, fondly, longingly She gazed admiringly up at him. | down, out, up gazing out over the lake

PREP. at gazing at her beautiful jewellery | in They gazed in wonder at the mighty peaks. | into She gazed steadily into his face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gear noun

¹ in a vehicle

ADJ. bottom, top driving along in top gear | high, low | first, second, etc. | reverse

VERB + GEAR engage, select Engage first gear and move off. | change, change into, move into, put/slam/slip sth into, shift (into), switch It's difficult to steer and change gear at the same time. She put the car into first gear and drove off. (figurative) The party organization is moving into top gear as the election approaches. | move up, step up (often figurative) Coming out of the final bend, the runner stepped up a gear to overtake the rest of the pack. | crash, grind He was crashing the gears because he was so nervous.

GEAR + NOUN change She made a smooth gear change. | lever, stick (also gearstick)

PREP. in (a/the) ~ driving along in third gear Some drivers leave the car in gear when parking on hills. | out of ~ Leave the car out of gear.

² equipment/clothes

VERB + GEAR be dressed in, have on, wear She had her running gear on. | put on, take off

PREP. in … ~ a group of young men in combat gear

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gear verb be geared to/towards sth

ADV. completely, entirely, exclusively, totally an economy exclusively geared towards tourism | primarily | specifically Our training programmes are geared specifically to the needs of older workers. | clearly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gem noun

¹ jewel

ADJ. precious, priceless

PHRASES dripping with gems a millionairess dripping with gems and pearls | encrusted/studded with gems a belt studded with priceless gems

² person/thing

ADJ. little | absolute, real The second side of their new album contains some real gems. | hidden She worked in the antiques trade, searching out hidden gems in the most unlikely places. | architectural architectural gems like York Minster

PHRASES a gem of a sth This is a little gem of a flower.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gender noun

GENDER + NOUN relations | differences, divisions She examines the interplay between changing gender divisions and urban change. | bias, imbalance, inequality The government is working on tackling gender inequalities in employment. | identity, role, stereotype Managers may value different qualities in men than in women, reinforcing gender stereotypes. | issues, politics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

generalization noun

ADJ. broad, sweeping | abstract | useful, valid

VERB + GENERALIZATION make

PREP. ~ about The author makes several sweeping generalizations about the causes of the crisis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

generalize verb

VERB + GENERALIZE can/could | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | be dangerous to, be unsafe to, be unwise to

PREP. about It is impossible to generalize about such a complicated subject. | from We cannot generalize from these few examples.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

general noun

GENERAL + VERB command sth, lead sth Both generals had commanded units in that area. > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

generate verb

ADV. quickly | automatically, spontaneously People used to believe that dirt spontaneously generated disease. | randomly a sequence of randomly generated fractions | externally, internally internally generated revenue | locally

VERB + GENERATE help (to) the opportunity to help generate ideas | be used to The wind turbines are used to generate electricity. | be expected to, be likely to The lottery is expected to generate substantial funds for charities.

PREP. from Living cells generate energy from food. profits generated from the company's activities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

generation noun

¹ people/period of time

ADJ. current, present | new, younger | older The older generation prefer a darker and more traditional kind of clothing. | coming, future, later, next, rising The forest will be preserved for future generations. | earlier, former, last, past, preceding, previous These children seem to have a stronger sense of purpose than the previous generation. the wisdom of past generations | first, second, etc. The second generation of immigrants often adopted British forenames. | subsequent, succeeding, successive Succeeding generations have added to the stock of stories and legends. | whole The First World War slaughtered a whole generation.

VERB + GENERATION belong to people who belong to a younger generation

GENERATION + NOUN gap I was aware of a real generation gap between us.

PREP. for a ~ The consequences of the radioactive leakage may not become apparent for a generation or more. | for ~s This kind of apple has been grown for generations.

PHRASES from generation to generation The recipe for making the liqueur has been handed down from generation to generation. | from one generation to the next

² production of sth

ADJ. electricity, gas, income, power different methods of power generation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

generator noun

ADJ. diesel, gas, petrol, steam, wind | electrical, electricity, power

VERB + GENERATOR drive, power A water turbine drives the generator.

GENERATOR + VERB deliver sth The wind generator delivers 120 watts in a strong breeze.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

generosity noun

ADJ. extraordinary, great, unusual

VERB + GENEROSITY show (sb) He thanked them for the extraordinary generosity they had shown. | take advantage of Their guests took advantage of their generosity, overstaying their welcome by several days.

PREP. ~ to/towards their great generosity to the school

PHRASES an act of generosity, generosity of spirit She showed an unusual generosity of spirit to those who had opposed her. | thanks to the generosity of sb The hospital has now bought a new body scanner, thanks to the generosity of local fund-raisers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

generous adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem, sound | become, get John's getting very generous with the wine!

ADV. amazingly, exceedingly, exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, incredibly, most, very, wonderfully You have been most generous. | excessively, overly The review panel criticized the payments as overly generous. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably, relatively

PREP. of Thank you for your donation. It was very generous of you. | to They have been extremely generous to the mosque. | with She's quite generous with her praise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

genetics noun

PHRASES the science of genetics > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gene noun

ADJ. dominant, recessive | abnormal, defective, mutant | human

VERB + GENE carry, have people who carry the gene that causes this disease | pass on The gene is passed on to their children.

GENE + VERB be responsible for sth, cause sth, control sth, influence sth Genes control the development of an embryo. | mutate

GENE + NOUN pool Scientists have estimated that a gene pool of at least 300 animals is necessary to maintain a healthy tiger population. | defect, mutation Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code. | sequence | therapy

PREP. ~ for An individual may pass on to future generations its genes for tallness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

genitals noun

ADJ. female, male

VERB + GENITALS cover | display, exhibit, expose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

genius noun

¹ very great and unusual ability

ADJ. great, pure, real | natural

QUANT. flash, stroke, touch In a flash of pure genius, she realized the answer to the problem. It was a stroke of genius on my part to avoid such awkward questions.

VERB + GENIUS have She has a genius for sorting things out. | show a work which shows real genius

GENIUS + VERB lie in sth His genius lies in his ability to convey pure terror in his work.

PREP. of ~ a writer of genius | ~ for his genius for pinpointing the absurd

² person with great and unusual ability

ADJ. great | natural | eccentric, wayward | artistic, comic, creative, literary, mathematical, military, musical, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

genocide noun

ADJ. mass Refugees gave accounts of the mass genocide. | cultural

PREP. ~ against genocide against ethnic minorities > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gentleman noun

¹ man who is polite/behaves well towards others

ADJ. perfect, real, true He's a real gentleman, always kind and considerate.

PHRASES be no gentleman He may be a lord, but he's no gentleman. | too much of a gentleman He was too much of a gentleman to ask them for any money.

² rich man with a high social position

ADJ. country, landed He retired to his estate in Norfolk, and lived the life of a country gentleman.

GENTLEMAN + NOUN farmer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gentle adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. extremely, very | almost | fairly, quite | surprisingly, unusually | deceptively His mouth looked deceptively gentle.

PREP. on The new treatments are gentle on your hair. | with She was very gentle with the children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

genuine adj.

¹ real

VERBS be, look, prove | consider sth The document is not considered genuine.

ADV. absolutely, completely, perfectly, quite Her happiness was perfectly genuine. | apparently | obviously | undoubtedly

² sincere

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

geography noun

ADJ. economic, historical, human, physical, political, social > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

geology noun

ADJ. applied, engineering | physical, structural | environmental, marine | petroleum | Pleistocene, Quaternary, etc.

PHRASES the science of geology > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

geometry noun

ADJ. algebraic, co-ordinate, differential, fractal, solid, three-dimensional | Euclidean | basic | internal, local | sacred Pre-Christian sacred geometry was incorporated into church architecture. > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

German measles noun > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

German noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

germ noun

ADJ. virulent The epidemic was caused by a particularly virulent flu germ. | flu, typhoid, etc.

VERB + GERM carry Children carry all kinds of germs home from school. | harbour Cracks and scratches in work surfaces can harbour germs. | destroy, kill They used bleach to kill any germs in the sink and drain.

GERM + NOUN warfare

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gesticulate verb

ADV. wildly He gesticulated wildly as he tried to make her understand.

PREP. at The other woman was gesticulating at the ambulance. | to gesticulating to me with her hands | towards The officer gesticulated towards the refugees. | with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gesture noun

¹ movement that expresses sth

VERB + GESTURE make The children made rude gestures at them.

PREP. by ~ They communicate entirely by gesture. | in a ~ He waved his arms in a melodramatic gesture. | with a ~ She waved us away with an impatient gesture. | ~ of a gesture of despair

² sth that shows other people what you think/feel

ADJ. nice I thought it was a nice gesture to send everyone a card. | bold a bold gesture of reconciliation | dramatic, extravagant, grand He had the respect of his people without the need for grand gestures. | conciliatory, friendly, goodwill | charitable, philanthropic | empty, small, symbolic, token Words and empty gestures are not enough?we demand action! a token gesture of their good intentions | futile | political

PREP. as a ~ Several hostages were released as a goodwill gesture. | in a ~ In a dramatic gesture, the prime minister refused to attend the meeting. | ~ against The invasion attempt was intended as a political gesture against his opponents. | ~ of His gift was a gesture of friendship. | ~ towards The president's speech was seen as a conciliatory gesture towards former enemies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gesture verb

ADV. vaguely | wildly | expansively | abruptly, impatiently | helplessly

PREP. at She gestured at him to step back. | about/around He gestured around the room, lost for words. | for He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car. | to Mrs Davis gestured to the waiter. | towards He gestured vaguely towards the house. | with gesturing wildly with her hands

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ghost noun

VERB + GHOST see You look as if you've seen a ghost! | believe in I don't believe in ghosts. | exorcise, lay to rest A priest was called in to exorcise the ghost.

GHOST + VERB appear, haunt sth, walk dark, cold nights when ghosts walk

GHOST + NOUN story

PREP. ~ of The ghost of a hanged poacher is said to haunt the manor house.

PHRASES as pale/white as a ghost He looked as pale as a ghost as he climbed out of the wrecked car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

giant noun

¹ very large man

PHRASES a gentle giant Some people are intimidated by his size, but in fact he's a gentle giant. | a giant of a man He was a giant of a man, standing nearly seven feet tall.

² sth that is very large/important

ADJ. corporate, multinational | car, chemicals, financial, food, industrial, oil, retail, etc. The oil giant Esso is planning to set up a new refinery in the port. | literary Camus is considered to be one of the twentieth century's literary giants.

PREP. ~ among/amongst The Amazon is a giant amongst rivers. | ~ of The company is now one of the giants of the computer industry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

giddy adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, come over all (informal), get My mum came over all giddy and had to sit down. | leave sb, make sb Steep stairs may leave you giddy and faint.

ADV. quite | a bit, rather, slightly

PREP. from He felt tired and giddy from the sleeping pill. | with I was giddy with the heat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gifted adj.

VERBS be

PREP. at He's very gifted at maths. | in gifted in the art of healing | with Their helpers are gifted with amazing powers of patience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gift noun

¹ sth that you give to sb

ADJ. expensive, generous, kind, lavish, valuable Thank you all for your kind gifts. She received lavish gifts of jewellery and clothes. | perfect | small | free When you place your first order with us, we will send you the free gift of your choice. | birthday, Christmas, parting, retirement, wedding | unwanted the problem of what to do with unwanted gifts

VERB + GIFT bear, bring (sb), exchange, give sb, make sb, offer sb He arrived home bearing gifts for everyone. They gave each other gifts at Christmas. She wanted to make a gift to her grandchildren. | accept, get, receive Please accept this small gift. The children all received gifts.

GIFT + NOUN shop | box, pack, set, token, voucher New customers will receive a free gift pack containing a selection of our products. a gift set of shampoo, soap and hand cream | token, voucher

PREP. as a ~ The messengers brought the king a fine suit of armour as a gift. | ~ for There were gifts for all the children. | ~ from This vase was a gift from my mother. | ~ to The golf clubs were her gift to her husband.

PHRASES shower gifts on sb, shower sb with gifts

² natural ability

ADJ. great, outstanding, remarkable, special, wonderful his great gifts as a teacher | rare | God-given, innate, natural, special | artistic, musical

VERB + GIFT have, possess

PREP. ~ for She has a natural gift for music.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

giggle noun

ADJ. little | high-pitched | nervous | girlish

VERB + GIGGLE give, have, let out | collapse into, dissolve into, get ~s We all collapsed into giggles. Susan tends to get the giggles at the most inappropriate moments. | stifle, suppress I just managed to stifle a giggle at the absurd idea. | hear

PREP. with a ~ ‘Age before beauty!’ she said with a giggle. | ~ about/at We had quite a giggle about the new office romance.

PHRASES a fit of (the) giggles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

giggle verb

ADV. helplessly, hysterically, nervously The children giggled hysterically.

PREP. about They giggled about their teacher's accident. | at We giggled at the picture. | over giggling over old photographs | with The children giggled with delight.

PHRASES a fit of giggling

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gig noun

ADJ. benefit, charity | free | live | pub

VERB + GIG do, play (in) They're doing a gig in Leeds tonight. | go to

PREP. at a/the ~ They're performing at a local pub gig.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gimmick noun

ADJ. latest, new a new gimmick to encourage people to go to the cinema | election, marketing, publicity, sales The promise of lower taxation may have been just an election gimmick to gain votes.

PHRASES just/nothing more than/only a gimmick He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gin noun

ADJ. stiff | double, large | small | pink, sloe

VERB + GIN drink, have ‘What are you drinking?’ ‘I'll have a gin and tonic, please.’ | sip | pour (sb) She poured herself a large gin.

PHRASES a gin and tonic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

girlfriend noun

QUANT. string, succession

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

girl noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gist noun the gist

ADJ. general

VERB + GIST convey, give (sb) It is difficult to convey the gist of Reich's ideas simply. | follow, get, understand

PREP. ~ of I could follow the general gist of their conversation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glad adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | make sb The smell of the sea air makes you glad to be alive!

ADV. awfully, extremely, heartily, only too, really, terribly, very She was only too glad to escape them all. | just I'm just glad it's all over. | almost Danny looked almost glad to be going. | quite, rather | secretly She was secretly glad of his company.

PREP. about What have I got to be glad about? | for We're glad for you both. | of I was quite glad of his help.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glamorous adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become | consider sth, regard sth as, see sth as Canoeing is not seen as glamorous in the way that skiing is.

ADV. really, very | less than, not exactly, not in the least Working in publishing turned out to be less than glamorous. | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glamour noun

QUANT. touch Several film stars were invited to add a touch of glamour to the occasion.

VERB + GLAMOUR have He had a glamour about him that she found very attractive. | lack Jumbo jets somehow lack the glamour of the transatlantic liner. | add, give sb/sth, lend sb/sth Her long dark hair lent her a certain glamour.

PHRASES a certain glamour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glance noun

ADJ. backward, sidelong, sideways She cast a sidelong glance at Fern. | brief, cursory, fleeting, quick, swift After a cursory glance at the report he frowned. | casual | covert, furtive, surreptitious The man walked slowly along, casting furtive glances behind him. | accusing, angry, baleful, disapproving, mocking, reproachful, scornful, sharp, suspicious, withering Meena threw him an angry glance. | curious, puzzled, questioning, quizzical | admiring, approving | knowing | meaningful The couple exchanged meaningful glances but said nothing. | amused, wry | anxious, nervous, worried | plaintive

VERB + GLANCE cast (sb), dart, give (sb/sth), have, shoot (sb), steal, take, throw (sb) He gave her a mocking glance. I had a quick glance at the article, but I haven't read it yet. He stole a sidelong glance at the young woman sitting next to him on the train. She took one last glance in the mirror and then left. | exchange They exchanged knowing glances. | catch I caught the teacher's glance and nearly burst into nervous laughter. | attract, draw Their vintage car attracted admiring glances wherever they went.

GLANCE + VERB flick, flicker, move Her glance flickered briefly across to the group standing at the other side of the street. | meet Their glances met, then they both looked away. | fall on sb/sth, rest on sb/sth His glance fell on a pile of papers at one side of the desk.

PREP. at a ~ The software allows you to see at a glance what fonts you have on the computer. | with a ~ With a quick glance at the time, she stood up and prepared to leave. | without a ~ He left without a backward glance. | ~ at A glance at my watch told me it was already past six o'clock. | ~ of He ignored my glance of disapproval. | ~ over He kept throwing nervous glances over his shoulder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glance verb

ADV. briefly, quickly, sharply Norton glanced sharply at him. | anxiously, fearfully, nervously She glanced nervously over her shoulder. | curiously glancing curiously about him | covertly He glanced covertly at his watch. | barely, hardly She barely glanced at him. | down, up She glanced up at him.

VERB + GLANCE pause to, turn to He turned to glance in our direction. | happen to At that moment she happened to glance up.

PREP. about/around/round She glanced around the room. | across/over She glanced across to where the others were standing chatting. | at She glanced briefly at his lapel badge. | towards He glanced towards the kitchen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glandular fever noun > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gland noun

ADJ. enlarged, swollen She's gone to bed with swollen glands and a temperature. | adrenal, endocrine, exocrine, pineal, pituitary, prostate, sebaceous, thyroid | poison, salivary, scent, sweat, venom Female ants release pheromones from their scent glands.

GLAND + VERB release sth, secrete sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glare noun

¹ strong light

ADJ. blinding, full, harsh, hot | sudden A sudden glare of headlights lit the driveway.

VERB + GLARE reflect The walls were whitewashed to reflect the glare of the sun. | reduce We wore sunglasses to reduce the glare from the road. | be blinded by, be dazzled by For a moment she was blinded by the harsh glare of the sun. | be caught in The rabbit was caught in the glare of the car's headlights.

PREP. against the ~ We screwed up our eyes against the blinding glare from the searchlights. | in/under the ~ of Under the glare of the street lamps, visibility was good. | ~ from

PHRASES the glare of publicity (figurative) The divorce was conducted in the full glare of media publicity.

² angry look

ADJ. angry, baleful, defiant, furious, hostile, malevolent, menacing, withering | icy, steely, stony | warning

VERB + GLARE fix sb with, give sb, send sb, shoot (sb), turn on sb She fixed her questioner with an icy glare. He sent her a glare that was full of suspicion. She shot a warning glare at her companion. He turned his baleful glare on the cowering suspect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glare verb

ADV. angrily, balefully, fiercely, furiously | back I looked at her and she glared angrily back.

PREP. (down/up) at He stood at the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glasses noun

QUANT. pair

VERB + GLASSES have on, wear | put on | remove, take off | look over, peer over Her father lowered his paper and peered over his glasses at her. | adjust, push up She pushed her glasses up and rubbed the bridge of her nose. | clean, polish, wipe

GLASSES + VERB steam up His glasses steamed up as soon as he came indoors. | be perched on sth, perch on sth Horn-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.

PREP. behind (your) ~ She blinked behind her glasses. Their anxious faces were hidden behind dark glasses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glass noun

¹ transparent substance

ADJ. clear, coloured, opaque, plain, smoked, tinted | broken | flying A bomb went off, and many people were injured by flying glass. | bulletproof, cut, frosted, plate, safety, stained, toughened

QUANT. piece | pane, sheet | fragment, sliver, splinter The floor was littered with fragments of broken glass.

VERB + GLASS blow, make watching the Venetian craftsmen blowing glass The factory makes safety glass. | break, crack, shatter, smash

GLASS + VERB break, crack, shatter, smash, splinter the sound of breaking glass

GLASS + NOUN beads, bottle, bowl, eye, jar, vase | cabinet, case | door, panel, partition, roof, wall | fibre a boat made of glass fibre

PREP. behind ~ The books were all behind glass (= in glass cases). | on ~ She cut her foot on some glass. | under ~ growing fruit under glass (= in a glasshouse) | through ~ He could see the light through the frosted glass.

² for drinking

VERB + GLASS have He had a small glass of lager with his meal. | drink, sip She sat sipping a glass of champagne. | drain, empty | fill, pour, refill, top up The waiter filled their glasses. | clean, polish, wash The butler was polishing the brandy glasses. | raise She raised the glass to her lips. | hand sb I handed her a glass of wine. | put down, set down I put my glass down on the table. | clink They clinked glasses, still laughing.

GLASS + VERB clink He heard glasses clinking in the other room.

PREP. in a/the/sb's ~ the red liquid in his glass | ~ of She had had three glasses of whisky already.

PHRASES (a) glass in (your) hand He sat back, glass in hand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gleam noun

¹ soft light

ADJ. dull, faint | distant

PREP. ~ of the distant gleam of the sea

PHRASES a gleam of light a faint gleam of light from the doorway

² in sb's eyes

ADJ. cold, dark, strange | predatory, speculative | mischievous, sardonic, wicked | sudden

VERB + GLEAM have He had a speculative gleam in his eyes.

GLEAM + VERB come into/enter/light sb's eye/eyes A sudden gleam came into her eye as she remembered that tomorrow was her day off.

PREP. ~ of A gleam of laughter lit his eyes.

PHRASES a gleam in sb's eye/eyes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gleam verb

ADV. dully, faintly, softly The knife's blade gleamed dully in the dark.

PREP. with The long oak table gleamed with polish.

PHRASES gleam golden, white, etc. The pebble beach gleamed white in the moonlight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glimmer noun

ADJ. faint, tiny In the east we could see the first faint glimmer of dawn. (figurative) The faint glimmer of an idea had crept into his mind.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glimpse noun

¹ brief sight of sb/sth

ADJ. brief, fleeting, the merest, momentary, quick | occasional They caught occasional glimpses of great birds circling. | tantalizing This was my first tantalizing glimpse of the islands.

VERB + GLIMPSE catch, get, have, take Thousands of people had gathered, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen. We only had a fleeting glimpse of the sun all day. | afford sb

PREP. ~ at He took a quick glimpse at the map. | ~ of We got just a brief glimpse of the car as it rushed by.

² brief experience of sth

ADJ. brief | fascinating, intriguing | rare This scene may give a rare glimpse of Charles's personal style as king.

VERB + GLIMPSE get, have, take | afford sb, allow sb, give sb, offer (sb), provide That smile afforded her a brief glimpse of the other side of Adam Burns.

PREP. ~ at The exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse at life beneath the waves. | ~ into Take a glimpse into the future of rail travel. | ~ of She got a glimpse of a very different way of life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glint noun

¹ flash of light

ADJ. golden, metallic

VERB + GLINT catch, see Among the trees I caught a glint of blue.

PREP. ~ of

² in sb's eye

ADJ. dangerous, determined | mischievous, playful, teasing

VERB + GLINT have He had a dangerous glint in his eyes.

GLINT + VERB appear in sb's eye/eyes, come into/to sb's eye/eyes A determined glint appeared in her eye.

PREP. ~ in, ~ of There was a glint of amusement in her eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glint verb

ADV. angrily His eyes glinted angrily.

PREP. with Her eyes glinted with amusement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glitter verb

¹ shine brightly

ADV. brightly Crystal chandeliers glittered brightly above them.

PREP. in His metal buttons glittered in the sunlight. | with Trees and grass glittered with dew.

² show emotion

ADV. coldly, dangerously, darkly, fiercely, strangely His deep-set eyes glittered coldly.

PREP. with Her eyes glittered with delight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

globe noun the globe

VERB + GLOBE span a commercial service that will soon span the globe | circumnavigate, travel one of the first boats to circumnavigate the globe She travelled the globe in search of good writers of children's stories.

PREP. across the ~ The railway network soon spread across the globe. | all over the ~ Motor vehicles are found all over the globe. | around/round the ~ Chess fans around the globe watched the match with breathless interest.

PHRASES all parts of the globe, every corner of the globe Athletes from every corner of the globe competed in the Games.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gloomy adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get Now, don't start to get gloomy. | remain

ADV. decidedly, very The future looked decidedly gloomy. | far from The committee's view was in fact far from gloomy. | pretty, rather

PREP. about Her trainer was even more gloomy about the prospects for British tennis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gloom noun

¹ sadness

ADJ. black, deep She was in deep gloom because not even a postcard had arrived from Ricky. | general | economic the general economic gloom

VERB + GLOOM be filled with, be sunk in, sink into He was sunk in deep gloom at the prospect of being alone. I sank into gloom and depression. | fill sb with The news filled me with gloom. | cast Rumours of his ill health cast gloom over the celebrations. | combat, dispel, lift efforts to dispel their gloom

GLOOM + VERB deepen, descend Their gloom deepened as the election results came in. She felt gloom descend on her shoulders. | lift When the gloom finally lifts, the pessimists will be surprised at how much has been going right.

PREP. in ~ The nation was deep in gloom. | ~ about There is a general gloom about the farming industry.

PHRASES doom and gloom Despite falling demand, the year has not been all doom and gloom. | gloom and despondency the darkest feelings of gloom and despondency

² darkness

ADJ. deep | deepening, descending, gathering He peered into the gathering gloom. | cold, damp, dingy | evening The fog looked ominous in the evening gloom.

VERB + GLOOM penetrate, pierce The sound of distant police whistles pierced the gloom. | adjust to, become/get accustomed to Slowly, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom. | peer into/through | be shrouded in The sun went in and the house was again shrouded in gloom.

GLOOM + VERB deepen, descend We sat and watched as the gloom descended.

PREP. in the ~ We lost sight of them in the gloom. | into the ~ The tram rattled off into the gloom. | out of the ~ Two figures materialized out of the gloom. | through the ~ She could see the house faintly through the gloom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glory noun

¹ fame/honour

ADJ. personal They are driven by a craving for personal glory. | reflected She basked in the reflected glory of her daughter's success. | greater The force behind all Peter's reforms was the greater glory of the Russian state. | military young soldiers keen to win military glory

VERB + GLORY cover yourself in/with, get, win He covered himself in glory and came home a rich man. (informal) Typical! I do all the work and she gets all the glory. | bring (sb) Victory brought them glory, fame and riches. | bask in | steal, take It was 19-year-old David Hagan who stole the points and the glory with a brilliant goal in the closing minutes of the game.

GLORY + NOUN days We remember the team's glory days in the 1960s, when they won the World Cup.

PREP. for/to the ~ of They built many churches, great and small, to the glory of God.

PHRASES a blaze of glory It's my last ever tournament and I hope to go out in a blaze of glory! | sb's moment of glory His moment of glory came when he won the Olympic downhill skiing event.

² beauty/beautiful feature

ADJ. full You cannot appreciate the bridge's full glory by going over it; it is best viewed from below. | crowning The city's crowning glory is its Gothic cathedral.

PHRASES in all her/his/its/their glory Autumn is the time to see the beech woods in all their glory. | restore sth to its former glory The eighteenth-century building has been restored to its former glory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gloss noun

ADJ. clear, high Use a high gloss paint. | healthy, natural Your hair has lost its natural gloss.

VERB + GLOSS add We used a gel to add gloss to her hair. | lose

GLOSS + NOUN finish, paint, varnish furniture with a dark gloss finish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glove noun

ADJ. long | fingerless | protective | cotton, kid (often figurative), latex, leather, rubber, woollen Treat her with kid gloves?she's very sensitive. | boxing, driving, evening, gardening, oven, surgical

QUANT. pair

VERB + GLOVE pull on | peel off, pull off She peeled off her glove to reveal a wedding ring.

GLOVE + NOUN compartment Don't keep important documents in the glove compartment of your car. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glow noun

¹ steady light

ADJ. cosy, rich, soft, warm | dim, dull, faint, pale | fierce | steady | eerie, ghostly

VERB + GLOW cast, give sth, throw The lamplight gave a cosy glow to the room. The sunset threw an orange glow on the cliffs. | be bathed in The whole village was bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

GLOW + VERB light sth Our faces were lit by the faint green glow of the dashboard lights.

PREP. ~ from the soft glow from the lamp | ~ of

² in sb's face

ADJ. healthy, pink, rosy, warm

VERB + GLOW have Her cheeks had a healthy glow.

PHRASES bring a glow to sb's cheeks/face The wine had brought a warm glow to her cheeks.

³ feeling

ADJ. rosy, warm

VERB + GLOW bask in, bathe in, feel She bathed in the warm glow of first love.

PREP. ~ of He felt a glow of pride as he watched them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glow verb

¹ give out light/heat

ADV. dully, faintly, softly Two lamps glowed softly in the lounge.

PHRASES glow orange, red, etc. The stones around the bonfire glowed red with the heat.

² look healthy, happy, angry, etc.

ADV. positively

PREP. with She was positively glowing with happiness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glue noun

QUANT. pot, tube All you will need is a sharp knife and a pot of glue.

VERB + GLUE apply, put on Put glue on both the surfaces. | sniff He took to drinking and sniffing glue.

GLUE + VERB dry, set It takes about half an hour for the glue to set.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

glue verb

ADV. firmly | down, in/into place, together Glue the pieces firmly together.

PREP. onto/to Someone's glued this coin to the table!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goalkeeper noun

ADJ. brilliant, excellent, good | England, Liverpool, etc. The England goalkeeper played brilliantly. | international | reserve, substitute | veteran, young

PREP. ~ for He now plays as goalkeeper for Liverpool.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goal noun

¹ wooden frame into which a ball is kicked/hit

ADJ. open He kicked the ball into an open goal.

VERB + GOAL go in, play in The goalkeeper was injured so a defender had to go in goal.

PREP. in ~ Who's in goal for Arsenal?

² point scored in a game

ADJ. brilliant, excellent, good, great, spectacular, stunning, superb, well-taken | scrappy, soft The fans were annoyed that the team gave away such a soft goal. | decisive, winning | equalizing | important, useful, vital | own Vega scored an unfortunate own goal when he slipped as he tried to clear the ball.

GOAL + VERB come from sb/sth The equalizing goal came from Cole. The second goal came from a penalty.

PREP. ~ against They scored three goals against the home team. | ~ for his first goal for Spain | ~ from A late goal from Owen won the game for Liverpool. > Special page at SPORT

³ aim

VERB + GOAL have It is important to have explicit goals. | establish, set (sb) | pursue, strive for, work towards | achieve, attain, reach

PREP. ~ of their goal of providing free university education for everyone

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goat noun

ADJ. billy, male | female, nanny | wild | mountain

QUANT. flock, herd

VERB + GOAT keep | milk | tether Tethered goats grazed among the apple trees.

GOAT + VERB bleat | graze | wander

PHRASES goat's cheese/milk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goddess noun

ADJ. pagan | Egyptian, Roman, etc. | fertility, mother | moon, sun | screen (figurative) She dreamed of becoming a Hollywood screen goddess.

VERB + GODDESS pray to, worship

PREP. ~ of Aphrodite, the goddess of love

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

god noun

ADJ. pagan | Christian, Greek, Roman, etc. | heathen, false those who follow false gods | fertility | sun

VERB + GOD believe in, follow, have Do you believe in God? Muslims have only one God. | praise, pray to, thank, worship The people worshipped pagan gods.

GOD + VERB exist Can we prove that God exists?

PREP. ~ of the Roman god of war

PHRASES faith in God Nothing ever shook her faith in God. | the will of God He saw the accident as the will of God.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goggles noun

ADJ. protective, safety | driving, flying, motorcycle, ski, snow, swimming

QUANT. pair

VERB + GOGGLES have on, wear | put on, take off

GOGGLES + VERB steam up My swimming goggles keep steaming up so I can't see.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

golden adj.

VERBS be, gleam, look The abbey walls gleamed golden in the light of the setting sun. | turn The whole sky turned golden and red.

ADV. faintly, softly the faintly golden afternoon light

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gold noun

¹ yellow metal

VERB + GOLD extract, mine, produce | look for, pan for, prospect for He spent weeks panning for gold in the river. | discover, find, strike | be set in The rubies were set in 18-carat gold.

PHRASES a vein of gold In the afternoon he struck a rich vein of gold.

² (also gold medal) in sports

ADJ. Olympic

VERB + GOLD get, take, win She got a gold in the long jump. | go for She's going for gold this time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

golfer noun

GOLFER + VERB play

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

golf noun

ADJ. amateur, pro, pro-am, professional Amateur golf is very competitive. | mini/miniature The hotel offers miniature golf and other activities for children.

QUANT. game, round

VERB + GOLF play | take up | watch

GOLF + NOUN course, links | hole The eighth at Banff is one of the world's great golf holes. | club She decided to join a golf club. | bag, ball, buggy, cart, club, equipment, glove, shoes, tee, umbrella You can borrow golf clubs if you want a game. | swing His coach says his golf swing needs improving. | game, match, tournament | title | handicap She has a golf handicap of 18. | professional, star | fan/fanatic | season | circuit, scene, tour | clinic, lesson The club is holding a golf clinic next week, where golfers can get advice from the pros. | correspondent, journalist, reporter, writer | magazine | holiday, package Choose from over 100 golf packages in our brochure. | widow She's been a golf widow since she gave her husband his first set of clubs. > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

good-looking adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, really, strikingly, terribly, very | not exactly, not particularly She was not exactly good-looking, but definitely attractive. | quite, rather, reasonably He was tall and quite good-looking.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goods noun

ADJ. consumer, electrical, electronic, household, luxury a shop selling electrical goods | durable, perishable A ‘use by’ date must be stamped on all perishable goods. | mass-produced | cheap, low-priced | branded, own-label The supermarket's own-label goods are cheaper than branded goods | duty-free | second-hand | defective, faulty, shoddy | stolen He was accused of handling stolen goods. | counterfeit, fake

GOODS + NOUN train, vehicle, wagon | depot, yard

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goodwill noun

PREP. ~ to, ~ towards He expressed goodwill towards his former colleagues.

PHRASES a gesture of goodwill The government released him as a gesture of goodwill. | in a spirit of goodwill They made the offer in a spirit of goodwill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

good adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | become, get She's getting quite good at reading now.

ADV. dead, extremely, really, very a really good film | fairly, pretty, quite You've done a pretty good job.

PREP. at He's very good at music. | for Vegetables are good for you. | to She was very good to me when my husband died. | with She's good with figures.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

good noun

ADJ. common The results of the research should be used for the common good rather than for individual profit.

VERB + GOOD do (sb) You can try talking to her, but I don't think it will do much good. It will do you good to get out of the house more often.

PREP. for sb/sth's ~ When the prime minister's health problems continued, he resigned for the good of the party.

PHRASES a force for good In disadvantaged areas, schools can be a force for good. | for sb's (own) good I know you don't want to go into hospital, but it's for your own good. | for the good of sth, good and evil the struggle between good and evil | a power of good That holiday has done me a power of good.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

goose noun

ADJ. wild | roast

QUANT. flock, gaggle (only used for geese on the ground), skein (only used for geese that are flying)

GOOSE + VERB waddle | hiss, honk | feed, graze | migrate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gorgeous adj.

VERBS be, look, sound Doesn't Kate look gorgeous?

ADV. really | absolutely, drop-dead, simply a drop-dead gorgeous Hollywood icon | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gospel noun the gospel

ADJ. Christian

VERB + GOSPEL bring, preach, proclaim, spread, take She preached the Christian gospel to the poor and destitute. | hear Thousands came to hear the gospel.

GOSPEL + NOUN message, story

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gossip noun

¹ rumours about other people

ADJ. latest | common It's common gossip in the office that she's about to leave her husband. | idle, malicious, salacious, silly

QUANT. bit, piece, titbit I heard an interesting bit of gossip yesterday.

VERB + GOSSIP spread Someone has been spreading malicious gossip about me. | exchange, swap | hear, listen to, pay attention to You shouldn't listen to idle gossip.

GOSSIP + VERB circulate, go around/round A piece of silly gossip was going round the school.

GOSSIP + NOUN column, columnist I saw it in the gossip column of the local newspaper.

PREP. ~ about a magazine full of gossip about famous people

² conversation about other people

ADJ. good

VERB + GOSSIP have

PREP. ~ about We had a good gossip about the boss. | ~ with She's having a gossip with Maria.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

government noun

¹ people in control of a country

ADJ. central, federal, local, national, provincial, regional | Communist, Conservative, Labour, etc. the country's new Communist government | left-wing, right-wing | coalition | minority The socialists won 42% of the seats and formed a minority government. | caretaker, interim, transitional The president dissolved the assembly and swore in an interim government. | military | puppet | French, Western, etc. The report on world poverty calls for urgent action from Western governments.

VERB + GOVERNMENT elect The present government was elected last year. | form A nre government was formed in September of that year. | install A puppet government was installed as the occupying forces withdrew. | swear in | head, run a new government headed by a former military leader | bring down, destabilize, oust, overthrow, topple This crisis could bring down the British government. The group aims to overthrow the military government.

GOVERNMENT + VERB come to power | take office On May 23 a coalition government took office. | fall, resign a national emergency that could cause the government to fall | announce sth The government announced the cancellation of the dam project. | introduce sth, launch sth

PREP. in ~ a problem facing whichever party is in government | under a/the ~ measures that were introduced under the last government

PHRASES a change of government It is time we had a change of government. | the government of the day This was a decision taken by the government of the day. | a member of a government The prime minister has been meeting members of the French government.

² act of governing

ADJ. democratic, representative | firm, good, strong We need strong government to take the country through this crisis. | weak

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

governor noun

VERB + GOVERNOR appoint, appoint sb (as), co-opt, co-opt sb (as), elect, elect sb (as) | serve as

PHRASES a board of governors

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

govern verb

ADV. well | directly The colony was governed directly from Paris.

VERB + GOVERN be fit/unfit to He accused the opposition party of being unfit to govern.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gown noun

¹ woman's long dress

ADJ. long | flowing She was dressed in a long flowing gown. | ball, bridal, evening, wedding

GOWN + VERB be trimmed with sth She wore a white satin gown trimmed with lace.

PREP. in a/the ~

² worn by judges, surgeons, etc.

ADJ. academic | hospital, surgical

PREP. in a/the ~

PHRASES town and gown (= the permanent members of a university town and the members of its university) > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

go verb

¹ happen

ADV. smoothly, well Everything went very smoothly. | badly

² pass

ADV. quickly, slowly The holiday went very quickly. | by The days seemed to go by very slowly.

³ look/taste good with sth

ADV. well | together Leeks and potatoes go well together in a soup.

PREP. with That tie goes well with that shirt. PHRASAL VERBS go down

ADV. badly, well

PREP. with The novel went down well with the public. go on

ADV. endlessly

PREP. about He goes on endlessly about his health problems. | at Stop going on at me about that money. | with We'll go on with the presentations after lunch.

PHRASES go on and on The journey just seemed to go on and on.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

GP noun

ADJ. excellent, good | qualified | experienced | family, local Who is your local GP?

VERB + GP register with You should register with a GP as soon as possible.

GP + VERB refer sb The GP referred her to a specialist. > Note at DOCTOR(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grab verb

ADV. suddenly

VERB + GRAB try to | manage to He managed to grab a couple of hours' sleep.

PREP. at I grabbed at his arm as he ran past. | by As he walked past the boys, one of them grabbed him by the arm. | from Somebody tried to grab her handbag from her.

PHRASES grab hold of sth He grabbed hold of a handrail to save himself from falling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grace noun

ADJ. easy, lithe, supple | natural | feline

VERB + GRACE have, move with

PREP. with ~ Ann moved with easy grace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grade noun

¹ level/quality

ADJ. high, top a piece of high grade building land He still wants to play top grade football. | low, poor low grade steel

² mark given for a piece of work/an exam

ADJ. final The oral exam constitutes 10% of the final grade. | excellent, good, high | low, poor

VERB + GRADE achieve, attain, get, receive She got very good grades in her exams. | award (sb)

³ level of importance/level of pay at work

ADJ. high, senior He has asked to be put onto a higher grade. large pay rises for senior grades | junior, low | management | manual

PREP. at a/the … ~ She was offered a job at a lower grade. | on a/the … ~ the people on management grades

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grade verb

ADV. carefully a series of modern stories carefully graded for beginner to intermediate students

PREP. according to The timber is graded according to its thickness. | by The containers are graded by size. | from … to … Eggs are graded from small to extra large.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gradient noun

ADJ. steep | gentle, slight | downhill, uphill

VERB + GRADIENT have The road has a fairly steep gradient.

PREP. on a ~ The football pitch was on a slight gradient.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graduate noun

ADJ. college, university job opportunities for university graduates | arts, engineering, history, law, medical, science, etc. | new, recent

PREP. ~ in a graduate in sociology

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graduation noun

ADJ. college, university

GRADUATION + NOUN ceremony, day Mark's whole family attended his graduation ceremony.

PREP. after ~ She managed to find a job immediately after graduation. | on/upon ~ On graduation, he plans to travel around Asia.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graffiti noun

ADJ. political, racist

QUANT. piece

VERB + GRAFFITI daub, draw, scrawl, scribble, spray, write Graffiti was scribbled all over the walls. | be covered with, be daubed with, be sprayed with The buildings were covered with racist graffiti.

GRAFFITI + NOUN artist a fashionable graffiti artist

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graft noun

¹ on part of the body

ADJ. bone, skin

VERB + GRAFT do Doctors are hoping to do a bone graft to repair the damaged bone.

GRAFT + VERB take If the skin graft takes, then surgeons will do another operation a few weeks later.

² hard work

ADJ. hard Starting a new business involves a lot of hard graft.

VERB + GRAFT do Most of the graft was done for them by their assistants.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grain noun

¹ seeds of wheat, etc.

VERB + GRAIN grow, produce | sow | store

GRAIN + NOUN harvest, production, yield | exports, imports

² natural pattern of lines in wood

ADJ. fine, smooth | coarse, rough | natural This wood has a beautiful natural grain.

PREP. across/against the ~, along/with the ~ Cut the wood along the grain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grammar noun

ADJ. correct, good Spelling and good grammar are both very important. | bad, incorrect | Arabic, French, Latin, etc. the complexities of English grammar

VERB + GRAMMAR correct, teach People were too polite to correct my grammar when I spoke German. | learn

GRAMMAR + NOUN rules

PHRASES the rules of grammar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grammatical adj.

VERBS be, sound

ADV. perfectly This sentence is perfectly grammatical.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gram noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grandeur noun

ADJ. rugged the rugged grandeur of the mountains | breathtaking, dramatic, majestic, sheer the breathtaking grandeur of the cathedral | faded, former

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grandfather, grandmother noun

ADJ. maternal, paternal | doting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grandfather, grandmother noun

ADJ. maternal, paternal | doting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grandparent noun

ADJ. maternal, paternal | doting a present from his doting grandparents

QUANT. set I've sent photos of the children to both sets of grandparents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grant noun

ADJ. large, substantial | small | full The full student maintenance grant was rather less than £2,000. | annual | capital, lump-sum, purchase The school has received a large capital grant to improve its buildings. | maintenance | emergency emergency grants for special needs for items such as cookers and clothing | discretionary | mandatory | student | project, research There is a lot of competition for research grants. | clothing, conservation, (home) improvement, land, maternity, renovation, training, etc. | Arts Council, EU, government, local authority, etc.

VERB + GRANT apply for | be eligible for, qualify for You may be eligible for a clothing grant. | get, obtain, receive You can get a grant if you've lived in the area for three years. | award (sb), give sb, make (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) The government has awarded a 3.5 million pound grant for the restoration of the opera house. | refuse sb | cut The theatre's annual grant from the Arts Council has been cut.

PREP. ~ for a grant for a youth project | ~ from a grant from the local authority

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grant verb

ADV. expressly, specifically the rights expressly granted by the terms of the lease | effectively The law effectively grants the company immunity from prosecution.

VERB + GRANT agree to, decide to | refuse to The judge refused to grant him bail. | be willing to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grape noun

ADJ. juicy, sweet lovely sweet grapes | black, green, purple, white | seedless

QUANT. bunch

VERB + GRAPE eat, have | harvest, pick The first grapes are harvested in mid-August. | crush, tread The peasants were treading the grapes in huge vats.

GRAPE + NOUN harvest > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graphics noun

ADJ. computer | basic, simple The screen can display simple graphics as well as text. | colour | high-resolution | three-dimensional, two-dimensional

VERB + GRAPHICS produce | display | manipulate The program can produce and manipulate text and graphics. | support The editor's PC should support desktop publishing and graphics.

GRAPHICS + NOUN application, package, program, software, system | capability, performance | card, file, tablet, workstation | design, designer > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graph noun

ADJ. bar, line

VERB + GRAPH draw, produce | depict sth as/on, show sth as/in/on The statistics can be depicted as a graph. | plot sth on The figures are all plotted on a graph.

GRAPH + VERB show sth She drew a graph showing the relationship between costs and sales.

GRAPH + NOUN paper

PREP. in a/the ~ I decided to show the results in a bar graph. | on a/the ~ We can see on this graph how the company has grown over the last year.

PHRASES in graph form Results can be shown in numeric or graph form.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grasp noun

¹ holding sth

ADJ. firm, strong She felt a firm grasp on her hand.

VERB + GRASP slip from As she jumped forward, the ball slipped from her grasp. | prise sth from, rip sth from, snatch sth from, wrench sth from, wrest sth from She wrenched the bottle from his grasp.

PREP. beyond your ~ The key was on a high shelf, just beyond her grasp. | in your ~ He kept the letter firmly in his grasp. | from sb's ~ The robber tried to free the case from her grasp. | out of sb's ~ She kicked the gun out of his grasp. | within (your) ~ (often figurative) Just when victory seemed within grasp, the referee blew his whistle.

² understanding

ADJ. fine, firm, good, impressive, proper, sound | limited, poor | intellectual The task was beyond the intellectual grasp of some of the students. | intuitive We have no intuitive grasp of the immensity of time.

VERB + GRASP have | get Working with native speakers helped me get a good grasp of the language.

PREP. beyond your ~ These ideas are all beyond his grasp. | within your ~ | ~ of a poor grasp of mathematics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grasp verb

¹ take hold of sb/sth suddenly and firmly

ADV. firmly, tightly

PREP. at Her hands were grasping at his coat. | by She grasped him tightly by the wrist.

PHRASES grasp hold of sb/sth She grasped hold of the banister to support herself.

² understand sth

ADV. fully He had not fully grasped the fact that he was the one who would pay for all this. | not really I hadn't really grasped what they were talking about. | quickly | easily, readily a means by which students can more easily grasp the basics of science

VERB + GRASP try to | be unable to, fail to She failed to grasp the significance of these facts. | quick to He was quick to grasp the basic principles. | be difficult to, be hard to Some of these concepts are very difficult to grasp.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grass noun

QUANT. blade I've walked along that path for so many years I know every blade of grass. | clump, tuft There were only a few clumps of coarse grass for the animals to eat.

VERB + GRASS eat | cut, mow | sow

GRASS + VERB grow

GRASS + NOUN clippings, cuttings | seed | verge We parked on the grass verge by the side of the road.

PREP. across the ~ They all set off across the grass. | in the ~ I found the wallet lying in the grass. | on the ~ You're not allowed to walk on the grass. | through the ~ The dog came running through the long grass.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grateful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | remain

ADV. deeply, enormously, especially, extremely, genuinely, immensely, more than, most, particularly, profoundly, really, terribly, truly, very We are deeply grateful to you and your family. I am more than grateful for their generous response. Thank you for your help. I really am most grateful. | almost His father looked almost grateful for once. | quite, rather | just, simply I'm just grateful the injury is not as bad as we'd feared. | always | eternally I'm eternally grateful that we managed to go there before the war.

PREP. for I'm really grateful for your help. | to I'm immensely grateful to you for your support.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grate verb

¹ rub sth into small pieces

ADV. coarsely | finely Sprinkle the top of the dish with some finely grated cheese.

PHRASES freshly grated a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg

² make a sharp unpleasant sound

ADV. harshly

PREP. against The steel of the helmet grated against the door. | on The grit beneath her soles grated harshly on the wooden deck.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gratifying adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. extremely, most, particularly, very

PREP. for It is most gratifying for me to know that my work has been useful.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gratitude noun

ADJ. deep, profound | heartfelt, real, sincere | eternal, undying

VERB + GRATITUDE feel the very deep gratitude I felt towards her | express, show | earn (sb) His kindness and support earned him her eternal gratitude.

PREP. in ~ He almost wept in gratitude when he saw the money. | with ~ I remember them with gratitude. | ~ at my gratitude at her thoughtfulness | ~ for, ~ to/towards I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to the staff for their patience.

PHRASES as a token of your gratitude I sent him some money as a token of my gratitude. | owe a debt of gratitude to sb We owe her a deep debt of gratitude for her services. | a feeling/sense of gratitude

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grave noun

ADJ. deep, shallow The body was found in a shallow grave in a nearby wood. | open The mourners threw flowers into the open grave. | freshly-dug | unmarked His body is buried in an unmarked grave. | mass A mass grave has been discovered in a wood outside the village. | watery He rescued her from a watery grave (= saved her from drowning).

VERB + GRAVE dig | mark The grave was marked by a simple headstone. | desecrate Some of the graves have been desecrated by vandals.

PREP. beyond the ~ The old lady still influences the family from beyond the grave. | in a/the ~ I'll be in my grave by the time that happens! | on a/the ~ She puts fresh flowers on her husband's grave every Sunday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gravity noun

¹ natural force

ADJ. weak, zero the weak gravity on the moon | strong

VERB + GRAVITY be subject to All objects are subject to gravity. | defy The building leans so much that it seems to defy gravity.

PREP. by ~ The water flows from the tank by gravity to the houses below.

PHRASES centre of gravity (often figurative) Europe's economic centre of gravity shifted northwards. | the force of gravity, the law/laws of gravity

² seriousness

ADJ. extreme I don't think you realize the extreme gravity of this offence.

VERB + GRAVITY appreciate, realize, understand

PREP. with ~ Criminal law does not treat traffic offences with the gravity they deserve.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graze noun

ADJ. minor, slight, small

VERB + GRAZE get, have, suffer She suffered only minor grazes in the crash.

PREP. ~ on I've got a graze on my leg.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

graze verb

¹ of animals

ADV. peacefully, quietly Sheep were grazing peacefully in the fields.

VERB + GRAZE allow sth to, turn sth out to The cattle were turned out to graze.

PREP. on/upon lambs grazing on the rough moorland pasture

² break the surface of your skin

ADV. badly She had grazed her elbow quite badly.

PREP. on He fell and grazed his knees on a rock

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grease noun

VERB + GREASE be covered in/with, be smeared in/with The kitchen surfaces were all smeared with grease. | dissolve, remove

GREASE + NOUN mark, spot, stain

PHRASES a blob/smear of grease

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grease verb

ADV. well | lightly Place the cakes on a lightly greased baking tray.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

greatness noun

ADJ. true This book tells you nothing about the true greatness of his paintings.

VERB + GREATNESS achieve those people who have achieved greatness | be destined for a woman who was destined for greatness

GREATNESS + VERB lie Her greatness lies in her deep understanding of human nature.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

great adj.

¹ large in amount/degree/size, etc.

VERBS be | become

ADV. very The play was a very great success.

PHRASES great big There's a great big hole in this sleeve. | no great Don't worry. It's no great problem.

² admired

VERBS be

ADV. really, truly, very He was a truly great man.

³ very good/pleasant

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste You're looking great. Marriage must suit you!

ADV. really That's really great news! | absolutely The food smells absolutely great.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

greed noun

ADJ. pure, sheer, simple | human, personal

VERB + GREED satisfy She killed him to satisfy her greed. | be consumed by, be driven by

PREP. ~ for He was driven by greed for money and power.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Greek noun

ADJ. ancient, classical | New Testament | modern

GREEK + NOUN alphabet > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

greeting noun

¹ first words you say when you meet sb

ADJ. formal, friendly, polite

VERB + GREETING call (out), nod, shout, smile, wave He jumped to his feet and called out a greeting. They said nothing, but nodded a polite greeting. | exchange The delegates shook hands and exchanged greetings. | acknowledge, respond to, return I said ‘Good morning!’, but she didn't return the greeting. | ignore

PREP. in ~ He held out his hand in greeting.

² greetings: good wishes

ADJ. affectionate, personal, warm | birthday, Christmas, New Year, seasonal

VERB + GREETING bring, extend, send (sb) He brought Christmas greetings from the whole family. We extend our greetings to you and thank you for listening to us.

GREETING + NOUN card

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

greet verb

¹ say hello to sb

ADV. cheerfully, enthusiastically, pleasantly, warmly The two men greeted one another warmly. | courteously, politely | coolly Stella greeted her mother coolly.

VERB + GREET be there to, be waiting to You must be there to greet your guests. My parents were waiting to greet us at the door. | come to, rise to, turn to The president rose to greet his guests.

PREP. with She greeted him with a quick kiss.

PHRASES greet sb by name The head teacher greeted all the pupils by name.

² react to sth in particular way

ADV. enthusiastically | coolly | angrily The announcement was greeted angrily by the workers.

PREP. with The news was greeted with astonishment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gregarious adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. highly, very These animals are highly gregarious.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grenade noun

ADJ. hand, smoke, stun | rocket-propelled | live

VERB + GRENADE be armed with, carry, have The hijackers were armed with hand grenades. | hold She was holding the grenade above her head, ready to throw. | hurl, lob, throw, toss I tossed the grenade through the open door. | pull the pin out of

GRENADE + VERB fall, land | explode, go off

GRENADE + NOUN attack | launcher

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grey adj.

¹ of the colour between black and white

ADV. very The sky looks very grey. I think it's going to rain. | quite, rather, slightly

ADJ. dark | light, pale a light grey suit | silvery, slate > Special page at COLOUR

² with grey hair

VERBS be | go, turn He went grey before he was forty.

ADV. very | completely She was completely grey by the age of thirty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grid noun

¹ pattern of lines that cross each other

ADJ. rectangular, square | regular

GRID + NOUN line, pattern, square, system The artist drew a set of grid lines over the area to be painted.

² system of squares drawn on a map

GRID + NOUN line, reference, square The grid lines on the map run north-south. An Ordnance Survey grid reference gives the position of a place to within 100 metres.

³ system of electric cables

ADJ. national | electricity

GRID + NOUN system Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grief noun

ADJ. considerable, deep, great, inconsolable, real | private I felt awkward at intruding on their private grief.

VERB + GRIEF be overcome with, be stricken with, experience, feel Her parents were stricken with grief. | express, show | die from/of | come to terms with, cope with, deal with struggling to come to terms with their grief | cause Such behaviour can cause considerable grief.

PREP. ~ at Children can feel real grief at the loss of a pet. | ~ for her grief for her dead husband

PHRASES a feeling/sense of grief

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grievance noun

ADJ. genuine, legitimate, real Some people will complain even if they have no genuine grievance. | imaginary, imagined | long-standing, old | individual, personal | economic, social By the 1530s social grievances were again being voiced.

VERB + GRIEVANCE harbour, have, nurse She still nursed her old grievance. | air, express, vent, voice | hear (formal), listen to MPs spend many hours listening to the real or imagined grievances of their constituents. | redress, remedy, settle Managers would make every effort to remedy individual grievances as they arose.

PREP. ~ about/over The meeting will be a chance to air your grievances about the organization. | ~ against He had a personal grievance against the professor.

PHRASES a sense of grievance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grieve verb

ADV. deeply She had grieved deeply for her father. | still

PREP. for They are still grieving for their child. | over grieving over the loss of his daughter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grill noun

¹ part of a cooker

ADJ. hot Cook under a hot grill for 7 minutes. | eye-level | electric, gas

VERB + GRILL preheat Preheat the grill to medium.

GRILL + NOUN pan

PREP. under a/the ~ Place the chops in the grill pan, and put it under the grill.

² framework of metal bars that you cook food on

ADJ. charcoal

PREP. on a/the ~ Once the charcoal is glowing, place the food on the grill, turning it regularly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grimace noun

ADJ. little, slight, small | ugly | rueful, wry | facial

VERB + GRIMACE give, make She made a wry grimace. | twist into His face twisted into a grimace.

GRIMACE + VERB twist sth An ugly grimace twisted her face.

PREP. with a ~ He acknowledged his mistake with a wry grimace. | ~ of a grimace of disgust/pain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grimace verb

ADV. slightly | ruefully, wryly

PREP. at He grimaced slightly at the pain. She grimaced at him. | in She grimaced in disgust.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grime noun

VERB + GRIME be covered in/with

PHRASES a layer of grime Over the years, the painting has become covered in a thick layer of grime

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grind verb

ADV. coarsely | finely The cement need not be finely ground. | down, up Grind the seeds down to a powder.

PREP. into machinery for grinding wheat into flour | to The coffee is ground to a fine powder.

PHRASES freshly ground freshly ground black pepper

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grin noun

VERB + GRIN crack, force, give (sb) He gave the photographer a big grin. | break into, split into The old man's face broke into a grin. | hide, restrain, stifle She tried to stifle a grin.

GRIN + VERB broaden, grow broader/wider, widen | appear, spread across/over sth A mischievous grin spread across the little girl's face. | disappear, fade His wry grin faded.

PREP. with a ~ ‘Fooled you!’ he said, with a cheeky grin. | ~ at a grin at his wife | ~ of a grin of triumph

PHRASES take/wipe the grin off your face Take that grin off your face! | wipe the grin off sb's face I'll soon wipe that silly grin off her face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grin verb

PREP. at He stopped eating to grin at me. | to She grinned to herself at the thought. | with They grinned with pleasure.

PHRASES grin from ear to ear She looked at us, grinning from ear to ear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grip noun

¹ hold on sth

ADJ. firm, good, secure, strong, tight | cruel, crushing, fierce, iron, painful, punishing, vice-like Her upper arms were seized in an iron grip. | restraining

VERB + GRIP have He still had a firm grip on my arm. | get, take Taking a tight grip on the hook, he began to pull it towards himself. | keep Keep a secure grip on the rope at all times. | lose She slipped and lost her grip of the rope. | tighten Robert tightened his grip on her shoulder. | loosen, relax, release, slacken

GRIP + VERB tighten | loosen, relax, slacken His grip slackened and she tore herself away.

PREP. in a/sb's ~ Hold the microphone in a firm grip. She was powerless in his vice-like grip. | ~ on She relaxed her grip on the door frame.

² power/control

ADJ. firm, iron, powerful, strong, tight, vice-like

VERB + GRIP have The Church does not have a strong grip on the population. | get, take The government needs to get a grip on this problem. (informal) Get a grip! (= take control of yourself, your life, etc.) | keep We need to keep a tight grip on costs. | strengthen, tighten They managed to strengthen their grip on the southern part of the country. | lose (informal) Sometimes I feel I'm losing my grip (= losing control of my life, etc.)

PREP. in sth's ~ Winter still held them in its iron grip. a country in the grip of recession | ~ on The government does not seem to have a very firm grip on the economy.

PHRASES come/get to grips with sth (= to begin to take control of sth or understand sth difficult) I'm slowly getting to grips with the language.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grip verb

ADV. firmly, hard, tightly | gently, lightly

PREP. at She gripped hard at the arms of her chair. | by He gripped her gently by the shoulders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grit noun

¹ small pieces of stone

QUANT. bit, piece A bit of grit had got into my eye.

² courage/determination

ADJ. sheer, true

VERB + GRIT have Don't give in yet. You have more grit than that. | display, show The team showed their true grit and played a magnificent game. | take It takes sheer grit to stand up to a bully like that.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

groan noun

ADJ. loud He let out a loud groan of frustration. | little, small | deep, low | harsh, hoarse | muffled

VERB + GROAN give, let out, utter | stifle, suppress | hear

PREP. with a ~ He stood up slowly with a groan of pain. | ~ of > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

groan verb

ADV. loudly | quietly, softly | aloud, out loud | inwardly He groaned inwardly at the thought of spending another day in that place.

PREP. at, in She groaned out loud in protest. | with Some of the patients were groaning with pain.

PHRASES moan and groan There's no point in moaning and groaning about not having any money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

groomed adj.

VERBS be, look She is always perfectly groomed.

ADV. well | immaculately, impeccably, meticulously, perfectly | beautifully | sleekly, smoothly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

groove noun

ADJ. deep, shallow | narrow, wide

VERB + GROOVE carve, cut, make Running water had carved a groove down the face of the wall.

PREP. ~ in a deep groove in the surface of the rock

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grope verb

ADV. blindly | vaguely | about/around/round

PREP. for She groped blindly for the door handle.

PHRASES grope your way I groped my way across the pitch-black stage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grounding noun

ADJ. good, solid, thorough | basic

VERB + GROUNDING have All applicants for the job should have a basic grounding in computer skills. | get | give (sb), provide (sb with) The course should give you a thorough grounding in financial matters.

PREP. ~ in to get a good grounding in science

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

groundless adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally, utterly Our fears proved totally groundless. | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

groundwork noun

ADJ. basic

VERB + GROUNDWORK do, lay, prepare, provide (sb with) The first meeting laid the groundwork for the final agreement. The first year provides the basic groundwork for the pupils' study of maths.

PREP. ~ for We are already doing the groundwork for the introduction of the scheme next year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ground noun

¹ solid surface of the earth

ADJ. firm, hard | muddy, soft, wet | dry, dusty | fertile (often figurative) The fall of the old regime provided fertile ground for opportunism.

VERB + GROUND fall to, hit The helicopter burst into flames when it hit the ground. | reach She's so short, her feet don't reach the ground when she sits down. | get off, leave The plane was so overloaded it couldn't leave the ground. (figurative) His plan is too costly to ever get off the ground.

GROUND + NOUN level A waterproof membrane is built into the wall just above ground level.

PREP. above/below ~ The roots may spread as far below ground as does the foliage above ground. | in the ~ a hole in the ground | on the ~ He sat down on the ground. | under the ~ The tunnel goes deep under the ground.

² area of land

ADJ. high, low The village stands on high ground and is not prone to flooding. | open | difficult, rocky, rough, stony, uneven | marshy

QUANT. patch, piece We found a patch of open ground in the middle of the woods.

³ piece of land used for a particular purpose

ADJ. burial | dumping | cricket, football, practice, rugby, sports, training | parade | breeding, feeding, hunting

PREP. at a/the ~ I'll meet you at the football ground. | in a/the ~ all the graves in the burial ground

⁴ grounds: land surrounding a large building

ADJ. extensive | castle, hospital, palace, school, etc.

VERB + GROUND be set in, have The palace is set in extensive grounds.

PREP. in the ~ (of) Many estate workers lived in cottages in the grounds of the castle.

⁵ area of interest/study/discussion

ADJ. familiar, firm, home I was on more familiar ground now that we were talking about our own system. | dangerous, shaky Legally, we're on very shaky ground (= our actions may not be legal). | safe | common Both parties in the debate shared some common ground.

VERB + GROUND cover, go over Several researchers have published articles covering this ground. We just seem to be going over the same ground that we covered last year.

PREP. on … ~ He knew he was on dangerous ground talking about money.

PHRASES break new ground Her architectural designs have broken new ground.

⁶ grounds: reason for sth

ADJ. good, reasonable, sufficient, valid

VERB + GROUND have The constable had reasonable grounds for arresting her. | give (sb) His evasiveness gave grounds for the suspicion that he knew more than he was saying.

PREP. on … ~s Permission to open a mine was denied on environmental grounds. | on the ~s of He resigned from his post on the grounds of ill-health. | ~ for Drunkenness at work was sufficient grounds for instant dismissal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ground verb be grounded in/on sth

ADV. firmly His book is firmly grounded in memories of his own childhood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

group noun

ADJ. big, large, wide She has a very wide group of friends. | select, small The president met with a select group of senior ministers. | coherent, cohesive, tight, tightly-knit The strangers who came together for the course soon became a cohesive group. | minority Disabled drivers are an ever-growing minority group. | cultural, ethnic, racial | family The animals live in family groups of 10?20 individuals. | age, peer young people in this age group He started smoking because of peer-group pressure. | discussion a discussion group that meets once a month | self-help | action, pressure Local parents have formed an action group to campaign for better road safety. | splinter A few members of the party broke away to form a splinter group. | theatre | pop, rock | blood What blood group are you?

VERB + GROUP form, found, set up, start | divide sb/sth into We divided the class into small groups. | manage, run | become a member of, join | leave He left the group last year to pursue a solo career.

GROUP + VERB form The group formed back in 1992. | split up The group has split up and re-formed several times with different musicians.

GROUP + NOUN member

PREP. as a ~ The gorillas go foraging for food as a group. | in a/the ~ There are fifteen of us in the group. | within a/the ~ Within a group, each individual had a definite status. | ~ of a group of young mothers > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

group verb

ADV. closely | loosely | thematically Works in the exhibition are grouped thematically. | together

PREP. according to Eggs were grouped according to colour and size. | around/round They sat grouped around the fire. | by The children were grouped by age. | in/into These stories can be loosely grouped into three types. | with The England team was grouped with Uruguay and Holland.

PHRASES group sth under a heading The names were grouped under four different headings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

growl noun

ADJ. low | husky, soft, throaty | aggressive, threatening The dog gave a threatening growl.

VERB + GROWL give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ He spoke with a deep soft growl in his throat. | ~ of The growl of the engine. > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

growl verb

ADV. angrily, savagely ‘I'm a desperate man,’ he growled savagely. | softly, throatily

PREP. at The dog growled softly at me. | with Her stomach was growling with hunger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

growth noun

¹ increase in sth

ADJ. considerable, dramatic, enormous, exponential, impressive, phenomenal, significant, spectacular, strong, tremendous the exponential growth in world population | explosive, fast, rapid the explosive growth of personal computers in the 1990s | modest, slow, steady The factory has achieved a steady growth in output. | low a vicious circle of low growth and low productivity | long-term | economic, industrial | population

VERB + GROWTH achieve | maintain, sustain | encourage, promote, stimulate | control new measures to control the growth of traffic on the roads

GROWTH + NOUN rate The economy enjoyed the highest growth rate in Asia. | area, industry Communications technology has proved to be a growth area.

PREP. ~ in There was a rapid growth in the numbers of private cars.

PHRASES a rate of growth > Special page at BUSINESS

² growing

ADJ. healthy, normal A good diet is vital for healthy growth. | excessive the excessive growth of algae in rivers | intellectual, personal, spiritual

VERB + GROWTH encourage Give the plants a good pruning to encourage growth. | stunt Lack of food had stunted his growth.

GROWTH + NOUN hormone

³ abnormal lump in the body

ADJ. cancerous, malignant | benign

VERB + GROWTH have

PREP. ~ on He had a cancerous growth on his lung.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grow verb

¹ increase

ADV. fast, quickly, rapidly | slowly | steadily | exponentially Well before a billionth of a second had elapsed the universe started to grow exponentially.

VERB + GROW seem to | begin to, start to | continue to | be expected to

PREP. by Profits are expected to grow by 10% next year. | from Her media empire grew from quite small beginnings. | in She continued to grow in confidence | into The village grew into a town.

² of a person/animal

ADV. fast, quickly, rapidly | slowly

PREP. into The small puppy quickly grew into a very large dog.

³ of plants/hair

VERB + GROW allow sth to, let sth She decided to let her hair grow.

PREP. from The tree grew from a small acorn. | into Small acorns grow into great oak trees.

PHRASES grow unchecked A rose in full bloom had been allowed to grow unchecked up one of the walls.

⁴ make plants grow

ADV. organically organically grown produce

VERB + GROW be easy to an attractive plant which is very hardy and easy to grow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grudge noun

ADJ. long-standing, old It's time to forget old grudges. | personal

VERB + GRUDGE bear, harbour, have, hold, nurse I don't hold grudges for very long.

PREP. ~ against Do you know anyone who might harbour a grudge against you?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gruesome adj.

VERBS be

ADV. horribly, particularly, truly | pretty, rather a rather gruesome sight

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grunt noun

ADJ. little | low | non-committal He gave a non-committal grunt in reply.

VERB + GRUNT give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ He lifted the heavy box with a grunt. | ~ of a grunt of pain > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

grunt verb

ADV. loudly | merely, only He merely grunted at her and nodded his head.

PREP. at His father grunted at him as he left the room. | in She asked him a question and he grunted in reply. He grunted in pain. | with She stirred the soup, grunting with satisfaction.

PHRASES grunt and groan Grunting and groaning, they heaved the wardrobe up the stairs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guarantee noun

¹ written promise by a company

ADJ. full | lifetime, three-year, two-year, etc. | money-back

VERB + GUARANTEE carry, come with, have All our products come with a two-year guarantee. | give (sb), issue, offer (sb)

PREP. under ~ The car is still under guarantee, so you should be able to get it repaired free of charge. | ~ against The window frames carry a 20-year guarantee against rot or decay. | ~ for The garage gives a year's guarantee for all repair work. | ~ on The contractors offer a full money-back guarantee on all their work.

² promise that sth will be done/will happen

ADJ. absolute, cast-iron, firm, reliable | long-term | constitutional, personal The country gives a constitutional guarantee of the rights of minorities.

VERB + GUARANTEE give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) | demand, want | get We didn't get any firm guarantee of a loan.

PREP. ~ against There was no guarantee against misuse of the king's power. | ~ for The demonstrators were demanding guarantees for fair elections. | ~ of Driving into town early is no longer a guarantee of getting a parking space.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guarantee verb

¹ promise to do sth/promise sth will happen

ADV. absolutely I can absolutely guarantee that you will enjoy the show. | personally I personally guarantee total and immediate support in all measures undertaken.

VERB + GUARANTEE be able to, can

² give a written promise about the quality of sth

PHRASES be fully guaranteed All our electrical goods are fully guaranteed.

³ make sth certain to happen

ADV. absolutely | almost, practically, virtually | effectively The complicated electoral system effectively guarantees the president's re-election. | automatically The process of training and qualification does not automatically guarantee you a job. | by no means, not necessarily The outcome is by no means guaranteed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guardian noun

¹ person/institution that guards/protects sth

ADJ. self-appointed She has become the self-appointed guardian of the nation's conscience. | moral

VERB + GUARDIAN act as The village people act as guardians of the land.

² person who is responsible for a child

ADJ. legal

VERB + GUARDIAN appoint, appoint sb (as) The court appoints a legal guardian for the child. | act as

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guard noun

¹ person who guards sb/sth

ADJ. armed, uniformed The building is protected by armed guards. | border, prison, security

VERB + GUARD post Guards had been posted all around the radio station.

GUARD + VERB patrol sth Guards patrolled the perimeter fence. | protect sth

GUARD + NOUN duty | dog

² being ready to prevent attack or danger

ADJ. close | constant | armed The accused was taken to court under armed guard. | police

VERB + GUARD keep, mount, stand Soldiers stood guard on the city gates.

PREP. off your ~ The question seemed to catch him off his guard. | on (your) ~ Several police officers were on guard outside the factory. He was always on his guard against moneymaking schemes. | under ~ The prisoners were under close guard. | ~ against, ~ over Two police officers kept guard over the burnt-out building.

³ group of soldiers/policemen who guard sb/sth

ADJ. civil, national, palace, presidential | advance

VERB + GUARD change The guard was changed every two hours. | call out It would only be a matter of minutes before the alarm was raised and the guard called out.

PHRASES guard of honour Fellow soldiers from Corporal Smith's regiment formed a guard of honour at his wedding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guard verb

ADV. well The mountain pass is well guarded. | carefully a bird carefully guarding its eggs | fiercely, jealously She jealously guarded her position of power.

PREP. against guarding the city against attack | from pop stars who need to be guarded from their fans

PHRASES closely/heavily/securely guarded The military base is closely guarded. | guard sb/sth with your life He was under instructions to guard the key with his life. | strictly/tightly guarded strictly guarded privacy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guerrilla noun

ADJ. armed | urban Urban guerrillas detonated a car bomb in front of the company's headquarters. | communist, opposition, right-wing, separatist, etc.

GUERRILLA + NOUN army, band, force, group, movement, organization, unit | commander, fighter, leader | activity, attack, campaign, offensive, raid, resistance, struggle, war, warfare Ten years of guerrilla resistance followed the occupation. | tactics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guesswork noun

ADJ. pure | informed, inspired Their results owe more to informed guesswork than to actual knowledge.

VERB + GUESSWORK be based on Their price estimates are based on pure guesswork.

PHRASES a matter of guesswork Long-term forecasts were largely a matter of guesswork.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guess noun

ADJ. fair, good, reasonable, safe April is the best guess for first deliveries. | calculated, educated, informed, inspired, intelligent As a vet, he could make an educated guess as to what was wrong with his stomach. | rough, wild At a rough guess, I'd say we're about twenty miles from home. | lucky ‘How did you know?’‘It was just a lucky guess.’

VERB + GUESS have, hazard, make, take If you don't know the answer, have a guess. If I might hazard a guess … | give sb ‘Where's Tom?’ ‘I'll give you three guesses!’ (= the answer is fairly obvious and you should guess it easily)

PREP. at a ~ At a guess, I'd say there's a problem with the fuel pump. | ~ about/as to/at He made a wild guess as to how much the piano might cost.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guess verb

ADV. correctly, right | incorrectly, wrong Jane had guessed wrong about who was responsible for the fire. | never You'll never guess what she told me.

VERB + GUESS can/could Can you guess his age? | can only We can only guess how fast a dinosaur might have run. | try to | be easy to, not be difficult to, not be hard to It's not hard to guess where they went.

PREP. at I was only guessing at her age. | from She guessed from his expression that he had not won.

PHRASES could/might/should have guessed So it was Rob who broke the window? I might have guessed! | let me guess What star sign are you? No, let me guess.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guest noun

¹ person that you invite to your home

ADJ. house | honoured, welcome She was treated as an honoured guest. You are always a welcome guest in our house. | unexpected, uninvited She tactfully discouraged their uninvited guests from staying longer. | unwanted, unwelcome The refugees were made to feel like unwanted guests in the country.

VERB + GUEST invite She had invited six guests. | entertain She felt that she had to entertain her guests.

GUEST + NOUN room

² person invited to an event

ADJ. chief, principal The athlete was chief guest at the schools sports day. | dinner, party, reception, restaurant, wedding The best man and his assistants welcomed the reception guests as they arrived.

VERB + GUEST greet, welcome

GUEST + VERB attend sth The banquet was attended by 200 guests.

GUEST + NOUN list

PHRASES a guest of honour

³ person who is staying at a hotel

ADJ. hotel | frequent, regular

⁴ at a public event/on a radio or television show

ADJ. special Film star Matt Damon is one of the special guests on tonight's programme.

GUEST + NOUN artist, celebrity, star Guest artists from all over Europe will take part in the concert. | speaker | appearance She made a rare guest appearance on the programme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guidance noun

VERB + GUIDANCE give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) We can give guidance to students on which courses to choose. | need | ask for, look to sb for, seek Children look to their parents for guidance. I think you should seek guidance from your solicitor on this matter.

PREP. under … ~, under the ~ of Volunteers are restoring the building under expert guidance. | ~ about The Careers Officer also offers guidance about university courses. | ~ as to Guidance must be given as to what tasks the learner should attempt. | ~ on The Safety Officer provides guidance on firefighting and office safety.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guideline noun

QUANT. set The organization has issued a set of guidelines for builders to follow.

VERB + GUIDELINE develop, draw up, lay down, set out | give (sb), issue, offer (sb), provide (sb with), suggest The document gives clear guidelines on the use of pesticides. | adhere to, apply, follow, stick to We have to follow the safety guidelines laid down by the government. | breach, ignore The minister is accused of allowing the company to breach guidelines on arms sales.

GUIDELINE + VERB apply The same general guidelines on when to dress formally apply to both men and women.

PREP. within ~ Within clear guidelines, managers can use their budget to entertain clients. | ~ about detailed guidelines for doctors about how to deal with difficult patients | ~ for The article suggests some guidelines for healthy eating. | ~ from guidelines from the Department of Health | ~ on new EU guidelines on food hygiene

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guide noun

¹ sth that helps you plan what you are going to do

ADJ. approximate, rough | accurate

VERB + GUIDE give (sb), provide (sb with) | use sth as Use the table below as a guide to how much washing powder to use.

PREP. ~ as to These figures give a rough guide as to the sales we can expect. | ~ to

² book that gives information about a subject

ADJ. essential, good, helpful, informative, invaluable, practical, reliable, useful, valuable | brief, quick, short, simple | complete, comprehensive, definitive, in-depth This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine. | step-by-step a step-by-step guide to creating your own website | reference The book contains a quick reference guide to essential grammar at the back.

PREP. ~ to a guide to British birds

³ person

ADJ. tour, tourist Our tour guide showed us around the old town.

VERB + GUIDE act as, be He agreed to go with them and act as their guide.

⁴ book for tourists

ADJ. holiday, travel | hotel | street

VERB + GUIDE consult We consulted our guides as we walked around the cathedral. | write | publish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guide verb

¹ influence sb's behaviour

ADV. firmly

VERB + GUIDE help (to) the information and data which help guide the affairs of the business | try to

PREP. into the ways in which young people are guided into employment | on Schools were firmly guided on the details of the curriculum

² explain sth/help sb

ADV. carefully Their teacher Phil Bailey carefully guides them through rehearsals.

VERB + GUIDE help (to)

PREP. in He guided me in my research. | on guiding teachers on how to maintain discipline | through He guided us through the intricacies of the divorce law.

³ help sb move

ADV. gently He took her arm, gently guiding her.

PREP. across, along, etc. She guided him across the busy road. | to/towards He guided her hand to his face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guilty adj.

¹ feeling/showing guilt

VERBS feel, look

ADV. extremely, incredibly, really, terribly, very She's got a terribly guilty conscience about it. | almost I feel almost guilty that so many good things are happening to us. | a bit, faintly, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat, vaguely She was looking rather guilty when I came into the room. | oddly, ridiculously

PREP. about I feel very guilty about leaving her.

² having broken the law/done sth wrong

VERBS be, plead He pleaded guilty to starting the fire. | believe sb, presume sb No one believed him guilty of this terrible crime. A person should never be presumed guilty. | deem sb, find sb, hold sb, prove sb Company directors may be deemed guilty of an offence if their company causes pollution. He was found guilty of murder.

ADV. certainly, clearly She was certainly guilty, but the police couldn't prove it.

PREP. of She was guilty of fraud.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guilt noun

¹ feeling

ADJ. dreadful, terrible

QUANT. pang, twinge

VERB + GUILT be consumed with, be haunted by, be overwhelmed with, be racked with, feel, suffer I knew that the next day I would be consumed with guilt. You needn't feel any guilt about me. | assuage Talking to her helped to assuage my guilt.

GUILT + VERB sear sb, sweep over sb, wash over sb Guilt swept over her.

GUILT + NOUN complex | feelings

PREP. ~ about/at/over He had no feelings of guilt over what he had done.

PHRASES a burden of guilt the burden of guilt that she carried with her | a feeling/sense of guilt

² fact of having broken a law/done sth wrong

VERB + GUILT admit | establish, prove It might be difficult to prove his guilt.

GUILT + VERB lie There is no doubt as to where the guilt lies.

PHRASES an admission of guilt I took his silence as an admission of guilt. | proof of guilt

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guinea pig noun

VERB + GUINEA PIG act as Twenty students volunteered to act as guinea pigs. | use sb as

PREP. ~ for Dealers used their clients as guinea pigs for their untried techniques.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guitar noun

ADJ. acoustic, electric | bass, lead, rhythm | classical, jazz, rock | 6/12-string

VERB + GUITAR strum (on) As she sang, she strummed her guitar. | tune (up) | build, make

GUITAR + NOUN string | lick, riff > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Gujarati noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gulf noun

ADJ. deep, great, huge, unbridgeable, wide, yawning | growing, widening There appeared to be a growing gulf between the prosperous south and the declining towns of the north.

VERB + GULF cause, create This atrocity has created a huge gulf between the two groups. | widen Other factors widened the gulf that separated rich from poor. | emphasize, illustrate The documentary illustrated the gulf between industrialized and developing countries. | bridge, span The new degree course aims to bridge the gulf between education and industry.

GULF + VERB exist | separate sb/sth the yawning gulf that separates the two cultures | open up A gulf had opened up between the former friends.

PREP. ~ between For many teachers, there existed an unbridgeable gulf between home and school life. | ~ in the huge gulf in level between professional and amateur teams

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gull noun > See SEAGULL

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gulp noun

¹ amount you swallow when you gulp

ADJ. deep, great, huge, large, long

VERB + GULP take She took a large gulp of wine from the bottle.

PREP. in ~s She drank the tea in great gulps. | ~ of

² act of gulping

ADJ. loud, noisy

VERB + GULP give He gave a loud gulp and stopped mid-sentence.

PREP. with a ~ ‘I'm afraid I've broken it,’ she said with a gulp.

PHRASES at a/one gulp, in one/a single gulp He downed half the contents of the glass in one loud gulp.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gulp verb

¹ eat/drink sth quickly

ADV. greedily | noisily | down She gulped down her coffee and left.

² make a swallowing movement

ADV. nervously ‘Do you know where she is?’ asked Chris. The man gulped nervously and nodded.

PHRASES gulp for air/breath Keith swam to the surface and gulped for air.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gum noun

ADJ. lower, upper | toothless The old man smiled to reveal toothless gums. | bleeding, swollen

GUM + NOUN disease

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gunfire noun

ADJ. heavy, intense | scattered, sporadic | indiscriminate Seventy protesters were killed by indiscriminate gunfire. | distant | automatic We heard the rapid crackle of automatic gunfire.

QUANT. burst A burst of gunfire echoed across the square.

VERB + GUNFIRE hear | spray sb/sth with The terrorists boarded the bus and sprayed the passengers with gunfire. | be hit/wounded by A convoy was hit by gunfire.

GUNFIRE + VERB break out Heavy gunfire broke out in the capital last night. | echo

PHRASES the crack/crackle/rattle/sound of gunfire, an exchange of gunfire They were killed in an exchange of gunfire between riot police and demonstrators.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gunshot noun

VERB + GUNSHOT hear We heard gunshots round about midnight.

GUNSHOT + NOUN wound He died of gunshot wounds to the chest.

PHRASES the noise/sound of a gunshot

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gun noun

ADJ. big, heavy | enemy They succeeded in silencing the enemy guns. | replica, toy | anti-aircraft, anti-tank, Bren, field, hand, harpoon, laser, machine, spear, Sten, stun, sub-machine | grease, spray, staple

GUN + VERB blaze, fire, go off Guns were firing and grenades going off all around. | shoot sth This new gun shoots a laser beam at the target. | jam | be mounted There were several guns mounted in the back of the vehicle.

PHRASES the barrel of a gun I found myself looking down the barrel of a gun. | guns and ammunition We're very short of guns and ammunition. | hold a gun on sb, hold a gun to sb's head Two armed men held a gun to his head and made him empty the safe. | turn a gun on yourself The gunman then turned the gun on himself and blew his brains out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gurgle noun

ADJ. little | low

VERB + GURGLE give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ The water emptied with a gurgle. | ~ of He gave a low gurgle of laughter. > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gust noun

ADJ. great | little | strong | sudden | occasional

PREP. ~ of a sudden gust of wind

PHRASES blow/come in gusts The wind came in great gusts off the Pacific.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gut noun

¹ tube in the lower part of the body

ADJ. healthy

VERB + GUT pass through

GUT + NOUN flora, wall

PREP. in the/your ~ 2 guts organs inside the body

PHRASES blood and guts (figurative) I don't like films that are full of blood and guts. | a pain in your guts I had a terrible pain in my guts after eating too many plums.

³ guts: courage/determination

VERB + GUT have She had the guts to stand up to the school bully. | take It takes guts to keep on running even though you have blistered feet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gut verb

ADV. completely The hotel was completely gutted by fire last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

guy noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gymnastics noun

ADJ. rhythmic

VERB + GYMNASTICS do She does gymnastics at school.

GYMNASTICS + NOUN display, exhibition | championships | coach

PREP. in (the) ~ > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gymnast noun

ADJ. brilliant, expert, good | Olympic

GYMNAST + VERB train young gymnasts who have to train for up to five hours a day | compete, perform

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

gym noun

ADJ. fully-equipped | school

GYM + NOUN session, workout | equipment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

habitable adj.

VERBS be | remain | make sth, render sth They've done their best to make the house habitable. | consider sth The houses were not considered habitable.

ADV. barely The room was barely habitable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

habitat noun

ADJ. native, natural her observations of wild chimps in their natural habitat | important | endangered, fragile, threatened Peat bogs are one of Europe's most threatened habitats. | coastal, forest, wetland, wildlife, woodland

VERB + HABITAT provide The forest provides a habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals. | conserve, protect new measures to protect wildlife habitats | damage, destroy, disrupt Development is destroying the animal's native habitat.

HABITAT + VERB support sth The many different habitats support a wide variety of birds.

HABITAT + NOUN destruction, loss Many species are threatened in the wild due to habitat destruction by man.

PREP. in a/the ~ the animals and plants in this woodland habitat | ~ for The moorland is an important habitat for many rare bird species.

PHRASES loss of habitat The greatest danger to tigers now is through loss of habitat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

habit noun

ADJ. annoying, anti-social, bad, dirty, disconcerting, horrible, irritating, nasty, unfortunate Life has a nasty habit of repeating itself. | charming (often ironic), endearing, good one of his more endearing habits her charming habit of setting fire to cats | eccentric, odd | old | daily, regular | personal, sexual, social I found some of his personal habits rather disconcerting. | buying, shopping, spending an effort to change the buying habits of the British public | dietary, drinking, eating, feeding | reading, viewing women's television viewing habits | drug, smoking trying to kick the smoking habit

VERB + HABIT be in, have She had been in the habit of drinking five or six cups of coffee a day. She's got some very annoying habits.

He had an irritating habit of singing tunelessly about the house. | acquire, develop, fall into, form, get into, make I had fallen into my old bad habit of leaving everything until the last minute.

Try to get into good habits and eat regular healthy meals. Make a habit of noting down any telephone messages. | become Don't let eating between meals become a habit. | break (yourself of), get out of, give up, kick a difficult habit to break

You must break yourself of the habit. I had got out of the habit of going to the pub. | change

HABIT + VERB change Even last year the nation's eating habits changed significantly.

PREP. by ~ Much of what we do in daily life is done by habit. | out of ~ I sat in my old seat purely out of habit.

PHRASES a creature of habit Horses are creatures of habit and like to have a daily routine. | force of habit Mr Norris bellowed from force of habit. | the habit of a lifetime It's hard to change the habits of a lifetime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hack verb

ADV. away, off They hacked away at the dense vegetation. hacking off the dead branches

PREP. at She hacked at the hedge with the shears.

PHRASES hack sth to bits/pieces The body had been hacked to pieces. | hack sb to death He was hacked to death by the mob. | hack your way The explorers had to hack their way through dense jungle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haemorrhage noun

ADJ. massive, severe | recurrent | acute The patient died from acute cerebral haemorrhage. | brain, cerebral

VERB + HAEMORRHAGE have, suffer Twelve hours later she suffered a massive brain haemorrhage. | die from/of | halt, stop (both usually figurative) The company is desperate to halt the haemorrhage of skilled staff.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hail noun

HAIL + VERB fall Hail fell shortly after lunch. | melt The hail melted once the sun came out.

PREP. in (the) ~ We got caught in the hail. | through (the) ~ driving through the hail

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haircut noun

ADJ. decent, good | new | short, skinhead

VERB + HAIRCUT get, have You ought to smarten up and have a haircut before the interview. | need He was unshaven, and badly needed a haircut.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hair noun

ADJ. auburn, black, blond, brown, chestnut, dark, fair, ginger, golden, grey, grizzled, jet-black, red, sandy, white, yellow | bushy, coarse, crinkly, curly, fine, frizzy, smooth, straight, thick, wavy, wiry | beautiful, glossy, shiny, sleek | dishevelled, dry, dull, fuzzy, greasy, scruffy, tousled, unruly, untidy, windswept a new shampoo for dull or dry hair His hair was tousled and he looked as if he'd just woken up. | cropped, long, short, shoulder-length She had shoulder-length black hair. | body, facial, pubic | cat, dog, etc. The rug was covered with cat hairs.

QUANT. lock, wisp

VERB + HAIR have She had beautiful auburn hair. | lose He had turned forty and was beginning to lose his hair. | wear She wore her long hair loose on her shoulders. | arrange, do, tidy I don't like the way she's arranged her hair, do you? I'll be down in a minute, I'm just doing my hair. | plait, put up, tie back Why don't you put your hair up for this evening? | brush, comb | shampoo, wash | cut, trim He went to the barber's to have his hair cut. | curl, perm I've decided to have my hair permed. | grow I'm trying to grow my hair.

HAIR + VERB grow Why don't you let your hair grow? | curl His hair curls naturally. | fall, hang, lie Her blond hair fell over her eyes. | gleam, glint, glisten

HAIR + NOUN loss how to cope with hair loss

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

half noun

PREP. by a ~ Costs rose by a half. | in ~ We divided the money in half. | in the … ~ He played well in the second half of the match. | ~ of the first half of the concert Over a half of all accidents happen in the home.

PHRASES about/almost/at least/over a half Over a half of all the people interviewed said they were disappointed in the government. | half and half We split the work half and half. | one/two/three, etc. and a half She's four and a half years old now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hallucination noun

ADJ. mild | weird | auditory, visual | drug-induced

VERB + HALLUCINATION have For a moment I thought I was having hallucinations. | cause, induce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hall noun

¹ inside the front entrance of a house/building

ADJ. entrance | reception | narrow | dark, darkened, unlit He hurried them along the narrow, dark hall.

VERB + HALL lead to The hall led to a locked door.

PREP. across the ~ the room across the hall | along the ~, at/to the end of the ~, down the ~ There were strange noises coming from the room down the hall. | in the ~

² building/large room

VERB + HALL crowd into, fill, pack The strains of the national anthem filled the hall.

PREP. in the ~, into the ~, through the ~ His voice echoed through the hall.

PHRASES hall of residence Most first-year students live in the halls of residence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

halt noun

ADJ. abrupt, sudden The bus came to an abrupt halt outside the school. | grinding, shuddering The strike brought the capital city to a grinding halt. | temporary | immediate

VERB + HALT come to, draw to, grind to, jolt to, lurch to, scream to, screech to, shudder to, skid to, slide to, slither to The economy seems to be grinding to a halt. The car skidded to a halt just inches from the river. | bring sth to Production was brought to a temporary halt when power supplies failed. | call Scientists have decided to call a halt to the tests. | call for, demand

PREP. ~ in a halt in nuclear testing | ~ to The protesters are calling for a halt to the export of live animals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

halt verb

ADV. virtually | effectively The strike effectively halted production at the factory. | abruptly All these ideas for expansion were abruptly halted by the outbreak of war. | briefly, temporarily | finally

VERB + HALT try to | threaten to | fail to failing to halt the destruction of the rainforest

PHRASES halt in your tracks A sudden shout made them halt in their tracks and look round. | halt sth in its tracks The development programme has been halted in its tracks by this intervention.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

halve verb

ADV. more than | almost, nearly, virtually | approximately, roughly | effectively

PREP. in The shares have more than halved in value since the summer high of 572p. | to Overall operating profits halved to $24 million.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hammering noun

¹ noise

ADJ. loud

VERB + HAMMERING hear

PREP. ~ at/on a loud hammering on the door

² very bad defeat

ADJ. real

VERB + HAMMERING give sb | take They took a real hammering at the hands of their opponents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hammer noun

VERB + HAMMER hit sth with, tap sth with, use, wield | swing He swung the hammer with all his strength.

HAMMER + NOUN blow (often figurative) The decision is a hammer blow for the coal industry.

PHRASES a hammer and chisel, a hammer and nails, hammer and sickle the hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hamper verb

ADV. badly, greatly, seriously, severely Rescue efforts were severely hampered by the bad weather. | further

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ham noun

ADJ. lean | baked, boiled, cooked, cured, honey-roast, Parma, smoked | cold cold ham and salad | sliced

QUANT. bit, piece, slice | joint, leg

VERB + HAM eat, have | boil, cook, roast | carve, slice

HAM + NOUN roll, salad, sandwich

PHRASES ham on the bone We had boiled ham on the bone for dinner. > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handbag noun

ADJ. big, capacious, large

VERB + HANDBAG clutch, hold | carry | swing | delve into, fish about/around in, fumble in, reach into, rummage (around) in, search (in/through) She was rummaging in her handbag for her keys. | snatch She had her handbag snatched as she sat having a coffee.

PREP. from a/the ~, out of a/the ~ She took a pen out of her large leather handbag. | in a/the ~, into a/the ~ She put her purse into her handbag.

PHRASES the contents of a handbag

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handcuffs noun

QUANT. pair, set The policeman slipped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.

VERB + HANDCUFFS have on, wear | put on, slip on The other policeman put the handcuffs on him. | remove, take off, undo, unfasten, unlock

PREP. in ~ He was taken away in handcuffs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handful noun

¹ amount that can be held in one hand

ADJ. good | double She bent and pulled up a double handful of weeds.

PREP. ~ of She grabbed handfuls of the dirty snow.

² small number of people/things

ADJ. small, tiny | mere having to cope with a mere handful of staff | good He has a good handful of letters after his name.

PREP. ~ of a handful of people

PHRASES just/only a handful of sth We have received only a small handful of letters on this subject.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handicapped adj.

VERBS be, be born Steven was born severely handicapped. | leave sb An accident at birth left him badly handicapped.

ADV. badly, profoundly, seriously, severely | mildly, slightly | permanently | mentally, physically, visually special equipment for visually handicapped children

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handicap noun

¹ physical/mental disability

ADJ. serious, severe | mild | mental, physical, visual She can't drive because of her visual handicap.

VERB + HANDICAP be born with, have, suffer (from) Over a million people in Great Britain suffer from mental handicap. | cause | cope with, overcome She has managed to overcome her physical handicaps.

PREP. despite a/the ~ Despite her handicap, Jane is able to hold down a full-time job.

² disadvantage

ADJ. big, considerable, great, major, real, serious, severe, terrible Lack of transport was a major handicap.

VERB + HANDICAP have, suffer If you don't speak the language, you've got a real handicap. | prove His lack of height can prove a handicap against tall players.

PREP. despite a/the ~ | ~ to This could be a serious handicap to her education.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handkerchief noun

ADJ. clean | crumpled, dirty, grubby, used | pocket | lace, linen, paper, silk | embroidered

VERB + HANDKERCHIEF blow your nose on, use He blew his nose on a grubby handkerchief. | wave

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handle noun

ADJ. long, short | carrying The table folds up and comes complete with a carrying handle. | door | knife, fork, pickaxe, etc.

VERB + HANDLE have | pull, push, try, turn You have to turn the handle and then pull it towards you. He tried the handle but the door was locked.

PREP. on a/the ~ His initials were on the knife handle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handle verb

¹ touch sth with your hands

ADV. carefully, with care A label on the crate read: ‘Handle with care’. | carelessly Garden tools can be hazardous if carelessly handled. | roughly Many of the prisoners were roughly handled; some were killed.

² deal with sb/sth

ADV. competently, efficiently, properly, skilfully, successfully, well I think you handled that situation very well. | badly | carefully, delicately This issue may need to be handled carefully. | easily Her next question was not so easily handled. | routinely The library routinely handles a wide variety of enquiries.

VERB + HANDLE be able/unable to, can/could, know how to This was a problem that I just couldn't handle. She knew how to handle publicity. | be designed to, be equipped to He wasn't mentally equipped to handle this situation. | learn how to | be easy to | be difficult to, be hard to Large meetings are notoriously less productive and more difficult to handle.

PREP. with She handled the crisis with total assurance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handling noun

ADJ. careful, delicate, gentle Timid children need gentle handling to build up their confidence. | careless, clumsy | sensitive, sympathetic Issues such as drug addiction require sensitive handling when featured in TV dramas. | insensitive | competent She was praised for her competent handling of the crisis. | baggage, cargo, freight, stock | customer, passenger a small airport with limited passenger handling facilities | food hygienic food handling practice | data, information

VERB + HANDLING need, require

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handout noun

¹ food/money given to people who need it badly

ADJ. free | government, state | cash

VERB + HANDOUT give (sb) | get, receive All those eligible will receive a cash handout.

PREP. ~ from a handout from the government | ~ to state handouts to the poor

² sheet/leaflet

VERB + HANDOUT distribute, give sb, give out

PREP. in a/the ~ More information can be found in the handout. | ~ on We were given a handout on job hunting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handshake noun

ADJ. firm, hearty | limp She wasn't impressed by his limp handshake.

VERB + HANDSHAKE have He had a firm handshake. | give sb Fawcett gave me a hearty handshake.

PREP. with a ~ They sealed the agreement with a handshake. | ~ from a handshake from the chairman

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handsome adj.

VERBS be, look | become, grow

ADV. devastatingly, exceedingly, extraordinarily, extremely, incredibly, strikingly, very, wonderfully He was young and devastatingly handsome. | almost | quite, rather | classically, darkly, elegantly, ruggedly, youthfully his ruggedly handsome features

PHRASES tall, dark (and) handsome a tall, dark, handsome stranger

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handwriting noun

ADJ. clear, good, legible, neat Her handwriting was neat and legible. | awful, bad, illegible, poor, terrible Why do doctors have such terrible handwriting?

VERB + HANDWRITING have | read Her handwriting is very difficult to read. | recognize I didn't recognize the handwriting on the envelope.

PREP. in your ~ She copied out the lines in her best handwriting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

handy adj.

¹ useful

VERBS be | come in I advise you to buy one?it may come in handy one day.

ADV. very | quite

PREP. for The arrangement was handy for both of us.

² nearby

VERBS be | keep sth Always keep a cloth handy to wipe up any mess.

ADV. very | quite

PREP. for The house was near Drury Lane, very handy for the theatre.

³ good at using sth

VERBS be

ADV. very | fairly, pretty, quite

PREP. at ‘I'm pretty handy at giving out advice,’ claimed Mark. | with Lucy is quite handy with a drill!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hand noun

¹ part of the body

ADJ. left, right | beautiful, delicate, long-fingered, pretty | well-manicured | coarse, rough, work-reddened, work-roughened, work-worn | soft | firm, strong | limp He offered a limp hand to shake. | frail | arthritic | gnarled, knotted | claw-like | hairy | clammy He clutched the cane in his clammy hand. | cool His hand, when she shook it, was cool and firm. | dirty, filthy, greasy, grubby, sticky, sweaty, unwashed He wiped his greasy hands on the front of his overalls. | clean | gloved | ringed | ringless | open, outspread She gestured towards the window with an open hand. | outstretched She walked towards him with her hand outstretched to take his. | free With his free hand he took hold of the knife. | cupped She rested her chin in her cupped hand. | busy, deft Her busy hands had transformed the tiny room into a work of art. | willing There's plenty of work for willing hands | eager Eager hands reached out to help him. | nervous, shaking, trembling, unsteady | steady A surgeon needs a good eye and a steady hand. | friendly, sympathetic He put a friendly hand on his friend's knee. | generous, liberal (both figurative) She filled our glasses with a generous hand. | capable, expert, practised, skilful, skilled With a practised hand he motioned a waiter to bring a fresh pot of coffee. | careless, clumsy

VERB + HAND take She took the child's hand and helped him climb the steps. | hold, hold on to They walked along, holding hands. She held on to my hand as I tried to leave. | reach for He reached for her hand and held it tightly. | press, squeeze, touch She pressed his hand. ‘I know, ’ she said softly. | shake He shook Blake's hand as if they were long lost friends. He shook hands with all of us before leaving. | feel I felt a hand on my shoulder. | extend, hold out, put out, reach out She smiled and extended a hand in welcome. He put out a hand as if to touch her. | lay, place, press, put He laid a hand on her arm. She put her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment. | slide He slid his hands into his pockets. | withdraw Slowly Ruth withdrew her hand from his. | hold up, lift, put up, raise, throw up He lifted his hand to her face. Several students put up their hands to answer the question. She raised her hand in farewell. He threw up his hands in despair when he saw the damage. | spread She shrugged and spread her hands. ‘That's all I can tell you.’ | wave | clap We were all clapping our hands in time to the music. | clasp, clench, rub, wring He had his hands clasped behind his head. She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. He rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. He was sobbing and wringing his hands by the grave. | beat He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. | cup I cupped my hand over the mouthpiece of the phone so they couldn't hear me. | wash | wipe

HAND + VERB shake, tremble Her hand shook as she lifted the glass to her lips. | reach out, shoot out A strong hand reached out and caught hold of her arm. | grope for sth, reach for sth, seek sth My hand groped for the door handle. His hand sought hers. | find sth His hand eventually found the light switch. | catch sth, clamp, clasp sth, close around/on/round sth, fasten around/on/round sth, grab sth, grasp sth, seize sth The policeman kept a firm hand clamped on his shoulder. | clutch sth, grip sth, hold sth | claw (at) sth, pull sth, tug sth His hands clawed at the muddy earth. | push sth | squeeze sth, tighten sth | brush (across/against) sth, caress sth, stroke sth, touch sth His hand brushed against hers. | creep, go, move, slide, slip, steal, stray Muriel's hand crept to her neck to hold her pearls. | fly Her hand flew to her mouth. ‘Oh no!’ | jerk, twitch | run over/through sth, trail Her hand ran over the surface, feeling the different textures. | freeze, still His hand froze in mid-gesture. | hover, waver My hand hovered over the switch for a moment. | lie, rest His hand rested on her shoulder. | go up, shoot up | come down, descend, drop A large hand descended on his shoulder. His hands dropped to his sides and he fell to the floor. | withdraw | lift, rise Her hand lifted to place a cigarette in her mouth. | cover sth Her hand moved to cover his.

PREP. by ~ Delicate clothes should be washed by hand. | by … ~s The rocks looked like they had been shaped by human hands. | in your ~ She had a piece of paper in her hand. (figurative) Can I leave these queries in your capable hands? | on your ~ She had large rings on both hands. | with your ~ Operate the gears with your left hand.

PHRASES fall into the wrong hands (figurative) Guards made sure that the food supplies didn't fall into the wrong hands. | get/keep/take your hands off sb/sth She warned her brother to keep his hands off her bag. | get/lay your hands on sth I desperately need to lay my hands on some money by Monday. | hand in hand They walked hand in hand along the path. | hands on hips She stood in the doorway, hands on hips. | in safe hands (figurative) He retired feeling confident that his company was in safe hands. | on (your) hands and knees He was on his hands and knees, looking for a contact lens. | out of sb's hands (figurative) I don't work in that department any more, so the problem is out of my hands. | the palm of your hand She studied the object in the palm of her hand. | run a hand/your hands over/through, etc. sth Clive ran a hand through his hair. | with your bare hands He killed the lion with his bare hands.

² a hand: help

VERB + HAND give sb, lend (sb) Can you give me a hand with loading the van? At harvest time all the villagers lend a hand. | need Do you need a hand with those invoices?

³ role in a situation

VERB + HAND have | strengthen The strategic alliance served to strengthen the country's hand in the region.

PREP. ~ in Several of his colleagues had a hand in his downfall.

⁴ in card games

ADJ. bad, good

VERB + HAND deal (sb) Who dealt the last hand? (figurative) She felt that life had dealt her a bad hand. | get, have | play

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hand verb

ADV. effectively | formally, officially formally handing over power to the new government | personally She wanted to hand the petition to the prime minister personally. | just, merely, simply They would simply hand her over to the magistrate as a thief. | quickly | immediately, promptly | grudgingly, reluctantly He grudgingly handed me the money. | silently | back, in, out, over She handed out the exam papers.

VERB + HAND be prepared to, be ready to, be willing to | refuse to | force sb to

PREP. to He handed the book to Sally.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hang verb

ADV. limply, loosely He had lost weight and the suit hung loosely on him. | uselessly Her injured arm hung uselessly at her side. | upside down The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down from the branches. | down Large leaves hung down from the branches of the trees.

PREP. by The monkey was hanging by its tail from the beams overhead. | from Banners hung from every window. PHRASAL VERBS hang on

¹ keep hold of sth

ADV. tight Hang on tight?we're off.

VERB + HANG try to

PREP. for She hung on for dear life. | to Hang on to (= keep) those old photographs?they may be valuable. | with Martin tried to hold on with his toes as well as his feet.

² wait

ADV. a minute Hang on a minute?I'll just see if he's here.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hanker verb

ADV. secretly | always | still

PREP. after She's always hankering after excitement. | for I still hankered for the farm life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haphazard adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. very | entirely, totally The local authority's approach to health care seems totally haphazard. | fairly, rather, somewhat | apparently, seemingly

PHRASES in a haphazard fashion/manner/way The town had grown in a somewhat haphazard way.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

happen verb

ADV. actually, really She couldn't quite believe that all this was actually happening to her. | just I don't remember learning to swim, it just happened. | spontaneously Sometimes fun activities just happen spontaneously; at other times they take careful planning. | overnight Change doesn't happen overnight.

VERB + HAPPEN be going to They could only wait and see what was going to happen. | be likely to | be bound to Mistakes are bound to happen sometimes. | tend to What tends to happen is that students spend the first week of the course in a blind panic, but settle down by the second or third week. | want sth to | make sth You have to make things happen if you want them to happen. | let sth Don't just sit back and let it happen.

PREP. to She didn't know what was happening to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

happiness noun

VERB + HAPPINESS be filled with, feel | glow with Her face was glowing with happiness. | cry with, sigh with, weep with | achieve, find She seems to have found happiness with her new husband. | bring (sb) It is easy to believe that money brings happiness. | buy (sb) You cannot buy happiness. | wish sb

PREP. with ~ | ~ at He was weeping with happiness at being free.

PHRASES a feeling of happiness, wish sb every happiness We wish them every happiness in their new life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

happy adj.

¹ feeling pleasure

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound Outwardly the couple appeared happy. Andrew felt happier than he had been for a long time. | become | make sb Money won't make you happy. | keep sb He went home from time to time, to keep his mother happy.

ADV. extremely, only too, particularly, really, very We'd be only too happy to accept your invitation. | completely, perfectly, quite Mum seemed perfectly happy with my explanation. | genuinely, truly For the first time in her life, she felt truly happy. | far from, not altogether, not at all, not entirely, not exactly, not particularly, not too, not totally Her boss was not entirely happy about the situation. | fairly, pretty, reasonably, relatively | just I'm just happy to be back home. | absurdly, amazingly, blissfully, deliriously, ecstatically, radiantly, ridiculously, strangely, surprisingly | clearly, obviously

PREP. about I'm not too happy about her attitude. | for So you're getting married, I hear. I'm really happy for you! | with I was quite happy with the way things went.

² giving pleasure

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, gloriously, particularly, very, wonderfully It had been a gloriously happy time. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harassment noun

ADJ. racial, sexual | police | constant, continual

VERB + HARASSMENT be subject to, be subjected to, suffer She had been subjected to continual sexual harassment.

PREP. ~ by They are complaining about harassment by the police

PHRASES a victim of harassment > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harass verb

ADV. racially, sexually She had been sexually harassed at work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harbour noun

VERB + HARBOUR have The town has a small natural harbour. | come into, go into, enter They entered the harbour with flags flying. | go out of, leave

HARBOUR + NOUN wall

PREP. in (a/the) ~ The fishing fleet is in harbour. the activity in the harbour | into (a/the) ~ The damaged vessel was towed into harbour. | out of a/the ~ We sailed out of the harbour at daybreak.

PHRASES the entrance to/the mouth of a harbour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hardback noun

VERB + HARDBACK publish | come out in His second book came out in hardback last month.

HARDBACK + NOUN book, edition

PREP. in ~ It's only available in hardback.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hardship noun

ADJ. appalling, considerable, dreadful, extreme, genuine, great, immense, real, severe | widespread | undue, unnecessary | economic, financial, material, personal, physical

VERB + HARDSHIP cause | bear, endure, experience, face, suffer, survive a close community which makes these hardships easier to bear Students may suffer severe financial hardship as a result of the government's decision. They have already survived considerable hardship.

HARDSHIP + NOUN payment The union made hardship payments to some of the sacked workers.

PREP. in ~ They are living in genuine hardship. | without ~ Rail services to rural areas could be withdrawn without undue hardship. | ~ among widespread hardship among students | ~ to The cold was no real hardship to me.

PHRASES times of hardship In times of economic hardship, firms cut back on training.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hardware noun

¹ of a computer

ADJ. computer

QUANT. piece The laptop drawing tablet is a very useful piece of hardware.

VERB + HARDWARE design, develop | provide, supply supplying computer hardware to business

HARDWARE + NOUN component, device, product | environment, platform, system This application runs on a wide variety of hardware platforms. | configuration | design, development | company, manufacturer, supplier, vendor > Special page at COMPUTER

² heavy machinery/weapons

ADJ. military firms selling military hardware

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hard adj.

¹ solid/stiff

VERBS be, feel, look, seem The chairs felt hard and uncomfortable. | become, go Don't leave the cake uncovered or the icing will go hard. | stay

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, fairly, quite, rather

PHRASES rock hard The toffee was rock hard.

² difficult

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get Life got very hard. | make sth If you tell the children the answers, it only makes it harder for them to do the work on their own. | find sth I found the exam quite hard.

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harmful adj.

VERBS be | become | consider sth She actually considered fresh air harmful.

ADV. extremely, particularly, positively, very These products are often positively harmful. | quite | possibly, potentially A lot of these chemicals are potentially very harmful. | allegedly | (not) necessarily Not all virus infections are necessarily harmful to vines. | intrinsically | environmentally, socially These pesticides are environmentally harmful.

PREP. to pesticides that are harmful to the environment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harmless adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | make sth, render sth chemical wastes which have to be rendered harmless | consider sth

ADV. absolutely, completely, perfectly, quite, totally | almost, virtually | enough He looks harmless enough. | comparatively, fairly, pretty, reasonably, relatively | apparently, seemingly a small and seemingly harmless creature | environmentally

PREP. to The substance is harmless to people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harmony noun

¹ state of agreement

ADJ. absolute, complete, perfect | reasonable, relative They've lived together in reasonable harmony for many years. | domestic, political, racial, social On the surface, their life seemed a model of domestic harmony.

VERB + HARMONY achieve | maintain, preserve They try to maintain harmony between the two communities. | foster, promote The Church tries to promote racial harmony. | live in

PREP. in ~ They work together in harmony. | ~ between They try to foster harmony between different groups of people. | ~ with living in perfect harmony with nature

PHRASES a sense of harmony A new sense of harmony developed in the community.

² pleasant combination of different musical notes

ADJ. musical | five-part, four-part, etc. an arrangement with four-part harmony

PREP. in ~ to sing in harmony

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harm noun

ADJ. considerable, great, serious, untold He was clearly intent on inflicting serious harm on someone. | irreparable, lasting, permanent | emotional, mental, physical, psychological elderly people in danger of physical or emotional harm | economic, environmental

VERB + HARM cause, do, inflict The huge fall in exports has done a great deal of harm to the economy. | mean (sb), wish sb I'm sorry if I upset you?I didn't mean any harm. No one wishes you harm. | come to, suffer I don't think he'll come to any harm if his mother is with him. | keep sb from, prevent, protect sb from, shield sb from The children were removed from their parents to prevent harm to them. She tried to shield her child from harm.

HARM + VERB come to sb/sth I don't want any harm to come to these pictures.

PREP. ~ from babies at risk of serious harm from their parents | ~ to the harm done to the environment

PHRASES more harm than good The drugs he was prescribed did him more harm than good. | out of harm's way The younger children were kept out of harm's way.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harm verb

ADV. seriously Misusing drugs in pregnancy can seriously harm your baby. | deliberately | physically

VERB + HARM intend to, want to He claimed that he had not intended to harm the girl. | try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harness noun

¹ for a horse

ADJ. leather

VERB + HARNESS put on | remove, take off

PREP. in (a) ~ a horse in harness

² for a person

ADJ. child | safety | climbing, parachute

VERB + HARNESS have on, wear | do up, fasten She fastened the safety harness tightly round her waist before starting the descent. | undo, unfasten

PREP. in a/the ~ Another man in a harness was being lowered from the helicopter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harness verb

ADV. effectively, successfully | fully

VERB + HARNESS attempt to, seek to, try to attempting to harness the power of the sun | manage to

PREP. for How can this energy be harnessed effectively for the good of humankind?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harp noun

VERB + HARP set, tune By means of pedals, a harp can be set in any desired key. > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harp verb PHRASAL VERBS harp on

ADV. always, constantly He is always harping on about the war. | still

PREP. about

PHRASES keep harping on Don't keep harping on about my age!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harsh adj.

VERBS appear, be, prove, seem, sound It may seem harsh to criticize him after his death. | become

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, particularly, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, somewhat | unduly, unnecessarily He accused her of being unduly harsh. | surprisingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

harvest noun

ADJ. abundant, bumper, good, large, rich We've had a bumper harvest of apples this year. (figurative) She returned from the conference with a rich harvest of knowledge. | bad, disastrous, poor a series of poor harvests in the 1830s | cereal, corn, grain, potato, wheat, etc.

VERB + HARVEST bring in, gather (in), get in, reap They were busy getting the harvest in. (figurative) We are now reaping the harvest of our hard work last year.

HARVEST + VERB fail The strawberry harvest failed because of the drought.

HARVEST + NOUN time | feast, festival

PREP. after (the) ~ Potatoes are normally sprayed after harvest. | during (the) ~ During harvest they work from dawn to dusk. | ~ of a good harvest of potatoes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hassle noun

ADJ. legal They faced interminable legal hassles if they wanted to claim compensation.

VERB + HASSLE get, have I started to get all this hassle from my boss about increasing productivity. | give sb He gave me so much hassle I decided it wasn't worth it. | save It saves a lot of hassle if you buy them by post. | be worth Camping holidays aren't really worth all the hassle.

PREP. with no/without ~ She got the computer set up with no hassle at all. | ~ about/over I've had so much hassle over this business.

PHRASES take the hassle out of sth Package holidays take all the hassle out of travel arrangements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haste noun

ADJ. blind, breathless, frantic, great She worked with frantic haste. | indecent, reckless, undue He accused the government of undue haste in bringing in the new law.

VERB + HASTE make I had to make haste if I wasn't to be late.

PREP. in (your) ~ They obviously left in great haste. In his haste to get home, he forgot to go to the library. | with ~ He married again with almost indecent haste. | without ~ They approached without haste.

PHRASES with all haste The ships were ordered to sea with all haste.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hatch noun

ADJ. closed, open Leave the hatch open. | escape | inspection, service The engineer was peering into the service hatch. | serving She opened the serving hatch and put the soup on the counter. | kitchen, loft

VERB + HATCH lift, open, raise She lifted the hatch and slid it away from the opening. | batten down, close, shut They battened down the hatches and prepared for the storm. He ordered the hatches to be closed.

PREP. through a/the ~ They got out through the escape hatch. | ~ between a hatch between the kitchen and the dining room | ~ to a hatch to the dining room

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hate noun

¹ strong feeling of dislike

ADJ. absolute, naked, pure In her eyes he could see naked hate.

VERB + HATE be filled with, be full of, burn with He burned with hate for everyone and everything.

HATE + NOUN campaign, figure, mail victim of a vicious hate campaign She became a hate figure for politicians on the left.

PREP. ~ for full of hate for the people who had betrayed her

² sb/sth you hate

ADJ. pet Jazz has always been a pet hate of mine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hate verb

VERB + HATE begin to, come to, grow to He came to hate the town, with its narrow prejudices. | love to the media baron all the socialists love to hate

PREP. for He hated me for standing up to him.

PHRASES hate it when I hate it when you lose your temper like that.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hatred noun

ADJ. bitter, deep, intense, passionate, pure, violent She shot him a look of pure hatred. | absolute, implacable | blind, irrational | class, ethnic, racial, religious

VERB + HATRED be filled with, be full of, feel, have She was full of hatred and bitterness. He has a deep hatred of the police. | incite, stir up He is accused of stirring up racial hatred.

HATRED + VERB flare (up) Hatred flared up inside her.

PREP. in/with ~ She stared at it in hatred. | ~ against inciting religious hatred against the Catholic minority | ~ between the intense hatred between the two communities | ~ for I felt no hatred for him. | ~ of his hatred of women | ~ towards their hatred towards the oppressors

PHRASES a feeling of hatred

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hat noun

VERB + HAT don, place He placed a battered felt hat on his head. | doff, remove | raise, tip, touch The doorman tipped his hat as we entered.

HAT + VERB be trimmed with sth The governor wore a cocked hat trimmed with white feathers.

HAT + NOUN box | shop | stand

PHRASES pull a hat (down) over your ears/eyes/face > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haul noun

¹ act of hauling

VERB + HAUL give sth

PREP. ~ on When I shout, give a haul on the rope.

² distance to be travelled

ADJ. long, short the long haul back to Cape Town a short-haul passenger plane | final, last the final haul up the hill to the finishing line

PREP. ~ from, ~ to

³ of fish/stolen goods, etc.

ADJ. big, large, record The thieves got away with a record haul of £25 million. | arms, drugs

VERB + HAUL get, get away with The gang did not expect to get such a large haul.

HAUL + VERB be worth sth a haul worth £30,000

PREP. ~ of the biggest ever haul of illegal drugs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haunt noun

ADJ. favourite, old, popular, regular, usual | tourist The area was a popular tourist haunt.

VERB + HAUNT go back to, return to, revisit We've been back to some of our old haunts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haunt verb

¹ appear as a ghost in a place

ADV. reputedly, supposedly a Norman castle which is reputedly haunted

VERB + HAUNT come back to, return to He said he would come back to haunt her. (figurative) That decision came back to haunt him in later life.

² be always in your mind

ADV. still the great fear that still haunts her

VERB + HAUNT continue to These visions continued to haunt her for many years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haven noun

ADJ. safe The aim is to create a safe haven for the thousands of refugees.

VERB + HAVEN create, offer (sb), provide (sb with)

PREP. in a/the ~ They were living in a safe haven away from the fighting. | ~ for The wood is a haven for wildlife. | ~ of This house is a haven of peace compared with ours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

havoc noun

VERB + HAVOC cause, create, play, wreak

PREP. ~ among The new tax could wreak havoc among smaller companies. | ~ for High winds have been creating havoc for farmers. | ~ in The disease can cause havoc in commercial orchards. | ~ on The flood wrought havoc on the countryside. | ~ to The storm caused havoc to wildlife. | ~ with The fog played havoc with flight schedules.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hawk noun

HAWK + VERB hover | swoop (down) The hawk swooped low over the field.

PHRASES watch (sb) like a hawk He waited, watching her like a hawk.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hay noun

QUANT. bale

VERB + HAY cut, harvest, make The freshly harvested hay was taken into the big hay barn. They make hay to feed the cattle in winter.

HAY + NOUN meadow | bale | barn, loft

PREP. in the ~ The children were playing in the hay.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hazardous adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | consider sth

ADV. extremely, highly, particularly, very | rather, somewhat | potentially burning potentially hazardous medical waste | environmentally environmentally hazardous substances

PREP. for These conditions are very hazardous for shipping. | to chemicals that are hazardous to human beings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hazard noun

ADJ. big, great, major, real, serious | constant | possible, potential | hidden, unexpected, unseen | environmental, industrial, natural, occupational industrial hazards such as excessive noise and pollution Loneliness is one of the occupational hazards of being a writer. | health Other people's smoke is now seen as a health hazard. | fire The rubbish under the flooring is a serious fire hazard.

VERB + HAZARD cause, create, pose Production of these chemicals poses serious environmental hazards. | be exposed to, encounter, face, meet The worst hazard we faced was having our money stolen. | avoid Go in September if you want to avoid the hazard of extreme heat. | eliminate, minimize | cope with, deal with, negotiate Companies should have systems for dealing with work hazards.

PREP. ~ for Holes in the pavement are a hazard for blind people. | ~ to The burning of industrial waste is a major hazard to human health.

PHRASES exposure to a hazard Try and reduce your exposure to hazards such as poor quality air.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

haze noun

ADJ. thick a thick haze of smoke | faint, thin The sun now had a faint golden haze around it. | shimmering | heat A heat haze shimmered above the fields.

HAZE + VERB hang, shimmer In the evenings a blue haze hung in the valleys.

PREP. in a/the ~ Meetings are always conducted in a haze of cigarette smoke. | through a/the ~ He watched the world through a haze of tobacco smoke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hazy adj.

¹ not clear because the air is difficult to see through

VERBS be, look The distant mountains looked hazy and mysterious. | become | remain

ADV. very | a little, quite, rather, slightly Generally, it will be rather hazy today, with some hill fog.

PREP. with The summers were hazy with pollution.

² confused

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very I have only a very hazy idea about how the economy works. | a bit, fairly, a little, rather, somewhat My memory of that day is somewhat hazy now.

PREP. about I'm a bit hazy about my family history.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

headache noun

¹ pain in the head

ADJ. bad, severe, terrible, violent | mild, slight | dull | pounding, splitting, throbbing | migraine, tension He developed a severe migraine headache.

VERB + HEADACHE have, suffer from I've got a splitting headache. | get, develop We all get headaches from time to time. | complain of The workers had complained of headaches and nausea. | bring on, cause, give sb Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache. Red wine gives me a headache. | plead She had left the party early, pleading a headache.

HEADACHE + NOUN pill, tablet> Special page at ILLNESS

² sb/sth that causes worry/difficulty

ADJ. big, major, real | constant

PREP. ~ for Uneven cash flow proved to be a major headache for the company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heading noun

ADJ. broad, general Books on bridges should be listed under ‘bridges’ and not under a broader heading such as ‘engineering’. | main, major | chapter, page, section | subject, topic | letter With the computer, we can print our own letter headings.

VERB + HEADING come under, fall under These drugs come under the heading of non-medical substances.

PREP. under a/the ~ I've organized what I have to say about unemployment under three main headings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

headlights noun

ADJ. dimmed, undimmed I kept my headlights undimmed along the country lanes.

VERB + HEADLIGHTS put on, switch on, turn on | dip | flash He flashed his headlights at the oncoming car.

HEADLIGHTS + VERB be (full) on | blaze, flash, shine The headlights shone on empty streets as we drove through the town. | pick sth out My headlights finally picked out a road sign. | sweep The car's headlights swept across the front of the house.

PHRASES the glare of headlights

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

headline noun

¹ title of an article in a newspaper

ADJ. newspaper, tabloid ‘Carnage at Airport’, screamed the tabloid headline. | banner, front-page | screaming | lurid lurid headlines about the sex lives of the stars | sporting, sports

VERB + HEADLINE carry, have, run The Guardian carried the front-page headline ‘Drugs Firms Shamed’. | read, scan, see I just had time to scan the headlines before leaving for work. | be in, capture, dominate, grab, hit, hog, make ~s She's always in the headlines. He always manages to grab the headlines. The hospital hit the headlines when a number of suspicious deaths occurred. The story has been hogging the headlines for weeks. The story was important enough to make the headlines.

HEADLINE + VERB proclaim sth, read sth, say sth, scream sth The Sunday Observer had a headline saying, ‘Pop Star Arrested on Drugs Charges’.

HEADLINE + NOUN news ‘Queen Mother goes on Holiday’ is hardly headline news!

PREP. in a/the ~ The most unusual fact in the story is often used in the headline. | under a/the ~ The Daily Gazette ran a story under the headline ‘Pope's Last Words’. | with a/the ~ a story in the newspaper with the headline ‘Woman Gives Birth on Train’ | ~ about There was a banner headline about drugs in schools.

PHRASES make headline news The engagement of the two tennis stars made headline news.

² the headlines: main news stories on TV/radio

ADJ. news

VERB + HEADLINE hear, listen to Let's just hear the news headlines. | look at, see, watch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

headquarters noun

VERB + HEADQUARTERS have The organization has its headquarters in Brussels. | establish, set up The company has set up its European headquarters in the UK. | open | close They're planning to close their headquarters in Washington.

PREP. at (the) ~ They're very worried about this at headquarters. She works at the company's headquarters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

head noun

¹ part of the body

VERB + HEAD poke, pop, put, stick He put his head round the door. | bob, cock, crane, incline, jerk, tilt, turn She jerked her head in the direction of the door. | lift, raise | bend, bow, drop, duck, hang, lower He hung his head in shame. | swing, throw back, toss He threw his head back and laughed out loud. | nod, shake They nodded their heads in agreement. She shook her head in disbelief. | scratch He scratched his head. ‘I don't understand, ’ he said. (figurative) Detectives have been left scratching their heads over the stolen painting's sudden reappearance. | clutch, hold He lay writhing on the ground, clutching his head in pain. | bury She buried her head in the pillow. | shave

HEAD + VERB ache, throb | bob, jerk, nod, tilt, turn Her head tilted to one side as she considered the question. | droop, drop, hang down, hang low His head drooped and tears fell into his lap.

HEAD + NOUN injury | cold

PREP. above your ~ The thunder burst with a grand crash above our heads. | over your ~ The soldiers were ordered to fire over the heads of the crowd.

PHRASES from head to foot/toe We were covered from head to foot in mud. | a fine/good, etc. head of hair (= a lot of hair) a woman with a lovely head of chestnut hair | have/hold/put, etc. your head in your hands He put his head in his hands, exasperated. | head first He dived head first into the water. (figurative) She got divorced and rushed head first into another marriage. | a nod of the head The ambassador dismissed him with a curt nod of the head. | a shake of the head She declined with a brief shake of the head.

² mind

ADJ. clear, cool, level She needed to keep a clear head if she was to remain in control. | good I have a good head for figures.

VERB + HEAD use I wish you'd use your head (= think carefully before doing or saying something). | enter It never entered my head that he might be lying. | get it into When will you get it into your head (= understand) that I don't want to discuss this any more! For some reason she's got it into her head (= believes) that the others don't like her. | put sth into Who's been putting such weird ideas into your head? | get sth out of, put sth out of I can't get that tune out of my head. Try to put the exams out of your head for tonight. | bother Don't bother your pretty little head with things like that!

HEAD + VERB spin He could feel his head spinning after only one drink.

PREP. in your ~ I can't work it out in my head?I need a calculator. | inside your ~ It was an accident, said a voice inside his head.

PHRASES can't get your head round sth (= can't understand sth) She's dead. I can't get my head round it yet. | need your head examined He looked at me as if I needed my head examined (= as if I were crazy).

³ heads: side of a coin

VERB + HEAD call I called heads and it came down tails. | come down/up

PHRASES heads or tails?

⁴ of a group/organization/school, etc.

ADJ. deputy | departmental | nominal, titular The Queen is titular head of the Church of England. | crowned The message was sent to all the crowned heads (= kings and queens) of Europe.

HEAD + NOUN gardener, teacher, waiter | boy, girl (= in a school)

PHRASES a head of department, the head of the family, a head of government/state a summit meeting of heads of state | a head of (the) household > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

head verb

¹ go

ADV. north, northwards, etc. We headed west for two days. | back Let's head back home.

PREP. back to We headed straight back to school. | for He turned and headed for the door. | towards heading towards London

² be in charge of sth

ADV. jointly The committee will be headed jointly by two men. | up

VERB + HEAD appoint sb to She has been appointed to head up the research team.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

health service noun

ADJ. comprehensive, good | free | community, family, national, public

VERB + HEALTH SERVICE manage, run the problems of managing the health service | establish, introduce, set up plans to set up a national health service | improve, reform | finance, pay for | nationalize, privatize

HEALTH SERVICE + VERB provide sth The health service can't provide cosmetic surgery.

HEALTH SERVICE + NOUN employee, manager, official, staff, worker

PREP. in the ~ a shortage of labour in the health service | on the ~ Are you going to have your operation done on the national health service? | under the ~ This treatment is difficult to obtain under the national health service. | within the ~ decision-making within the health service

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

healthy adj.

¹ not ill

VERBS appear, be, be born, feel, look, seem | become | keep, remain, stay | make sb Working in the open air has made him very healthy. | keep sb Her good diet had kept her healthy.

ADV. extremely, fantastically, really, very | perfectly He's a perfectly healthy child. | fairly, quite, reasonably | apparently The rare disorder strikes apparently healthy boys between the ages of five and twelve. | disgustingly (informal, ironic) You look disgustingly healthy! How do you manage it? | otherwise She looked pale, but otherwise healthy. | mentally, physically

PHRASES fit and healthy

² producing good health

VERBS be | consider sth a new diet which is considered much healthier than previous ones

ADV. extremely, very We have a very healthy diet. | quite Their lifestyle is quite healthy. | generally

³ working well

VERBS be | remain

ADV. extremely, very The economy is extremely healthy at the moment. | fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively | basically, fundamentally, generally | financially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

health noun

ADJ. excellent, full, good, perfect | bad, declining, delicate, failing, fragile, frail, ill, poor He had to retire due to ill health. | general, mental, physical, sexual | environmental, occupational environmental health officers | public The poisoned food has been removed from the shops and there is no threat to public health. | human

VERB + HEALTH enjoy, have She's never really enjoyed good health. | look after, maintain You need to maintain your physical and mental health. | improve ways to improve the nation's general health | promote a programme to promote better health in the workplace | recover, regain | nurse sb back to She was nursed back to full health. | damage, harm, ruin, undermine | risk

HEALTH + VERB improve Her health gradually improved. | deteriorate, fail, worsen His health began to fail under the heavy pressures of the job.

HEALTH + NOUN care How is primary health care best delivered? | authority, board the district/local/regional health authority | issue, needs, problem | hazard, risk | education | centre a community health centre | insurance private health insurance | food health food stores | professional, visitor, worker Your doctor, midwife or health visitor will advise. | warning The air quality was so bad that the government issued a health warning. | minister

PHRASES bad/good for your health Smoking is bad for your health. | health and safety health and safety at work | (not) in the best of health, in good/poor health He felt in much better health. | sb's state of health He is unable to travel far because of his state of health.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heal verb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heap noun

ADJ. big, great, large | little, small | crumpled, untidy | compost, manure, muck, rubbish, scrap, slag, spoil colliery spoil heaps

VERB + HEAP be piled in Papers were piled in great heaps on the desk. | collapse in, fall (down) in (both figurative) He collapsed in an exhausted heap on the floor.

PREP. in a/the ~ His clothes lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. | on/onto a/the ~ Throw the potato peelings on the compost heap. | ~ of a great heap of stones

PHRASES the bottom/top of the heap (figurative) These workers are at the bottom of the economic heap.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hearing noun

¹ ability to hear

ADJ. acute, excellent, good, normal, sharp | bad, impaired, poor

VERB + HEARING have, possess Whales have acute hearing. | lose She lost her hearing when she was a child. | get back, regain Is there any chance that he'll get his hearing back? | affect, impair, make worse

HEARING + VERB deteriorate, get worse, go His hearing began to deteriorate. Her hearing was already going. | come back, get better, improve Two months after the accident her hearing came back.

HEARING + NOUN impairment, loss, problems | aid to have/wear a hearing aid | person a course in sign language for both deaf and hearing people

PHRASES hard of hearing You'll have to speak more loudly. I'm afraid she's rather hard of hearing.

² trial in a court of law/similar investigation

VERB + HEARING conduct, hold Most councils hold hearings in public. | ask for, call for, demand Protesters are calling for a public hearing. | get, have She said that she had had a very fair hearing from the disciplinary tribunal. | attend | adjourn | tell The hearing was told that the child had been left with a 14-year-old babysitter.

HEARING + VERB take place | begin, open

PREP. at a/the ~ At a preliminary hearing the judge announced that the trial would begin on March 21. | in a/the ~ She was granted a divorce in a five-minute hearing. | pending a/the ~ Pending the hearing of the case by the court, the business will be allowed to continue trading. | without a ~ A High Court judge dismissed the case without a hearing.

³ chance for an opinion to be considered

ADJ. fair, sympathetic

VERB + HEARING give sb/sth At least give our ideas a fair hearing before you reject them. | get You haven't got much chance of your plan getting a sympathetic hearing. | deserve Their views deserve a hearing.

PREP. ~ for All I'm asking is a fair hearing for my ideas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hearsay noun

VERB + HEARSAY be based on, rely on Her judgements are based on hearsay rather than evidence.

HEARSAY + NOUN evidence

PREP. by ~ She discovered a world of parties and pleasure she had hitherto only known by hearsay. | from ~ They started to piece the story together from hearsay.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heart attack noun

ADJ. fatal | massive, serious She died of a massive heart attack. | mild, minor | suspected

VERB + HEART ATTACK have, suffer He suffered a fatal heart attack while cycling. | die from/of > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heartbeat noun

ADJ. irregular, regular | racing She was suddenly aware of her racing heartbeat.

VERB + HEARTBEAT monitor | feel

PHRASES the sound/thud of a heartbeat I could feel the thud of my heartbeat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heartland noun

ADJ. agricultural, industrial the industrial heartland of Germany | Conservative, Labour, etc. | traditional

PREP. in a/the ~ The party has lost seats in its traditional heartland of southern Thailand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heart noun

¹ part of the body

ADJ. healthy, strong | bad, weak | artificial | human

HEART + VERB beat | pump sth The heart pumps blood through the body. | fail, stop | hammer, palpitate, pound, race, throb, thud, thump

HEART + NOUN rate | complaint, condition, defect, disease, failure, murmur, problem, trouble | bypass, operation, surgery, transplant a triple heart bypass operation open-heart surgery

² feelings/emotions

ADJ. big, good, kind, soft, tender, warm | cold, hard | broken | heavy, sinking With a heavy heart, she watched him go. | light He set off with a light heart.

HEART + VERB jump, leap, lurch, miss/skip a beat Her heart leapt with joy. | ache My heart aches when I think of their sorrow. | desire sth everything your heart could desire | sink | go out Our hearts go out to (= we sympathize deeply with) the families of the victims.

PREP. at ~ At heart he is a republican. | from the ~ I could tell he spoke from the heart. | in your ~ In my heart, I knew it wasn't true.

PHRASES an affair of the heart (= a romance) Her novels tend to deal with affairs of the heart | a change of heart (= a change of attitude) He could have a change of heart and settle down to family life. | from the bottom of your heart I beg you, from the bottom of my heart, to spare his life. | heart and soul He committed himself heart and soul to the cause. | have a heart of gold/stone (= to be a kind/cruel person) (= no sympathetic feelings), the hearts and minds of sb to win the hearts and minds of the nation's youth | in good heart (= cheerful and well), put some/more heart into sth Let's sing it one more time from the beginning?and put some heart into it! | sick at heart (= very unhappy), with all your heart I wish you well with all my heart.

³ important/central part

ADJ. very

VERB + HEART lie at The distinction between right and wrong lies at the heart of all questions of morality. | go to The committee's report went to the heart of the government's dilemma.

PREP. at the ~ the issue at the heart of modern government | ~ of We live in the very heart of the city.

PHRASES the heart of the matter/problem

⁴ playing card > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hear verb

¹ be aware of sounds

ADV. clearly, well He's getting old and he can't hear very well. | just I could just hear the music in the distance. | distantly Distantly he heard the report of another gun. | aright, correctly ‘Sheep?’ It sounded so unlikely that Julia did not think she could have heard aright.

VERB + HEAR can/could Can you hear me clearly at the back? | pretend not to | strain to

² be told about sth

VERB + HEAR be delighted to, be glad to, be gratified to, be pleased to I was delighted to hear about your promotion. | be sorry to I was sorry to hear of your father's death. | be interested to, be surprised to I was surprised to hear that she was married. | want to I told Michael what he wanted to hear. | let sb Let's hear you sing, then. You'd better not let Dad hear you say that.

PREP. about I've heard about this sort of thing before. | of On hearing of his plight, the council offered him a home.

PHRASES hear little, a lot, nothing, etc. about sth We hear very little about these issues nowadays.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heated adj.

VERBS be

ADV. adequately, properly, well | badly, inadequately | slightly a slightly heated aquarium | centrally modern, centrally heated homes | electrically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heater noun

ADJ. convector, fan, immersion, instantaneous, multi-point, storage | electric, gas, oil, paraffin | aquarium, car, greenhouse, pool, room, water

VERB + HEATER have off/on | turn off/on | turn down/up

HEATER + VERB be off/on Even with the heater full on, the room felt cold.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heating noun

ADJ. electric, gas-fired, solar | central, domestic, home, underfloor | water

VERB + HEATING have The flat has gas-fired central heating. | have on, keep on, leave on, run, use We haven't had the heating on this evening. | put on, switch on, turn on They are afraid to put the heating on because it's so expensive. | switch off, turn off They have their heating turned off during the morning. | turn down/up | fit, install, put in We're having central heating installed.

HEATING + VERB be (full) on, be on high/low The heating was on but the window was open. The heating's on low. | be off | come on | go off Our heating goes off at eleven o'clock and comes on again at seven. | work The heating doesn't work. | break down The house was very cold because the heating had broken down.

HEATING + NOUN bill | system What sort of heating system has your new flat got?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heat noun

¹ being hot/level of temperature

ADJ. burning, fierce, great, intense, searing, terrible, tremendous The soil is baked dry by the fierce heat of the sun. | gentle | excess, excessive If circulation is impaired, the body cannot lose excess heat. | red, white (often figurative) Everything he did was at white heat and lightning speed. | blood, body

VERB + HEAT feel We could feel the tremendous heat coming from the fire. | disperse, dissipate, give out, lose Even after the sun had set, the stones continued to give out heat. | conserve, retain The thick walls retain the heat. | absorb Darker surfaces absorb heat. | conduct Being a metal, aluminium readily conducts heat. | generate, produce, provide, radiate Computers, faxes and photocopiers all generate heat of their own. | withstand a material which can withstand heats of up to 2,000°C

HEAT + VERB build up, increase He tried to ignore the heat building up in the confined space.

HEAT + NOUN loss | exhaustion, stress, stroke (also heatstroke) She slumped to the ground, near to heat exhaustion.

PREP. ~ from the heat from the fire

² hot weather/conditions

ADJ. baking, blazing, blinding, blistering, boiling, extreme, great, intense, oppressive, scorching, searing, shimmering, stifling, suffocating, sweltering We walked more than ten miles in the blistering heat. | dry | humid, steamy, sultry the steamy heat of New York in summer | 80-degree, 90-degree, etc. | afternoon, midday, morning | summer | desert, tropical

HEAT + VERB grow Daily the heat grew.

HEAT + NOUN haze A heat haze shimmered above the fields.

PREP. in the ~ I can't work in this heat.

PHRASES the heat of the day To avoid the heat of the day we went out in the mornings.

³ source of heat

ADJ. high | gentle, low | medium, moderate | direct Chocolate should never be melted over direct heat. | dry

VERB + HEAT turn up Towards the end of the cooking, turn up the heat to brown the outside. | lower, reduce, turn down | remove sth from, take sth off Bring to the boil slowly, then remove from the heat. | return sth to Return the pan to the heat and stir.

PREP. off the ~ Make sure the pan is off the heat. | on a ~ Cook on a low heat for five minutes. | over a ~ Simmer the sauce over a gentle heat.

⁴ strong feelings

ADJ. sudden He stared at her, sudden heat in his eyes.

HEAT + VERB flare, flood sth, rise Heat flooded her cheeks.

PREP. in the ~ of in the heat of battle/passion | with ~ ‘It was your hare-brained idea,’ Henry said with heat. | without ~ She spoke without heat.

PHRASES in the heat of the moment Michael bitterly regretted those angry words, spoken in the heat of the moment.

⁵ race/competition

ADJ. qualifying, regional | dead Competition was fierce, with a dead heat in one of the races (= with two competitors finishing in exactly the same time).

VERB + HEAT win She won her heat.

PREP. in a/the ~ He fell in the first heat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heat verb

ADV. gently Heat the sauce gently for a few minutes. | through, up Allow the food enough time to heat through. They heat up the food in a microwave oven.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heaven noun

¹ believed to be the home of God

VERB + HEAVEN ascend to, go to I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.

PREP. from ~ Our child seemed a gift from heaven. | in ~ (figurative) It was a marriage made in heaven.

PHRASES the kingdom of heaven

² place/situation in which you are very happy

ADJ. absolute, sheer It was sheer heaven being alone at last.

PREP. in ~ The kids were in absolute heaven at the fair.

PHRASES a heaven on earth The island is truly a heaven on earth. | sb's idea of heaven Building up a tan by the pool with a good book is my idea of heaven.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heave noun

ADJ. great, mighty

VERB + HEAVE give (sth) She gave a great heave and the box inched forward.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heavy adj.

¹ weighing a lot

VERBS be, feel, look, seem My suitcase was beginning to feel very heavy. | become, get You're getting too heavy to carry! | make sth The bottles of wine made the bag even heavier. | find sth I didn't find it too heavy to carry.

ADV. extremely, really, very | fairly, pretty, quite, rather Be careful. That box is rather heavy.

² worse than usual

VERBS be | become, get The rain was getting quite heavy.

ADV. extremely, really, very The traffic's really heavy on the bypass. | fairly, pretty, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Hebrew noun

ADJ. ancient, biblical | medieval | modern

HEBREW + NOUN alphabet, script | scripture > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hedge noun

ADJ. high, low, tall, thick | boundary, garden, roadside Establish which boundary hedges are yours, and which belong to a neighbour. | beech, box, hawthorn, privet, yew, etc. a thick hawthorn hedge

VERB + HEDGE plant | clip, trim Trim the hedge and collect the trimmings.

HEDGE + NOUN clippings, trimmings | trimmer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heel noun

¹ back part of the foot

VERB + HEEL lean back on, sit back on, squat on She took a potato from the fire and sat back on her heels. | rock (back) on The punch rocked him back on his heels. He rocked back and forth on his heels as he laughed. | pivot on, spin on, turn on He turned on his heel and marched away angrily. | click (together) The officer clicked his heels together and saluted. | catch She caught her heel and tripped. | injure

HEEL + VERB click

HEEL + NOUN injury

PREP. at your ~s She came up the path with two little dogs at her heels. | under the ~ (figurative) For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.

PHRASES (close/hard/hot) on your heels (figurative) They reached the border with the police hot on their heels.

² part of a shoe/sock

ADJ. flat, low | high, spike, stiletto | three-inch, etc.

HEEL + NOUN bar I took my shoes to a heel bar to have them repaired.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heighten verb

ADV. greatly This latest attack has greatly heightened fears of an all-out war. | further

VERB + HEIGHTEN serve to Seeing others enjoying themselves only served to heighten his sense of loneliness. | seek to an exercise which seeks to heighten people's awareness of the problems

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

height noun

¹ how tall sb/sth is

ADJ. full, maximum He drew himself up to his full height and glared at us. | considerable, great, towering Her great height was rather a handicap. | average, medium, middle a man of middle height

VERB + HEIGHT measure | grow to, reach The plants grow to a maximum height of 24 inches.

PREP. in ~ The wall is 2.5 metres in height.

² distance above the ground/sea level

ADJ. considerable, great The object had clearly fallen from a considerable height. | ceiling, chest, head, shoulder, waist, etc. Bring your hands to shoulder height.

VERB + HEIGHT gain | lose The plane was beginning to lose height. | maintain The pilot was unable to maintain height. | attain, climb to, reach, rise to The balloon reached a height of 20,000 feet.

PREP. at a ~ of The animal lives in lakes near Mexico City, at a height of 6,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level.

³ (usually heights) high place

ADJ. mountain, rocky The condor soars above the mountain heights.

VERB + HEIGHT scale They were the first expedition to scale the heights of Everest. | be afraid of, have no head for | have a head for A steeplejack has to have a good head for heights.

PREP. from a ~ The pattern of the ancient fields is clearly visible from a height.

PHRASES a fear of heights 4 heights high level of achievement

ADJ. commanding, dizzy, giddy, lofty They have risen to the dizzy heights of the semi-finals. | new The group's popularity reached new heights when they got a top ten hit.

VERB + HEIGHT reach, rise to, scale She rose to undreamed-of heights of power and fame.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heirloom noun

ADJ. family | ancient

HEIRLOOM + VERB be passed down, come down The brooch is a family heirloom which came down to her from her great-grandmother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heir noun

ADJ. lawful, legal, legitimate, rightful the rightful heir to the throne | natural, real, true The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment. | direct When the Earl of Surrey died in 1347 he left no direct heir. | immediate | designated | apparent, presumptive (both only after heir) On his brother's death he became heir apparent to the title. | sole | female, male | political, spiritual The house was her spiritual home for which she sought a spiritual heir.

VERB + HEIR have He has no heir to leave his fortune to. | beget, get, produce He planned to marry and produce an heir for his estate. | became, fall At the age of twenty he fell heir to a large estate.

PREP. ~ to He is the sole heir to a large mining fortune.

PHRASES the heir to the throne, sb's son and heir He left most of his property to his eldest son and heir.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

helicopter noun

ADJ. air force, military, police | civilian, private | rescue | model

VERB + HELICOPTER fly He flew helicopters during the Gulf War.

HELICOPTER + NOUN flight | pad | pilot | gunship

PREP. by ~ The victims were flown to hospital by helicopter. | in a/the ~ There were three people in the helicopter when it crashed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hell noun

¹ place bad people are said to go to when they die

VERB + HELL go to He was terrified of going to hell when he died.

HELL + NOUN fire

PREP. in ~ tormented souls in hell

PHRASES the fires/flames of hell Lava poured out of the volcano, glowing like the fires of hell.

² very unpleasant place/situation

ADJ. absolute, pure, sheer It was sheer hell having to sit through hours of boring lectures! | living The last few weeks have been a living hell for the refugees.

VERB + HELL go through She's been going through hell with that bad tooth. | give sb, make sb's life Her boss is making her life hell.

PREP. in ~ ‘We're living in hell,’ said one of the refugees.

PHRASES the … from hell It really was the holiday from hell?it rained all the time, we all got colds, and we missed the plane home. | hell on earth For someone who doesn't like heat, Florida would be hell on earth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

helmet noun

ADJ. visored | crash, cycle, flying, motorcycle, safety | fireman's, policeman's, etc.

VERB + HELMET have on, wear | put on | remove, take off

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

helper noun

ADJ. voluntary, volunteer | willing

QUANT. band He recruited a band of willing helpers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

helpful adj.

VERBS be, prove | consider sth, find sb/sth

ADV. enormously, especially, extremely, immensely, most, particularly, really, unusually, very Thank you, you have been most helpful. | not at all, not particularly Demanding peace short of victory would not be at all helpful. | fairly, quite | immediately indulging in ambitious, but not immediately helpful plans | generally, usually | always, invariably

PREP. for This information would be extremely helpful for teenagers. | in Graphs are helpful in presenting the information. | on He was quite helpful on how to do the accounts. | to The lifts will be helpful to the older patients.

PHRASES friendly and helpful I found all the staff friendly and helpful.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

helping noun

ADJ. big, generous, huge, large a generous helping of potatoes | small | extra, second

VERB + HELPING eat, have

PREP. ~ of I had an extra helping of meat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

helplessness noun

ADJ. utter

PHRASES a feeling/sense of helplessness A feeling of utter helplessness washed over him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

helpless adj.

VERBS be, feel, lie, look, seem, stand, watch John felt completely helpless. He lay helpless in the hospital ward. | become | leave sb, render sb He was left helpless and alone. She was rendered helpless by panic.

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally, utterly | apparently, seemingly | physically

PREP. against She was helpless against his strength. | before Kirk stood helpless before this giant of a man. | in the face of feeling helpless in the face of all these rules and regulations | with She was helpless with anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

help noun

ADJ. big, enormous, great, invaluable, real, substantial, tremendous, valuable You've been a big help?thanks. It's a great help having you around. This is the first scheme to offer real help to working mothers. | generous | direct The careers officer gives direct help as well as advice. | mutual, self- The system is based on mutual help rather than on payment for services. a best-selling author of self-help books | voluntary The homeless centre relies entirely on voluntary help. | immediate | individual Teachers have little time to give individual help to students. | expert, skilled, technical | outside They can usually manage by themselves, but occasionally need outside help. | financial, legal, medical, practical, professional When the symptoms persisted, I decided to seek medical help.

VERB + HELP appeal for, ask for, beg for, call for, scream for, seek, send for, shout for, summon Police are appealing for help in catching the killers. I opened the window and called for help. | bring, enlist, fetch, find, get He enlisted the help of a private detective in his search for the truth. He ran to get help. | need, want Do you need any help unloading the car? | get, receive | accept He's too proud to accept help. | come to, give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) Passers-by came to the woman's help when she was mugged.

HELP + VERB arrive, come He lay injured for four hours before help arrived. | be at hand (informal) Don't panic?help is at hand.

HELP + NOUN desk, line (also helpline) For further information, phone our helpline.

PREP. beyond ~ Some of the injured animals were beyond help and had to be destroyed. | of ~ The manual is too technical to be of help to the inexperienced user. | with ~ With a little help, I think I could fix the computer myself. We broke open the lock with the help of a spanner. | ~ for The training centre provides special help for the long-term unemployed. | ~ from With help from a parent, a child can do simple cooking. | ~ in Local teachers provided invaluable help in developing the material. | ~ to She's been a big help to her father. | ~ with He'll need help with this homework.

PHRASES an appeal/a plea/a request for help The family's request for help went unanswered. | a cry for help I heard a cry for help from inside the building. | in need of help The man was clearly in need of urgent medical help. | an offer of help He rudely rejected her kind offer of help.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

help verb

¹ do sth for sb

ADV. a lot My mother helps me a lot. | a bit | solicitously He solicitously helped her back into the chair. | out

VERB + HELP be able/unable to, can/could Can you help me with my homework? | try to I was only trying to help out.

PREP. across I helped her across the road. | into, out of She helped the old man out of the car. | with We all help with the housework.

PHRASES help sb to their feet Mike helped the old lady to her feet. | a way of helping the best way of helping your child

² make sth easier/better

ADV. enormously, greatly, immeasurably, a lot, really, tremendously Talking to a counsellor helped her enormously. The whole process was greatly helped by the widespread availability of computers. | a bit, a little | certainly It certainly helped that her father is a duke!

VERB + HELP be designed to The minimum wage is designed to help people in low-pay service industries.

PREP. in Iron helps in the formation of red blood cells.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hen noun

ADJ. speckled | battery, free-range | mother She fussed around like mother hen. | broody

VERB + HEN keep

HEN + VERB lay (eggs) The hen layed three beautiful speckled eggs. | cackle, cluck, squawk I could hear the hens clucking in the farmyard. | roost | peck, scratch The hens pecked hopefully at the dusty floor.

HEN + NOUN coop, house, roost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hepatitis noun

ADJ. severe | acute, chronic | active | viral

VERB + HEPATITIS have, suffer from | be infected with, contract, get

HEPATITIS + NOUN virus | patient

PHRASES hepatitis A/B/C > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

herb noun

ADJ. dried, fresh | mixed Add a teaspoonful of mixed herbs. | aromatic, fragrant | culinary, medicinal

QUANT. bunch

VERB + HERB garnish sth with Serve cold, garnished with fresh herbs.

HERB + NOUN bed, border, garden > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

herd noun

¹ group of animals

ADJ. great, large | small | beef, breeding, dairy The farm has only a small dairy herd. | cattle, elephant, etc.

HERD + NOUN instinct

PREP. in a/the ~ The animals tend to graze in a herd. | ~ of a large herd of cows

PHRASES a member of a herd

² group of people

ADJ. common

VERB + HERD follow If you feel so strongly, why follow the herd (= do the same as everybody else)? | stand out from She prided herself on standing out from the common herd (= being different from ordinary people).

HERD + NOUN instinct

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heritage noun

ADJ. rich | natural | common, national Folk songs are part of our common heritage. | architectural, artistic, cultural, historical, literary

VERB + HERITAGE have The city has an exceptionally rich heritage of historic buildings. | preserve, protect protecting our heritage of wild plants

HERITAGE + NOUN centre, museum, site

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hernia noun

VERB + HERNIA have, suffer from | remove, repair

HERNIA + NOUN operation, repair > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heroic adj.

VERBS be

ADV. truly a truly heroic battle | suitably He struck a suitably heroic pose.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heroine noun

ADJ. great Violetta is one of the great tragic heroines of Verdi's operas. | national | romantic, tragic | unsung She remains one of the unsung heroines of the Second World War. | childhood She was thrilled to be interviewing her childhood heroine. | eponymous Jane Eyre, the eponymous heroine of the novel by Charlotte Bronte | sporting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heroin noun

ADJ. pure | street

QUANT. dose, gram, ounce, shot, wrap

VERB + HEROIN fix, inject, smoke

HEROIN + NOUN injector | possession | injection | overdose a fatal heroin overdose | dealing > Note at DRUG(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

heroism noun

ADJ. great, real, true

PHRASES an act of heroism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hero noun

ADJ. big, great He was one of the great football heroes of his day. | real | all-time Einstein is the all-time hero of many scientists. | unsung She was an unsung hero of the British film industry. | reluctant, unlikely | brave, gallant The song remembers the brave heroes who died for their country. | romantic, tragic Being short and overweight, he was an unlikely romantic hero. | square-jawed, swashbuckling Tired of playing the square-jawed hero, he sought out more challenging roles. | all-conquering, conquering In his war stories he portrayed himself as the all-conquering hero. He returned home from the tournament a conquering hero. | fallen a fallen hero trying to regain his position | cult James Dean was a cult hero of the fifties. | folk, local, national, popular | fictional, legendary, mythical | eponymous Don Quixote, the eponymous hero of the novel by Cervantes | boyhood, childhood Bugs Bunny was one of my childhood heroes. | proletarian, working-class | military | celluloid | musical In this album she pays tribute to her musical heroes. | film, football, guitar, sporting, war Jimi Hendrix was her guitar hero.

VERB + HERO be hailed (as) He was hailed as a hero after the rescue. | become, make sb into, turn sb into The fight to save the forest turned him into a local hero. | die He died a national hero.

PREP. ~ to He was a hero to all his schoolmates.

PHRASES be no hero John was no hero?he stood back as his friends approached the two armed border guards. | give sb/receive a hero's welcome, hero of the hour Everyone played brilliantly, but Jones was the hero of the hour. | (die) a hero's death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

herring noun

ADJ. fresh | pickled, salted, smoked, soused

VERB + HERRING catch | eat, have

HERRING + NOUN fillet > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hesitate verb

ADV. briefly, a little, (for) a minute/moment/second, momentarily Alison hesitated a moment, as if she were waiting for him.

VERB + HESITATE appear to, seem to | make sb Something about his smile made her hesitate.

PREP. about I didn't hesitate about working with Craig. | between He was hesitating between a glass of wine and an orange juice. | over He stood hesitating over whether to join the fight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hesitation noun

ADJ. brief, fractional, momentary, slight There was a momentary hesitation before he replied. | initial After some initial hesitation, teachers seem to have accepted the new system.

PREP. after … ~ After much hesitation, they decided to leave. | without ~ She answered immediately, without any hesitation.

PHRASES have no hesitation in doing sth I have no hesitation in recommending him for the job. | a moment's hesitation, a moment of hesitation After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hibernation noun

ADJ. long | winter

VERB + HIBERNATION go into At the first cold of autumn, many insects go into hibernation. | emerge from

PREP. in ~ The tortoise spends the winter months in hibernation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hiccup noun

¹ sound made in the throat

ADJ. small | loud

VERB + HICCUP give, let out She gave a loud hiccup.

² (the) hiccups: series of hiccups

QUANT. attack He suddenly had an attack of the hiccups.

VERB + HICCUP get, suffer from I ate too quickly and got hiccups.

³ small problem

ADJ. little, slight | occasional | temporary

PREP. ~ in This one defeat was the only hiccup in the team's steady progress up the League.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hide noun

ADJ. thick, tough Elephants have a very tough hide. | buffalo, elephant, elk, ox, rhino

VERB + HIDE tan The hide is tanned for leather.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hide verb

¹ go/put sth where you/it cannot be seen

ADV. away She hid the documents away in a drawer.

VERB + HIDE prefer to, want to She wanted to run away and hide. (figurative) He accused the prime minister of preferring to hide from the truth.

PREP. among hiding among the bushes | behind (figurative) He hid behind a false identity. | beneath He had a weak mouth which he hid beneath a moustache and beard. | from hiding from their enemies | in hiding in the shadows | under He hid the book under his bed.

PHRASES carefully/completely/well hidden The letters were well hidden in the back of the cupboard. | half hidden The buildings were half hidden by the trees. | hidden deep beneath/in sth tiny villages hidden deep in the softly rolling hills | hidden from sight/view The house was hidden from view by a large hedge. | lie/remain hidden treasures which have lain hidden in bank vaults since the war | partially/partly hidden The house was partially hidden behind some trees. | a place to hide (sth) I'll find a better place to hide it.

² keep sth secret

ADV. well | completely

VERB + HIDE be able/unable to She was unable to hide her delight at his failure. | try to | make no attempt to He made no attempt to hide his anger | manage to

PREP. from The government tried to hide the evidence from the public.

PHRASES keep sth hidden feelings that she had kept completely hidden all these years | remain/stay hidden The truth may well remain hidden for ever.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hiding noun

VERB + HIDING go into He had gone into hiding just after war broke out. | come out of After the car had passed by they came out of hiding.

PREP. in ~ The fugitive had spent five weeks in hiding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hierarchical adj.

VERBS be The company's structure is rigidly hierarchical. | become

ADV. extremely, rigidly, strictly, strongly, very | fairly | essentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hierarchy noun

VERB + HIERARCHY create, establish A new management hierarchy was created within the company. | move up, rise in/through He joined the party in 1966 and quickly moved up the hierarchy.

PREP. in a/the ~ She is above me in the hierarchy. | within a/the ~ There was a range of opinion within the ecclesiastical hierarchy on the issue. | ~ of There was a clear hierarchy of power in the company.

PHRASES sb's level/position/status in a hierarchy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

highlight noun

ADJ. real, undoubted The real highlight of the trip for me was the visit to the Tower of London. | personal | edited, recorded ~s (used to talk about sports broadcasts) Recorded highlights of the match will be shown later tonight.

PHRASES the highlight of the day, week, year, etc. The highlight of the week was Saturday's firework display.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

highlight verb

ADV. clearly These figures clearly highlight the difference in world living standards. | dramatically, graphically The needs of these children were dramatically highlighted by the Child Poverty Action Group. | merely, only, simply The peace talks merely highlighted the great gulf in understanding between the two sides.

VERB + HIGHLIGHT serve to The incident has sadly only served to highlight the differences within the party.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

highway noun

VERB + HIGHWAY pull off We pulled off the highway and stopped for a break. | obstruct

PREP. along the ~ They tore along the highway. | down the ~, off the ~, on the ~, onto the ~, up the ~ | ~ to the highway to Sydney

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

high noun

¹ high level or point

ADJ. all-time, new, record

VERB + HIGH hit, reach Share prices reached an all-time high yesterday.

² feeling of great pleasure or happiness

ADJ. real, tremendous | emotional

VERB + HIGH experience, get the high she got from cocaine | give sb The drug gives you a tremendous high.

PREP. on a ~ She's been on a real high since she got her exam results. This show is our swansong?we want to finish on a high.

PHRASES the highs and lows the emotional highs and lows of an actor's life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hike noun

ADJ. long | strenuous | ten-mile, two-day, etc.

VERB + HIKE go on The boys have gone on a long hike with the Boy Scouts.

PREP. on a ~ They met on a hike. | ~ from, ~ to It's a hell of a hike from Sydney to Perth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hillside noun

ADJ. steep | bare, exposed, open, rocky | grassy, green, wooded On our left was a wooded hillside. | terraced I was back in wine country, with terraced hillsides on both sides of the road. | distant

VERB + HILLSIDE be set on Many of the chalets are set on a hillside reached by steps.

PREP. down a/the ~ A stream tumbles down the steep hillside. | on a/the ~ The house was on a hillside outside the town. | up a/the ~ We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above. | ~ above the hillside above the village

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hill noun

VERB + HILL climb (up), go up They climbed a steep hill and came to the village. | come down | take to ~s (literary) We took to the hills in a variety of four-wheel-drive vehicles.

HILL + VERB overlook sth, rise a hill overlooking the wide valley below Wooded hills rise behind the town.

PREP. down a/the ~ A grassy path led down the hill. | in the ~s There are several lead mines in the hills above Grassington. | on a/the ~ The church is perched on a hill. | over a/the ~ Over the hill lies another village. | up a/the ~ A few yards up the hill, on the left, was a turning. | ~ above the hills above the town

PHRASES the bottom/foot of a/the hill A spring emerges at the bottom of the hill. | the top of a/the hill

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hinder verb

ADV. greatly, seriously These killings have seriously hindered progress towards peace.

VERB + HINDER be likely to, tend to Bulky clothes tend to hinder movement.

PHRASES help or hinder sth factors which might help or hinder a child's progress at school

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hindrance noun

ADJ. great

VERB + HINDRANCE be, prove Having a car in the city might prove a hindrance.

PREP. without ~ (formal) The cook needs room to get at the cooker, sink and cupboards without hindrance. | ~ to The new regulations are actually a great hindrance to teachers.

PHRASES without let or hindrance (law)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hindsight noun

PREP. in ~ Their first scheme was deemed, in hindsight, a mistake. | with ~ This all seems obvious with hindsight.

PHRASES (with) the advantage/benefit/wisdom of hindsight It is easy to criticize others when you have the benefit of hindsight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Hinduism noun > Note at RELIGION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hint noun

¹ suggestion

ADJ. broad, clear, heavy, strong He gave a broad hint that he was on the verge of leaving. | gentle, subtle, veiled | tantalizing

VERB + HINT drop, give (sb) I dropped a few subtle hints about the payment being due. | get, take OK, I get the hint! Can't you take a hint and leave me alone?

PREP. ~ about, ~ from a hint from my boss about my absences from the office | ~ to Is that a hint to me to leave?

² small amount of sth

ADJ. strong a dish with a strong hint of garlic | faint, merest, slightest The slightest hint of gossip upset her.

PREP. ~ of There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

PHRASES at the first hint of sth At the first hint of trouble, I will call the police.

³ piece of advice

ADJ. handy, helpful, practical, useful

VERB + HINT give (sb)

PREP. ~ about The book gives some useful hints about how to plan your garden. | ~ on a book full of handy hints on painting and decorating

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hint verb

ADV. strongly He hinted strongly that he would be resigning soon. | discreetly | darkly She hinted darkly that all was not well. | only

PREP. at The problems are only hinted at in the report.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hip noun

ADJ. lean, narrow Her hips were still narrow like a girl's. | sturdy, wide | broken, dislocated, fractured | arthritic | artificial

VERB + HIP have/put your hands on He put his hands on his hips and sighed. | roll, sway, swing, wiggle She wiggled her hips seductively as she walked. | rotate, turn, twist Twist your hips towards your opponent as you punch. | thrust | break, dislocate, fracture

HIP + VERB spread Her hips had spread since having a baby.

HIP + NOUN fracture, injury | deformity | operation, replacement My grandmother's having a hip replacement. | bone, joint, socket | flask He took a swig of whisky from his hip flask. | pocket Don't carry money or documents in your hip pocket.

PREP. across the ~s She was wearing a short blue dress, belted across the hips. | at the ~ He had his leg amputated at the hip. | from the ~ The gun could be fired from the shoulder or from the hip. | on the ~ She was carrying a baby on her hip. | to the ~ The skirt is slit to the hip on one side.

PHRASES hands on hips He leaned casually against the door frame, hands on hips.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hire noun

ADJ. bicycle, car, equipment, etc.

HIRE + NOUN car Our hire car broke down after only an hour. | charge, cost | company, firm, shop

PREP. for ~ There are boats for hire on the lake. | on ~ (from/to) The equipment is on hire from a local company. | ~ of The main expense was the hire of a car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hire verb

ADV. promptly The entire workforce was laid off and a fresh one promptly hired. | by the day, week, etc. What's the cost of hiring by the day? | locally Ski equipment can be hired locally.

PREP. from Bicycles can be hired from several local shops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hiss noun

ADJ. sharp | faint, soft, low There was a low hiss on the tape. | audible

VERB + HISS give, let out The snake gave a hiss. | hear

PREP. with a ~ She drew in her breath with a hiss. | ~ of We could hear the faint hiss of escaping gas.

PHRASES boos and hisses, a hiss of air, the hiss of a snake > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hiss verb

¹ make a sound like a long ‘s’

ADV. gently The gas lamp hissed gently.

² say sth in an angry, hissing voice

ADV. angrily, furiously ‘Don't be stupid!’ she hissed furiously. | quietly

PREP. at She hissed at me to be quiet.

PHRASES hiss (sth) through your teeth ‘Go away!’ he hissed through clenched teeth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

historian noun

ADJ. distinguished, eminent, great, leading, respected a talk given by an eminent social historian | serious No serious historian today accepts this theory. | academic, professional | amateur | official the official historian of the Labour Party | contemporary, early, future The oldest tradition goes back to the contemporary historian John Foxe. What will future historians make of the late twentieth century? | ancient, medieval, modern She is a writer as well as a distinguished modern historian. | local | family | art, church, cultural, economic, human, literary, military, political, social, etc. | revisionist Revisionist historians have questioned the accepted version of events.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

history noun

¹ the past, especially as a subject of study

ADJ. contemporary, early, recent the early history of the trade union movement things that happened in recent history | ancient, medieval, modern | local | family | British, world, etc. | official the official history of the Labour Party | recorded The debate about the origins of the universe has been going on throughout recorded history. | oral Oral history enables us to take account of those many aspects of history that are not recorded in documents. | art, church, cultural, economic, human, literary, military, political, social, etc.

QUANT. piece She created a piece of history by winning her fourth title.

VERB + HISTORY be steeped in a building that is steeped in history | go down in, make, pass into He will go down in history as a wise adviser and a kind man. He made history by being the first man to walk on the moon. | trace The regiment traces its history back to 1803. | distort, rewrite her attempt to rewrite history with herself in the role of heroine

HISTORY + VERB go back (to) … The town's history goes back to Roman times. | reveal sth, show sth History shows that New Zealand are almost unbeatable by British teams on their own turf. | repeat itself Years later, family history repeated itself with Eve's daughters.

HISTORY + NOUN book (figurative) She has earned her place in the history books.

PREP. during sth's ~ The country has suffered several invasions during its history. | in (sth's) ~ the most extraordinary royal meeting in history the best player in the sport's history | throughout ~ There have been conflicts such as this throughout history.

PHRASES change the course of history events that could change the course of history | a period of history This is a fascinating period of history. | the rest is history (= the rest of the story does not need to be told because it is well-known), a sense of history a people with no sense of history | a slice of history The team grabbed a slice of history here today (= achieved sth that will be remembered). > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

² facts about sb/sth's life/existence in the past

ADJ. chequered, colourful, fascinating, interesting, rich The city has a rich and colourful history. | long She has a long history of mental illness. | previous, subsequent | case She familiarized herself with the case history of her new patient. | employment, family, life, medical, personal, sexual The doctor will need some details of your medical history. I know nothing about his personal history.

VERB + HISTORY have

PREP. ~ of a history of heart disease in the family

³ sth in the past that is no longer important

ADJ. past They had an affair once, but that's past history now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hitch noun

ADJ. slight | last-minute There are always a few last-minute hitches at the dress rehearsal. | legal, technical There was a slight technical hitch which delayed the plane's take-off.

PREP. without a ~ Everything went without a hitch. | ~ in There's been a hitch in the plans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hit noun

¹ act of hitting sth/sb

ADJ. direct

VERB + HIT give sth, make, score Give it a good hit At last he managed to score a hit. | receive, suffer, take One of the tanks took a direct hit.

HIT + NOUN list She was at the top of the terrorists' hit list (= the list of people they intended to kill) for over two years. Which services are on the government's hit list? | man, squad He claimed that a hit man had been paid £20,000 to kill him.

² sb/sth that is very popular

ADJ. big, greatest, huge, massive, real, smash The show has been a smash hit. | immediate, instant | box-office, chart The band are here to promote their latest chart hit.

HIT + NOUN album, film, movie, record, show, single, song | parade (old-fashioned) The single was number one in the British hit parade

PREP. ~ with The series has been a big hit with children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hit verb

¹ touch sb/sth with a lot of force

ADV. hard She didn't hit me very hard. | almost, nearly A taxi almost hit him as he was crossing the street. | accidentally I accidentally hit my knee on the desk.

VERB + HIT want to I was so angry, I wanted to hit him. | be going to I was afraid he was going to hit me.

PREP. in She hit him in the face. | on I hit my head on the low doorway. | with He hit her with a stick.

PHRASES hit sb over the head He was hit over the head with a broken bottle.

² have a bad effect on sb/sth

ADV. badly, hard, heavily, severely Our department has been badly hit by the cutbacks. Some businesses have been hit very hard by the rise in interest rates. PHRASAL VERBS hit out

ADV. hard | wildly I just hit out wildly in all directions.

PREP. at In a rousing speech the minister hit out at racism in the armed forces.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

HIV noun

HIV + NOUN infection | antibody, virus | carrier, sufferer | status If you are unsure of your HIV status, consider having a test. | test

PHRASES HIV negative/positive > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hoard noun

ADJ. big, large, major, vast one of the biggest hoards of Roman coins ever found | small | secret her secret hoard of food

PREP. in ~s Gold coins have been found in hoards in many parts of the country. | ~ of a vast hoard of treasure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hoarse adj.

VERBS be, sound | become, get, go | leave sb, make sb/sth, scream yourself, shout yourself All the shouting had left her rather hoarse. Excitement made her voice hoarse. He shouted himself hoarse, but still no one came.

ADV. extremely, very | rather, slightly

PREP. from Her voice was hoarse from shouting. | with His voice was hoarse with anxiety.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hoax noun

ADJ. elaborate It turned out to be an elaborate hoax. | cruel He described the deception as a cruel hoax. | bomb

VERB + HOAX perpetrate, play, stage a hoax perpetrated by the British government

HOAX + NOUN call, caller

PREP. ~ on The organizers staged a hoax on some of the competitors.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hobby noun

ADJ. absorbing, enjoyable, relaxing, satisfying | favourite, pet Cooking is her pet hobby.

VERB + HOBBY have Have you got any hobbies? | enjoy, follow, indulge (in), pursue She never had any time to pursue her hobbies. | start, take up Why don't you take up a new hobby?

PREP. among your ~s Cycling and karate are among her hobbies. | as a ~ He takes photographs as a hobby.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hockey noun

ADJ. field, ice, indoor, roller | ladies', mens', mixed | senior, under-18, etc.

VERB + HOCKEY play She plays hockey in the winter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hold-up noun

¹ robbery

ADJ. armed | bank VERB + HOLD-UP carry out

² delay

ADJ. lengthy | traffic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

holder noun

ADJ. licence, passport, ticket Only ticket holders will be allowed into the ground. | account, credit card, policy Account holders with the bank qualify for a discount on loans. | championship, cup, record, title the current 800 metres record holder | job, office, post She wondered why the previous job holder had left.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hold noun

¹ act/way of holding sth

ADJ. firm, tight He still had me in a tight hold.

VERB + HOLD catch, get, grab, grasp, seize, take Take hold of the handle and give it a hard pull. | have, keep He kept a firm hold on my hand. | lose He lost his hold on the rock and was swept away by the tide. | tighten | relax, release She finally released her hold on me.

PREP. ~ on He tightened his hold on her.

² influence/control over sb

ADJ. firm, powerful, strong, tight He still has a firm hold on the party. | increasing | fragile, tenuous, weak Her hold on power was now quite tenuous.

VERB + HOLD have | lose The allies lost their hold on northern France. | consolidate, strengthen, tighten Enemy forces have consolidated their hold on the northern province. | break, weaken an attempt to break the hold of the Church

PREP. ~ on This had weakened his hold on power. | ~ over He no longer had any hold over her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hole noun

VERB + HOLE bore, break, cut, dig, drill, make, punch, tear, wear We dug a deep hole to bury the animals in. She punched two holes in each sheet of paper. He had worn a hole in the knees of his trousers. | fill (in), plug I uprooted the tree and filled the hole with earth. We used cement to plug the holes.

PREP. down a/the ~ The snake disappeared down a hole. | in a/the ~ There was water in the hole. | through a/the ~ We climbed through the hole. | ~ in I used a skewer to make an extra hole in my belt.

PHRASES full of holes The old blankets were now full of holes. | riddled with holes The car was riddled with bullet holes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

holiday noun

¹ period of time away from home for pleasure

VERB + HOLIDAY go on, have, take We're going on holiday to France this summer. Are you having a holiday this year? | book Have you booked your summer holiday yet? | cancel I got ill and had to cancel my holiday.

HOLIDAY + NOUN destination, resort, venue a popular seaside holiday resort | accommodation, cottage, home They also have a holiday home at the seaside. | camp, complex, village | period, season The pool is open throughout the holiday season. | brochure | business, company, firm The recession hit the package holiday business hard. | insurance You should take out holiday insurance before you leave. | arrangements, plans | romance Their holiday romance turned into a lasting relationship. | photos, snaps

PREP. on (a) ~ They met while on holiday in Spain.

PHRASES a holiday of a lifetime This is your chance to win the holiday of a lifetime.

² period of rest from work/school

ADJ. annual, Christmas, Easter, summer The centre is now closed for the Christmas holidays. | school | paid

VERB + HOLIDAY be entitled to, get, have You are entitled to 24 days' paid holiday per year. I have three weeks' holiday a year. | take I'm taking the rest of my holiday in October. | spend She spent her holiday decorating the flat. | need I really need a holiday!

HOLIDAY + NOUN time | entitlement | pay | job She had a holiday job as a gardener when she was a student.

PREP. during the ~s It can be difficult to keep children occupied during the long summer holidays. | in the ~s My aunt's coming to stay in the holidays. | on ~ I'm afraid Mr Adamek is on holiday this week.

³ day when people do not go to work/school

ADJ. bank, national, public, religious

HOLIDAY + NOUN weekend The roads will be busy on Monday as it's a holiday weekend.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hollow noun

ADJ. deep | little, shallow, slight | damp, dark, grassy | sheltered | natural

PREP. in a/the ~ Snow lay in dark hollows. | ~ in a hollow in the ground | ~ of the hollow of her throat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

homeland noun

ADJ. beloved They were devastated that they had to leave their beloved homeland. | ancient, traditional the struggle to defend their ancient homeland | former | tribal | adopted He wants his children to grow up in his adopted homeland. | Jewish, Palestinian

VERB + HOMELAND flee, leave During the war, they were forced to flee their homeland. | go back to, return to, visit He longs to return to his homeland.

PREP. in a/sb's ~ They hope to remain in their homeland.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

homeless adj.

VERBS be | become, end up, find yourself He found himself homeless after his marriage broke up. | leave sb, make sb, render sb Three hundred people were made homeless by the earthquake.

ADV. officially | intentionally, voluntarily The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

homesick adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, get | make sb Seeing other families together made him terribly homesick.

ADV. desperately, terribly, very | a bit, a little

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

homework noun

ADJ. English, science, etc.

QUANT. piece

VERB + HOMEWORK do Have you done your maths homework yet? | finish | hand in I want you to hand in this homework on Friday. | get, have They get masses of homework at secondary school. | give (sb), set (sb) The science teacher always sets a lot of homework. | correct, mark

PREP. for ~ We had to write out one of the exercises for homework. | ~ on I've got some homework to do on the Industrial Revolution.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

home noun

¹ place where sb/sth lives

ADJ. boyhood, childhood, family, marital, matrimonial, natural, parental Placing a child in public care is sometimes the only solution to ill-treatment in the natural home. It's unusual for young people over 25 to still live in the parental home. | native She left her native home in Ireland and went to America. | permanent, temporary a shelter for people with no permanent home | comfortable, luxurious, luxury, magnificent, nice, pleasant | humble | happy, secure, stable, supportive These children badly need a stable and secure home life. The lock-up garage provides a secure home for your car. | broken children from a broken home (= whose parents are no longer together) | single-parent More and more children in the school are from single-parent homes. | middle-class, working-class, etc. | dream They found their dream home on the shore of a lake. | detached, semi-detached, terrace/terraced | rented | council | country, island, mountain, riverside, seaside, suburban, valley, village He used to spend the summer painting at his country home. | holiday, weekend They also have a holiday home in Spain. | caravan, mobile, motor The storm wrecked the family's caravan home. | ancestral | stately Priceless antique furniture was destroyed in the fire at the stately home. | forest These birds are in danger of becoming extinct as their forest home disappears. | winter The mudflats offer a winter home to thousands of migrating swans. | legendary The hill is the legendary home of King Arthur. | spiritual The first time he visited New Orleans he knew he had found his spiritual home.

VERB + HOME arrive, come, get, go, make your way Let's go home?I'm tired. | bring sb/sth, take sb/sth | be away from, get away from, leave He didn't leave home until he was 24. | abandon The people abandoned their homes and headed for the hills. | find (sb/sth), give sb/sth Perhaps we could find a home for the kitten.

HOME + NOUN address, number Try phoning me on my home number after six o'clock. | buyer, owner | ownership | purchase | sales | background, conditions, environment, life, situation He came from an appalling home background. She had never had a stable home life. | area, base, country, district, state, town | territory, turf I arranged to meet her in her office, as she seemed more relaxed on her home territory. | improvement, maintenance, repairs | extension | loan | help My grandmother has a home help who comes and cleans twice a week. | appliance | computer | furnishings | contents Make sure you insure your home contents for an adequate amount. | comforts She desperately missed her home comforts while camping. | insurance | security Fitting a burglar alarm is the most effective way to increase home security. | entertainment the market for home entertainment systems | use This video is for home use only. | user a laser printer aimed at the home user | trial We are offering a free 15-day home trial on our software. | student, study The course is suitable for classroom or home study. | tutor | work, worker He supplements his income with part-time or home work. | baking, cooking She missed her mother's home cooking. | nursing | visit The doctor was assaulted on a home visit. | remedy, treatment I've tried all the home remedies for headaches without success. | leave He went missing while on home leave from prison. | movie, video We have a home movie of my dad teaching me to swim. | consumption He claimed he had bought the cigarettes for home consumption, not to sell them. | market They hope to sell as many computers on the home market as they export. | affairs, news the party's spokesman for home affairs The newspaper gives priority to home news over international news. | port, waters seamen serving in home waters

PREP. at ~, away from ~ Her job means she's away from home for weeks at a time. | back ~, in your own ~ | ~ of Andalusia, the home of flamenco

PHRASES a home from home The hotel's friendly atmosphere makes it a real home from home. | home-grown home-grown vegetables (figurative) The show gives home-grown musical talent the chance to show what they can do. | home-made home-made bread | on the home front (= used to introduce domestic news) On the home front, the fuel crisis continues to worsen. | welcome home The banner said ‘Welcome home dad!’

² place that provides care for sb/sth

ADJ. care, charity, children's, convalescent, foster, nursing, old people's, remand, residential, rest, retirement | purpose-built Work begins this week on a purpose-built home for the city's homeless.

VERB + HOME provide (sb with) We have to provide a good home for the children. | run They run a retirement home for the elderly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

homicide noun

ADJ. criminal, culpable, unlawful | justifiable The jury returned a verdict of justifiable homicide. > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

homogeneous adj.

VERBS be | become

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

homosexual noun

ADJ. practising | closet, repressed | female, male

VERB + HOMOSEXUAL come out as He came out as a homosexual after his mother died.

HOMOSEXUAL + VERB come out of the closet

PHRASES discrimination against homosexuals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

honesty noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, scrupulous, total I always expect total honesty from my employees. | transparent | brutal, painful, ruthless ‘Don't you believe me?’ ‘I don't know, ’ she said with painful honesty. | disarming | intellectual You need ruthless intellectual honesty about your own skills, weaknesses and motives.

VERB + HONESTY have She had the honesty to admit her mother was right. | lack | expect

PREP. in ~ (= honestly) Who in honesty can blame her? | with ~ She answered the questions with complete honesty. | ~ about I appreciate your honesty about this.

PHRASES honesty and integrity He has the honesty and integrity to be chairman. | in all honesty (= used to say sth which, though true, may seem disappointing) In all honesty, the book was not as good as I expected.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

honest adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, really, scrupulously, truly, very | absolutely, completely, perfectly, quite, totally | less than, not altogether, not entirely I don't think you've been altogether honest with me. | basically, enough, reasonably She seems honest enough. | refreshingly | brutally, painfully, ruthlessly Let's be brutally honest about this: you haven't a hope of succeeding.

PREP. about Try to be honest about how you feel. | in He is always scrupulously honest in his business activities. | with My parents were always completely honest with me.

PHRASES to be honest (with you) To be quite honest with you, I don't think he's the right person for the job. | open and honest She was totally open and honest about her feelings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

honeymoon noun

ADJ. brief, short We had a brief honeymoon in Paris. | long | second After so many years of marriage, we're planning a second honeymoon.

VERB + HONEYMOON go on, have, leave for, spend They go on honeymoon the day after the wedding.

HONEYMOON + VERB be over (usually figurative) The honeymoon was over and the reality of what she had taken on began to dawn.

HONEYMOON + NOUN couple | suite | period (figurative) There was always a honeymoon period when Mum started a new job.

PREP. for a ~ They can't decide where to go for their honeymoon. | on ~ While on honeymoon in Bali, she learned to scuba dive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

honey noun

ADJ. clear | runny | wild

QUANT. dollop | jar, pot

VERB + HONEY make, produce learning how bees make honey a jar of locally-produced honey | gather to gather honey from the hive | spread (sth with) He spread some honey on his bread.

HONEY + NOUN bee

PHRASES as sweet as honey > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

honourable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very a very honourable man | completely, entirely, perfectly My intentions were perfectly honourable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

honoured adj.

VERBS be, feel

ADV. deeply, greatly, highly, truly I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

honour noun

¹ sth that makes you feel proud

ADJ. great, rare, signal, special, tremendous | doubtful, dubious Max was given the dubious honour of organizing the children's party.

VERB + HONOUR have I had the rare honour of being allowed into the artist's studio. | do sb (formal), give sb Will you do me the honour of dining with me? | share He shared the honour of being the season's top scorer with Andy Cole.

² great respect

PREP. in sb's ~ They organized a party in his honour.

PHRASES a guard of honour The princess's coffin was accompanied by a guard of honour. | (the) guest of honour The president was guest of honour at the society's banquet. | a lap of honour The crowd cheered while the athletes ran their lap of honour. | a mark of honour They stood in silence as a mark of honour to the drowned sailors. | the place/seat of honour, a roll of honour The school's roll of honour lists everyone killed in the war.

³ good reputation

ADJ. family, national, personal, professional He was now satisfied that the family honour had been restored.

VERB + HONOUR defend, fight for, save, uphold She felt she had to defend the honour of her profession. | restore | do, bring This biography does great honour to the poet's achievements. She brought honour to her country as an Olympic medal-winner.

HONOUR + VERB be satisfied In the return match the home team won 3?0 and honour was satisfied. | be at stake National honour is at stake in this match between France and England.

PREP. on your ~ (old-fashioned) I swear on my honour (= very seriously) that I knew nothing about this. | with ~ The prime minister sought an agreement that would bring peace with honour. | without ~ a man without honour

PHRASES be/feel (in) honour bound (to … ) He felt honour bound to help her. | a code of honour Knights in the Middle Ages had a strong code of honour. | a man of honour, a matter/point of honour It is a matter of professional honour to keep our standards as high as possible. | a sense of honour, sb's word of honour I give you my word of honour I will not forget what I owe you.

⁴ award/official title, etc.

ADJ. full ~s, highest, major, top the stars who took top honours at the MTV Awards | academic, battle, civilian, military, political, royal

VERB + HONOUR award (sb), bestow, confer, give sb The Order of Merit is the highest civilian honour that can be conferred on someone. | accept, pick up, receive, scoop, take, win She has confirmed that she will accept the honour of a peerage. It was the British who scooped the honours at last night's Oscars.

HONOUR + NOUN list, system He was made a life peer in the New Year's honours list.

PHRASES with full military honours He was burie

⁵ honours: type of degree course

ADJ. combined, joint

VERB + HONOUR do, take (formal) All students taking honours in Greek may also study Modern Greek.

HONOUR + NOUN course, degree He's in the third year of his honours course. | graduate, student

PREP. ~ in joint honours in mathematics and statistics

⁶ honours: high mark in a degree course

ADJ. first-class, second-class, third-class

HONOUR + NOUN degree | graduate

PREP. with ~ She passed with second class honours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hood noun

VERB + HOOD pull back, pull off, pull up, put up He walked into the room and pulled off his hood. She put up her hood when it started to rain.

PHRASES with the hood down/up He was wearing a blue anorak with the hood up. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hooked adj.

VERBS be | become, get I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve. | get sb | keep sb a master storyteller who knows how to keep his readers hooked

ADV. truly People who are truly hooked will go to any lengths to satisfy their craving for the drug. | completely, totally

PREP. on She's completely hooked on soap operas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hopeful adj.

¹ thinking that sth good will happen

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound I feel quite hopeful that a peaceful solution will be found. | become, get Don't get too hopeful. We may not be able to go. | remain The police remained hopeful that she would be found alive.

ADV. extremely, very | almost | fairly, pretty, quite | eternally Only Janet, eternally hopeful, thought it was worth trying again.

PREP. about She was not very hopeful about her situation. | of The police are quite hopeful of catching the thieves.

² making you think that sth good will happen

VERBS be, look, seem Things aren't looking very hopeful at the moment.

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite There are some fairly hopeful signs of recovery in the US market.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hopeless adj.

¹ giving no hope

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. completely, quite, utterly The situation seemed completely hopeless. | apparently, seemingly

² feeling no hope

VERBS feel She felt lonely and completely hopeless.

ADV. completely | rather

³ very bad

VERBS be

ADV. absolutely | pretty He's a pretty hopeless dancer.

PREP. at I'm absolutely hopeless at languages. | with I've always been hopeless with machinery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hope noun

¹ belief that sth you want will happen

ADJ. considerable, fervent, great a feeling of considerable hope It is my fervent hope that you will be able to take this project forward. | high (only used with hopes) Hopes are high that a resolution to the conflict can be found. | best, main Privatization seems to offer the best hope for the industry. | faint, frail, slight, vague There was still a faint hope that they would accept the offer. | real, sincere without any real hope of success It is my sincere hope that she will find happiness at last. | realistic, reasonable | desperate, wild | false, forlorn, vain He wasn't trying to give her false hope. It seemed a forlorn hope that we would find a taxi. | early His early hopes of freedom were now gone. | last, only He had one last hope to cling to. | fresh, renewed the treatment gave him renewed hope | sudden Her dark eyes lit with sudden hope. | lingering, remaining These figures kill off any lingering hopes of an early economic recovery. | personal

QUANT. flicker, glimmer, ray, spark I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.

VERB + HOPE be full of, cherish, entertain, have, see Lord Mountbatten secretly cherished hopes that Charles would marry his granddaughter. Political leaders do now entertain the hope that a settlement can be found. She saw little hope of meeting the targets. | express, voice The Mexican president expressed hope for cooperation on trade. | share | pin He pinned all his hopes on getting that job. | cling to, keep alive, live in keeping alive the hope that a peace settlement might be found I haven't yet found a flat, but I live in hope. | not hold out I don't hold out much hope of finding a buyer. | abandon, give up, lose I didn't give up hope of being released. | arouse, bring sb, give sb, offer (sb), raise The use of fish oil to treat cancer has brought fresh hope to millions of sufferers. This announcement has raised hopes that the crisis may be coming to an end. | boost The latest job figures have boosted hopes for the economy. | jeopardize | dash, destroy, kill (off), shatter, wreck Her hopes of going to university have now been dashed.

HOPE + VERB lie, rest Her only hope lay in escape. Their main hopes rest on their new striker. | grow, rise Hopes of a peaceful end to the strike are now growing. | flare (up), spring (up), surge Hope flared up inside her. | disappear, fade Hope faded after wrecked remains of the ship were washed onto the shore.

PREP. beyond ~ damaged beyond hope of repair | in ~ of, in the ~ that I am writing to you in the hope that you can help me obtain some information. | without ~ She felt weak and without hope. | ~ for young people who are full of hope for the future | ~ of I have no hope of winning.

PHRASES every/little/no/some hope of sth We have every hope of completing the project this year. There is little hope that they will be found alive. | grounds/reason for hope We now have good grounds for hope. | (not) a hope in hell You haven't got a hope in hell of finding a job. | a sign/symbol of hope

² sth you wish for

ADJ. high ~s They have high hopes for their children. | future | distant Peace is a distant hope in this war-torn region. | personal | disappointed, unfulfilled a bitter tale of disappointed hopes | championship, medal, Olympic, etc. the team's championship hopes

PREP. ~ for, ~ of

PHRASES your hopes and dreams/expectations/fears She told me all her hopes and dreams.

³ sb/sth that will help you get what you want

ADJ. bright | last, only He turned to her in despair and said, ‘You're my last hope.’ | medal

PREP. ~ for She is Britain's brightest hope for a medal. | ~ of The operation was Kelly's only hope of survival.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hope verb

ADV. desperately, fervently, really, sincerely, very much hoping desperately that their missing son would come home I sincerely hope that you will be successful.

VERB + HOPE (not) dare (to) I scarcely dared hope the plan would succeed. | begin to | continue to

PREP. for We are hoping for good weather.

PHRASES hope against hope (= to continue to hope for sth even though it is very unlikely), hope for the best (= to hope that sth will happen successfully, especially where it seems likely that it will not)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

horizon noun

¹ line where earth and sky meet

ADJ. northern, southern, etc. | distant, far The sea stretched away to the distant horizon.

VERB + HORIZON scan The captain scanned the horizon for any sign of other vessels.

PREP. above the ~ I watched the pale sun climb over the horizon. | below the ~ The sun was sinking rapidly below the western horizon. | beyond the ~ Land was still out of sight beyond the horizon. | on the ~ A cloud of dust on the horizon announced the arrival of the cavalry. | over the ~ The moon was rising over the horizon.

² horizons: limits to knowledge/experience

ADJ. limited, narrow | new | cultural, intellectual, musical My first trip to the theatre broadened my cultural horizons.

VERB + HORIZON broaden, expand, open up, widen It is hoped that the course will open up new horizons for students. | limit, narrow, restrict Their horizons were limited to events within the village community.

HORIZON + VERB stretch His horizons didn't stretch beyond his next night out.

PREP. beyond your ~ They had become aware of possibilities beyond their own limited horizons.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hormone noun

ADJ. female, male | growth, sex children who do not produce enough growth hormone

VERB + HORMONE produce, release, secrete Hormones are secreted into the bloodstream.

HORMONE + NOUN production | replacement therapy, treatment | deficiency, imbalance | balance, level

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

horn noun

¹ part of an animal

ADJ. buffalo, bull's, cow's, rhino, etc. ornaments made of rhino horn | curled, curved a large bull with curved horns | sharp

² warning device on a vehicle

ADJ. car

VERB + HORN blow, honk, sound, toot Passing motorists honked their horns.

HORN + VERB beep, blare, hoot, sound Another horn blared behind me.

HORN + NOUN blast Impatient horn blasts began to sound behind him.

PREP. on a/the ~ He gave a furious blast on his horn.

³ musical instrument

VERB + HORN blow

HORN + NOUN section > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

horoscope noun

VERB + HOROSCOPE cast, draw up To draw up someone's horoscope, you need to know their date and exact time of birth. | consult, read | believe in Do you believe in horoscopes?

HOROSCOPE + VERB say sth What does your horoscope say?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

horrible adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste

ADV. bloody (taboo), really That was a really horrible thing to say! | absolutely, perfectly, quite, truly a truly horrible sight | pretty, rather a pretty horrible experience

PREP. to My sister has always been horrible to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

horrific adj.

VERBS be, look | describe sth as Police described the attack as horrific.

ADV. really | absolutely, quite, truly Some of the scenes we witnessed were quite horrific. | fairly, pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

horror noun

¹ feeling of fear/shock

ADJ. abject, absolute, utter The thought of working nights fills me with abject horror. | mock She raised her hands in mock horror when she saw my new haircut.

VERB + HORROR feel, have She felt horror and pity at seeing Marcus so ill. She had a horror of pubs. | fill sb with The possibility of meeting him again filled me with horror. | overcome | recoil in Anna recoiled in horror as the snake approached.

HORROR + NOUN film, story They were trying to scare each other with horror stories about going to the dentist.

PREP. in ~ They watched in horror as the aircraft crashed to the ground. | to your ~ To his horror, he saw a dead body lying beside the road. | with ~ He realized with absolute horror that he no longer had the money. | ~ of I'm trying to overcome my horror of insects.

PHRASES a look of horror, shock horror newspapers full of shock horror headlines

² sth frightening/shocking

ADJ. full He never experienced the full horrors of trench warfare. | ultimate I used to regard public speaking as the ultimate horror.

VERB + HORROR commit, inflict, perpetrate He had witnessed horrors committed by the enemy. | experience, suffer | witness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

horse noun

ADJ. beautiful, fine, good, lovely, magnificent He was mounted on the finest horse you could ever see. | bay, black, chestnut, grey, piebald, roan, skewbald | thoroughbred | feral, wild | unbroken | highly-strung, nervous, restless, skittish | frightened, startled, terrified | placid | fancied The race organizers became suspicious when the two most fancied horses finished last. | loose, riderless, runaway Three horses fell when a loose horse ran across the track. | fresh They would need fresh horses if they were to reach the border the next day. | lame | heavy, shire The brewery had 25 heavy horses delivering beer in London. | riding, saddle | carriage, cart (also carthorse), draught, dray | pack | cavalry, police | race (also racehorse) | pantomime He got a part as the rear end of a pantomime horse. | rocking

HORSE + NOUN box The car in front was pulling a horse box. | breeder, dealer, lover, owner, rider, trainer | droppings, dung, manure, shit (taboo) | fair Hundreds of horses are bought and sold at the annual horse fair. | race | racing, riding | show, trials He won second prize in a horse show. | trough The horse trough was full of stagnant water. | whip | trading (also horse-trading) (figurative) political horse-trading

PREP. on a/the ~

PHRASES a horse and carriage/cart, horse-drawn horse-drawn vehicles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hospitality noun

ADJ. generous, lavish, warm | corporate the company's corporate hospitality budget

VERB + HOSPITALITY extend, offer (sb), provide (sb with), show sb We wish to thank the people of Norway for the warm hospitality extended to us during our recent visit. | accept We were glad to accept their generous hospitality. | repay, return You must allow me to repay your hospitality. | abuse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hospital noun

PREP. at a/the ~ She works at the John Radcliffe Hospital. | in (a/the) ~ He is in hospital recovering from a heart operation. I used to work as a cleaner in a hospital. | to (a/the) ~ He's been taken to hospital for tests. We went to the hospital to visit my gran.

PHRASES admission to hospital, a stay in hospital

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hostage noun

VERB + HOSTAGE hold (sb) Eight people were held hostage for four months. | seize, take (sb) The gunmen took 24 hostages. | free, release, set free diplomatic efforts to get the hostages released

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hostel noun

ADJ. refugee, student, youth | bed and breakfast | bail, probation a probation hostel for young offenders

VERB + HOSTEL stay at/in homeless families staying in bed and breakfast hostels

HOSTEL + NOUN accommodation

PREP. at a/the ~ We stayed at a student hostel during the conference. | in a/the ~ He lives in a hostel for the homeless.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hostile adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel | become | remain | make sb The experience has made him generally hostile towards women. | consider sth, construe sth as, deem sth, perceive sth as, regard sth as, see sth as They were reluctant to take any step that might be regarded as hostile.

ADV. bitterly, decidedly, deeply, downright, distinctly, extremely, fiercely, markedly, positively, uncompromisingly, unremittingly, very He was deeply hostile to the idea of psychotherapy. The audience gave him a downright hostile reception. | entirely, totally | increasingly | almost | apparently | potentially | basically, generally | actively, openly | mutually | uniformly The press became uniformly hostile to the new administration. | politically politically hostile newspapers

PREP. to Many people were openly hostile to the idea. | towards He was extremely hostile towards her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hostility noun

¹ opposition/aggressive feelings or behaviour

VERB + HOSTILITY feel the deep hostility felt by many teenagers against the police | express, show | arouse, attract, provoke The prime minister was concerned that such a move would arouse public hostility. | be greeted with, be met with, encounter, face, meet with The proposal was met with outright hostility.

PREP. ~ between You could almost feel the hostility between her and her mother. | ~ against/to/towards the bitter hostility towards the occupying forces

² hostilities: fighting in a war

VERB + HOSTILITY cease, end, suspend Both sides finally agreed to suspend hostilities. | resume Hostilities were resumed later that year.

HOSTILITY + VERB begin, break out | cease, end On the 11th of November 1918 hostilities ceased. | resume

PREP. ~ against the beginning of hostilities against Germany in 1914 | ~ between Hostilities broke out between the two provinces later that year.

PHRASES the cessation of hostilities, an outbreak of hostilities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

host noun

¹ person who receives and entertains visitors

ADJ. charming, generous, genial, good, perfect, welcoming George was a perfect host.

VERB + HOST act as, play The village is playing host to a film crew.

HOST + NOUN club, community, country, family, government, nation, society, state The host club is to be congratulated on its organization of the tournament.

PREP. ~ to The acre of garden is host to a splendid bank of rhododendrons.

² person who introduces a television or radio show

ADJ. chat-show, game-show, talk-show, television, TV The event will be opened by television host Bill Punter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

host verb

ADV. jointly The tournament is to be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

VERB + HOST agree to, offer to | be keen to The country is very keen to host the Winter Olympics in six years' time.

PHRASES a bid to host sth the city's bid to host the Olympic Games in the year 2008

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hotel noun

ADJ. big, large | little, small | cheap, expensive | five-star, four-star, etc. | attractive, beautiful, comfortable, delightful, deluxe, good, grand, elegant, excellent, fine, first-class, luxurious, luxury, pleasant, posh, quality, smart, top all the style and comfort that only the best hotels can provide It was a luxury hotel with its own swimming pool and restaurant. | seedy | modern | air-conditioned The hotel is fully air-conditioned. | traditional | friendly | family, family-run a family hotel with a playground for small children a friendly family-run hotel | independent, private | international | country, country-house a small country hotel | holiday, resort, tourist | seafront, seaside | local, nearby | bed and breakfast homeless families living in bed and breakfast hotels

VERB + HOTEL stay at/in We're staying at a cheap hotel near the station. | book in at/into, check in at/into, check out of We checked into the hotel, then went for a walk along the beachfront. | own | manage, run

HOTEL + VERB be located, be situated The hotel is situated in the historic heart of the city. | feature sth, have sth, offer sth, provide sth The hotel features a lovely dining room overlooking the lake. The hotel offers excellent facilities.

PREP. at a/the ~ We met at the hotel. | in a/the ~ We're staying in a two-star hotel in the centre of the city.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hotline noun

ADJ. 24-hour | information, technical support, ticket | credit card | telephone

VERB + HOTLINE call, dial, phone, ring Dial our 24-hour hotline to find out if you have won a prize. | establish, set up A telephone hotline has been set up to give information about the changed train services. | operate, run The company will be operating an information hotline that customers can call if they are worried about products.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hot adj.

¹ of the weather

VERBS be | become, get, grow The sun shone fiercely down and it grew hotter and hotter.

ADV. baking, blazing, bloody (taboo), boiling, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, incredibly, insufferably, intensely, oppressively, really, scorching, stiflingly, swelteringly, unbearably, uncomfortably, unusually, very a boiling hot summer's day It was unbearably hot in the car. | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather This weather's a bit hot for me.

² of a person

VERBS be, feel, look Don't you feel hot so close to the fire? | get, grew They had been going steadily up for half an hour and she was beginning to get uncomfortably hot. His face grew hot at the memory of his embarrassment.

ADV. boiling, burning, extremely, really, uncomfortably, very I was boiling hot and sweaty. His forehead was burning hot. | a bit, quite, rather

³ of a thing

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | get

ADV. extremely, really, red-, scalding, very, white-white-hot metal | a bit, fairly, moderately, quite, rather, slightly Wash the tablecloth in fairly hot soapy water. Bake in a moderately hot oven. | enough, sufficiently The ground was hot enough to fry an egg on.

⁴ of food: not cold

VERBS be | keep, stay The food should stay hot until we're ready to eat. | keep sth The containers keep the food hot for five hours. | eat sth, serve sth Serve hot or cold accompanied by bread and a salad.

ADV. piping, really, scalding, sizzling, steaming, very a bowl of piping hot soup Make sure the fat is sizzling hot. | a bit, fairly, quite, rather

⁵ of food: spicy

VERBS be, taste

ADV. extremely, really, very I love really hot food. | a bit, pretty, quite, slightly That was a pretty hot curry!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hound noun

ADJ. hunting

QUANT. pack

HOUND + VERB bark, bay We could hear the hounds barking at the fox. | pick up the scent The hounds picked up the scent of the fox. | chase sth, follow sth, pursue sth In drag hunting, hounds chase an artificial scent. | run

PHRASES ride to hounds Days off were spent riding to hounds (= hunting).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hour noun

¹ period of sixty minutes

ADJ. solid I slept for eight solid hours.

VERB + HOUR take It takes two hours to get to London. | spend | last The performance lasted three hours. | gain, lose You gain five hours when you fly from New York to London.

HOUR + VERB go by, pass An hour passed and she still hadn't arrived.

PREP. by the ~ They're paid by the hour. | for an ~ She worked for three hours. | in/within an ~ I should be back within a couple of hours. | over/under an ~ He's been gone for over an hour. | per ~ Top speed is 120 miles per hour. | within the ~ We hope to be there within the hour (= in less than an hour). | ~ of There are still two hours of daylight left.

PHRASES half an hour, hour after hour, an hour's time, with every passing hour She grew more worried with every passing hour. > Note at MEASURE

² the hour: time when a new hour starts

VERB + HOUR chime, strike The clock struck the hour.

PREP. on the ~ Buses leave every hour on the hour. | past the ~ ten minutes past the hour | to the ~ ten minutes to the hour

³ time when you do a particular activity

ADJ. lunch | peak, rush rush-hour traffic

VERB + HOUR spend I spent my lunch hour shopping.

PREP. ~ of an hour of rest

⁴ hours: time when sb is working/a shop is open

ADJ. office, opening, working | licensing, visiting Britain's licensing hours (= when pubs are allowed to open) the hospital's visiting hours | flexible | long | regular

VERB + HOUR work She works very long hours. | keep He keeps regular hours.

PREP. after ~ He spends a lot of time in his office after hours. | out of ~ Doctors often have to work out of hours.

⁵ time when sth happens

ADJ. darkest, finest This was often thought of as the country's finest hour. | antisocial, unearthly, ungodly, unsocial I apologize for phoning you at this ungodly hour.

HOUR + VERB come The hour had come for us to leave.

PREP. between the ~s of The office is closed between the hours of twelve and two. | ~ of the hours of darkness

PHRASES your hour of need She helped me in my hour of need.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

household noun

VERB + HOUSEHOLD manage, run | set up Becoming an adult and setting up a household no longer mean the same thing.

HOUSEHOLD + NOUN appliance, contents, furniture, goods, item, product The household contents are covered by a separate insurance policy. | bills, budget, expenditure, expenses, income | chore, duties, task | rubbish, waste

PHRASES the head of the household The head of the household is responsible for completing the council tax form.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

housekeeping noun

ADJ. careful, good, prudent The company has made considerable savings through good housekeeping, such as avoiding wastage. | bad, poor My financial problems were made worse by my bad housekeeping.

HOUSEKEEPING + NOUN allowance, money Her husband spent the housekeeping money on gambling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

housework noun

VERB + HOUSEWORK do I spent all morning doing housework. | share The cook their own meals but they share the housework. | help with Her husband never helps with the housework.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

house noun

¹ building that is made for one family to live in

ADJ. beautiful, comfortable, delightful, elegant, fine, grand, handsome, lovely, luxurious, magnificent, posh, pretty, splendid | dream They built their own dream house overlooking the river. | depressing, dingy, gloomy, ugly | derelict, dilapidated, ramshackle, shabby, untidy | detached, semi-detached, terrace/terraced | big, enormous, gigantic, huge, large, palatial, spacious | rambling It was easy to get lost in the rambling house. | little, modest, small, tiny They lived in a modest semi-detached house in the suburbs. | single-storey, single-storeyed, two-storey, etc. | four-bedroom, four-bedroomed, eight-room, eight-roomed, etc. | gabled, half-timbered, red-brick, thatched | exclusive, expensive | private | council (= rented from the local council) | rented | empty, unoccupied, vacant | country, suburban, town | great, manor, mansion The great house stood on the edge of the village. | farm (also farmhouse), ranch | ancestral | communal | summer | tree | halfway, safe a halfway house for prisoners returning to society The police provided a safe house for the informer.

VERB + HOUSE live in, occupy a house occupied by students | share She shares a house with three other nurses. | buy, rent | sell | let (out) We let out our house when we moved to America. | repossess Their house was repossessed when they couldn't keep up their mortgage payments. | move, move into, move out of It's stressful moving house. | set up They want to set up house together | keep She kept house (= cooked, cleaned, etc.) for her elderly parents. | play (at) The children were playing house, giving dinner to their teddies. | build | demolish, knock down, tear down | maintain | decorate, do up, redecorate, refurbish, renovate They bought a dilapidated house when they got married, and are gradually doing it up. | furnish | insulate, rewire | extend We're hoping to extend the house.

HOUSE + VERB be situated, lie, stand The house stood a short distance from the wood. | face sth, overlook sth The house faces south, making the most of the sun. houses overlooking the park | loom The house loomed over him as he waited at the front door. | be worth sth | collapse, fall down | burn down, catch fire | come into view

PREP. at sb's/the ~ I finally tracked him down at his house in London. | from ~ to ~ She went from house to house collecting signatures for her campaign. | in a/the ~ It was so hot outside we stayed in the house.

PHRASES house-to-house Police are making house-to-house enquiries following the discovery of the body.

² all the people who live in one house

ADJ. friendly, happy

VERB + HOUSE wake (up) You'll wake up the whole house with that noise.

³ in a theatre/cinema

ADJ. empty | full, packed

VERB + HOUSE play to They played to a packed house.

HOUSE + NOUN lights | manager

PHRASES bring the house down (= please the audience very much), front-of-house (= the parts of a theatre used by the audience) the front-of-house staff

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

house verb

ADV. adequately At no time in the 19th century were the working classes adequately housed. | badly, inadequately The losers in this society are the old, the sick, the jobless, the homeless and badly housed. | temporarily The fish can be temporarily housed in a smaller aquarium.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

housing noun

ADJ. affordable, cheap, good, low-cost The aim of the scheme was to provide good low-cost housing for workers. | decent, good | adequate | bad, inadequate, poor, substandard Many health problems are made worse by poor housing. | permanent, temporary | council, local authority, public, social Public expenditure on social housing provision has doubled in the last five years. | rented | private | sheltered sheltered housing for old people | high-rise | rural, urban

VERB + HOUSING provide

HOUSING + NOUN association, authority, committee, department, office | conditions | development, estate, scheme Many new housing developments had sprung up around the city. | construction | provision | market | crisis, shortage | allowance, benefit She receives a substantial housing allowance on top of her salary. I received housing benefit when I was unemployed.

PREP. in … ~ Too many families are still living in substandard housing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hover verb

ADV. nearby | anxiously, uneasily He was hovering anxiously outside. | indecisively, uncertainly She hovered uncertainly near the front door. | impatiently

PREP. about/around, behind, by, near She couldn't bear him hovering around her.

PHRASES hover in the background Phoebe was hovering in the background, uncertain what to do. | hover in the doorway

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

howl noun

ADJ. deep | mournful The dog gave a mournful howl.

VERB + HOWL give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ With a howl he leapt at his foe. | ~ of a howl of laughter/protest

PHRASES be greeted/met with howls of sth His comments were met with howls of outrage. | the howl of the wind/a wolf, howls of laughter, howls of outrage/protest/rage > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

huddled adj.

VERBS be, lie, sit, stand Phil sat huddled miserably in his chair. | find sb She found him huddled in a corner, shaking violently.

ADV. miserably

PREP. against Karen was huddled against the wall. | beneath/under She lay huddled under the blankets. | in He slept, huddled in an armchair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

huddle noun

ADJ. little, small, tight

VERB + HUDDLE get into, go into The team went into a huddle at half-time to discuss their tactics.

PREP. in a ~ They stood in a tight huddle, whispering. | ~ of A little huddle of men stood in one corner.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

huff noun

VERB + HUFF get in, go into | go off in, march off in, storm off in, walk off in She went off in a huff after losing the game.

PREP. in a ~ He's in a huff because he wasn't invited. | ~ at She got in a huff at being doubted. | ~ over Alison's in a huff over the joke they played on her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

huge adj.

VERBS be, look | become, grow Her eyes grew huge.

ADV. really This is a really huge amount of money. | absolutely, simply Their house is absolutely huge! | potentially There's a potentially huge demand for this product.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hug noun

ADJ. big | affectionate, comforting, friendly, loving, reassuring, warm | quick

VERB + HUG give sb He gave the children a quick hug, then got into the car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hug verb

ADV. close, tight/tightly James went to his daughter and hugged her tightly. | gently | fiercely

PREP. to He reached out and hugged her to him.

PHRASES hug and kiss sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humanitarian adj.

VERBS be

ADV. purely Both countries say their intervention is purely humanitarian. | essentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humanity noun

ADJ. great, true | common Guilt and a sense of common humanity make people less harsh.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humidity noun

ADJ. high, low | ambient, relative in dry weather, when the ambient humidity is low

QUANT. level

HUMIDITY + VERB increase, rise | decrease, fall

HUMIDITY + NOUN level | control The museum is equipped with sophisticated humidity controls.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humiliate verb

ADV. deeply | totally, utterly | publicly Lowe was publicly humiliated by his colleagues.

PREP. in front of I had been assaulted and deeply humiliated in front of all my friends.

PHRASES feel humiliated I have never felt so humiliated in all my life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humiliating adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. deeply, profoundly, very | utterly He found the experience utterly humiliating. | somewhat

PREP. for The whole experience was somewhat humiliating for us. | to a settlement that was deeply humiliating to their country

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humiliation noun

VERB + HUMILIATION be subjected to, endure, face, suffer She suffered the humiliation of having her house searched. | feel feeling the intense humiliation of having failed

PHRASES a feeling/sense of humiliation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humorous adj.

VERBS be, look, sound | become | find sth

ADV. extremely, very | mildly, quite, slightly She has written her description of him in a mildly humorous vein. | delightfully The film is delightfullly humorous in the best traditions of romantic comedy. | darkly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

humour noun

¹ amusing quality/ability to find things funny

QUANT. touch Her speech was serious, but not without the occasional touch of humour.

VERB + HUMOUR be full of, contain The stories are full of humour. | appreciate, see The man who lost his shoes failed to see the humour of the situation.

PHRASES a brand of humour a television sitcom with its own peculiar brand of humour | sense of humour to have a dry/good/great/warped/weird/wicked sense of humour

² mood

ADJ. good Her good humour was restored by the excellent meal.

PHRASES in (a) good humour The remarks were made in good humour. He was obviously in a good humour this evening.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hum noun

ADJ. faint, soft | low | high-pitched | constant, continuous, steady I could hear the constant hum of distant traffic. | background

VERB + HUM hear

PREP. ~ of the background hum of the air-conditioning

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hum verb

ADV. quietly, softly | happily | tunelessly | along humming along with the music

VERB + HUM begin to He began to hum, somewhat tunelessly.

PHRASES hum to yourself She was humming softly to herself.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hunch noun

VERB + HUNCH have I had a hunch that she was not telling the truth. | act on, follow, play Acting on a hunch, I waited outside her house to see if she went out. I decided to follow my hunch and come and see you. | back, confirm They now have a database of information to back their hunches about customers' preferences.

PREP. on a ~ I phoned on a hunch to ask if they had any work for me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hunger noun

¹ feeling of wanting to eat

ADJ. extreme Any good weight loss regime should not lead to extreme hunger. | world

VERB + HUNGER feel It is usual to feel hunger during exercise. | be weak with | die from/of Thousands of people have died of hunger. | alleviate, relieve, satisfy looking for ways to alleviate world hunger Perhaps the cat was killing to satisfy hunger.

HUNGER + NOUN pangs The new snack bar will keep those hunger pangs at bay. | strike About 60 prisoners have gone on hunger strike.

PHRASES pangs of hunger

² strong desire for sth

ADJ. great, insatiable | land Peasant land hunger grew ever more acute as the population swelled.

VERB + HUNGER feel, have | satisfy

HUNGER + VERB grow

PREP. ~ for She has an insatiable hunger for knowledge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hungry adj.

VERBS be, feel, go, look the number of children who have to go hungry | become, get | make sb Seeing everyone eating had made him extremely hungry.

ADV. desperately, dreadfully, extremely, ravenously, really, starving (informal), terribly, very We were all ravenously hungry after the walk. | a bit, quite, rather | always, permanently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hunting noun

¹ chasing wild animals

ADJ. big-game, deer, fox (also fox-hunting), etc. He was killed by a lion while big-game hunting in Africa. | commercial commercial hunting of minke whales

VERB + HUNTING go Local people go hunting in the woods. | ban Should fox-hunting be banned?

HUNTING + NOUN knife, rifle | ground These waters are a hunting ground for sharks. | lodge The king built a large hunting lodge in the mountains. | trip | season

² trying to find sth

ADJ. bargain, house, job, treasure Archaeologists have called for a ban on treasure hunting in the region.

VERB + HUNTING go We went bargain hunting at the antique market.

HUNTING + NOUN ground (figurative) Crowded markets are a happy hunting ground for pickpockets.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hunt noun

¹ hunting wild animals

ADJ. fox, seal, tiger, etc.

VERB + HUNT take part in She had never taken part in a fox hunt before.

HUNT + NOUN follower, supporter Hunt followers deny the sport is cruel. | saboteur clashes between hunt supporters and hunt saboteurs | meeting

² searching for sb/sth

ADJ. massive, nationwide Police launched a nationwide hunt for the woman, amid fears for her safety. | police | murder Police forces in five counties are now involved in the murder hunt. | treasure | witch (often figurative) The investigation turned into a full-scale Communist witch hunt.

HUNT + VERB begin, launch A massive police hunt was launched for the missing child. | lead Detectives leading the hunt for the killer believe he may be in hiding. | step up The mountain rescue team is stepping up its hunt for the missing climbers. | call off The hunt for survivors has now been called off.

HUNT + VERB begin, be on The hunt is on for potential employees with experience of electronic publishing.

PREP. ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hurdle noun

¹ in a race

VERB + HURDLE clear, jump (over) She cleared the first few hurdles easily. | fall at, hit His horse fell at the final hurdle.

² problem/difficulty

ADJ. big, difficult | main, major | final, first, last, next The first big hurdle in putting your car on the road is getting insurance.

VERB + HURDLE face This is perhaps the most difficult hurdle that we face. | clear, jump, overcome, pass We'll jump each hurdle as we come to it. You have already overcome the first major hurdle by passing the entrance exam. | fall at The plan fell at the first hurdle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hurricane noun

HURRICANE + VERB hit sth, strike (sth) A hurricane hit the city yesterday at 5 p.m. | damage sth, destroy sth, devastate sth The fields were devastated by the hurricane. | blow, blow itself out The hurricane took several days to blow itself out.

HURRICANE + NOUN force hurricane-force winds

PREP. in a/the ~ The roof blew off in a hurricane.

PHRASES the eye of the hurricane (= the central point)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hurry noun

ADJ. big, desperate, great, tearing, terrible I was late for the match and in a tearing hurry.

PREP. in a ~ They were in a hurry to set off. | in no ~ She's in no hurry to find out how much her phone bill comes to. | in your ~ In his hurry to leave, he forgot his briefcase.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hurtful adj.

VERBS be | find sth I found some of his comments rather hurtful.

ADV. deeply, very She made some very hurtful remarks. | a bit, rather

PREP. to What he said was deeply hurtful to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hurt adj.

¹ injured

VERBS be, look | get Stop that or you'll get hurt!

ADV. badly, seriously Steve didn't look seriously hurt. | slightly

² upset

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | get

ADV. bitterly, deeply, extremely, really, terribly, very | a bit, quite, rather, slightly

PREP. by Roy seemed deeply hurt by this remark.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hurt noun

ADJ. bitter, deep, great

VERB + HURT feel the deep hurt that he felt when Jane left him | cause She knew that she had caused her husband a lot of hurt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hurt verb

¹ cause pain/injury

ADV. badly, seriously She fell and hurt her leg quite badly. No one was seriously hurt in the accident. | slightly

² be/feel painful

ADV. badly, a lot, really My ankle still hurts quite badly. Does it hurt a lot? Ouch! It really hurts. | slightly

VERB + HURT be going to I knew it was going to hurt?but not that much! | begin to

³ upset sb

ADV. badly, deeply, really, terribly Her remarks hurt him deeply. They never told me why and that really hurt.

VERB + HURT attempt to, try to Are you deliberately trying to hurt me? | want to Why would I want to hurt her? | not mean to I never meant to hurt anyone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

husband noun

VERB + HUSBAND meet That was the day she met her future husband. | marry | be divorced from, be separated from, divorce, leave, walk out on She suddenly walked out on her husband, leaving him to bring up the children.

PHRASES husband and wife They lived together as husband and wife for over thirty years. | husband-to-be

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hush noun

ADJ. sudden | breathless, deathly | expectant

HUSH + VERB descend, fall A sudden hush fell over the room as the head teacher entered. | follow sth A deathly hush followed the explosion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hut noun

VERB + HUT build huts built with mud bricks

HUT + VERB stand The wooden hut stood on a lonely stretch of beach.

PREP. in a/the ~ The scheme housed children in large numbers in prefabricated huts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hygiene noun

ADJ. good, scrupulous | poor infections that are the result of poor food hygiene | dental, food, oral, personal, public Many skin diseases can be prevented by good personal hygiene.

HYGIENE + NOUN practices, regulations, standards

PHRASES standards of hygiene

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hymn noun

ADJ. rousing The service began with a rousing hymn. | traditional | modern

VERB + HYMN play, sing

HYMN + NOUN book | tune

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hype noun

ADJ. media | marketing | pre-match, pre-race, pre-season, etc.

VERB + HYPE live up to The movie failed to live up to all the hype. | believe

HYPE + VERB surround sth the hype surrounding her latest book

PREP. ~ about I don't believe all the hype about how good the French team will be this season.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hypnosis noun

VERB + HYPNOSIS be given, have, undergo | practise, put sb under I decided to put him under hypnosis and ask him again. | induce | be susceptible to

HYPNOSIS + NOUN session

PREP. during ~ changes in breathing observed during hypnosis | under ~ the things that people remember under hypnosis

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hypothesis noun

VERB + HYPOTHESIS construct, form, formulate, have, make, propose, put forward, suggest It is possible to make a hypothesis on the basis of this graph. A number of hypotheses have been put forward. | consider, discuss, examine, test (out) using this data to test her hypothesis | confirm, prove, support | accept | reject None of the hypotheses can be rejected at this stage.

VERB + HYPOTHESIS concern sth Her hypothesis concerns the role of electromagnetic radiation. | predict sth The hypothesis predicts that children will perform better on task A than on task B.

PREP. on a/the ~ Her study is based on the hypothesis that language simplification is possible. | ~ about an interesting hypothesis about the development of language | ~ on The results confirmed his hypothesis on the use of modal verbs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hypothetical adj.

VERBS be This is a purely hypothetical situation.

ADV. entirely, purely, totally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hysteria noun

ADJ. mass, public | mild, near | rising | media, tabloid Unnecessary anxiety has been caused by media hysteria and misinformation. | religious

QUANT. fit She smashed the place up in a fit of hysteria. | note, touch the touch of hysteria in her voice

VERB + HYSTERIA border on Sam arrived in a state of excitement bordering on hysteria. | bring on, engender, generate That thought was enough to bring on near hysteria.

HYSTERIA + VERB mount, rise She felt hysteria rising. | die down, diminish Eventually the hysteria died down. | sweep (across/through) sth the hysteria that swept through the country

PREP. ~ about public hysteria about the bombings | ~ over hysteria over Aids

PHRASES on the brink/point/verge of hysteria She was babbling, on the verge of hysteria.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

hysterical adj.

¹ suffering from/caused by hysteria

VERBS be, feel, sound Emily realized that she sounded hysterical. | become, get Calm down, you're getting hysterical.

ADV. completely | almost, nearly By this time Mary was almost hysterical. | faintly, mildly, rather, slightly

² very funny

VERBS be

ADV. absolutely, totally The whole episode was absolutely hysterical!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ice cream noun

ADJ. chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, etc.

QUANT. scoop | carton, tub

VERB + ICE CREAM eat, have

ICE CREAM + VERB melt

ICE CREAM + NOUN carton, cone | parlour, van

PHRASES and/with ice-cream apple pie with ice cream > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ice noun

ADJ. thick Is the ice thick enough to walk on? | thin | black Motorists have been warned about black ice on the roads.

QUANT. block, slab The spray froze and formed great blocks of ice on the front of the ship.

VERB + ICE form

ICE + VERB form Ice had formed on the pond. | crack, melt The ice was beginning to melt.

PREP. on the ~ skating on the ice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

icing noun

ADJ. fondant, gelatine, royal, sugar paste | chocolate, lemon, etc.

VERB + ICING roll out Roll out the icing into a large square. | cover sth with, pipe, smooth, spread, squeeze Pipe a little green icing around the strawberries. | trim off Trim off excess icing around the base. | colour Colour the remaining icing red.

ICING + VERB dry

ICING + NOUN sugar | bag

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

icon noun

¹ small symbol on a computer screen

ADJ. folder, network, printer, program, window, etc.

VERB + ICON click (on), double-click (on), right-click (on) Click the ‘modems’ icon. | drag > Special page at COMPUTER

² person considered to be a symbol

ADJ. national | cultural | gay, lesbian | fashion, pop, sporting, style

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ideal adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | make sth The hotel's size makes it ideal for large conferences. | consider sth

ADV. absolutely | almost | less than Language learning often takes place in a less than ideal environment.

PREP. for The houses are absolutely ideal for families with young children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ideal noun

ADJ. high, lofty, noble Sam was a real leader who had high moral ideals. | unattainable This is not an unattainable ideal. | aesthetic, artistic, ethical, moral, political | democratic, liberal, revolutionary, socialist

VERB + IDEAL be committed to, be devoted to, believe in, cling to, espouse, have, support They still clung to the old ideals. | pursue, strive for | achieve, attain, be true to, conform to, live up to A journalist should always live up to the ideals of truth, decency, and justice. | fall short of This agreement falls far short of the ideal. | abandon, betray She was accused of betraying her political ideals. | embody, reflect the democratic ideals embodied in the charter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

idea noun

¹ plan/suggestion

VERB + IDEA have Do you have any ideas for a present for Lara? | come up with, dream up, hit on/upon, produce, think up | draw, get Her ideas are drawn mainly from Chinese art. | contribute, input | moot, put forward | promote, push (forward), sell They managed to push the idea of moving office through the committee. | welcome Most employees welcome the idea of a ban on smoking. | consider, entertain, flirt with, toy with I'm toying with the idea of packing in my job. | mull over, turn over He kept turning the idea of resigning over in his mind. | encourage, generate Brainstorming is a good way of generating ideas. | stifle a system of decision-making that stifles original ideas | reject, scoff at, veto | test, try out | bounce around, bounce off sb, brainstorm, discuss, explore, talk about I met up with a designer to bounce a few ideas around. It's useful to have someone to bounce ideas off. | exchange, pool, share | give sb What gave you the idea to go freelance? | apply, implement, put into action/effect/practice The idea had long been mooted but nothing had been done to put it into practice. | transform, translate How could we translate the idea into business reality? | steal She accused the company of stealing her idea. | impose She always tries to impose her own ideas on the rest of the team.

IDEA + VERB come into sb's head/mind, come to sb, flash across/into sb's mind/brain, hit sb, occur to sb, pop into sb's head, strike sb The idea for the invention came to him in the bath. | emerge, evolve, form, grow An idea began to form in his mind. | flow His ideas flowed faster than he could express them. | come from sb/sth, date back from/to sth, originate, start, stem from sth The idea for the Olympics originated with Pierre de Coubertin. | blossom, work (out) The idea has now blossomed into a successful mail-order business. | lead The idea eventually led to the invention of the telephone. | come to nothing

PREP. ~ about I have an idea about how to tackle the problem. | ~ for We were asked to suggest ideas for improving efficiency. | ~ of She had the idea of advertising on the Internet.

PHRASES be open to ideas I don't know what to do, but I'm open to ideas. | the germ/glimmering of an idea The germ of his idea came from watching a bird make a nest. | have other ideas I wanted to take the week off, but my boss had other ideas. | it might be an idea It might be an idea to leave a note on the door for Mark.

² thought/impression

VERB + IDEA get They seem to have got the idea that we will be giving them a lift. You'll soon get the idea (= understand). | espouse, have, hold He holds very different ideas to mine about discipline. | develop, form, shape the experiences that shaped her ideas | express | communicate, convey, get across, get over, present, put across The book puts across complex ideas in a way anyone can understand. | demonstrate, explain, expound, illustrate | clarify, formalize, formulate, organize, structure Give careful thought to how to structure your ideas in the essay. | change, reconsider, reshape, revise They had to reconsider their ideas in the light of new evidence. | accept | dismiss, reject | harbour I hope he's not still harbouring ideas about asking me out. | be obsessed with He's obsessed with the idea of getting a motorbike. | relish I don't relish the idea of sharing an office with Tony.

IDEA + VERB amuse sb, appeal to sb, please sb The idea of going to his rescue amused her. | catch on, take hold Some students started wearing denim, and the idea caught on.

PREP. ~ about She's got some funny ideas about how to motivate staff. | ~ behind The idea behind the ceremony is to keep the gods happy to ensure a good crop. | ~ of Swimming in an icy river is not my idea of fun.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

identical adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | remain

ADV. absolutely, completely, exactly | not necessarily Different spreadsheet packages tend to be similar, though not necessarily identical. | almost, more or less, nearly, practically, virtually The two houses were more or less identical. | effectively | apparently | basically, essentially | chemically, formally, genetically

PREP. to This knife is identical to the one used in the attack. | with offspring that are genetically identical with the parents

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

identification noun

¹ act of identifying sb/sth

ADJ. accurate, correct | positive

VERB + IDENTIFICATION make She was unable to make a positive identification of the suspect.

IDENTIFICATION + NOUN parade A witness picked him out of an identity parade as the robber.

² proof of identity

VERB + IDENTIFICATION carry, have Always carry some identification. Do you have any identification? | ask for, check The police checked their identification.

IDENTIFICATION + NOUN card, papers | code, number The vehicle's identification number is stamped on the engine.

PHRASES a means of identification My only means of identification was my cheque book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

identify verb

ADV. accurately, correctly The new test will enable us to identify more accurately patients who are most at risk. Did you identify all the pictures correctly? | falsely, incorrectly, wrongly | positively | clearly, unambiguously, unequivocally We have not yet clearly identified the source of the pollution. | formally Someone has to formally identify the body. | easily, readily I could identify him easily if I saw him again. | tentatively All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines.

VERB + IDENTIFY be able/unable to, can tests that can identify people at risk of cancer | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to | be necessary to | attempt to, seek to, try to | be used to, enable sb to, help to | decline to The newspaper declined to identify the source of the allegations.

PHRASES a means/way of identifying sb/sth one means of identifying the disease in its early stages PHRASAL VERBS identify with sb

ADV. closely, strongly She identified strongly with the main character in the play.

VERB + IDENTIFY can/could I can't identify with men like him. identify sb with sth

ADV. closely The policy is closely identified with the prime minister himself. | clearly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

identity noun

ADJ. true | assumed, false He was discovered living under an assumed identity in South America. | mistaken This is obviously a case of mistaken identity. | new | common, corporate, cultural, national, personal, political, racial, sexual

VERB + IDENTITY create, develop, establish, forge They are still struggling to establish their identity as a political party. The company forged its own identity by producing specialist vehicles. | give sb/sth He felt that having a job gave him an identity. | maintain, preserve Many minority groups are struggling to maintain their cultural identity. | lose | change He changed his identity and moved abroad on his release from prison. | assume She was given a false passport and assumed a new identity. | disclose, reveal He refused to reveal the identity of his client. | discover, find out | guess It was easy to guess the identity of the thief. | conceal, hide, keep secret, protect Her voice was disguised to conceal her identity.

IDENTITY + NOUN bracelet, tag | card, documents, papers | code | parade The victim picked out her attacker in an identity parade. | crisis The country suffered from an identity crisis for years after the civil war.

PREP. ~ as Scotland has never lost its identity as a separate nation.

PHRASES proof of identity The police officer asked him for proof of identity. | a search for identity His search for his cultural identity took him to where his parents were born. | a sense of identity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ideology noun

ADJ. dominant | official | coherent The party's policies were based on prejudice rather than on any coherent ideology. | strong | cultural, economic, educational, political, religious | bourgeois, capitalist, communist, Marxist, revolutionary, socialist, etc.

VERB + IDEOLOGY have The party had a Marxist ideology. | adopt They distanced themselves from the upper class and adopted a communist ideology. | reject

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

idiot noun

ADJ. blithering, complete, gibbering, prize, right, silly, stupid What stupid idiot left their shoes on the stairs?

VERB + IDIOT be, feel (like), look like I felt a right idiot, standing there in front of all those people!

PHRASES make an idiot of yourself He's made a complete idiot of himself over this woman!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

idle adj.

¹ lazy

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | bone (informal), totally She never lifts a finger to help. She's bone idle. | rather

² not in use

VERBS be, lie, sit, stand Half their machines are lying idle. The pumps are standing idle. | remain | leave sth, make sth The land was left idle for years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

idol noun

ADJ. film, football, pop, rock, sports, etc. | teen, teenage By this time Pitt had become a teenage idol.

VERB + IDOL make (sb) Teenagers made Dean their idol. The film made an idol of her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ignite verb

ADV. spontaneously The burning foam generates such heat that other items in the room can ignite spontaneously.

VERB + IGNITE fail to The gunpowder sometimes fails to ignite.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ignition noun

VERB + IGNITION switch on, turn on She got into the car and switched on the ignition. | switch off, turn off

IGNITION + NOUN key He turned the ignition key.

PREP. in the ~ I must have left my key in the ignition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ignorance noun

ADJ. complete, total | remarkable | widespread | blissful

VERB + IGNORANCE betray, show I tried not to betray my ignorance. He showed a remarkable ignorance of the facts. | admit, confess, plead I had to confess my ignorance. He pleaded ignorance of any wrongdoing. | live in, remain in The sisters lived in total ignorance of each other. | keep sb in He was kept in ignorance of his true identity. | be based on These attitudes are based on ignorance and fear.

PREP. due to ~ mistakes due to ignorance | in ~ (of) She remained in blissful ignorance of these events. | through ~ Many lives are lost through ignorance. | ~ about There is still widespread ignorance about this disease.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ignorant adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem | remain The general public remained totally ignorant of the danger. | keep sb We were kept ignorant of the facts.

ADV. completely, entirely, pig (informal), quite, totally, utterly, very, wholly Don't ask Paul. He's pig ignorant. | largely | rather | blissfully We went to bed that night blissfully ignorant of the storm to come. | grossly, lamentably, woefully

PREP. about He was completely ignorant about the country's political system. | of We are still woefully ignorant of the causes of this disease.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ignore verb

ADV. altogether, completely, entirely, quite, totally | almost, practically, virtually | largely | generally | just, simply The government has simply ignored the problem altogether. | consistently | apparently | duly Her mother's opinions on how babies should be cared for were freely given and duly ignored. | easily The diesel fumes from Oxford's buses are not easily ignored. | conveniently (ironic) The managers have conveniently ignored these statistics. | blatantly Safety guidelines had been blatantly ignored. | assiduously, carefully, deliberately, determinedly, pointedly, resolutely, steadfastly, studiously She sat at her desk and studiously ignored me. | blithely, cheerfully He blithely ignored her protests and went on talking as if all were agreed between them. | coldly

VERB + IGNORE cannot (afford to) a warning the prime minister cannot afford to ignore | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | tend to Scientists have tended to ignore these creatures. | try to | choose to The judge chose to ignore the views of the doctors.

PHRASES be widely ignored Safety standards are widely ignored in the industry. | ignore sth at your peril The pernicious effect of this advertising on children is a problem that we ignore at our peril. | ignore the fact that … Did you think I'd ignore the fact that you were suffering from shock? | sth can be safely ignored (ironic) These people occupy such a marginal position in society that the authorities think they can be safely ignored.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ill-treatment noun VERB + ILL-TREATMENT suffer

PHRASES ill-treatment at sb's hands They suffered ill-treatment at the hands of the guards.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illegal adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | declare sth, deem sth, judge, make sth, pronounce sth, rule sth Their action was judged illegal by the International Court. The sale of these knives should be made illegal.

ADV. highly | absolutely, quite, strictly, totally | allegedly | technically Prize-fighting remained popular, though technically illegal, until the 1880s.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illegitimate adj.

VERBS be | consider sth, regard sth as

ADV. absolutely, completely, entirely, quite, wholly It is quite illegitimate to argue that the government had no choice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illiteracy noun

ADJ. widespread Illiteracy was widespread at that time.

QUANT. level, rate

ILLITERACY + NOUN rate Illiteracy rates have fallen in recent years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illiterate adj.

VERBS be

ADV. completely, totally | almost, largely, virtually | functionally People judged to be functionally illiterate lack the basic reading and writing skills required in everyday life. | economically, politically Is it surprising that young people who are politically illiterate do not bother to vote?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illness noun

QUANT. bout, episode an acute episode of mental illness

VERB + ILLNESS have, suffer (from) Badly fed children suffer a lot of minor illnesses. people who suffer from mental illness | contract, develop, get He contracted a serious illness and died a month later. | diagnose | treat The drug is used to treat a wide range of illnesses. | cause illnesses caused by poverty | prevent a drug that may be helpful in preventing illnesses such as cancer | recover from | fight (off) The immune system enables the body to fight off illness. | feign She feigned illness so that she wouldn't have to go to school. | nurse sb through She nursed her father through his final illness.

ILLNESS + VERB affect sb The mystery illness affected hundreds of people in the city.

PREP. after ~ He's just returned to work after illness. | because of/due to/through ~ earnings lost due to illness | with ~ people with serious psychological illnesses | ~ among a high rate of illness among the workers | ~ associated with the illnesses associated with HIV infection | ~ in episodes of illness in children

PHRASES the onset of illness the sudden onset of illness in a parent | a smoking-/Aids-, etc. related illness the most common stress-related illnesses

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illogical adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally | rather, slightly | apparently | strictly Although strictly illogical, Martin's interpretation of this paradox seems the best.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illuminate verb

¹ give light to sth

ADV. brightly, clearly | dimly, faintly, softly The room was dimly illuminated by the soft glow of his bedside lamp. | briefly | suddenly

² make sth clear

ADV. greatly, vividly an incident which vividly illuminated the problems we faced

VERB + ILLUMINATE help (to) The study of the present also helps to illuminate the past.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illuminating adj.

VERBS be, prove | find sth

ADV. extremely, highly, most, very I found his talk most illuminating. | not particularly | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illumination noun

ADJ. bright, good, strong

QUANT. level providing an excellent level of illumination

VERB + ILLUMINATION provide The skylight will provide good illumination from above.

ILLUMINATION + VERB come from sth Most of the illumination came from candles.

PHRASES a source of illumination The only source of illumination was a single small window.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illusion noun

ADJ. dangerous To believe you have nothing more to learn is a dangerous illusion. | optical, visual The road ahead looks wet, but in fact this is an optical illusion.

VERB + ILLUSION be under, entertain, have They are under no illusions about the difficulties ahead of them. | create, give (sb) The huge size of the vehicle gives the illusion of safety. | foster, maintain, preserve, sustain They are trying to maintain the illusion that the company is in good shape. | break, destroy, dispel, shatter Within the first week at university all my illusions were shattered. | shed Now is the time to shed our illusions.

PREP. ~ about/as to She had no illusions about her attractiveness to men.

PHRASES be all an illusion It turned out that their happy marriage was all an illusion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illustrate verb

¹ put pictures in sth

ADV. heavily, lavishly, richly | fully | attractively, beautifully, delightfully, handsomely, superbly

PREP. with The new edition is heavily illustrated with photographs of aircraft.

² make sth clear using examples/pictures

ADV. amply | admirably, aptly, neatly, nicely, well The dire consequences of chronic underfunding are nowhere better illustrated than in the nation's schools. | perfectly | merely, simply His question merely illustrates his ignorance of the subject. | clearly, dramatically, graphically, strikingly, vividly | brutally, starkly, tragically The case tragically illustrates the dangers of fireworks.

VERB + ILLUSTRATE serve to Two examples serve to illustrate this point. | be chosen to, be designed to, be intended to

PREP. to a way of illustrating to the chairman the folly of his decision

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

illustration noun

¹ picture in a book etc.

ADJ. black and white, colour/coloured, full-colour | beautiful, lively The clear, lively illustrations are in full colour. | clear | book, cover

ILLUSTRATION + VERB show sth | accompany sth the illustrations accompanying the text

PREP. in an/the ~ The kite is assembled as shown in the illustration. | with an/the ~ | ~ by ‘The Black Cat’ by Alan Ahlberg, with illustrations by Arthur Robins

² example

ADJ. good, excellent, perfect | clear, dramatic, graphic, striking, vivid These events are a graphic illustration of the fact that their promises cannot be trusted. | simple Let us take a very simple illustration. | classic

VERB + ILLUSTRATION serve as Chicago serves as an illustration of the problems faced by such cities. | give (sb), provide Explain the policy of detente and provide some illustrations of how it worked in practice. | take, use sth as/for I will use one recent example as an illustration.

PREP. as an ~ As an illustration of this point, I'm going to tell you a true story. | by way of ~ He quoted several famous writers by way of illustration.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ill adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, be taken, fall, get | make sb I can't eat bananas. They make me ill.

ADV. critically, dangerously, desperately, extremely, gravely, really, seriously, severely, terribly, very His mother is seriously ill in hospital. | almost Robyn was almost ill with excitement and outrage. | pretty, quite, rather, slightly | genuinely | violently She was taken violently ill and had to be put to bed. | acutely | chronically chronically ill patients | fatally, incurably, mortally, terminally a hospice for the terminally ill | mentally, physically the problems faced by mentally ill people

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imagery noun

ADJ. powerful, resonant, telling, vivid the vivid visual imagery of dreams | slick the slick imagery of rock stardom | popular drawing on popular imagery from newspapers and magazines | visual | mental Illustration may come between the text and the reader's own mental imagery. | religious, sexual

VERB + IMAGERY draw on, use

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

image noun

¹ impression of sb/sth given to the public

ADJ. positive | negative | upmarket | downmarket | tarnished The party needs to clean up its somewhat tarnished image. | clean-cut, girl-next-door, wholesome She was aiming for a wholesome, girl-next-door image. | macho | hackneyed the hackneyed image of the poor student | media, public, screen In real life she looks nothing like her screen image. | brand, corporate Champagne houses owe their success to brand image.

VERB + IMAGE create The company needs to create a new image for itself. | present, project, promote a book which presents positive images of older people | aim for, go for | change | clean up, enhance, improve, polish, revive an effort to improve the organization's public image | keep up, live up to The group has failed to live up to its macho image. | discard, shed The industry is trying to shed its negative image. | tarnish

² mental picture of sb/sth

VERB + IMAGE have | conjure up, summon up Dieting always seems to conjure up images of endless cottage cheese salads. the ability to summon up images in the mind | build up I like to build up images of the characters and setting before I start to write. | use | reinforce Treating disabled people like children only reinforces negative images of disability.

PREP. ~ from images from his past

³ copy

ADJ. living, spitting He's the spitting image of his father! | mirror Charity was a mirror image of her twin. (figurative) The return journey was almost a mirror image of the outward one (= the same things happened in the reverse order).

⁴ picture

ADJ. disturbing, poignant, powerful, striking powerful and disturbing images of the war | visual The visual image is steadily replacing the written word. | flickering, moving flickering images on a screen | still the use of still and moving video images | colour | black-and-white, monochrome | photographic, video | screen Each illustration is displayed as a complete screen image. | digital | graven (literary) It was forbidden to worship graven (= carved) images. | religious | pornographic

VERB + IMAGE produce the images produced on laser printers | capture, scan She longed to capture the image on film. | edit | display, show the pixel information used to display a digital image | store You can store these images in a separate computer file. | juxtapose The display juxtaposed images from serious and popular art.

IMAGE + VERB show sth heat images that show where most of the activity in the brain is

IMAGE + NOUN capture, processing | database > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imaginable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. barely, hardly, scarcely To such poor people, the idea of having a choice of food is barely imaginable.

PHRASES the best/worst … imaginable They live in the worst conditions imaginable. | every imaginable sth They had every imaginable colour. They had every colour imaginable. | the most … imaginable It was the most boring film imaginable!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imaginary adj.

VERBS be

ADV. completely, purely, wholly The characters in this book are purely imaginary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imagination noun

ADJ. great | active, creative, fertile, vivid | fevered, overactive, overheated It's just a product of your fevered imagination! | collective, popular, public a popular hero who inspired the collective imagination | visual I was no good at art?I have a very poor visual imagination. | historical, literary It requires a strong effort of historical imagination to understand the Roman attitude to death. | human the powers of the human imagination

VERB + IMAGINATION have | show | lack Today's pop music lacks imagination. | require, take It does not take great imagination to guess what happened next. | use I haven't got a picture of this so you'll just have to use your imagination. | capture, captivate, catch, excite, fire, inspire, seize, stimulate, stir Victorian writers fired the popular imagination with their tales of adventure. | grip, hold Dinosaurs caught and have held the imagination of us all because they seem like dragons. | stretch, tax | defy The scale of the disaster defied imagination (= was greater than you could imagine). | leave sth to As for their reaction, I'll leave that to your imagination!

IMAGINATION + VERB conjure sth up His imagination conjured up a vision of the normal family life he had never had. | run away with you, run riot/wild

PREP. beyond (your) ~ misery that is beyond most people's imagination | in the/your ~ Nobody hates you?it's all in your imagination! | with/without ~ He was totally without imagination.

PHRASES a lack of imagination, a figment/product of sb's imagination The figure vanished as silently as if it had simply been a figment of her imagination. | not by any/by no stretch of the imagination Not by any stretch of the imagination could she be called beautiful (= she was definitely not beautiful in any way). | only your imagination Is it only my imagination or have you lost weight? | with a little imagination With a little imagination you can create a delicious meal from yesterday's leftovers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imaginative adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. brilliantly, extremely, highly, most, very, wonderfully a wonderfully imaginative story | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imagine verb

¹ form a picture of sth in your mind

ADV. clearly, easily, readily I could clearly imagine the scene in the office. | hardly, scarcely I could hardly imagine living in such a remote and desolate spot. | just She could just imagine her mother's look of horror. | actually I can't actually imagine her falling for that trick. | always I always imagined him following in his father's footsteps. | fondly, naively I had fondly imagined that riding a mule would be easy.

VERB + IMAGINE can/could (well) I can well imagine the atmosphere at home at this moment. | can/could not (possibly) There's more at stake here than you can possibly imagine. | try to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to It is difficult to imagine Blackpool without its famous Tower. | be easy to

PHRASES let us imagine Let us imagine what really might have happened.

² see/hear/think sth that is not true/does not exist

ADV. really, seriously You don't seriously imagine I'll agree to that? | almost I could almost imagine you were jealous. | actually | fondly, naively

VERB + IMAGINE be easy to

PHRASES be imagining things Had I really heard a noise, or was I just imagining things? | real or imagined He was always keen to avenge insults, real or imagined.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imbalance noun

ADJ. growing | regional | gender, power, trade | chemical, hormonal

VERB + IMBALANCE cause, create | correct, redress Increased recruitment of women engineers will help correct the gender imbalance in the profession.

IMBALANCE + VERB arise, occur

PREP. ~ between an imbalance between imports and exports | ~ in An imbalance in certain chemicals leads to disturbances in the brain's function.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imitation noun

¹ copy of a thing

ADJ. accurate, good, passable | cheap, crude, pale, poor Accept no cheap imitations of our product! Their version of jazz funk is a pale imitation of the real thing.

² act of copying sth

ADJ. faithful, slavish | direct Children are seen as learning to write by direct imitation of adult models.

PREP. in ~ of The poems, some in imitation of Ossian, are graceful if unremarkable.

³ copy of sb's speech/behaviour

ADJ. fair, good, passable | poor

VERB + IMITATION do, give, perform He does a very good imitation of George W. Bush.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immaculate adj

VERBS be, look | keep sth

ADV. absolutely, totally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immaterial adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, wholly The condition of the car is quite immaterial as long as it works. | almost, virtually | relatively

PREP. to These facts are immaterial to the problem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immature adj

VERBS be, seem

ADV. very | rather, relatively | emotionally, physically, politically, sexually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immediacy noun

VERB + IMMEDIACY lack

PHRASES a lack of immediacy, a loss of immediacy Television allows viewers to experience an event without any loss of immediacy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immediate adj.

VERBS be, seem The effect seems immediate.

ADV. almost The painkillers brought almost immediate relief.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immerse verb

¹ put sth in liquid

ADV. completely, fully, totally | partially

PREP. in The seeds need to be completely immersed in water.

² concentrate completely on sth

ADV. deeply Clare and Phil were deeply immersed in conversation. | completely, totally | in For six months I totally immersed myself in my work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immigrant noun

QUANT. flood, influx, wave

VERB + IMMIGRANT accept, welcome | deport, return ships laden with would-be immigrants who were forcibly returned

IMMIGRANT + VERB arrive, enter sth immigrants seeking to enter the country | come from sth | settle (sth) European immigrants settled much of Australia.

IMMIGRANT + NOUN community, family, group, population | worker | labour

PREP. ~ from, ~ to She was the daughter of Chinese immigrants to America.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immigration noun

¹ coming to live in a country

ADJ. illegal | large-scale, mass

VERB + IMMIGRATION control, restrict laws restricting immigration into the US

IMMIGRATION + NOUN control, law, policy, rules | authority, officer, official, service

PREP. ~ from There was a sudden increase in immigration from Eastern Europe.

² (also immigration control) at a port/airport

VERB + IMMIGRATION go/pass through We landed at Heathrow and went through customs and immigration.

IMMIGRATION + NOUN checks, formalities, procedures calls for tighter immigration procedures

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immobile adj.

VERBS lie, remain, sit, stand She seemed scarcely to breathe as she lay immobile. | become | hold sb, leave sb For a moment shock held her immobile. The accident left him totally immobile.

ADV. completely, perfectly, totally, utterly | almost, virtually | relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immoral adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | condemn sth as, consider sth, regard sth as, think sth He condemned the government's action as immoral.

ADV. downright, quite, totally, utterly | rather, slightly, vaguely That sounds vaguely immoral.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immortality noun

ADJ. personal Some religions include a doctrine of personal immortality.

VERB + IMMORTALITY achieve | confer, give sb It was in the power of the gods to confer immortality upon mortals.

PHRASES the immortality of the soul They believe in the immortality of the soul.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immortal adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. almost, virtually | effectively The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal. | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immune adj.

¹ protected against a disease

VERBS be, seem | become | remain, stay | make sb The vaccination doesn't necessarily make you completely immune.

ADV. completely, totally

PREP. to Many people are immune to this disease.

² not affected by sth

VERBS appear, be, prove, seem | become | remain

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | by no means, far from Children are far from immune to the virus of cruelty that is latent in all human beings. | almost, largely, virtually | relatively

PREP. to She's quite immune to criticism.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immunity noun

¹ protection against disease

ADJ. strong | acquired, natural

VERB + IMMUNITY have The island's inhabitants had no immunity to the diseases carried by the explorers and quickly succumbed. | lack | acquire, build up, develop Once you have had a cold you build up immunity to that particular virus. | stimulate the use of vaccines to stimulate immunity | boost | lower High levels of stress may lower your immunity to common illnesses.

IMMUNITY + VERB develop A strong immunity to reinfection develops after one year.

PREP. ~ against/to The newcomers lacked immunity against local strains of the disease.

² protection from danger/punishment

ADJ. complete, total | effective | diplomatic, legal, parliamentary Several ministers were stripped of parliamentary immunity as a prelude to facing corruption charges. | public interest The newspaper claimed public interest immunity when threatened with prosecution for publishing the story (= claimed that the public had a right to know about the story).

VERB + IMMUNITY enjoy | claim, seek | confer, give sb, grant (sb), guarantee (sb), provide | abolish, lift, strip sb of The Supreme Court lifted the company's immunity from criminal prosecution. | lose

PREP. ~ from Unions were granted immunity from prosecution for non-violent acts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

immunize verb

ADV. routinely

PREP. against Children have been routinely immunized against polio since 1958. | with They immunized some mice with a dose of the live vaccine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impact noun

¹ effect/impression

ADJ. big, considerable, dramatic, enormous, great, high, huge, important, main, major, massive, powerful, profound, real, significant, strong, substantial, tremendous a high-impact message aimed at changing high risk behaviour among drug-users | limited, marginal, minimal/minimum, negligible | full The industrial north of the country felt the full impact of the recession. | maximum We'll show you how to dress for maximum impact at the all-important audition. | overall, total | growing, increasing | added | disproportionate | uneven the uneven impact of the debt crisis on developing countries | aggregate, combined, cumulative considering the cumulative impact of a series of damaging events | decisive | direct The railways made a direct physical impact on the landscape. | immediate, instant | initial, short-term | lasting, long-term | far-reaching, wider It is important to appreciate the wider impact and implications of this proposal. | future, likely, possible, potential | beneficial, favourable, positive | adverse, catastrophic, damaging, devastating, disastrous, heavy, negative, serious, severe | human The severest human impact on the dolphins has been the loss of habitat. | personal The personal impact of party leaders has been very important. | physical, visual seeking to reduce the visual impact of wind farms on the landscape | cultural, ecological, economic, emotional, environmental, financial, health, political, psychological, social The environmental impact of power generation is being assessed.

VERB + IMPACT achieve, create, exert, have, make Variations in the interest rate will have an impact on the whole housing market. You certainly made a big impact on Carter. | feel The initial impact of the reforms will be felt most keenly in primary schools. | analyse, assess, consider, evaluate, examine, explore, judge, measure, monitor, study It is difficult to judge the likely impact of the changes on employment patterns. | enhance, increase, maximize | alleviate, cushion, lessen, minimize, reduce, soften We are trying to minimize the impact of price rises on our customers. | diminish, lessen, reduce, weaken Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. | lose When peace returned, the hardline message lost much of its impact. | resist, withstand This section explores how mothers resist the impact of poverty on the health of their children. | be concerned about | appreciate | highlight | address | predict | reflect Architecturally, these churches reflected the impact of the Renaissance.

PREP. under the ~ of Manufacturing fell sharply under the impact of the recession. | ~ on/upon to highlight the impact of technology on working practices

² act/force of one object hitting another

ADJ. full | initial

VERB + IMPACT take The front coach of the train took the full impact of the crash. | feel | absorb A well-designed sports shoe should absorb the impact on the 28 bones in each foot. | lessen, soften Air bags are designed to soften the impact for crash victims. | survive, withstand The crew of six may have survived the initial impact, but the whole plane went up in flames seconds later.

IMPACT + VERB occur Impact occurred seconds after the pilot signalled for help. | knock sb/sth … The impact knocked him off balance.

IMPACT + NOUN speed | crater Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface.

PREP. on ~ The front of the car had crumpled on impact.

PHRASES the moment/point/time of impact

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impair verb

ADV. dramatically, gravely, greatly, seriously, severely, significantly, substantially | directly factors which directly impair memory

PHRASES badly impaired Her sight is badly impaired. | hearing/mentally/visually impaired the problems faced by people who are hearing impaired

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impartiality noun

ADJ. complete | due The BBC must ensure that due impartiality is preserved in its news programmes.

VERB + IMPARTIALITY guarantee, maintain, preserve | compromise, prejudice The newspaper sought to present a range of opinions without compromising its impartiality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impartial adj.

VERBS be | remain The judge must remain impartial.

ADV. completely, quite, strictly, totally | fairly, reasonably, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impassable adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | make sth | think sth The river's broad mudflats were thought completely impassable.

ADV. completely, totally The mud made the roads impassable. | almost, virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impasse noun

ADJ. diplomatic, legal, political

VERB + IMPASSE reach Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse. | break, end, overcome, resolve

PHRASES a way out of an impasse The proposal offered both sides a way out of the diplomatic impasse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impassive adj.

VERBS be, sit, stand | become | remain

ADV. completely, quite, totally | almost Her expression was cool, almost impassive. | rather | usually A smile transformed her usually impassive face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impatience noun

ADJ. growing, mounting | slight | barely concealed/controlled

QUANT. hint, note, touch

VERB + IMPATIENCE feel She felt a growing impatience. | express, show He was trying hard not to show his impatience. | contain, control, curb, restrain unable to contain her impatience | conceal, hide

IMPATIENCE + VERB grow

PREP. with ~ He stamped his feet as he waited with barely concealed impatience for the telephone. | ~ at He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress. | ~ for his impatience for her to return | ~ with impatience with the slowness of change

PHRASES a gesture of impatience He shook his head in a gesture of impatience. | a sigh of impatience He bit back a sigh of impatience. | signs of impatience The children were beginning to show signs of impatience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impatient adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem, sound | become, get, grow The children were growing impatient.

ADV. extremely, really, very | increasingly | almost | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat, a touch He spoke in a somewhat impatient tone. | suddenly

PREP. about She's getting impatient about the delays. | at Sean was a touch impatient at the time Valerie devoted to her mother. | for impatient for change | with Sometimes he is very impatient with his wife.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impede verb

ADV. greatly, seriously, significantly The bad weather seriously impeded our progress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impediment noun

ADJ. great, major, serious | absolute | chief, main | lawful, legal There are no legal impediments to their appealing against the decision.

VERB + IMPEDIMENT be, constitute, provide | remove The agreement is designed to remove impediments to trade between the two countries.

PREP. ~ to Their boycott of the talks constitutes a serious impediment to peace negotiations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impenetrable adj.

¹ impossible to enter/get through

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become | find sth They found the jungle virtually impenetrable.

ADV. almost, nearly, virtually

² impossible to understand

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | find sth

ADV. almost, virtually | somewhat I find his style somewhat impenetrable. | seemingly

PREP. to The language of this document would be impenetrable to anyone except a specialist.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imperative adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain It remains imperative that all sides should be involved in the talks. | make sth The collapse of the wall made it imperative to keep the water out by some other means. | consider sth We consider it absolutely imperative to start work immediately.

ADV. absolutely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imperceptible adj.

VERBS be

ADV. almost, virtually His head moved in an almost imperceptible nod.

PREP. to The slight change in the taste was imperceptible to most people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imperfection noun

ADJ. moral, physical

VERB + IMPERFECTION cover up | reveal, show up

PREP. ~ in Careful inspection in daylight revealed imperfections in the paintwork.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imperfect adj.

VERBS be | remain Our understanding of cancer remains imperfect.

ADV. highly, very The system is highly imperfect. | rather, slightly These goods are slightly imperfect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imperialism noun

ADJ. American, British, Roman, Western, etc. | capitalist, cultural, economic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impersonal adj.

¹ not showing friendly human feelings

VERBS be, seem | become | find sth I find the atmosphere there rather impersonal.

ADV. very | totally | a bit, rather | coldly, coolly His voice was coolly impersonal. | oddly

² not referring to any particular person

VERBS be | keep sth I think we should keep things entirely impersonal.

ADV. absolutely, completely, entirely, totally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impertinence noun

ADJ. gross I consider his remark a gross impertinence.

VERB + IMPERTINENCE have She had the impertinence to suggest I needed a holiday.

PHRASES the height of impertinence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impertinent adj.

VERBS be, seem | get Don't you get impertinent with me! | find sth She found the question highly impertinent.

ADV. highly, very | slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impervious adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | remain

ADV. completely, quite, totally, wholly He was completely impervious to criticism. | almost, largely, virtually | apparently

PREP. to She was impervious to his charms.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impetus noun

ADJ. considerable, great, powerful, strong | main, major | immediate, initial, original | fresh, new, renewed Each new rumour added fresh impetus to the smear campaign. | added, extra, further | necessary His disappointment in the World Championships provided the necessary impetus to give everything for this final race.

VERB + IMPETUS add, give sb/sth, provide (sb/sth with) The slope added impetus to his speed. | gain, gather, receive The movement is steadily gaining impetus. | lose With the death of its founder, the campaign lost much of its impetus.

IMPETUS + VERB come from sth Much of the impetus for change came from customers' opinions.

PREP. ~ behind sb/sth The main impetus behind the move west was to find gold and other minerals. | ~ for the impetus for arms control agreements | ~ towards the impetus towards urban development

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impinge verb

ADV. seriously actions which seriously impinge on other people's personal freedoms | hardly | directly, indirectly

PREP. on/upon measures which directly or indirectly impinge upon women's lives

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

implausible adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | consider sth, deem sth These results might be considered implausible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

implementation noun

VERB + IMPLEMENTATION achieve, ensure, secure To achieve implementation of the programme is a long, slow task. | monitor, oversee, supervise The UN is to supervise the implementation of the peace treaty. | consider, discuss

IMPLEMENTATION + NOUN plan | process The restructuring will take place in phases, to simplify the implementation process. | problem

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

implement noun

ADJ. agricultural, farm, garden, kitchen, surgical | sharp Make sure that all sharp implements, such as scythes, have covers. | flint, metal, stone, wooden

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

implement verb

VERB + IMPLEMENT agree to, decide to, intend to, promise to | attempt to, seek to, try to | fail to The government failed to implement the plan. | refuse to | be forced to, be obliged to | be difficult to, be hard to The decision will be difficult to implement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

implicate verb be implicated in sth

ADV. deeply, heavily, strongly These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. | directly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

implication noun

¹ possible effect/result

VERB + IMPLICATION carry, have The emphasis on testing leads to greater stress among students and carries implications of failure. | grasp, realize, understand | assess, consider, examine, explore, ponder, study You need to consider the legal implications before you publish anything. | digest | discuss | explain | accept a society that fully accepts the implications of disability | reject | ignore

IMPLICATION + VERB arise Several interesting implications arise from these developments. | be involved Given the resource implications involved, the plan will have to be scaled down.

PREP. ~ about disturbing implications about the company's future | ~ for The research has far-reaching implications for medicine as a whole.

² sth suggested but not said openly

ADJ. clear, obvious The implication is clear: young females do better if they mate with a new male. | possible His remark seemed to have various possible implications. | unspoken

VERB + IMPLICATION carry, have | understand | digest Brian paused for a moment while he digested the implications of this statement. | resent I resent the implication that I don't care about my father.

PREP. by ~ In refusing to believe our story, he is saying by implication that we are lying.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imply verb

ADV. clearly, heavily, strongly | simply | generally, normally, usually | automatically | not necessarily This does not necessarily imply that children achieve better results in private schools. | in no way They believe that submission in no way implies inferiority.

VERB + IMPLY seem to The letter seems to imply that the minister knew about the business deals. | intend to, mean to I never meant to imply any criticism. | take sth to This statement should not be taken to imply that the government is exonerated of all blame.

PHRASES express or implied the express or implied terms of the contract

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

importance noun

ADJ. cardinal, central, considerable, critical, crucial, enormous, especial, extreme, fundamental, great, high, immense, key, major, outstanding, overriding, overwhelming, paramount, particular, primary, prime, profound, real, special, supreme, tremendous, vital | first, greatest, highest, utmost This information is of the first importance. It is of the utmost importance that you arrive on time. | growing, increasing | declining the declining importance of manufacturing industry | lesser, limited, marginal, minor, secondary | direct | general | added | immediate | continued/continuing, lasting | equal | relative | intrinsic | obvious | perceived differences in the perceived importance of the different subjects in the curriculum | potential | public | international, national | practical | theoretical | symbolic the symbolic importance of iron in German culture | archaeological, commercial, constitutional, cultural, ecological, economic, environmental, historical, legal, military, political, social, strategic

VERB + IMPORTANCE have These finds have considerable archaeological importance. | assume, take on Childcare schemes take on an added importance at a time of national recession. | grow in, increase in, rise in | decline in, diminish in, fall in The overseas markets have now declined in importance. | attach, give sth, place To what objectives do you attach most importance? the importance placed on cleanliness | accept, acknowledge, appreciate, be aware of, grasp, realize, recognize, see, understand People were aware of the importance of working with nature. | demonstrate, illustrate, indicate, point to, reflect, show, suggest Figure 2.2 shows the relative importance of the different service industries. | assert | deny | confirm | draw attention to, emphasize, highlight, point up, promote, stress, underline The manual stresses the importance of regular maintenance. | diminish, downplay, minimize, play down, underplay She was inclined to play down the importance of her own role in the affair. | exaggerate, overestimate | underestimate, undervalue Don't underestimate the importance of neat presentation. | increase | reduce | consider, discuss | explain | cast/throw doubt on, doubt, question No one can seriously question the political importance of the environment. | forget, ignore, overlook

IMPORTANCE + VERB arise from sth, lie in sth The town's importance lies in the richness and quality of its architecture. | depend on sth

PREP. of … ~ The railways were of crucial importance in opening up the American West. | ~ for an area of enormous importance for wildlife | ~ to the importance to the country of a healthy economy

PHRASES in order of importance Deal with the issues in order of importance. | a matter of importance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

important adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | make sth This is what makes our work so important. | believe sth, consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth These ideas are considered enormously important.

ADV. critically, crucially, enormously, especially, extremely, hugely, most, particularly, really, terribly, very, vitally This is most important: you must deliver the letter to Johnson himself. | increasingly | doubly | fairly, quite | equally These two factors are equally important. | internationally, regionally an internationally important site for these rare birds | economically, functionally, historically, politically, strategically historically important buildings

PREP. for It's important for you to understand this. | to Spending time with my children is important to me. The work of the intelligence services was crucially important to victory in the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

import noun

VERB + IMPORT boost, increase pressure on the government to stimulate the faltering economy and boost imports | curb, cut, reduce, restrict | discourage | control | block, prevent, stop | ban, prohibit The government decided to prohibit the import of toxic waste. | finance Most of their oil revenues are used to finance imports of consumer and capital goods. | replace The industry aims both to increase exports and replace imports.

IMPORT + VERB grow, increase, rise | drop, fall | be valued at sth, total sth Imports were valued at £516 million last month. | account for sth Imports of foodstuffs accounted for a small proportion of total imports.

PREP. ~ from America has cut its oil imports from the Middle East by 73%. | ~ into Special duties were imposed on imports into the republic.

PHRASES a ban/restriction on imports, the demand for imports, a fall/rise in imports > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

import verb

ADV. directly | illegally, legally | specially

PREP. from The store's croissants are imported directly from France. | into These dogs are illegally imported into the country. | to goods that are imported to Britain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impose verb

ADV. effectively The terms of the contract were effectively imposed rather than agreed. | simply New technology cannot be used successfully if it is simply imposed on an unwilling workforce. | centrally a centrally imposed school curriculum | externally the pressure of having to meet externally imposed targets | artificially Motivation to learn must come from the child; it cannot be artificially imposed.

VERB + IMPOSE seek to, strive to, try to

PREP. on/upon The government has imposed a ban on the sale of handguns.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imposition noun

¹ act of imposing sth

VERB + IMPOSITION justify Several reasons were put forward to justify the imposition of censorship. | oppose, resist | resent

PREP. ~ on resisting the imposition of VAT on fuel

² unreasonable thing sb expects you to do

ADJ. unacceptable, unwelcome

PREP. ~ on She felt the journey to be an unwelcome imposition on her time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impossible adj.

¹ not possible

VERBS appear, be, look, prove, seem, sound | become | remain | make sth, render sth Darkness made it impossible to continue. | believe sth, consider sth, deem sth, find sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth I found his offer impossible to resist.

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally, utterly | frankly Cooking for forty would be frankly impossible without my new assistant. | just, simply I'm really sorry. It's just impossible. | by no means, far from, not altogether a desirable and far from impossible objective to achieve | almost, more or less, near, nearly, next to, nigh on, practically, virtually, well-nigh It was well-nigh impossible for him to convince her that he was right. | pretty | effectively | literally | apparently, seemingly | theoretically | clearly, obviously | equally Both options are equally impossible. | generally | hitherto, previously With the new equipment we will be able to accomplish hitherto impossible tasks. | ultimately | economically, financially, logically, logistically, mathematically, politically, physically, scientifically, socially, technically The high cost of childcare made returning to work economically impossible.

PREP. for The situation is quite impossible for us. It's impossible for me to say.

² bad-tempered; difficult to talk to/deal with

VERBS be | become | find sb I find her impossible.

ADV. bloody (taboo), really | absolutely, completely, quite, totally You can be absolutely impossible at times! | just

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impotence noun

ADJ. total | relative | male | political, sexual

PHRASES a feeling/sense of impotence Violence may result from a sense of impotence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impotent adj.

¹ without enough power/influence

VERBS be, feel, prove | remain | leave sb, make sb, render sb Companies are rendered impotent by all the rules and regulations.

ADV. completely, quite, totally | virtually | politically

PREP. against They were virtually impotent against the power of the large companies.

² not capable of having sex

VERBS be | become | leave sb, make sb The operation left him impotent.

ADV. sexually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impracticable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | make sth, render sth The damage it would cause makes the idea utterly impracticable. | consider sth, find sth This idea was considered completely impracticable.

ADV. highly | completely, quite, totally, utterly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impractical adj.

¹ not sensible or reasonable

VERBS be, prove Such a solution proved impractical. | become | make sth The weight of the machine makes lifting it impractical. | consider sth, deem sth, find sth, regard sth as They found his ideas impractical.

ADV. highly, hopelessly The long flowing dress was highly impractical. | completely, downright, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | rather, somewhat | fundamentally a fundamentally impractical design | obviously

² not good at everyday jobs

VERBS be, seem

ADV. hopelessly He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imprecise adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, rather, somewhat | notoriously ‘Breach of the peace’ is a notoriously imprecise notion.

PREP. about She was rather imprecise about the cost of the trip.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impressed adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. deeply, enormously, especially, extremely, greatly, immensely, mightily, much, overwhelmingly, particularly, profoundly, really, terribly, tremendously, very (much) | less than, not overly I was not overly impressed by the proposals. | fairly, mildly, quite | enough, sufficiently The prince was impressed enough to commission a portrait from the artist. | genuinely | immediately, instantly | favourably | duly, suitably He mentioned a few famous acquaintances, and we were suitably impressed. | clearly, obviously

PREP. by The manager was favourably impressed by Jo's work. | with He was very impressed with her house.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impressionable adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. highly, very He is in a highly impressionable state.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impression noun

¹ idea/feeling/opinion about sth

VERB + IMPRESSION form, gain, get, have, obtain, receive I got the distinct impression that you disliked her. | convey, create, give (sb), leave sb with, provide (sb wtih) The book leaves you with a distorted impression of politics. | maintain She was trying to maintain the impression that she was in control. | confirm | heighten, reinforce, strengthen | avoid It was difficult to avoid the impression that he was assisting them for selfish reasons. | correct I must correct a false impression that I gave you just now. | record She recorded her impressions of the city in her diary.

IMPRESSION + VERB count When it comes to finding a partner, first impressions do count.

PREP. under a/the ~ I was under the impression that you weren't coming until tomorrow. | ~ about I had the wrong impression about him. | ~ as to mistaken impressions as to the strength of the market

² effect that an experience/person has on sb/sth

ADJ. considerable, deep, powerful, profound, strong, tremendous | superficial | abiding, indelible, lasting | excellent, favourable, good, great | bad, poor, unfavourable | false, misleading, wrong | right If you want to create the right impression, I suggest you wear a suit. | first, immediate The new striker failed to make an immediate impression on the team.

VERB + IMPRESSION create, leave, make

PREP. ~ on/upon The day's events left a lasting impression on them.

³ drawing

ADJ. artist's

VERB + IMPRESSION issue The police have issued an artist's impression of the attacker.

⁴ amusing copy of sb

ADJ. good, reasonable

VERB + IMPRESSION do He does some very good impressions of pop stars.

⁵ mark left on an object

VERB + IMPRESSION bear The sealing wax bore the impression of a sailing ship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impressive adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | remain | make sth The fact that he is so young makes his achievements even more impressive. | find sth

ADV. decidedly, enormously, extremely, highly, hugely, immensely, mightily, most, particularly, really, tremendously, truly, very The new building looks most impressive. | far from, hardly, not unduly He was far from impressive in his semi-final against Federer. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather | undeniably, undoubtedly | suitably A large portico provides a suitably impressive entrance to the chapel. | equally, similarly The scenery to the north of the lake is equally impressive. | consistently | technically, visually The film is technically impressive, but lacks real excitement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impress verb

ADV. really His work really impressed me.

VERB + IMPRESS be determined to, be keen to, hope to, want to | attempt to, seek to, try to | be designed to | fail to The results failed to impress us.

PREP. with She impressed us with both the depth and range of her knowledge.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to impress sb, be easily impressed I was young and easily impressed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imprint noun

ADJ. indelible, permanent | unmistakable

VERB + IMPRINT bear The ceramics bore the imprint of Luca della Robbia. | leave, make Glaciation has left a permanent imprint on the landscape. (figurative) The sinister atmosphere of the place left an indelible imprint on my memory.

PREP. ~ on/upon

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imprisonment noun

ADJ. six months', ten years', etc. | life | indefinite | immediate | false, unlawful, wrongful

VERB + IMPRISONMENT be liable to, face The Act states that anyone committing the offence is liable to imprisonment. The coup leaders could face life imprisonment. | receive, suffer Those who were captured suffered imprisonment. | be released from | sentence sb to

IMPRISONMENT + VERB be suspended for sth The judge sentenced her to 6 months imprisonment suspended for 15 months.

PREP. ~ for imprisonment for illegal possession of weapons

PHRASES (carry) a penalty of … imprisonment The offence carries a penalty of 2 years' imprisonment. | imprisonment without trial, a period/sentence/term of imprisonment, punishable by imprisonment a felony punishable by imprisonment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

imprison verb

ADV. virtually Her fear virtually imprisoned her in her home. | falsely, unlawfully, wrongfully, wrongly working on behalf of people who have been wrongly imprisoned | briefly, temporarily

PREP. for He was imprisoned for debt. | in He was imprisoned in a local castle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

improbable adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become | make sth These new facts make the theory improbable.

ADV. extremely, highly, very, wildly a wildly improbable idea | completely, quite | not altogether | fairly, rather, slightly | inherently, intrinsically There is nothing inherently improbable in the idea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

improper adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sth, regard sth as, think sth She thought it quite improper for a woman to ride a motorbike.

ADV. highly, most | entirely, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impropriety noun

ADJ. gross | constitutional, financial, procedural (law), sexual

VERB + IMPROPRIETY commit Several employees were suspended amid allegations that financial improprieties had been committed. | accuse sb of Parliament was was accused of constitutional impropriety.

PHRASES a suggestion of impropriety There is no suggestion of impropriety by the minister.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

improvement noun

VERB + IMPROVEMENT be, constitute, reflect, represent The country's economic record since 1945 represents an improvement on the period between the world wars. | show Exports have showed some improvement. | need, require | carry out, effect, make He made a steady improvement and was released within 10 days of admission. | lead to, produce, provide, result in, yield The drug produced an improvement in all but one case. | achieve, bring (about), secure steps taken to secure improvement in pupils' attendance | seek | call for, demand | recommend, suggest | encourage, promote | announce, report Wholesalers reported an improvement in sales for the third quarter. | notice, see, witness With this exercise plan you will notice an enormous improvement in your stamina. | find No improvement was found after the tenth day of treatment.

IMPROVEMENT + VERB take place | result from sth

IMPROVEMENT + NOUN programme, scheme The proposed road improvement scheme involves bypassing several villages. | work The improvement work to houses will create jobs.

PREP. ~ in The new factory brought a huge improvement in working conditions. | ~ on/over/upon These results are a distinct improvement on last year's. | ~ to Several improvements were made to the design during its production run.

PHRASES an area for/of improvement The new assessment system could pinpoint areas for improvement within the company. | room/scope for improvement Their average marks have risen, but there is still room for improvement. | signs of improvement The economy is showing signs of improvement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

improve verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, greatly, immeasurably, materially, radically, significantly, substantially, vastly | markedly, noticeably | marginally, slightly | rapidly | steadily

VERB + IMPROVE continue to The weather should continue to improve over the weekend. | strive to, try to trying to improve their working conditions | help to | be designed to

PHRASES aimed at improving sth measures aimed at improving government efficiency | an attempt/effort to improve sth, an incentive to improve sth Workers need to be given an incentive to improve their performance. | much improved We now offer a much improved service to our customers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

improvisation noun

ADJ. spontaneous Most of their music was spontaneous improvisation. | dramatic, musical | jazz | piano

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

improvise verb

ADV. hastily We hastily improvised a screen out of an old blanket.

VERB + IMPROVISE have to There isn't much equipment. We're going to have to improvise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

impulse noun

¹ sudden strong wish

VERB + IMPULSE feel, have She felt a sudden impulse to look to her left. | be subject to We are all subject to aggressive impulses. | be driven by | check, control, deny, fight (back/down), resist, restrain, stifle, suppress He fought down an impulse to scream. | give in to, obey, yield to She gave in to an impulse and took the money. | act on Acting on impulse, he picked up the keys and slipped them into his pocket. | buy sth on Some people will buy a puppy on impulse without any idea of what is involved.

IMPULSE + VERB arise Impulses that are repeatedly denied can arise in other forms.

IMPULSE + NOUN buy, purchase The little black designer dress had been an impulse buy. | buying | buyer

PREP. on (an) ~ On an impulse, I went into the shop and bought a box of chocolates. | ~ towards basic impulses towards things such as food and drink

² movement of energy

ADJ. electrical, nerve/nervous

VERB + IMPULSE transmit Nerve impulses are transmitted to the brain. | convert sth into, transform sth into Radio waves are converted into electrical impulses.

³ sth that causes sb/sth to do sth

ADJ. positive | political, social

IMPULSE + VERB lead (sb/sth) to sth, prompt (sb/sth to sth) the impulse that prompted economic change

PREP. ~ behind the impulse behind a concept | ~ for the impulse for social reform | ~ toward the political impulses towards joining a trade union

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inability noun

ADJ. apparent | complete, total | chronic the government's chronic inability to face facts | physical

VERB + INABILITY be/feel frustrated by She felt increasingly frustrated by her inability to demonstrate her ideas. | overcome He has to overcome his inability to assert himself.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inaccessible adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem The mouth of the river proved inaccessible. | become | remain | make sth, render sth A high wall made the building inaccessible.

PREP. by areas inaccessible by road | to The hall is inaccessible to wheelchair users.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inaccuracy noun

ADJ. major, material, significant | factual, historical

VERB + INACCURACY contain | be fraught with, be full of Reference works on that country, when available, are full of inaccuracies. | correct I am writing to correct factual inaccuracies contained in your article of June 3rd.

PREP. ~ in inaccuracies in reporting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inaccurate adj.

VERBS be, prove | become

ADV. extremely, grossly, hopelessly, seriously, terribly, very, wildly a wildly inaccurate account of events | quite, totally, wholly | a bit, rather, slightly, somewhat These figures are somewhat inaccurate. | notoriously Maps of the region are notoriously inaccurate. | historically It was good drama, but historically inaccurate.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inactive adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. totally He had been totally inactive for two weeks. | fairly, relatively | physically, sexually | economically, politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inactivity noun

ADJ. relative Her most brilliant work was done during several months of relative inactivity. | economic, political | enforced It was good to be home again after the enforced inactivity of the hospital bed.

PHRASES a period of inactivity The job entailed long periods of inactivity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inadequacy noun

VERB + INADEQUACY demonstrate, expose, highlight, point out/to, reveal, show (up) She rightly points to the inadequacy of the argument. The test soon revealed several inadequacies in the equipment. | realize, recognize, see I now see the inadequacy of the explanation. | admit to His advice was to be defensive and never admit to any inadequacy. | cover up, disguise, hide They possibly falsified the results to cover up the inadequacies of their theory. | overcome Clear legislative reform is needed to overcome the inadequacies of the current situation.

INADEQUACY + VERB arise from sth, stem from sth

PREP. ~ in inadequacies in educational facilities

PHRASES a feeling/sense of inadequacy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inadequate adj.

¹ not good enough

VERBS appear, be, look, prove, seem | become | consider sth, find sth, judge sth, regard sth as, think sth These precautions have been judged inadequate.

ADV. deeply, grossly, hopelessly, ludicrously, pitifully, ridiculously, seriously, very, woefully His wages were pitifully inadequate for the needs of his growing family. | completely, entirely, quite, totally, utterly, wholly | increasingly | somewhat | clearly, manifestly, obviously, patently, plainly | curiously | notoriously

PREP. at People, despite their intelligence, are curiously inadequate at communicating with horses. | for This computer is clearly inadequate for my needs.

² not able to deal with a situation

VERBS be, feel, seem I felt dreadfully inadequate.

ADV. deeply, dreadfully, hopelessly, very | quite, totally, wholly | rather | generally | personally, professionally, sexually The staff at the consulate seemed not only insensitive, but professionally inadequate.

PREP. to She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inadvisable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | make sth Her condition made surgery inadvisable. | feel sth, think sth

ADV. highly It was thought highly inadvisable for young women to go there alone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inappropriate adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | make sth The size of the machines makes them inappropriate for domestic use. | consider sth, feel sth, judge sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth It was felt inappropriate by some that such a serious occasion should include dancing.

PREP. for Your bright red coat would be quite inappropriate for a funeral. | to The existing library is totally inappropriate to our needs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inattention noun

ADJ. momentary

PREP. ~ to He was dismissed for inattention to his duty.

PHRASES a moment of inattention One moment of inattention when driving could be fatal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inaudible adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. quite, totally | almost, practically, virtually His voice was almost inaudible. | largely

PREP. to The sound is inaudible to the human ear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inaugurate verb

ADV. formally, officially The assembly was formally inaugurated on December 13.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inauguration noun

ADJ. formal | presidential

VERB + INAUGURATION attend | mark a ceremony to mark the inauguration of the president's third term i

INAUGURATION + VERB be held, take place

INAUGURATION + NOUN ceremony | speech

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incapable adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, prove, seem | become | make sb, render sb The wine had made him incapable of thinking clearly. | adjudge sb, deem sb

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally, utterly, wholly | almost | largely | clearly | inherently | constitutionally, temperamentally She was constitutionally incapable of bad temper. | physically He was apparently physically incapable of lowering his voice. | mentally This type of arrangement remains valid even if you become mentally incapable.

PREP. of Computers are incapable of creative thought.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incapacitate verb be incapacitated

ADV. severely | totally By this time my father was totally incapacitated by his illness. | temporarily | mentally, physically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incarnation noun

ADJ. current, latest, modern, new, present (figurative) In its new incarnation, the car has a more rounded body shape. | last | earlier, previous | future

PREP. ~ as her previous incarnation as a Norse explorer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incense noun

ADJ. fragrant

VERB + INCENSE burn

INCENSE + NOUN stick | burner

PHRASES a scent/smell of incense

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incentive noun

VERB + INCENTIVE act as, be He argues that the free supply of skilled labour will act as an incentive for employees to be more diligent. | have She had the added incentive of being within reach of the world record. | need | give (sb/sth), offer (sb/sth), provide (sb/sth with) | create The government has created tax incentives to encourage investment. | increase | reduce | undermine High taxation rates have undermined work incentives. | remove

INCENTIVE + NOUN programme, scheme, system The company operates a share incentive scheme for its workers. | payment

PREP. ~ to an incentive to investment

PHRASES have every incentive The absence of penalties for anti-competitive behaviour means that firms have every incentive to engage in price-fixing. | a lack of incentive Low levels of profitability mean there is a lack of incentive to undertake new investment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incest noun

ADJ. brother-sister, father-daughter, etc.

VERB + INCEST criminalize, forbid, prohibit taboos forbidding incest

INCEST + NOUN survivor, victim | taboo

PREP. ~ between incest between brother and sister > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inch noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incidence noun

VERB + INCIDENCE have, show The country had the lowest incidence of Aids cases proportional to its population. The medical histories of our patients show a high incidence of past diseases. | increase, raise | reduce | find They found an increased incidence of childhood leukaemia in some areas. | measure | compare We compared the incidence of coronary heart disease and total mortality. | analyse, consider, investigate | explain The lack of vitamins may explain the higher incidence of heart disease.

INCIDENCE + VERB increase | decrease, fall

INCIDENCE + NOUN rate an incidence rate of 4 or 5 per 10,000 of the population

PREP. ~ among The report analyses the incidence of cancer among people aged 0?24. | ~ in The study noted an increased incidence of heart disease in women.

PHRASES a decrease/an increase/a variation in the incidence of sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incidental adj.

VERBS be | become | consider sth, declare sth, deem sth The fact that the concert made a profit was considered incidental.

ADV. completely, entirely, purely Any resemblance of a character in this book to a living person is purely incidental. | merely Information skills are not merely incidental to the curriculum but central to it. | almost | seemingly

PREP. to It's just a risk incidental to the job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incident noun

VERB + INCIDENT cause, provoke | be responsible for The group is believed to have been responsible for several terrorist incidents. | be involved in The hot-headed tennis star became involved in an incident with the umpire. | deal with, handle The incident was extremely well handled. | avoid, prevent | regret | see, witness | recall, remember He recalled a similar incident 14 months earlier. | forget | describe, recount She described the incident as outrageous. They all laughed as he recounted the amusing incident. | discuss, talk about | play down the government's desire to play down the incident | report The pedestrian who had nearly been run over reported the incident to the police. | investigate | be hurt in, be injured in, be killed in | pass (off) without, proceed without, take place without The demonstration passed without incident.

INCIDENT + VERB happen, occur, take place | arise (from/out of sth) incidents arising out of an industrial dispute | involve sb/sth a minor incid | cause sth, lead to sth, spark sth (off) The incident sparked off a riot which lasted three days.

INCIDENT + NOUN room An incident room was set up at a police station near the site of the crash.

PREP. following an/the ~ He was asked to leave the club following an incident at a training camp. | in an/the ~ Three soldiers were wounded in the incident. | over an/the ~ She was never disciplined over the incident. | without ~ The patrol had covered 200 miles without incident.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incision noun

ADJ. deep | small, tiny | abdominal, etc. | surgical

VERB + INCISION make The surgeon made a small incision in the patient's cornea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incite verb

ADV. deliberately

PREP. to deliberately inciting the crowd to violence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inclination noun

VERB + INCLINATION feel, have | show | lack | curb Hopes of advancement in the company may curb any inclination to deviate from the requirements of superiors. | follow In matters of dress she followed her personal inclinations rather than fashion.

PREP. by ~ He is a teacher by occupation but a philosopher by inclination. | ~ for an inclination for war | ~ towards She has no inclination towards mysticism.

PHRASES the time nor/or the inclination I have neither the time nor the inclination to play stupid games!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inclined adj.

¹ wanting to do sth

VERBS be, feel, seem I only write when I feel inclined to. There's time for a swim if you feel so inclined.

ADV. strongly, very | rather I'm rather inclined to wait a few days before deciding. | favourably

PREP. towards Advertising aims to make people aware of a product and favourably inclined towards it.

² tending/likely to do sth

VERBS appear, be, seem | become, grow

ADV. strongly, very | increasingly | a bit, half, a little, rather, slightly I'm half inclined to believe you. She's rather inclined to become impatient. | naturally | criminally, liberally, mystically, romantically, suicidally The club was a notorious hang-out for the criminally inclined.

PREP. to (formal) people who are naturally inclined to melancholy

PHRASES that way inclined (informal) What's that? The ‘Model Railway Journal’? I didn't know you were that way inclined (= interested in model railways).

³ having a natural ability for sth

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. academically, artistically, musically children who are academically inclined

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incline verb

¹ bend forward

ADV. slightly Luke inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. | graciously, politely

² lean/slope

ADV. gently, steeply

PREP. towards The land inclined gently towards the shore.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inclusion noun

ADJ. possible We welcome readers' letters for possible inclusion on this page.

VERB + INCLUSION be worthy of, justify, merit, warrant Some words are too infrequent to be worthy of inclusion in the dictionary. | be eligible for, be suitable for, qualify for All work by current students is eligible for inclusion in the journal. | be unsuitable for | be available for | consider sth for, welcome sth for | welcome, accept The rebels refused to accept the inclusion of representatives of the existing regime in the negotiations. | prevent They tried to prevent the inclusion of any wording in the statement that would cause offence.

PREP. for ~ an article for inclusion in the newsletter

PHRASES criteria for inclusion There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inclusive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. fully a fully inclusive price

PREP. of The charge is inclusive of food.

PHRASES all inclusive The price is all inclusive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

income noun PREP. on an ~ Many families on a low income are dependent on state support. | ~ from income from tourism

PHRASES the distribution/redistribution of income, a drop in income, income and expenditure Every company must keep control of its income and expenditure. | income per capita/head Real income per head of population was at a low point five years ago. | a source of income > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs) > Special page at BUSINESS

VERB + INCOME have | receive She received an income for life as a result of her father's will. | earn, generate, provide (sb with) Financial assets have the advantage of earning income.

The return on your investment can provide you with regular income. | boost, increase, supplement ways of boosting your retirement income She supplements her income by doing an evening job. | reduce | exceed For 2001, expenditure exceeded income by £10,000. | depend on | live on A large number of families in the area are living on below-average incomes. | redistribute They aim to redistribute income from the rich to the poor. | treat sth as Interest is treated as income for tax purposes.

INCOME + VERB arise (from sth), come from sth, derive from sth If a person's income arises in the UK it is subject to UK income tax. A lot of our income comes from bank interest. | grow, increase, rise | drop, fall | exceed sth

INCOME + NOUN bracket, group, level Elderly people often belong to a low income group. | distribution, redistribution | incomes policy There are internal disputes over the party's incomes policy. | support A single mother of three, she relies on income support. | statement a company's income statement | tax

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incompatibility noun

ADJ. basic | inherent | mutual the mutual incompatibility of socialist and capitalist economic systems

VERB + INCOMPATIBILITY demonstrate The disastrous merger demonstrated the incompatibility of the two companies.

PREP. ~ between Incompatibility between systems has been a major problem for video users. | ~ with Critics of the new machine point to its incompatibility with other products on the market.

PHRASES grounds of incompatibility A divorce was sought and granted on grounds of incompatibility.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incompatible adj.

VERBS appear, be, prove, seem | become | consider sth, see sth as

PREP. with This behaviour is completely incompatible with his role as a teacher.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incompetence noun

ADJ. gross, monumental | sheer | alleged | economic, professional, technical | government, managerial, police

VERB + INCOMPETENCE display He displayed his incompetence by turning in a report that was full of errors. | tolerate I will not tolerate your incompetence any longer! | accuse sb/sth of, allege | be dismissed for

PREP. ~ at/in incompetence in writing | ~ on the part of Several officers had alleged incompetence on the part of the general.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incompetent adj.

VERBS appear, be | adjudge sb/sth, consider sb/sth I know my boss considers me incompetent.

ADV. grossly, hopelessly, singularly a grossly incompetent piece of reporting | completely, totally, utterly | managerially, socially, technically | mentally

PREP. at He is utterly incompetent at his job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incomplete adj.

VERBS be | remain Her collection remained incomplete. | leave sth The building was left incomplete.

ADV. seriously, very, woefully Any view of Shostakovich is seriously incomplete without knowledge of these recordings. | somewhat | inevitably, necessarily We begin with a brief and necessarily incomplete review of UK statistics. | unfortunately

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incomprehensible adj.

VERBS be, seem | remain | find sth She found his accent virtually incomprehensible.

ADV. completely, quite, totally, utterly | almost, nearly, virtually | largely | pretty

PREP. to Latin verse remained completely incomprehensible to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inconceivable adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | find sth She found the idea quite inconceivable.

ADV. quite, totally, utterly, wholly | almost, practically, virtually

PREP. to The thought of leaving her family was inconceivable to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inconclusive adj.

VERBS be, prove | remain

ADV. largely | fairly, rather, somewhat | apparently | ultimately | curiously the curiously inconclusive finish to the symphony

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incongruous adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | find sth

ADV. entirely, utterly | doubly | a little, rather, somewhat I found the scene somewhat incongruous.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inconsistency noun

ADJ. serious | glaring | apparent | internal Researchers have found that internal inconsistencies in hospital case notes are common. | logical

VERB + INCONSISTENCY contain | be filled with The script is filled with logical inconsistencies. | lead to, result in The lack of a clear set of competition rules resulted in inconsistency in the awarding of prizes. | find, see, spot The program has found an inconsistency in the database files. She was quick to spot the inconsistencies between his two reports. | point out, reveal Commentators have pointed out the inconsistencies in the government's financial policy. | remove, resolve The amendment will remove the inconsistency between the two laws.

INCONSISTENCY + VERB emerge | creep in, creep into sth Inconsistencies began to creep into his testimony.

PREP. ~ in inconsistencies in the evidence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inconsistent adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem

PREP. in The company is inconsistent in the way it disciplines staff. | with His statement was inconsistent with other accounts of the events.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incontinence noun

ADJ. faecal, urinary | stress

VERB + INCONTINENCE suffer from

INCONTINENCE + NOUN pad

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inconvenience noun

ADJ. considerable, great, serious | minor | public The rail strike is likely to cause considerable public inconvenience. | administrative

VERB + INCONVENIENCE have, suffer | avoid I chose a different route to avoid the inconvenience of going through the town centre. | cause (sb), put sb to I don't want to put you to any inconvenience. | minimize, save (sb) You could have fetched me from the airport and saved me the inconvenience of having to take the bus! | apologize for, regret This shop is closed today for staff training. We regret any inconvenience caused.

INCONVENIENCE + VERB arise from sth inconvenience arising from errors in the timetable

PREP. ~ to Every effort will be made to minimize inconvenience to customers while work is in progress.

PHRASES with a minimum of inconvenience The club management will try to ensure that the building work is carried out with the minimum of inconvenience to guests.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inconvenience verb

ADV. greatly The general public has been greatly inconvenienced by this strike.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inconvenient adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | find sth

ADV. extremely, highly, most, terribly, very She called at a most inconvenient time. | a bit, rather, somewhat | politically Further environmental legislation could be politically inconvenient for the government.

PREP. for Would this afternoon be inconvenient for you? | to This is a time of the evening that is inconvenient to many viewers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incorporate verb

PREP. as In 1940 the area was incorporated as part of the city of London. | in The data is now incorporated in the total figures. | into We can incorporate this information into our report. | within Results are incorporated within personalized medical records.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incorrect adj.

VERBS be, prove | consider sth

ADV. quite, totally | clearly, obviously | simply That statement is simply incorrect. | factually, grammatically, politically, technically a factually incorrect statement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

increase noun

ADJ. big, considerable, dramatic, enormous, exponential, huge, large, major, marked, massive, significant, substantial, vast | moderate, modest, small | apparent | rapid, sharp | gradual, steady | fivefold, tenfold, etc. | 10%, etc. | net, overall | across-the-board The pay rise represented an across-the-board increase of between 9% for the highest paid and 32% for the lowest paid worker. | annual, monthly, etc. | dividend, fare, pay, price, rent, salary, tax, temperature, wage

VERB + INCREASE experience, see, show Many parts of the country have experienced an increase in unemployment. This year saw an increase in the number of job applicants. Profits show a steady increase. | enjoy The country is enjoying the biggest increase in business confidence for years. | achieve We achieved a small increase in profits of £3,257. | bring (about), cause, lead to, result in Intensive farming has brought about an increase in outbreaks of food poisoning. The war resulted in a massive increase in government spending. | reflect, represent | entail, involve, mean The measures to improve the health service will involve an increase in government spending. | announce, report The company reported a 9.5% increase in third quarter losses.

INCREASE + VERB occur

PREP. on the ~ Burglaries in the area are on the increase. | ~ in There has been an increase in demand for two-bedroom flats. | ~ on/over The figures show a sharp increase on last year's turnover. | ~ to a dividend increase to 11.4 pence

PHRASES a rate of increase

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

increase verb

VERB + INCREASE be expected to, be likely to Demand is expected to increase over the next decade.

PREP. by The budget has increased by more than a third in the last year. | from, in to increase in amount/number/price/size | to Last month the reward was increased from £20,000 to £40,000. | with Disability increases with age.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

incredible adj.

¹ impossible to believe

VERBS be, seem, sound | find sth I find this quite incredible!

ADV. really, truly | absolutely, quite | just, simply | almost

PREP. to It seems incredible to me that we didn't think of this before.

² extremely good/extremely large

VERBS be, look, smell, taste | find sth

ADV. really, truly | absolutely, quite | just, simply | pretty You're pretty incredible, Belinda.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indebted adj.

¹ feeling grateful to sb

VERBS be, feel | remain

ADV. deeply, greatly, much, profoundly

PREP. to I am deeply indebted to all the doctors and nurses who treated me.

² owing money to sb

VERBS be | remain

ADV. heavily, highly, severely The company is heavily indebted. highly indebted countries

PREP. to indebted to the bank

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indecency noun

ADJ. gross | public

PHRASES an act of indecency > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indecent adj.

¹ involving naked people, sex, etc.

VERBS be | class sth as, consider sth, regard sth as, think sth photographs that are classed as indecent

ADV. grossly, positively That skirt of hers is positively indecent.

² not morally right

VERBS be, seem

ADV. positively The rush to get hold of their father's money seemed positively indecent. | almost She started a new relationship with almost indecent haste.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indefensible adj.

VERBS be | find sth I find such behaviour indefensible.

ADV. totally | morally, politically It would be morally indefensible for her to desert her father now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

independence noun

QUANT. degree, measure

VERB + INDEPENDENCE have Young people have more independence these days. | lack | enjoy, value I value my independence too much to get married. | display, show She displayed independence of judgement in choosing a career quite different from that of her parents. | assert Edward III tried to assert his independence of the regime at court. | achieve, gain, win Mexico achieved independence from Spain in 1821. | bring (about) the need to bring independence to the country a colonial crisis which brought about independence | declare, proclaim | ensure, maintain, preserve, retain, sustain The army is committed to ensuring the independence of the country. | give up, lose She doesn't want to lose her hard-won independence. | regain, restore | encourage, promote Parents should encourage independence in their children. | undermine Economic aid tends to undermine the national independence of third world countries. | seek | call for, demand | vote for | give sb/sth, grant sb/sth | recognize They have agreed to recognize the breakaway republic's independence.

INDEPENDENCE + VERB come Independence came to the British colonial territories in Africa in the late fifties and early sixties.

INDEPENDENCE + NOUN day | celebrations | movement | struggle

PREP. at ~ Namibia became a full member of the UN at independence. | ~ from independence from Spain | ~ of the church's independence of the state independence of mind

PHRASES a declaration of independence, a lack of independence, the loss of independence, a sign/symbol of independence The car became a symbol of independence. | the struggle for independence, a war of independence the American War of Independence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

independent adj.

¹ not needing other people

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | remain | make sb Travelling in Asia has made her a lot more independent.

ADV. fiercely, sturdily, very Many disabled people are fiercely independent. | completely | fairly, pretty, quite | economically, financially

PREP. of By the age of eighteen he was completely independent of his parents.

² not influenced or controlled by anyone else

VERBS be | become | remain | make sth | declare sth In 1961 the country was declared independent.

ADV. completely, entirely, fully, genuinely, quite, totally, truly, wholly | almost, fairly, largely, virtually | increasingly | effectively, essentially The country has pursued an effectively independent line on military issues. | nominally, supposedly | newly newly independent countries | politically

PREP. from The country became fully independent from France in 1960. | of an organization that is independent of the government

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indestructible adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem

ADV. completely | almost, virtually Their shells are so hard they are virtually indestructible. | seemingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

A level noun
abandon verb
abashed adj
abbreviation noun
abhorrent adj
ability noun
ablaze adj
able adj
abode noun
abolish verb
abortion noun
abscess noun
absence noun
absent adj
absorb verb
absorbed adj
abstract adj
absurd adj
abundance noun
abuse noun
abuse verb
abusive adj
academic adj
academy noun
accelerate verb
acceleration noun
accelerator noun
accent noun
accept verb
acceptable adj
acceptance noun
access noun
accessible adj
accessory noun
accident noun
accidental adj
acclaim noun
acclaim verb
accolade noun
accommodate verb
accommodation noun
accompaniment noun
accomplice noun
accomplish verb
accomplished adj
accomplishment noun
accord noun
accord verb
account noun
account verb
accountability noun
accountable adj
accountancy noun
accountant noun
accumulate verb
accumulation noun
accuracy noun
accurate adj
accusation noun
accuse verb
accustomed adj
ace noun
ache noun
ache verb
achieve verb
achievement noun
acid noun
acknowledge verb
acknowledgement noun
acne noun
acquaintance noun
acquainted adj
acquisition noun
acquittal noun
acre noun
act noun
act verb
acting noun
action noun
active adj
activity noun
actor noun
actress noun
acumen noun
acupuncture noun
ad noun
adapt verb
adaptable adj
adaptation noun
add verb
addict noun
addicted adj
addiction noun
addictive adj
addition noun
address noun
address verb
adept adj
adequate adj
adhere verb
adherence noun
adjacent adj
adjective noun
adjourn verb
adjust verb
adjustable adj
adjustment noun
administer verb
administration noun
admirable adj
admiral noun
admiration noun
admire verb
admirer noun
admission noun
admit verb
admittance noun
adolescence noun
adolescent noun
adopt verb
adoption noun
adore verb
adrenalin noun
adrift adj
adult noun
adultery noun
adulthood noun
advance noun
advance verb
advanced adj
advancement noun
advantage noun
advantageous adj
adventure noun
adverb noun
adversary noun
adversity noun
advert noun
advertise verb
advertisement noun
advice noun
advisable adj
advise verb
adviser noun
advocate noun
advocate verb
aerial noun
aeroplane noun
affair noun
affect verb
affection noun
affinity noun
afflict verb
afford verb
affront noun
afloat adj
afraid adj
aftermath noun
afternoon noun
age noun
age verb
agency noun
agenda noun
agent noun
aggravate verb
aggression noun
aggressive adj
aggrieved adj
agility noun
agitated adj
agitation noun
agony noun
agree verb
agreeable adj
agreement noun
agriculture noun
aid noun
aide noun
Aids noun
ailment noun
aim noun
aim verb
air noun
air verb
aircraft noun
airline noun
airport noun
airspace noun
ajar adj
akin adj
alarm noun
alarmed adj
alarming adj
album noun
alcohol noun
alcoholic noun
alcoholism noun
ale noun
alert adj
alert noun
alias noun
alibi noun
alien adj
alien noun
alienation noun
alight adj
align verb
alignment noun
alike adj
alive adj
allegation noun
allegiance noun
allergy noun
alleviate verb
alley noun
alliance noun
allied adj
allocate verb
allocation noun
allowance noun
allusion noun
ally noun
almond noun
alone adj
aloof adj
alphabet noun
altar noun
alter verb
alteration noun
alternative noun
altitude noun
amateur noun
amaze verb
amazed adj
amazement noun
amazing adj
ambassador noun
ambiguity noun
ambiguous adj
ambition noun
ambitious adj
ambivalence noun
ambivalent adj
ambulance noun
ambush noun
amenable adj
amendment noun
amenity noun
amiable adj
ammunition noun
amnesty noun
amount noun
amuse verb
amused adj
amusement noun
amusing adj
anaesthetic noun
analogous adj
analogy noun
analyse verb
analysis noun
analyst noun
anatomy noun
ancestor noun
ancestry noun
anchor noun
anchor verb
ancient adj
anecdote noun
angel noun
anger noun
anger verb
angle noun
angry adj
anguish noun
animal noun
animosity noun
ankle noun
annex verb
annihilation noun
anniversary noun
announce verb
announcement noun
announcer noun
annoy verb
annoyance noun
annoyed adj
annoying adj
anonymity noun
anonymous adj
answer noun
answer verb
antagonism noun
anthology noun
anthropology noun
antibiotic noun
anticipate verb
anticipation noun
antics noun
antidote noun
antipathy noun
antique noun
antiquity noun
antiseptic noun
antithesis noun
anxiety noun
anxious adj
apartment noun
apathy noun
apologetic adj
apologize verb
apology noun
appalling adj
apparatus noun
apparent adj
appeal noun
appeal verb
appealing adj
appear verb
appearance noun
appendicitis noun
appendix noun
appetite noun
applaud verb
applause noun
apple noun
appliance noun
applicable adj
applicant noun
application noun
apply verb
appointment noun
appraisal noun
appreciate verb
appreciation noun
apprehension noun
apprehensive adj
approach noun
approach verb
appropriate adj
approval noun
approve verb
approximation noun
April noun
aptitude noun
Arabic noun
arbitrary adj
arbitration noun
arc noun
arch noun
archaeologist noun
archaeology noun
archbishop noun
architect noun
architecture noun
archive noun
area noun
arena noun
argue verb
argument noun
arise verb
aristocracy noun
arithmetic noun
arm noun
armaments noun
armchair noun
armed adj
armistice noun
armour noun
armoured adj
arms noun
army noun
aroma noun
arrange verb
arrangement noun
array noun
arrears noun
arrest noun
arrival noun
arrive verb
arrogance noun
arrow noun
arson noun
art noun
artery noun
arthritis noun
article noun
articulate adj
articulate verb
artificial adj
artillery noun
artist noun
ascend verb
ascent noun
ash noun
ashamed adj
ask verb
asleep adj
aspect noun
aspiration noun
aspirin noun
assassin noun
assassinate verb
assassination noun
assault noun
assault verb
assemble verb
assembly noun
assent noun
assert verb
assertion noun
assess verb
assessment noun
asset noun
assignment noun
assimilate verb
assist verb
assistance noun
assistant noun
associate noun
association noun
assortment noun
assume verb
assumption noun
assurance noun
assure verb
assured adj
asthma noun
astonished adj
astonishing adj
astonishment noun
astute adj
asylum noun
atheist noun
athlete noun
athletics noun
atmosphere noun
atom noun
atrocity noun
attach verb
attached adj
attachment noun
attack noun
attack verb
attainable adj
attempt noun
attend verb
attendance noun
attendant noun
attention noun
attic noun
attitude noun
attraction noun
attractive adj
attribute noun
attribute verb
auction noun
audible adj
audience noun
audition noun
auditor noun
auditorium noun
August noun
aunt noun
aura noun
austerity noun
authenticity noun
author noun
authoritarian adj
authority noun
authorization noun
autistic adj
autograph noun
automatic adj
autonomous adj
autonomy noun
autopsy noun
autumn noun
availability noun
available adj
avalanche noun
avenue noun
average adj
average noun
aversion noun
avert verb
avocado noun
avoid verb
avoidable adj
await verb
awake adj
awake verb
awaken verb
awakening noun
award noun
award verb
aware adj
awareness noun
awe noun
awesome adj
awful adj
awkward adj
axe noun
axis noun
baby noun
bachelor noun
back noun
back verb
backdrop noun
backfire verb
background noun
backing noun
backlash noun
backlog noun
backpack noun
backstroke noun
backward adj
bacon noun
bacteria noun
bad adj
badge noun
bad-tempered adj
baffled adj
bag noun
baggage noun
bail noun
bailiff noun
bait noun
bake verb
balance noun
balance verb
balanced adj
bald adj
balding adj
ball noun
ballet noun
balloon noun
ballot noun
ban noun
ban verb
banana noun
band noun
bandage noun
bandwagon noun
bang noun
bang verb
bank noun
banking noun
bankrupt adj
bankruptcy noun
banner noun
banquet noun
banter noun
bar noun
bar verb
bare adj
barefoot adj
barefoot adv
bargain noun
bargain verb
bargaining noun
barge noun
baritone noun
bark noun
bark verb
barley noun
barometer noun
baron noun
baroness noun
baronet noun
barracks noun
barrage noun
barrel noun
barren adj
barricade noun
barrier noun
barrister noun
base noun
base verb
basement noun
bash noun
bash verb
basics noun
basis noun
basket noun
basketball noun
bass noun
bassoon noun
bat noun
bat verb
batch noun
bath noun
bathroom noun
baton noun
battered adj
battery noun
battle noun
battle verb
bay noun
bayonet noun
beach noun
bead noun
beak noun
beaker noun
beam noun
beam verb
bean noun
bear verb
bearable adj
beard noun
bearing noun
beast noun
beat noun
beat verb
beating noun
beautiful adj
beauty noun
bed noun
bedroom noun
bedside noun
bedtime noun
bee noun
beef noun
beer noun
beg verb
begin verb
beginner noun
beginning noun
behave verb
behaviour noun
belief noun
believable adj
believe verb
believer noun
bell noun
bellow noun
belly noun
belongings noun
beloved adj
belt noun
bemused adj
bench noun
bend noun
bend verb
benefactor noun
beneficial adj
benefit noun
benefit verb
benign adj
bent adj
bent noun
bequest noun
bereaved adj
bereavement noun
berry noun
berth noun
best adj
bet noun
betrayal noun
better adj
bewildered adj
bewildering adj
bias noun
biased adj
Bible noun
bibliography noun
bicycle noun
bid noun
bid verb
big adj
bike noun
bikini noun
bilingual adj
bill noun
bin noun
bind noun
bind verb
binding adj
binge noun
binoculars noun
biography noun
biologist noun
biology noun
bird noun
birth control noun
birth noun
birthday noun
birthmark noun
biscuit noun
bishop noun
bit noun
bite noun
bite verb
bitter adj
bitterness noun
bizarre adj
black market noun
black adj
blackboard noun
blacklist noun
blackmail noun
blackmail verb
bladder noun
blade noun
blame noun
blame verb
blameless adj
blank adj
blank noun
blanket noun
blasphemous adj
blasphemy noun
blast noun
blaze noun
bleak adj
bleed verb
bleeding noun
blemish noun
blend noun
blend verb
blessing noun
blind adj
blind noun
blind verb
blink verb
bliss noun
blister verb
blitz noun
blizzard noun
bloc noun
block noun
block verb
blockade noun
blockage noun
bloke noun
blonde noun
blood pressure noun
blood transfusion noun
blood vessel noun
blood noun
bloodshed noun
bloodstream noun
bloom noun
blossom noun
blouse noun
blow noun
blow verb
blue adj
blueprint noun
blues noun
blunder noun
blur noun
blush noun
blush verb
board noun
boardroom noun
boast noun
boast verb
boat noun
bob verb
body noun
bodyguard noun
bog noun
bogus adj
boil noun
boil verb
boiler noun
boiling point noun
bold adj
bolt noun
bolt verb
bomb noun
bomb verb
bombard verb
bombardment noun
bombing noun
bombshell noun
bond noun
bone noun
bonfire noun
bonkers adj
bonus noun
boo noun
book noun
book verb
bookcase noun
booking noun
bookkeeping noun
boom noun
boon noun
boost noun
boost verb
boot noun
booth noun
booty noun
booze noun
border noun
borderline noun
bore noun
bore verb
bored adj
boredom noun
boring adj
born verb
borough noun
borrow verb
bosom noun
boss noun
bother noun
bothered adj
bottle noun
bottom noun
boulevard noun
bounce verb
bound adj
boundary noun
bouquet noun
bout noun
boutique noun
bow noun
bow verb
bowel noun
bowl noun
bowling noun
box office noun
box noun
boxing noun
boy noun
boycott noun
boycott verb
boyfriend noun
bra noun
brace noun
bracket noun
brain noun
brake noun
brake verb
branch noun
brand noun
brandy noun
brass noun
bravado noun
brave adj
bravery noun
brawl noun
breach noun
bread noun
breadth noun
break noun
break verb
breakdown noun
breakfast noun
break-in noun
breakthrough noun
breakup noun
breast noun
breaststroke noun
breath noun
breathe verb
breather noun
breathing noun
breathless adj
breathtaking adj
breed noun
breed verb
breeding noun
breeze noun
breezy adj
bribe noun
bribery noun
brick noun
bride noun
bridegroom noun
bridesmaid noun
bridge noun
brief adj
brief noun
brief verb
briefcase noun
briefing noun
brigade noun
brigadier noun
bright adj
brighten verb
brilliance noun
brilliant adj
brim noun
bring verb
brink noun
broad adj
broadcast noun
broadcast verb
broadcaster noun
brochure noun
broke adj
broken adj
broker noun
bronchitis noun
bronze noun
brooch noun
broom noun
brothel noun
brother noun
brow noun
brown adj
browser noun
bruise noun
brunt noun
brush noun
brush verb
brutality noun
bubble noun
bubble verb
bucket noun
buckle noun
bud noun
Buddhism noun
Buddhist noun
budge verb
budget noun
budget verb
buffer noun
buffet noun
bug noun
buggy noun
build noun
builder noun
building noun
build-up noun
bulb noun
bulk noun
bullet noun
bulletin noun
bully noun
bum noun
bump noun
bump verb
bumper noun
bun noun
bunch noun
bundle noun
bungalow noun
burden noun
bureau noun
bureaucracy noun
bureaucrat noun
bureaucratic adj
burglar noun
burglary noun
burial noun
burn noun
burn verb
burrow verb
bursary noun
burst noun
burst verb
bury verb
bus noun
bush noun
business noun
businesslike adj
businessman noun
businesswoman noun
businesswomen noun
busy adj
butcher noun
butter noun
butter verb
butterfly noun
buttock noun
button noun
buy verb
buyer noun
buzz noun
buzzer noun
bypass noun
cab noun
cabbage noun
cabinet noun
cable noun
cackle noun
cackle verb
cadet noun
cafe noun
cake noun
calculate verb
calculating adj
calculation noun
calculator noun
calendar noun
calf noun
call noun
call verb
calm adj
calm noun
calorie noun
camera noun
camouflage noun
camouflage verb
camp noun
campaign noun
campaign verb
campaigner noun
campus noun
can noun
canal noun
cancellation noun
cancer noun
candid adj
candidate noun
candle noun
cannabis noun
cannon noun
canoe noun
canopy noun
cap noun
capability noun
capable adj
capacity noun
capital noun
capitalism noun
capsule noun
captain noun
captive adj
captive noun
captivity noun
capture noun
capture verb
car noun
caravan noun
carbohydrate noun
carbon dioxide noun
carbon noun
card noun
cardboard noun
cardigan noun
care noun
care verb
career noun
career verb
careful adj
careless adj
caress noun
caress verb
cargo noun
caricature noun
carpet noun
carpeted adj
carriage noun
carriageway noun

carrot noun

cart noun

carton noun

cartoon noun

carved adj

case noun

cash noun

casserole noun

cassette noun

cast noun

caste noun

castle noun

casual adj

casualty noun

cat noun

catalogue noun

cataract noun

catastrophe noun

catastrophic adj

catch noun

categorize verb

category noun

catering noun

cathedral noun

Catholic noun

Catholicism noun

cattle noun

cause noun

caution noun

cautious adj

cave noun

CD noun

CD-ROM noun

cease verb

ceasefire noun

ceiling noun

celebrated adj

celebration noun

celebrity noun

celery noun

cell noun

cellar noun

cello noun

cement noun

cemetery noun

censor verb

censorship noun

censure noun

censure verb

census noun

centenary noun

centimeter noun

centimetre noun

central adj

centralized adj

centre noun

century noun

cereal noun

ceremonial adj

ceremony noun

certain adj

certainty noun

certificate noun

chain noun

chair noun

chairman noun

chairwoman noun

chalk noun

challenge noun

challenge verb

challenger noun

challenging adj

chamber noun

champagne noun

champion noun

championship noun

chance noun

change noun

change verb

channel noun

chant noun

chaos noun

chaotic adj

chap noun

chapel noun

chapter noun

character noun

characteristic adj

characteristic noun

charade noun

charcoal noun

charge noun

charge verb

charged adj

charity noun

charm noun

charming adj

charred adj

chart noun

charter noun

chase noun

chasm noun

chat noun

chat verb

chatter noun

chatter verb

chauffeur noun

chauvinism noun

chauvinist noun

cheap adj

cheap adv

check noun

check verb

checklist noun

checkout noun

checkpoint noun

check-up noun

cheek noun

cheekbone noun

cheer noun

cheer verb

cheerful adj

cheese noun

chef noun

chemical noun

chemist noun

chemistry noun

cheque noun

cherry noun

chess noun

chest noun

chestnut noun

chew verb

chicken noun

chickenpox noun

chief noun

child noun

childbirth noun

childhood noun

chill noun

chilled adj

chilli noun

chilly adj

chimney noun

chin noun

china noun

Chinese noun

chip noun

chip verb

chocolate noun

choice noun

choir noun

choke verb

cholera noun

cholesterol noun

choose verb

chop noun

chop verb

chord noun

chore noun

chorus noun

christening noun

Christian noun

Christianity noun

Christmas noun

chronological adj

chuckle noun

chuckle verb

chug verb

chunk noun

church noun

chute noun

cider noun

cigar noun

cigarette noun

cinder noun

cinema noun

circle noun

circle verb

circuit noun

circular adj

circulate verb

circulation noun

circumference noun

circumstance noun

cite verb

citizen noun

citizenship noun

city noun

civil adj

civilian noun

civilization noun

clad adj

claim noun

claim verb

clamour noun

clamp verb

clang noun

clank noun

clap noun

clap verb

clarification noun

clarify verb

clarinet noun

clarity noun

clash noun

clash verb

clasp verb

class noun

classic noun

classification noun

clatter noun

clatter verb

clause noun

claustrophobia noun

claustrophobic adj

claw noun

clay noun

clean adj

clean verb

cleaner noun

cleanliness noun

cleanse verb

clear adj

clear verb

clearance noun

clench verb

clerk noun

clever adj

click noun

client noun

clientele noun

cliff noun

climate noun

climax noun

climb noun

climb verb

cling verb

clinic noun

clinical adj

clip noun

cloak noun

clock noun

close adj

close noun

close verb

closed adj

close-up noun

closure noun

clot noun

cloth noun

clothed adj

clothes noun

clothing noun

cloud noun

cloudy adj

clout noun

club noun

clue noun

clump noun

cluster noun

cluster verb

clutch noun

clutch verb

clutter noun

coach noun

coal noun

coalition noun

coast noun

coastline noun

coat noun

coat verb

coating noun

coax verb

cocaine noun

cock noun

cocktail noun

cock-up noun

coconut noun

code noun

coexist verb

coffee noun

coffin noun

coherence noun

coil noun

coil verb

coin noun

coincide verb

coincidence noun

coincidental adj

coke noun

cold adj

cold noun

coldness noun

colic noun

collaborate verb

collaboration noun

collapse noun

collapse verb

collar noun

colleague noun

collection noun

collector noun

college noun

collide verb

collision noun

colonel noun

colony noun

colour noun

colour verb

coloured adj

colouring noun

column noun

coma noun

comb noun

combat noun

combination noun

combine verb

comeback noun

comedian noun

comedy noun

comfort noun

comfort verb

comfortable adj

comforting adj

comic adj

comical adj

command noun

commander noun

commend verb

commendable adj

comment noun

comment verb

commentary noun

commentator noun

commerce noun

commercial noun

commission noun

commission verb

commissioner noun

commitment noun

committed adj

committee noun

commodity noun

common ground noun

common sense noun

common adj

commonplace adj

commotion noun

commune noun

communicate verb

communication noun

communion noun

communism noun

communist noun

community noun

commute verb

companion noun

companionship noun

company noun

comparable adj

compare verb

comparison noun

compartment noun

compass noun

compassion noun

compassionate adj

compatible adj

compelling adj

compensate verb

compensation noun

compete verb

competence noun

competent adj

competition noun

competitive adj

competitor noun

complacent adj

complain verb

complaint noun

complement noun

complement verb

complementary adj

complete adj

complete verb

completion noun

complex adj

complex noun

complexion noun

complexity noun

complicate verb

complicated adj

complication noun

complicity noun

compliment noun

complimentary adj

comply verb

component noun

compose verb

composed adj

composer noun

composition noun

composure noun

compound noun

comprehend verb

comprehensible adj

comprehension noun

comprehensive adj

compromise noun

compromise verb

compulsion noun

computer noun

computing noun

con noun

conceal verb

concede verb

conceivable adj

conceive verb

concentrate verb

concentrated adj

concentration noun

concept noun

conception noun

concern noun

concern verb

concerned adj

concert noun

concerto noun

concession noun

conclusion noun

conclusive adj

concrete noun

concur verb

concussion noun

condemn verb

condemnation noun

condition noun

condolences noun

condom noun

condone verb

conducive adj

conduct noun

conduct verb

conductor noun

confederation noun

conference noun

confess verb

confession noun

confetti noun

confidence noun

confident adj

confidential adj

confidentiality noun

confine verb

confinement noun

confines noun

confirm verb

confirmation noun

conflict noun

conflict verb

conform verb

conformity noun

confront verb

confrontation noun

confuse verb

confused adj

confusing adj

confusion noun

congested adj

congestion noun

conglomerate noun

congratulate verb

congratulations noun

congregation noun

congress noun

conjecture noun

conjunctivitis noun

connect verb

connection noun

connoisseur noun

connotation noun

conquest noun

conscience noun

conscious adj

consciousness noun

conscription noun

consensus noun

consent noun

consent verb

consequence noun

conservation noun

conservatism noun

conservative adj

conservative noun

consider verb

consideration noun

consist verb

consistency noun

consistent adj

consolation noun

conspicuous adj

conspiracy noun

constable noun

constant adj

consternation noun

constipated adj

constipation noun

constituency noun

constitution noun

constrained adj

constraint noun

construction noun

consult verb

consultant noun

consultation noun

consumer noun

consumption noun

contact lens noun

contact noun

contact verb

contagious adj

container noun

contaminated adj

contamination noun

contemplate verb

contemplation noun

contemporary adj

contempt noun

contemptuous adj

contender noun

content adj

content noun

contented adj

contention noun

contentious adj

contentment noun

contest noun

contest verb

context noun

continent noun

contingent noun

continuation noun

continuity noun

contraception noun

contraceptive noun

contract noun

contractor noun

contradict verb

contradiction noun

contradictory adj

contrary adj

contrast noun

contrast verb

contravene verb

contravention noun

contribute verb

contribution noun

contributor noun

contrived adj

control noun

control verb

controller noun

controversial adj

controversy noun

convenience noun

convenient adj

convent noun

convention noun

conventional adj

conversation noun

conversion noun

convert noun

convey verb

convict noun

conviction noun

convinced adj

convincing adj

convoy noun

convulsion noun

cook noun

cook verb

cooker noun

cookery noun

cooking noun

cool adj

cool verb

cooperate verb

cooperation noun

cooperative noun

coordinate verb

coordination noun

cope verb

copper noun

copy noun

copy verb

copyright noun

cord noun

cordial adj

cordon noun

core noun

corn noun

corner noun

coroner noun

corporal noun

corporation noun

corps noun

corpse noun

correct adj

correction noun

correctness noun

correlate verb

correlation noun

correspond verb

correspondence noun

correspondent noun

corridor noun

corrode verb

corrosion noun

corrosive adj

corrupt adj

corruption noun

cosmetic adj

cosmetic noun

cosmopolitan adj

cost noun

cost verb

costly adj

costume noun

cottage noun

cotton noun

couch noun

cough noun

cough verb

council noun

councillor noun

counsel noun

counselling noun

counsellor noun

count noun

counter noun

counter-attack noun

counterpart noun

country noun

countryside noun

county noun

coup noun

couple noun

coupon noun

courage noun

courageous adj

courier noun

course noun

court martial noun

court noun

court verb

courteous adj

courtesy noun

courtship noun

courtyard noun

cousin noun

cover noun

cover verb

coverage noun

covered adj

cover-up noun

cow noun

coward noun

cowardice noun

coy adj

crack noun

crack verb

crackdown noun

cradle verb

craft noun

craftsman noun

craftsmanship noun

cramp noun

crash noun

crate noun

crater noun

craving noun

crawl noun

crawl verb

crayon noun

craze noun

crazy adj

creak noun

creak verb

cream noun

creamy adj

crease noun

crease verb

creation noun

creative adj

creativity noun

creature noun

credentials noun

credibility noun

credible adj

credit card noun

credit noun

credit verb

creditable adj

creditor noun

credulity noun

creed noun

creep verb

creepy adj

crescendo noun

crest noun

crew noun

cricket noun

crime noun

criminal noun

crimson adj

cripple verb

crisis noun

crisp noun

criterion noun

critic noun

critical adj

criticism noun

criticize verb

critique noun

crook noun

crop noun

crop verb

cross section noun

cross adj

cross noun

cross verb

cross-examination noun

cross-eyed adj

crossing noun

crossroads noun

crossword noun

crouch verb

crow noun

crow verb

crowd noun

crowded adj

crown noun

crucial adj

cruel adj

cruelty noun

cruise noun

cruiser noun

crumb noun

crunch verb

crusade noun

crush noun

crush verb

crust noun

crutch noun

crux noun

cry noun

cry verb

crystal ball noun

crystal noun

cubicle noun

cuddle noun

cue noun

cuisine noun

culmination noun

culpable adj

culprit noun

cult noun

cultivate verb

culture noun

cultured adj

cunning noun

cup noun

cupboard noun

curb noun

curb verb

cure noun

cure verb

curfew noun

curiosity noun

curious adj

curl noun

curl verb

curly adj

currency noun

current noun

curriculum noun

curry noun

curse noun

curse verb

cursor noun

curtail verb

curtain noun

curve noun

curve verb

cushion noun

custard noun

custody noun

custom noun

customer noun

customs noun

cut noun

cut verb

cutback noun

cutting noun

cycle noun

cyclone noun

cymbal noun

cynical adj

cynicism noun

daft adj

daft adv

dagger noun

dam noun

damage noun

damage verb

damaging adj

damp adj

damp noun

dance noun

dance verb

dancer noun

dancing noun

danger noun

dangerous adj

dare verb

daring adj

dark adj

dark noun

darkness noun

dash noun

dash verb

data noun

database noun

date noun

date verb

dated adj

daughter noun

dawn noun

dawn verb

day noun

daylight noun

daytime noun

dazed adj

dead adj

deadline noun

deadlock noun

deaf adj

deal noun

deal verb

dealer noun

dealings noun

death noun

debatable adj

debate noun

debate verb

debit verb

debris noun

debt noun

decade noun

decay noun

decayed adj

deceased adj

deceive verb

December noun

decency noun

decent adj

deception noun

deceptive adj

decide verb

decision noun

decisive adj

deck noun

declaration noun

declare verb

decline noun

decline verb

decompose verb

decorate verb

decorative adj

decrease noun

decrease verb

decree noun

dedicated adj

dedication noun

deduce verb

deduct verb

deduction noun

deed noun

deep adj

defeat noun

defeat verb

defect noun

defective adj

defence noun

defenceless adj

defend verb

defendant noun

defensive adj

defer verb

deference noun

defiance noun

defiant adj

deficiency noun

deficient adj

deficit noun

define verb

definition noun

deformed adj

deformity noun

defunct adj

defy verb

degenerate verb

degrading adj

degree noun

dehydration noun

deity noun

dejected adj

delay noun

delay verb

delegate noun

delegation noun

delete verb

deliberation noun

delicacy noun

delicate adj

delicious adj

delight noun

delighted adj

delightful adj

deliver verb

delivery noun

delusion noun

demand noun

demand verb

demanding adj

demise noun

democracy noun

democratic adj

demolition noun

demon noun

demonstrate verb

demonstration noun

demonstrator noun

denial noun

denounce verb

density noun

dent noun

dent verb

dentist noun

dentures noun

denunciation noun

deny verb

depart verb

department noun

departure noun

depend verb

dependable adj

dependence noun

dependent adj

depict verb

deplete verb

depletion noun

deploy verb

deployment noun

deport verb

deportation noun

deposit noun

depot noun

depreciate verb

depressed adj

depressing adj

depression noun

deprivation noun

deprived adj

depth noun

deputation noun

deputy noun

deranged adj

derelict adj

derive verb

descend verb

descendant noun

descent noun

describe verb

description noun

descriptive adj

desert noun

deserted adj

deserve verb

deserving adj

design noun

design verb

designate verb

designer noun

desirable adj

desire noun

desire verb

desk noun

desolate adj

despair noun

desperate adj

desperation noun

despicable adj

despise verb

despondent adj

dessert noun

destination noun

destiny noun

destroy verb

destruction noun

destructive adj

detachable adj

detached adj

detachment noun

detail noun

detailed adj

detain verb

detect verb

detection noun

detective noun

detention noun

deter verb

deteriorate verb

deterioration noun

determination noun

determine verb

determined adj

deterrent noun

detour noun

detrimental adj

devalue verb

devastation noun

developed adj

developer noun

development noun

deviate verb

device noun

devil noun

devoid adj

devote verb

devoted adj

devotee noun

devotion noun

devour verb

dew noun

dexterity noun

diagnose verb

diagnosis noun

diagram noun

dial noun

dial verb

dialect noun

dialogue noun

diameter noun

diamond noun

diarrhoea noun

diary noun

dice noun

dictation noun

dictatorship noun

dictionary noun

die verb

diesel noun

diet noun

differ verb

difference noun

different adj

differentiate verb

difficult adj

difficulty noun

dig noun

dig verb

digest verb

digestion noun

digit noun

dignified adj

dignity noun

dilemma noun

dilute verb

dimension noun

din noun

dine verb

dinghy noun

dining room noun

dinner noun

dip noun

dip verb

diphtheria noun

diploma noun

diplomacy noun

diplomat noun

direct adj

direct verb

direction noun

directive noun

director noun

directory noun

dirt noun

dirty adj

disability noun

disabled adj

disadvantage noun

disadvantaged adj

disagree verb

disagreement noun

disappear verb

disappearance noun

disappointed adj

disappointing adj

disappointment noun

disapproval noun

disapprove verb

disapproving adj

disarmament noun

disarray noun

disaster noun

disastrous adj

disbelief noun

disc noun

discard verb

discern verb

discernible adj

discharge noun

discharge verb

disciple noun

discipline noun

disclose verb

discomfort noun

disconcerting adj

discontent noun

discord noun

discount noun

discourage verb

discover verb

discovery noun

discredit noun

discrepancy noun

discretion noun

discriminate verb

discrimination noun

discuss verb

discussion noun

disdain noun

disease noun

disfigure verb

disgrace noun

disgraceful adj

disguise noun

disguise verb

disgust noun

disgusted adj

disgusting adj

dish noun

dishonest adj

dishwasher noun

disillusioned adj

disillusionment noun

disintegrate verb

disintegration noun

disk noun

dislike noun

dislike verb

disloyalty noun

dismal adj

dismay noun

dismiss verb

dismissal noun

dismissive adj

disobedience noun

disorder noun

disorganized adj

disparity noun

disperse verb

display noun

display verb

displeasure noun

disposal noun

disposed adj

disposition noun

disproportionate adj

dispute noun

dispute verb

disregard noun

disrepair noun

disreputable adj

disrepute noun

disrespect noun

disrupt verb

disruption noun

disruptive adj

dissatisfaction noun

dissatisfied adj

dissent noun

dissertation noun

disservice noun

dissident noun

dissimilar adj

dissolve verb

distance noun

distant adj

distaste noun

distasteful adj

distinct adj

distinction noun

distinctive adj

distinguish verb

distinguishable adj

distort verb

distortion noun

distract verb

distracted adj

distraction noun

distraught adj

distress noun

distressing adj

distribute verb

distribution noun

distributor noun

district noun

distrust noun

disturbance noun

disturbed adj

disturbing adj

disuse noun

ditch noun

dive noun

dive verb

diverge verb

diverse adj

diversion noun

diversity noun

divide noun

divide verb

dividend noun

diving noun

divisible adj

division noun

divisive adj

divorce noun

dock noun

doctor noun

doctorate noun

doctrine noun

document noun

documentary noun

dog noun

dogma noun

dole noun

doll noun

dollar noun

domain noun

domesticated adj

dominance noun

dominant adj

dominate verb

domination noun

donation noun

donkey noun

donor noun

doom noun

doomed adj

door noun

doorbell noun

doorway noun

dope noun

dosage noun

dose noun

double bass noun

double verb

doubt noun

doubt verb

doubtful adj

dough noun

downfall noun

downpour noun

downturn noun

dowry noun

doze noun

doze verb

draft noun

draft verb

drain noun

drain verb

drama noun

dramatic adj

drape verb

draught noun

draw noun

draw verb

drawback noun

drawer noun

drawing noun

drawl noun

drawl verb

dread noun

dread verb

dreadful adj

dream noun

dream verb

dress noun

dress verb

dressing noun

drift noun

drift verb

drink noun

drink verb

drinker noun

drinking noun

drip noun

drive noun

drive verb

driver noun

driving licence noun

driving noun

drizzle noun

drone noun

drop noun

drop verb

drought noun

drug noun

drum noun

drunk adj

dry adj

dry verb

dubious adj

duck noun

duke noun

dull adj

dumb adj

dump noun

dump verb

duplicate noun

duplicate verb

duplication noun

duration noun

dusk noun

dust noun

dustbin noun

duty noun

duvet noun

dweller noun

dwelling noun

dwindle verb

dye noun

dynamic adj

dynamite noun

dynasty noun

dysentery noun

eager adj

eagle noun

ear noun

earl noun

early adj

earn verb

earnings noun

earphones noun

earring noun

earth noun

earthquake noun

ease noun

ease verb

Easter noun

easy adj

eat verb

eater noun

ebb noun

ebb verb

eccentric adj

echo noun

echo verb

eclipse noun

ecology noun

economical adj

economics noun

economist noun

economy noun

ecstasy noun

ecstatic adj

edge noun

edge verb

edition noun

editor noun

editorial noun

educated adj

education noun

eerie adj

effect noun

effective adj

effectiveness noun

efficiency noun

efficient adj

effort noun

effortless adj

egg noun

ego noun

eject verb

elaborate adj

elaborate verb

elastic noun

elated adj

elation noun

elbow noun

elect verb

election noun

elector noun

electorate noun

electric shock noun

electrician noun

electricity noun

electronics noun

elegance noun

elegant adj

element noun

elephant noun

eliminate verb

elite noun

eloquent adj

elusive adj

emaciated adj

email noun

embargo noun

embark verb

embarrassed adj

embarrassing adj

embarrassment noun

embassy noun

embedded adj

embrace noun

embrace verb

embroider verb

embryo noun

emerge verb

emergence noun

emergency noun

emigration noun

emission noun

emotion noun

emotional adj

emotive adj

empathy noun

emperor noun

emphasis noun

emphasize verb

emphatic adj

empire noun

employ verb

employee noun

employer noun

employment noun

empty adj

empty verb

enclose verb

encore noun

encounter noun

encounter verb

encourage verb

encouragement noun

encouraging adj

encyclopedia noun

end noun

end verb

endanger verb

endear verb

endeavour noun

ending noun

endless adj

endorse verb

endorsement noun

endurance noun

enemy noun

energetic adj

energy noun

enforce verb

enforcement noun

engage verb

engaged adj

engagement noun

engine noun

engineer noun

engineer verb

engineering noun

English noun

engrossed adj

enhance verb

enigmatic adj

enjoy verb

enjoyable adj

enjoyment noun

enlarge verb

enmity noun

enormity noun

enquire verb

enquiry noun

enrolment noun

ensure verb

entail verb

entangled adj

enter verb

enterprise noun

entertain verb

entertaining adj

entertainment noun

enthral verb

enthusiasm noun

enthusiastic adj

entity noun

entrance noun

entrant noun

entrepreneur noun

entry noun

envelope noun

envious adj

environment noun

envisage verb

envoy noun

envy noun

envy verb

epidemic noun

episode noun

epitaph noun

epoch noun

equal adj

equal noun

equality noun

equate verb

equation noun

equator noun

equip verb

equipment noun

equivalent adj

equivalent noun

era noun

eradicate verb

erase verb

erect adj

erect verb

erection noun

erode verb

erosion noun

erotic adj

errand noun

erratic adj

error noun

erupt verb

eruption noun

escalate verb

escalation noun

escalator noun

escape noun

escape verb

escort noun

espionage noun

essay noun

essence noun

essential adj

essentials noun

establish verb

establishment noun

estate noun

esteem noun

estimate noun

estimate verb

estimation noun

estranged adj

ethics noun

etiquette noun

euphoria noun

euro noun

euthanasia noun

evacuate verb

evacuation noun

evade verb

evaluate verb

evaluation noun

eve noun

even adj

evening noun

event noun

evict verb

eviction noun

evidence noun

evident adj

evil adj

evil noun

evoke verb

evolution noun

evolve verb

exaggerate verb

exam noun

examination noun

examine verb

example noun

exasperation noun

excavate verb

excavation noun

exceed verb

excellence noun

excellent adj

exception noun

exceptional adj

excerpt noun

excess noun

excessive adj

exchange noun

excise noun

excitable adj

excited adj

excitement noun

exciting adj

exclaim verb

exclamation noun

exclude verb

exclusion noun

exclusive adj

excursion noun

excuse noun

execute verb

execution noun

executive noun

exemplify verb

exempt adj

exempt verb

exemption noun

exercise noun

exercise verb

exertion noun

exhaust noun

exhaust verb

exhausted adj

exhausting adj

exhaustion noun

exhaustive adj

exhibition noun

exile noun

exile verb

exist verb

existence noun

exit noun

exorbitant adj

expand verb

expanse noun

expansion noun

expect verb

expectation noun

expedient adj

expedition noun

expel verb

expenditure noun

expense noun

expensive adj

experience noun

experience verb

experienced adj

experiment noun

experiment verb

expert noun

expertise noun

expire verb

explain verb

explanation noun

explicable adj

explicit adj

explode verb

exploit noun

exploit verb

exploitation noun

exploration noun

explore verb

explorer noun

explosion noun

explosive adj

explosive noun

exponent noun

export noun

export verb

exporter noun

expose verb

exposed adj

exposure noun

express verb

expression noun

expressive adj

expulsion noun

extend verb

extension noun

extent noun

exterior noun

extinct adj

extinction noun

extortion noun

extra noun

extract noun

extradition noun

extraordinary adj

extravagant adj

extreme adj

extreme noun

extremist noun

exuberance noun

eye noun

eye verb

eyebrow noun

eyelash noun

eyelid noun

eyesight noun

fabric noun

face noun

facet noun

facilitate verb

facility noun

fact noun

faction noun

factor noun

factory noun

factual adj

faculty noun

fad noun

fade verb

faeces noun

fail verb

failing noun

failure noun

faint adj

faint verb

fair adj

fair noun

fairness noun

fairy noun

faith noun

faithful adj

fall noun

fall verb

false adj

falter verb

fame noun

familiar adj

familiarity noun

family noun

famine noun

famous adj

fan noun

fanatic noun

fancy dress noun

fanfare noun

fang noun

fantastic adj

fantasy noun

farce noun

fare noun

fare verb

farewell noun

far-fetched adj

farm noun

farm verb

farmer noun

farming noun

fascinating adj

fascination noun

fashion noun

fashionable adj

fast adj

fast adv

fast noun

fasten verb

fat adj

fat noun

fatal adj

fate noun

father noun

fatigue noun

fault noun

favour noun

favour verb

favourable adj

favourite noun

favouritism noun

fax noun

fear noun

fear verb

fearful adj

fearless adj

feasibility noun

feasible adj

feast noun

feat noun

feather noun

feature noun

feature verb

February noun

federation noun

fee noun

feed verb

feedback noun

feel verb

feeling noun

fellow noun

feminine adj

feminism noun

feminist noun

fence noun

fend verb

ferment noun

ferocity noun

ferry noun

fertile adj

fertilizer noun

fervour noun

festival noun

festivities noun

feud noun

fever noun

fib noun

fibre noun

fickle adj

fiction noun

fictional adj

fictitious adj

fidelity noun

fidget verb

field noun

fieldwork noun

fifty-fifty adj

fifty-fifty adv

fight noun

fight verb

fighting noun

figure noun

figure verb

file verb

fill verb

fillet noun

filling noun

film noun

film verb

filthy adj

final noun

finale noun

finance noun

finance verb

find noun

finding noun

fine adj

fine noun

fine verb

finger noun

fingernail noun

fingerprint noun

finish noun

finish verb

fire alarm noun

fire brigade noun

fire noun

fire verb

firearm noun

firefighter noun

fireman noun

fireplace noun

firework noun

firing squad noun

firm adj

firm noun

first aid noun

first noun

fish noun

fisherman noun

fishing noun

fishy adj

fist noun

fit adj

fit noun

fit verb

fitness noun

fitting adj

fitting noun

fix noun

fix verb

fixed adj

fixture noun

flag noun

flail verb

flair noun

flame noun

flammable adj

flank noun

flannel noun

flap noun

flap verb

flare noun

flare verb

flash noun

flash verb

flashback noun

flask noun

flat adj

flat noun

flattered adj

flattering adj

flattery noun

flaunt verb

flavour noun

flavoured adj

flavouring noun

flaw noun

flawed adj

flea noun

flee verb

fleet noun

flesh noun

flex noun

flexibility noun

flexible adj

flick noun

flick verb

flicker noun

flicker verb

flight noun

flinch verb

fling noun

float verb

flog verb

flood noun

flood verb

floor noun

floorboard noun

flop noun

flour noun

flourish noun

flout verb

flow noun

flow verb

flower noun

flu noun

fluctuate verb

fluctuation noun

fluency noun

fluid adj

fluid noun

flurry noun

flush noun

flush verb

flushed adj

flute noun

flutter noun

fly noun

fly verb

focal point noun

focus noun

focus verb

foe noun

fog noun

foil noun

fold noun

fold verb

foliage noun

folk noun

folklore noun

follow verb

follower noun

following noun

follow-up noun

folly noun

fond adj

fondness noun

food noun

fool noun

fool verb

foolish adj

foolproof adj

foot noun

football noun

footballer noun

foothold noun

footing noun

footpath noun

footprint noun

footstep noun

footwork noun

forbid verb

force noun

foreboding noun

forecast noun

forecast verb

forefront noun

foreground noun

forehead noun

foreign adj

forerunner noun

foresee verb

foresight noun

forest noun

forestry noun

forethought noun

forgery noun

forget verb

forgive verb

forgiveness noun

forgo verb

fork noun

forlorn adj

form noun

form verb

formal adj

formality noun

format noun

formation noun

formidable adj

formula noun

formulate verb

fort noun

forthcoming adj

forthright adj

fortified adj

fortnight noun

fortress noun

fortunate adj

fortune noun

forum noun

foster verb

foul play noun

foul noun

foundation noun

founder noun

fountain noun

fox noun

foyer noun

fraction noun

fracture noun

fragile adj

fragrance noun

fragrant adj

frail adj

frailty noun

frame noun

framework noun

franchise noun

frank adj

frantic adj

fraud noun

freak noun

freckle noun

free adj

free adv

free verb

freedom noun

freelance adv

freeze noun

freeze verb

freezer noun

freezing point noun

freezing adj

freight noun

French noun

frenzy noun

frequency noun

frequent adj

fresh adj

friction noun

Friday noun

fridge noun

friend noun

friendless adj

friendly adj

friendship noun

fright noun

frighten verb

frightened adj

frightening adj

fringe noun

frog noun

front noun

frontier noun

frost noun

frosty adj

frown noun

frown verb

fruit noun

fruitful adj

fruition noun

fruitless adj

frustrated adj

frustrating adj

frustration noun

fry verb

fuel noun

fugitive noun

fulfil verb

fulfilment noun

full adj

fume verb

fumes noun

fun noun

function noun

function verb

fund noun

fund verb

fundamental adj

fundamentals noun

funding noun

funeral noun

funny adj

fur noun

furious adj

furnace noun

furnished adj

furniture noun

furore noun

furtive adj

fury noun

fuse noun

fuss noun

futile adj

futility noun

future noun

fuzzy adj

gadget noun

gag noun

gag verb

gain noun

gain verb

gait noun

gala noun

galaxy noun

gale noun

gallantry noun

gallery noun

gallon noun

gallop noun

gamble noun

gambler noun

gambling noun

game noun

gamut noun

gang noun

gangrene noun

gaol noun

gap noun

gape verb

garage noun

garden noun

gardener noun

gardening noun

garlic noun

garment noun

gas noun

gash noun

gasp noun

gasp verb

gate noun

gather verb

gathering noun

gauge noun

gauge verb

gay adj

gaze noun

gaze verb

gear noun

gear verb

gem noun

gender noun

gene noun

general noun

generalization noun

generalize verb

generate verb

generation noun

generator noun

generosity noun

generous adj

genetics noun

genitals noun

genius noun

genocide noun

gentle adj

gentleman noun

genuine adj

geography noun

geology noun

geometry noun

germ noun

German measles noun

German noun

gesticulate verb

gesture noun

gesture verb

ghost noun

giant noun

giddy adj

gift noun

gifted adj

gig noun

giggle noun

giggle verb

gimmick noun

gin noun

girl noun

girlfriend noun

gist noun

glad adj

glamorous adj

glamour noun

glance noun

glance verb

gland noun

glandular fever noun

glare noun

glare verb

glass noun

glasses noun

gleam noun

gleam verb

glimmer noun

glimpse noun

glint noun

glint verb

glitter verb

globe noun

gloom noun

gloomy adj

glory noun

gloss noun

glove noun

glow noun

glow verb

glue noun

glue verb

go verb

goal noun

goalkeeper noun

goat noun

god noun

goddess noun

goggles noun

gold noun

golden adj

golf noun

golfer noun

good adj

good noun

good-looking adj

goods noun

goodwill noun

goose noun

gorgeous adj

gospel noun

gossip noun

govern verb

government noun

governor noun

gown noun

GP noun

grab verb

grace noun

grade noun

grade verb

gradient noun

graduate noun

graduation noun

graffiti noun

graft noun

grain noun

gram noun

grammar noun

grammatical adj

grandeur noun

grandfather noun

grandmother noun

grandparent noun

grant noun

grant verb

grape noun

graph noun

graphics noun

grasp noun

grasp verb

grass noun

grate verb

grateful adj

gratifying adj

gratitude noun

grave noun

gravity noun

graze noun

graze verb

grease noun

grease verb

great adj

greatness noun

greed noun

Greek noun

greet verb

greeting noun

gregarious adj

grenade noun

grey adj

grid noun

grief noun

grievance noun

grieve verb

grill noun

grimace noun

grimace verb

grime noun

grin noun

grin verb

grind verb

grip noun

grip verb

grit noun

groan noun

groan verb

groomed adj

groove noun

grope verb

ground noun

ground verb

grounding noun

groundless adj

groundwork noun

group noun

group verb

grow verb

growl noun

growl verb

growth noun

grudge noun

gruesome adj

grunt noun

grunt verb

guarantee noun

guarantee verb

guard noun

guard verb

guardian noun

guerrilla noun

guess noun

guess verb

guesswork noun

guest noun

guidance noun

guide noun

guide verb

guideline noun

guilt noun

guilty adj

guinea pig noun

guitar noun

Gujarati noun

gulf noun

gull noun

gulp noun

gulp verb

gum noun

gun noun

gunfire noun

gunshot noun

gurgle noun

gust noun

gut noun

gut verb

guy noun

gym noun

gymnast noun

gymnastics noun

habit noun

habitable adj

habitat noun

hack verb

haemorrhage noun

hail noun

hair noun

haircut noun

half noun

hall noun

hallucination noun

halt noun

halt verb

halve verb

ham noun

hammer noun

hammering noun

hamper verb

hand noun

hand verb

handbag noun

handcuffs noun

handful noun

handicap noun

handicapped adj

handkerchief noun

handle noun

handle verb

handling noun

handout noun

handshake noun

handsome adj

handwriting noun

handy adj

hang verb

hanker verb

haphazard adj

happen verb

happiness noun

happy adj

harass verb

harassment noun

harbour noun

hard adj

hardback noun

hardship noun

hardware noun

harm noun

harm verb

harmful adj

harmless adj

harmony noun

harness noun

harness verb

harp noun

harp verb

harsh adj

harvest noun

hassle noun

haste noun

hat noun

hatch noun

hate noun

hate verb

hatred noun

haul noun

haunt noun

haunt verb

haven noun

havoc noun

hawk noun

hay noun

hazard noun

hazardous adj

haze noun

hazy adj

head noun

head verb

headache noun

heading noun

headlights noun

headline noun

headquarters noun

heal verb

health service noun

health noun

healthy adj

heap noun

hear verb

hearing noun

hearsay noun

heart attack noun

heart noun

heartbeat noun

heartland noun

heat noun

heat verb

heated adj

heater noun

heating noun

heave noun

heaven noun

heavy adj

Hebrew noun

hedge noun

heel noun

height noun

heighten verb

heir noun

heirloom noun

helicopter noun

hell noun

helmet noun

help noun

help verb

helper noun

helpful adj

helping noun

helpless adj

helplessness noun

hen noun

hepatitis noun

herb noun

herd noun

heritage noun

hernia noun

hero noun

heroic adj

heroin noun

heroine noun

heroism noun

herring noun

hesitate verb

hesitation noun

hibernation noun

hiccup noun

hide noun

hide verb

hiding noun

hierarchical adj

hierarchy noun

high noun

highlight noun

highlight verb

highway noun

hike noun

hill noun

hillside noun

hinder verb

hindrance noun

hindsight noun

Hinduism noun

hint noun

hint verb

hip noun

hire noun

hire verb

hiss noun

hiss verb

historian noun

history noun

hit noun

hit verb

hitch noun

HIV noun

hoard noun

hoarse adj

hoax noun

hobby noun

hockey noun

hold noun

holder noun

hold-up noun

hole noun

holiday noun

hollow noun

home noun

homeland noun

homeless adj

homesick adj

homework noun

homicide noun

homogeneous adj

homosexual noun

honest adj

honesty noun

honey noun

honeymoon noun

honour noun

honourable adj

honoured adj

hood noun

hooked adj

hope noun

hope verb

hopeful adj

hopeless adj

horizon noun

hormone noun

horn noun

horoscope noun

horrible adj

horrific adj

horror noun

horse noun

hospital noun

hospitality noun

host noun

host verb

hostage noun

hostel noun

hostile adj

hostility noun

hot adj

hotel noun

hotline noun

hound noun

hour noun

house noun

house verb

household noun

housekeeping noun

housework noun

housing noun

hover verb

howl noun

huddle noun

huddled adj

huff noun

hug noun

hug verb

huge adj

hum noun

hum verb

humanitarian adj

humanity noun

humidity noun

humiliate verb

humiliating adj

humiliation noun

humorous adj

humour noun

hunch noun

hunger noun

hungry adj

hunt noun

hunting noun

hurdle noun

hurricane noun

hurry noun

hurt adj

hurt noun

hurt verb

hurtful adj

husband noun

hush noun

hut noun

hygiene noun

hymn noun

hype noun

hypnosis noun

hypothesis noun

hypothetical adj

hysteria noun

hysterical adj

ice cream noun

ice noun

icing noun

icon noun

idea noun

ideal adj

ideal noun

identical adj

identification noun

identify verb

identity noun

ideology noun

idiot noun

idle adj

idol noun

ignite verb

ignition noun

ignorance noun

ignorant adj

ignore verb

ill adj

illegal adj

illegitimate adj

illiteracy noun

illiterate adj

illness noun

illogical adj

ill-treatment noun

illuminate verb

illuminating adj

illumination noun

illusion noun

illustrate verb

illustration noun

image noun

imagery noun

imaginable adj

imaginary adj

imagination noun

imaginative adj

imagine verb

imbalance noun

imitation noun

immaculate adj

immaterial adj

immature adj

immediacy noun

immediate adj

immerse verb

immigrant noun

immigration noun

immobile adj

immoral adj

immortal adj

immortality noun

immune adj

immunity noun

immunize verb

impact noun

impair verb

impartial adj

impartiality noun

impassable adj

impasse noun

impassive adj

impatience noun

impatient adj

impede verb

impediment noun

impenetrable adj

imperative adj

imperceptible adj

imperfect adj

imperfection noun

imperialism noun

impersonal adj

impertinence noun

impertinent adj

impervious adj

impetus noun

impinge verb

implausible adj

implement noun

implement verb

implementation noun

implicate verb

implication noun

imply verb

import noun

import verb

importance noun

important adj

impose verb

imposition noun

impossible adj

impotence noun

impotent adj

impracticable adj

impractical adj

imprecise adj

impress verb

impressed adj

impression noun

impressionable adj

impressive adj

imprint noun

imprison verb

imprisonment noun

improbable adj

improper adj

impropriety noun

improve verb

improvement noun

improvisation noun

improvise verb

impulse noun

inability noun

inaccessible adj

inaccuracy noun

inaccurate adj

inactive adj

inactivity noun

inadequacy noun

inadequate adj

inadvisable adj

inappropriate adj

inattention noun

inaudible adj

inaugurate verb

inauguration noun

incapable adj

incapacitate verb

incarnation noun

incense noun

incentive noun

incest noun

inch noun

incidence noun

incident noun

incidental adj

incision noun

incite verb

inclination noun

incline verb

inclined adj

inclusion noun

inclusive adj

income noun

incompatibility noun

incompatible adj

incompetence noun

incompetent adj

incomplete adj

incomprehensible adj

inconceivable adj

inconclusive adj

incongruous adj

inconsistency noun

inconsistent adj

incontinence noun

inconvenience noun

inconvenience verb

inconvenient adj

incorporate verb

incorrect adj

increase noun

increase verb

incredible adj

indebted adj

indecency noun

indecent adj

indefensible adj

independence noun

independent adj

indestructible adj

index noun

indicate verb

indication noun

indicative adj

indicator noun

indictment noun

indifference noun

indifferent adj

indigenous adj

indigestion noun

indignant adj

indignation noun

indiscretion noun

indispensable adj

individual noun

individuality noun

inducement noun

indulge verb

indulgence noun

industrial action noun

industrialist noun

industry noun

inedible adj

ineffective adj

inefficiency noun

inefficient adj

ineligible adj

inept adj

inequality noun

inert adj

inertia noun

inevitability noun

inevitable adj

inexhaustible adj

inexpensive adj

inexperience noun

inexperienced adj

inexplicable adj

infancy noun

infant noun

infected adj

infection noun

infectious adj

infer verb

inference noun

inferior adj

inferior noun

inferiority noun

infertility noun

infested adj

infiltration noun

infinite adj

infinitive noun

infinity noun

infirm adj

infirmity noun

inflamed adj

inflammable adj

inflammation noun

inflate verb

inflated adj

inflation noun

inflexible adj

inflict verb

influence noun

influence verb

influential adj

influenza noun

influx noun

inform verb

informal adj

information noun

informative adj

informed adj

informer noun

infrequent adj

infringement noun

ingenious adj

ingenuity noun

ingrained adj

ingredient noun

inhabitant noun

inhale verb

inherit verb

inheritance noun

inhibit verb

inhibited adj

inhibition noun

inhuman adj

initial noun

initiate verb

initiation noun

initiative noun

injection noun

injunction noun

injure verb

injured adj

injury noun

injustice noun

ink noun

inkling noun

inmate noun

innocence noun

innocent adj

innocuous adj

innovation noun

input noun

inquest noun

inquire verb

inquiry noun

inquisitive adj

insane adj

insanity noun

inscribe verb

inscription noun

insect noun

insecure adj

insecurity noun

insensitive adj

insensitivity noun

inseparable adj

insert verb

insight noun

insignificance noun

insignificant adj

insinuation noun

insist verb

insistence noun

insistent adj

insoluble adj

inspect verb

inspection noun

inspector noun

inspiration noun

inspired adj

inspiring adj

instability noun

install verb

instalment noun

instance noun

instant adj

instant noun

instantaneous adj

instinct noun

instinctive adj

institute noun

institution noun

instruct verb

instruction noun

instructive adj

instructor noun

instrument noun

instrumental adj

insufficient adj

insulated adj

insult noun

insult verb

insulting adj

insurance noun

insured adj

insurmountable adj

insurrection noun

intact adj

intake noun

integrate verb

integration noun

integrity noun

intellect noun

intelligence noun

intelligent adj

intelligible adj

intend verb

intensify verb

intensity noun

intensive adj

intent adj

intention noun

interact verb

interaction noun

interactive adj

interchangeable adj

intercom noun

intercourse noun

interest noun

interest verb

interested adj

interesting adj

interfere verb

interference noun

interim noun

interior noun

interlude noun

intermediary noun

interminable adj

Internet noun

interpret verb

interpretation noun

interpreter noun

interrelated adj

interrogation noun

interrupt verb

interruption noun

interval noun

intervene verb

intervention noun

interview noun

interviewer noun

intestine noun

intimacy noun

intimidate verb

intimidation noun

intolerable adj

intolerance noun

intolerant adj

intonation noun

intricacy noun

intricate adj

intrigue noun

intriguing adj

introduce verb

introduction noun

intruder noun

intrusion noun

intrusive adj

intuition noun

intuitive adj

invalid adj

invaluable adj

invasion noun

invent verb

invention noun

inventive adj

inventory noun

invest verb

investigate verb

investigation noun

investment noun

investor noun

invincible adj

invisible adj

invitation noun

invite verb

inviting adj

invoice noun

involve verb

involved adj

involvement noun

iron noun

iron verb

ironic adj

ironing noun

irony noun

irrational adj

irreconcilable adj

irregular adj

irregularity noun

irrelevant adj

irresistible adj

irresponsible adj

irrigation noun

irritate verb

irritated adj

irritation noun

Islam noun

island noun

isolated adj

isolation noun

issue noun

issue verb

Italian noun

itch noun

itch verb

item noun

itinerary noun

ivory noun

ivy noun

jab noun

jack noun

jacket noun

jackpot noun

jail noun

jam noun

jam verb

January noun

Japanese noun

jar noun

jargon noun

jaw noun

jazz noun

jealous adj

jealousy noun

jeans noun

jelly noun

jeopardize verb

jerk noun

jerk verb

jersey noun

jet noun

Jew noun

jewel noun

jewellery noun

jigsaw noun

jinx noun

job noun

jockey noun

jog noun

jog verb

join verb

joint noun

joke noun

joke verb

joker noun

jolt noun

journal noun

journalism noun

journalist noun

journey noun

joy noun

judge noun

judge verb

judgement noun

judo noun

jug noun

juice noun

July noun

jump noun

jump verb

jumper noun

junction noun

June noun

jungle noun

junior adj

junk noun

junta noun

jurisdiction noun

juror noun

jury noun

justice noun

justifiable adj

justification noun

justified adj

justify verb

karate noun

keen adj

keep noun

keep verb

kerb noun

kettle noun

key noun

keyboard noun

kick noun

kick verb

kid noun

kill noun

kill verb

killer noun

killing noun

kilo noun

kilogram noun

kilometer noun

kin noun

kind adj

kind noun

kindness noun

king noun

kingdom noun

kip noun

kiss noun

kiss verb

kit noun

kitchen noun

kite noun

knack noun

knead verb

knee noun

knickers noun

knife noun

knight noun

knighthood noun

knitting noun

knob noun

knock noun

knock verb

knot noun

knot verb

know verb

know-how noun

knowledge noun

knowledgeable adj

knuckle noun

Korean noun

kosher adj

kudos noun

lab noun

label noun

label verb

laboratory noun

labour noun

lack noun

lack verb

lacking adj

lacquer noun

ladder noun

laden ajd

lady noun

lag verb

lake noun

lamb noun

lame adj

lamp noun

land noun

land verb

landing noun

landlady noun

landlord noun

landmark noun

landscape noun

landslide noun

lane noun

language noun

lantern noun

lap noun

lap verb

lapel noun

lapse noun

larder noun

large adj

laser noun

lash noun

last verb

late adj

Latin noun

latitude noun

laugh noun

laugh verb

laughter noun

launch noun

laundry noun

lavatory noun

law noun

lawful adj

lawn noun

lawsuit noun

lawyer noun

lay verb

lay-by noun

layer noun

layout noun

lazy adj

lead 1_noun

lead 2_verb

lead 3_noun

leader noun

leadership noun

leaf noun

leaflet noun

league noun

leak noun

leak verb

lean verb

leap noun

leap verb

learn verb

learner noun

learning noun

lease noun

leather noun

leave noun

leave verb

lecture noun

lecturer noun

ledge noun

left noun

leg noun

legacy noun

legal adj

legality noun

legend noun

legible adj

legislation noun

legislature noun

legitimate adj

leisure noun

lemon noun

lend verb

lender noun

length noun

lengthy adj

leniency noun

lenient adj

lens noun

leprosy noun

lesbian noun

lessen verb

lesson noun

lethal adj

lethargy noun

letter noun

lettuce noun

leukaemia noun

level adj

level noun

lever noun

leverage noun

liability noun

liable adj

liaise verb

liaison noun

liar noun

libel noun

liberal adj

liberal noun

liberalism noun

liberation noun

liberty noun

librarian noun

library noun

licence noun

lid noun

lie noun

lie verb

lieutenant noun

life noun

lifeboat noun

lifeless adj

lifeline noun

lifestyle noun

lifetime noun

lift noun

lift verb

ligament noun

light bulb noun

light adj

light noun

light verb

lighter noun

light-headed adj

lighting noun

lightning noun

like verb

likeable adj

likelihood noun

likely adj

likeness noun

liking noun

limb noun

lime noun

limelight noun

limit noun

limit verb

limitation noun

limited adj

limousine noun

limp adj

limp noun

limp verb

line noun

lined adj

linen noun

liner noun

linger verb

linguistics noun

link noun

link verb

lion noun

lip noun

lipstick noun

liquid noun

liquidation noun

liquor noun

list noun

listen verb

listener noun

literacy noun

literate adj

literature noun

litigation noun

litre noun

litter noun

live adj

live adj_adv

live adv

live verb

livelihood noun

liver noun

living noun

load noun

loaded adj

loaf noun

loan noun

loathing noun

lobby noun

lobby verb

locate verb

location noun

lock noun

lock verb

locust noun

log noun

logic noun

logical adj

logo noun

loneliness noun

lonely adj

long adj

long verb

longing noun

longitude noun

long-lived adj

loo noun

look noun

look verb

loop noun

loophole noun

loose adj

lord noun

lorry noun

lose verb

loser noun

loss noun

lost adj

lot noun

lotion noun

lottery noun

loud adj

loudspeaker noun

lounge noun

love noun

love verb

lovely adj

lover noun

low adj

low noun

lower verb

low-key adj

loyal adj

loyalty noun

luck noun

lucky adj

lucrative adj

ludicrous adj

luggage noun

lukewarm adj

lull noun

luminous adj

lump noun

lunatic noun

lunch noun

luncheon noun

lung noun

lunge noun

lurch noun

lurch verb

lure noun

lust noun

luxurious adj

luxury noun

lyrical adj

lyrics noun

machine noun

machinery noun

mad adj

madness noun

magazine noun

magic noun

magical adj

magistrate noun

magnet noun

magnetism noun

magnificent adj

magnify verb

magnitude noun

maid noun

mail noun

mail verb

mailing list noun

main noun

mainstream noun

maintain verb

maintenance noun

major noun

majority noun

make-up noun

malaria noun

male adj

male noun

malice noun

malicious adj

malnutrition noun

mammal noun

man noun

manage verb

manageable adj

management noun

manager noun

mandate noun

mane noun

manhood noun

mania noun

maniac noun

manifestation noun

manifesto noun

manipulate verb

manipulation noun

mankind noun

manner noun

mannerism noun

manoeuvre noun

manoeuvre verb

manor noun

manpower noun

mansion noun

manslaughter noun

manual noun

manufacture noun

manufacturer noun

manufacturing noun

manure noun

manuscript noun

map noun

marathon noun

marble noun

march noun

march verb

margarine noun

margin noun

marijuana noun

mark noun

mark verb

marked adj

market noun

market verb

marketable adj

marketing noun

marketplace noun

marquee noun

marquess noun

marriage noun

married adj

marry verb

marsh noun

marshal noun

martial law noun

martyr noun

marvel verb

marvellous adj

mascara noun

masculine adj

mask noun

mask verb

masochism noun

mass noun

massacre noun

massage noun

massage verb

master noun

master verb

masterpiece noun

mastery noun

mat noun

match noun

match verb

mate noun

material noun

materialize verb

mathematician noun

mathematics noun

maths noun

matter noun

matter verb

mattress noun

mature adj

mature verb

maturity noun

maul verb

maxim noun

maximum noun

May noun

mayor noun

maze noun

meal noun

mean adj

meaning noun

meaningless adj

means noun

measles noun

measure noun

measure verb

measurement noun

meat noun

mechanic noun

mechanics noun

mechanism noun

medal noun

media noun

mediation noun

medical noun

medication noun

medicine noun

meditation noun

medium noun

meet verb

meeting noun

mellow adj

melody noun

member noun

membership noun

membrane noun

memento noun

memo noun

memoirs noun

memorable adj

memorandum noun

memorial noun

memory noun

menace noun

menacing adj

meningitis noun

menopause noun

mention noun

mention verb

menu noun

mercenary noun

merchandise noun

merchant noun

mercy noun

merger noun

merit noun

merit verb

mess noun

message noun

metal noun

metaphor noun

meter noun

method noun

metre noun

microphone noun

microscope noun

middle age noun

middle-aged adj

middleman noun

midnight noun

midwife noun

migraine noun

migrant noun

migrate verb

migration noun

mild adj

mile noun

mileage noun

milestone noun

militant adj

military noun

militia noun

milk noun

mill noun

mimic verb

mind noun

mind verb

mine noun

minefield noun

miner noun

mineral noun

mingle verb

minimum noun

minister noun

ministry noun

minor adj

minority noun

minute noun

miracle noun

miraculous adj

mirage noun

mirror noun

miscalculate verb

miscalculation noun

miscarriage noun

mischief noun

misconception noun

misconduct noun

miserable adj

misery noun

misfire verb

misfortune noun

misgivings noun

misguided adj

mishap noun

misinform verb

misinformation noun

misinterpret verb

misjudge verb

mislead verb

misleading adj

mismanage verb

mismanagement noun

misplaced adj

misread verb

misrepresent verb

miss verb

missile noun

missing adj

mission noun

missionary noun

mist noun

mistake noun

mistake verb

mistaken adj

mistress noun

mistrust noun

misunderstand verb

misunderstanding noun

misuse noun

misuse verb

mix noun

mix verb

mixed adj

mixture noun

moan noun

moan verb

mob noun

mobile adj

mobility noun

mobilize verb

mock verb

mode noun

model noun

model verb

modem noun

moderate adj

moderation noun

modest adj

modesty noun

modification noun

modify verb

module noun

moist adj

moisture noun

mole noun

molecule noun

moment noun

momentum noun

monarch noun

monarchy noun

monastery noun

Monday noun

money noun

monitor noun

monitor verb

monitoring noun

monk noun

monkey noun

monologue noun

monopoly noun

monsoon noun

monster noun

month noun

monument noun

mood noun

moon noun

moonlight noun

moor noun

mooring noun

moral noun

morale noun

morality noun

moratorium noun

morning noun

morsel noun

mortal noun

mortality noun

mortar noun

mortgage noun

mosquito noun

motel noun

mother noun

motif noun

motion noun

motionless adj

motivated adj

motivation noun

motive noun

motor noun

motorbike noun

motorcycle noun

motorway noun

motto noun

mould noun

mound noun

mount verb

mountain noun

mourning noun

mouse noun

moustache noun

mouth noun

mouthful noun

mouthpiece noun

move noun

movement noun

movie noun

moving adj

mucus noun

mud noun

muddle noun

muddled adj

muddy adj

mug noun

mule noun

multinational noun

multiply verb

mum noun

mumble verb

mumps noun

mundane adj

mural noun

murder noun

murder verb

murderer noun

murmur noun

murmur verb

muscle noun

museum noun

mushroom noun

music noun

musical noun

musician noun

Muslim noun

mustard noun

mutation noun

muted adj

mutilate verb

mutiny noun

mutter verb

mystery noun

mystified adj

myth noun

mythology noun

nail varnish noun

nail noun

nail varnish

naive adj

naked adj

name noun

name verb

nanny noun

nap noun

napkin noun

nappy noun

narcotic noun

narrative noun

narrow adj

narrow verb

nasty adj

nation noun

nationalism noun

nationalist noun

nationalistic adj

nationality noun

natural adj

nature noun

nausea noun

navigate verb

navigation noun

navy noun

neat adj

necessary adj

necessity noun

need noun

need verb

needle noun

needy adj

negative adj

negative noun

neglect noun

neglect verb

neglected adj

negligence noun

negligent adj

negligible adj

negotiate verb

negotiation noun

negotiator noun

neighbour noun

neighbourhood noun

nerve noun

nervous breakdown noun

nervous adj

nervousness noun

nest noun

nestle verb

net noun

nettle noun

network noun

neurosis noun

neutral adj

neutrality noun

neutralize verb

new adj

news noun

newspaper noun

nice adj

niche noun

nickname noun

nicotine noun

night noun

nightclub noun

nightmare noun

nipple noun

nod noun

nod verb

noise noun

noisy adj

nominate verb

nomination noun

nominee noun

nonchalance noun

non-existent adj

nonsense noun

noon noun

noose noun

norm noun

normal adj

normal noun

normality noun

north noun

nose noun

nostalgia noun

nostril noun

notable adj

note noun

note verb

notebook noun

noted adj

noteworthy adj

notice noun

notice verb

noticeable adj

notification noun

notify verb

notion noun

notoriety noun

noun noun

nourish verb

nourishment noun

novel adj

novel noun

novelist noun

novelty noun

November noun

novice noun

nuance noun

nude adj

nudge noun

nudge verb

nuisance noun

null adj

numb adj

number noun

number verb

numerous adj

nurse noun

nursery noun

nursing noun

nut noun

nutrition noun

nutritious adj

oar noun

oath noun

oats noun

obedience noun

obey verb

obituary noun

object noun

object verb

objection noun

objective adj

objective noun

obligation noun

obligatory adj

oblige verb

obliged adj

obliterate verb

oblivion noun

oblivious adj

oboe noun

obscene adj

obscure adj

obscure verb

obscurity noun

observant adj

observation noun

observe verb

observer noun

obsession noun

obsolete adj

obstacle noun

obstruct verb

obstruction noun

obstructive adj

obtain verb

obtainable adj

obvious adj

occasion noun

occupant noun

occupation noun

occupied adj

occur verb

occurrence noun

ocean noun

October noun

odd adj

odds noun

odour noun

offence noun

offend verb

offender noun

offensive adj

offensive noun

offer noun

offer verb

offering noun

office noun

officer noun

official noun

off-putting adj

offset verb

offside adj

oil noun

oily adj

ointment noun

OK adj

OK adj_adv

OK adv

old age noun

old adj

old-fashioned adj

ombudsman noun

omen noun

omission noun

omit verb

one-sided adj

onion noun

onset noun

onslaught noun

ooze verb

opaque adj

open adj

open verb

opening noun

openness noun

opera noun

operate verb

operation noun

operational adj

operative adj

operator noun

opinion noun

opium noun

opponent noun

opportunity noun

oppose verb

opposed adj

opposite noun

opposition noun

oppression noun

optician noun

optimist noun

optimistic adj

option noun

optional adj

orange adj

orange noun

orbit noun

orchestra noun

ordeal noun

order noun

order verb

orderly adj

ordinary adj

ore noun

organ noun

organic adj

organization noun

organize verb

organized adj

orgasm noun

orgy noun

orientated adj

origin noun

original adj

original noun

originality noun

ornamental adj

ornate adj

orphan noun

orthodox adj

orthodoxy noun

ounce noun

outbreak noun

outburst noun

outcast noun

outcome noun

outcry noun

outfit noun

outing noun

outlay noun

outlet noun

outline noun

outline verb

outlook noun

outnumber verb

output noun

outrage noun

outrageous adj

outsider noun

outskirts noun

outstanding adj

outweigh verb

oval adj

ovation noun

oven noun

overcast adj

overcoat noun

overcome verb

overcrowded adj

overdose noun

overdraft noun

overdrawn adj

overdue adj

overestimate verb

overgrown adj

overhaul noun

overhaul verb

overhead adj

overhead adv

overhear verb

overjoyed adj

overlap verb

overload verb

overlook verb

oversee verb

oversight noun

overthrow noun

overtime noun

overtone noun

overture noun

overturn verb

overview noun

overweight adj

overwhelm verb

overwhelming adj

owl noun

own verb

owner noun

ownership noun

oxygen noun

ozone layer noun

ozone noun

pace noun

pace verb

pack noun

pack verb

package noun

packaging noun

packet noun

packing noun

pact noun

pad noun

pad verb

paddle verb

page noun

paid adj

pain noun

pained adj

painful adj

painless adj

paint noun

paint verb

painter noun

painting noun

pair noun

palace noun

palate noun

pale adj

pallor noun

palm noun

pamphlet noun

pan noun

pancake noun

pane noun

panel noun

pang noun

panic noun

pant verb

pantomime noun

pants noun

paper noun

paperback noun

paperwork noun

parachute noun

parade noun

paradise noun

paradox noun

paradoxical adj

paragraph noun

parallel adj

parallel noun

paralyse verb

paralysis noun

paranoia noun

parasite noun

parcel noun

pardon noun

parent noun

parenthood noun

park noun

park verb

parking noun

parody noun

parole noun

parsley noun

part noun

partial adj

participant noun

participate verb

participation noun

parting noun

partition noun

partner noun

partnership noun

party noun

pass noun

pass verb

passage noun

passenger noun

passing noun

passion noun

passive adj

passport noun

password noun

past noun

pasta noun

paste noun

pastime noun

pastry noun

pat noun

pat verb

patch noun

patchy adj

patent noun

path noun

pathologist noun

patience noun

patient adj

patient noun

patriotic adj

patrol noun

patron noun

patronizing adj

patter verb

pattern noun

patterned adj

pause noun

pause verb

pavement noun

pay noun

pay verb

payable adj

payment noun

pea noun

peace noun

peaceful adj

peak noun

peal noun

peculiar adj

peculiarity noun

pedal noun

pedal verb

pedigree noun

pee noun

peep noun

peep verb

peer noun

peer verb

peg noun

pelvis noun

pen noun

penalize verb

penalty noun

penance noun

pencil noun

penetrate verb

penetration noun

penis noun

penniless adj

pension noun

people noun

pepper noun

perceive verb

percent noun

percentage noun

perceptible adj

perception noun

perceptive adj

perch verb

percussion noun

perfect adj

perfection noun

perform verb

performance noun

performer noun

perfume noun

peril noun

perimeter noun

period noun

perishable adj

perjury noun

permanent adj

permissible adj

permission noun

permissive adj

permit noun

permit verb

perpendicular adj

perpetuate verb

perplexed adj

persecution noun

perseverance noun

persist verb

persistence noun

persistent adj

person noun

personal adj

personality noun

personnel noun

perspective noun

perspiration noun

perspire verb

persuade verb

persuasion noun

persuasive adj

pertinent adj

pervasive adj

perverse adj

perversity noun

pessimism noun

pessimistic adj

pest noun

pesticide noun

pet noun

petition noun

petrol noun

pharmacy noun

phase noun

phenomenal adj

phenomenon noun

philosopher noun

philosophical adj

philosophy noun

phobia noun

phone noun

photo noun

photocopy noun

photograph noun

photographer noun

photography noun

phrase noun

phrase verb

physical adj

physician noun

physicist noun

physics noun

physiotherapist noun

physiotherapy noun

physique noun

piano noun

pick noun

pick verb

picket noun

pickle noun

picnic noun

picture noun

pie noun

piece noun

pig noun

pigeon noun

pile noun

pile verb

pile-up noun

pilgrimage noun

pill noun

pillar noun

pillion noun

pillow noun

pilot noun

pin noun

pin verb

pinch verb

pineapple noun

pink adj

pinnacle noun

pinpoint verb

pint noun

pioneer noun

pipe noun

pipeline noun

pistol noun

pit noun

pitch noun

pitch verb

pitfall noun

pity noun

pizza noun

place noun

place verb

plague noun

plain adj

plain noun

plaintiff noun

plan noun

plan verb

plane noun

planet noun

plank noun

planning noun

plant noun

plant verb

plantation noun

plaque noun

plaster noun

plastic noun

plate noun

plateau noun

platform noun

platonic adj

plausible adj

play noun

play verb

player noun

playground noun

playgroup noun

plea noun

plead verb

pleasant adj

please verb

pleased adj

pleasing adj

pleasurable adj

pleasure noun

pledge noun

plight noun

plot noun

plot verb

plough noun

ploy noun

plug noun

plumbing noun

plunge noun

plunge verb

plutonium noun

pneumonia noun

pocket noun

poem noun

poet noun

poetic adj

poetry noun

poignant adj

point of view noun

point noun

point verb

pointer noun

pointless adj

poise noun

poised adj

poison noun

poisoning noun

poisonous adj

polarized adj

pole noun

police noun

policeman noun

policy noun

polio noun

polish noun

polished adj

polite adj

politeness noun

political asylum noun

political adj

politician noun

politics noun

poll noun

pollen noun

pollutant noun

polluted adj

pollution noun

polythene noun

pond noun

ponder verb

pony noun

pool noun

pop noun

pope noun

popular adj

popularity noun

populated adj

population noun

porcelain noun

porch noun

pore noun

pork noun

pornography noun

port noun

portable adj

porter noun

portion noun

portrait noun

portray verb

portrayal noun

Portuguese noun

position noun

position verb

positive adj

possession noun

possessive adj

possibility noun

possible adj

post office noun

post noun

postage noun

postcard noun

poster noun

posting noun

postman noun

post-mortem noun

postpone verb

postponement noun

posture noun

pot noun

potato noun

potency noun

potent adj

potential noun

pottery noun

potty noun

poultry noun

pound noun

pour verb

pout verb

poverty noun

powder noun

power noun

powerful adj

powerless adj

practicable adj

practical adj

practical noun

practice noun

practise verb

pragmatic adj

prairie noun

pram noun

pray verb

prayer noun

preacher noun

precaution noun

precede verb

precedence noun

precedent noun

precious adj

precise adj

precision noun

preconception noun

predicament noun

predict verb

predictable adj

prediction noun

prefer verb

preferable adj

preference noun

pregnancy noun

pregnant adj

prejudice noun

prejudice verb

prejudiced adj

preliminary noun

prelude noun

premier noun

premises noun

premium noun

premonition noun

preoccupation noun

preoccupied adj

preparation noun

prepare verb

prerequisite noun

prerogative noun

prescribe verb

prescription noun

presence noun

present adj

present noun

present verb

presentable adj

presentation noun

presenter noun

preservation noun

preservative noun

preserve verb

presidency noun

president noun

press conference noun

press noun

press verb

pressure noun

prestige noun

prestigious adj

presume verb

presumption noun

pretence noun

pretend verb

pretext noun

pretty adj

prevail verb

prevent verb

preventable adj

prevention noun

preview noun

prey noun

price noun

price verb

pride noun

priest noun

prime minister noun

principal noun

principle noun

print noun

print verb

printer noun

priority noun

prison noun

prisoner noun

privacy noun

privatization noun

privilege noun

privileged adj

prize noun

prize verb

probability noun

probable adj

probation noun

probe verb

problem noun

procedure noun

proceed verb

proceedings noun

proceeds noun

process noun

process verb

procession noun

proclaim verb

proclamation noun

produce noun

produce verb

producer noun

product noun

production noun

productive adj

productivity noun

profession noun

professional adj

professional noun

professor noun

proficiency noun

proficient adj

profile noun

profit noun

profitability noun

profitable adj

program noun

programme noun

programmer noun

progress noun

progress verb

progression noun

progressive adj

prohibit verb

prohibition noun

project noun

projection noun

projector noun

prolific adj

prolong verb

prolonged adj

prominence noun

prominent adj

promise noun

promise verb

promising adj

promote verb

promotion noun

prone adj

pronoun noun

pronounce verb

pronounced adj

pronunciation noun

proof noun

propaganda noun

proper adj

property noun

prophecy noun

prophet noun

prophetic adj

proportion noun

proportional adj

proposal noun

propose verb

proposition noun

proprietor noun

prose noun

prosecution noun

prospect noun

prospectus noun

prosperity noun

prosperous adj

prostitute noun

prostitution noun

prostrate adj

protect verb

protection noun

protective adj

protein noun

protest noun

protest verb

protester noun

prototype noun

proud adj

prove verb

proven adj

provide verb

province noun

provision noun

provocation noun

provocative adj

provoke verb

prowess noun

proximity noun

proxy noun

prudent adj

prune verb

pseudonym noun

psychiatrist noun

psychiatry noun

psychological adj

psychologist noun

psychology noun

pub noun

puberty noun

public noun

publication noun

publicity noun

publicize verb

publish verb

publisher noun

publishing noun

puff noun

puff verb

pull noun

pull verb

pullover noun

pulse noun

punch noun

punch verb

puncture noun

punish verb

punishment noun

pupil noun

puppet noun

purchase noun

purchase verb

purity noun

purple adj

purpose noun

pursue verb

pursuit noun

pus noun

push noun

push verb

pushchair noun

put verb

puzzle noun

puzzled adj

pyjamas noun

qualification noun

qualified adj

qualify verb

quality noun

quantity noun

quarantine noun

quarrel noun

quarrel verb

quarter noun

queen noun

query noun

quest noun

question mark noun

question noun

question verb

questionable adj

questionnaire noun

queue noun

queue verb

quick adj

quiet adj

quiet noun

quirk noun

quit verb

quiz noun

quota noun

quotation noun

quote noun

quote verb

rabbit noun

race noun

race verb

racing noun

racism noun

rack noun

racket noun

radar noun

radiation noun

radiator noun

radical adj

radio noun

radioactive adj

radioactivity noun

raffle noun

raft noun

rag noun

rage noun

rage verb

raid noun

rail noun

railway noun

rain noun

rain verb

rainfall noun

rally noun

rally verb

ram verb

ramble noun

random adj

range noun

range verb

rank noun

rank verb

ransom noun

rap verb

rape noun

rape verb

rapid adj

rapidity noun

rapist noun

rapport noun

rare adj

rash noun

raspberry noun

rat noun

rate noun

rate verb

rating noun

ratio noun

ration noun

ration verb

rational adj

rationing noun

ray noun

razor noun

reach noun

reach verb

react verb

reaction noun

reactionary adj

reactor noun

read noun

read verb

readable adj

reader noun

readiness noun

reading noun

ready adj

real adj

realism noun

realistic adj

reality noun

realization noun

realize verb

realm noun

reappraisal noun

rear noun

rear verb

reason noun

reasonable adj

reasoning noun

reassurance noun

reassure verb

reassuring adj

rebate noun

rebel noun

rebellion noun

rebuff noun

rebuild verb

rebuke noun

rebuke verb

recall verb

recede verb

receipt noun

receive verb

receiver noun

recent adj

reception noun

recess noun

recession noun

recipe noun

recipient noun

recital noun

recognition noun

recognizable adj

recognize verb

recoil verb

recollection noun

recommend verb

recommendation noun

recompense noun

reconciliation noun

reconnaissance noun

reconstruct verb

reconstruction noun

record noun

record verb

recorder noun

recording noun

recount verb

recourse noun

recover verb

recovery noun

recreation noun

recruit noun

recruit verb

recruitment noun

recur verb

recurrence noun

recyclable adj

recycle verb

red tape noun

red adj

redemption noun

redistribution noun

reduce verb

reduction noun

redundancy noun

redundant adj

refer verb

referee noun

reference noun

referendum noun

refine verb

refinement noun

reflect verb

reflection noun

reflective adj

reflex noun

reform noun

reform verb

refrain noun

refrain verb

refreshing adj

refreshment noun

refuge noun

refugee noun

refund verb

refusal noun

refuse noun

refuse verb

regain verb

regard noun

regard verb

regime noun

regimen noun

region noun

register noun

register verb

registration noun

registry noun

regret noun

regret verb

regrettable adj

regular adj

regularity noun

regulate verb

regulation noun

rehabilitation noun

rehearsal noun

rehearse verb

rein noun

reinforce verb

reinforcement noun

reject verb

rejection noun

rejoicing noun

relapse noun

relate verb

related adj

relation noun

relationship noun

relative noun

relax verb

relaxation noun

relaxed adj

relay noun

release noun

release verb

relevance noun

relevant adj

reliability noun

reliable adj

reliance noun

reliant adj

relic noun

relief noun

relieve verb

relieved adj

religion noun

religious adj

relinquish verb

relish verb

reluctance noun

reluctant adj

rely verb

remains noun

remand noun

remark noun

remark verb

remarkable adj

remedy noun

remedy verb

remember verb

remind verb

reminder noun

reminiscent adj

remnant noun

remorse noun

remote adj

removal noun

remove verb

rendezvous noun

renew verb

renewal noun

renovate verb

renovation noun

rent noun

rental noun

reorganization noun

reorganize verb

repair noun

repair verb

repatriate verb

repatriation noun

repay verb

repayment noun

repeat verb

repellent adj

repent verb

repentance noun

repercussion noun

repertoire noun

repetition noun

repetitive adj

replace verb

replacement noun

replay noun

replica noun

reply noun

reply verb

report noun

report verb

reporter noun

represent verb

representation noun

representative adj

representative noun

repress verb

repressed adj

repression noun

reprieve noun

reprimand noun

reprimand verb

reprisal noun

reproach noun

reproduce verb

reproduction noun

republic noun

repulsive adj

reputable adj

reputation noun

request noun

request verb

require verb

requirement noun

rescue noun

research noun

research verb

researcher noun

resemblance noun

resemble verb

resent verb

resentful adj

resentment noun

reservation noun

reserve noun

reserve verb

reserved adj

reservoir noun

residence noun

resign verb

resignation noun

resilience noun

resilient adj

resist verb

resistance noun

resistant adj

resolution noun

resolve verb

resort noun

resource noun

resourceful adj

respect noun

respect verb

respectability noun

respectable adj

respite noun

respond verb

response noun

responsibility noun

responsible adj

responsive adj

rest noun

rest verb

restaurant noun

restoration noun

restore verb

restrain verb

restrained adj

restraint noun

restrict verb

restricted adj

restriction noun

restrictive adj

result noun

result verb

resuscitation noun

retailer noun

retain verb

retaliation noun

retarded adj

rethink noun

rethink verb

retire verb

retirement noun

retort noun

retort verb

retreat noun

retreat verb

retribution noun

return noun

return verb

reunion noun

rev noun

revealing adj

revelation noun

revenge noun

revenue noun

reverence noun

reversal noun

reverse noun

reverse verb

reversible adj

review noun

review verb

revise verb

revision noun

revival noun

revive verb

revolt noun

revolution noun

revolver noun

revulsion noun

reward noun

reward verb

rewarding adj

rewrite verb

rhetoric noun

rheumatism noun

rhyme noun

rhythm noun

rib noun

ribbon noun

rice noun

rich adj

ride noun

ride verb

ridicule noun

ridiculous adj

riding noun

rifle noun

rift noun

right adj

right noun

rigid adj

rigour noun

ring noun

rinse noun

rinse verb

riot noun

ripe adj

ripple noun

ripple verb

rise noun

rise verb

rising noun

risk noun

risk verb

risky adj

ritual noun

rival noun

rivalry noun

river noun

road noun

roadblock noun

roam verb

roar noun

robber noun

robbery noun

robe noun

rock noun

rock verb

rocket noun

role noun

roll noun

roll verb

romance noun

romantic adj

romantic noun

roof noun

room noun

root noun

rooted adj

rope noun

rose noun

rota noun

rotate verb

round noun

round verb

roundabout noun

rounded adj

rout noun

route noun

routine noun

row 1_noun

row 2_noun

row noun

royalty noun

rub verb

rubbish noun

rubble noun

rucksack noun

rude adj

rug noun

rugby noun

ruin noun

ruin verb

rule noun

rule verb

ruler noun

ruling noun

rumble noun

rumour noun

run noun

run verb

runner noun

running noun

rural adj

ruse noun

rush noun

rush verb

Russian noun

rust noun

rust verb

rustle verb

rut noun

sabbath noun

sabotage noun

sabotage verb

sack noun

sacred adj

sacrifice noun

sacrifice verb

sad adj

sadden verb

sadness noun

safe adj

safe noun

safeguard noun

safeguard verb

safety noun

sag verb

saga noun

sail noun

sail verb

sailing noun

sailor noun

saint noun

salad noun

salary noun

sale noun

salesman noun

saleswoman noun

saliva noun

salmon noun

salon noun

salt noun

salute noun

salute verb

salvation noun

same adj

same pron

sample noun

sample verb

sanction noun

sanction verb

sanctuary noun

sand noun

sandal noun

sandwich noun

sane adj

sanitation noun

sanity noun

sap noun

sarcasm noun

sarcastic adj

satellite noun

satire noun

satisfaction noun

satisfactory adj

satisfied adj

satisfy verb

satisfying adj

saturation noun

Saturday noun

sauce noun

saucepan noun

saunter verb

sausage noun

savage adj

save noun

save verb

saver noun

saving noun

saviour noun

say verb

saying noun

scaffolding noun

scale noun

scales noun

scalp noun

scan noun

scan verb

scandal noun

scapegoat noun

scar noun

scar verb

scarce adj

scarcity noun

scare noun

scare verb

scared adj

scarf noun

scarlet adj

scattered adj

scenario noun

scene noun

scenery noun

scent noun

scented adj

sceptic noun

sceptical adj

scepticism noun

schedule noun

schedule verb

scheme noun

schizophrenia noun

scholar noun

scholarship noun

school noun

schooling noun

science noun

scientific adj

scientist noun

scissors noun

scold verb

scope noun

score noun

score verb

scorn noun

scowl noun

scowl verb

scramble noun

scramble verb

scrap noun

scrape verb

scratch noun

scratch verb

scream noun

scream verb

screen noun

screen verb

screw noun

screw verb

scribble verb

script noun

scripture noun

scrub noun

scrub verb

scruples noun

scrutinize verb

scrutiny noun

scuffle noun

sculptor noun

sculpture noun

sea noun

seafood noun

seagull noun

seal noun

seal verb

seam noun

search noun

search verb

seaside noun

season noun

season verb

seat belt noun

seat noun

seat verb

seating noun

secluded adj

seclusion noun

second thought noun

second noun

secrecy noun

secret adj

secret noun

secretary noun

secretive adj

sect noun

section noun

sector noun

secular adj

secure adj

secure verb

security noun

sedation noun

sedative noun

seductive adj

see verb

seed noun

seek verb

seep verb

seethe verb

segregate verb

segregation noun

seize verb

seizure noun

select verb

selection noun

selective adj

self noun

self-assurance noun

self-confidence noun

self-conscious adj

self-contained adj

self-control noun

self-defence noun

self-evident adj

self-interest noun

selfish adj

selfishness noun

self-pity noun

self-respect noun

self-sufficient adj

sell verb

semblance noun

seminar noun

senator noun

senior adj

seniority noun

sensation noun

sense noun

sense verb

senseless adj

sensible adj

sensitive adj

sensitivity noun

sentence noun

sentence verb

sentiment noun

separable adj

separate adj

separate verb

separation noun

September noun

sequel noun

sequence noun

serene adj

serenity noun

sergeant noun

series noun

serious adj

seriousness noun

sermon noun

servant noun

serve verb

service noun

service verb

session noun

set adj

set noun

setback noun

settee noun

setting noun

settle verb

settled adj

settlement noun

settler noun

severe adj

severity noun

sew verb

sewage noun

sewing noun

sex noun

sexism noun

sexual intercourse noun

sexuality noun

sexy adj

shack noun

shade noun

shade verb

shading noun

shadow noun

shaft noun

shake noun

shake verb

shaken adj

shake-up noun

shaky adj

shallow adj

shame noun

shame verb

shampoo noun

shape noun

shape verb

shaped adj

share noun

share verb

shareholder noun

shark noun

sharp adj

shatter verb

shattered adj

shave noun

shawl noun

shed noun

sheep noun

sheet noun

shelf noun

shell noun

shelter noun

sheltered adj

shelve verb

sherry noun

shield noun

shield verb

shift noun

shift verb

shin noun

shine verb

ship noun

shipment noun

shirt noun

shiver noun

shiver verb

shock noun

shock verb

shocked adj

shocking adj

shoe noun

shoelace noun

shoot noun

shoot verb

shop noun

shopkeeper noun

shoplifting noun

shopper noun

shopping noun

shore noun

short cut noun

short adj

shortage noun

shortcoming noun

shorten verb

shorthand noun

shortlist noun

shorts noun

shot noun

shotgun noun

shoulder noun

shoulder verb

shout noun

shout verb

shove noun

shove verb

show noun

show verb

showdown noun

shower noun

showing noun

showroom noun

shrapnel noun

shred noun

shred verb

shriek noun

shriek verb

shrine noun

shrink verb

shroud noun

shrub noun

shrug noun

shrug verb

shudder noun

shudder verb

shuffle verb

shut adj

shutter noun

shuttle noun

shy adj

shy verb

shyness noun

sibling noun

sick adj

sick noun

sickness noun

side effect noun

side noun

sideline noun

siege noun

siesta noun

sieve noun

sift verb

sigh noun

sigh verb

sight noun

sighting noun

sightseeing noun

sign noun

sign verb

signal noun

signal verb

signatory noun

signature noun

significance noun

significant adj

Sikhism noun

silence noun

silence verb

silent adj

silhouette noun

silhouetted adj

silk noun

silly adj

silt noun

silver noun

similar adj

similarity noun

simmer verb

simple adj

simplicity noun

simplification noun

simplify verb

simplistic adj

simulate verb

simulation noun

sin noun

sincere adj

sincerity noun

sing verb

singer noun

singing noun

single noun

sinister adj

sink noun

sink verb

sip noun

sip verb

siren noun

sister noun

sit verb

site noun

site verb

situated adj

situation noun

size noun

skating noun

skeleton noun

sketch noun

ski noun

skid noun

skiing noun

skilful adj

skill noun

skilled adj

skim verb

skin noun

skinny adj

skip verb

skirmish noun

skirt noun

skull noun

sky noun

skyline noun

skyscraper noun

slab noun

slack adj

slacken verb

slam verb

slander noun

slang noun

slant noun

slap noun

slap verb

slash verb

slaughter noun

slaughter verb

slave noun

slavery noun

sledge noun

sleep noun

sleep verb

sleepy adj

sleeve noun

slender adj

slice noun

slice verb

slide noun

slide verb

slight adj

slim adj

slime noun

slimy adj

sling verb

slip noun

slipper noun

slippery adj

slither verb

slogan noun

slope noun

slope verb

slot verb

slow adj

slow verb

slum noun

slumber verb

slump noun

slump verb

slur noun

slush noun

smack noun

smack verb

small adj

smallpox noun

smash noun

smear noun

smear verb

smell noun

smell verb

smile noun

smile verb

smirk noun

smog noun

smoke noun

smoke verb

smoker noun

smoking noun

smooth adj

smooth verb

smug adj

smuggle verb

smuggling noun

snack noun

snag noun

snail noun

snake noun

snap verb

snarl verb

snatch noun

snatch verb

sneer noun

sneeze verb

sniff noun

sniff verb

snippet noun

snobbery noun

snooker noun

snore verb

snort noun

snort verb

snow noun

snow verb

snowfall noun

snowflake noun

snub noun

snub verb

snuff noun

snuggle verb

soak verb

soaked adj

soap noun

soar verb

sob noun

sob verb

sober adj

soccer noun

social security noun

social worker noun

socialism noun

socialist noun

society noun

sociology noun

sock noun

socket noun

sofa noun

soft adj

soften verb

software noun

soil noun

solace noun

soldier noun

sole noun

solemn adj

solemnity noun

solicit verb

solicitor noun

solid adj

solidarity noun

solitude noun

solo noun

soluble adj

solution noun

solve verb

solvent noun

sombre adj

son noun

song noun

soothing adj

sophisticated adj

sophistication noun

soprano noun

sore noun

sorrow noun

sorry adj

sort noun

sort verb

soul noun

sound adj

sound noun

soundtrack noun

soup noun

sour adj

source noun

sovereignty noun

sow verb

space noun

space verb

spacecraft noun

spacious adj

spade noun

spaghetti noun

span noun

Spanish noun

spare verb

spark noun

sparkle noun

spasm noun

spatter verb

speak verb

speaker noun

spear noun

special noun

specialist noun

speciality noun

specialization noun

specialized adj

species noun

specific adj

specification noun

specify verb

specimen noun

spectacle noun

spectacles noun

spectacular adj

spectator noun

spectre noun

spectrum noun

speculate verb

speculation noun

speech noun

speechless adj

speed limit noun

speed noun

speeding noun

spell noun

spell verb

spelling noun

spend verb

spending noun

sperm noun

sphere noun

spice noun

spice verb

spicy adj

spider noun

spill verb

spin noun

spin verb

spine noun

spin-off noun

spiral noun

spirit noun

spiritual adj

spite noun

splash noun

splash verb

splendid adj

splendour noun

splinter noun

split noun

split verb

spoil verb

spoils noun

sponge noun

sponsor noun

sponsorship noun

spontaneous adj

spooky adj

spoon noun

sport noun

sportsman noun

sportswoman noun

spot noun

spot verb

spotlight noun

sprawl verb

spray noun

spread noun

spread verb

spree noun

spring noun

spring verb

sprinkle verb

sprint noun

spur noun

spurt noun

spy noun

squabble noun

squad noun

squalor noun

square adj

square noun

squeak noun

squeal noun

squeeze noun

squeeze verb

squint noun

squirm verb

squirrel noun

stab noun

stab verb

stability noun

stable adj

stack verb

stadium noun

staff noun

staff verb

stage noun

stage verb

stagger verb

staggered adj

staggering adj

stagnation noun

staid adj

stain noun

stain verb

stair noun

staircase noun

stake noun

stale adj

stalemate noun

stall noun

stall verb

stamina noun

stammer noun

stamp noun

stamp verb

stance noun

stand noun

stand verb

standard adj

standard noun

standing noun

standpoint noun

standstill noun

star noun

stardom noun

stare verb

start noun

start verb

starter noun

starting point noun

startled adj

starvation noun

starve verb

state noun

state verb

statement noun

statesman noun

static adj

station noun

stationery noun

statistics noun

statue noun

stature noun

status quo noun

status noun

statute noun

stay noun

stay verb

steady adj

steak noun

steam noun

steamer noun

steel noun

steep adj

steering wheel noun

steering noun

stem noun

stench noun

step noun

step verb

stereotype noun

sterile adj

sterling noun

steward noun

stewardess noun

stick noun

stick verb

sticky adj

stiff adj

stigma noun

still adj

stillness noun

stimulate verb

stimulating adj

stimulation noun

stimulus noun

sting noun

stink noun

stint noun

stipulation noun

stir noun

stir verb

stirrup noun

stitch noun

stock exchange noun

stock noun

stock verb

stockbroker noun

stocking noun

stomach noun

stone noun

stool noun

stop noun

stop verb

stopover noun

stoppage noun

storage noun

store noun

store verb

storey noun

storm noun

story noun

stow verb

straight adj

straightforward adj

strain noun

strain verb

strained adj

strait noun

strand noun

stranded adj

strange adj

stranger noun

strangle verb

strap noun

strap verb

strategy noun

straw noun

strawberry noun

stray verb

streak noun

stream noun

streamline verb

street noun

strength noun

strengthen verb

stress noun

stress verb

stressful adj

stretch noun

stretch verb

stride noun

stride verb

strife noun

strike noun

strike verb

striking adj

string noun

strip noun

strip verb

stripe noun

strive verb

stroke noun

stroke verb

stroll noun

stroll verb

strong adj

structure noun

structure verb

struggle noun

struggle verb

stuck adj

student noun

studio noun

study noun

study verb

stuff verb

stumble verb

stumbling block noun

stun verb

stunned adj

stunning adj

stunt noun

stupid adj

stupidity noun

stupor noun

stutter noun

style noun

subdued adj

subject adj

subject noun

subjective adj

Subjects of study (Note).htm

submarine noun

submerged adj

submission noun

submit verb

subnormal adj

subordinate adj

subordinate verb

subscribe verb

subscriber noun

subscription noun

subside verb

subsidence noun

subsidiary noun

subsidize verb

subsidy noun

subsistence noun

substance noun

substitute noun

subtitle noun

subtle adj

subtlety noun

suburb noun

subversive adj

subversive noun

subway noun

succeed verb

success noun

successful adj

succession noun

successor noun

succumb verb

suck verb

sue verb

suffer verb

sufferer noun

suffering noun

sufficient adj

sugar noun

suggest verb

suggestion noun

suggestive adj

suicidal adj

suicide noun

suit noun

suit verb

suitability noun

suitable adj

suitcase noun

suite noun

suited adj

sum noun

sum verb

summarize verb

summary noun

summer noun

summit noun

summon verb

summons noun

sun noun

Sunday noun

sunglasses noun

sunlight noun

sunny adj

sunset noun

sunshine noun

suntan noun

superb adj

superficial adj

superfluous adj

superior adj

superior noun

superiority noun

supermarket noun

superstition noun

supervise verb

supervision noun

supervisor noun

supper noun

supple adj

supplement noun

supplier noun

supply noun

supply verb

support noun

support verb

supporter noun

supportive adj

suppose verb

supposition noun

suppress verb

suppression noun

supremacy noun

surcharge noun

sure adj

surf noun

surface noun

surge noun

surgeon noun

surgery noun

surname noun

surpass verb

surplus noun

surprise noun

surprise verb

surprised adj

surprising adj

surrender noun

surrender verb

surrogate noun

surround verb

surroundings noun

surveillance noun

survey noun

survey verb

survival noun

survive verb

survivor noun

susceptible adj

suspect adj

suspect noun

suspect verb

suspend verb

suspense noun

suspension noun

suspicion noun

suspicious adj

sustain verb

Swahili noun

swallow verb

swan noun

swap noun

sway verb

swear word noun

swear verb

sweat noun

sweat verb

sweater noun

sweaty adj

sweep noun

sweet adj

sweet noun

sweetness noun

swell noun

swell verb

swelling noun

swerve noun

swerve verb

swift adj

swig noun

swim noun

swim verb

swimmer noun

swing noun

swing verb

swipe noun

switch noun

switch verb

switchboard noun

swollen adj

swoop verb

sword noun

syllable noun

syllabus noun

symbol noun

symbolic adj

symbolism noun

symmetrical adj

symmetry noun

sympathetic adj

sympathize verb

sympathy noun

symphony noun

symptom noun

synchronize verb

syndicate noun

syndrome noun

synonymous adj

syringe noun

system noun

table noun

tablet noun

tabloid noun

taboo adj

taboo noun

tack noun

tackle noun

tackle verb

tact noun

tactic noun

tag noun

tail noun

tailor verb

tailored adj

take verb

takeover noun

takings noun

tale noun

talent noun

talented adj

talk noun

talk verb

tall adj

tame adj

tan noun

tangle noun

tangled adj

tank noun

tanker noun

tanned adj

tantrum noun

tap noun

tap verb

tape noun

tape verb

target noun

target verb

tariff noun

tarnish verb

tart noun

task force noun

task noun

taste noun

taste verb

tasteful adj

tatters noun

tattoo noun

taunt noun

taunt verb

taut adj

tax noun

tax verb

taxable adj

taxation noun

taxi noun

taxing adj

tea noun

teach verb

teacher noun

teaching noun

team noun

teamwork noun

tear 1_noun

tear 2_noun

tear 3_verb

tearful adj

tease verb

technical adj

technicality noun

technician noun

technique noun

technology noun

tedious adj

teenager noun

teens noun

teetotal adj

telecommunications noun

telegram noun

telephone noun

telescope noun

televise verb

television noun

tell verb

temper noun

temperament noun

temperamental adj

temperature noun

temple noun

tempo noun

temporary adj

tempt verb

temptation noun

tenancy noun

tenant noun

tend verb

tendency noun

tender adj

tender noun

tenderness noun

tendon noun

tenement noun

tennis noun

tenor noun

tense adj

tense noun

tension noun

tent noun

tenure noun

term noun

term verb

terminal noun

terminate verb

termination noun

terminology noun

terrace noun

terrain noun

terrible adj

terrified adj

territory noun

terror noun

terrorism noun

terrorist noun

test noun

test verb

testament noun

testify verb

testimony noun

text noun

textbook noun

textile noun

texture noun

thank you noun

thank verb

thankful adj

thanks noun

thaw noun

thaw verb

theatre noun

theft noun

theme noun

theology noun

theoretical adj

theory noun

therapist noun

therapy noun

thermometer noun

thesis noun

thick adj

thief noun

thigh noun

thin adj

thing noun

think noun

think verb

thinker noun

thinking noun

third noun

thirst noun

thought noun

thrash verb

thrashing noun

thread noun

threadbare adj

threat noun

threaten verb

threatening adj

threshold noun

thrill noun

thrilled adj

thriller noun

thrive verb

throat noun

throb noun

throb verb

throne noun

throng noun

throw verb

thrust noun

thrust verb

thud noun

thud verb

thug noun

thumb noun

thump noun

thump verb

thunder noun

thunderstorm noun

Thursday noun

thwart verb

tick verb

ticket noun

tickle noun

tide noun

tidy adj

tie noun

tie verb

tiger noun

tight adj

tight adv

tighten verb

tights noun

tile noun

till noun

tilt noun

tilt verb

timber noun

time noun

time verb

timetable noun

timing noun

tin noun

tinge noun

tinkle noun

tint noun

tiny adj

tip noun

tip verb

tip-off noun

tire verb

tired adj

tiredness noun

tissue noun

title noun

toast noun

toast verb

tobacco noun

toe noun

toenail noun

toil noun

toilet noun

token noun

tolerable adj

tolerance noun

tolerant adj

tolerate verb

toleration noun

toll noun

tomato noun

ton noun

tone noun

tongue noun

tonne noun

tonsils noun

tool noun

toot noun

tooth noun

top adj

top noun

topic noun

topless adj

torch noun

torment noun

tornado noun

torpedo noun

torrent noun

torso noun

torture noun

torture verb

toss noun

toss verb

total noun

touch noun

touch verb

touched adj

tough adj

tour noun

tour verb

tourism noun

tourist noun

tournament noun

tow noun

towel noun

tower noun

town noun

toxic adj

toy noun

trace noun

trace verb

track record noun

track noun

tractor noun

trade union noun

trade noun

trade verb

trader noun

tradesman noun

trading noun

tradition noun

traditional adj

traffic jam noun

traffic light noun

traffic noun

tragedy noun

tragic adj

trail noun

trail verb

trailer noun

train noun

train verb

trained adj

trainee noun

trainer noun

training noun

trait noun

traitor noun

tram noun

trample verb

trance noun

tranquil adj

transaction noun

transcript noun

transfer noun

transfer verb

transferable adj

transform verb

transformation noun

transit noun

transition noun

translate verb

translation noun

translator noun

transmission noun

transmit verb

transmitter noun

transparent adj

transplant noun

transplant verb

transport noun

trap noun

trappings noun

trauma noun

traumatic adj

travel noun

travel verb

traveller noun

tray noun

treacherous adj

tread noun

tread verb

treason noun

treasure noun

treasurer noun

treat noun

treat verb

treatment noun

treaty noun

treble verb

tree noun

trek noun

tremble verb

tremor noun

trench noun

trend noun

trial noun

triangle noun

tribe noun

tribunal noun

tributary noun

tribute noun

trick noun

trickle noun

trigger noun

trim verb

trip noun

trip verb

triple verb

triumph noun

triumph verb

triumphant adj

trivial adj

trolley noun

trombone noun

troops noun

trophy noun

trot noun

trot verb

trouble noun

trouble verb

troubled adj

trough noun

trousers noun

trout noun

truancy noun

truant noun

truce noun

truck noun

trudge verb

true adj

trump noun

trumpet noun

truncheon noun

trunk noun

trust noun

trust verb

trustee noun

truth noun

truthful adj

try noun

try verb

T-shirt noun

tub noun

tuba noun

tube noun

tuck verb

Tuesday noun

tug noun

tug verb

tuition noun

tulip noun

tummy noun

tumour noun

tune noun

tune verb

tunnel noun

turf noun

turkey noun

turmoil noun

turn noun

turning point noun

turning noun

turn-off noun

turnout noun

turnover noun

tussle noun

tutor noun

tutorial noun

twang noun

twig noun

twilight noun

twin noun

twinge noun

twinkle noun

twist noun

twist verb

twitch noun

twitch verb

tycoon noun

type noun

type verb

typhoon noun

typical adj

typing noun

typist noun

tyranny noun

tyrant noun

tyre noun

ugly adj

ultimatum noun

umbilical cord noun

umbrella noun

unable adj

unacceptable adj

unaffected adj

unanimous adj

unavoidable adj

unaware adj

unbalanced adj

unbearable adj

unbeatable adj

unbelievable adj

unbroken adj

uncertain adj

uncertainty noun

unchanged adj

uncharacteristic adj

uncle noun

uncomfortable adj

uncommon adj

unconcerned adj

unconscious adj

unconsciousness noun

uncontrollable adj

undecided adj

underestimate noun

underestimate verb

undergraduate noun

underground noun

undergrowth noun

underline verb

undermine verb

underpants noun

understand verb

understandable adj

understanding noun

understatement noun

undertaking noun

undertone noun

underwear noun

underworld noun

undesirable adj

undignified adj

undone adj

undressed adj

unease noun

uneasy adj

unemployed adj

unemployed noun

unemployment noun

unexpected adj

unfair adj

unfamiliar adj

unfashionable adj

unfit adj

unforgettable adj

unfortunate adj

unfounded adj

unfriendly adj

unhappiness noun

unhappy adj

unheard adj

unheard-of adj

unification noun

uniform noun

uniformity noun

uninhabitable adj

uninhibited adj

unintelligible adj

uninterested adj

union noun

unique adj

unit noun

united adj

unity noun

universal adj

universe noun

university noun

unknown adj

unknown noun

unlikely adj

unlimited adj

unlucky adj

unmistakable adj

unmoved adj

unnatural adj

unnecessary adj

unnoticed adj

unorthodox adj

unpaid adj

unpleasant adj

unpopular adj

unpopularity noun

unprecedented adj

unprovoked adj

unqualified adj

unreal adj

unreasonable adj

unrest noun

unscathed adj

unscrupulous adj

unstable adj

unsuitable adj

unsure adj

unthinkable adj

untidy adj

unused to adj

unused adj

unusual adj

unveil verb

unwarranted adj

unwell adj

upbringing noun

update noun

update verb

upgrade verb

upheaval noun

uphold verb

upkeep noun

uplifting adj

upright adj

uprising noun

uproar noun

upset adj

upset noun

upset verb

upsurge noun

uptight adj

up-to-date adj

upturn noun

uranium noun

Urdu noun

urge noun

urge verb

urgency noun

urgent adj

urine noun

usage noun

use noun

use verb

used adj

useful adj

usefulness noun

useless adj

user noun

usual adj

utility noun

utilize verb

U-turn noun

vacancy noun

vacant adj

vaccination noun

vaccine noun

vacuum noun

vagina noun

vague adj

valid adj

validity noun

valley noun

valour noun

valuable adj

valuation noun

value noun

value verb

valueless adj

valve noun

van noun

vandal noun

vandalism noun

vanish verb

vanity noun

vapour noun

variability noun

variable adj

variation noun

varied adj

variety noun

varnish noun

vary verb

vase noun

vault noun

veer verb

vegetable noun

vegetarian noun

vegetation noun

vehicle noun

veil noun

vein noun

velocity noun

velvet noun

vendetta noun

veneer noun

vengeance noun

venom noun

venomous adj

vent noun

ventilate verb

ventilation noun

venture noun

venture verb

venue noun

verb noun

verdict noun

verge noun

verification noun

vermin noun

versatile adj

verse noun

version noun

vessel noun

vest noun

vestige noun

vet noun

vet verb

veteran noun

veto noun

veto verb

viability noun

viable adj

vibrate verb

vibration noun

vice noun

vicinity noun

vicious adj

victim noun

victor noun

victorious adj

victory noun

video noun

videotape noun

view noun

view verb

viewer noun

viewpoint noun

vigil noun

vigilance noun

vigilant adj

vigorous adj

vigour noun

villa noun

village noun

villain noun

vintage noun

viola noun

violate verb

violation noun

violence noun

violent adj

violin noun

virginity noun

virtue noun

virus noun

visa noun

viscount noun

viscountess noun

visibility noun

visible adj

vision noun

visit noun

visit verb

visitor noun

visualize verb

vital adj

vitality noun

vitamin noun

vivid adj

vocabulary noun

vocal adj

vocation noun

vogue noun

voice noun

void adj

void noun

volatile adj

volcano noun

volley noun

voltage noun

volume noun

voluntary adj

volunteer noun

volunteer verb

vomit verb

vote noun

vote verb

voter noun

voucher noun

vow noun

vow verb

vowel noun

voyage noun

vulnerability noun

vulnerable adj

vulture noun

wade verb

waft verb

wag verb

wage noun

wagon noun

wail noun

wail verb

waist noun

waistline noun

wait noun

wait verb

waiter noun

waitress noun

wake verb

waken verb

walk noun

walk verb

wall noun

wallet noun

wallpaper noun

waltz noun

wander verb

wane verb

want noun

want verb

war noun

ward noun

warden noun

wardrobe noun

ware noun

warehouse noun

warfare noun

warm adj

warm verb

warmth noun

warn verb

warning noun

warrant noun

warrant verb

warranty noun

warrior noun

warship noun

wary adj

wash noun

wash verb

washing machine noun

washing noun

washing-up noun

wasp noun

wastage noun

waste noun

waste verb

watch noun

watch verb

watchdog noun

water noun

waterfall noun

watershed noun

wave noun

wave verb

wavelength noun

way noun

weak adj

weaken verb

weakness noun

wealth noun

wealthy adj

wean verb

weapon noun

wear noun

wear verb

weariness noun

weary adj

weather noun

weather verb

weave verb

web noun

website noun

wedding noun

wedge verb

Wednesday noun

wee noun

weed noun

week noun

weekend noun

weep verb

weigh verb

weight noun

weighted adj

weird adj

welcome adj

welcome noun

welcome verb

welfare noun

well noun

well-being noun

wet adj

wet verb

whale noun

wheat noun

wheel noun

wheelchair noun

whereabouts noun

whiff noun

while noun

whim noun

whimper noun

whimper verb

whine noun

whine verb

whip noun

whip verb

whirl noun

whisky noun

whisper noun

whisper verb

whistle noun

whistle verb

white adj

white noun

whole noun

wide adj

widen verb

widespread adj

widow noun

width noun

wife noun

wig noun

wild adj

wilderness noun

wildlife noun

will power noun

will noun

willing adj

willingness noun

wilt verb

win noun

win verb

wince verb

wind noun

wind verb

windfall noun

window noun

windscreen noun

wine noun

wing noun

wink noun

wink verb

winner noun

winter noun

wipe verb

wiper noun

wire noun

wire verb

wiring noun

wisdom noun

wise adj

wish noun

wish verb

wit noun

withdraw verb

withdrawal noun

wither verb

withhold verb

withstand verb

witness noun

wobbly adj

wolf noun

woman noun

womb noun

wonder noun

wonder verb

wonderful adj

wood noun

wooded adj

woodwork noun

wool noun

word processing noun

word noun

word verb

wording noun

work noun

work verb

worker noun

workforce noun

workings noun

workload noun

workman noun

workmanship noun

workout noun

workshop noun

world noun

worm noun

worried adj

worry noun

worry verb

worrying adj

worse adj

worsen verb

worship noun

worst noun

worth adj

worth noun

worthless adj

worthwhile adj

worthy adj

wound noun

wound verb

woven adj

wrangle noun

wrap verb

wrapper noun

wrath noun

wreath noun

wreck noun

wreck verb

wreckage noun

wriggle verb

wrinkle noun

wrinkled adj

wrist noun

writ noun

write verb

writer noun

writing noun

wrong adj

wrong noun

X-ray noun

xylophone noun

yacht noun

yard noun

yardstick noun

yarn noun

yawn noun

yawn verb

year noun

yearn verb

yearning noun

yell verb

yellow adj

yelp noun

yen noun

yes exclamation

yes noun

yield noun

yoga noun

yoghurt noun

yogurt noun

young adj

youth noun

zeal noun

zest noun

zip noun

zone noun

zoo noun

zoology noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

index noun

¹ list of names/topics in a book

ADJ. comprehensive, complete | detailed | general | alphabetical

VERB + INDEX appear in, be in Although the book was devoted to cancer, the word ‘cancer’ did not even appear in the index. | consult, look (sth up) in Why don't you look up her name in the index? | compile

INDEX + VERB give sth, list sth The index only gives the main towns.

PREP. in a/the ~ Is there any reference to it in the index? | ~ to It's a general index to the whole work.

² ordered record of books/files

ADJ. subject, title | card | computer, computerized

VERB + INDEX have, keep We keep a card index of all the titles on the shelves. | compile, create | consult, look (sth up) in, search Look up ‘The Waste Land’ in the index. Search the index to find the address of the data file.

INDEX + NOUN card

PREP. in a/the ~ cards in a card index

³ system showing the level of sth; measure of sth

VERB + INDEX have Those who lived in the inner cities had a high index of deprivation. | use (sth as) The test results were used as an index of language proficiency. | compile, construct, create | calculate, compute The index was calculated with a computer. | publish The retail price index is published monthly. | drag, drive, push, take A wave of frenzied buying pushed the index up 136.2 points.

INDEX + VERB measure sth an index designed to measure monthly changes in the volume of industrial production | be based on sth an index based on incidents causing a loss of production | be linked to sth The increase in our standard rates will be linked to the retail price index. | cover sth an index covering some 1,700 companies | open | close, end The hundred shares index closed down 15 points.

PREP. in an/the ~ dividends on shares in the index | on an/the ~ people dealing in options on the FT-SE 100 index

PHRASES a drop/fall in an index a 28.2 point drop in the FT-SE 100 index | changes in an index, an increase in an index, as measured by an index Inflation, as measured by the retail price index, is expected to drop. > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indicate verb

ADV. clearly | not necessarily Expense does not necessarily indicate worth.

VERB + INDICATE appear to, seem to These facts would seem to indicate that the family was wealthy. | be used to Symbols are used to indicate the facilities available at each hotel.

PREP. to These figures indicate to me that the company is in serious trouble.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indication noun

VERB + INDICATION be, constitute, serve as The popularity of the government building project served as an indication of public support. | have A government spokesperson said they had no indication who was responsible for the attack. | give (sb), provide (sb with) His early successes gave some indication of his ability. | get, receive | find, see The researchers say they can find no indication that television has harmful physical effects on children. | regard sth as, see sth as, take sth as The comments made by management may be taken as an indication of how they felt about their workers.

INDICATION + VERB show sth, suggest sth Indications show that at least 2,000 more businesses will go bankrupt before the end of the year.

PREP. amid ~s of Amid indications of growing disorder in the capital, the president is to make a speech on television tonight. | ~ as to He gave us no indication as to what was the matter. | ~ to This is an indication to drivers who break the law that they will be punished

PHRASES (all) the indications are that … All the indications are that she will make a full recovery. | there is every indication that … There's every indication that the operation has been a success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indicative adj.

VERBS be | consider sth, interpret sth as, regard sth as, see sth as, take sth as The rise in unemployment is seen as indicative of a new economic recession.

ADV. clearly | (not) necessarily Recurrent dreams are not necessarily indicative of psychological problems.

PREP. of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indicator noun

¹ sign showing what sth is like

VERB + INDICATOR be, serve as These warts can serve as an indicator of other infections. | provide (sb with) | regard sth as, see sth as, take sth as Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation. | use (sth as) | develop It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science.

INDICATOR + VERB show sth, suggest sth Economic indicators suggest that a recovery is on the way.

PREP. ~ for an indicator for the presence of minerals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indictment noun

¹ sign that sth is bad/wrong

ADJ. powerful | damning, scathing, terrible Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. | sad

² accusing sb of a crime

ADJ. criminal | fresh

VERB + INDICTMENT issue, bring A New York jury brought criminal indictments against the founder of the organization. | be charged on, be convicted on, be tried on | plead (not) guilty to

INDICTMENT + VERB charge (sb/sth with sth) an indictment charging theft

PREP. in a/the ~ Two men were named in the indictment. | on ~ a trial on indictment | ~ against They issued an indictment against them. | ~ for She was convicted on an indictment for conspiracy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indifference noun

VERB + INDIFFERENCE feel | express, show She showed total indifference to his fate. | affect, assume, feign, pretend He feigned indifference to criticism of his work. | regard sb/sth with The more recent members of staff regard the change in corporate culture with a certain indifference. | treat sb/sth with | be met with Constable's landscapes met with indifference when they were first exhibited. | be resigned to The president is resigned to public indifference to his latest initiative.

PREP. with an ~ Ellis spoke with a casual indifference that he did not feel. | ~ to/towards his indifference towards art

PHRASES an attitude of indifference She adopted an attitude of supreme indifference. | a matter of indifference It's a matter of indifference to me whether he goes or not.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indifferent adj.

¹ not interested

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem, sound He appeared indifferent to her suffering. | become | remain

ADV. completely, quite, totally | almost Pat sounded almost indifferent. | largely | apparently | coldly

PREP. about Most staff were indiffferent about the plans. | to He was coldly indifferent to other people.

² of low quality

VERBS be

ADV. very We enjoyed the day, in spite of very indifferent weather. | rather a rather indifferent performance

PHRASES good, bad and indifferent The festival has the usual mix of films?good, bad and indifferent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indigenous adj.

VERBS be

ADV. truly examples of truly indigenous music

PREP. to The tree is indigenous to China.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indigestion noun

ADJ. serious, severe | acute, chronic | slight

VERB + INDIGESTION get, have, suffer from | give sb Rich food always gives me indigestion.

INDIGESTION + NOUN tablet > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indignant adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, grow, wax She waxes righteously indignant if anyone tries to contradict her. | make sb

ADV. extremely, fiercely, highly, very ‘He deserves to be thrashed,’ she protested, fiercely indignant. | almost, mildly, quite, rather | justly, righteously

PREP. about/over She became rather indignant over suggestions that she had lied. | at They were quite indignant at his remarks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indignation noun

ADJ. considerable, great, high His response was one of high indignation. | widespread | public | moral, righteous | mock

VERB + INDIGNATION be filled with, be full of, feel They were full of righteous indignation at the thought of being cheated. | express, show | blush/burn/flush with, quiver/shudder/tremble with His plump face flushed with indignation. Bertha's voice quivered with indignation. | arouse, cause, provoke

INDIGNATION + VERB grow, rise Indignation grew as more nightclubs opened. She could feel her indignation rising.

PREP. in ~ She turned to him in indignation. | with ~ He refused it with some indignation. | ~ about/at/over The government expressed its indignation over the way the incident had been handled. | ~ against public indignation against the government

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indiscretion noun

VERB + INDISCRETION commit He had committed a minor sexual indiscretion. | regret I instantly regretted my indiscretion and asked her to keep the news to herself. | report He had never forgiven her for reporting his indiscretion in front of his friends.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indispensable adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | make sb/sth He had soon made himself indispensable. | consider sb/sth

ADV. absolutely | almost, virtually

PREP. for Written sources are considered virtually indispensable for today's history teaching. | in These drugs are almost indispensable in the fight against the disease. | to skills which turned out to be indispensable to her career

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

individuality noun

ADJ. human

VERB + INDIVIDUALITY have Each song has its own individuality. | express, reflect, show clothes that reflect your individuality | give sth The small items of hand-crafted furniture give individuality to the room. | recognize This book will help you recognize your individuality. | retain | lose

PHRASES a feeling/sense of individuality, the suppression of individuality Becoming part of a team should not mean the suppression of individuality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

individual noun

ADJ. outstanding, talented | key | powerful | creative | average, ordinary Their research shows that the average individual watches around three and a half hours of television per day. | private He was carrying out his functions as a trustee in the course of his business, rather than as a private individual. | single | particular, certain The motives influencing a particular individual may change from time to time. | autonomous, independent His philosophy is about becoming aware of oneself as an autonomous individual. | isolated Society does not consist of isolated individuals, but people in a network of relationships. | unique She saw the artist as a unique individual, possessing a heightened awareness of reality. | like-minded a group of like-minded individuals | named The book recommends that you sign ‘Yours sincerely’ if you are send | qualified We welcome applications from suitably qualified individuals. | human We know that all human individuals are unique.

VERB + INDIVIDUAL treat sb as The teacher should treat each pupil as an individual.

INDIVIDUAL + VERB vary Although individuals vary widely, the bones of the average female skeleton are smaller and lighter than the male.

INDIVIDUAL + NOUN level His writings are concerned with religious phenomena at the individual level.

PHRASES any/no/one individual No single individual had done so much for the development of the motor vehicle. | concern for the individual, the freedom of the individual the issue of the freedom of the individual versus the intervention of the state | a group of individuals She had taken a group of individuals and made them into a superb team. | the individual concerned It's up to the individual concerned to contact the police. | the needs of the individual Each course has to be tailored to the needs of the individual. | respect for the individual, vary from individual to individual Eating habits are bound to vary from individual to individual.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inducement noun

ADJ. big, massive, powerful, strong | sufficient | extra, further | positive | cash, financial

VERB + INDUCEMENT offer (sb/sth as), provide (sb/sth as) The higher payments were offered as an inducement. | receive

PREP. ~ for The reduced tax is a major inducement for first-time buyers. | ~ to an inducement to crime and violence inducements to employees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indulgence noun

¹ having whatever you want

ADJ. excessive | personal, self- guilty of self-indulgence | sexual

PREP. ~ in She allowed herself only a few moments' indulgence in self-pity.

PHRASES a life of indulgence

² sth you allow yourself

ADJ. expensive, private, small

VERB + INDULGENCE allow yourself As a relief from work she allowed herself a few small indulgences.

³ acceptance of change to the normal way of doing sth

VERB + INDULGENCE ask, beg, request He begged the audience's indulgence to read some passages from his latest book. | grant (law), show (sb) He attacked the indulgence shown to religious dissenters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

indulge verb

VERB + INDULGE be able to, be free to, can

PREP. in She was free to indulge in a little romantic daydreaming. | with For a special treat indulge yourself with one of these luxury flavours of ice cream.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

industrial action noun

ADJ. continuing | unlawful

PREP. ~ against The union is threatening industrial action against the company. | ~ by industrial action by railway workers | ~ in support of industrial action in support of demands for a ten per cent salary adjustment | ~ over to take industrial action over pay

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

industrialist noun

ADJ. leading, prominent, top | local | wealthy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

industry noun

VERB + INDUSTRY assist, develop, encourage, help, stimulate The government decided to encourage industries based on biotechnology. government measures to stimulate new industry | run down Running down the nuclear industry will result in heavy job losses. | damage They claim that a commercial port would damage the local tourist industry. | cripple, destroy, ruin | nationalize | privatize | regulate | protect trade barriers erected to protect domestic industry | subsidize The state's timber industry is heavily subsidized. | interfere in/with The government has interfered in industry, with disastrous results, by attempting to alter economic trends. | be involved in/with More than 140,000 people are directly involved in the industry. | enter, go into students training to enter the catering industry She decided to leave teaching and go into industry.

INDUSTRY + VERB develop, grow up, spring up In the favourable economic environment, new light industries are constantly springing up. | boom, expand, grow The tourist industry is still expanding rapidly. | decline, shrink | close down, disappear When the railway disappeared, other industries associated with it closed down. | compete | produce sth

INDUSTRY + NOUN leader | standard They hope that the disk drive will become an industry standard.

PREP. in/within ~ In the computer industry, change comes about very rapidly.

PHRASES a captain of industry, commerce and industry The banks lend money to commerce and industry. | regulation of (an) industry proposals for regulation of the water industry | the revival of (an) industry the revival of the British film industry | a sector of industry, trade and industry the Department of Trade and Industry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inedible adj.

VERBS be, look | become | make sth These chemicals make the fruit inedible.

ADV. totally The food was totally inedible. | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ineffective adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem These policies have proved ineffective. | become | make sth, render sth The contract was rendered ineffective by this careless wording.

PREP. against These weapons are totally ineffective against tanks. | in chemicals that are very ineffective in killing weeds

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inefficiency noun

ADJ. gross | inherent | bureaucratic, economic, managerial

VERB + INEFFICIENCY cause, create, lead to, make for Conflict between management and workers makes for inefficiency in the workplace. | minimize, reduce | overcome, root out We need to root out inefficiencies in the production process.

INEFFICIENCY + VERB arise This type of inefficiency arises because workers and management are ill-equipped.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inefficient adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ineligible adj.

VERBS be | become | make sb/sth | consider sb/sth, declare sb/sth, deem sb/sth The country had been declared ineligible for World Bank lending.

PREP. for The new rules have made thousands more people ineligible for legal aid.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inept adj.

VERBS be, prove | become

ADV. very | quite | rather | politically, socially It would be politically inept to cut these training programmes now.

PREP. at He was rather inept at word games.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inequality noun

ADJ. considerable, great, marked, substantial Inequalities of income would lead to even greater inequalities in access to health care. | real | growing, increased/increasing | global, regional | class, economic, educational, gender, income, pay, racial, sex/sexual, social, socio-economic, structural

VERB + INEQUALITY cause, create, lead to The introduction of school fees would create inequality between schools. | maintain, perpetuate Many sociologists have regarded education as central in perpetuating inequality. | reinforce Sex inequality in pay reinforces class inequality. | increase | reduce | remove They can build a more harmonious society once inequality and exploitation are removed. | rectify, redress The country has had some success in redressing racial inequalities.

INEQUALITY + VERB exist inequalities that exist in wealth and income | arise from sth, be based on sth inequalities based on racism and social class | persist, remain Even in the age of compulsory school, inequalities in education have remained. | increase | decline

PREP. ~ between economic inequality between men and women | ~ in gender inequality in education

PHRASES inequalities of opportunity/power/wealth, a pattern of inequality

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inertia noun

ADJ. sheer | bureaucratic, institutional, organizational, political

VERB + INERTIA lapse into She lapsed into inertia and lay there as if asleep. | overcome The forces for change in the government are not sufficient to overcome bureaucratic inertia.

PREP. out of ~ He stayed where he was, not because he really wanted to, but out of inertia. | through ~ Projects were frequently abandoned through sheer inertia.

PHRASES a state of inertia

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inert adj.

VERBS be, lie, remain | become

ADV. completely She lay completely inert on her bed. | relatively | chemically chemically inert radioactive waste

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inevitability noun

ADJ. terrible, tragic | a certain | historical

VERB + INEVITABILITY have | accept She was learning to accept the inevitability of death.

PREP. ~ about The tragedy had a certain inevitability about it.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of inevitability

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inevitable adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become | make sth The scandal made her resignation inevitable. | regard sth as, see sth as They came to see defeat as inevitable.

ADV. absolutely, quite | almost, virtually | apparently, seemingly | probably | historically, politically

PHRASES bow to the inevitable She bowed to the inevitable (= accepted a situation in which she had no choice) and resigned.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inexhaustible adj.

VERBS be, seem Her energy seemed inexhaustible.

ADV. virtually | apparently, seemingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inexpensive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very | comparatively, fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively Paper is relatively inexpensive here.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inexperienced adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem

ADV. hopelessly, very | totally He was unqualified and totally inexperienced. | relatively She was still a relatively inexperienced pilot. | politically, sexually

PREP. in She was inexperienced in teaching art. | with men who are inexperienced with children

PHRASES young and inexperienced

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inexperience noun

ADJ. relative | youthful | political

VERB + INEXPERIENCE reveal, show She showed her inexperience by asking lots of trivial questions. | be down to The team's defensive errors were down to (= a result of their) inexperience. | put sth down to He put his mistakes down to (= believed they were caused by his) inexperience.

INEXPERIENCE + VERB show Her inexperience in politics did not show as she debated with the other candidates.

PREP. because of/from/through ~ They made mistakes through inexperience. | ~ in inexperience in teaching

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inexplicable adj.

VERBS be, seem | remain | find sth

ADV. completely, quite, totally Their actions are completely inexplicable. | apparently | otherwise This theory makes sense of an otherwise inexplicable phenomenon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infancy noun

ADJ. early The vaccination is given in early infancy.

VERB + INFANCY survive (beyond) Their first child did not survive infancy. | die in She died in infancy.

PREP. during/in ~ Deaths during infancy have fallen dramatically in the last hundred years. (figurative) The new company is still in its infancy. | from ~ from infancy to late childhood | since (sb's) ~ Since her infancy she has been a healthy baby. | throughout (sb's) ~ He was ill many times throughout his infancy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infant noun

INFANT + NOUN death, mortality countries with high infant mortality | child, daughter, son

PHRASES sudden infant death syndrome

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infected adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. badly, heavily | chronically

PREP. with patients who are infected with this virus

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infection noun

VERB + INFECTION have, suffer (from) He's suffering from an acute infection of the lower respiratory tract. | be at risk from/of, be prone/susceptible/vulnerable to Goats appear to be more susceptible to the infection than sheep. | be exposed to Vaccination is essential to protect people exposed to hepatitis B infection. | acquire, catch, contract, develop, get She's always getting chest infections. | pass (on), spread, transmit The infection is passed on through the horse feed. | carry Almost all the sheep on the farm carried the infection. | guard against, protect sb/sth from to protect the body from infection | avoid, prevent | combat, fight The virus affects the body's immune system so that it cannot fight infection. | fight off, kill Normally, white blood cells fight off and kill infections. | recover from | leave/make sb susceptible to, leave/make sb vulnerable to | die from/of | diagnose (sb with) | treat (sb for)

INFECTION + VERB develop, occur an infection that occurs in swans | spread They want to prevent the infection spreading to other parts of the body. | cause sth, result in sth Heavy lung infections may result in pneumonia.

PREP. in~ In acute infections of the urinary tract the patient may suffer severe pain. | ~ by infection of people by the virus | ~ from infection from sewage water | ~ through infection through unsafe sex | ~ with infection with bacteria

PHRASES a cause of infection, the onset of infection The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection. | resistance to infection Taking vitamin C builds up your resistance to infection. | a risk of infection, a site of infection (medical) The urethra was the primary site of infection | a source of infection We are trying to trace the source of infection. | the spread of infection > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infectious adj

VERBS be, remain

ADV. highly, very | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inference noun

ADJ. fair, logical, reasonable | obvious

VERB + INFERENCE draw, make

INFERENCE + VERB be based on sth inferences based on their answers to a number of set questions

PREP. ~ about In the absence of detailed documentary evidence, we can only make inferences about Minoan religion. | ~ from The value of data depends on our skill in drawing inferences from it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inferiority noun

ADJ. moral, racial, social the myth of racial inferiority | numerical The invading force, conscious of their numerical inferiority at sea, decided on an airborne attack.

VERB + INFERIORITY accept

INFERIORITY + NOUN complex He had an inferiority complex about his looks.

PREP. ~ to She accepted her inferiority to her rivals.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of inferiority, a position of inferiority, a sign of inferiority Using a false accent over the phone is a sign of inferiority.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inferior adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem Her obvious popularity made me feel inferior. | consider sb/sth, regard sb/sth as, see sb/sth as Women are often regarded as inferior.

ADV. decidedly, distinctly, greatly, markedly, significantly, vastly, very | slightly, somewhat | demonstrably | instrinsically | intellectually, morally, socially, technically

PREP. in These later paintings are slightly inferior in value. | to His later work was vastly inferior to his early work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inferior noun

ADJ. intellectual, social

VERB + INFERIOR consider sb She considered everyone her intellectual inferior.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infertility noun

ADJ. female, male

VERB + INFERTILITY cause, lead to | treat

INFERTILITY + NOUN clinic, treatment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infer verb

ADV. reasonably

VERB + INFER can/could | be possible to | be difficult to, be hard to It is difficult to infer anything from such scanty evidence. | be reasonable to | be wrong to

PREP. from From this study we can reasonably infer that this behaviour is inherited.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infested adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. badly, heavily The building was heavily infested with cockroaches.

PREP. with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infiltration noun

ADJ. large-scale | communist, right-wing, etc.

VERB + INFILTRATION reduce | prevent

PREP. ~ by The police tried to prevent infiltration by drug traffickers. | ~ into the infiltration of rain into the soil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infinite adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. almost, practically, virtually an almost infinite variety of colours | apparently | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infinitive noun

ADJ. bare Modal verbs generally take the bare infinitive. | perfect You use ‘have’ to form the perfect infinitive of a verb. | passive | split The use of the split infinitive is now generally acceptable.

VERB + INFINITIVE form | take | split

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infinity noun

¹ endless space/time

VERB + INFINITY extend into/to, stretch into/to Theoretically, a line can extend into infinity.

PREP. at ~ Parallel lines meet at infinity. | into ~ In this weather the cliff face was a foggy drop into infinity.

² number larger than any other

VERB + INFINITY approach, tend to/towards As x approaches infinity y approaches zero.

PREP. at ~ The usual convention is to choose the reference point at infinity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infirmity noun

ADJ. mental, physical | increasing

PHRASES age and infirmity (literary) those incapable of supporting themselves by reason of age and infirmity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infirm adj

VERBS be | become

ADV. mentally, physically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflamed adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. highly, severely, very Her joints are severely inflamed. | further | acutely | chronically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflammable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very These gases are highly inflammable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflammation noun

ADJ. painful, severe | mild | acute, chronic | colonic, intestinal, etc.

VERB + INFLAMMATION reduce Steroids often help reduce the inflammation and itching in the skin.

PREP. ~ of inflammation of the stomach

PHRASES signs of inflammation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflated adj.

VERBS be

ADV. greatly, grossly, hugely, vastly | artificially, falsely The prices of meals are often artificially inflated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflate verb

ADV. fully | partially

PREP. with The balloon was kept fully inflated with hydrogen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflation noun

VERB + INFLATION cause | fuel, push up, raise | beat, bring down/under control, check, combat, control, curb, cut, fight, get down/under control, keep down, keep in check, keep under control, reduce policies to beat inflation It is vital that inflation is kept in check. | keep pace with Wages are not keeping pace with inflation.

INFLATION + VERB be up | be down Inflation is down to its lowest level in three years. | exceed sth, reach sth Inflation reached a monthly rate of 5%. | average sth, be at sth, run at sth, stand at sth Inflation is running at 4%. | edge up, go up, increase, rise | fall, go down, slow Inflation has slowed to 7%. | erode sth savings eroded by inflation

INFLATION + NOUN figures, rate an inflation rate of 2% | forecast, target

PHRASES the battle/fight against inflation, a drop/fall in inflation, an increase/a rise in inflation an increase in inflation to 3.5% | a rate of inflation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflexible adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem The rules seemed arbitrary and inflexible. | become | remain

ADV. highly, very | completely, totally The seven-year period is not totally inflexible. | rather, relatively, somewhat She's a good teacher, but she can be rather inflexible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inflict verb

ADV. deliberately When someone deliberately inflicts damage, it is a matter for the police. | maliciously, negligently (both law) He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.

PREP. on/upon They inflicted a humiliating defeat on their rivals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

influence noun

¹ effect sb/sth has; power to control sb/sth

VERB + INFLUENCE have | give sb Her wealth gave her influence over affairs of state. | exercise, exert, use, wield Can you use your influence with the director to get me a part in the film? Drug cartels wielded enormous influence in the city. | extend The unions have been able to extend their influence over all industries. | be under The court was told that he was under the influence of alcohol when he committed the offence. | come/fall under She came under the influence of Sartre at this period. | be independent of | show Spanish architecture shows Moorish influence. | attribute sth to Much of his writing can be attributed to the influence of Freud.

INFLUENCE + VERB extend Their influence extended as far as China.

PREP. under the ~ The town grew under the influence of colonialism. | ~ from There was no influence from outside. | ~ in She has a certain amount of influence in the way things are organized. | ~ on/upon They were a major influence upon the development of the sport. | ~ over I have absolutely no influence over him. | ~ with Queen Isabella was urged to use her influence with the French monarch.

PHRASES a sphere of influence Rome's sphere of influence extended across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. | bring your influence to bear on sb/sth The king tried to bring his influence to bear on (= tried to influence) the parliament. | under the influence (of alcohol/drink) He was arrested for driving under the influence.

² sb/sth that affects the way sb behaves/thinks

ADJ. big, considerable, great, significant | dominant, major, overwhelming | powerful, profound, strong | important | early Who were your early influences (= influences at the start of your career)? | formative The massive intellect of his mother had been a formative influence from his earliest years. | diverse He is a writer of Indian descent and draws upon diverse cultural influences. | outside Parents often seek to shelter their children from outside influences | good | adverse, bad, corrupting, destructive, disruptive, harmful, negative | stabilizing, steadying | calming, restraining | civilizing | environmental, genetic | artistic, cultural, musical

VERB + INFLUENCE be, represent The legacy of Ancient Rome represented the overwhelming influence on Romanesque architecture. | have The band had many influences. | be exposed to a study of children exposed to different cultural influences | draw from/on/upon

INFLUENCE + VERB be at work There were a number of influences at work in Gaudi's architecture.

PREP. ~ on She's by far the biggest influence on my writing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

influence verb

ADV. considerably, deeply, enormously, greatly, heavily, powerfully, profoundly, strongly This book influenced her profoundly. | increasingly | largely, mainly, primarily | partly, slightly | directly, indirectly Pressure from industry bosses has directly influenced government policy. | clearly, obviously, undoubtedly | actively | critically, crucially, decisively, significantly | inevitably | positively actions that positively influence health | adversely | unduly Try to be aware of external factors which may unduly influence your judgement.

VERB + INFLUENCE seem to | attempt to, seek to, try to seeking to influence university appointments

PREP. in Her parents tried to influence her in her choice of university.

PHRASES be easily/readily influenced He was naive and easily influenced by his friends.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

influential adj.

VERBS be, prove | become

ADV. deeply, enormously, especially, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, hugely, immensely, particularly, really, very This was a highly influential work. As a writer she was hugely influential. | increasingly | fairly, quite | widely | politically

PREP. in The group was influential in setting up the new schools.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

influenza noun

QUANT. attack, bout

VERB + INFLUENZA have, suffer from | catch, contract

INFLUENZA + NOUN epidemic | virus > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

influx noun

VERB + INFLUX have, receive The hotel has received a large influx of guests. | prevent The country sealed its borders to prevent the influx of illegal immigrants. | cope with They didn't know how they were going to cope with the sudden influx of refugees.

PREP. ~ into/to a massive influx of foreign tourists into London

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

informal adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly, quite, rather, relatively Our meetings are relatively informal. | purely These meetings should remain purely informal, with no obligation on either side. | cheerfully, delightfully

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

information noun

QUANT. item, piece an interesting piece of information | bit, fragment, nugget, scrap, snippet She let slip a few nuggets of information about herself. | mine, wealth This book is a mine of information on the Romans.

VERB + INFORMATION contain | have Do you have the information I need? | retain, store James is able to retain an enormous amount of factual information in his head. database systems that process and store information | need, require | ask for, request | look for, seek | find, gain, get, obtain information gained from research | collect, gather The police are still questioning witnesses and gathering information. | receive | dig up Have you dug up any further information on the suspect? | extract, retrieve the difficulties of extracting information from government officials software that retrieves information from a variety of different sources | access Portable computers are good for accessing information while travelling. | download | disclose, give, impart, make available, provide (sb with), supply (sb with) a court order preventing an ex-employee from disclosing confidential information | leak Someone leaked information to the press. | pass on They passed on the information about the crime to the police. | circulate, disseminate an organization that collects and disseminates information about women in science | exchange The French and British police will exchange information on wanted criminals. | withhold It was improper of the broker to withhold the information from the stock exchange. | cover up, suppress | collate, organize | check | analyse | present The way you present the information is important. | publish | act on, go on At the moment we've very little information to go on.

INFORMATION + VERB relate to sth information relating to the social background of the child | lead to sth a reward for information leading to an arrest

INFORMATION + NOUN service | bureau, desk, office, centre | source | system | processing

PREP. according to ~ According to information received by the police, the terrorists have left the country. | for sb's ~ This leaflet is produced for the information of our customers. | ~ about/concerning/on/regarding financial information concerning a company

PHRASES access to information, the exchange of information, the flow of information to improve the flow of information within the company | a lack of information, a request for information, a source of information

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

informative adj.

VERBS be, prove | find sth

ADV. extremely, highly, most, particularly, very, wonderfully The survey proved most informative. | quite

PREP. about The book is extremely informative about life in Roman times.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

informed adj.

VERBS be | keep | keep sb

ADV. closely, well The kids are much better informed than I was at their age. | fully, properly Consumers must be fully informed of the services available. | adequately, reasonably I offer my observations as those of an interested and reasonably informed member of the general public. | badly, ill, poorly | reliably I am reliably informed that there are plans to close this school. | politically a politically informed public | theoretically theoretically informed research

PREP. about They were poorly informed about their rights. | of We will keep you informed of any developments. | on Keep me informed on progress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

informer noun

ADJ. police He later became a police informer.

VERB + INFORMER become, turn One of the gang members had turned informer.

PHRASES a network of informers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inform verb

VERB + INFORM be pleased to | regret to I regret to inform you that you have been unsuccessful in your application. | be required to The clinic is required to inform the patient about possible alternative treatments.

PREP. about efforts to inform young people about the dangers of drugs | of We will immediately inform you of any changes to the programme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infrequent adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | comparatively, fairly, rather, relatively Disturbances are relatively infrequent in British prisons.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

infringement noun

VERB + INFRINGEMENT be, constitute The committee ruled that the US ban constituted an infringement of free trade. | commit sympathy for people who commit minor infringements under difficult circumstances

PHRASES an infringement of copyright/the law

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ingenious adj.

VERBS be, sound The idea sounds quite ingenious

ADV. extremely, highly, most, quite, very a most ingenious device

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ingenuity noun

ADJ. considerable, great | intellectual, technical | human

QUANT. amount, degree Getting out of this mess was going to require a fair degree of ingenuity.

VERB + INGENUITY have someone who has the ingenuity to solve problems | apply, use There is always a solution, so long as you are prepared to use your ingenuity. | display, show The children showed a lot of ingenuity. | admire | call for, need, require, take Considerable ingenuity is needed to minimize costs. It didn't take much ingenuity to transform the door into a table.

PREP. with ~ They adapted the available materials with great ingenuity. | ~ in We have to admire his ingenuity in redesigning the machinery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ingrained adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. deeply Prejudice remains deeply ingrained in many organizations.

PREP. in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ingredient noun

¹ thing from which sth is made

VERB + INGREDIENT use I only use natural ingredients. | add, pour in/on/over Mix the marinade ingredients and pour over the goose. | blend, combine, mix, stir (in) Blend all the ingredients together in a bowl.

PHRASES a list of ingredients All food products should carry a list of ingredients on the packet. > Special page at FOOD

² thing/quality necessary to make sth successful

ADJ. crucial, essential, fundamental, important, key, vital Hard work is a vital ingredient for success. | main, major, principal | basic, necessary Forecasting is a basic ingredient of business planning. | right The little town has all the right ingredients for a murder mystery. | magic, secret, special | added/additional, extra | missing

VERB + INGREDIENT have The Australian team had the added ingredient of perseverance. | provide, supply She hopes the change of career will supply the missing ingredient in her life? excitement.

PREP. ~ for Tolerance is an essential ingredient for a happy marriage. | ~ in Individualism has been the secret ingredient in developing his chain of fashion stores.

PHRASES an ingredient for success

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inhabitant noun

VERB + INHABITANT have London has over seven million inhabitants.

INHABITANT + VERB live 77% of the inhabitants lived in the countryside.

PREP. of/with … ~ towns of about 10,000 inhabitants

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inhale verb

ADV. deeply | sharply Janet inhaled sharply when she saw him. | slowly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inheritance noun

¹ money/property

ADJ. large | small | rightful (literary) He accused his younger brother of trying to steal his rightful inheritance. | shared

VERB + INHERITANCE leave sb She left him an inheritance of £100,000. | come into, enter (into/on/upon) (literary), receive When he was 21 he came into a large inheritance. | claim When his father died, he returned to England to claim his inheritance. | renounce | challenge Jealous relatives tried to challenge her inheritance. | steal | restore (sb to) The Earl of Arundel's heir was restored to his inheritance and granted the lordship of Chirk. | divide The inheritance was divided equally among all the sons. | share (in) Under their law, all children shared in the inheritance.

INHERITANCE + NOUN tax | law

PREP. ~ by The system involved inheritance by the eldest son. | ~ through inheritance through marriage

² sth from the past/your family

PREP. common a common inheritance of language and culture | cultural | genetic, physical | classical the influence of the classical inheritance (= the culture of ancient Greece and Rome) on Renaissance thought

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inherit verb

VERB + INHERIT stand to He stood to inherit (= was likely to inherit) property worth £5 million.

PREP. from She inherited some money from her mother.

PHRASES be genetically inherited How many of these traits are genetically inherited?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inhibited adj.

VERBS be, feel | become

ADV. very | rather, slightly | emotionally

PREP. about He was rather inhibited about discussing politics. | by She felt very inhibited by her own lack of experience. | from No one should feel inhibited from taking part in the show.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inhibition noun

VERB + INHIBITION have (no) | show (no) | get rid of, lose, overcome The children, at first shy, soon lost their inhibitions.

PREP. without ~ Young children will participate in a drama class without inhibition. | ~ about They had no inhibitions about voicing their feelings. | ~ against an inhibition against certain behaviour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inhibit verb

ADV. seriously, severely, significantly Alcohol significantly inhibits the action of the drug. | completely | slightly

VERB + INHIBIT tend to A large service sector and a small manufacturing sector would tend to inhibit growth in the economy.

PREP. from The fear of dismissal inhibited employees from raising problems.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inhuman adj.

VERBS be | consider sth, regard sth as We regard their treatment of the prisoners as inhuman.

ADV. positively What she proposes is positively inhuman! | totally, utterly | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

initial noun

VERB + INITIAL have The two authors have the same initials. | be/become known by She's always been known by her initials. | use | bear, carry A stone over the door bears the initials ‘R.P.’, which stand for ‘Ralph Piggot’. | carve, embroider, engrave (sth with), mark sth with, monogram sth with, put, sign, stamp (sth with), write He carved his girlfriend's initials in the rock. Now that she was managing director she could put the initials MD after her name.

INITIAL + VERB stand for sth

PREP. ~ for When writing, if you use initials for a long name, make sure you spell out the name at least once.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

initiate verb

ADV. formally The enquiry was formally initiated last month.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

initiation noun

INITIATION + NOUN ceremony, rite, ritual an initiation ceremony for new members of the organization

PREP. ~ into It was my initiation into the world of high fashion.

PHRASES a ceremony/rite of initiation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

initiative noun

¹ new plan

QUANT. range, series

VERB + INITIATIVE undertake The research initiative is being undertaken by a group of environmentalists. | plan | develop | announce | introduce, launch, set up, start The government has launched a new policy initiative. | be/become involved in Ten schools have been involved in the initiative. | lead | approve | reject The peace initiative was rejected out of hand. | sponsor a peace initiative sponsored by the Organization of African Unity | endorse, support The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. | welcome We welcome the government's initiative to help the homeless. | praise | encourage

INITIATIVE + VERB be aimed at sth, be designed to a local initiative aimed at economic regeneration an initiative designed to promote collaborative research | involve sth, relate to sth | founder The initiative foundered because there was no market interest in redevelopment.

PREP. ~ against a new initiative against car theft | ~ by the latest initiative by the UN Secretary General | ~ for an initiative for peace and human rights | ~ on the government's major new initiative on crime > Special page at BUSINESS

² ability to decide/act independently

ADJ. considerable, great, real | individual, personal, private It is a very hierarchical company and there's little place for individual initiative. | entrepreneurial

VERB + INITIATIVE have He had the initiative to ask what time the last train left. | display, show | act/work on your own, use He acted on his own initiative and wasn't following orders. Don't ask me what you should do all the time. Use your initiative! | lack | encourage, promote | stifle Raising taxes on small businesses will stifle initiative.

PREP. on sb's ~ The project was set up on the initiative of a local landowner. | ~ in Some scientists show little initiative in applying their knowledge.

PHRASES a lack of initiative, on your own initiative In an unprecedented action, the army, on its own initiative, arrested seven civilians.

³ the initiative: opportunity to gain an advantage

VERB + INITIATIVE have, hold After their latest setback, the rebel forces no longer hold the initiative. | gain, seize, take | regain In the second half, Manchester United regained the initiative. | lose

INITIATIVE + VERB comes from sb/sth, lie with sb The initiative to re-open negotiations came from Moscow.

PREP. ~ in She took the initiative in asking the board to conduct an enquiry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

injection noun

¹ act of injecting sb

VERB + INJECTION have He had to have a tetanus injection after injuring himself with a shovel. | administer, give sb, perform They gave her an injection to stop the pain. | receive The rats received a daily injection of the drug.

PREP. by ~ The best treatment is antibiotics, preferably by injection. | ~ against an injection against whooping cough | ~ for injections for diabetes | ~ in/into an injection into the vein | ~ with Both groups received a second injection with the same solution.

² money

ADJ. massive, substantial | much-needed | capital, cash An undisclosed buyer will provide a much-needed cash injection for the fragile balance sheet.

VERB + INJECTION need, require | give sth, provide (sth with) | receive

PREP. ~ from a cash injection from the Belgian state | ~ into an injection of cash into the economy

PHRASES an injection of capital/cash/money/resources The company had reached the size where it needed an injection of capital.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

injunction noun

¹ court order

ADJ. interim, preliminary | temporary | permanent | court

INJUNCTION + VERB order sth, require sth | ban sth, bar sth, forbid sth, prohibit sth, restrain sb/sth The court upheld an injunction barring protesters from blocking access to the company. an injunction restraining the disclosure of company secrets | prevent sth

PREP. ~ against/on They got an interim injunction against the union.

PHRASES a breach of an injunction

² warning/order from sb in authority

ADJ. stern

VERB + INJUNCTION follow, obey The rank and file members will follow the injunction of the party leadership. | ignore

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

injured adj.

VERBS be, lie He could have been lying injured on the moors after a fall from his horse. | get

ADV. badly, critically, gravely, seriously, severely her badly injured ankle Several people were seriously injured. | slightly a slightly injured arm | fatally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

injure verb

¹ harm yourself/sb physically

ADV. badly, seriously, severely | slightly | accidentally insurance to cover you in case one of your employees accidentally injures someone | deliberately

² damage sb's reputation, pride, etc.

ADV. seriously, severely This incident could seriously injure the company's reputation.

VERB + INJURE be calculated to (law), be likely to espionage activity which was likely to injure the national interest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

injury noun

QUANT. run, series, spate He missed most of the season with a spate of injuries.

VERB + INJURY do yourself, incur, pick up, receive, suffer You'll do yourself an injury riding that old bike. She picked up an injury during the quarter-final. | risk The doctor said he would risk serious injury if he were to fall again. | cause (sb/sth), inflict The car turned right over, causing severe injury to the driver. Please help me before our dogs inflict serious injury on each other! | carry, have, nurse, suffer from She has replaced him in the team while he nurses a shoulder injury. | be prone to | feign He was accused of feigning injury. | aggravate He aggravated a neck injury while playing for Derby County. | die from/of The inquest heard that he died from multiple injuries. | avoid, escape Stretching exercises can help avoid injury.

Fortunately, the passengers escaped serious injury. | overcome, shake off She has failed to shake off her stomach injury. | recover from | deal with, treat, be treated for Finger injuries should be dealt with immediately. He is still being treated for injuries to his legs. | go off with He went off (= off the playing field) with an injury in the second half. | be out with She is out (= out of the competition/team) for six weeks with a hamstring injury. | pull out because of/due to/with He pulled out with (= decided not to compete because of) an injury at the last moment. | be back after/from, come back from, return after/from She should be back from injury. | have sb back after India had wicketkeeper More back after injury.

INJURY + VERB happen (to sb), occur This type of injury could happen to any player at any time. | result from sth injuries resulting from exposure to harmful substances | heal | dog sb/sth, hamper sb/sth, trouble sb Her athletics career has been dogged by injury. | sideline sb Both defenders have been sidelined by injury. | force sb to The knee injury forced him to give up playing at the age of 23. | arise from/out of (law) personal injuries arising from negligence

INJURY + NOUN problems The team has a lot of injury problems. | time They scored two goals in injury time (= time added at the end of a game because the game has been interrupted by injured players needing treatment).

PREP. because of ~ She's unable to play because of injury. | through ~ He has pulled out of the match through injury. | with ~ She slumped to the floor with injuries to her back and neck. | without ~ a step-by-step guide to lifting without injury | ~ from injuries from the fire | ~ to

PHRASES add insult to injury It adds insult to injury (= it make things worse) that banks are allowed to increase their charges without our knowledge or consent. | a claim for injury (law) a claim for personal injury | a risk of injury There is a real risk of injury in sports such as climbing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

injustice noun

ADJ. cruel, grave, great, gross, terrible | perceived | racial, social

VERB + INJUSTICE experience, suffer He suffered the injustice of being punished for a crime which he did not commit. | regard sth as The trial was regarded as the greatest injustice of the post-war criminal justice system. | cause (law), commit, do (sb/yourself) She remains adamant that an injustice was done. We may have been doing him an injustice (= criticizing him unfairly). This work is good. | expose a novel that sets out to expose social injustice | fight against, protest against, speak out against, struggle against, work against She was acclaimed for speaking out against injustice. | correct, remedy people who work hard to correct society's injustices | stop

PREP. ~ by a terrible injustice by the police | ~ to It would be an injustice to the man to imprison him for life.

PHRASES the injustice of it all She was overwhelmed by the injustice of it all (= of the situation). | a sense of injustice, a victim of injustice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inkling noun

ADJ. first The first inkling we had of Cliff's problem was when he didn't come to work. | faintest, slightest We didn't have the slightest inkling of the dramatic news we were about to hear.

VERB + INKLING have (no) | get | give (sb) She never gave us any inkling of what she was planning.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ink noun

VERB + INK use Most people now use ballpoints rather than ink. | write in He wrote very neatly in blue ink. | spill

INK + VERB dry Allow the ink to dry. | smudge The drawback of this printer is that the ink tends to smudge.

INK + NOUN blot, spot | pen | cartridge We need to replace the ink cartridge in the printer. | drawing

PREP. in ~ There were several alterations in ink.

PHRASES pen and ink a pen and ink drawing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inmate noun

ADJ. fellow | former a former inmate of Gloucester jail | young | male, female | camp, prison

VERB + INMATE move, transfer The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location.

INMATE + VERB escape

INMATE + NOUN population

PREP. among ~ drug and alcohol misuse among inmates

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

innocence noun

¹ being not guilty of a crime, etc.

ADJ. total

VERB + INNOCENCE declare, proclaim The prisoners passionately proclaimed their innocence in front of the jury. | claim She claimed total innocence of all charges. | protest Hayes has protested his innocence throughout the case. | demonstrate, establish, prove | be convinced of The solicitors were convinced of his innocence and urged him to appeal the conviction.

PHRASES in all innocence I asked her the question in all innocence. I didn't know it was going to upset her. | the presumption of innocence (law)

² lack of knowledge/experience

ADJ. childlike, wide-eyed | lost | injured She replied to her father's accusations in tones of injured innocence. | apparent | mock

VERB + INNOCENCE lose He had lost the innocence of childhood. | retain | take advantage of She had taken advantage of his innocence.

PREP. in your ~ In his innocence he had allowed the salesman in to discuss vacuum cleaners. | with … ~ He grinned with apparent innocence. | ~ about There is an innocence about the story.

PHRASES an air of innocence There was a touching air of innocence about the boy. | a look of innocence, the picture of innocence ‘You cheated!’ ‘I what?’ asked David, the picture of innocence (= pretending to look innocent). | a state of innocence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

innocent adj.

¹ not guilty

VERBS be, plead He pleaded innocent to the charges. | believe sb, presume sb I had always believed her innocent. The accused person should always be presumed innocent until proved guilty. | declare sb, find sb, prove sb The court found her innocent of the crime.

ADV. completely, entirely, totally, wholly

PREP. of I am totally innocent of this crime.

² not intended/intending to cause harm

VERBS be, look, play, seem, sound Stop playing innocent and answer my questions, please.

ADV. very | all, altogether, perfectly She tried to sound all innocent as she asked the question. The circumstance could be altogether innocent, but suspicions have been raised. | relatively | apparently, seemingly

³ with no experience of the world

VERBS be, seem She was sixteen and sweetly innocent.

ADV. remarkably, very | sweetly | strangely the strangely innocent world of her childhood | sexually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

innocuous adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem

ADV. perfectly, totally, wholly His comment seemed perfectly innocuous. | fairly, pretty, quite, relatively The liquid looked fairly innocuous. | enough The question appeared innocuous enough, but I still did not trust her. | apparently, seemingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

innovation noun

¹ introduction of new ideas

ADJ. constant, continuous | successful | cultural, educational, industrial, scientific, technical, technological | design, policy, product industries where constant product innovation is a criterion for survival

VERB + INNOVATION encourage, facilitate, foster, stimulate | stifle Too strict a regulatory system will stifle innovation.

INNOVATION + VERB occur Technical innovation may occur directly in the factory.

INNOVATION + NOUN process

PREP. ~ in innovation in engineering

PHRASES scope for innovation

² new idea

VERB + INNOVATION come up with She believed she had come up with one of the greatest innovations of modern times. | introduce Many innovations were introduced by the 1919 Act. | design, develop technological innovations designed to save energy

INNOVATION + VERB occur

PREP. ~ by Mathematical astronomy was the great innovation by the Greeks of the 5th century BC. | ~ in innovations in machinery and instruments

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

input noun

¹ of time/knowledge/ideas

VERB + INPUT have | need | get, receive | provide constructive criticism which provided an input into the school's decision-making process

PREP. ~ by The report contains a substantial input by the police. | ~ from input from various interested parties | ~ in They all had some input in the discussion. | ~ into her input into the survey | ~ on The union would like more input on redundancies. | ~ to an additional input to market analysis

² for a computer

ADJ. data | user | keyboard | computer

VERB + INPUT require Early computers required input in the form of punched cards. | accept The software will accept input from a variety of other programs. | process It may be beyond the capability of the hardware to process the input. | be used as/for Decision tables can be used as computer input. | check Check your input and make sure you have selected only one item.

INPUT + NOUN data | file | field, form, screen The cursor is positioned on the first input field of the page. | device an input device such as a keyboard

PREP. ~ for inputs for the printers | ~ from input from a mouse | ~ to input to a computer database

PHRASES input and output

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inquest noun

ADJ. full | fresh | coroner's

VERB + INQUEST conduct, hold | order The court ordered a fresh inquest into the tragedy. | open | adjourn | attend

INQUEST + VERB open | hear sth An elderly woman froze to death, an inquest heard yesterday. | decide sth, find sth An inquest found that the deceased had died of a drugs overdose. | return a verdict The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death.

INQUEST + NOUN jury | verdict

PREP. at a/the ~ A verdict of suicide was recorded at the inquest. | ~ into an inquest into the team's poor performance | ~ on an inquest on three fishermen

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enquire (also inquire) verb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

enquiry (also inquiry) noun

¹ official investigation

ENQUIRY + NOUN report | team

PHRASES the outcome/result of an enquiry, the subject of an enquiry He now finds himself the subject of an enquiry after reports of financial irregularities.

² request for information

QUANT. flood, stream After the disaster, the police had a flood of enquiries about missing relatives.

ENQUIRY + NOUN desk, office | service | form You are requested to complete an enquiry form.

³ asking questions/collecting information

VERB + ENQUIRY encourage The subjects on the curriculum encourage intellectual enquiry.

PREP. ~ concerning/into enquiry into the origins of the universe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inquisitive adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become

ADV. highly, very a highly inquisitive mind | naturally Children are naturally inquisitive. | incurably

PREP. about We try not to be too inquisitive about what he's doing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insane adj.

¹ mentally ill/crazy

VERBS be, look | become, go He later became insane and was confined to an asylum. He went almost insane when he heard that his daughter had died. | drive sb You're driving me nearly insane with that noise. | certify sb, declare sb In 1975 she was certified clinically insane and sent to a mental hospital.

² very stupid/dangerous

VERBS be, seem It seems insane to cut the budget now.

ADV. quite, totally The whole idea is quite insane.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insanity noun

ADJ. total

VERB + INSANITY plead At the murder trial, he pleaded insanity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inscribe verb

ADV. personally The volume had been personally inscribed by the author. | suitably He sent me a number of his books, all suitably inscribed.

PREP. on Her name was inscribed on the watch. | with The watch was inscribed with her name.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inscription noun

ADJ. faded | famous | dedicatory, funerary, memorial, monumental | Greek, Latin, etc.

VERB + INSCRIPTION bear, carry, have The monument carries the inscription: ‘To the fallen in two world wars’. | carve, engrave an inscription carved in the stone

INSCRIPTION + VERB bear sth, read sth, record sth, say sth, show sth, tell sb sth The inscription bears the date 1655. The simple inscription on her grave reads: ‘She sleeps in peace.’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insect noun

ADJ. flying, winged | aquatic | beneficial Unfortunately, pesticides kill off beneficial insects as well as harmful ones. | harmful, poisonous | social Social insects, such as ants, live in large colonies.

QUANT. swarm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insecure adj.

¹ not safe

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | increasingly | a little, rather, somewhat | financially men who are worried about losing their jobs and becoming financially insecure

² anxious

VERBS be, feel | become, grow

ADV. deeply, extremely, profoundly, really, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, quite, rather | basically | notoriously a star who is notoriously insecure about her looks

PREP. about He felt a bit insecure about being left alone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insecurity noun

ADJ. deep, great | growing, increased | general The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country. | economic, emotional, financial | job

PREP. ~ about her insecurities about her abilities

PHRASES a feeling/sense of insecurity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insensitive adj.

¹ not knowing or caring how sb else feels

VERBS appear, be, seem | become, grow | make sb | think sb I don't want to be thought insensitive, but I do think we should go ahead despite the accident.

ADV. extremely, highly, incredibly, remarkably, very | totally | a bit, rather, somewhat

PREP. to Years of abuse at boarding school had made him insensitive to others' suffering.

² not able to feel/be influenced by sth

VERBS be | remain

ADV. completely, totally | almost | largely | fairly, relatively

PREP. to The machine is relatively insensitive to changes in the atmosphere.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insensitivity noun

ADJ. complete | crass

VERB + INSENSITIVITY display, show

PREP. ~ to/towards The government has shown complete insensitivity to the refugees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inseparable adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. absolutely, quite | almost, practically, virtually The two brothers are almost inseparable. | effectively

PREP. from Religion is inseparable from politics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insert verb

ADV. carefully, gently

PREP. between The English translation is inserted between the lines of text. | in/into Fine needles are gently inserted into the patient's skin. | through A probe was inserted through his mouth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insight noun

QUANT. flash With a flash of insight, she found the solution to the problem. | degree

VERB + INSIGHT have The experienced specialist has professional skills and insight. | be lacking in, lack | show | allow (sb), afford (sb), give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with), produce, yield | gain, get, obtain | apply Teachers have to apply in the classroom the insights that they gain in educational courses.

PREP. ~ about Schopenhauer's insight about music | ~ into a fresh insight into Picasso's mind | ~ (as) to an insight as to how the gene works

PHRASES a lack of insight

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insignificance noun

ADJ. comparative, relative

VERB + INSIGNIFICANCE pale into, fade into Her achievements fade into insignificance beside those of her sisters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insignificant adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem He made her feel insignificant. | become | remain | consider sth an event that was considered insignificant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insinuation noun

ADJ. veiled

VERB + INSINUATION make | resent I deeply resent the insinuation that I'm only interested in the money.

PREP. ~ about Why did you make those veiled insinuations about me? | ~ against insinuations against the unsuccessful candidate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insistence noun

ADJ. strict | gentle | earlier, previous

VERB + INSISTENCE abandon, drop The union has dropped its earlier insistence that workers should receive bonus payments.

PREP. at/on sb's ~ At the insistence of his father, he bought himself a new suit. | ~ by insistence by the government that 25% of all household waste be recycled | ~ on/upon an insistence upon the highest standards of grammatical correctness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insistent adj.

VERBS be | become, grow | remain

ADV. extremely, most, very She was most insistent that we shouldn't leave the door unlocked. | fairly, quite

PREP. about She was insistent about inviting him. | on/upon He was insistent on a formal written agreement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insist verb

ADV. firmly, strongly | stubbornly He stubbornly insisted on doing it all himself. | absolutely I'm paying for this?no, I absolutely insist. | gently, quietly He quietly but firmly insisted. | always | repeatedly | still She still insists her critics are wrong. | rightly People rightly insist on being treated as individuals.

VERB + INSIST continue to | try to | be entitled to Employers are entitled to insist that employees honour the terms of their agreement.

PREP. on/upon He insists on speaking to you personally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insoluble adj.

¹ that cannot be solved/explained

VERBS be, seem | remain

ADV. absolutely | almost | apparently, seemingly

² impossible to dissolve in a liquid

VERBS be

ADV. highly | practically, virtually

PREP. ~ in These chemicals are practically insoluble in water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inspection noun

VERB + INSPECTION be available for, be open for/to, be subject to A company's accounting records must be open for inspection at all times. Nursing agencies are subject to inspection by the health authority. | bear (literary) He knew that his motives would not bear too close an inspection (= that his motives were not good). | carry out, conduct, make The architect is carrying out a thorough inspection of the building. | allow | pass The hotel passed its annual inspection. | fail

INSPECTION + VERB reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth Closer inspection of the vase revealed it to be a fake. | take place

INSPECTION + NOUN visit | report | team | hatch, panel

PREP. for ~ He held out the saucepan for inspection. | on/upon ~ The report seemed impressive at first, but on closer inspection there were several inaccuracies. | ~ by an inspection of the troops by the commander-in-chief

PHRASES a tour of inspection The head went on a tour of inspection of all the classrooms.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inspector noun

¹ official who inspects sth

VERB + INSPECTOR call in The school inspectors were called in.

INSPECTOR + VERB be in charge of sth the inspector in charge of producing the report | look at sth | report (on) sth

PREP. ~ of an inspector of prisons > Note at JOB

² police officer

ADJ. police | Chief, detective

PHRASES the rank of inspector

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inspect verb

ADV. carefully, closely, thoroughly | regularly

VERB + INSPECT allow sb to, be entitled to Each party in the case is entitled to inspect the documents held by the other.

PREP. for He inspected the water tank carefully for cracks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inspiration noun

QUANT. flash, moment In a flash of sheer inspiration, I decided to paint the whole house white.

VERB + INSPIRATION derive, draw, find, gain, get, owe, take The movement draws much of its inspiration from the Greek philosophers. Many of us found inspiration in her teaching. Where did you get the inspiration for the book? Her latest book owes its inspiration to childhood memories. | give sb, provide (sb with) | look for, seek He peered into his glass, as if seeking inspiration there. | be lacking (in), lack

INSPIRATION + VERB come (from sth) One day the inspiration just came. Her inspiration comes from Asia.

PREP. ~ behind He was the inspiration behind last week's victory. | ~ for The sea has provided an inspiration for many of his paintings. | to She's been a great inspiration to me.

PHRASES a source of inspiration

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inspired adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become

ADV. divinely divinely inspired wisdom | ideologically, politically politically inspired violence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inspiring adj.

VERBS be, seem None of the leaders seems very inspiring. | find sth/sb People find her inspiring.

ADV. deeply, really, very a very inspiring sight | far from, hardly, less than, not particularly A pile of ironing is hardly inspiring.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instability noun

QUANT. degree The increased inflation will inject a degree of instability into the economy.

VERB + INSTABILITY cause, create Racism causes political instability and violence. | avoid The law was introduced to avoid instability during the transition.

INSTABILITY + VERB arise, occur Instability may arise at times of change.

PHRASES a period of instability a long period of economic instability | a source of instability

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

install verb

ADV. properly, safely Make sure the equipment is properly installed. (figurative) She saw her guests safely installed in their rooms and then went downstairs. | easily The loft ladder is easily installed. | successfully | professionally A professionally installed alarm will cost from about £500.

VERB + INSTALL be easy to, be simple to The switches are cheap to buy and easy to install.

PHRASES newly/recently installed a recently installed swimming pool

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instalment noun

¹ regular payment

VERB + INSTALMENT pay (off), pay (sth) by/in, pay sth off in She sold the car before she had paid the instalments. The tenants agreed to pay off the arrears in instalments. | repay (sth) by/in

INSTALMENT + VERB be/become due, be payable by/in The next instalment is not due until July.

INSTALMENT + NOUN payment | plan, terms We offer an instalment plan.

PREP. by ~ The amounts are repayable by instalment. | in ~ Repayment is in ten instalments.

² part of a story

ADJ. first, second, etc. | final, last | daily, weekly | next

VERB + INSTALMENT publish (sth in) The ‘Screwtape Letters’ were published in instalments from May to November 1941.

PREP. ~ in the final instalment in the trilogy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instance noun

ADJ. countless, innumerable, numerous | occasional, rare | isolated | (any) given, particular, specific Further information is required to determine the correct answer in any given instance. | extreme | striking | classic This is a classic instance of Dostoevsky's writing operating on two levels.

VERB + INSTANCE give, provide North America provides the most striking instance of European settlement on a grand scale. | cite (sth as), take Experts cite the country as an instance where human rights violations could lead to international intervention. To take a particular instance of this problem: … | recall I cannot recall any other instance in modern times in which a huge and mighty state crumbled to dust.

INSTANCE + VERB occur An instance of this controversy occurred last year. | show sth This instance shows how important it is to check that the machine is working properly before you use it.

PREP. for ~ (= for example) Murder, petty theft and tax evasion, for instance, all have different motives and consequences. | in … ~ In one instance, several people had their mobile phones stolen. It is not always helpful to draw analogies between sexism and racism, but in this instance it is useful. | ~ of This is an instance of his general attitude to his employees.

PHRASES in the first instance (formal) In the first instance, a letter from your employer may be all you need.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instantaneous adj.

VERBS be Her death was almost instantaneous.

ADV. almost, virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instant adj.

VERBS be

ADV. almost His response was almost instant.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instant noun

¹ short period of time

ADJ. brief, fleeting For a brief instant, I thought she was going to fall. | one, single His news was too important to be contained for a single instant longer.

VERB + INSTANT pause for He paused for an instant before continuing.

PREP. for an ~ Just for an instant I thought he was going to refuse. | in an ~ It was all over in an instant. | ~ after/before She woke up in the instant before the phone rang.

² single point in time

ADJ. (any) given, (any) one At any given instant the distribution of molecular speeds is always constant under the same conditions. | very He took out his keys to lock the door. At that very instant the door flew open and a man ran into the room.

PREP. at … ~ The bomb could go off at any instant.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instinctive adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. totally | purely My reaction was purely instinctive. | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instinct noun

VERB + INSTINCT have | lack | develop In negotiating you have to develop an instinct for when to be tough and when to make a deal. | follow, go on, obey, rely on, trust Why don't you just follow your natural instincts? | ignore, suppress | satisfy | appeal to They accused the campaign of appealing to the electorate's baser instincts. | share Both superpowers shared the same instinct for self-preservation.

INSTINCT + VERB tell sb sth Her instinct told her that she was being followed. | guide sb Artists have to learn to be guided by their instincts. | take over Her instincts took over and she dived on the escaping thief. | be right/wrong I've trusted my instincts in the past and they've usually been right.

PREP. by ~ Babies know by instinct who their mother is. | on ~ I acted purely on instinct. | ~ for He's got an instinct for survival in a tough job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

institute noun

ADJ. professional | independent | government | international, national | economic, education, educational, research, scientific, technical

VERB + INSTITUTE establish, found, set up | open | belong to She belongs to the Chartered Institute of Management. | join

INSTITUTE + VERB find sth The environmental research institute found that the global average temperature had risen by 1.2°C. | claim sth, say sth The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. | publish sth | provide sth an institute providing opportunities to veterinary graduates

PREP. at an/the ~ She used to give lectures at the Mechanics' Institute. | in/within an/the ~ He is a key figure in the Institute of Mathematics. | ~ for the International Institute for Economic Development | ~ of

PHRASES a founder of an institute, a member of an institute > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

institution noun

¹ large organization

ADJ. central, major Parliament remains the central institution of the constitution of the United Kingdom. | established | existing They argue for the reform of existing political institutions. | traditional | public | private | government, governmental, state | international, national | local | democratic | academic, administrative, charitable, cultural, economic, educational, financial, legal, lending, political, religious, research cultural institutions such as the Danish Institute

PREP. at a/the ~ a course at an institution of higher education | in/within ~ examination procedures within educational institutions > Note at ORGANIZATION(for verbs)

² building for people with special needs

ADJ. mental, penal

VERB + INSTITUTION be admitted to, be placed in Many people with dementia would rather remain at home than be placed in an institution. | be kept in

PREP. at/in ~ patients in mental institutions | ~ for an institution for mentally ill offenders

³ custom

ADJ. national Fish and chips became a national institution in Britain. | cultural, economic, legal, political, religious, social cultural institutions such as religious and legal codes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instruction noun

¹ instructions information on how to do sth

QUANT. list, series, set

VERB + INSTRUCTION read You should always read the instructions on medicines thoroughly. | understand | follow These fondant decorations are easy to master if you follow our simple step-by-step instructions. | give (sb), leave (sb), supply He gave her detailed instructions on the procedure to be followed. instructions supplied with a product | repeat | come with Did it come with any instructions about assembling it?

INSTRUCTION + VERB tell sb sth instructions that tell you where everything goes

INSTRUCTION + NOUN book/booklet, leaflet, manual I had to refer to the instruction booklet.

PREP. according to the ~ Microwave ovens should be serviced according to the manufacturer's instructions. | in accordance with the ~, in the ~ It tells you in the instructions not to let the machine get too hot. | ~ about, ~ as to The organizer will give instructions as to what to do. | ~ on instructions on how to use the photocopier

PHRASES follow (sb's) instructions to the letter The jockey followed his trainer's instructions to the letter (= followed them in every detail).

² instructions: sth that sb tells/permits you to do

VERB + INSTRUCTION be under, have | act on/under She is acting under direct instructions from the president. | carry out, comply with, follow, obey Failure to obey a policeman's instructions may amount to an offence. | disobey | ignore | await, wait (for) He remained under cover and waited further instructions from headquarters. | accept Solicitors may not accept instructions in cases where they would have a conflict of interests. | receive | give (sb), issue, leave (sb), send (sb) The government has issued specific instructions on reducing waste disposal. | bark (out), shout, yell The director sat in his chair barking instructions at the cast. | repeat

PREP. according to the ~ We acted according to the instructions we received. | in accordance with the ~, on (sb's) ~ She was released on instruction from the Foreign Ministry. | under (sb/sth's) ~ Under Charlemagne's instructions, many classical texts were recopied. | with/without ~ They were not empowered to negotiate without instructions. | ~ from, ~ to an instruction to Lieutenant-General Gough from General Clark

PHRASES carry out/follow/obey (sb's) instructions to the letter (= follow them in every detail)

³ in a computer

QUANT. series, set

VERB + INSTRUCTION carry out, execute The chip runs at speeds of up to 100MHz and executes two instructions per clock cycle.

⁴ teaching

QUANT. course

VERB + INSTRUCTION get, have, receive She had no formal instruction in music. | need | offer (sb) The Cleveland Clog Dancers were on hand to offer instruction on the important steps. | give (sb), provide (sb with)

PREP. for the ~ of The information is for the instruction of passengers. | under ~ drivers under instruction | ~ by The two-day course features instruction by leading professionals and academics. | ~ in He claimed that he was not capable of giving instruction in poetry. | ~ on basic instruction on using the Internet

PHRASES a medium of instruction The medium of instruction throughout the course is English.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instructive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, most, particularly, very It was a most instructive day. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instructor noun

ADJ. qualified, trained | experienced | chief, senior | driving, flying, parachute, riding, ski, swimming, etc.

INSTRUCTOR + VERB teach sb/sth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instruct verb

ADV. carefully | explicitly, specifically You were explicitly instructed to wait here.

PHRASES as instructed I took the pills as instructed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instrumental adj.

¹ important in making sth happen

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly | largely | partly

PREP. in They were highly instrumental in bringing the business to Newtown.

² being only a means to an end

VERBS be

ADV. very | purely | merely | essentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

instrument noun

¹ tool for a particular task

QUANT. set a set of mathematical instruments

VERB + INSTRUMENT use All pupils should learn to use drawing instruments. | check, read to read the instruments and make a note of the wind speed and direction | design, develop, devise, invent | build, make All the instruments are made from glass capillary tubing.

INSTRUMENT + VERB measure sth an instrument that measures light intensity

INSTRUMENT + NOUN check The pilot did his instrument checks and taxied towards the runway. | maker | panel There was a warning light flashing on the instrument panel.

PHRASES an instrument of torture medieval instruments of torture such as the rack and the wheel

² for playing music

VERB + INSTRUMENT play (on) She plays three musical instruments. The score was written to be played on a keyboard instrument. | learn, learn (how) to play | tune Ensure the instrument is tuned to concert pitch. | make an instrument made by a woman guitar maker in Canada

INSTRUMENT + VERB sound The instrument sounds like a cello.

INSTRUMENT + NOUN maker > Special page at MUSIC

³ sb/sth used to make sth happen

VERB + INSTRUMENT perceive sb/sth as, regard sb/sth as, see sb/sth as, view sb/sth as They saw criminal law as an instrument for improving public morals. | use sb/sth as | make sb/sth

PREP. ~ for Criminal law is not the best instrument for dealing with family matters. | ~ of She was accused of making a public service an instrument of private advantage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insufficient adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. quite, wholly | simply | clearly

PREP. for The resources available are quite insufficient for the task.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insulated adj.

¹ protected against the cold, sound, etc.

VERBS be

ADV. well | badly, poorly | heavily | properly

PREP. against The laboratory was well insulated against all outside noise. | with The hot water tank should be insulated with proper insulating materials.

² protected from unpleasant experiences

ADV. completely, totally | largely

PREP. from The community was totally insulated from the outside world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insulting adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | find sth, regard sth as I find it insulting to be spoken to in that way.

ADV. highly, very | quite | almost He made the question sound almost insulting. | a little, rather, vaguely | deliberately Her tone was deliberately insulting.

PREP. to His opinions are highly insulting to women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insult noun

ADJ. bad, terrible one of the worst insults you can throw at somebody | ultimate Whatever you do, don't call a ‘railway enthusiast’ a trainspotter?it's the ultimate insult. | calculated, deliberate | personal

VERB + INSULT hurl, offer (literary), shout, throw They were hurling insults at the police. The king is unlikely to forgive the insult offered to his ambassador. | mean sth as I don't mean this as an insult, but I think the team would play better without you. | take sth as I meant it as a bit of constructive advice, but he took it as a personal insult | endure, suffer Foreigners have to suffer constant insults from the local population. | exchange, trade The two groups of fans exchanged insults.

INSULT + VERB fly Insults were flying back and forth.

PREP. ~ to It was an insult to his wife.

PHRASES add insult to injury Only 300 people came to the match and to add insult to injury (= to make things worse), the floodlights went out during the second half. | an insult to your intelligence The questions were a real insult to our intelligence (= because they were too easy).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insult verb

ADV. publicly He was dismissed for publicly insulting prominent politicians.

PHRASES be/feel (deeply) insulted I felt deeply insulted that she hadn't asked me to the meeting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insurance noun

VERB + INSURANCE have, maintain Have you got fully comprehensive insurance?

(formal) The company maintains liability insurance for its directors and officers. | apply for | arrange, buy, get, obtain, purchase, take out The contract requires me to arrange my own insurance. The travel agent recommended that I take out travel insurance. | sell | pay I haven't paid the insurance yet this month. | claim (on) She set fire to her house and then claimed insurance. We claimed for the car repairs on the insurance. | offer (sb) | provide (sb with)

INSURANCE + VERB cover sb/sth, pay for sth Does your personal accident insurance cover mountain rescue? Millions of people in the US are not covered by health insurance. The insurance will pay for the damage.

PREP. ~ against More people are taking out insurance against the high cost of dental care. | ~ for compulsory insurance for personal injury to employees | ~ on The court heard that he stood to gain millions in insurance on his wife. | ~ with Her insurance is with General Accident.

PHRASES a certificate of insurance, a contract of insurance, a period of insurance If you make more than two claims in any period of insurance you may lose your no claim bonus.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insured adj.

VERBS be

ADV. fully | adequately | inadequately | privately There is evidence that privately insured patients are offered a higher level of care.

PREP. against Your video is not insured against accidental damage. | for I was not adequately insured for the damage my tenants caused.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insurmountable adj.

VERBS appear, be, prove, seem The age barrier appeared insurmountable. | become | remain

ADV. nearly, virtually | apparently, seemingly They were now faced with seemingly insurmountable technical problems.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

insurrection noun

ADJ. armed Years of discontent turned into armed insurrection. | popular There was a popular insurrection against the police.

VERB + INSURRECTION plan, plot They were accused of plotting insurrection against the government. | lead | launch | crush, put down

PREP. ~ against insurrection against the monarchy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intact adj.

VERBS appear, be | remain, stay, survive The building survived almost intact. | emerge a hero who always escaped by the skin of his teeth, emerging miraculously intact after each cliff-hanging episode | find sth We found the tomb perfectly intact. | keep sth, maintain sth, preserve sth The collection should be kept completely intact. | leave sth a group of old army buildings that had been left largely intact

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intake noun

¹ amount of food/drink taken into the body

VERB + INTAKE have Make sure you have a balanced intake of vitamins A, B, C and D. | maintain You should maintain a low intake of fat. | increase, raise | control, watch You need to watch your alcohol intake. | cut, cut down (on), limit, lower, reduce, restrict One of the best ways to get to your ideal size is to cut fat intake right down.

² number of students in a year

ADJ. high | low | new | annual | graduate, student

VERB + INTAKE have The school has an annual intake of 20 to 30. | cut, reduce | increase

³ where liquid/air enters a machine

ADJ. air, water | pump

VERB + INTAKE clog (up) Algae has clogged the intake to the water turbine.

⁴ of breath

ADJ. harsh, sharp She gave a sharp intake of breath.

VERB + INTAKE give

PHRASES an intake of breath

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

integrate verb

¹ combine two things

ADV. closely, tightly, well They called for the defence system to be more closely integrated. | completely, fully, seamlessly, thoroughly | properly | successfully The department has successfully integrated new ideas into the traditional course structure.

PREP. into The results should be integrated into the final report. | with This computer program can be integrated with existing programs.

PHRASES highly integrated (= with many different parts working successfully together) a highly integrated approach to planning | poorly integrated

² mix with other people

ADV. well The lower primary pupils are well integrated into the life of the school. | completely, fully | quickly

PREP. into They soon became fully integrated into the local community. | with They didn't integrate with the other children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

integration noun

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + INTEGRATION achieve, bring about | accelerate, encourage, facilitate, promote, speed up, stimulate measures to promote the social integration of mentally handicapped people | require | lead to

PREP. ~ between integration between research and higher education | ~ into the integration of disabled pupils into the general education system | ~ with He called for greater integration with Europe. | ~ within economic integration within the three communities

PHRASES a move towards integration a move towards greater internal integration in Europe | a need for integration, a process of integration

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

integrity noun

VERB + INTEGRITY have Her photography had great artistic integrity. | lack | lose | restore The minister promised to restore the honesty and integrity of the government. | ensure It's up to the user to ensure the integrity of the data they enter. | maintain, retain We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. | defend, preserve, safeguard | threaten The project threatens the integrity of one of the world's most important wetlands. | compromise, impair, undermine I would never do anything to compromise the integrity of the company. | destroy Nuclear weapons have the capability to destroy the physical integrity of the planet. | question She questioned his integrity as a councillor.

PREP. with ~ The code calls on members to behave with integrity at all times.

PHRASES an attack on sb/sth's integrity, a challenge/threat to sb/sth's integrity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intellect noun

ADJ. brilliant, considerable, formidable, keen, powerful, superior, sharp | limited, low, weak | creative, rational, scientific | human

VERB + INTELLECT have She has a formidable intellect. | exercise He enjoyed exercising his intellect in analysing the controversies of his day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intelligence noun

¹ ability to understand

VERB + INTELLIGENCE have At least he had the intelligence to turn off the gas. | demonstrate, show | use

INTELLIGENCE + NOUN test

² information

ADJ. secret We've obtained secret intelligence about enemy plans. | reliable | military Military intelligence is gathered using sophisticated technology. | criminal

VERB + INTELLIGENCE collect, gather

INTELLIGENCE + NOUN agency, service He works for the French intelligence service. | officer | gathering His unit was responsible for intelligence gathering in North Africa. | report | operation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intelligent adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, incredibly, most, remarkably, very a highly intelligent woman | fairly, quite, reasonably He should be able to solve the problem. He's reasonably intelligent. | obviously | seemingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intelligible adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth They do their best to make science intelligible to young children. | find sth She found his motives perfectly intelligible.

ADV. perfectly | easily, immediately, readily | barely, scarcely His reply was barely intelligible. | mutually Czech and Slovak are separate languages but they are mutually intelligible.

PREP. to We need an explanation that is readily intelligible to ordinary people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intend verb

ADV. fully She fully intends to continue her sporting career once she has recovered from her injuries. | clearly | originally He had originally intended to stay in the country for only a year or two.

PREP. for It was thought that the bomb might have been intended for a visiting MP.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intensify verb

ADV. greatly | sharply The fighting in the area has intensified sharply. | further

VERB + INTENSIFY appear to, seem to The extreme cold seemed, if anything, to intensify. | tend to | be likely to | serve to The reforms served only to intensify the misery of the poorer peasants.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intensity noun

ADJ. high, low a band of light with high intensity | fierce, great The sun beat down with fierce intensity. He studied the report with great intensity. | emotional | passionate

VERB + INTENSITY decrease (in), reduce (in) | grow in, increase (in) Her headaches started to increase in intensity. | vary in

PREP. in ~ The pain was growing in intensity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intensive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very highly intensive courses for business and professional people | increasingly

PHRASES labour intensive Rice production is very labour intensive (= requires a lot of labour).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intention noun

ADJ. original My original intention was to study all morning, but this turned out to be impractical. | declared, stated | firm | general | deliberate

VERB + INTENTION have I have no intention of changing jobs. | announce, declare, state The council has announced its intention to crack down on parking offences.

PREP. with a/the ~ of I went to the bank with the intention of getting some traveller's cheques. | ~ behind The general intention behind the project is a good one. | ~ by The intention by the local authority to build 2,000 new houses is unrealistic. | ~ in His intention in inviting us to dinner was to persuade us to back his project.

PHRASES good/the best intentions It was done with the best intentions, I assure you | have every/no intention of doing sth We have every intention of winning the next election. | make your intention clear He didn't make his intentions clear in his letter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intent adj.

¹ determined to do sth

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. apparently, seemingly | clearly, evidently, obviously They are clearly intent on maintaining standards.

PREP. on/upon He was intent on murder.

² concentrating on sth

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | suddenly Her gaze was suddenly intent.

PREP. on She was very intent on her work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interaction noun

INTERACTION + NOUN processes the interaction processes of chimpanzees

PREP. ~ among Informal interaction among employees is seen as part of the ongoing training process. | ~ between the complex interaction between animals and their environment | ~ with What is her interaction with her boss like? | ~ within interaction within the group

PHRASES patterns of interaction Specific patterns of interaction in the family have been observed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interactive adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly | fully The program is fully interactive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interact verb

¹ have an effect on each other

ADV. closely | directly

PREP. with This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.

² mix with other people

ADV. well | socially

PREP. with He interacts very well with other children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interchangeable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. fully, totally | almost, virtually

PREP. with These parts are fully interchangeable with those in other machines.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intercom noun

INTERCOM + VERB buzz, sound

INTERCOM + NOUN system

PREP. on the ~ I spoke to her on the intercom and said I'd call round later. | over the ~ Mr Jack's arrival was announced over the intercom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intercourse noun

¹ sex

ADJ. sexual | heterosexual, homosexual | anal, vaginal | non-consensual | unlawful

VERB + INTERCOURSE engage in, have, indulge in She never had sexual intercourse before she was married. | consent to The judge asked if she had consented to intercourse.

INTERCOURSE + VERB occur, take place He admitted that intercourse had taken place.

PREP. ~ between intercourse between consenting adults | ~ with He accused her of intercourse with another man.

² exchange of ideas, feelings, etc.

ADJ. social Life is a pleasant blend of work and social intercourse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interested adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get She got very interested in politics. | remain | get sb We need to get more young people interested in the sport. | keep sb You need to keep your audience interested.

ADV. deeply, especially, extremely, greatly, intensely, keenly, more than a little, most, particularly, passionately, really, seriously, specially, terribly, very (much) Ben must have been more than a little interested in the possibility to have pursued it so far. | genuinely, truly | increasingly | not at all, not (in) the least bit, not in the least, not remotely He's not in the least bit interested in girls. | only half, not much, not very Carrie was only half interested in the conversation. | fairly, mildly, quite, vaguely | just ‘Why do you ask?’ ‘I'm just interested, that's all.’ | enough, sufficiently I wasn't interested enough in the argument to take sides one way or the other. | chiefly, mainly, primarily, principally | always, long I am always interested in how differently people can look at the same event. Charles had long been interested in architecture. | still | no longer | potentially | apparently, reportedly | clearly, obviously | actively As a landowner, he was actively interested in agricultural improvements. | professionally

PREP. in She's always been interested in other people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interesting adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become, get | make sth | find sb/sth I find her ideas really interesting.

ADV. deeply, especially, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, immensely, incredibly, intensely, most, particularly, really, terribly, very | equally | doubly | fairly, mildly, pretty, quite, rather | enough, sufficiently Some topics appeared interesting enough to require more detailed information. | potentially | inherently, intrinsically, in itself This subject is intrinsically interesting and worthy of study in its own right. | always It was always interesting to hear his stories. | architecturally, geologically, historically, sociologically architecturally interesting buildings

PREP. for It's not very interesting for visitors. | to How can we make the subject more interesting to young people?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interest noun

¹ desire to learn/hear more about sb/sth

VERB + INTEREST have | evince, express, show, take My cousin expressed an interest in seeing where I work. | feign, simulate She feigned interest in a magazine article to avoid meeting the man's stare. | lose | arouse, attract, awaken, caught, drum up, excite, generate, kindle, spark, stimulate, stir up, whip up A sticker on a bag caught my interest. The government failed to drum up any public interest in the referendum. A childhood journey sparked his lifelong interest in railways. | develop While in prison he developed an interest in art. | maintain, sustain Despite intensive publicity, Channel 4 failed to maintain interest in its expensive new show. | revive

INTEREST + VERB grow | flag, wane The children's interest began to flag after half an hour of the lesson.

PREP. for/out of ~ I'm asking purely out of interest. | with ~ They listened with interest. | ~ among to stimulate interest among teachers | ~ from growing interest from younger members | ~ in She took an active interest in their welfare.

² quality that attracts attention

ADJ. great | particular Her comments are of particular interest to me. | broad, general, wide | architectural, artistic, historic/historical, scientific | academic Since the championship has already been decided, this match is of purely academic interest. | human a plot devoid of human interest | love Angelina Jolie supplies the love interest in the film.

VERB + INTEREST be of His books are of no interest to me at all. | hold no Their conversation held no interest for me. | add Bushes that flower in winter will add interest to your garden. | supply

INTEREST + VERB lie in The interest of the painting lies in its unusual use of colour.

PREP. of ~ a building of great architectural interest

³ sth you enjoy doing/learning about

ADJ. diverse, varied, wide, wide-ranging | private | artistic, musical, etc.

VERB + INTEREST have | share | pursue He wanted time to pursue his many and varied musical interests.

⁴ money earned from investments

ADJ. annual, monthly, etc. | compound, simple

VERB + INTEREST earn, make, receive | pay | charge

INTEREST + VERB accrue, bear

INTEREST + NOUN rate | payment | charge

PREP. ~ on to pay interest on a loan

PHRASES a rate of interest a mortgage with a fixed/flexible rate of interest

⁵ benefits that sth has for sb

VERB + INTEREST defend, guard, look after, protect, safeguard | act in, advance, champion, further, promote, serve He claimed to be acting in the public interest. | represent | act against, jeopardize, threaten

INTEREST + VERB lie in sth | be at stake

INTEREST + NOUN group Various interest groups have expressed their opposition to the policy.

PREP. against sb/sth's ~(s) The solicitor refused to act against his client's interests. | contrary to sb/sth's ~ The union refused to support proposals that it saw as contrary to the interests of its members. | in sb/sth's ~(s) New work practices were introduced in the interests of efficiency. | of ~ We met to discuss matters of common interest. | out of ~ He was obviously acting purely out of selfish interest.

PHRASES a conflict of interests One member of the planning committee had a conflict of interests as he lived near the proposed motorway. | have sb's (best) interests at heart Although he was sometimes too strict with his children, he had their best interests at heart.

⁶ legal right to share in profits

ADJ. powerful | controlling, majority | minority | joint | banking, business, commercial, shipping

VERB + INTEREST have He has controlling interests in several ventures. | sell

PREP. ~ in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interest verb

ADV. greatly, particularly, really, very much It is this aspect of the work that really interests me.

VERB + INTEREST try to She tried to interest the director in her scheme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interference noun

ADJ. undue, unwarranted | gross I will not tolerate such gross interference. | bureaucratic, government, political, state | external, outside

VERB + INTERFERENCE avoid, prevent The law is designed to prevent interference by local police. | tolerate | brook no My boss said she would brook no interference from other departments.

PREP. without ~ I told her I wanted to make decisions without interference from her. | ~ in political interference in the legal process | ~ with interference with proper medical procedures

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interfere verb

ADV. seriously Emotional problems can seriously interfere with a student's work. | directly The judge cannot interfere directly in these proceedings. | not lightly The court will not lightly interfere while an interim order is in place.

VERB + INTERFERE have a right to Britain has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. | try and/to If you try and interfere in my life, I'll leave. | be reluctant to The courts are reluctant to interfere in these matters.

PREP. in outsiders interfering in local politics | with You mustn't interfere with her work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interim noun

PREP. in the ~ Her job was done by her deputy in the interim before she returned to work.

PHRASES on an interim basis The company uses the agency when a vacancy needs to be filled on an interim basis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interior noun

ADJ. original The original interior of the hotel has been replaced. | dark, dim, gloomy, shadowy | spacious

INTERIOR + NOUN decorator, designer

PREP. in the ~ There is ample space in the interior of the car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interlude noun

ADJ. brief | romantic | peaceful, pleasant | musical a musical interlude between two the acts of the play

PREP. ~ between a peaceful interlude between periods of intense activity | ~ in He'd had two romantic interludes in a rather lonely life. | ~ of interludes of calm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intermediary noun

ADJ. financial

VERB + INTERMEDIARY act as

PREP. through an ~ They were approached indirectly through an intermediary. | via an ~ The product is then sold to the end-user via an intermediary. | ~ between She agreed to act as intermediary between the two tribes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interminable adj.

VERBS be, seem The journey seemed interminable.

ADV. seemingly For several seemingly interminable seconds no one spoke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Internet noun

ADJ. wireless

VERB + INTERNET access, go on, use She likes to go on the Internet in the evenings.

PREP. on the ~ More and more people are shopping on the Internet. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interpretation noun

VERB + INTERPRETATION give sth, make In practice, this law is often given a wide interpretation by the police. Scientists made an interpretation based on the data available. | be open to The wording of this section of the contract is open to interpretation.

PHRASES put an interpretation on sth It is possible to put an entirely different interpretation on her behaviour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interpreter noun

VERB + INTERPRETER act as | speak through Speaking through an interpreter, a Japanese fisherman gave his account of the tidal wave.

PREP. ~ for Susan acted as interpreter for us. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interpret verb

ADV. correctly, rightly | wrongly | differently Different people might interpret events differently. | clearly | broadly, liberally The term ‘business’ is here interpreted broadly to include all types of organization in the public and private sectors. The strictness of the rules, even when liberally interpreted, has the effect of restricting innovation. | narrowly, restrictively, strictly | literally | metaphorically It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically. | easily, readily These figures cannot be easily interpreted. | cautiously These results must be interpreted cautiously.

VERB + INTERPRET be difficult to, be hard to | be able/unable to | seek to, try to We all seek to interpret what we hear and what we read.

PREP. as Her message was interpreted as a warning to the general.

PHRASES be variously interpreted (as sth) The figure of the Ancient Mariner has been variously interpreted (= interpreted in various different ways). | be widely interpreted as sth Her resignation has been widely interpreted as an admission of her guilt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interrelated adj.

VERBS be

ADV. closely The two problems are closely interrelated.

PREP. with Feminist ideas are interrelated with philosophical ideas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interrogation noun

ADJ. police | further

VERB + INTERROGATION conduct The interrogation was conducted by senior police officers.

INTERROGATION + NOUN cell, room | methods, procedures, techniques

PREP. during ~ She revealed the name of her accomplice during interrogation. | under ~ Under interrogation, he refused to say anything at first.

PHRASES power/powers of interrogation The committee has no power of interrogation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interruption noun

ADJ. brief, minor, short, temporary The game continued after a short interruption because of rain. | major | constant, endless, repeated I found it hard to work with all the noise and constant interruptions.

VERB + INTERRUPTION ignore He ignored her interruption and carried on talking.

PREP. without ~ Can I please have this conversation on the phone without interruptions? | ~ from He continued speaking despite regular interruptions from the Opposition. | ~ to The birth of her son was a minor interruption to her career.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interrupt verb

ADV. impatiently | rudely What was I saying, before we were so rudely interrupted? | harshly, sharply ‘Don't talk like that!’ he interrupted harshly. | brutally, cruelly, violently Their luncheon was brutally interrupted by gunfire. | abruptly, suddenly | temporarily | constantly, repeatedly The morning's work was constantly interrupted by phone calls. | occasionally, periodically

VERB + INTERRUPT be sorry to I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a telephone call for you. | (not) dare (to) It was all irrelevant, but I didn't dare interrupt him in mid-flow.

PREP. with I thought it better not to interrupt her with any comment.

PHRASES get interrupted I didn't manage to finish the report. I kept getting interrupted.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interval noun

ADJ. brief, short She ruled for ten years, except for a brief interval. | long, wide You are advised to leave a wide interval before you have your next child. | decent

PREP. at ~s At intervals a bell rings and workers stop for a drink. | ~ between The intervals between his various illnesses grew shorter and shorter.

PHRASES at fixed/frequent/periodic/regular intervals Trains run at fixed intervals. He returned home during the day at regular intervals. | at hourly/weekly/fortnightly/monthly, etc. intervals Meetings are held at monthly intervals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intervene verb

¹ become involved in a situation

ADV. actively, directly | personally | decisively | effectively, successfully | militarily Intervening militarily will not bring peace.

VERB + INTERVENE be forced to, have to Eventually, the army was forced to intervene. | be reluctant to | be powerless to Local people feel strongly about the proposed development but are virtually powerless to intervene. | have the power to, have the right to Our government has no right to intervene. | refuse to The UN refused to intervene.

PREP. against They would not intervene against the rebels themselves. | between She went over to intervene between the two men. | in She was reluctant to intervene in what was essentially a private dispute. | on behalf of The King intervened personally on behalf of the children. | with to intervene with the authorities on the prisoners' behalf

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intervention noun

ADJ. direct direct intervention to stop abuses of the environment | active, decisive, forceful | early, immediate, timely A full-scale riot was prevented by the timely intervention of the police. | effective, successful | limited | personal the Emperor's personal intervention | government, ministerial, official, state | external, foreign, outside | armed, military We would resist any armed intervention from outside in our country's affairs. | police | judicial, legal | medical, surgical | economic, political, social | divine, human The king saw this victory as the direct result of divine intervention.

VERB + INTERVENTION make to make a forceful intervention in a dispute | call for, demand The prime minister was always demanding active intervention early on. | resist

PREP. ~ against armed intervention against the rebels | ~ by intervention by a senior judge | ~ from He was furious at this intervention from the press. | ~ in the government's intervention in the dispute | ~ on behalf of state intervention on behalf of the British film industry

PHRASES the power/right of intervention

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interviewer noun

ADJ. clever, experienced, good, skilled, trained | radio, television/TV

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

interview noun

VERB + INTERVIEW carry out, conduct, do, hold The survey team carried out over 200 interviews with retired people. | do, give (sb), grant (sb) He's a very private man and rarely does interviews. | attend, be called for, have

INTERVIEW + NOUN board, panel | techniques | procedure

PREP. in an/the ~ He said in an interview that he wanted to get married. | ~ about The prime minister gave the paper an interview about his musical tastes. | ~ between an interview between the French Foreign Minister and the President of Egypt | ~ for an interview for the post of sales manager | ~ with He had an interview with United Biscuits. an interview with the Vietnamese leader

PHRASES a round of interviews We're about to start the second round of interviews for the post.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intestine noun

ADJ. large, small

PREP. along the ~, in the ~ bacteria in the small intestine | through the ~

PHRASES the wall of the intestine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intimacy noun

ADJ. genuine, real, true | close, deep, great | enforced | emotional, physical, sexual

VERB + INTIMACY be capable of She isn't capable of real intimacy. | enjoy (formal) He enjoys an intimacy with the prime minister. | create, promote | develop | destroy The noise destroyed the intimacy of their conversation. | sense I sensed a close intimacy between them.

INTIMACY + VERB develop

PREP. ~ between the intimacy created between student and teacher | ~ with A writer must develop an intimacy with the subject at hand.

PHRASES fear of intimacy He was prevented from declaring his love by his fear of intimacy. | a feeling/sense of intimacy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intimidate verb

VERB + INTIMIDATE try to

PREP. into The police had tried to intimidate him into signing a confession.

PHRASES an attempt to intimidate sb, be easily intimidated He was not a man to be easily intimidated. | feel intimidated She did not feel intimidated by him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intimidation noun

ADJ. physical, verbal | police

VERB + INTIMIDATION be subjected to, experience, face, suffer Workers were subjected to intimidation as they crossed the picket line.

PREP. ~ against intimidation against trade unions | ~ by Workers continue to enter the plant despite intimidation by mass pickets. | ~ from fear of intimidation from paramilitary organizations

PHRASES an act of intimidation, a campaign of intimidation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intolerable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | make sth The constant pain made her life intolerable. | consider sth, find sth I find his rudeness intolerable.

ADV. absolutely, quite | increasingly | almost, nearly The job placed almost intolerable pressure on her.

PREP. to The situation had become intolerable to him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intolerance noun

¹ lack of tolerance

ADJ. racial, religious

VERB + INTOLERANCE display, show

PREP. ~ of The town began to show increasing intolerance of immigrants. | ~ to the professor's intolerance to any views other than his own | ~ towards the intolerance of local residents towards refugees

² inability to digest certain substances

ADJ. food | glucose, lactose, etc.

PREP. ~ of intolerance of potatoes | ~ to an intolerance to milk products

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intolerant adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very | utterly

PREP. of They are deeply intolerant of all opposition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intonation noun

ADJ. falling, flat, rising the rising intonation at the end of spoken questions | foreign He speaks excellent Spanish but with a distinctly foreign intonation.

INTONATION + NOUN pattern

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intricacy noun

VERB + INTRICACY learn, master, understand I've never mastered the intricacies of cricket. | guide/steer sb through, steer sb through

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intricate adj.

VERBS be

ADV. amazingly, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, very an amazingly intricate structure | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intrigue noun

ADJ. international, political | court a tale of treachery and court intrigue

VERB + INTRIGUE carry on, engage in

PREP. ~ against The prime minister engaged in political intrigues against the king.

PHRASES a web of intrigue

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intriguing adj.

VERBS be, sound It all sounds very intriguing. | find sth I found the story rather intriguing.

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, highly, most, very | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

introduce verb

¹ tell people sb's name

ADV. formally, properly We have met before, but we haven't been formally introduced.

VERB + INTRODUCE allow me to, can, let me, may Let me introduce myself. May I introduce my wife, Sarah?

PREP. as He introduced me as a new member of the company. | to She introduced me to her neighbours.

² start using/doing sth for the first time

ADV. gradually | rapidly

VERB + INTRODUCE intend to, plan to, want to The local council plans to introduce new regulations on parking. | attempt to, try to She attempted in vain to introduce some order into the classroom.

PREP. into New technology is rapidly being introduced into factories.

PHRASES newly/recently introduced These measures have only been recently introduced.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

introduction noun

¹ first use

ADJ. early, gradual, recent, widespread

PREP. ~ into the gradual introduction of modern farming methods into traditional societies

² first part of a book/talk

ADJ. brief, short He began with a brief introduction.

PREP. in an/the ~ His mother is mentioned in the introduction. | ~ to the introduction to her latest book

³ book for studying a subject

ADJ. excellent, general, useful It serves as an excellent introduction to 19th-century painting.

PREP. ~ to

⁴ telling people each other's names

ADJ. formal

VERB + INTRODUCTION make I can never remember names, so I don't like to make the introductions.

PHRASES a letter of introduction He gave me a letter of introduction to the manager.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intruder noun

ADJ. unwanted, unwelcome | masked

VERB + INTRUDER catch, disturb, find, startle, surprise He surprised a masked intruder in the kitchen. | deter, keep away/out Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders. | tackle He was stabbed when he tackled an intruder armed with a knife. | repel Staff were instructed to repel intruders with physical force, if need be.

INTRUDER + VERB break into, force their way into Intruders had forced their way into the house.

INTRUDER + NOUN alarm

PREP. against ~s security measures against intruders

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intrusion noun

ADJ. media, press | unnecessary, unwanted, unwarranted, unwelcome

VERB + INTRUSION resent

PREP. ~ in I really resented his intrusion in a family matter. | ~ into media intrusion into the lives of celebrities | ~ on/upon an unwarranted intrusion upon the singer's privacy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intrusive adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | find sth

ADV. extremely, very | increasingly | rather, somewhat | visually Planning permission was refused on the grounds that the proposed building would be ‘visually intrusive’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intuition noun

ADJ. feminine, women's Her feminine intuition told her that he was unhappy.

QUANT. flash It came upon him in a flash of intuition.

VERB + INTUITION have She had an intuition that her mother wasn't very well. | rely on, trust, use She learned to trust her intuitions about other people's motives.

INTUITION + VERB suggest sth, tell sb sth Intuition told me we were going in the wrong direction.

PREP. by ~ By intuition, he sensed what was wrong. | ~ about an intuition about where to find wild strawberries | ~ behind the intuition behind her theory

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

intuitive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly intuitive thinker | purely | almost | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invalid adj.

VERBS be | became | make sth, render sth This action would render the agreement invalid. | consider sth, declare sth, deem sth, regard sth as The contract was declared invalid.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invaluable adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | remain | make sb/sth His knowledge of the area made him invaluable. | find sth You will find their help absolutely invaluable.

ADV. absolutely, quite

PREP. for This technology is invaluable for pupils with poor sight. | to Your support has been invaluable to us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invasion noun

ADJ. full-scale | military Latest reports are of a full-scale military invasion.

VERB + INVASION carry out, launch, mount | repel, repulse | counter, resist

PHRASES an invasion of privacy Having all those photographers in the house was a terrible invasion of privacy. | fear of invasion, a threat of invasion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invention noun

¹ new thing

ADJ. latest, new | modern | brilliant, ingenious, wonderful | successful

VERB + INVENTION come up with, design | patent, register He failed to patent his invention and never made a penny from it.

² untrue story

ADJ. pure Most of what he says is pure invention!

PHRASES power/powers of invention His powers of invention are somewhat limited.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inventive adj

VERBS be

ADV. brilliantly, highly, very | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inventory noun

ADJ. complete, comprehensive, detailed, full

VERB + INVENTORY compile, draw up, make, produce, take The manager is compiling an inventory of all the hotel furniture. | list sth on

INVENTORY + VERB list sth The inventory lists many rare items.

PREP. in an/the ~ There were no forks in the inventory. | on an/the ~ That lamp isn't listed on the inventory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invent verb

PHRASES newly invented using the then newly invented automatic rifle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

investigate verb

ADV. carefully, closely | extensively | fully, properly, thoroughly The allegations have not yet been properly investigated. | further | actively

VERB + INVESTIGATE ask sb to, be called in to Police have been called in to investigate the complaints. | agree to, pledge to, promise to The company has pledged to investigate claims that its products are unsafe. | aim to, be designed to, seek to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

investigation noun

VERB + INVESTIGATION carry out, conduct, pursue Police are still pursuing their investigations. | launch | head, lead | complete

INVESTIGATION + VERB reveal sth, show sth Closer investigation showed this idea to be untenable.

PREP. on ~ On investigation, the noise turned out to be only a door banging. | under ~ The singer is currently under investigation for possessing illegal drugs. | ~ into Police have launched an investigation into the allegations.

PHRASES the subject of an investigation The matter is the subject of a police investigation, and we have been advised not to comment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

investment noun

ADJ. good, excellent, profitable, sound, successful, wise, worthwhile | bad, poor, unwise He lost a lot of money through poor investments. | high-risk, risky, speculative | safe | considerable, enormous, great, heavy, high, huge, large, large-scale, major, massive, significant, sizeable, substantial The president has called for massive investment to rebuild the country's economy. | low, modest, small | inadequate The country's infrastructure is crumbling because of inadequate investment. | maximum, minimum | additional, extra, further | gross, net | overall | new | necessary | strategic | direct | domestic, local | cross-border, foreign, international, inward, offshore, outside, overseas | long-term, short-term | initial, original an initial investment of $5 million | capital, financial | business, industrial, infrastructural, manufacturing | government, public, public-sector, state | corporate, insitutional | private, private-sector private investment in the health service | personal I had made a personal investment in time and energy. | emotional parents' emotional investment in their children

QUANT. level, rate

VERB + INVESTMENT make | attract, encourage, promote, stimulate a business plan to encourage new investment | increase | cut | recoup It took two years before I recouped my investment. | realize She felt the time was right to realize her investment, and sold all her shares. | spread When buying shares, it's wise to spread your investment over several companies. | protect

INVESTMENT + VERB increase, rise | fall

INVESTMENT + NOUN funds | levels, rates inadequate investment levels | scheme | decision | company, trust

PREP. as an ~ I don't really like modern art but I bought it as an investment. | ~ from investment from American pension funds | ~ in investment in local industry

PHRASES a loss on an investment losses made on investments in stocks and bonds | a profit/return on an investment I'm hoping for a good return on my investment. > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

investor noun

VERB + INVESTOR attract, encourage A stable firm is more likely to attract potential investors. | advise advising investors where to put their money

INVESTOR + VERB buy sth, invest in sth Investors will be able to buy the shares from next week. | sell sth

INVESTOR + NOUN confidence the need to restore investor confidence | protection

PREP. ~ in investors in plantation forestry (figurative) encouraging companies to become investors in people

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invest verb

ADV. heavily The company invested heavily in new technology. | directly If you invest directly in the stock market potential profits are greater, but so are potential losses. | carefully, safely, wisely | tax-free We can invest your money tax-free abroad. | abroad, overseas

VERB + INVEST be willing to Are you willing to invest the time and effort necessary to make the scheme work? | look to, plan to, seek to investors looking to invest in US companies | decide to | rush to When exchange controls were lifted Swedes rushed to invest abroad. | fail to The industry has failed to invest in new product development.

PREP. in encouraging people to invest in pension plans | with Her savings are invested with a building society.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invincible adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become | make sb a secret weapon that will make us invincible.

ADV. almost, virtually | apparently, seemingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invisible adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | make sb/sth, render sb/sth He wished that he could make himself invisible. It's interesting how women are rendered invisible in these statistics.

ADV. altogether, completely, totally | almost, nearly, practically, virtually | largely | effectively

PREP. to Infrared light is invisible to the human eye.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invitation noun

ADJ. kind | formal | open We have an open invitation to use their holiday cottage whenever we like. (figurative) An unlocked door is an open invitation to any burglar. | dinner, party, wedding

VERB + INVITATION get, have, receive | accept, take sb up on, take up We'd love to to take up your invitation to visit you some time. | decline, refuse, turn down I must sadly decline your generous invitation. | extend (formal), issue, send, send out

PREP. at sb's ~ He is here to give a concert at the invitation of the British Council. | by ~ Membership of the club is by invitation only. | from ~ We got a wedding invitation from Shashi and Len. | to ~ Have you received your invitation to the exhibition? The head extended an invitation to all parents to come and see the school.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invite verb

¹ ask sb to do sth

ADV. formally, officially | cordially, kindly, warmly You are cordially invited to attend the annual parish meeting. She very kindly invited me to lunch. | personally | along, around/round/over, back, in, out They've invited us over for a drink.

PREP. into As a child I was allowed to play in the garden at the Manor, but I never got invited into the house. | for Let's invite them all for dinner. | to Thank you for inviting me to the meeting.

² encourage sth

ADV. positively The hype and fervour surrounding the event positively invited scepticism.

VERB + INVITE seem to The film seems to invite comparison with ‘The Italian Job’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

inviting adj.

VERBS be, look, sound

ADV. very | hardly, not particularly The house, with its boarded-up windows, was hardly inviting. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

invoice noun

ADJ. original | final Please pay the final invoice within two weeks. | tax, VAT The seller has to issue a tax invoice.

VERB + INVOICE issue, raise, send | get, receive | pay

INVOICE + NOUN price, value The shipping costs can be as high as 50% of the invoice value of the goods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

involved adj.

¹ taking part in sth

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. closely, deeply, heavily, intimately, very She became heavily involved in politics. | actively He wanted to be actively involved in school life. | directly Drugs were not directly involved in her death. | personally

PREP. in He was involved in a road accident. | with She first became involved with the organization in 1998.

² emotionally connected with sb

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. deeply, heavily, very | personally | emotionally, romantically, sexually

PREP. with I never wanted to get emotionally involved with him.

³ complicated

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become, get

ADV. extremely, terribly, very It all sounds terribly involved and complicated. | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

involvement noun

ADJ. active, direct | close, deep, intense | full | day-to-day When she was promoted, she missed the day-to-day involvement with customers. | personal | emotional Nurses usually try to avoid emotional involvement with patients. | parental He encourages parental involvement in the running of school. | political | military The US government has ruled out military involvement in the region. | alleged He is serving a 15-year sentence for his alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.

VERB + INVOLVEMENT accuse sb of | suspect sb of | admit, deny Winters denies any involvement in the robbery.

PREP. ~ by The success of the venture may lead to involvement by other foreign companies. | ~ from The project needs full involvement from all members of the group. | ~ in He was found to have a deep involvement in drug dealing. | ~ with Her husband's involvement with another woman led to their divorce.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

involve verb

¹ make sth necessary

ADV. ordinarily, typically, usually Inventions typically involve minor improvements in technology. | inevitably, necessarily The reforms will inevitably involve a lot of new paperwork for teachers.

² include sb

ADV. actively, directly methods that actively involve students in learning

PREP. in I didn't mean to involve you in all this.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ironic adj

VERBS be, seem | find sth

ADV. deeply, extremely, heavily, particularly, very | quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | doubly | deliciously, suitably | tragically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ironing noun

QUANT. pile There's a pile of ironing waiting to be done.

VERB + IRONING do Who does the ironing in your house? | need This shirt needs ironing.

IRONING + NOUN board

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irony noun

ADJ. great, heavy She tried to ignore the heavy irony in his voice. | gentle She congratulated him with gentle irony. | bitter, cruel, tragic | neat, nice It is a nice irony that the Minister of Transport missed the meeting because her train was delayed. | final, supreme, ultimate The final irony was that he became Minister of Education having left school at 12. | dramatic (= in a play, when a character's words carry an extra meaning that the character is not aware of)

QUANT. hint, touch, trace He thanked us all without a touch of irony.

PREP. by a … ~ By a cruel irony, he died in a crash while returning home from the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

iron noun

¹ metal

ADJ. rusty | cast, corrugated, galvanized, wrought a hut with a corrugated iron roof | pig | scrap

VERB + IRON make, produce, smelt Germany produced enormous quantities of coal, iron and steel. | be rich in, contain foods that are rich in iron | be made from/(out) of, be cast in a bridge made of wrought iron

IRON + VERB go rusty, rust

² tool

ADJ. cool, hot, warm | electric, steam | travel

VERB + IRON use Use a cool iron on synthetics.

PHRASES run an iron over sth I just need to run an iron over my shirt, then I'm ready.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

iron verb

ADV. beautifully, carefully, properly Her clothes were always beautifully ironed.

PHRASES freshly/newly ironed a neat pile of freshly ironed shirts | need ironing My jeans need ironing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irrational adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as, see sth as | dismiss sth as He dismissed her fears as irrational.

ADV. quite, totally, wholly | increasingly | somewhat | apparently, seemingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irreconcilable adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | remain

ADV. absolutely, totally, utterly | apparently, seemingly a seemingly irreconcilable conflict

PREP. with These practices are irreconcilable with the law of the Church.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irregularity noun

ADJ. serious | minor, slight a slight irregularity in the surface of the wood | widespread The newspaper claimed there were widespread irregularities in the election. | electoral, financial, procedural, voting Investigators found no evidence of financial irregularity.

VERB + IRREGULARITY investigate, uncover

IRREGULARITY + VERB occur, take place Irregularities occur when there is no central control.

PREP. ~ in Auditors have uncovered serious irregularities in the accounts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irregular adj.

¹ not regular in size/shape/frequency

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. highly, very | rather, slightly, somewhat The cells are slightly irregular in shape.

² not allowed according to the rules

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. highly, most, very It would be highly irregular for a police officer to accept money in this way. | slightly, somewhat some somewhat irregular business practices

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irrelevant adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | make sth, render sth | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as, view sth as | dismiss sth as These arguments were dismissed as irrelevant.

PREP. to Her statement is irrelevant to this case. It's all irrelevant to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irresistible adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | remain | make sb/sth The very high salary made the job irresistible. | find sb/sth You'll find our offer irresistible.

ADV. quite, totally | almost | simply | apparently, seemingly Public spending has an apparently irresistible momentum. | somehow

PREP. to His rugged good looks made him irresistible to women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irresponsible adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | consider sb/sth

ADV. extremely, grossly, highly, terribly, very This was highly irresponsible behaviour. | completely, totally, utterly, wholly He's fun, but totally irresponsible. | rather, slightly, somewhat | socially It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irrigation noun

ADJ. large-scale, small-scale

IRRIGATION + NOUN project, scheme, system | canal, channel, ditch | pump

PREP. under ~ two million acres under irrigation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irritated adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound | become, get

ADV. deeply, profoundly | thoroughly | increasingly | faintly, a little, mildly, rather, slightly | visibly

PREP. at She was deeply irritated at being thwarted. | by He was slightly irritated by her forgetfulness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irritate verb

ADV. intensely, really The noise was beginning to irritate me intensely. That man really irritates me! | slightly | easily She was moody at times and easily irritated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

irritation noun

¹ feeling/cause of being irritated

ADJ. considerable, great, intense, major, serious, some | growing, increasing | mild, minor, slight the minor irritation of having to queue | constant

VERB + IRRITATION feel He felt slight irritation at being kept waiting. | express, show He showed no irritation at the delay. | conceal, hide, suppress She made no attempt to conceal her irritation. | cause Such delays can cause considerable irritation.

IRRITATION + VERB grow, rise She felt irritation rising in her. | show She didn't let her irritation show.

PREP. in ~ Gary shook his head in irritation. | to your ~ I found to my great irritation that I'd forgotten the film. | with ~ ‘Of course not’ she said with some irritation. | ~ at our irritation at the delay | ~ to This is a major irritation to travellers. | ~ with her irritation with people who were slow

PHRASES a feeling/sense of irritation, a source of irritation Traffic noise is a source of constant irritation.

² slight pain in part of the body

ADJ. intense, severe | mild | eye, skin a new cream to treat skin irritation

VERB + IRRITATION cause, lead to The infection can cause intense irritation of the throat. | experience, get, suffer Stop using the cream if you get any irritation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Islam noun

ADJ. Shia, Sunni > Note at RELIGION(for verbs and phrases)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

island noun

ADJ. outlying, remote a ferry service to the outlying islands | coral, tropical, volcanic | desert, uninhabited | offshore His money is in an offshore island bank.

QUANT. chain, group a group of tropical islands

ISLAND + NOUN chain, group the island chain of the Outer Hebrides | home They were forced to leave their island home and start a new life on the mainland. | paradise the island paradise of Phuket

PREP. on an/the ~ He owns a house on the island.

PHRASES the … coast/end/side/tip of an island The best beaches are on the southern tip of the island.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

isolated adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel | become, get | remain | leave sb/sth Without help, many elderly people would be left isolated. | keep sb/sth She kept herself almost isolated from her colleagues.

ADV. extremely, very | completely, entirely, totally, utterly | increasingly, progressively | almost | largely | quite, rather, relatively, somewhat | effectively, essentially | apparently an apparently isolated incident | culturally, diplomatically, economically, geographically, physically, socially a culturally isolated community Unless a compromise could be reached the country would be diplomatically isolated on this issue.

PREP. from a child who is isolated from other children

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

isolation noun

ADJ. complete, total | enforced the enforced isolation of life in an Arctic weather station | diplomatic, geographical, political | international The country could face international isolation if it does not withdraw its troops. | emotional, social the social isolation of single mothers at home with their babies

VERB + ISOLATION experience, suffer (from) Many immigrants experience isolation.

ISOLATION + NOUN hospital, ward

PREP. in ~ The figures should not be looked at in isolation but as part of a pattern.

PHRASES in splendid isolation The tower stands in splendid isolation on the cliff edge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

issue noun

¹ problem

ADJ. big, burning, central, critical, crucial, important, key, main, major, vital Europe remains the burning issue within the party. | wider The problem raises wider issues of gender and identity. | minor, side | basic, fundamental | real The real issue is where the power lies. | contentious, controversial, difficult, thorny the controversial issue of censorship | complex | live, unresolved The strike of ten years ago is still very much a live issue in the town. | domestic, global, international, local, national, regional | commercial, constitutional, economic, educational, environmental, ethical, health, moral, policy, political, social, technical, theoretical

QUANT. number, range, series

VERB + ISSUE raise | debate, discuss This evening we're debating the issue of the legalization of soft drugs. | decide, settle A referendum was held to settle the issue. | address, consider, deal with, examine, explore, look at, tackle | clarify | focus on We really need to focus on this one issue and not get sidetracked. | touch on The issue of birth control was touched on, but we need to examine it in more detail. | highlight The report highlights three issues. | confuse This argument should not be allowed to confuse the issue. | avoid, evade

ISSUE + VERB arise issues arising from the survey | underlie sth A more important issue underlies this debate.

PREP. at ~ What you say is interesting, but it does not affect the point at issue here. | on an/the ~ She spoke on the issue of private health care. | ~ about fundamental issues about working conditions | ~ concerning issues concerning the environment | ~ relating to The conference examined key issues relating to the reform.

² one in a series of publications

ADJ. current | back | special a special issue of stamps

VERB + ISSUE bring out, publish

ISSUE + VERB come out, go on sale | be out

PREP. in an/the ~ an article in the current issue of ‘Newsweek’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

issue verb

ADV. formally the bank which formally issues and handles these credit cards | directly The safest cheques are those issued directly by the bank?known as bankers' draughts. | jointly a document issued jointly by the Treasury and the Home Office | immediately, promptly He left the company and promptly issued a writ claiming $45 million in damages.

PREP. against (formal) Arrest warrants were issued against 16 of the protesters. | on behalf of a statement issued on behalf of the UN Secretary-General | to The new guidelines have been issued to all doctors. | with Some of the police were issued with rifles.

PHRASES newly issued newly issued banknotes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Italian noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

itch noun

ADJ. irritating

VERB + ITCH relieve, scratch (at) The dog was scratching at an itch behind its left ear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

itch verb

ADV. positively

VERB + ITCH make sb The heat made me itch all over.

PREP. for He was itching for a chance to show how good he was. | with Her fingers positively itched with the desire to slap his face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

item noun

ADJ. individual, particular, single, specific Each individual item has a number. | essential, important I keep essential items in my hand luggage when I fly. | main, major the main item on the agenda a major item of expenditure | expensive, valuable Several valuable items were stolen. | commodity, consumer Computers became a consumer item in the early 1990s. | luxury There is a higher tax on luxury items. | food | household household items such as brushes and bedclothes | collector's The 1970s American model has become something of a collector's item. | agenda | data | news

PREP. ~ of Several items of clothing were found near the scene of the crime. | ~ on The programme featured an item on clothes for young children.

PHRASES item by item Check the list carefully, item by item. | an item on the agenda/menu

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

itinerary noun

ADJ. detailed, full | demanding | tourist

VERB + ITINERARY arrange, plan | follow tourists following a demanding itinerary

ITINERARY + VERB include sth Your itinerary includes a visit to Stonehenge.

PREP. in an/the ~ Historic sites are featured prominently in their itineraries. | on an/the ~ The National Gallery is on most tourists' itinerary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ivory noun

ADJ. solid | carved | poached

VERB + IVORY be made from/(out) of, carve sth from/in a figure delicately carved in ivory | be inlaid with a table made of polished wood, inlaid with ivory

IVORY + NOUN trade

PREP. in ~ a statuette in ivory and gold

PHRASES the trade in ivory

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ivy noun

ADJ. dense, thick | trailing | variegated

VERB + IVY grow We're going to grow a variegated ivy up the back of the house. | plant, put in | cut back, cut down, keep down The ivy's got very thick. It needs cutting back a bit. | be covered in The walls were covered in ivy.

IVY + VERB grow Ivy grew up the side of the house. | climb, cling, crawl, creep, trail, twine There was ivy clinging to the wall.

IVY + NOUN leaves

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jab noun

¹ sudden hit/push

ADJ. left, right | hard, painful, sharp | elbow

VERB + JAB give sb | feel

PREP. ~ in/to Scott gave him a sharp left jab to the ribs.

² injection

ADJ. flu, tetanus, typhoid, etc.

VERB + JAB have Did you have a flu jab this year? | give sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jacket noun

VERB + JACKET pull on, shrug (sth) into, shrug on, slip on, throw on She shrugged her shoulders into her jacket. | pull off, remove, shrug off/out of, slip off | button (up), do up, zip up | unbutton, undo, unzip | hang up | drape, sling A light cotton jacket was draped over her shoulders.

JACKET + VERB hang His jacket hung over the back of his chair.

JACKET + NOUN pocket, sleeve He pulled his passport from his inside jacket pocket.

PHRASES a jacket and tie Gentlemen are requested to wear a jacket and tie for dinner. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jackpot noun ADJ. £

¹ million, etc.

VERB + JACKPOT get, hit, scoop, win (figurative) The National Theatre hit the jackpot with its first musical, ‘Guys and Dolls’.

JACKPOT + NOUN prize | winner

PREP. ~ in They scooped the jackpot in yesterday's lottery. | ~ of a prize jackpot of £100,000 | ~ on He won the jackpot on the football pools.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jack noun > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jail (also gaol) noun

ADJ. county, local | high-security, maximum security, top security | private | overcrowded

VERB + JAIL go to He's gone to jail for fraud. | put sb in, send sb to, throw sb into | keep sb in | be freed from, be/get out of, be released from With good behaviour, she could be out of jail in two years. | escape from | threaten sb with He was threatened with jail if evidence of a hoax was discovered. | face | avoid, escape She avoided jail by pleading self-defence.

JAIL + NOUN sentence, term

PREP. at a/the ~ riots at Strangeways jail | in (a/the) ~ How long has she been in jail? There was a fire in the jail last night.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jam noun

ADJ. home-made | plum, strawberry, etc.

QUANT. dollop | jar, pot

VERB + JAM make | spread (sth with) She spread the toast thinly with raspberry jam.

JAM + NOUN jar | doughnut, sandwich, sponge, tart

PHRASES bread and jam > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jam verb

ADV. completely

PHRASES be jammed full (of sth) The cupboards were jammed full of old newspapers. | be jammed solid The traffic was jammed solid in the city centre. | be jammed tight with sth The room is jammed tight with furniture. | be jammed (up) with The streets were completely jammed with traffic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

January noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Japanese noun

JAPANESE + NOUN script | character > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jargon noun

ADJ. current | incomprehensible, obscure | unnecessary | academic, computer, legal, scientific, technical

QUANT. piece

VERB + JARGON speak (in), use He always speaks in obscure legal jargon. | avoid

PREP. in ~ in computer jargon | ~ for ‘All necessary means’ is diplomatic jargon for ‘war’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jar noun

VERB + JAR fill He was filling a jar with coins for his holiday. | seal | preserve sth in, store sth in

JAR + VERB be filled with sth, be full of sth, contain sth a jar full of pickled onions

PREP. in/into a/the ~ | ~ of a jar of marmalade

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jaw noun

¹ bone that contains teeth

VERB + JAW clench, set | finger, rub, stroke He fingered his jaw thoughtfully. | break, dislocate, fracture

JAW + VERB drop, sag My jaw dropped in astonishment when I saw the size of the audience. | be set, clench, set, tighten Her jaw was set, ready for a fight. | jut His jaw jutted stubbornly forward; he would not be denied.

JAW + NOUN bone, muscle | injury

PREP. in your ~ A muscle in his jaw pulsed angrily. | on your ~ He had two days' growth of stubble on his jaw. | to the ~ a punch to the jaw | under your ~ She had a fold of flesh under her jaw.

PHRASES the line/set of your jaw The stern set of the officer's jaw made Tony realize he was in trouble.

² jaws: mouth

ADJ. gaping, open | massive, powerful A shark can crush a boat with its massive jaws. | slavering The slavering jaws of the guard dog stopped anyone going near.

VERB + JAW clamp, close, lock, sink The dog locked its jaws on her leg and wouldn't let go. A spider sank its jaws into my ankle. | escape (from) The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws.

PREP. between its ~s The dog had his arm clamped between its jaws.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jazz noun

ADJ. live | free/free-form, modern, trad/traditional

VERB + JAZZ play | improvise | listen to

PREP. in ~ harmonies and rhythms common in jazz

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jealousy noun

ADJ. bitter, extreme, intense, obsessive, pure, violent | irrational | professional, sexual

QUANT. fit He broke off the engagement in a fit of jealousy. | pang, rush, stab, twinge I felt a pang of jealousy.

VERB + JEALOUSY feel She'd never felt jealousy before. | arouse, cause, create, provoke Her promotion aroused intense jealousy among her colleagues.

PREP. ~ of his obsessive jealousy of his ex-wife

PHRASES feelings of jealousy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jealous adj.

VERBS be, feel, sound | become, get, grow | make sb Ignore her?she's only trying to make you jealous.

ADV. bitterly, furiously, insanely, madly, really, very I can remember feeling madly jealous when he was with other women. | a bit, a little, quite, rather | obsessively Peter was obsessively jealous and his behaviour was driving his wife away. | sexually

PREP. about There's nothing for you to feel jealous about. | of She was rather jealous of me. He had started to get jealous of her success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jeans noun

QUANT. pair She pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans.

VERB + JEANS pull on, pull up | pull off, strip off | zip up | unzip

JEANS + NOUN pocket > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jelly noun

VERB + JELLY eat, have | make Shall I make a jelly for pudding?

JELLY + VERB set Put the jelly in the fridge to set. | wobble

PREP. in ~ fruit in jelly > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jeopardize verb

ADV. seriously This scandal could seriously jeopardize his chances of being re-elected.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jerk noun

ADJ. sharp, sudden | painful

VERB + JERK give His thigh muscle gave a sudden jerk.

PREP. with a ~ of She answered with a jerk of her head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jerk verb

ADV. suddenly | sharply, violently | convulsively, spasmodically | away, back, backwards, downwards, forward, round, up, upright, upwards She suddenly jerked her hand away. His head jerked up.

PHRASES jerk awake The train stopped and she jerked awake. | jerk sth open He jerked the door open. | jerk to a halt/stop The bus jerked to a stop.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jersey noun

ADJ. thick | polo-neck, V-neck, etc. | cashmere | football, rugby

VERB + JERSEY pull on | knit > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jet noun

¹ plane with a jet engine

VERB + JET fly, pilot

JET + VERB fly | take off | land | crash, explode

JET + NOUN aircraft, airliner, bomber, fighter, plane | engine | fuel | pilot

PREP. by ~ Australia was a mere couple of hours away by jet. She was flown by private jet to the capital Lusaka. | in a/the ~ He flew to Majorca in his private jet.

² stream of gas, water, etc.

ADJ. little | air, gas, water

PREP. ~ of Little jets of steam spurted from the engine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jewellery noun

QUANT. piece

VERB + JEWELLERY wear | make | design | steal

JEWELLERY + NOUN box, case | shop | design | designer > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jewel noun

ADJ. precious, priceless | bright, brilliant, sparkling

VERB + JEWEL wear

JEWEL + VERB sparkle

JEWEL + NOUN thief | box, case

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Jew noun

ADJ. devout, pious, practising, religious His family are all practising Jews. | secular | Hasidic, orthodox | Progressive, Reform | Ashkenazi, Sephardic

VERB + JEW be born He was born a Jew in first century Palestine. | become

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jigsaw noun

ADJ. giant, huge | 200-piece, etc.

QUANT. bit, piece One piece of the jigsaw is still missing.

VERB + JIGSAW do I used to enjoy doing jigsaws. | piece together (figurative) The police managed to piece together the jigsaw and reconstruct the victim's last hours. | finish

JIGSAW + NOUN puzzle | piece

PHRASES a piece in a jigsaw (figurative) This is another piece in the jigsaw that will help us understand the biology of cancer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jinx noun

VERB + JINX shake off The team seems to have shaken off the jinx that's been dogging them for months.

JINX + VERB hit sb, strike sb The injury jinx has struck Real Madrid. | dog sb, haunt sb

PREP. ~ on I'm sure there's a jinx on this car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

job noun JOB + NOUN search The first step in a job search is to prepare an up-to-date CV. | ad, advertisement | vacancy | application | interview | title His job title is Chief Hygiene Operative. | description, specifications Cleaning the office is not in my job description. | market There is an enormous job market for teachers at the moment. | cuts, losses | creation | opportunities, prospects | satisfaction How would you rate your job satisfaction? | security Workers questioned rated job security as being more important than high salary. | hunter, seeker Local companies are holding an open day for job seekers. | sharing The introduction of job sharing could prevent the need for redundancies.

PREP. in a/the ~ There's not much chance of promotion in a job like that. | on the ~ You will receive training on the job. | out of a ~ She found herself out of a job when her boss died. | ~ as She's got a job as a waitress. | ~ at She got a teaching job at the university. | ~ for jobs for women | ~ in a job in food retailing a job in a large firm | ~ with He moved to a better-paid job with another employer.

PHRASES a loss of jobs The closure of the cement factory will mean the loss of over 800 jobs. | the

¹ employment

ADJ. high-powered, top It's one of the top jobs in management. | decent, good, worthwhile | interesting | plum The plum jobs all went to friends of the prime minister. | cushy His father found him a cushy job in the office, with almost nothing to do and a whacking great salary. | dream, ideal What would be your dream job? | boring, dead-end, menial, routine, undemanding He was forced to take a series of menial jobs. | challenging, demanding, difficult, taxing | highly-paid, well-paid | badly-paid, low-paid | full-time, part-time | 9-to-5 | regular, steady He was tempted to give up freelancing and get a regular job. | permanent, temporary | holiday, summer, vac/vacation | evening, Saturday, weekend | paid, unpaid | manual, non-manual | semi-skilled, skilled, unskilled | blue-collar, white-collar | desk a desk job in the police housing department | proper He'd done lots of part-time work, but this was his first proper job. | manufacturing, teaching

VERB + JOB have She's got a very good job with a local firm of solicitors. | look for | apply for, go for | find, get, land, take She got a temporary job stacking shelves. He's just landed himself a highly-paid job in the City. | lose He's frightened of losing his job. right person for the job Despite | give up, pack in, resign from | hold down, keep He's always had difficulty holding down a job. | advertise I saw the job advertised on the Internet. | interview (sb) for We're interviewing for the job in the Sales Department. | give sb, offer sb | create, provide (sb with) It is hoped that the scheme will create new jobs in the region. | axe, cut, shed Management are hoping to shed 200 jobs. | protect, safeguard The deal between the union and management should safeguard 6,000 jobs. | do I'm only doing my job (= doing what I am paid to do). | know He certainly knows his job (= is very good at his job).

JOB + VERB pay The job doesn't pay very well. | go 250 jobs are to go at the local steel plant. the small number of applicants, they managed to find the right person for the job.

² task

ADJ. admirable, amazing, excellent, fine, first-rate, good, grand, magnificent, marvellous, professional, terrific, thorough, wonderful | difficult, hard, tough They gave me the tough job of telling applicants that they'd been rejected. | easy | important | big, long | little, small | fiddly, tedious fiddly little jobs like wiring plugs | dirty | unenviable Cooper had the unenviable job of announcing the redundancies.

VERB + JOB do, make You've done a grand job with that decorating. Try wedging it open?that should do the job (= be effective/successful). She made a very good job of covering up the damage. | have (on) You'll have a hard job convincing them that you're right. The builder has a couple of jobs on at the moment. | give sb | take on She's taken on the job of organizing the Christmas party. | get on with I want to get on with the job of painting my room today.

PREP. ~ in The author has done an admirable job in compiling all this material. | ~ of He made a very professional job of replacing the windows. | ~ on You've done a good job on the car.

PHRASES get a job done We're hoping to get the job done this weekend. | odd jobs (= small, practical jobs) I spend most Saturdays doing odd jobs around the house.

³ crime

ADJ. bank | inside (= done by sb in the organization where the crime happens)

VERB + JOB do He got six months for that last job he did. | bungle The gang bungled the job and got caught. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jockey noun

JOCKEY + VERB ride (sth) Which jockey will be riding tomorrow? | win (sth) The race was won by top jockey Eddie Andrews.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jog noun

ADJ. brisk | slow

VERB + JOG go for He goes for a brisk jog before work each morning.

PREP. at a ~ I began at a slow jog and gradually increased my pace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jog verb

ADV. slowly, steadily

PREP. along, down, up They jogged steadily up the hill.

PHRASES go jogging She decided to go jogging each morning. | jog on the spot She was jogging on the spot to keep warm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

joint noun

¹ in the body

ADJ. elbow, hip, knee, etc. | inflamed, painful, rheumatic, stiff, swollen | artificial

VERB + JOINT replace He's going to have his hip joint replaced.

JOINT + VERB ache | move The joint should be able to move freely.

PREP. in a/the ~ You've got fluid in the joint. | ~ between the joint between the lower and upper parts of the arm

PHRASES put sth out of joint She fell and put her knee out of joint.

² connecting point

ADJ. airtight, watertight | leaking

VERB + JOINT make, seal

PREP. ~ between a joint between two lengths of copper

³ piece of meat

ADJ. bacon

VERB + JOINT cook, roast | carve

PREP. ~ of a joint of beef/lamb/pork

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

join verb

¹ become a member of sth

PHRASES an invitation to join sth

² do sth with sb else

VERB + JOIN wish to | invite sb to They've invited us to join them on their yacht. | be allowed to She was now old enough to be allowed to join the adults. | be expected to Thousands of people are expected to join the sponsored walk. | decide to | refuse to

PREP. for Will you join me shortly for a drink in the bar? | in I'm sure you will all wish to join me in thanking our speaker tonight. | with Please will you all join with me in singing the national anthem.

PHRASES come and join sb He waved a fork in greeting. ‘Come and join us!’ | an invitation to join sb/sth PHRASAL VERBS join in

ADV. enthusiastically They all joined enthusiastically in the dancing.

VERB + JOIN want to | refuse to

PREP. with Everyone joined in with the singing. I wish he would join in with the other children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

joker noun > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

joke noun

ADJ. funny, good | old That's an old joke?I've heard it lots of times. | cruel, sick | huge | dirty

VERB + JOKE crack, make, tell He's marvellous at telling jokes. | play He's always playing jokes on people. | have, share She likes to have a joke with her employees. | hear | get, laugh at We all fell about laughing, but he didn't get the joke. | take The trouble is she can't take a joke. | treat sth as He treated his exams as a huge joke.

JOKE + VERB fall flat The audience weren't very responsive and the jokes fell a bit flat. | be on sb I thought I'd play a trick on them, but in the end the joke was on me.

PREP. as a ~ It was only said as a joke. | ~ about Have you heard the joke about the elephant and the mouse?

PHRASES make a joke of sth We tried to make a joke of our situation, but it wasn't really funny.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

joke verb

ADV. half She was only half joking about being prime minister one day.

PREP. about We joked about the amount of luggage we had to carry. | with joking with her friends

PHRASES be only joking Don't worry, I'm only joking! | joking apart/aside (= used to show you are now being serious after you have said sth funny), laugh and joke They laughed and joked as they walked along. | you must be joking No way am I doing that. You must be joking!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jolt noun

ADJ. nasty, severe, sharp, sickening, sudden, unpleasant | little, slight

VERB + JOLT feel | give My mother's death gave me a severe jolt. | send | receive She received such a jolt that she nearly dropped her cup.

PHRASES with a ~ The train started with a jolt. | ~ of The blow sent a jolt of pain through his body. | ~ to His dismissal was a severe jolt to his pride.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

journalism noun

QUANT. piece a fine piece of investigative journalism

PHRASES a career in journalism I'd like a career in journalism. | the world of journalism > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

journalist noun

VERB + JOURNALIST speak to, talk to, tell She was warned against speaking to journalists about the affair.

JOURNALIST + VERB investigate sth | write (sth) a journalist writing for a current affairs publication | report (on) sth

PREP. ~ on/with an investigative journalist with a French newspaper > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

journal noun

¹ serious magazine

ADJ. academic, learned, scholarly | professional, technical, trade | house/in-house the house journal of the South Western Gas Board | non-specialist, specialist | research, reviewing | business, literary, medical, science/scientific | august, highly-ranked/high-ranking, leading, major, prestigious ‘Nature’ was the highest-ranked journal in thte survey. | official It's the official journal of the Medical Foundation. | international, national | monthly, quarterly, weekly

QUANT. copy Please send me two copies of your new journal. | edition, issue, volume

VERB + JOURNAL read | edit, write for an academic who writes for specialist journals | produce, publish | buy, get, subscribe to She subscribes to quite a few academic journals.

JOURNAL + VERB come out The journal comes out five times a year.

JOURNAL + NOUN article | editor

PREP. in a/the ~ an article in a medical journal | ~ of the British Journal of Geology

² diary

ADJ. private | daily

VERB + JOURNAL keep, write Lady Franklin kept a daily journal of the voyage. | read

JOURNAL + NOUN entry Her journal entry for that day describes a thunder storm.

PREP. in a/the ~ The events are all recorded in her journal. | ~ of He wrote a journal of his travels.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

journey noun

VERB + JOURNEY go on, have, make He wasn't there and we had a wasted journey. | break We broke our return journey in San Francisco. | begin, set out on | continue, resume They continued their journey on foot. | complete

JOURNEY + VERB take (sb) The journey takes about five hours. His journey took him across central Asia. | begin | end

JOURNEY + NOUN time

PREP. on ~ They were on a journey to the Far East. | ~ by a journey by air/bus/land/rail/sea, etc. | ~ across, ~ between, ~ down the journey down the Rhine | ~ from, ~ of a journey of 300 miles a journey of five days | ~ through, ~ to The bus journey from London to Athens took 60 hours. | ~ up

PHRASES be tired after/from a journey, a leg/stage of a journey Dawn was breaking as we set out on the last leg of our journey.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

joy noun

ADJ. delirious, ecstatic, fierce, great, heady, overwhelming, pure, real, sheer, true, wild, wonderful | simple | sudden | inner | physical the physical joys of fine wines and gourmet foods

VERB + JOY bring sb Her books have brought great joy to millions of people. | experience, feel the pure joy I felt at being free again | be filled with, be full of | express | find, get, take I find joy in many kinds of music. She got no joy out of working. I took a fierce joy in telling them the truth.

JOY + VERB go All the joy had gone out of his life.

PREP. to your ~ She found to her joy that the house had a large garden. | with ~ I could have shouted with joy. | ~ at Protesters expressed joy at the government's decision.

PHRASES dance, jump, sing, weep, etc. for joy I literally jumped for joy when I heard the news. | a joy to behold, see, watch, etc. The children's expressions were a joy to behold. | your pride and joy (= a person or thing that makes you feel great pride or satisfaction) The pride and joy of the town is the splendid castle. | tears of joy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

judgement noun

¹ decision/opinion

VERB + JUDGEMENT form, make It's difficult to form a judgement when you don't have all the facts. | express Remember to be tactful when expressing a personal judgement. | confirm This latest case confirms my earlier judgement. | come to, reach It is too soon to reach any definitive judgement. | deliver, give, pass, pronounce The school inspector's function is not merely to pronounce judgement, but also to suggest improvements. | reserve, suspend The court reserved judgement on the two appeals. | obtain, win They obtained a judgement in their favour. | reverse They are trying to get the judgement reversed. | abide by

PREP. in sb's ~ What, in your judgement, would be the best way to deal with the problem? | ~ about She must make her own judgement about when to go. | ~ against The sacked workers won a judgement against the company. | ~ as to Experience helps us to form judgements as to the best course of action in given circumstances. | ~ on I'm not equipped to pass judgement on such matters.

² decision making

ADJ. fine, good, remarkable, shrewd, sound Landing a plane requires fine judgement. | impartial, independent | impaired, weak | aesthetic, artistic, critical, ethical, moral, political, professional She has a reputation for sound professional judgement.

VERB + JUDGEMENT display, show | rely on | respect, trust He trusted his wife's judgement. | doubt | back The company backed her judgement and implemented all her recommendations. | exercise, use | colour, influence He never allows any prejudices to colour his judgement. | sit in He felt he had no right to sit in judgement on someone he had only just met.

PREP. ~ about You will need to exercise your own judgement about what clothes to wear. | ~ in The speaker showed good judgement in his choice of topic.

PHRASES an error of judgement Accepting the gift was an error of judgement on the part of the party chairman. | a lack of judgement, a matter of judgement How much money you should invest is a matter of judgement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

judge noun

¹ applies the law

VERB + JUDGE be, sit as By next year you could be sitting as a High Court judge. | appoint (sb as)

JUDGE + VERB preside, sit Which judge will be sitting next week? | call sb The judge called the remaining witness for the Crown. | direct sb The judge must direct the jury on points of law. | consider sth | accept sth, admit sth The judge admitted the notes of the interview as evidence. | dismiss sth, refuse sth, reject sth The trial judge dismissed her compensation claim. | conclude sth, decide sth, find sth, hold sth, rule sth, uphold sth The judge held that the company had been negligent. | sum up The judge summed up and the jury retired to consider its verdict. | sentence sb | order sth The judge ordered the company to pay compensation to the claimant. | award (sb) sth, grant (sb) sth The judge awarded him damages of £20,000.

² decides who has won a competition

ADJ. competition | independent

QUANT. panel a panel of independent judges

VERB + JUDGE choose sb/sth, decide sth

PHRASES the judges' decision The judges' decision on the entries is final.

³ has the ability/knowledge to give an opinion

ADJ. astute, good, great, shrewd You are the best judge of what your body needs. a shrewd judge of character | poor | impartial

PREP. ~ of He is a good judge of footballing talent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

judge verb

ADV. correctly, rightly | wrongly I think I judged the distance wrongly. | fairly, properly | harshly I think you're judging her rather harshly. | objectively | beautifully, carefully, finely, nicely, perfectly, well Their performance of the concerto was beautifully judged and finely controlled. ‘There's something I haven't told you.’ She judged her words carefully. The bowler judged it well, timing the ball to perfection. | accordingly Those who preach intolerance should be judged accordingly.

VERB + JUDGE be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | be able to, be in a position to I am in no position to judge whether what she is doing is right or wrong. | learn to learning to judge distances

PREP. according to He believed that schools should be judged according to strictly academic criteria. | against judging his own performance against the performance of others | by You will be judged by the work you have produced over the year. | from The age of the furniture can be judged from the type of wood used. | on Your slogan will be judged on its originality and style.

PHRASES criteria for judging People use different criteria for judging success at school. | don't judge a book by its cover (figurative) (= don't judge sth by how it looks), judge by appearances, judging by/from sth He seems to have been a popular person, judging by the number of people at his funeral. | to judge by/from To judge from what she said, she was very disappointed. | judge for youself Readers are left to judge for themselves whether McCrombie is hero or villain. | judge sth on its merits Each painting must be judged on its own merits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

judo noun

VERB + JUDO do, practise

JUDO + NOUN hold, move, throw She managed to get the man in a judo hold. | mat

PHRASES a black, etc. belt in judo He's a black belt in judo. He's got a brown belt in judo. > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jug noun

ADJ. measuring | china, earthenware, enamel, enamelled, glass, plastic | cream, milk, water, wine

VERB + JUG fill, pour sth into He filled a jug with juice. | pour, tip She poured a jug of water over his head. | empty, pour sth from/out of

PREP. ~ of a jug of milk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

juice noun

ADJ. fruit, lemon, tomato, etc. | fresh, freshly-squeezed | concentrated | unsweetened

VERB + JUICE extract, squeeze | strain | sprinkle Sprinkle the avocado slices with lemon juice.

PREP. ~ from The juice from the meat is used to make the sauce. | ~ of the grated rind and juice of two lemons > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

July noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jumper noun

VERB + JUMPER pull on | knit, make > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jump noun

¹ movement

ADJ. little | running, standing Cats can clear two metres with a standing jump. | high, long, triple | bungee, parachute, ski

VERB + JUMP make She made a jump for the river bank. | take He took a running jump and just managed to clear the stream. | do He's going to do a parachute jump for charity. | give Her heart gave a little jump at his smile.

PREP. in the … ~ Allen won silver in the high jump. | with a ~ I sat up with a jump (= suddenly.). | ~ into (figurative) The new law is a jump into the unknown. | ~ onto

² increase

ADJ. big, quantum, sharp | small

VERB + JUMP make Is he good enough to make the jump into Formula One?

PREP. ~ in The sportswear company reports a jump in sales since the Olympics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jump verb

¹ move off the ground

ADV. suddenly | about, around, back, down, in, off, out, up, up and down He was jumping up and down with excitement.

VERB + JUMP try to He tried to jump back on board.

PREP. from He had to jump from a first floor window. | into, off, on Stop jumping on the furniture! | onto She jumped up onto the table. | out of, over Can you jump over that fence? | through

² make a sudden movement because of surprise/fear

ADV. almost, nearly He almost jumped in surprise.

VERB + JUMP make sb He crept up behind me and made me jump.

PHRASES jump out of your skin (figurative) I nearly jumped out of my skin when he told me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

junction noun

ADJ. busy | dangerous | motorway, road | railway

PREP. at a/the ~ Turn off the motorway at junction 6. | ~ with The college is on the Manchester road, by the junction with the A5.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

June noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jungle noun

ADJ. dense, impenetrable, thick | tropical | concrete, urban (figurative) This outback area is a far cry from the city's concrete jungle.

JUNGLE + NOUN warfare

PREP. in ~ a temple deep in the Brazilian jungle | through ~ They hacked their way through dense jungle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

junior adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very a very junior officer | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively She's quite junior in the organization.

PREP. to John is still junior to me at work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

junk noun

ADJ. old sculptures made from old junk and scrap metal

QUANT. bit, piece There were bits of junk lying around.

JUNK + VERB lie about/around

JUNK + NOUN shop | room They cleared out the junk room to make a tiny bedroom. | heap | material He made the boat out of junk materials.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

junta noun

ADJ. ruling | civilian, military, revolutionary

VERB + JUNTA form | dissolve, overthrow

JUNTA + VERB appoint sb The civilian junta appointed a prime minister.

JUNTA + NOUN leader, member

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jurisdiction noun

ADJ. limited | exclusive The commissioners had exclusive jurisdiction to decide. | civil, criminal, ecclesiastical

VERB + JURISDICTION have, retain The court has no jurisdiction in this case. | exercise The court may exercise its jurisdiction to compel the husband to make a settlement upon his wife. | claim The offshore government claims jurisdiction over the mainland. | be subject to, come under He is subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts.

PREP. beyond your ~ She acted beyond the jurisdiction of any teacher. | outside your ~ The matter is outside the jurisdiction of UK administrative agencies. | under ~ The territory is still under Russian jurisdiction. | within your ~ The matter was not within the jurisdiction of the court. | ~ over The senate committees have exclusive jurisdiction over the FBI.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

juror noun

VERB + JUROR swear in The jurors were sworn in.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

jury noun

¹ in a court of law

ADJ. inquest, trial | unanimous (only after jury) The jury were unanimous in their verdict. | hung A retrial was necessary after the original trial ended with a hung jury.

VERB + JURY serve on, sit on | tell Tell the jury what happened, in your own words. | direct The judge directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty. | swear in The new jury were sworn in.

JURY + VERB hear sth The jury heard how the boy had obtained a carving knife from a friend's house. | retire | consider its verdict The jury has retired to consider its verdict. | be out The jury is still out (= still deciding). (figurative) The jury is still out on this new policy. | agree (on) a verdict, arrive at/reach a verdict, give its verdict, return a verdict | convict sb, find sb guilty The jury convicted Menzies of assaulting Smith. | acquit sb, clear sb, find sb not guilty | award sb The jury awarded her damages of £30,000.

JURY + NOUN service It was the second time he had been called up for jury service. | trial | foreman, member | system a review of the jury system

PREP. before a ~ The trial will take place before a jury. | on a/the ~ There were only three women on the jury. | ~ of the jury of seven women and five men

PHRASES trial by jury You have a right to trial by jury.

² of a competition

VERB + JURY choose, select The jury is selected from the winners in previous years.

JURY + VERB judge sth | consist of sb The jury consisted of an architect, a photographer and an artist. | award (sb) sth, give sb sth The jury has awarded the prize for best exhibit in the show to Harry Pearson.

PREP. on a/the ~ He was on a jury judging a songwriting competition.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

justice noun

¹ fairness

ADJ. economic, natural, social | rough He saw it as rough justice when he got food poisoning from the stolen meat. | divine Some people saw the epidemic as divine justice.

VERB + JUSTICE ask for, want All I'm asking for is justice. | get | deny sb We have been denied justice for too long.

PHRASES a sense of justice The teacher's system of punishments appealed to the children's sense of justice.

² law

ADJ. civil, criminal, juvenile

VERB + JUSTICE do Justice must be done in every case. | bring sb to | escape So far the robbers have escaped justice.

JUSTICE + NOUN department

PHRASES a miscarriage of justice He spent twenty years in prison as a result of a miscarriage of justice. | pervert the course of justice She was charged with perverting the course of justice after admitting to burning vital evidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

justifiable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | consider sth, think sth We consider this action justifiable.

ADV. entirely | commercially, economically | ethically, morally

PREP. ~ on the grounds of/that The cutbacks are justifiable on the grounds of cost. | ~ on … grounds The rule is justifiable on safety grounds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

justification noun

ADJ. considerable, every, some You have every justification for feeling angry. | the slightest She had not given him the slightest justification for thinking she was interested in him. | ample, sufficient | ethical, moral | intellectual, rational, theoretical | legal, political

VERB + JUSTIFICATION give (sb), provide (sb with) She's unable to provide any justification for her actions. | see

PREP. in ~ the argument which he put forward in justification | with ~ He felt, with some justification, that he had been unfairly treated. | without ~ She was arrested entirely without justification. | ~ for I can see some justification for her remarks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

justified adj.

VERBS be, feel, prove, seem

ADV. amply The suspicion proved amply justified. | completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally | hardly | partially, partly | clearly | easily, readily a logical and easily justified decision | economically, financially, legally, morally, rationally, scientifically, theoretically Can her actions be morally justified?

PREP. in She felt fully justified in asking for a refund.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

justify verb

ADV. really, truly Can you really justify the destruction of such a fine old building? | hardly The meagre result hardly justified the risks they took to get it.

VERB + JUSTIFY can/could | attempt to, seek to, try to | need to | be difficult to, be hard to He found it very difficult to justify his decision.

PREP. on the grounds of/that The decision is justified on the grounds that there is no realistic alternative. | to How will you justify this pay cut to your employees?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

karate noun

ADJ. full-contact

VERB + KARATE do

PHRASES a black, etc. belt in karate She's a black belt in karate. She's got a brown belt in karate. > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

keen adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | remain

ADV. awfully, desperately, especially, extremely, frightfully, mad (informal), more than, particularly, really, terribly, very He's mad keen on football. She's a very keen gardener. | not at all, not overly, not too The banks were not at all keen to lend to somebody who actually seemed to need money. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather | always She was always keen to hear the local gossip. | obviously | naturally, understandably She was naturally keen to make a good impression.

PREP. for They were desperately keen for information. | on Sally's quite keen on the idea.

PHRASES as keen as mustard (= very keen)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

keep noun

VERB + KEEP earn It's time you did a job to earn your keep.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

keep verb

ADV. well Milk and cream should keep quite well in a fridge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kerb noun

ADJ. dropped Dropped kerbs make wheelchair access easier.

VERB + KERB draw away from, pull away/out from The car pulled away from the kerb. | draw up at/to, pull in/over to | step off He stepped off the kerb without looking and was hit by a cyclist. | clip, hit | mount The car mounted the kerb and knocked over a pedestrian.

PREP. at the ~ I parked at the kerb and waited. | on the ~ They stood on the kerb waiting to cross the road.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kettle noun

ADJ. electric

VERB + KETTLE fill | plug in | have on Get yourself in, Pat, I've got the kettle on. | put on, switch on I'll just put the kettle on. | boil

KETTLE + VERB boil She made herself a sandwich while she waited for the kettle to boil. | sing, whistle The kettle started to sing. | switch itself off

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

keyboard noun

¹ set of keys on a computer, etc.

ADJ. British, Cyrillic, etc. | qwerty | computer, PC, typewriter

VERB + KEYBOARD lock The program locks the keyboard until a password is given.

KEYBOARD + NOUN operator

PREP. on the~ Using the mouse is quicker than typing it on the keyboard. > Special page at COMPUTER

² set of keys on a piano, etc.

ADJ. piano

KEYBOARD + NOUN instrument

³ electrical musical instrument

ADJ. electric, electronic

PREP. at the ~ Ed Duke was at the keyboard. | on (a/the) ~ He played the song on his keyboard. The recording features Herbie Hancock on keyboard. > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

key noun

¹ for a door

ADJ. master, skeleton | duplicate, spare | car, desk, front door, house, ignition, etc.

QUANT. bunch, set a large bunch of keys a set of car keys

VERB + KEY turn She turned the key in the lock. | insert, put in | remove, take out | use She must have used a key to get in.

KEY + VERB open, unlock You need a key to open the garage. | lock | turn They heard a key turn in the back door lock.

PREP. with a/the ~ You have to close it with the key. | ~ to the key to the front door

PHRASES get a key cut I'll get another key cut so that you can have one.

² on a computer

ADJ. Alt, arrow, backspace, control, delete, escape, function, return, shift, etc. | shortcut F1 is the shortcut key for calling up help.

QUANT. row the top row of keys

VERB + KEY hit, hold down, press, touch Hold down the Alt key while pressing the arrow keys. | release > Special page at COMPUTER

³ explanation of symbols, etc.

KEY + VERB tell sb sth The key tells you what all the symbols mean.

PREP. in a/the ~ You can find the symbols in the key at the bottom of the page. | ~ to the key to the signs and symbols

⁴ decisive factor

VERB + KEY have, hold First-time voters could hold the key to the election result.

PREP. ~ to Language is the key to understanding those around you.

⁵ in music

ADJ. major, minor | high, low

VERB + KEY change

KEY + VERB change The key changes from C major to A minor.

KEY + NOUN change | signature There are two sharps in the key signature of D major.

PREP. in a/the ~ What key's it in? Can we try it in a lower key? | ~ of the key of G major

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kick noun

¹ act of kicking

ADJ. good, hard, hefty, painful | corner, free, goal, overhead, penalty, spot (all in football) | high an energetic performer using dance routines and high kicks

VERB + KICK give sb/sth Give the door a good kick if it won't open. | get, receive He had received a painful kick on the knee.

PREP. ~ at a kick at goal | ~ by/from a kick from Maynard in the last minute of the game | ~ in a kick in the stomach | ~ on a kick on the ankle | ~ to a kick to the ribs

² feeling of great pleasure/excitement

ADJ. real

VERB + KICK get He gets a real kick out of mending something so that it can be used again. | give sb It gave the youngsters a kick to see their own play on television.

PREP. for ~s They don't really want the things they steal. They just do it for kicks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kick verb

¹ hit sb/sth with your foot

ADV. hard, savagely, vigorously Don't kick the ball too hard. | deliberately | repeatedly Foster admitted punching and kicking the man repeatedly. | around The boys were kicking a ball around in the yard.

PREP. against She could feel the baby kicking against her stomach wall. (figurative) Young people often kick against convention. | at She kicked at the loose pebbles by the roadside. | in They threw him to the ground and kicked him hard in the stomach. | on She kicked me on the knee.

PHRASES kick a door down/open/shut Suddenly the far door was kicked open. | kick sb to death

² move your feet in the air

ADV. frantically, wildly He rolled over in the sand, kicking wildly.

PREP. out at The horse kicked out at the yapping dog.

PHRASES drag sb kicking and screaming The police had to drag her kicking and screaming out of the house. | kick your legs/your legs kick The little boy was now lying on his back kicking his legs in the air. I was carried upstairs, arms waving and legs kicking.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kid noun

ADJ. little, young | big, older The older kids had lessons in the afternoon as well. | cute, good, lovely, nice | poor I feel desperately sorry for the poor kid. | rich a spoilt little rich kid | local a gang of local kids | street street kids who rely on their ingenuity to keep alive | school (also schoolkid)

QUANT. bunch, couple They're just a bunch of kids.

VERB + KID have We both wanted to have kids. | bring up I've tried to bring my kids up to respect other people. | look after, take care of

PHRASES just/only a kid He's only a kid. You can't expect him to understand what's going on. | like a kid She was crying like a kid.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

killer noun

VERB + KILLER hunt, track down | catch, find

KILLER + VERB strike The killer has struck again.

KILLER + NOUN bug, disease, virus Heart attacks have become Britain's No. 1 killer disease. | instinct (figurative) He plays well but still lacks the killer instinct. | blow (figurative) Owen delivered the killer blow soon after half-time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

killing noun

¹ killing sb deliberately

ADJ. brutal, cold-blooded the cold-blooded killing of a defenceless woman | deliberate | indiscriminate, random | mass, serial This was the fourth mass killing in Australia in four years. | contract, gangland, political, revenge, sectarian a brutal revenge killing | mercy Should the law allow mercy killing? | unlawful (law) a verdict of unlawful killing

VERB + KILLING be responsible for, carry out | order The Mafia ordered the killing. | prevent, stop It is difficult to prevent such killings. | confess to | deny The sentenced man had denied the killings.

KILLING + VERB happen, occur, take place

PHRASES a motive for the killing No motive for the killing has yet been established.

² making a lot of money quickly

VERB + KILLING make Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kill noun

ADJ. easy, quick

VERB + KILL make The lion made a quick kill. | be in at I didn't even get to see the fox, let alone be in at the kill. | close in for, move in for The hunters moved in for the kill.

PREP. at the ~ The meat is divided up among all those present at the kill. | for the ~ The animal crouched down, getting ready for the kill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kill verb

ADV. outright He has fought more than fifty bulls, killing three outright. | almost, nearly | instantly | accidentally | unlawfully

PHRASES admit/deny killing sb, be accused of killing sb, be charged with killing sb, be killed in sth soldiers killed in battle | be tragically killed Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kilo, kilogram, kilometre > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kilo, kilogram, kilometre > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kilo, kilogram, kilometre > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kindness noun

VERB + KINDNESS show sb, treat sb with They had shown him great kindness. They treated us with kindness and courtesy. | meet with, receive We met with much kindness and help. | appreciate I really appreciate your kindness. | repay I tried to think of a way to repay his kindness. | not forget

PREP. out of ~ I went with her out of kindness. | ~ to/towards I'll never forget your kindness to me.

PHRASES an act of kindness Show your appreciation by little acts of kindness. | kindness itself She has always been kindness itself to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kind adj.

VERBS be She was endlessly kind and sympathetic.

ADV. especially, extremely, most, particularly, really, very | quite | endlessly

PREP. of It really was most kind of you to help. | to My boss has been extremely kind to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kind noun

ADJ. different, same She does the same kind of work as me. | all, another, any, some, various You need some kind of cover over it to protect it from the rain. We stock various kinds of lawnmower. | each, every | certain, particular, special Certain kinds of food are unsuitable for small children. | best, worst | right, wrong Be sure to eat enough of the right kind of food. | funny, odd, strange

PREP. in ~ The regions differ in size, but not in kind. | of a ~ You're making progress of a kind (= some progress, but not very much, or not of the best type). They're two of a kind (= very like each other)?both workaholics! | of … ~ books of every kind music of different kinds | of its ~ The new school was the first of its kind. | ~ of a special kind of oil

PHRASES a/the kind of thing Do you know the kind of thing I mean? They sell all kinds of things. | a kind of way I missed him, in a funny kind of way. | nothing/something of that/the kind ‘I was terrible!’ ‘You were nothing of the kind!’ ‘He's resigning.’ ‘I'd suspected something of the kind.’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kingdom noun

ADJ. independent

VERB + KINGDOM rule

PREP. in a/the ~ It was one of the richest towns in the kingdom. | throughout a/the ~ changes that were taking place throughout the kingdom | ~ of He ruled the ancient kingdom of Kaffa.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

king noun

¹ male ruler

ADJ. rightful | anointed, crowned | uncrowned (figurative) He became the uncrowned king of the East End, scoring 28 goals in his first season. | deposed, exiled

VERB + KING become | crown (sb), make sb, proclaim sb He was crowned king at the age of fifteen. The new king was crowned immediately. | depose, put aside

KING + VERB reign, rule, rule (over) sb/sth The kings of Sicily also ruled over the southern part of Italy. | abdicate the king's decision to abdicate

PREP. under a/the ~ Life under the new king was very different. | ~ of the King of Spain

² playing card > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kin noun

ADJ. close, intimate, near Marriage between close kin is prohibited. | extended Ties with extended kin vary from family to family. | distant | female, male

KIN + NOUN group, network | relationships

PREP. between ~

PHRASES next of kin One of the drivers was fatally injured; his next of kin has been informed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kip noun

VERB + KIP catch, get, have Try to catch some kip while you can. | need

PHRASES an hour's, a night's, etc. kip I was feeling much better after a good night's kip.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kiss noun

VERB + KISS give sb He gave his daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead. | drop, plant, press She planted a big kiss on his cheek. | steal The children hid behind the bike shed to steal a kiss. | return She returned his kiss with passion. | deepen | blow (sb) As the train drew away he blew her a kiss.

KISS + VERB deepen His kiss deepened and became hungrier.

PREP. with a ~ | ~ on He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

PHRASES give sb the kiss of life A policeman pulled the man out of the river and gave him the kiss of life. | hugs and kisses We were greeted with hugs and kisses. | the kiss of death That TV commercial was the kiss of death to his career as a serious actor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kiss verb

ADV. gently, lightly | lovingly, softly, tenderly | deeply, fiercely, firmly, hard, hungrily, passionately, soundly, violently | briefly, quickly | lingeringly, long He kissed her long and hard on the mouth.

VERB + KISS bend to, stoop to He bent to kiss her again. | try to | let sb

PREP. on She let him kiss her lightly on the cheek.

PHRASES kiss and cuddle The love-struck pair have been spotted kissing and cuddling at parties. | kiss sb full on the lips/mouth, kiss sb goodbye/goodnight, kiss goodbye to sth (figurative) Well, you can kiss goodbye to your chances of promotion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kitchen noun

KITCHEN + NOUN area | cabinet, chair, counter, cupboard, drawers, dresser, fitments, fittings, sink, surface, table, unit, worktop | equipment, gadgets, implements, knife, scales, scissors, utensils | foil, paper, roll, towels | hatch We handed our trays through the kitchen hatch as we left. | fire, range, stove | facilities All our chalets have kitchen facilities. | waste | maid, porter, staff | garden (= for growing food for the kitchen)

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kite noun

ADJ. stunt John wants to fly his new stunt kite.

VERB + KITE fly

KITE + NOUN flying the joys of kite flying

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kit noun

¹ set of clothes/equipment

ADJ. combat, football, sports | first-aid, repair, sewing, shaving, survival, test, tool Check the acidity of the soil with a test kit.

PREP. in a/the ~ There should be a needle and thread in the sewing kit.

² set of parts

ADJ. construction

VERB + KIT make up Have you made up the kit yet?

KIT + VERB comprise sth, contain sth, include sth The kit contains everything you need to make six candles.

PREP. from a ~ They built the garage from a kit. | ~ for a kit for making candles

PHRASES in kit form The doll's house comes in kit form.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knack noun

ADJ. happy | uncanny | unhappy He had the unhappy knack of making enemies in the party.

VERB + KNACK have | acquire, develop, get Once you get the knack, it's easy. | lose I don't cook much these days and I think I may have lost the knack.

PREP. ~ for a woman with a knack for handling horses | ~ of He has the knack of scoring goals just when they are most needed. | ~ to Making omelettes isn't difficult, but there's a knack to it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knead verb

ADV. gently, lightly She gently kneaded the muscles in his back. | well Add the water and knead the mixture well.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knee noun

ADJ. bony | bare | bent | drawn-up I rested my chin on my drawn-up knees. | arthritic, bad, dodgy, injured, stiff, troublesome, twisted

KNEE + VERB buckle, give way Suddenly her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. | knock, shake, tremble

KNEE + NOUN injury, problem, trouble | operation, surgery | joint, ligament | socks | pad

PREP. above the ~, across your ~s She had a blanket draped across her knees. | at sb's ~ The children had learnt these stories at their mother's knee. | below the ~ His leg was missing below the knee. | between your ~s If you hear the crash-landing warning, put your head between your knees. | in your ~ He's snapped a ligament in his knee. | on one ~ I went down on one knee to plug in the vacuum cleaner. | on your ~ I balanced the pile of books on my knees. He was on his knees, searching for the missing spring. | to your ~s The blow knocked him to his knees.

PHRASES bring sth to its knees (figurative) The fuel shortage brought the country to its knees within weeks. | on bended knee (figurative) She would ask for a rise, but would not beg for one on bended knee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knickers noun

ADJ. French

QUANT. pair

VERB + KNICKERS pull down/up

PHRASES bra and knickers > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knife noun

¹ tool for cutting

ADJ. blunt, sharp | long | bone, bone-handled, silver, steel | bread, butcher's, carving, craft, fish, flick, hunting, kitchen, palette, pocket, sheath, Stanley(R), surgeon's, table

QUANT. set a set of kitchen knives

VERB + KNIFE pick up She picked up her knife and fork and started to eat. | lay down, put down | use Use a sharp knife to cut away the spare pastry. | sharpen | hold

KNIFE + VERB cut That knife doesn't cut very well?it needs sharpening. | clatter

KNIFE + NOUN blade, handle

PREP. with a/the ~ The lines can be cut with a craft knife.

PHRASES the blade of a knife, the handle of a knife, a knife and fork

² used as a weapon

ADJ. long, sharp

VERB + KNIFE be armed with, carry, have She carries a knife in her bag now. | brandish, wield | draw (out), produce, pull (out), take out He suddenly pulled a knife on me. | come at sb with, stab sb with, threaten sb with She stabbed him in the back with a 12-inch knife. | plunge, push, put, stick He plunged the knife deep into her heart. | sharpen, whet

KNIFE + VERB cut | clatter As he fell, the knife clattered to the floor.

KNIFE + NOUN attack a frenzied knife attack | wound | blade

PREP. with a/the ~

PHRASES the blade of a knife, the hilt of a knife, hold a knife against/at/to sb's throat, a knife in sb's heart (figurative) Each word he uttered was a knife in her heart. | put a knife to sb's throat She put the knife to his throat to frighten him into silence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knighthood noun

ADJ. honorary

VERB + KNIGHTHOOD get, receive | refuse | award sb, bestow on sb, confer on sb, give sb, offer sb, reward sb with He was rewarded with a knighthood for his services to the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knight noun

¹ in the Middle Ages

ADJ. medieval | chivalrous, noble | armoured | mounted

PHRASES a knight errant tales of medieval knights errant, wandering in search of chivalrous adventures | a knight in armour, a knight in shining armour (figurative, humorous) She's still waiting for a knight in shining armour to come and rescue her.

² man given an honour by the king/queen > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knitting noun

ADJ. hand, machine | plain, purl

QUANT. piece Sew the two pieces of knitting together | row I had to undo several rows of knitting.

VERB + KNITTING do She sat doing her knitting while she watched television. | undo

KNITTING + NOUN machine, needle | wool, yarn | pattern

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knob noun

ADJ. door | control, volume Adjust the control knobs by pressing lightly.

VERB + KNOB adjust, fiddle with, touch, turn, twiddle I've tried twiddling the knobs, but nothing seems to happen.

KNOB + VERB adjust sth, control sth

PREP. ~ on the knobs on the radio

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knock noun

¹ firm sharp sound

ADJ. loud, sharp | gentle, light | determined | timid

VERB + KNOCK hear | answer She hurried to answer the knock at the door.

PHRASES a knock at/on the door There was a loud knock at the door.

² sharp blow from sth

ADJ. hard, nasty, severe (figurative) the hard knocks of life | minor

VERB + KNOCK get, have, take You've had a nasty knock on the head. (figurative) Their pride took quite a knock when they lost 5?0. | give sb/sth

PREP. ~ on

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knock verb

¹ hit/bump

ADV. accidentally I accidentally knocked the vase off the table. | about, aside, over Her boyfriend had been knocking her about. Mind you don't knock that glass over.

PREP. against The stick knocked against the wall. | off He had knocked one of the pictures off the wall. | on I knocked my head on one of the beams.

PHRASES knock sb/sth flying He was knocked flying as two policemen came crashing through the door. | knock sb off their feet The explosion knocked him off his feet. | knock sb out/senseless/unconscious The blow knocked him unconscious. | knock sb to the ground

² bang on a door

ADV. loudly | softly | politely, timidly

PREP. at Someone knocked loudly at the door. | on She knocked timidly on the study door and entered.

PHRASES without knocking Dobson walked straight into her office without knocking.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knot noun

ADJ. loose, tight | granny, reef, slip, etc.

VERB + KNOT do, tie Tie a knot in the rope. | undo, untie | loosen, tighten

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knot verb

ADV. securely, tightly | loosely | neatly | badly, clumsily | together I knotted the ropes together securely.

PREP. around/round She knotted the scarf loosely around her neck.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

know-how noun

ADJ. practical, technical VERB + KNOW-HOW have | acquire, get

PREP. ~ about to acquire a little know-how about the job | ~ for He doesn't have the technical know-how for this kind of job. | ~ in know-how in various high-tech fields

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knowledgeable adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound Her lawyer seemed very knowledgeable and experienced. | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very | quite, reasonably

PREP. about He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knowledge noun

VERB + KNOWLEDGE acquire, gain | have | demonstrate, flaunt, parade, show (off) | test | apply The job gave her the chance to apply the knowledge she had acquired at university. | share The barman was happy to share his knowledge of wine with us. | spread The volunteers' task is to spread knowledge of how to prevent the disease. | broaden, extend, improve, increase | deny He denied all knowledge of what had happened.

PREP. in the ~ They put the car on the market in the full knowledge that it had design faults. | to sb's ~ He's never worked here to my knowledge. | with sb's ~ The letter was sent with the full knowledge of the head of department. | without sb's ~ She borrowed my car without my knowledge. | ~ of a wide knowledge of antiques

PHRASES a gap in your knowledge I did some research to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. | to the best of your knowledge She still lives in San Francisco to the best of my knowledge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

know verb

¹ have information about sth

ADV. for certain, full well, perfectly well, very well I don't know for certain, but I think she lives in the next village. You know very well what I'm talking about! | honestly not I honestly don't know what they mean to do.

VERB + KNOW let sb Please let me know (= tell me) if there's anything I can do to help.

PREP. about He knows a lot about early music. | of I don't know of anyone who might be interested in the job.

PHRASES be widely known It is widely known that CFCs can damage the ozone layer. | know a lot, nothing, very little, etc.

² realize

ADV. exactly, precisely I know exactly how you feel. | instinctively He knew instinctively where he would find her.

³ be familiar with sb/sth

ADV. well I don't know John very well. | hardly But I hardly know the woman!

VERB + KNOW get to She's very nice when you get to know her

PHRASES be known to sb This man is known to the police (= as a criminal). | be widely known 5 be known as have a particular name

ADV. colloquially, commonly, popularly | affectionately, familiarly | collectively parts of the body known collectively as the sensory system | variously The drug is variously known as crack or freebase. | locally | formerly Xinjiang was formerly known as eastern Turkestan.

PREP. to He was known as Bonzo to his friends.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

knuckle noun

ADJ. bony | bleeding, bloodied, bruised, grazed, swollen

VERB + KNUCKLE crack He rubbed his hands together, cracking his knuckles as he tried to control his anger. | bruise, graze, scrape, skin

KNUCKLE + NOUN bone

PHRASES rap sb on/over the knuckles (figurative) The Assistant Manager was rapped over the knuckles for criticizing the company in the press.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Korean noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kosher adj.

¹ suitable to be eaten by religious Jews

VERBS be

ADV. strictly All their food is strictly kosher.

² correct/honest

VERBS be, seem It all seems kosher enough.

ADV. strictly | enough

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

kudos noun

ADJ. considerable | personal

VERB + KUDOS acquire, gain | lose | bring Employees enjoy the kudos that the job brings as much as the financial rewards.

KUDOS + VERB be attached to sth There was considerable kudos attached to being on the advisory board.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

label noun

¹ paper, etc. attached to sth

ADJ. adhesive, sticky | designer clothes with a designer label | address, luggage | price | warning

VERB + LABEL bear, carry, have It doesn't have a price label on it. | attach, put on, stick on She stuck labels on all the jars. | remove, take off | read Always read the label before taking any medicine.

PREP. on a/the ~ What does it say on the label? | ~ on the label on the bottle

² description

VERB + LABEL apply, attach, use One sometimes feels that the label ‘classic’ is applied to any book that is dull.

³ company that produces records

ADJ. record | major | independent

VERB + LABEL sign to/with The band are hoping to sign with a major label by the end of the year.

PREP. under a/the ~ The record was produced under the Virgin label.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

label verb

¹ put a label on sth

ADV. correctly, properly | wrongly Some of the plants were wrongly labelled. | carefully, clearly, neatly a pile of small plastic bags, each carefully labelled

PREP. with The samples were all labelled with a date and place of origin.

² describe sb/sth as a particular thing

ADV. falsely, wrongly She was wrongly labelled a liar. | automatically

PREP. as She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laboratory noun

ADJ. up-to-date, well-equipped | commercial, industrial | school, university | biology, chemistry, physics, science | chemical, pharmaceutical | analytical, clinical, development, experimental, forensic, medical, nuclear, pathology, photographic, public health, quality control, research, testing

VERB + LABORATORY build, establish, set up She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory. | run He runs his own research laboratory. | work in They work in a laboratory studying growth patterns.

LABORATORY + NOUN assistant, chemist, manager, scientist, technician, worker | apparatus, bench, equipment, facilities | animal | analysis, experiment, investigation, measurement, simulation, study, test, testing, trial, work laboratory tests on animals | science, subject | practices, procedures | data, evidence, findings, report, results | conditions, setting The athletes' reflexes were tested under laboratory conditions. simulated driving in a laboratory setting

PREP. in a/the ~ The effects of weathering can be simulated in the laboratory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

labour noun

¹ work

ADJ. manual, physical | forced, hard He was sentenced to four years hard labour for his crime.

VERB + LABOUR withdraw The miners are threatening to withdraw their labour.

LABOUR + NOUN market an increasingly competitive labour market

² workers

ADJ. cheap | casual | skilled, unskilled | child, migrant, slave It is thought that Stonehenge was built using slave labour.

LABOUR + NOUN force the size of the labour force | cost/costs | relations

³ giving birth

ADJ. difficult, easy | long, short The baby was born after a long labour.

VERB + LABOUR go into She went into labour two weeks early. | induce Labour was induced when the baby was ten days overdue.

LABOUR + NOUN room, ward | pains

PREP. in ~ She was in labour for ten hours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laboratory noun

PREP. in a/the ~ The effects of weathering can be simulated in the laboratory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lacking adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem Her life felt lacking in direction and purpose. | find sth an area of policy where the government has been found seriously lacking

ADV. seriously | altogether, completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly The book is altogether lacking in originality. | a bit, a little, rather, somewhat | apparently | clearly, conspicuously, distinctly, notably, noticeably, obviously Tom was conspicuously lacking in enthusiasm for the idea. | singularly | curiously, strangely | sadly, sorely, woefully

PREP. from the passion sadly lacking from his performance | in Her remarks were curiously lacking in perception.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lack noun

ADJ. profound, serious, severe | conspicuous, distinct, notable, obvious There was a distinct lack of urgency in his manner. | complete, sheer, total a complete lack of confidence | relative | abysmal an abysmal lack of knowledge

PREP. by ~ of The situation was worsened by lack of communication. | for ~ of They lost the game, but not for lack of trying. | from ~ of She thought she would collapse from lack of sleep. | through ~ of I've lost those skills through lack of practice. | ~ of I couldn't hide my lack of enthusiasm.

PHRASES no lack of sth There is certainly no lack of interest in the subject.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lack verb

ADV. really | completely, entirely She completely lacks confidence. | apparently He apparently lacked the desire to learn. | clearly, conspicuously, manifestly, obviously | simply Perhaps you simply lack the intelligence to realize just how serious this is? | otherwise Her high-heeled shoes gave her the height she otherwise lacked. | somehow His claim somehow lacked conviction.

VERB + LACK appear to, seem to His life seemed to lack direction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lacquer noun

ADJ. protective | clear, matt

VERB + LACQUER be coated with, be varnished with | apply, put on, spray on Apply the lacquer evenly.

LACQUER + NOUN finish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ladder noun

¹ piece of equipment for climbing up sth

ADJ. rickety | wooden | loft, rope

VERB + LADDER ascend, clamber up, climb (up), mount, go up He went up the ladder onto the deck. | come down, descend, go down | put up We put up the ladder and went to get the paint. | fall off, step off

PREP. on/up a/the ~ She was up a ladder mending the roof. | down a/the ~ I was standing lower down the ladder. | ~ to the ladder to the gallery

PHRASES the bottom/foot of a ladder, a rung/step of a ladder Several of the ladder's rungs were broken. | the top of a ladder

² levels in a system

ADJ. evolutionary, social the people at the top of the social ladder | career, corporate, housing, promotion

VERB + LADDER ascend, climb, move up She was anxious to move up the promotion ladder. | get onto

PREP. higher up the ~ creatures higher up the evolutionary ladder | lower down the ~ | ~ of the ladder of fame | ~ to helping her on the ladder to success

PHRASES get/have one foot on the ladder He finally managed to get one foot on the career ladder. | a rung/step on the ladder the old problem of how to get onto the first step on the ladder

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laden adj.

VERBS be

ADV. heavily He took the heavily laden tray from her. | absolutely, fully The trees were absolutely laden with apples. a fully laden basket

PREP. with They arrived laden with gifts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lady noun

ADJ. elderly, middle-aged, old, young A little old lady opened the door. | attractive, beautiful, lovely, pretty | charming, fine, lovely, nice | cleaning, dinner, tea The school employs four dinner ladies.

LADY + NOUN friend We teased my uncle about his new lady friend.

PHRASES a lady of leisure She's a lady of leisure now that she's retired. | the lady of the house > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lag verb

ADV. badly, seriously | behind She did well in her first year at school but then started to lag behind.

PREP. behind Britain still lags badly behind the rest of Europe on this.

PHRASES lag far/way/well behind (sb/sth) The Tories are still lagging way behind in the opinion polls.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lake noun

VERB + LAKE cross You should cross the lake before nightfall.

LAKE + NOUN bed, water

PREP. across a/the ~ A ferry takes people across the lake. | around/round a/the ~ We walked around the lake. | at a/the ~ We had a holiday at Lake Como. | in a/the ~ Carp live in the lake. | into a/the ~ She fell into the lake. | on a/the ~ We went boating on the lake a cottage on the lake

PHRASES the edge/middle/shores/side/surface of the lake There is a cafe on the other side of the lake.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lamb noun

¹ young sheep

ADJ. newborn | orphaned | sacrificial (often figurative) I am not going to be a sacrificial lamb on the altar of political correctness.

VERB + LAMB fatten | kill, slaughter the traffic in illegally slaughtered lamb

LAMB + VERB bleat | frolic, gambol

² meat

ADJ. spring | curried, grilled, minced, roast

LAMB + NOUN chop, cutlet | casserole, curry, stew

PHRASES breast/leg/neck/rack/shoulder of lamb > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lame adj.

VERBS be, look | go His horse had gone lame. | leave sb, make sb an accident which had left him lame

ADV. completely, quite | slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lamp noun

ADJ. bedside, desk, reading, standard, table | gas, oil, paraffin

VERB + LAMP light, switch on, turn on | switch off, turn off

LAMP + VERB burn, glow, shine An oil lamp burned in the darkness. | flicker, go out

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

landing noun

¹ of an aircraft

ADJ. abrupt, bumpy | crash, emergency, forced | gentle, safe, smooth, soft

VERB + LANDING make The pilot had to make an emergency landing in a field.

LANDING + NOUN strip

² top of a staircase

ADJ. first-floor, second-floor, etc.

PREP. off the ~ The room opens off the landing. | on the ~ There's a phone on the landing outside your room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

landlady, landlord noun

¹ sb who lets a house/room

ADJ. resident | absentee The house has an absentee landlord, who visits the property once a year.

² sb who owns/runs a pub

ADJ. pub He left the army and became a pub landlord.

LANDLADY, LANDLORD + VERB serve sb The landlady came over to serve me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

landlady, landlord noun

¹ sb who lets a house/room

ADJ. resident | absentee The house has an absentee landlord, who visits the property once a year.

² sb who owns/runs a pub

ADJ. pub He left the army and became a pub landlord.

LANDLADY, LANDLORD + VERB serve sb The landlady came over to serve me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

landmark noun

¹ feature of the landscape

ADJ. distinctive, prominent | famous, well-known | familiar After twenty years, all the familiar landmarks had disappeared. | local | historic

VERB + LANDMARK recognize

PREP. ~ for The tower was once a landmark for ships.

² important stage in the development of sth

ADJ. great, important, major, significant

VERB + LANDMARK be, represent The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.

LANDMARK + NOUN decision, ruling a landmark decision on the legal status of a foetus | case

PREP. ~ in The film is an important landmark in the history of the cinema.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

landscape noun

ADJ. barren, bleak, dramatic, rocky, rugged the dramatic landscape of the desert | beautiful | rural, urban an urban landscape of factories and skyscrapers | industrial | winter | lunar | political, social (both figurative) The political landscape of the country has changed since unemployment rose.

VERB + LANDSCAPE conserve, preserve, protect the need to conserve the rural landscape | dominate The power station dominates the landscape.

LANDSCAPE + NOUN architect, gardener | design, gardening | painter, photographer | painting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

landslide noun

¹ fall of earth or rocks

VERB + LANDSLIDE cause The floods caused a landslide.

LANDSLIDE + VERB destroy sth The village was destroyed by a landslide.

² election victory

ADJ. electoral Nobody predicted such an electoral landslide. | Conservative, Labour, etc.

VERB + LANDSLIDE win by The National Party won by a landslide.

LANDSLIDE + NOUN victory

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

land noun

¹ surface of the earth

ADJ. dry It was good to be on dry land again after months at sea.

VERB + LAND reach The explorers reached land after a long voyage. | sight In the distance the crew sighted land. | reclaim The new project will reclaim the land from the sea.

LAND + NOUN mass chains of volcanoes running along the edge of continental land masses | animal, mammal | battle, war | forces With the land forces defeated, everything now rested on the navy.

PREP. by ~ It's impossible to reach this beach by land because of the high cliffs. | on ~ Some animals can live both on land and in water.

² piece of ground

QUANT. parcel, piece, plot, scrap, strip, tract Every scrap of land is used for growing food. The college owns vast tracts of land.

LAND + VERB adjoin sth a piece of land adjoining a disused railway line

VERB + LAND live off It's very fertile countryside where you can just live off the land. | farm, work (on) His family had always worked the land. | leave Many people leave the land to find work in towns and cities. | get/go back to He's tired of living in cities, and wants to get back to the land.

⁴ country

ADJ. ancestral, native the tribe's ancestral lands | distant He travelled to many distant lands. | alien, foreign, strange She was all alone in a strange land. | promised (often figurative) the promised land of progressive education | cloud cuckoo, never-never (both figurative) Anyone who thinks this legislation will be effective is living in cloud cuckoo land.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

land verb

¹ of an aircraft

ADV. safely The pilot managed to land the plane safely.

VERB + LAND be due to | come down to The plane slowly came down to land. | be forced to The plane was forced to land in a nearby field. | manage to

PREP. at We are due to land at Heathrow at 12.15.

² fall to the ground

ADV. awkwardly, badly I landed awkwardly and twisted my ankle. | expertly, neatly He tensed himself for the jump and landed expertly on the other side. | heavily | lightly

PREP. on She fell and landed heavily on her back.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lane noun

¹ narrow road

VERB + LANE turn down/into

LANE + VERB go, lead, run the lane leading to the village The lane runs past the the lake.

PREP. along a/the ~ We cycled for miles along winding country lanes. | down a/the ~, in a/the ~, up a/the ~

² part of a wide road for one line of traffic

VERB + LANE change, get in I hate changing lanes on the motorway. Get in lane early when approaching a junction. | keep in, stay in

LANE + NOUN closures, restrictions Lane closures are causing hold-ups on the M6 near junction 2.

PREP. in (the) ~ The bus was crawling along in the slow lane.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

language noun

¹ system of communication

ADJ. first, native She grew up in Spain, so her first language is Spanish. | foreign, second How many foreign languages does she speak? the teaching of English as a second language | original Most local cinemas show films in the original language, with German subtitles. | source, target (both technical) | ancient, classical, dead Latin is a dead language. | modern | common, shared | indigenous, local | official Belgium has two official languages. | national Portuguese is the national language of Brazil. | international | minority Some minority languages are dying out. | spoken, written She could speak some Chinese, but never studied the written language. | colloquial, everyday, informal | formal | flowery, literary, poetic | racist, sexist | sign Not all deaf people use sign language. | body, non-verbal You could tell from his body language that he was very embarrassed. | legal, technical, etc. | computer, programming

LANGUAGE + NOUN acquisition, learning new methods of language learning | course, lesson

PREP. in … ~ His letter was couched in very formal language.

PHRASES command/knowledge/mastery of (a) language Her command of language is very advanced for a six-year-old. | use of language The writer's use of language reflects the personality of each character.

² offensive words

ADJ. bad, crude, foul, obscene, offensive, strong using foul language

VERB + LANGUAGE use | mind, watch The referee warned the players to mind their language. > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lantern noun

VERB + LANTERN light, shine He shone his lantern into the dark room. | blow out, put out

LANTERN + VERB glow, shine | hang The lantern hung from the roof.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lapel noun

ADJ. narrow, wide a coat with wide lapels

VERB + LAPEL be pinned to A silver brooch was pinned to her lapel.

LAPEL + NOUN badge, pin

PREP. in the/your ~ He was wearing a carnation in his lapel. | on the/your ~ a jacket with a badge on the lapel

PHRASES grab sb by the lapels He grabbed her by the lapels and shook her violently.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lapse noun

¹ small error

ADJ. minor | momentary, temporary | sudden | memory, mental I keep suffering these mental lapses.

VERB + LAPSE have, suffer I had a momentary lapse when I couldn't remember his name.

PREP. ~ in a lapse in attention | ~ of sudden lapses of concentration

² bad behaviour

ADJ. curious, odd It was an odd lapse for one who is normally so polite.

³ passing of time

ADJ. brief, considerable | time

PHRASES ~ of after a considerable lapse of time a time lapse of three months

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lap noun

ADJ. first, opening | final, last

VERB + LAP complete, do, run

LAP + NOUN record He set a new lap record.

PREP. on the … ~ He tripped and fell on the final lap.

PHRASES a lap of honour The silver medallist joined the winner in a lap of honour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lap verb

ADV. gently, softly

PREP. against The waves lapped gently against the side of the ship. | around The water lapped around his ankles. | over The freezing water lapped over her boots.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

larder noun

ADJ. full, well-stocked | bare, empty | walk-in

VERB + LARDER fill, stock | empty, raid He comes home from school and raids the larder.

LARDER + NOUN door, shelf

PREP. in the ~ There wasn't much food left in the larder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

large adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem Some of the clothes looked very large. | become, get, grow By this time his debt had got extremely large. The plant had grown quite large. | remain

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, very | comparatively, fairly, moderately, quite, rather, reasonably, relatively Isn't that jumper rather large? | enough, sufficiently Are you sure the hall will be large enough? | indefinitely, infinitely The universe is infinitely large. | abnormally, disproportionately, surprisingly, unexpectedly, unusually His eyes were abnormally large.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laser noun

ADJ. powerful

VERB + LASER use

LASER + NOUN beam, light | printer | gun | surgery, therapy, treatment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lash noun

ADJ. bottom, lower | long, thick

VERB + LASH bat, flutter She batted her lashes flirtatiously. | lower She lowered her lashes in sudden embarrassment.

LASH + VERB flicker, flutter Her lashes flickered and I knew she was lying.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

last verb

ADV. long Your car will last longer if you look after it. | forever, indefinitely Nothing lasts forever.

With care, the vines will last indefinitely. | never Happiness never lasts.

VERB + LAST can/cannot, could (not) The storm could last quite a long time. | will/won't, would (not) The kids are all very enthusiastic, but it won't last?it never does. | be likely/unlikely to I always thought his popularity was unlikely to last. | be expected to | seem to The journey seemed to last forever. | be built to This house was built to last.

PREP. for The war lasted for three years. | into The celebrations lasted well into the next week. | until The trial is expected to last until the end of the week.

PHRASES while sth lasts Make the most of this feeling while it lasts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

late adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem I don't know what the time is, but it feels quite late. | make sb

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, relatively

PREP. for I'm late for work. | in He took up music late in life. | with He was now three weeks late with his rent.

PHRASES an hour, ten minutes, etc. late The train was 45 minutes late. | leave it a bit/rather/very late You've left it a bit late to start your homework, haven't you?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Latin noun

ADJ. classical | medieval > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

latitude noun

¹ geographical position

ADJ. high, low | northern, southern | polar, temperate These birds only survive in temperate latitudes.

VERB + LATITUDE calculate, determine

PHRASES a line of latitude

² freedom

ADJ. considerable, great

QUANT. degree Some degree of latitude is required in interpreting the law on this point.

VERB + LATITUDE allow (sb), give sb

PREP. ~ for This method allows very little latitude for error. | ~ in Nowadays, newspapers are allowed considerable latitude in criticizing the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laughter noun

ADJ. helpless, hysterical, loud, raucous, wild I heard sounds of raucous laughter upstairs. | delighted, happy | infectious Her infectious laughter had everyone smiling. | nervous | silent, suppressed She was bent over with suppressed laughter. | derisive, mocking

QUANT. bellow, hoot, howl, roar, shriek, snort He gave a sudden bellow of laughter. | fit Everyone dissolved into fits of laughter when they saw my haircut. | gale, peal, ripple His suggestion was greeted with peals of laughter. A ripple of laughter ran round the room.

VERB + LAUGHTER burst into, dissolve into/with, explode with | bellow with, cackle with, hoot with, howl with, roar with, scream with, shriek with, snort with, whoop with, yell with | rock with, shake with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laugh noun

¹ sound/act of laughing

LAUGH + VERB escape sb A small laugh escaped her.

PREP. for a ~ She dyed her hair green just for a laugh. | with a ~ He left the room with a cynical laugh. | ~ about/at We all had a great laugh about it afterwards.

PHRASES be good for a laugh Paul's always good for a laugh (= always amusing). | have the last laugh We'll have the last laugh if she finds out that you're the one who played the trick. | a laugh at sb's expense Oh yes, very funny?have your laugh at my expense! | the laugh is on sb (= sb looks ridiculous after they have tried to make fun of sb else)

² sb/sth that is amusing

ADJ. good, real

PHRASES a barrel of laughs, a bit of a laugh, a laugh a minute (= very funny)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laugh verb

ADV. aloud, loudly, out loud It looked so funny that I almost laughed out loud. | gently, lightly, quietly, softly, silently, under your breath | deeply, heartily, a lot, really, uproariously He laughed heartily at his own joke. | just, merely, simply I thought she would be angry but she just laughed. | almost | briefly, a little, shortly | suddenly | easily, freely She smiles and laughs easily. | openly, outright | helplessly, uncontrollably | cheerfully, delightedly, excitedly, happily | hysterically, nervously | politely | incredulously, in disbelief | angrily, bitterly, cynically, derisively, grimly, harshly, hollowly, humourlessly, mirthlessly, ruefully, scornfully, sourly, wryly He realized how he had been fooled, and laughed bitterly. | together talking and laughing together

VERB + LAUGH have to, want to He looked so funny I just had to laugh. | begin to, start to | try not to I was watching them and trying not to laugh. | make sb He pulled a funny face to make us laugh. | hear sb I heard him suddenly laugh aloud.

PREP. about Tomorrow you'll be able to laugh about this. | at The audience laughed at her jokes. | with talking and laughing with the children Trent almost laughed with relief.

PHRASES burst out laughing, can't/couldn't help/stop laughing She was telling us jokes and we couldn't stop laughing. | fall about laughing It was so funny we just fell about laughing. | find yourself laughing He laughed, and she found herself laughing with him. | stop laughing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

launch noun

ADJ. official, press, public She is signing copies of her book at the official launch. | successful | imminent | book, campaign, product | balloon, rocket, satellite, shuttle

VERB + LAUNCH get (sth) ready for, prepare (sth) for They are preparing for the launch of the new campaign next month. | announce | mark a big Hollywood event to mark the launch of the movie | coincide with The show is timed to coincide with the launch of a new book on the subject. | attend, go to, speak at | delay, postpone, put off

LAUNCH + NOUN date | party (= for a product or book) | pad, site

PREP. after/following/since the ~ In the six months since its launch the car has sold extremely well. | at a/the ~ I met her at the launch of her new book. | ~ for a spring launch for the new TV system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

laundry noun

ADJ. clean, dirty

QUANT. bundle, pile There was a pile of clean laundry on her bed.

VERB + LAUNDRY do The housekeeper cooks, does the laundry and cleans.

LAUNDRY + NOUN bag, basket | service The hotel offers a free laundry service.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lavatory noun

ADJ. public | communal, shared | indoor, inside | outside | flush, flushing

VERB + LAVATORY go to, use | need | flush, flush sth down

PREP. in the ~, on the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lawful adj.

VERBS be | become | consider sth, deem sth

ADV. perfectly This is a perfectly lawful activity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lawn noun

ADJ. manicured, neat, tended a carefully tended lawn | overgrown | back, front

VERB + LAWN cut, mow, trim The lawn really needs mowing.

PHRASES a sweep of lawn The cottage sits on a hill above a sweep of lawn.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lawsuit noun

VERB + LAWSUIT bring, file, issue A lawsuit has been filed against the company. | be involved in, pursue | drop They have agreed to drop their lawsuit against the Dutch company. | be faced with, face The company now faces several lawsuits over its failure to protect its employees. | defend She plans to defend the lawsuit vigorously. | win | lose | settle The two companies have settled the lawsuit.

PREP. in a/the ~ They are seeking damages in a lawsuit. | ~ against a lawsuit against her former husband | ~ over a lawsuit over a disputed estate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lawyer noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

law noun

¹ official rule/rules

ADJ. administrative, case, civil, common, constitutional, contract, criminal, international, statute, etc. (see also martial law)

LAW + VERB allow sth, forbid sth, prohibit sth The law forbids gambling of any kind. | permit sth | require sth The wearing of a crash helmet is required by law. | govern sth the law governing school attendance

LAW + NOUN court | enforcement

PREP. above the ~ No one is above the law. | against the ~ What you did was clearly against the law. | by ~ By law, you are obliged to install smoke alarms in the factory. | within the ~ The company is operating entirely within the law. | ~ against a local law against keeping horses | ~ concerning the law concerning industrial action ballots | ~ on A law on hunting will cause a lot of disagreements. | ~ relating to the law relating to the sale of goods

PHRASES as the law stands As the law stands, you can get married while still too young to have a driving licence. | law and order Martial law was imposed to prevent the breakdown of law and order. | the letter of the law In spite of the difficulties it would cause her family, the judge stuck to the letter of the law and jailed her. | take the law into your own hands When police failed to arrest the suspect, local people took the law into their own hands and beat him up.

² subject of study/profession

VERB + LAW practise

LAW + NOUN firm > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lay-by noun VERB + LAY-BY pull into

PREP. in a/the ~ I was parked in a lay-by, having a nap.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

layer noun

ADJ. fine, thin Everything was covered with a fine layer of dust. | deep, generous, heavy, thick Mulch with a generous layer of peat or compost. | bottom, inner, lower, middle, outer, surface, top, upper the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere | double | protective a protective layer of black plastic | ozone holes in the ozone layer

VERB + LAYER form Use enough gravel to form a layer about 50mm thick. | be covered by/with The body had been covered with a thin layer of soil.

LAYER + NOUN cake

PREP. beneath/under a/the ~ Beneath the surface layer of the skin are several further layers. | in ~s The building is constructed in layers. | ~ of an extra layer of clothing a layer of bureaucracy multiple layers of meaning

PHRASES layer after/on/upon layer The remains lay buried under layer upon layer of black earth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

layout noun

ADJ. basic, general Before designing the house we planned the basic layout of the rooms. | physical, spatial | interior, internal | page, text page layout software | road, street

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lay verb

ADV. carefully, gently, tenderly | down He laid the books down on the table.

PREP. on She laid the child tenderly on the bed. | over They carefully laid a blanket over the body. PHRASAL VERBS lay sth out

ADV. tastefully, well The owners have built a gift shop and a tastefully laid out caravan site.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lazy adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, get, grow He had grown lazy and fat. We thought we were winning, so we got lazy.

ADV. extremely, incredibly, really, very | downright | almost His smile was slow, almost lazy. | a bit, pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leadership noun

VERB + LEADERSHIP assume, take on/over When Smith died, Blair took over the leadership of the party. | assert her method of asserting personal leadership | exercise, provide, show In the crisis he showed real leadership.

PREP. under sb's ~ The school has flourished under the leadership of Mr Buxton. | ~ from What is really needed is clear leadership from the prime minister. | ~ in Leadership in science now went to the United States.

PHRASES a challenge to sb's leadership She withstood several challenges to her leadership. | a lack of leadership, sb's style of leadership

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leader noun

¹ person who is in charge of sth

VERB + LEADER be appointed, become, be elected | appoint (sb), appoint sb as, choose (sb as), elect (sb), elect sb as, nominate (sb), nominate sb as

PHRASES a leader of the Opposition

² person/team that is best or in first place

ADJ. undisputed | brand, market, world The company is a world leader in electrical goods. | championship, league, tournament

VERB + LEADER overtake aiming to overtake the market leaders within two years

PREP. behind the ~ ten points behind league leaders Manchester United | ~ in the undisputed leader in her field

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lead1 /li:d/ noun

¹ example set by sb's behaviour

ADJ. moral

VERB + LEAD give, take The government should give a lead in tackling racism. | follow

PREP. ~ in We should follow their lead in banning chemical weapons.

² position ahead of other people

ADJ. big, clear, comfortable, commanding, good, strong | narrow | overall | early

VERB + LEAD be in, have She has a narrow lead over the other runners. | go into, move into, take They took an early lead. | build up, establish The team has now built up a commanding lead. | hold, maintain | lose | regain They regained the lead with only a few minutes left to play. | put sb/sth (back) into | extend, increase Sheffield increased their lead just before half time. | give

PREP. in/into the ~ struggling to stay in the lead | ~ over This win gives the team a two-point lead over their closest rival.

³ main part in a play, show, etc.

ADJ. romantic | female, male

VERB + LEAD play Her big break came when she was chosen to play the lead in a Broadway musical.

LEAD + NOUN role | singer | guitar, guitarist

⁴ clue

ADJ. good | new | possible The police are following every possible lead.

VERB + LEAD have | follow, pursue | give

PREP. ~ on leads on the murderer's identity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lead2 /li:d/ verb

¹ show the way

ADV. back, on ‘Lead on!’ said Arnold.

VERB + LEAD help (to) Five people helping to lead a convoy of aid are feared dead. | allow sb to, let sb Let me lead the way.

PREP. along, down, into, out of, through, to, etc. She led them along a dark corridor to a small room.

PHRASES lead the way You lead the way and we'll follow.

² go to a place

ADV. directly | back, down, up An old track led back through the wood. | nowhere, somewhere (often figurative) Often there are discoveries which lead nowhere.

PREP. from, onto The gardens lead directly onto a beach. | to a path leading from the village to the old church

³ cause

ADV. normally, usually | inevitably, inexorably Industrialization inevitably led to the expansion of the urban working class. | (almost) certainly, undoubtedly | not necessarily The use of soft drugs does not necessarily lead to a progression to hard drugs. | automatically Business success does not automatically lead to financial success. | naturally Discussion of a client's tax affairs will lead naturally into consideration of investment options. | directly | indirectly | eventually, ultimately

VERB + LEAD can/could (easily/only), may/might (well), must Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods. The carbon tax might well lead to a doubling of prices for fossil fuels. | appear to, seem to | be expected to, be likely to, tend to Worrying about your weight is more likely to lead to comforting yourself with a piece of chocolate. | be bound to

PREP. to the events that led eventually to war

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lead3 /led/ noun

ADJ. molten

VERB + LEAD be made of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leaflet noun

ADJ. free a free leaflet explaining your tax return | helpful, useful | explanatory, information, instruction | promotional, publicity | campaign, election, party

QUANT. copy

VERB + LEAFLET issue, produce, publish The Health Council issued hundreds of leaflets. | deliver, distribute, give out, hand out, send out Campaigners handed out leaflets to passers by. | enclose I enclose a leaflet about some of the other services we offer.

LEAFLET + VERB advertise sth, explain sth

PREP. in a/the ~ More details are given in our promotional leaflet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leaf noun

ADJ. new, young | autumn, dead, dry, fallen, falling, rotting, rotten The ground was thick with dead leaves. | broad (especially technical), heart-shaped, oval broad leaf plants | green, yellow, etc. | glossy, hairy, leathery, mottled, shiny, spiky, variegated | bay, lettuce, oak, tea, etc. Throw the tea leaves on the flower bed.

VERB + LEAF have This plant has beautifully variegated leaves. | break/burst/come into, grow, produce, put out It was spring and the trees were coming into leaf. In the spring the plant began to put out new leaves. | shed Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.

LEAF + VERB appear Spring arrived and the first green leaves began to appear. | turn, yellow The summer was over and the leaves were beginning to turn. | fall | rustle The leaves rustled in the light breeze.

LEAF + NOUN litter, mould the leaf litter on the forest floor

PHRASES in full leaf The corn was already ripening and the trees in full leaf.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

league noun

¹ group of sports clubs that compete with each other

VERB + LEAGUE create, form, set up, start | join The team joined the Northern League last year. | win

PREP. in a/the ~ The team is now in the Premier League.

PHRASES at the bottom/top of the league, (come) bottom/top of the league, a position in the league hoping to improve their position in the league

² level of quality, ability, etc.

ADJ. big, super, top, world This move propelled him into the political big league.

PHRASES in a different league Today's technology is in a different league (= very much better). | in a league of your own As a painter he is in a league of his own (= much better than others). | not in the same league (as … ) (= not nearly as good as), out of sb's league A house like that is way out of our league (= too expensive for us).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leak noun

¹ small hole/crack

VERB + LEAK have The boat had a small leak. | spring The pipe has sprung a leak. | plug, stop I managed to plug the leak.

PREP. ~ in a leak in the roof

² when gas/liquid escapes

ADJ. major, serious | minor | slow | fuel, gas, oil, radiation, radioactive

VERB + LEAK cause The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. | detect, discover, find, notice, spot Fortunately, we spotted the leak in time. | fix, repair, stop The plumber fixed the leak. | prevent taking steps to prevent gas leaks in the future

LEAK + VERB happen, occur

PREP. ~ from Pollution inspectors were called to a leak from a chemical factory. | ~ of a leak of dangerous chemicals

³ giving away information

ADJ. security

LEAK + VERB come from sth The leak could only have come from one source.

PREP. ~ about a security leak about a number of suspicious deaths among civil servants | ~ from a leak from the prime minister's office | ~ of a leak of confidential material | ~ to a leak to the American authorities

PHRASES the source of a leak The organization's press secretary is thought to be the source of the leak.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leak verb

¹ allow sth to get out through a hole

ADV. badly The house was old and the roof leaked quite badly. | slightly

² tell sb about sth

ADV. carefully, deliberately | widely The document had been widely leaked.

PREP. from Confidential information that has been leaked from the BBC. | to The report was leaked to the press.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lean verb

PREP. across She was leaning confidentially across the table. | against She leaned her head against his shoulder. | into He leaned into the open doorway. | on The old man was leaning heavily on a stick. | out of She leaned precariously out of the window. | over She leaned casually over the railings. | through The taxi driver leaned through his window. | towards He leaned towards her. PHRASAL VERBS lean on sb/sth

ADV. heavily Britain leans heavily on Europe for trade.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leap noun

¹ big jump

ADJ. big, giant, prodigious | little | flying, running He made a flying leap at the ball.

VERB + LEAP make, take

PREP. ~ from, ~ into a leap into the air | ~ to

² great change/increase in sth

ADJ. big, enormous, giant, great, huge, quantum There has been a quantum leap in profits since 1995. | small | bold, dramatic, sudden a dramatic leap in the number of people out of work | imaginative, intuitive | technological

VERB + LEAP make They've made a great leap forward with their road building in the last few years.

PREP. ~ from a leap from $632 to $735 | ~ in a leap in prices | ~ of a leap of 750% | ~ to

PHRASES a leap forward, by leaps and bounds, come on/improve in leaps and bounds His technique has come on in leaps and bounds this season.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leap verb

ADV. almost, nearly He almost leaped down the stairs when he heard who it was. | immediately | suddenly | clear, high She leaped clear of the water. | about, around, back, down, forward, out, up (and down) children leaping about with excitement

VERB + LEAP seem to (figurative) The photograph seemed to leap off the page at her. | be about to, be ready to Don't be so nervous?anyone would think I was about to leap on you.

PREP. across leaping across the puddles | from He leaped down from the ladder and ran over towards her. | into, off, on, onto He leaped onto his horse and rode off. | out of He leaped out of bed when he heard the telephone. | over leaping over high fences

PHRASES leap to your feet Rosie immediately leaped to her feet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

learner noun

ADJ. quick, slow She was a quick learner, and her German got better by the day. | advanced, intermediate a book for advanced learners of English | adult, older | young The book has been written with the interests of young learners in mind. | language | foreign

LEARNER + NOUN driver

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

learning noun

¹ process of learning sth

LEARNING + NOUN curve The whole team has been on a steep learning curve since the project began. | environment The centre aims to provide a supportive learning environment. | experience, process | difficulty, disability severe learning difficulties

PHRASES a seat of learning

² knowledge got from reading and studying

ADJ. great | book (old-fashioned)

VERB + LEARNING acquire, gain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

learn verb

¹ gain knowledge/skill

ADV. a lot I learned a lot from my father. | quickly, soon Children learn very quickly. They soon learn that bad behaviour is a sure-fire way of getting attention.

VERB + LEARN need to | be eager to, want to He was eager to learn all she could teach him. | have a lot to I've got a lot to learn, haven't I?

PREP. about learning about art | from She learned from watching others. | through Children learn through play.

² become aware

VERB + LEARN be astonished to, be astounded to, be intrigued to, be surprised to I was surprised to learn that he was only 24. | be dismayed to, be saddened to

PREP. of We first learned of the problem from her school.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lease noun

ADJ. long, long-term | short, short-term | ten-year, etc. | business, commercial | building, mining

VERB + LEASE have, hold They've got a lease with five years to run. | draw up | acquire, buy, enter into, get, negotiate, obtain, sign, take (on/out/up) She has taken out a new ten-year lease on the flat. | grant (sb), sell (sb) A freeholder may grant a lease of any duration. | renew | forfeit, surrender They moved out and the lease was surrendered. | cancel, terminate | take over | transfer

LEASE + VERB run The lease runs from April 19. | take effect | come up for renewal, expire, run out

PREP. in a/the ~ a new clause in the lease | on a ~ The company holds the building on a long lease. | under a/the ~ Under the new lease, the rent would go up. | ~ of He took a lease of the premises. | ~ on The club has a 20-year lease on the property.

PHRASES a clause in a lease, a condition of a lease, the length/period/term of a lease, a provision in a lease, the terms of the lease

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leather noun

VERB + LEATHER tan | treat The leather has been treated with wax. | polish | be made from/in/(out) of a coat made from buffalo leather | bind sth in Each volume is bound in genuine leather.

LEATHER + VERB crack a cracked leather belt

PREP. in ~ (= made of leather) I'm looking for a pair of boots in dark brown leather. | in ~s (= wearing leather) a biker in black leathers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leave noun

¹ period of time when you do not go to work

ADJ. annual | paid, unpaid | extended, indefinite, weekend | compassionate, maternity, parental, paternity, sabbatical, sick, study | home, shore

VERB + LEAVE be entitled to, get, have How much annual leave do you get? I've still got some leave left this year. | go on, spend, take, use (up) She spent most of her leave with her family. I've still got some leave to use up. | save I'm saving all my leave to have a long holiday later in the year. | cancel When the war broke out all leave was cancelled. | give sb, grant sb | be due for, be owed | apply for

LEAVE + NOUN entitlement

PREP. on ~ She's on leave until the end of the month.

² official permission to do sth

ADJ. special

VERB + LEAVE ask, request He asked leave to absent himself for four days. | give sb, grant sb | obtain | refuse sb

PREP. by sb's ~ The appeal can only be brought by leave of the trial judge. | with/without sb's ~ No application may be made without the leave of the court.

PHRASES absent without leave, leave of absence, without (so much as) a by your leave (= without asking permission)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leave verb

VERB + LEAVE decide to | intend to, plan to, want to | be ready to We were all packed and ready to leave. | be about to, be going to Did you want something? I was just about to leave. | threaten to My secretary has threatened to leave. | attempt to, try to They were caught trying to leave the country. | refuse to | be compelled to, be forced to, be obliged to | ask sb to, order sb to They were being extremely rowdy and the manager had to ask them leave. | allow sb to, let sb I wanted to leave but they wouldn't let me. | enable sb to

PREP. for They left for Scotland this morning.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lecturer noun

ADJ. principal, senior | assistant, junior | college, university | guest, visiting | English, physics, etc.

PREP. ~ in a lecturer in German at Plymouth University > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lecture noun

¹ talk given to a group of people

QUANT. course, programme, series

VERB + LECTURE deliver, give, present | hold, put on The society is putting on a series of lectures on the subject next term. | attend, go to, hear (formal), listen to | miss, skip | prepare, write

LECTURE + NOUN course, programme, series | hall, room, theatre | notes | tour | circuit a familiar figure on the international lecture circuit

PREP. at a/the ~ She wasn't at the lecture. | during a/the ~ The fire bell went during his lecture. | in a/the ~ She referred to Professor Jones's work in her lecture on Shakespeare's imagery. | ~ by a lecture by Professor Snow | ~ about/on, ~ to a lecture to the Darwin Society

PHRASES a lecture entitled sth a lecture entitled ‘How to Prevent Food Poisoning’ | a lecture on the subject of sth

² serious talk to sb about their behaviour

ADJ. little, long | severe, stern

VERB + LECTURE give sb, read sb She read me a stern lecture on ingratitude. | get I got a lecture from Dad about coming home on time. | take

PREP. ~ about/on I don't take lectures from anyone on how to behave. | ~ from

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ledge noun

ADJ. high | narrow, wide | cliff, mountain, window

VERB + LEDGE cling to The climbers were clinging to a ledge hundreds of feet above the sea. | be perched on

LEDGE + VERB go, run A narrow ledge runs across the northern face of the cliff.

PREP. along a/the ~ I felt along the ledge at the top of the door. | on a/the ~ The phone was perched precariously on the window ledge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

left noun

¹ side

ADJ. extreme, far My dad's in the front row, on the extreme left of the picture.

VERB + LEFT turn to If you turn to your left you will see the parliament building.

PREP. from the ~ The car came from the left. | on the/your ~ The bank is on the left, just after the post office. As you go in the door, you'll see it on your left. | on the ~ of The car park is on the left of the library. | to the/your ~ He looked to the left and then crossed. | to the ~ of My office is just to the left of the main door.

PHRASES from left to right; from right to left Arabic script reads from right to left.

² the left: political groups

ADJ. extreme, far

PREP. of the ~ In recent years the country has been ruled only by governments of the left. | on the ~ They're both on the extreme left of the party. | to the ~ The party has moved further to the left. He is somewhat to the left of the previous leader.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legacy noun

¹ money/property

ADJ. generous, large | small

VERB + LEGACY bequeath (sb), leave (sb) | get, receive He received a large legacy from his uncle.

PREP. in a/the ~ She left her the money in a legacy. | ~ from a legacy from my old teacher

PHRASES heir to a legacy She is the heir to a legacy of £1 million.

² result of previous events

ADJ. enduring | historical These problems have arisen as a result of historical legacies. | bitter, grim

VERB + LEGACY bequeath (sb), leave (sb), leave behind the enduring legacy bequeathed by the war years

PREP. ~ from Such attitudes are a legacy from colonial times.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legality noun

ADJ. doubtful, dubious

VERB + LEGALITY challenge, question Her lawyer is challenging the legality of the court order. | assert, recognize, uphold The government does not recognize the legality of this court.

PHRASES doubt/doubts about the legality of sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legal adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. completely, perfectly It is perfectly legal to charge extra for these services.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legend noun

¹ well-known story

ADJ. ancient | Greek, Roman, etc. | local

VERB + LEGEND become, pass into The story of how she was rescued has already passed into legend. | tell (sb) He told us the legend of the ghostly horseman.

LEGEND + VERB live on The legend of his supernatural origins lives on.

PREP. according to ~ According to ancient legend, the river is a goddess. | in (a/the) ~ There have always been stories of human giants in Celtic legend and mythology. | ~ about legends about the Vikings | ~ of The story is part of the ancient legend of King Arthur.

PHRASES legend has it that … Legend has it that the Bridge of Sighs got its name from the cries of prisoners being led across it. | myths and legends the myths and legends of Mexico | the subject of legend The unusual shell has long been the subject of legend.

² famous person/event

ADJ. living pop stars who become living legends | basketball, motoring, racing, sporting, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legible adj.

VERBS be

ADV. clearly, easily Her handwriting was clearly legible. | perfectly | barely, scarcely

PREP. to The price must be legible to a purchaser.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legislation noun

QUANT. piece a major piece of legislation

VERB + LEGISLATION need, require | call for, propose They are calling for tough legislation to tackle this problem. | draft, draw up | bring forward, initiate Anyone has the right to initiate legislation in Parliament by means of a private bill. | approve, enact, introduce, pass Congress approved legislation which outlawed the sale of the drug. | adopt Member states may not adopt legislation contrary to EU law. | block, delay The reform will make it more difficult for MPs to block legislation. | amend | repeal | comply with Companies have until December 31 to comply with the new legislation.

LEGISLATION + VERB come into effect, come into force New legislation on drink-driving comes into effect at the end of the year.

PREP. under ~ This will be a criminal offence under the new legislation. | ~ against They are planning the introduction of legislation against sex discrimination. | ~ on Legislation on this issue is urgently needed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legislature noun

VERB + LEGISLATURE be elected to She is the youngest woman to be elected to the national legislature.

LEGISLATURE + VERB comprise sth, consist of sth The legislature comprises a 212-member Chamber of Deputies elected for a four-year term. | pass sth The legislature passed a law to prohibit the dumping of nuclear waste. | vote The legislature voted narrowly to table a motion of no-confidence in the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

legitimate adj

VERBS be, seem | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. entirely, perfectly, quite | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leg noun

¹ part of the body

VERB + LEG bend | brace He put his back against the car, braced his legs and pushed. | straighten | cross I moved the chair away from the table so I could cross my legs. | splay, spread They made him put his hands on the police car and spread his legs. | extend, stretch (out) She stretched her legs under the table. (figurative) It was good to get out of the car and stretch our legs (= walk about). | lift The dog lifted its leg against the lamp post. | draw up, tuck under She sat with her legs drawn up underneath her. | kick | swing She swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached for her crutches. | entwine, tangle They gazed at each other, their legs entwined under the table. | break, injure | amputate She had her leg amputated below the knee. | shave

LEG + VERB move They ran together, their legs moving in unison. | flail, kick He jumped to avoid the flailing leg of the defender. | pump She started running, fat legs pumping. | bend | buckle, give way His legs buckled and he collapsed on the floor. | shake, tremble | dangle, hang, swing He sat with his legs dangling off the bridge. | ache

LEG + NOUN exercise | muscle | injury, pains, trouble, ulcer, wound | room (also legroom) You don't get much legroom on economy-class flights.

PREP. between the/your ~s The dog sloped off, its tail between its legs. | in the ~ He was shot in the leg by a sniper. | on the/your ~ I've got a big bruise on my leg. | on one ~ Many birds are able to stand on one leg for hours at a time.

PHRASES (have, etc.) your leg in plaster He was wheeled out of the hospital with his leg in plaster.

² of trousers

ADJ. trouser

VERB + LEG pull up, roll up He rolled up his trouser legs. | roll down

PHRASES long/short in the leg These jeans are too long in the leg.

³ of a journey/race

ADJ. first, second, etc. | final, last | anchor The fastest runner often runs the anchor leg (= the last one) of a relay. | outbound | homeward

PREP. on the … ~ At last we were on the homeward leg of our journey.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leisure noun

VERB + LEISURE have We have more leisure than our parents had.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lemon noun

ADJ. fresh

QUANT. slice, wedge Garnish the fish with wedges of lemon.

VERB + LEMON squeeze Squeeze a quarter of a lemon over the fish. | slice | garnish sth with

LEMON + NOUN tree | pip | peel, rind, zest | juice > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lender noun

ADJ. big, large, leading, major The bank is the largest mortgage lender in the country. | money, mortgage

PREP. ~ to The bank was an important lender to the British government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lend verb

ADV. kindly She very kindly lent me her bicycle.

VERB + LEND be prepared to, be willing to | refuse to, be unwilling to The bank was unwilling to lend him the money. | persuade sb to

PREP. to I've lent my car to George for the weekend.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lengthy adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very Agreement was finally reached after very lengthy discussions. | fairly, quite, rather, reasonably, relatively, somewhat After a fairly lengthy delay, we were able to continue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

length noun

¹ distance from one end to the other

ADJ. entire, full, maximum, whole There is a maximum length of 2,500 words. The queue stretched the whole length of the High Street. | great a ditch of great length and width | medium | overall, total

VERB + LENGTH estimate, measure He measured the length and width of the table. | have The vehicle has an overall length of 12 feet. | grow to, reach These fish can reach a length of over two metres. | double in, increase in | cut sth to Measure the size of the window and cut the cloth to length. | drive, run, swim, travel, walk, etc. The fence runs the length of the footpath.

PREP. along the ~ of There were coloured lights along the whole length of the street. | in ~ The pipe was two metres in length.

PHRASES at arm's length He has to hold newspapers at arm's length to focus on the print. | double, twice, three times, half, etc. the length of sth The queen bee is twice the length of a worker bee.

² amount of time that sth lasts

ADJ. considerable, great, inordinate | reasonable

VERB + LENGTH cut, reduce, shorten | increase

LENGTH + VERB increase | decrease

PREP. at ~ He told me at length about his new job. | in ~ Each lesson was an hour in length.

PHRASES length of time They complained about the inordinate length of time they had to wait.

³ length of a swimming pool

VERB + LENGTH do, swim I did 20 lengths today.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leniency noun

ADJ. great Judges are advised to show greater leniency towards first-time offenders. | excessive, undue

VERB + LENIENCY show | appeal for, beg for

PREP. ~ for She begged for leniency for her son. | ~ of the undue leniency of the sentence | ~ to Police offer leniency to criminals in return for information. | ~ towards Let's hope the judge shows leniency towards her.

PHRASES a plea for leniency Even the victim's family made a plea for leniency on behalf of the accused.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lenient adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, very | quite, relatively | excessively, unduly The appeal judge agreed that the original sentence was unduly lenient.

PREP. with The police are sometimes more lenient with female offenders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lens noun

ADJ. strong, thick She wears glasses with very thick lenses. | coloured, tinted | contact | optical, spectacle | camera | fish-eye, long, long-focus, magnifying, telephoto, telescopic, wide-angle, zoom a long-lens shot of a rare bird The photograph was taken using a zoom lens.

LENS + NOUN cap I took the lens cap off my camera and waited for a good shot.

PREP. through a/the ~ Put your hand in front of your right lens and just look through your left lens.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leprosy noun

VERB + LEPROSY have, suffer from | contract

LEPROSY + NOUN bacillus | patient, sufferer, victim > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lesbian noun

ADJ. butch | femme, lipstick

VERB + LESBIAN come out as She came out as a lesbian in her teens.

LESBIAN + NOUN icon The singer has become a lesbian icon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lessen verb

ADV. considerably, greatly, significantly Eating a good diet significantly lessens the risk of heart disease. | gradually Time had gradually lessened the pain of her grief.

VERB + LESSEN begin to The noise began to lessen. | try to | tend to Too much background detail tends to lessen the impact of the central image. | help (to) Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lesson noun

¹ period of teaching or learning

ADJ. good, interesting | boring | individual | private | driving, English, geography, maths, piano, swimming, etc.

VERB + LESSON attend, go to, have, take I go to Italian lessons at the local college. We had a history lesson followed by a double maths lesson. I'm taking driving lessons at the moment. | give (sb), offer (sb), provide, take, teach She gives singing lessons. They're offering free lessons in computing. I had to take a biology lesson this afternoon because the biology teacher was away. He doesn't teach very many lessons these days. | get Pupils get lessons on how to organize their study time. | prepare The trouble is that teachers don't prepare their lessons carefully enough. | skip He got into trouble for skipping lessons.

PREP. during a/the ~ No talking was allowed during the lesson. | in a/the ~ You can't expect to learn all there is to know about the subject in a 45-minute lesson. | ~ about a lesson about the Civil War | ~ in He took lessons in Thai cookery. | ~ on a lesson on the Roman Empire | ~ with They've got a lesson with Mrs Evans at two o'clock.

² sth learnt through experience

ADJ. important, salutary, useful, valuable | bitter, hard, painful It's a hard lesson to learn. | clear

VERB + LESSON draw, learn What lessons can we draw from this unfortunate experience? | teach sb It taught me some valuable lessons about working with other people.

PREP. ~ from There are important lessons to be learnt from this mistake. | ~ in I learned a lesson in harsh economics when I was made redundant.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lethal adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. absolutely All these knives are absolutely lethal. | pretty | potentially It was a potentially lethal mixture of drugs.

PREP. to The pesticide is lethal to all insect life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lethargy noun

VERB + LETHARGY be overcome by, feel, suffer from She was suddenly overcome by lethargy. | sink into | drag/stir yourself out of, overcome, shake off He felt that he had to drag himself out of his lethargy and begin to write.

LETHARGY + VERB creep over/through sb, overtake sb After the meal, I could feel lethargy overtaking me.

PHRASES a feeling of lethargy trying to shake off the feeling of lethargy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

letter noun

¹ written/printed message

LETTER + VERB arrive, come, reach sb I hope my last letter has reached you. | be dated … The letter is dated 7 July. | cross Our letters crossed in the post. | be lost, go astray | announce sth, ask (sb) sth, begin, start (off) The letter started off by thanking us for our offer. | continue, go on His letter wen | conclude, end The letter concluded with a threat of possible legal action. | contain sth The letter contained information that only the killer could know. | enclose sth The charity received an anonymous letter enclosing a large cheque. | appear A letter headed ‘Advertising Mania’ appeared in the paper.

LETTER + NOUN writing | box The postman put a bundle of letters through the letter box. | bomb

PREP. by ~ Please reply by letter. | in a/the ~ In your letter of 5 June … | ~ about/concerning/regarding, ~ from, ~ of a letter of application/apology | ~ to a letter to the editor

² sign that represents a sound in a language

ADJ. big, large | block, capital, upper-case Fill in the form in block letters. | lower-case, small | bold | initial The company's name is made from the initial letters of his children's names. | double Words with double letters, such as ‘accommodation’, are commonly misspelt. | silent words such as ‘debt’ and ‘half’, which contain silent letters

PREP. in … ~s His name was written in large white letters over the doorway.

PHRASES the letters of the alphabet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lettuce noun

ADJ. crisp, crunchy | limp | chopped, shredded | cos, Iceberg, etc.

QUANT. head You need one whole head of lettuce for this salad.

VERB + LETTUCE eat, have All she had was a tomato and some lettuce. | wash

LETTUCE + NOUN leaf

PHRASES on a bed of lettuce > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leukaemia noun

ADJ. childhood

VERB + LEUKAEMIA have, suffer from | contract, develop | diagnose | treat sb for

LEUKAEMIA + NOUN case, patient, sufferer, victim | research | cluster The newspapers are full of stories of leukaemia clusters near nuclear establishments. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

level adj.

¹ with no part higher than any other

VERBS be, look, seem | get sth, keep sth Make sure you get the shelf level before screwing it in. Keep the pot level, or you'll spill the coffee.

ADV. absolutely, completely The floor has got to be absolutely level. | approximately, more or less

² at the same height/position as sth

VERBS be | come, draw As they reached the final bend, Graham drew level and threatened too overtake him.

ADV. almost

PREP. with The top of the water came level with her chin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

level noun

¹ amount/size/number

ADJ. high, record, significant, substantial Industrial output has reached record levels. | increasing, rising | excessive Excessive levels of lead were found in the water. | low | decreasing, falling | varying keen amateurs who work hard, with varying levels of success | generous a generous level of financial support for the arts | permitted, recommended, required permitted levels of chemical pollutants | acceptable, adequate, necessary, normal, realistic, reasonable, safe an acceptable level of risk Her blood pressure has returned to its normal level. | dangerous, unacceptable | worst the worst level of business failure since 1997 | noise, pollution, radiation | crime | blood-sugar, cholesterol, hormone, etc. | stress

VERB + LEVEL achieve, reach They have achieved higher levels of efficiency. Crime has reached its highest level ever. | remain at She predicts that fuel prices will remain at current levels. | improve, increase, raise | maintain | bring down, control, decrease, keep down, lower, reduce | change | set Emissions are well below the levels set by the World Health Authority. | exceed There will be stiff penalties if companies exceed these levels of pollution.

LEVEL + VERB go up, rise, soar | fall, go down, plummet | change, vary

PREP. above a/the ~ Mortgage rates were 10% above their current level. | at a/the ~ Rents will be kept at this level for another year. | below a/the ~ Radiation is well below the permitted level.

² stage of progress/standard

ADJ. basic, elementary, low The teaching is at quite a basic level. | entry They have a good range of entry-level computers for beginners. | intermediate | advanced, high Her illness has reached an advanced level. | degree | difficulty The difficulty level of the exercises in the book varies widely. | fitness a sport suitable for people of all fitness levels

VERB + LEVEL attain, reach students who have reached the intermediate level | complete, do, take You need to do all three levels to qualify as a canteen supervisor.

PREP. above a/the ~ His English is way above the level of the other students. | at a/the ~ students at intermediate level She has played tennis at a high level. | below a/the ~ The book is not suitable for students below degree level.

³ grade in an organization or structure

VERB + LEVEL reach, rise to He rose to the level of general manager.

PREP. at a/the ~ At the local level there's a lot to be said for the plan. | on a/the ~ The thing has got to be organized on an international level.

⁴ way of considering sth

PREP. at a/the ~, on a/the ~ On a superficial level everything appears to be in order, but at a deeper level you an see that there's a lot wrong.

⁵ height

ADJ. high, low | ground, sea, water the problem of rising sea levels | eye a shelf at eye level

VERB + LEVEL adjust, change, lower, raise They are going to raise the level of the banks to prevent flooding.

PREP. above a/the ~ 200m above sea level | at a/the ~ The plane was flying at a very low level. | below a/the ~ below the level of the cloud | on a ~ with On the second floor you are on a level with the treetops. | to a/the ~ The water rose to the level of the ground floor windows.

PHRASES a change in/of level

⁶ floor in a building

ADJ. ground, lower | higher, top, upper

PREP. on a/the ~ Are we on the right level for the restaurant? | to a/the ~ Take the lift to Level Four.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

leverage noun

¹ force

ADJ. enough, sufficient | extra | maximum

VERB + LEVERAGE have He tried to push the door open, but he didn't have sufficient leverage. | gain, get, obtain | apply, exert Position the piece of wood so that maximum leverage can be applied. | provide | increase

² influence

ADJ. economic, political

VERB + LEVERAGE have | gain They are determined to gain more political leverage. | give sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lever noun

¹ handle for operating a machine

ADJ. brake, control, gear

VERB + LEVER move, operate, position, press, pull, push, put, release, set, throw When the lever is operated, the machine sews backwards. To release the brake, pull the lever towards you. Push the gear lever into first. The machine will stop immediately once the lever is released. Set all three levers to the 0 position. He threw a lever and the engines roared to life.

PREP. by (means of) a ~ The machine is operated by means of a lever.

PHRASES the position of the lever

² means of achieving sth

ADJ. powerful, useful

VERB + LEVER act as, be, give sb, provide (sb with), serve as | use sth as

PREP. ~ against If this allegation is true, it will give us a useful lever against him. | ~ for This could serve as a powerful lever for peace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liability noun

¹ responsibility

ADJ. full | legal

VERB + LIABILITY have They have no legal liability for damage to customers' possessions. | accept, acknowledge, admit, assume | deny

PREP. ~ for They have denied liability for the accident.

² liabilities: money owed

ADJ. substantial | financial, tax an assessment of the company's financial liabilities

VERB + LIABILITY have | take on, take over He wants to know the precise amount of the liabilities he is taking over. | cover, discharge, meet There is enough money to cover existing liabilities. | reduce

PREP. ~ to The company has liabilities to its employees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liable adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | make sb, render sb Failure to provide insurance rendered him liable to prosecution. | find sb, hold sb They could be found liable for the entire amount.

ADV. strictly | fully | potentially | personally | jointly, severally (law) Partners are jointly and severally (= together and individually) liable for a partnership's debts. | vicariously Under this rule, if Y is employed by X, X will be vicariously liable for the actions of Y. | criminally, financially, legally

PREP. for She's fully liable for the company's debts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liaise verb

ADV. closely, directly

PREP. between Her job is to liaise between the school and the home. | with The tax office liaises closely with our department on such matters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liaison noun

¹ communication

ADJ. close, effective, good | poor | community, customer | military

VERB + LIAISON maintain We maintained a close liaison with the trade union. | establish We are hoping to establish better customer liaison. | improve

LIAISON + NOUN committee, group, unit | officer | work

PREP. in ~ with It's important that we work in close liaison with other charities in this field. | ~ between good liaison between management and staff | ~ with She is responsible for liaison with researchers at other universities.

² sexual relationship

ADJ. romantic, sexual | adulterous

VERB + LIAISON have She was having a romantic liaison with her husband's best friend. | form

PREP. ~ with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liar noun

ADJ. accomplished, good She's an accomplished liar?they believed every word she said. | bad, poor | big, terrible She's the biggest liar I've ever known. | compulsive, habitual, pathological

VERB + LIAR call sb Are you calling me a liar?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

libel noun

ADJ. alleged | criminal, seditious

VERB + LIBEL sue (sb) for | claim | deny

LIBEL + NOUN action, case, proceedings, suit | writ | law, lawyer | damages

PREP. ~ against He has issued a writ for libel against the radio star Michael Clery. > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liberalism noun

ADJ. radical | bourgeois | laissez-faire | market | economic, political, social

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liberal adj.

¹ respecting other opinions

VERBS be

ADV. remarkably, very | fairly, quite, relatively His attitudes are quite liberal.

² in politics

VERBS be

ADV. comparatively, relatively comparatively liberal in trade matters | broadly, essentially a broadly liberal policy programme

² generous

VERBS be | become

ADV. very

PREP. with She's very liberal with her advice!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liberal noun

LIBERAL + NOUN leader, party

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liberation noun

ADJ. animal, gay, national, personal, sexual, women's

VERB + LIBERATION achieve

LIBERATION + NOUN movement

PREP. ~ by the liberation of the capital by allied forces | ~ from the struggle for liberation from colonial rule

PHRASES a feeling/sense of liberation Up in the mountains we had the most wonderful sense of liberation. | a fight/struggle for liberation, a war of liberation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liberty noun

ADJ. great | complete | basic a citizens' charter which gives people basic civil liberties | civil, individual, personal, political, religious

VERB + LIBERTY enjoy, have | demand, fight for | win The city won its liberty in the sixteenth century. | lose If found guilty, she is in danger of losing her liberty. | defend, protect, safeguard The law should protect the liberty of the individual. | threaten The new legislation threatens individual liberty. | erode, restrict Our personal liberty is being eroded. | deny, deprive sb of, destroy | allow sb, give sb The system allows us complete liberty to do the task as we like.

PREP. at ~ The escaped prisoner has been at liberty for five days. | ~ for demanding greater liberty for women | ~ from liberty from the abuse of police power

PHRASES an infringement of liberty, loss of liberty, a threat to liberty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

librarian noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

library noun

¹ building

VERB + LIBRARY have The school has an excellent library. | go to, use, visit How often do you go to the library? | borrow sth from, get/take sth out of I got this very interesting book out of the library. | return sth to, take sth back to Do you have any books to take back to the library? | be available at/from Do you know about the other services available at your local library? | have access to Everyone in the country should have access to a lending library.

LIBRARY + VERB have sth, hold sth The library has an extensive collection of books on French history.

PREP. at a/the ~ a holiday programme for children at the local library | in a/the ~ I've been reading newspapers in the library.

² collection of books, etc.

ADJ. considerable, extensive | fine, impressive, magnificent, valuable | personal | film, music, photographic, picture, video

VERB + LIBRARY have, possess The family possessed an extensive library. | amass, build (up) She had built up an impressive library of art books. | add to

PREP. ~ of a personal library of over 1,000 volumes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

licence noun

VERB + LICENCE have, hold You have to have a licence to sell beer. Applicants must hold a valid driving licence. | buy, gain, get, obtain, win You can buy a TV licence at the post office. She gained her private pilot's licence. I got my driving licence when I was eighteen. The company has won the licence to run trains from the south coast to London. | apply for, make an application for | grant (sb), issue | refuse sb | revoke, take away He's had his licence taken away. | renew | lose She lost her driving licence when she was caught drink-driving.

LICENCE + VERB expire, run out The licence expires at the end of the year.

LICENCE + NOUN fee, holder

PREP. in a/the ~ All these details are specified in the licence. | under a/the ~ The weapons were exported under a special export licence. | under ~ They are Italian trains, but they will be built in Britain under licence. | ~ for a licence for software manufacture | ~ from a licence from the Performing Rights Society

PHRASES the holder of a licence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lid noun

¹ removable top

ADJ. airtight, close-fitting, sealed, tight-fitting, tight Choose a dish with a tight-fitting lid. | hinged | box, case, coffin, dustbin, piano, saucepan, etc.

VERB + LID lift, open, prise off, raise, remove, take off She lifted the lid of the box. We managed to prise off the lid with a tyre lever. | close, put down, put on, replace, screw down, screw on, shut I poured some water and screwed the lid back on the bottle. The coffin lid had been screwed down. | keep on Keep the lid on the pan until the liquid comes to the boil.

PREP. on the ~ His name was on the lid.

² lids: eyelids

ADJ. closed, drooping, half-closed, half-open, heavy, hooded, lowered, narrowed She felt the tears burning against her closed lids.

VERB + LID close, lower She saw James walk in and hastily lowered her lids. | lift, open She lifted her lids and found him looking at her.

LID + VERB droop Heavy lids drooped over her eyes.

PREP. behind … ~ She could still see the light flickering behind her closed lids. | beneath … ~ She glanced at him occasionally from beneath lowered lids. | through … ~ He was watching her through hooded lids.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lieutenant noun > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lie noun

VERB + LIE tell (sb) | believe, swallow How could she swallow such a blatant lie? | live He lived a lie for thirty years, pretending to be the faithful husband of two different women living in two different towns.

LIE + NOUN detector

PHRASES a pack/tissue/web of lies

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lie verb

¹ be in a flat position

ADV. down He was lying down on the bed.

PREP. on She lay on her stomach.

PHRASES lie asleep/awake I used to lie awake at night worrying about it. | lie face down/prostrate lying face down in the mud | lie flat lying flat on the floor | lie motionless/still Lie still while I put the bandage on. | lie sprawled She lay sprawled on the sofa.

² say sth that is not true

ADV. convincingly He was unable to lie convincingly. | easily

PREP. about She lied about her age. | to Don't lie to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lifeboat noun

ADJ. inshore, offshore

VERB + LIFEBOAT get into, man, take to The crew took to the lifeboats. | call out The lifeboat was called out five times in the January storms. | launch

LIFEBOAT + VERB be stationed … The lifeboat is stationed just along the coast from here.

LIFEBOAT + NOUN service | crew | house, shed, station

PREP. aboard/on board a/the ~ two survivors on board the lifeboat | in/on a/the ~ There was only room for ten people in the lifeboat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lifeless adj.

¹ dead

VERBS appear, be, lie, look She lay lifeless in the snow.

ADV. completely | almost, nearly His body was limp and almost lifeless. | apparently, seemingly She lay there, apparently lifeless.

² without living things

VERBS be

ADV. completely a time when they earth was completely lifeless

³ dull/without interest

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. completely | rather The acting was dull and rather lifeless.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lifeline noun

¹ rope

VERB + LIFELINE throw sb | catch, cling to He clung to the lifeline and the woman pulled him towards the bank.

² important help

ADJ. real, vital Visits from loved ones are a vital lifeline for prisoners. | financial The state pension is their financial lifeline.

VERB + LIFELINE give sb, hold out, offer (sb), provide (sb with), throw sb (out) The organization provides a real lifeline for many women in poverty. He threw me a lifeline when he offered me a job. | have With this one unexpected victory, the club now has a lifeline.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lifestyle noun

VERB + LIFESTYLE change She had to change her lifestyle and eating habits. | enjoy, have, lead They enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle. | adopt We want them to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

PHRASES a change in lifestyle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lifetime noun

ADJ. long wisdom gained in the course of a long lifetime | short A lifetime is too short for all the great books there are! | entire, whole

VERB + LIFETIME devote, spend He devoted a lifetime to working with disabled children. | take (sb) It took a whole lifetime to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance. | last (sb) This watch should last you a lifetime. | seem (like) It seems a lifetime since we first met.

LIFETIME + NOUN achievement The veteran director won a lifetime achievement award. | employment, income Payments are based on expected lifetime income. | lifetime's experience, lifetime's work

PREP. after a ~ After a lifetime as a journalist in the troublespots of the world, he retired to the country. | during your ~ I've seen many changes during my lifetime. | in your ~ The artist was little known in his lifetime. | of a ~ It was the holiday of a lifetime! | ~ in She spent a lifetime in politics. | ~ of a lifetime of problems

PHRASES the habits of a lifetime It's hard to break the habits of a lifetime. | half a lifetime, a legend in your own lifetime Herbert von Karajan was a legend in his own lifetime. | a lifetime ago/away University seems a half a lifetime away. | once in a lifetime That sort of thing happens only once in a lifetime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

life noun

¹ living things

ADJ. intelligent Is there intelligent life on other planets? | animal, bird, human, insect, marine, plant

LIFE + NOUN form | cycle

² existence

VERB + LIFE lose He lost his life in an air crash. | bring sb back to, restore sb to | cling to, fight for She clung to life for several weeks. | risk She risked her life for the sake of the children. | save a drug that will save lives | spare She begged the soldiers to spare her son's life. | give, lay down, sacrifice | claim, cost, end, take The crash claimed 43 lives. His foolishness almost cost him his life. She took her own life. | start (figurative) The restaurant started life as a cinema.

LIFE + VERB be lost No lives were lost in the accident.

LIFE + NOUN assurance, insurance

PHRASES an attempt on sb's life There have been three attempts on the president's life. | in fear for/of your life Witnesses are living in fear for their life after giving evidence against the gang. | life after death Do you believe in life after death? | loss of life The plane crashed with heavy loss of life. | a matter of life and death (figurative) These talks are a matter of life and death for the factory. | the right to life anti-abortionists campaigning for the right to life | signs of life The driver showed no signs of life.

³ period between birth and death

VERB + LIFE go through, live, spend She went through life always wanting what she couldn't get. He spent his whole life in Cornwall. | end He ended his life a happy man. | shorten | prolong | dedicate, devote He devoted his life to the education of deaf children.

LIFE + NOUN history, story | membership | imprisonment, sentence | expectancy, span (also lifespan) Japanese people have a very high life expectancy. the lifespan of a mouse

PREP. for ~ She thought marriage should be for life. | in your ~ for the first time in her life | throughout your ~ Throughout her life she was dogged by loneliness.

PHRASES all your life I've known her all my life. | at sb's time of life At his time of life he should be starting to take things easy. | the end of your life Her paintings became more obscure towards the end of her life. | late in life She discovered jazz quite late in life. | the … of your life I had the fright of my life when I saw the snake in my bed. He met the love of his life at college. | a phase/stage in/of (your) life She sensed she was entering a new phase in her life. | the prime of life You're still in the prime of life. | the remainder/rest of your life He'll be haunted by the crash for the rest of his life.

⁴ activity in the world

ADJ. daily, day-to-day, everyday | real a real-life drama | modern | personal, private She did not tolerate press intrusion into her private life. | inner Only his wife had access to his inner life. | family, married | social | love, sex | public His fame was so sudden that he was unprepared for public life. | academic, business, cultural, economic, intellectual, political, professional, school | night (also nightlife) What's the nightlife like in the town? | city, village, etc.

VERB + LIFE build, rebuild He built his whole life around his children. She is still reb

PHRASES an attitude to life, an outlook on life, a philosophy/view of life I've always had a fairly optimistic outlook on life. | a love of life He always had a great love of life. | a man/woman in your life There has only been one woman in his life. | see sth of life I wanted to see something of life before I settled down. | the … side of life His time in London was his first glimpse of the seamier side of life. | want sth from/in/out of life They both seem to want the same things out of life.

⁵ way of living

VERB + LIFE have, lead, live She leads a busy social life. | enjoy | change Learning meditation changed her life. | dominate, take over He never let his work dominate his life. | ruin He ruined his life through drinking.

PHRASES build/make/start a new life They went to Australia to start a new life. | enjoy/live life to the full He always believed in living life to the full. | the high life enjoying the high life in the smartest hotels and restaurants of New York | live a life of … They're living a life of luxury in the Bahamas. | a/the pace of life The pace of life is much gentler on the island. | the quality of life He gave up his high-flying job and now enjoys a better quality of life. | a way of life She loved the Spanish way of life and immediately felt at home there.

⁶ liveliness

VERB + LIFE come to The city only comes to life at night. | breathe, bring sth to, inject They need some new, younger staff to breathe some life into the company. | burst/hum/teem with a child bursting with life

PHRASES full of life It's nice to see an old man still so full of life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lift noun

¹ machine for taking people/goods up and down

ADJ. private, service The hotel has a private lift linking it to the beach. | baggage, goods, passenger, wheelchair | electric, hydraulic | basket, chair, gondola | ski

VERB + LIFT go down in, go up in/on, take We took the lift down to the ground floor. | operate

LIFT + VERB serve sth The lift serves the top four floors of the building. | arrive

LIFT + NOUN button | doors | shaft | attendant | pass You'll need your lift pass for the ski lifts.

² free ride in a car, etc.

ADJ. free

VERB + LIFT ask for, cadge, hitch, thumb We stood by the roadside and thumbed a lift. | give sb, offer sb | accept Don't accept lifts from strangers.

PHRASES a lift back/home He offered us a lift home.

³ feeling of increased happiness/excitement

ADJ. great, huge, real Winning the semi-final gave the team a huge lift.

VERB + LIFT give sb | get

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lift verb

¹ raise/move sb/sth

ADV. almost, half Her hugged her, almost lifting her off the ground. | fractionally, a little, slightly | slowly | sharply Her head lifted sharply | carefully, gently, gingerly Carefully lift the cake off the tray and cool on a wire rack. | bodily She was lifted bodily aboard by two sailors. | back, down, out, up She lifted back the sheet.

VERB + LIFT can/could barely/hardly The box was so heavy I could barely lift it. | try to | manage to | be too heavy to

PREP. above He stood, legs apart, arms lifted above his head. | down She leaned on him and he half lifted her down the stairs. | from He felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. | into The heavy beams were lifted into place. | off She lifted the book up off the table. | out of He lifted the baby out of its cot. | over She lifted the child over the fence. | to Juliet nodded, lifting her face to David's.

² remove a law/rule

ADV. completely | partially The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.

VERB + LIFT agree to, decide to, vote to The government decided to lift the ban on arms exports. | refuse to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ligament noun

ADJ. ankle, knee

VERB + LIGAMENT bruise, pull, rupture, strain, tear

LIGAMENT + NOUN damage, injury, problem

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

light bulb noun > See BULB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

light-headed adj.

VERBS be, feel | become | make sb The wine had made him a little light-headed.

ADV. very | a little, slightly | curiously She felt curiously light-headed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lighter noun

ADJ. cigar, cigarette | butane, gas, petrol | gold

VERB + LIGHTER flick He flicked his lighter but it didn't catch.

LIGHTER + VERB catch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lighting noun

QUANT. level

VERB + LIGHTING have The kitchen hasn't really got adequate lighting. | fit, instal, put in

LIGHTING + NOUN level | arrangement, scheme, system a typical lighting scheme for a house | effects | engineer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lightning noun

ADJ. forked, sheet Forked lightning flickered across the sky.

QUANT. bolt, flash A bolt of lightning struck the roof of the building.

LIGHTNING + VERB flash, flicker, fork, light sth (up) Lightning flashed outside. Lightning lit up the night sky. | hit sb/sth, strike sb/sth Lightning hit the tree. He was struck by lightning.

LIGHTNING + NOUN bolt, flash | strike Lightning strikes caused scores of fires across the state. | speed

PHRASES thunder and lightning

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

light adj.

¹ not dark

VERBS be | become, get, grow It was starting to get light. As soon as it grew light, we got up and dressed.

ADV. completely, quite We'll set out as soon as it's completely light. | almost It was almost light outside. | fairly | enough It was not light enough to see things clearly. | still | beautifully The whole house was beautifully light and airy.

² not weighing much

VERBS be, feel, seem | become

ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, very | fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively | enough The tent is light enough for backpacking and touring. | surprisingly

³ not great in amount/degree

VERBS be

ADV. very | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively The traffic is usually fairly light in the afternoons.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

light noun

¹ brightness

QUANT. beam, ray | burst, flash, gleam, glimmer There was a flash of light followed by an explosion. | patch, pool

VERB + LIGHT have Have you got enough light for reading? | generate, produce | cast, emit, give (out), provide, shed light emitted by a star | be bathed in | be sensitive to

LIGHT + VERB gleam, glow, shine | come, fall, pour Light from a tall lamp fell in a pool on the desk. | reflect The light reflecting off the snow was dazzling. | grow stronger, increase | fade, fail | blind sb, dazzle sb We were momentarily blinded by the light of the sun. | catch sth You could see the imperfections in the repair when the light caught it.

LIGHT + NOUN level | source | beam

PREP. against the ~ She held up the letter against the light. | by the ~ of They managed to see where the door was by the light of the moon. | into the ~ Bring it into the light and we'll have a look at it. | in the ~ The place looked calm in the golden evening light. | ~ from the light from the kitchen window

PHRASES (at) the speed of light Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. | a point of light, a source of light The lamp was the only source of light in the room.

² sth that produces light

ADJ. bright the bright lights of the city | flashing, twinkling | electric, fluorescent, gas, neon, strip | bedside, ceiling, outside, overhead, wall | street | hazard, security, warning The car was stopped at the side of the road with its hazard lights flashing. A warning light goes on when the battery is running low. | landing The pilot could just make out the runway landing lights.

LIGHT + NOUN switch | fitting > See TRAFFIC LIGHT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

light verb

¹ make sth begin to burn

VERB + LIGHT attempt to, try to | pause to, stop to She paused to light another cigarette.

² (oftenbe lit) give light to sth

PREP. with (figurative) Her face lit up with pleasure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

likeable adj

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, immensely, most, very | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

likelihood noun

ADJ. every There's every likelihood that she'll be able to help us. | greater, increased | real, strong

VERB + LIKELIHOOD decrease, minimize, reduce Taking regular exercise reduces the likelihood of a heart attack. | increase, maximize, raise | affect This shouldn't affect the likelihood of you getting the job.

LIKELIHOOD + VERB grow | diminish

PREP. ~ of Is their any likelihood of our getting our money back?

PHRASES in all likelihood In all likelihood, he'll be fit to play on Saturday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

likely adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, very It is highly likely that the factory will have to close. | hardly They're hardly likely to get home before ten. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

likeness noun

ADJ. strong The children all share a strong family likeness. | good | superficial There's a superficial likeness, but they're really very different. | physical | family

VERB + LIKENESS see | bear, show She bears a remarkable likeness to her grandmother.

PREP. ~ between I can't see any likeness between her children. | ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

like verb

ADV. enormously, a lot, particularly, really I liked him enormously and was sorry when he left. I really like that restaurant. | best, better Which story do you like best? | quite, rather | always, never I have always liked Sue and I don't intend to stop now.

VERB + LIKE seem to | get to I hope you will get to like our town.

PHRASES be universally liked a man who was universally liked

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liking noun

ADJ. great | particular, special

VERB + LIKING have They have little liking for each other. | demonstrate, develop | share

PREP. for your ~ The weather's too hot for my liking. | to your ~ The food wasn't really to my liking. | ~ for We share a liking for Italian cooking.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limb noun

VERB + LIMB amputate

LIMB + NOUN development, growth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limelight noun

VERB + LIMELIGHT grab, hog, steal She accused her co-star of trying to hog the limelight. | enjoy | avoid, shun | share

PREP. into the ~ an ordinary person who was suddenly thrust into the limelight | in the ~ She likes being in the limelight. | out of the ~ The band started touring again after two years out of the limelight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lime noun

ADJ. fresh

QUANT. slice, wedge Serve the dish garnished with wedges of lime.

VERB + LIME squeeze | slice | garnish sth with

LIME + NOUN tree | juice > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limitation noun

¹ limiting of sth

ADJ. important, major, serious, severe | family | damage an exercise in damage limitation | arms talks on arms limitation | budget, budgetary, financial

VERB + LIMITATION impose, place | remove | accept a limitation of your personal freedom

PREP. ~ on limitations on one's freedom of action | ~ to There should be no limitations to progress in the talks.

² limitations: sth that sb cannot do

ADJ. important, major, serious, severe | inherent | physical, technical

VERB + LIMITATION have She has serious limitations as a mother. | overcome, transcend At times his technique seems to transcend the limitations of the piano. | know, recognize Please don't ask me to sing?I know my limitations! | expose, reveal, show The team's technical limitations were exposed by the Italians. | accept You've just got to accept your limitations.

PREP. despite sb's/sth's ~ It's a useful book despite its limitations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limited adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. decidedly, distinctly, extremely, highly, really, remarkably, seriously, severely, sharply, strictly, very Places are strictly limited, so you should apply as soon as possible. | increasingly | a bit, comparatively, fairly, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat | apparently | inevitably | socially The role that women could play was socially limited.

PREP. in We're really limited in what we can do these days. | to The number of passengers is limited to fifteen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limit noun

PREP. above a/the ~ The level of radioactivity in the soil was found to be above recommended limits. | at a/the ~ I was almost at the limits of my patience. | below a/the ~ The price fell below the lower limit. The trees are found only below a limit of 500 metres. | beyond a/the ~ Heat levels rose beyond the recommended limits. fishing beyond the twelve-mile limit | on a/the ~ islands on the outer limit of the continent | over a/the ~ He'd been drinking and was well over the legal limit. | up to a/the ~ You can buy cigarettes up to a limit of 200 per person. | within a/the ~ They did well within the limits of their knowledge. There was no school within a limit of ten miles. | within ~s The children can do what they like, within limits. | without ~ Banks may buy bills of exchange without limit. | ~ on There's a limit on the number of tickets you can buy. | ~ to There's a limit to what we can do to help.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limit verb

ADV. seriously, severely, strictly

VERB + LIMIT attempt to, seek to, take steps to, try to | be designed to The change in the law was designed to limit the scope for corruption. | agree to | serve to, tend to Rigid job descriptions can serve to limit productivity.

PREP. to The teaching of history should not be limited to dates and figures.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limousine noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limp adj.

VERBS be, feel, hang, lie, look, seem His arm hung limp at his side. Her hair looked limp and lifeless. | become, go, grow Her body suddenly went limp.

ADV. very | completely | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limp noun

ADJ. pronounced | slight

VERB + LIMP walk with | leave sb with The accident had left him with a slight limp.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

limp verb

ADV. badly, heavily He had hurt his leg and was limping badly. | a little, slightly | along, away, off He limped away from his car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lined adj.

¹ of skin

VERBS be

ADV. deeply, heavily Her deeply lined face was creased into a smile

² of clothes, etc.

VERBS be

ADV. fully The coat is fully lined.

PREP. with The case was lined with black velvet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

linen noun

¹ fabric

ADJ. fine, pure a fine linen shirt | coarse | Irish

VERB + LINEN weave (sth from) | spin

² sheets/tablecloths/underwear, etc.

ADJ. clean, fresh | dirty, soiled | crisp, starched | bed, table | household

VERB + LINEN change We change the bed linen once a week.

LINEN + NOUN basket, cupboard

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liner noun

ADJ. luxury | ocean, ocean-going, transatlantic | cruise, passenger a job aboard a luxury cruise liner

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

line noun

¹ long thin mark on the surface of sth

VERB + LINE draw

LINE + VERB run | divide sth

PREP. in a ~ walk in a straight line

PHRASES a line of latitude/longitude

² mark like a line on the skin

ADJ. deep Deep lines ran from her nose to her mouth.

VERB + LINE have He has lines on his forehead.

LINE + VERB run

³ row of people, things, words on a page, etc.

ADJ. long | short | new | continuous

VERB + LINE form

PREP. in (a/the) ~ children standing in a line | on a/the ~ Start each paragraph on a new line.

⁴ telephone/electricity wire/connection

VERB + LINE hold Hold the line (= Don't put the receiver down), please.

LINE + VERB be engaged | be/go dead

PREP. down the ~ He kept shouting down the line at me. | on the ~ It's your mother on the line (= on the telephone). | on ~ (also online) (= connected to a computer system)

⁵ section of railway track

ADJ. railway, train | main | branch, commuter, feeder The branch line is threatened with closure.

VERB + LINE take Take the Bakerloo line and change at Piccadilly.

PREP. on a/the ~ We live on the Northern Line.

PHRASES the end of the line 6 lines words spoken by an actor in a play

VERB + LINE learn | forget | fluff

⁷ direction/course of thought/action

ADJ. broad The broad lines of company policy are already laid down. | firm, hard, strong, tough | official, party, political

VERB + LINE adopt, follow, pursue, take | bring sb/sth into The other members of the board must be brought into line.

PREP. in ~ with (= in agreement with), out of ~ with (= not in agreement with) out of line with party policies | ~ on the official line on food safety

PHRASES a line of argument/enquiry/questioning

⁸ place where an army is fighting

ADJ. battle, firing, front

PHRASES behind enemy lines, in/on the front line

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

linger verb

ADV. long | faintly The smell of lavender lingered faintly in the room. | still | on The feelings of hurt and resentment lingered on for years.

PREP. on Her eyes lingered on the stranger's face. | over They stayed in the restaurant, lingering over coffee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

linguistics noun

ADJ. contemporary, modern | applied, theoretical | computational, contrastive, descriptive, generative, historical, structural | Saussurean > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

link noun

ADJ. close, intimate | strong | tenuous, weak | clear, definite, obvious | possible Scientists have established possible links between cancer and diet. | crucial, essential, important, vital Social workers provide a vital link between hospital and community. | common The common link between the three artists is their age. | formal, informal | direct, indirect | historical, long-standing | connecting | causal The report failed to prove a causal link between violence on screen and in real life. | missing the missing link in the search for the causes of cancer | tangible a tangible link with the past | business, commercial, communication, cultural, diplomatic, economic, financial, military, political, professional, sporting, trade, etc. | family, kinship | air, rail/railway, road, transport | fast, high-speed | computer, modem, radio, satellite, telephone, video

LINK + VERB connect sth, join sth

LINK + NOUN road

PREP. via a/the ~ a programme transmitted via a satellite link | ~ across trade links across the border | ~ between The statistics show a clear link between social class and crime. | ~ in The sales manager is regarded as the weakest link in the chain. | ~ to The driver has a radio link to base. | ~ with the city's traditional link with opera

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

link verb

ADV. closely, intimately | firmly, strongly, tightly | loosely | directly, explicitly Diseases that can be directly linked to pollution. | indissolubly, inescapably, inevitably, inexorably, inextricably, inseparably Poverty and crime are inextricably linked. | clearly, obviously | necessarily | intrinsically | causally | physically | romantically She has never been romantically linked with anyone. | in some way, somehow I could not help feeling that these factors were somehow linked. | together, up The two spacecraft will link up in orbit.

PREP. into The computers are linked into a network. | to Scientists have linked the illness to the use of pesticides. | with the road that links Cairo with Alexandria

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lion noun

QUANT. pride

LION + VERB growl, purr, roar | attack sb, maul sb | catch sth, hunt sth (down) | kill sb/sth | prowl

LION + NOUN cub | tamer

PHRASES a lion's mane

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lipstick noun

QUANT. dab She put on a quick dab of lipstick and rushed out.

VERB + LIPSTICK have on, wear | apply, put on | renew, touch up She touched up her lipstick in the mirror. | remove, take off, wipe off

LIPSTICK + VERB smudge Her lipstick had smudged and she looked a real mess.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lip noun

VERB + LIP bite, chew He bit his lip nervously, trying not to cry. | press together, purse She pursed her lips in disapproval. | pout | lick, smack He licked his lips hungrily. | moisten He nervously moistened his lips with his tongue.

LIP + VERB move, part Her lips parted with a cry of fear. | quiver, tremble | curl His lips curled contemptuously. | pout The firm lips pouted in a sulk. | protrude

PREP. around/round your ~ He ran his tongue round his lips. | between your ~ a cigarette between his lips | on your ~ There was a slight smile on her lips.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liquidation noun

ADJ. compulsory, voluntary

VERB + LIQUIDATION be forced into, be placed in, be put into, go into The firm may be forced into liquidation.

PREP. in ~ a company in liquidation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liquid noun

QUANT. drop, pool

VERB + LIQUID empty, pour Empty the liquid into a large bowl. | spill | drain (off), pour off, strain (off) Drain off the liquid from the meat into a measuring jug. | boil, bring to the boil, simmer | reduce Reduce the liquid by boiling for two minutes. | absorb, soak up

LIQUID + VERB boil, simmer

LIQUID + NOUN refreshment (informal) After two hours of the meeting we stopped for liquid refreshment. | soap | waste unprocessed liquid waste from a nuclear power station

PHRASES in liquid form The medicine is usually taken in liquid form.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liquor noun

ADJ. alcoholic, hard, intoxicating, strong It is an offence to sell intoxicating liquor to anyone under the age of 18.

LIQUOR + NOUN licence The restaurant finally obtained a liquor licence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

listener noun

ADJ. attentive, good, great, sympathetic | radio

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

listen verb

ADV. attentively, carefully, closely, hard, intently Now, listen very carefully to what she says. | half Lucy was only half listening to their conversation. | patiently, politely, sympathetically We listened politely to his stories. | avidly, eagerly, with interest The guests were listening with great interest. | gravely, impassively Pym listened impassively until the woman had finished. | in silence, quietly They listened to the announcement in silence. | anxiously | in awe

VERB + LISTEN (not) want to, will/would (not) Nobody will listen to me! I tried to warn her, but she wouldn't listen. | be prepared to, be willing to | refuse to He refused to listen to her explanation.

PREP. for We listened anxiously for the sound of footsteps. | to listening to the radio

PHRASES listen with half an ear I listened with half an ear to the conversation at the next table.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

list noun

ADJ. long, short | complete, comprehensive, full We are compiling a full list of all local businesses. | alphabetical | waiting We're on the waiting list for membership of the golf club. | shopping | mailing | reading For further information, see the reading list at the end of the chapter. | guest | cast The play has an impressive cast list. | transfer (= in football) The club captain has been put on the transfer list at his own request.

VERB + LIST compile, draw up, make | put sth on Did you put bread on the shopping list?

LIST + VERB comprise sth, contain sth a list comprising all the paintings in the gallery

PREP. in a/the ~ Names of past members are not included in the list. | on a/the ~ I can't see your name on the list. | ~ of a list of 200 names

PHRASES the bottom/top of a list Variety is near the top of many people's list of job requirements. | high on a list Safety is high on our list of priorities. | a list of priorities Phoning the bank is top of my list of priorities today.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

literacy noun

ADJ. basic All the children are tested in basic literacy. | adult | mass | computer

VERB + LITERACY achieve, acquire different methods for acquiring literacy | develop, promote, teach

LITERACY + NOUN campaign, programme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

literate adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly, very Only highly literate people are capable of discussing these subjects. | fully They are the first fully literate generation in the country. | barely, hardly He was uneducated and barely literate. | fairly, quite | economically, musically, politically, technologically (= educated about economics, music, etc.)

PREP. in Both parents were literate in English.

PHRASES computer literate (= able to use a computer)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

literature noun

¹ written works of art

ADJ. classical, contemporary, modern | great

QUANT. piece, work

VERB + LITERATURE read, study

² writing on a particular subject

ADJ. extensive, voluminous | promotional, sales

QUANT. body the growing body of literature on development issues

PREP. ~ about I picked up some literature about pensions. | ~ on There's an extensive literature on the subject.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

litigation noun

VERB + LITIGATION be/become/get involved in, be engaged in, conduct, engage in | threaten | avoid The payment was made to avoid threatened litigation.

LITIGATION + NOUN costs

PREP. ~ against He engaged in endless litigation against the media. | ~ between litigation between private parties

PHRASES the cost of litigation, the risk/threat of litigation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

litre noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

litter noun

VERB + LITTER drop, leave Please do not leave litter after your picnic. | clean up, clear up, pick up

LITTER + VERB be strewn Litter was strewn all over the field.

LITTER + NOUN basket, bin | lout The local council has pledged to clamp down on litter louts on the beach.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

livelihood noun

VERB + LIVELIHOOD earn, gain | protect, secure an insurance policy to secure your livelihood in old age | affect, threaten The new law threatens the livelihood of thousands of farmers. | destroy, take away

LIVELIHOOD + VERB depend on sth people whose livelihood depends on the forest

PHRASES a means/source of livelihood The boat was his main source of livelihood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

liver noun

¹ organ in the body

ADJ. enlarged, fatty | donor a nationwide appeal for a donor liver

LIVER + NOUN cancer, cirrhosis, damage, disease, dysfunction, failure, injury | cell, enzyme, tissue | function | biopsy, transplant, transplantation

PREP. in the ~ enzymes in the liver | of the ~ cirrhosis of the liver | to the ~ bile acids returning to the liver

² liver of an animal as food

VERB + LIVER eat, have | chop | braise, cook, fry

LIVER + NOUN pâté, sausage

PHRASES chicken/lamb's/pig's, etc. liver > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

live adj., adv.

VERBS appear, be, play He appeared live on the Song and Dance Show. Is the show live or recorded? The band have never played this song live before. | come to sb, go out This programme comes to you live from the Albert Hall. In those days the broadcasts all went out live. | be broadcast, be screened, be shown, be televised, be transmitted The match will be televised live this evening. | be recorded The CD was recorded live at a concert given last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

live adj., adv.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

live adj., adv.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

live verb

¹ in a place

ADV. alone | together She disapproves of unmarried couples living together. | apart The couple have lived apart for two years.

VERB + LIVE come to, go to We went to live in London when I was three.

PREP. among living among the people of this remote island | in He lives in Manchester. | near She lives quite near here. | with I still live with my mum.

PHRASES a place to live young couples looking for a place to live

² be alive

ADV. longer Women live longer than men in general. | forever Who wants to live forever? I don't. | happily (ever after) All she wanted was to get married and live happily ever after. | amicably, harmoniously, peaceably the need to live as harmoniously as possible with everyone else | well Most of the people live very well, with nice houses and plenty to eat. | frugally, modestly They lived frugally off a diet of porridge and lentils. | vicariously She tried to live vicariously through her children.

PREP. in Many of the people live in poverty and misery. | through She lived through two world wars. | with living with Aids

PHRASES (for) as long as you live I shall remember this day for as long as I live. | learn to live with sth learning to live with disability | live a life of sth He's now living a life of luxury in Australia. | live to (be) 80, 90, etc., live to the age of 80, 90, etc. She lived to the age of 95. | the world we live in teaching children about the world we live in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

living noun

ADJ. comfortable, decent, good He makes a good living as a builder. | meagre She eked out a meagre living as an artist's model.

VERB + LIVING earn, make Her dream was to earn her living as a singer. | eke out, scrape (together), scratch They were forced to scrape a living by selling things on the streets. | do sth for He asked what I did for a living.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loaded adj.

¹ carrying a load

VERBS be

ADV. heavily a convoy of heavily loaded lorries | fully a fully loaded truck | lightly

PREP. with The lorry was loaded with crates of beer.

² biased

VERBS be, seem

ADV. heavily | rather, slightly | emotionally, ideologically, politically Try to avoid politically loaded terms like ‘nation’.

PREP. against The odds were slightly loaded against us. | in favour of The legislation is heavily loaded in favour of employers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

load noun

ADJ. heavy, light He has a heavy teaching load this year. | full The plane took off with a full load.

VERB + LOAD bear, carry | lighten, share, spread We're trying to spread the load by employing more staff. | drop, dump, shed A lorry has shed its load of wood on the motorway.

PREP. under its, etc. ~ The tables creaked under their heavy load.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loaf noun

ADJ. fresh, stale | cut, sliced | brown, white, wholemeal, etc.

VERB + LOAF bake | cut, slice

LOAF + NOUN tin

PHRASES a loaf of bread

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loan noun

VERB + LOAN apply for, ask for, request | arrange, get, raise, take out She had to take out a bridging loan until she could sell her house. | give sb, grant sb, make sb My bank manager offered to make me a loan. | receive | pay off, repay | secure, underwrite

LOAN + VERB average sth, total sth loans totalling a million pounds

LOAN + NOUN application | agreement, arrangement, deal | charges, interest, rate | repayment They were struggling to meet their monthly loan repayments. | commitments | facility, service The bank provides personal loan facilities at competitive rates. | period The book must be returned by the end of the loan period. | shark He ran up massive debts borrowing from loan sharks.

PREP. on ~ (from) The paintings are on loan from the Wallace Collection. | ~ from a loan from my brother

PHRASES give sb/have the loan of sth He's given us the loan of his car for the weekend. | security against/for a loan He had to use his house as security for the loan. > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loathing noun

ADJ. absolute, deep, intense

VERB + LOATHING arouse, fill sb with People who took football too seriously aroused deep loathing in me. | develop, feel, have

PREP. ~ for She felt an intense loathing for her boss. | ~ of a deep loathing of war

PHRASES fear and loathing The incident has created an atmosphere of fear and loathing among the people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lobby noun

ADJ. powerful, strong a powerful anti-smoking lobby | mass | anti-abortion, anti-hunt, environmental, industrial, nuclear, political, etc.

VERB + LOBBY mount, organize

LOBBY + NOUN group

PREP. ~ against Many groups have together mounted a lobby against cuts in hospitals. | ~ for Villagers have organized a lobby for improved local facilities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lobby verb

ADV. actively, hard | successfully

PREP. against Head teachers have been lobbying hard against education cuts. | for The group successfully lobbied for changes in the law. | on behalf of The organization has been set up to lobby the government on behalf of all the people who have lost their pensions.

PHRASES intense/intensive lobbying The decision followed months of intense lobbying of UN officials. | political lobbying The group achieved its aims after months of political lobbying.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

locate verb

¹ find the position of sb/sth

ADV. accurately, precisely The machine can accurately locate radioactive material. | quickly | easily

VERB + LOCATE be able/unable to, can/could We haven't yet been able to locate a suitable site. | try to | fail to | be easy to Some stars are quite easy to locate with a telescope. | be difficult to 2 be located be in a place

ADV. centrally The hotel is centrally located between Dam Square and Central Station. | conveniently, ideally, strategically | physically Two people can meet in virtual reality even if physically located in different continents. | abroad

PREP. at, between, close to, in, on, near, outside, within, etc. Your accommodation is conveniently located within walking distance of the town centre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

location noun

ADJ. exact, precise, specific We still do not know the precise location of the crash. | secret, undisclosed | convenient, ideal, suitable

VERB + LOCATION show The map shows the exact location of the mine.

PREP. at a/the … ~ The meeting is taking place at a secret location. | on ~ The film is being made on location in India.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lock noun

¹ fastening device

ADJ. Chubb, combination, lever, mortise, Yale | door, window

VERB + LOCK fit We had new locks fitted after the burglary. | break, force, pick | turn He turned the lock and pushed the door open.

PHRASES insert/turn the key in the lock, (keep sb/sth) under lock and key Prisoners are kept under lock and key 24 hours a day.

² small bunch of hair

ADJ. stray She flicked a stray lock of hair off her face. | flowing She had long flowing locks and blue eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lock verb

¹ close with a lock

ADV. carefully He carefully locked the door behind him.

VERB + LOCK forget to

PHRASES be firmly/securely locked, keep sth locked Keep your garage securely locked.

² put sb/sth inside sth that is locked

ADV. away, in, up I was terrified they would lock me up again.

PREP. in I locked myself in the bathroom.

PHRASES be safely/securely locked All the valuables were safely locked away.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

locust noun

QUANT. plague, swarm

LOCUST + NOUN swarm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

logical adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound It all sounds quite logical.

ADV. eminently, extremely, highly, very | absolutely, completely, entirely, perfectly, quite His arguments seemed perfectly logical. | purely The issue here is purely logical: it has nothing to do with ethics. | hardly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

logic noun

¹ system of reasoning

ADJ. formal | deductive, inductive

VERB + LOGIC apply, use Philosophers use logic to prove their arguments.

² use of reason

ADJ. compelling, exquisite, impeccable, inexorable There is a compelling logic to his main theory. | strict | internal, underlying | commercial, economic, political, scientific There is sound commercial logic in never giving credit to retailers.

VERB + LOGIC accept, follow, understand I can't follow the logic of what you are saying. | defy It's a stupid decision that completely defies logic. | apply, use You can't use the same logic in dealing with children.

PREP. ~ behind What's the logic behind this decision? | ~ in There doesn't seem to be any logic in the move.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

logo noun

ADJ. distinctive The company has a distinctive logo that makes it well known. | company, corporate

VERB + LOGO bear, carry, display, feature The diary features the organization's distinctive new logo. | unveil The new logo was unveiled in a blaze of publicity.

PREP. ~ for the logo for the World Cup

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

log noun

¹ wood

ADJ. cut, sawn a pile of sawn logs | fallen The road was blocked by fallen logs. | blazing, burning

VERB + LOG chop, saw, split

LOG + VERB blaze, burn, crackle logs crackling in the fireplace

LOG + NOUN cabin | fire

² written record

ADJ. detailed | captain's, ship's

VERB + LOG keep She kept a log of their voyage.

LOG + NOUN book

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loneliness noun

ADJ. aching, great, intense, terrible, utter | personal

VERB + LONELINESS experience, feel, suffer He experienced terrible loneliness after the loss of his wife

PHRASES a feeling/sense of loneliness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lonely adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get

ADV. desperately, extremely, terribly, unbearably, very She was desperately lonely at school. | a bit, a little, pretty, rather | oddly She felt oddly lonely without her books.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

long-lived adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, remarkably, unusually, very Some of these creatures are remarkably long-lived.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

longing noun

ADJ. deep, desperate, great, intense, overwhelming, passionate, terrible, wild She had a desperate longing to go back. | sudden | hopeless | nostalgic, wistful a wistful longing for the past | physical, sexual

VERB + LONGING be filled with, be full of, feel, have He felt an overwhelming longing to hear her voice again.

PREP. ~ for his intense longing for privacy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

longitude noun

ADJ. calculate, determine

PREP. at (a) ~ The town is at longitude 28° west.

PHRASES a line of longitude This line of longitude cuts through the jungle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

long adj.

VERBS be, look, seem That dress looks a bit long to me.

ADV. really, very | extra Economy class can be uncomfortable for those with extra-long legs. | a bit, fairly, quite, rather His journey to work is quite long. | enough Are you sure two hours will be long enough?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

long verb

ADV. desperately He longed desperately to be back at home. | secretly They were the words she had secretly longed to hear. | always She had always longed to go abroad.

PREP. for He hated the city and longed for the mountains.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

look noun

¹ act of looking at/considering sth

ADJ. little | brief, cursory, quick | leisurely | careful, close Take a closer look at it. | furtive I had a furtive look in her bag when her back was turned. | overall We need to take an overall look at the situation. | nostalgic The book takes a nostalgic look at the golden age of the railway. | critical, hard, honest, radical, realistic, serious, uncompromising You should take a long, hard look at your reasons for wanting to join the army. | humorous, light-hearted The book takes a humorous look at parenthood. | fresh I think it's time to take a fresh look at our sales techniques.

VERB + LOOK have, take | get Did you get a look at his new car? | sneak, steal

PREP. ~ at I managed to steal a look at the exam paper. | ~ in/into She couldn't resist a quick look in the mirror. | ~ out of Have a look out of the window and see who's at the door. | ~ through I had a brief look through the report before the meeting. | ~ towards The book concludes with a look towards the future.

PHRASES without a backward look She walked out of the door without a backward look.

² exploring/looking for sth

ADJ. good | little, quick

VERB + LOOK have

VERB + LOOK have | cast (sb), dart (sb), give (sb), shoot (sb), throw (sb) | get I got a black look from Amy. | exchange They exchanged meaningful looks.

PREP. ~ from A withering look from his wife silenced him. | ~ of He darted her a look of contempt.

PHRASES a … look in sb's eyes/on sb's face She had a puzzled look in her eyes. He opened the door with a scornful look on his face. | take that ( … ) look off your face Take that smug look off your face before I slap you!

⁴ sb/sth's appearance

ADJ. overall the overall look of the house | professional Use high-quality paper to give your CV a more professional look. | youthful

VERB + LOOK have | like I didn't like the look of the salad so I didn't touch it.

PREP. by/from the ~ of sb/sth Joe isn't getting much sleep from the look of him. By the looks of the first day of our holiday. | ~ for I had a look for websites on Egyptian music, but didn't find anything.it, someone's already staying in

³ expression on sb's face

ADJ. angry, black, dark, dirty, exasperated, fierce, furious, harsh, irritated, murderous, reproachful, savage, scathing, scornful, severe, sharp, withering She threw him a dirty look. | cold, cool, dry, frosty, steely | disgusted | pained | baleful, forbidding | glum, grim, hangdog | suspicious, wary | cautious | sideways | guilty, sheepish, shifty The guilty look on his face told us all we needed to know. | apprehensive, anxious, doubtful, worried They had worried looks on their faces. | sad | blank, dazed, distant, faraway, this room. | ~ about He still had a youthful look about him. | ~ of a fabric with the look of silk

⁵ looks: sb's attractiveness

ADJ. good | striking | classic He had classic good looks. | boyish, clean-cut, youthful | craggy

VERB + LOOK have | lose She's lost her looks.

⁶ fashion/style

ADJ. latest, new | casual | classic | sophisticated | individual

VERB + LOOK have | give sb/sth They've given the place a completely new look this year.

LOOK + VERB be/come back in (fashion), go out (of fashion) The classic look never goes out of fashion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

look verb

¹ turn your eyes in a particular direction

VERB + LOOK turn to He turned to look as she came down the stairs. | let sb ‘It's beautiful!’ ‘Oh! Let me look!’

PREP. at What are you looking at? | towards She looked towards the door.

PHRASES look and see I'll look and see if I've got any sugar in the cupboard.

² seem/appear

VERB + LOOK make sb/sth You made me look a complete fool!

PREP. like an animal that looked like a large hedgehog | to It looks to me as if the company is in real trouble.

PHRASES look as if/as though

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loophole noun

ADJ. legal, security, tax

VERB + LOOPHOLE find | exploit, use People who don't want to pay tax will exploit any loophole. | close, plug, tighten a law designed to close any loopholes in tax

LOOPHOLE + VERB allow sb/sth, enable sb/sth a loophole enabling workers to take unnecessary sick leave

PREP. ~ in a loophole in the regulations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loop noun

ADJ. continuous, endless

VERB + LOOP form, make Lay the two ends of string so they make a loop over each other.

PREP. in a/the ~ The audio tape runs in a continuous loop lasting thirty minutes. | through a/the ~ Put the other end of the string through the loop.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loose adj.

¹ not firmly fixed

VERBS be, feel, seem One of the bricks feels slightly loose. | come, shake, work The top of the tap has come loose. A screw had worked loose from the door handle. | prise sth

ADV. a bit, rather, slightly

² not tied back

VERBS be, hang Her hair hung loose about her shoulders. | leave sth, wear sth Shall I wear my hair loose?

³ not shut in or tied up

VERBS be | cut (figurative), break, get The animals had broken loose from their pens. (figurative) The organization broke loose from its sponsors. He felt he had to cut loose from his family. | let sth, turn sth I'm going to let the dogs loose.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loo noun

ADJ. public | outside | gents', ladies', men's, women's

VERB + LOO go to, use Can I use your loo? | be desperate for, need We got stuck in a traffic jam and I was desperate for the loo. | flush, flush sth down He flushed the letter down the loo.

LOO + NOUN paper, roll

PREP. in the ~, on the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lord noun

ADJ. great, noble | feudal

VERB + LORD serve

LORD + VERB rule sb/sth > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lorry noun

QUANT. convoy

VERB + LORRY drive

LORRY + VERB carry sth a refrigerated lorry carrying beer

LORRY + NOUN driver | load

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loser noun

ADJ. good | bad, poor He's extremely competitive and a bad loser. | born | big, main The main loser was the United Left, which lost eight seats. | real, ultimate If the teachers go on strike, the children are the ultimate losers.

VERB + LOSER back The film company thought they'd backed a loser until the film won an Oscar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lose verb

¹ not keep

ADV. financially

VERB + LOSE be going to, be likely to, stand to The company stands to lose financially if this deal falls through. | have nothing to You have nothing to lose by telling the truth. | not want to | cannot/could not afford to We cannot afford to lose any more senior members of staff. | begin to

² be defeated

VERB + LOSE cannot/could not afford to This is a game that Lazio cannot afford to lose.

PREP. against We lost against Leeds. | by We lost by five goals to two. | to The visiting side lost to the home team.

PHRASES win or lose Win or lose, the important thing is to remain calm. PHRASAL VERBS lose out

ADV. financially

PREP. on Many of the canal children were constantly on the move, and lost out on regular schooling. | to Our firm lost out to a larger company that could offer a lower price.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loss noun

¹ losing of sb/sth

ADJ. appreciable, dramatic, great, major, serious, significant, substantial, tremendous The ship sank with great loss of life. She suffered a significant loss of hearing after the operation. | slight | total | temporary | permanent | sad His death is a sad loss to all who knew him. | blood, hair, hearing, weight Weight loss can be a sign of a serious illness. | job The company is expected to announce 200 job losses.

VERB + LOSS mourn China mourned the loss of a great leader.

PREP. ~ of loss of appetite loss of confidence

PHRASES no great loss She wouldn't be able to attend the lecture, which was no great loss. | a sense of loss She was filled with an overwhelming sense of loss.

² amount of money lost

VERB + LOSS incur, make, suffer, sustain There's no way you can make a loss on this deal. The business sustained losses of £20 million. | cut, minimize He decided to cut his losses and sell the shares before they sank further. | recoup, recover It took the firm five years to recoup its losses. | offset We can offset the loss against next year's budget. | underwrite No bank would be willing to underwrite such a loss.

PREP. at a ~ The bookshop was operating at a loss. | ~ on We made a net loss on the transaction.

³ sb/sth lost/killed

ADJ. big, great, heavy, severe The enemy suffered heavy losses.

VERB + LOSS suffer, sustain, take | inflict Fighter planes inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lost adj.

¹ unable to find the way

VERBS be | get We got lost in the woods.

ADV. completely By this time we were completely lost.

² not knowing what to do

VERBS be, feel, look, seem I felt lost without my watch.

ADV. completely, totally Alina was looking totally lost. | very | a bit, a little, rather She looked rather lost and lonely, standing in a corner by herself.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lotion noun

ADJ. soothing | body, eye, face, foot, hand, skin | moisturizing, setting, sun/suntan | calamine

VERB + LOTION apply, dab on, rub in She dabbed calamine lotion on her mosquito bites.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lottery noun

ADJ. national, state

VERB + LOTTERY have, hold We're having a lottery to raise money for homeless families. | win

LOTTERY + VERB raise sth The lottery has raised millions of pounds.

LOTTERY + NOUN ticket | winner | jackpot, prize a £3 million lottery jackpot | funds

PREP. in a/the ~ I won my car in a lottery | on the ~ A couple have scooped £10 million on the national lottery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lot noun

¹ whole amount

ADJ. whole She bought the whole lot.

² large amount

ADJ. awful I've got an awful lot of work to do before I go on holiday.

PHRASES a hell of a lot a hell of a lot of money

³ empty ground

ADJ. empty, vacant He parked his caravan on a vacant lot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loudspeaker noun

LOUDSPEAKER + VERB broadcast sth Loudspeakers broadcast the football results.

LOUDSPEAKER + NOUN announcement | system

PREP. from a/the ~ Christmas songs blared from loudspeakers. | over a/the ~ We heard the news over the loudspeaker. | through a/the ~ A woman was addressing the crowd through a loudspeaker.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loud adj.

VERBS be, sound | turn sth up She turned the radio up loud.

ADV. deafeningly, extremely, really, very | pretty, rather | unnaturally Her voice sounded unnaturally loud.

PHRASES loud and clear Tommy's voice came loud and clear from the back row.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lounge noun

¹ room in a house/hotel

LOUNGE + NOUN area, bar

PREP. in a/the ~

² room at an airport

ADJ. airport | arrivals, departure | passenger, VIP

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lovely adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound The cool water felt lovely after being in the hot sun. Your idea of a day on the beach sounds lovely.

ADV. breathtakingly, particularly, really, very She looked really lovely in the blue dress. | absolutely, perfectly, quite, utterly, wholly She's got an absolutely lovely face. | rather | hauntingly a hauntingly lovely melody

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lover noun

VERB + LOVER be, become They became lovers when her husband first went abroad. | have, take It was common for upper-class women to take lovers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

love noun

ADJ. deep, great, overwhelming, passionate her deep love for him | genuine, pure, real, true | unconditional | abiding, eternal, undying He had an abiding love of the English countryside. You have my undying love. | hopeless, unrequited a sad tale of unrequited love | thwarted a play about thwarted love | mutual | free They were into free love and avoided commitment. | first I like most sports but tennis is my first love. | brotherly, maternal, parental, sisterly | courtly, platonic, romantic the cult of courtly love in twelfth-century Aquitaine | erotic, physical, sexual | heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian | redemptive | divine, human

VERB + LOVE feel, have She felt no love for him. He had a great love of life. | search for, seek | find At last she had found true love. | express, show | declare, profess They publicly declared their love for each other. | promise ‘You promised me love!’ he cried despairingly. | return He didn't return her love. | share They share a love of music. | give sb, send (sb) Bob sends his love. | be in, fall in He fell in love with one of his students. | fall out of | make (= have sex) It was the first time they had made love. He wanted to make love to her.

LOVE + NOUN affair | life | letter | scene, song, story

PREP. for/out of ~ I did it for love! | in ~ We are very much in love. | ~ between the love between parent and child | ~ for He did not know how to express his love for her. | ~ of She had a great love of painting.

PHRASES an act of love, deeply/madly/passionately in love I was madly in love with her. | desperately/hopelessly in love, head over heels in love, love at first sight Do you believe in love at first sight? | the love of sb's life She was the love of his life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

love verb

ADV. dearly, deeply, passionately, really, tenderly, very much He loved his wife dearly. | unconditionally He wanted to be unconditionally loved.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

low-key adj.

VERBS be, seem | keep sth We want to keep the whole affair as low-key as possible.

ADV. extremely, very The wedding was a very low-key affair. | fairly, quite, rather, relatively We have a fairly low-key approach to discipline. | deliberately

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lower verb

ADV. carefully, gently | slowly | hastily, quickly Christina blushed and hastily lowered her eyes. | down

PREP. into She lowered herself into the driver's seat. | onto He carefully lowered the sleeping child onto the bed. | to She lowered herself down to the floor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

low adj.

¹ not far above the ground

VERBS be, look, seem The windows look very low to me.

ADV. extremely, very The river was extremely low for winter. | a bit, fairly, quite, rather

² small in degree/amount

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get, run Our stocks of food were getting low. Supplies ran low. | remain, stay | keep sth The government wants to keep taxes low.

ADV. extremely, very The failure rate is extremely low. | comparatively, fairly, quite, rather, relatively

PREP. in This dish is very low in fat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

low noun

ADJ. all-time, new, record The pound has hit a new low against the dollar.

VERB + LOW fall to, hit, reach, sink to

PREP. at a ~ Morale is at an all-time low.

PHRASES highs and lows He had experienced all the highs and lows of an actor's life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loyalty noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, total, undivided, unswerving He showed unswerving loyalty to his friends. | fierce, great, intense, strong, tremendous | conflicting, divided Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. | primary, prime His prime loyalty was to his family. | family, filial, group, personal, tribal | local, national, regional | religious | party, political | brand, customer

VERB + LOYALTY command, inspire, win He inspires great loyalty from all his employees. | feel, have | display, express, prove, show | pledge, swear They pledged their loyalty to the king. | transfer Some party members found it hard to transfer their loyalty to the new leader. | expect

LOYALTY + VERB be, lie, remain His loyalties lay with people from the same background as himself.

LOYALTY + NOUN oath

PREP. out of ~ She stayed on at the school out of loyalty to her students. | ~ among The village is the object of fierce loyalty among its inhabitants. | ~ for Mass advertising creates brand loyalty for a product. | ~ from The company expects loyalty from its employees. | ~ to men whose loyalty is to their political careers | ~ towards The team members felt tremendous loyalty towards one another.

PHRASES a conflict of loyalties, an oath/a pledge of loyalty, a sense of loyalty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

loyal adj.

VERBS be, remain, stay

ADV. extremely, fiercely, intensely, very a fiercely loyal friend | absolutely, completely, entirely, totally, unfailingly, utterly | apparently

PREP. to The troops remained loyal to the president.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lucky adj.

VERBS be | get, strike (it) (both informal) hoping that some day she'll get lucky and win the jackpot | consider/count/think youself He considered himself lucky to have had the opportunity.

ADV. bloody (taboo), damn/damned, dead, exceedingly, extraordinarily, extremely, incredibly, really, remarkably, terribly, very She is incredibly lucky to be alive. | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite We've been pretty lucky so far.

PREP. for It was lucky for you that no one saw you. | with We certainly struck it lucky with the weather.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

luck noun

ADJ. better, good | pure, sheer It was sheer luck that we met like that. | bad, ill, rotten, tough It was rotten luck to be ill on the day of the interview.

QUANT. piece, stroke By a stroke of luck I came across it in a local bookshop.

VERB + LUCK bring (sb), give sb This ring has always brought me good luck. | try I decided to try my luck at the roulette wheel.

LUCK + VERB run out It looks as though our luck's finally run out. | hold If our luck holds, we should win. | improve, turn He went on gambling, sure his luck was about to turn.

PREP. by … ~ By ill luck, my flight had been cancelled. | for ~ I always carry it with me, just for luck. | in ~ You're in luck?there are just two tickets left. | out of ~ I had hoped there would be another train, but I was out of luck. | with ~ With luck, we'll get there before it closes.

PHRASES beginner's luck I don't know why I did so well?it must be beginner's luck. | better luck next time If you didn't win a prize, better luck next time. | can't believe your luck He couldn't believe his luck when the other candidate for the job withdrew. | just my luck Just my luck to get the broken chair!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lucrative adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly, quite, rather | potentially | commercially a commercially lucrative venture

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ludicrous adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. absolutely, perfectly, quite, simply, utterly The whole idea is absolutely ludicrous! | almost The plot was so simple, it was almost ludicrous. | faintly, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

luggage noun

ADJ. heavy | hand

QUANT. item, piece You are only allowed one piece of hand luggage.

VERB + LUGGAGE carry | claim, collect | check in They like you to check your luggage in an hour before the flight. | load, pack, unload She packed all the luggage into the boot of the car.

LUGGAGE + NOUN compartment, locker | rack | trolley, van | label

PREP. in your ~ I always carry a first-aid kit in my luggage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lukewarm adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem

ADV. decidedly, distinctly

PREP. about She was distinctly lukewarm about my idea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lull noun

ADJ. brief, temporary | sudden

PREP. during a/the ~ They crossed the road during a lull in the traffic. | ~ in a brief lull in the fighting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

luminous adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very | almost The colours were bright, almost luminous. | faintly, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lump noun

ADJ. big, enormous, great, huge, large a great lump of cheese | heavy, solid a heavy lump of clay | small Stir the sauce to remove any small lumps. | painful He's developed a painful lump on his neck. | breast She's just had a breast lump removed.

VERB + LUMP have | feel She felt a lump in her breast.

LUMP + VERB form

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lunatic noun

ADJ. complete, raving | dangerous | criminal

LUNATIC + NOUN asylum

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

luncheon noun

ADJ. buffet | annual | anniversary, charity, literary

VERB + LUNCHEON have | attend | served (= it is ready now) | give The anniversary was marked by a luncheon given in the town hall.

LUNCHEON + NOUN room, table | menu | party | engagement

PREP. at ~ They met at a literary luncheon. | during ~, for ~, over ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lunch noun

PHRASES a spot of lunch Come and have a spot of lunch with me. > Note at MEAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lunge noun

ADJ. quick, sudden | despairing, desperate He skipped past the defender's despairing lunge.

VERB + LUNGE make

PHRASES ~ at The burglar made a lunge at him with a knife. | ~ for The boy made a sudden lunge for his wallet. | ~ to a lunge to one side | ~ towards a lunge towards the door

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lung noun

ADJ. collapsed, punctured

VERB + LUNG fill, refill I opened the window and filled my lungs with cool fresh air. | clear, empty Coughing clears the lungs of mucus. | block, choke, clog The smoke was beginning to choke her lungs. | enter Water had entered his lungs and he was choking. | puncture

LUNG + VERB heave | fill I let my lungs fill with the scented air. | collapse | burst (figurative) Lungs bursting, she flew across the finish line.

LUNG + NOUN capacity, power | cancer, complaint, condition, disease, infection, problems, tumour | surface, tissue | function | transplant

PREP. in the ~ levels of carbon dioxide in the lungs | into the ~ These particles are breathed into the lungs. | on the ~ He had blood clots on the lung.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lurch noun

ADJ. little | sickening, sudden, violent

VERB + LURCH give Her heart gave a little lurch when she saw him. | feel John felt a lurch of dismay.

PREP. with a ~ The train stopped with a lurch. | ~ into Starting her own business was a lurch into the unknown.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lurch verb

ADV. violently Suddenly the train lurched violently. | slightly | backwards, forward, sideways She gave a little cry and lurched forwards.

PREP. along The coach lurched along the mountain road. | into A man lurched into her office. | towards He lurched towards the door.

PHRASES lurch to your feet The drunk lurched to his feet and tried to follow us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lure noun

ADJ. irresistible, strong

VERB + LURE resist She can't resist the lure of the bright lights. | feel He felt the lure of distant places.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lust noun

¹ sexual desire

ADJ. naked, pure a relationship based on pure lust | carnal, fleshly, physical, sexual

VERB + LUST be consumed with, feel She felt no lust whatsoever for him. | sate, satisfy He used her just to sate his lust.

² strong desire for sth

ADJ. blood The ogre demanded the annual sacrifice of a young village lass to satisfy his blood lust.

VERB + LUST be driven by, have | satisfy

PREP. ~ for She was driven by a lust for power.

PHRASES a lust for life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

luxurious adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem The car felt luxurious.

ADV. extremely, positively, very, wonderfully Camping these days can be positively luxurious. | almost | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

luxury noun

¹ comfort and pleasure

ADJ. great, pure, sheer It was sheer luxury to step into a hot bath. | ultimate the ultimate luxury of a sauna in your own home

QUANT. touch Silk sheets added the final touch of luxury.

VERB + LUXURY enjoy enjoying the luxury of an expensive bottle of wine | afford We can't afford such luxury. | live in

LUXURY + NOUN hotel | car, coach, liner, yacht | cruise | apartment, flat, home

PREP. in ~ brought up in luxury

PHRASES (live) a life of luxury I found out that he wasn't dead, but living a life of luxury in Australia.

² sth expensive and unnecessary

ADJ. expensive | little, simple, small one of life's little luxuries | unnecessary

VERB + LUXURY afford We can't afford luxuries. | enjoy, have, indulge in | do without | miss He missed the simple luxuries of life, like regular meals.

LUXURY + NOUN goods, items

PHRASES have every luxury She's had every luxury in life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lyrical adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, wax He waxed lyrical about the variety of fish in the river.

ADV. intensely, very There are some intensely lyrical passages in his first symphony. | almost She wrote an almost lyrical account of her childhood. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

lyrics noun

ADJ. song

VERB + LYRICS write | set Strauss set several of Mackay's lyrics to music.

PREP. ~ about lyrics about death and misery | ~ by a song with lyrics by Lorenz Hart | ~ for the lyrics for a new tune | ~ to He wrote the lyrics to our first song.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

machinery noun

ADJ. heavy | complex, complicated, elaborate, sophisticated | electrical | agricultural, construction, farm, industrial, manufacturing, office, textile

QUANT. piece large and complex pieces of machinery

VERB + MACHINERY maintain, service | install, set up | control, drive, operate | renew, replace, update | house The machinery is housed in a special building.

MACHINERY + VERB drive sth, work sth | break down | hum

PREP. ~ for machinery for grinding wheat

PHRASES the hum of machinery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

machine noun

¹ piece of equipment

MACHINE + VERB go, work Have you got the machine working again? | break down | run The machine runs on solar power.

MACHINE + NOUN operator | parts | tool machine tools for making weapons

PREP. by The potatoes are planted by machine. | in a/the ~ Just put those clothes in the machine (= the washing machine). | on a/the ~ I make my own dresses on my sewing machine. | ~ for a machine for making coffee

PHRASES a make of machine What make of machine are they using?

² system/organization

ADJ. party, political The independent candidates did not have the support of a party machine. | administrative, government, state | propaganda, publicity | military, war the president's propaganda machine

PHRASES a cog in the machine (figurative) Tired of being a tiny cog in a vast machine, he handed in his resignation. | a well-oiled machine (figurative) The department ran like a well-oiled machine since the reorganization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

madness noun

ADJ. absolute, pure, sheer, utter It's sheer madness to go sailing in weather like this.

PHRASES the first sign of madness They say that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness! | a moment of madness In a moment of madness, I said I'd help him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mad adj.

¹ not sane; crazy/stupid

VERBS be, look, seem | go He went mad and spent the rest of his life locked up in a mental hospital. The world had gone completely mad. | drive sb His experiences in the First World War drove him mad. The children are driving me mad! | consider sb, think sb Her colleagues thought her quite mad. | pronounce sb

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, utterly | barking, (stark) raving What a barking mad idea! You must be stark raving mad to risk your money like that! | almost | a bit, half, a little, slightly | dangerously

PREP. with I went mad with joy and danced a little jig.

² angry

VERBS be, feel, look | get I get so mad when people don't take me seriously. | make sb It makes me really mad when people waste food.

ADV. hopping, really | absolutely | pretty

PREP. at/with My mum's absolutely mad with me!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magazine noun

QUANT. copy Why did you buy three copies of the same magazine? | edition, issue

VERB + MAGAZINE leaf through, look at, read leafing through the magazines in the waiting room I never read magazines. | edit, write for | produce, publish a company that publishes fashion magazines | buy, get, subscribe to Which magazines do you get regularly?

MAGAZINE + VERB come out The magazine comes out once a month. | be aimed at sb a magazine aimed at mothers with young children | be devoted to sth a magazine devoted to country life | carry sth, feature sth, run sth The magazine carried an interview with the actor considered Hollywood's hottest property.

MAGAZINE + NOUN article, interview, story, survey | ad/advert/advertisement | cover | editor, writer

PREP. in a/the ~ an article in a women's magazine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magical adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. truly, very a truly magical experience | quite, totally | almost Her beauty had an almost magical quality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magic noun

¹ secret power

ADJ. black

VERB + MAGIC do, practise He earns extra money doing magic at children's parties. People found guilty of practising black magic were hanged. | believe in I don't believe in magic. | work

MAGIC + VERB work The magic slowly begins to work, and the princess starts to come to life again.

PREP. by ~ The rabbit disappeared by magic.

PHRASES as if by magic The money had reappeared as if by magic.

² special quality

ADJ. absolute, pure, sheer The show is three hours of pure magic.

QUANT. touch The fireworks brought a touch of magic to the occasion.

VERB + MAGIC work A hot bath and a good night's sleep worked their usual magic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magistrate noun

ADJ. examining, investigating, licensing | chief, senior | city, local, town

VERB + MAGISTRATE appoint (sb), appoint sb as | appear before, come up before He is due to appear before magistrates in connection with a public order offence.

MAGISTRATE + VERB hear sth A thief who stole power tools from a store later sold them in a pub, Whitby magistrates heard yesterday. | fine sb | remand sb in custody | sentence sb | adjourn sth Magistrates adjourned the case until June 9.

PHRASES magistrates' court

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magnetism noun

ADJ. sheer, strong | animal, personal, sexual | the earth's, terrestrial changes in the earth's magnetism

VERB + MAGNETISM exert, exude, project He exudes a strong sexual magnetism.

MAGNETISM + VERB attract sth, draw sth The magnetism produced by the battery attracts the metal. His personal magnetism drew people to the church.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magnet noun

ADJ. powerful, strong | weak | bar | fridge

VERB + MAGNET act as/like The scent of flowers acts as a magnet to bees.

MAGNET + VERB attract sth

PREP. ~ for The place is a magnet for tourists.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magnificent adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. really, truly | absolutely, quite an absolutely magnificent performance | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magnify verb

ADV. greatly, highly, hugely The daring of his exploits had been hugely magnified by constant telling.

PHRASES magnify sth 10, 100, etc. times The picture shows the insect's head magnified ten times.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

magnitude noun

ADJ. considerable, great | sufficient a fall in costs of sufficient magnitude to enable us to reduce prices

PREP. in ~ The effects were substantial in magnitude.

PHRASES of the first magnitude Stars of the first magnitude are visible to the naked eye. a disaster of the first magnitude | (by) an order of magnitude Her calculation was out by several orders of magnitude.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maid noun

ADJ. dairy, kennel, kitchen, laundry, parlour, scullery | lady's, personal | daily They had a daily maid, but no live-in servants. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mailing list noun

ADJ. free Why not join our free mailing list?

VERB + MAILING LIST go on, join, subscribe to | add sb to, put sb on | come off, unsubscribe from | remove sb from, take sb off

PREP. on a/the ~ We're on the mailing list for the Film Centre. | ~ for a mailing list for primary teachers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mail noun

QUANT. item, sackful

MAIL + VERB come, go Has the mail come yet?

MAIL + NOUN order All our products are available by mail order. | message | item | program | system

PREP. by ~ Send it by first-class mail. | in the ~ My reply is in the mail. Is there anything interesting in the mail?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mail verb

ADV. direct

PREP. to The brochures are mailed direct to members.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mainstream noun

ADJ. cultural, educational, political, etc.

VERB + MAINSTREAM enter, join | cut sb/sth off from, exclude sb/sth from These teachers have been cut off from the mainstream of educational activity.

MAINSTREAM + NOUN society | education, schools | parties, politics | art, cinema | media

PREP. in/within the ~ He was in the mainstream of British contemporary music. | into the ~ This technology was designed for specialists but is now starting to move into the mainstream. | out of/outside the ~ He drifted out of the mainstream of society.

PHRASES part of the mainstream This style of drama is not part of the mainstream.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maintain verb

¹ keep sth at the same level

VERB + MAINTAIN be anxious to, want to We are anxious to maintain our close links with the police. | have to, need to | strive to, try to | help (to) | be able to | be difficult to The government's position became increasingly difficult to maintain.

PHRASES the duty/need to maintain sth He emphasized the need to maintain the status quo.

² keep sth in good condition

ADV. properly, well | poorly a poorly maintained central heating system

VERB + MAINTAIN be difficult to | be easy to

PHRASES be responsible for maintaining sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maintenance noun

¹ keeping sth in good condition

VERB + MAINTENANCE carry out We carry out routine maintenance of the equipment. | need, require

² money paid to support sb

ADJ. child

VERB + MAINTENANCE pay | claim

MAINTENANCE + NOUN payments | arrears He was jailed for failing to pay maintenance arrears.

PREP. in ~ He pays £1,000 a month in child maintenance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

main noun

ADJ. gas, water | burst, leaking There's a burst water main in Quarry Road.

VERB + MAIN lay They're laying a new gas main through the town.

MAIN + VERB serve sth The main serves four villages. | explode, leak

MAIN + NOUN electricity, gas, water an island without mains electricity

PREP. at the ~s Turn the water off at the mains. | on the ~s Some of the remoter houses in the village are not on the mains.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

majority noun

¹ most

ADJ. big, great, huge, overwhelming, substantial, vast | silent The march was by the silent majority who oppose terrorism.

VERB + MAJORITY comprise, constitute, form, make up English speakers form the majority of the population.

MAJORITY + NOUN culture, group, population | opinion, view | shareholder | stake The French company holds a majority stake in the retail chain.

PREP. in the ~ In the general population, right-handed people are in the majority.

PHRASES in the majority of cases In the vast majority of cases, customers get their money back.

² in an election

MAJORITY + NOUN government, rule | party | decision | vote, voting | support

PREP. by a ~ They won by a huge majority. | ~ against Latest opinion polls have a comfortable majority against the reform. | ~ in a majority in Parliament | ~ in favour of Opinion polls indicated a two-thirds majority in favour of ratification of the treaty. | ~ over He has a decisive majority over his main rivals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

major noun > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

make-up noun

¹ cosmetics

² sb's character

ADJ. genetic, physical, psychological

PHRASES part of sb's make-up Jealousy is not part of his make-up.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

malaria noun

ADJ. acute, severe

VERB + MALARIA have, suffer from | catch, contract | carry, transmit Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. | treat | eradicate

MALARIA + NOUN sufferer, victim | parasite | vaccine | control, eradication > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

male adj.

VERBS be

ADV. entirely, exclusively The club is an exclusively male preserve. | largely, mainly, mostly, overwhelmingly, predominantly The workforce is predominantly male. | essentially an essentially male Western view of progress | typically | peculiarly He nodded with a peculiarly male satisfaction at her capitulation. | traditionally traditionally male interests

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

male noun

ADJ. adult | immature, young | old | dominant the dominant male in the herd | large, powerful, strong

MALE + NOUN hormone | sexuality | chauvinism, chauvinist | identity, role

PHRASES the male of the species The male of the species has more brightly-coloured feathers than the female.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

malice noun

ADJ. pure, sheer

VERB + MALICE bear (sb), feel, have He bore me no malice. She felt no malice. She has no malice in her.

PREP. out of ~ She sacked him out of sheer malice. | with/without ~ ‘You're lying,’ he said, without malice. | ~ towards I bear no malice towards anybody.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

malicious adj.

VERBS be

ADV. faintly, rather He gave a faintly malicious smile at her furious expression.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

malnutrition noun

ADJ. severe | chronic | child

VERB + MALNUTRITION suffer (from) | die from/of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mammal noun

MAMMAL + NOUN species | prey

PREP. among ~s deaths among marine mammals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manageable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. easily The journey is easily manageable in half an hour. | quite | just (about) The job is just about manageable in the time. | relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

management noun

¹ managing sth

VERB + MANAGEMENT need The project needs stronger management. | be responsible for She is responsible for the day-to-day management of the company.

MANAGEMENT + NOUN company, consultancy, consultant, services | course, studies, training | plan, policy, strategy | expertise, skills | method, philosophy, practice, style, technique

PREP. in ~ She is now celebrating ten years in management. | under sb's ~ The club prospered under Ferguson's management.

PHRASES a board of management, under new management The restaurant is under new management.

² managers

ADJ. junior, middle, senior, top

VERB + MANAGEMENT criticize The unions have criticized management over their handling of the dispute.

PREP. in … ~ young people in middle management

PHRASES a layer/level/tier of management

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manager noun

¹ controls an organization/part of an organization

ADJ. assistant, junior, middle, senior | general | accountable, responsible Each programme is discussed with the responsible manager. A product manager is responsible for product profitability. | bank, business, commercial, corporate | area, branch, departmental, divisional, office, regional | functional, operations, personnel, product | advertising, catering, development, fund, marketing, production, project, sales, technical | successful | sympathetic It helps to have a sympathetic manager.

VERB + MANAGER promote sb to He has been promoted to business development manager. | assist Your job will be to assist the production manager.

PREP. ~ for the marketing manager for a large company

² looks after a sports team

ADJ. England, Scotland, etc. | team | caretaker He will be the club's caretaker manager until a new manager is appointed. | beleaguered another disappointing day for the beleaguered England manager > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manage verb

¹ succeed in doing sth

ADV. nicely, perfectly/very well I can manage perfectly well on my own, thank you. | successfully | eventually, finally | somehow | financially She was finding it difficult to manage financially.

VERB + MANAGE be able to, can/could Can you manage? | have to We'll just have to manage somehow. | be difficult to | be easy to

PREP. on I don't know how they manage on only £50 a week. | without I can manage without a dishwasher.

PHRASES manage on your own

² control/direct sb/sth

ADV. competently, effectively, efficiently, properly, successfully, well | badly | actively We will actively manage your portfolio to maximize the return on your investment. | sustainably All our tropical timber products come from sustainably managed sources.

VERB + MANAGE be difficult to The children were very difficult to manage. | be easy to | learn (how) to You need to learn how to manage your time effectively.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mandate noun

ADJ. popular | clear | legal | presidential | electoral It is undemocratic to govern an area without an electoral mandate.

VERB + MANDATE have | give sb, issue | seek The party sought a mandate to reform the constitution. | get, obtain, receive, win | extend, implement

MANDATE + VERB run The mandate ran until 1947.

PREP. in your ~ He failed in his mandate. | under a/the ~ They ruled the country under a United Nations mandate. | with a/the ~ The party was elected with a mandate to reduce the size of government. | without a ~ They accused him of acting without a mandate. | ~ for She has received a clear mandate for educational reform. | ~ from a mandate from the United Nations to govern the territory

PHRASES an extension/a renewal of a mandate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mane noun

ADJ. flowing | shaggy, tangled, tousled | thick | luxuriant, shining

VERB + MANE have | shake, toss She shook her mane of auburn hair. The horse tossed its flowing mane behind it. | braid She spent ages braiding her horse's mane.

MANE + VERB stream The horse's mane streamed in the wind.

PREP. ~ of He has a mane of white hair.

PHRASES a horse's/lion's mane

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manhood noun

ADJ. early, young

VERB + MANHOOD grow to, reach He grew from adolescence to young manhood. | prove It seemed they were fighting to prove their manhood.

PREP. in ~ He began to go bald in early manhood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maniac noun

ADJ. sex | homicidal | religious

PREP. like a ~ He was driving like a maniac.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mania noun

¹ extreme enthusiasm for sth

ADJ. gambling, railway, sex, etc.

VERB + MANIA have

PREP. ~ for She had a mania for fast cars.

² serious mental illness

ADJ. collective The violence of the crowd can only be explained as a sign of some collective mania. | religious

VERB + MANIA suffer from

PHRASES a state of mania

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manifestation noun

ADJ. concrete, physical, visible | obvious | public the public manifestation of private grief

PREP. ~ in The manifestation of the disease in adults is less dramatic.

PHRASES in all its manifestations combating racism in all its manifestations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manifesto noun

ADJ. Conservative, Labour, etc. | party, party's We must all support the party manifesto. | election

VERB + MANIFESTO draft, draw up, write | sign | issue, launch, publish | support

MANIFESTO + VERB pledge sth, promise sth The manifesto promised reform of the social security system. | call for sth, demand sth | contain sth | say sth

MANIFESTO + NOUN commitment, pledge, promise | proposal

PREP. in a/the ~ The policy is outlined in the party's election manifesto. | on a/the ~ Labour won the election on this manifesto. | ~ for a manifesto for reform

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manipulate verb

ADV. easily They believe that voters can be easily manipulated. | successfully | deftly, delicately, skilfully | deliberately, systematically | genetically genetically manipulated organisms

VERB + MANIPULATE be able to, can | attempt to, try to Children try to manipulate you. | be easy to | know how to, learn (how) to She knows how to manipulate the audience.

PHRASES the ability to manipulate sb/sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manipulation noun

ADJ. careful, clever, skilful | conscious, cynical, deliberate, systematic | political People think that the investigation was independent, but in fact a lot of political manipulation went on. | data, image, text

PREP. by ~ The government has disguised the true situation by clever manipulation of the figures.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mankind noun

VERB + MANKIND save to save mankind from misery and destruction

PHRASES all mankind/the whole of mankind According to the Bible, the whole of mankind is descended from Adam. | benefit to mankind It is doubtful whether this research is of any benefit to mankind. | the dawn of mankind objects dating back to the dawn of mankind | the fate/future of mankind politicians who care about the future of mankind | for the benefit of mankind The results of the research were made freely available for the benefit of all mankind. | the history of mankind, known to mankind one of the most toxic substances known to mankind

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mannerism noun

ADJ. odd | irritating

VERB + MANNERISM have | acquire, adopt

PREP. ~ of He has this irritating mannerism of constantly scratching his nose.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manner noun

¹ way of doing sth/behaving

ADJ. conventional, customary, normal, standard, time-honoured, traditional, usual | correct You are not approaching the problem in the correct manner. | appropriate, satisfactory I did my best to behave in the appropriate manner. | prudent, reasonable, responsible, safe, sensible Chemical waste must be disposed of in an environmentally-responsible manner. | efficient, productive, profitable | logical, methodical, orderly, rational, systematic | consistent, uniform | objective | arbitrary, haphazard Files have been stored in such a haphazard manner that they are impossible to find. | professional | constructive, positive The dispute could have been handled in a more constructive manner. | non-violent, peaceful | straightforward | suspicious He was behaving in a highly suspicious manner. | light-hearted | casual, easy, informal, leisurely, relaxed | formal | calm | off-hand He answered in such an off-hand manner that I wondered if he'd misheard me. | confident, decisive | dignified | diffident, mild, quiet, shy | charming, cheerful, friendly, jovial, kindly, pleasant, sympathetic | abrasive, aggressive, arrogant, unfriendly, unpleasant | forthright | brusque, cold | businesslike, no-nonsense His no-nonsense manner gave him the reputation of being a good doctor. | authoritarian, autocratic, high-handed | condescending, dismissive | authoritative The authoritative manner in which he talked concealed his ignorance. | bedside, telephone He's a good doctor with a sympathetic bedside manner. She has a very pleasant telephone manner.

VERB + MANNER have | adopt He tends to adopt a condescending manner when talking to young women. | act in She accused the teacher of not acting in a professional manner.

MANNER + VERB change His manner changed abruptly when he heard how much I wanted. | conceal sth Her brusque m | suggest sth He was not as loutish as his manner suggested.

PREP. in a/the ~ The inspection was conducted in a thoroughly professional manner. | in the ~ of He lectured us in the manner of a headmaster. | in your ~ There was something in his manner that I found very irritating.

PHRASES in a timely manner All claims must be settled in a professional and timely manner. | in no uncertain manner He told her in no uncertain manner that her behaviour was unacceptable.

² manners: polite behaviour

ADJ. beautiful, charming, excellent, good, impeccable, nice, perfect It's not good manners to stare at people. | bad | table His children have no table manners.

VERB + MANNER have | teach sb Didn't your parents teach you any manners? | learn | forget I'm sorry, I was forgetting my manners. Can I offer you a drink?

PHRASES have the (good) manners to do sth He could at least have had the manners to answer my letter. | a lack of manners Her lack of manners is quite appalling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manoeuvre noun

¹ skilful movement

ADJ. complex, complicated | difficult | dangerous | clever, skilful

QUANT. series

VERB + MANOEUVRE carry out, execute, perform The pilot has to carry out a series of complex manoeuvres. | attempt | complete

² clever plan

ADJ. successful | strategic, tactical Her withdrawal from the contest was a tactical manoeuvre. | diplomatic, political

VERB + MANOEUVRE carry out, execute

MANOEUVRE + VERB fail, succeed

PREP. by a/the ~ By this manoeuvre, he hopes to gain an advantage at a later stage.

PHRASES freedom of manoeuvre The economic conditions are restricting the Chancellor's freedom of manoeuvre. | room for manoeuvre The government has very little room for manoeuvre on this issue.

³ military operation

ADJ. military, strategic, tactical

VERB + MANOEUVRE carry out, conduct, execute, perform

PHRASES be/go on manoeuvres The unit is on manoeuvres in southern Italy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manoeuvre verb

ADV. carefully | easily | expertly, skilfully

VERB + MANOEUVRE be difficult to, be easy to

PREP. around, past, through, etc. He skilfully manoeuvred the motor boat past the rocks.

PHRASES manoeuvre (sth) into position, manoeuvre your way (figurative) He had manoevred his way into a position of strength in the party. | room to manoeuvre The clutter of ships had little room to manoeuvre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manor noun

ADJ. ancient, former, medieval, old | country | royal | fortified, moated

MANOR + NOUN farm, house

PREP. of the ancient manor of Tregarrick

PHRASES lord of the manor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manpower noun

ADJ. qualified, skilled, trained a shortage of skilled manpower | medical, military, police, etc.

VERB + MANPOWER need, require | provide | cut, reduce Manpower will be reduced by an average of 20 per cent. | increase

MANPOWER + NOUN shortage | allocations, levels, requirements, resources

PREP. in ~ a reduction in manpower | ~ for a pool of manpower for the new industries

PHRASES the availability of manpower The factory's opening hours over the holiday period will depend on the availability of manpower. | a reduction in manpower, a shortage of manpower

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mansion noun

VERB + MANSION live in | build

MANSION + VERB stand The historic mansion stands in 160 acres of parkland.

MANSION + NOUN block, flat, house

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manslaughter noun

ADJ. attempted | involuntary | reckless | corporate The directors of the railway company could be charged with corporate manslaughter. > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manual noun

ADJ. instruction, training | owner's, user | car, computer, sewing, software, etc. | maintenance, operating, operation, operational, reference, technical, workshop | comprehensive, detailed

VERB + MANUAL come with The computer comes with a comprehensive owner's manual. | check, consult, look at, read Check your manual for details.

PREP. according to the ~ According to the manual, the wires should be the other way round. | in a/the ~ What does it say in the manual? | ~ for an instruction manual for a knitting machine | ~ on a manual on teaching drama

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manufacturer noun

PHRASES the manufacturer's instructions The guarantee may be rendered invalid if the manufacturer's instructions are not followed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manufacture noun

VERB + MANUFACTURE commence, start They commenced large-scale commercial manufacture of the chairs in January. | complete | be engaged in

MANUFACTURE + VERB start

PHRASES costs of manufacture, date of manufacture The date of manufacture of the jewellery has not been authenticated. | the method/process of manufacture

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manufacturing noun

MANUFACTURING + NOUN business, company, enterprise, firm, organization | division, facility, operation, plant, site, subsidiary, unit The company set up a manufacturing operation in Lisbon. | side He now works on the manufacturing side of the business. | base, industry, sector the decline in the country's manufacturing base | area, centre, district, region, town | capability, capacity | output, production, productivity | costs | worker, workforce | employment, jobs | methods, process, system, techniques | expertise

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manure noun

VERB + MANURE apply, spread the best time to spread manure on the fields | dig in, work in Work in plenty of well-rotted manure.

MANURE + NOUN heap

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

manuscript noun

¹ copy of a book that has not yet been printed

ADJ. original | autograph, handwritten the original autograph manuscript of the poem | unpublished | unfinished | literary, music/musical

QUANT. copy I only have one copy of the manuscript.

VERB + MANUSCRIPT write | type | edit, revise | submit (for publication) He submitted the manuscript to an editor at Longman. | accept/reject (for publication) He was delighted when the manuscript was accepted for publication.

PREP. in ~ Her autobiography remained in manuscript (= was not published).

² very old book/document, written by hand

ADJ. ancient, early, medieval | contemporary One contemporary manuscript shows Henry II crowned by the hand of Christ. | rare | surviving the surviving manuscript of ‘Beowulf’ | illuminated

MANUSCRIPT + VERB survive earlier manuscripts which no longer survive

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

man noun

¹ male person

² human beings

ADJ. early, prehistoric, primitive | Stone Age, etc. | Neanderthal, etc.

PREP. in ~ In man the brain is highly developed.

PHRASES known to man the most poisonous substance known to man

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

map noun

MAP + VERB show sth

MAP + NOUN projection

PREP. off the ~ Our village is just off the map. | on a/the ~ The lane isn't on the map. | ~ of a map of the area

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marathon noun

¹ long race

ADJ. half, full

VERB + MARATHON prepare for, train for | compete in, run, take part in | complete, finish | win

MARATHON + NOUN champion, runner | racing, running He says that he keeps fit by marathon running.

² long activity

ADJ. 12-hour, 700-mile, etc. | car, cycling, etc.

MARATHON + NOUN journey, walk | effort | match, race a marathon five-set tennis match

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marble noun

ADJ. cool The hotel is traditionally furnished, with cool marble floors. | coloured | veined | polished | carved

QUANT. block, slab

VERB + MARBLE carve (sth from/in), make sth from/in/(out) of a statue of Cupid carved in black marble | quarry

MARBLE + NOUN quarry

PREP. in ~ sculptures in polished white marble

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

march noun

¹ movement/journey

VERB + MARCH begin, set off on The army set off on a forced march towards Berlin.

PREP. on the ~ The army has been on the march for two weeks | ~ from the march from Paris to Brittany | ~ of a march of over 30 miles (figurative) the march of history/progress/science | ~ to, ~ towards (figurative) the steady march towards equality

PHRASES line of march Villages in the army's line of march were burned to the ground. | a … march away The border was still a day's march away. | the march eastward, westward, etc.

² organized walk

ADJ. hunger, peace, protest, victory | anti-racism, pro-democracy, etc.

VERB + MARCH hold, organize, stage | lead | be on, go on, join in, take part in | halt, stop The farmers halted the march outside the Ministry of Agriculture. | break up The march was broken up by police in riot gear.

MARCH + VERB mark sth a march marking the thirtieth anniversary of the shootings

PREP. at/on a/the ~ There were in excess of 100,000 people at the march. | ~ against a march against racism | ~ for a march for the victims of the war | ~ from, ~ of a march of over 6,000 people | ~ to

PHRASES a march past There will be a special march past of competitors.

³ music

ADJ. military | funeral, wedding

VERB + MARCH compose | play | strike up The orchestra struck up a military march.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

march verb

¹ walk with regular steps

ADV. briskly, swiftly | boldly | purposefully | inexorably (figurative) Time marches inexorably on and we still have not made a decision. | north, south, etc. | ahead, away, back, forward, off, on, out, over, past, up (and down) Craig marched up to the front door and rang the bell. Soldiers were marching up and down outside the government buildings.

PREP. from, into, on The invading army marched on Rome. | out of So saying, she marched boldly out of the house. | through, to They marched all the way from London to Edinburgh. | towards

PHRASES march in step conscripts learning to march in step (= in time with each other)

² walk in a large group to protest about sth

ADV. peacefully

PREP. for marching for peace | in support of protesters marching in support of the students' demands | on The demonstrators marched on the Italian embassy. | through marching peacefully through the town centre | to, towards

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

margarine noun

ADJ. hard | soft | low-fat, polyunsaturated a tub of low-fat margarine | sunflower, vegetable

QUANT. tub

VERB + MARGARINE put on, spread (sth with) She put some margarine on her roll. Spread some margarine on the toast, please. | heat, melt, soften | beat (in), cream, mix, rub in Cream the margarine and sugar together. Rub the margarine into the flour. > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

margin noun

¹ empty space at the side of a page in a book, etc.

ADJ. generous, wide Leave a generous margin on the left. | narrow | left-hand, right-hand

VERB + MARGIN leave, rule, set | adjust

PREP. at the ~ Start writing at the left-hand margin. | in the ~ She scribbled notes in the margin.

² space, time, votes, etc. by which sth is won

ADJ. comfortable, considerable, greater, huge, large, wide | narrow, slim, small | clear, safe

VERB + MARGIN have

PREP. by a ~ She won by a clear margin. | ~ over He had an 18-second margin over his nearest rival.

PHRASES by the largest/narrowest, etc. of margins He won by the narrowest of margins. | a margin of victory

³ amount of extra space, time, etc.

ADJ. good, greater, wide Sales predictions are open to wide margins of error. | narrow | adequate | safety

VERB + MARGIN allow (sb/sth), give (sb/sth), leave, provide The device gives a greater margin of safety.

PREP. ~ for We have substantial reserves, which provide a good margin for uncertainties.

PHRASES a margin for/of error The schedule left no margin for error. | a margin of safety

⁴ profit

ADJ. high, large | low, narrow, small, tight We're working to rather tight profit margins. | gross, net | profit | operating, pre-tax, retail

VERB + MARGIN achieve, have These manufacturers have high gross margins. | operate at/on, work to | improve, increase Higher productivity has enabled them to increase their profit margins. | cut, erode, reduce, squeeze Price rises have eroded profit margins.

MARGIN + VERB widen | narrow

PREP. at a ~ They are operating at very low margins. | ~ on They hope to improve their margins on computers. > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marijuana noun

QUANT. joint

VERB + MARIJUANA smoke

MARIJUANA + NOUN cigarette, joint | plant > Note at DRUG(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marked adj.

¹ easy to see

VERBS be | become

ADV. especially, extremely, particularly, strongly, very There is a strongly marked difference between the two creatures. | increasingly | quite

² with markings

VERBS be

ADV. heavily Most cranes lay two heavily marked eggs. | attractively, beautifully, brightly, strikingly

PREP. with These trout are beautifully marked with bright red spots.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marketable adj

VERBS be | become

ADV. easily, highly, readily, very | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marketing noun

VERB + MARKETING do The company has done some effective marketing of the new model. | improve

MARKETING + NOUN campaign, exercise, strategy | ploy, tool | director, manager | agency, company, department

PREP. in ~ She works in marketing. | through/with ~ We could get more sales through better marketing.

PHRASES sales and marketing > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marketplace noun (oftenthe marketplace)

ADJ. competitive | commercial, financial | global, international | changing

PREP. in a/the ~ The company found it hard to survive in a changing marketplace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

market noun

¹ place where people go to buy and sell things

ADJ. open-air, outdoor, street | covered, indoor | antiques, cattle, fruit and vegetable, etc. | flea (= that sells old or used goods at low prices)

VERB + MARKET hold The market is held on Wednesdays. | go to | take sth to They took the pigs to market.

MARKET + NOUN square | town | day

PREP. at/in a/the ~ to buy some fish at the market

² business/trade

PREP. in/into a/the ~ changes in the UK market | on the ~ one of the best car deals on the market | ~ in a thriving market in second-hand cars

PHRASES be in the market for sth (= be interested in buying sth), the bottom's dropped/fallen out of the market (= the market has collapsed), a gap in the market, the bottom/lower/top/upper end of the market

³ people who want to buy sth

VERB + MARKET create The company has created a niche market for itself.

MARKET + VERB expand, grow | shrink | collapse | bear sth We will charge whatever the market will bear (= as much as people can be persuaded to pay).

MARKET + NOUN segment | niche | research

PREP. ~ for the market for new cars

⁴ the free market

VERB + MARKET leave sth to Some services cannot be left to the market.

MARKET + NOUN forces | economy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

market verb

PREP. as It will be marketed as a tonic for the elderly. | through The product is being marketed through the existing sales force. | to The company is not actively marketing its products to schools.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mark noun

¹ spot/line

ADJ. dirty, grease, greasy, grubby | visible | distinguishing, identifying Does he have any distinguishing marks? | chalk, pencil | bite, burn, claw, finger (also fingermark), scorch, scratch, scuff, skid, stretch, tyre

VERB + MARK get How did you get that mark on your shirt? | leave, make The dirty water left a mark round the side of the bath. | get off/out, remove I can't get the children's dirty fingermarks off the wall.

MARK + VERB come off/out These greasy marks just won't come out.

PREP. ~ on There were grubby marks on the wall.

² sign of a quality/feeling

ADJ. deep, indelible, permanent The experience left a deep mark on her memory. | real the real mark of a master craftsman

VERB + MARK bear, have | leave

PREP. ~ of Such thoughtful behaviour is the mark of a true gentleman.

PHRASES as a mark of respect

³ used to show the standard of sb's work

VERB + MARK get | give sb | take off She took off a mark for bad handwriting. | gain | lose

PREP. above … ~s, below … ~s If you get below 40 marks, you're not allowed to go up into the next class. | ~ for You get two marks for each correct answer. a good mark for geography | ~ out of How many marks out of ten would you give it?

⁴ level of sth

ADJ. halfway We've reached the halfway mark in the show. | high-water, low-water, tide

VERB + MARK set | reach | pass This year's sales figures have already passed the mark set last year. | fall short of

PREP. above the ~, around the ~ around the £500 mark | at a/the ~ The river was at its low-water mark. | below the ~, up to the ~ (= as good as sb/sth should be) Your grammar is not quite up to the mark.

⁵ target

ADJ. easy

VERB + MARK find, hit The shot found its mark. | miss

PHRASES wide of the mark (figurative) Shock tactics often fall wide of their mark.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mark verb

¹ write/draw sth

ADV. clearly My room was clearly marked on the plan. | carefully She carefully marked where the screws were to go. | indelibly One way of protecting your valuables is to mark them indelibly with an identifying code.

PREP. as Certain words were marked as important. | for Some of the crates were marked for export. | in Mark the position of all the building sites in black. | on All buildings are marked on the map. | with The boundary was marked with a dotted line.

² spoil/damage sth

ADV. badly, deeply The paperweight had fallen onto the desk, badly marking the surface. (figurative) The town is still deeply marked by the folk memory of the Depression.

³ be a sign of sth

ADV. effectively | conveniently ‘Lyrical Ballads’ conveniently marks the beginning of nineteenth-century poetry. | publicly The wedding ceremony publicly marks the beginning of commitment to another through marriage.

VERB + MARK appear to, seem to This speech appears to mark a change in government policy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marquee noun

ADJ. giant, huge, large

VERB + MARQUEE erect

PREP. in a/the ~ The wedding reception was held in a marquee. | under a/the ~ The guests sat on a platform under a large marquee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marquess noun > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marriage noun

¹ state of being husband and wife

MARRIAGE + VERB last | be over, break down/up, end, fall apart, fail Their marriage ended in divorce.

PREP. by/from a ~ She's his daughter by a previous marriage. | by ~ They are related by marriage. | in a/the ~ She was the dominant partner in the marriage. | outside ~ sex outside marriage | within ~ | ~ between the marriage between John and Elizabeth | ~ into his marriage into a wealthy family | ~ to/with her marriage to Jim

PHRASES ask for/win sb's hand in marriage (old-fashioned), the break-up/breakdown of a marriage, give sb in marriage (old-fashioned), the institution of marriage, a marriage of convenience, a proposal of marriage

² wedding ceremony

ADJ. Christian, Jewish, etc. | civil | shotgun (= arranged quickly because the bride is pregnant)

VERB + MARRIAGE celebrate The marriage was celebrated in the cathedral.

MARRIAGE + VERB be held, take place

MARRIAGE + NOUN ceremony | licence

PREP. at a/the ~ She wanted to be present at the marriage of her grandson. | ~ to Mr and Mrs Wall invite you to the marriage of their daughter Ann to Mr Thomas Lea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

married adj.

VERBS be, feel I wouldn't have felt properly married if it hadn't been a church wedding. | get When did you get married? | remain

PREP. to She's married to an actor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marry verb

VERB + MARRY hope to, want to I don't want to marry Robert. | agree to, promise to He promised to marry her when he returned. | be going to, plan to Matt told me he was going to marry again. They plan to marry next year. | forbid sb to Duty forbade them to marry. | ask sb to He asked me to marry him but I said no.

PREP. for He married her for love, not for money. | into the difficulties of marrying into the royal family

PHRASES get married They are hoping to get married next year. | marry late/young People are marrying later these days. | not be the marrying kind (= not be the kind of person who wants to get married)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marshal noun > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marsh noun

ADJ. coastal, salt | freshwater | grazing

VERB + MARSH drain, reclaim

MARSH + NOUN plant

PREP. in/on a/the ~ He keeps his cattle on the marshes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

martial law noun

VERB + MARTIAL LAW declare, impose, introduce, place sth under | lift

PREP. under ~ The city remains under martial law.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

martyr noun

¹ sb who is killed/suffers for what they believe

ADJ. early | Christian

VERB + MARTYR make sb Killing him would only make him a martyr.

PREP. ~ to a martyr to the cause

PHRASES a martyr's death

² sb who tries to gain sympathy

VERB + MARTYR play Stop playing the martyr.

PHRASES make a martyr of yourself

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marvellous adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound

ADV. bloody (taboo, ironic), really This is really marvellous news! | absolutely, quite, simply The food looks absolutely marvellous! | pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

marvel verb

VERB + MARVEL can/could only One can only marvel at the way the building has been constructed. | never cease to I never cease to marvel at his stupidity.

PREP. at He marvelled at how easy it was to make money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mascara noun

ADJ. thick | waterproof

VERB + MASCARA wear | apply, put on | remove | smudge Her tears had smudged her mascara.

MASCARA + VERB run, smudge

MASCARA + NOUN brush, wand

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

masculine adj.

VERBS be

ADV. distinctly, extremely, heavily, severely, uncompromisingly, unmistakably, very an environment which is heavily masculine the severely masculine cut of his suit | exclusively The ceremony is exclusively masculine. | overwhelmingly, predominantly | essentially | typically That's a typically masculine attitude! | inherently, intrinsically | overtly | aggressively He has an aggressively masculine approach to these questions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mask noun

¹ cover for sb's face

ADJ. face | gas | oxygen | surgical | Hallowe'en

VERB + MASK have on, wear | put on | pull off, remove, strip off, take off, tear off In the second part of the play, the actors take off their masks.

MASK + VERB cover sth

PREP. behind/beneath a/the ~ Two eyes glared at him from beneath the mask. | in a/the ~ two men in black masks | ~ over She wore a mask over her face.

² sth that hides sb's real feelings

ADJ. blank, cold, expressionless, grim, rigid Her face was a blank mask as she answered my question.

MASK + VERB slip For a moment her mask slipped, and I saw how scared she really was.

PREP. behind a/the ~ Behind the mask of friendliness, I know he really dislikes me. | ~ for His fooling around is a mask for his lack of confidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mask verb

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally | partly | barely | effectively

VERB + MASK tend to Wood stains provide good protection but tend to mask the natural grain of the wood.

PREP. with She masked her anger with a smile.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

masochism noun

ADJ. pure, sheer

QUANT. streak, touch There's a streak of masochism in his personality.

PHRASES a form of masochism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

massacre noun

ADJ. appalling, bloody, cold-blooded, horrible, terrible an appalling massacre of women and children

VERB + MASSACRE be responsible for, carry out, perpetrate, take part in The massacre was carried out by enemy troops. As many as fifty men took part in the massacre. | be killed in | escape, survive

MASSACRE + VERB take place

PREP. ~ by a massacre by rebel soldiers

PHRASES the victims of a massacre

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

massage noun

ADJ. gentle, relaxing, soothing | vigorous | back, body, foot, full-body, neck | cardiac, heart They managed to revive the injured driver with cardiac massage.

VERB + MASSAGE have, receive | give sb The physiotherapist gave me a massage to ease the pain.

MASSAGE + NOUN parlour She went to the massage parlour for a full-body massage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

massage verb

ADV. firmly, vigorously | gently, lightly

PREP. into Gently massage the cream into your skin. | with He massaged her back with scented oil. Massage it lightly with your fingertips.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mass noun

¹ large amount/number of sth

ADJ. enormous, great, huge, large, vast | broad Their policies appeal to the broad mass of the population. | formless, shapeless When I washed the jumper, it just turned into a shapeless mass. | compact, dense, solid | chaotic a chaotic mass of ideas | tangled a tangled mass of hair

PREP. ~ of a dense mass of smoke | ~es of (informal) There were masses of people at the concert.

² Mass: Christian ceremony

ADJ. requiem, Sunday

VERB + MASS attend, go to, hear She never failed to attend Sunday Mass. | celebrate, offer, say The local priest celebrates Mass in the village church.

PREP. ~ for a requiem Mass for the sailors who drowned

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

masterpiece noun

ADJ. great It's one of the greatest masterpieces of Western art. | minor | architectural, literary, musical

VERB + MASTERPIECE create, produce | be considered, be hailed as, be recognized as Within a week of publication, the novel was hailed as a masterpiece.

PREP. ~ by a masterpiece by Picasso | ~ of a masterpiece of classical architecture > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mastery noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, total | gradual Children show gradual mastery of reading in the first years at school. | practical, technical He plays the violin with technical mastery, but no feeling.

VERB + MASTERY have The allied bombers had total mastery of the skies. | demonstrate, display, show He shows complete mastery of the instrument. | achieve, acquire, attain, gain

PREP. ~ of He acquired mastery of four languages. | ~ over The king had absolute mastery over the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

master noun

¹ person in charge

ADJ. political His political masters are all old right-wing politicians.

PREP. ~ of He wants to be master of his own destiny.

² person with skill

ADJ. acknowledged, great This portrait is the work of an acknowledged master.

MASTER + NOUN builder, craftsman

PREP. ~ of a master of disguise

PHRASES be a past master at/in/of sth (= to be very good at sth) He's a past master at delaying meetings.

³ Master's: university degree

VERB + MASTER do, study for, take He did a Master's at Hull University. | get She got her Master's last year.

MASTER + NOUN Master's degree

PREP. ~ in a Master's in politics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

master verb

ADV. completely, entirely, fully, quite | quickly

VERB + MASTER be difficult to a technique that was surprisingly difficult to master | struggle to, try to the challenge of trying to master a new language | fail to

PHRASES master the art of sth He never completely mastered the art of lip-reading.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

match noun

¹ in sports

VERB + MATCH play The match will be played in the new stadium. | have Figo had an outstanding match. | go to, see, watch | be defeated in, lose | clinch, win A late goal clinched the match for Porto. | draw We drew our first game of the season 1?1.

MATCH + VERB take place

PREP. during a/the ~ an incident which took place during Saturday's match | in a/the ~ She was injured in last week's match. | ~ against the match against Wales | ~ between the match between Japan and Brazil | ~ with They lost their match with Estonia.

² for lighting a fire

ADJ. lighted

QUANT. box

VERB + MATCH light, strike He lit a match so they could see in the cave. | blow out

PHRASES put a match to sth Someone had put a match to the pile of papers.

³ good combination

ADJ. excellent, good, perfect The blouse and skirt are a perfect match.

PREP. ~ between an excellent match between our goals and what your company offers | ~ for That jumper should be a good match for your trousers.

⁴ sth the same

ADJ. exact

PREP. ~ for To forge the certificate, she needed an exact match for the paper and the fonts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

match verb

¹ combine well

ADV. well As a couple they are not very well matched (= they are not very suitable for each other). | not quite The room was full of old furniture that didn't quite match.

PHRASES to match I bought a duvet cover and some curtains to match.

² find sth similar/connected

ADV. correctly | carefully

PREP. for The control group in the experiment was matched for age and sex. | to The aim of the competition is to match the quote to the person who said it.

³ be/make sth equal/better

ADV. almost She found that his determination almost matched her own. | not quite Nothing quite matches the fine, subtle flavour of this cheese.

VERB + MATCH come close to | be able/unable to The company was unable to match his current salary. | try to | fail to Children can be made to suffer when they fail to match their parents' expectations.

PREP. for No other rock band comes even close to matching them for dynamism or style.

PHRASES be equally/evenly/well matched The teams were very evenly matched. | be unevenly matched

⁵ provide sth suitable

ADV. carefully | up We have to match up the right pet with the right owner.

VERB + MATCH seek to, try to

PREP. to The available organs are carefully matched to people in need of transplants. | with The agency tries to match single people with suitable partners.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

materialize verb

ADV. never The hoped-for boom never materialized.

VERB + MATERIALIZE fail to The rise in share prices failed to materialize.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

material noun

¹ substance

ADJ. combustible, flammable, hazardous, inflammable, radioactive, toxic | recyclable | man-made

² things for making sth

ADJ. raw Higher raw material costs have pushed up the price of many manufactured goods. | industrial | building a storeroom full of building materials | drawing, writing Prisoners were not allowed writing materials.

³ cloth

ADJ. thick, thin | coarse, fine | woven

QUANT. length, piece, roll, scrap, strip A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material.

⁴ written matter

ADJ. fascinating, good, relevant, useful | source The letter were used as source material in this new biography. | classified, confidential, sensitive | unpublished | educational, instructional, promotional, teaching | biographical, historical | indecent, obscene, pornographic He was convicted of importing indecent material.

VERB + MATERIAL collect, find, gather, get hold of He's collecting material for a new book on space travel. I can't find any relevant material on him in the library. | contain, include This new biography contains a wealth of previously unpublished material. | produce, publish

PREP. ~ for useful material for a documentary | ~ on original material on the First World War

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mate noun

¹ friend

ADJ. best, good They've been good mates ever since they were at school together.

VERB + MATE have He's got loads of mates at school.

² sexual partner

VERB + MATE attract, choose, find These birds have colourful feathers to attract a mate.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mathematician noun

ADJ. brilliant | distinguished, great one of the greatest mathematicians of all time | applied, pure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mathematics noun

ADJ. applied, pure | investigative | school | elementary, higher, primary, secondary

PHRASES a branch of mathematics > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maths noun

ADJ. basic | complicated Working out the quantities of the ingredients involved some complicated maths.

MATHS + NOUN problem The class were struggling to find the solution to a maths problem. > Note at SUBJECT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

matter noun

¹ subject/situation that must be dealt with

ADJ. important, pressing, serious, urgent, weighty He left, saying he had pressing matters to attend to. The question of his innocence is a weighty matter for this court. | awkward, complex, complicated, delicate, difficult I wasn't sure how to approach the delicate matter of pay. | no easy, (no) simple It is then a simple matter to print off the data you have collected. It is no simple matter starting a new business. | trifling, trivial | practical They've agreed in theory, but now we need to discuss practical matters. | family, personal | subject His articles deal with a wide range of subject matter. | economic, environmental, financial, legal, political, procedural, routine, technical The rest of the meeting was taken up by routine matters. | different I don't mind lizards, but snakes are a different matter.

VERB + MATTER bring up, broach, raise I thought I'd better broach the matter with my boss. The matter will be raised at our next meeting. | address, debate, discuss, go into, take up I don't really want to go into this matter now. | pursue, take further After legal advice I chose to take the matter further. | drop His lawyer advised him to drop the matter. | consider, examine, look at/into, tackle | clarify, clear up, decide, resolve, settle It's a relief to have the matter settled. | approach, deal with, treat Police are treating the matter as a murder enquiry.

PREP. in a/the ~ I don't have much experience in these matters. Do I have any choice in the matter? | on a/the ~ Speak to your manager if you need help on this matter. | ~ for The incident is definitely a matter for the police. | ~ of It's a matter of concern to all of us. We discussed the matter of whether or not to hire a bus. Getting the effect you want is a matter of trial and error.

PHRASES the crux/heart of the matter (= the most important part of a subject/situation), let the matter drop/rest She refused to let the matter rest. | the matter in hand Let's concentrate on the matter in hand for now, and leave other issues till later.

² matters: situation you are in

VERB + MATTER complicate, confuse, make worse, not help It didn't help matters that I had a terrible cold. To make matters worse, my friend then lost her keys. | arrange She always arranges matters to suit herself.

³ substance

ADJ. solid | organic, vegetable composed entirely of organic matter | inanimate, inorganic | printed, written

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

matter verb

ADV. a great deal, a lot, really These things matter a lot to young children. | hardly, little (formal), not much, scarcely She could find a job. It hardly mattered what. | no longer, not any more

VERB + MATTER not seem to Somehow it didn't seem to matter much any more.

PREP. about It doesn't matter about the mess. | to It didn't matter to her that he was blind.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mattress noun

ADJ. double, single | comfortable | firm, hard | soft | lumpy, sagging an old bed with a sagging mattress

PREP. on a/the ~ The children slept on mattresses on the floor. | under a/the ~ My grandmother keeps her money under the mattress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mature adj

VERBS be | become

ADV. fully | emotionally, physically, sexually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mature verb

ADV. fully a fully matured cheese | early This variety is easy to grow and matures early. | quickly, rapidly | slowly | emotionally, physically The teenage years cover a period in which people mature physically and emotionally.

VERB + MATURE allow sth to, leave sth to The cheese is smoked and then left to mature.

PREP. into She had matured into a beautiful young woman. | to a young man who is maturing to adulthood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maturity noun

¹ adult behaviour

ADJ. great, growing, increasing I can see an increasing maturity in how she understands the world. | emotional, intellectual

VERB + MATURITY have | show She has shown great maturity in her behaviour this term. | grow in These latest paintings show how the artist has really grown in maturity. | lack

² full growth

ADJ. full It can take years for these plants to reach full maturity. | physical, psychological, sexual

VERB + MATURITY approach, come to, grow to, reach The insects lay eggs when they approach maturity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mat noun

ADJ. dense, thick a thick mat of hair

PREP. ~ of the dense mat of roots at the bottom of the tree

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maul verb

ADV. badly, severely She was badly mauled by a lion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maximum noun

ADJ. absolute | agreed, recommended Do not exceed the recommended maximum of three tablets a day. | legal, statutory

VERB + MAXIMUM reach, rise to The temperature reached a maximum of 35°C yesterday. | exceed | allow (sb/sth), permit (sb/sth) In the exam, allow yourself a maximum of 30 minutes per question. the maximum permitted speeds | limit sth to, restrict sth to The amount you have to pay will be limited to a maximum of £500.

PREP. above (the) ~, at (the) ~ a journey of four hours at the maximum | below (the) ~, to (the) ~ He is using his talents to the maximum. | (up) to a/the ~ | ~ of You can claim the allowance for a maximum of six months.

PHRASES maximum possible They fined her the maximum possible for the offence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maxim noun

ADJ. general, simple

VERB + MAXIM apply, follow If you follow a few simple maxims, your business should be a success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mayor noun

ADJ. local | deputy | lord In 1662?3 he served as Lord Mayor of London. | right-wing, socialist, etc.

VERB + MAYOR run for running for mayor of Bogota | elect (sb), elect sb as | serve as

PREP. ~ of the mayor of Southampton

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

May noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

maze noun

ADJ. complex, intricate, tortuous

VERB + MAZE be/get lost in | find your way through He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.

PREP. in a/the ~, through a/the ~ I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. | ~ of I was lost in a maze of passages.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meal noun

ADJ. big, filling, heavy I always want to go to sleep after a heavy meal. | slap-up | lavish, sumptuous | square, substantial She hadn't had a square meal for days. | light, simple The bar serves light meals. | meagre a meagre meal of bread and cheese | four-course, three-course, etc. | appetizing, decent, delicious, excellent, lovely, tasty Thanks for a delicious meal. | balanced, healthy, nourishing, wholesome | main When do you have your main meal of the day? | evening, midday | hot Hot meals are not available after 10 o'clock. | vegetarian > Special page at FOOD > Note at MEAL

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meaningless adj.

VERBS be | become | render sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meaning noun

¹ what sth means

ADJ. clear, exact, precise The context makes the meaning clear. What is the exact meaning of this phrase? | correct, true | original | double, hidden There's often a double meaning in jokes and riddles. I'm sure there's no hidden meaning in what he says. | figurative, metaphorical, symbolic | literal

VERB + MEANING get, grasp, understand I can't grasp the meaning of this quotation. | decipher, interpret, work out Historians are trying to decipher the meaning of the documents. | assign, attribute She assigns a meaning to his words they just didn't have. | bear, carry, have Some of the symbols carry meaning and some just represent sounds. a word that has more than one meaning | take on The word ‘gay’ took on its modern meaning in the 1960s. | communicate, convey, express

PREP. in a/the ~ ambiguity in the meaning of a phrase | with a/the ~ I am using the word with its original meaning. | ~ behind the meaning behind an event

PHRASES a nuance/shade of meaning It is difficult for a non-Italian to grasp all the nuances of meaning.

² purpose/importance

ADJ. deep, real, true She's searching for the deeper meaning of life. | spiritual He found spiritual meaning through religion.

VERB + MEANING have Her work no longer had any meaning for her. | find | lose After his death, she felt life had lost all meaning. | give sth Falling in love gave meaning to his life.

PREP. without ~ Young people can feel that life is without meaning.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

means noun

¹ method of doing sth

ADJ. appropriate, best, effective, efficient, reliable, useful an effective means of mass communication | necessary, possible, practicable We will use every possible means to achieve our objective. | alternative, other War is famously ‘the continuation of policy by other means’. | conventional, traditional | legal, legitimate

VERB + MEANS have We have no means of knowing how they will react. | use | offer (sb), provide (sb with) My English teacher provided me with the means to enjoy reading poetry. | devise Can you devise a means of overcoming the problem?

PREP. by ~ (of) The stone was lifted by means of a rope and pulley. | through ~ They cannot achieve their goal through legal means. | ~ for the means for achieving happiness | ~ of a means of access/communication/transport a means of getting what you want

PHRASES a means to an end He saw his education merely as a means to an end. | by fair means or foul, by no means/not by any means (= not at all), ways and means There are ways and means of raising money.

² money/wealth

ADJ. independent, private She must have independent means to live in such style. | limited, moderate, modest, slender | visible people who lack visible means of support

VERB + MEANS have | lack

MEANS + NOUN test Eligibility for the benefit was determined by a means test.

PREP. according to your ~ (= according to what you can afford), beyond your ~ Private school fees are beyond the means of most people (= more than they can afford). | within your ~ (= according to what you can afford) She finds it difficult to live within her means.

PHRASES a man/woman of means (= a rich man/woman)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mean adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become

ADV. really, very I thought it was really mean of him not to let her use the car. | a bit, pretty, rather, slightly That was a pretty mean trick. He's rather mean when it comes to spending money on the children.

PREP. to He's so mean to his mother! | with She's very mean with her money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

measles noun

VERB + MEASLES have All our children have had the measles. | catch, contract | immunize sb against, vaccinate sb against

MEASLES + NOUN virus | vaccination, vaccine > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

measurement noun

ADJ. accurate, careful, exact, objective, precise It is important to take precise measurements of the structure. Objective measurement is difficult with such poor equipment. | laboratory, scientific | imperial, metric | length, pressure, temperature, etc. | body, bust, chest, waist

VERB + MEASUREMENT carry out, get, make, obtain, perform, record, take

MEASUREMENT + NOUN system, technique | scale, unit | error

PHRASES a scale/unit of measurement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

measure noun

¹ official action to deal with a problem

QUANT. package, range, series a package of measures aimed at cutting pollution

VERB + MEASURE adopt, implement, impose, introduce, take Special measures are being taken to protect the local water supplies. | propose, suggest

MEASURE + VERB be aimed at sth, be designed to, be intended to

PREP. ~ against tougher measures against racism | ~ for measures for reducing delays

² amount/quantity of sth

ADJ. broad, considerable, fair, generous, great, significant, substantial, wide

PREP. ~ of He poured me a generous measure of whisky.

PHRASES in large/some measure His success was due in large measure to your help. | in equal measure, in no small measure

³ unit of size/quantity

ADJ. accurate, direct, objective, precise

PREP. ~ of an accurate measure of length

PHRASES weights and measures

⁴ sign of sth

ADJ. crude, simple, true, useful

PREP. ~ of Landed income was the true measure of the gentry. > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

measure verb

¹ find the size of sth

VERB + MEASURE be able to, can/cannot You can now measure its length more accurately. | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to

PREP. for She's being measured for her wedding outfit. | in Cloth is measured in metres.

² judge the importance/value/effect of sth

ADV. easily The policy's impact cannot be easily measured. | effectively | objectively

VERB + MEASURE can/cannot | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to It is hard to measure the benefits to society of this scheme. | be used to the criteria that are used to measure performance

PREP. according to Is it really possible to measure the skills of such jobs according to objective standards? | against The school's performance is measured against a strict set of criteria. | by The policy's effectiveness cannot be measured by numbers alone. | in terms of Success cannot be measured merely in terms of the size of your salary.

PHRASES a method/way of measuring sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meat noun

QUANT. bit, chunk, lump, piece, slab, slice | cut, joint She always buys the cheaper cuts of meat.

MEAT + VERB be/go off, rot The meat has gone off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mechanics noun

¹ how sth works/is done

ADJ. actual, basic, detailed, sheer We need to discuss the actual mechanics of the operation.

² science of movement and force

ADJ. classical, fluid, Newtonian, quantum, statistical

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mechanic noun

ADJ. competent, good, skilled | chief | trained | car, garage, motor > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mechanism noun

¹ part of a machine

ADJ. firing, locking, steering, trigger, winding

MECHANISM + VERB operate, work The door locking mechanism doesn't work. | jam

² how sth works

ADJ. effective, precise an effective mechanism for enforcing the rules | underlying | complex | social

VERB + MECHANISM provide The system provides a mechanism whereby information is channelled into the market.

MECHANISM + VERB operate, work | allow sth, ensure sth

PREP. by/through the ~ of The government is held accountable through the mechanism of regular general elections. | ~ for a mechanism for dealing with complaints

³ system of parts/behaviour that performs a function

ADJ. avoidance, control, defence, escape, survival The body has defence mechanisms against many diseases. | cellular, genetic, immunological, molecular, neural, physiological, psychological, etc.

PREP. ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

medal noun

ADJ. bronze, gold, silver He won a gold medal in the 100 metres. | championship, Olympic | commemorative A commemorative medal was struck in honour of the event.

VERB + MEDAL be awarded, collect, get, receive, win | award (sb), give sb, present (sb with) | strike

MEDAL + NOUN winner | hope, hopes He is a major medal hope for Britain. Her medal hopes were dashed by injury.

PREP. ~ for a medal for bravery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mediation noun

ADJ. French, international, UN, etc.

VERB + MEDIATION accept Unless management accepts mediation, the strike will never be resolved.

MEDIATION + NOUN efforts, process

PREP. through sb's ~ The conflict ended through the mediation of the United Nations. | under sb's ~ under international mediation | ~ between, ~ by mediation by the prime minister between the two sides

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

media noun

ADJ. audio-visual, broadcast, broadcasting, electronic, mass, news, print, visual The event was widely covered by the mass media | foreign, international, local, national | mainstream, official, popular

MEDIA + VERB report sth The local media reported rioting across the country.

PREP. through/via the ~ propaganda through the media

PHRASES access to the media, the role of the media

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

medical noun

ADJ. full, regular Pilots undergo regular medicals.

VERB + MEDICAL have, undergo | pass He was accepted onto the course after passing the medical.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

medication noun

ADJ. prescribed | over-the-counter | regular

VERB + MEDICATION be on, receive, take | prescribe (sb) | administer, give sb | stop She stopped the medication because of side effects. | need, require

PREP. ~ for He is on regular medication for his fits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

medicine noun

¹ science of treating/preventing illness

ADJ. modern advances in modern medicine | traditional qualified in traditional Chinese medicine | folk Garlic was widely used in folk medicine. | conventional, orthodox | alternative, complementary, holistic, homeopathic | preventative, preventive | academic, clinical, forensic, scientific | general She gave up general medicine to specialize in geriatric medicine. | geriatric, obstetric, paediatric, veterinary, etc. | Chinese, Western | private, public health She believed private medicine was a threat to the existence of the National Health Service.

VERB + MEDICINE train in | qualify in | practise people practising alternative medicine

PHRASES a branch of medicine > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

² substance taken to treat an illness

ADJ. powerful, strong | cough a bottle of cough medicine | herbal | prescription

QUANT. dose

VERB + MEDICINE take | swallow | prescribe (sb) | administer, give sb | treat sb with

MEDICINE + NOUN bottle, chest

PREP. ~ for medicine for a chest infection

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meditation noun

ADJ. deep, profound Techniques of deep meditation help people under stress. | quiet, silent He stared out of the window in silent meditation. | Buddhist, Christian | religious, transcendental

VERB + MEDITATION do, practise

PREP. in ~ spending hours in meditation | ~ on The novel is an extended meditation on art, love and loss.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

medium noun

¹ means of expressing/communicating sth

ADJ. communication Radio is an important communication medium in many countries. | mass | print, written

PREP. through the ~ of The government communicates through the medium of television.

PHRASES a medium of communication

² sth used for a particular purpose

ADJ. storage An optical disk is just another kind of electronic storage medium.

PREP. ~ for she used her novels as a medium for encouraging political debate. | ~ of the medium of study

PHRASES a medium of instruction (= a language used for teaching) English is the medium of instruction in many African countries.

³ material/form that an artist, etc. uses

ADJ. mixed media mixed media artwork

PREP. through a/the ~ | ~ of to express yourself through the medium of paint/poetry/drama

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meeting noun

¹ when people come together to discuss/decide sth

QUANT. series

MEETING + VERB go ahead, take place It is unclear whether the meeting will go ahead as planned. | be aimed at sth a meeting aimed at restoring peace in the region | begin, open, proceed, start | adjourn The meeting adjourned for coffee at eleven. | break up The meeting broke up after a row over whether to allow cameras in. | close, end The meeting closed on a sour note. | vote The meeting voted 423?133 in favour of a strike. | discuss sth | agree to sth, approve sth | condemn sth | urge sth This meeting urges the company to reconsider its decision to close the factory. | express sth The meeting expressed concern that the problem had still not been addressed. | hear sth The meeting heard that two workers had been sacked on the spot with no official reason given. | conclude sth, decide sth, resolve sth | drag (on) The meeting dragged into the early hours of the next day.

MEETING + NOUN house, place

PREP. in a/the ~ I'm afraid Mrs Haley is in a meeting at the moment. | ~ about a meeting about the plans for a new road | ~ between a meeting between tutors and students | ~ for a meeting for parents | ~ over Directors called a crisis meeting over the future of the company. | ~ with a meeting with French officials

PHRASES the purpose of a meeting, the minutes of a meeting The secretary circulated the minutes of the previous week's meeting to all committee members. | the outcome/result of a meeting

² coming together of two or more people

VERB + MEETING have

PREP. ~ with I had a chance meeting with an old schoolfriend last week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meet verb

¹ come together

ADV. first the place where they had first met | regularly | never | up We met up after school.

VERB + MEET arrange to | chance to, happen to A year or so later I happened to meet him again.

PREP. for I arranged to meet her for lunch. | with Management will meet with union representatives next week. I met up with my friends in town.

PHRASES look forward to meeting sb I look forward to meeting you next week. | nice/pleased to meet you (= a greeting used when you meet sb for the first time)

² satisfy sth

ADV. head-on Thet were determined to meet the challenge head-on.

VERB + MEET be able to, can | be unable to, fail to He had failed to meet his performance targets. | be designed to, be tailored to The course is designed to meet the needs of young learners.

³ sb's eyes/gaze/look

ADV. levelly, squarely, unflinchingly, without flinching Leonora met his gaze without flinching. | fleetingly | challengingly, determinedly

PREP. ~ across Their eyes met across the crowded room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mellow adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, grow

ADV. extremely, very | beautifully, delightfully, wonderfully a delightfully mellow flavour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

melody noun

ADJ. beautiful, lovely, sweet | bold, simple, strong | complex | haunting, memorable | familiar, popular, traditional

VERB + MELODY play, sing | hear | have Most of her songs have a bold melody. | write

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

membership noun

ADJ. associate, corporate, full, honorary, temporary | club, party, union to apply for union membership

VERB + MEMBERSHIP apply for | renew | grant sb | resign He has resigned his membership of the club.

MEMBERSHIP + NOUN fee

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

member noun

VERB + MEMBER become | resign as

MEMBER + VERB join sth | resign

MEMBER + NOUN country, nation, state

PHRASES a member of staff All members of staff will receive a pay rise.

PREP. ~ of I've become a member of our local sports club.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

membrane noun

ADJ. thin | permeable, semi-permeable | cell | cellular | mucous

MEMBRANE + VERB surround sth

MEMBRANE + NOUN wall

PREP. through a/the ~ The virus then passes through the cell membrane.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

memento noun

ADJ. family, personal | permanent

VERB + MEMENTO be presented with, receive

PREP. as a ~ They gave him a watch as a memento of his time with the company. | ~ for The director will be presented with a memento for his long years of service. | ~ from a memento from his dear friends | ~ of The photos will be a permanent memento of your wedding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

memoirs noun

ADJ. political the market for political memoirs

VERB + MEMOIRS publish, write | read

PREP. in your ~ She describes in her memoirs how she coped with her mother's death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

memorable adj.

VERBS be It was a truly memorable experience.

ADV. extremely, most, particularly, truly, very one particularly memorable evening last year

PREP. for The holiday was memorable for the food.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

memorandum noun

ADJ. internal | confidential, private, secret | brief | detailed | explanatory, factual

QUANT. copy

VERB + MEMORANDUM draft, draw up, prepare, write | issue, send, submit | sign | date The memorandum was dated 23 August, 2001. | leak

MEMORANDUM + VERB set sth out

PREP. in a/the ~ Refer to the terms set out in the company's memorandum. | ~ from, ~ of your memorandum of 18 February, 2001 | ~ on, ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

memorial noun

ADJ. lasting, permanent The statue is a lasting memorial to those who died in the war. | fitting | war

VERB + MEMORIAL build, erect, put up | unveil

MEMORIAL + VERB commemorate sb/sth | stand The memorial stands on the village green.

MEMORIAL + NOUN ceremony, service a memorial service for sailors drowned at sea

PREP. ~ for a memorial for victims of the air crash | ~ to The prime minister today unveiled a memorial to those who died in the disaster.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

memory noun

¹ ability to remember

ADJ. excellent, good, long, prodigious, retentive | bad, poor, short | long-term, short-term His short-term memory was damaged in the accident. | visual Bad spellers have a weak visual memory. | photographic

VERB + MEMORY jog, refresh Seeing your name in the paper jogged my memory. | lose Most people start to lose their memory as they get older. | commit sth to I committed the number to memory and threw the letter away.

PREP. from ~ He recited the whole poem from memory. | ~ for I have a good memory for faces.

PHRASES in living/recent memory the coldest winter in living memory

² thought of the past

ADJ. childhood, early My earliest childhood memory is of falling in a pond in winter. | dim, distant, fading, hazy, vague | clear, vivid | affectionate, fond, good, happy, lovely, nostalgic, pleasant, positive, precious, sweet, warm, wonderful | bitter-sweet | bad, bitter, disturbing, embarrassing, horrific, painful, sad, traumatic, unhappy, unpleasant | abiding, enduring, lasting, lingering My abiding memory of our first meeting is of a girl too shy to talk.

VERB + MEMORY bring back, evoke, rekindle, revive, stir (up) | blot out He tried to blot out his memories of the ordeal.

MEMORY + VERB come flooding back, flood back When we visited my old family home, memories came flooding back. | fade

PREP. in ~ of He planted some apple trees in memory of his wife. | ~ from Smells and tastes often evoke memories from the past. | ~ of fond memories of her childhood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

memo noun

ADJ. internal

QUANT. copy

VERB + MEMO draft, write | circulate, send (out) | receive | sign | leak

MEMO + NOUN pad

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ from, ~ of my memo of 28 June, 2001 | ~ on A memo on the curriculum changes from the Head of Education. | ~ to She ciurculated a memo to the staff.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

menace noun

¹ danger

ADJ. growing, increased, increasing the growing menace of drugs | serious

VERB + MENACE pose the menace posed by car fumes | combat, counter Shop owners are struggling to combat the menace of armed robbery.

PREP. ~ to He's a menace to society.

² threatening quality

ADJ. hidden, quiet, silent ‘Where do you think you're going?’ he said with quiet menace.

PREP. with ~ eyes glittering with menace

PHRASES an air of menace The scar down his face added to his air of menace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

menacing adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become

ADV. almost His voice was quiet and almost menacing. | faintly, rather, slightly She had a slightly menacing manner. | darkly darkly menacing alleys | quietly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meningitis noun

ADJ. acute | bacterial, meningococcal, viral

QUANT. case

VERB + MENINGITIS have, suffer from He is suffering from viral meningitis. | catch, contract > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

menopause noun

ADJ. early | male The male menopause is said to affect men who are approaching middle age.

VERB + MENOPAUSE reach | go through

PREP. at the ~, after/past the ~ a disease that can afflict women past the menopause | during the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mention noun

ADJ. brief, passing | special | earliest, first The earliest mention of the village is in a 16th-century manuscript.

VERB + MENTION deserve My cousin deserves a mention for all his hard work. | get, receive His professor gets a mention in the acknowledgements. | make Special mention must be made of Yuki Yamagishi's wonderful performance as the doctor. | hear I've heard no mention of a salary increase this year.

PREP. at the ~ of At the very mention of his name, Kate started shaking with fright.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mention verb

ADV. already, earlier, just, previously, so far As already mentioned, the legislation does not consider low pay as an acceptable reason for turning down a job. This aspect is discussed further by Crane, whom I mentioned earlier. All the approaches mentioned so far are fairly conventional. | commonly, frequently | rarely, seldom | briefly, in passing He only mentioned his work in passing. | casually I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad. | directly, explicitly, expressly, specifically She did not specifically mention your name. | inadvertently | barely, hardly, scarcely | not actually, not at all Although she didn't actually mention the move, I am sure that was in her mind. My name wasn't mentioned at all.

VERB + MENTION fail to, forget to, omit to

PREP. as Next spring has been mentioned as a possible time for the event. | in She didn't mention the economy in her speech. | in connection with sth I was very angry when I saw my name mentioned in connection with an incident that had absolutely nothing to do with me. | to Please don't mention this to Sally.

PHRASES avoid mentioning sb/sth He avoided mentioning his family. | be worth mentioning sth At this point, it is worth mentioning that many people who were adopted as babies have no desire to meet their biological parents. | mentioned above/below In the example mentioned above, either method of construction could have been used. | mentioned in dispatches Wounded in action, he was twice mentioned in dispatches. | mention the fact that … , not to mention (= used to add extra information) He has two big houses in this country, not to mention his villa in France. | now you come to mention it Now that you come to mention it, he did say something about a ghost. | to mention but a few plumbers, printers, dyers, glaziers and potters, to mention but a few

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

menu noun

¹ list of dishes

VERB + MENU consult, have, look at, read, see, study May we have the menu? | do, have, offer Many restaurants do a very reasonable set menu at lunchtime. | choose (sth) from, order (sth) from | plan

MENU + VERB offer sth a menu offering many vegetarian dishes

MENU + NOUN board The chef was chalking the daily specials on the menu board.

PREP. on the ~ What's on the menu this evening?

PHRASES a choice of menu Passengers are offered a daily choice of menu.

² on a computer

ADJ. pop-up, pull-down | main | sub | edit, file, options, etc.

VERB + MENU select sth from

MENU + NOUN bar | item, option > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mercenary noun

ADJ. foreign

QUANT. army, band a small army of mercenaries

VERB + MERCENARY employ, hire, recruit | pay

MERCENARY + NOUN army

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

merchandise noun

ADJ. general

QUANT. piece a substandard piece of merchandise

VERB + MERCHANDISE buy, purchase | carry, sell The company carries a wide range of merchandise.

PHRASES a range of merchandise

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

merchant noun

ADJ. prosperous, rich, wealthy | powerful, prominent, substantial, successful | foreign, local | builders', coal, corn, timber, wine, wool We bought a ton of sand from the builders' merchant.

MERCHANT + NOUN fleet, marine, seaman, ship, shipping, vessel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mercy noun

ADJ. divine, infinite God's infinite mercy

VERB + MERCY ask for, beg for, plead for, scream for | have, show (sb) God have mercy on us! They showed no mercy to their captives.

MERCY + NOUN dash, flight, mission Aid agencies are making mercy flights into the flood region. | killing

PREP. at the ~ of We're at the mercy of the weather. | without ~ The terrorists are completely without mercy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

merger noun

ADJ. proposed

VERB + MERGER plan | agree | carry out

MERGER + VERB go through If the merger goes through, thousands of jobs will be lost.

MERGER + NOUN activity | proposal | negotiations | agreement

PREP. ~ between the merger between Lake Biscuits and D M Confectionery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

merit noun

ADJ. considerable, exceptional, great, outstanding | aesthetic, architectural, artistic, literary The film has no artistic merit whatsoever. | relative We need to consider the relative merits of both makes of cooker. | individual Each case should be judged on its individual merits.

VERB + MERIT have | argue, assess, consider, debate, discuss, judge We need to assess the merits of both proposals before making our decision.

MERIT + NOUN award She received a merit award for outstanding work.

PREP. according to ~ Films are given a rating of one to five stars according to merit. | on ~ Prizes are awarded entirely on merit.

PHRASES no merit in doing sth I can see no merit in excluding the child from school. | order of merit The winners are ranked in order of merit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

merit verb

ADV. certainly, clearly | hardly The question hardly merits an answer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

message noun

¹ from one person to another

VERB + MESSAGE convey, give sb, pass on, relay He's not here?I'll pass on the message. | take She's out?can I take a message? | carry, deliver, take sb | send, transmit | leave (sb) I left a message for her at reception. | get, receive I never got your message.

MESSAGE + VERB come | say sth, tell sb sth

PREP. ~ about There was a message about the meeting. | ~ for Are there any messages for me? | ~ from a urgent message from your mother | ~ of They sent messages of hope to prisoners of war. | ~ to The message was to your sister, not you.

² main idea of a book, speech, etc.

VERB + MESSAGE spread spreading the message of the Bible | drive home, get/put across We need to get this important message across to teenage smokers. | reinforce

MESSAGE + VERB emerge A clear message is emerging from these government statements.

PREP. ~ of The president toured the country spreading the message of national unity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mess noun

VERB + MESS leave, make Must you always leave such a mess? She felt she was making a terrible mess of her life. | clean up, clear up, tidy up, wipe up | feel I felt a mess. | look | create, get sb into Who got us into this mess in the first place? | deal with, get sb out of, sort out

PREP. in a ~ The kitchen's in an awful mess. | ~ of There was a soggy mess of porridge on the table.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

metal noun

QUANT. lump, piece, strip

VERB + METAL be cast from/in, be made from/(out) of a statue cast in metal The doors are made of metal. | recycle

METAL + VERB contract, expand | rust

METAL + NOUN alloy | band, bar, box, frame, mesh, plate, rod, sheet | fatigue | detector

PREP. in ~ a sculptor who works in metal

PHRASES the clang/clash of metal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

metaphor noun

ADJ. appropriate, apt, striking | mixed

VERB + METAPHOR use He uses the metaphor of fire to represent hatred.

METAPHOR + VERB describe sth, represent sth

PREP. ~ for ‘This vale of tears’ is a metaphor for the human condition. | ~ of the metaphor of life as a journey

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

meter noun

ADJ. electricity, gas, light, moisture, parking, sound-level, water | card, prepayment, slot, token The token meter is operated by tokens costing £1 or £5.

VERB + METER read The electricity company will send an employee to read your meter. | fit, install

METER + VERB tick The taxi waited, its motor running, the meter ticking away.

METER + NOUN reader, reading | box, cupboard

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

method noun

VERB + METHOD adopt, employ, follow, use the method adopted by the party for the selection of its candidates | develop, devise, work out | change, improve

METHOD + VERB involve sth This method involves cutting a very thin slice from the object. | work How does this method work?

PREP. ~ for an alternative method for resolving disputes | ~ of This is the best method of settling such arguments.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

metre noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

microphone noun

ADJ. extension, radio, stick, tie-clip | built-in, camcorder | omnidirectional, unidirectional | hidden

VERB + MICROPHONE speak into, use | check, test

MICROPHONE + VERB pick sth up, record sth the microphone picks up the surrounding sounds

MICROPHONE + NOUN socket | stand

PREP. behind a/the ~ John Peel is back behind the microphone for a new series. | in front of a/the ~ Interviewees are placed in front of the microphone and grilled.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

microscope noun

ADJ. binocular, electron, optical

MICROSCOPE + NOUN slide Place the specimen on a microscope slide.

PREP. through a/the ~ a section of a potato as seen through a microscope | under a/the ~ examining bacteria under the microscope

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

middle age noun

ADJ. early | late a woman of late middle age | comfortable He settled into comfortable middle age.

VERB + MIDDLE AGE approach a bald man approaching middle age | reach

PREP. in ~ He mellowed in middle age.

PHRASES well into middle age She had her first child well into middle age.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

middle-aged adj.

VERBS be, feel, look She felt middle-aged and dull. | become

ADV. prematurely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

middleman noun

VERB + MIDDLEMAN act as, be | cut out Some factories have cut out the middleman and sell their products directly to customers.

PREP. through a ~ The firm sells through a middleman because it does not have its own sales force. | ~ for He acts as middleman for companies seeking contracts abroad.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

midnight noun

VERB + MIDNIGHT chime, strike The church clock struck midnight.

MIDNIGHT + VERB chime, strike Downstairs in the hall, midnight struck.

MIDNIGHT + NOUN feast | blue

PREP. around ~, at ~, by ~

PHRASES on the stroke of midnight On the stroke of midnight, Prince Charming turned back into a rat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

midwife noun

ADJ. qualified, registered | community, local

MIDWIFE + VERB examine sb | deliver a baby > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

migraine noun

ADJ. severe

VERB + MIGRAINE get, have, suffer from | bring on, trigger Even the smell of oranges can trigger his migraine.

MIGRAINE + NOUN headache | attack > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

migrant noun

ADJ. economic | illegal | rural

MIGRANT + NOUN labourer, worker entering the country as migrant workers | population | bird

PREP. ~ from migrants from rural areas | ~ into, ~ to Migrants to the city send money home to their relatives.

PHRASES a flow/an influx of migrants

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

migrate verb

ADV. north, northwards, etc. birds that migrate south in the winter | seasonally

PREP. from, into, to migrating from Europe to Africa

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

migration noun

ADJ. seasonal the seasonal migration of birds | internal, inward | international | mass

QUANT. wave the great waves of migration that took Europeans to the New World

MIGRATION + VERB occur | increase

MIGRATION + NOUN path, pattern, route changes in the migration routes of reindeer

PREP. ~ from, ~ to migration from rural to urban areas

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mild adj.

¹ not very cold

VERBS be | turn Towards the end of the week the weather turned very mild. | remain

ADV. very | quite, relatively It's quite mild for the time of year. | surprisingly, unseasonably, unusually The late summer air was surprisingly mild.

² not severe or strong

VERBS be, seem The infection seems quite mild, so she should be better soon.

ADV. very | comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively a fairly mild flavour

³ gentle and kind

VERBS be, sound His voice was deceptively mild.

ADV. seemingly | deceptively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mileage noun

ADJ. annual, weekly | high, low Car for sale: one careful owner, low mileage. | unlimited Your car hire costs include unlimited mileage.

VERB + MILEAGE cover, do There was no record of the mileage the car had done.

MILEAGE + NOUN allowance The company gives a generous mileage allowance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

milestone noun

ADJ. important, significant

VERB + MILESTONE pass, reach The company passed the £6 million milestone this year. | celebrate, mark

PREP. ~ in The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema. | ~ for a milestone for French technology

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mile noun

ADJ. nautical

VERB + MILE cover, cycle, do, drive, go, ride, run, travel, trudge, walk Fell-runners who are out to win can cover the three miles in just over 15 minutes. | clock (up) Altogether on the trip we clocked up over 1,800 miles.

PHRASES miles an/per hour The police stopped them doing 100 miles per hour on the motorway. > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

militant adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very The women on the march were highly militant. | increasingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

military noun the military

VERB + MILITARY serve in I wasn't surprised to learn that he'd served in the military. | call in The government called in the military to deal with the riots.

MILITARY + VERB seize/take power

PREP. among/in/within ~ reports of growing discontent among the military

PHRASES a member of the military

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

militia noun

ADJ. armed a highly armed militia | voluntary, volunteer | local | government

VERB + MILITIA join, serve in | raise, recruit | create, form, set up The anarchists started to form volunteer militias. | train | disarm, disband

MILITIA + NOUN forces, group, unit | commander, leader

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

milk noun

QUANT. litre, pint | bottle, carton, cup, glass, jug

PHRASES the top of the milk (= the creamy part at the top of a milk bottle)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mill noun

¹ for making flour

ADJ. corn, flour | water (also watermill)

VERB + MILL operate, work | convert, restore living in a converted watermill | drive, power The river was harnessed to drive many mills.

MILL + VERB grind sth, work sth The mill can be seen grinding corn.

MILL + NOUN house | wheel

² factory

ADJ. cotton, paper, steel, textile, woollen

VERB + MILL operate, own, run | work in

MILL + VERB manufacture sth, produce sth

MILL + NOUN town a northern mill town | buildings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mimic verb

ADV. accurately, closely The computer model is able to mimic very closely the actions of a golfer. | exactly, perfectly She could mimic her father perfectly.

VERB + MIMIC try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mind noun

ADJ. human the complex nature of the human mind | conscious, subconscious, unconscious Our subconscious mind tries to protect us. | best, brilliant, finest a problem that has defeated the world's finest minds | agile, enquiring, lively | open Try to keep an open mind until you've heard all the facts. | impressionable influencing impressionable young minds | one-track Honestly, all you ever talk about is sex?you've got a one-track mind!

VERB + MIND come into, come to, cross, flash across/into, go through, spring to The thought never crossed my mind! I'm sure someone can help you, but no one immediately springs to mind. | bear in, keep in Bear in mind the age of the vehicle when assessing its value. Here are some important points to keep in mind … | slip I'm sorry I forgot your birthday?it completely slipped my mind. | be imprinted on, stick in terrible images that will be imprinted on our minds for ever | prey on It's been preying on my mind ever since it happened. | occupy He occupied his mind by playing cards against himself.

MIND + VERB wander Her mind began to wander. | race His mind raced, trying to think of a way out of the situation. | be in a turmoil, reel Her mind was still reeling from the shock.

PREP. in your ~ You've been in my mind a lot lately. | in ~ I'll keep what you say in mind. | on your ~ I've got a lot on my mind at the moment.

PHRASES at/in the back of your mind The problem was always at the back of my mind. | at/in the forefront of your mind Try to keep safety in the forefront of your mind at all times. | a frame/state of mind He's in rather a negative frame of mind. | have sth in mind What kind of party do you have in mind? | in the recesses of your mind It was something she had never imagined, not even in the deepest recesses of her mind. | mind and body refreshed in mind and body | no doubt in your mind There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that he was guilty. | uppermost in your mind Their own problems of course remained uppermost in their minds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mind verb

ADV. bitterly, terribly, very much They had thought the boys wouldn't mind sharing; as it turned out, they minded bitterly. Would you mind terribly if I went on my own? | not a bit, not at all I don't mind at all telling people my age. | not greatly, not much, not really Nobody really minded much about what happened to them.

VERB + MIND not seem to His parents didn't seem to mind that he dropped out of university.

PREP. about I didn't mind about the money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

minefield noun

¹ area where there are mines

VERB + MINEFIELD advance into/through, enter

² situation full of difficulties

ADJ. legal, political Suggesting changes to the benefits system would be a political minefield.

VERB + MINEFIELD negotiate, pick your way through You will first have to pick your way through the minefield of professional advice.

PREP. ~ for Tax is a minefield for the unwary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mineral noun

ADJ. essential, vital | trace | rare | industrial

VERB + MINERAL be rich in, contain foods that are rich in essential minerals | extract to extract minerals from ores | absorb

MINERAL + VERB be found in sth, be present in sth calcium and other minerals found in your bones

MINERAL + NOUN deposits, resources, wealth | exploitation, exploration, extraction, working

PHRASES vitamins and minerals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miner noun

ADJ. coal, copper, gold, lead, tin, uranium, etc. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mine noun

¹ for coal, etc.

ADJ. coal, copper, diamond, salt, tin, etc. | deep, drift, opencast | abandoned, disused

VERB + MINE operate, run, work | go down, work at/down/in At 14, he went down the mines.

MINE + VERB produce sth At its peak, the mine produced 5,000 tons of coal a day.

MINE + NOUN shaft (also mineshaft), workings flooded mine workings | owner

² explosive device

ADJ. anti-personnel, land, limpet

VERB + MINE lay, plant soldiers laying anti-personnel mines | clear, dispose of, remove The troops are slowly clearing the mines. | detonate, hit, set off, strike

MINE + VERB blow up, explode, go off

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mingle verb

ADV. freely The prince mingled freely with the crowd. | together a lot of emotions all mingled together

PREP. with She felt fear mingled with excitement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

minimum noun

ADJ. absolute, bare, very | agreed, guaranteed | recommended | legal, mandatory, required, statutory

VERB + MINIMUM keep sth to, reduce sth to Two fire crews managed to keep damage to a minimum. | reach The sun's temperature reached a minimum in the summer of 1981. | exceed | regard sth as A temperature of 121°C is regarded as the minimum necessary to achieve sterility.

PREP. above (the) ~, at (a/the) ~ Candidates must have a first degree at a minimum. | below (the) ~, down to a ~ We tried to keep costs down to a minimum. | ~ of a minimum of £20 a minimum of fuss

PHRASES the minimum acceptable/necessary/needed/required, the minimum possible He's always done the minimum possible to pass his exams. | with the minimum of delay/discomfort/disruption/effort/fuss/risk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

minister noun

¹ member of the government

ADJ. prime | chief, principal Queen Elizabeth's chief minister, Lord Burghley | deputy | junior, senior | cabinet, departmental, EU, Foreign Office, government, Home Office | defence, education, environment, finance, foreign, health, interior, transport, etc. | relevant, responsible Local authorities should submit schemes to the relevant minister for approval. | former, outgoing

VERB + MINISTER appoint (sb), appoint sb as, nominate (sb), nominate sb as | elect (sb), elect sb as | dismiss (sb as) | serve as He served briefly as prime minister from 1920 to 1921. | lobby, persuade, urge lobbying the Transport Minister over the issue | advise, consult, instruct | accuse, criticize

MINISTER + VERB resign, retire | be accountable to sb, be responsible for sth Ministers are accountable to Parliament. the minister responsible for the health service | announce sth, unveil sth | agree (to) sth, approve sth, decide sth, endorse sth | intervene (in sth) The foreign minister intervened with disastrous results.

PREP. ~ for the new minister for the Arts | ~ of A new minister of defence had been appointed. > See PRIME MINISTER

² priest

ADJ. church | Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Nonconformist, Presbyterian

VERB + MINISTER ordain (sb), ordain sb as He was ordained minister of a small rural congregation.

PHRASES a minister of religion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ministry noun

ADJ. government | Agriculture, Defence, Education, Environment, Finance, Foreign (Affairs), Health, Interior, Justice, Transport, etc. | key He assumed direct control of key ministries.

VERB + MINISTRY run | take over The president took over the Ministry of Justice. | create

MINISTRY + VERB approve sth, support sth The scheme was approved by the Ministry of Housing. | control sth | own sth on ministry-owned land

MINISTRY + NOUN official, spokesperson

PREP. at the ~ staff at the Greek Foreign Ministry | for a/the ~, in/within the ~ a senior man in the Ministry of Health | ~ of a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture

PHRASES a department at/in the ministry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

minority noun

ADJ. large, significant, sizeable, substantial | small, tiny | vociferous the view of a small but vociferous minority | ethnic, national, racial, religious | oppressed, persecuted

VERB + MINORITY belong to | discriminate against

MINORITY + NOUN opinion, view | community, group | government

PREP. among a/the ~ You are definitely among the minority. | from a/the~ people from ethnic minorities | in a/the ~ We are in the minority on this issue. | ~ of a sizeable minority of the population

PHRASES only a minority Only a tiny minority of holidays are affected.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

minor adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, very This is a very minor operation and there is very little risk involved. | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively That's a relatively minor matter. We can leave it till later. | apparently, seemingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

minute noun

¹ one sixtieth of an hour

VERB + MINUTE last, take

MINUTE + VERB pass, tick by The minutes ticked by and still nothing happened.

MINUTE + NOUN hand the minute hand on the clock

PREP. after … ~s After twenty minutes I started to get worried. | for … ~s We waited for ten minutes and then left. | in … ~s The film starts in ten minutes. | ~s past four minutes past two | ~s to ten minutes to three > Note at MEASURE

² moment

ADJ. last Don't leave everything till the last minute.

VERB + MINUTE hang on, hold on, wait Could you wait a minute, please? | have, spare Do you have a minute, Miss Brown? Can you spare a minute? | take This will only take a minute.

PREP. in a ~ I'll be with you in a minute. | within ~s The ship sank within minutes.

PHRASES just a minute, the minute sth happens Tell him I want to see him the minute he arrives. | not for a minute I never thought for a minute he'd refuse. | this minute Come here this minute!

³ minutes: written record of what is said at a meeting

VERB + MINUTE keep, take Who's going to take the minutes? | circulate | read | agree, approve, sign | write up I wrote up the minutes of the meeting and circulated them by email.

PHRASES the minutes of a meeting > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miracle noun

ADJ. great | minor The letter's survival is something of a minor miracle. | economic

VERB + MIRACLE perform, work Don't expect this medicine to work miracles. | believe in | ask for, expect, hope for, pray for | need, take It would take a miracle to get the old car going again.

MIRACLE + VERB happen, occur

MIRACLE + NOUN worker | cure

PREP. by a ~ By a miracle she escaped serious injury.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miraculous adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. quite Something quite miraculous happened. | almost, near a near miraculous escape | apparently

PHRASES little/nothing short of miraculous a transformation that was little short of miraculous

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mirage noun

VERB + MIRAGE see | chase (figurative) Perhaps we are all just chasing a mirage.

MIRAGE + VERB vanish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mirror noun

ADJ. bathroom, hand, shaving, wardrobe | full-length | gilt-framed, ornate | two-way He watched them through a two-way mirror. | driving, rear, rear-view, wing Always check your mirror before pulling out to overtake.

VERB + MIRROR glance in, look in/into | admire yourself in, examine yourself in, look at yourself/your face in He was busy admiring himself in the wardrobe mirror. | sit at, stand in front of | check | catch sight of sb/sth in, see sb/sth in | fix, hang We hung a mirror over the fireplace. | break, crack

MIRROR + VERB reflect sth

MIRROR + NOUN image Art can be seen as a mirror image of society.

PREP. in a/the ~ She stared at her face in the mirror.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miscalculate verb

ADV. badly, seriously The government has seriously miscalculated the economic effect of this policy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miscalculation noun

ADJ. grave, serious, terrible | financial, political

VERB + MISCALCULATION make

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miscarriage noun

ADJ. early | threatened | spontaneous

VERB + MISCARRIAGE have, suffer | cause, induce | end in Her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage.

PHRASES a risk of miscarriage Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mischief noun

QUANT. glint, hint There was a glint of mischief in her eyes.

VERB + MISCHIEF cause, do, make Such people will do anything they can to make mischief. | get into/up to Don't get up to any mischief while we're out. | keep/stay out of Try to stay out of mischief, will you?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misconception noun

ADJ. common, popular | basic | major

VERB + MISCONCEPTION have | give rise to, lead to | break down, correct, dispel We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.

MISCONCEPTION + VERB be based on sth, stem from sth | grow up A number of misconceptions have grown up around this theory.

PREP. ~ about popular misconceptions about Aids

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misconduct noun

ADJ. alleged | gross, serious She was sacked last year for gross misconduct. | financial, professional, sexual

VERB + MISCONDUCT dismiss sb for, sack sb for | deny The directors all deny financial misconduct.

PREP. ~ by allegations of misconduct by the security forces | ~ on the part of There was no misconduct on the part of the police.

PHRASES on (the) grounds of misconduct Staff can lose their jobs only on grounds of professional misconduct. > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miserable adj.

VERBS be, feel, look We got home feeling tired and miserable. | become

ADV. bloody (taboo), damned, dead, intensely, really, very | thoroughly, utterly | pretty, quite, rather

PREP. about feeling utterly miserable about his exams

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misery noun

ADJ. abject, deep, extreme, great, real, sheer, untold This phobia can cause untold misery for the sufferer. | complete Her misery was made complete when she was separated from her children. | personal | human | economic the country's economic misery

VERB + MISERY be full of, be wrapped (up) in, endure, feel, live in, sink into, suffer He was too wrapped in misery to reply. I sank deeper into my misery. men who suffer the misery of unemployment | bring (sb), cause (sb), create The money brought him nothing but misery. | add to, heap, prolong War has now added to the misery of these starving people. The giant-killers heaped more misery on the home team. | alleviate, ease, relieve ways to alleviate human misery | put sb/sth out of In the end we asked the vet to put the poor creature out of its misery (= kill it humanely). (humorous) Oh, put her out of her misery?tell her who won. | spare sb At least we were spared the misery of having to do it all again. | forget

PREP. ~ of the sheer misery of homelessness

PHRASES a feeling of misery, make sb's life a misery His constant criticism made her life a misery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misfire verb

ADV. badly Unfortunately their plan misfired badly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misfortune noun

ADJ. great | sheer

VERB + MISFORTUNE be dogged by, have, suffer The expedition was dogged by misfortune. I had the misfortune to share a room with someone who snored loudly.

MISFORTUNE + VERB befall sb, strike Misfortune struck before they had even left the harbour.

PHRASES be sb's misfortune He is the rudest man it has ever been my misfortune to meet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misgivings noun

ADJ. considerable, deep, grave, great, serious

VERB + MISGIVINGS be filled with, harbour, have | express I felt I had to express my misgivings about her decision. | share She shared my misgivings about the planned weekend. | allay, quell

MISGIVINGS + VERB be/prove unfounded, be/prove well-founded

PREP. despite/in spite of sb's ~ He agreed, despite his misgivings. | with ~ I viewed the process with grave misgivings. | ~ about She had serious misgivings about the whole affair, but they proved unfounded. | ~ at He had considerable misgivings at the prospect of moving jobs. | ~ over The local people still harboured considerable misgivings over the flood of workers into their village.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misguided adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. entirely, quite, totally | rather, somewhat | fundamentally Their approach to the problem is fundamentally misguided.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mishap noun

ADJ. serious | minor, slight

QUANT. series The group suffered an extraordinary series of minor mishaps.

VERB + MISHAP have, suffer I'm afraid your son had a slight mishap in the playground. | avoid, prevent

PREP. without ~ We reached home without mishap.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misinformation noun

QUANT. piece

VERB + MISINFORMATION feed sb, spread The public have been fed misinformation about the health risks. | be based on

PREP. ~ about/on misinformation about Soviet policy

PHRASES a campaign of misinformation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misinform verb

PREP. about The parents had been misinformed about the incident.

PHRASES be badly misinformed It became clear that the general had been badly misinformed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misinterpret verb

ADV. grossly | deliberately

VERB + MISINTERPRET be easy to It would be easy to misinterpret results from such a small sample.

PREP. as I realized that what I'd said could be misinterpreted as criticism.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misjudge verb

ADV. badly, seriously | completely | easily Quantities are easily misjudged.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misleading adj.

VERBS appear, be

ADV. extremely, grossly, highly, positively, profoundly, seriously, very | completely, entirely, totally, wholly | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | potentially | deliberately Her statement was deliberately misleading. | dangerously Some of the information was dangerously misleading.

PREP. about The brochure was extremely misleading about the cost of the holiday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mislead verb

VERB + MISLEAD attempt to, try to | be liable to Statistics taken on their own are liable to mislead.

PREP. about Parliament has been totally misled about this affair. | into The company misled hundreds of people into investing their money unwisely.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mismanagement noun

ADJ. economic, financial | gross

VERB + MISMANAGEMENT uncover An investigation uncovered mismanagement and a lack of proper financial controls.

PREP. through ~ The project collapsed through financial mismanagement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mismanage verb

ADV. badly, seriously The prison service has been badly mismanaged in recent years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misplaced adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem

ADV. entirely, quite, totally, wholly Her confidence in him was entirely misplaced. | not altogether | largely | rather | sadly His optimism proved sadly misplaced.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misread verb

ADV. completely, totally I had completely misread his intentions.

PREP. as I misread ‘Mrs’ as ‘Mr’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misrepresent verb

ADV. grossly, seriously | completely | deliberately | easily Think carefully about what you say: your views could be easily misrepresented by the press.

PREP. as Ecstasy is widely misrepresented as a soft drug.

PHRASES be widely misrepresented

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

missile noun

¹ explosive weapon

VERB + MISSILE be armed with, carry | aim | fire, launch | intercept, shoot down | deploy strategic missiles deployed in sparsely-populated desert areas

MISSILE + VERB destroy sth, hit sth | miss sth All of the missiles missed their target.

MISSILE + NOUN base, site | attack, strike | programme, system | warhead

² object fired or thrown

VERB + MISSILE be armed with, carry, hold a crowd of youths armed with missiles that included petrol bombs | hurl, pelt sb with, throw They pelted her with eggs and various other missiles.

MISSILE + VERB hit sb/sth, strike sb/sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

missing adj.

VERBS be | go a woman who went missing three months ago | discover sb It was six hours before the seamen were discovered missing. | list sb (as), post sb (as), report sb (as) A leading businessman has been reported missing from his home.

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally The study of housework as work is a topic entirely missing from sociology. | sadly The spirit of fair play is sadly missing from the sport these days.

PREP. from The file was missing from its place.

PHRASES missing in action servicemen listed as missing in action | missing, presumed dead

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

missionary noun

ADJ. foreign | pioneer | evangelical, medical | Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Jesuit, Protestant

VERB + MISSIONARY work as | send (sb as) sending clergy as missionaries to Latin America | pray for

MISSIONARY + NOUN work | zeal He argued the case for reorganization with missionary zeal.

PREP. as a ~ He spent 15 years as a missionary in Africa.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mission noun

¹ important task

VERB + MISSION carry out, conduct, go on, undertake | accomplish, complete Our mission accomplished, we headed for home. | dispatch sb on, give, send sb on sending an aid team on a mercy mission to the earthquake zone | abandon, abort (especially of military missions) The captain instructed them to abort the mission. | fly (on) (used of military planes) He flew a total of 41 missions over Britain.

MISSION + VERB end in failure, fail Their mission ended in failure. | be a success, succeed

PREP. on a/the ~ He was often out of the office on various missions.

PHRASES mission impossible Many regard his task as mission impossible.

² team sent to perform a task

ADJ. diplomatic, military, trade

VERB + MISSION establish, set up | send

PREP. ~ to The US is sending a trade mission to China.

³ space journey

ADJ. shuttle, space, spacecraft | manned

VERB + MISSION go on, make He's been on several shuttle missions over the last decade. | abort

MISSION + NOUN control The spacecraft lost contact with mission control.

PREP. on a/the ~ experiments conducted on a space mission | ~ to a successful spacecraft mission to Venus

⁴ special aim

VERB + MISSION have He now has a mission in life: to expand the horizons of those around him.

PHRASES a man/woman with a mission You can tell by the determined way he talks that he is a man with a mission. | a sense of mission A powerful sense of mission underpins everything he does.

⁵ place where people work to help others

ADJ. Christian

VERB + MISSION establish, found | run

MISSION + NOUN work | hospital, school

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

miss verb

¹ not hit/catch/reach sth

ADV. completely | just, narrowly The plane crashed, narrowly missing a hotel.

PREP. by The bullet missed his head by only a few inches.

² not hear/see/understand

ADV. completely He completely missed the point of what I was saying.

VERB + MISS can't The station is just down this road on the left. You can't miss it.

³ feel sad because sb is not with you

ADV. dreadfully, a lot, really, terribly, very much Your father misses you dreadfully. I still miss her a lot.

PHRASES be greatly/sadly/sorely missed Anne, who died on 22 July, will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mistaken adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. badly, gravely, profoundly, sadly, seriously, very (much) You are very much mistaken if you think that people will agree to these changes. | completely, quite, utterly, wholly | somehow

PREP. about I think you're mistaken about the time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mistake noun

MISTAKE + VERB happen, occur Mistakes are bound to happen sometimes.

PREP. by ~ I picked up the wrong bag by mistake. | ~ about I made a mistake about her.

PHRASES all a mistake I kept telling myself that it was all a terrible mistake. | an easy mistake to make Don't worry about it?it's an easy mistake to make!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mistake verb

ADV. easily An unwary observer could easily mistake this constellation for a comet.

VERB + MISTAKE can't You can't mistake him. He's got long ginger hair.

PREP. for I'm sorry. I mistook you for George.

PHRASES there is no mistaking sth There was no mistaking the admiration in his eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mistress noun

QUANT. string The king kept a string of mistresses.

VERB + MISTRESS have | take | keep

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mistrust noun

ADJ. deep, profound | growing | widespread | mutual trying to overcome their mutual distrust

VERB + MISTRUST create, fuel | overcome

PREP. ~ between There is suspicion and mistrust between immigrants and the police. | ~ in The incident has increased workers' mistrust in the management. | ~ of His experience left him with a mistrust of banks. | ~ towards

PHRASES an atmosphere/a climate/a sense of mistrust Corruption creates an climate of mistrust towards authority.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mist noun

VERB + MIST be cloaked in, be covered in, be shrouded in, be wreathed in The harbour was covered in a thick mist. | disappear into, vanish in/into The little town had vanished in the mist. | emerge from, loom out of A large figure loomed out of the mist. | break through, shine through Soon the sun would break through the mist. | peer into/through | be lost in (figurative) The origins of Morris dancing are lost in the mists of time.

MIST + VERB hang, hover, lie A faint mist hung over the valley. | come down, descend When the mist comes down it comes quickly and covers everything. | clear, lift The mist had cleared by mid-morning. | drift, float, rise, roll, swirl A grey mist floated towards us. a swirling mist a thin mist rising from the river | cling to sth Early morning mist still clung to the hollows. | fill sth | cover sth, hide sth, obscure sth, shroud sth A white mist obscured the top of the hill.

PREP. in/into the ~ It was hard to make out the path in the mist. | through the ~ The cottage was scarcely visible through the mist.

PHRASES a curtain/veil of mist

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misunderstanding noun

VERB + MISUNDERSTANDING cause, give rise to, lead to | avoid I am anxious to avoid any possible misunderstanding. | clear up, correct

MISUNDERSTANDING + VERB arise, occur, result Somehow a misunderstanding arose. | be based on sth, stem from sth

PREP. ~ about There was considerable misunderstanding about the aim of the project. | ~ between There must have been some misunderstanding between the minister and his secretary. | ~ by The oversimplification results in the possibility of misunderstanding by the reader. | ~ over a slight misunderstanding over the terms of the contract

PHRASES a possibility/risk of misunderstanding, room/scope for misunderstanding Leave no scope for misunderstandings of any type.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misunderstand verb

ADV. badly | completely

PREP. as My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.

PHRASES be often/widely misunderstood, much misunderstood a charming and much misunderstood man

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misuse noun

ADJ. alleged, possible | serious | alcohol, drug, substance alcohol misuse among teenagers | computer He was sacked for computer misuse.

VERB + MISUSE prevent | investigate

PREP. through ~ causing pollution through misuse of pesticides

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

misuse verb

ADV. grossly He had grossly misused his power.

PHRASES widely misused ‘Marketing’ is a widely misused word in the book business.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mixed adj.

VERBS be

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mixture noun

VERB + MIXTURE be made from/of/with The cloth is made from a mixture of linen and cotton. | pour, spoon, spread, stir Pour the cake mixture into the tin.

MIXTURE + VERB contain sth, have sth The mixture contains some ingredients that are difficult to find.

PREP. with a ~ He looked at me with a mixture of amazement and horror. | ~ of The pond contains a mixture of goldfish and carp.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mix noun

VERB + MIX contain, have

MIX + VERB vary The precise mix will vary.

PREP. ~ of The college has a broad mix of students.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mix verb

¹ combine things

ADV. thoroughly, well Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly. | gently When the rice is cooked, gently mix in all the other ingredients. | in, together

PREP. with Mix yellow with blue to make green.

PHRASES mix and match/pick and mix (= combine things in different ways for different purposes) You can mix and match courses to suit your requirements.

² meet people

ADV. easily, well a child who mixes well at school | freely Whites and blacks mixed freely at dance halls and clubs. | happily | socially They had attended university together and often mixed socially.

PREP. with She mixed happily with the other children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moan noun

ADJ. faint, little, small, soft | deep, low

VERB + MOAN give, let out, make | hear

MOAN + VERB escape sb A low moan of despair escaped her as she realized what had gone wrong.

PREP. with a ~ He staggered about ten yards and fell down with a moan. | ~ of

PHRASES a moan of pleasure/despair, the moan of the wind > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moan verb

¹ make a low sound of pain/pleasure

ADV. loudly | quietly, softly

PREP. in He moaned in despair. | with She was still conscious and was moaning loudly with pain.

² complain

ADV. on They kept moaning on about their illnesses.

PREP. about What are you moaning about now? | at My parents moan at me if I'm home late. | to She's always moaning to me that she hasn't got enough money.

PHRASES moan and groan The unwilling children climbed into the bus, moaning and groaning.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mobile adj.

VERBS be | become, get Babies start to get mobile around the age of eight months. | remain

ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, freely, highly, very | fully The barbecue is fully mobile. | increasingly | fairly, quite, relatively She remained fairly mobile despite her disabilities. | geographically, socially a geographically mobile population | downwardly, upwardly downwardly mobile members of society | internationally internationally mobile investment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mobility noun

VERB + MOBILITY have She has limited mobility in her arms.

PHRASES mobility of labour The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mobilize verb

ADV. effectively, successfully

PREP. against They successfully mobilized public opinion against him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mob noun

ADJ. angry, hostile, unruly | lynch

VERB + MOB break up, disperse

MOB + VERB attack sb/sth, set upon sb, surround sb/sth | chant (sth), shout (sth) a mob of chanting fans

MOB + NOUN rule the lawless days of mob rule and anarchy | violence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mock verb

ADV. bitterly, ruthlessly, scornfully | gently, softly ‘Too scary for you?’ he mocked softly. | subtly The play subtly mocks the conventions of courtly love.

PREP. at He mocked at her hopes of stardom. | for mocking him for his failure | with She mocked him with her smile.

PHRASES faintly/slightly mocking a faintly mocking smile

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

model noun

¹ copy of sth

ADJ. full-scale, scale | three-dimensional | detailed | working | clay, plastic, wooden, etc.

VERB + MODEL assemble (used of models that you buy in a lot of parts), build, construct, make

MODEL + NOUN aeroplane, car

PREP. ~ of She made a fantastic clay model of her dog.

² type of product

ADJ. de luxe, popular, standard | latest, new

VERB + MODEL do, make, produce They do several other models of washing machine. | sell | design, develop | recall They're recalling their new model for modifications to the engine.

³ example

ADJ. excellent, good | conceptual, experimental, statistical, theoretical | clinical, economic, mathematical, medical, political, scientific | computer

VERB + MODEL give sb, provide (sb with) The tape provides a model for students to copy | copy | use

PREP. ~ of She was a model of restraint. | ~ for Successful state schools must be used as models for the rest.

⁴ for clothes

ADJ. female, male | top | catwalk, fashion

VERB + MODEL photograph, shoot > Note at JOB

⁵ for painting, etc.

ADJ. artist's, photographic

MODEL + VERB sit for sb/sth The model sits for me for three hours every day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

model verb

ADV. closely | explicitly

PREP. on/upon This system is closely modelled upon one used in French hospitals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

modem noun

ADJ. data, facsimile, fax | external, internal | fast

VERB + MODEM connect, plug in | drive

MODEM + NOUN link Data is transmitted via a modem link to the central office.

PREP. via (a/the) ~ You can send the files to us on disk or via modem. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moderate adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very | fairly, quite, relatively a fairly moderate increase in the rate of inflation | surprisingly | politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moderation noun

ADJ. great

VERB + MODERATION call for The government called for greater moderation on the part of the unions. | show

MODERATION + VERB be the key to sth Moderation is the key to good health.

PREP. in ~ Drinking alcohol is all right in moderation. | with ~ Always act with moderation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

modesty noun

ADJ. characteristic, natural, typical | false | becoming She accepted their congratulations with becoming modesty.

VERB + MODESTY display, show

MODESTY + VERB forbid sb Modesty forbade me from mentioning that my novel had been published.

PREP. with ~ She spoke with characteristic modesty. | ~ about his modesty about his achievements

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

modest adj.

¹ not having a high opinion of your own abilities

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. extremely, very | quite | genuinely | falsely She would be falsely modest not to acknowledge that she had come a very long way since those early days.

PREP. about He is modest about his achievements.

² not very large, expensive, important, etc.

VERBS be, seem Our requirements seem fairly modest.

ADV. extremely, very | comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | apparently | admittedly He is looking to improve on his admittedly modest achievements so far. | surprisingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mode noun

ADJ. normal, traditional, usual | effective

VERB + MODE use Try using some other mode of organization. | change, switch to He had no intention of changing his mode of attire. Switch from ‘receive’ mode to ‘transmit’ mode.

PREP. in … ~ The machine is in its ‘suspend’ mode. | ~ of Their main mode of subsistence is hunting.

PHRASES a mode of address, a mode of communication/expression, a mode of transport

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

modification noun

ADJ. considerable, extensive, major | minor, slight | further | important, necessary, significant

VERB + MODIFICATION involve, need, require The design requires considerable modification. | propose, suggest | carry out, introduce, make | receive, undergo The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications.

PREP. with/without ~ These bikes are designed for racing and cannot be used on the road without modification. | ~ in a modification in smoking behaviour among older men | ~ to We need to make a few modifications to the proposals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

modify verb

ADV. considerably, drastically, greatly, heavily, profoundly, radically, significantly, substantially The original text has been modified so radically that it is barely recognizable. | a little, partially, partly, slightly, somewhat | gradually | constantly | specially | appropriately, suitably | accordingly | chemically, genetically genetically modified organisms

VERB + MODIFY have to, need to You may need to modify your plans a little.

PHRASES highly modified, in a modified form These ideas are still used today, though in a slightly modified form. | a modified version using a highly modified version of the program

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

module noun

ADJ. individual | compulsory, optional

VERB + MODULE do, study I'm doing two optional modules. | complete | divide sth into The course material is divided into four modules.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moisture noun

ADJ. excess | earth, soil | body

QUANT. bead, drop, droplet

VERB + MOISTURE absorb, draw (in/up) Wind is caused by the sun drawing up moisture from the earth. | conserve, hold (in), retain | lose

MOISTURE + VERB get in, penetrate sth Tiles stop moisture penetrating your walls. | evaporate

MOISTURE + NOUN loss | content

PREP. ~ in the moisture in the soil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moist adj.

VERBS be, feel, look Her skin felt moist and feverish. | become, grow Beth's dark eyes grew moist as she kissed her son. | remain | keep sth Keep the atmosphere in your greenhouse slightly moist throughout the spring.

ADV. very | reasonably, slightly

PREP. with His fingers were becoming moist with sweat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

molecule noun

ADJ. complex | simple | stable | CO2, DNA, hydrogen, water, etc.

VERB + MOLECULE form

MOLECULE + VERB combine | be composed of sth, contain sth

PREP. in a/the ~ the number of atoms in a molecule | ~ in the molecules in the crystal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mole noun

¹ animal

MOLE + VERB dig, burrow, tunnel

² person

VERB + MOLE plant They suspected that a mole had been planted in the organization.

³ mark on the skin

ADJ. hairy

VERB + MOLE remove

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

momentum noun

ADJ. considerable, great, irresistible | initial | fresh She gave fresh momentum to the campaign.

VERB + MOMENTUM have The campaign for change now has considerable momentum. | build up, gain, gather, increase The car gathered momentum as it rolled down the hill. | create, give sth, provide | keep up, maintain, sustain | lose The team has lost momentum in recent weeks. | slow

MOMENTUM + VERB build up, increase | go Their momentum has gone, and they feel they cannot fight any longer.

PREP. ~ for keeping up the momentum for growth | ~ towards the irresistible momentum towards reunification of the two countries

PHRASES keep the momentum going We have to keep the momentum of our sales operation going.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moment noun

ADJ. brief, fleeting | long | precious, quiet making the most of those last precious moments together | anxious, awful, awkward, embarrassing, heart-stopping, terrifying For one heart-stopping moment, we thought she was going to fall. | bad, difficult That was a bad moment in my life. | spare Could you look through this report when you have a spare moment? | exact, precise, very I felt at home here from the very moment I arrived. | good, opportune, perfect, right I don't think this is the right moment to ask for a pay rise. | critical, crucial, decisive, important, key We have reached a critical moment in the negotiations. | historic | climactic, dramatic | magic/magical, marvellous, memorable | emotional, poignant | finest, great, happiest, proudest Her finest moment came when she won Wimbledon. | unguarded She let the news slip by mistake, in an unguarded moment. | last (possible) Why do you leave it until the last possible moment before getting ready to leave?

VERB + MOMENT last, take The feeling only lasted a moment. This won't take a moment. | spend I spent a few moments thinking what I was going to say. | give sb, spare (sb) I can only spare you a moment, I'm afraid?I'm terribly busy. | enjoy, savour Victory was sweet, and he wanted to savour every moment. | choose, pick He's in a bad mood today?you need to choose your moment carefully. | capture I managed to capture the moment on film.

MOMENT + VERB arrive, come The moment had finally come to make a move. | pass He opened his mouth to say he loved her, but the moment passed.

PREP. after a/the ~ After a moment we followed him. | at a/the ~ At that very moment the telephone rang. He might wake up at any moment. | for a/the ~ She paused for a moment. | from a/the ~ I loved her from the first moment I met her. | in a/the ~ I'll be back in a moment. in her rare moments of leisure | ~ in a great moment in the country's history | ~ of at the moment of death It was the proudest moment of my entire life. There was a moment of silence.

PHRASES a few moments Could you wait a few moments? | a moment ago He was here just a moment ago. | a moment later A moment later, the ceiling fell in. | a moment longer/more I couldn't stand it a moment longer. | a moment or two I stood there for a moment or two. | never a dull moment There's never a dull moment in this job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monarchy noun

ADJ. strong, weak | absolute | constitutional | elective, hereditary

VERB + MONARCHY establish, set up | have The country still has a strong monarchy. | abolish the arguments for abolishing the monarchy | overthrow rebels trying to overthrow the absolute monarchy | restore

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monarch noun

ADJ. reigning | absolute | constitutional

MONARCH + VERB reign, rule

PHRASES the power of the monarch a new law which limited the power of the monarch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monastery noun

ADJ. great the great monstery of St-Quentin | medieval, old | ruined | Benedictine, Dominican, etc. | Buddhist

VERB + MONASTERY enter, go into (= become a monk) He entered a monastery as a young man. | found The monastery was founded in 1665.

MONASTERY + NOUN building, church

PREP. at a/the ~ You can stay at the monastery. | in a/the ~ He lived in a monastery for most of his life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Monday noun > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

money noun

ADJ. big There is big money in golf for the top players. | easy He started stealing as a way of making easy money. | government, public, taxpayers' Is this a good way to spend taxpayers' money? | private | pocket, spending Did your parents give you pocket money when you were little? I don't know how much spending money to take on holiday. | prize | sponsorship | paper The collection box was full of coins and paper money. | counterfeit

QUANT. amount, sum the large sums of money we handle in this store

VERB + MONEY have I haven't got any money left. | borrow, bring in, collect, earn, get, make, raise, receive He hoped the scheme would bring in quite a bit of money. Some people were in the street collecting money for charity. How much money did he earn last year? I'll have to get some more money from somewhere. | bank, deposit, pay in small shopkeepers banking their money at the end of the day I need to pay this money in today. | draw out, get out, take out, withdraw | fritter away, lose, run out of, spend, squander, throw away, waste She lost a lot of money at the casino. We ran out of money and had to come home early. He squandered his money on gambling and drink. | hoard, save, set aside, stash away an old miser who hoarded his money We're trying to set some money aside for a new car.

She stashed the money away in the bank. | invest, tie up They sensibly invested their prize money rather than spending it. All their money was tied up in long-term investments. | donate, give sb, lend sb, pay (sb), provide (sb with), put up Half the money raised was donated to charity. He managed to persuade his friend to put up the money for the venture. | give (sb) back, pay (sb) back, refund (sb), repay (sb) I'll pay the money back next week, I promise. The shop was unwilling to refund my money. | owe (sb) They owe lots of people money. | accept, take I don't think they'll accept French money on the plane. The bookmaker was quite happy to take his money. | cost These cars cost quite a lot of money. | be worth That painting is worth a lot of money. | change, exchange We changed our money into dollars at the airport. | allocate The quality of public health care depends on the amount of money allocated to it. | launder He was charged with laundering money.

MONEY + VERB come from sth Money for the extension to the gallery came from the sale of old exhibits. | go (on sth), go to I don't know where all the money goes! All his money went on drink. Most of the money went to pay for the food and drink. | come in She had two children to support and no money coming in.

MONEY + NOUN management | problems | laundering | market He made a fortune dealing on the money markets. | box

PREP. for ~ He'll do anything for money! | ~ for Where's the money for the milk?

PHRASES get money off sth You might get some money off the price if it's an old model. | get your money's worth The boat trip lasts three hours, so you certainly get your money's worth. | pay/put money in/into the bank I pay my money into the bank as soon as I get paid. | put money on sth He stopped at the betting shop to put money on a horse. | put/sink money into sth He sank most of his money into his struggling business. | take money off sth He felt sorry for her and took some money off her bill. | throw money at sth They tend to throw money at problems without trying to work out the best solution. | throw your money around He thinks he can make friends by throwing his money around. > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monitoring noun

VERB + MONITORING need, require It is a problem that requires constant monitoring.

MONITORING + NOUN agency, body, committee, group, network, organization, team, unit a UN monitoring team | device, equipment | procedure, process, system | programme | visit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monitor noun

¹ television/computer screen

ADJ. colour | CCTV, computer, television/TV, video

PREP. on a/the ~ The security staff can see all the outside of the building on their CCTV monitors.

² machine that records/checks sth

ADJ. foetal, heart, oxygen, pulse, radiation

MONITOR + VERB detect sth | show sth The heart monitor shows the strength of your pulse.

³ sb who checks sth is done fairly/properly

ADJ. EU, UN UN monitors declared the referendum fair. | school | health, peace

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monitor verb

ADV. carefully, closely, rigorously, strictly Television advertising is strictly monitored. | regularly, routinely, systematically | constantly, continuously | effectively, properly | automatically

VERB + MONITOR be able to We will now be able to monitor its progress more closely. | continue to The authorities will continue to monitor the situation.

PREP. for The workers are constantly monitored for exposure to radiation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monkey noun

QUANT. horde, troop

MONKEY + VERB chatter | hang, swing monkeys swinging from branch to branch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monk noun

ADJ. Buddhist, Christian | Benedictine, Dominican, etc. | novice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monologue noun

ADJ. long, rambling | short | comic, dramatic

VERB + MONOLOGUE deliver, do, go into, launch into, recite She delivered her monologue in a deadpan voice. an entertainer who does comic monologues

PREP. ~ about She launched into a long monologue about how wonderful the company was. | ~ on He went straight into a rambling monologue on the state of the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monopoly noun

¹ control by one company

ADJ. effective, near, virtual | absolute, total | government, state | domestic, local, national

VERB + MONOPOLY enjoy, exercise, have, hold The company has a virtual monopoly in world markets. | create, establish, gain, get, secure, set up | keep, maintain, preserve, retain | lose | give sb, grant sb, guarantee sb This Act of Parliament guaranteed solicitors a monopoly on particular legal services. | challenge companies who are challenging the state monopolies | break (up), end attempts to break the company's monopoly of the sugar industry

MONOPOLY + NOUN position The company was able to exploit its monopoly position.

PREP. ~ in creating a monopoly in the export of wool | ~ of One company holds a monopoly of the raw materials. | ~ on The company lost its monopoly on exporting beer to India. | ~ over maintaining their monopoly over local bus services

² organization

ADJ. giant, huge, powerful | public, state, state-controlled, state-owned the privatization of state-owned monopolies such as the gas and electricity industries | private | statutory

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monsoon noun

ADJ. east, west, etc.

MONSOON + VERB set in The south-west monsoon sets in during April.

MONSOON + NOUN rains, season

PREP. during a/the ~ Travelling is much more difficult during the monsoon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monster noun

VERB + MONSTER create (often figurative) The government has created a bureaucratic monster. | fight (often figurative) I wanted to fight these monsters: I didn't want to go on living with them. | be inhabited by a barren wilderness inhabited by monsters

MONSTER + VERB devour sb/sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

month noun

VERB + MONTH spend He spent about a month decorating the house. | take It took months to find another job.

MONTH + VERB elapse, go by, pass

PREP. by the ~ paid by the month | during/in a/the ~ of The festival is always held in the month of May. | for a ~ It hasn't rained for months. | in a ~ We're getting married in a month/in a month's time. | over/under a ~ I've been working on the illustration for over a month. | per ~ What does the salary work out as per month? | ~ of The months of July and August are the hottest.

PHRASES a time of the month Our money's usually running low by this time of the month. > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

monument noun

VERB + MONUMENT stand as The tower stands as a monument to the invasion of the island. | commission A monument has been commissioned in his memory. | build, erect, put up, set up | unveil | conserve, preserve, protect the best preserved Roman monument in Britain | destroy, pull down Monuments to the former leader were all pulled down.

MONUMENT + VERB be, stand The monument will stand just inside the cathedral. | survive Some of the town's Roman monuments still survive.

PREP. as a ~ | ~ of monuments of the army's past campaigns | ~ to The statue was built as a monument to victims of the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mood noun

ADJ. amiable, cheerful, good, happy, jolly, jovial She was not in the best of moods. | exultant, jubilant | bullish, buoyant, confident, optimistic She was in a bullish mood about the future of the company. | bad, black, filthy, foul, rotten, terrible | pessimistic | gloomy, melancholy, sombre | contemplative, introspective, pensive, reflective, serious, sober, thoughtful | expansive, talkative | mellow, relaxed | restless | changeable, changing I can't keep up with his constantly changing moods. | defiant The sacked workers were in defiant mood as they entered the tribunal. | generous | funny, strange He's in a funny mood today?who knows how he'll react? | playful | festive It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood. | national, popular, public a prime minister who can gauge the popular mood

VERB + MOOD be in Don't talk to Miranda today?she's in a terrible mood! | get sb in, put sb in The music helped to put them in a more relaxed mood. | create, evoke | affect | match, reflect, suit Choose colours to match your mood. The weather seemed to reflect his sombre mood. | capture a film that has captured the mood of the moment | gauge

MOOD + VERB change | darken | improve, lift, lighten His mood lifted as he concentrated on his driving.

MOOD + NOUN swing After the accident he suffered violent mood swings.

PHRASES be in no mood for sth I tried to make him laugh, but he was in no mood for jokes. | a change of mood Instantly he felt her change of mood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moonlight noun

ADJ. bright, clear | faint, pale

QUANT. shaft a single shaft of moonlight

VERB + MOONLIGHT be bathed in, gleam in, glint in, shine in The fields were bathed in bright moonlight that night. His helmet glinted in the moonlight.

MOONLIGHT + VERB filter, shine, stream the faint moonlight filtering through the stained glass windows

PREP. by ~ The castle looks fantastic by moonlight. | in the ~ The leaves were silver in the moonlight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moon noun

ADJ. bright A bright moon shone high overhead. | crescent, full, half, new

VERB + MOON cover, hide A large black cloud covered the moon. | fly to, go to, land on

MOON + VERB appear, come out, rise | shine | set The moon had almost set and the night was now dark. | wane, wax | orbit sth

PREP. on the ~ the first man to walk on the moon | under a/the ~ The road shone frostily under the full moon.

PHRASES the light of the moon They had to work by the light of the moon. | the surface of the moon

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mooring noun

VERB + MOORING be torn from, break/come loose from, slip During the storm several of our boats were torn from their moorings. The crowds cheered as the great ship slipped her moorings and slid out into the Atlantic.

MOORING + NOUN post, rope

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moor noun

ADJ. barren, bleak, desolate, open, wild, windswept

PREP. across the ~ the wind blowing across the moors | down from the ~ the slopes leading down from the moor | on the ~ We got lost on the moors. | over the ~ Don't walk over the moors in bad weather.

PHRASES the edge of the moor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

morale noun

ADJ. good, high Morale is very high in the school. | low, poor, shaky | national, popular | staff

VERB + MORALE affect, be bad for, be damaging to, damage, hit, lower, sap, undermine These unfortunate incidents sapped both our morale and our resources. | be good for, bolster, boost, do wonders for, improve, lift, raise, restore measures designed to boost the morale of the police | keep up, maintain The bonus helped maintain morale among the staff. | destroy

MORALE + VERB improve, rise | be at rock bottom, decline, sag, weaken

MORALE + NOUN booster Mail from home is a great morale booster for our soldiers.

PREP. ~ among Morale among nurses is at rock bottom.

PHRASES a collapse/loss of morale

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

morality noun

VERB + MORALITY preserve, protect, strengthen efforts to strengthen traditional morality

PHRASES standards of morality She criticized politicians' standards of personal morality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moral noun

¹ practical lesson

ADJ. clear

VERB + MORAL draw There are clear morals to be drawn from the failure of these companies.

PREP. ~ to There is a clear moral to all this.

² morals: principles

ADJ. good, strict | doubtful, loose Women who went to pubs alone would sometimes be assumed to have loose morals. | sexual | public | Christian

VERB + MORAL have He has absolutely no morals, that man! | instil She had tried her best to instil morals into her daughters. | protect | corrupt

PHRASES a decline in morals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moratorium noun

ADJ. six-month, etc.

VERB + MORATORIUM impose, place | call for | announce, declare

PREP. ~ on/upon The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

morning noun

VERB + MORNING spend I spent the morning doing some sightseeing.

MORNING + VERB dawn The morning dawned bright and sunny. | progress, wear on As the morning wore on she became more and more tired.

MORNING + NOUN coffee, tea | prayer, service | rush hour, train | newspaper, paper | sickness

PREP. by ~, during the ~, in the ~, on Monday, etc. ~, towards ~ Towards morning the snow turned to rain.

PHRASES first thing in the morning I'll see to it first thing in the morning. | from morning till night, good morning He didn't even say ‘Good morning’. | morning, noon and night It's all she talks about, morning, noon and night (= all the time). | the rest of the morning

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

morsel noun

ADJ. choice, juicy, tasty (often figurative) a juicy morsel of gossip | tiny

VERB + MORSEL eat I couldn't eat another morsel.

PREP. ~ of a few tiny morsels of bread

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mortality noun

ADJ. high Poor hygiene led to high mortality among children. | adult, child, infant

VERB + MORTALITY reduce measures that should reduce infant mortality

MORTALITY + VERB increase | decrease, fall

MORTALITY + NOUN rate

PREP. ~ among Mortality among immigrant groups was higher than average. | ~ from a lower annual mortality from cancer

PHRASES a change/a decline/an increase in mortality

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mortal noun

ADJ. lesser, mere, ordinary I just assumed you were a mere mortal like the rest of us. a holiday resort that caters for royalty as well as for ordinary mortals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mortar noun

ADJ. heavy They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground.

VERB + MORTAR be armed with, have Their troops were armed with mortars and machine guns. | fire

MORTAR + VERB burst, explode The occasional mortar burst near our truck. | hit sth

MORTAR + NOUN attack, fire We were under constant mortar fire. | bomb, shell hit by a mortar shell

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mortgage noun

ADJ. big, huge | small | cheap Banks often offer their employees cheap mortgages. | endowment, fixed-rate, repayment

VERB + MORTGAGE have We've got a big mortgage. | get, raise (formal), take out They were having trouble getting a mortgage. We'll have to take out a second mortgage to pay for this holiday! | pay, pay off, redeem, repay He didn't earn enough to support his family and pay the mortgage. There are penalties if you want to redeem your mortgage early. | be in arrears with, fall behind with, get behind with They were in arrears with their mortgage, so their home was repossessed.

MORTGAGE + NOUN (interest) payment, repayment They were struggling to keep up with their mortgage repayments. | rate a rise in mortgage rates | lender

PREP. ~ of a mortgage of £80,000 | ~ on I couldn't get a mortgage on the property.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mosquito noun

QUANT. swarm

VERB + MOSQUITO swat He swatted the mosquito with a newspaper.

MOSQUITO + VERB fly | buzz, hum, whine | bite | carry sth, spread sth This strain of mosquito carries malaria and yellow fever.

MOSQUITO + NOUN bite I was awake all night scratching my mosquito bites. | larva fish that feed on mosquito larvae | net/netting | repellent

PHRASES a strain of mosquito

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motel noun

VERB + MOTEL check into/out of | stay at/in

PREP. at/in a/the ~ We spent a night at a motel on the way.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mother noun

VERB + MOTHER resemble, take after The two boys were like their father in character, but Louise took after her mother. | inherit sth from She inherited the urge to travel from her mother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motif noun

ADJ. central, dominant Alienation is a central motif in her novels. | recurring | simple The rug was decorated with a simple flower motif. | decorative | fish, flower, etc. The jacket has a rose motif on the collar.

VERB + MOTIF be decorated with, have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motionless adj.

VERBS be, crouch, hang, kneel, lie, remain, sit, stand, stay, wait The flag hung motionless on its pole.

ADV. absolutely, perfectly, quite | almost, virtually | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motion noun

¹ movement

ADJ. steady | circular, rolling, swaying | perpetual the search for the secret of perpetual motion

VERB + MOTION feel She could feel the rolling motion of the ship under her feet. | make He made little flapping motions with his arms.

PREP. into ~ The insects are stirred into motion by the heat of the sun. | in ~ Do not open the door when the train is in motion.

² suggestion

VERB + MOTION propose, put, put forward, table The motion was put to the conference and fully debated. The Opposition tabled a motion calling for the prime minister's resignation. | debate, discuss The motion will be debated later today. | vote on | be in favour of, speak in favour of, support, vote for | accept, adopt, approve, carry, pass The motion was passed by 165 votes to 78. | be against, speak against, oppose, vote against | defeat, reject The motion was defeated by 51 votes to 43.

PHRASES a motion of no confidence He proposed a motion of no confidence in the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motivated adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | get sb | keep sb

ADV. extremely, highly, strongly, very, well a highly motivated group of workers | poorly | ideologically, politically, racially The attack was racially motivated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motivation noun

ADJ. main, primary | real | underlying | high, strong students with high motivation his strong motivation to succeed | low, poor

QUANT. level pupils who have a low level of motivation

VERB + MOTIVATION have Many of the boys have very poor motivation. | lack | lose By this time the children had lost all their motivation for writing poetry. | generate, provide high rewards that generate the necessary motivation in the workers | improve, increase, strengthen

PREP. ~ for his main motivation for supporting the government | ~ in my main motivation in making the suggestion | ~ behind the primary motivation behind the government's intervention

PHRASES a lack of motivation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motive noun

ADJ. hidden, ulterior | clear, good, strong There seemed to be no clear motive for the attack. I'd say he had a very strong motive for wanting her dead. | high, pure He was acting from the highest motives when he offered her money. | base, selfish | prime | real | underlying She was not sure what his underlying motives were. | mixed We give aid to other countries with mixed motives. | financial, political, racial

VERB + MOTIVE be inspired by, have She knew that he was inspired by base motives. | establish, find, suggest The police are still trying to establish a motive for the attack. | be suspicious of, examine, question He was suspicious of her motives in inviting him into the house. She should examine her motives for marrying him. | explain However you explain the motives behind his actions, he was still wrong. | understand

PREP. ~ in What was their motive in setting fire to the building? | ~ behind There is no doubt about the motive behind it all. | ~ for There may be a hidden motive for his departure. | ~ of acting from motives of revenge

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motorbike, motorcycle noun

ADJ. powerful | 250cc, 350cc, etc. | veteran, vintage a collection of vintage motorcycles | police

PREP. on a/the ~ He was sitting on his motorbike.

PHRASES the back of a motorbike/motorcycle She climbed onto the back of my motorbike.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motorbike, motorcycle noun

ADJ. powerful | 250cc, 350cc, etc. | veteran, vintage a collection of vintage motorcycles | police

PREP. on a/the ~ He was sitting on his motorbike.

PHRASES the back of a motorbike/motorcycle She climbed onto the back of my motorbike.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motorway noun

ADJ. busy | four-lane, three-lane, etc. | orbital, urban the M25 London orbital motorway

VERB + MOTORWAY join | leave, turn off | build

MOTORWAY + NOUN driving, traffic | network, system | bridge, junction | service area/station | crash, pile-up Five people have been killed in a motorway pile-up.

PREP. along the ~ driving along the motorway | down the ~ He sang as he rattled down the motorway. | off the ~, onto the ~, on the ~, up the ~ | ~ from, ~ to We were on the motorway to London.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motor noun

ADJ. large, powerful | small | diesel, electric | outboard a boat with a powerful outboard motor

VERB + MOTOR start, turn on | turn off

MOTOR + VERB run, work He left the motor running. | drive sth A powerful motor drives the mill wheel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

motto noun

ADJ. club, family, school, etc.

VERB + MOTTO have Surfers have a motto?‘Life's a beach and then you die’. | coin, have sth as, use sth as He was the first to coin the motto ‘Make Love, Not War’. Let's use that as our motto.

PREP. ~ for a good motto for gardeners

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mould noun

¹ hollow container

VERB + MOULD cast sth in, make sth in The statues were cast in clay moulds. | fill, pour sth into

PREP. in a/the ~ Leave the clay in the mould overnight. | ~ for a mould for a bronze statue

² type of sth

ADJ. old, traditional

VERB + MOULD be/come from, be cast in, fit (into) She is clearly from a different mould from her team mate. He doesn't fit into the usual mould of head teachers. | break, break free of Breaking the traditional mould of local politics is not going to be easy. trying to break free of the old mould

PREP. in a/the ~ a young politician in the mould of the great statesmen of the past

PHRASES from/in a different/the same mould His brother came from a different mould, being a successful lawyer.

³ organic growth

VERB + MOULD be covered in/with The biscuits were covered in green mould.

MOULD + VERB form, grow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mound noun

¹ small hill

ADJ. high, large The church stands on a high mound just outside the village. | low, small | grassy

PREP. on a/the ~ a small tree on a grassy mound

PHRASES the foot/top of a mound

² pile

ADJ. great, huge, large | little, neat, small a neat mound of leaves

PREP. ~ of a great mound of paperwork

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mountain noun

¹ very high hill

QUANT. chain, range a chain/range of mountains

VERB + MOUNTAIN ascend, climb, come/go up, scale | come/go down, descend, walk down | walk in We enjoy walking in the mountains. | cross (over)

MOUNTAIN + VERB rise, soar, tower The mountains here rise to well over 2,000m. | fall The mountains fall to the east to the flat expanse of the plateau. | surround sth Towering mountains surrounded the village. | shake The earth tremor made the mountains shake.

PREP. across/over/through the ~ a pass through the mountains | down/up a/the ~ She arranged to meet the others halfway up the mountain. | in the ~s This type of goat lives high up in the mountains.

PHRASES the flank/side/slope of a mountain, the foot/bottom/top of a mountain

² large amount/number of sth

ADJ. great | debt | paper | butter, food, etc. They revealed a solution to reduce Europe's butter mountain.

VERB + MOUNTAIN generate | reduce

PHRASES a mountain of paper/paperwork The enquiry generated a mountain of paperwork.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mount verb

¹ organize sth

ADV. successfully The company successfully mounted a takeover bid in 1996.

² increase

ADV. quickly, rapidly | steadily | gradually | hourly Election fever is mounting hourly. | up The cost quickly mounts up.

VERB + MOUNT begin to, continue to

³ picture/jewel, etc.

ADV. beautifully The prints were beautifully mounted. | carefully | directly The switch is mounted directly on the wall. | horizontally, vertically

PREP. in The diamond is mounted in gold. | on The specimens were carefully mounted on slides.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mourning noun

¹ sadness about sb's death

ADJ. deep | national, official

VERB + MOURNING be in, go into He was in deep mourning for his dead wife.

MOURNING + NOUN clothes

PHRASES a day/period of mourning a day of mourning for the victims of the tragedy | a state of mourning

² clothes

ADJ. full

VERB + MOURNING wear

PREP. in ~ She was still in full mourning six months after her son's death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mouse noun

¹ animal

ADJ. field, house | laboratory | white

VERB + MOUSE catch

MOUSE + VERB squeak | run, scamper, scurry | gnaw sth A mouse has gnawed its way through the telephone wire.

MOUSE + NOUN droppings | hole | trap

PHRASES as quiet as a mouse She crept upstairs, as quiet as a mouse.

² for a computer

VERB + MOUSE click, double click, move, use

MOUSE + NOUN button | click Some of these mouse click short cuts are worth learning. | cursor, pointer

PREP. with the ~ Move the cursor around the screen with the mouse. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moustache noun

ADJ. thick, thin | bushy, clipped, curly, drooping, droopy, handlebar, military, neat, pencil, toothbrush, tufty, walrus, waxed | nicotine-stained | false

MOUSTACHE + VERB droop An enormous black moustache drooped over his mouth. | bristle His grey moustache bristled with importance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mouthful noun

ADJ. great, large | small

VERB + MOUTHFUL drink, eat, gulp (down), have, swallow, take She took a large mouthful of bread and started to read the letter. | chew | spit (out) | choke on choking on a mouthful of tea

PREP. between ~s He told the story between mouthfuls. | through a ~ She answered through a mouthful of cake. | ~ of a mouthful of coffee

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mouthpiece noun

¹ part of a telephone

ADJ. phone/telephone

VERB + MOUTHPIECE cover (up), put your hand over He put his hand over the mouthpiece and called his wife to the phone.

² sb/sth that informs the public about sb/sth's opinions

ADJ. official, political

VERB + MOUTHPIECE act as, be

PREP. ~ for/of The media is controlled by the state and acts as a mouthpiece for the ruling party.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mouth noun

VERB + MOUTH open, shut | cover He covered his mouth to hide his yawn. | wipe He wiped his greasy mouth on his sleeve. | fill He coughed as the blood filled his mouth. | foam at, froth at The dog was foaming at the mouth and near death.

MOUTH + VERB drop open, fall open, hang open, open, sag open Our mouths dropped open in surprise. | close, shut | be contorted, be distorted, be set, compress, contort, harden, purse, set, thin, tighten, turn down, twist His mouth compressed into a thin, hard line.

‘Get out!’ she shouted, her mouth contorted by emotion. Her mouth suddenly set in a determined line. | curl, curve, lift, quirk, stretch, tilt, turn up Her mouth curved into a smile. His mouth lifted in a wry smile. | droop, sag | pout | twitch | quiver, tremble | water My mouth started watering when I smelled the food. | be/go dry

MOUTH + NOUN ulcer

PREP. about/around your ~ There were lines of tension about his mouth. | across your ~ A cool smile played across her mouth. | in your ~ I could taste blood in my mouth. | over your ~ She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the cough.

PHRASES the back/roof of the mouth I was so thirsty my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth. | the corner/side of the mouth There was blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The corners of her mouth turned up in a slight smile. | keep your mouth shut (= don't speak), (have, etc.) your mouth full (= full of food) Don't talk with your mouth full! | a mouth to feed Twins would mean two extra mouths to feed. | mouth-to-mouth (resuscitation) He pulled the boy from the river and gave him mouth-to-mouth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

movement noun

¹ act of moving

VERB + MOVEMENT make, produce He made a slight movement with his right hand. Hydraulic jacks under the machine produce the movement. | allow clothing that allows easy movement | control, direct As infants grow they become better able to direct their own movements. | facilitate an initiative to facilitate the movement of labour in the EU | restrict | prevent The striking farmers threatened to prevent the movement of goods across the country. | sense She sensed a movement in the dark beneath the stairs. | monitor They are monitoring the movement of animals in and out of the country. | follow, watch ~s The police are following the suspect's movements very closely. | trace ~s The police have traced her movements to the time of her death.

MOVEMENT + VERB occur Some movement in the building will occur as it settles into the subsoil. | catch your eye A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth.

PREP. in a ~ She kicked down the door in one swift movement. | ~ away from, ~ from, ~ to movement from one level to the next | ~ towards (figurative) Recently there's been a movement (= a change in attitude) away from tinned food towards fresh food.

PHRASES the direction/rate/speed of movement, freedom of movement The government's decree allowed freedom of movement for all citizens. | the movement of capital/goods/labour, a sense of movement (figurative) His music has a real sense of movement.

² group of people

MOVEMENT + VERB begin, emerge (out of sth) The movement emerged out of concern for human rights abuses. | develop, gain/gather strength The movement gained strength during the 1970s. | reach a peak The student movement reached its peak in 1968. | lose strength

PREP. ~ against a mass movement against the dictatorship | ~ for He launched a movement for children's rights.

PHRASES | a leader/member of a movement, the rise of a movement the rise of the labour movement in France

³ part of a long piece of music

ADJ. first, opening | second, etc. | final, last the last movement of Brahms's Fourth Symphony | slow | fast

VERB + MOVEMENT perform, play

PREP. in (the) … ~ a symphony in four movements There is a cello solo in the second movement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

move noun

¹ action to achieve sth; change in ideas/behaviour

VERB + MOVE be, represent The talks represented the first significant move towards peace. | make The management has made no move to settle the strike. | prompt | initiate | signal The new legislation signalled a move away from state involvement in telecommunications. | spearhead The move is spearheaded by a former MP. | back, encourage, support | welcome | condemn | oppose, reject, resist | consider, contemplate | decide (on) They are waiting for the results of the opinion polls before deciding their next move. | announce The government announced its move to ban smoking in public spaces.

MOVE + VERB take place | be afoot, be underway Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. | fail | be aimed at sth, be designed to do sth a move designed to control inflation | reflect sth The move reflects a change in approach to research.

PREP. in a/the ~ In a move which surprised commentators, the president sacked several cabinet ministers. | ~ against a move against drug dealers | ~ away from a move away from traditional Labour policies | ~ back to a move back to old teaching styles | ~ to/towards a move towards greater trade liberalization

PHRASES a move in the right direction Although the new environmental regulations are flawed, they represent a move in the right direction (= they do improve the current situation).

² change of place

ADJ. false One false move and I'll shoot! | sudden

VERB + MOVE make We should make a move (= leave) ? it's really late.

PREP. ~ to/towards She made a move towards the door.

PHRASES be/keep (sb/sth) on the move His career as a petroleum engineer has kept him on the move (= kept him moving about from place to place). | every/no/one move She made no move as the lion sniffed at the tent. | follow/watch sb/sth's every move The cubs followed their mother on the hunt, watching her every move. | get a move on We're leaving in five minutes so you'd better get a move on (= hurry)! | make a move for sth (informal) He made a move for (= towards) the door.

³ change of house/job

ADJ. permanent | sideways His new job was a sideways move rather than a promotion. | house

MOVE + VERB take place

PREP. ~ from, ~ to a move from London to Leeds

⁴ in a board game

ADJ. brilliant, good | bad | opening | chess

VERB + MOVE learn She learned all the chess moves when she was four. | play

PREP. on a/the ~ She captured the rook with her bishop on the 32nd move.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

movie noun

VERB + MOVIE see, watch | go to (see), take sb to (see) I'd never go to a movie alone. | direct, make, produce, shoot

MOVIE + VERB be based on sth a movie based on the novel by Betty Munn | be called sth, be entitled sth a movie entitled ‘Short Legs’ | star sb

PREP. ~ about a movie about the life of Castro

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

moving adj.

VERBS be | find sth I found the story intensely moving.

ADV. deeply, extraordinarily, intensely, profoundly, very a deeply moving account of life on the streets | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mucus noun

ADJ. copious, excess | cervical, nasal | sticky, stringy, thick, thin

VERB + MUCUS produce, secrete

MUCUS + NOUN discharge, production, secretion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

muddled adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, get

ADV. extremely, hopelessly, very | a bit, rather, slightly, somewhat Her ideas are slightly muddled.

PHRASES be/get muddled up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

muddle noun

ADJ. awful | embarrassing | bureaucratic, financial

VERB + MUDDLE get (sb) in/into I got into an awful muddle with my tax forms. | make The judge made a muddle of the case.

PREP. in a ~ The house was in a awful muddle by the time the children left. | ~ about/over/with There was a bureaucratic muddle over his appointment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

muddy adj.

VERBS be, look | become, get | get sth, make sth Don't get your shoes muddy! The rain had made the football pitch extremely muddy.

ADV. extremely, very | all My boots were all muddy. | a bit, rather We all got a bit muddy and wet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mud noun

VERB + MUD be caked in/with, be covered in/with, be plastered with, be smeared with, be streaked with mud Her boots were caked in mud. | get/become bogged (down) in, get stuck in Several cars got bogged down in the mud. | churn sth into, turn (sth) to The cars had churned the lane into mud. | wallow in pigs wallowing in the mud | spatter (sb/sth with)

MUD + VERB ooze Wet mud oozed up between their toes. | crack The mud in the dried-up river bed had cracked.

MUD + NOUN brick, floor, house, hut | flats

PREP. in the ~ She fell in the mud. | through the ~ We squelched through the mud.

PHRASES a layer of mud, a sea of mud

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mug noun

VERB + MUG fill, pour (out) She filled her mug with orange juice. He poured a mug of tea. | pour (sb) out Craig got up and poured himself a mug of soup. | pour sth into She poured hot water into the mug. | drink (sth from) He drank a mug of coffee and left. We drank champagne from tin mugs.

PHRASES a mug of beer/coffee/tea, the rim of a mug He ran his finger around the rim of the mug.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mule noun

ADJ. pack

QUANT. team

VERB + MULE ride (on) | drive | saddle

MULE + VERB bray | carry sth

PREP. by ~ They travelled across the mountains by mule. | on a/the ~ a man on a mule

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

multinational noun

ADJ. big, giant, large | leading, major | foreign

MULTINATIONAL + VERB operate foreign multinationals operating in the UK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

multiply verb

ADV. fourfold, fivefold, manifold, etc. Just imagine all the problems we've been having, multiplied a thousandfold. | endlessly, indefinitely | quickly, rapidly micro-organisms that multiply rapidly | together, up Multiply these two figures together. If you are cooking for more people, just multiply up the quantities.

PREP. by 2 multiplied by 4 makes 8 (= 2~4

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mumble verb

ADV. incoherently | drowsily, sleepily

PREP. about I couldn't understand what he was mumbling about. | into She mumbled something into her pillow. | to George mumbled incoherently to himself.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mumps noun > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mum noun

PHRASES mum and dad

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mundane adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | find sth I found the job very mundane

ADV. very | thoroughly, utterly | fairly, pretty, rather, somewhat a rather mundane task | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mural noun

ADJ. giant, huge, large-scale | painted

VERB + MURAL create, produce | paint | design

MURAL + VERB depict sth, show sth murals depicting Aesop's fables

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

murderer noun

VERB + MURDERER hunt, track down | catch, find, reveal (sb as), uncover

MURDERER + VERB strike The murderer has struck again. | kill sb

PHRASES the identity of the murderer The identity of her murderer has not yet been revealed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

murder noun

VERB + MURDER commit murders committed by terrorists | jail sb for | avenge He vowed to avenge his brother's murder. | witness | implicate sb in new evidence that implicated her in the murder | get away with (figurative) They let their children get away with murder!

MURDER + VERB take place

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

murder verb

ADV. barbarously, brutally, foully, in cold blood The boy was brutally murdered. They were murdered in cold blood. | ritually | allegedly

VERB + MURDER attempt to, try to | plan to, plot to

PHRASES admit/deny murdering sb, be accused of murdering sb, be charged with murdering sb She was arrested and charged with murdering the two children. | be convicted/found guilty of murdering sb, be found murdered He was found murdered in the cemetery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

murmur noun

¹ sound of words that are spoken quietly

ADJ. dull, faint, low, quiet, soft | general a general murmur of assent | angry

VERB + MURMUR give, let out He gave a little murmur of relief. | hear

MURMUR + VERB rise, run A murmur of excitement rose from the audience. A murmur of amusement ran round the room.

PREP. in a ~ She answered in a low murmur. | with a ~ He took the mug of coffee with a murmur of thanks. | without a ~ They did as they were told, without a murmur. | ~ of

PHRASES the murmur of voices > Note at SOUND

² low, gentle, continuous sound

ADJ. soft | low | distant, far-off

VERB + MURMUR hear

PREP. ~ of the distant murmur of traffic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

murmur verb

ADV. gently, quietly, softly, under your breath ‘What a fool I've been,’ he murmured softly. | huskily, thickly, throatily | sleepily | shakily | apologetically, appreciatively, politely, soothingly, thoughtfully ‘Mmm, ’ she murmured appreciatively. | drily, ironically, sarcastically, sardonically, silkily, sweetly (ironic), wryly

VERB + MURMUR hear sb She heard him murmur something under his breath.

PREP. to He held her tight and murmured to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

muscle noun

VERB + MUSCLE flex, tense He flexed his muscles, then set off to run. | relax Learn how to relax tense muscles. | stretch | build (up), strengthen, tone (up) | pull, tear I laughed so hard I almost pulled a muscle.

MUSCLE + VERB ache | clench, contract, stiffen, tense, tighten | go limp, loosen, relax, slacken | quiver, ripple, twitch His muscles rippled beneath his T-shirt as he worked. | control sth the muscles controlling speech production

MUSCLE + NOUN cell, fibre, tissue | group | disease, pain | contraction, relaxation, spasm, tension | tone

PREP. ~ in The muscles in my face tensed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

museum noun

ADJ. excellent, fascinating, great, interesting, major one of the world's great museums | local, municipal, national, provincial, regional, town | private, public | purpose-built | open-air an open-air museum of farming and the countryside | working Although the mill is no longer in commerical use, it is maintained as a working museum. | archaeological, folk, industrial, local history, maritime, military, railway, science, war, etc.

VERB + MUSEUM go to, visit

MUSEUM + VERB be devoted to sth, contain sth, house sth a museum devoted to railway memorabilia The museum houses a fine collection of textiles.

MUSEUM + NOUN building | collection, display, exhibition | piece all the planes are museum pieces | curator, director, staff | visit

PREP. at a/the ~ an exhibition of Chinese ceramics at the Ashmolean Museum | in a/the ~ There's a gift shop in the museum. | ~ of the Museum of Modern Art

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mushroom noun

VERB + MUSHROOM eat, have I'll have the garlic mushrooms for a starter. | cultivate, grow | pick They went into the woods to pick wild mushrooms. | chop, slice Slice the mushrooms and add to the salad. | cook, fry

MUSHROOM + NOUN compost | omelette, sauce, soup | cloud > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

musical noun

ADJ. hit, popular, successful | Broadway, Hollywood, West End

MUSICAL + VERB be based on sth a musical based on the biblical story of Job > Note at PERFORMANCE(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

musician noun

MUSICIAN + VERB perform (sth), play (sth) | practise (sth), rehearse (sth) > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

music noun

¹ arrangement of sounds for singing/playing

QUANT. piece | bar, line

VERB + MUSIC listen to Listening to music is a great way to relax. | hear She could hear music coming from the upstairs flat. | make, perform, play We love to make music as a family. | play, put on Put some music on, would you? (= play a CD/cassette) | turn down/up Could you turn that music down? | compose, write | arrange | put/set sth to Schubert set several poems by Goethe to music. | create, produce With the guidance of the conductor, an orchestra creates music and harmonies. The city has produced a lot of good music. | provide a beach party with music provided by a local band | broadcast | record | be into, enjoy, like, love She's really into rock music. | get into He got into music (= became involved in the music business) by chance.

MUSIC + VERB play Calypso music played faintly in the distance. | blare, thunder disco music blaring out of the open windows of a car | come, drift The music was coming from next door.

PREP. to (the) ~ to dance to the music

PHRASES in time to (the) music They did their exercises in time to the music. | music and song an evening of Scottish music and song | the sound of music The sound of pop music drifted through the open window. | a style of music, taste in music Her taste in music was wide. | words and music He made up the words and music for the song. > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

² written signs that represent musical sounds

ADJ. printed, sheet

QUANT. bar, line, sheet

VERB + MUSIC read Can you read music?

MUSIC + NOUN score | stand Put your music on the music stand. | publisher, publishing

PREP. ~ for music for piano, cello and voice

PHRASES play/sing, etc. with/without (the) music

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Muslim noun

ADJ. devout, fervent | Shia, Shiite, Sunni

MUSLIM + NOUN beliefs, faith | community | extremist, fundamentalist

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mustard noun

ADJ. hot Add some hot English mustard. | mild | wholegrain | Dijon, English, French

VERB + MUSTARD spread (sth with) Spread the bread thinly with mustard. | add, mix (sth with) Mix together the mustard and olive oil. | eat sth with, serve sth with

MUSTARD + NOUN seed | powder | sauce | colour > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mutation noun

ADJ. chance, random | common | cell, gene/genetic

VERB + MUTATION carry, contain The protein contained a mutation. | suffer The genetic material has suffered a mutation. | introduce Mutations were introduced in the region using various techniques. | cause, produce

MUTATION + VERB arise, occur | affect sth These cells carry a mutation affecting the prevention mechanism. | cause sth, lead to sth, result in sth

MUTATION + NOUN rate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

muted adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | remain

ADV. distinctly, extremely, noticeably, very a distinctly muted and moderate sermon | slightly, somewhat Their reaction to the news was somewhat muted. | curiously, strangely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mutilate verb

ADV. badly, horribly, severely, terribly A lot of the bodies had been badly mutilated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mutiny noun

ADJ. army, prison | military

VERB + MUTINY lead | be faced with, face

PREP. ~ against He led a military mutiny against the senior generals. | ~ by mutiny by the men > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mutter verb

ADV. gruffly, harshly, hoarsely, huskily, thickly, through clenched/gritted teeth ‘I don't need a drink, ’ she muttered through clenched teeth. | quietly, softly, under your breath | incoherently, vaguely | angrily, bitterly, darkly, fiercely, grimly, irritably, savagely, ungraciously Helen began muttering darkly about hospitals.

VERB + MUTTER be heard to, hear sb A number of non-British visitors were heard to mutter that it would not have happened in Frankfurt. She heard him mutter an oath under his breath.

PREP. about muttering about the incompetence of the office staff | to muttering incoherently to himself

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mystery noun

VERB + MYSTERY be, present (sb with), remain How these insects actually communicate presents something of a mystery. | have, hold It was easy to believe that the tiny hamlet held some great mystery. | be cloaked in, be shrouded in, be veiled in The whole incident was shrouded in mystery. | lose Air travel has lost much of its mystery. | clear up, explain, resolve, solve, uncover, unlock, unravel The police are close to solving the mystery of the missing murder weapon. | shed/throw light on The witness could shed no light on the mystery of the deceased's identity. | explore, fathom, grapple with, penetrate, understand Her poetry attempts to penetrate the dark mystery of death. | ponder (on) She pondered the mystery of the disappearing thief.

MYSTERY + VERB deepen The mystery deepened when the police's only suspect was found murdered. | surround sth the mystery surrounding her resignation

MYSTERY + NOUN man, woman Their suspect was a mystery man: a quiet, happily married man with no enemies. | caller, guest | tour | disease, illness, virus

PREP. ~ about There's a bit of a mystery about this child. | ~ as to It remains a mystery as to where he was buried. | ~ to My sister is a complete mystery to me.

PHRASES an air/aura of mystery Wearing dark glasses gives him an air of mystery. | something of a mystery, take the mystery out of sth Modern weather forecasts try to take the mystery out of meteorology.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mystified adj.

VERBS be, look | remain

ADV. completely | genuinely, truly She was genuinely mystified by her success. | rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

mythology noun

VERB + MYTHOLOGY enter Stories about ghosts in the cathedral have entered the mythology of the town. | create She has created her own mythology in the books.

PREP. in a/the ~ the characters in Greek mythology | ~ about/of a mythology about how to get fit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

myth noun

¹ story from ancient times

ADJ. ancient, classical | religious | Christian, Greek, Norse, Roman, etc. | creation (= that explains how the world began) the creation myths of the Eskimos

PREP. ~ about the myth about the golden apple

² idea/belief which is untrue/impossible

ADJ. great There is a great myth that all sports players are stupid. | powerful | enduring, persistent | complete, total It's a complete myth that he has royal blood. | modern | folk, popular, widely held | national The battle has become part of national myth. | historical, political The propaganda of both sides relies heavily on historical myth. | heroic, romantic Propaganda has turned the former president into a heroic myth. | pernicious | cosy The film tears down the cosy myths about fair play in war.

VERB + MYTH create, cultivate, establish How did the myth get so firmly established in the popular consciousness? | counter, counteract | bury, debunk, destroy, dispel, dispose of, explode, lay to rest, puncture, scotch, tear down | feed, foster, keep alive, maintain, perpetuate, sustain | be based on People's faith in the Emperor was based on the myth that he was infallible.

MYTH + VERB surround sth trying to lay to rest the myths surrounding mental disabilities | persist The myth persists that men are more intelligent than women.

PREP. ~ about a popular myth about twins | ~ of perpetuating the myth of racial superiority

PHRASES contrary to popular myth Contrary to popular myth, women are not worse drivers than men.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nail varnish (also nail polish) noun

ADJ. chipped, cracked

VERB + NAIL VARNISH have on, wear She wore red nail varnish. | apply, put on | remove, take off

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nail noun

¹ on the fingers/toes

NAIL + VERB break, split | bite/dig into sth

NAIL + NOUN brush | clippers, scissors | file | polish, varnish

PREP. under your ~ There was dirt under his nails.

² piece of metal

VERB + NAIL drive (in), hammer (in), knock (in) | pull out, remove

NAIL + NOUN head | hole | bomb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nail noun

¹ on the fingers/toes

NAIL + VERB break, split | bite/dig into sth

NAIL + NOUN brush | clippers, scissors | file | polish, varnish

PREP. under your ~ There was dirt under his nails.

² piece of metal

VERB + NAIL drive (in), hammer (in), knock (in) | pull out, remove

NAIL + NOUN head | hole | bomb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

naive adj.

VERBS appear, be, prove, seem, sound | regard sth as He regarded the move as politically naive.

ADV. extremely, incredibly, very | a bit, fairly, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

naked adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, go around, lie, look, stand Never had he felt so completely naked. He lay naked on the bed. | strip She quickly stripped naked. | strip sb | leave sb She had been left naked and alone. | find sb

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, stark, totally She realized with a shock that she was stark naked. | almost, nearly, virtually | half I suggest you don't make a habit of going around half naked.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

name noun

¹ word/words sb/sth is known by

VERB + NAME have Have you got a middle name? | bear, carry The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar and hence carries his name. | be known by, go by The island is more commonly known by the name ‘Krakatoa’. He goes by the name of Jonno. | use She uses a different name in her professional life. | acquire, get, obtain The Brady bill acquired its name from its best-known sponsor, James Brady. | adopt, assume, take He was elected Pope in 1978 and took the name of John Paul II. | keep She decided to keep her maiden name for professional purposes. | abandon | change | carry on He wanted an heir to carry on the family name. | immortalize His name was immortalized in 1992 when he scored three goals in the space of five minutes. | choose, decide on/upon | give sb/sth She was given the name Maria, after her grandmother. | give sb, name, pass on Detectives believe that a hitman was sent to silence the witness before he could name names (= give evidence to the court/police). | call sb/sth by Please call me by my first name. | call sb ~s Stop calling me names (= stop saying rude/insulting things about me)! | call (out) Somebody called out her name from below. | mention We cannot mention the suspect's name for legal reasons. | drop She found him rather irritating to talk to; all he did was drop names (= mention the names of famous people he knew or had met in order to impress her). | invoke He invoked the name of Freud in support of his argument. | ask (sb) I asked him his name. | hear I've heard that name mentioned before. | know How do you know my name? | remember | print, sign, write | spell | enter, put down Have you put your name down for (= applied to take part in) the school quiz? | put forward They put his name forward (= chose him) as one of the five candidates for the post.

NAME + VERB appear The name of the artist appears on the vase. | imply sth, suggest sth As the name implies, Oxford was the place at which oxen could ford the river. | mean sth | ring a bell (figurative) ‘Does that name mean anything to you (= do you recognize it)?’ ‘Yes, it does ring a bell (= it is familiar).’

NAME + NOUN badge, plate

PREP. by ~ The head teacher knows every child in the school by name. | by the ~ of an actor by the name of Tom Rees | in sb/sth's ~ The tickets were booked in the name of McLean. I arrest you in the name (= on the authority) of the law. | under a/the ~ The room was booked under (= using) a false name. | ~ for/of The common name for the flower is ‘pineapple lily’.

PHRASES a change of name, give your name to sth The invading Franks gave their name to the country in which they settled. | name and address, names and faces I have a bad memory for names and faces. | put a name to sb/sth Nobody puts their name to a business (= uses their name for the name of a business) they are not proud of. | take sb's name in vain Have you been taking my name in vain (= showing lack of respect when using my name)?

² reputation

ADJ. big | good | bad

VERB + NAME have | become She has become a big name in documentary photography. | make He made his name writing travel books. She's made quite a name for herself. | acquire, get The area got a bad name after a series of nasty murders. | protect They tried to protect the good name of the college. | give sb This kind of behaviour gives students a bad name. | blacken, damage The riots after the match only served to blacken the name of football.

PREP. ~ for The company has a name for reliability.

PHRASES sb's name is mud If you tell our secret your name will be mud (= you will not be popular) round here.

³ famous person/thing

ADJ. big, famous, household, well-known They are a big name in the world of rock music.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

name verb (often be named)

ADV. originally | appropriately, aptly, suitably, well | significantly | correctly, incorrectly The present Kew Bridge was opened by King Edward VII and is correctly named ‘King Edward Bridge’. | curiously, delightfully, exotically, grandly, improbably, oddly, quaintly, romantically, strangely, wonderfully the curiously named Egg Castle | confusingly | euphemistically | ironically

PREP. after I named my son after my father. | for (literary) the dead sister for whom she had been named | in honour of sb/sth The hospital was named in honour of its principal benefactor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nanny noun

ADJ. live-in | qualified, trained

PREP. ~ to She was taken on as a nanny to their two small children. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

napkin noun

ADJ. clean | folded | dinner | table She dabbed her mouth with her table napkin. | damask, linen, paper

VERB + NAPKIN fold | unfold | tuck He tucked his napkin under his chin. | dab sth with, wipe sth on/with

NAPKIN + NOUN ring napkin rings made of silver

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nappy noun

NAPPY + NOUN change, changing | liner | pin | rash

PREP. in ~ Isn't he rather old to be still in nappies? > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nap noun

ADJ. brief, little, quick, short | afternoon, morning | cat (also catnap) If you have difficulty sleeping at night, avoid taking catnaps during the day. | power A ten-minute power nap can boost your productivity.

VERB + NAP have, take I had a short nap after lunch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

narcotic noun

ADJ. mild, powerful

VERB + NARCOTIC inject, use | trade in He has been arrested for trading in narcotics.

NARCOTIC + NOUN agent, officer, official, squad > Note at DRUG(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

narrative noun

VERB + NARRATIVE construct, create, develop, produce It's difficult to construct a narrative out of a series of fast-moving events. | interrupt The author interrupts her narrative to tell us that the idea for the book had not been well received.

NARRATIVE + VERB be based on sth

NARRATIVE + NOUN form, style, technique | framework, structure | flow interruptions to the narrative flow | content | passage, sequence, text

PREP. in a/the ~ events in the narrative

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

narrow adj.

¹ not wide

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, fairly, quite, rather, relatively The pass gets quite narrow towards the east.

² limited

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. excessively, extremely, peculiarly, very | increasingly | comparatively, fairly, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat

PREP. in people who are rather narrow in outlook

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

narrow verb

¹ of a road/river/gap/range

ADV. considerably | a bit, a little, slightly The river narrows a little here. | sharply The gap between the two parties narrowed sharply in the days before the election. | steadily

PREP. to By the final round the gap had narrowed to three votes.

² of eyes

ADV. fractionally, slightly Though her eyes narrowed fractionally, she made no comment. | suddenly | dangerously, shrewdly, speculatively, suspiciously, thoughtfully The blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

PREP. against Her eyes narrowed against the sun. | at His eyes suddenly narrowed at the sight of her. | to His eyes narrowed to slits. | with His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nasty adj.

VERBS be, look, smell, sound, taste He made it all sound very nasty. | become, get, turn Things could turn nasty (= dangerous) if we're not careful.

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very | thoroughly gang warfare of a thoroughly nasty kind | pretty, quite, rather

PREP. about She was nasty about everyone. | to Kevin seems to enjoy being nasty to his sisters.

PHRASES cheap and nasty a room full of cheap and nasty ornaments | nasty little a nasty little man

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nationalism noun

PHRASES the growth of nationalism, the resurgence/revival of nationalism, the rise in nationalism, a tide of nationalism a tide of militant nationalism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nationalistic adj

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. fiercely, intensely, strongly | increasingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nationalist noun

NATIONALIST + NOUN leader | forces, troops | uprising leading a nationalist uprising

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nationality noun

NATIONALITY + VERB be represented About 30 nationalities were represented at the tournament.

PHRASES on (the) grounds of nationality He accused them of discrimination on the grounds of nationality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nation noun

VERB + NATION create They wanted to create a new nation. | unite The fight against terrorism seemed to unite the nation. | divide | govern, lead | shock the savage murder that shocked the nation

NATION + NOUN building The biggest task of the government was to address national unity and nation building. | state

PREP. across a/the ~ swings in public opinion across the nation | among ~ economic inequality among the nations of the world | in/within a/the ~ In the nation as a whole there is no desire for war. | ~ of They are a nation of food lovers.

PHRASES the birth of a nation, the interests of a nation, the life of a nation They hoped that the exhibition would enhance the cultural life of the nation. | the nation as a whole, the nation at large The new economic policies were in the best interests of the nation at large. | the nations of the world

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

natural adj.

¹ not made by people

VERBS be All the fibres are natural.

ADV. completely completely natural materials

² usual/normal

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. only, perfectly, quite It's only natural that she should feel upset. | fairly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nature noun

¹ the physical world; plants, animals, etc.

ADJ. Mother Mother Nature had served up some terrible weather for their cruise.

VERB + NATURE commune with He believed in spending half an hour each day to relax and commune with nature. | be/get back to We built our house in the country because we wanted to get back (= be close) to nature. | be found in man-made substances not found in nature

NATURE + VERB endow (sb with) sth Nature had endowed her with exceptional vitality. | produce sth It's unlikely that this gully was produced by nature.

NATURE + NOUN conservation | reserve | trail

PREP. close to ~ people who live in the country and are close to nature | in ~ We appreciate beauty in nature.

PHRASES the forces of nature, the laws of nature, a love of nature His love of nature was expressed through his wildlife paintings.

² qualities/features of sb/sth

VERB + NATURE have He has an inquisitive nature. | reveal The parties would not reveal the exact nature of the dispute. | conceal | reflect | belie The gentle lower slopes belie the true nature of the mountain. | be contrary to, be/run against It was against his nature to tell lies. | alter, change This new information does not change the nature of our findings. | acknowledge, be aware of, recognize Are you aware of the nature of the risks involved? | define, specify It is important to define the nature of the problem. | assess, consider, discuss, examine, explore, investigate | comprehend, realize, understand | misconceive | clarify, elucidate, explain, give/offer/provide an insight into His theory provides a remarkable insight into the nature of the British constitution. | describe | determine | depend on The method employed will depend on the nature of the task. | appeal to There was no point appealing to her better nature (= kindness).

PREP. by ~ He's not by nature an inquisitive person. | concerning the ~ a debate concerning the nature of violence | considering/given the ~ Given the nature of this matter, I am inclined to think it should be managed by you personally. | in ~ Their strategy was essentially political in nature. | in sb/sth's ~ It's not in his nature to complain. A certain element of risk is in the nature of the job. | of a … ~ The legal concept of insanity is of a different nature from the medical.

PHRASES by its very nature By its very nature a secret service is not open to public inspection. | the extent and nature of sth We need to understand the true extent and nature of the problem. | a part of sb's nature the expressive part of his nature Her view is that aggression is part of human nature. | a side of/to sb's nature He had a vicious side to his nature.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nausea noun

ADJ. intense, severe | sudden | nervous

QUANT. wave I was overcome by waves of nausea.

VERB + NAUSEA experience, feel | complain of | bring on, cause | relieve

NAUSEA + VERB engulf sb, overcome sb, sweep over sb

PHRASES a feeling/sensation of nausea

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

navigate verb

ADV. accurately, successfully Pigeons navigate less accurately when the earth's magnetic field is disturbed. (figurative) Those who successfully navigate this social minefield are accepted by the royal family.

PREP. across, by These birds navigate by the sun. | through learning to navigate your way through a forest

PHRASES navigate your way

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

navigation noun

ADJ. accurate | radio, satellite

NAVIGATION + NOUN system | aids, equipment, instruments, lights | beacon | rights

PREP. ~ through (often figurative) navigation through complex documents

PHRASES an aid to navigation small boats equipped with electronic aids to navigation | freedom/rights of navigation freedom of navigation through international waterways

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

navy noun

ADJ. strong | merchant

VERB + NAVY have | build | serve in | join

PREP. in the ~ He spent ten years in the merchant navy.

PHRASES the Royal Navy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neat adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | leave sth, make sth Be sure to leave the room neat and tidy. | keep sth She kept her desk extremely neat.

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite, rather | surprisingly The handwriting was surprisingly neat.

PHRASES neat and tidy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

necessary adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | remain | make sth The cold weather has made it necessary to protect the crops. | consider sth, feel sth, find sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth Make any alterations you consider necessary. You may find it necessary to readjust the wheels from time to time.

ADV. really, strictly I was determined not to stay in hospital for any longer than was strictly necessary. | absolutely | causally, logically

PREP. for qualifications which are necessary for work with the under-fives

PHRASES if necessary These measures will be enforced, if necessary, by the army. | as/when/where necessary We are here to give help and support when necessary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

necessity noun

¹ fact that sth must happen; sth that cannot be avoided

VERB + NECESSITY recognize, see She saw the necessity to make an immediate impression on him. | accept (sth as), be convinced of They have accepted the necessity of greater state intervention. | avoid, obviate, remove, spare | emphasize, highlight, stress Observers stressed the necessity for the ceasefire to be observed. | be born (out) of Culling of the animals was born out of the necessity for successful conservation.

NECESSITY + VERB arise These animals don't like water but will swim if the necessity arises. | demand (sth) Where necessity demands, we can seat more guests in the gallery. | force sth Necessity forced an urgent solution.

PREP. of ~ The visit will, of necessity, be brief. | out of ~ He is changing job out of necessity, not because he particularly wants to. | through ~ Most of the women are forced, through economic necessity, to work in part-time low-paid jobs. | without the ~ of You can dial direct without the necessity of going through the operator. | ~ for There's no necessity for you to come. | ~ to the necessity to earn a living

PHRASES any/no necessity The company sees no necessity for a more cautious approach to investment.

² sth you must have

VERB + NECESSITY have | lack

PHRASES a necessity of life Food is a necessity of life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

needle noun

¹ for sewing

ADJ. long | blunt | sharp | fine | darning, embroidery, sewing, tapestry

VERB + NEEDLE use | thread

PHRASES the eye of a needle, needle and thread She sewed it on with needle and thread.

² for knitting

ADJ. empty | knitting

NEEDLE + VERB hold sth a needle holding two stitches

³ for drugs

VERB + NEEDLE insert, jab (sb with), plunge, put, stick He saw her stick a needle into her arm. | use | share the dangers of sharing needles

NEEDLE + VERB go in The needle went in easily.

NEEDLE + NOUN tip | exchange He believes that needle exchange schemes (= where drug users can change used needles for clean ones) encourage drug addiction.

PHRASES the prick of a needle

⁴ on a compass/instrument

ADJ. magnetized | compass

NEEDLE + VERB move The needle moved away from the wind. | point | settle Wait until the needle settles and is pointing in one direction.

PHRASES the needle of a compass

⁵ on a pine tree

ADJ. conifer, pine

VERB + NEEDLE drop, lose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

needy adj.

VERBS be, look a woman who looked needy

ADV. genuinely, really, truly, very

PHRASES poor and needy helping the children of poor and needy parents

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

need noun

¹ situation where sth is needed/necessary

VERB + NEED feel, have I felt the need to do something. | express Several governments have expressed the need for a cautious approach to the conflict. | demonstrate, prove, show, suggest The incident proved the need for a continuing military presence in the area. | reflect a law reflecting a need for better social conditions | create The war created a need for national unity. | address, fulfil, meet, satisfy | avoid, eliminate, obviate, remove I avoid the need to travel by plane. | reduce | be aware of, be sensitive to | accept, acknowledge, perceive, recognize, see I see no need to do anything hasty. | emphasize, heighten, highlight, reaffirm, stress, underline She stressed the need for cooperation with the authorities. | ignore, overlook | deny The government has denied the need for economic reform. | understand | consider

NEED + VERB exist A need exists to bridge the gap between theory and practice in nursing. | arise The system can be switched to emergency power should the need arise.

PREP. in ~ (of) a campaign to help children in need The room was sorely in need of a fresh coat of paint. | ~ for the need for change

PHRASES any/little/no need There's no need to worry.

² sth that sb requires

VERB + NEED be responsive to, be sensitive to | address, cater for/to, cover, fulfil, meet, provide (for), respond to, satisfy, serve, supply a new union set up to address the needs of seasonal labourers

£10 a day was enough to cover all his needs. We have now met most of the humanitarian needs of the refugees. | suit, tailor sth to The coaching is informal and tailored to individual needs. | identify | assess, consider

PHRASES needs and desires, sb's every need Our staff will cater to your every need.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

need verb

ADV. badly, desperately, really, urgently She needed some money badly. Research is urgently needed into the causes of this illness. | certainly, definitely | clearly, obviously | just, only, simply I just need some information. | hardly You hardly need me to tell you that your father is still very frail and must not be upset. | not necessarily These people may need 24-hour attention, but they do not necessarily need to be in hospital. | no longer | still

VERB + NEED be going to | be expected to, be likely to, may well You may well need to look outside your preferred area to find affordable accommodation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negative adj.

¹ only thinking about/showing sb/sth's bad qualities

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | become | remain

ADV. distinctly, extremely, strongly, terribly, very the strongly negative implications of these survey results Their attitude was terribly negative. | completely, entirely, exclusively, purely, totally, wholly She spoke in entirely negative terms. | largely, mainly, overwhelmingly | fairly, rather, slightly, somewhat | apparently | essentially Critical thinking is essentially negative as it seeks to dissect and not to build. | generally

PREP. about He's been rather negative about the idea.

² showing that sth has not happened/been found

VERBS be, prove, test The breathalyser test proved negative. He tested negative for HIV infection.

PREP. for The urine tests were negative for protein.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negative noun

¹ denial

VERB + NEGATIVE answer (sth) in, reply in She answered the question in the negative.

² developed photographic film

ADJ. original | photographic | film, glass

QUANT. strip

VERB + NEGATIVE produce | develop His interest in photography started with him developing negatives that he found lying around the house. | keep We must assume that the spy kept the negatives. | destroy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neglected adj.

¹ not given enough attention

VERBS be, feel, lie, look, remain, seem, stand His tools lay neglected in the garden. | become, get

ADV. badly, extremely, much, sadly, seriously, sorely, very, woefully It is a sadly neglected work. The building is sorely neglected. | largely | comparatively, rather, relatively, somewhat | hitherto, previously | unjustly She is an excellent and unjustly neglected author.

² not given enough food, clothing, etc.

VERBS be, look The group of street children looked ragged and neglected.

ADV. badly, grossly, severely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neglect noun

ADJ. general, total | comparative, relative | benign The eighteenth-century interior of the building has survived through benign neglect. | deliberate, serious, wilful | physical | child The maximum penalty for child neglect is ten years' imprisonment.

VERB + NEGLECT suffer (from) The buildings suffered neglect for centuries. | be guilty of The doctor was guilty of serious neglect of duty.

PREP. by ~ cruelty by neglect | through ~ the suffering of children through neglect | to the ~ of She had concentrated on her music to the neglect of her other studies.

PHRASES centuries/years of neglect After years of neglect the house is at last being restored.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neglect verb

ADV. grossly, seriously | completely, entirely, totally, wholly | largely | conveniently (ironic), deliberately, wilfully conveniently neglecting their responsibilities | conspicuously an aspect of the problem conspicuously neglected by social scientists | hitherto, previously

VERB + NEGLECT tend to | cannot/could not afford to This sector is one of the major growth areas and we cannot afford to neglect it.

PREP. in favour of Local communities have been neglected in favour of private sector interests.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negligence noun

ADJ. gross | contributory The plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence for failing to wear a crash helmet. | medical, professional | criminal

VERB + NEGLIGENCE be guilty of | accuse sb of, allege, claim, sue for The solicitor was accused of professional negligence. | deny | prove | arise from death arising from negligence

NEGLIGENCE + NOUN case | claim

PREP. by ~ His death was brought about by negligence on the doctor's part. | through ~ damage to company property through negligence | ~ in negligence in navigation

PHRASES a finding of negligence The court made a finding of contributory negligence. | the result of (the) negligence The accident was the result of negligence on the part of the driver. > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negligent adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, grossly, seriously, very | wholly | criminally

PREP. in The hospital was negligent in the way it looked after this young man. | over The court found him to be negligent over the loss of £18 million by the local authority.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negligible adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. absolutely | by no means, far from Delays in the courts are far from negligible. | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negotiate verb

¹ try to reach an agreement

ADV. carefully a carefully negotiated series of concessions | successfully | freely | individually, separately Rents are individually negotiated between landlord and tenant. | jointly | directly negotiating directly with the rebels | secretly | constantly, continually The parameters of the job are being continually negotiated.

VERB + NEGOTIATE be able to | be prepared to, be willing to Are the employers really willing to negotiate? | attempt to, seek to, try to | manage to | help (to)

PREP. between to negotiate between the two sides | for We are negotiating for the release of the prisoners. | on They have refused to negotiate on this issue. | on behalf of negotiating on behalf of Britain | with I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.

² successfully get over/past sth

ADV. easily, safely He safely negotiated the slippery stepping stones.

VERB + NEGOTIATE be difficult to The flight of steps was quite difficult to negotiate with a heavy suitcase.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negotiation noun

NEGOTIATION + VERB begin, start | continue, go on Negotiations continued all day to avert a strike. | break down, collapse

NEGOTIATION + NOUN process

PREP. by ~ Rents are agreed by negotiation. | in ~ (with) She is in negotiation with other heads of state on the question of oil prices. | through ~ The problem should be resolved through negotiation. | under ~ Contracts are under negotiation. | ~ between The alliance is the product of months of negotiation between the two parties. | ~ of the negotiation of a new contract | ~ on international negotiations on reducing sulphur dioxide emissions | ~ over negotiations over the number of houses to be built | ~ with negotiations with the other side

PHRASES a basis for negotiation, a matter for negotiation, months/years of negotiation They signed the treaty after several years of negotiation. | a process of negotiation Compromise is reached by a process of negotiation. | room for negotiation There is considerable room for negotiation on some of the details. > Special page at MEETING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

negotiator noun

ADJ. clever, good, skilled, tough | professional, trained | chief, principal, senior the trade union's chief negotiator | union > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neighbourhood noun

VERB + NEIGHBOURHOOD move into A lot of new families have moved into the neighbourhood.

NEIGHBOURHOOD + NOUN police, policing | school

PREP. around/round the ~ There were various parks around the neighbourhood. | in a/the ~ There was a large school in the neighbourhood. | outside a/the ~ It was a car from outside the immediate neighbourhood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neighbour noun

ADJ. friendly, good She's been a very good neighbour to me. | close, immediate, near, next-door They are near neighbours of ours. | nearest She leaned towards her nearest neighbour and whispered something. | northern, southern, etc. England's northern neighbour now has its own parliament.

PHRASES friends and neighbours

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nerve noun

¹ in the body

ADJ. sensitive, trapped | facial, optic, spinal, etc.

VERB + NERVE damage, strain, trap I've trapped a nerve in my spine.

NERVE + VERB go, lead, run The nerve runs from the eye to the brain. | transmit sth The nerves transmit pain. | throb He lay awake, his nerves throbbing.

NERVE + NOUN cell, end, ending, fibre, tissue | pathway | impulse | damage, injury | gas

PREP. along a/the ~ The message travels along the nerve to the brain. | ~ in He's been off work with a trapped nerve in his back. | ~ to Cutting the nerves to the stomach does not affect hunger.

PHRASES every nerve in sb's body Intense pain shot through every nerve in his body. | hit a nerve, touch a (sensitive/raw) nerve (figurative) My remarks about divorce had unwittingly touched a raw nerve.

² nerves: mental state

ADJ. good, steady | bad, frayed, ragged, shattered, taut At the end of a day's teaching, her nerves were absolutely shattered.

VERB + NERVE stretch Her nerves were stretched to breaking point.

NERVE + VERB be on edge After the bomb, my nerves were on edge. | jangle His nerves jangled every time the phone rang. | stand I'm not sure my nerves can stand another night like this.

PREP. ~s for Skydiving is all right for people who've got the nerves for it.

PHRASES a battle/war of nerves The union has been fighting a war of nerves with the management over pay. | get on sb's nerves His endless whining really gets on my nerves. | nerves of steel You need nerves of steel to be a good poker player. | a strain on sb's nerves Looking after him while he was so ill has been a great strain on her nerves.

³ nerves: nervous state

ADJ. exam, first-night I've never suffered from first-night nerves.

VERB + NERVE calm, control, soothe, steady She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. | suffer from

PHRASES an attack of nerves I had an attack of nerves just before I went on stage. | a bag/bundle/mass of nerves By the time of the interview, I was a bundle of nerves.

⁴ courage

ADJ. sufficient

VERB + NERVE have I didn't have the nerve to ask. | lack | lose At the last minute she almost lost her nerve. | keep He kept his nerve to win a thrilling match. | find You must find the nerve to ask for more money. | take It took a lot of nerve to stand up and speak.

NERVE + VERB break, crack, fail (sb) At the last moment her nerve failed her.

PHRASES a failure/loss of nerve, a test of nerve Singing in front of so many people was a real test of nerve.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nervous breakdown noun

ADJ. complete

VERB + NERVOUS BREAKDOWN have, suffer

PHRASES the brink/edge/verge of a nervous breakdown The stress of her job had brought her to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nervousness noun

ADJ. considerable, extreme, great With great nervousness she followed him. | increasing | slight | initial

VERB + NERVOUSNESS feel | betray, show (signs of) She managed to speak without betraying her nervousness. | cover, hide She laughed to hide her nervousness. | overcome | sense I could sense his nervousness.

PREP. from ~ I was babbling from nervousness. | out of ~ He found himself chattering away out of nervousness. | ~ about her nervousness about working with children | ~ at He felt some nervousness at the prospect of meeting her.

PHRASES a sign of nervousness Adjusting your tie is often a sign of nervousness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nervous adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound Both men appeared nervous. | become, get, grow | make sb Sit down?you're making me nervous!

PREP. about nervous about the wedding | at nervous at what might happen | of I was slightly nervous of him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nestle verb

ADV. comfortably, safely

PREP. against She sat back, nestling against his chest. | among The town nestles comfortably among the hills. | between, in a tiny village nestling in a valley

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nest noun

ADJ. ant's, bird's, wasp's, etc.

VERB + NEST build, make | sit on The male and female take turns to sit on the nest. | fly, leave The young ones have flown the nest.

NEST + NOUN site The male uses song to attract a female to his nest site. | hole

PREP. away from a/the ~ A rat took the egg while the mother was away from the nest. | in/inside a/the ~ The snake will attack if disturbed inside its nest. | on a/the ~ The female spends all her time on the nest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nettle noun

ADJ. stinging | dead (= a variety that does not sting)

QUANT. clump, patch

VERB + NETTLE cut (down), get rid of

NETTLE + VERB grow | sting | spread The nettles had spread and now covered half the garden.

PREP. in (the) ~s There was an old car half buried in the nettles. | on ~s The butterflies lay their eggs on nettles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

network noun

VERB + NETWORK build up, create, establish, form, set up They are establishing a network of pumps and pipelines to move the oil. | form The new rail services will form a network connecting the capital and major cities. | run They were unable to run the telephone network economically. | manage software to help you manage your network

PREP. across a/the ~ Users can access data across a network. | in a/the ~ Members are all linked together in a network. | on a/the ~ All computer users are connected on a network. | over a/the ~ The files are accessible over a network. | through a/the ~ Drinking water is brought to the village through a network of underground pipes. | via a/the ~ The newspapers are sent out via a national distribution network. | ~ of a network of motorways > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

net noun

ADJ. fine, fine-mesh | safety | fishing | mosquito

VERB + NET mend The fishermen were mending their nets. | cast, spread (out) | haul in | slip through (often figurative) We tried to contact all former students but one or two slipped through the net.

PREP. in a/the ~ Unfortunately the animals are often caught in fishing nets. | into a/the ~ The ball went into the net. | over the ~ to hit the ball over the net

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neurosis noun

ADJ. individual, personal | anxiety, obsessional

VERB + NEUROSIS have

PREP. ~ about the director's neurosis about actors arriving late for filming

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neutrality noun

ADJ. political | armed a policy of armed neutrality.

VERB + NEUTRALITY declare, proclaim Switzerland declared its neutrality. | maintain, preserve

PREP. ~ between the commission's neutrality between Protestants and Catholics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neutralize verb

ADV. effectively This strategy effectively neutralized what the Conservatives had hoped would be a vote-winner.

PREP. with Discarded acid should be neutralized with alkali before disposal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

neutral adj.

¹ not supporting either side

VERBS be | remain, stay

ADV. strictly The government maintained its strictly neutral policy. | completely | basically, broadly The Russians took a broadly neutral position. | politically The meeting must be at a politically neutral location.

PREP. about neutral about this issue

² not showing strong qualities/feelings/colour

VERBS be, seem Her expression seemed neutral. | remain | keep sth Dolly kept her voice carefully neutral.

ADV. perfectly | fairly, quite, relatively She chose fairly neutral make-up. | apparently | carefully

³ not affected by sth

VERBS be, seem

ADV. culturally, ethically, ideologically, morally, politically Behaviour is never culturally neutral.

PHRASES gender neutral She argued that the law should always be gender neutral (= apply in exactly the same way to men and women).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

newspaper noun

QUANT. copy Have you got a copy of yesterday's newspaper? | edition today's edition of the newspaper

NEWSPAPER + VERB come out The newspaper comes out every Saturday.

NEWSPAPER + NOUN article, clipping, column, coverage, cutting | baron, magnate, owner | correspondent, editor, reporter | kiosk, shop, stand

PREP. in a/the ~ an article in a local newspaper | on a/the ~ She got a job on a national newspaper.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

news noun

¹ new information

ADJ. encouraging, excellent, good, great, marvellous, terrific, tremendous, welcome, wonderful The good news is that we've all been given an extra day's leave. Great news! We've bought the house. | bad, gloomy, grim, sad, terrible, tragic, unwelcome | dramatic, important, momentous | hot, late, latest, recent Some late news has just come in. | old, stale | exciting, interesting | front-page It was front-page news at the time. | domestic, home, local, national, regional | foreign, international | business, City, financial | sports, tennis, etc.

QUANT. bit, item, piece We've had a bit of good news.

VERB + NEWS get, have, hear, learn, receive Have you heard the latest news? | catch up on I want to catch up on all your news. | announce, break, bring (sb), give sb, tell sb The police had to break the news to the boy's parents. | spread She ran from office to office, spreading the news. | leak News of their engagement was leaked to the press. | report I haven't really got any news to report. | carry ‘The Daily Nation’ carried news of the event. | gather, get It's the reporter's job to go out and gather news. | await, expect, wait for They are waiting for news of their relatives. | greet, react to, welcome The news was greeted with astonishment. | make It was a very minor incident and barely made the news.

NEWS + VERB come, come in, come through News is coming in of a large fire in central London. | break, leak out The news broke while we were on holiday. | spread, travel The news spread like wildfire.

PREP. at the ~ She went completely to pieces at the news of his death. | in the ~ She's been in the news a lot lately. | with the ~ Joan came in with the news that a pay rise had been agreed. | ~ about I'm not interested in news about celebrities. | ~ from And now with news from the Games, over to our Olympic correspondent. | ~ of news of fresh killings | ~ on Is there any news on the car bomb attack? | ~ to It was news to me that they'd got married.

² the news: on TV or radio

ADJ. radio, television, TV | evening, lunchtime, nine o'clock, etc.

VERB + NEWS hear, listen to, see, watch | turn on | broadcast | read The news is read by Harriet Daly.

PREP. in the ~ Our school was mentioned in the news. | on the ~ I heard it on t

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

new adj.

¹ recently built/made

VERBS be, look The car still looks quite new.

ADV. brand, spanking a scratch on my brand new car very proud of their spanking new kitchen | fairly, quite

² different/not familiar

VERBS be These ideas are not entirely new.

ADV. very | completely, entirely, quite | fairly, quite

PREP. to It was all very new and strange to me. She's still quite new to the job and needs a lot of help.

PHRASES be nothing new about/in sth There is nothing new in teenagers wanting to change the world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nice adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste I felt nice and cosy. That bread smells nice. His mother sounded very nice on the phone. | make sth I tidied the room to make it nice for the others when they came home.

ADV. awfully, exceptionally, extremely, incredibly, jolly, really, terribly, very an awfully nice man | perfectly, thoroughly I'm sure she's perfectly nice really. | not particularly It had not been a particularly nice experience. | pretty, quite, rather | enough Some of the boys were nice enough, but she didn't want to go out with them.

PREP. about He was incredibly nice about it, though I am sure it caused him a lot of trouble. | for It's nice for Mum to get out more. | to Can't you be nice to each other for once?

PHRASES nice little It's a nice little place you've got here.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

niche noun

ADJ. right, suitable | distinctive, particular, special | little He had found his own little niche in life. | market | ecological

VERB + NICHE have Each animal has its ecological niche. | find, identify, see, spot He saw a niche in the market and exploited it. | carve out, create, establish, secure She's carved out quite a niche for herself in fashion design. | fill, occupy | exploit

NICHE + NOUN market, marketing | product

PREP. in/into a/the ~ These animals are moving into the niche left vacant by the disappearance of the big predators. | ~ for There's a niche for a small stylish car. | ~ in women who dared question their niche in society

PHRASES a niche in the market

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nickname noun

VERB + NICKNAME give sb | acquire, get He got his nickname ‘Ash’ from his heavy smoking. | earn (sb) | live up to Leicester Tigers lived up to their nickname in a very attacking game.

NICKNAME + VERB stick He got his nickname when he was at school and it stuck for the rest of his life.

PREP. ~ for ‘Chalky’ is a common nickname for people called White.

PHRASES hence her/his nickname He worked in a garage?hence his nickname ‘Spanner’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nicotine noun

ADJ. pure

VERB + NICOTINE be addicted to, be dependent on | be stained with

NICOTINE + NOUN addiction, craving | addict | patch, substitute | stain The nicotine stains on his fingers told me he was under stress.

PHRASES dependence on nicotine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nightclub noun

ADJ. top a top London nightclub | seedy

VERB + NIGHTCLUB go to | run

NIGHTCLUB + NOUN bouncer, owner, singer, staff

PREP. at a/the ~ She's performing at a nightclub in Paris. | in a/the ~ He was murdered in a London nightclub.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nightmare noun

¹ bad dream

ADJ. awful, horrible, terrible, terrifying | continuing, recurring

VERB + NIGHTMARE have, suffer | wake (up) from | give sb The film gave me nightmares.

PREP. ~ about I have nightmares about drowning.

² bad/feared experience

ADJ. absolute, awful, horrible, real, terrible, terrifying | worst Losing a child is my worst nightmare. | personal | living The refugees had survived a living nightmare. | administrative, bureaucratic, financial, etc.

VERB + NIGHTMARE endure, face, suffer, survive | become, prove, turn into Their dream of living in the country turned into a nightmare when they both fell seriously ill. | create | escape (from)

NIGHTMARE + VERB be over | come true

NIGHTMARE + NOUN scenario, vision the nightmare scenario of mass unemployment The writer evokes a nightmare vision of a future on a polluted planet. | world | journey

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

night noun

¹ when it is dark and most people sleep

VERB + NIGHT have | spend They spent the night in Bristol. | stay Ask your Mum if you can stay the night.

NIGHT + VERB fall When it came the night fell quickly. | progress, wear on As the night wore on it grew colder.

NIGHT + NOUN air, sky | duty, shift

PREP. at ~ lying awake at night | by ~ Paris by night | during/in the ~ I woke in the night. | for a/the ~, on Friday, etc. ~, per ~ The hotel costs £65 per person per night. | through/throughout the ~

PHRASES all night long, at this time of night, day and night/night and day (= all the time), a good night's sleep, good night She kissed him good night. | in the dead of night (= in the middle of the night), morning, noon and night (= all the time)

² time between late afternoon and when you go to bed

ADJ. last, tomorrow | Friday, Saturday, etc. | the other I saw her the other night (= a few nights ago).

NIGHT + NOUN school

PREP. at ~ She doesn't like to walk home late at night. | by ~, on Friday, etc. ~

³ evening when a special event happens

ADJ. first, opening | last the last night of the play's run | big, great, memorable | dance, election, quiz

PHRASES make a night of it They decided to make a night of it and went on to a club. | a night out Fancy a night out?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nipple noun

ADJ. pert, pointed | erect, hard, rigid, swollen, taut | sensitive, sore

VERB + NIPPLE suck

NIPPLE + VERB harden, rise, stiffen, tighten

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nod noun

ADJ. brief, brisk, quick, imperceptible, little, slight, small | curt, perfunctory, terse He dismissed them with a curt nod. | approving, satisfied She inspected my work and gave a satisfied nod. | reassuring | passing (figurative) He gave a passing nod (= a brief acknowledgement) to the show that had launched his career.

VERB + NOD give (sb) My teacher gave me a nod of reassurance and I began. | get He's ready to play and just waiting to get the nod from the team coach. | wait for

PREP. at a ~, with a ~ | ~ from At a nod from Lawton, he gently turned the handle. | ~ in the direction of, ~ of a nod of approval | ~ to, ~ towards ‘I couldn't have done this alone’, he said with a nod towards his wife.

PHRASES a nod of sb's/the head She answered with an almost imperceptible nod of the head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nod verb

ADV. just, merely, only, simply Ashamed, I could only nod. | fervently, furiously, vigorously, violently ‘That's exactly it,’ she said, nodding vigorously. | gently She nodded gently to herself. | almost imperceptibly, slightly | slowly | quickly | abruptly, briefly, briskly, curtly He nodded curtly and walked away. | jerkily, stiffly | dumbly, mutely, silently, wordlessly She could not speak but just nodded mutely. | absently, abstractedly, vaguely He nodded absently, his mind obviously on other things. | meekly | politely, respectfully | amiably, cheerfully, happily | appreciatively, approvingly, eagerly, encouragingly, enthusiastically, gratefully, sympathetically, understandingly | doubtfully, reluctantly | coolly | grimly | glumly, miserably, sadly | gravely, seriously, solemnly, thoughtfully | intelligently, sagely, wisely She nodded sagely as she listened. | back

PREP. at They nodded at us, so we nodded back. | in She nodded in agreement. | to She nodded to Duncan as she left. | towards ‘Let's go,’ he said, nodding towards the door. | with He nodded with satisfaction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noise noun

VERB + NOISE create, generate, make the noise created by aircraft She was making a lot of noise. | hear, listen to We could hear funny little sucking noises. | deaden, reduce Wood is used to deaden the noise.

NOISE + VERB come from sth There were strange noises coming from the sitting room. | become/get/grow louder, grow, increase, rise | abate, die away/down, drop, fade away, fall The deafening noise of the machine dropped to a rumble, then stopped.

NOISE + NOUN level | pollution

PREP. above/over the ~ We had to shout over the noise of the traffic. | ~ from the noise from the engine room

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noisy adj.

VERBS be | get, grow The party was getting a bit noisy.

ADV. deafeningly, extremely, particularly, really, terribly, very | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nominate verb

ADV. formally, officially

VERB + NOMINATE ask sb to, invite sb to Ten critics were asked to nominate their Book of the Year.

PREP. as He has now been formally nominated as presidential candidate. | for She was nominated for a special award. | to He has been nominated to the committee.

PHRASES the power/right to nominate sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nomination noun

ADJ. presidential | Democratic, Republican, etc. | Oscar, etc.

NOMINATION + NOUN form, paper | process

PREP. ~ as She has withdrawn her nomination as chairman. | ~ for his nomination for the Best Actor award | ~ to He will not accept nomination to the committee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nominee noun

ADJ. presidential | Democratic, Republican Party, etc. | Oscar, etc.

VERB + NOMINEE appoint

PREP. through a/the ~ They were acting through nominees. | ~ for the nominees for Best Director

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

non-existent adj.

VERBS be | become Services for customers on public transport are becoming non-existent.

ADV. completely, totally The hotel turned out to be completely non-existent. | almost, practically, virtually Crime is almost non-existent in these communities.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nonchalance noun

ADJ. cool

VERB + NONCHALANCE affect, feign, pretend She shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

PREP. with ~ declining the offer with cool nonchalance

PHRASES an air of nonchalance ‘Oh, by the way … ’ she started, with a false air of nonchalance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nonsense noun

ADJ. absolute, arrant, complete, pure, total, utter Most of his theories are arrant nonsense. | superstitious You don't believe that superstitious nonsense, do you?

VERB + NONSENSE talk Don't talk nonsense! | put up with, stand I'm not going to stand any more of this nonsense. | stop Just stop this nonsense of refusing to talk to anybody. | believe

PREP. ~ about What's all this nonsense about you giving up your job?

PHRASES a load/lot of nonsense People are talking a lot of nonsense about him being the new Michael Jordan. | make (a) nonsense of sth This decision makes absolute nonsense of all our hard work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noon noun

ADJ. 12 The football action starts at 12 noon. | high the glaring light of high noon

PREP. around ~, at ~, by ~, till/until ~

PHRASES morning, noon and night (= all the time)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noose noun

ADJ. hangman's

VERB + NOOSE fasten, tie | pull, tighten | make

NOOSE + VERB tighten

PREP. in/into a/the He put his head into the noose. | ~ around/round They tied a noose round her neck.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

normality noun

VERB + NORMALITY restore, return to

PHRASES a return to normality A complete return to normality may take weeks. | some semblance of normality By now any semblance of normality had disappeared.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

normal adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as, view sth as It is now regarded as normal for women to work outside the home.

ADV. very | completely, perfectly, quite It started out as a perfectly normal day. | fairly, near, pretty I'd say it was pretty normal to be upset if your house burned down.

PREP. for The temperature is near normal for spring.

PHRASES as normal First work out the answers as normal. | in the normal way Go for your check-ups in the normal way until you are six months pregnant. | in/under normal circumstances Under normal circumstances Martin would probably have gone to university. | sb's normal self Mandy doesn't seem her normal self today.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

normal noun

VERB + NORMAL be/go back to, return to After a week of festivities, life returned to normal.

PREP. above ~ The rainfall has been above normal for the time of year. | below ~ Sales to December are well below normal. | near ~ His pulse rate had slowed to somewhere near normal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

norm noun

ADJ. accepted, established | ethical, moral | cultural, social | statistical | community, family, group

VERB + NORM conform to Their behaviour conforms to the group norm. | break, challenge | deviate from, differ from

PREP. above the ~, below the ~, over the ~ They want to discourage pay settlements over the norm. | ~ for On-screen editing has become the norm for all student work. | ~ of accepted norms of behaviour

PHRASES a deviation/departure from the norm, an exception to the norm, the norm rather than the exception In the inner-city areas, poverty is the norm rather than the exception.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

north noun

ADJ. magnetic, true | frozen the white expanses of the frozen north > Note at DIRECTION(for more collocates)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nose noun

¹ part of the face

ADJ. big, bulbous, enormous, huge, large, long, prominent, strong | little, small, stubby, tiny | straight | aquiline, curved, Roman | beaky, crooked, hooked | snub, tip-tilted, turned-up, upturned | pointed, sharp The sharp nose and thin lips gave his face a very harsh look. | narrow, thin She had dark eyes and a long narrow nose. | flat, flattened | aristocratic, elegant | pink, red, shiny He stuck his bulbous red nose back into his pint of beer. She dressed up as a clown with a white face and red nose. | blocked, congested, dripping, runny, snotty a child with a runny nose | bleeding, bloodied, bloody, broken, swollen | wet The dog pushed its wet nose into my palm. | sensitive Cats have very sensitive noses and rely heavily on scent markings. | pierced | false I had to wear a black moustache and false nose for the role.

VERB + NOSE breathe through | blow, wipe | pick, rub, scratch | tap He tapped his nose in a knowing gesture. | wrinkle She wrinkled her nose as if she had just smelt a bad smell. | break, split | turn up (figurative) The children turn up their noses at almost everything I cook. | look down (figurative) People who live in that area tend to look down their noses at their poorer neighbours.

NOSE + VERB wrinkle His nose wrinkled with distaste. | twitch | point She walked with her shoulders back and her nose pointing skyward. | run She was weeping quite loudly and her nose was running. | bleed

NOSE + NOUN job She wasn't happy with her appearance so she had a nose job. | bleed (also nosebleed)

PREP. through the ~ Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. | up your ~ The boy sat there with his finger up his nose.

PHRASES the bridge of the nose He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. | (put/stick, etc.) your nose in the air (often figurative) She walked in with her nose in the air, ignoring everyone. | press your nose against sth Charlie pressed his nose against the window.

² front part of a vehicle

ADJ. blunt

VERB + NOSE push down, put down He pushed the nose down for the final approach.

NOSE + VERB dip, drop The plane's nose dipped as it started descending towards the runway.

NOSE + NOUN cone, section | dive (also nosedive)

PHRASES nose to tail The traffic was nose to tail for miles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nostalgia noun

ADJ. great | pure an evening of pure nostalgia

QUANT. wave A wave of nostalgia came over him.

VERB + NOSTALGIA feel He thought back to his time as a student and felt no nostalgia for any of it. | evoke | indulge in, wallow in

NOSTALGIA + NOUN buff Nostalgia buffs gathered for the auction of wartime memorabilia. | trip The college reunion was a great nostalgia trip.

PREP. with ~ I remember it with great nostalgia. | ~ for She felt great nostalgia for the old way of life.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of nostalgia

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nostril noun

VERB + NOSTRIL clog, fill The stench of the cellar filled my nostrils.

NOSTRIL + VERB dilate, flare

NOSTRIL + NOUN hair

PREP. in your ~s The smell of decay lingered in her nostrils. | through your ~s She drew on the cigarette and blew smoke through her nostrils.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. especially, particularly

PREP. for The drawing room is particularly notable for its splendid oak panelling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notebook noun

ADJ. bound, leather-bound, spiral-bound | loose-leaf | pocket | shorthand | reporter's

VERB + NOTEBOOK enter sth in, jot sth down in, record sth in, scribble (sth) in, write sth down in, write (sth) in | draw (out), get out, pull out, take out She drew a notebook from her bag. | tear a page/sheet from, tear out a page/sheet of | consult | fill | carry | keep She kept a notebook during the trip.

NOTEBOOK + NOUN computer

PREP. in a/your ~

PHRASES an entry in a notebook

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noted adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. especially, particularly

PREP. for The lake is also noted for its bird population.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noteworthy adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | make sth the thing that makes this era so noteworthy | consider sth His reign has never been considered particuarly noteworthy.

ADV. especially, particularly

PREP. for The bridge is noteworthy for its sheer size.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: WORKS

of art a piece/work of art Michelangelo's Pietà is a magnificent work of art.

collect ~ She collects Jacobean portraits.

display, exhibit, show ~ The works will be displayed in the new wing of the museum.

~ be (put) on display/exhibition/show ~ go on display/exhibition/show paintings put on show for the first time The photographs are on exhibition until the end of September.

house ~ An annexe was built to house the sculptures.

a series of ~ a series of paintings by Van Gogh

a collection/exhibition of ~ an exhibition of early 20th century French masterpieces

an art/photographic/photography exhibition The open art exhibition will allow new artists to exhibit their work.

by ~ a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: PLAYING

cards two, three, etc. of ~s the four of hearts

jack, queen, king, ace of ~s the ace of spades

high, low ~ a low club

black, red ~ You can't put a red five on a red six.

pick up, take ~ Why didn't you pick up the king?

have, hold ~ He knew his opponents held only spades and diamonds.

lay/put down, play ~ She put down a joker.

lead ~ You should have led a high spade.

draw ~ Use your ace and king to draw the trumps.

trump ~ He trumped my ace!

~ be trumps/wild/high Spades are trumps. Let's play again. This time twos are wild, aces high.

~ trick (in games like bridge and whist) We needed to take three more spade tricks.

on a/the ~ You can play either a nine or a jack on a ten.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: CRIMES

be guilty of, commit ~ Two key witnesses at her trial committed perjury.

accuse sb of, charge sb with ~ He has been accused of her murder.

convict sb of, find sb guilty of ~ She was found guilty of high treason.

acquit sb of ~ The engineer responsible for the collapse of the bridge was acquitted of manslaughter.

admit, confess to, deny ~ All three men have denied assault. She admitted 33 assault charges.

plead guilty/not guilty to ~ He pleaded guilty to a charge of gross indecency.

investigate (sb for) ~ She is being investigated for suspected bribery.

be suspected for/of ~ He was the least likely to be suspected of her murder.

be/come under investigation for ~ She was the second minister to come under investigation for corruption.

be wanted for ~ be wanted on charges of ~ He was wanted on charges of espionage.

solve a case, crime, murder, robbery, theft The police and the public must work together to solve the murder.

arrest sb for ~ Jean was arrested for arson.

be tried for, stand trial for ~ to stand trial for extortion

~ case/trial The nurse's murder trial continues.

~ charge The police agreed to drop the conspiracy charges against him.

a charge/count of ~ The jury convicted her on two counts of theft.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: CURRENCIES

unit of money in a country change/convert sth into/to ~ I want to change 100 dollars into euros.

buy, sell ~ The bank will sell you one Russian rouble for 4.14 Japanese yen.

Many of the collocates of MONEY (for example make, spend) can also be used with currencies: The country spends millions of dollars on overseas aid every year.

50-, 100-, etc. ~ coin/note a pound coin

50-, 100-, etc. dollar bill for a ~ How many dinars will I get for a dollar?

in (the) ~ The contract is denominated in euros. a tax of 30p in the pound

~ for ~ The company promises to match any money the charity makes dollar for dollar.

~'s worth of sth a million pound's worth of books

value of a currency compared with others high, rising, strong ~ Business should benefit from a stronger euro.

falling, low, weak ~ The yen gained 10 points against a weak dollar.

over-valued ~ Research suggests that the pound is over-valued.

float ~ The UK floated sterling in June 1972.

devalue ~ The Fiji dollar may have to be devalued.

defend, prop up, protect, shore up, support ~ She dismissed suggestions that the central bank would intervene to prop up the euro.

~ be worth sth One Saudi Arabian riyal is worth approximately 0.27 US dollars.

~ strengthen The peso strengthened on the foreign exchanges.

~ come under pressure The pound came under pressure against the dollar.

~ close, open The pound closed yesterday at 1.4130 dollars.

~ be fixed/pegged to Many emerging countries have their currencies pegged to the dollar.

~ value The dollar value of the stock rose to $11.5 billion.

~ terms The rise in government spending was equivalent to only 9% in dollar terms.

~ exchange rate All prices are based on the South African rand exchange rate.

~ traveller's cheques sterling traveller's cheques

~ equivalent She was paid the dollar equivalent of £10 000.

against the ~ The yen has strengthened against the pound.

to the ~ How many dollars are there to the pound?

depreciation/devaluation/reflation of the ~ the devaluation of the peso in 1994

a run on the ~ The government increased interest rates to avoid a run on the rouble

(= sudden large buying of the currency). the value of the ~ a rise in the value of the euro

> See also the note at PER CENT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: DAYS

of the week last, next, that, this (coming) ~ ~ last/next (week) The concert is this coming Wednesday. Are you free next Thursday? She's arriving on Friday next.

the ~ before, the previous ~ I'd been paid the previous Friday.

the following ~ She was due to start work the following Monday.

~ of last/next/that/this week He arrived on Monday of last week.

the ~ before last We came here the Tuesday before last.

~ week, a week on ~ I've bought tickets for Thursday week (= for the performance that is seven days after Thursday).

the first/second/third/last ~ in/of the month The museum is free on the last Sunday of every month.

alternate ~s, each, every ~ The competition is fixed for alternate Wednesdays.

all day ~ The restaurant is closed all day Saturday.

~ afternoon, evening, morning, night, etc. I'll see you on Friday evening. Saturday lunchtimes are very busy in the restaurant.

first thing (on) ~ I'll post it first thing on Monday morning.

late (on) ~ The crash occurred late on Tuesday night.

one ~ (written) One Saturday morning, without telling anyone of my plan, I boarded a bus and headed out.

spend ~ She liked to spend Saturday afternoon shopping.

see sb ~ (informal) So I'll see you Monday, then?

manage ~ (informal) I could manage (= meet you on) Tuesday, say 11.30?

open/closed (on) ~ We're open every day except Sunday.

~ arrive, come, dawn (written) Monday dawned still and misty, with a promise of autumn sunshine.

on (a) ~ A public meeting is to be held on Wednesday at the town hall.She was born on a Sunday.I like to just relax on Saturdays.

between ~ and ~ (from) ~ to ~ The ticket office is open until 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

by, no later than ~ Entries are to arrive no later than Monday, 1 October. A special meeting is arranged for Friday 17 May.

~'s deadline, election, game, meeting, performance, race, etc. He was not present at Tuesday's meeting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: POINTS

of the compass due ~ (of) The village is due north of Paris.

far ~ a small village in the far north of Scotland. The reserve is a little further south on the coast.

down south, up north (informal) They have moved down south (= to the south of the country).

journey, way ~ On our way south we travelled through several small villages.

road, track ~ the road west out of the city

be/lie ~ of Brighton is south of London.

come, drive, fly, go, run, travel, walk ~ From Fort William drive north for a couple of miles.

set off ~ The troops set off north.

carry on, continue, proceed ~ The road continues west for 10 miles.

bear, head ~ Take the N1 motorway heading west from Bern.

turn ~ When you reach the top of the hill turn north-east.

face, look ~ The kitchen window faces south. The painting depicts the Grand Canal, Venice, looking north from the Rialto Bridge.

~ bank, coast, shore the south bank of the river

~ wind a bitter east wind

in the ~ (of) I live in the north. There are lakes in the north-east of Poland.

from the ~ (of) The wind is coming from the west.

to the ~ (of) Oxford is to the north-west of London.

towards the ~ Towards the north the woods turn into pine forests.

Which way is ~? Which way is west?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: HEALTH

practitioners be, practise as ~ He practises as a clinical psychologist.

have a dentist, doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist Do you have a family doctor?

need ~ She took good care of her teeth and never needed a dentist.

find ~ What's the best way to find a therapist?

consult, go to, see, visit ~ I think you ought to see a psychologist.

refer sb to ~ referring patients to a specialist

~ practise doctors who practise from home

~ examine sb/sth, see sb I had an ear, nose and throat specialist examine my sinuses. The doctor will see you now.

~ treat sb/sth He is being treated by the physiotherapist.

~ advise sb/sth The optician has advised that I wear contact lenses.

a dentist, doctor, psychiatrist, specialist prescribes (sb) sth The psychiatrist prescribed anti-depressants.

> See also the note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: Illegal Drugs

do (informal), experiment with, take, try, use ~ The minister confessed to having experimented with cannabis in her youth.

be/get high on ~ They committed the crime while high on drugs.

be addicted to, be dependent on, be/get hooked on, be on (informal)~ He seemed to be on acid most of the time.

be/come off ~ He's tried several times to come off cocaine.

possess ~ arrested on charges of possessing narcotics

deal (in), sell, smuggle, supply, traffic (in) ~The country imposes the death penalty for trafficking in marijuana.

seize ~ The heroin seized has an estimated street value of £600 000.

~ abuse, addiction, consumption, use Cannabis consumption has increased sharply.

~ habit, problem She allegedly has a $500-a-day coke habit.

~ overdose Heroin overdose is a major cause of death among heroin users.

~ addict, user~ dealer, trafficker, smuggler~ production, smuggling, trade, trafficking The authorities have been accused of active involvement in the narcotics trade.

addiction to, dependence on, use of ~ the use of cocaine

trade in ~ measures to combat the trade in narcotics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: FLOWERS

grow ~ Tulips are grown everywhere.

breed ~ She breeds orchids in her greenhouse.

plant, put in ~ Autumn is the best time to plant peonies.

dig out/up, take out ~ Dig up your geraniums before the first frosts.

spray, water ~ It's a good idea to spray your roses against greenfly.

prune roses deadhead ~ Don't forget to deadhead the pansies.

pick (sb) ~ I picked some daffodils for you.

smell ~ He stopped to smell the flowers.

arrange ~ She arranged the tulips in a vase.

bring/give/send/take (sb) ~ He took her flowers and chocolates.

~ grow Daffodils grow wild in the mountains.

~ be in flower, be/come out, (be in) bloom, come into flower, come out, flower The spring flowers were just coming out. What time of year do daffodils flower?

~ smell Some of these roses smell absolutely wonderful.

~ close/open (up) You know it's summer when the first daisies open.

~ droop, wilt, wither The petunias were already wilting in the hot sun.

~ be over It was April and the snowdrops were long over.

a bouquet/bunch/garland/posy/spray/vase of ~ a spray of mixed violets and primroses

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: JOBS

be, work as ~ She's a well-known writer. Her father, a trained chef, now works as a bus driver.

study to be, train as, train to be ~ She trained as a painter and sculptor.

start (work) as ~ He started work as a trainee chef.

become, qualify as ~ She qualified as a vet last year.

employ (sb as), have The company employs more than 1500 engineers.

engage (sb as), get, hire (sb as), recruit, take on ~ They have recruited a new designer.

appoint, appoint sb (as), make sb ~ are usually used with academic, official or highly responsible jobs: He was appointed Professor of Law at Yale. At 39 she was made chairman of the board.

dismiss, fire, sack ~ The club have sacked their coach.

> See also the note at PROFESSIONAL

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: LANGUAGES

excellent, fluent, good, perfect ~ He speaks fluent Japanese.

bad, broken, poor~ I got by with broken Chinese and sign language.

colloquial, idiomatic, non-standard, pidgin, standard ~ The inhabitants speak a kind of pidgin Spanish.

spoken, written ~ My spoken Polish is better than my written Polish.

business ~ She is doing a course in business English.

original ~ The fable is translated from the original French.

know, read, speak, understand, use ~ I am more comfortable using Spanish, if you don't mind.

be fluent in ~ She was fluent in German, Urdu and Swahili.

do, learn ~ I did German at school but I've forgotten most of it. I've been learning Arabic for four years.

improve, practise ~ I spent a month in Rome to improve my Italian.

master ~ I never really mastered Latin.

translate sth into ~ He has translated her latest book into Korean.

~ class, course, lesson I'm late for my Russian class.

~ interpreter, speaker, a speaker of ~ the need for Gujarati interpreters

a command/knowledge of ~ He has a poor command of English.

in ~ What is ‘apple’ in French?He addressed me in his best Portuguese.

> See also the note at SUBJECT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: MEALS

eat, have, take (formal)~ Have you had breakfast?

grab, snatch ~ I'm so busy I have to snatch meals when I can.

ask sb to ~ have/invite/take sb for/to ~ come/go for/to ~ He wouldn't have asked her to supper if he didn't like her, she reasoned.

These verbs are often used with around, out, over and round: We must have you over for dinner sometime. Let's go out for a meal.

be out to lunch He's out to lunch with a client.

stop for ~ We stopped for tea at the Ritz.

join sb for, stay for/to ~ You're sure you wont stay for tea?

sit down to, start ~ finish ~ We had just sat down to breakfast when the phone rang.

skip ~ I sometimes skip lunch if we're very busy.

cook (sb), fix (sb), get ready, make (sb), prepare ~ She hurried downstairs to fix herself some breakfast.

have ~ ready We'll have supper ready for you.

serve ~ Lunch is served from noon till 3.

keep warm, warm up ~ I'll be home late, so keep my dinner warm.

provide, provide sb (with) ~ Dinner is provided in the superb hotel restaurant.

~ be available A four course dinner is available by prior arrangement.

~ be ready ‘Breakfast's ready!’ shouted Christine.

~ time The family was always noisy at meal times.

at/during/over ~ Nobody spoke during supper.

for ~ What did you have for lunch?

~ of a breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: WEIGHTS

and measures ~ of I always drink gallons of water.

half a, a quarter of a ~ half a litre of milk

a half/quarter hour, inch, mile, ounce, pint, pound They used to sell corned beef at 2d a quarter pound.

cubic, square ~ One litre is equivalent to 1,000 cubic centimetres.

~ square The room is about 15 metres square.

~ broad, deep, high, long, tall, thick, wide The new dock was 230 m long and 92 m broad.

~ bigger, cooler, faster, heavier, lighter, slower, etc. The climate was several degrees warmer than it is now.

about, approximately, around ~ 1 foot = approx. 0.3 metres

be, cover, measure, span, stretch (for) ~ used with measures of distance and area The National Park covers 3,000 acres. The sandy beach stretches for over four miles.

be, weigh ~ used with measures of weight She weighed over ten stone.

be, last, take ~ used with measures of time It takes approximately 365 and a quarter days for the earth to revolve around the sun.

in a ~ How many centilitres are there in a litre?

in ~s We were asked to estimate the temperature of the room in degrees.

to a/the ~ My car does 10 miles to the litre.

a, per ~ They're 99p a dozen. a safety threshold of 50 mg of nitrates per litre

by the ~ Apples are sold by the kilogram.

of ~ The path will be built to a width of 2 metres.

~ in area, length, volume, weight, size, etc. Killer whales are up to ten metres in length.

~ by ~ a huge room measuring 50 m by 18 m

to the nearest ~ Give your answer to the nearest metre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: MONTHS

the month of ~ The bus service will be offered free of charge to residents for the month of August.

last, next, that, this ~ the/this coming ~ the following/previous ~ She'll be 40 this coming September.

~ (of) last/next/that/this year ~ (of) the/this coming year ~ (of) the following/previous/same year The construction work began in May of last year.

early, late, mid-~ The strike began in late March.

the beginning, end, middle of ~ I'm going on holiday at the end of April.

first/latter/second half of ~ The first half of January was marked by intense diplomatic activity.

the period ~ Throughout the period November to February flocks of 500 or more are regularly present.

the months/weeks/year to ~ In the year to June, sales were up 12% on a year ago.

spend ~ He spent August abroad.

~ arrive, come (written) November came with especially nasty fog.

~ pass (into ~) (written) January passed into February with the crime still a mystery.

a ~ day/morning/night, etc. a misty December morning

~ ('s) edition/issue His article will appear in May's issue of the magazine.

~ sales I picked up lots of bargains in the January sales.

~ coup, demonstration, election, meeting, referendum, revolution, riot, summit, etc. The party is to boycott the June elections.

about, around ~ We will write to you again around August.

after, before ~ We expect to take delivery some time after June.

between ~ and ~ The hotel is closed between October and April.

by ~ The refurbishment should be completed by December.

come ~ It's back to school for him come September

(= when September comes). during ~ The museum attracted 2,000 visitors during March.

for ~ The congress is planned for February 2003.

from ~ The exhibition is open from March to November.

in ~ We're getting married in April.

since ~ She has played only four games since November.

throughout ~ The freezing weather continued throughout January.

(up) to, until ~ The show runs until the end of October.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

note noun

¹ short letter

ADJ. brief, little, quick, short Just a quick note to wish you luck. | handwritten | covering, credit, delivery, love, promissory, ransom, sick, suicide, thank-you

VERB + NOTE scribble (sb), write (sb) | send (sb) | leave (sb) She left me a note to say my supper was in the fridge.

PHRASES a note of thanks

² (often notes) words that you write down quickly

ADJ. brief | copious, detailed | scrappy | lecture | case, clinical, medical

VERB + NOTE jot down, keep, make, take She kept detailed notes of her travels. | go through, look through, read through, sift through

PREP. ~ of I've made a note of the book's title. | ~ on The catalogue has full notes on each artist.

PHRASES make a mental note (of sth/to do sth) She made a mental note to ring them in the morning.

³ (usually notes) extra piece of information

⁴ piece of paper money

ADJ. crumpled | five-pound, ten-euro, etc.

QUANT. bundle, roll, wad a thick wad of notes

⁵ single musical sound

VERB + NOTE play, sing | hit, strike | hold

⁶ quality/feeling

VERB + NOTE hit, sound, strike | inject, introduce His remarks injected a note of levity into the proceedings. | detect I detected a faint note of weariness in his voice. | end on The conference ended on an optimistic note.

NOTE + VERB creep into/enter sb's voice

PREP. ~ of A note of suspicion entered his voice.

PHRASES a note in sb's voice There was a sad note in her voice. | on a brighter/happier, etc. note

⁷ notice/attention

ADJ. careful

VERB + NOTE take He took careful note of the suspicious-looking man in the corner of the bar.

PHRASES worthy of note The frescoes are worthy of note.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: ORGANIZATIONS

create, establish, form, found, set up, start ~ an association created to promote local industry The company was founded in 1981.

dissolve ~ (often law) She sought a court order to have the partnership dissolved.

run ~ He runs an accountancy firm.

manage ~ The executive committee manages the group on a day-to-day basis.

be/become a member of, join ~ She became a member of the Society of Arts.

leave ~ The country plans to leave the organization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: ARISTOCRATIC

titles first, second, etc. ~ the 17th Earl of Lauderdale

be created/made, become ~ She was made a baroness in 1992.

succeed (sb) as ~ He was succeeded as third Baron Northwick by his nephew.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: PERFORMING

arts write ~ He's written a new West End musical.

do, present, perform, produce, put on, stage ~ We are proud to present the play ‘Rocket to the Moon’. The drama group is doing a show.

direct ~ She is directing Verdi's opera ‘La Traviata’ at La Scala next year.

act in, appear in, perform in, sing in, star in ~ He starred in the West End hit musical ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’.

rehearse (for) ~ We had no time to rehearse for the play.

go to the ballet/opera/theatre I haven't been to the theatre for ages.

see ~ Have you seen that new production of ‘Macbeth’?

~ open ‘The Nutcracker’ opens in December.

~ play, run The show has been playing to packed houses. The show ran for years on Broadway.

~ close The musical closes this week after a record number of performances.

a play/show folds The play folded after poor reviews.

at the ballet/opera/theatre We met at the opera.

in a/the ~ the characters in the play

~ by a comedy by Moli

ère

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: FINANCIAL

indicators ~ be down/up With the share price down at 234p, it might be time to start buying. The CAC index was up 18.84 points.

~ reach sth, stand at sth Consumer confidence reached a 30-year high. Second quarter sales stood at £ 18 billion.

~ be/remain unchanged The 100 Share Index remained unchanged at 5297.

~ gain (sth) The share gained 19 cents to close at 4.38.

~ suffer (sth) Profit margins suffered when the company lowered prices to remain competitive.

~ climb, edge up, go up, increase ( ~ increase in value for currencies), jump, rise, rocket, shoot up, skyrocket, soar (+ by, from, to or no preposition) Earnings per share climbed from 3.5p to 5.1p. The pound has increased in value relative to the euro. Profits have shot up by a staggering 25%. Oil prices have skyrocketed.

~ come/go down, crash, decline, decrease ( ~ decrease in value for currencies), dive, drop, fall, plummet, plunge, shrink, slip, slump (+ by, from, to or no preposition) Banana exports crashed nearly 50%. The pound fell to a 14-year low against the dollar. Net income plummeted to USD 3.7 million.

> See also the note at CURRENCY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: PROFESSIONALS

be, practise as ~ to practise as a consulting engineer

act as ~ She is acting as architect on this project.

have ~ The group does not have an internal auditor.

need ~ We need an engineer to design us something better.

find ~ It pays to find a good accountant.

appoint, appoint sb (as), engage, get, instruct ~ Appoint a solictor to act on your behalf.

consult (with), get/take advice from, go to, see, speak to, talk to ~ I demand to speak to my lawyer!

an advocate, barrister, lawyer, solicitor acts for/defends/represents sb an in-house lawyer acting for a major company

advise sb/sth ~ His accountant has advised him to close down his business.

> See also the note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: RANKS

in the armed forces air force, army, navy ~ an air force/army sergeant an army/navy captain

air/field marshal a naval captain/commander/lieutenant/officer have/hold the rank of, serve as ~ She joined the navy and held the rank of captain. He served as a lieutenant in the marine corps.

be appointed, become, be made ~ He was made a colonel at the age of 40. She ought to have been made sergeant by now.

under ~383 men under General Miles attacked the camp.

the rank of ~She was promoted to the rank of colonel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: RELIGIONS

accept, adopt, convert to, embrace, follow, turn to ~ He converted to Judaism when he got married. people who follow Hinduism

abandon, reject ~ He rejected Christianity and became a Buddhist.

~ spread Islam spread rapidly through North Africa.

~ preaches, proclaims, teaches sth Christianity preaches that sinners can be forgiven.

a follower of ~ followers of Sikhism

the rise/spread of ~ the rise of Christianity in the first century

the teachings/tenets of ~ the basic tenets of Buddhism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: SEASONS

have ~ Perhaps we will have a good summer this year.

spend summer/winter I spent the winter indoors.

~ approach The days become shorter and temperatures drop as autumn approaches.

~ arrive, begin, come Autumn arrived early that year.

winter sets in The aid must reach the refugees before winter sets in.

summer/winter pass, wear on, (come to an) end As the summer wore on food became scarce.

~ months summer/winter period spring/summer/winter time (also springtime, etc.) The museum is open daily during the summer months. It was springtime and the slopes were ablaze with almond blossoms.

~ day/morning/night, etc. It's hard to sleep on hot summer nights.

during/in (the) ~ The wood is carpeted with bluebells in spring.

over the summer/winter The repairs will be carried out over the summer.

through/throughout (the) ~ The meat is salted so it keeps through the winter.

for (the) ~ She's gone to Ireland for the summer.

the ~ of 2001, etc. The winter of 2001 was especially cold.

a summer's/winter's day/morning/night, etc. a lazy summer's day

all summer/winter long It rained all summer long.

the height of summer the depths of winter He always wore a short-sleeved shirt, even in the depths of winter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: SOUNDS

give a ~ The dog gave a low growl.

let out a ~ He let out a blood-curdling scream.

hear ~ We heard the peal of church bells.

with a ~ The vase fell to the ground with a great crash.

~ of a roar of laughtera snort of derisionthe whine of an engine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: SWIMMING

strokes a fast, powerful, strong crawl a slow breaststroke do, swim (the) ~ a swimmer doing the crawl I can't swim butterfly.

strike out in/with breaststroke/crawl She struck out with a strong crawl towards the shore.

a length of ~ He did 15 lengths of backstroke every morning.

In competitions the categories are backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle (= in which competitors do crawl because it is fastest). 100 metres, 200 metres, etc. ~ men's, women's ~ compete in ~ competing in the women's 100 metres freestyle

in the ~ He came first in the 200 metres backstroke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE: SUBJECTS

of study do, read, study ~ do ~ is more commonly used with school subjects (but may also be used with university subjects): She did maths, physics and chemistry at school.

study ~ is used with both school and university subjects: He studied German at school. She went on to study mathematics at university.

read ~is only used with university subjects and is quite formal: She was educated privately and at Pembroke College, where she read classics.

lecture in, teach ~ He taught music at a school in Edinburgh.

Other verbs used with subject can also be used with particular subjects of study: Half the students take geography at A level. We offer accounting as a subsidiary course.

~ degree, a degree/diploma in ~ a law degree a higher diploma in fine art

~ class, course, lecture, lesson The genetics lectures are on a different campus.

~ department, a/the department of ~ All enquiries should be made to the Department of Architecture.

~ graduate, student, undergraduate Some architecture graduates gain further qualifications in specialist fields.

~ lecturer, teacher, tutor He's an English teacher at Highland Road School.

~ professor, (a) professor of ~ She's professor of linguistics at the University of Wales.

the study of ~ The study of philosophy helps you to think critically.

in ~ He got As in history and art.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

note verb

ADV. carefully | in passing He noted in passing that the government's record on unemployment was not very good. | duly Her lapse was duly noted by the stage manager and reported to the director. | above, already, earlier, previously These policies, as noted above, are not always successful. | approvingly | ruefully

VERB + NOTE should Visitors should note that the tower is not open to the public. | be important to | be interesting to | be pleased to I was pleased to note that my name had been spelt correctly for once.

PHRASES be worth noting There are a few points here that are worth noting. | it must/should be noted that … , a point to note There are two other points to note from this graph.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noticeable adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. especially, extremely, particularly, very | barely, hardly, scarcely | quite | immediately The smell was immediately noticeable when you walked in the front door.

PREP. in These changes are more noticeable in women than in men. | to This may not be noticeable to people from outside New York.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notice noun

¹ attention

VERB + NOTICE take Take no notice of what you read in the papers. | come to Normally such matters would not come to my notice. | bring to | attract The change was too subtle to attract much notice.

² written statement

ADJ. warning

VERB + NOTICE issue, place, post, put up The company has issued warning notices saying that all water should be boiled. | take down | read, see

NOTICE + VERB appear, go up The notice about his resignation went up this morning. | say sth, tell sb sth

PREP. ~ about There are notices about where to park.

³ information given in advance

ADJ. written | advance, prior | short | reasonable

VERB + NOTICE give, hand in your She's given notice that she intends to leave. | have, receive | need, require The bank requires three days' notice.

PREP. without ~ They cut off the electricity without notice. | ~ of A landlord must give reasonable notice of his intention to inspect the property.

PHRASES at a moment's notice The team is ready to go anywhere in the world at a moment's notice. | at short notice It's the best we can do at such short notice. | notice to quit His landlord gave him two months' notice to quit. | on a month's/week's, etc. notice She's on a week's notice, which doesn't give her long to find another job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notice verb

VERB + NOTICE fail to | not appear to, not seem to He didn't seem to notice her.

PHRASES can't/couldn't help noticing sth You couldn't help noticing how his eyes kept following her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notification noun

ADJ. formal, official, written | advance, prior

VERB + NOTIFICATION have, receive | give (sb)

PREP. without ~ The police are entitled to inspect the premises without notification. | ~ of They failed to give notification of their intention to demolish the building.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notify verb

ADV. forthwith, immediately | in advance | by post, in writing | formally

VERB + NOTIFY be obliged to, be required to, must, should If you see anything suspicious you should notify the police immediately. | fail to

PREP. of All applicants will be notified of the result by post. | to Changes must be notified to the chairman.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notion noun

VERB + NOTION have He's got some vague notion that people will be queueing up to finance the project. | reject | accept | support | dispel We must dispel this notion that you can rely on the state for everything.

PREP. ~ of They have come to reject the traditional notion of womanhood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

notoriety noun

ADJ. sudden | certain | international, public

VERB + NOTORIETY have | achieve, gain He achieved sudden notoriety when the details of his private life were revealed. | bring

PREP. ~ for This make of car has a certain notoriety for rust problems.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

noun noun

ADJ. plural, singular ‘Sheep’ is both a singular and plural noun. | countable | mass, uncountable | feminine, masculine, neuter Most feminine nouns in Polish end in the letter ‘a’. | common, proper Proper nouns begin with a capital letter. | abstract, concrete ‘Happiness’ is an abstract noun. ‘Car’ is a concrete noun. | collective ‘Flock’ is a collective noun.

VERB + NOUN decline, inflect English nouns are not usually inflected. | modify, qualify a prepositional phrase qualifying a noun | follow The noun is followed by an intransitive verb. | precede an adjective preceding the noun

NOUN + VERB end in sth Most English plural nouns end in an ‘s’. | follow sth | precede sth

NOUN + NOUN class, phrase

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nourishment noun

ADJ. adequate, proper, sufficient lack of adequate nourishment | vital | emotional, intellectual

VERB + NOURISHMENT draw, get, obtain, take | deprive sb/sth of, provide (sb/sth with)

PREP. ~ from Every animal in the food chain draws nourishment from other animals or plants.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nourish verb

PHRASES properly/well nourished Patients recover quickly if they are well nourished.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

novelist noun

NOVELIST + VERB write sth A prolific novelist, she wrote more than forty books.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

novelty noun

ADJ. great This tropical fruit is still a great novelty in Europe. | sheer The sheer novelty of the band's performance won them many fans.

NOVELTY + VERB wear off The novelty of her new job soon wore off.

NOVELTY + NOUN value A trip down a mine has great novelty value for most people.

PHRASES be something of a novelty At that time the motor car was still something of a novelty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

novel adj.

VERBS be, sound The scheme sounded rather novel.

ADV. extremely, very | completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | rather, relatively | essentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

novel noun

QUANT. copy I took a copy of a Graham Greene novel on the train with me.

NOVEL + VERB be based on sth The novel was based on a true life story. | be set, take place The novel was set in a small village in France.

PREP. ~ about a novel about growing up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

November noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

novice noun

ADJ. absolute, complete | young

NOVICE + NOUN user The on-screen manual shows the novice user the basics of the program. | pilot, sailor, teacher, etc.

PREP. ~ at I'm still a novice at the sport. | ~ in a novice in politics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nuance noun

ADJ. delicate, fine, slight, subtle A baby is sensitive to the slightest nuances in its mother's voice. the painting's subtle nuances of colour and texture | social It took a while to get used to the social nuances of the office.

VERB + NUANCE understand Spectators may not understand all the nuances of the game.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nude adj.

VERBS appear, be, lie, sit, stand He refused to appear nude in the film. She was lying nude on a beach towel.

ADV. completely | almost | semi

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nudge noun

ADJ. gentle, little | affectionate

VERB + NUDGE give sb She gave me a gentle nudge in the ribs to tell me to shut up. | feel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nudge verb

ADV. gently, playfully

PHRASES nudge sb in the ribs She nudged him playfully in the ribs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nuisance noun

ADJ. great | awful, bloody (taboo), confounded, damned It's an awful nuisance having builders in the house all day. | private, public, statutory (all law) He was charged with committing a public nuisance.

PREP. ~ to I don't want to be a nuisance to you.

PHRASES make a nuisance of yourself

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

null adj. null and void

VERBS be | become | render sth Their actions rendered the contract null and void. | declare sth They declared the agreement null and void.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

number noun

¹ symbol/word

VERB + NUMBER add, divide, multiply, subtract, take away Add all the numbers together, divide by ten, and take away the number you first thought of.

PHRASES in round numbers There were about 150 there, in round numbers. | number crunching (= doing calculations) There's more to accountancy than just number crunching.

² quantity/amount

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, huge, inordinate, large, substantial, vast | record a record number of enquiries | disproportionate, surprising | fair, reasonable, significant We've had a fair number of complaints about the new phone system. | finite, infinite There are an infinite number of solutions to the problem. | equal The candidates received an equal number of votes. | maximum, minimum | average, mean, median | adequate, sufficient | limited, small | growing, increasing, rising | exact, precise Many people have died in the epidemic?the precise number is not known. | indefinite, unspecified | approximate | total

VERB + NUMBER grow in, increase in Factories had increased in number between the wars. | decrease in, reduce in

NUMBER + VERB double, grow, increase | decline, diminish, drop, dwindle, fall (off/down) Shark numbers have dwindled as a result of hunting.

PREP. in ~ The paintings, twelve in number, are over 200 years old.

PHRASES a decline/drop in numbers The decline in numbers of young people means that fewer teachers will be needed. | a growth/an increase in numbers, few/limited/small in number Wild dogs are now few in number.

³ for identifying sb/sth

ADJ. account, identity, registration, serial, etc. | flat, house

PREP. at ~ We live at number 21.

⁴ telephone number

ADJ. fax, phone, telephone | home, office, work | wrong I keep getting the wrong number.

VERB + NUMBER call, dial, phone, ring | get

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

number verb

ADV. clearly | consecutively, sequentially

PREP. according to, by Each pigeon hole is clearly numbered by floor and by room. | from, to Number the car's features from 1 to 10 according to importance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

numb adj.

¹ unable to feel pain

VERBS be, feel Robin's hand felt numb with cold. | become, go, turn His fingers were beginning to turn numb.

ADV. completely | almost | slightly

PREP. from My legs were numb from kneeling.

PHRASES numb with (the) cold Their fingers were going numb with cold.

² unable to feel/think/react

VERBS be, feel, sound Her voice sounded numb. | leave sb The news left us numb and confused.

ADV. totally Laura felt totally numb.

PREP. with He felt numb with weariness and grief.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

numerous adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. especially, particularly, very | increasingly | reasonably, relatively | enough, sufficiently By the mid-twelfth century pilgrims were numerous enough to merit a guidebook.

PHRASES too numerous to list/mention The related publications are far too numerous to list individually.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nursery noun

ADJ. day, residential, workplace

PREP. at a/the ~ The children are at nursery three days a week. | in a/the ~ She works as an assistant in a nursery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nurse noun

NURSE + NOUN manager, practitioner, specialist, tutor | education > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nursing noun

NURSING + NOUN care, services, skills | home | staff | student | practice > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and more nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nutrition noun

ADJ. adequate, good, proper | inadequate, poor Many children at the school were found to be suffering from inadequate nutrition.

PHRASES a source of nutrition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nutritious adj.

VERBS be | make sth Adapt your usual eating regime to make it more nutritious.

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

nut noun

¹ food

ADJ. cashew, pistachio, etc. | chopped, salted

VERB + NUT crack, shell

NUT + NOUN oil

² for screwing onto a bolt

VERB + NUT put on, screw on, tighten | loosen, remove, unscrew

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oar noun

VERB + OAR take We each took an oar. | pull on We pulled hard on the oars. | ship We shipped the oars to get through the narrow opening.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oath noun

¹ formal promise

ADJ. sacred, solemn | Hippocratic a doctor's Hippocratic oath

VERB + OATH swear, take He took an oath of allegiance to his adopted country. | break, violate

PREP. ~ of an oath of allegiance/loyalty

² in a court of law

VERB + OATH administer Only a judge is allowed to administer the oath.

PREP. on ~ He swore on oath that he had never seen me before. | under ~ Witnesses must testify under oath.

³ swear word

ADJ. obscene

QUANT. stream, string He muttered a stream of oaths.

VERB + OATH mutter, utter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oats noun

ADJ. rolled | porridge

QUANT. field

VERB + OATS grow | sow | cut, harvest

OATS + VERB grow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obedience noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, total He demands absolute obedience from his men. | blind, passive, unquestioning

VERB + OBEDIENCE demand, exact, expect | owe All clergy owed obedience to their superior. | pledge, swear

PREP. in ~ to She acted in passive obedience to her boss's directions. | ~ to The slaves had to swear obedience to their masters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obey verb

ADV. immediately, instantly She was used to having her orders instantly obeyed. | automatically, blindly, meekly, unquestioningly | eagerly | reluctantly

VERB + OBEY have to, must | refuse to He refuses to obey the school rules. | fail to | be willing to | promise to

PHRASES be only obeying orders At the trial the soldiers made the excuse that they were only obeying orders. | a duty/an obligation to obey People have a moral duty to obey the law. | sth has to be/must be obeyed Rules are rules and they must be obeyed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obituary noun

VERB + OBITUARY write | print, publish | read

OBITUARY + NOUN column, page

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

objection noun

ADJ. serious, strenuous, strong | valid | main, major, principal | fundamental | common

VERB + OBJECTION lodge, make, raise, state | have I'd like to open a window, unless anyone has any objections. | meet, overcome | withdraw

PREP. over the ~s of She was appointed over the objections of certain members of the board. | ~ against a common objection against nuclear power | ~ to The committee has raised serious objections to the plans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

objective adj.

VERBS be, seem | remain

ADV. truly, very | completely, purely, totally, wholly It is impossible to be completely objective. | fairly, quite, reasonably | apparently | supposedly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

objective noun

VERB + OBJECTIVE accomplish, achieve, attain, fulfil, meet, reach, succeed in The department needs more money to fulfil its objectives. | fail in | agree, define, establish, formulate, identify, set, specify We need to establish a clear objective. | declare, state | clarify | promote, pursue

PREP. in an/the ~ The party is radical in its objectives. | ~ of We succeeded in our prime objective of cutting costs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

object noun

¹ solid thing

ADJ. solid | inanimate | everyday, household Her paintings are of ordinary everyday objects.

² purpose

ADJ. main, primary, principal | sole My sole object is to get to the bottom of this mystery.

OBJECT + NOUN lesson The plans are an object lesson in how to ruin a city centre.

PHRASES the object of the exercise The object of the exercise is to score as many points as possible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

object verb

ADV. strenuously, strongly, vehemently

VERB + OBJECT can/could hardly It was your own idea in the first place, so you can hardly object now. | be entitled to, have a/the right to

PREP. to a petition objecting to the scheme

PHRASES object on the grounds that … I objected on the grounds that it was unkind to the animals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obligation noun

OBLIGATION + VERB arise from sth obligations arising from your contract of employment

PREP. under an ~ I am under no obligation to tell you my name. | without ~ Our mortgage advice is given free and without obligation. | ~ to A lawyer owes an obligation of confidence to the client.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obligatory adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | make sth The college authorities have now made these classes obligatory.

ADV. almost, practically | legally

PREP. for It is obligatory for vets to be registered.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obliged adj.

¹ forced to do sth

VERBS be, feel

ADV. virtually Libel plaintiffs are virtually obliged to go into the witness box. | by law, contractually, legally Parents are obliged by law to send their children to school. | morally I felt morally obliged to do the best I could for her.

² grateful

VERBS be, feel

ADV. much

PREP. for, to I'm much obliged to you for helping us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oblige verb

ADV. duly The fans were looking for another goal and Owen duly obliged (= scored). | kindly

VERB + OBLIGE be delighted to, be glad to, be (only too) happy to, be pleased to, be willing to The staff are always happy to oblige. | hasten to

PREP. by Will you oblige by filling in this form? | with Would you be willing to oblige us with some information?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obliterate verb

ADV. completely, entirely, totally The village was totally obliterated by the bomb. | almost, virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oblivion noun

ADJ. political

VERB + OBLIVION fade into, fall into, pass into, sink into, slide into | be rescued from, be saved from a minor masterpiece, saved from oblivion | consign to Most of his work has now been consigned to oblivion.

PREP. in ~ He died in oblivion in a remote village.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oblivious adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem Chiko appeared oblivious to the uproar. | become | remain | make sb His own arrogance made him oblivious to the criticisms of others.

ADV. completely, quite, totally | almost | apparently, seemingly | clearly

PREP. of oblivious of the stares of the whole town | to She seemed almost oblivious to the crowds of reporters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oboe noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obscene adj.

VERBS be, look | declare sth, deem sth, judge sth The book was declared obscene.

ADV. really | utterly | almost | allegedly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obscure adj.

VERBS be, seem | become The origins of the tradition have become obscure. | remain The motives behind this decision remain somewhat obscure.

ADV. extremely, very | completely, totally | largely | fairly, rather, relatively, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obscure verb

ADV. completely, totally | almost | largely | half, partially, partly, slightly, somewhat | deliberately All trace of his working-class background was deliberately obscured | easily Solo passages in this register are very easily obscured by other instruments.

VERB + OBSCURE serve to, tend to The emphasis on social integration often served to obscure the real differences within the community. | allow sth to

PREP. behind/beneath The moon was obscured behind a wall of cloud.

PHRASES obscure the fact that … These figures obscure the fact that a lot of older people live in great poverty. | obscure sth from view The house was obscured from view by a high hedge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obscurity noun

ADJ. total | comparative, relative | political, professional | impenetrable poems of impenetrable obscurity

VERB + OBSCURITY fade into, sink into, slip into | be plucked from, emerge from After many years, his scientific work emerged from obscurity. | be consigned to, be relegated to

PREP. in ~ He spent his early life in relative obscurity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

observant adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. acutely, highly, very She was intelligent and highly observant. | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

observation noun

¹ examination

PREP. for ~ She was admitted to hospital for observation. | under ~ The police have had him under observation for several weeks. | ~ of The survey was based on direct observation of over 500 schools.

PHRASES powers of observation an artist with acute powers of observation

² remark

ADJ. general | astute, keen, shrewd | interesting

VERB + OBSERVATION make

PREP. ~ about He smiled, and made some observation about the weather. | ~ on her witty observations on life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

observer noun

ADJ. casual To the casual observer, it would have looked like any other domestic argument. | informed | accurate, acute, astute, careful, experienced, keen, seasoned, shrewd | sceptical | sympathetic | detached, impartial, neutral | external, independent, outside Independent observers will monitor the elections. | foreign, international | American, Western, etc. | industry, military Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. | human

VERB + OBSERVER send sending observers to check the conduct of the elections | attend sth as | impress, puzzle, strike, surprise The suddenness of this move surprised many observers.

OBSERVER + VERB attend sth The talks were attended by observers from eight Arab countries and Israel. | monitor sth

OBSERVER + NOUN status The country was granted observer status at the summit.

PREP. as an ~ I attended the conference as an observer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

observe verb

¹ notice/watch

ADV. carefully, closely | precisely | directly It is not possible to observe this phenomenon directly, but its effects can be seen in the rise in global temperatures. | actually It is the parents who actually observe these behavioural problems in their children. | just, simply You can learn a lot by simply observing. | generally, normally | quietly She stood there, quietly observing the domestic scene. | secretly | experimentally This phenomenon has been observed experimentally.

VERB + OBSERVE be able to | be possible | be difficult to | be interesting to It is interesting to observe the reaction of the children to these changes.

PREP. from unaware that she was being observed from the window

PHRASES be commonly/frequently/widely observed This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch. | be easily/readily observed, an opportunity to observe sb/sth

² make a remark

ADV. correctly, justly, rightly, shrewdly She correctly observed that there was very little difference between the two parties on domestic policies. | drily, sardonically, wryly | tartly | coldly, coolly ‘You took your time, ’ he observed coolly. | conversationally | mildly, quietly | sadly

PREP. to ‘It's easy for him to say that, ’ she observed tartly to Michael, ‘but can he prove it?’

³ obey rules

ADV. correctly, faithfully, scrupulously, strictly This procedure must be correctly observed.

VERB + OBSERVE fail to

PHRASES failure to observe sth Failure to observe club rules may result in expulsion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obsession noun

ADJ. dangerous, unhealthy | current

VERB + OBSESSION become Don't let this interest of yours become an obsession.

PREP. ~ with I don't understand television's current obsession with cookery programmes.

PHRASES in the grip of an obsession He was in the grip of an obsession and would not listen to reason.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obsolete adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth, render sth Their work is now rendered obsolete by machines.

ADV. totally | increasingly | largely | almost, practically, virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obstacle noun

ADJ. big, chief, main, major | enormous, formidable, serious The attitude of the unions is a serious obstacle. | impossible, insuperable, insurmountable Lack of money has proved an almost insurmountable obstacle.

VERB + OBSTACLE pose, prove, remain | come across, encounter | overcome, remove, surmount He was determined to overcome all obstacles in his way.

PREP. ~ for Lack of childcare provision can be a major obstacle for women wishing to work. | ~ to The huge distances involved have proved an obstacle to communication between villages.

PHRASES an obstacle in the path/way (of sb/sth) The release of prisoners remains an obstacle in the path of a peace agreement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obstruction noun

ADJ. physical | unlawful, wilful (law) | bureaucratic The asylum seekers had to contend with continued bureaucratic obstruction.

VERB + OBSTRUCTION cause, create The lorry had been parked on the pavement, causing an obstruction. | clear, remove She had to have surgery to remove an obstruction from her throat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obstructive adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. positively | quite | deliberately He doesn't really have an alternative suggestion; he's just being deliberately obstructive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obstruct verb

ADV. deliberately, wilfully (law) wilfully obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty

PREP. in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obtainable adj

VERBS be | become

ADV. easily, readily | commercially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obtain verb

ADV. fraudulently, unlawfully (law)

VERB + OBTAIN be able/unable to | attempt to, endeavour to | fail to | assist sb to, enable sb to The local authority may assist you to obtain alternative accommodation. | be easy to, be possible to | be difficult to, be impossible to goods which are difficult to obtain | be necessary to, be required to, need to It is necessary to obtain the patients' consent.

PREP. from Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.

PHRASES be easily obtained Such information is easily obtained from the Internet. | sth can/may be obtained Details of this offer can be obtained from any of our stores. | a means/method/way of obtaining sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

obvious adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become It soon became obvious that the machine did not work. | make sth His manner made it obvious he didn't like her.

ADV. blatantly, blindingly, extremely, glaringly, patently, transparently, very | completely, perfectly, quite The answer is perfectly obvious! | increasingly | by no means, far from, less than, not at all, not entirely It was far from obvious how they were going to get off the island. | a bit, fairly, pretty, rather I'm not going to tell Jim about this, for fairly obvious reasons. | apparently, seemingly | immediately It was immediately obvious that the bag was too heavy. | intuitively Avoid making intuitively obvious but unfounded assertions. | depressingly, distressingly, painfully It was becoming painfully obvious that the two of them had nothing in common.

PREP. to It is obvious to me that you're unhappy in your job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

occasion noun

¹ time when sth happens

ADJ. many, numerous It was the first of many such occasions. | rare | previous | separate

VERB + OCCASION recall, remember

PREP. on an/the ~ The police were called out on 24 separate occasions. | on ~(s) He has even been known to go shopping himself on occasion.

PHRASES a number of occasions I have stayed there on a number of occasions. | on one occasion On one occasion he even rang me in the middle of the night. | on that/this ~ On this occasion, as it happens, the engine started immediately.

² suitable time

ADJ. right, suitable

OCCASION + VERB arise I'll speak to him if the occasion arises.

PREP. ~ for It should have been an occasion for rejoicing.

PHRASES have occasion to do sth Last year we had occasion to visit relatives in Cornwall.

³ special event

ADJ. auspicious, big, great, important, memorable, momentous, special | festive, happy, joyous | formal, sad, solemn | social | ceremonial, state The Queen's coach is only used for state occasions.

VERB + OCCASION celebrate, mark a party to mark the occasion of their daughter's graduation | rise to The choir rose to the occasion and sang beautifully.

PHRASES for all occasions, for every occasion We sell cards and notepaper for all occasions. | a sense of occasion On the day of the wedding there was a real sense of occasion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

occupant noun

ADJ. current, former, next, original, present, previous | sole The sole occupant of the car was an elderly man.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

occupation noun

¹ job

PHRASES a range of occupations The college provides training in a wide range of occupations.

² control of another country

ADJ. continuing | military

VERB + OCCUPATION begin, take up | be/remain in | give up The invaders have given up occupation of large parts of the territories. | resume

OCCUPATION + VERB begin, end

OCCUPATION + NOUN force, power | zone

PREP. during the ~ During the occupation, the church was used as a mosque. | under ~ Large parts of Britain were under Roman occupation.

³ living in a room, house, etc.

ADJ. exclusive | joint, multiple the conversion of big old buildings to multiple occupation | peaceful the right to peaceful occupation of the property | land | illegal, unlawful illegal occupation of the premises

VERB + OCCUPATION take up You can only take up occupation once the tenancy has been signed. | be/remain in, enjoy | share | give up | resume

PREP. in ~ of He intends to remain in occupation of the building for as long as possible.

PHRASES ready for occupation The flats will be ready for occupation by March. | unfit for occupation The houses were judged to be unfit for human occupation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

occupied adj.

¹ being used by sb

VERBS be

ADV. densely the most densely occupied areas of the country | entirely The sofa was entirely occupied by two large cats. | permanently | illegally

² busy

VERBS be | become | keep sb We need something to keep the children occupied.

ADV. fully | chiefly, mainly | busily | happily

PREP. in You will be mainly occupied in checking sales records. | with She was happily occupied with reading.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

occurrence noun

ADJ. common, everyday, widespread | daily, frequent, regular | rare, uncommon | isolated | strange, unexpected, unusual

VERB + OCCURRENCE prevent | predict

PREP. ~ in These mild fits are quite a common occurrence in babies.

PHRASES frequency of occurrence words with a high frequency of occurrence in language

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

occur verb

ADV. commonly, frequently | infrequently, rarely | sporadically | naturally These chemical changes occur quite naturally. | spontaneously Opportunities for learning occur spontaneously every day.

VERB + OCCUR be likely to, tend to | be unlikely to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ocean noun

VERB + OCEAN cross, sail | explore

PREP. across the ~ trade across the Atlantic Ocean | in the ~ Various toxic substances have been dumped in the ocean.

PHRASES the bottom/depths/middle/surface of the ocean, the oceans of the world great ships that sailed the oceans of the world

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

October noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

odds noun

ADJ. considerable, great, high, impossible, insuperable, overwhelming, terrible She struggled against terrible odds to overcome her illness. | long, short Sometimes an outsider will win at long odds, but not often. The bookmakers are offering only short odds on the favourite.

VERB + ODDS offer, quote | lay I'll lay odds we never see him again. | reduce, shorten | beat, defy, overcome She defied the odds to beat the clear favourite.

ODDS + VERB shorten | lengthen

PREP. against the ~ The film is a heart-warming tale of triumph against the odds. | ~ against The odds against their survival have lengthened. | ~ of They were offering odds of ten to one. | ~ on The odds on the outsider were 100?1.

PHRASES against all (the) odds Against all the odds, we managed to get through to the final.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

odd adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | consider sth, find sth, think sth I find it odd that she takes so long to do that job. I didn't think it odd at the time.

ADV. decidedly, distinctly, extremely, really, very There's something distinctly odd about her. | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

odour noun

VERB + ODOUR emit, give off

ODOUR + VERB emanate from sth

PREP. ~ from odours from the local brewery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

off-putting adj.

VERBS be | find sth I find it very off-putting when people don't look me in the eye.

ADV. distinctly, very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly The noise was rather off-putting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offence noun

¹ illegal act

ADJ. grave, heinous, major, serious | lesser, minor, petty, trivial | alleged | statutory | arrestable, bookable, imprisonable, indictable, punishable, sackable The offence is punishable by up to three months' imprisonment. | criminal, disciplinary | driving, political, sexual, terrorist Motorists may be fined on the spot for driving offences such as speeding. | violent | drug-related

PREP. ~ against offences against public decency > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

² hurt feelings

VERB + OFFENCE cause, give | take

PREP. ~ at He takes offence at the slightest joke against him. | ~ to I didn't mean to give offence to anyone.

PHRASES no offence (intended/meant) No offence intended, but are you sure your calculations are right?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offender noun

¹ person who commits a crime

VERB + OFFENDER sentence

² sb/sth that causes trouble

ADJ. main, worst As regards pollution, old diesel-engined vehicles are the worst offenders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offend verb

ADV. deeply, gravely, greatly He knew that he had offended her deeply. | mortally | slightly | easily He was very sensitive and easily offended.

VERB + OFFEND be likely to Omit anything that is likely to offend people. | be anxious not to, be careful not to, not mean to, take care not to She stopped mid-sentence, anxious not to offend him.

PREP. against Viewers complained that the programme offended against good taste.

PHRASES feel/look/sound offended She sounded offended when she replied.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offensive adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | consider sth, deem sth, find sth, think sth He's always making rude remarks about women. I find that deeply offensive.

ADV. deeply, downright, extremely, grossly, highly, very | quite, rather | deliberately

PREP. to This sort of attitude is very offensive to black people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offensive noun

ADJ. all-out, full-scale, major | army, guerrilla, military, terrorist | air, bombing | ground | diplomatic, government

VERB + OFFENSIVE launch, mount | be on, go on, take She took the offensive, challenging her critics to prove their allegations.

PREP. ~ against The government is launching an all-out offensive against the drug cartels

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offering noun

ADJ. latest | peace I think the present she sent you was intended as a peace offering. | burnt, sacrificial, votive

VERB + OFFERING make | accept

PREP. ~ from The latest offering from this young band is their best album yet. | ~ of offerings of food and drink | ~ to They made sacrificial offerings to the gods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offer noun

¹ of help or sth that is needed

ADJ. generous, kind | conditional, unconditional | job | peace

VERB + OFFER make (sb) He made me an offer I simply couldn't refuse | withdraw | accept, take up | decline, refuse, turn down

PREP. on ~ the range of goods on offer | ~ from I had to turn down a job offer from a theatre because the pay was too low. | ~ of They refused our offer of help.

² special price/deal

ADJ. special | cheap | free I got the conditioner in a free offer with my shampoo. | introductory Your first order is delivered free as an introductory offer.

PREP. on ~ We have a number of bargains on offer.

³ amount of money

OFFER + NOUN price

PREP. under ~ The property is currently under offer to a client. | ~ for Several people put in an offer for the house. | ~ of They accepted our offer of £80,000.

PHRASES be open to offers The asking price is £500 but I'm open to offers. | or near offer They are selling their car for £2,500 or near offer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offer verb

¹ give/provide sth; ask if sb would like sth

ADV. generously, kindly | helpfully | impulsively ‘Do you need any help?’ he offered impulsively.

VERB + OFFER be able/unable to, can/could the protection that life insurance can offer | appear to, seem to The plan seemed to offer real advantages. | fail to | be pleased to (formal), would like to I refer to your recent application and interview and am pleased to offer you the post of editor. | aim to, seek to | claim to They claim to offer a more comprehensive service than other firms. | be expected to, be likely to This investment is likely to offer a higher return. | be/feel compelled to, be forced to, be/feel obliged to She felt obliged to offer him a bed for the night. | have little/a lot/nothing, etc. to, have sth to This player has proved that he still has a lot to offer (= can still play well). The open evening is a chance to see what the college has to offer students.

PREP. to She offered drinks to her guests.

² say that you will pay a certain amount

VERB + OFFER be able/unable to, can/could | be prepared to, be ready to, be willing to Would they be prepared to offer any more?

PREP. for They have offered over £500,000 for the house.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

officer noun

¹ in the army, navy, etc.

VERB + OFFICER salute to salute a superior officer

OFFICER + VERB command sth the officer commanding the infantry

OFFICER + NOUN cadet, corps > Note at RANK

² in the government or other organization

ADJ. chief, principal, senior | full-time, part-time | presiding, responsible, supervising Report the incident to the responsible officer. the officer responsible for implementing the scheme | regional | administrative, customs, environmental health, financial, liaison, medical, press, trading standards, training, welfare

VERB + OFFICER be, work as | be appointed (as), become | have The charity has a full-time press officer working with the national newspapers.

³ policeman/policewoman

OFFICER + VERB investigate sth officers investigating the murder | patrol sth | raid sth, swoop on sth (informal) Officers raided an address in south London, seizing bomb-making equipment. | seize sth | arrest sb > See POLICEMAN

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

office noun

¹ room/building where written work is done

VERB + OFFICE manage, run, supervise | come/go into, come/go to I sometimes go into the office on Saturdays when we're busy. | arrive at, get to | leave What time do you usually leave the office?

OFFICE + NOUN job, work | hours Call this number outside normal office hours. | colleague, staff, worker | life | gossip, politics | party We have an office party every Christmas. | administrator, assistant, cleaner, clerk, manager | boy, girl, junior (all old-fashioned) | desk, door, equipment, furniture, safe, shredder, software, stationery | system, technology | environment Working in a busy office environment can be stressful. | accommodation, block, building, complex, development, premises, space, suite The old warehouses have been redeveloped for office accommodation. | facilities, services The conference centre provides office facilities such as computers and faxes. | expenses, overheads | administration, management | skills | procedures, routine

PREP. at the ~ I sometimes have to stay late at the office. | in the ~ I'm sorry, Mr Anders is not in the office today.

² official position

VERB + OFFICE run for, stand for He ran for office in the last presidential election. | hold, remain in, retain, stay in The president holds office for a period of four years. | be appointed to, be elected to | be re-elected to, be returned to The government was returned to office by a large majority. | assume, be sworn into, come into, come to, enter, take, take up Martin was sworn into office as prime minister in March. The Labour Party took office in 1997. | give up, leave, lose, relinquish, resign from, retire from, vacate | be driven from, be forced from, be removed from, be suspended from, be turned out of

OFFICE + NOUN holder

PREP. in ~ The government seemed likely to remain in office for the next five years. | out of ~ breaking promises made when out of office

PHRASES a candidate for office, duties of the office, a term of office to be re-elected for a second term of office

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

official noun

VERB + OFFICIAL appoint (sb), appoint sb as | consult, meet | bribe attempting to bribe local officials

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offset verb

ADV. largely, substantially | completely, exactly | more than The company's losses in the USA were more than offset by gains everywhere else. | partially, partly

VERB + OFFSET help (to) The money will help offset big medical bills.

PREP. against Your donations to charity can be offset against tax.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

offside adj.

VERBS be, look | catch sb, rule sb an attempt to catch an opponent offside He was ruled offside by the referee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oily adj.

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. very | rather, slightly He had rather oily hands. | naturally Lank or naturally oil hair is often difficult to care for.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oil noun

¹ used as fuel/to make machines work smoothly

QUANT. barrel | film a rod coated with a film of oil | drop

² used in cooking

ADJ. cooking | polyunsaturated | rancid | coconut, cod liver, fish, groundnut, olive, sesame, sunflower, vegetable a bottle of extra virgin olive oil | salad

VERB + OIL heat | boil sb/sth in, cook sth in, fry sth in | drizzle, pour Toast the bread, rub with garlic and drizzle over a little olive oil.

PREP. in ~ Fry the potato in a little sunflower oil. > Special page at FOOD

³ used as a cosmetic/medicine

VERB + OIL massage/rub into, massage/rub sth with She rubbed a scented oil into her hair. | anoint sb/sth with The sick were anointed with oil. | extract

PREP. ~ of oil of rosemary

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ointment noun

QUANT. tube

VERB + OINTMENT apply, put on, rub on He put some ointment on the cut.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

OK (also okay) adj., adv.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | do, go I think I did OK in the exam. I hope the meeting goes OK.

ADV. perfectly, quite I'm quite OK now, thanks.

PREP. ~ by sb John has suggested meeting at six, and that's OK by me. | ~ with sb Is it OK with you if I come about six?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

OK (also okay) adj., adv.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | do, go I think I did OK in the exam. I hope the meeting goes OK.

ADV. perfectly, quite I'm quite OK now, thanks.

PREP. ~ by sb John has suggested meeting at six, and that's OK by me. | ~ with sb Is it OK with you if I come about six?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

OK (also okay) adj., adv.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | do, go I think I did OK in the exam. I hope the meeting goes OK.

ADV. perfectly, quite I'm quite OK now, thanks.

PREP. ~ by sb John has suggested meeting at six, and that's OK by me. | ~ with sb Is it OK with you if I come about six?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

old age noun

ADJ. advanced, extreme | good He attained a good old age and died content. | happy She can look forward to a happy old age. | lonely fears about a lonely old age

VERB + OLD AGE attain, live to, reach, survive into All my grandparents survived into advanced old age. | approach | look forward to | dread

OLD AGE + NOUN pension, pensioner

PREP. in (your) ~ Loss of hearing often occurs in old age. He took up golf in his old age. | into ~ She was now well into old age.

PHRASES the grand/ripe old age of sth She lived to the ripe old age of 98.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

old-fashioned adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as, see sth as Wearing a hat is regarded as rather old-fashioned nowadays.

ADV. terribly, very | plain It was plain old-fashioned instinct, the gut feeling that something was wrong. | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | curiously His clothes were curiously old-fashioned.

PREP. in She's somewhat old-fashioned in her attitudes.

PHRASES call me old-fashioned Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe in good manners.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

old adj.

¹ age

VERBS be, feel, look, seem You are as old as you feel.

ADV. enough He's old enough by now to manage his own affairs.

PHRASES six months, ten years, etc. old

² not young

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound The way the young people rushed about made her feel old. He was beginning to look old. | become, get, grow We're all getting older. As they grow older, they develop new interests.

ADV. extremely, terribly, very | fairly, quite She was quite old when she got married.

³ not new

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, really, terribly, very It's a very old tradition. | fairly, quite

PHRASES oldest known These are some of the oldest known fossil remains. | oldest remaining It's one of the oldest remaining parts of the church. | oldest surviving It's the world's oldest surviving ship.

⁴ shows affection/lack of respect

PHRASES boring/silly old boring old history books She's a silly old cow! | dear/good old Good old Dad! | funny old It's a funny old world. | poor old You poor old thing! | same old always the same old faces

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ombudsman noun

ADJ. consumer, insurance, local government, pensions A pensions ombudsman has been appointed.

VERB + OMBUDSMAN appoint

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

omen noun

ADJ. good | bad, evil, ill They took the storm as a bad omen.

VERB + OMEN take sth as

PREP. ~ for The sunny weather was a good omen for the holiday. | ~ of an omen of death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

omission noun

VERB + OMISSION correct, rectify, remedy

PREP. by ~ Several offences such as manslaughter may be committed by omission. | ~ from her omission from the guest list

PHRASES an act or omission The accident was not caused by any act or omission of the transport company. | errors and/or omissions, a sin of omission

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

omit verb

PREP. from Some important details were deliberately omitted from the report.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

one-sided adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. very | totally, wholly | far from The violence was far from one-sided (= both people, teams, etc. were violent). | a little, rather, somewhat Their relationship seems rather one-sided.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

onion noun

ADJ. raw | pickled | spring, red, Spanish

VERB + ONION chop, peel, slice | brown, soften | cook, fry, saute | garnish sth with Garnish with a little chopped spring onion. | grow

ONION + NOUN ring | soup | skin | set | dome

PHRASES cheese and onion cheese and onion flavoured crisps | sage and onion sage and onion stuffing > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

onset noun

ADJ. rapid, sudden the sudden onset of the disease | slow | early | delayed, late

VERB + ONSET delay | mark His first hit record marked the onset of an astonishing career.

PREP. after the ~ after the onset of sleep | at the ~ at the onset of the war | before/prior to the ~, since the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

onslaught noun

ADJ. sudden She could not withstand such a sudden onslaught. | first, initial | latest | renewed | verbal

VERB + ONSLAUGHT face to face the verbal onslaught of an angry teenager | resist, survive, withstand | launch, mount

PREP. ~ against/on a renewed onslaught against the proposed bill | ~ from the latest onslaught from the Russian team

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ooze verb

ADV. slowly | out Cream oozed out at the sides.

PREP. from Blood oozed slowly from his wound. | out of, with (figurative) He was oozing with contempt for us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opaque adj.

¹ not clear enough to see through

VERBS be, look | become Add the rice to the pan and cook until it becomes opaque.

ADV. very | completely | almost, nearly | relatively, slightly The glasses looked slightly opaque.

PREP. with The windows were nearly opaque with grime.

² difficult to understand

VERBS be | become | render sth The complex administrative arrangements render the decision-making process somewhat opaque.

ADV. extremely, very | completely | relatively, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opening noun

¹ beginning

ADJ. successful | chess, conversational

OPENING + NOUN day, night | lines, pages | gambit

PREP. ~ to the famous opening to the novel

² hole; way in/out

ADJ. large, wide | narrow, small | window

VERB + OPENING cut | block, seal

PREP. ~ in to cut an opening in the fence

³ opportunity; job which is available

ADJ. new | possible | clear (used in the context of sport and games) He missed one of the clearest openings in the game. | career, political

VERB + OPENING create Cooper created the opening for Russell to shoot the first goal. | give sb | miss

PREP. ~ for, ~ in career openings for biologists in the Ministry of Health

⁴ ceremony

ADJ. grand | formal | official, royal, state the state opening of Parliament

VERB + OPENING attend

OPENING + NOUN ceremony

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

openness noun

ADJ. greater, more There is a need for greater openness in government. | complete

VERB + OPENNESS demonstrate, show

PREP. ~ about her openness about her marital problems | ~ to/towards He demonstrated an openness to change.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

open adj.

¹ not closed

VERBS be, gape, lie, stand The book lay open in front of him. The door stood open. | burst, clang, creak, fall, fly, judder, sag, swing The bag fell open. Suddenly the door flew open. The woman's mouth sagged open. The gate swung open. | remain | fling sth, flip sth, get sth, prise sth, pull sth, push sth, tear sth, throw sth, wrench sth, yank sth She flung the door open and rushed in. She flipped open Chris's diary. He tore the letter open. | have sth, hold sth, keep sth, leave sth She held the door open for them. | find sth, see sth I found the door open.

ADV. fully, wide The door was wide open. | slightly

² honest and willing to talk

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, completely, quite

PREP. about She's very open about her mistakes. | with I don't think you've been completely open with me.

³ available for people to use

VERBS be | remain, stay In spite of the snow, the roads remained open. Some of the supermarkets stay open till ten. | keep sth We want to keep the village store open.

PREP. to The car park is only open to residents.

⁴ having begun

VERBS be | declare sth The Australian premier declared the Olympic Games open.

ADV. officially The bridge is officially open now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

open verb

¹ door, window, box, etc.

ADV. wide She opened all the windows wide to let some fresh air in. | slowly | gingerly Fred opened it gingerly and peered inside. | automatically The glass doors opened automatically for him. | out, up I opened out the map and laid it on the table. ‘Open up!’ He hammered on the door.

VERB + OPEN try to | manage to | fail to Her parachute failed to open.

² building, road, etc.

ADV. formally, officially | up opening up new markets

VERB + OPEN be due to, be expected to, be scheduled to The museum is due to open next year. | hope to, intend to, plan to, want to, wish to

PHRASES newly/recently opened the newly opened gallery of Western decorative art

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

operate verb

¹ machine

ADV. effectively, efficiently, reliably | continuously The machine can operate for 15 hours continuously at full power. | electrically, electronically, hydraulically, manually, remotely (= by remote control) The doors can be manually operated in the event of fire.

VERB + OPERATE be designed to systems designed to operate at the highest speeds | be easy to The machinery is easy to operate.

PHRASES battery operated

² business/system

ADV. effectively, efficiently, profitably, successfully | autonomously, independently | commercially The laboratory is still owned by the government but is now commercially operated.

VERB + OPERATE be able to | be allowed to | continue to

PREP. according to The government does not operate according to fixed rules. | as We operate as an advisory service for schools. | within Local authorities operate within a wider political system.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

operational adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. fully The equipment is now fully operational.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

operation noun

¹ medical

VERB + OPERATION have, undergo He had an operation to remove a tumour. | come through, survive She came through the operation very well. | carry out, perform the surgeon performing the operation

PREP. during a/the ~ She woke during the operation. | ~ for an operation for a kidney problem | ~ on a major operation on his heart

² organized activity

ADJ. big, large-scale, major, massive | covert, undercover | combined, joint | tricky a tricky rescue operation | intelligence, military, naval, police | guerrilla | clean-up, drilling, mining, mopping-up, offensive, peacekeeping, relief, rescue, salvage, security UN troops supervised the relief operations. | banking, building, business restrictions placed on business operations

VERB + OPERATION begin, launch, mount, undertake The authorities launched a massive security operation in the city. | carry out, conduct | supervise

PREP. during a/the ~ during joint military operations

PHRASES a theatre of operations (= where military operations take place)

³ fact of sth functioning

ADJ. effective, efficient, smooth | day-to-day the smooth day-to-day operation of the department

VERB + OPERATION come into A ceasefire came into operation in May. | bring/put sth into | cease The factory will cease operation at the end of the year.

PREP. during ~ The machine can get very hot during operation. | in ~ The current tax system has been in operation for ten years.

PHRASES in/into full operation the only reactor in full operation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

operative adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. fully The new system will not become fully operative until next year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

operator noun

¹ person who connects telephone calls

ADJ. switchboard, telephone

OPERATOR + VERB connect sb, put sb through I asked the operator to put me through to her office.

² person who works a machine, etc.

ADJ. experienced, skilled | unskilled | machine, plant | computer, lathe, radio, word processor, etc.

³ person/company that does particular business

ADJ. big, small | private | holiday, tour, travel | cable (television), satellite, telecommunications, etc. | airline, bus, coach, ferry

⁴ sb who is skilful at getting what they want

ADJ. shrewd, slick, smooth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opera noun

ADJ. comic, grand, light

VERB + OPERA compose, write

OPERA + NOUN singer, star | company | house | season | buff, lover > Note at PERFORMANCE(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opinion noun

¹ what you think about sb/sth

VERB + OPINION entertain, have, hold | air, express, give (sb), offer (sb), pass, state, venture, voice The bishop spoke without passing any opinion on the scandal. | ask sb, seek He asked me for my opinion on the course. | get | form I formed the opinion that he was not to be trusted. | change

OPINION + VERB change | differ, vary Opinions differ as to when this wine should be drunk.

PREP. in your ~ In my opinion, golf is a dull sport. | ~ about/on She holds strong opinions on education. | ~ as to opinions as to the merits of the scheme | ~ of He has a very high opinion of your work.

PHRASES be of the opinion that … (formal) (= to believe or think that), a difference of opinion a genuine difference of opinion between the experts | in my humble opinion (humorous), a matter of opinion ‘London is wonderful.’ ‘That's a matter of opinion.’

² what people in general think about sth

ADJ. prevailing | general, popular, public Contrary to popular opinion, many adult cats dislike milk. | international, local, national | expert, informed, professional | academic, legal, medical, political

QUANT. body This view is supported by a growing body of professional opinion.

VERB + OPINION mould, shape attempts to shape public opinion

OPINION + VERB be against sth, be in favour of sth Prevailing local opinion is against the new road proposals. | be divided Public opinion is divided on the subject of capital punishment.

OPINION + NOUN poll | former, leader

PREP. ~ among Opinion among doctors is that the medication is safe.

PHRASES climate of opinion in the present climate of opinion | shades of opinion all shades of political opinion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opium noun

VERB + OPIUM smoke

OPIUM + NOUN poppy | den > Note at DRUG(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opponent noun

¹ person who plays against sb

ADJ. chief, main | dangerous, tough | worthy

² sb who disagrees with sb's actions/plans/beliefs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opportunity noun

ADJ. ample, considerable, plenty of We'll have plenty of opportunity to talk later. | limited, little, not much | excellent, favourable, golden, good, great, marvellous, tremendous, welcome, wonderful a golden opportunity to invest and export into new markets | exciting | ideal, perfect | suitable | reasonable We need to give them a reasonable opportunity to look at the display. | available | every Students should take every opportunity to widen their experience. | historic, once-in-a-lifetime, rare, unique, unparalleled, unprecedented, unrivalled | lost, missed, wasted | career, educational, employment, job, training | business, commercial, economic, investment, market, sales a missed sales opportunity | photo (= an opportunity to take photographs of famous or important people) | equal opportunities (= the principle of treating all people the same, regardless of sex. colour, etc.) an equal opportunities employer

VERB + OPPORTUNITY have | find, get We didn't get much opportunity to swim. | afford, create, give sb, offer (sb), open up, provide (sb with) to provide better educational opportunities | grasp, seize, take (up), take advantage of May I take this opportunity to congratulate Ruth on her promotion. | lose, miss He lost no opportunity to vent his anger on those around him. | pass up

OPPORTUNITY + VERB exist | arise, come, occur, offer When the opportunity came, I seized it with both hands. (formal) The company aimed to expand as and when opportunity offered.

PREP. ~ for The job will offer you excellent opportunities for promotion.

PHRASES at the earliest/first (possible) opportunity, at every (available) opportunity, equality of opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime, a window of opportunity The ceasefire has created a window of opportunity to rescue the peace process.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opposed adj.

¹ opposed to disagreeing strongly with sth

VERBS be | remain

ADV. adamantly, bitterly, deeply, fiercely, firmly, fundamentally, implacably, profoundly, resolutely, strongly, vehemently, very (much), violently | absolutely, categorically, completely, directly, totally, utterly, wholly | largely | actively, openly, publicly the party most openly opposed to military rule

² very different from sth

VERBS be, seem, stand | remain

ADV. completely, diametrically, directly, entirely, fundamentally, utterly Our views are diametrically opposed on this issue. | mutually The two sets of values seemed mutually opposed.

PREP. to The path he saw himself taking in his research seemed directly opposed to the ethos of the department.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oppose verb

ADV. adamantly, bitterly, fiercely, firmly, hotly, resolutely, strenuously, strongly, vehemently, vigorously, violently We would vigorously oppose such a policy. | totally We totally oppose the use of gas to kill any animal. | actively | openly, publicly | successfully, unsuccessfully Environmental lobby groups successfully opposed the plan. | initially The ban was initially opposed by the US. | consistently The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.

VERB + OPPOSE vote to | continue to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opposite noun

ADJ. complete, direct, exact, precise, very | polar

OPPOSITE + VERB be the case, be true The oboe tends to lose power in the upper register, but with the clarinet the opposite is the case.

PREP. the ~ of/to Doubt is not the opposite of faith?unbelief is. In temperament, she was the complete opposite to her sister.

PHRASES exactly/just/quite the opposite The effect was exactly the opposite to what he intended.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

opposition noun

¹ disagreeing with sth/trying to change it

VERB + OPPOSITION express | mount, put up They mounted an effective opposition to the bill. | arouse | crush, overcome, stifle, suppress, wear down | be/come/run up against, encounter, face, meet (with), run into He is up against stiff opposition from his colleagues. | brook We will brook no opposition to the strategy. | strengthen | weaken

OPPOSITION + VERB come from sb Opposition came primarily from students.

OPPOSITION + NOUN force, group, movement

PREP. against/in the face of ~ She won against determined opposition from last year's champion. | despite/in spite of ~ The authorities succeeded despite bitter opposition from teachers. | in ~ to The warring factions had united in opposition to the common enemy. | ~ from The proposals met with violent opposition from the environmental lobby. | ~ to There was fierce public opposition to the plan.

² (usuallythe Opposition) parties not in government

OPPOSITION + NOUN party | candidate, leader, member, MP, politician, spokesman | bench

PREP. in ~ The Conservative Party is now in opposition.

PHRASES the Leader of the Opposition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oppression noun

ADJ. class, economic, political, racial, sexual | black, colonial, gay, women's | male

VERB + OPPRESSION face, suffer ethnic minorities suffering oppression at the hands of occupying forces

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

optician noun

ADJ. dispensing, ophthalmic A dispensing optician supplies glasses, but doesn't test your eyes.

PHRASES at/to the optician's I've got to go to the optician's tomorrow. > Note at DOCTOR(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

optimistic adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, strongly, very He remained strongly optimistic that an agreement could be reached. | excessively, hopelessly, incredibly, overly, ridiculously, unduly, wildly These estimates were wildly optimistic. | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, reasonably, somewhat | basically, essentially, generally an essentially optimistic view of human nature | cautiously, guardedly, quietly I don't want to exaggerate our chances, but I'm cautiously optimistic. | cheerfully

PREP. about He's very optimistic about his chances.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

optimist noun

ADJ. eternal, incurable

PHRASES ever the optimist Pete, ever the optimist, said things were bound to improve.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

optional adj.

VERBS be

ADV. entirely, purely The extra language classes are entirely optional.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

option noun

¹ freedom to choose

VERB + OPTION have You have the option of taking your holiday early. | give sb

PREP. with/without the ~ of He was jailed without the option of a fine.

PHRASES have little/no option but to We had no option but to leave without them.

² sth you choose/can choose

VERB + OPTION choose, exercise, select, take Look at the on-screen menu and select the ‘File’ option. | give sb, offer (sb) | limit | look at Let's look at all the options available.

PHRASES keep/leave your options open (= to avoid making a decision now so that you still have a choice later)

³ right to buy/sell sth at some time in the future

ADJ. first | share, stock

VERB + OPTION have | exercise, take (up) She took up an option in her contract to buy three million shares.

PREP. ~ on He's promised me first option on his car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orange adj. > Special page at COLOUR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orange noun

ADJ. juicy | sour, sweet | mouldy

QUANT. segment

VERB + ORANGE eat, have, squeeze | peel

ORANGE + NOUN segment | pip | peel, rind, zest Add a little grated orange peel. | juice > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orbit noun

ADJ. circular, elliptical | eccentric Mercury's orbit is fairly eccentric. | stable | planetary

VERB + ORBIT enter, go into | put/send sth into | complete, make The spaceship made an orbit of the moon.

PREP. in ~ The satellite will remain in orbit for several years. | ~ around/round the moon's orbit around the earth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orchestra noun

VERB + ORCHESTRA conduct | lead

ORCHESTRA + VERB perform (sth), play (sth) | strike (sth) up The orchestra struck up a lively march. | tune up

ORCHESTRA + NOUN pit

PREP. in a/the ~ She plays viola in a string orchestra. | ~ under the Ulster Orchestra under Philip Ledger

PHRASES the leader of the orchestra

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ordeal noun

ADJ. long | dreadful, terrible, terrifying

VERB + ORDEAL endure, face, go through, suffer, undergo | subject sb to She was subjected to a terrible six-day ordeal. | survive | recover from | be spared

PREP. ~ by (often humorous) This is the fourth time the prime minister has faced ordeal by egg (= had eggs thrown at him). | ~ of They were spared the ordeal of giving evidence in court.

PHRASES an ordeal at the hands of sb their 20-hour ordeal at the hands of a gunman

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orderly adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very | fairly, more or less, relatively

PHRASES in an orderly fashion/way We want to bring about this change in an orderly fashion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

order noun

¹ way in which people/things are arranged

PREP. in ~ The winners were announced in reverse order. | in ~ of I've listed the tasks in order of priority.

² organized state

ADJ. apple-pie (= perfect) The accounts were in apple-pie order.

VERB + ORDER bring, create, impose to bring order out of chaos She attempted to impose some order on the chaos of her files. | put/set sth in | leave sth in

PREP. in ~ My notes are in order.

PHRASES in good order The house is in good order.

³ when laws, rules, authority, etc. are obeyed

ADJ. public

VERB + ORDER keep, maintain, preserve | restore | keep sb/sth in Some teachers find it difficult to keep their classes in order. | call sb/sth to The argument continued until the chairman called them both to order (= ordered them to obey the formal rules of the meeting).

PREP. in ~ (= allowed by the rules) Would it be in order for us to examine the manuscript? | out of ~ (= not allowed by the rules) His objection was ruled out of order.

PHRASES law and order, a point of order One of the committee members raised a point of order.

⁴ way a society is arranged

ADJ. established, existing, old He was seen as a threat to the established order. | new | natural the natural order of things | economic, political, social | world a new world order

⁵ instruction/demand

ADJ. direct, specific | executive | sealed He opened his sealed orders. | court | maintenance, preservation, restraining a wildlife preservation order

VERB + ORDER give, issue, make (law) The captain gave the order to fire. The judge made an order for the costs to be paid. | receive | carry out, execute, follow, obey, take The local civilians don't take orders from the military. | disobey, ignore, violate | cancel, countermand, rescind, revoke | bark/bawl/shout (out) He barked out orders as he left.

PREP. by ~ The council's functions were established by order. | by ~ of by order of the police | on sb's ~s The ship was to set sail at once, on the admiral's orders. | under ~s (from) A group of soldiers, under orders from the president, took control of the television station. | ~s for The colonel had given orders for the spy's execution.

PHRASES doctor's orders I'm not to drink any alcohol?doctor's orders! | get your marching orders (= be ordered to leave), give sb their marching orders

⁶ request for sth to be made/supplied/delivered

VERB + ORDER place, put in I've placed an order for the CD. | cancel | receive, win The company won a £10 million order for oil-drilling equipment. | have | fill, fulfil, meet trying to fill all the back orders | make sth to a cupboard made to order

ORDER + NOUN form

PREP. on ~ We have ten boxes on order. | ~ for We have a firm order for ten cases of wine.

⁷ request for food, etc. in a restaurant, etc.

ADJ. side a side order of mixed salad | last ~s Last orders at the bar now please!

VERB + ORDER take The waiter came to take their orders. | give sb

PREP. ~ for an order for steak and fries

⁸ group of people living in a religious community

ADJ. monastic, religious | contemplative | closed (= with little or no contact with the outside world) | Benedictine, Cistercian, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

order verb

¹ tell sb to do sth

ADV. expressly, specifically | immediately | personally The army's Chief of Staff had personally ordered the raid. | formally | about, around Stop ordering me around! | back, home, off, out There were seven bookings and two players were ordered off.

PREP. off, out of All journalists have been ordered out of the country.

² ask for sth

ADV. direct/directly

PREP. for We can order the book for you, if you like. | from You can order the book direct from the publisher.

³ organize/arrange sth

ADV. alphabetically, chronologically, hierarchically, logically The entries are ordered alphabetically.

PREP. according to Different senses of a word are ordered according to frequency.

PHRASES highly/well ordered She led a highly ordered existence, with everything having its own time and place.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ordinary adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become

ADV. decidedly, terribly, very He made all the other players on the field look decidedly ordinary. | perfectly, quite It was a perfectly ordinary day. | fairly, pretty, rather The meal was pretty ordinary. | essentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ore noun

ADJ. rich | metal/metallic, mineral | copper, iron, uranium, etc.

QUANT. lode, vein | lump

VERB + ORE extract, mine | dress, extract sth from, refine, smelt smelting the ore with charcoal

ORE + NOUN deposits

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

organic adj.

VERBS be | become, go

ADV. fully, totally The farm went fully organic in 1996.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

organization noun

¹ organized group of people

VERB + ORGANIZATION disband (For more verbs see note.)

PREP. in a/the ~ There are several talented people in that organization. > Special page at BUSINESS

² way in which sth is organized

ADJ. effective, efficient, smooth the smooth organization of the trip | poor | internal

QUANT. degree a high degree of organization

VERB + ORGANIZATION lack > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

organized adj.

¹ arranged/planned

VERBS be, seem

² able to plan things well

VERBS be, seem | get You need to get organized.

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

organize verb

PREP. according to We need to organize the work according to the availability and skills of each volunteer. | around We're organizing the evening around a Japanese theme. | into It was difficult to organize the men into teams.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

organ noun

¹ part of the body

ADJ. internal | important, vital The eyes are an important organ of balance. to preserve blood flow to the brain and the other vital organs | abdominal, genital | digestive, olfactory, reproductive, sense/sensory, sex/sexual, etc. | human | donor waiting for a suitable donor organ

VERB + ORGAN donate | transplant

ORGAN + NOUN donation, donor | transplant, transplantation

² musical instrument

ADJ. pipe | mechanical | electric, electronic, Hammond (R) | barrel, mouth | church, fairground

ORGAN + NOUN pedal, pipe, stop | loft > Special page at MUSIC

³ official organization

ADJ. central, major the central organs of state | administrative, constitutional, economic, judicial, legislative, political, security | party

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orgasm noun

ADJ. female, male | multiple | simultaneous

VERB + ORGASM achieve, have, reach | fake, simulate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orgy noun

ADJ. drunken, sex/sexual

VERB + ORGY have

PREP. ~ of an orgy of looting and vandalism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orientated adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. strongly, very | totally | sufficiently | correctly Make sure all the components remain correctly orientated. | academically, industrially, politically, technically, vocationally The organization is not politically orientated.

PREP. to/towards The service is not sufficiently orientated to the needs of those who use it.

PHRASES career/profit orientated She's very career orientated and not really interested in having a family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

originality noun

ADJ. great, startling, striking

VERB + ORIGINALITY have | display, show | be lacking in, lack

ORIGINALITY + VERB lie in sth His originality as a painter lies in his representation of light.

PREP. ~ in The government has shown great originality in its foreign policy.

PHRASES a spark of originality

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

original adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, startlingly, very She has a highly original mind. a startlingly original idea | completely tackling the problem in a completely original way

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

original noun

VERB + ORIGINAL pass sth off as He copied paintings of famous artists and passed them off as originals.

PREP. in the ~ to read Tolstoy in the original

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

origin noun

¹ time/place/reason that sth starts

VERB + ORIGIN have, share The vases share common origins. | investigate, trace | owe Population genetics owes its origin to Francis Galton. | explain | reflect

ORIGIN + VERB go back to sth, lie in sth The origins of Gdansk go back to the tenth century.

PREP. in ~ The rock is volcanic in origin. | of … ~ a painting of unknown origin

PHRASES sth's country of origin Bottles are labelled by country of origin. | have its origin in sth The dispute had its origin in the Battle of Wakefield.

² family, race, class, etc, that a person comes from

VERB + ORIGIN trace Their family can trace its origins back to the Norman Conquest. | betray Her accent betrayed her working-class origins.

PREP. by ~ He is a Londoner by origin. | in ~ Her family is Portuguese in origin. | of … ~ He was of lowly origins.

PHRASES sb's country of origin

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ornamental adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very a plant which is highly ornamental in flower | purely The turrets are purely ornamental.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ornate adj

VERBS be

ADV. highly, richly, very | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orphan noun

ADJ. little | poor a poor little orphan | war

VERB + ORPHAN be left She was left an orphan at the age of five. | adopt

ORPHAN + NOUN boy, girl

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orthodoxy noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

orthodox adj.

VERBS be His ideas are all fairly orthodox.

ADV. highly, strictly, very This is the strictly orthodox view. I am not a very orthodox kind of counsellor. | fairly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ounce noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outbreak noun

VERB + OUTBREAK lead to the events that led to the outbreak of World War I

OUTBREAK + VERB occur

PREP. ~ of A new outbreak of smallpox occurred in 1928.

PHRASES an outbreak of disease, an outbreak of rain, an outbreak of war/fighting/hostilities/violence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outburst noun

ADJ. sudden | spontaneous | occasional her occasional outbursts of temper | angry, furious, violent | emotional, hysterical, passionate

PREP. ~ against A player was cautioned for his angry outburst against the referee. | ~ of an outburst of anger/laughter/temper/violence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outcast noun

ADJ. social He was treated as a social outcast.

VERB + OUTCAST make sb Her criminal past made her an outcast. | treat sb as/like

PREP. ~ from an outcast from society

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outcome noun

VERB + OUTCOME affect, influence | decide, determine | achieve, have, produce Their strategy produced the desired outcome. | evaluate, measure (technical) The aim is to evaluate possible outcomes.

PREP. ~ of the outcome of the election

PHRASES whatever the outcome Whatever the final outcome of the talks, the war should end soon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outcry noun

ADJ. great, huge, massive | immediate | popular, public | national | international

VERB + OUTCRY cause, provoke, spark The bombing caused an international outcry.

PREP. ~against/over There was a massive public outcry against the harsh prison sentence. | ~ from an immediate outcry from workers over pay reductions

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outfit noun

¹ set of clothes worn together

ADJ. complete | new | summer, winter | interview, party, wedding, etc. | clown, cowboy, etc.

PREP. in a/the ~ He looked very smart in his new outfit.

² organization/company, etc.

ADJ. large | small | professional | cowboy, dodgy | computer, publishing, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outing noun

ADJ. little | special | day's, summer, weekend | annual | family, school, social

VERB + OUTING be/go on

PREP. ~ from The children were on a day's outing from school. | ~ to a family outing to the seaside

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outlay noun

ADJ. considerable, huge, large, massive | modest, small | initial The revenue from the farm could repay the initial outlay within three years. | total | capital, cash, financial, investment

VERB + OUTLAY make | require The project would require little financial outlay. | recoup, recover | repay

PREP. ~ on The railway had made a considerable capital outlay on new rolling stock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outlet noun

¹ place that sells goods of a particular company/type

ADJ. specialist | high-street, local | commercial, distribution, retail, sales | DIY, fast-food, etc.

PREP. ~ for a retail outlet for exotic plants

² means of releasing energy/strong feeling/talents

ADJ. emotional | creative

VERB + OUTLET have | find | provide (sb with) Sport provided an outlet for his energy. | need

PREP. ~ for She needs an outlet for her talents.

³ pipe/hole

ADJ. electrical, gas, sewage, socket, waste, water

OUTLET + NOUN hose, pipe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outline noun

¹ line that shows the shape/outside edge of sb/sth

ADJ. clear, sharp The sharp outline of the island had become blurred. | blurred, dim, faint, vague | simple

VERB + OUTLINE draw, make, trace The children made an outline of their hands. | make out, see I could just make out the dim outlines of the house in the mist. | soften

OUTLINE + NOUN drawing, map

PREP. around/round the ~ to cut round the outline | in ~ He sketched the street in outline only. | ~ of

² most important facts/ideas about sth

ADJ. bare, basic, brief, rough a brief outline of Polish history | broad, general | course

VERB + OUTLINE give (sb), provide (sb with), write (sb) Write an outline for your essay.

PREP. in ~ Here's the plan in outline. | ~ for, ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outline verb

VERB + OUTLINE attempt to, seek to, try to

PREP. to the policies outlined to Parliament on May 20th

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outlook noun

¹ attitude to life

VERB + OUTLOOK have | give sb | change | broaden Travel broadens your outlook.

PREP. in ~ She is rather cautious in outlook. | of (a) … ~ people of widely differing religious outlooks | ~ on Losing his job changed his whole outlook on life.

² what will probably happen

ADJ. bright, good | bleak, gloomy, grim The outlook for people on a state pension is grim. | uncertain | business, economic, political | long-term, short-term

VERB + OUTLOOK improve The drug improves the long-term outlook of migraine sufferers. | worsen

PREP. ~ for a brighter outlook for the economy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outnumber verb

ADV. considerably, easily, far, greatly, heavily, substantially, vastly Their failures vastly outnumber their successes. | almost | slightly

PREP. by The Czechs outnumbered the Slovaks by at least two to one.

PHRASES be hopelessly outnumbered The Spanish were hopelessly outnumbered in the battle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

output noun

QUANT. level changes in the level of output

VERB + OUTPUT produce | double, expand, increase The plant plans to increase output to 10,000 cars a year. | reduce

OUTPUT + VERB increase, rise | decrease, fall

PREP. ~ of a steady output of new ideas

PHRASES a drop/fall in output the fall in output due to outdated equipment | a growth/an increase/a rise in output

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outrageous adj.

VERBS be | consider sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth She thought it absolutely outrageous that he should be promoted over her.

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally | morally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outrage noun

¹ great anger

ADJ. genuine | widespread | international | public | moral Media reports generated moral outrage.

VERB + OUTRAGE be greeted with, cause, generate, provoke, spark The news was greeted with outrage. | feel | express, voice Shopkeepers voiced their outrage at the new tax.

OUTRAGE + VERB be directed at sb/sth Much of the outrage was directed at foreign nationals.

PREP. in ~ The guests all shouted in outrage. | with ~ She was trembling with outrage. | ~ at Campaigners have expressed outrage at the decision. | ~ over There is widespread public outrage over the massacre.

PHRASES cries/howls of outrage The announcement provoked howls of outrage. | a feeling/sense of outrage

² cruel/shocking act

VERB + OUTRAGE commit, perpetrate the outrages committed by the invading army

PREP. ~ against The new law on pensions is an outrage against the elderly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outsider noun

¹ not a member of a group

ADJ. complete | political, social

VERB + OUTSIDER feel I felt a complete outsider.

PREP. ~ to an outsider to the group

² competitor who will probably not win

ADJ. complete, rank

PREP. ~ in The firm has gone from being an outsider in the market to being a market leader.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outskirts noun

ADJ. sprawling | city | northern, etc.

VERB + OUTSKIRTS reach

PREP. in the ~ a school in the outskirts of Athens | on the ~ We live on the outskirts of Leeds. | through the ~ driving through the outskirts of London

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outstanding adj.

¹ excellent

VERBS be | consider sth

ADV. particularly, really, truly | absolutely, quite That was a quite outstanding performance!

² not yet paid or done

VERBS be, remain Two or three tasks still remain outstanding. | leave sth One option may be to leave the debt outstanding and extend the payment terms.

ADV. still 75 per cent of the amount originally borrowed is still outstanding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

outweigh verb

ADV. considerably, easily, far, greatly, heavily, more than, vastly The benefits would surely far outweigh the risks. The advantages of this scheme more than outweigh the costs involved.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oval adj.

VERBS be

ADV. perfectly her delicate, perfectly oval face | almost The leaves are long and almost oval.

PHRASES oval in shape The handle is oval in shape | oval-shaped an oval-shaped box

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ovation noun

ADJ. enthusiastic, huge, long, loud, rapturous, thunderous | standing The audience gave her a standing ovation for her performance.

VERB + OVATION give sb | get, receive He received the longest ovation of the evening. | bring, earn, win

PREP. to an ~ He came off the field to a huge ovation. | ~ from The final piece won her a rapturous ovation from the audience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oven noun

OVEN + VERB heat (up) Switch on the oven and let it heat up. | cool (down)

PREP. in an/the ~ baking bread in the oven > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overcast adj.

VERBS be, look | become The sky became heavily overcast. | remain, stay

ADV. heavily, very

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overcoat noun

ADJ. long | heavy, thick | dark | tweed > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overcome verb

¹ defeat/conquer sb/sth

VERB + OVERCOME be able to | help (to), help sb (to) Therapy helped her overcome her fear. | be designed to methods designed to overcome these problems | attempt to, battle to, struggle to, try to | manage to

PHRASES an attempt to overcome sth 2 be/feel overcome become weak/ill; lose control

ADV. completely, quite She felt quite overcome by their kindness. | almost, nearly She felt almost overcome by a tide of relief. | visibly The officers on duty were visibly overcome, many of them in tears. | suddenly

PREP. by Several firefighters had been overcome by smoke and fumes. | with He was suddenly overcome with remorse for the harm he had done.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overcrowded adj

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. extremely, grossly, severely, very | a little

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overdose noun

ADJ. large, massive | drug/drugs, heroin, paracetamol, etc. | fatal | accidental

VERB + OVERDOSE take | die from/of

PREP. ~ of She took an overdose of paracetamol.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overdraft noun

ADJ. enormous, huge, large | agreed, authorized | unauthorized | free We offer a free £400 overdraft. | bank

OVERDRAFT + NOUN facility | limit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overdrawn adj.

VERBS be | go I never like to go overdrawn if I can help it. | remain

ADV. badly, very | rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overdue adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. long These reforms are long overdue.

PREP. for This system is overdue for reform.

PHRASES months/weeks/years overdue These changes are years overdue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overestimate verb

ADV. considerably, greatly, grossly, seriously, vastly | consistently The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits.

VERB + OVERESTIMATE tend to | be easy to It is easy to overestimate the cost of this kind of research. | be difficult to, be hard to

PREP. by We overestimated the cost by about 2 per cent.

PHRASES sth cannot be overestimated The importance of this group cannot be overestimated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overgrown adj.

VERBS be, look | become, get

ADV. extremely, thickly, very | completely The path was completely overgrown.

PREP. with The canal bank was thickly overgrown with last year's brambles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overhaul noun

ADJ. complete, major, massive, thorough | radical

VERB + OVERHAUL have, undergo The tax system has undergone a complete overhaul. | give sth | need

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overhaul verb

ADV. drastically, radically Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. | completely, thoroughly The plan was completely overhauled.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overhead adj., adv.

VERBS be | appear, circle, fly, gather, hover, pass, soar, wheel The seagulls circled overhead. Storm clouds were gathering overhead. | buzz, roar, scream, whirr Helicopters buzzed overhead. | shine

ADV. directly The storm must be directly overhead. | nearly | high The moon was high overhead. | low aircraft passing low overhead

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overhead adj., adv.

ADV. directly The storm must be directly overhead. | nearly | high The moon was high overhead. | low aircraft passing low overhead

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overhear verb

ADV. accidentally

PHRASES couldn't help overhearing sth Excuse me for interrupting, but I couldn't help overhearing what you were saying.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overjoyed adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. less than, not exactly She was not exactly overjoyed to see us again.

PREP. about They're all overjoyed about it. | at overjoyed at the thought of having a son | by We are overjoyed by this decision. | with Mr Crangle was overjoyed with his success.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overlap verb

ADV. almost | partially, partly, slightly, to some extent Put the two pieces of paper together so that they overlap slightly. The two categories overlap to some extent. | clearly

PREP. in terms which overlap slightly in meaning | with a world which overlaps with the newspaper world

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overload verb

PREP. with Their staff are heavily overloaded with work.

PHRASES be heavily/seriously overloaded

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overlook verb

ADV. completely, entirely | largely | frequently, often | generally | conveniently Conveniently overlooking the fact that she wouldn't be able to meet the commitment, she agreed enthusiastically.

VERB + OVERLOOK cannot, cannot afford to, should not We should not overlook this possibility. | be inclined to, tend to Hospitals have tended to overlook this need. | seem to | be prepared to, be willing to I was prepared to overlook her mistakes this time. | be easy to It is easy to overlook the significance of this change. | be impossible to

PHRASES be easily overlooked another fact which is all too easily overlooked | sth should not be overlooked The importance of this should not be overlooked.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oversee verb

ADV. directly | personally He personally oversaw the design of all the rooms.

VERB + OVERSEE be appointed to, be created to, be set up to A committee has been appointed to oversee the work.

PHRASES be responsible for overseeing sth the committee that is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day implementation of this policy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oversight noun

ADJ. unfortunate

PREP. by (an) ~ By an oversight, we did not send out the agenda for the meeting. | due to (an) ~ The mistake was due to an unfortunate oversight on my part. | through (an) ~ Through oversight, the bill was still unpaid.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overthrow noun

ADJ. attempted | violent

VERB + OVERTHROW bring about, lead to | plot

PREP. ~ of to bring about the overthrow of the military dictatorship

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overtime noun

ADJ. excessive Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime. | unlimited | paid, unpaid

VERB + OVERTIME do, put in, work I do about five hours' overtime a week. She puts in a lot of overtime.

OVERTIME + NOUN earnings, pay, payments, rates | ban The union imposed an overtime ban in protest at the sacking of two workers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overtone noun

ADJ. strong a play with strong religious overtones | serious | negative The word ‘cheap’ has negative overtones. | emotional, moral, political, racial, religious, sexual | racist

VERB + OVERTONE carry, have | take on The organization's cultural activities took on political overtones.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overture noun

¹ (usually overtures) friendly behaviour

ADJ. friendly | diplomatic, peace, sexual

VERB + OVERTURE make | receive | respond to | reject, spurn She spurned his overtures of love.

PREP. ~s of overtures of friendship | ~s to He made friendly overtures to his new neighbours.

² piece of music

ADJ. operatic, symphonic

PREP. ~ to the overture to Mozart's ‘Don Giovanni’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overturn verb

ADV. completely She completely overturned my preconceptions about film stars.

VERB + OVERTURN seek to, try to seeking to overturn his conviction for armed robbery | fail to

PHRASES be easily overturned This argument seems convincing, but is easily overturned.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overview noun

VERB + OVERVIEW give (sb), offer (sb), present, provide (sb with) | have Only the Head of Sales has an overview of the situation worldwide.

PREP. ~ on The seminar aims to provide an overview on new media publishing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overweight adj.

VERBS be, look You don't look overweight. | become, get Don't let yourself get overweight.

ADV. extremely, grossly, heavily, seriously, very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly

PHRASES a few pounds, two stone, etc. overweight

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overwhelming adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. completely, quite | almost The urge to look was almost overwhelming. | a little, pretty All these new experiences were a little overwhelming. | apparently, seemingly seemingly overwhelming obstacles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

overwhelm verb

ADV. completely, totally | almost | suddenly

VERB + OVERWHELM threaten to Deal with stress fast whenever it threatens to overwhelm you.

PREP. with The children pressed around him eagerly, overwhelming him with questions.

PHRASES be/feel overwhelmed (by/with sth) We were totally overwhelmed by the response to our appeal. She felt completely overwhelmed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

owl noun

ADJ. wise | stuffed

OWL + VERB fly | hoot, screech | catch sth, prey on sth Owls prey on small rodents. | nest, roost

OWL + NOUN pellet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ownership noun

VERB + OWNERSHIP change, transfer The shop has changed ownership several times. He transferred the legal ownership of his property to his children. | pass into The railways passed into public ownership. | acquire, seize, take (over) | retain

OWNERSHIP + VERB pass Ownership of the land passed from father to son.

PREP. under (the) ~ The cafe is under new ownership.

PHRASES a change in ownership

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

owner noun

VERB + OWNER have The car had only one previous owner. | trace The police have been unable to trace the owner of the vehicle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

own verb

ADV. communally, jointly Only when the means of production were communally owned would classes disappear. She owns the house jointly with her husband. | legally He committed the crime with a gun that he legally owned.

PHRASES directly/indirectly owned by sb, own your own boat, home, etc. They dreamed of owning their own home. | partly/wholly owned by sb The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNL Research. | privately/publicly owned The museum is privately owned.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

oxygen noun

ADJ. pure | liquid | atmospheric

VERB + OXYGEN carry, contain the blood which carries oxygen to the brain | absorb, breathe, consume, take in, use up | generate, produce, release After dark the plants stop producing oxygen. | administer, give sb | get, receive The patient didn't seem to be getting enough oxygen. | deprive sb/sth of, starve sb/sth of There was a risk the brain might be starved of oxygen.

OXYGEN + NOUN atom | level, supply | mask

PHRASES a lack of oxygen, a supply of oxygen

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ozone layer noun

VERB + OZONE LAYER be damaging to, damage, deplete, destroy | protect

OZONE LAYER + VERB thin | disappear The ozone layer is disappearing over northern Europe.

PHRASES damage to the ozone layer, depletion/destruction of the ozone layer, a hole in the ozone layer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ozone noun

VERB + OZONE deplete, destroy

OZONE + NOUN levels | depletion, destruction, loss | hole | pollution

PHRASES the loss of/reduction in ozone the discovery of massive springtime reductions in ozone over Antarctica

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pace noun

¹ one step

VERB + PACE take Take two paces forward. | step back Step back three paces.

PREP. ~ behind Two bodyguards remained a couple of paces behind the president throughout the walkabout. | ~ from I stopped a few paces from the edge of the cliff.

² speed

ADJ. blistering, breakneck, breathtaking, brisk, cracking, fast, frantic, frenetic, frenzied, furious, good, great, hectic, lightning, lively, rapid | gentle, leisurely, relaxed, slow, unhurried, walking the slow pace of economic reform | even, measured, moderate, steady

VERB + PACE gather, increase, quicken The project had a slow start, but is now gathering pace. Thinking that she was being followed, she quickened her pace. | slacken, slow down | dictate, set Brown set the pace in the first mile. | keep (up), maintain The younger children struggled to keep pace with the older ones. She kept up a pace of ten miles an hour. | stand You shouldn't have such a job if you can't stand the pace.

PACE + VERB increase | slow

PREP. at a … ~ They set off at a cracking pace. | ~ of The pace of change means that equipment has to be constantly replaced. The pace of life is much slower on the islands.

PHRASES at sb's own pace The students work at their own pace. | at a snail's pace I set off at a snail's pace to conserve my energy for later in the race. | a change of pace I try to get away at weekends for a change of pace. | a turn of pace He's a skilful player with a good turn of pace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pace verb

ADV. slowly | anxiously, nervously, restlessly She paced restlessly up and down. | about/around/round, back and forth, to and fro, up and down He paced slowly back and forth.

VERB + PACE begin to

PREP. about, around/round

PHRASES begin pacing She began pacing round the room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

package noun

¹ parcel

ADJ. bulky | neat | suspect, suspicious Police destroyed the suspect package in a controlled explosion.

VERB + PACKAGE unwrap, wrap | post, send | deliver | sign for

PACKAGE + VERB contain

PREP. in a/the ~ I sent the books in one big package.

² set of proposals

VERB + PACKAGE offer, produce, put together The IMF has put together a rescue package for the country's faltering economy. | accept, approve | reject

PACKAGE + VERB contain sth, include sth | be aimed at sth a jobs package aimed at helping the unemployed

PACKAGE + NOUN holiday, tour | deal

PREP. in a/the ~ the measures included in the package | under a/the ~ Under the reform package spending on health will increase. | ~ of a package of measures to assist industry

PHRASES part of a package The pay freeze forms part of a package of budget cuts.

³ computer software

ADJ. software | integrated an integrated business software package | application, desktop publishing, drawing, graphics, word-processing | accounting, business

VERB + PACKAGE use | develop

PREP. in a/the ~ word processing and database software in one package

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

packaging noun

ADJ. fancy, glossy CDs would be far cheaper to produce without the glossy packaging. | discarded, waste | non-recyclable, recyclable | drinks, food, product, etc.

VERB + PACKAGING recycle

PACKAGING + NOUN materials | technology | waste | company, firm, group, manufacturer | industry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

packet noun

ADJ. empty | cereal, cigarette, cornflake, crisp, seed | pay, wage a weekly pay packet (= wage) of £200

VERB + PACKET open, undo | take sth from/out of

PACKET + VERB contain sth a packet containing seeds

PACKET + NOUN soup

PREP. on a/the ~ Follow the instructions on the packet. | ~ of a packet of crisps

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

packing noun

VERB + PACKING do When shall we do the packing?

PACKING + NOUN case

PHRASES postage and packing All prices include postage and packing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pack noun

¹ things put together for carrying

ADJ. heavy

VERB + PACK carry

PACK + NOUN animal, horse, mule

PREP. in a/the ~ The water in his pack made it very heavy.

² things supplied together

ADJ. cigarette | battery, power | gift, sample | action, information, resource, starter, study, training

PACK + VERB contain sth, include sth Your resource pack includes addresses of leading manufacturers.

PREP. in a/the ~ How many needles are there in a pack? | ~ of It comes in packs of six. a pack of cigarettes

³ group of animals

ADJ. wolf | hunting

VERB + PACK lead

PACK + NOUN instinct

PREP. in a/the ~ the dominant animal in the pack | in ~s The animals hunt in packs. | ~ of a pack of dogs/wolves

PHRASES the leader of the pack

⁴ playing cards

VERB + PACK shuffle | cut

PREP. in a/the ~ There are 52 playing cards in a pack.

PHRASES the bottom/top of the pack Take a card from the top of the pack. | a pack of cards

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pack verb

¹ put things into containers

ADV. carefully | tightly Live animals are transported across the continent, packed tightly into lorries. | away, together, up The passengers travelled packed together like cattle. I think we might as well pack up and go home.

PREP. in, into She packed her clothes into a suitcase.

² fill a place/sth

PREP. into Crowds of people packed into the hall.

PHRASES be packed full of sth Our new brochure is packed full of inspirational ideas. | be packed out The cinema was packed out! | be packed to bursting/capacity/overflowing The hall was packed to capacity. | be packed to the gunwales/rafters The hostel was packed to the rafters. | be packed with sb The place was packed with football fans. | closely/densely/tightly packed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pact noun

ADJ. bilateral, mutual | defence, military, security | non-agression, peace | electoral, political, social, trade | suicide

VERB + PACT have | conclude, enter into, form, make, strike The Social Democrats struck an electoral pact with the Liberals. | sign | break

PREP. in a/the ~ She died with her lover in a suicide pact. | under a/the ~ conditions under the recently signed non-aggression pact | ~ between a defence pact between Pakistan and France | ~ with He made a pact with the devil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paddle verb

ADV. downstream, upstream | frantically, furiously He paddled furiously against the current. | slowly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pad noun

ADJ. memo, message, note | drawing, sketch

PREP. on a/the~ She doodled on a pad as she spoke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pad verb

¹ be padded be filled/covered with soft material

ADV. heavily, thickly She was wearing a warm coat and thickly padded gloves. | lightly

PREP. with The shoulder straps are padded with foam.

² move quietly

ADV. silently, softly | barefoot | about/around

PREP. about/around padding softly around the house | across padding barefoot across the carpet | along The cat padded silently along the track. | to, towards

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

page noun

VERB + PAGE read | scan | turn (over), turn to I turned the dog-eared pages of my old address book. Turn to page 30 in the coursebook. | flick through, flip through, leaf through She sat idly flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine. | tear (out) | splash sth across The headlines were splashed across the front page of every newspaper.

PAGE + VERB come loose Several pages had come loose. | yellow the yellowing pages of her old diary

PAGE + NOUN number | layout, make-up

PREP. at (a/the) ~ Open your books at page 14. | in the ~s The murder takes place in the opening pages of the novel. | on a/the ~ The crossword is on the back page. | over the ~ The article continues over the page.

PHRASES at the bottom/foot of the page, at the head/top of the page Write your name at the top of each page. | pages long The story is thirty pages long. | run your eye/finger down a page I ran my finger down the page until I found the name I was looking for.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paid adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, well a well-paid job | badly, poorly poorly paid workers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pained adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. positively | slightly a slightly pained expression on his face

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

painful adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get | find sth She found it unbearably painful to speak.

PREP. to The subject of his failed marriage was quite painful to him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

painless adj.

VERBS be The operation was relatively painless.

ADV. completely, entirely, totally | almost, virtually | comparatively, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

painter noun

¹ person whose job is to paint buildings, walls, etc.

ADJ. self-employed | house

PHRASES painter and decorator He now works as a painter and decorator.

² artist who paints pictures

ADJ. celebrated, distinguished, great, famous, master, well-known some of the great painters of the last century the Dutch master painter Jan Vermeer | good, talented | amateur, professional | contemporary, modern an exhibition of works by contemporary painters | court Rudolf II's court painter | abstract, animal, figurative, fresco, genre, landscape, miniature, portrait, realist, watercolour | Cubist, Impressionist, etc. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

painting noun

¹ act of painting

ADJ. acrylic, oil, watercolour | finger | miniature | abstract, decorative, figurative, genre, landscape, life, portrait, still-life, surrealist

VERB + PAINTING do I'll do some painting this afternoon. | take up When she retired she took up painting.

PAINTING + NOUN style, technique | course

PHRASES painting and decorating The firm specializes in painting and decorating.

² picture

QUANT. series | collection, exhibition

PAINTING + VERB depict sb/sth, portray sb/sth, show sb/sth | hang His most famous paintings hang in the Tate Gallery.

PREP. in a/the ~ The woman in the painting is the artist's mistress. | ~ by a painting by Gauguin | ~ in a fine painting in oils | ~ of paintings of flowers > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paint noun

QUANT. blob, speck, splash, spot Specks of paint found at the scene were found to match the accused's car. | coat I'll give the walls a fresh coat of paint. | layer The artist has used several layers of paint to create the stormy sky. | lick (informal) A lick of paint will do wonders for the room. | jar, pot, tube | box, set a set of watercolour paints

VERB + PAINT apply, put on, spray | daub with, spatter with, splash with | remove, scrape off, strip (off) | mix | dilute, thin

PAINT + VERB dry | blister, chip, crack, flake (off), peel Paint was peeling from the walls.

PAINT + NOUN brush (also paintbrush) | pot | manufacturer, shop | job We did a quick paint job on the car and hoped the damage wasn't noticeable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paint verb

ADV. carefully | badly, crudely The walls had been painted very badly. a crudely painted human figure | beautifully, exquisitely | brightly, gaily the cheerful, brightly painted doors | garishly, gaudily

PREP. in an artist who usually paints in oils | on I like to paint on canvas. | with Paint the box all over with varnish.

PHRASES freshly/newly painted, paint sth blue, white, etc. We painted the walls light green.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pain noun

¹ physical pain

ADJ. acute, agonizing, awful, excruciating, extreme, great, intense, severe, sharp, terrible, unbearable | burning, searing, shooting, stabbing, throbbing She had a burning pain in one eye. | dull, little, slight | chronic, constant, nagging, persistent | sudden | intermittent | physical | abdominal, back, chest, leg, muscle, shoulder, stomach She's been off work with back pain. He went to the doctor with chest pains. | growing, labour, period

QUANT. spasm, stab

VERB + PAIN be in, be racked with, experience, feel, get, go through, have, suffer (from) He was obviously in a great deal of pain. Can you feel any pain? Marathon runners are used to going through pain. He was taken to hospital suffering from severe abdominal pain. | cause, give sb, inflict His back gives him great pain. It's wrong to inflict pain on any animal. | increase, make worse | alleviate, control, deaden, do something for, dull, ease, help, kill, relieve, stop Your doctor should be able to do something for the pain. | bear, endure, put up with, stand, take | cry out in, cry with, groan with, scream with | be contorted with, contort in His face was contorted with pain as he crossed the finish line.

PAIN + VERB begin, come The pains began shortly after she started work as a gardener. | shoot through/up A sharp pain shot up his leg. | grow stronger, increase, intensify | disappear, go, stop, wear off Has the pain gone yet? A few hours after he'd had his tooth out, the pain began to wear off. | come back, return

PAIN + NOUN control, relief | threshold

PREP. ~ in a pain in her side

PHRASES aches and pains Eucalyptus oil is good for easing muscular aches and pains. | a cry of pain, a threshold for/of pain I have a very low threshold for pain.

² unhappiness

ADJ. great, intense, terrible | emotional

VERB + PAIN cause (sb), give sb, inflict Through her drug addiction she had inflicted a lot of pain on the family. | feel, go through | get over It took him several years to get over the pain of losing his job. | ease | spare sb We hoped to spare her the pain of having to meet her attacker. | express | conceal He tried to conceal his pain from her. | bear, endure | be worth The government has to persuade the people that the economic reforms are worth the pain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pair noun

¹ two things the same

ADJ. matching a matching pair of vases | identical

PREP. in a/the ~ Answer one question in each pair. | in ~s These candlesticks only come in pairs. | ~ of a pair of shoes

PHRASES one of a pair one of a pair of crystal vases

² people who are connected

ADJ. inseparable | good | happy (= a newly married couple) | odd They make an odd pair.

VERB + PAIR match The pair were matched for age. | make I thought they would make a good pair so I arranged for them to meet.

PREP. in a/the ~ The students worked in pairs.

³ male and female animal

ADJ. breeding

PAIR + VERB breed, mate

PREP. ~ of a pair of swans nesting by the river

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

palace noun

VERB + PALACE build | live in

PALACE + VERB stand The palace stands on the west bank of the river.

PREP. at a/the ~, in a/the ~

PHRASES the interior of the palace

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

palate noun

¹ part of the mouth

ADJ. hard | soft | cleft Their baby had an operation to repair a cleft palate.

² sense of taste

ADJ. discerning, discriminating, sophisticated | jaded Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates.

VERB + PALATE have She has a discerning palate. | appeal to, suit This kind of food appeals to more sophisticated palates. | clean, cleanse Have an apple to cleanse your palate.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pale adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become, go, grow, turn Ruth went pale as the news sank in. | remain

ADV. deathly, extremely, sickly, terribly, very He turned deathly pale. | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly | strangely, unnaturally

PHRASES pale and drawn He looked pale and drawn.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pallor noun

ADJ. slight | deathly, ghostly, sickly the deathly pallor of her face | green, grey, white

VERB + PALLOR have He had a sickly green pallor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

palm noun

¹ flat part of the front of your hand

ADJ. soft | horny | sweaty | open | outstretched

VERB + PALM hold up, raise He held up a palm for silence. | spread He spread his palms in a gesture of openness. | press I pressed my palm to the wound to stop the bleeding. | slap She slapped her palm against the desk in anger.

PALM + VERB sweat | face Hold out your arms with the palms facing downwards.

PALM + NOUN reading | print

PREP. against your ~s The metal felt hot against my palms. | between your ~s He took her hand between his palms and squeezed it. | in your ~ He showed me the coins in his palm.

PHRASES palm/palms up/upwards She held out her hand to me, palm up.

² tree

ADJ. coconut, date, oil

PALM + NOUN tree | branch, frond, leaf | grove | oil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pamphlet noun

ADJ. political

VERB + PAMPHLET print, produce, publish, write | circulate, distribute

PAMPHLET + VERB be entitled sth

PREP. in a/the ~ accusations that were made in the pamphlet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pancake noun

ADJ. savoury

VERB + PANCAKE make | toss

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

panel noun

¹ group of people

ADJ. distinguished a distinguished panel of academics | independent | international | advisory, interview, interviewing, judging, review, selection

VERB + PANEL convene, select, set up | chair

PANEL + VERB be drawn from sb/sth a panel of scientists drawn from universities

PANEL + NOUN member | interview | discussion | game The comedian will chair a new TV panel game.

PREP. on a/the ~ The head of department serves on the advisory panel. | ~ on an independent panel on takeovers and mergers

PHRASES a member of a panel, a panel of experts/judges The winners were chosen by a panel of judges.

² part of a door, wall, etc.

ADJ. ceiling, door, wall | sliding

VERB + PANEL fit, insert, put in | remove, take out

³ section of vehicle body

ADJ. front, rear | nearside, offside | body My rear nearside body panel needed replacing after the accident.

VERB + PANEL beat

PANEL + NOUN beater, beating He works as a panel beater in a local garage.

⁴ surface containing controls

ADJ. control, display, instrument

PREP. on a/the ~ A red light flashed on the control panel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pane noun

ADJ. broken | missing The missing pane has been replaced. | glass | window

VERB + PANE break, shatter, smash | blow in/out The wind blew in a pane of their front window. | replace

PREP. against/to a/the ~ Her face was pressed against the pane. | down a/the ~ The rain ran down the window pane. | on a/the ~ There was dirt on the pane.

PHRASES a pane of glass The burglars got in by smashing a pane of glass in a door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pang noun

VERB + PANG experience, feel, suffer He experienced a sudden pang of conscience. | cause, give sb The photograph gave her a pang of homesickness.

PANG + VERB shoot through sb A sharp pang of guilt shot through him.

PREP. with a ~ With a pang she recalled the last time she had seen him. | ~ of She felt a little pang of jealousy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

panic noun

QUANT. surge, wave I felt a surge of panic when I realized my mistake.

VERB + PANIC feel He felt panic rising within him. | get into, go into She went into a mad panic when she couldn't find the exit. | cause, create, spread | fill sb with, throw sb into The thought of having to be in charge threw him into a mild panic.

PANIC + VERB break out, spread (across/through, etc. sth), sweep over/through sth Panic swept through the crowd. | seize sb | grow, rise | subside | ensue In the ensuing panic, they lost each other.

PANIC + NOUN attack She still has panic attacks, two years after the accident. | button The shopkeeper pressed the panic button and the police arrived in minutes. | buying, selling Panic buying turned the petrol shortage into a crisis.

PREP. in (a) ~ He jumped out of the car in a panic. People fled in panic. | with ~ Her mind went blank with panic. | ~ about panic about food contamination | ~ among panic among the population | ~ over The keys were lost during the panic over the fire alarm.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of panic, in a state of panic, a look of panic A look of panic spread across the boy's face. | a moment of panic, a moment's panic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pantomime noun

ADJ. Christmas

PANTOMIME + NOUN cow, dame, horse | season > Note at PERFORMANCE(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pants noun

QUANT. pair

VERB + PANTS pull on, pull up | drop, pull down | wet He was so frightened that he wet his pants.

PHRASES bra and pants > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pant verb

ADV. breathlessly | heavily, loudly | slightly

PREP. for He was panting for breath. | with She was panting with the effort of carrying the suitcase.

PHRASES puff and pant Mason puffed and panted up the stairs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pan noun

ADJ. chip, frying

PHRASES pots and pans > See SAUCEPAN (for other collocates of pan)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paperback noun

ADJ. mass-market the demand for mass-market paperbacks | original The book is to be published as an original paperback (= it is not being published in hardback first).

VERB + PAPERBACK read | produce, publish (sth as) | be out in, come out in The novel has just come out in paperback.

PAPERBACK + VERB come out The paperback came out in June.

PAPERBACK + NOUN book, edition, novel, version | original | fiction | rights, sales

PREP. in ~ The book is now available in paperback.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paperwork noun

ADJ. routine | necessary

VERB + PAPERWORK deal with, do, get through, go through, work through I've got a lot of routine paperwork to get through. | involve The project involved an enormous amount of paperwork.

PREP. ~ for Have you done all the necessary paperwork for the sale?

PHRASES a backlog/mountain/pile of paperwork

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paper noun

¹ material

QUANT. bit, piece, scrap, sheet, slip, strip I scribbled down his number on a scrap of paper. | roll a roll of kitchen paper | side The essay filled seven sides of A4 paper.

VERB + PAPER fold Fold the paper in half. | shred, tear | crumple (up), screw up I screwed up the paper and threw it in the bin. | recycle | wrap sth in

PAPER + VERB be strewn There was paper strewn all over the floor.

PREP. on ~ I've had nothing on paper (= in writing) to say that I've been accepted.

PHRASES put pen to paper I've thought about what I'm going to write, but I haven't yet put pen to paper. | a waste of paper This report is a waste of paper.

² newspaper

QUANT. copy Have you got a copy of yesterday's paper? | edition today's edition of the paper

PAPER + VERB come out The paper comes out every Saturday.

PAPER + NOUN shop | boy, girl | round

PREP. in a/the ~ I read about his arrest in the papers. | on a/the ~ She got a job on the local paper.

³ (usually papers) official document

QUANT. pile, sheaf

VERB + PAPER show Be prepared to show your identity papers at the border.

⁴ exam

ADJ. exam, examination, question, test | written I did well on the oral but not on the written paper. | English, geography, etc.

VERB + PAPER do, sit, take | set The exam papers are set by experienced teachers. | mark | turn over You may now turn over your papers.

PREP. in a/the ~ the questions in the physics paper | on a/the ~ You must not write on the question paper.

⁵ piece of writing on a specialist subject

ADJ. draft | consultation, consultative, discussion, position, working | research, scientific

VERB + PAPER deliver, give, present, put forward, read | draft, prepare, produce, write | issue, publish, release

PAPER + VERB consider sth, deal with sth, focus on/upon sth, look at sth The paper looks at the future of primary school education. | argue sth, propose sth | demonstrate sth | describe sth, outline sth, present sth | be called sth, be entitled sth

PREP. in a/the ~ Freud first mentioned this concept in his paper ‘On Narcissism’. | ~ on a paper on the development of the novel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parachute noun

VERB + PARACHUTE pack

PARACHUTE + VERB open | fail to open

PARACHUTE + NOUN descent, drop, jump He made his first parachute jump at the age of seventy. | instructor

PREP. by ~ Supplies were dropped by parachute.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parade noun

ADJ. grand | colourful | fashion | military, victory | identification, identity

VERB + PARADE have, hold, stage The police held an identity parade. | go on The battalion went on parade to welcome the new commander-in-chief. | inspect, review The president reviewed the military parade.

PARADE + VERB take place

PARADE + NOUN ground

PREP. at a/the ~ Thousands of people were at the parade. | on ~ The soldiers will be on parade tomorrow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paradise noun

¹ heaven

VERB + PARADISE go to They all expected to go to paradise.

PREP. in ~ an angel in paradise

² perfect place

ADJ. perfect, unspoilt | beautiful | lost the lost paradise of childhood | children's, walker's, etc. | earthly, island, tropical

VERB + PARADISE create She worked on the garden until she had created her own little paradise. | find They moved to the country hoping to find paradise.

PARADISE + NOUN island

PREP. in (a) ~ We found ourselves in a tropical paradise. | ~ for The airport is a paradise for pickpockets. | ~ of a paradise of golden beaches

PHRASES a paradise on earth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paradoxical adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound

ADV. distinctly, very | slightly, somewhat | seemingly trying to understand her seemingly paradoxical behaviour | inherently | curiously He found himself in a curiously paradoxical situation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paradox noun

ADJ. apparent | central | curious

VERB + PARADOX pose, present The facts pose something of a paradox. | explain, resolve

PREP. ~ about The paradox about time is that it seems to go faster as we become older and less active. | ~ between the paradox between the real and the ideal | ~ in the paradox in the relationship between creativity and psychosis

PHRASES by a curious paradox By a curious paradox, the team became less motivated the more games it won.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paragraph noun

ADJ. new | introductory, opening

VERB + PARAGRAPH begin, start Start each paragraph on a new line.

PREP. in a/the ~ The identity of the murderer is revealed in the very last paragraph. | in accordance with/under ~ (law) Cancellation charges will apply in accordance with paragraph 4 above. | ~ about a paragraph about the writer's reaction to his mother's death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parallel adj.

VERBS be, run

ADV. exactly | nearly | roughly

PREP. to The lane is roughly parallel to the main road. | with The road runs parallel with the sea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parallel noun

ADJ. direct, exact | clear, close, obvious | interesting, striking

VERB + PARALLEL have This weather pattern of the southern hemisphere has no parallel in the north. | find, see | draw, make He drew an interesting parallel with religious practices in Japan. | provide

PREP. without ~ a speed of development without parallel in post-war Europe | ~ between a parallel between economic and cultural advancement | ~ in We found a direct parallel in the attitudes of schoolchildren in other countries. | ~ to A close parallel to this behaviour is found in dolphins. | ~ with She saw an obvious parallel with her sister's predicament.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paralyse verb

ADV. completely, totally | partially, partly He was partially paralysed by the fall. | almost, virtually

PHRASES be paralysed from the chest/neck/waist down, be paralysed with fear, leave sb paralysed The accident left her paralysed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paralysis noun

¹ being unable to move your body or a part of it

ADJ. complete | partial | instant The snake's venom induces instant paralysis. | permanent | infantile

VERB + PARALYSIS be struck with | suffer from | cause, induce

PARALYSIS + VERB spread He had been crippled by a rare type of paralysis spreading from his ankle.

² being unable to work in the normal way

ADJ. complete Strike leaders claimed ‘almost complete paralysis’ in the ports and mines. | emotional, political

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paranoia noun

ADJ. increasing, mounting

VERB + PARANOIA suffer from | border on, verge on Her passion for cleanliness borders on paranoia.

PARANOIA + VERB afflict sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parasite noun

ADJ. common | dangerous These flies carry a dangerous parasite. | external, internal | intestinal

VERB + PARASITE carry, have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parcel noun

ADJ. bulky | neat | brown-paper | gift-wrapped, tissue-wrapped, etc. | clothing, food

VERB + PARCEL post, send | get, receive | make sth (up) into, pack (up), wrap, wrap sth (up) in The waiter had our left-over food made up into a parcel to take home. | open, unpack, unwrap

PARCEL + NOUN bomb

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ from, ~ to

PHRASES laden/loaded with parcels He came in laden with parcels for the children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pardon noun

VERB + PARDON give sb, grant sb | offer sb The government offered a free pardon to the rebels. | buy, obtain, receive | ask (for), seek | refuse

PREP. ~ for She asked for pardon for her crime.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parenthood noun

ADJ. lone, single | responsible education about family planning and responsible parenthood

PHRASES preparation for parenthood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parent noun

PARENT + NOUN company The subsidiary eventually outgrew its parent company and took it over.

PHRASES lone/one/single-parent family

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parking noun

ADJ. convenient, easy | off-road, off-street, on-street, street, roadside | long-stay, short-stay | illegal | car

PARKING + NOUN area, facilities, lot | bay, place, space, spot a restaurant with ample parking space I spent ages looking for a parking place/space. | meter | fine, ticket | restrictions

PREP. ~ for parking for 300 cars

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

park noun

VERB + PARK go to They go to the park most Sunday afternoons. | landscape, lay out a beautifully landscaped park

PARK + NOUN bench | ranger The lion was shot dead by a park ranger.

PREP. at a/the ~ We met at Hyde Park. | in a/the ~ They went for a walk in the park.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

park verb

ADV. carefully, neatly, well | badly | illegally | discreetly The police car was discreetly parked in the furthest corner of the courtyard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parody noun

¹ writing/speech/music

ADJ. brilliant, clever | cruel

VERB + PARODY compose, write

PREP. through ~ He attacked her ideas through parody. | ~ of She has written a cruel parody of his book. | ~ on The show included a parody on current affairs programmes.

² bad example

ADJ. grotesque

PREP. in a ~ of He sighed in a parody of deep emotion. | ~ of She has become a grotesque parody of her former elegant self.

PHRASES a parody of justice The trial was a parody of justice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parole noun

ADJ. early

VERB + PAROLE be on | give sb, grant sb | get She's got (her) parole. | let sb out on, release sb on She was released on parole after serving just half of her sentence. | break He broke (his) parole. | be eligible for, be/come up for Her case comes up for parole in September.

PAROLE + NOUN board, system

PREP. on ~ He committed a burglary while on parole. | with ~ With parole, he could be out in two years. | without ~ sentenced to life imprisonment without parole

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parsley noun

QUANT. sprig

VERB + PARSLEY grow | chop | garnish sth with > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

partial adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. very | only | inevitably, necessarily The information we have is inevitably partial.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

participant noun

VERB + PARTICIPANT attract Protests on 12 April attracted 100,000 participants.

PARTICIPANT + VERB attend sth

PREP. ~ in an active participant in the discussion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

participate verb

ADV. fully | actively

VERB + PARTICIPATE be able to, have the opportunity to | be allowed to, be encouraged to, be invited to Other countries were invited to participate in the project. | agree to | refuse to

PREP. in They will have the opportunity to participate actively in the decision-making process.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

participation noun

QUANT. degree, extent, level We were very pleased with the high level of participation in the charity events.

VERB + PARTICIPATION encourage The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities. | increase

PARTICIPATION + VERB increase

PARTICIPATION + NOUN rate

PREP. ~ in direct participation by the masses in the running of the country

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

parting noun

ADJ. final | sad

PARTING + NOUN gift | shot, words As her parting shot she told me never to phone her again.

PHRASES the moment of parting She was already dreading the moment of parting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

partition noun

ADJ. movable | folding

VERB + PARTITION build, erect, put up | remove, take down

PARTITION + VERB divide sth (up), separate sth The cafe was divided up by glass partitions.

PARTITION + NOUN wall

PREP. ~ between There were no partitions between the showers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

partnership noun

VERB + PARTNERSHIP have | create, establish, form, set up (in) | enter into, go into The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation. | take sb into We took him into partnership in 2002. | work in We shall be working in close partnership with our Japanese clients. | break up

PARTNERSHIP + NOUN agreement, arrangement

PREP. in ~ with They are in partnership with Apex software. | ~ between a partnership between the university and local colleges | ~ in She has a partnership in the business. | ~ of a unique partnership of private companies and trade unions | ~ with a partnership with an American firm > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

partner noun

¹ in a marriage/relationship

ADJ. former | dominant She was the dominant partner in the relationship. | female, male | marriage, sexual the choice of marriage partner

VERB + PARTNER have

² in an activity

ADJ. bridge, doubles, playing, tennis I need a doubles partner for the table tennis tournament. | dancing | sparring (figurative) The old political sparring partners are now firm friends. | drinking

VERB + PARTNER choose The teacher asked the students to choose a partner for the next activity. | change All change partners for the next dance!

³ in business

VERB + PARTNER make sb

PREP. ~ in He has recently been made a junior partner in the family business.

⁴ in international relations

ADJ. biggest, main, principal | foreign | coalition, trading France's principal trading partners

PREP. ~ in Britain's partner in the aeronautic project

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

party noun

¹ political group

ADJ. political | centre, left-wing, right-wing | centrist, fascist, populist, progressive, radical, reactionary, revolutionary, social democratic, socialist | Communist, Conservative, Democratic, Labour, Liberal, Republican, etc. | opposition | parliamentary members of the parliamentary party (= MPs, not ordinary party members) | main both main political parties | majority, minority They are now the majority party in Parliament. | governing, ruling

VERB + PARTY establish, form, found, set up | dissolve, wind up The party was officially dissolved in 1927. | split a bitter dispute which finally split the party | be/become the leader of, lead | be/become a member of, belong to, join | be affiliated to, have links with He was accused of having strong links with the Communist Party. | leave, resign from She left the party in 2000. | expel sb from | vote for | elect, put in/into power, return to power The Labour Party was returned to power in 2001.

PARTY + VERB come to power, gain power, win (sth) | lose (sth), lose power The Labour party lost the vote on this important issue. | contest sth the parties contesting the elections

PARTY + NOUN conference, congress | activist, member, faithful (= loyal members of the party) | chairman, leader, leadership | line Most MPs will follow the party line (= the official view of the party). | politics

PHRASES the left/right wing of the party

² social occasion

VERB + PARTY give, have, hold, organize, throw On moving in they threw a huge house-warming party. | invite sb to | attend, go to | gatecrash | leave

PARTY + VERB go on There was a party going on next door. | be in full swing (= to be very busy and noisy) By now the party was in full swing. | break up The party broke up around midnight.

PARTY + NOUN guest | pooper (also party-pooper; sb who does not want to join in the fun at a party)

PREP. at a/the ~ I was at a party in London that night. | ~ for I'm organizing a surprise party for my sister.

³ group of people working/doing sth together

ADJ. boarding, coach, landing, raiding, reading, rescue, search, stretcher, working It was time for us to join the coach party.

PREP. ~ of She arrived with a party of helpers.

⁴ person in a legal case

ADJ. guilty, innocent | aggrieved, injured | interested First we must notify all the interested parties. | third You must sign the document in the presence of an independent third party (= another person apart from the two main people involved)

VERB + PARTY notify | be binding on/upon, bind This agreement shall be binding upon both parties.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

part noun

¹ piece/area/period/division, etc. of sth

VERB + PART constitute, fall into, form The book falls into three distinct parts. | break sth down into, divide sth into, split sth into

PREP. in ~ Your salary depends in part on your qualifications. The film is good in parts. a serial in four parts | ~ of Part of me wants to stay and part of me doesn't.

PHRASES the parts of the body

² a piece of a machine

ADJ. spare Where can I get spare parts for my bike?

³ role in a play, film, etc.

ADJ. big, leading | bit, small, walk-on | speaking

VERB + PART have, play, take | learn | look He was a pirate in the school play and certainly looked the part.

PREP. in the ~ He's very good in the part. | ~ of She played the part of Juliet.

⁴ share in an activity, event, etc.

ADJ. big, leading, major Luck played a big part in it. | minor | central, significant, vital | active

VERB + PART have He had no part in the scam. | do, play, take She did her part in bringing them back together.

PREP. ~ in They took little part in the discussion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

passage noun

¹ narrow way through

VERB + PASSAGE clear to clear a passage for ships through the ice | force He forced a passage for the singer through the crowd.

PREP. along/down/through a/the~ We ran through the dark passage. | in/into a/the ~ Someone was waiting outside in the passage. | ~ between the passage between the cottage and the house | ~ from There is an underground passage from the church to the house. | ~ through a narrow passage through the bushes | ~ to

PHRASES the end of a passage There was a door at the end of the passage. | a maze of passages the maze of secret passages which wound their way under the building

² tube in the body

ADJ. nasal | back (= rectum)

VERB + PASSAGE block, obstruct | clear

³ extract from a book/speech

ADJ. lengthy, long | short | opening | famous, well-known | descriptive, purple

VERB + PASSAGE quote, read

PREP. in a/the ~ There's a lot of slang in this passage. | ~ from a passage from the Bible

⁴ extract from a piece of music

VERB + PASSAGE play, quote In the 15th symphony he quotes a passage from Rossini's ‘William Tell’ overture.

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ from

⁵ movement/progress

ADJ. rapid, speedy | slow | safe | smooth | free The UN Security Council has demanded free passage for families fleeing from the fighting.

VERB + PASSAGE deny sb, refuse sb

PREP. ~ across the slow passage of a snail across the veranda | ~ down Steps cut in the hillside give walkers an easy passage down the mountain. | ~ from … to … We are not aware of our passage from consciousness to sleep. | ~ into Portugal's passage into the next round of the tournament | ~ out of a safe passage out of the war zone | ~ over State-of-the-art suspension guarantees a smooth passage over the bumpiest road. | ~ through They denied him passage through the territory.

PHRASES the passage of time The problems only got worse with the passage of time. | a rite of passage Marriage is seen as a rite of passage.

⁶ journey by ship

ADJ. long, short | rough, stormy | homeward, outward | sea

VERB + PASSAGE have | book | work He worked his passage (= he worked to pay for his journey) to Australia.

PREP. during a/the ~ During the passage, she taught herself basic Arabic. | on sb's/the ~ We met him on our outward passage. | ~ across a rough passage across the Atlantic | ~ to We had a stormy passage to India.

⁷ of a bill through Parliament

ADJ. smooth | speedy

VERB + PASSAGE begin, complete The bill will complete its passage in November.

PREP. during the ~ There was much controversy during the passage of the bill. | ~ through a strategy to ensure the bill's smooth passage through Parliament

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

passenger noun

ADJ. business-class, economy-class, first-class, second-class, standard-class | front-seat, rear-seat | airline, bus, rail | pillion (= riding on the back of a motorcycle) | fellow I soon got talking to my fellow passengers.

VERB + PASSENGER carry Last year the airline carried 4.6 million passengers. | let on, pick up, take on A taxi was picking up a passenger outside the hotel. | drop off, let off/out The bus stopped to let its passengers off.

PASSENGER + VERB wait passengers waiting to board the plane | be aboard (sth), go in/on sth, travel in/on sth passengers travelling on the Orient Express | board (sth), embark (on sth), get on (sth), go aboard (sth) | disembark, get off/out | be stranded Thousands of passengers were stranded last night at Heathrow airport.

PREP. ~ for Will all passengers for Frankfurt please go to Gate 21. | ~ in the passengers in her car | ~ on all the passengers on the ferry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

passing noun

VERB + PASSING mourn Few will mourn his passing. | mark Her death marks the passing of an era.

PHRASES the passing of time The colour of the wood darkens with the passing of time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

passion noun

¹ strong sexual love/attraction

ADJ. grand, great She didn't believe in grand passion or love at first sight. She was his first great passion. | all-consuming, blind, consuming, fierce, fiery, intense | tender | animal, romantic, sexual

QUANT. surge, wave

VERB + PASSION arouse, awaken No one had ever aroused his passion as much as Sandra. | be filled with, feel the great passion he felt for her

PASSION + VERB cool, wane

PREP. with ~ They kissed with passion. | ~ between The passion between them had cooled. | ~ for his all-consuming passion for her

PHRASES a night of passion They spent a night of passion in a hotel. | the object of sb's passion the young girl who was the object of his passion

² strong feeling

ADJ. considerable, great, high, real a woman of great passion There were moments of high passion in the game.

VERB + PASSION have A writer should have passion. | arouse, rouse This issue always arouses passion.

PREP. with ~ He argued his case with great passion.

PHRASES a crime of passion She killed her husband's lover in a crime of passion. | full of passion a speech full of passion

³ strong liking for/interest in sth

ADJ. all-consuming, consuming, great, real | abiding, genuine, lifelong his lifelong passion for aeroplanes

VERB + PASSION develop, have | share They shared a passion for food. | indulge She had very little time to indulge her passion for painting.

PREP. ~ for He developed a real passion for acting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

passive adj.

VERBS be, seem | became | remain

ADV. extremely, very | purely | fairly, rather, relatively, somewhat | essentially The heroine plays an essentially passive role in the drama.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

passport noun

ADJ. valid | false, forged | EU, Mexican, French, etc. | visitor's

PASSPORT + VERB be valid | expire

PASSPORT + NOUN number, photo, photograph | holder | Agency, Office | control We had to queue for ages at passport control.

PREP. ~ into (figurative) The gold medal is his passport into professional boxing. | ~ to (figurative) Good qualifications are a passport to success.

PHRASES a full British/French, etc. passport (= one showing that sb has all the rights of British/French, etc. citizenship)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

password noun

ADJ. correct, valid | invalid | user Please supply a valid user password.

VERB + PASSWORD know | give You must give the password before they'll let you in. | enter, provide, supply, type in | change

PHRASES be password protected Your mailbox can be password protected to ensure security.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pass noun

¹ in sport

ADJ. good, perfect | careless, sloppy | long, short | back, cross-field, square (in football) | forward (in rugby) The referee disallowed the try for a forward pass.

VERB + PASS play Ziege played a pass behind the defence to Weiss. | get, pick up, receive | block, intercept

PREP. ~ from Owen picked up a long pass from Beckham to score. | ~ to He played a careless back pass to the goalkeeper.

² success in exam

ADJ. good | exam, examination, A Level, GCSE, etc.

VERB + PASS get, manage, obtain, scrape She barely scraped a pass in chemistry.

PASS + NOUN mark, rate The pass mark is 40%. | degree Applicants need a good degree pass.

PREP. ~ at It's difficult to obtain a pass at A Level. | ~ in He should get a good pass in mathematics.

³ official piece of paper

ADJ. free | day, monthly, weekend, yearly | bus, rail, railway a monthly rail pass | security | boarding

VERB + PASS have | use | give sb, issue (sb with) The visitors were issued with day passes. | produce, show

PREP. on a ~ soldiers on a weekend pass | ~ to We bought a two-day pass to Disneyland.

⁴ way through mountains

ADJ. high, low | narrow | mountain

VERB + PASS cross, take

PASS + VERB be blocked

PREP. over a/the ~ struggling over the pass with their donkeys | through a/the ~ building a road through the pass | ~ over We took the high pass over the ridge.

PHRASES the head/summit/top of the pass

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pass verb

¹ of time

ADV. quickly, soon The time passed quickly. | slowly | peacefully, uneventfully The days passed uneventfully.

VERB + PASS help (to) We played games to help pass the time.

² law

ADV. unanimously

PREP. by … to … The bill was passed by 360 votes to 280.

⁴ happen

ADV. peacefully | off The demonstration passed off peacefully.

VERB + PASS come to (formal or old-fashioned) I wondered how it came to pass that a thinking man bore the prejudices of his unthinking parents. | let sth I don't like it, but I'll let it pass (= will not object).

PREP. between They'll never be friends again after all that has passed between them.

PHRASES pass unnoticed In the confusion her departure passed unnoticed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pasta noun

ADJ. fresh | dried | egg, wholemeal

VERB + PASTA cook | drain, strain

PASTA + NOUN bows, shapes, shells, etc. | sauce | dish, salad > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

paste noun

ADJ. firm, stiff, thick | lumpy, smooth | wallpaper | curry, fish, tomato, etc.

VERB + PASTE make (up), mix (up), mix sth into/to Mix the sugar mixture to a smooth paste. | form Mix the flour with enough water to form a thick paste. | apply, put on Apply the wallpaper paste with a roller.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pastime noun

ADJ. enjoyable, rewarding | favourite, popular | dangerous | expensive | national Eating out is the national pastime in France.

VERB + PASTIME enjoy, indulge in, pursue

PREP. ~ among Fighting is a popular pastime among some of the town's boys. | ~ for Cycling is an enjoyable pastime for people of all ages.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pastry noun

VERB + PASTRY make | cut, knead, roll out Cut the filo pastry into 10 cm strips. | line sth with Line the tin with the pastry. | brush Brush the pastry with a little water. | bake/wrap sth in prawns wrapped in filo pastry

PASTRY + NOUN base, case, parcel | board, cutter | chef

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

past noun

¹ time before the present

ADJ. immediate, recent | ancient, (dim and) distant, remote Many modern festivals can be traced back to an ancient past. It all happened in the distant past.

VERB + PAST cling to, live in We're going to have to stop living in the past and invest in new technology if the firm is to survive. | belong in/to Those memories belong to the past and I don't want to think about them.

PREP. from the ~ Memories from the past came flooding back to him. | in the ~ I admit that I have made mistakes in the past. | into the ~ events stretching back many years into the past | of the ~ great artists of the past

PHRASES be all in the past Don't worry about it?it's all in the past now. | a break with the past In an effort to make a complete break with the past, she sold everything and went abroad. | a glimpse of the past The uncovering of the buried town gives us a unique glimpse of the past. | a link with the past The old market is a living link with the past, unchanged for hundreds of years. | nostalgia for the past, a thing of the past a new device that makes such problems a thing of the past

² sb/sth's history

VERB + PAST reflect on/upon | recapture trying in vain to recapture his past | erase, escape from, put behind you, wipe out Political parties cannot escape from their pasts any more than individuals can. The counselling helped Dan to put the past behind him.

PREP. from your ~ ghosts from his past | in your ~ at some time in her past

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patchy adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. decidedly, extremely, very The local provision of facilities is decidedly patchy. | a bit, a little, rather Attendance at these matches has been rather patchy recently.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patch noun

¹ material over a hole

VERB + PATCH have Her trousers have patches all over them. | sew on

PREP. ~ on dancers with patches on their costumes

² part of a surface that is different

PREP. in ~es The velvet curtains were faded in patches. | ~ of There were some patches of clear blue sky. | ~ on A large damp patch had appeared on the ceiling.

PHRASES a patch of colour flowers providing little bright patches of colour around the garden

³ piece of land

ADJ. isolated an isolated patch of forest | cabbage, potato, vegetable

PREP. in a/the ~ working in his vegetable patch | on a/the ~ located on a small patch of flat ground

PHRASES a patch of grass/ground We found a nice patch of grass to sit on.

⁴ period of time

ADJ. bad, difficult, rocky, rough, sticky | purple The team has hit a purple patch, with nine wins from their last ten games.

VERB + PATCH go through, have, hit Their business hit a sticky patch last year.

PREP. ~ of going through a patch of poor health

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patent noun

VERB + PATENT apply for, file In 1843 Bain filed a patent for his fax machine. | get, obtain, take out | protect sth by Genetically engineered plants can be protected by patent. | grant (sb), issue | refuse A patent will be refused if details of the item have already been released to the public. | have, hold | infringe

PATENT + NOUN application | protection | law a leading authority on patent law | Office

PREP. ~ for In 1995 he was granted a patent for his invention. | ~ on Edison took out a patent on the light bulb.

PHRASES patent pending (= waiting to be issued) The item is Patent Pending No. 912057.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pathologist noun

ADJ. consultant | forensic | independent | Home Office, police

PATHOLOGIST + VERB examine sth | confirm sth The police pathologist examined the body and confirmed that death was due to poisoning.

PHRASES pathologist's report

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

path noun

¹ way across land

VERB + PATH follow, go along/down/up, take Follow this path for about 100 metres, and it's on your right. | climb | keep on/to, stay on | leave, stray off | clear, make A path was cleared through the jungle.

PATH + VERB go, run That path goes down to the sea. | descend | follow sth The path follows the stream for quite a way. | branch off, leave sth The path left the river bank and wound its way into the woods. | divide, fork | go to sth, lead (to) sth Where does this path lead? | bear left/right | wind, zig-zag Then the path zig-zags steeply uphill for a while. | be marked (sth), be signposted (sth) The path is clearly marked. | narrow, widen

PREP. along/down/up a/the ~ children running along the path | on a/the ~ I think we're on the path we used yesterday. | ~ along/beside/by the path along the canal | ~ for a path for cyclists | ~ from the path from the hotel to the beach | ~ through I took the path through the park. | ~ to

² line of movement

ADJ. correct | flight The pilot was instructed to change his flight path.

VERB + PATH steer He steered a path through the crowd. | trace Scientists can trace the path of the tornado. | block, stand in You're standing in my path!

PREP. across sth's ~ The car pulled right across the path of another vehicle. | in/into the sth's ~ She stepped into the path of an oncoming lorry. | out of sth's ~ I managed to jump out of the path of the bike just in time. | ~ through Footsteps had scored a diagonal path through the snow. | ~ to He moved quickly to block her path to the door.

PHRASES everything in sb/sth's path The tornado destroyed everything in its path.

³ way of achieving sth

ADJ. well-trodden, well-worn Her education followed the usual well-worn path of rich youngsters in the 1930s. | chosen | career

VERB + PATH choose, find Everyone has to find their own path in life. | follow, pursue, tread | deviate from

PREP. on a/the ~ His feet were now firmly on the path to success. | ~ of The path of true love is never easy. | ~ to the path to happiness

PHRASES obstacles in sb/sth's path

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patience noun

ADJ. endless, great, infinite

VERB + PATIENCE exercise, have, show They thanked him for showing so much patience. | lack | be out of, lose, run out of It is quite clear that they are out of patience with me. We eventually ran out of patience with his childish behaviour. | keep I find it hard to keep my patience with them. | require, take Above all, fishing requires great patience. | exhaust, stretch, tax, test, try The children were beginning to try my patience.

PATIENCE + VERB be exhausted, run out, snap, wear thin Molly could see Mr Kirkham's patience was running out, so she shut up. Her patience snapped and she walked out. | be rewarded Our patience was finally rewarded and we got the band's autographs.

PREP. with ~ She listened with infinite patience to his excuses. | ~ for He has little patience for people who don't work. | ~ with The fans were losing patience with the team.

PHRASES the patience of a saint These endless meetings are enough to tax the patience of a saint.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patient adj.

VERBS be, sound | remain

ADV. extremely, incredibly, very | endlessly

PREP. about She's been extremely patient about it all. | with He was endlessly patient with the children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patient noun

VERB + PATIENT examine, see, treat A GP sees an average of 35 patients every day. | admit The patient was admitted to hospital yesterday. | discharge patients waiting to be discharged from hospital | transfer

PATIENT + VERB develop sth, have sth, suffer from sth The patient has a severe mental condition. | respond (to sth) These patients are responding well to the new drug. | improve

PATIENT + NOUN care

PREP. ~ with patients with liver disease

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patriotic adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. fiercely, intensely, strongly, very | quite | unashamedly The party framed its message in unashamedly patriotic language.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patrol noun

VERB + PATROL carry out, fly, go on The Italians flew regular patrols over the desert. | maintain Britain can maintain a continuous patrol of the seas with only three submarines. | send out They sent out four-man patrols to scout the area.

PATROL + NOUN boat, car, vehicle | duty

PREP. (out) on ~ police officers on patrol

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patronizing adj.

VERBS be, sound | become | find sb/sth I found his tone rather patronizing.

ADV. extremely, very | almost | mildly, rather, slightly, somewhat | unduly

PREP. towards He's always very patronizing towards my mother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patron noun

ADJ. official the official patron of the college | influential, powerful | generous | wealthy

PHRASES a patron of the arts The BBC is a major patron of the arts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patterned adj.

VERBS be

ADV. heavily, highly, richly a highly patterned fabric | attractively, beautifully, prettily | boldly, brightly, brilliantly, strikingly | delicately, intricately

PREP. with patterned with flowers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pattern noun

¹ arrangement of lines, shapes, etc.

ADJ. intricate | geometric | floral

VERB + PATTERN have The jumper has a geometric pattern on it. | design, make, print, produce, weave

PREP. in a/the ~ He had arranged the glasses in a pattern on the table. | ~ on the pattern on the carpet

² usual manner

VERB + PATTERN establish, set | follow Their actions follow a very predictable pattern. | fall into, fit into ideas that do not fit neatly into his patterns of thought | show 67% of patients showed a similar pattern of improvement.

PATTERN + VERB develop, emerge Similar patterns are emerging all over Eastern Europe. | change

PREP. ~ for the normal pattern for a boy/girl relationship | ~ in the main patterns in English spelling | ~ of patterns of behaviour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

patter verb

ADV. gently, lightly, softly | down The rain pattered down softly.

PREP. across Footsteps pattered across the floor. | against, along The child's feet pattered along the landing. | on Rain pattered lightly on the window.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pat noun

ADJ. affectionate, friendly | reassuring

VERB + PAT give sb/sth He gave the dog a pat.

PREP. ~ on He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pat verb

ADV. gently, lightly | affectionately

PREP. on He patted her gently on the shoulder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pause noun

ADJ. brief, momentary, short, slight, small | long, prolonged | frequent | awkward | pregnant

VERB + PAUSE take Shall we take a pause here?

PAUSE + VERB follow In the pause that followed, I noticed that he was shaking.

PAUSE + NOUN button (on a video recorder, etc.)

PREP. after a/the ~ ‘I don't know,’ he said after a long pause. | in a/the ~ Everyone nodded in agreement in the pauses. | with a/ the ~ He read very slowly and with frequent pauses. | without a/the ~ She read the whole text without a pause. | ~ before There was a long pause before he spoke again. | ~ between in the pauses between his jokes | ~ for a pause for breath | ~ in during a pause in the conversation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pause verb

ADV. briefly, (for) a moment, (for) an instant, momentarily She paused a moment and then walked away. | barely, hardly He spoke for two hours and barely paused for breath. | deliberately She paused deliberately, her eyes holding his. | dramatically, impressively, meaningfully, significantly | reflectively, thoughtfully | irresolutely

PHRASES pause for breath/thought, pause only (long enough) to do sth Pausing only to put out her cigarette, she left the room. | pause to consider/look/reflect/think Just pause to think before giving me your answer. | without pausing Without pausing to knock, she opened the door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pavement noun

VERB + PAVEMENT step off, step onto | keep to | mount The car mounted the pavement and crashed into a lamp post.

PAVEMENT + NOUN cafe, table, terrace

PREP. along the ~, down the ~, on the ~ There was a car parked on the pavement and we couldn't get by. | up the ~

PHRASES the edge of the pavement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

payable adj.

VERBS be | become the date on which the rent becomes payable | make sth Cheques should be made payable to Brighton Borough Council.

ADV. immediately This amount is payable immediately.

PREP. by the costs payable by a client | on No tax is payable on these earnings. | to An initial fee is payable to the franchiser.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

payment noun

¹ paying/being paid

ADJ. immediate, prompt | late penalties for late payment of tax | early | full, part I enclose £65.20, in full payment of the bill.

PAYMENT + VERB be due

PREP. in ~ She wrote out a cheque in payment of the fees. | on ~ of He was released on payment of the ransom. | ~ for payment for work done | ~ from, ~ to payment to the company from its customers

PHRASES a method of payment, payment in advance The hostel requires full payment in advance.

² amount of money paid

VERB + PAYMENT keep up, meet My client was unable to meet her rent payments. | increase, reduce | collect It was my job to collect payment for the trip.

PREP. in ~s an extra $9 million in interest payments | ~ for a generous payment for his services | ~ from payments to the landlord from his tenants | ~ to

PHRASES the balance of payments measures designed to reduce the balance of payments deficit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pay noun

QUANT. level, rate The job offers good rates of pay and excellent conditions.

VERB + PAY get | give sb

PREP. on … ~ Women are eligible for 18 weeks maternity leave on full pay. | with ~ holidays with pay | without ~ He has been suspended without pay.

PHRASES a cut/an increase/a reduction in pay

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pay verb

ADV. handsomely, well She pays her workers very well. | gladly I would gladly pay for the extra security such a scheme would bring. | up I had a hard time getting him to pay up.

VERB + PAY have to, must | be able/unable to, can/can't, can/can't afford to help for those genuinely unable to pay Protesters against the tax carried banners reading ‘Can't pay! Won't pay!’ | expect (sb) to You can expect to pay upwards of £200 a night at this exclusive hotel. | be liable to It is for the courts to decide who is liable to pay damages. | be ordered to, be required to The company was ordered to pay the five workers £5,000 in compensation each. | agree to, be prepared to, be willing to, offer to, promise to | fail to, neglect to He was made bankrupt for failing to pay debts totalling over £2 million. | refuse to | help (to) The revenue will be used to help pay for environmental improvements. | get sb to, make sb If Mac had killed Caroline, then he was going to make him pay the price. | let sb She wouldn't let me pay for my ticket.

PREP. for How much did you pay for your new car? | to We pay £200 a week to our landlord.

PHRASES ability to pay Taxation should be based on ability to pay.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peaceful adj.

¹ without war/violence

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | wholly The aims of the organization are wholly peaceful. | largely | comparatively, fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively

² quiet and calm

VERBS be, feel, look | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | utterly | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively | blissfully, delightfully, serenely The time without her in the house had been blissfully peaceful.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peace noun

¹ not war

ADJ. lasting, permanent | fragile, uneasy | relative The country is in a state of relative peace after ten years of fighting. | world obstacles in the way of world peace

VERB + PEACE bring about, establish, make | keep UN troops are trying to keep the peace in the region.

PEACE + VERB come | prevail, reign An uneasy peace prevailed in the first days of the ceasefire.

PREP. at ~ (with) Although the two countries were officially at peace, fighting continued. | ~ between peace between the warring factions in the area | ~ with England finally made peace with France.

² state of being calm

ADJ. inner | perfect

VERB + PEACE find, seek She finally found inner peace and happiness. | disturb, shatter The peace of the afternoon was suddenly shattered by a police siren. | leave sb in Go away and leave me in peace!

PEACE + VERB reign She stopped shouting, and peace reigned supreme once again. | descend on sth, settle over sth Peace descended once more on the little town.

PREP. at ~ Her father is at peace (= dead) now. | at ~ with For the first time in months, she felt calm and at peace with the world. | in ~ to live in peace and harmony

PHRASES peace and quiet/tranquillity The island is a haven of peace and tranquillity. | peace of mind The computer comes with a three-year guarantee for peace of mind.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peak noun

¹ mountain top

ADJ. high | jagged, rocky | snow-capped, snow-covered | distant | mountain

VERB + PEAK climb, conquer, scale

PEAK + VERB rise, tower We looked up at the rocky peaks towering above us.

PREP. on a/the ~ climbers on the distant mountain peaks

² highest level, rate, etc.

ADJ. all-time The share index rose to a new all-time peak of 2732. | summer, winter, etc. The influx of tourists has reached its summer peak.

VERB + PEAK rise to/towards Production is rising back towards its 1999 peak. | hit, reach | fall below/from, pass | be past Her performance is just past its peak.

PREP. at a/the/your ~ The crisis was now at its peak. At his peak he was the best player in the world. | ~ of She is at the peak of her popularity. The party's numbers reached a peak of 40,000 in 2001.

PHRASES in peak condition You want your hair to look in peak condition. | peaks and troughs Economic life moves in cycles of peaks and troughs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peal noun

¹ loud sound

ADJ. loud

VERB + PEAL burst into, give, let out He burst into peals of laughter. She let out a peal of laughter. | hear

PEAL + VERB ring out

PREP. with a ~ The bishop was welcomed to the church with a peal of bells. | ~ of

PHRASES a peal of bells/laughter/thunder > Note at SOUND

² loud ringing sound of a bell

ADJ. loud

VERB + PEAL ring (out) The bells of the cathedral rang out their loud peal.

PEAL + VERB ring out

PHRASES a peal of bells

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pea noun

ADJ. dried, fresh, frozen, tinned | green | mushy | split

VERB + PEA eat, have | shell | cook

PEA + NOUN soup > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peculiarity noun

ADJ. physical | individual | local

VERB + PECULIARITY have The area has a few local peculiarities.

PREP. ~ about I noticed a certain peculiarity about his appearance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peculiar adj.

¹ odd/strange

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | become | find sb/sth, regard sb/sth as, think sb/sth I find her attitude a bit peculiar, to say the least.

ADV. most, very He is a most peculiar man! | a bit, a little, quite, rather The meat tasted rather peculiar.

² only belonging to a particular person/place

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. by no means These problems are by no means peculiar to this country.

PREP. to the smell that is peculiar to hospitals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pedal noun

ADJ. accelerator, brake, clutch | foot To stop the machine push the foot pedal. | bicycle | organ, piano | wah/wah-wah Some guitar players tend to overuse the wah-wah pedal.

VERB + PEDAL press, push, put your foot on, step on, use, work Her foot was working the pedal of the sewing machine. | release, take your foot off

PEDAL + VERB control sth, operate sth

PEDAL + NOUN boat, car, cycle | bin

PREP. on a/the ~ with one foot on the pedal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pedal verb

ADV. fast, furiously, hard, like mad, madly He pedalled furiously up the hill. | slowly | away She pedalled away as fast as she could.

PREP. along, down, up He pedalled along the lane and up the hill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pedigree noun

ADJ. long Hereford cattle have a long pedigree. | distinguished, illustrious, impeccable, impressive

VERB + PEDIGREE prove, show The champions really showed their pedigree today.

PEDIGREE + VERB stretch back These trees have pedigrees stretching back thousands of years.

PEDIGREE + NOUN cat, dog, etc. | breed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peep noun

ADJ. little, quick

VERB + PEEP have, take | get

PREP. ~ at I noticed him take a little peep at his watch. | ~ behind The film gives us a peep behind the curtain at a Broadway musical. | ~ into a peep into the private life of a world leader | ~ through I took a peep through the keyhole.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peep verb

ADV. cautiously | out He peeped out cautiously from behind the door.

PREP. at She was tempted to peep at the letter. | through The child peeped through a crack in the door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peer noun

¹ person of the same age/status

PEER + NOUN group She was rejected by her peer group. | pressure Children often take up smoking because of peer pressure.

PREP. among sb's ~s They adopt behaviour that is more socially acceptable among their peers.

² person of noble rank

ADJ. Conservative, Labour, etc. | hereditary | life The Act made it possible for a woman to be created a life peer.

PHRASES a peer of the realm > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peer verb

ADV. closely, intently | anxiously, cautiously, nervously | curiously | short-sightedly peering short-sightedly at the book | around/round, down, in, inside, out, up, upwards A face was peering down at him.

VERB + PEER try to

PREP. around/round, at His pale blue eyes peered anxiously at Vic. | into She peered round into the farmyard. | out of She peered out of the window. | over trying to peer over her shoulder | past, through I peered through the letter box.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pee noun

VERB + PEE do, have, take I'm going to have a pee. | be bursting for, be desperate for, need, want I need a pee really badly. | go for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peg noun

ADJ. steel, wooden | tent

VERB + PEG drive in, hammer in She hammered in the steel tent pegs. | insert, put in The score is kept by inserting pegs into a board.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pelvis noun

ADJ. narrow, wide | broken, fractured

VERB + PELVIS tilt, thrust

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

penalize verb

ADV. heavily | deliberately | unfairly, wrongly He claims he was unfairly penalized. | financially

PREP. for Students will be penalized for mistakes in spelling and grammar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

penalty noun

¹ punishment

ADJ. harsh, heavy, severe, stiff, strict, tough | light | maximum, minimum | fixed, mandatory a new system of fixed penalties for most traffic offences | financial, tax the heavy financial penalties of leaving the scheme early | death the movement for the abolition of the death penalty

VERB + PENALTY impose, introduce | threaten | increase | carry crimes which carry severe penalties | face, incur

PREP. on/under ~ of They made him promise, under penalty of death. | ~ for the penalty for murder | ~ on He threatened stiffer penalties on young offenders.

² disadvantage

VERB + PENALTY pay, suffer He's now paying the penalty for his misspent youth. People who lose their jobs are suffering the penalties for longer periods. | accept

PREP. ~ for You must accept the penalty for your rash behaviour. | ~ of It's just one of the penalties of fame.

³ in football

ADJ. disputed | winning | first-half, second-half | early, late

PENALTY + NOUN area, box, spot | shoot-out

PREP. ~ by/from Thet won, thanks to a late penalty from Fry. > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

penance noun

ADJ. public

VERB + PENANCE do, perform

PREP. as a ~ He devoted his life to helping the poor as a penance for his past crimes. | in ~ She knelt at her mother's feet in penance. | ~ for He decided to do public penance for his sins.

PHRASES an act of penance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pencil noun

ADJ. blunt, sharp | hard, soft | coloured a box of coloured pencils | graphite, lead

VERB + PENCIL colour sth in with, draw (sth) with, use, write (sth) with | sharpen

PENCIL + NOUN lead, sharpener | drawing, sketch | line, mark

PREP. in ~ margin notes in pencil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

penetrate verb

ADV. deep, deeply, far caves penetrating deep into the hills | fully, totally | hardly The sunlight hardly penetrated the inner room. | quickly | slowly The news slowly penetrated his consciousness. | easily, readily These so-called secret societies were easily penetrated by intelligence agents. | successfully

VERB + PENETRATE be able to, can/could | be difficult to | seem to The cold seemed to penetrate his bones. | fail to | allow sth to Cut two slashes on each side of the fish to allow heat to penetrate.

PREP. into It is not yet known how deeply the radiation has penetrated into the soil. | through The light could not penetrate through the thick curtains. | to The dust had penetrated to all corners of the room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

penetration noun

ADJ. deep | greater | import, market Our aim is to achieve greater market penetration. | water | sexual

VERB + PENETRATION achieve

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

penis noun

ADJ. erect | flaccid, limp

PENIS + VERB become/get/go hard, harden, stiffen | become/go soft | shrivel

PENIS + NOUN envy | length, size

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

penniless adj.

VERBS be, die He died penniless in Paris. | find yourself Laura found herself virtually penniless. | leave sb The legal dispute left them penniless.

ADV. totally | almost, practically, virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pension noun

VERB + PENSION draw, get, receive He draws his pension at the post office. | give sb, provide (sb with) | claim, qualify for You will have to find out whether or not you qualify for a pension. | live on She lives on her pension and her savings.

PENSION + NOUN contributions, fund the company pension fund | plan, scheme

PREP. on a ~ He is now retired and on a pension.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pen noun

ADJ. ballpoint, felt-tip/felt-tipped, fountain, ink, marker, quill | coloured

VERB + PEN use, write (sth) with

PEN + VERB write This pen won't write. | run out My pen's run out (= has no more ink).

PEN + NOUN nib

PHRASES pen and ink pen and ink drawings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

people noun

¹ more than one person

VERB + PEOPLE meet | attract The local tourist board is trying to attract more people to the town.

² of a particular place/race

VERB + PEOPLE represent I was elected to represent the people of Bristol.

PHRASES the peoples of the world

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pepper noun

¹ spice

ADJ. ground freshly ground black pepper | black, white | cayenne

VERB + PEPPER add, put in/on, season sth with, sprinkle He put some pepper on his steak. | grind

PEPPER + NOUN mill, pot, shaker

PHRASES salt and pepper Add salt and pepper to taste (= in the quantity preferred).

² vegetable

ADJ. bell, sweet | chilli, hot | green, red, yellow | stuffed peppers stuffed with meat and rice > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perceive verb

ADV. clearly | dimly Babies are weak and vulnerable in the presence of huge shapes that they can only dimly perceive. | directly the world of directly perceived objects | differently Risks are perceived differently by different people. | easily, readily The industrial bias of canal building can be readily perceived by looking at Figure 7.3. | correctly | immediately

VERB + PERCEIVE be able/unable to, can/could | fail to | be difficult to

PREP. as The General's words were perceived as a threat by neighbouring countries.

PHRASES commonly/generally/widely perceived It is widely perceived as a women's health problem, but it does also affect men. | a failure/an inability to perceive sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

percentage noun

ADJ. high, large The area has a high percentage of unemployed men. | low, small

VERB + PERCENTAGE calculate | express sth as This figure can be expressed as a percentage of the total.

PERCENTAGE + NOUN point Unemployment has fallen by two percentage points this month. | rate Insurance contributions are paid at a fixed percentage rate on all earnings. | figure | increase, rise the percentage rise in the average salary | decline, fall, reduction | share

PREP. ~ of What percentage of women own a car?

PHRASES in percentage terms The numbers are relatively low in percentage terms. | on a percentage basis The artist's agent receives commission on a percentage basis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

per cent noun

VERB + PER CENT account for, amount to, be equal to, constitute, equal, represent Overseas earnings accounted for 9% of the total last year. | contain Roman coins containing about 25% zinc | reach, stand at Their share of the vote reached 6.5% in 1998. | (All the verbs in the following collocate groups may be followed by by, from or to plus per cent. Sometimes the word by is left out.), be/go/shoot up, expand, grow, improve, increase, jump, rise, soar Prices rose by 12% in 1998. Prices rose 12%. | be/go/come down, decline, decrease, depreciate, drop, fall, plummet, plunge, shrink Profitability is down from 16% to 12.2%. | boost sth, increase sth, raise sth hoping to boost sales by 10%. | cut sth, devalue sth, reduce sth, slash sth The currency was devalued 20% overnight.

PREP. by 10, 20, etc. ~ cutting carbon dioxide levels by 20% in 15 years | ~ of sth In 40% of all cases, the parents had no idea of their child's problem.

PHRASES about/around/only/over/up to 10, 20, etc. per cent ~ Only 10% of the teenagers agreed with this statement. a process that can reduce the cost by up to 15% | a boost/an improvement/an increase/a jump/a rise of 10, 20, etc. per cent a jump of 8% in cases of the disease | a cut/decline/decrease/drop/fall/reduction of 10, 20, etc. per cent, fewer/less/more than 10, 20, etc. per cent Profits rose by more than 50% last year. | growth of 10, 20, etc. per cent, in the bottom/top 10, 20, etc. per cent His son was in the top 2% of the university's students. | 10, 20, etc. per cent less/more New cars will use about 35% less fuel by the year 2001. | 10, 20, etc. per cent of all/of a total The tribe's land now amounts to around 50% of the total land area. > Note at PERCENT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perceptible adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. clearly, easily a clearly perceptible decline in public confidence | barely, hardly, scarcely His lips curved in a barely perceptible smile.

PREP. to The difference is scarcely perceptible to the average reader.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perception noun

VERB + PERCEPTION have I was shocked to learn of the perception people have of me. | gain We need to gain a clearer perception of how young people feel about the problem. | affect These developments hardly affected the public perception of the crisis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perceptive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly perceptive analysis of the problem | pretty, quite

PREP. about He's very perceptive about people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perch verb

ADV. perilously, precariously The hotel was perched precariously on a steep hillside.

PREP. on The birds perched on nearby buildings.

PHRASES be perched high above/on sth The castle is perched high above the valley. | perch/be perched on the edge of sth I perched on the edge of his desk to listen to him. | perch/be perched on top of sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

percussion noun

ADJ. tuned, untuned

PERCUSSION + NOUN instrument | section > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perfection noun

ADJ. great | absolute, utter | near | moral, physical, technical

VERB + PERFECTION achieve, bring sth to, reach | seek, strive for She strives for perfection in everything. | fall short of

PREP. close to ~ The cooking was close to perfection. | near ~ A night's labour brought the sculpture one step nearer perfection. | to ~ (= perfectly) The dress fitted to perfection. | towards ~ a sequence of developmental stages towards the perfection of his violin technique

PHRASES a degree/point of perfection He brought the art of photography to the highest point of perfection. | a model of perfection The building became the model of perfection that architects sought to emulate. | the pursuit of perfection She sometimes stayed up painting all night in her pursuit of perfection. | a quest/search for perfection

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perfect adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | make sth Hove's position makes it perfect for touring.

ADV. absolutely, quite | far from, less than The treaty is far from perfect, but it is clearly the way forward. | almost, near, practically, virtually | impossibly the impossibly perfect shine on the vinyl-tiled floors | seemingly a seemingly perfect alibi | physically | mathematically

PREP. for The day seemed perfect for a picnic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

performance noun

¹ sth performed

VERB + PERFORMANCE give, put on The theatre is putting on a performance of the popular musical ‘Cats’. | attend, go to

PERFORMANCE + NOUN art | artist

PREP. in ~ The course aims to develop the children's appreciation of music in performance.

² way in which sth is done

ADJ. brilliant, convincing, dazzling, electrifying, excellent, fine, flawless, good, great, impressive, inspired, outstanding, polished, remarkable, sparkling, spirited, strong, superb, wonderful The recording gives the most convincing performance of Stravinsky's ‘Rite of Spring’ to date. the country's strong economic performance over the last two years | bad, disappointing, lacklustre, poor | satisfactory | consistent | central Mel Gibson's central performance in the film as Hamlet | all-round, overall He got top marks for overall academic performance. | business, economic, financial, sales | academic, school

VERB + PERFORMANCE deliver, give, put in The team put in an excellent performance at the World Cup. | affect | assess, measure | improve

PERFORMANCE + NOUN indicator, level, measure, measurement, standard, target

PREP. ~ as her fine performance as Ophelia | ~ from The film has a great performance from Jack Lemmon. | ~ on his flawless performance on the piano

PHRASES a level/measure/quality/standard of performance to maintain a high level of performance | on past performance Sales forecasts were based on past performance. | the proper performance of your duties

³ of a machine

ADJ. high | low, poor | engine

VERB + PERFORMANCE affect | assess, measure | enhance, improve > Note at PERFORMANCE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

performer noun

ADJ. key, star, top The star performer of the match was Bill Holland who scored 26 points. | good, great, impressive, outstanding, polished, talented | poor | seasoned She's a seasoned concert performer. | live | solo | amateur, professional | circus, concert, radio, stage, street, television The president was a polished television performer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perform verb

¹ do a task/duty/piece of work

ADV. effectively, efficiently, properly, successfully, well ensuring that tasks are properly performed | poorly | adequately, competently, reliably, satisfactorily | correctly | duly, faithfully He duly performed his own half of the bargain and expected the others to do likewise. | automatically | manually

VERB + PERFORM be able/unable to The prince is no longer able to perform his duties. | be expected to

PHRASES failure to perform sth failure to perform a contract

² work/function/play

ADV. brilliantly, efficiently, excellently, faultlessly, strongly, well One or two of the players performed brilliantly. The company has been performing strongly over the past year. | badly, disappointingly, disastrously, poorly The car performed poorly at high speeds. | adequately, competently, reliably, satisfactorily

VERB + PERFORM be able/unable to | be expected to students who are expected to perform well

³ give a performance

ADV. live The group will be performing live on tonight's show. | in public, publicly | together The two artists have never performed together before.

PHRASES first performed The play was first publicly performed in 1872. | rarely performed, see sth performed I've never seen this play performed before.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perfume noun

¹ liquid with a sweet smell that you put on your body

QUANT. bottle

VERB + PERFUME use, wear | dab on, put on, spray on She dabbed some perfume on her wrists. | smell | reek of, smell of She reeked of cheap perfume.

PERFUME + NOUN bottle | company, house

PHRASES a waft/whiff of perfume He caught a faint whiff of her expensive French perfume.

² pleasant smell

ADJ. sweet | heady, strong | delicate, faint | exotic, strange

VERB + PERFUME smell | give off, release The lilies release their heady perfume in the evening.

PERFUME + VERB fill sth The perfume of the roses filled the room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

peril noun

¹ great danger

ADJ. deadly, dire, grave, great

VERB + PERIL be at/in | put sth in

PREP. ~ of All aboard were in grave peril of drowning.

PHRASES at your ~ Ignore these warnings at your peril.

² sth dangerous

ADJ. great the great perils facing the environment | immediate | hidden

VERB + PERIL face We face the immediate peril of being bought out by another company. | avoid

PERIL + VERB face sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perimeter noun

ADJ. inner, outer | northern, southern, etc.

VERB + PERIMETER mark The river marks the eastern perimeter of our land.

PERIMETER + NOUN fence, wall | road, track

PREP. along the ~ I lugged my suitcase along the perimeter of the square. | around/round the ~ We walked round the perimeter of the prison. | inside/outside the ~ They demonstrated just outside the perimeter of the embassy. | on the ~ There's a small shop on the perimeter of the camp.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

period noun

¹ length of time

VERB + PERIOD cover the period covered by the book

PERIOD + VERB begin, commence | end | last

PERIOD + NOUN costume, furniture

PREP. after a ~ after a long period of waiting | during/throughout the ~ during the intervening period | for a ~ We lived in Caracas for a brief period. | in/within a/the ~ Sales have gone up in the last-five-year period. | over a/the ~ There will be a reduced bus service over the Christmas period. Changes were monitored over a period of two months. | within a/the ~ Committee members will not be eligible for re-election within a period of two years. | ~ between the period between his resigning and finding a new job | ~ from … to … the period from 1 July to 31 December

PHRASES the beginning/end/start of a period, a period of history, sb's period of office Public spending was cut during his period of office. | a period of study Try breaking your period of study into 20-minute blocks. | a period of time The balance must be paid within an agreed period of time. | a period of transition a period of transition between communist rule and democratic government

² menstruation

ADJ. heavy, light | menstrual | monthly

VERB + PERIOD have I've got my period and don't feel too great. | start I was thirteen when I started my periods.

PERIOD + VERB start | stop | last

PERIOD + NOUN pains

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perishable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly Many fresh foods are highly perishable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perjury noun > Note at CRIME

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

permanent adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | make sth We decided to make the arrangement permanent.

ADV. almost, virtually living in an almost permanent state of fear | relatively | apparently | not necessarily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

permissible adj.

VERBS be | consider sth

ADV. perfectly This is perfectly permissible under the new regulations. | legally, morally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

permission noun

ADJ. full | special | express Staff may not leave early without the express permission of the director. | formal, government, official | written | necessary They chopped the trees down without having been granted the necessary permission. | prior He was not allowed to leave the city without the prior permission of the authorities. | planning You will need to obtain planning permission if you want to extend your house.

PREP. with/without sb's ~ The information was published with the full permission of Amnesty International. | ~ for The council refused planning permission for the erection of a block of flats. | ~ to permission to park

PHRASES by (kind) permission of sb The illustrations are reproduced by kind permission of the British Library.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

permissive adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly permissive attitude | sexually a society that is sexually permissive

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

permit noun

PERMIT + VERB expire, run out

PERMIT + NOUN holder

PREP. by ~ Entry is by permit only. | with/without a ~ You can't park here without a permit. | ~ for They applied for a permit for a street demonstration against university fees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

permit verb

ADV. legally | generally, normally Development is not normally permitted in conservation areas.

VERB + PERMIT refuse to | be designed to The bill was designed to permit workers to take up to twelve weeks' unpaid leave annually for family reasons.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perpendicular adj.

¹ pointing straight up

VERBS be

ADV. almost, nearly an almost perpendicular staircase

² at an angle of 90° to sth

VERBS be

ADV. exactly | almost | mutually two mutually perpendicular directions

PREP. to The axis of the moon will now be exactly perpendicular to that of the earth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perpetuate verb

ADV. merely, only, simply Giving these events a lot of media coverage merely perpetuates the problem.

VERB + PERPETUATE help (to) | serve to, tend to Schools tend to perpetuate the myth that boys are better at sport than girls. | seek to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perplexed adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound

ADV. deeply, genuinely, very | a little, rather, slightly, somewhat Gary looked rather perplexed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

persecution noun

ADJ. systematic | political, religious

VERB + PERSECUTION be subject/subjected to, face, suffer (from) Some students returning to the country may face political persecution. | escape from, flee from | fear

PERSECUTION + NOUN complex She started to have a persecution complex when she couldn't get a job.

PHRASES delusions/feelings of persecution, (a) fear of persecution, a victim of persecution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perseverance noun

ADJ. great, sheer | dogged, untiring

VERB + PERSEVERANCE have Does she have the perseverance to finish the work? | display, show He showed great perseverance by staying in the job. | require, take It may take some perseverance to find the right people.

PERSEVERANCE + VERB pay off

PREP. with ~ Anyone can learn Japanese with perseverance. | ~ with His perseverance with the new technique paid off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

persistence noun

ADJ. dogged, remarkable, sheer

VERB + PERSISTENCE show

PERSISTENCE + VERB be rewarded, pay off My persistence in demanding my rights finally paid off.

PREP. by ~ By sheer persistence, I eventually got her to change her mind. | through ~ He achieved success through dogged persistence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

persistent adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, incredibly, really, very The weeds were very persistent. | quite, rather Some infections can be quite persistent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

persist verb

¹ continue doing sth

ADV. doggedly, stubbornly

PREP. in If you persist in upsetting her, I will have to punish you. | with The detective stubbornly persisted with his questions.

² continue to exist

ADV. still, to this day a belief that persists to this day | indefinitely

VERB + PERSIST be likely to | tend to | be allowed to This situation cannot be allowed to persist.

PREP. for If symptoms persist for more than a few days, see a doctor. | into These practices persisted into the Middle Ages. | through/throughout The depression persisted through much of the 1930s. | until The snows persisted until the second month of the new year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

personality noun

¹ character

ADJ. bright, bubbly, extrovert, jovial, lively, outgoing, sparkling, vibrant, vivacious | attractive, charismatic, charming, engaging, lovely, magnetic, pleasant, warm | dominant, dynamic, forceful, formidable, powerful, striking, strong | vulnerable, weak | multiple, split He developed a split personality after the crash.

VERB + PERSONALITY be, have Barbara is/has a very forceful personality. | develop | express, reflect His choice of clothes reflects his personality. | suit The job didn't really suit my personality.

PHRASES an aspect of your personality For the first time she was seeing the more unpleasant aspects of her husband's personality. | a clash of personalities, the force/power/strength of your personality He has achieved success by the sheer strength of his personality. | impose/stamp your personality on sth She stamped her personality on the whole programme.

² famous person

ADJ. leading, prominent, top, well-known | sports | media, radio, television/TV

PERSONALITY + NOUN cult the personality cult surrounding Stalin

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

personal adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very highly personal information | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

personnel noun

¹ staff

² department of a company

VERB + PERSONNEL be in, work in He's is in personnel, isn't he?

PERSONNEL + NOUN department | director, manager, officer | records

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

person noun

PREP. as a ~ What's she like as a person? | in ~ She appeared in person to collect her prize. | in the ~ of Help arrived in the person of our next-door neighbour.

PHRASES the person concerned The disciplinary panel will notify the person concerned of its findings. | the person in charge Can I speak to the person in charge, please? | the person responsible Police think they have found the person responsible for the of muggings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perspective noun

¹ in art

ADJ. distorted | horizontal, vertical

PREP. in ~, out of ~ That tree is out of perspective.

PHRASES the laws of perspective

² attitude to sth

ADJ. different, new | broader, wider | proper, true We can now see things in their true perspective. | cultural, historical, political, social, theoretical, etc.

VERB + PERSPECTIVE get sth in/into, place sth in/into, put sth in/into, see sth in Her death put everything else into perspective. | gain, get, put When you reach middle age you get a different perspective on life. This website puts a completely different perspective on world news. | keep | lose | adopt The book adopts a historical perspective. | shift | provide

PREP. from the ~ of We should view this from the perspective of the people involved. | in/into ~ Let's get this into perspective. | ~ in a feminist perspective in philosophy | ~ on/upon It's easy to lose perspective on things when you are under stress.

PHRASES a sense of perspective

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perspiration noun

QUANT. bead, drop Great beads of perspiration trickled down his forehead.

VERB + PERSPIRATION wipe He wiped the perspiration from his brow. | be bathed in, be drenched in, be soaked in My shirt was soaked in perspiration. | be clammy with, be damp with, be moist with, be wet with, glisten with Her face was wet with perspiration.

PERSPIRATION + VERB run down sth, trickle down sth Perspiration ran down his face. | break out Perspiration broke out on my skin. | glisten

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perspire verb

ADV. heavily, profusely He had been working hard and was perspiring profusely. | a little

PREP. with She was perspiring a little with the heat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

persuade verb

ADV. successfully | almost | eventually, finally | quickly | easily She was easily persuaded to accompany us. | gently Dave gently persuaded the fish close enough to be lifted aboard the boat. | personally The education minister personally persuaded the prime minister to rethink. | somehow He somehow persuaded the studio to let him make the film.

PREP. into She was persuaded into buying an expensive dress. | of We must persuade the government of the need for change.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to persuade sb an unsuccessful attempt to persuade her colleagues | be reluctantly persuaded I was reluctantly persuaded to join the committee. | have difficulty (in) persuading sb They had difficulty in persuading the two sides to sit down together.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

persuasion noun

¹ persuading

ADJ. gentle

VERB + PERSUASION use I had to use a little gentle persuasion to get her to agree. | need, take She didn't need much persuasion. | be/seem open to He refused my offer at first, but seemed open to persuasion.

PHRASES the art of persuasion She is very charming, and skilled in the art of persuasion.

² set of beliefs

ADJ. political, religious

PHRASES of all/different/varying persuasions The meeting is open to people of all political persuasions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

persuasive adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. extremely, highly, very His analysis is in many ways highly persuasive. | fairly, quite | enough, sufficiently The evidence was not really persuasive enough.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pertinent adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. especially, extremely, highly, particularly, very

PREP. to The issues dealt with in the report are highly pertinent to our own situation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pervasive adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | remain

ADV. very | all- the all-pervasive influence of television

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perverse adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. deeply, very This kind of reasoning is deeply perverse. | quite | almost | a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | deliberately Had you truly forgotten or were you just being deliberately perverse?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

perversity noun

ADJ. sheer She's marrying him out of sheer perversity.

PREP. out of ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pessimism noun

ADJ. deep, widespread

VERB + PESSIMISM display He displayed his usual pessimism. | overcome

PREP. ~ about There were good grounds for pessimism about future progress.

PHRASES a mood of pessimism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pessimistic adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, prove, seem, sound These figures look quite pessimistic. | become | remain

ADV. deeply, extremely, terribly, very | increasingly | rather, somewhat | unduly, unnecessarily His predictions proved unduly pessimistic. | generally

PREP. about I am deeply pessimistic about the future.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pesticide noun

ADJ. chemical | dangerous, hazardous | approved | banned, unapproved

QUANT. level It is claimed that current levels of pesticide do not pose a threat to health. | trace Traces of pesticide in the water were ten times above permissible levels.

PHRASES the use of pesticide

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pest noun

ADJ. common | serious | agricultural, crop, garden, plant | insect | sex (in newspapers) Police are looking for a sex pest who is frightening late-night travellers.

VERB + PEST control, eradicate These birds provide a useful function in controlling insect pests.

PEST + NOUN control, controller, management | population

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

petition noun

ADJ. bankruptcy, divorce | protest

VERB + PETITION sign | deliver, file, present, send, submit | draw up, get up, launch, organize, raise | support | hear The petition will be heard tomorrow. | grant Her petition for divorce was granted. | dismiss, oppose, reject The district court has opposed the petition by the local electricity company.

PETITION + VERB call for sth, demand sth, urge sth | oppose sth The petition opposes the closures. | support sth The petition supports the scheme to rebuild the road.

PREP. ~ against We're getting up a petition against the proposed building plans. | ~ by/from a petition by local residents | ~ for Local government supports the petition for a new hospital. | ~ in favour of a petition in favour of reform

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

petrol noun

ADJ. lead-free, ultra-low sulphur (= ULSP), unleaded | leaded, lead replacement (= LRP) | high-octane

QUANT. litre, tankful

VERB + PETROL fill up with, fill sth (up) with | run on, take, use My car runs on unleaded petrol. | run out of We ran out of petrol and had to walk to the nearest garage. | douse sb/sth in/with, pour Thugs poured petrol over a schoolboy and tried to set him alight. | smell (of) Can you smell petrol? The air smelled of petrol.

PETROL + VERB burn, ignite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pet noun

ADJ. domestic, family, household

VERB + PET have, keep

PET + NOUN shop | cat, dog, rabbit, etc. | owner | food

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pharmacy noun

ADJ. hospital, local | dispensing, retail

PHARMACY + NOUN business, chain | licence | counter

PHRASES available from pharmacies The ointment is available from pharmacies without prescription.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

phase noun

VERB + PHASE begin, enter, open, start Society has entered a technological phase of evolution. | go through It's just a phase he's going through. | complete, pass

PREP. during a/the ~ During the first phase of expansion staff will move to the new offices. | in a/the ~ In the earliest phase of mental disorder, relatives feel confused. | ~ in a new phase in the European economy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

phenomenal adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. absolutely, quite, simply, truly This plant has truly phenomenal healing powers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

phenomenon noun

VERB + PHENOMENON investigate His job is to investigate supernatural phenomena.

PHENOMENON + VERB emerge, occur The phenomenon occurs during early foetal development.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

philosopher noun

ADJ. distinguished, eminent, famous, great the great philosophers of ancient Greece | ancient, classical | contemporary, modern | Eastern, Western | professional | experimental, legal, moral, natural (historical), political, social a talk by a distinguished moral philosopher He called himself a ‘natural philosopher’: today we would say a ‘scientist’. | sceptical

PHRASES a philosopher of religion/science

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

philosophical adj.

¹ of philosophy

VERBS be | become, get The debate was getting too philosophical for me.

ADV. purely a purely philosophical argument | rather

² calm and accepting

VERBS be Try to be philosophical about it. | remain

ADV. very | quite

PREP. about Mum's being quite philosophical about the whole thing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

philosophy noun

¹ study of ideas about the meaning of life

ADJ. ancient, classical | contemporary, modern | Eastern, Western | experimental, moral, natural (historical), political, religious, social

PHRASES the philosophy of history/religion/science > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

² particular system of beliefs

ADJ. competing, differing | prevailing humanism?the prevailing philosophy today in the Western world | basic, general, underlying | personal | homespun, simple the homespun philosophy that kept her going during this difficult period | liberal | design, economic, educational, management, market, political, religious, social a furniture-maker's design philosophy

VERB + PHILOSOPHY develop, formulate developing a personal philosophy | articulate | adopt, embrace, espouse | reject

PHILOSOPHY + VERB inform sth, underlie sth, underpin sth the philosophy underlying the education system | prevail the management philosophy which prevailed at that time

PREP. ~ behind The new measures were introduced with no explanation of the philosophy behind them.

PHRASES a philosophy of life/mind

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

phobia noun

ADJ. cat, water, etc.

VERB + PHOBIA have, suffer from

PHOBIA + NOUN sufferer

PREP. ~ about/of sth He has a phobia about snakes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

phone noun

ADJ. cellular, cordless, mobile, portable | car | pay (also payphone), public There's a public payphone in reception. | office, private

VERB + PHONE be on She's on the phone at the moment. | use Can I use your phone? | answer, get (informal), lift, pick up If the phone rings, don't answer it. Can you get the phone? | hang up, put down, replace I hung up the phone when he started shouting at me. | slam down She slammed the phone down in a rage. | be wanted on Mum, you're wanted on the phone. | call sb to He was called to the phone just as he was leaving. | connect | disconnect | bug, tap I think our phone is being tapped. | wait by She waits by the phone all day but he doesn't ring. | leave/take off the hook I couldn't get through because you'd left the phone off the hook.

PHONE + VERB ring | be engaged His phone is engaged. | be off the hook | go dead The phone suddenly went dead in the middle of our conversation.

PREP. by ~ We keep in contact by phone but we rarely see each other. | on the ~ We spoke on the phone the other day. | over the ~ I haven't seen her but we spoke over the phone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

photocopy noun

VERB + PHOTOCOPY do, make, run off, take Could you take a photocopy of this letter for me, please?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

photographer noun

VERB + PHOTOGRAPHER pose for

PHOTOGRAPHER + VERB shoot sth, take pictures/shots The photographer shot the usual roll of pictures. | snap (away at) sb/sth She didn't think much of the photographers snapping away at her. | capture sb/sth Photographer Darren Kidd captured the unique atmosphere of the event.

PHRASES a photographer's gallery/studio > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

photography noun

PHOTOGRAPHY + NOUN magazine | competition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

photograph noun

VERB + PHOTOGRAPH get, take Did you manage to get a photograph of the goal? I spent the day taking photographs of the city. | pose for | develop | blow up, enlarge | scan (in) I scanned in some photographs of the family to send to friends by email. | touch up The photograph has been touched up to conceal her double chin. | crop | mount I cropped the photograph and mounted it on some card. | publish | make The sun rising over the horizon would have made a good photograph.

PHOTOGRAPH + VERB appear Her photograph appeared in all the papers. | depict sth, show sth | capture sth The photograph manages to capture the excitement of the occasion.

PHOTOGRAPH + NOUN album | frame

PREP. in a/the ~ The wing is assembled as shown in the photograph below. | ~ of An aerial photograph of the field shows clearly where the buildings were.

PREP. photograph courtesy (of) … photograph courtesy Liverpool Evening News (= acknowledging permission to publish a photograph) > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

photo noun

PREP. in a/the ~ Tell me who everyone is in the photo. | ~ of a photo of my son Edmund

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

phrase noun

VERB + PHRASE use | coin Who coined the phrase ‘desktop publishing’?

PHRASE + NOUN book

PREP. in a/the~ She was, in her own memorable phrase, ‘a woman without a past’.

PHRASES a choice of phrase Her unfortunate choice of phrase offended most of the audience. | a turn of phrase He is meticulous in his choice of words and turns of phrase.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

phrase verb

ADV. carefully The statement was very carefully phrased. | differently I should have phrased my question differently.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

physical adj.

VERBS be The problem is purely physical, not mental.

ADV. purely | almost The shock of the darkness was almost physical.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

physician noun

PREP. ~ to physician to the Duke of Albemarle > Note at DOCTOR(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

physicist noun

ADJ. brilliant, distinguished, eminent | classical, modern | experimental, theoretical | atomic, mathematical, medical, nuclear, particle > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

physics noun

PHRASES the laws of physics > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

physiotherapist noun

ADJ. qualified, trained > Note at DOCTOR(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

physiotherapy noun

ADJ. intensive | regular

VERB + PHYSIOTHERAPY provide | have, receive, undergo I'm undergoing regular physiotherapy for a back problem.

PHYSIOTHERAPY + NOUN clinic, department | treatment | equipment | training

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

physique noun

ADJ. good, magnificent, muscular, powerful, strong, superb | frail

PREP. ~ for She doesn't have the physique for a dancer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

piano noun

ADJ. baby grand, grand, upright | digital, electric, electronic | tinny

VERB + PIANO tune | build, make

PIANO + NOUN key, lid, wire | stool | tuner | bar There is a piano bar for evening entertainment.

PREP. at the ~ sitting at the piano | on the ~ playing classical music on the piano > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

picket noun

ADJ. mass | flying Flying pickets arrived from all over the country.

VERB + PICKET organize They organized a mass picket of the governor's palace.

PICKET + NOUN duty | line Abuse was hurled at workers who crossed the picket line.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pickle noun

ADJ. sweet | dill | lime

QUANT. jar

PHRASES and/with pickle/pickles a cheese and pickle sandwich

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pick noun

VERB + PICK have She had her pick of the single men. | take Which do you want? Take your pick.

PHRASES get/take first pick I got the first pick of the prizes because I was the oldest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pick verb

¹ choose sb/sth

ADV. at random Names were picked at random out of a hat. | out He was picked out as the best player.

PREP. as They picked Jane as the captain. | for Have you been picked for the team?

² take sth from the place where it is growing

PHRASES freshly picked freshly picked strawberries PHRASAL VERBS pick sth up

ADV. carefully, gingerly Rather gingerly, George picked up the tiny bundle. | idly I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it.

VERB + PICK try to | bend to, stoop to

PREP. by He picked the pan up carefully by the handle. | from, off She stooped to pick the book up off the floor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

picnic noun

VERB + PICNIC go for/on, have Lets have a picnic down by the river. | make Will you help me make a picnic? | bring, take We took a picnic and spent the day watching the races. | pack, unpack

PICNIC + NOUN basket, blanket, hamper, rug, set, table | lunch, tea | area, place, site, spot

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

picture noun

¹ painting/drawing/photograph

ADJ. attractive, beautiful, lovely, striking, stunning, wonderful | blurred | black and white, colour | posed

PICTURE + VERB depict sth, show sth | hang

PICTURE + NOUN frame | book, postcard | gallery | hook, rail | editor

PREP. in a/the ~ I can't see you in the picture. The story is told in pictures. | ~ of It's a picture of a country village. > Note at ART

² mental image

ADJ. vivid The book gives a vivid picture of life in Victorian England. | clear | complete, comprehensive, full, general, overall, total, whole The programme was interesting but it didn't give the full picture. | incomplete | broad My visits enabled me to build up a broad picture of the culture. | composite Through interviews and old photos we put together a composite picture of life in the village a hundred years ago. | accurate, balanced, realistic, representative, true | false, misleading, one-sided, over-simplified, unbalanced | idealized, optimistic, rosy | bleak, depressing, dismal, gloomy, grim, negative The report paints a dismal picture of the government's economic record. | confused, distorted | detailed | complex, complicated | disturbing | mental I tried to form a mental picture of the building being described. | historical

VERB + PICTURE build (up), construct, create, develop, establish, form, gain, get, obtain, put together They're trying to build up a detailed picture of the incident. | give, paint, present, project, reveal The figures reveal a disturbing picture of the state of our schools. | complete | conjure up The smell of the sea conjures up pictures of children playing on the beach.

PICTURE + VERB emerge What emerges is a complex picture of family rivalry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

piece noun

¹ separate amount; parts of sth

ADJ. big, huge, large, long | little, short, small, tiny The plate smashed into little pieces on the stone floor. | bite-sized The book breaks the information into bite-sized pieces. | equal | odd She makes her sculptures out of odd pieces of scrap metal.

PREP. in ~s The vase was now in pieces on the kitchen floor. | ~ of a piece of bread A few pieces of the jigsaw were missing.

PHRASES bits and pieces I just need to get a few bits and pieces at the supermarket. | break/smash into pieces The cake just broke into pieces when I cut it. | come to pieces This chair comes to pieces. | fall to pieces My old dictionary is falling to pieces. | piece by piece We'll need to take the engine apart, piece by piece. | smash sth to pieces, take sth to pieces Can I take this jigsaw to pieces? | tear sth into/to pieces She tore the letter into tiny pieces.

² of art/music/writing, etc.

ADJ. amazing, beautiful, brilliant, fine, good, impressive, lovely, magnificent, marvellous, remarkable, superb, wonderful The best pieces include three paintings by El Greco. | effective, powerful This is an effective piece of writing. | atmospheric, dramatic | interesting | favourite | important | ambitious | original an original piece written specifically for the producer | short a short piece by Willie Simmonds on television satire | finished | occasional an occasional piece on the lives of ordinary people | centre (also centrepiece) | companion a companion piece to the portrait of Gauguin's empty chair | modern, period, traditional | choral, orchestral, piano | museum

PIECE + VERB be called sth, be entitled sth

PREP. ~ by They are exhibiting two important pieces by Calder. | ~ for a piece for symphony orchestra, choir and four soloists | ~ from She read a piece from ‘Alice in Wonderland’. | ~ of a piece of jewellery

PHRASES a piece of music/sculpture/work/writing > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pie noun

ADJ. apple, meat, etc. | mud The children are making mud pies in the garden.

QUANT. piece, slice

VERB + PIE eat, have | bake, cook, make

PIE + NOUN filling | dish

PREP. in a/the ~ What's the filling in these pies? > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pigeon noun

ADJ. carrier, homing, racing | feral | wood | clay clay pigeon shooting

QUANT. flock

PIGEON + VERB fly | strut A pigeon strutted along the roof, cooing rhythmically. | nest, roost | coo, croon

PIGEON + NOUN droppings, shit (taboo) | loft | fancier

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pig noun

¹ animal

ADJ. domestic | feral, wild | sucking/suckling

VERB + PIG breed | keep | feed | fatten pigs being fattened for slaughter | slaughter

PIG + VERB grunt, oink, squeal | browse, root A pig rooted in the orchard.

PIG + NOUN farm, farmer

² person

ADJ. fat | greedy | male chauvinist

PHRASES make a pig of yourself We cooked up a load of pasta and all made pigs of ourselves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pile-up noun

ADJ. multiple a multiple pile-up involving a minibus and five cars | eight-vehicle, five-car, etc. | motorway PILE-UP + VERB involve sth | happen, occur

PREP. in a/the ~ A young man died in a pile-up on the M1 last night.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pile noun

ADJ. big, great, high, huge, large, massive, vast | thick | little, small, tiny | neat, tidy | untidy

VERB + PILE place sth in/into/on, put sth in/into/on I put the letter in the envelope and placed it on the pile. I've put the books into three separate piles. | dump He dumped a pile of dirty clothes onto the floor. | add sth to Just add that application to the pile. | flick through, leaf through, look through, riffle through, shuffle through, sort through I leafed through the pile of documents until I found the one I wanted.

PREP. amid a/the ~ The money lay amid a pile of unopened letters. | behind a/the ~ He was busy behind a pile of papers on his desk. | beneath/under a/the ~ I pulled my diary from beneath a pile of files. | in a/the ~ The washing is in a pile on the floor. | on a/the ~ She closed the magazine and threw it back on the pile. | ~ of a pile of books I've got piles of work to do.

PHRASES be reduced to a pile of sth The house was reduced to a pile of rubble. | the bottom/top of the pile (figurative) The government is doing little to help those on the bottom of the social pile. | sort sth into piles I sorted the clothes into two piles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pile verb

ADV. neatly | up We piled the boxes up neatly.

PREP. against We piled sandbags against the door. | on, onto She piled food onto our plates. | on top of They piled stones on top of the mound. | with a table piled high with magazines

PHRASES piled high

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pilgrimage noun

ADJ. annual | spiritual

VERB + PILGRIMAGE go on, make

PILGRIMAGE + NOUN route

PREP. during a/the ~ There was a ban on political protests during the pilgrimage. | on a/the ~ He was on his annual pilgrimage to Mecca when he fell ill. | ~ to His parents made a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

PHRASES a centre/place of pilgrimage, an object of pilgrimage The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pillar noun

ADJ. massive, solid, squat | supporting | concrete, marble, stone

PILLAR + VERB hold sth up, support sth The roof is supported by eight massive stone pillars.

PREP. behind a/the ~ I hid behind a pillar when I saw my former teacher. | ~ of a pillar of rock/smoke

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pillion noun

VERB + PILLION ride He drove his motorbike, with me riding pillion.

PILLION + NOUN seat | passenger, rider

PREP. on the ~ I made the whole journey on the pillion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pillow noun

ADJ. feather | lumpy

VERB + PILLOW fluff (up), plump up, pummel, punch She plumped up the pillows for her sick daughter. | fall/lie/sink back against/on He lay back on his pillows and closed his eyes. | be propped (up) on | bury your face/head in She buried her head in the pillow and wept.

PILLOW + NOUN case, slip | fight

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pill noun

¹ small round flat piece of medicine

ADJ. diet, sleeping, vitamin

QUANT. bottle

VERB + PILL pop, swallow, take | give sb, prescribe (sb) The doctor prescribed her some pills to help her sleep.

² the pill: to avoid becoming pregnant

ADJ. contraceptive

VERB + PILL be on, go on, use | prescribe (sb), put sb on Her doctor put her on the pill at 16. | come off, stop

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pilot noun

ADJ. experienced, professional, qualified, trained | inexperienced, trainee | airforce, RAF | private | airline, bomber, fighter, glider, helicopter, jet | aerobatic | automatic The aircraft was set on automatic pilot. (figurative) She worked on automatic pilot, her hands carrying out the necessary movements.

PILOT + VERB fly (sth) | crash (sth) | bale out, eject The pilot baled out as the aircraft crashed into the sea.

PILOT + NOUN error The air crash is thought to have been caused by pilot error. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pinch verb

¹ take hold of sth between your thumb and finger

ADV. firmly | gently | sharply | playfully | together Apply pressure to the nose by pinching the nostrils firmly together.

PREP. between He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger. | on He pinched me sharply on the arm.

² be too tight

ADV. badly My shoes were pinching badly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pineapple noun

ADJ. juicy, sweet

PINEAPPLE + NOUN chunks, rings a tin of pineapple chunks > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pink adj.

¹ pale red

VERBS glow The western sky was glowing pink.

ADV. very | slightly

ADJ. bright, brilliant, fluorescent, hot, shocking, vivid | dark, deep, rich | baby, delicate, light, pale, pastel, soft | dusky | coral, pearly, rose, salmon > Special page at COLOUR

² red in the face

VERBS be, glow, look | go, grow, turn She could feel herself going pink.

ADV. very | faintly, quite, slightly

ADJ. bright

PREP. with He was pink with anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pinnacle noun

VERB + PINNACLE reach He had reached the pinnacle of his military career.

PREP. at the ~ of She is at the pinnacle of her profession.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pinpoint verb

ADV. exactly, precisely

VERB + PINPOINT can/could With this you can pinpoint the precise location of the sound. | be difficult to

PREP. as Stress at work was pinpointed as the cause of his illness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pint noun

¹ measure of liquid > Note at MEASURE

² pint of beer

VERB + PINT consume, drink, have | sip | down, drain, finish, knock back, sink He could sink a pint faster than anyone else I knew. | draw (sb), draw off, pull (sb) I got the barman to pull me another pint. | buy (sb), order, stand sb He stood me a pint in the pub after work.

PINT + NOUN glass

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pin noun

ADJ. drawing, safety, tie | brass, bronze, diamond, metal, steel

VERB + PIN drive in, stick in The map had a lot of little pins stuck into it. | remove

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pin verb

¹ fasten sth with a pin

ADV. carefully She carefully pinned the two pieces of cloth together. | firmly | back, on, together, up Her hair was pinned back. pictures pinned up on the walls

PREP. onto The poster had been pinned onto a large wooden board. | to Maps were pinned to the walls.

PHRASES pin sth in place

² hold sb in one position

ADV. helplessly | down He was pinned down on the floor.

PREP. against He pinned her against the wall. | behind His arms were pinned behind his back. | to She was pinned helplessly to the desk. PHRASAL VERBS pin sth down

ADV. precisely The difference between the two approaches is hard to pin down precisely.

VERB + PIN be difficult to, be hard to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pioneer noun

ADJ. early | true

PIONEER + NOUN spirit | missionary

PREP. ~ in one of the early pioneers in plastic surgery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pipeline noun

ADJ. gas, oil, water

VERB + PIPELINE build, construct, lay

PIPELINE + VERB supply sth The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil. | pass through sth, run through sth The pipeline runs through central Mozambique. | link sth The pipeline links the refinery with the port.

PIPELINE + NOUN network, system

PREP. in the ~ (figurative) (= being discussed or prepared) Important changes are already in the pipeline. | ~ across a pipeline across the desert | ~ through the construction of a gas pipeline through Morocco

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pipe noun

¹ hollow tube that carries gas/liquid

ADJ. underground | gas, sewage, waste, water the hot and cold water pipes | brake, central heating, hose (also hosepipe) | drainage, drain (also drainpipe), exhaust, inlet, outfall, outflow, outlet, overflow, service, supply | blocked, broken, burst, cracked, frozen, leaking | concrete, copper, iron, lead, metal, plastic, steel

QUANT. length to join two lengths of pipe together Copper pipe is sold in lengths.

VERB + PIPE lay, run He laid the pipes under the floorboards. | connect | insulate, lag Insulating your pipes will save on your heating bills.

PIPE + VERB lead, pass through sth, run The pipes lead into the river. The pipes will have to pass through the wall. | burst, freeze, leak

PIPE + NOUN cutter, fitter | insulation

PREP. through a/the ~ | ~ for the pipe for the hot water | ~ from, ~ to The pipe from the boiler to the bath.

² used for smoking tobacco

ADJ. clay | peace

VERB + PIPE smoke | light | fill | draw on, puff away at/on, puff on | knock out He knocked out his pipe in the big glass ashtray.

PIPE + NOUN smoker | tobacco | rack

PHRASES the bowl/stem of a pipe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pistol noun

ADJ. automatic, machine, semi-automatic | unlicensed | loaded | air, water | duelling, starting runners waiting for the starting pistol

PISTOL + NOUN shot

PHRASES at pistol point He was robbed in his hotel at pistol point.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pitch noun

¹ sports field

ADJ. all-weather, grass, non-turf, synthetic | waterlogged | cricket, hockey, football, rugby

VERB + PITCH invade, run onto The pitch was invaded by angry fans.

PITCH + NOUN invasion Police could do nothing to stop the pitch invasion.

PREP. off the ~ The players have just come off the pitch. Negotiations about his transfer are continuing off the pitch. | on a/the ~ He was the best player on the pitch today.

² strength of feeling

ADJ. fever, high Excitement rose to fever pitch the day before the procession.

VERB + PITCH reach, rise to

PREP. ~ of to reach a high pitch of excitement

³ of a musical note

ADJ. high, low | correct The instrument is not tuned to the correct pitch.

VERB + PITCH fall in, rise in Her voice fell slightly in pitch as she grew older.

PHRASES have absolute/perfect pitch (= to be able to recognize or produce any given note)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pitch verb

¹ fall over/throw sb

ADV. violently The explosion pitched her violently into the air. | forward, headlong

PREP. from There was a loud bang and he was pitched from his seat. | into If they hit any unseen obstacle they would be pitched headlong into the snow. | out of

² of a ship/aircraft

ADV. violently The boat pitched violently in a heavy swell.

³ set sth at a particular level

ADV. deliberately Estimates have been deliberately pitched on the conservative side.

PREP. at The test is pitched at a high GCSE standard.

PHRASES pitch sth high/low The price has been pitched quite high. Her voice was pitched low.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pitfall noun

ADJ. obvious | common | hidden | possible, potential, unforeseen We need to be alert to potential pitfalls.

VERB + PITFALL be fraught with, be full of, have, hold Trading in a foreign country can be fraught with pitfalls. | avoid | overcome

PITFALL + VERB await sb Numerous pitfalls await unsuspecting investors.

PREP. ~ for Buying property holds many pitfalls for the unwary. | ~ in pitfalls in the interpretation of statistics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pity noun

¹ feeling of sadness for sb/sth

ADJ. immense

VERB + PITY be filled with, be full of, feel, have | show | arouse, inspire an unfortunate man who inspires pity

PREP. out of ~ I threw the child some money out of pity. | without ~ a cruel leader without pity | ~ for She was full of pity for him.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of pity, have pity on sb We begged him to have pity on us. | an object of pity Deaf people do not want to be seen as objects of pity. | take pity on sb I took pity on him and allowed him to stay.

² a pity: sth that makes you feel disappointed

ADJ. great, real, terrible | slight

PREP. ~ about The place was lovely, but it was a pity about the weather.

PHRASES a bit of a pity, rather/such a pity That would be rather a pity, wouldn't it? | what a pity What a pity you didn't tell me earlier!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pit noun

¹ hole

ADJ. deep, shallow | bottomless | black, dark | chalk, gravel a disused gravel pit

VERB + PIT dig

² coal mine

ADJ. open They extract the mineral from open pits and underground mines.

VERB + PIT go down He went down the pit at the age of fifteen.

PIT + NOUN village There's no more work in these pit villages. | closure

PREP. in a/the ~ Most boys in the village worked in the pits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pizza noun

ADJ. take-away

QUANT. piece, slice a slice of cheese and tomato pizza

PIZZA + NOUN topping | parlour, place, restaurant Let's go to that new pizza place tonight.

PREP. on a/the ~ What do you want on your pizza?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

place noun

¹ particular position/area

VERB + PLACE mark I forgot to mark my place (= in a book). | lose I've lost my place in the script.

PLACE + NOUN name

PREP. at/in a/the ~ We had dinner at a crowded place in Soho. | in ~ It was held in place with tape. There will be rain in places. | into ~ She tapped the lid into place. | out of ~ Some of these files seem to be out of place.

PHRASES all over the place (= everywhere), no place/not the place This is not the place for an argument. | a place of birth/business/interest/learning/work/worship Please state your date and place of birth.

² seat/position for sb/sth

VERB + PLACE sit (down) in, take We took our places round the table. | go back to, return to The boy returned to his place | keep (sb), save (sb) | lose I've lost my place in the queue. | give up | change, swap He swapped places with me. | show sb to She showed them to their places. | lay, set I've laid four places for dinner.

PLACE + NOUN mat | card

PHRASES the place of honour He took the place of honour on his hostess's right.

³ role/position/function

ADJ. central, important, prominent | special He holds a special place in her affections | proper, rightful

VERB + PLACE have, hold, occupy Housing occupied a prominent place in the discussions. | know She knows her place. | forget I'm sorry?I was forgetting my place. | restore sth to He has been restored to his rightful place in the community. | put sb in At first he tried to take charge of the meeting but I soon put her in her place.

PREP. ~ in Dance has a central place in their culture.

PHRASES it's not sb's place to It's not your place to correct her. | a place in history a statesman who is assured a place in history

⁴ opportunity to study at a college, play for a team, etc.

ADJ. free | college, nursery, school, university

VERB + PLACE get, win | award sb, offer sb | lose He was injured and lost his place in the side.

PREP. ~ at/in He was awarded a place at Leeds University. | ~ on She got a place on the French course.

⁵ sb's position at the end of a race, competition, etc.

VERB + PLACE finish in, take She took third place.

PLACE + VERB go to sb Second place went to the Moroccan athlete.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

place verb

¹ (often be placed) put sth in a position

ADV. carefully, neatly | haphazardly The books were placed haphazardly on the shelf. | firmly She produced a long silver whistle and placed it firmly between her lips. | gently, lightly | centrally The table was placed centrally. | ideally, conveniently, uniquely, well The hotel is well placed for restaurants, bars and clubs. | judiciously, strategically There are candles strategically placed?just in case we have another power cut. | side by side The boots, neatly placed side by side, were near the bed.

PREP. between, in, inside, on, over, under, etc. He placed the letter in a drawer.

² (often be placed) put sb in a situation

ADV. firmly | ideally, conveniently, uniquely, well The company is ideally placed to win the contract.

VERB + PLACE atttempt to, try to | be difficult to, be hard to children who are difficult to place in foster homes

PREP. in, on an attempt to place the question firmly back on the political agenda

PHRASES an attempt to place sth

³ emphasis, value, blame, etc.

ADV. squarely

PREP. on The blame was placed squarely on the doctor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plague noun

ADJ. bubonic | great Nearly a third of the population died in the Great Plague.

QUANT. outbreak a decline in population following outbreaks of plague

VERB + PLAGUE suffer The region has just suffered a plague of locusts. | be decimated by, be destroyed by

PLAGUE + VERB break out, start, strike (sth) Bubonic plague struck London in 1665. | spread

PREP. ~ of The city is suffering a plague of rats. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plaintiff noun

VERB + PLAINTIFF compensate

PLAINTIFF + VERB bring an action (against sb), sue sb | allege sth, argue sth, claim sth, contend sth, seek sth, submit sth The plaintiff claimed that the correct procedures had not been followed. | obtain sth, prove sth The plaintiffs obtained an injunction in the High Court.

PREP. against the ~ Costs were awarded against the plaintiff. | on behalf of the ~ the lawyer appearing on behalf of the plaintiff

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plain adj.

¹ simple/not decorated

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, completely The dress was absolutely plain, but quite stunning. | fairly, quite, rather The food was fairly plain, but well cooked.

PHRASES plain blue, white, etc. a plain white shirt

² not beautiful

VERBS be, look

ADV. extremely, very She looked very plain and dowdy. | rather a rather plain woman

³ clear

VERBS be, seem | become | make sth They made it plain that they were against the idea.

ADV. very | absolutely, perfectly, quite Within weeks, it became perfectly plain that we were in the grip of a tyrant. | increasingly | fairly, pretty, reasonably

PREP. to It is all quite plain to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plain noun

PREP. across a/the ~ Cattle move freely across the grassy plain. | in a/the ~ the Olduvai Gorge in the vast plain of Tanzania | on a/the ~ Nothing grew on the plain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

planet noun

ADJ. distant | alien, unknown | another He looked like something from another planet!

PLANET + VERB orbit How many planets orbit the sun?

PREP. from a/the ~ creatures from an alien planet | on a/the ~ She believes there is life on other planets.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plane noun

¹ aeroplane

ADJ. private

PLANE + VERB take off | come down, land | crash | cruise, fly | carry sb/sth The plane was carrying 350 people.

PLANE + NOUN crash, disaster

PREP. by ~ We left by plane for Peking. | in a/the ~ I've never flown in a plane. | on a/the ~ The president was never on the plane at all.

² flat surface

ADJ. horizontal, parallel, vertical

³ standard/level of thought/activity

ADJ. higher With practice, an athlete can reach a higher plane of achievement. | mental, mystical, spiritual

PHRASES be/exist/function/operate on a different plane Like all talented musicians, he operates on a different plane from most people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plank noun

ADJ. timber, wooden | loose | rotten

PHRASES a plank of wood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

planning noun

ADJ. careful, detailed, meticulous, thoughtful | initial the initial planning stage | advance, forward The trip calls for careful advance planning. | pre-match, pre-retirement, etc. Deciding the agenda is the most vital aspect of pre-meeting planning. | long-range, long-term | short-range, short-term | corporate | family They give free advice on contraception at the family planning clinic. | town, urban | economic, educational, environmental, financial, military, strategic

VERB + PLANNING call for, demand, need, require | do The industry needs to do some long-term planning.

PREP. in the ~ The festival was four years in the planning. | ~ for Planning for future development is vital for the community.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plantation noun

¹ for growing a crop

ADJ. coconut, coffee, cotton, rubber, sugar, tea, etc.

VERB + PLANTATION work (on) Hundreds of slaves worked on the plantations.

PLANTATION + NOUN owner, worker | economy | house

² land planted with trees

ADJ. conifer, eucalyptus, etc. | forestry

PREP. ~ of a plantation of oaks

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plant noun

¹ living thing

VERB + PLANT cultivate, grow | water

PLANT + VERB develop, grow | flourish | die | absorb sth, consume sth Plants absorb carbon in the form of carbon dioxide.

² factory

VERB + PLANT build | dismantle | manage, run

PLANT + NOUN manager

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plant verb

¹ put plants/seeds in the ground to grow

ADV. carefully | deliberately weeds that had not been deliberately planted

PREP. in Carefully plant your cutting in the soil. | with The garden was planted with roses and other shrubs.

PHRASES densely/thickly planted a thickly planted orange grove | freshly/newly/recently planted

² put sth firmly in a place/position

ADV. firmly, solidly, squarely She planted a kiss squarely on his cheek.

PREP. on He was determined to keep both feet firmly planted on dry land.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plan noun

¹ for future

VERB + PLAN have | come up with, develop, devise, draw up, formulate, make, prepare, work out I like to make plans well in advance. | present, propose, put forward | discuss | agree The moves contravene the peace plan agreed by both sides. | announce, launch, outline, unveil The minister unveiled a new plan for reducing traffic accidents. | go ahead with, implement, press ahead with | keep to, stick to Let's stick to our original plan | cancel, change | abandon, cancel, drop, scrap, shelve | fight, oppose Local residents have vowed to fight plans to build a new road.

PLAN + VERB be afoot Plans are afoot to stage a new opera. | be aimed at sth The government launched a five-year plan aimed at diversifying the economy. | call dam have been shelved following protests.

PHRASES a plan of action/attack/campaign To change anything in this organization, we'll need a plan of action. | put a plan into action/effect/operation

² map

ADJ. street, town | seating

PLAN + VERB show sth The plan shows the exact location of the house. for sth, envisage sth, involve sth The plan calls for investments totalling $100 million. | contain sth, include sth The plan contains four main elements. | succeed | fail, fall through, founder

PREP. ~ for The president will now press ahead with his plans for reform. | ~ to Plans to build a

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plan verb

ADV. ahead, in advance | originally The government had originally planned to launch the review in June. | carefully, meticulously | intelligently, rationally | centrally centrally planned economies

VERB + PLAN have to, need to You will need to plan your shopping carefully in advance.

PREP. for We must plan for the future. A meeting has been planned for early next year. | on I had planned on staying here for two or three years.

PHRASES go as planned Everything went exactly as planned. | plan sth down to the last detail

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plaque noun

¹ on the wall

ADJ. commemorative, memorial

VERB + PLAQUE put up The local historical society put up a plaque at the site of the battle. | unveil

PLAQUE + VERB be dedicated to sb, commemorate sb/sth, honour sb | mark sth, record sth A plaque marks the place where the first printing press was built.

PREP. on a/the ~ Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. | ~ on a plaque on the wall | ~ to There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.

² substance on teeth

ADJ. dental

VERB + PLAQUE remove

PLAQUE + VERB accumulate, build up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plaster noun

¹ smooth covering for a wall

ADJ. fresh | chipped, cracked, crumbling, peeling

QUANT. chunk, flake Each blow of the hammer removed a great chunk of plaster.

VERB + PLASTER apply Apply the plaster evenly.

PLASTER + VERB come off (sth), fall off (sth), peel off (sth) Plaster was peeling off the ceiling.

PLASTER + NOUN cast A plaster cast of Madame Fournier stood in the artist's studio.

² for covering a cut

ADJ. sticking

VERB + PLASTER put on | peel off, take off

³ for protecting broken bones

PLASTER + NOUN cast Her broken leg was put in a plaster cast

PREP. in ~ Your arm will have to be in plaster for at least six weeks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plastic noun

VERB + PLASTIC make, manufacture, produce | recycle | make/mould sth from/in/(out) of dashboards moulded in plastic | cover sth with, wrap sth in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plateau noun

ADJ. high | broad, rolling, vast | central

VERB + PLATEAU reach (figurative) The children's standard of reading seems to have reached a plateau (= they are not making any more progress).

PLATEAU + VERB overlook sth

PREP. across a/the ~ A terrible storm swept across the plateau.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plate noun

¹ for food

ADJ. dessert, dinner, serving, side, soup | clean, dirty The sink was full of dirty plates. | empty, full

VERB + PLATE clear, empty I could see how hungry she was from the way she cleared her plate. | clear (away), collect

PREP. on a/the ~ She ate everything on her plate. | ~ of a plate of rice

² piece of metal with writing on

ADJ. licence, number The driver was arrested for having false number plates on his car. | name He read the brass name plate by the door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

platform noun

¹ raised floor

ADJ. high, raised | wooden

VERB + PLATFORM mount, stand on The king mounted the platform to loud cheers. | appear on, speak from | share Union leaders shared the platform with business leaders in a debate on the future of the industry.

² at a railway station

ADJ. railway, station

PREP. along a/the ~ He ran along the platform to catch the train. | at ~ The train at platform 3 is the 13.15 service to Liverpool. | from ~ The next train to depart from platform 2 is the 10.30 for London Paddington. | on ~ the waiting room on platform 7

³ in politics

ADJ. political | election, electoral

PREP. in a/the ~ the promises in their election platform | on a/the ~ of They fought the election on a platform of economic reform.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

platonic adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. purely, strictly Their friendship remained purely platonic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plausible adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | make sth | find sth, judge sth, think sth He did not think it plausible that all the differences could be explained in this way.

ADV. extremely, highly, terribly, very | entirely, perfectly, quite a perfectly plausible theory | not remotely There was no way the story could be made to sound even remotely plausible. | barely, hardly | reasonably | superficially | intuitively, psychologically This explanation fits the facts and is psychologically plausible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

player noun

¹ of a game

ADJ. accomplished, brilliant, dangerous, excellent, exciting, fine, gifted, good, great, outstanding, strong, talented, top, world-class one of the country's top tennis players | star The club were forced to sell their star player. | poor He's a poor player, but he tries very hard. | average These boots are for the professional rather than for the average player. | experienced | aggressive | attacking, midfield (both in football) | handicap, scratch (both in golf) | basketball, bridge, chess, rugby, snooker, tennis, etc.

² of a musical instrument

ADJ. accomplished, gifted, great, outstanding, talented | bass, horn, keyboard, sax, etc.

³ in business

ADJ. key, leading, major

PREP. ~ in Their firm is a major player in the London property market.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

playground noun

ADJ. children's | adventure | school

PLAYGROUND + NOUN bully, bullying | equipment | duty teachers on playground duty

PREP. in a/the ~ children in the school playground

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

playgroup noun

ADJ. nursery, pre-school | local

VERB + PLAYGROUP go to | run | start She started a playgroup in her own house. | start (at) He'll grow in confidence once he starts at playgroup.

PLAYGROUP + NOUN leader

PREP. at ~ She goes shopping while her little girl's at playgroup.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

play noun

¹ activity done for fun

ADJ. outdoor | creative, imaginative, pretend

PLAY + NOUN area | equipment | scheme The local council runs some good play schemes.

PREP. at ~ Children spend hours at play. | in ~ I only said it in play (= not seriously).

² drama

ADJ. one-act | radio, television | musical | miracle, morality, mystery, nativity, passion The children always perform a nativity play every Christmas.

VERB + PLAY review The play is reviewed in most of today's papers.

PREP. ~ about a play about teenage runaways > Note at PERFORMANCE(for more verbs)

³ in sport

ADJ. excellent, good | fair | dangerous, dirty, foul, rough, violent He was sent off for foul play.

VERB + PLAY stop Rain stopped play 40 minutes into the match.

PREP. in ~ The ball is still in play. | out of ~ He kicked the ball out of play.

PHRASES at close/start of play (in cricket) At close of play he had scored 38 not out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

play verb

¹ of children

VERB + PLAY let sb The other children wouldn't let him play.

PREP. at Let's play at pirates! | with a little girl playing with her toys

² game/sport

ADV. brilliantly, excellently, superbly, well | badly

VERB + PLAY learn to | teach sb to | be difficult to, be easy to | see sb, watch sb

PREP. against United are difficult to play against. | at I've never played John at tennis. | for He plays for Aston Villa. | in She has played in every match this season. | with playing cards with her mother

³ music

ADV. brilliantly, excellently, superbly, well | badly | live The band will be playing live in the studio.

VERB + PLAY learn to learning to play the violin | teach sb to | be easy to, be difficult to a piece that is relatively easy to play | hear sb Have you ever heard her play?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plead verb

¹ ask sb for sth in a very serious way

ADV. almost She was almost pleading with him. | silently | successfully She successfully pleaded their cause with the mayor.

PREP. for They pleaded for mercy. | with His eyes silently pleaded with her.

² say that you are guilty/not guilty

PHRASES plead guilty/not guilty He pleaded not guilty to the murder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pleasant adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | find sth

ADV. exceedingly, extraordinarily, extremely, very | perfectly His colleagues were perfectly pleasant and friendly but they had their own lives to lead. | less than, not altogether, not entirely, not exactly, not particularly It was not a particularly pleasant experience. | almost | fairly, quite, rather, reasonably | enough It was a pleasant enough day's journey. | undeniably

PREP. to He has always been extremely pleasant to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pleased adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. awfully, dead, especially, extremely, genuinely, immensely, inordinately, more than, only too, particularly, really, ridiculously, very, well | far from, not at all, not best She seemed surprised and not at all pleased to see him. | fairly, mildly, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably | half He laughed, half pleased and half resentful. | enough They seemed pleased enough with the result. | apparently | clearly, evidently, obviously | quietly, secretly | oddly, strangely | always I am always pleased to hear from former students.

PREP. about pleased about the move | at She seemed pleased at our success. | by You must be pleased by their confidence in you. | for I'm very pleased for you both. | with We are immensely pleased with this result.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

please verb

ADV. enormously The result pleased us enormously.

VERB + PLEASE be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to Some children are very difficult to please. | be easy to | be eager to He's always very eager to please. | try to | fail to The planning policy failed to please anyone.

PHRASES there's no pleasing sb There's just no pleasing some people. (= Some people are impossible to please.)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pleasing adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. extremely, particularly, very | quite, rather | aesthetically aesthetically pleasing colour combinations

PREP. to a design which is pleasing to the eye

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pleasurable adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth | find sth activities which they find pleasurable and rewarding

ADV. deeply, highly, intensely, very | mildly, quite a feeling of mildly pleasurable excitement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pleasure noun

¹ enjoyment

ADJ. considerable, deep, enormous, great, intense It gives me enormous pleasure to welcome my next guest. | genuine, real | pure, sheer | quiet The audience nodded with quiet pleasure at her remark. | obvious | endless Children find endless pleasure in playing with water. | malicious, perverse, sadistic | vicarious He gained vicarious pleasure from watching people laughing and joking. | aesthetic, physical, sensual, sexual

VERB + PLEASURE bring (sb), give (sb), provide | derive, find, gain, get, take My grandfather got immense pleasure out of life until the end.

PREP. for ~ Some people read for pleasure, and others read to study. | with ~ His eyes lit up with pleasure. | ~ at He beamed with pleasure at seeing her. | ~ from She was deriving a perverse pleasure from his discomfort. | ~ in They took great pleasure in each other's company.

PHRASES business and pleasure I often meet useful people at parties, so I combine business with pleasure. | have the pleasure of sth May I have the pleasure of the next dance?

² sth that makes you happy

ADJ. great | doubtful, dubious the dubious pleasure of growing up in the public eye | little, simple one of life's little pleasures | fleeting, momentary, temporary

VERB + PLEASURE have (formal) I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you again. | enjoy | forego

PLEASURE + NOUN boat, craft

PHRASES the pleasures of life She enjoys the simple pleasures of life. | the pleasures of the flesh Priests promise to forego the pleasures of the flesh.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plea noun

¹ request

ADJ. desperate, dramatic, strong, urgent | heartfelt, impassioned, passionate | repeated | personal

VERB + PLEA make | ignore

PREP. despite a/the ~, in spite of a/the ~ Despite pleas from his mother, the gunman refused to give himself up. | ~ by/from Hospital visiting hours were extended in response to pleas from patients. | ~ for The director of the charity made an impassioned plea for help.

² statement in court

ADJ. guilty | not guilty

PLEA + NOUN bargain, bargaining

PREP. ~ for A senior judge heard a plea for damages on behalf of the accident victims. | ~ of Her solicitor entered a plea of guilty on her behalf.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pledge noun

ADJ. campaign, election, manifesto | spending spending pledges given by the government

VERB + PLEDGE give (sb), make, sign | fulfil, honour | betray, go back on, renege on

PREP. ~ on manifesto pledges on greater public spending

PHRASES a pledge of support

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plight noun

ADJ. desperate, sad, sorry, tragic the desperate plight of flood victims | economic, financial

VERB + PLIGHT recognize, see | draw attention to, highlight, publicize He has been sleeping rough in the streets to highlight the plight of the homeless. | alleviate, ease | ignore

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plot noun

¹ plan

ADJ. fiendish | alleged | assassination, blackmail, coup, death, murder

VERB + PLOT hatch | uncover | foil

PREP. ~ against They had taken part in a Jacobite plot against William III. | ~ by The police claim to have uncovered a plot by terrorists to assassinate the president.

² events in a story

ADJ. simple | complex, complicated

VERB + PLOT construct She has constructed a complicated plot, with a large cast of characters.

PLOT + VERB develop, unfold

PLOT + NOUN development

PHRASES a twist in/of the plot There are several unexpected twists in the plot before the murderer is revealed.

³ piece of land

VERB + PLOT work

PLOT + VERB measure sth The plots each measure 10 metres by 20 metres.

PHRASES a plot of land

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plot verb

¹ make secret plans

ADV. allegedly | secretly

PREP. against He was arrested on suspicion of plotting against the king. | with Taylor plotted with his daughter to murder her husband.

PHRASES accuse/suspect sb of plotting sth

² mark sth on a chart

ADV. accurately The positions of the archaeological finds are accurately plotted.

PREP. against Greenhouse temperature can be plotted against plant growth. | on plotting the figures on a graph

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plough noun

ADJ. heavy

VERB + PLOUGH draw, pull They need two horses to pull these heavy ploughs. | guide

PLOUGH + NOUN boy, team | furrow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ploy noun

ADJ. clever, effective, good, useful | deliberate, tactical | favourite, old, usual | marketing, sales

VERB + PLOY resort to, try

PLOY + VERB work

PREP. ~ for a ploy for deflecting criticism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plug noun

¹ electric

ADJ. electric | mains | three-pin, two-pin The iron is fitted with a three-pin plug. | jack | fused

VERB + PLUG pull (out), take out | fit, wire | be fitted with | change

² for a sink, etc.

ADJ. basin, bath, sink

VERB + PLUG put in | pull out

PLUG + NOUN hole (also plughole)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plumbing noun

ADJ. cold water, hot water | domestic, household

VERB + PLUMBING put in They're going to have to put in new plumbing.

PLUMBING + NOUN arrangements, system | fittings | tools | job, work | leak

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plunge noun

ADJ. headlong | cold Bathers would go straight from the hot room to take a cold plunge.

VERB + PLUNGE take The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. (figurative) He finally took the plunge and gave in his notice.

PREP. ~ into a plunge into the icy water | ~ to a plunge to the ground

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plunge verb

ADV. downwards, forward, head first, headlong The car plunged headlong into the river. | in The pool was declared open and eager swimmers plunged in.

PREP. down The bus came off the road and plunged down an embankment. | from He plunged from a tenth floor window. | into (often figurative) She plunged straight into her story. | off The car had plunged off the road.

PHRASES plunge to your death A climber plunged 300 feet to his death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

plutonium noun

ADJ. radioactive | civil | military, weapons-grade

VERB + PLUTONIUM extract, produce, recover one tonne of plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel

PLUTONIUM + NOUN fuel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pneumonia noun

ADJ. severe | bronchial, double | bacterial

QUANT. bout

VERB + PNEUMONIA have, suffer from | catch, contract, develop, get | die from/of | cause > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pocket noun

¹ for keeping things in

ADJ. bulging tourists with bulging pockets | deep | zipped | coat, jacket, shirt, trouser, waistcoat, etc. | back, breast, hip, inner, inside, outer, top | door, seat Please read the safety leaflet in the seat pocket in front of you. (= on a plane) | secret Forged passports were found in a secret pocket in the suitcase.

VERB + POCKET feel in, fish in, fumble in, go through, rummage in, search He went through all his pockets looking for his key. | reach in She reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone. | dip into (figurative) Once again club members have had to dip into their pockets (= spend their own money) to buy new equipment. | fish/get/pull/take sth from/out of I fished the number out of my pocket and dialled. | empty, turn out The security guard made them empty their pockets. | put/stuff/thrust sth in/into She stuffed the money into her pocket and walked out. He walked past with his collar turned up and his hands thrust into his pockets. | fill, stuff We filled our pockets with apples. | line (figurative) Dishonest officials have been lining their pockets with public funds. | pick He caught a boy trying to pick his pocket on the bus.

POCKET + VERB bulge My pockets were bulging with loose change.

POCKET + NOUN lining

PREP. in the/your ~ My wallet was in the back pocket of my jeans. | out of the/your ~ He took a few coins out of his pocket.

PHRASES hands in pockets He stood there, hands in pockets. | the lining of a pocket

² small area/group

ADJ. small | isolated

PHRASES a pocket of resistance Government forces are mopping up the last pockets of resistance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poem noun

QUANT. anthology, collection

VERB + POEM compose, write | read She read the poem aloud. | recite | learn by heart | dedicate He dedicated the poem to his mother.

POEM + VERB be addressed to sb

PREP. in a/the ~ In his autobiographical poem ‘The Prelude’, Wordsworth describes his boyhood in the Lakes. | ~ about a poem about cultural differences

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poetic adj.

VERBS be, sound

ADV. very | truly The piece ends with a truly poetic slow movement. | almost | quite | self-consciously His writing is rather self-consciously poetic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poetry noun

QUANT. line He began his speech with a few lines of poetry. | piece | anthology, book, collection, volume

VERB + POETRY compose, write | read | recite | learn by heart At school we had to learn a lot of poetry by heart.

POETRY + NOUN book, collection | reading She invited me to one of her poetry readings. | competition, workshop | group

PREP. in ~ an essay on imagery in poetry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poet noun

VERB + POET inspire These river banks have inspired poets for many centuries.

POET + VERB write sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poignant adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | make sth The presence of the rest of the family made John's absence even more poignant. | find sth

ADV. deeply, extremely, particularly, unbearably, very I found his speech deeply poignant. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

point of view noun

ADJ. alternative, different He listened patiently to what we all had to say before putting across an alternative point of view. | aesthetic, business, commercial, economic, environmental, financial, legal, management, medical, personal, practical, psychological, safety, security, technical, theoretical, etc.

VERB + POINT OF VIEW have | take He always seems to take the opposite point of view to me. | express, get across/over, present, put (across/forward/over) A union representative was present to put the farmers' point of view. | see (sth from), understand I can see your point of view, but I think we have to consider the long-term implications. Try to see the situation from my point of view. | agree with, share | come round to If we can talk to her for an hour I'm sure she'll come round to our point of view. | reflect I do not think the article reflects the point of view of the majority of the population.

PREP. from a/sb's ~ From a purely personal point of view, I'd like to see cars banned from the city centre. | from the ~ of The book tells the story of a murder investigation from the point of view of the chief suspect. From the point of view of safety, a lower speed limit would certainly be a good thing. | ~ on I don't have a point of view on this issue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pointer noun

¹ advice/indications

ADJ. good, important | clear, obvious | practical, useful

VERB + POINTER give (sb), provide (sb with)

PREP. ~ for The examiners comments include pointers for future study. | ~ to His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis. | ~ towards pointers towards a new political agenda

PHRASES a pointer to the future

² sth used for pointing

ADJ. mouse Move the mouse pointer to the menu bar. | light A light pointer is often useful with a slide projector.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pointless adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | consider sth, think sth She considered it pointless to plan in too much detail.

ADV. absolutely, quite, totally, utterly | a bit, fairly, rather, somewhat | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

point noun

¹ thing said as part of a discussion

VERB + POINT have She's got a point. | see, take I see your point. Point taken. | concede | cover, make, raise She made some interesting points. | argue, discuss They argued the point for hours. | illustrate | get across, make, prove He had trouble getting his point across. That proves my point. | drive/hammer home, emphasize, labour, press, stress I understand what you're saying?there's no need to labour the point.

PHRASES a case in point (= an example relevant to the matter being discussed), the point at issue, a point of agreement/disagreement, a point of law > Special page at MEETING

² the point: essential aspect of sth

ADJ. basic The basic point is that …

VERB + POINT come/get to Hurry up and get to the point! | get It took me a few minutes to get the point. | miss | wander from/off

PREP. beside the ~ (= not relevant) That's beside the point. | to the ~ His remarks were brief and to the point.

PHRASES more to the point (= what is more important) More to the point, did they get away?

³ meaning/reason/purpose of sth

ADJ. whole That's the whole point.

VERB + POINT have It doesn't have any point to it. | see I don't see the point in arguing.

PREP. ~ in/of There's absolutely no point in complaining now. What's the point of worrying?

⁴ item/detail/feature

ADJ. finer, good, strong We discussed the finer points of growing roses. | bad, weak | salient

PHRASES a point of difference, a point of interest

⁵ particular time/moment

ADJ. high He had reached the high point of his career. | low | breaking, bursting, saturation to fill a bag to bursting point | boiling, freezing, melting

VERB + POINT get to, reach I've got to the point (= in a book, etc.) where his father is dying.

POINT + VERB come There comes a point in most people's lives when they want to settle down.

PREP. at a/the ~ At one point he looked like winning. | on the ~ of on the point of departure | to the ~ of We worked all night to the point of collapse. | up to a ~ I agree with you up to a point.

PHRASES a point in time At this point we can't give you a final answer. | the point of no return (= after which it is impossible to go back/undo what you have done)

⁶ particular place/position

VERB + POINT arrive at, reach

PHRASES a point of contact, a point of reference

⁷ punctuation

ADJ. decimal

⁸ in a game/sports competition

ADJ. match, set It's set point to Henman.

VERB + POINT get, score, win | lose

PHRASES beat sb/win on points

⁹ measurement

ADJ. percentage Interest rates fell by one percentage point. VERB + POINT (All the verbs in the following collocate groups may be followed by by, from or to plus point. Sometimes the word by is left out.), be/go/shoot up, improve, increase, jump, rise, soar The Nikkei index rose 710 points to 14894. His popularity rose by 18 points in public opinion polls. | be/come/go down, deline, decrease, depreciate, drop, fall, plummet, plunge The CAC-40 index is down 67 points at 4413.

PHRASES about/around/only/over/up to 10, 20, etc. points The index was down only 4.6 points at the close. | an improvement/an increase/a jump/a rise of 10, 20, etc. points to achieve an improvement of over 4.6 points in operating ratio | a drop/fall/reduction of 10, 20, etc. points 10 thin sharp end of sth

ADJ. fine, sharp

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

point verb

PREP. at, in the direction of He pointed in the direction of the town centre. | to The toddler pointed to the toy he wanted. | towards, with She pointed with her finger at the map.

PHRASES point straight at sb/sth The gun was pointing straight at me. | point the way ‘You must cross that field,’ she said, pointing the way. PHRASAL VERBS point sth out

ADV. correctly, rightly As you so rightly pointed out, our funds are not unlimited. | tartly His wife pointed out tartly that none of them were exactly starving.

VERB + POINT must, should I should point out that not one of these paintings is original. | try to | fail to | be at pains to, be keen to, be quick to She was at pains to point out that she was no newcomer to the area. | be right to You were right to point out that this is only one of the difficulties we face. | be important to

PREP. to She tried in vain to point out to him the unfairness of the situation. point to sth

ADV. clearly Fragments of woven cloth at the site, clearly point to the production of textiles.

VERB + POINT seem to The evidence all seems to point to one conclusion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poised adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, stand She stood poised for a moment. | remain

ADV. delicately, finely | perfectly His manner was perfectly poised between gravity and teasing.

PREP. above/over Peter hesitated, his hand poised above the telephone. | between, for They hovered by the door, poised for flight.

PHRASES poised on the brink/edge/threshold of sth The two countries were poised on the brink of war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poise noun

ADJ. natural the natural poise and balance of the body | social She never lost her social poise, however awkward the situation.

VERB + POISE retain | lose | recover, regain She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poisoning noun

ADJ. acute, chronic | blood | food a bad case of food poisoning | alcohol, arsenic, carbon monoxide, lead, mercury, pesticide, radiation, etc.

QUANT. case

VERB + POISONING die from/of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poisonous adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. deadly, extremely, highly

PREP. to The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poison noun

ADJ. strong, virulent | deadly | nerve, rat

QUANT. trace

VERB + POISON administer, give sb | lace sth with, put in/on She had laced his drink with poison. She had put poison in his wine. | put down (= put somewhere to kill animals) The farmer had put down some rat poison. | swallow, take

POISON + NOUN gas, pill | arrow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

polarized adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. highly, sharply Public opinion is sharply polarized on this issue. | increasingly

PREP. between In this period politics became polarized between extreme right and left.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pole noun

ADJ. North, South | geographic, geomagnetic, magnetic The north magnetic pole lies to the west of the geographic North Pole. | opposite (figurative) The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius

PREP. between the (two) ~s of (figurative) an artistic compromise between the poles of abstraction and representation | from ~ to ~ The meridian is an imaginary line drawn from pole to pole.

PHRASES be poles apart (figurative) In temperament, she and her sister are poles apart (= completely different).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

policeman noun

VERB + POLICEMAN call, fetch A policeman was called to the house just after midnight. She went off to fetch a policeman.

POLICEMAN + VERB patrol sth | arrest sb > See OFFICER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

police noun

ADJ. armed, mounted | plain-clothes, uniformed | anti-riot, riot | paramilitary, secret, security | federal, local, national, state

VERB + POLICE call | alert, tell

POLICE + VERB arrest sb | patrol sth | interview sb, question sb | investigate sth | appeal for sth Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

PHRASES helping the police with their enquiries No arrest has been made, but a man is helping the police with their enquiries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

policy noun

¹ plan of action

ADJ. clear, coherent | conscious, deliberate a deliberate policy to involve people of all ages in the scheme | strict | controversial | official, public | government, party | company | domestic, internal, national, regional | open-door an open-door policy for migrant workers | agricultural, conservation, economic, educational, energy, environmental, financial, fiscal, foreign, housing, industrial, military, social, transport, etc.

VERB + POLICY develop, formulate, frame, shape | establish, implement, introduce | adopt, carry out, follow, pursue The government followed a policy of restraint in public spending. | have, operate The company operates a strict no-smoking policy.

POLICY + VERB be aimed at sth a policy aimed at halting economic recession

POLICY + NOUN decision, making | change, review | document, statement

PREP. ~ of The company's policy of expansion has created many new jobs. | ~ on the party's policy on housing

PHRASES a matter of policy It is a matter of company policy that we do not disclose the names of clients.

² insurance contract

ADJ. insurance | contents, life, motor, etc.

VERB + POLICY take out | renew

POLICY + VERB cover sb/sth The policy covers (you for) accidental loss or damage. | expire

POLICY + NOUN holder | schedule

PREP. in a/the ~ risks defined in the policy | under a/the ~ the types of claims covered under the policy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

polio noun

VERB + POLIO have | contract | immunize sb against, vaccinate sb against

POLIO + NOUN vaccination, vaccine | virus | victim > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

polished adj.

VERBS be

ADV. brightly, deeply, highly, well the brightly polished brasses slipping on the highly polished floor | beautifully, nicely | freshly, newly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

polish noun

ADJ. boot, furniture, metal, nail, shoe, silver | French | beeswax, wax

VERB + POLISH apply Apply polish with a soft brush. | give sth You'll need to give your shoes a good polish. | remove Use acetone to remove nail polish.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

politeness noun

ADJ. common, conventional It's no more than common politeness to hear what she has to say. | formal | social | natural Her natural politeness could not hide the distress in her voice. | exaggerated, excessive

PREP. out of ~ They accepted the food more out of politeness than because they were hungry. | with ~ They greeted their visitor with formal politeness.

PHRASES a veneer of politeness His veneer of politeness concealed a ruthless determination.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

polite adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | remain

ADV. extremely, very | perfectly, scrupulously, unfailingly | fairly, quite | coolly, formally His manner was coolly polite and impersonal.

PREP. to She was scrupulously polite to him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

political asylum noun

VERB + POLITICAL ASYLUM apply for, ask for, claim, demand, seek | grant sb, offer sb

PHRASES an application for political asylum

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

political adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly, very This whole issue has become highly political.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

politician noun

VERB + POLITICIAN elect | bribe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

politics noun

¹ work/ideas connected with getting/using power

ADJ. county, local She was active in local politics for many years. | domestic, internal, national the country's internal politics the internal politics of the legal profession | global, international, world | democratic, electoral, multiparty, parliamentary, party | contemporary, modern | mainstream | practical He argued that it was not practical politics to abolish private schools. | power They took the view that Casper was playing power politics with their jobs at stake. | consensus Consensus politics places a high value on existing political institutions. | conviction | cultural, gender, sexual | office

VERB + POLITICS enter, go into They went into politics in the hope of changing society. | abandon, retire from He abandoned politics and went into business. | be interested in | be active in, be engaged in, be/get immersed in, be/get involved in, engage in, participate in | dabble in, play (informal) | get embroiled in | interfere in, intervene in, meddle in As a churchman, he was accused of meddling in politics. | dominate the issues which have dominated Irish politics | reshape reforms that are intended to reshape Italian politics

POLITICS + VERB dominate sth In their world politics dominates everything.

PHRASES the world of politics

² political beliefs

ADJ. extreme, radical His manners were as mild as his politics were extreme. | left-wing, right-wing | sectarian | working-class | feminist

VERB + POLITICS discuss, talk (about) (informal) Let's not talk politics now.

³ study of government

ADJ. comparative > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pollen noun

VERB + POLLEN collect, gather bees gathering pollen

POLLEN + NOUN grain | count Hay fever sufferers have a worse time when the pollen count is high. | analysis | record The pollen record shows that this plant was never common on the island.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pollutant noun

ADJ. air, atmospheric, environmental, water | chemical, toxic | major | industrial

VERB + POLLUTANT discharge, emit, release

POLLUTANT + NOUN emission

PREP. ~ from pollutants from nearby industries | ~ in pollutants in exhaust gases

PHRASES the emission/release of pollutants

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

polluted adj.

ADV. badly, heavily, highly, seriously, severely

PREP. with The air is heavily polluted with traffic fumes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pollution noun

ADJ. air, atmospheric, environmental, marine, river, water | chemical, industrial, nuclear | lead, nitrate, noise, oil, ozone, sewage, vehicle, etc. | airborne

VERB + POLLUTION cause | avoid, prevent | combat, control, fight, tackle a convention on combating atmospheric pollution | cut, limit, minimize, reduce The summit ended with a joint pledge to limit pollution. | monitor

PHRASES the cost of pollution the cost of air pollution in health and other terms | a risk of pollution Environmentalists say there is a high risk of pollution from the landfill site. | a source of pollution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poll noun

¹ survey of opinion

ADJ. local, national | opinion | political, popularity | exit Exit polls suggest a big Labour majority, but the true picture will only be known after the count. | straw I took a straw poll among my colleagues to find out how many can use chopsticks. | latest, recent

VERB + POLL carry out, conduct, take | lead (in) | publish

POLL + VERB indicate sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth

POLL + NOUN rating, results

PREP. in the ~s success in the polls

PHRASES be ahead/behind in the polls With a week to go until polling day, the Conservatives are still behind in the polls. | a lead in the polls A tougher budget might have widened Labour's lead in the polls.

² (usually the polls) voting in an election

ADJ. presidential

VERB + POLL go to The country goes to the polls on May 7th to elect local councillors.

POLL + VERB open | close Counting will begin as soon as the polls close.

PREP. at the ~s She was defeated at the polls.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

polythene noun

ADJ. heavy-duty

VERB + POLYTHENE cover sth with, line sth with, wrap sth in

POLYTHENE + NOUN bag | sheeting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ponder verb

ADV. carefully, deeply, hard | (for) a moment She pondered for a moment before replying.

VERB + PONDER leave sb to He walked out of the room, leaving me to ponder what he had just said. | be forced to

PREP. about This was something I had been pondering about for some time. | on I walked up the stairs, pondering on her reaction to my news. | over I pondered hard over the reply to his letter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pond noun

VERB + POND build, construct, dig | fill | drain, empty The pond is drained every year.

POND + NOUN life, water

PREP. across a/the ~ She swam across the pond. | in a/the ~ There are goldfish in the pond. | into a/the ~ Her sunglasses had fallen into the pond. | on a/the ~ some ducks swimming on a pond

PHRASES the bottom/edge/middle/side/surface of a pond The dog raced around to the other side of the pond.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pony noun

VERB + PONY pit Pit ponies were used in most mines at the turn of the last century. | polo | wild

VERB + PONY ride | lead | brush down | saddle | shoe

PONY + VERB neigh, whinny | canter, gallop, trot, walk | prance | jump

PONY + NOUN club | ride | riding, trekking

PHRASES a pony and cart/trap

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pool noun

¹ swimming pool, etc.

VERB + POOL swim in | dive/jump/plunge into

POOL + NOUN attendant

PHRASES the bottom/edge/middle/side of the pool, a length of the pool He swam three lengths of the pool.

² small shallow area of water

PREP. in a/the ~ The children waded in the shallow rock pools. | ~ of pools of water

³ small area of liquid/light

ADJ. big | little, small | dark | mud

VERB + POOL lie in The body lay in a dark pool of blood.

PREP. in a/the ~ animals wallowing in the mud pools | ~ of pools of light

⁴ supply of sth

ADJ. big, huge, large | small | common drawing on funds from a common pool | car, labour, typing

PREP. ~ of a large pool of cheap labour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pope noun

VERB + POPE elect

PHRASES an audience with the pope He was granted an audience with the Pope.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

popularity noun

POPULARITY + VERB grow | decline, wane

POPULARITY + NOUN rating | stakes They are running neck-and-neck in the popularity stakes.

PREP. ~ among/amongst The current system has never enjoyed popularity among teachers. | ~ with She enjoys huge popularity with the voters.

PHRASES a decline/drop in popularity, an increase/a rise/a surge/an upsurge in popularity the recent upsurge in the popularity of folk music | the peak of (sb/sth's) popularity At the peak of its popularity in the late nineties, the band sold ten million albums a year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

popular adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | remain | make sth What makes this subject so popular?

ADV. enormously, especially, extremely, genuinely, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, massively, particularly, phenomenally, really, vastly, very, wildly | increasingly | less than, not exactly Jack was not exactly popular after the incident with the fire extinguisher. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | deservedly a deservedly popular restaurant with all who enjoy Mexican food | instantly He was one of those people who are instantly popular. | always, enduringly, eternally, ever, perennially Seaside holidays are always popular. a concert featuring the ever popular music from Hollywood's silver screen | widely | universally | internationally | personally The prime minister remained personally popular despite his party's disastrous slide in the opinion polls. | politically

PREP. among popular among young people | as These animals are quite popular as pets. | for a restaurant that is popular for light meals | with This area is immensely popular with tourists.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

populated adj.

VERBS be

ADV. densely, heavily, highly, thickly the most densely populated part of the island | sparsely, thinly

PREP. with The prison was populated with people of every trade and profession.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

population noun

PHRASES a decline/an increase in population, the growth of population The rapid growth of population led to an acute shortage of housing. | per head of population The income per head of population was under £1,000 per annum.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pop noun

¹ short sharp sound

ADJ. loud | sudden

PREP. with a ~ The cork came out with a loud pop.

² popular music

ADJ. classic, melodic, psychedelic

VERB + POP play | listen to

PREP. in ~ He was an important figure in pop during the seventies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

porcelain noun

ADJ. exquisite, fine | Chinese, Meissen, etc.

QUANT. piece some fine pieces of Chinese porcelain

PORCELAIN + NOUN factory | manufacturer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

porch noun

ADJ. entrance | church | back, front | north, south, west (= of a church) | pillared, projecting

PORCH + NOUN door, light

PREP. in/on the~ She stood in the porch and rang the doorbell.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pore noun

ADJ. blocked | open

VERB + PORE block | unblock | open A hot bath opens the pores. | close

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pork noun

ADJ. fresh | roast, smoked | organic

QUANT. bit, piece, slice | belly, knuckle, leg, loin, shoulder roast leg of pork

PORK + NOUN chop, pie, sausage | butcher

PHRASES pork and apple sauce, sweet and sour pork

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pornography noun

ADJ. hard-core, soft | child

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

portable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. easily, highly, very a machine that is designed to be easily portable | completely, fully

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

porter noun

¹ helps lift and carry things

ADJ. hospital, kitchen, railway

VERB + PORTER act as Some Sherpas act as guides and porters for mountaineering expeditions. | call, hail On arriving at the station, we hailed a porter to carry the bags.

PORTER + VERB carry sth

² in charge of the entrance of a large building

ADJ. head | hall, hotel | night | uniformed

PHRASES porter's desk, porter's lodge > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

portion noun

¹ part/share

ADJ. considerable, large, significant, sizeable, substantial | small

VERB + PORTION make up, take up

PREP. ~ of Salaries take up a considerable portion of our total budget.

² of food

ADJ. double, generous, large a generous portion of vegetables | small, tiny | individual

PREP. ~ of He asked for a double portion of chips.

PHRASES divide sth into portions

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

portrait noun

ADJ. full-length, half-length, head and shoulders | oil, pastel, pencil, etc. | photographic, sculptural | equestrian, family, group, royal | literary, pen

VERB + PORTRAIT do, paint, photograph | sit for | commission | write | display, exhibit, show

PORTRAIT + VERB hang Ancient family portraits hung on the walls of the staircase.

PORTRAIT + NOUN gallery | artist, painter, photographer sitting to a fashionable portrait painter

PREP. ~ by, ~ of a portrait of the Queen by Annigoni > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

portrayal noun

ADJ. accurate, realistic, vivid | moving, poignant | chilling, frightening He is best remembered for his chilling portrayal of Norman Bates in ‘Psycho’.

PREP. in the/its, etc. ~ She shows a full range of emotions in her portrayal of an ambitious politician. | ~ of His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

portray verb

ADV. accurately | clearly | dramatically, graphically, vividly an incident that graphically portrays the dangers associated with this sport The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals.

VERB + PORTRAY attempt to, try to

PREP. as trying to portray themselves as the victims

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Portuguese noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

port noun

ADJ. bustling, busy | Channel, coastal, foreign, sea | cargo, coal, commercial, ferry, fishing

VERB + PORT come into, reach The vessel reached port the next morning. | leave

PORT + NOUN area | authority | facilities

PREP. in ~ Bad weather kept the ship in port for three more days. | into ~ trying to steer the boat into port

PHRASES a port of call Our next port of call was Piraeus.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

position noun

¹ place

ADJ. correct, exact | central | geographical | military, strategic | defensive

VERB + POSITION take (up) The guards took up their positions on either side of the door. | jostle for Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. | play (sport) What position does he play?

PREP. in ~ Fix the pieces in position before gluing them together | into ~ Please get into position. | out of ~ Nakata had to play out of position when the defender was injured.

² way of sitting, standing, etc.

ADJ. comfortable, uncomfortable | crouched, kneeling, sitting | sleeping | horizontal, vertical | foetal

VERB + POSITION change

³ situation

VERB + POSITION achieve, attain, reach It has taken years to achieve the position we are now in. | put sb in It put me in an awkward position when he asked me to keep a secret. | strengthen Their obvious desperation strengthens our bargaining position.

PREP. in a/the ~ We may be in a position to help you. I was in the embarrassing position of having completely forgotten her name. | ~ of

⁴ opinion

ADJ. extreme | ideological, philosophical, political, theoretical | official The country's official position is that there is no famine in the area.

VERB + POSITION adopt, take | defend

PREP. ~ on He took an extreme position on religious matters.

⁵ rank

ADJ. first, second, etc. | dominant, high, important, influential, pre-eminent | inferior, lowly They occupy a lowly position in society. | privileged, secure | social

VERB + POSITION establish, gain, secure | hold, occupy

PREP. ~ among/amongst This latest novel confirms herpre-eminent position amongst today's writers. | ~ in The firm gained a dominant position in the market.

PHRASES a position of authority/influence/power

⁶ job

PREP. in a/the ~ How long were you in your previous position? | ~ in/within his new position in the firm | ~ of She was offered the position of sales manager.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

position verb (often be positioned)

PREP. at, behind, between, in, in front of, near, on, etc. Police marksmen were positioned on the roof.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

positive adj.

¹ certain

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. absolutely, quite I'm absolutely positive it was him. | fairly

PREP. about She seemed fairly positive about it. | of Are you positive of your facts?

² hopeful and confident/encouraging

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem, sound | remain

ADV. distinctly, extremely, highly, overwhelmingly, really, very He took a highly positive view of the matter. | entirely, wholly | fairly, mildly, moderately, quite | broadly, essentially, generally | apparently, seemingly

PREP. about sounding very positive about his chances

³ showing that sth has happened/is present

VERBS be, prove, test The test proved positive.

ADV. strongly, weakly (both technical)

PREP. for He tested positive for HIV.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

possession noun

¹ having/owning sth

ADJ. exclusive They had exclusive possession of the property as tenants. | illegal, unlawful They were charged with unlawful possession of firearms.

VERB + POSSESSION gain, get, obtain | take When do you take possession of your new house? | retain The team was struggling to retain possession of the ball.

POSSESSION + NOUN order The judge made a possession order against the tenant.

PREP. in ~ of sth Drivers must be in possession of a current driving licence. | in your ~ They have in their possession some very valuable pictures.

PHRASES in full possession of sth Anyone in full possession of the facts would see that we are right.

² sth that sb has/owns

ADJ. family, personal, private | cherished, prized, proud, treasured, valuable, valued The sports car was her proudest possession. | material, worldly He carried all his worldly possessions in an old suitcase. | colonial, continental, overseas the country's overseas possessions (= colonies).

VERB + POSSESSION acquire | collect | sell | lose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

possessive adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become, get Nick's starting to get possessive and jealous.

ADV. extremely, fiercely, intensely, very her fiercely possessive love for him | rather

PREP. about Why should he feel so possessive about some old photos? | of She had always been possessive of her brother. | towards He was very possessive towards her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

possibility noun

VERB + POSSIBILITY allow sb, offer sb, open up, raise | see | consider, discuss, examine, explore, study Have you explored the possibilities of setting up your own business? | accept, acknowledge, admit, concede, countenance, entertain, recognize | ignore, overlook | deny, discount, dismiss, eliminate, exclude, preclude, rule out We cannot rule out the possibility of mistaken identity. | face The club is facing the real possibility of relegation. | risk We don't want to risk the possibility of losing all our money. | allow for, cover Some reserves were named to cover the possibility of withdrawals. | avert | lessen, reduce

PREP. ~ for She was quick to see the possibilities for making money that her new skills gave her. | ~ of Careful checks will reduce the possibility of unpleasant surprises.

PHRASES beyond/within the bounds of possibility It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that a similar situation could arise again. | a number/range of possibilities The course offers a wide range of possibilities for personal development.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

possible adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | make sth New technology has made it possible to communicate more easily. | think sth In those circumstances, I thought it possible to work with him.

ADV. perfectly, quite | just It is just possible that he's still here. | humanly I think that what he's suggesting is not humanly possible. | theoretically It's theoretically possible but highly unlikely ever to happen.

PHRASES as far/long/much as possible She did as much as possible to help him. | as quickly/soon as possible Please come as soon as possible. | if (at all) possible I'd like the money back by next week if possible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

post office noun

ADJ. head, main | sub | local, village

VERB + POST OFFICE go to

POST OFFICE + NOUN counter

PREP. at a/the ~ You can buy stamps at the post office.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

post-mortem noun VERB + POST-MORTEM carry out, conduct, do | have, hold The coroner says we will have to hold a post-mortem. POST-MORTEM + VERB reveal sth, show sth POST-MORTEM + NOUN examination

PREP. ~ on They're doing a post-mortem on her today.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

postage noun

VERB + POSTAGE pay I had to pay £4 postage. | cover Add £3 to each order to cover postage. | include

POSTAGE + NOUN stamp | rates

PREP. for ~ It costs £60, plus £5 for postage. | in ~ Sending those books cost me a fortune in postage! | ~ on What's the postage on this parcel?

PHRASES postage and packing All prices include postage and packing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

postcard noun

ADJ. picture | holiday

VERB + POSTCARD write I hate writing holiday postcards. | post, send (sb) | get, receive

POSTCARD + VERB arrive | depict sth, show sth

PREP. on a/the ~ Write your answers on a postcard. | ~ from, ~ of I sent my mum a postcard of the cathedral. | ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poster noun

ADJ. cinema, circus, election | wanted The police have put up wanted posters describing the man.

VERB + POSTER display, exhibit, put up, stick up | be covered with, be plastered with His walls are plastered with posters of rock stars. | take down | design | print

POSTER + VERB appear, go up Huge election posters suddenly went up all over the town. | feature sth, show sth | advertise sth

POSTER + NOUN campaign Detectives have launched a massive poster campaign to help in the search for two killers.

PREP. on a/the ~ the picture on the poster | ~ for posters for tonight's concert | ~ of a poster of James Dean

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

posting noun

ADJ. diplomatic, foreign, overseas | three-month, two-year, etc. | temporary

VERB + POSTING get | accept, take up She was unable to take up the London posting.

PREP. ~ as She has now accepted a posting as ambassador to Latvia. | ~ to He received a posting to Japan as soon as his training was finished.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

postman noun

ADJ. local, village

POSTMAN + VERB deliver sth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

postponement noun

ADJ. further, repeated | indefinite

VERB + POSTPONEMENT ask for, call for, request, seek They are calling for a further postponement of the election date. | announce | force, result in

PREP. ~ until The death of one of the candidates forced postponement of the voting until 1 June.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

postpone verb

ADV. indefinitely The event has been postponed indefinitely due to lack of interest. | merely The inevitable conflict was merely postponed till the next meeting.

VERB + POSTPONE agree to, decide to, vote to | be forced to | ask sb to Ruth wrote at once, asking Maria to postpone her visit.

PREP. for Our visit had been postponed for several weeks. | from, to The match has been postponed from Wednesday night to Friday night. | till/until The meeting has been postponed until next week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

posture noun

¹ position of the body

ADJ. correct, good | bad, poor | erect, upright the normal upright posture | stiff, stooping | body

VERB + POSTURE have She has very good posture. | adopt | maintain | change, improve

PREP. in a/the ~ He sat in a posture of absolute respect. | ~ for a poor posture for driving

² attitude

ADJ. defensive | agressive, threatening | military

VERB + POSTURE adopt, assume | maintain

PREP. ~ towards to adopt a threatening posture towards an opponent

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

post noun

¹ postal system

ADJ. first-class, second-class | registered | inland

PREP. by ~ I sent it by first-class post. | in the ~ My application for the job is in the post.

PHRASES by return of post Orders will be sent by return of post.

² letters, parcels, etc.

ADJ. first, last If you hurry you'll just catch the last post.

VERB + POST check, open She arrived at the office early and checked her post

VERB + POST box (also postbox)

³ job

PREP. ~ as He quit his post as chief executive. | ~ of She applied for the new post of training officer.

⁴ place where sb is on duty

ADJ. army, police | command, observation | border, frontier

VERB + POST take up The guard took up his post at the gate. | desert The sentries had deserted their posts.

PREP. at your ~ The gun crew were at their posts.

⁵ upright piece of wood, etc.

ADJ. finishing, winning | far, near (both in football) He steered a shot between the keeper and the near post.

PHRASES first past the post The first horse past the post wins the race. | pip sb/sth at the post She led for most of the way before being pipped at the post.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

potato noun

ADJ. baking, new | sweet | seed | baked, boiled, chipped, creamed, fried, jacket, mashed, roast, saute jacket potatoes with sour cream and chives

QUANT. sack

VERB + POTATO eat, have | peel, scrape | chop, mash, slice | bake, boil, cook, fry, roast, saute potatoes baked in their jackets

POTATO + NOUN chip, crisp, puree, salad | peel, skin | peeler | crop, harvest > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

potency noun

ADJ. sexual a man at the peak of his sexual potency

VERB + POTENCY increase | affect | lose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

potential noun

VERB + POTENTIAL have, show This young man has enormous potential. | be aware of, see John Cadbury could see the potential for his product. | develop, exploit, unlock They were among the first companies to exploit the potential of the Internet. | fulfil, reach, realize Signing for a top club would enable him to fulfil his true potential.

PREP. with ~ looking for a trainee with potential | ~ as She showed great potential as an actor. | ~ for an industry that has the potential for growth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

potent adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, particularly, very | pretty, quite The vodka must have been pretty potent stuff.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pottery noun

ADJ. decorated, glazed, painted | hand-thrown | coarse, fine

QUANT. fragment, piece fragments of Iron Age pottery

VERB + POTTERY make, manufacture, produce | fire the kilns in which the pottery is fired

POTTERY + NOUN kiln > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

potty noun

VERB + POTTY use | sit (sb) on

POTTY + NOUN training

PREP. on the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pot noun

¹ for cooking

ADJ. cooking

VERB + POT scour | cover Cook gently in a covered pot for 3 to 4 hours.

POT + VERB brim (over) with sth The waiter brought over a steaming pot brimming with seafood. | bubble, steam He could hear the pot bubbling on the stove.

PREP. for the ~ Local people kill these animals for the pot (= to eat). | in/into a/the ~ Put all the ingredients in a large pot. | ~ of a pot of soup

PHRASES pots and pans

² for tea/coffee

ADJ. steaming | fresh | coffee, tea (also teapot)

VERB + POT brew, make, put on I'll make a fresh pot of tea. | share | fill, refill, top up She refilled the teapot with boiling water. | empty

PREP. in a/the ~ Is there any more tea in the pot? | ~ of

³ container for storing/growing things, etc.

VERB + POT grow sth in, plant sth in

POT + VERB be filled with sth, be full of sth, contain sth a clay pot full of oil

POT + NOUN plant

PREP. in/into a/the ~ Plants in pots require more water than you might think. | ~ of a pot of glue/jam

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poultry noun

ADJ. free-range

VERB + POULTRY keep, rear He rears rabbits and poultry in the garden.

POULTRY + NOUN farming, industry | dish a wine that goes well with fish and poultry dishes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pound noun

¹ money > Note at CURRENCY

² measure of weight > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pour verb

ADV. carefully | deliberately | quickly | gradually, slowly | out Helen poured out two stiff drinks.

PREP. from, into, on, onto, out of, over Pour the sauce over the pasta.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pout verb

ADV. slightly | prettily, sulkily Her lips pouted sulkily.

PREP. at She pouted prettily at him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

poverty noun

ADJ. abject, absolute, extreme, grinding, severe | widespread | rural, urban

VERB + POVERTY alleviate, combat, reduce | eliminate, eradicate hoping to eradicate urban poverty

POVERTY + NOUN trap Caught in the poverty trap, they are unable to save money for business ventures.

PREP. in ~ Most of the population lives in grinding poverty. | ~ among the true extent of poverty among the unemployed | ~ of His work displays a poverty of imagination.

PHRASES below/on the poverty line families living on incomes below the poverty line

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

powder noun

ADJ. fine | chilli, cocoa, coffee, curry, milk | baking | soap, washing | baby, face, talcum

VERB + POWDER grind sth into The seeds are ground into a fine powder before use. | dust sth with, sprinkle on Before the photo dries, the image is dusted with a special powder. | dab on, put on She quickly dabbed some powder on her cheeks. | add, mix sth with, stir in Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.

POWDER + NOUN snow

PHRASES in powder form The tablets are also available in powder form.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

powerful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become

ADV. enormously, especially, exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, immensely, incredibly, particularly, really, remarkably, surprisingly, tremendously, unusually, very | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively | enough, sufficiently She had a voice powerful enough not to need a microphone. | potentially | economically, politically a politically powerful figure | locally locally powerful landowners

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

powerless adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, seem | become | remain | render sb If he took control, they would be rendered virtually powerless.

ADV. completely, quite, totally, utterly | comparatively, relatively, virtually

PREP. against They were completely powerless against such a large group. | in the face of They felt powerless in the face of disaster.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

power noun

¹ authority/control

VERB + POWER come to, rise to When did this government come to power? | assume, seize, take The Crown prince assumed power in his father's place. | restore sb to, return sb to | have, hold The court has no power to order a psychiatric examination of the child's parents. They held power for 18 years. | share | exercise, use, wield | confer, give sb, grant sb The new law delegates many of these powers to school governors. | fall from, lose They fell from power in 1992. | give up, relinquish, renounce | delegate, devolve

POWER + VERB be concentrated in (the hands of sb/sth), rest with sb/sth The real legislative power still rests with the lower chamber.

POWER + NOUN struggle getting the upper hand in a power struggle | base The party's power base is in the industrial north of the country.

PREP. in (your) ~ the party in power They held us in their power. | ~ of the power of veto | ~ over The government has limited legal powers over television.

PHRASES abuse of power, the balance of power The war brought about a shift in the balance of power. | a bid for power, the exercise of power, a position of power the father's position of power and influence in the home | the power behind the throne (= the person who is really in control) People say that the prime minister's wife is the power behind the throne. | power-hungry The company was too small to hold two such power-hungry men. | a transfer of power the transfer of power from a military to a civilian government

² ability to do sth

ADJ. air, military, naval, sea an increase in Britain's air power | fire weapons with enormous fire power | bargaining | computing | healing the healing power of sleep | earning, purchasing | staying Having served in four governments, he has the greatest staying power of any politician today. | magic, magical, mystical, psychic, supernatural They believe he has supernatural powers.

VERB + POWER have | use | develop | lose Religion is rapidly losing its power to shape our behaviour.

PREP. beyond sb/sth's ~ a task still beyond any computer's power | in/within your I'm afraid it's not within my power to help you. | through the ~ of He wants to change the world through the power of prayer. | ~s as a tribute to his powers as a teacher | ~ of her powers of observation I lost my power of speech for a while after the accident.

PHRASES at the height/peak/zenith of your powers In 1946 Dali was at the peak of his powers. | do all/everything in your power He did everything in his power to find us somewhere to live.

³ country with influence

⁴ force

ADJ. great | destructive, terrible the destructive power of a hurricane

⁵ energy

ADJ. full The plane was still climbing at full power. | reduced The transmitter is operating on reduced power. | electric, electrical, hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, steam, tidal, water, wind

POWER + VERB drive sth Wind power is used to drive the machinery.

POWER + NOUN cable, line, point, supply | tool DIY grew in popularity with the advent of power tools. | plant, station | worker | cut, failure

PREP. ~ for supplying power for the grinding process

PHRASES a source of power

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

practicable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become

ADV. perfectly | reasonably We will do this as soon as is reasonably practicable. | not very

PHRASES as far/soon as practicable

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

practical adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

practical noun

ADJ. chemistry, physics, etc.

VERB + PRACTICAL sit, take | pass | fail I passed the written exam but failed the practical.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

practice noun

¹ actual doing of sth

VERB + PRACTICE put sth into I can't wait to put what I've learned into practice.

PREP. in ~ The idea sounds fine in theory, but would it work in practice?

² doing sth many times

ADJ. basketball, catching, piano, etc. | target

VERB + PRACTICE do, get (in), have I'll be able to get in a bit of practice this weekend. I've had a lot of practice in saying ‘no’ recently! | need, require, take Don't worry if you can't do it at first?it takes practice! | give sb This chapter gives students practice in using adjectives.

PRACTICE + NOUN ground | game, session

PREP. out of ~ If you don't play regularly you soon get out of practice. | with ~ His accent should improve with practice. | ~ at practice at swimming underwater | ~ in The children need more practice in tying their shoelaces.

PHRASES be good practice for sth It will be good practice for later, when you have to make speeches in public.

³ way of doing sth

ADJ. good adopting current best practices in your business | corrupt, sharp, unethical, unfair | discriminatory, restrictive | accepted, common, current, established, normal, standard, universal, usual, widespread It is standard practice not to pay bills until the end of the month. | local | cultural, legal, medical, religious, sexual the medical practices of ancient Egypt | accounting, administrative, business, employment, management, working studying Japanese working practices

VERB + PRACTICE introduce The practice of community policing was introduced in the 1970s. | adopt, follow, use | promote | change, modify Established practices are difficult to modify. | ban, outlaw, prevent, prohibit, stop

PRACTICE + VERB begin | continue the ancient custom of log rolling, a practice which continues to this day | change, develop, evolve

PREP. ~ of the practice of acupuncture

PHRASES a change in/of practice changes in employment practices | a code of practice voluntary codes of practice between sellers and customers | make a practice of sth I don't make a practice of forgetting to pay my bills, I assure you!

⁴ work/office of a professional person

ADJ. successful | legal, medical, professional | general (= medicine of a non-specialized type, not in a hospital), private (= accepting paying patients) | group It's a group practice, so you can easily change doctors.

VERB + PRACTICE be in, go into, set up in She wants to go into general practice. | retire from | suspend sb from He has been suspended from practice, pending legal investigations. | open, start She has opened a new practice in the town. | run He runs a successful legal practice in Ohio. | join A new partner has joined the practice. | leave

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

practise verb

ADV. hard | regularly

PREP. for She's practising hard for the piano competition. | on I learned hairdressing by practising on my sister.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pragmatic adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. highly, very | entirely, purely, utterly | essentially, largely Our approach is essentially pragmatic. | quite, rather

PREP. about They're pragmatic about the spending cuts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prairie noun

ADJ. high, rolling, wide | American

VERB + PRAIRIE cross a train of covered wagons crossing the wide American prairies

PRAIRIE + NOUN dog

PREP. across the ~ their route across the prairie | on the ~ settlers' houses on the prairies of Canada

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pram noun

VERB + PRAM push, wheel

PREP. in a/the ~ She was pushing her baby along in a pram.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prayer noun

VERB + PRAYER offer (up), say, send up, utter I sent up a quick prayer and entered the interview room. | remember sb in Let us remember them in our prayers today. | hear | answer Does God answer our prayers? | kneel in The congregation knelt in prayer. | join in, meet for local groups meeting for prayer | have We had family prayers before breakfast. | attend Students are required to attend prayers twice a week.

PRAYER + NOUN book | mat, rug | meeting, service

PREP. at ~ He spends an hour each day at prayer. | in ~ She moved her lips in silent prayer. | ~ for a prayer for peace | ~ of I said a prayer of grateful thanks to God. | ~ to

PHRASES the answer to (all) sb's prayers (= exactly what sb needs) The letter was the answer to her prayers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pray verb

ADV. earnestly, fervently, hard He thought if he prayed hard enough God might eventually listen. | quietly, silently | regularly | together

PREP. for He prayed for rain. | to I prayed to God for guidance. | with She asked the priest to pray with her.

PHRASES hope and pray We can hope and pray that no one gets hurt. | let us pray ‘Let us pray.’ The congregation bowed their heads. Let's pray Mick doesn't find out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preacher noun

VERB + PREACHER hear, listen to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

precaution noun

VERB + PRECAUTION follow, observe, take

PREP. as a ~ She had to stay in hospital overnight, just as a precaution. | ~ against a precaution against customers who try to leave without paying | ~ for Staff are expected to take reasonable precautions for their own safety. | ~ of I took the precaution of turning the water supply off first.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

precedence noun

ADJ. historical

VERB + PRECEDENCE have, take | give sb/sth You should give your schoolwork precedence. | claim The French kings claimed precedence over those of Spain.

PREP. ~ over The needs of the patient take precedence over those of the student doctor.

PHRASES in order of precedence The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

precedent noun

ADJ. bad, dangerous, unfortunate | good, important | historical | judicial, legal

VERB + PRECEDENT serve as This case could could serve as a precedent for others against the tobacco companies. | have | create, establish, provide, set This lowering of standards sets a dangerous precedent for future developments. | cite, quote | find | base sth on, use sth as The judge based his decision on precedents set during the Middle Ages. | follow

PREP. without ~ The achievements of this period were without precedent in history. | ~ for Many precedents can be found for this decision.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

precede verb

ADV. directly, immediately in the moments which immediately preceded the earthquake

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

precious adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, incredibly, infinitely, very

PREP. to You are infinitely precious to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

precise adj.

VERBS be

PREP. about You have to be precise about the numbers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

precision noun

ADJ. absolute | great, high high precision measurement tools | analytical, mathematical, military, surgical, technical He organized the team with military precision.

QUANT. degree Chimps are able to manipulate objects with a high degree of precision.

VERB + PRECISION call for, demand, require surgery which requires great precision

PRECISION + NOUN engineering | bombing

PREP. with ~ These items cannot be dated with any precision. | ~ in a new era of precision in engineering

PHRASES a lack of precision Any lack of precision in the contract could give rise to a dispute.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preconception noun

VERB + PRECONCEPTION have | fit in with We like this approach because it fits in with our own preconceptions. | challenge, get away from It is important to challenge society's preconceptions about disabled people.

PREP. with/without ~s It's important that you come to this task with no preconceptions. | ~ about Most people have preconceptions about old age. | ~ of her preconceptions of life in the country

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

predicament noun

ADJ. awful, awkward, dire, worse Other companies are in an even worse predicament than ourselves. | current, present | financial, personal

VERB + PREDICAMENT be in, find yourself in, get into Many young people find themselves in this predicament. | place sb in, put sb in | escape (from), get out of How were we to escape this awful predicament? | solve

PREP. in a/the ~ Now I really was in a dire predicament.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

predictable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

PREP. from He asked whether this was predictable from previous performances.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prediction noun

VERB + PREDICTION make | confirm, fulfil The results of the experiment confirmed their predictions. | confound, contradict

PREDICTION + VERB prove sth, turn out to be sth Our prediction turns out to be correct. | be borne out, come true

PREP. amid ~s Six hundred workers there lost their jobs today, amid gloomy predictions that there could be worse to come. | contrary to a/the ~ Contrary to almost all predictions, however, the government did not fall. | despite a/the ~ Despite earlier dire predictions, shares remained steady. | ~ about I've learnt not to make predictions about the weather. | ~ for the government's prediction for unemployment | ~ of their predictions of future growth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

predict verb

ADV. accurately, correctly, reliably, successfully, with accuracy/certainty It is not possible to predict with any certainty what effect this will have. | exactly, precisely | confidently | wrongly

VERB + PREDICT be able/unable to, can/could | try to | dare (to) Few would have dared to predict such a landslide victory. | fail to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | be easy to, be possible to | use sth to a computer model used to predict future weather patterns | allow sb to, enable sb to Newton's theories allow us to predict the flight of a cricket ball.

PREP. from We can predict from this information what is likely to happen next.

PHRASES be widely predicted This result had been widely predicted by the opinion polls.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preferable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | consider sth

ADV. far, greatly, infinitely, vastly

PREP. to Death was considered vastly preferable to dishonour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preference noun

ADJ. clear, definite, marked, strong | slight | individual, personal It's a matter of personal preference. | consumer | first, second, etc. Local voters gave Harry West first preference.

VERB + PREFERENCE have Do you have any particular preference? | demonstrate | express, indicate, show, state | give sb Preference is given to students who have passed maths and chemistry. | receive

PREP. for ~ I choose motorways when driving, for preference. | in ~ to They bought French planes in preference to British ones. | ~ as to/with regard to He has not expressed a preference as to which school he wants to go to. | ~ between people's preferences between brown, white and wholemeal bread | ~ for sth (over sth) the government's preference for tax cuts over greater public spending | ~ in changing preferences in furniture styles

PHRASES in order of preference List the candidates in order of preference.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prefer verb

ADV. greatly, much, strongly I much prefer the orchestra's 1998 recording of the symphony. | infinitely | simply You may simply prefer just to sit on the terrace with a cocktail. | really I would really prefer to teach girls. | rather, slightly | certainly Egg pasta is certainly preferred by many chefs. | clearly, obviously | apparently Huge majorities apparently prefer reducing unemployment to fighting inflation. | generally, usually | naturally Employers naturally prefer candidates with some previous experience of the job. | personally | still

VERB + PREFER would We can eat out if you like, but I would prefer to stay in. | tend to Industries still tend to prefer virgin raw materials to recycled ones. | seem to

PREP. to I prefer his earlier paintings to his later ones.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pregnancy noun

VERB + PREGNANCY have | avoid, prevent taking precautions to avoid pregnancy | continue (with), keep the difficult decision about whether to continue with a pregnancy | terminate the right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy

PREGNANCY + VERB be at/go to (full) term

PREGNANCY + NOUN test a home pregnancy test kit

PREP. during/in (a/the) ~ Lower blood pressure is common in early pregnancy. | throughout (a/the) ~ You will be tested throughout your pregnancy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pregnant adj.

VERBS be, look | become, fall (informal), get | get sb, make sb He got her pregnant.

ADV. heavily, very

PREP. by She was pregnant by a former client.

PHRASES six weeks, three months, etc. pregnant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prejudiced adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. deeply, extremely | racially

PREP. against He's deeply prejudiced against women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prejudice noun

PREP. ~ about a book written to challenge prejudices about disabled people | ~ against deep-rooted prejudice against homosexuals | ~ among prejudice among ignorant people | ~ towards prejudice towards immigrants

PHRASES a victim of prejudice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prejudice verb

¹ cause sb to have a prejudice

ADV. unfairly

PREP. against, in favour of Reading newspaper reports had unfairly prejudiced the jury in her favour.

² weaken sth/make it less fair

ADV. seriously, severely, substantially

VERB + PREJUDICE be likely to She did not disclose evidence that was likely to prejudice her client's case

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preliminary noun

ADJ. essential, necessary, useful | usual After the usual preliminaries the meeting began.

PREP. as a ~ The two presidents met today, as a preliminary to resuming the peace talks. | without preliminaries She began speaking intensely, without preliminaries. | ~ to an essential preliminary to serious research

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prelude noun

ADJ. essential, inevitable, necessary

VERB + PRELUDE consider sth, see sth as

PREP. as a ~ events held as a prelude to the Christmas festivities | ~ for the prelude for the battles ahead | ~ to He considered the strikes a prelude to the great socialist revolution.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

premier noun

ADJ. acting, deputy | former | British, Chinese, etc. | Conservative, Labour, etc. | state

VERB + PREMIER appoint (sb), appoint sb as, elect (sb), elect sb as, swear sb in as She was sworn in as premier on 4 June. | succeed sb as, take over as

PREP. as ~ during his 25 years as Liberal premier

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

premises noun

PREP. on the ~ Smoking is strictly forbidden on school premises.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

premium noun

¹ extra value/price

ADJ. high | additional, extra | price

VERB + PREMIUM pay Electricity companies pay a premium for renewable energy. | charge | place, put

PREMIUM + NOUN price

PREP. at a ~ Good student accommodation is at a premium (= difficult to obtain and therefore expensive). | ~ of bought at a premium of 40 per cent above the current market price | ~ on The company places a high premium on customer loyalty.

² payment for insurance

ADJ. annual, monthly, regular | high, low Intense competition has kept premiums low. | insurance

VERB + PREMIUM pay | keep up We're struggling to keep up our premiums. | increase, raise The insurance company has increased our premiums. | cut, reduce

PREMIUM + VERB go up, rise | fall, go down

PREMIUM + NOUN payment, rate

PREP. ~ for the premiums for your pension plan | ~ on Premiums on many cars will go up this year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

premonition noun

ADJ. shudder

VERB + PREMONITION feel, have

PREP. ~ about Perhaps he had a premonition about what might happen in London. | ~ of I wonder if she had a premonition of her own fate.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preoccupation noun

ADJ. current, present, recent | central, chief, main, major Their chief preoccupation was how to feed their families. | constant, continuing | growing | obsessive

PREP. ~ for By now this had become a major preoccupation for him. | ~ with his growing preoccupation with death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preoccupied adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become | remain

ADV. deeply, very | completely, entirely, totally | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather

PREP. with He was too preoccupied with his own problems to worry about hers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preparation noun

¹ getting sth ready

ADJ. careful, thorough | elaborate | adequate | initial It is the initial preparation that takes the time.

VERB + PREPARATION need, require a dish that requires no elaborate preparation or cooking | do He's done a lot of preparation for this meeting.

PREPARATION + NOUN time This simple dish takes very little preparation time.

PREP. in ~ for Get a good night's sleep in preparation for the journey.

² preparations: things done to get sth ready

VERB + PREPARATION make making the final preparations for the party | begin, go ahead with | be busy with | complete, finalize

PREPARATION + VERB be in hand, be under way Preparations are now in hand to close half the factories. | be complete

PREP. ~ for The family can now go ahead with preparations for the funeral.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prepare verb

VERB + PREPARE help (sb), help (sb) to | fail to He had failed to prepare adequately for the task before him. | be easy to, be quick to a meal that is very quick and easy to prepare | be designed to The course is designed to prepare graduates for management careers.

PREP. for We all set about preparing for the party.

PHRASES time to prepare (sth) I haven't had time to prepare my arguments properly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prerequisite noun

ADJ. essential, important, necessary, vital | first

PREP. ~ for Training is a prerequisite for competence. | ~ to Recognition is a prerequisite to understanding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prerogative noun

ADJ. exclusive, sole Making such decisions is not the sole prerogative of managers. | judicial, managerial, royal | personal

VERB + PREROGATIVE enjoy, have one of the prerogatives enjoyed by the president | exercise, use You can of course exercise your prerogative to leave at any time. | defend, preserve, protect The tsar protected his personal prerogatives. | give up, surrender

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prescribe verb

¹ drugs

ADV. legally The drug can no longer be legally prescribed. | medically, medicinally

PREP. for drugs prescribed for high blood pressure This drug is often prescribed for women with heart trouble.

² what should/should not be done

ADV. narrowly, rigidly, strictly, tightly The curriculum is rigidly prescribed from an early age. Everything about her life was strictly prescribed (= there were strict rules about what she could and could not do).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prescription noun

ADJ. medical | free people who get free prescriptions | repeat I just get a repeat prescription every week.

VERB + PRESCRIPTION give sb, write (out) | make up Would you like to wait while the pharmacist makes up your prescription?

PRESCRIPTION + NOUN charge | drug, medicine

PREP. on ~ Some drugs are only available on prescription. | ~ for the usual prescription for asthma She gave him a prescription for antibiotics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

presence noun

¹ being present

ADJ. mere The mere presence of children in the room is enough to upset him. | constant, continued, continuing, permanent | strong The company now has a strong presence in Germany.

VERB + PRESENCE indicate, reveal, show These chemicals could indicate the presence of water on the planet. | acknowledge He acknowledged our presence with a nod of his head. | detect | grace sb with (ironic or humorous) How nice of you to grace us with your presence!

PREP. in sb's ~ He should never have made those remarks in your presence.

PHRASES make your presence felt/known She certainly made her presence felt in the boardroom.

² number of people

ADJ. constant | military, police There was a strong police presence throughout the demonstration.

VERB + PRESENCE maintain The army maintains a constant presence in the area.

³ force of personality

ADJ. charismatic, commanding, formidable, great, imposing, powerful, strong | stage He had a formidable stage presence.

VERB + PRESENCE have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

presentable adj.

VERBS be, look | make sb Could you try and make yourself a little more presentable?

ADV. very | perfectly She was not exactly good-looking, but perfectly presentable. | quite, reasonably

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

presentation noun

¹ of a gift or prize

ADJ. annual | official | special | farewell, retirement

VERB + PRESENTATION make

PRESENTATION + NOUN ceremony, dinner, evening, night the school's annual presentation evening

PREP. ~ to The president made a presentation to the businesswoman of the year.

² informative talk

VERB + PRESENTATION give, make

PRESENTATION + NOUN skills | software

PREP. ~ on Candidates have to give a short presentation on a subject of their choice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

presenter noun

ADJ. radio, television/TV | BBC, ITV, etc. | programme, sports a BBC sports presenter > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

present adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. ever the ever present risk of pollution

PHRASES past and present a list of all club members, past and present

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

present noun

ADJ. anniversary, birthday, Christmas, wedding

VERB + PRESENT buy | get, receive | give sb, send sb | wrap (up) | open, unwrap

PREP. ~ for a present for my daughter | ~ from, ~ to It's a present to us all from Granny.

PHRASES make sb a present of sth My nephew loves this bike so I'm going to make him a present of it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

present verb

ADV. clearly, well The arguments were well researched and clearly presented. | attractively, neatly | orally, visually The results can be presented visually in the form of a graph.

VERB + PRESENT aim to, attempt to, seek to, try to We have tried to present both sides of the debate. | be designed to Hotel brochures are designed to present the most attractive aspects of the hotel.

PREP. as He likes to present himself as a radical politician. | to He presented the information to his colleagues.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preservation noun

ADJ. environmental | building, railway, etc.

PRESERVATION + NOUN order The council has placed a preservation order on the building.

PHRASES a state of preservation Most of the buildings are in an excellent state of preservation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preservative noun

ADJ. food, wood | artificial Our products contain no artificial preservatives or colourings.

VERB + PRESERVATIVE apply, treat sth with Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preserve verb

ADV. carefully, jealously, lovingly, zealously She carefully preserved all his letters.

VERB + PRESERVE seek to, try to | be anxious to, want to, wish to We were anxious to preserve the original character of the house. | help (to) taking action to help preserve fish stocks | fight to campaigners fighting to preserve a historic railway line | be designed to The Act contained provisions designed to preserve the status quo. | be important to

PREP. as The prison is preserved as a tourist attraction. | for The collection has been sold to the British Museum where it will be preserved for the nation. | from an attempt to preserve the corpse from decomposition

PHRASES an attempt to preserve sth, beautifully/exquisitely/finely/perfectly/superbly/well preserved They were thrilled to discover a perfectly preserved specimen of Roman pottery. | be preserved intact The bones had all been preserved intact. | be worth preserving You need to say why the building is worth preserving. | preserve sth for future generations/posterity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

presidency noun

ADJ. directly-elected | executive, federal

VERB + PRESIDENCY be nominated for, run for, stand for | be elected to | assume, take on/over | hold She held the presidency of the association for three years.

PREP. into sb's ~ Three years into his presidency, he is more popular than ever. | under sb's ~ under the presidency of George W. Bush.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

president noun

VERB + PRESIDENT appoint, appoint sb (as), elect, elect sb (as), name sb (as), swear sb in as He was sworn in as president on August 31. | serve as | impeach

PRESIDENT + VERB veto sth | intervene (in sth)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

press conference noun

ADJ. joint | formal | impromptu, informal | concluding At the concluding press conference, both leaders said that the talks had been constructive. | post-match, post-summit, etc.

VERB + PRESS CONFERENCE call | arrange, organize, plan | give, hold | tell The chairman told a press conference of the forthcoming merger.

PREP. at a/the ~ The prime minister outlined the privatization plans at a press conference. | during/in a/the ~ The announcement was made in an impromptu press conference at the airport.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pressure noun

¹ force produced by pressing

ADJ. gentle, light | firm | downward

VERB + PRESSURE apply, put | reduce

² force of a gas or liquid

ADJ. high, low | air, blood, water an instrument for measuring blood pressure | atmospheric, barometric

PRESSURE + VERB build up, increase, rise | ease, fall

³ cause of worry

ADJ. considerable, constant, intolerable, undue, unrelenting | commercial, competitive, economic, financial, political, social The economic pressures on small businesses are intense.

VERB + PRESSURE place/put sb under | cope with, withstand | escape, get away (from) It's an ideal place in which to relax and escape the pressures of modern life. | reduce

PRESSURE + VERB build up, increase

PREP. under ~ He's felt under pressure since his wife had the operation. | ~ on There's a lot of pressure on the soldiers preparing for battle.

PHRASES pressure of work The holiday was a welcome relief from the pressure of work.

⁴ attempt to persuade/influence sb

ADJ. enormous, great, intense, strong, tremendous There is intense pressure on her to resign. | growing, increasing, mounting | popular The government bowed to popular pressure and repealed the law. | peer, peer-group She started smoking because of peer pressure.

VERB + PRESSURE bring to bear, exert, place/put (sb under) This concession would not have happened but for the pressure that was brought to bear on the authorities. My parents never put any pressure on me to get a job. | be brought under, be under, come under, face Hospital staff are coming under pressure to work longer hours. | resist, withstand | bow to, give in to, respond to The editor bowed to pressure from his staff, and the article was suppressed.

PRESSURE + VERB intensify, mount

PRESSURE + NOUN group

PREP. under ~ Management is under pressure to set an example on pay restraint. | ~ for pressure for change in the country's economy | ~ from pressure from religious groups | ~ on pressure on foreign diplomats

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

press noun

¹ media

ADJ. foreign, international, local, national, provincial | gutter, popular, quality, tabloid | financial, music | free A free press is fundamental to democracy.

PREP. in the ~ There was no mention of the incident in the national press.

PHRASES get/have a good/bad, etc. press His latest novel didn't get a very good press (= was not praised in the media).

² machine for printing

ADJ. printing

VERB + PRESS go to The newspaper goes to press at 6 o'clock.

PRESS + VERB roll The presses are already rolling.

PREP. in ~ Their new book is in press.

PHRASES hot off the press We've just received a copy of her latest book, hot off the press.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

press verb

¹ push sth firmly

ADV. firmly, hard She pressed down hard on the gas pedal. | gently, lightly | close/closely He pressed up closer against the wall, terrified of being seen. | back, down, forward, together, up The crowd pressed forward. She pressed her lips together.

PREP. against She pressed her face against the window. | into Bella pressed her face into the pillow. | on She pressed on the doorbell. | to He pressed a finger gently to her lips.

PHRASES press sth flat/open/shut He pressed the lid firmly shut.

² try to persuade sb

ADV. strongly In the interview he strongly pressed his point of view. | consistently, continually, repeatedly | further | successfully

VERB + PRESS continue to

PREP. for The party will continue to press the case for a new electoral system. | on I did not press him further on the issue.

³ iron sth

PHRASES immaculately/neatly pressed his immaculately pressed suit PHRASAL VERBS press on

ADV. blindly | boldly

PREP. with They pressed boldly on with their plan.

PHRASES press on regardless The weather was dreadful but we pressed on regardless.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prestige noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, high, immense Winning the prize carries immense prestige. | low | international, national | personal | military, political, social

PREP. ~ among/with the party's prestige among the public | ~ within The post carried great prestige within the police force.

PHRASES a loss of prestige Doctors have suffered a loss of prestige following a spate of scandals. | a matter of prestige Wearing designer clothes is a matter of personal prestige for many teenagers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prestigious adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very She won a highly prestigious award.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

presume verb

ADV. rightly, wrongly I had presumed wrongly that Jenny would be there. | reasonably | automatically | conclusively (law)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

presumption noun

ADJ. strong | general There is a general presumption that fatty foods are bad for your heart.

PREP. ~ about The argument is based on certain presumptions about human nature. | ~ against the presumption against changes in the common law | ~ of a strong presumption of guilt

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pretence noun

ADJ. elaborate It was all an elaborate pretence.

VERB + PRETENCE keep up, maintain, sustain I don't know how long I can keep up this pretence. | abandon, drop, give up

PRETENCE + VERB be over Now that the pretence was over, he could tell them what he really thought.

PREP. under the ~ of He tried to get close to her under the pretence of examining the pictures on the wall. | ~ at His pretence at friendliness fooled no one. | ~ of He was hanged without even the pretence of a proper trial.

PHRASES make a/little/no pretence I make no pretence to be an expert on the subject. | by/under false pretences obtaining money under false pretences

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pretend verb

ADV. otherwise You know what this is all about, Natasha. Why pretend otherwise?

VERB + PRETEND can/could no longer | try to | be dishonest to, be idle to, be ridiculous to, be useless to It's useless to pretend that we might still win.

PREP. to He pretended to his boss that he'd written the article.

PHRASES go on pretending I can't go on pretending any longer. | just/only pretending Maria knew he was only pretending. | let's pretend Let's pretend it never happened. | stop pretending, there's no point in pretending

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pretext noun

VERB + PRETEXT give sb, provide (sb with) | find, invent He considered inventing some pretext for calling her.

PREP. on a/the ~ He disappeared into his study on the pretext that he had work to do there. | under a/the ~ Under the pretext of checking her identity, the man had copied down her credit card details. | ~ for He used his research as a pretext for travelling to Hungary.

PHRASES at/on the slightest pretext He keeps popping into my office on the slightest pretext.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pretty adj

VERBS be, look

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, ravishingly, really, strikingly, very, wonderfully | almost | quite, rather | undeniably

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prevail verb

ADV. always Her happy outlook always prevailed. | eventually, finally, in the end, ultimately

VERB + PREVAIL be likely to | must, ought to Common sense must prevail in the end.

PREP. against The wishes of 20 million people ought to prevail against those of 200 thousand. | over His view eventually prevailed over theirs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preventable adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. entirely These injuries are entirely preventable. | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prevention noun

ADJ. accident, crime, drug, fire, flood, pollution a drug prevention programme | primary, secondary, tertiary (all used when talking about health care)

PREVENTION + NOUN programme, scheme, strategy a crime prevention scheme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prevent verb

ADV. effectively, successfully This new legislation effectively prevents us from trading. | forcibly, physically

VERB + PREVENT be able/unable to, can/could No one can prevent you from attending this meeting. | attempt to, seek to, take action/steps to, try to | help (to) A good sun cream will help prevent sunburn. | be designed to | be/do nothing to There was nothing to prevent him setting up in business on the premises. The whole affair is an outrage and the authorities have done nothing to prevent it.

PREP. from They took action to prevent the disease from spreading.

PHRASES aimed at preventing sth new measures aimed at preventing accidents | action/measures to prevent sth, an attempt to prevent sth, in order to prevent sth Action must be swift in order to prevent further damage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

preview noun

ADJ. press a press preview of a new film | sneak Journalists have been given a sneak preview of the singer's latest album.

VERB + PREVIEW get, have | see | give sb

PREVIEW + NOUN audience | theatre

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prey noun

ADJ. easy Teenagers are easy prey for unscrupulous drug dealers. | ideal

VERB + PREY chase, hunt for, look for, pursue, stalk | capture, pounce on a cat pouncing on its prey | kill

PREP. ~ for The young deer are ideal prey for the leopard. | ~ to (figurative) She was prey to all kinds of conflicting emotions.

PHRASES a beast/bird of prey, be/fall prey to sth (figurative) The new government has fallen prey to corruption and fraud.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

price noun

ADJ. exorbitant, high, inflated, prohibitive, steep | low | bargain, budget designer clothes at bargain prices | attractive, fair, reasonable, right We sell quality tools at the right price. | good I managed to get a good price for my old car. | average | asking, purchase What's the asking price for this house? You need to pay a deposit of 10 per cent of the purchase price of the property. | retail, sale, selling | cost They are selling off summer shoes at cost price. | full, half Children travel half price until age ten. | market This website tells you the market price of all makes of second-hand car. | admission admission prices at the museum | consumer | commodity, food, house, land, property, share | electricity, energy, fuel, oil, petrol

VERB + PRICE command, fetch, go for Property in the area is now fetching ridiculously high prices. | give sb, quote sb I got a number of suppliers to quote me their best prices. | charge, set | increase, push up, raise | bring down, cut, lower, mark down, push down, reduce, slash | go up in, increase in, rise in Oil is set in go up in price. | come down in | range in, vary in These computers range in price from £1,300 to £2,000. | undercut

PRICE + VERB go up, rise, shoot up, skyrocket, soar House prices went up by 5 per cent last year. Prices soared during the war. | drop, fall, go down, slump If prices slump further, the farmers will starve. | go from … to … , range from … to … , start at Prices go from $30 for the standard model to $150 for the deluxe version.

PREP. at a/the ~ Food is available, at a price (= at a high price). I can't afford it at that price. | in ~ Cigarettes have remained stable in price for some time.

PHRASES a drop/a fall/a reduction in price, an increase/a rise in price, pay a heavy price (for sth) The team paid a heavy price for its lack of preparation. | place/put a price on sth You can't put a price on happiness. | the price of freedom/success, etc. (= the unpleasant things you must suffer to have freedom, success, etc.), a small price to pay (for sth) The cost of a policy premium is a small price to pay for peace of mind. > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

price verb be priced

ADV. highly | attractively, competitively, economically, fairly, moderately, modestly, realistically, reasonably, sensibly a wide range of competitively priced office furniture | accordingly This is considered a luxury item and is priced accordingly.

PREP. at The car is priced at $60,000. | between Tickets for the concert are priced between £15 and £35. | from, to The kits are priced from £8.50 to £20.

PHRASES be priced high/low The house was priced much too high.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pride noun

¹ feeling of being proud of sb/sth

ADJ. fierce, great

VERB + PRIDE feel, have, swell with They have a fierce pride in their traditions. He swelled with pride as he held the trophy. | express

PREP. with ~ I wear my policeman's uniform with pride. ‘My daughter's a writer,’ he added with pride. | ~ in She expressed pride in her child's achievement.

PHRASES a cause/matter for pride Their reputation for fairness is a matter for pride. | a source of pride, take (a) pride in sth She takes great pride in her work.

² self-respect

ADJ. great | civic, family, local, national, personal, professional | dented, hurt, injured, wounded He was nursing his hurt pride. | foolish, stubborn It was foolish pride that prevented me from believing her.

VERB + PRIDE have I don't want your money?I have my pride, you know! | hurt I didn't mean to hurt your pride. | restore, salvage We want to restore pride in our public services. They managed to salvage some pride with a late goal. | swallow She swallowed her pride and phoned him.

PREP. out of ~ She refused their help out of pride. | through ~ It would be stupid to refuse through pride.

PHRASES a matter of pride It is a matter of pride for him that he has never accepted money from his family. | a sense of pride They have a strong sense of pride in their work. | with your pride intact She refused his offer tactfully, allowing him to go away with his pride intact.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

priest noun

¹ in Christianity

ADJ. local, parish, village | celibate | married | woman | Anglican, (Roman) Catholic, Jesuit, etc.

VERB + PRIEST become, be ordained (as)

PRIEST + VERB celebrate sth, officiate (at sth) the priest who was celebrating Mass

² in some other religions

ADJ. chief, high a ceremony led by the High Priest (figurative) He was considered the high priest of finance at that time. | temple | Brahmin, Buddhist, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prime minister noun

VERB + PRIME MINISTER appoint, appoint sb (as), elect, elect sb (as) | serve as He served briefly as prime minister from 1920 to 1921. (For more verbs see the entry for minister.)

PREP. under a/the ~ She held office under two different prime ministers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

principal noun

ADJ. college, school > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

principle noun

¹ basic general rule

ADJ. basic, broad, central, fundamental, general the basic principles of car maintenance | cardinal, essential, key | universal | democratic, legal, market, political, scientific, theoretical

VERB + PRINCIPLE establish, formulate, lay down | apply | explain

PRINCIPLE + VERB apply This principle applies to all kinds of selling. | underlie sth, underpin sth the principles underlying Western philosophy

PREP. in ~ I agree with you in principle, but we'll need to discuss the details. | ~ behind She went on to explain the principles behind what she was doing.

² rule for good behaviour

ADJ. high | guiding | Christian | moral He was a man of high moral principles.

VERB + PRINCIPLE betray, compromise I refuse to compromise my principles by eating meat. | adhere to, stick to She sticks to the principle that everyone should be treated equally.

PREP. against your ~s Eating meat was against her principles. | on ~ She's opposed to abortion on principle.

PHRASES a matter of principle They reject the proposal as a matter of principle. | a person of principle (= a person with high moral standards)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

printer noun

¹ person/company that prints books, etc.

ADJ. book | lithographic | commercial | master | jobbing

PRINTER + VERB print sth, run sth off The printer has run off 2,000 copies of the leaflet. > Note at JOB

² machine

ADJ. black-and-white, colour | computer | desktop | bubblejet, daisy wheel, dot matrix, inkjet, laser, line, page | compatible

VERB + PRINTER control, drive | connect Coonect the printer to your PC with a printer cable.

PRINTER + VERB print (sth), work The printer won't print for some reason.

PRINTER + NOUN cable | port | ribbon | driver | icon > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

print noun

ADJ. large | fine, small Always read the small print in a contract before signing. | clear | bold

PRINT + NOUN journalist, worker | industry, union | run The initial print run for her book was 6,000 copies.

PREP. in ~ All her books are still in print. | out of ~ The shop specializes in out-of-print books.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

print verb

ADV. beautifully The book is beautifully printed on good quality paper. | badly | correctly I couldn't get the graphics to print correctly. | clearly | indelibly (figurative) The incident was indelibly printed in her memory. | privately She had the memoir privately printed in a limited edition. | specially We had the T-shirts specially printed with the firm's logo.

PREP. from printing from a file | in The message was printed in blue ink. | on a leaflet printed on recycled paper | with a dress printed with blue flowers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

priority noun

ADJ. high, main, major, number one, top | first, immediate, urgent Getting food, medicine and blankets to flood victims is the most urgent priority. | low Material possessions have always been a low priority for Mike.

VERB + PRIORITY choose, decide on, determine, identify, sort out You need to sort out your priorities before making a decision about the future. | get, have, take When hospital funds are being allocated children take priority. | give sb/sth The government is giving priority to school leavers in its job-creation programme.

PREP. ~ over Her family takes priority over her work.

PHRASES a list of priorities, order of priority List the tasks in order of priority.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prisoner noun

VERB + PRISONER capture, take They had captured over 100 prisoners. Many soldiers were taken prisoner. | hold, keep They were kept prisoner for eight months in a tiny flat. | free, release

PHRASES a prisoner of conscience The former prisoner of conscience was elected president of the new democracy. | a prisoner of war

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prison noun

VERB + PRISON go to He went to prison for tax evasion. | put sb in, send sb to, throw sb into She was sent to prison for leaking state secrets. He was immediately seized and thrown into prison. | be discharged from, be released from, come out of, get out of When did he get out of prison? | escape from A dangerous criminal has escaped from a high-security prison. | avoid, escape You only escaped prison (= escaped being sent to prison) because of your previous good character. | face She was told by magistrates she could now face prison.

PREP. at a/the~ The police are investigating disturbances at the prison. | in (a/the) ~ How long has her father been in prison? There have been riots in the prison.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

privacy noun

ADJ. complete, total | individual, personal

VERB + PRIVACY preserve, protect, respect | disturb, intrude on, invade, violate I hope I'm not intruding on your privacy.

PREP. in ~ I want to be left in privacy. | in the ~ of She longed to be in the privacy of her own room. | ~ from privacy from prying eyes

PHRASES an intrusion/invasion of privacy These phone calls are a gross invasion of privacy. | an intrusion on (sb's) privacy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

privatization noun

ADJ. large-scale, mass, wholesale | partial | electricity, rail, water, etc.

PRIVATIZATION + NOUN plan, programme, proposal

PREP. under ~ Several railway lines were closed under privatization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

privileged adj.

VERBS be, feel | consider sb/yourself I consider myself highly privileged to have this opportunity.

ADV. highly, specially, very | absolutely | quite, relatively | financially, socially She came from a financially privileged background.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

privilege noun

¹ special right

ADJ. exclusive, special Club members have special privileges, like free use of the pool. | class | diplomatic

VERB + PRIVILEGE enjoy, exercise, have | accord sb, give sb, grant sb | abuse He was accused of abusing his diplomatic privileges. | revoke, withdraw

² opportunity to do sth pleasant

ADJ. enormous, great, rare, real It is a great privilege to be attending this conference. | doubtful, dubious I was given the dubious privilege of organizing the summer fair.

VERB + PRIVILEGE have She had the rare privilege of a viewing of his private art collection. | give sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prize noun

VERB + PRIZE award (sb), give (sb) | present The prize was presented by the mayor. | get, receive, take, win | accept

PRIZE + VERB go to sb/sth The prize went to the grey long-haired cat. | be worth sth a prize worth over £3,000

PRIZE + NOUN winner (also prizewinner) | money | draw

PREP. ~ for He won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prize verb

PREP. above a precious thing to be prized above all else | as The library is prized as the finest of its kind in England. | for The berries are prized for their healing properties.

PHRASES highly/much prized two fruits that are much prized in Madeira

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

probability noun

ADJ. high, real, strong There is a high probability that it will snow tonight. | greater, increased | low

QUANT. degree We can say with a high degree of probability that the poem was written by Shakespeare.

VERB + PROBABILITY have | increase | reduce | assess, calculate, judge

PREP. ~ of This surgical procedure has a high probability of success.

PHRASES in all probability In all probability she wouldn't come even if we invited her. | on a balance of probabilities The coroner thought that on the balance of probabilities, the pilot had suffered a stroke just before the crash.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

probable adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, very | quite | equally The two outcomes are equally probable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

probation noun

ADJ. give sb, place sb on, put sb on, sentence sb to He was placed on probation for two years. She was sentenced to a year's probation. | release sb on

PROBATION + NOUN order He was under a probation order for attacking a photographer. | officer | service | hostel | period Once your probation period is successfully completed, you will be offered a contract.

PREP. on ~ The judge put her on probation for a year. He joined the company on six months' probation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

probe verb

ADV. deep/deeply (figurative) probing deeper and deeper into the secrets of the universe | further | gently

PREP. for using its long beak to probe for worms | into (figurative) The police were probing into her personal life. | with He probed the mud with his knife.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

problem noun

¹ sth that causes difficulties

VERB + PROBLEM be, pose, present (sb with) Inadequate resources pose a problem for all members of staff. | have | bring, cause, create Success brings its own problems. Staff shortages cause problems for the organization. | be beset with, be confronted by/with, be dogged by, be faced with, be fraught with, confront, encounter, face, run into He has been faced with all manner of problems in his new job. The scheme has been fraught with problems from the start. | raise She raised the problem of falling sales at the last meeting. | identify | consider, debate, discuss, look at/into | address, approach, attack, combat, come/get to grips with, grapple with, handle, tackle The next meeting will address the problem of truancy. | avoid, circumvent, find a way around/round, get around/round | clear up, cure, deal with, overcome, resolve, solve He had to undergo surgery to cure the problem with his knee. | alleviate, ease, reduce | exacerbate | analyse, explore

PROBLEM + VERB arise, come up, occur problems arising from poor ventilation | exist | persist, remain If the problem persists you should see a doctor. The basic problem remains the lack of housing available. | confront sb, face sb | lie in sth The problem lies in the lack of communication between managers and staff.

PROBLEM + NOUN area | child

PREP. ~ about I didn't imagine there would be a problem about getting tickets. | ~ for The rail strike is a problem for all commuters. | ~ of the problem of poverty | ~ with Have you got a problem with her?

PHRASES an approach to a problem, the crux/heart/root of the problem We need to get to the root of the problem before we can solve it. | a remedy/solution to a problem, the scale of a problem

² question to be solved

ADJ. complicated, difficult | easy, simple | mathematical solving simple mathematical problems

VERB + PROBLEM do, find the answer to, solve I have five problems to do for homework.

PROBLEM + NOUN solving This kind of activity develops the children's problem-solving skills.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

procedure noun

ADJ. complex, complicated | simple, straightforward | correct, normal, proper, standard, usual There are standard procedures for dismissing staff. | agreed, established | special | administrative, appeals, application, assessment, complaints, court, criminal, disciplinary, emergency, parliamentary, safety, scientific, selection, surgical a minor surgical procedure

PROCEDURE + NOUN adopt, follow, use Did you follow the emergency procedure when you heard the alarm? | establish A straightforward complaints procedure must be established from the outset.

PREP. under a/the ~ under a procedure established by legislation | ~ for the correct procedure for hiring staff

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proceedings noun

ADJ. court, criminal, judicial, legal | bankruptcy, divorce, extradition, impeachment, libel | appeal, civil, committal, summary

VERB + PROCEEDINGS bring, institute, take | begin, commence, start

PROCEEDINGS + VERB begin, commence

PREP. in ~ decisions made in court proceedings | ~ against She is bringing divorce proceedings against her husband. | ~ before in appeal proceedings before a tribunal | ~ between proceedings between the four parties involved

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proceeds noun

ADJ. total | gross | net | sale

VERB + PROCEEDS use The proceeds will be used to improve the school playground. | donate

PROCEEDS + VERB go to sth All the proceeds will go to the local pensioners' club.

PREP. on the ~ I sold my car and I'm planning a long holiday on the proceeds. | with the ~ They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction. | ~ from

PHRASES your share of the proceeds She bought a small flat with her share of the proceeds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proceed verb

ADV. apace, quickly, rapidly Work is now proceeding apace. | slowly | carefully, cautiously, with caution It will be necessary to proceed with caution. | smoothly, uneventfully | directly In some cases appeals may proceed directly from the High Court to the House of Lords. | further

VERB + PROCEED be able to | decide to, intend to, wish to | allow sb/sth to, enable sb/sth to This project cannot be allowed to proceed. | instruct sb to I will instruct my solicitor to proceed with the preparation of draft contracts.

PREP. along Proceed along the Botley Road. | down, through, to students who wish to proceed to university | with She decided not to proceed with the treatment.

PHRASES proceed on the basis of sth The council must proceed on the basis of the vote.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

procession noun

VERB + PROCESSION head, lead The mayor of the town led the procession to the central square.

PROCESSION + VERB make its way, move, pass, wind (its way) The funeral procession moved slowly down the avenue. The solemn procession wound its way through the narrow streets. | leave, move off, set off

PREP. in (a/the) ~ The children marched in procession behind the band. | ~ of a procession of circus performers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

process noun

ADJ. gradual, lengthy, long, slow | constant, continuous | complex, complicated, difficult | natural | due the due process of law | painful Removing the splinters from the wound was a long and painful process. | consultation, consultative, decision-making, management, planning | cognitive, creative, learning, mental Teachers are trained to stimulate the child's cognitive processes. | assessment, selection | democratic, electoral, political Churches are taking a key role in the democratic process. | chemical, industrial, manufacturing, production | ageing, biological, evolutionary, physical | judicial, legal | peace a stalemate in the peace process | historical, social

VERB + PROCESS go through Each time we have to go through the whole decision-making process again. | accelerate, speed up, stimulate Excessive exposure to sunlight speeds up the ageing process of the skin.

PROCESS + VERB take place The selection process takes place over a period of two weeks.

PREP. ~ for a legal process for dealing with defrauders | ~ of the process of change

PHRASES a stage in/of the process

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

process verb

ADV. efficiently | quickly | automatically | routinely

PREP. for The plant is then processed for dye. | into The berries are processed into juice or sauce.

PHRASES highly processed highly processed foods

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proclaim verb

ADV. loudly | formally, officially | openly, publicly | proudly | unilaterally The district unilaterally proclaimed its independence from the national government.

VERB + PROCLAIM seem to His classic boyish looks seemed to proclaim his good humour and openness.

PREP. as Everyone is proclaiming him as the next president. | to proclaiming her innocence to the world

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proclamation noun

ADJ. official, public, royal

VERB + PROCLAMATION issue, make

PROCLAMATION + VERB forbid sth, prohibit sth

PREP. by ~ The government restricted the use of water by proclamation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

producer noun

¹ sb/sth that makes/grows sth

² organizes a play, film, etc.

ADJ. film, radio, television/TV | BBC, Hollywood, etc. | independent commissioning programmes from independent producers | executive | assistant, associate

PHRASES the role of producer She was keen to take on the role of producer. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

produce noun

ADJ. fresh | local | seasonal | agricultural, animal, dairy, farm, garden, organic, primary fresh farm produce

VERB + PRODUCE grow | export, market, sell

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

produce verb

ADV. domestically, locally fruit and vegetables that are produced locally | commercially | organically organically produced food

VERB + PRODUCE be able/unable to, can/could | be expected to, be likely to Which method is likely to produce the best results? | combine to All of these processes combine to produce a particular form of language. | be designed to | use sth to The technology can be used to produce interactive educational programs.

PREP. from The wine is produced from Chardonnay grapes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

production noun

¹ making/growing sth

QUANT. level, volume The increase in volume of production brought down the price of the goods.

PRODUCTION + NOUN line, plant a car production plant | methods, process, system | director, manager, team | costs | capacity, level, volume

PRODUCTION + VERB increase, rise | fall

PHRASES a cut/fall in production, an increase/a rise in production, the means of production They believed that power largely derives from ownership of the means of production. > Special page at BUSINESS

² play, film, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

productive adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. enormously, extremely, highly, remarkably, very It was a highly productive meeting. | fairly, quite | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

productivity noun

ADJ. high, low | greater, improved, increased | lost The strike took a heavy toll in lost productivity. | agricultural, labour, manufacturing

QUANT. level Farmers are struggling to maintain a level of productivity that generates an acceptable income.

VERB + PRODUCTIVITY boost, improve, increase, raise | decrease, reduce

PRODUCTIVITY + VERB increase, rise | decrease, drop, fall

PRODUCTIVITY + NOUN level | gains, growth, increase | deal Management is negotiating a new productivity deal with the union.

PHRASES a decline/reduction in productivity, a gain/an improvement/an increase in productivity, growth in productivity Wage increases outpaced growth in productivity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

product noun

¹ sth that is made or formed

VERB + PRODUCT buy | sell | market, promote | develop | launch

PHRASES a range of products a wide range of beauty products > Special page at BUSINESS

² result

ADJ. end, final A complicated string of chemical reactions leads to the end product. | natural

PREP. ~ of Like many of his generation, he was a product of Scotland's obsession with football.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

professional adj.

¹ connected with a job

VERBS be

ADV. purely, strictly He insisted that his relationship with the duchess was purely professional.

² extremely skilled

VERBS be, look Their designs look very professional.

ADV. extremely, highly, really, truly, very He dealt with the problem in a highly professional way. | thoroughly | increasingly | almost | quite, rather

³ done as a paid job, not a hobby

VERBS be | become, turn

ADV. fully He wants to turn fully professional.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

professional noun

ADJ. committed, dedicated, experienced | real, true This is the work of a real professional. | leading, senior, top a top golf professional | independent The survey should be performed by an independent professional. | fellow an actor revered by his fellow professionals | computer, health (care), medical | golf, tennis, etc. > Note at PROFESSIONAL

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

profession noun

ADJ. chosen | legal, medical, teaching, etc.

VERB + PROFESSION practise In the 1930s he was forbidden to practise his profession. | enter, go into, join She entered the legal profession after university.

PREP. by ~ He was a consultant physician by profession. | in a/sb's/the ~ making an impact in her chosen profession

PHRASES a choice of profession She was shocked at her daughter's choice of profession. | the top of sb's profession He reached the top of his profession in very little time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

professor noun

PREP. ~ of an eminent professor of English > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proficiency noun

ADJ. considerable, great | technical | language, oral, reading, written | cycling, skiing, etc.

QUANT. degree, level He taught himself to carve to a high degree of proficiency.

VERB + PROFICIENCY acquire, develop, increase He acquired greater proficiency after a three-month intensive course. | demonstrate, show

PROFICIENCY + NOUN examination, test a language proficiency test | certificate

PREP. ~ in a certificate for proficiency in English

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proficient adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. very | fully | fairly, reasonably | technically a technically proficient performance of the piece

PREP. at very proficient at sign language | in She's fairly proficient in Italian.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

profile noun

¹ face seen from the side

ADJ. beautiful, handsome | strong | three-quarter

VERB + PROFILE present

PREP. in ~ The painting shows her in profile.

PHRASES sb's best profile He presented his best profile to the camera.

² description of sb/sth

ADJ. detailed | age, career, psychological | company, customer | financial, social

VERB + PROFILE build up, construct, develop

PREP. ~ of The data will enable us to construct a profile of the firm's customers.

³ public image

ADJ. high, low She decided to keep a low profile until the scandal had died down. | public | political | corporate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

profitability noun

ADJ. high, low | greater | declining concerns about the declining profitability of the industry | overall | long-term, short-term

QUANT. level

VERB + PROFITABILITY achieve measures to achieve greater profitability | maintain | improve, increase | maximize | reduce

PHRASES a decline/fall in profitability, an increase in profitability, a return to profitability The firm is now showing signs of a return to profitability. > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

profitable adj.

¹ making a profit

VERBS be, prove, seem confident that the venture will prove profitable | become | remain | make sth | keep sth What can be done to keep the business profitable?

² helpful

VERBS be | find sth Some churches have found it profitable to hold services during the week.

ADV. very | mutually Cooperation could be mutually profitable. | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

profit noun

VERB + PROFIT bring (in), earn, generate, make, realize, reap, yield The CD generated record profits. | boost, increase | maximize | show The company started to show a profit in its first year.

PROFIT + VERB grow, increase, rise | fall, plummet, plunge | accrue, arise profits accruing to the taxpayer from the sale of property

PROFIT + NOUN margin, rate

PREP. against ~s The firm made losses of 500,000 against profits of 750,000. | at a ~ We should be able to sell the piano at a profit. | for ~ The goods were sold for profit. | ~ on Did you make a profit on your house when you sold it?

PHRASES a decline/fall in profits, an increase/a rise in profits, profit after/before tax Profit before tax increased by 40% on last year. > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs) > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

programmer noun

ADJ. senior | assistant | experienced, skilled, trained | freelance | computer, software

PROGRAMMER + VERB write sth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

programme noun

¹ plan of things to do

ADJ. ambitious | comprehensive, major, massive, radical, wide-ranging a comprehensive programme of economic reform | modest | long-term | regular | varied a varied programme of entertainment | pilot The pilot programme of vaccination proved successful. | party, political | government | collaborative, joint joint programmes between government and industry | action, development, improvement, modernization, privatization, research | economic, expenditure, investment, recovery Mr Brown called for a national recovery programme. | austerity, closure, cost-cutting | aid, assistance, relief, welfare | assessment, testing | degree, education, educational, literacy, training students enrolled on the two-year MA degree programme | care, health a community care programme for psychiatric patients | exercise, weight-loss | breeding, building, conservation, defence Female seals are needed for the breeding programme.

PROGRAMME + VERB aim to, be aimed at sb/sth, be designed to The programme aims to increase employment. | include sth, involve sb/sth | offer sth, provide sth

PREP. in a/the ~, on the/your ~ What's on your programme today (= What are your plans)? | ~ for What's the programme for (= What are we going to do) tomorrow? | ~ of a programme of study

PHRASES the aim/objective/purpose of a programme

² radio/televsion show

PREP. in a/the ~ In today's programme, we'll be giving you advice on how to manage your money. | on a/the ~ He appeared on the programme last night. | ~ about/on I saw a good programme on owls last night.

³ booklet for a play/concert/event

ADJ. concert, theatre | match, race

PREP. in the ~ Her name doesn't appear in the concert programme.

⁴ order of events

ADJ. exciting, interesting | musical, sporting

VERB + PROGRAMME arrange, draw up, plan, organize planning an exciting programme of activities

PROGRAMME + VERB include sth

PREP. ~ of a programme of 17th century music

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

program noun

ADJ. computer, software | analysis, database, design, desktop publishing, drawing, graphics, image-editing, page make-up, simulation, spreadsheet, video-editing, word-processing, etc. | shareware

VERB + PROGRAM run, use | design, develop, write a program designed to evaluate road safety measures | download, execute, install, load | uninstall | copy

PROGRAM + VERB crash I lost half a morning's work when the program crashed. | allow sth This program allows you to edit and catalogue digital photographs. | contain sth The program contains powerful new features. | provide sth This program provides everything you need to prepare your own publication. | require sth This program requires at least 24Mb of RAM. | create sth The program creates simulations of real-life driving conditions. | operate, run | close

PROGRAM + NOUN file

PREP. in a/the ~ There may be a bug in the program. | ~ for a program for debugging > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

progression noun

PREP. ~ from … to … his progression from chubby teenager to handsome movie star | ~ through Her progression through the grades of the civil service had been rapid. | ~ within his steady upward progression within the company

PHRASES the progression of a disease one of the later stages in the progression of the disease

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

progressive adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very highly progressive in outlook | relatively | politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

progress noun

¹ movement forwards

ADJ. considerable, dramatic, encouraging, excellent, genuine, good, great, impressive, real, remarkable, significant, substantial | fast, rapid, swift | inexorable | slow, stately We watched the ship's stately progress out of the harbour. | satisfactory, steady | further | academic, educational

VERB + PROGRESS achieve, make | assess, chart, check (on), evaluate, monitor, observe, review, trace, track, watch Regular tests enable the teacher to monitor the progress of each child. | block, hamper, hinder, impede, obstruct, slow (down) | halt, stop | accelerate, facilitate

PROGRESS + NOUN report

PREP. in ~ There was a cricket match in progress. | ~ from … to … The book traced his steady progress from petty theft to serious crime. | ~ in He's making good progress in maths. | ~ on How much progress have the builders made on the extension? | ~ towards Who can halt Woods' inexorable progress towards yet another championship? | ~ with She's making steady progress with her thesis.

PHRASES a lack of progress I was frustrated by my apparent lack of progress when I started the violin. | a rate of progress At the present rate of progress we won't be finished before July. | work in progress I have one file for completed work and one for work in progress.

² improvement in society

ADJ. economic, evolutionary, industrial, medical, scientific, social, technical, technological | human

VERB + PROGRESS hold back

PHRASES the march of progress the onward march of technological progress

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

progress verb

ADV. satisfactorily, smoothly, well The talks are progressing very well. | further He felt he still needed to progress further in his learning. | rapidly progressing rapidly in his chosen career | slowly The work is progressing quite slowly. | steadily

VERB + PROGRESS fail to

PREP. beyond Samir failed to progress beyond this first step on the ladder. | from, through allowing students to progress through the stages of the course | to She soon progressed from the basics to more difficult work. | towards slowly progressing towards a new kind of art | up his ambition to progress up the career ladder | with They are keen to progress with the scheme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prohibition noun

ADJ. absolute, total | general | legal, statutory

VERB + PROHIBITION impose | abolish, lift

PROHIBITION + NOUN notice, order The prohibition order meant that the book could not be sold in this country.

PREP. ~ against prohibition against sales to under-18s of alcohol | ~ of a treaty for the prohibition of nuclear tests | ~ on the prohibition imposed on the sale of arms

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prohibit verb

ADV. strictly Smoking in the cinema is strictly prohibited. | expressly, specifically | effectively The very restrict regulations effectively prohibit the entry of soil or plants grown in soil into the country. | constitutionally The president is constitutionally prohibited from serving more than two terms in office.

PREP. from The Act specifically prohibits any council from spending money for political purposes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

projection noun

ADJ. current, latest | forward, future | population | financial, profit, sales

VERB + PROJECTION make | revise

PREP. on … ~s On current projections, there will be more than ten million people 65 or over in 2010. | ~ about He declined to make projections about the next quarter's earnings. | ~ as to We have been making forward projections as to future profitability of the firm. | ~ for They presented profit projections for the rest of the year. | ~ of The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

projector noun

ADJ. overhead | cine, film, slide, video

VERB + PROJECTOR switch off/on | operate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

project noun

¹ planned piece of work

VERB + PROJECT set up | carry out, run | conceive, plan | launch | fund, support

PROJECT + VERB aim to, be aimed at sth The project aims to reduce homelessness.

PROJECT + NOUN management | leader, manager, team

PHRASES the aim of the project The aims of the project are threefold … > Special page at BUSINESS

² piece of school work

ADJ. French, history, etc.

VERB + PROJECT do

PREP. ~ on My class is doing a project on medieval towns.

PROJECT + NOUN work

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prolific adj

VERBS be

ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, immensely, incredibly, very | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prolonged adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | not unduly The surgery must not be unduly prolonged. | fairly, quite, relatively, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prolong verb

ADV. indefinitely Might it be possible to prolong life indefinitely? | artificially | deliberately Doctors commented that some patients deliberately prolong their treatment. | unduly, unnecessarily We do not want to prolong the meeting unnecessarily.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prominence noun

VERB + PROMINENCE achieve, come into/to, gain, rise to, shoot to She came to national prominence as an artist in the 1960s. | bring sb/sth into/to, give sb/sth His account gives due prominence to the role of the king.

PHRASES a position of prominence The former rebels were given positions of prominence in the new government. | a rise to prominence The city's rise to prominence as a port began in the early nineteenth century.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prominent adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. especially, extremely, particularly, unusually, very | increasingly | fairly, quite

PREP. as prominent as a player and coach | in prominent in the trade unions

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

promise noun

¹ statement that you will do sth

VERB + PROMISE give sb, make (sb) You gave me your promise I could use the car tonight. I'll consider it, but I make no promises. | fulfil, honour, keep | break, go back on | extract We extracted a promise from them that they would repay the money by May. | hold sb to The Opposition is determined to hold the government to its election promises.

PREP. ~ about They've made all sorts of promises about reforming the health system. | ~ of promises of support

² signs that sb/sth will be successful

ADJ. considerable, great, real This new venture holds great promise for the future. | early, youthful

VERB + PROMISE hold, show | fulfil, live up to His career failed to fulfil its early promise.

PREP. of ~ a pianist of promise | ~ as She showed great promise as a runner.

PHRASES full of promise The year began so full of promise, and ended in disappointment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

promise verb

ADV. faithfully She promised faithfully that she would come. | solemnly

VERB + PROMISE can/can't | seem to The plan seemed to promise a new beginning.

PREP. to I've promised my old computer to Jane.

PHRASES as promised I am sending you information on holidays as promised. | I can't promise anything I can't promise anything, but I hope to have it finished next week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

promising adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. extremely, highly, particularly, very | hardly The outlook is hardly promising. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

promote verb

¹ encourage sth

ADV. strongly The idea of equal opportunities was strongly promoted by many Labour MPs. | actively, directly | indirectly | deliberately, intentionally They claimed that the authorities had deliberately promoted and condoned the violence.

VERB + PROMOTE aim to, seek to, try to | help (to) Basketball stars from the United States have helped promote the sport in Italy and Spain. | be designed to measures designed to promote economic growth | be likely to | serve to, tend to Bonus payments to staff serve to promote commitment to the company.

PREP. through Young people's awareness of agricultural issues is promoted through publicity material.

PHRASES be aimed at promoting sth, be widely promoted, a campaign/scheme to promote sth, efforts/measures to promote sth

² advertise sth

ADV. aggressively, heavily The new products have been very heavily promoted. | widely

PREP. as The town is now being promoted as a holiday destination. | through The company's products have been promoted mainly through advertising in newspapers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

promotion noun

¹ to a higher position

ADJ. rapid | internal The company encourages internal promotion.

VERB + PROMOTION gain, get, win If I can't get promotion soon, I'll look for another job. | deserve We congratulate James on his well-deserved promotion to Chief Executive. | recommend sb for

PROMOTION + NOUN opportunities, prospects | race With three matches remaining, there are six teams in the promotion race.

PREP. ~ from, ~ to his promotion from lecturer to senior lecturer

PHRASES chance/chances of promotion The team's chances of promotion took a knock when they lost at home.

² advertising

ADJ. special | sales, trade | book, tobacco, etc. | health The new health promotion clinic will provide free check-ups.

VERB + PROMOTION do We're doing a special book promotion at key bookshops this week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prone adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | leave sb/sth, make sb/sth Sun removes the oil and wax, leaving the leather prone to cracking.

ADV. especially, highly, particularly, very | increasingly | rather, slightly | notoriously The M40 through Oxfordshire is notoriously prone to fog.

PREP. to She seems very prone to chest infections.

PHRASES accident prone

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pronounced adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. especially, particularly, very These blooms have a very pronounced tendency to hang their heads. | fairly, quite walking with a fairly pronounced limp

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pronounce verb

¹ make the sound of a word/letter

ADV. clearly, distinctly | correctly, properly

VERB + PRONOUNCE can, know how to I don't know how to pronounce the name of the town. | be difficult to

PREP. as ‘Gone back’ is sometimes pronounced as ‘gom back’. | as in She pronounded the ‘o’ as in ‘no’.

² state sth

ADV. confidently Press reports beforehand confidently pronounced that an agreement had already been reached.

PREP. in favour of The committee has pronounced in favour of the merger. | on/upon I do not feel competent to pronounce on this matter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pronoun noun

ADJ. plural, singular | first-person, second-person, etc. | definite, demonstrative, indefinite, interrogative, personal, possessive, relative | object, subject

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pronunciation noun

ADJ. correct, good | bad, incorrect | alternative, different, variant | standard | American, Australian, etc.

VERB + PRONUNCIATION correct She doesn't like having her pronunciation corrected.

PRONUNCIATION + NOUN drill, exercise, practice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proof noun

ADJ. absolute, clear, conclusive, concrete, convincing, direct, good, incontrovertible, irrefutable, positive, real, tangible Have you got any positive proof that she took the money? We have proof positive that he is in hiding. I have no real proof that he was at the flat. | ample, sufficient | further | final, ultimate The photo was final proof of her husband's infidelity. | documentary, written | legal | scientific | living The lungfish is living proof that fish could evolve to breathe on land.

VERB + PROOF have | give sb, offer (sb), produce, provide (sb with) | get, obtain | need, require

PREP. without ~ He is unlikely to make wild accusations without proof. | ~ of Her account gives us no concrete proof of his guilt.

PHRASES the burden/onus of proof The burden of proof lay on the plaintiff to prove negligence. | a lack of proof The men were acquitted for lack of proof. | proof of identity, proof of purchase Proof of purchase must be provided before a refund can be made. | a standard of proof Civil proceedings require a lower standard of proof than criminal cases.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

propaganda noun

ADJ. government, official, party, state | political, religious, revolutionary | Conservative, socialist, etc. | enemy, hostile, war

VERB + PROPAGANDA broadcast The pirate radio station broadcast anti-government propaganda.

PROPAGANDA + NOUN battle, campaign, effort, exercise, war | triumph, victory | department, machine | film, material, tool, weapon | purposes The film was made in 1938 for propaganda purposes. | value The Olympics were of great propaganda value to the regime.

PREP. ~ about The papers were full of political propaganda about nationalization. | ~ against Soviet propaganda against Fascism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

property noun

¹ possessions

ADJ. personal, private | common, public | intellectual Companies should protect their intellectual property with patents and trademarks. | stolen | lost I phoned the lost property office to see if someone had found my bag.

VERB + PROPERTY dispose of The market was known as a place where people disposed of stolen property.

PROPERTY + NOUN rights The firm was found to have infringed intellectual property rights.

² land/building

VERB + PROPERTY hold, own | acquire, buy, invest in, purchase | inherit | sell | lease, let, rent out They decided to rent out the property while they were abroad. | rent living in rented property | view We have a potential buyer who wants to view the property. | value The property was valued at £250,000. | put on the market Once the tenants have left, the property will be put on the market.

PROPERTY + NOUN market, prices, values | company, developer | owner | tax | boundary

PHRASES a man/woman of property Now that you've paid off your mortgage, how does it feel to be a woman of property?

³ characteristic

ADJ. biological, chemical, electrical, magnetic, mechanical, physical | antiseptic, health-giving, medicinal The medicinal properties of the leaves of this tree have been known for centuries. | observable | individual | general

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proper adj.

VERBS be, seem It seemed proper to pay tribute to her in this way. | consider sth, deem sth, think sth It was not considered proper for young ladies to go out alone.

ADV. very | entirely, perfectly, quite The tribunal decided that his behaviour was perfectly proper.

PHRASES (only) right and proper It is only right and proper that you should attend his funeral.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prophecy noun

ADJ. Biblical, Messianic, Old Testament | self-fulfilling low expectations that become a self-fulfilling prophecy

VERB + PROPHECY make | fulfil

PREP. ~ about Macbeth believed the witches' prophecy about his future. | ~ of The poem contains a bleak prophecy of war and ruin.

PHRASES the gift of prophecy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prophetic adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem His warnings about the journey proved prophetic.

ADV. highly | almost | strangely

PREP. of a book that was prophetic of future developments in science

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prophet noun

ADJ. true Some believe that he was not a true prophet. | false | great | Old Testament

PHRASES a prophet of doom (informal) In spite of the prophets of doom, her business proved very successful.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proportional adj.

VERBS be

ADV. broadly, roughly The amount of food a child needs is roughly proportional to its size. | directly The speed of the glider is directly proportional to the speed of the wind. | inversely The amount of force needed is inversely proportional to the rigidity of the material.

PREP. to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proportion noun

¹ part/share of a whole

VERB + PROPORTION express sth as The chart shows government spending expressed as a proportion of national income. | grow as, increase as, rise as | decline as, decrease as, diminish as, fall as The unskilled section of the working class was diminishing as a proportion of the workforce.

PROPORTION + VERB grow, increase, rise | decline, decrease, fall

² relationship between the size/amount of two things

ADJ. correct | direct | inverse The human population in the region is expanding in inverse proportion to the wildlife. | relative

VERB + PROPORTION keep sth in Try to keep your view of the situation in proportion (= not think it is more serious than it is).

PREP. in ~ (to) The cost of insurance increases in proportion to the performance of the car. | out of ~ (to) The costs of the plan are out of proportion to the budget available. | ~ of sth to sth The proportion of sand to cement used was three to one.

PHRASES out of all proportion The problem has been exaggerated out of all proportion. | a sense of proportion Try to keep a sense of proportion (= of the relative importance of different things).

³ proportions: size and shape of sth

ADJ. enormous, epic, extraordinary, gargantuan, generous, gigantic, heroic, huge, immense, major, mammoth, massive, monumental, staggering | modest | manageable, unmanageable The computer brings the huge task of stock control down to more manageable proportions. | alarming | crisis, epidemic | classic, elegant, fine, noble, perfect There is an entrance hall of perfect proportions, twice as long as it is wide. | bodily

VERB + PROPORTION reach The food shortage had reached crisis proportions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proposal noun

¹ plan

ADJ. concrete | detailed | controversial | compromise | peace, reform, research, etc.

QUANT. package, set The government outlined a new set of proposals on human rights.

VERB + PROPOSAL formulate | outline | bring forward, make, put forward, submit | accept, back, support, welcome I welcome the proposal to reduce taxes for the poorly paid. | block, oppose, reject, vote against | push through The government could face defeat if it tries to push through the controversial proposals. | drop, withdraw | consider, discuss

PREP. ~ concerning/relating to proposals concerning the use of land | ~ for The Ministry submitted a proposal for lower speed limits on motorways. > Special page at MEETING

² offer of marriage

VERB + PROPOSAL make | receive | accept She accepted his proposal of marriage. | turn down

PHRASES a proposal of marriage

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

propose verb

ADV. seriously Are you seriously proposing that we should allow this situation to continue?

PREP. as The measures have been proposed as a way of improving standards. | for He was proposed for the job of treasurer.

PHRASES originally proposed The plan originally proposed was ruled completely unrealistic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proposition noun

¹ arrangement/offer/suggestion

ADJ. attractive, tempting | feasible, practical, viable | business, commercial, economic, paying

VERB + PROPOSITION put to sb Ring up your agent in New York and put your proposition to him.

² problem/task

ADJ. tough, tricky | different He's a different proposition from his father?much less tolerant.

³ idea/opinion

ADJ. basic, central, fundamental | true | extreme | abstract, causal, empirical, ethical, existential, general, theoretical, universal

QUANT. set

VERB + PROPOSITION express, put forward

PROPOSITION + VERB concern sth, relate to sth

PREP. ~ about The book puts forward a number of extreme propositions about the nature of language.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proprietor noun

ADJ. hotel, newspaper, restaurant | landed | sole He is now sole proprietor of the business.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prosecution noun

¹ trying to prove sb's guilt in court

ADJ. criminal, private | successful | impending, possible He faces possible prosecution.

VERB + PROSECUTION bring, initiate | be liable to, face, risk | escape | lead to, result in

PREP. ~ against The police brought a prosecution against the driver involved. | ~ for Prosecutions for water pollution more than doubled.

PHRASES immunity from prosecution

² lawyers trying to prove sb's guilt

PROSECUTION + VERB prove sth | allege sth, claim sth The prosecution alleged that he murdered his wife.

PROSECUTION + NOUN case, evidence | counsel, lawyer, witness | costs

PREP. for the ~ a witness for the prosecution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prose noun

QUANT. piece

VERB + PROSE write (in)

PREP. in ~ a passage in prose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prospectus noun

ADJ. detailed | college, school

QUANT. copy

VERB + PROSPECTUS browse through, leaf through, look through | produce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prospect noun

¹ chance/hope that sth will happen

ADJ. reasonable | immediate

VERB + PROSPECT have | offer

PREP. in ~ Major developments are in prospect for the company. | ~ of sth There is little prospect of any improvement in the weather.

² idea of what may/will happen

ADJ. attractive, exciting, inviting | bleak, daunting

VERB + PROSPECT be excited at, relish, welcome I don't relish the prospect of having to share an office. | be faced with, face 3 prospects chances of being successful

VERB + PROSPECT have | offer (sb) This position offers a good starting salary and excellent promotion prospects. | boost, enhance, improve Getting the right qualifications will enhance your employment prospects. | blight, damage, diminish, ruin, wreck | assess, examine, review

PROSPECT + VERB improve

PREP. with/without ~ At 25 he was an unemployed musician with no prospects. | ~ for Long-term prospects for the economy have improved. | ~ of Their prospects of employment look better than last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prosperity noun

QUANT. level an area with a level of prosperity higher than the national average

VERB + PROSPERITY bring, create The growth of tourism brought prosperity to the island. | achieve

PROSPERITY + VERB depend on sth The island's prosperity depends on its fishing industry.

PHRASES a period of prosperity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prosperous adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, grow | remain

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite, relatively | formerly, once this once prosperous region | newly Suburbs sprawled out to provide homes for the newly prosperous. | economically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prostitute noun

ADJ. common She was arrested and charged with being a common prostitute. | child, female, girl, male | former, reformed a book written by a former prostitute

VERB + PROSTITUTE be, work as | go to, use, visit the men who use prostitutes | control He was arrested on charges of controlling prostitutes.

PROSTITUTE + VERB solicit The prostitutes solicit openly here.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prostitution noun

ADJ. child, female, juvenile, male

VERB + PROSTITUTION be involved in | turn to Some turned to prostitution in order to survive.

PROSTITUTION + NOUN trade There is a long-standing prostitution trade in the port.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prostrate adj.

VERBS be, lie lying prostrate on the ground | fall They fell prostrate before the king.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

protection noun

ADJ. adequate, effective | legal | police Witnesses at the trial were given police protection. | animal, child, consumer, data, environmental, personal, wildlife Animal protection supporters gathered to protest against hunting. She carries a gun in her bag for personal protection. | fire, flood Fire protection equipment must be available on all floors. | sun sun protection products

QUANT. degree A helmet affords the cyclist some degree of protection against injury.

VERB + PROTECTION afford (sb), give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with)

PROTECTION + NOUN law, legislation, order The couple were found guilty of violation of child protection laws. | measures, mechanism, scheme, system

PREP. under the ~ of Many British wild animals are now under the protection of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. | ~ against Fill the cooling system with antifreeze as a protection against frost. | ~ from The high walls give the garden protection from the wind.

PHRASES a means of protection The skunk releases a pungent smell as a means of protection.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

protective adj.

VERBS be, feel | become

ADV. fiercely, highly, very The lionesses are fiercely protective of their young.

PREP. of He's too jealous and protective of her. | towards feeling suddenly very protective towards her mother

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

protect verb

PREP. against a cream that helps to protect your skin against the sun | from The new measures are designed to protect the public from people like these. | with Protect the exposed areas of wood with varnish.

PHRASES be aimed at protecting sth, a desire/duty/need to protect sb/sth He felt it was his duty to protect the child. | heavily/highly protected The Far Eastern markets are heavily protected (= with high taxes for imported goods). | legally/officially/specially protected Many of these sites?of immense scientific interest?are not legally protected. | measures to protect sb/sth, poorly/well protected Keep the camera well protected at all times.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

protein noun

ADJ. essential | natural | animal, vegetable

VERB + PROTEIN be high/rich in, contain, supply Cereals supply essential protein and vitamins. | produce

PROTEIN + NOUN content | intake | deficiency

PHRASES a high/low protein diet, a source of protein

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

protester noun

ADJ. student | anti-government, anti-nuclear, peace, political | peaceful, unarmed | angry

VERB + PROTESTER arrest

PROTESTER + VERB call for sth, demand sth | march | demonstrate, gather | clash, fight Protesters clashed with police outside the embassy.

PREP. ~ against The streets were crowded with protesters against the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

protest noun

QUANT. flood, storm, tide, wave The new tax sparked a wave of public protest.

VERB + PROTEST organize, stage | lodge, register The Samoan team lodged a formal protest after the referee sent off the wrong player. | lead to, spark

PROTEST + NOUN group, movement | demonstration, march, meeting, rally | strike | petition | song

PREP. in ~ Prisoners shouted and hurled slates in protest. | under ~ The strikers returned to work, but under protest. | without ~ The crowd dispersed without protest. | ~ about a protest about the new bypass | ~ against There had been a number of public protests against the new tax. | ~ at The party boycotted the election in protest at alleged vote rigging. | ~ over a student protest over tuition fees

PHRASES a chorus/cry/howl of protest The announcement brought cries of protest from the crowd. | the freedom/right of protest The constitution guarantees the right of peaceful protest. | a letter of protest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

protest verb

VERB + PROTEST begin to, try to When he tried to protest, she insisted. | gather to Crowds gathered to protest about the police violence.

PREP. about/over protesting over an income tax increase | against protesting against the proposed agreement | at Many people have protested at the cuts in state benefits. | to We have protested to the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prototype noun

ADJ. pre-production | working

VERB + PROTOTYPE build, develop | test

PROTOTYPE + NOUN stage The car is presently at the prototype stage.

PREP. ~ for The team is developing a prototype for a digital compact camera. | ~ of He is working on the prototype of a new type of ventilator.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proud adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | make sb

ADV. enormously, especially, extremely, fiercely, immensely, inordinately, intensely, more than a little, particularly, really, terribly, tremendously, very She was fiercely proud of family traditions and continuity. He was more than a little proud of himself. | almost He seemed almost proud of his practical incompetence. | quite, rather | justifiably, justly, rightly | perversely Londoners have long been perversely proud of a health service that does not serve them well. | quietly He was not vain, but he was quietly proud of his literary achievements. | secretly

PREP. of We are all really proud of you!

PHRASES have every reason/right to be proud All those involved have every reason to be proud of their achievement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proven adj.

VERBS be

ADV. well | completely, conclusively, fully No funding will be available until the technology is completely proven. | not yet | scientifically, statistically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prove verb

ADV. conclusively, definitively All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. | just Their behaviour just proves my point.

PREP. to He tried to prove his theory to his friends.

PHRASES a chance to prove sth, prove sb right/wrong I was determined to prove my critics wrong.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

provide verb

ADV. kindly a buffet supper, kindly provided by club members | free (of charge) Careers advice is provided free of charge.

VERB + PROVIDE be able to, can/could | aim to, seek to, try to trying to provide the best possible medical care | fail to | be designed to, be intended to The scheme was intended to provide financial help to unemployed workers. | be expected to, be likely/unlikely to The report was not expected to provide any answers.

PREP. for providing food and shelter for the refugees | with He provided us with a lot of useful information.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

province noun

¹ region

ADJ. northern, southern, etc. | central, coastal, frontier the central province of Ghor | English-speaking, French-speaking, etc. | autonomous 2 the provinces not the capital city

VERB + PROVINCE tour The show is currently touring the provinces.

PREP. from the ~ She's from the provinces and not familiar with Rome. | in the ~ There are a number of press agencies based in London and in the provinces.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

provision noun

¹ supply

ADJ. private, state | educational, housing, nursery, pension, service, welfare, etc.

PREP. ~ of Several firms are responsible for the provision of cleaning services.

² for a future situation; in a legal document

VERB + PROVISION make | contain provisions contained in the contract

PROVISION + VERB apply The same provisions apply to foreign-owned companies.

PREP. ~ against They had made all kinds of provisions against bad weather. | ~ for The Act contains detailed provisions for appeal against the court's decision.

³ provisions: food and drink

VERB + PROVISION buy, stock up on/with We went into town to stock up on provisions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

provocation noun

ADJ. extreme, severe | deliberate

QUANT. element The victim's conduct had involved an element of provocation.

VERB + PROVOCATION respond to

PREP. under ~ The crime was committed under provocation. | without ~ She attacked him without provocation.

PHRASES at the least/slightest provocation He would lose his temper at the slightest provocation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

provocative adj

¹ intending to cause an argument

VERBS be, seem | consider sth

ADV. extremely, highly, very | rather | deliberately | unnecessarily

² intending to cause sexual excitement

VERBS be, look

ADV. highly, very | unconsciously | sexually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

provoke verb

ADV. deliberately | inevitably The suggestion inevitably provoked outrage from student leaders. | immediately | eventually, finally

VERB + PROVOKE try to | be likely to The report is likely to provoke discussion of this issue. | be designed to, be intended to

PREP. into She had been trying to provoke her sister into an argument. | to Their laughter provoked him to anger.

PHRASES be easily provoked He was sensitive and easily provoked.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prowess noun

ADJ. academic, athletic, golfing, intellectual, military, physical, sexual, sporting, technical, etc.

VERB + PROWESS demonstrate, show | boast about/of | admire | be famed/famous for

PREP. ~ as He boasted of his prowess as a lover. | ~ at her prowess at tennis | ~ in The Gurkhas are famed for their prowess in battle. | ~ with Their striker demonstrated all his prowess with the boot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proximity noun

ADJ. close | geographical, physical, spatial

PREP. in ~ to The site is in close proximity to motorways and an airport. | ~ to House prices in the area are elevated by its proximity to London.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

proxy noun

VERB + PROXY appoint You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.

PROXY + VERB vote | attend (sth) Your proxy may attend the meeting if you are unable to attend.

PROXY + NOUN vote, voting | card, form

PREP. by ~ If you will not be able to vote on polling day, you may vote by proxy. | ~ for Husbands are discouraged from voting as proxy for their wives.

PHRASES a form of proxy We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prudent adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sth, think sth We thought it prudent to telephone first.

ADV. extremely, very | reasonably

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

prune verb

ADV. hard, heavily, savagely, severely Prune the trees hard in the winter. (figurative) Local councils could find their housing budgets severely pruned. | back The roses had been pruned back savagely.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pseudonym noun

VERB + PSEUDONYM adopt, take, use

PREP. under a/the ~ Eric Blair wrote under the pseudonym of George Orwell.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

psychiatrist noun

ADJ. leading, senior, top a leading child psychiatrist | consultant, research | child | forensic

PHRASES the psychiatrist's couch the secrets revealed on the psychiatrist's couch > Note at DOCTOR(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

psychiatry noun

ADJ. clinical, community, forensic | child, geriatric

PHRASES a department of psychiatry, an institute of psychiatry > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

psychological adj.

VERBS be

ADV. purely The symptoms are purely psychological.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

psychologist noun

ADJ. eminent, leading, top | clinical, consultant, professional He is now a consultant psychologist with a major London hospital. | academic, experimental | behavioural, child, developmental, educational, occupational, social, sports > Note at DOCTOR(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

psychology noun

¹ study of the mind/the way people behave

PSYCHOLOGY + NOUN clinical, professional | academic, experimental | applied | cognitive, developmental, educational, social | child > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

² type of mind that a person/group has

ADJ. individual, own The answers we give will reflect our own psychology. | crowd, group Watching the shoppers at the sales gave her a first-hand insight into crowd psychology. | human

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

puberty noun

VERB + PUBERTY reach He reached puberty at the age of fourteen. | approach

PREP. at ~ Girls start menstruating at puberty. | during ~ The body undergoes many changes during puberty.

PHRASES the age of puberty, the onset of puberty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

publication noun

¹ of a book, etc.

VERB + PUBLICATION begin | cease, stop | prepare sth for | be due/scheduled for The book is scheduled for publication in the autumn. | accept sth for

PUBLICATION + VERB be due/scheduled The publication of her memoirs is scheduled for the autumn.

PUBLICATION + NOUN date

PHRASES the date/time of publication

² book, magazine, etc.

PUBLICATION + NOUN publications catalogue/list

PREP. ~ about specialist publications about bees | ~ on She has several publications to her name on local history.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

publicity noun

¹ media attention

ADJ. considerable, enormous, extensive, greater, wide, widespread The papers have begun to give greater publicity to the campaign against GM food. | maximum The release of the report was timed to generate maximum publicity. | favourable, good, positive | adverse, bad, negative, unfavourable, unwelcome | free | international, local, national

VERB + PUBLICITY give sb/sth | gain, get, receive | attract, generate | seek | avoid, shun

PUBLICITY + VERB surround sth There was a lot of negative publicity surrounding the film.

PREP. ~ about There has been a lot of unfavourable publicity about the hospital. | ~ for Taking part in the event will be good publicity for our school. | ~ over The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product.

PHRASES amid/amidst a storm of publicity The chairman resigned amid a storm of publicity over the bonus payments. | a blaze of publicity The film stars were married in a blaze of publicity. | the glare of publicity He carried on his life in the full glare of publicity.

² advertising

ADJ. advance

PUBLICITY + NOUN material, photograph, shot He's better-looking in his publicity shots than he is in real life. | campaign | stunt The actress denied that her marriage was just a publicity stunt. | agent, officer | machine The record company's publicity machine was working flat out.

PREP. ~ about I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. | ~ for There have been months of advance publicity for the show.

PHRASES a lack of publicity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

publicize verb

ADV. well | widely

VERB + PUBLICIZE help (to)

PHRASES little publicized, highly/much publicized her highly publicized affair with a leading politician

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

public noun

¹ the public people in general

ADJ. general

VERB + PUBLIC inform The government was slow to inform the public about the health hazards of lead in petrol. | protect | serve | be open to The house is open to the public at weekends.

PREP. in ~ He rarely appears in public these days.

PHRASES a member of the public

² group of people with sth in common

ADJ. book-buying, paying, reading, sporting, theatre-going, travelling, viewing, etc. Satellite television has provided the viewing public with a wide choice of programmes. | larger, wider Her work is now available to a wider public.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

publisher noun

VERB + PUBLISHER find, have Finding a publisher is hard for all writers. She now has a publisher for her book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

publishing noun

ADJ. book, newspaper, etc. | academic, music, etc. She works in music publishing. | desktop | electronic

VERB + PUBLISHING work in

PUBLISHING + NOUN agreement, deal | arm, company, firm, house The Cranfield Press is the publishing arm of the Cranfield Institute of Technology. | business, industry, sector, world The publishing world is extremely competitive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

publish verb

ADV. recently | posthumously Her last book was published posthumously in 1948. | anonymously

VERB + PUBLISH decide to | intend to, plan to | refuse to | be free to The press should be free to publish and comment on all aspects of political and social life. | dare (to) Freud had not dared to publish the third chapter of his book in Vienna.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pub noun

VERB + PUB go down (to), go (round) to Let's go down the pub for a drink.

PUB + NOUN food, lunch, meal | landlady, landlord

PREP. at/in a/the ~ He spent all afternoon in the pub.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

puff noun

¹ of air/smoke/wind

ADJ. little, tiny

PREP. ~ of a little puff of smoke

² on a cigarette/pipe, etc.

ADJ. long | short

VERB + PUFF have, take He took a long puff at his cigar and began his story.

PREP. ~ at/on a puff on her cigarette

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

puff verb

¹ smoke

ADV. furiously, vigorously

ADV. contentedly, happily | thoughtfully | away He puffed away at his cigar.

PREP. at She puffed furiously at her cigarette. | on My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe.

² breathe loudly

ADV. hard She was puffing quite hard by the time she reached the office. | loudly

PREP. along, from She was still puffing from the climb. | up puffing up the hill

PHRASES huff and puff/puff and pant She puffed and panted behind the others. | puffing and blowing Far behind us, puffing and blowing, came Matt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pullover noun

ADJ. woollen, woolly | sleeveless | knitted She was wearing a knitted pullover. | Fair Isle

VERB + PULLOVER knit > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pull noun

¹ act of pulling

VERB + PULL give sth I gave the door a sharp pull. | feel (figurative) She felt the pull of her homeland.

PREP. ~ at A gentle pull at her sleeve got her attention. | ~ on He felt a strong pull on the rope.

² on a cigarette/drink

ADJ. long

VERB + PULL take She took a long pull on her cigarette and sighed.

PREP. ~ at a pull at his flask | ~ on

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pull verb

ADV. hard He got hold of the rope and pulled hard. | gently | apart, off, on, out, over She pulled off her boots. He pulled his sweater on. | along, away, back She took his arm and pulled him along. The dog snapped at her and she pulled back her hand.

VERB + PULL try to He tried to pull away. | manage to

PREP. at He pulled at her coat sleeve. | on She pulled on the lever. | towards She pulled him gently towards her.

PHRASES pull (yourself) free John finally managed to pull himself free. | pull yourself to your feet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pulse noun

ADJ. fast, racing, rapid | slow | strong | faint, weak

VERB + PULSE check, feel, take Last time I took my pulse, it was a bit fast. | check for, feel for She reached in through the driver's broken window and checked for a pulse. | find | quicken There was little to quicken the pulse in his dull routine.

PULSE + VERB beat | quicken, race She felt her pulse quicken as she recognized the voice. | slow

PULSE + NOUN rate My at-rest pulse rate is usually about 80 beats per minute.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

punch noun

ADJ. good, powerful | knockout

VERB + PUNCH deliver, give sb, land, swing, throw She gave him a punch on the nose. He can throw a powerful punch. | pull He pulled his punches to avoid hurting his sparring partner.

PREP. ~ in a punch in the stomach | ~ on She gave him a punch on the nose. | ~ to a punch to the jaw

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

punch verb

ADV. hard | lightly | repeatedly

PREP. in His attacker had punched him hard in the face. | on She punched him on the nose.

PHRASES kick and punch/punch and kick He was repeatedly kicked and punched as he lay on the ground.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

puncture noun

ADJ. slow The tyre had a slow puncture and had to be pumped up every day. | bicycle

VERB + PUNCTURE get, have, suffer She suffered a puncture in the fifth lap. | fix, mend, repair

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

punishment noun

ADJ. cruel, harsh, heavy, severe | unusual the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment | appropriate, fitting | capital | corporal, physical

VERB + PUNISHMENT administer, hand out, impose, inflict, mete out It is unlawful for a teacher to inflict corporal punishment on pupils. Harsh punishment is expected to be meted out to the murderer. | receive, suffer | avoid, escape | deserve

PUNISHMENT + VERB fit the crime The victim's family do not believe that this punishment fits the crime.

PREP. as ~ (for) She had to tidy the classroom as punishment for being late. | ~ for Punishments for killing the king's deer were severe.

PHRASES crime and punishment the sociology of crime and punishment | on pain of punishment (= with the threat of punishment) He was compelled on pain of punishment to answer the question. | reward and punishment They use a system of reward and punishment to discipline their children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

punish verb

ADV. severely | justifiably, justly | unfairly | accordingly, duly Those who had opposed the court were duly punished.

VERB + PUNISH want to | try to He was trying to punish her for deserting him all those years ago. | be designed to Damages are not designed to punish the person in breach, but to compensate for the loss sustained.

PREP. by Never punish children by making them go hungry. | for They will be severely punished for their crimes. | with Offenders will be punished with a £1,000 fine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pupil noun

¹ child in school

VERB + PUPIL teach | exclude, expel

PUPIL + NOUN attendance, numbers | assessment | performance | behaviour

² of the eye

ADJ. dilated, enlarged

VERB + PUPIL dilate

PUPIL + VERB dilate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

puppet noun

¹ model of a person/animal

ADJ. finger, glove, hand, rod, shadow

VERB + PUPPET manipulate, work How do you work these puppets?

PUPPET + NOUN play, show | theatre | master

² sb whose actions are controlled by sb else

ADJ. mere The king was a mere puppet of the mayor.

PUPPET + NOUN government, king, regime, state

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

purchase noun

¹ buying sth

PURCHASE + NOUN price | tax | order

PHRASES the cost of purchase You can resell books and cut the original cost of purchase. | the date/time of purchase I did not notice the defects at the time of purchase. | the place/point of purchase Ticket holders should return to the point of purchase for a refund. | proof of purchase Keep your receipt as proof of purchase.

² sth bought

ADJ. excellent, good | expensive

VERB + PURCHASE make some ways to encourage customers to make a purchase | pay for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

purchase verb

ADV. compulsorily The land was compulsorily purchased from the owner to make way for the new road.

VERB + PURCHASE agree to, be willing to | wish to | can/cannot afford to

PREP. for They purchased the land for $1 million. | from They purchased the house from an elderly couple.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

purity noun

ADJ. absolute the absolute purity of her love | great, high high-purity silver | ideological | racial | moral

VERB + PURITY maintain, preserve He struggled to preserve his ideological purity.

PHRASES purity of form/sound/style the building's unadorned purity of style

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

purple adj.

ADV. almost | slightly

ADJ. bright, vivid | dark, deep, rich | light, pale

PHRASES purple in the face, purple with rage He turned purple with rage. > Special page at COLOUR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

purpose noun

¹ aim/function

VERB + PURPOSE have | lack | accomplish, achieve, fulfil, serve The scheme achieved its primary purpose, if nothing else.

PREP. for a/the ~ I put the chair there for a purpose. a measure introduced for the purpose of protecting the interests of investors | on ~ (= intentionally) He slammed the door on purpose.

PHRASES at cross purposes (= not understanding or having the same aims, etc. as each other) I finally realized that we were talking at cross purposes. | for/with the express purpose of sth The school was founded with the express purpose of teaching deaf children to speak. | for (all) practical purposes Nominally she is the secretary, but for all practical purposes she runs the place. | purpose-built The cycling events will take place in a purpose-built 20,000-seater stadium. | your purpose in life She saw being a doctor as her purpose in life. | put/use sth to (a/some) purpose The old mill has been put to good purpose. | a sense of purpose Encouraged by her example, they all set to work with a fresh sense of purpose. | strength of purpose They had great confidence and strength of purpose.

² purposes: requirements of a particular situation

ADJ. administrative, business, commercial, domestic, educational, insurance, legal, medical, medicinal, political, research, tax, teaching You will need to have the vehicle valued for insurance purposes.

PREP. for … ~ The drug can be sold for medicinal purposes only. | for the ~s of Let's assume he knows, for the purposes of our argument.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pursue verb

¹ continue sth/try to achieve sth

ADV. further, still | actively, energetically, vigorously | doggedly He was still doggedly pursuing his studies. | relentlessly | effectively, successfully How can we most effectively pursue these aims?

VERB + PURSUE decide to We have decided not to pursue the matter further. | intend to, want to, wish to deciding on which career you wish to pursue | be/feel inclined to | be reluctant to | be able to, be at liberty to, be free to | continue to

PHRASES the ability/freedom to pursue sth the freedom to pursue her own interests | be not worth pursuing I decided the matter was not worth pursuing further.

² chase sb

ADV. relentlessly He pursued her relentlessly, refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer.

PHRASES closely/hotly pursued by sb He ran past, hotly pursued by two policemen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pursuit noun

¹ attempt to find sth

ADJ. relentless, ruthless, single-minded, vigorous | successful

VERB + PURSUIT be engaged in

PREP. in ~ of people travelling around the country in pursuit of work | ~ of He is engaged in the ruthless pursuit of wealth.

PHRASES the pursuit of a goal He devoted his waking hours to the single-minded pursuit of his goal. | the pursuit of excellence/happiness/knowledge/pleasure/truth

² attempt to catch sb/sth

VERB + PURSUIT give The police gave pursuit.

PREP. in ~ (of) Two boys ran past with a security guard in pursuit. The guard set off in pursuit of the thief.

PHRASES in close/hot pursuit Away ran the fox, with the hunters in hot pursuit.

³ (usually pursuits) pastime

VERB + PURSUIT follow She has time now to follow her various artistic pursuits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pushchair noun

ADJ. collapsible, folding

VERB + PUSHCHAIR push (along), wheel (along) | collapse, fold (up)

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

push noun

¹ act of pushing

ADJ. big, hard | gentle, little

VERB + PUSH give sb/sth She gave him a gentle push towards the door.

PHRASES at the push of a button The machine washes and dries at the push of a button.

² effort to do/obtain sth

ADJ. big | final

PREP. ~ against the final push against the enemy | ~ for There has been a big push for better public transport. | ~ towards a push towards organic food

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

push verb

¹ use force to move sb/sth away from you

ADV. firmly, hard You'll have to push harder if you want it to move. | roughly, violently | gently | carefully | deliberately He was deliberately pushed into the path of the vehicle. | hastily, hurriedly, quickly | slowly | suddenly | just, merely, simply Jack flung himself at Steve, but he simply pushed him away. | aside, away, back, down, home, inside, over, together She leaned on the door and pushed the bolt home. They pushed the two desks together.

VERB + PUSH try to | manage to | begin to

PREP. across, against The fans pushed against the barrier. | at She pushed at the door but it wouldn't budge. | into, off, out of He pushed her roughly out of the door. | through, to The woman had been pushed violently to the ground. | towards, under She found a note pushed under the door.

PHRASES push sth open/shut He managed to push the window open a few inches.

² move forward by pushing people

ADV. roughly | blindly

VERB + PUSH try to | begin to I began to push my way through the crowd.

PREP. past She pushed blindly past him and made for the door. | through pushing through the crowd

PHRASES push and shove People were pushing and shoving to get to the front. | push your way A man pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

³ put pressure on sb/yourself

ADV. hard Lucy should push herself a little harder. | too far Her parents are very tolerant, but sometimes she pushes them too far. | around Don't allow yourself to be pushed around by that bully.

PREP. into Her parents pushed her into accepting the job.

PHRASES push sb/yourself to the limit He felt he was being pushed to the limits of his self-control. PHRASAL VERBS push for sth

ADV. hard They're pushing hard for a ban on GM foods.

VERB + PUSH have to I'm going to have to push you for an answer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pus noun

ADJ. yellow

VERB + PUS discharge, ooze The wound had not healed properly and was oozing pus.

PUS + VERB gather | ooze (out)

PUS + NOUN cell

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

put verb

ADV. cleverly, well I thought you put your points very well. | badly | tactfully | bluntly, crudely | simply, succinctly Put simply, we accept their offer or go bankrupt. | mildly (ironic) I was, to put it mildly, annoyed (= I was extremely angry).

PHRASES to put it another way He was too trusting?or, to put it another way, he had no head for business.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

puzzled adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get beginning to get a bit puzzled | remain

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, faintly, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | genuinely | clearly, obviously

PREP. about You look very puzzled about something. | at I was somewhat puzzled at his unwillingness to help. | by Mrs Sykes seemed slightly puzzled by this.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

puzzle noun

¹ sth that is difficult to understand

ADJ. great | perplexing | scientific, theoretical

VERB + PUZZLE solve | remain What happened to the ship remains a puzzle.

PUZZLE + VERB remain The puzzle remains of what happened to the ship.

PREP. in a/the ~ They knew who the killer was, but there were still some gaps in the puzzle. | ~ about There is a puzzle about how the plant first came to Britain. | ~ of They're trying to solve the puzzle of how gravity works.

PHRASES a bit/piece of the puzzle Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. | the key to a puzzle Traces of explosives found among the wreckage were the key to the puzzle. | a piece in the puzzle The police didn't know what the message meant, but it was another piece in the puzzle. | a solution to a puzzle, something of a puzzle The origin of the word is something of a puzzle.

² game that tests your skill, intelligence, etc.

ADJ. crossword, jigsaw | number, picture, word | complicated

VERB + PUZZLE do, solve

PUZZLE + NOUN book

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

pyjamas noun

QUANT. pair

PYJAMAS + NOUN jacket, top | bottoms, trousers wearing only his pyjama trousers > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

qualification noun

¹ skill/knowledge needed for a job, etc.

VERB + QUALIFICATION acquire, gain, obtain | have, hold Only two of the applicants had the necessary qualifications.

QUALIFICATION + NOUN course, programme a qualification programme in business management | period The job usually has a three-year qualification period.

PREP. ~ for the minimum entry qualification for admission | ~ in He held no formal qualification in law.

² weakening of a statement

ADJ. important

VERB + QUALIFICATION add | need, require The term ‘population’ as used here requires qualification.

PREP. with ~s I agree with his view, with a few qualifications. | without ~ The committee supported her proposal, without qualification.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

qualified adj.

¹ having completed a course of study

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. highly, well The teaching staff are all highly qualified. | fully, properly a fully qualified electrician | newly, recently newly qualified doctors | appropriately, duly, suitably Applications are invited from suitably qualified individuals. | sufficiently | legally, medically, professionally She is a professionally qualified social worker.

PREP. as She is now qualified as a teacher.

² having the skill needed to do sth

VERBS be, feel Elaine did not feel qualified to comment.

ADV. eminently, ideally, well My father was well qualified to act the part of a head teacher.

³ limited in some way

VERBS be

ADV. heavily The proposals received heavily qualified approval.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

qualify verb

¹ have/give sb the right to sth

ADV. automatically

PREP. for You will automatically qualify for a pension.

PHRASES qualify on the grounds of sth people who qualify for the grant on the grounds of disability

² for a sports competition

ADV. easily | duly South Korea duly qualified for the finals when they beat Italy 6?1.

VERB + QUALIFY fail to

PREP. for England failed to qualify for the final.

³ fit a description

ADV. hardly

PREP. as A three-week course hardly qualifies as sufficient training.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quality noun

¹ how good/bad sth is

VERB + QUALITY maintain | enhance, improve, raise | affect, impair, reduce | assess, determine, evaluate, monitor, test

QUALITY + VERB improve | suffer When costs are cut product quality suffers.

QUALITY + NOUN control | assurance | standards

PREP. of … ~ The photos are of variable quality.

PHRASES quality of life Advances in technology would, it was hoped, improve the quality of life.

² characteristic

VERB + QUALITY have | display, show

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quantity noun

ADJ. appreciable, considerable, enormous, fair, great, huge, large, massive, prodigious, sheer, substantial, vast | minute, modest, small | maximum, minimum | increasing | average | sufficient Gas was detected in sufficient quantity to warrant careful monitoring.

PREP. in ~ There is a discount for goods bought in quantity. | ~ of A quantity of jewellery was taken during the burglary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quarantine noun

ADJ. strict

VERB + QUARANTINE keep sb/sth in, put sb/sth in

QUARANTINE + NOUN period | regulations

PREP. in ~ The animals are still in quarantine at the port.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quarrel noun

ADJ. bitter, fierce, serious, violent | family, internal, lovers', private | long-standing, old

VERB + QUARREL pick I don't want to pick a quarrel with her. | be/become/get involved in He got involved in a quarrel with his neighbour. | make up, patch up, settle

QUARREL + VERB break out, ensue

PREP. ~ about a quarrel about money | ~ between a quarrel between family members | ~ over a quarrel over the ownership of a piece of land | ~ with Our quarrel is not with the people, but with their leader.

PHRASES have no quarrel with sb/sth We have no quarrel with their plans, in fact we support them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quarrel verb

ADV. bitterly, fiercely, violently

PREP. about, over What did you two quarrel about? | with He wished he hadn't quarrelled with Tania.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quarter noun

¹ one of four equal parts into which sth is divided

VERB + QUARTER break/cut/divide/fold sth into ~s

PREP. ~ of a quarter of a century/mile/million a quarter of an hour a quarter of all potential customers

² period of three months

ADJ. first, second, third, fourth/last Profits fell during the third quarter. | current, previous

PREP. during the ~

³ part of a town

ADJ. old | Arab, Chinese, Latin, etc. | diplomatic, historic, industrial, residential 4 quarters place to live in

VERB + QUARTER be confined to He was confined to quarters as a punishment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

queen noun

¹ female ruler/wife of a king

ADJ. rightful | crowned | future

VERB + QUEEN become | crown (sb), make sb, proclaim sb She was crowned queen at the age of fifteen. | depose, put aside

QUEEN + VERB reign, rule, rule (over) sb/sth | abdicate the queen's decision to abdicate

PREP. under a/the ~ England under Queen Elizabeth I | ~ of the Queen of France

PHRASES queen consort (= the wife of a king)

² playing card > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

query noun

VERB + QUERY have If you have any queries regarding this offer, simply call our helpline. | raise | send in, write in with | put I've a query to put to the last speaker. | answer, deal with, reply to, respond to

PREP. ~ about/as to/concerning/on/regarding/relating to Have you any queries about what you're supposed to do? We regret that we cannot deal with queries on individual cases. | ~ from We had queries from people all over the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

question mark noun

ADJ. big, huge, serious

VERB + QUESTION MARK put His arrival clearly puts a huge question mark against the future of the present team captain.

QUESTION MARK + VERB hang over sth, remain A big question mark hangs over the wisdom of the move.

PREP. ~ against A slight question mark against her character remains. | ~ over There is now a serious question mark over his leadership ability.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

questionable adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. highly, very Their motives for undertaking this study are highly questionable. | rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

questionnaire noun

ADJ. short, simple | detailed, lengthy | postal

VERB + QUESTIONNAIRE design, draw up, prepare | circulate, distribute, send (out) | receive | complete, fill in/out | reply to, respond to, return, send in Most of the staff who responded to the questionnaire were supportive. | analyse The college is now analysing thousands of questionnaires.

PREP. ~ about Local companies were asked to complete a questionnaire about their exports. | ~ concerning questionnaires concerning people's leisure preferences | ~ on a questionnaire on the environment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

question noun

¹ sentence, etc. that asks sth

ADJ. pointed, probing, searching He became embarrassed when a journalist asked him pointed questions about his finances. | awkward, difficult, embarrassing, tricky | personal | academic, hypothetical, rhetorical | leading, loaded The judge told him not to ask the witness leading questions. | good, pertinent, relevant | simple | daft, inane, silly, stupid | direct, straight I wanted to find out how old he was without asking him a direct question. | exam, multiple choice, quiz, test

VERB + QUESTION ask (sb) | have Have any of the audience got questions for our speaker? | address, put I'd like to put a question to the first speaker. | bombard sb with, fire The children bombarded us with questions. The interview panel fired questions at me from all angles. | frame, phrase I need to phrase my question rather carefully. | face | answer, reply to, respond to | do (used only about written questions) I couldn't do Question 6. | field The chairperson fielded technical questions that she could not answer herself. | evade, parry He skilfully parried all the interviewer's most probing questions.

PREP. ~ about She refused to answer questions about her private life. | ~ as to Don't be afraid to ask questions as to why things are done in the way they are. | ~ concerning/regarding/relating to The former minister faced questions concerning his role in the affair.

² issue

ADJ. burning, challenging, controversial, difficult, unanswerable, vexed We come now to the vexed question of pension rights. | crucial, fundamental, important, key | delicate, sensitive | economic, ethical, political, etc.

VERB + QUESTION bring up, pose, raise The new play poses some challenging questions. | consider, discuss, examine | address, deal with, face, tackle | answer, decide, find a solution to | come to

QUESTION + VERB arise | remain unanswered Only one question remains unanswered.

PREP. ~ about fundamental questions about the nature of our society | ~ for one of the crucial questions for the jury | ~ of questions of national security Now it's just a question of getting the wording of the statement right.

³ doubt

VERB + QUESTION come into | call into It does call into question the decision to send troops into the area. | be open to The government's handling of the whole affair remains open to question.

PREP. beyond ~ Her loyalty is beyond question. | in ~ His sincerity is not in question. | without ~ It was, without question, the worst day of my life. | ~ about There is no question about her enthusiasm for the job. | ~ as to I did have some questions as to his motive in coming.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

question verb

ADV. closely, further

PREP. about She was closely questioned about her whereabouts on the night of the murder. | in connection with A man is being questioned in connection with the robbery. | on He was questioned on his role in the affair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quest noun

ADJ. continuing, endless, eternal, relentless | religious, spiritual

VERB + QUEST begin, embark on, go on, set off on | continue, pursue The team will continue its quest for Olympic gold this afternoon. | abandon

QUEST + VERB end It is possible that his quest will end in Geneva.

PREP. in a/the ~ an important stage in their quest for truth | in ~ of We set off in quest of the perfect wedding dress. | ~ for her quest for a better life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

queue noun

VERB + QUEUE form, line up in | join, stand in, wait in He had to join the queue for the toilets. | jump Don't jump the queue?take your turn like everyone else!

QUEUE + VERB form | build up, grow Long queues are building up on most of Britain's motorways. | move The queue's not moving at all. | stretch The queue stretched for more than a mile.

PREP. in a/the ~ the people in the queue | ~ for the queue for tickets | ~ of a long queue of shoppers

PHRASES the back/end of the queue, the front/head of the queue

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

queue verb

ADV. patiently | up People queued up outside.

VERB + QUEUE have to

PREP. for We had to queue for tickets.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quick adj.

VERBS be, seem We'd better be quick. | become, get

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very a really quick worker | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively | amazingly, remarkably, surprisingly | mercifully It was a mercifully quick end for those condemned to die.

PREP. at I was getting quite quick at putting up fences.

PHRASES quick and easy meals that are quick and easy to prepare

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quiet adj.

¹ with little or no noise; not talking

VERBS be | become, fall, go, grow | lie, keep, remain, sit, stay Just sit quiet for a moment, there's a good boy. | keep sb/sth Keep that dog quiet, will you!

ADV. all, extraordinarily, extremely, really, remarkably, unusually, very Suddenly the room went all quiet. | absolutely, completely, perfectly | fairly, pretty, rather | enough | blissfully | deathly, eerily The house was eerily quiet. | dangerously, ominously His voice was dangerously quiet as he asked the question. | oddly, strangely, unnaturally She went back to a strangely quiet house. | uncharacteristically

PREP. about I knew I had to keep quiet about it.

PHRASES nice (and) quiet I was looking forward to a nice quiet afternoon.

² without much activity

VERBS be, look, seem | become | lie, remain, sit Lie quiet for an hour and you'll feel better. | keep sb/sth Keep the patient as quiet as possible.

ADV. extremely, very | comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably, relatively | enough Things seemed quiet enough, but it was an uneasy calm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quiet noun

ADJ. comparative, relative a period of comparative quiet | sudden

VERB + QUIET call for A man's voice was calling for quiet. | shatter A machine gun shattered the quiet.

QUIET + VERB follow in the sudden quiet that followed the gunshot

PHRASES peace and quiet I'm going home for a bit of peace and quiet! | a place/time of quiet She made sure she had times of quiet in which to write.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quirk noun

ADJ. curious, odd, peculiar, strange | little

VERB + QUIRK have The system has some odd little quirks.

PREP. by a ~ of By a strange quirk of fate, she later married the first boyfriend she'd ever had. | ~ in as a result of some quirk in the social order

PHRASES a quirk of fate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quit verb

VERB + QUIT try to I'm still trying to quit smoking. | decide to | threaten to | be forced to, have to

PREP. as He was forced to quit as the team's manager. | over Their longest-serving employee is threatening to quit over pay.

PHRASES give/issue notice to quit Landlords are normally required to give 28 days' written notice to quit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quiz noun

ADJ. film, general knowledge, sports, etc.

VERB + QUIZ compile | hold, organize | enter, take part in | win

QUIZ + NOUN competition, game, programme, show | evening, night The pub has a quiz night every Wednesday. | question

PREP. ~ about a quiz about the week's news

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quotation noun

¹ words taken from a book, etc.

ADJ. famous, memorable | direct, verbatim a direct quotation from a recent speech by the prime minister | illustrative | biblical

VERB + QUOTATION take My quotation is taken from ‘Hamlet’.

QUOTATION + VERB come from sth Where does that quotation come from?

QUOTATION + NOUN dictionary

PREP. ~ from It's a quotation from a poem by Keats.

² price that will be charged for a piece of work

ADJ. written | free | detailed

VERB + QUOTATION give (sb), provide (sb with), supply (sb with) Most builders will give you a free quotation. | get, obtain | accept

PREP. ~ for Always get several quotations for the job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quota noun

ADJ. full He never takes his full quota of holidays. | annual, daily, monthly, weekly | national | fishing, milk, etc. the introduction of EU milk quotas | export, import, production

VERB + QUOTA agree, determine, establish, set | allocate, impose, introduce | increase | reduce | achieve, fill, fulfil, reach We had to increase our output to fill the quota by the end of the year. | exceed Many countries are still exceeding their quotas.

QUOTA + NOUN system

PREP. ~ for quotas for oil production | ~ on national quotas on imports of cars

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quote noun

¹ words taken from a book, etc.

ADJ. famous, memorable, quotable | direct, verbatim a direct quote from this morning's paper

VERB + QUOTE take quotes taken from various lifestyle magazines

QUOTE + VERB come from sth The quote of the week comes from Mae West.

PREP. ~ from a quote from Albert Einstein

² price that will be charged for a piece of work

ADJ. written | free

VERB + QUOTE give (sb) | get, obtain Always get a written quote before proceeding with work. | accept

PREP. ~ for a quote for the hire of the equipment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

quote verb

¹ repeat exactly what sb has said/written

ADV. at length, extensively She quotes extensively from the author's diaries. | in full The passage is quoted in full. | accurately, exactly | directly | approvingly, with approval | above, below, earlier, here, previously The new text of Article 92, quoted above, gives member states more discretion on this issue.

PREP. as She is wrongly quoted as saying ‘Play it again, Sam.’ | from quoting from Shakespeare/‘Hamlet’

² give sth as an example

ADV. frequently, often

PREP. as an example that is often quoted as evidence of mismanagement | on Don't quote me on this but I think the figure is in excess of £2 billion.

PHRASES widely quoted the most widely quoted and influential study in this field

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rabbit noun

VERB + RABBIT hunt, shoot, trap | skin

RABBIT + VERB hop, jump | bolt, run A frightened rabbit will bolt for its hole. | breed Rabbits breed very fast.

RABBIT + NOUN fur, skin | burrow, hole, hutch, warren (often figurative) The building was a real rabbit warren of corridors.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

race noun

¹ contest to find the fastest person, car, etc.

VERB + RACE have, hold, organize, stage Let's have a race! | be in, compete in, enter, go in for, run in, take part in Is she running in the big race on Saturday? | drop out of, pull out of, withdraw (sth) from He dropped out of the race with a pulled muscle after two laps. She had to pull out of the race at the last minute. | lead, win I was leading the race until the half-way point. She has won the race for the last five years. | lose | come first/second, etc. in | beat sb/sth in | fix There is a rumour that the race was fixed. | throw (= to lose deliberately) He was paid £1,000 to throw the race.

RACE + VERB be run/held, take place

RACE + NOUN meeting The horse was withdrawn from today's race meeting with an injured leg. | winner | official, organizer

PREP. in a/the ~ I'm not in this race. | ~ against/with the race against the Danish team | ~ between the University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge | ~ over a race over 200 metres

² competitive situation

ADJ. two-horse Although there are five candidates, realistically it is a two-horse race. | presidential | arms the halting of the nuclear arms race

VERB + RACE be (involved) in, join The rival TV companies are in a race to bring out the first film drama of his life. | be ahead in, lead, win Who will win the race for the White House? | be left behind in, lag behind in, lose

PREP. in a/the ~ lagging behind in the race for the presidency | ~ between a race between the developing countries | ~ for the race for nuclear supremacy | ~ with the race with their rivals

³ racial group

ADJ. human | mixed a child of mixed race | Irish, Jewish, Latin, etc. | master the ideology of the master race

RACE + NOUN relations Immigration and race relations were key political issues at the time. | equality | discrimination, prejudice | riot

PREP. among ~s The disease is more common among European races. | between ~s greater understanding between nations and races | from a ~ children from all races and religions | of a ~ people of different races and cultures | ~ of The Amazons were a race of female warriors.

PHRASES on (the) grounds of race discriminating

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

race verb

ADV. frantically, madly She raced frantically towards the train. | ahead, away, back, by, downstairs, off, out, past, upstairs Farms and villages raced by.

PREP. across, after, along, around/round, down, for, into, out of, through, to, towards, up He raced madly up the stairs.

PHRASES come racing Two boys suddenly came racing round the corner.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

racing noun

¹ sport of racing horses

ADJ. horse | flat, jump

RACING + NOUN results | tip | expert, tipster Her racing tipster got the Derby winner right. | manager, owner, trainer | career | stable | trophy | calendar, programme, season He organizes his life according to the racing calendar. | business, game, industry He has ridden horses all his life, but he was a late starter in the racing game. | circles, scene He's known in racing circles as a fierce competitor. She's a familiar face on the racing scene. | correspondent the racing correspondent of ‘The Times’

² sport of taking part in races

ADJ. competitive, top-level Today's cross-country event marks his return to top-level racing. | bike, dog, motor, yacht, etc. | Grand Prix | road, track

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

racism noun

ADJ. blatant, overt I was shocked by the blatant racism of his remarks. | rampant Racism is rampant in the armed forces. | institutional, institutionalized

VERB + RACISM be a victim of, experience Many immigrants have experienced racism. | combat, fight (against), stamp out measures to combat racism

PREP. against ~ the fight against racism

PHRASES a form of racism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

racket noun

¹ noise

ADJ. appalling, frightful, hellish, terrible

VERB + RACKET make Do you kids have to make such a terrible racket?

PREP. above/over the ~ He had to shout over the racket.

² illegal way of making money

ADJ. drugs, extortion, protection, smuggling

VERB + RACKET set up He set up a protection racket and demanded thousands of pounds from local shopkeepers. | control, operate, run | be involved in

PREP. in a/the ~ the other people in this racket | ~ in a racket in stolen goods

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rack noun

ADJ. display, storage | cooling, drying | letter, luggage, magazine, plate, spice, toast, vegetable, wine, etc. | roof We fixed the canoe onto the car's roof rack.

VERB + RACK hang sth on, put sth on/onto/in/into, stack sth in/on, store sth in/on The wine is stored in special racks.

RACK + VERB contain sth, hold sth The racks along the wall held most of the costumes.

PREP. in a/the ~ He replaced the CD in the rack. | on a/the ~ Spread the flowers out to dry on a rack. | ~ for a rack for storing apples | ~ of racks of magazines

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

radar noun

ADJ. enemy, police

VERB + RADAR be equipped with

RADAR + NOUN operator | screen | beam, signal | equipment, scanner, station, system, transmitter

PREP. by ~ navigating by radar | on ~ The submarine is impossible to detect on radar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

radiation noun

ADJ. background | low-level | harmful | electromagnetic, gravitational, infrared, microwave, nuclear, solar, thermal, ultraviolet

QUANT. dose Patients receive high doses of radiation during cancer treatment.

VERB + RADIATION emit, give off | absorb The ozone layer absorbs solar radiation. | measure, monitor | expose sb to Nuclear testing has exposed millions of people to radiation.

RADIATION + NOUN sickness | leak | dose, level | exposure | therapy

PREP. ~ from radiation from computer screens

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

radiator noun

¹ equipment used for heating a room

ADJ. central heating, convector, storage

VERB + RADIATOR turn off/on | bleed You'll need to bleed the radiators to remove the airlocks.

RADIATOR + VERB leak

RADIATOR + NOUN key, valve

² equipment for keeping an engine cool

ADJ. car

VERB + RADIATOR top up Top up the radiator before making a long journey.

RADIATOR + NOUN grille

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

radical adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

radioactive adj

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. dangerously, highly | slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

radioactivity noun

QUANT. level The soil contains 30 times the acceptable level of radioactivity.

VERB + RADIOACTIVITY discharge, produce, release | measure, monitor

RADIOACTIVITY + VERB be present | escape, leak | contaminate sth The site was found to be contaminated by radioactivity.

RADIOACTIVITY + NOUN levels

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

radio noun

ADJ. cab, car There were calls for cab radios to link train drivers and signal boxes. | CB, mobile, portable, transistor, two-way | FM, long-wave, short-wave | army, police | community, local, national, state

VERB + RADIO listen to | turn on, tune in to | tune His radio is permanently tuned to Radio 1. | turn down/up

RADIO + VERB announce sth, report sth The radio announced that the president had been assassinated. | blare (out), play (sth) He drove along with his windows open and the radio blaring out.

PREP. by ~ The message was sent by radio. | on the ~ We were listening to a show on the radio.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

raffle noun

ADJ. charity

VERB + RAFFLE have, hold, organize, run | enter | win | draw The club secretary will now draw the raffle.

RAFFLE + NOUN ticket the winning raffle ticket | prize

PREP. in a/the ~ I won a bottle of wine in the office Christmas raffle. | ~ for He's organizing a raffle for the school playground appeal fund.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

raft noun

ADJ. life

VERB + RAFT build, make They built a raft of logs.

RAFT + VERB bob, float, sail The raft floated away down the river. | capsize, overturn

RAFT + NOUN race, racing

PREP. on/onto a/the ~ floating on a raft

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rage noun

¹ great anger

ADJ. blind, cold, icy, pure | helpless, impotent burning with impotent rage | pent-up, suppressed

QUANT. fit, burst He punched the wall in a fit of rage.

VERB + RAGE be beside yourself with, be boiling/burning with, be choked with, be filled with, be full of, be purple/red/white with, be rigid/stiff with, be shaking/trembling with, feel, seethe with He glared at me, quite beside himself with rage. ‘How dare you!’ she said, her voice choked with rage. | vent The people vented their rage on government buildings. | control, master He managed to master his rage.

RAGE + VERB build up She felt the rage building up inside her. | erupt His rage suddenly erupted. | subside His rage was beginning to subside.

PREP. with ~ She was speechless with rage. | ~ at boiling with rage at the unfairness of it all

PHRASES a bellow/cry/roar/shout of rage He gave a roar of rage and punched me in the face. | tears of rage

² sudden display of great anger

ADJ. blind, terrible, towering | jealous | drunken She smashed up his car in a drunken rage.

VERB + RAGE be in, fly into, get in If something's too difficult she gets in a rage.

PREP. in a ~ She killed him in a rage of despair. | ~ about He was in a towering rage about his lost watch. | ~ at He flew into a rage at the insult. | ~ of He left in a rage of humiliation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rage verb

¹ show great anger

ADV. inwardly

PREP. about She was still raging about the treatment she had received. | against I raged inwardly against his injustice. | at The team was left raging at the referee's decision.

² continue with great force

ADV. still, on The argument still rages on.

PREP. around Even the dogs were quiet while the heated quarrel raged around them. | within trying to control the fury raging within her

PHRASES rage unabated The storm raged unabated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rag noun

ADJ. clean | dirty, filthy, oily, old | bloodstained

QUANT. bundle, heap, pile He noticed what looked like a bundle of rags beside the road.

VERB + RAG wipe sth (off) with | be wrapped in The gun was wrapped in a dirty rag.

PREP. on a/the ~ He wiped his hands on an oily rag. | with a ~ I cleaned the board with an old rag.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

raid noun

¹ surprise attack

VERB + RAID carry out, conduct, make bombers carrying out daylight raids over northern France | launch, mount, stage | lead sb in | suffer

PREP. during/in a/the ~ Five civilians died in the raid. | on a/the ~ He led his men on a cross-border raid. | ~ against The raids against Norway continued. | ~ by The town suffered several raids by Vikings. | ~ on air raids on Liverpool

² robbery from a building

ADJ. bank, post office, shop | armed, smash-and-grab | dawn, daylight, night | daring

VERB + RAID plan | carry out | foil Two customers have foiled a smash-and-grab raid on a local shop.

PREP. during/in a/the ~ the jewels stolen in the raid | ~ on She was shot during an armed raid on a security van.

³ surprise visit by the police

ADJ. dawn, early morning | police | drug/drugs

VERB + RAID carry out, launch, stage Police staged an early morning raid on the premises.

PREP. during a/the ~ He was injured during a police raid on his nightclub. | in a/the ~ the drugs seized in last night's raid | ~ by a raid by drugs squad detectives | ~ on raids on houses in Catholic areas of the city

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

railway noun

VERB + RAILWAY manage, operate, run | nationalize, privatize | build, construct | close, open

RAILWAY + VERB run | carry sth The railways carry millions of tons of freight every year.

PREP. on a/the ~ doing maintenance work on the railway He works on the railways. | ~ between the railway between Funchal and Monte | ~ from, ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rail noun

¹ bar

ADJ. guard, safety | curtain, picture, towel heated towel rails | altar, balcony, banister

VERB + RAIL grip, hold on to, lean on She held tightly on to the rail. | hang from Lace curtains hung from the brass rails over the bed. | fit, fix

PREP. on a/the ~ She sat on the rail. | over a/the ~ He folded the towel over the rail.

² (usually rails) tracks

VERB + RAIL run along/on ~ Trams run alog rails.

PREP. along (the) ~s The train thundered along the rails. | between the ~ Weeds grew between the rails. | off the ~s The train came off the rails. | on (the) ~s The gun is mounted on rails.

³ railway system

PREP. by ~ We went from London to Budapest by rail.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rainfall noun

VERB + RAINFALL have The area has a high annual rainfall. | measure Her work includes measuring the local rainfall.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rain noun

QUANT. drop, spot A few spots of rain had fallen. | inch, shower, spot (informal) We had three inches of rain last night. We could do with a spot of rain.

VERB + RAIN forecast Rain is forecast for tomorrow. | look like, threaten It looks like rain (= it looks as though it is going to rain). Black clouds threatened rain. | pour with It poured with rain all afternoon. | get caught in We got caught in the rain on the way home.

RAIN + VERB beat, come down, drip, drum, fall, lash, patter, pelt, pour down, splash, trickle Rain beat against the window all night. Rain dripped down his collar. | come, set in, start The rain came just as we set off. The rain had set in steadily by the time we got home. | cease, let up, stop The rain didn't let up all day. | continue The rain continued for most of the day. | threaten With rain threatening, we headed home as fast as we could. | drive sb The rain drove the players off the court.

RAIN + NOUN cloud, water

PREP. in the ~ We found her sitting in the pouring rain. | out of the ~ Come in out of the rain. | through the ~ We drove slowly through the driving rain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rain verb

ADV. hard, heavily | a little, slightly | incessantly, non-stop, solidly, steadily It's been raining solidly for an hour now. It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks.

VERB + RAIN begin to, start to | be going to I don't think it's going to rain.

PHRASES start/stop raining

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rally noun

¹ political meeting

VERB + RALLY have, hold, stage The demonstrators marched to Trafalgar Square where they held a rally. | call for, organize, plan | attend, take part in About 5,000 people attended a rally calling for peace. | address, speak at | ban The government closed the schools and banned all rallies.

RALLY + VERB take place | break up, disperse, end The rally dispersed peacefully after six hours. | call for sth

PREP. at a/the ~ She spoke at a public rally in Hyde Park. | ~ against a mass rally against the treaty | ~ for a rally for the winning candidate | ~ in support of a rally in support of the strike

² motor race

ADJ. club, international | motor, motorcycle

VERB + RALLY hold, organize | compete in, enter | win

RALLY + NOUN circuit | driver, driving

PREP. on a/the ~ He will join the team on the rally next week.

³ in tennis

ADJ. long, short | exciting

VERB + RALLY play | win | lose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rally verb

ADV. around/round Neighbours rallied round and alerted the emergency services.

VERB + RALLY try to The team captain vainly tried to rally his troops.

PREP. around/round/behind She urged everyone to rally behind the president. | to Friends rallied to her.

PHRASES rally to sb's defence BBC leaders rallied to his defence. | rally to sb's/the cause Friends and colleagues have rallied to her cause.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ramble noun

ADJ. country, nature

VERB + RAMBLE go for/on We went for a ramble over the moors.

PREP. on a ~ The family made the amazing find while on a nature ramble in the woods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ram verb

ADV. hard | deliberately

PREP. into He deliberately rammed his truck into the back of the one in front.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

random adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. completely, entirely, purely, quite, totally | almost | fairly | truly | apparently, seemingly a seemingly random sequence of numbers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

range noun

¹ different things within the same category

ADJ. broad, enormous, extensive, great, huge, large, vast, wide | complete, comprehensive, full, whole | infinite | excellent, exciting, good, superb | astonishing, extraordinary, range.

PREP. beyond ~ This car is beyond the range of most people's pockets. | in/within ~ Are we within range of the local transmitter? | out of ~ Don't shoot yet?he's still out of range. | outside a/the ~ It's outside my range of vision. impressive, remarkable | diverse people from a diverse range of backgrounds | acceptable | limited, poor | new Come and see our new range of furniture. | product For more information about our product range, call your local branch.

VERB + RANGE have, stock They stock a very wide range of garden products. | make, produce | offer (sb), provide (sb with), supply (sb with) We provide a full range of financial services. | choose (sth) from, try out Students can choose from a wide range of options. | create, develop, launch The company is launching a new range of cosmetics. | expand, extend

RANGE + VERB include sth Our comprehensive range of benefits includes pension and health insurance.

PREP. in a/the ~ the other models in their new range

PHRASES bottom/middle/top of the range This is a top of the range refrigerator.

² amount between particular limits

ADJ. broad, wide | narrow | normal | ability, age, price, size, temperature, etc.

VERB + RANGE cover, encompass, feature, include The trade show will feature an enormous range of goods. | extend, increase trying to extend the range of children's language

PREP. across a/the ~ There is considerable variation in ability across the range. | in a/the ~ Most of the students are in the age range 17?21. | outside a/the ~ No, that's completely outside my price range. | within a/the ~ The level of mistakes is within the acceptable range of standards for a public organization. | ~ of a broad range of abilities

³ distance that it is possible to travel, see, etc.

ADJ. long missiles effective over a long range | close, point-blank, short He shot her at point-blank

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

range verb

ADV. enormously, widely

PREP. across The opinions they expressed ranged right across the political spectrum. | between The town's population ranged between 15 and 20,000. | from, in The disease ranges widely in severity. | over Her lecture ranged over a number of topics. | through an array of lilies, ranging through yellow to sombre purple | to selling them at prices ranging from about $10 to $500. | up to Their ages range up to 84.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rank noun

¹ level of importance

VERB + RANK achieve, attain, be promoted to, get to, reach, rise to She joined the navy, where she rose to the rank of captain. | have, hold He held officer rank in the air force for many years. | be stripped of He was stripped of his rank by a military court.

PREP. above a/the ~ He never rose above the rank of lieutenant. | below a/the ~ police officers below the rank of sergeant | in ~ He is higher in rank than I am. | ~ in all ranks in society | ~ of She reached the rank of captain.

PHRASES of high/low, etc. rank officers of senior rank

² group/line of things/people

ADJ. front, rear | massed, serried the serried ranks of hotel staff

PREP. along a/the ~ The president moved slowly along the ranks of men. | in a/the ~ standing in the second rank The soldiers marched in three ranks of ten.

PHRASES break ranks (= to leave a line of soldiers, police, etc.) The police broke ranks and started hitting people with their batons. | rank on/upon rank (of sth) Rank upon rank of caravans filled the field.

³ (also the ranks) ordinary members of a large group

VERB + RANK be admitted into/to, enter, join, swell Each month thousands more swell the ranks of the unemployed. | serve in They had served in the ranks of the Sultan's army. | come up from/through, rise from/through He came up through the ranks to become a general.

PREP. among/within the ~s of There is much disaffection among the ranks of the party. | beyond/outside the ~s The group has little influence over those outside its own ranks. | in the ~s There are few women in the highest ranks of the organization. > Note at RANK

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rank verb

ADV. high/highly, low These subjects ranked low for most students.

PREP. above She ranks above any other musician of her generation. | according to The children were ranked according to academic ability. | alongside This city ranks alongside London as one of the great tourist centres of the world. | among He ranks among the greatest boxers of all time. | as Their performance ranks as the best of the year. | below, with This ranks with the great paintings of the nineteenth century.

PHRASES be ranked/rank number two, three, etc. the tennis player ranked number two in the world | high-/low-ranking He is a high-ranking officer in the Indian Army. | rank sth in order of sth ranked in order of size | rank in the top 10, 100, etc. She is now ranked in the top five hockey players in Britain. | rank second, third, etc. The company ranks second among food manufacturers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ransom noun

VERB + RANSOM hold sb for/to, kidnap sb for She was kidnapped and held for ransom. (figurative) The company refused to be held to ransom by the union. | demand | pay

RANSOM + NOUN demand, note | money, payment

PREP. for ~ stealing cattle for ransom

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rape noun

ADJ. alleged | attempted | marital | date, gang

RAPE + NOUN victim> Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rape verb

ADV. brutally, forcibly, savagely She was attacked and brutally raped. | repeatedly | allegedly

VERB + RAPE attempt to, try to

PHRASES be/get raped worried about getting raped on her way home | be accused/convicted of raping sb, be charged with raping sb, be found guilty of raping sb, deny raping sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rapidity noun

ADJ. alarming, amazing, bewildering, extreme, great, remarkable The styles change with bewildering rapidity. | increasing

PREP. with ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rapid adj

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, unusually, very | fairly, quite, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rapist noun

ADJ. potential, would-be | convicted | multiple, serial The serial rapist has struck again.

RAPIST + VERB attack (sb), strike

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rapport noun

ADJ. close, easy, good, great, tremendous | personal | instant

VERB + RAPPORT build, develop, establish | enjoy, have | feel

PREP. ~ between She felt an instant rapport between them | ~ with He had enjoyed a personal rapport with the former president.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rap verb

ADV. sharply He rapped sharply on the door. | gently

PREP. on, with rapping on the window with his stick

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rare adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, get | remain

ADV. decidedly, distinctly, especially, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, particularly, surprisingly, very | increasingly | comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat | enough, sufficiently The stamps were not rare enough to be interesting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rash noun

ADJ. skin | itchy | allergic | heat, nappy, nettle

VERB + RASH have | break out in, come out in When I'm stressed I break out in a rash.

RASH + VERB appear, come out, spread The rash most commonly appears on the back.

PREP. ~ on He's got a slight rash on his chest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

raspberry noun

QUANT. punnet I bought a punnet of fresh raspberries.

RASPBERRY + NOUN cane rows of raspberry canes > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rate noun

¹ speed/frequency

VERB + RATE improve, increase, speed up | cut, hold down, reduce, slow down trying to hold down the rate of inflation | stabilize | maintain | increase

RATE + VERB be/go/shoot up, grow, increase, rise, rocket, skyrocket, soar | be/come/go down, decline, decrease, drop, fall, plummet, plunge, slow, slip

PREP. at a/the ~ The water was escaping at a rate of 200 gallons a minute.

² amount of money paid

ADJ. competitive, cheap, low, moderate, reasonable We have a wide range of vehicles available for hire at competitive rates. Calls are cheap rate after 6 p.m. | extortionate, high | excellent, good | poor The account offers a poor rate of interest. | fixed, flat You can opt to pay a flat rate for unlimited Internet access. | usual | going I'll pay you at the going rate (= the present usual rate of payment). | variable | annual, hourly, weekly | base, basic, standard | top paying the top rate of tax | average | market current market rates for borrowing | group, preferential, reduced Ask about the special group rates for entrance to the house and gardens. | bank, exchange, interest, lending, mortgage, tax

RATE + VERB go/shoot up, increase, rise Their hourly rates have gone up. | come/go down, drop | fluctuate Exchange rates are fluctuating wildly. | apply to sth Standard rates of interest apply to these loans.

PREP. at a/the ~ borrowing money at a high rate of interest | ~ for the average rate for an unskilled worker | ~ of an increase in the rate of taxation

PHRASES a drop in interest rates, a rise in mortgage rates, etc. a one-point rise in base lending rates | a rate of return safe investments which give a good rate of return > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rate verb

ADV. highly Silver was rated more highly than gold.

PREP. among a golf course that is rated among the top ten in America | as It is rated as one of the city's best hotels. | for a university that is highly rated for its research work

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rating noun

¹ measurement of how good sb/sth is

ADJ. high, top | low, poor | overall The overall performance rating puts the new model well ahead of its main rivals. | approval, opinion poll, popularity He has the highest opinion poll rating of any president this century. | performance | credit Most countries try to preserve their international credit rating in order to secure necessary loans. | personal

VERB + RATING have | assign (sb/sth), give (sb/sth) | achieve, earn, get, receive, score The university scored a top rating among students. | preserve | improve

RATING + VERB climb, improve, rise, rocket, soar The president's ratings have suddenly rocketed. | fall

RATING + NOUN scale, system

PREP. in a/the ~ a drop of 50 points in her personal rating | ~ for The resort got a low rating for children's facilities. | ~ on The judges gave her the maximum rating on style.

² ratings: number of TV viewers, etc.

ADJ. good | poor | audience, TV

VERB + RATING get, have At this stage the series was getting good ratings.

RATING + VERB go up, improve, pick up, shoot up, soar The ratings went shooting up overnight. | dip, fall, go down The programme's ratings have dipped sharply.

RATING + NOUN battle, war

PREP. in the ~s It has been ousted from top spot in the TV ratings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rational adj.

VERBS be, seem It all seemed quite rational to me.

ADV. highly, very | entirely, fully, perfectly, quite At the time she was perfectly rational. | purely, strictly | essentially Humans are essentially rational beings. | apparently | economically With children working from the age of ten, large families were economically rational.

PREP. about Try to be rational about it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rationing noun

ADJ. strict | bread, credit, food, fuel, petrol, etc. | wartime

VERB + RATIONING have | bring in, introduce The government introduced meat rationing in May. | end

RATIONING + VERB be in force, exist

RATIONING + NOUN system

PREP. ~ of Strict rationing of basic foodstuffs was still in force by the end of the year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ration noun

ADJ. daily, monthly | double, entire, extra, full Pregnant women received a double ration of milk. | meagre The refugees queued up for their meagre rations of soup. | emergency, short, starvation, wartime ~s We've been put on short rations. | cigarette, food, petrol, etc.

VERB + RATION give sb, hand out, provide (sb with) | get, receive | consume, have, use up You've had your ration of sweets for the day! | cut, reduce The guards are going to cut our rations again.

RATION + NOUN book, card, coupon

PREP. on a/the ~ living on starvation rations | ~ of our daily ration of bread

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ration verb

ADV. strictly These foods had to be strictly rationed.

PREP. to The soldiers were rationed to one litre of water each per day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ratio noun

ADJ. high, low | male/female, pupil/teacher, etc. | benefit-to-risk, power-to-weight, etc.

VERB + RATIO achieve, have They have a high ratio of imports to exports. | improve, increase The hospital is trying to improve its staff/patient ratio. | reduce | calculate, find, work out

RATIO + VERB improve | worsen the worsening pupil/teacher ratio in our schools

PREP. in a/the ~ We mixed the oil and water in a ratio of one to five. | ~ between the ratio between the amount of time spent on the work and the profit produced | ~ of sth to sth the ratio of house prices to incomes

PHRASES in direct ratio to sth Their sales rose in direct ration to the amount they spent on advertising.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rat noun

ADJ. black, brown | laboratory | sewer | water

RAT + VERB scurry, scuttle A brown rat scurried across the road. | squeak | gnaw Rats had gnawed through the wires. | carry/spread disease

RAT + NOUN catcher The dog was a useful rat catcher in the warehouse. | droppings | poison

PHRASES rat-infested a rat-infested cellar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ray noun

VERB + RAY emit, give off, send out gamma rays given off by plutonium | expose sb/sth to | block, filter out, protect/shield sb/sth from creams which filter out the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays | bend, catch, deflect, reflect Her brooch caught the rays of the setting sun.

RAY + VERB filter through sth, pass through sth, penetrate sth, travel the moon's rays filtering through the trees | hit sth When the sun's rays hit the earth, a lot of heat is reflected back into space. | damage sth Ultraviolet rays damage the skin.

PREP. in the ~s of a stream sparkling in the rays of the June sun

PHRASES a ray of light/sunlight/sunshine, the rays of the sun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

razor noun

ADJ. open | blunt | cut-throat, disposable, electric, safety

VERB + RAZOR cut sb/sth with, shave with, slash sb/sth with, use We used a razor to cut the string. | be armed with He was armed with a cut-throat razor.

RAZOR + NOUN blade | wire

PREP. with a/the ~ He slashed his wrists with a razor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reach noun

ADJ. long Gorillas have a very long reach.

VERB + REACH have

PREP. beyond (sb/sth's) The latch was just beyond her reach. | in/within sb/sth's ~ a holiday town within reach of Marseilles | out of sb/sth's ~ Keep all medicines out of reach of children.

PHRASES within arm's reach I always keep my mobile phone within arm's reach. | within easy reach (of sth) The house is within easy reach of the shops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reach verb

¹ arrive at a place/condition

ADV. eventually, finally

VERB + REACH attempt to, try to | be expected to, be likely/unlikely to, expect to Profits are expected to reach £2 billion this year. | be able to | be unable to, fail to The jury was unable to reach a verdict.

² stretch out your arm to touch/get sth

ADV. gingerly | out, over He reached out gingerly to touch it.

PREP. for She reached for the telephone and picked it up. | into He reached into his bag and took out a book.

³ be able to touch sth

ADV. easily She had arranged her desk so that she could reach everything easily.

VERB + REACH can/could I can't reach the top shelf.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reactionary adj

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, very | politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reaction noun

¹ response

VERB + REACTION get, have, meet with The play met with a mixed reaction from the critics. | bring, cause, produce, provoke, set off, spark (off), trigger (off) She was surprised at the reaction brought by the mention of his delayed a delayed reaction to the drugs | allergic

VERB + REACTION have, suffer She had a very bad allergic reaction to the peanuts. | cause, produce

PREP. ~ to A small minority of patients suffer an adverse reaction to the treatment. name. | gauge, judge (by/from) He eyed her cautiously, trying to gauge her reaction. Judging by her reaction, she liked the present.

PREP. in ~ to There's been a drop in ticket sales in reaction to the review. | ~ against Her rebellious attitude is just a reaction against her strict upbringing. | ~ to the public reaction to the news

² (usually reactions) ability to react quickly

ADJ. fast, good, lightning, quick | slow, sluggish

VERB + REACTION have She has very quick reactions. | speed up | slow down Alcohol has the effect of slowing down your reactions.

REACTION + NOUN time Your reaction time increases when you are tired.

³ chemical reaction

ADJ. chain | chemical, nuclear

VERB + REACTION cause, produce, start, trigger | stop | speed up | slow down

REACTION + VERB occur, take place

PREP. during/in a/the ~ the energy given out during the reaction | ~ between studying the reactions between certain gases | ~ with the fuel's chemical reaction with the surrounding water

⁴ allergy

ADJ. adverse, bad | mild, slight |

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reactor noun

ADJ. nuclear | fast, fast-breeder, fission, fusion, gas-cooled, pressurized-water, thermal

VERB + REACTOR build | operate, run | close (down), decommission, shut down

REACTOR + VERB operate, run

REACTOR + NOUN building, site | fuel | core | accident, safety, shut-down

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

react verb

VERB + REACT tend to | be slow to The industry has been slow to react to these breakthroughs in technology. | not know how to He did not know how to react to her sudden mood swings.

PREP. against Many young people react against traditional values. | by The government reacted by increasing taxation. | to The university reacted unfavourably to the proposals. | with Her family reacted with horror when she told them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

readable adj.

¹ enjoyable to read

VERBS be | make sth

ADV. eminently, extremely, highly, immensely, very a stimulating and highly readable account | quite

² able to be read

VERBS be

ADV. clearly, easily The figures should be clearly readable. printed in large, easily readable type

PHRASES machine readable

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reader noun

PREP. ~ of a voracious reader of science fiction

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

readiness noun

ADJ. greater | constant | combat The troops were in a state of combat readiness.

VERB + READINESS declare, express, indicate, show, signal Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty. | hold sb/sth in He held his gun in readiness.

PREP. in ~ (for) service the car in readiness for the journey | ~ for to express a readiness for change

PHRASES a state of readiness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reading noun

¹ sth you can read

VERB + READING be, make (for) Their story makes compulsive reading.

READING + NOUN list

² activity of reading

ADJ. extensive After extensive reading on the subject she set to work on an article. | careful, close, critical A close reading of the text reveals several contradictions. | serious | map My map-reading skills are not the best.

VERB + READING do, get down to I haven't had time to do much reading lately. In the holidays I'll get down to some serious reading.

READING + NOUN material, matter | ability, age, knowledge, skills He has a reading age of eight. She has a good reading knowledge of Russian. | glasses, light, room

PREP. ~ about/on His reading about Ruskin led him to the works of Turner.

³ reading in public

ADJ. public | Bible, poetry

VERB + READING give Dickens gave many public readings from his works.

PREP. at a/the ~ We met at a reading of his poetry. | ~ from/of readings from the Koran

⁴ figure/measurement shown on an instrument

VERB + READING get, obtain, take | give The dials were giving higher readings than we had expected.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ready adj.

¹ prepared

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem | get We were getting ready to go out. | get sb trying to get the children ready to leave | consider sb, declare sb, deem sb, judge sb She was concerned to protect the children from the truth until she judged them ready to hear it.

ADV. all I was all ready to leave when the phone rang. | not quite He didn't feel quite ready for marriage. | (just) about, almost, nearly, practically I think we're just about ready to start. | always, ever | not yet | emotionally Though Paul had wanted a child, he wasn't emotionally ready for it.

PREP. for I feel ready for anything! | with He's always ready with a quick answer.

² prepared and available

VERBS be, stand The suitcases were standing ready by the front door. | have sth, hold sth, keep sth, leave sth Please have your tickets ready for inspection. holding his gun ready I've left everything ready in the kitchen. | get sth, make sth I'll get all the boxes ready. The warships were soon made ready. | consider sth, declare sth, deem sth, judge sth The plane was refuelled and declared ready for service again.

PREP. for The cases are ready for delivery.

³ willing

VERBS appear, be, seem | remain

ADV. more than, only too, very Connors was more than ready to oblige. She was only too ready to believe the worst of him. | always, ever | apparently | clearly

PHRASES ready and willing always ready and willing to help

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

read noun

¹ activity of reading

ADJ. good | quiet

VERB + READ have I had a good read of the paper before they arrived.

² writer/book

ADJ. compelling, good, great, interesting

VERB + READ be, make The story made an interesting read.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

read verb

ADV. aloud listening to children reading aloud | silently | carefully, with interest He read her letter with interest. | avidly, voraciously She read avidly from an early age?books, magazines, anything. | out Shall I read this out to you?

VERB + READ be able to, can/could Most children can read by the age of seven. | learn (how) to | teach sb (how) to

PREP. about Hogan had read about her death in the papers. | from She read from the letter. | of I had read of the case in the local newspaper. | through I read through the first paragraph again. | to I read a story to my son every night.

PHRASES read and write She had great difficulty learning to read and write.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

realism noun

ADJ. political | gritty, stark the stark realism of Loach's films

QUANT. degree | element, note I hate to interject a note of realism, but we don't have any money to do any of this.

VERB + REALISM add, bring, lend Clever lighting and sound effects brought greater realism to the play. | achieve Children can get frustrated when they are unable to achieve realism in their drawings.

PREP. ~ about the band's realism about their chances of success

PHRASES a sense of realism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

realistic adj.

¹ showing acceptance of the facts of a situation

VERBS be, seem | keep sth Try to keep your ambitions realistic.

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite, reasonably | enough, sufficiently He was realistic enough to know this success could not last.

PREP. about My friends were quite realistic about my problems. | in being very realistic in their expectations

² showing things as they really are

VERBS be, look, sound | become | make sth You could make the hands a little more realistic.

ADV. extremely, truly, very | fairly, quite | grimly his grimly realistic first novel about drug addicts

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reality noun

ADJ. awful, bitter, brutal, cold, grim, hard, harsh, painful, sad, stark We were faced with the awful reality of having nowhere to live. | complex | underlying He has no illusions about the underlying reality of army life. | objective, practical the practical realities of running a children's home | daily, everyday | external Painters at the time were largely concerned with reproducing external reality. | commercial, economic, historical, physical, political, psychological, social the harsh economic realities of life as a student | virtual the use of virtual reality in computer games

VERB + REALITY become One day her dream will become a reality. | make sth It's our task to make the proposals a reality. | accept, confront (sb with), face (up to), get a grip on, grasp, wake up to She will have to face reality sooner or later. I don't think you have quite grasped the realities of our situation! | bear little/no, etc. relation/resemblance to, be cut off/divorced/removed from, be out of touch with, have little/not have much to do with They are out of touch with the realities of modern warfare. Most people's ideas of the disease do not have much to do with the reality. | escape from | deny, ignore | bring sb back to, come/get back to, return to He called for the committee to stop dreaming and return to reality. | distort Most comedy relies on distorting reality. | protect/shelter/shield sb from Her parents always tried to shield her from the realities of the world. | reflect

PREP. in ~ The media portray her as happy and successful, but in reality she has a difficult life.

PHRASES a grasp of reality He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality. | a perception/sense of reality

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

realization noun

ADJ. full | dawning, growing | gradual | sudden | awful, terrible

VERB + REALIZATION come to He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.

REALIZATION + VERB come (to sb), dawn (on sb), hit sb The realization that the murderer must have been a close friend came as a shock. We saw the terrible realization of what she'd done dawn on her face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

realize verb

VERB + REALIZE begin to, come to | make sb The experience made me realize that people did care. | seem to You don't seem to realize the seriousness of the situation. | fail to | be important to

PHRASES without realizing (sth) We are constantly using historic buildings, without even realizing it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

realm noun

¹ area of activity/interest/knowledge

VERB + REALM be/lie in, belong in/to | open up The research has opened up new realms for investigation. | enter, move into | descend into/to (disapproving) Most readers are likely to lose interest when he descends into the realms of (= starts discussing) rhetorical terminology. | move from/out of The euro has moved from the realms of theory into reality.

PREP. beyond/out of/outside the ~ of His ambitions are way beyond the realms of possibility. | in/within the ~ of The idea belongs in the realm of science fiction.

PHRASES the realms of fantasy/possibility

² country ruled by a king/queen

VERB + REALM defend They fought to defend the realm.

PREP. beyond/outside the ~ wealth acquired outside the realm | in/within the ~ peace within the realm | throughout the ~ There was rejoicing throughout the realm.

PHRASES a part of the realm, the defence of the realm Royal taxation usually had to be for the defence of the realm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

real adj.

¹ serious

VERBS be | become

ADV. all too, very Her suffering was all too real. the very real danger of war

² genuine

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. enough The pearls looked real enough.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reappraisal noun

ADJ. fundamental, major, radical | complete | constant | careful | critical a critical reappraisal of existing ideas and social institutions

VERB + REAPPRAISAL cause, lead to Her theory is that disillusionment with employment leads to reappraisal of career goals. | undertake They have undertaken a reappraisal of pupils' needs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rear noun

VERB + REAR bring up Three drummers brought up the rear (= were last in the parade). | attack (sb/sth) from

PREP. at the ~ The socket for the printer cable is located at the rear of the computer. | from the ~, in the ~ The radio is loudest in the rear of the car. | to/towards the ~ A high gate blocks the only entrance to the rear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rear verb

ADV. intensively intensively reared beef cattle | naturally naturally reared pork and beef | successfully

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reasonable adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound | consider sth, judge sth, regard sth as, think sth

ADV. eminently, extremely, very | entirely, perfectly, utterly The police apparently thought this explanation perfectly reasonable. | fairly, quite | enough Her request sounded reasonable enough to me. | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reasoning noun

QUANT. piece a rather confused piece of reasoning

REASONING + VERB apply The same reasoning applies to the current situation. | lead sb/sth to sth I cannot accept the reasoning that led the trial court to its decision.

REASONING + NOUN process | ability

PREP. in your ~ the circularity in their reasoning | ~ about reasoning about art | ~ behind Many people challenged the reasoning behind the proposal.

PHRASES a flaw in your reasoning, a form/kind/line of reasoning The implication of this line reasoning is that globalization of capital is destructive. | power of reasoning She seemed to have lost her powers of reasoning.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reason noun

¹ cause/motive/justification; explanation of sth

ADJ. cogent, good, sound, strong | compelling, convincing | plausible | adequate, sufficient | bona fide, legitimate, valid | wrong He married her for all the wrong reasons. | opposite Tom's problem was that he lacked confidence; Ed failed for precisely the opposite reason. | important | special | chief, main, major, primary, principal | only, simple, sole The only reason I didn't become a professional golfer was because of my family commitments. I was never good at playing the trumpet for the simple reason that I never practised. | real, underlying She did not tell him the real reason for her change of heart. The underlying reasons for these differences will be explored in depth in the next chapter. | very There is an assumption that a state will protect its citizens. That is the very reason for the existence of states. | apparent, particular He was attacked for no apparent reason. | no earthly, (no) possible Surely there is no earthly reason why you wouldn't want to come with us? | clear, obvious The reasons for her decision soon became clear. | unclear | logical | understandable | justifiable | inexplicable, unexplained, unknown For some unexplained reason the pilot jettisoned all his fuel shortly after take-off. | unspecified | unconnected dismissal for reasons unconnected with redundancy | personal | sentimental | selfish | professional | commercial, economic, financial, legal, political, social, technical | practical, pragmatic | security | health | humanitarian

VERB + REASON be aware of, see We see no reason why this band shouldn't be a huge success. | have I don't know why he did that, but I'm sure he had his reasons. I have no reason to believe that she was lying to me. | cite, give (sb/sth), set out, state Give me one good reason why I should help you. In the letter she carefully set out her reasons for leaving. | cite sth as, give sth as | suggest | explain | understand | uncover

PREP. by ~ of (formal) persons in need of care by reason of (= because of) old age | for a/the ~ procedures carried out for reasons of national security | for ~ of (formal) For reasons of security, you are requested to keep your luggage with you at all times. | with/without ~ They complained about the food, and with good reason (= rightly). | ~ against There are obvious reasons against such a move. | ~ behind We are trying to uncover the reasons behind her decision. | ~ for They didn't give any reason for the delay.

PHRASES all the more reason If he's unwell, that's all the more reason to go and see him. | all sorts of reasons People buy things for all sorts of reasons. | any/every/little/no/one/some reason I know you're angry with me, and you have every reason (= very good reasons) to be. | for reasons best known to yourself For reasons best known to herself she has turned down the offer. | for whatever reason people who, for whatever reason, are unable to support themselves | a number/variety of reasons, rhyme or reason There's no rhyme or reason (= logic) to the new opening hours.

² power to think logically; what is possible/right

ADJ. human

VERB + REASON lose He seems to have lost all sense and reason. | be open to, listen to, see I tried to persuade her, but she just wouldn't listen to reason.

PREP. beyond ~ He was beyond all reason. | within ~ I'll lend you the money you need?within reason, of course!

PHRASES an appeal to reason The residents hope that an appeal to reason (= asking the rioters to be reasonable) will end the rioting. | it stands to reason It stands to reason (= it is logical) that she wouldn't want them to find out about her personal problems. | the voice of reason She was always the voice of reason, persuading him not to buy things they couldn't afford.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reassurance noun

ADJ. great | further | constant, continual | calm Continual calm reassurance should be given.

VERB + REASSURANCE have We have had some reassurances from the council that the building will be saved. | need, want | look for, seek He glanced at her, seeking reassurance. | draw, find, gain, receive He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause. She found reassurance in the high attendance at her lectures. | bring (sb), give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) A system of beliefs can bring you reassurance at times of stress.

PREP. despite ~ She kept looking in the mirror despite my constant reassurances that her hair looked fine. | for ~ He held onto her hand for reassurance. | in ~ I patted her shoulder in reassurance. | ~ about/on The ministry tried to offer reassurance on the safety of eating beef. | ~ from reassurances from the researchers about their work

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reassure verb

ADV. constantly He was constantly reassuring himself that he had acted for the best. | quickly

VERB + REASSURE be able to, can | seek to, try to | hasten to | do little to, do nothing to | do much to The report will do much to reassure parents of children at the school.

PREP. about trying to reassure the public about the safety of public transport | of She needed to be reassured of his love for her. | with He reassured her with a pat on the arm.

PHRASES feel reassured Kate nodded, but she didn't feel reassured. | need reassuring Often parents simply need reassuring that their children are happy at school.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reassuring adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. extremely, immensely, very | hardly Her comment?‘You can always try again if you fail’?was hardly reassuring. | faintly, quite, vaguely | oddly | somehow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rebate noun

ADJ. generous, substantial | maximum | rate, rent, tax She's claiming a 100% tax rebate.

REBATE + NOUN scheme, system

PREP. ~ on rebates on the new council tax

PHRASES a system of rebates

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rebellion noun

¹ attempt to change the government

ADJ. full-scale, major | minor, small | general, open | armed | military, peasant, popular

VERB + REBELLION rise (up) in Simon de Montfort rose in rebellion in 1258. | launch, raise (literary), stage They staged a rebellion against British rule in Ireland. | set off, spark off The re-introduction of conscription sparked off a major rebellion. | foment, provoke (sb/sth to) attempts to foment rebellion in the Cabinet The new taxes provoked the population to open rebellion. | threaten The opposition party members threatened rebellion. | join | take part in | lead | support | crush, put down, quell, suppress

REBELLION + VERB occur Peasant rebellions occurred throughout the 16th century. | begin, break out Rebellion broke out in the Rhineland. | fail

PREP. in ~ They are in rebellion against the conservative hierarchy of the Church. | ~ against a rebellion against the new king | ~ over a rebellion over an increase in VAT

² opposition to authority

ADJ. adolescent, teenage, youthful

REBELLION + VERB stir The band refused to go on stage and rebellion began to stir in the audience.

PREP. ~ against rebellion against their parents

PHRASES an act of rebellion, a form of rebellion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rebel noun

ADJ. anti-government | left-wing, right-wing | US-backed, etc. | former | armed

QUANT. band, group

VERB + REBEL back, help, support They sent in troops to back the rebels. | repel | defeat | join | lead

REBEL + VERB be based … The rebels were based in camps along the border. | advance | attack sth | capture sth, gain/regain/seize/take control (of sth) The rebels seized control of the national radio headquarters.

REBEL + NOUN faction, group, movement | army, fighters, force/forces, soldiers, troops, officers | commander, leader | control The southern parts of the country had fallen into rebel control. | base, camp, position, stronghold | activity, advance, assault, attack, invasion | cause, movement new recruits to the rebel cause

PREP. against the ~ military operations against the rebels | ~ against a group of rebels against the emperor

PHRASES a bit/something of a rebel (figurative) He's a bit of a rebel (= he doesn't like to obey rules).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rebuff noun

ADJ. harsh, sharp, stinging | humiliating

VERB + REBUFF meet (sth) with, receive, suffer Her efforts were met with a sharp rebuff. | risk My father was too proud to risk a rebuff, so he simply did not ask her. | expect He avoided speaking to her, expecting a rebuff. | accept | ignore

PREP. (in) a ~ to In a rebuff to the president, Congress voted against the bill. | ~ from She suffered a rebuff from her manager when she raised the matter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rebuild verb

ADV. completely, entirely, totally The hall had to be completely rebuilt after the fire. | virtually | extensively, largely, substantially | partly | painstakingly

VERB + REBUILD begin to, start to beginning to rebuild her life | try to | help (to) The international community must step in to help rebuild the country.

PHRASES newly/recently rebuilt, rebuild sth from scratch Much of the damaged vehicle had to be rebuilt from scratch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rebuke noun

ADJ. sharp, stern, stinging | gentle, mild | silent | implied | public

VERB + REBUKE receive | draw, earn (sb) Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke. | accept He meekly accepted the rebuke. | administer If the general found his authority questioned he invariably administered a sharp rebuke.

PREP. ~ for, ~ from They received a public rebuke from the prime minister for their handling of the matter. | ~ to He hit back with a stinging rebuke to his critics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rebuke verb

ADV. sharply | gently | publicly

PREP. for She rebuked herself sharply for her stupidity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recall verb

ADV. clearly, distinctly, vividly, well I well recall walking the five miles to school every morning. | dimly, vaguely | correctly If I recall correctly, he lives in Luton. | easily She could easily recall the smell of the orange groves. | suddenly | fondly | still Becky could still recall that first meeting clearly.

VERB + RECALL seem to I seem to recall that she said she was going away. | be able to, can/could (barely), can't/couldn't (quite) | try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recede verb

ADV. a bit, a little, slightly His fine dark hair was receding a little. | further | gradually, slowly The pain was gradually receding. | fast, rapidly The January flood waters receded as fast as they had risen.

PREP. from These worries now receded from his mind.

PHRASES recede into the background/distance His footsteps receded into the distance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

receipt noun

¹ piece of paper showing what was paid for

ADJ. original

RECEIPT + NOUN book

PREP. ~ for She issued a receipt for the goods.

² act of receiving sth

VERB + RECEIPT acknowledge I would be grateful if you would acknowledge receipt of this letter.

PREP. in ~ of people in receipt of housing benefit | on/upon ~ of The goods will be sent on receipt of your cheque.

PHRASES the date for receipt The closing date for receipt of your application is July 14. | within … days of receipt Items should be paid for within 14 days of receipt.

³ receipts: money received

VERB + RECEIPT receive

RECEIPT + VERB rise Customs and excise receipts rose 2.5 per cent. | reach sth Cash receipts reached £70 million. | fall, slump Match receipts slumped by £89,000 compared to last season.

PREP. ~ from receipts from land sales

PHRASES receipts and payments

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

receiver noun

¹ part of a telephone

ADJ. phone, telephone

RECEIVER + VERB dangle The receiver was dangling from the payphone.

PREP. over the ~ ‘It's your mother on the phone again!’, said John with his hand over the receiver.

PHRASES hold/put the receiver to your ear She picked up the receiver and put it to her ear.

² piece of radio/television equipment

ADJ. portable | radio, satellite, television

RECEIVER + NOUN unit To change channel, select the desired number on the receiver unit.

³ person in charge of a bankrupt company

ADJ. official | administrative

VERB + RECEIVER appoint, appoint sb (as) | call in They had to lay off 200 staff and call in the receivers.

PHRASES in the hands of the receiver The company remained in the hands (= under the control) of the receiver.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

receive verb

¹ get/accept sth

ADV. gratefully All donations will be gratefully received.

VERB + RECEIVE be entitled to You might be entitled to receive housing benefit. | expect to You can expect to receive compensation for all direct expenses arising out of the accident.

PREP. from I received a parcel from my mother.

² react to sth in a particular way

ADV. well The play was very well received. | badly The speech was badly received by republican leaders.

PREP. with The news was received with dismay.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recent adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively a relatively recent development

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reception noun

¹ area in a building

VERB + RECEPTION wait (for sb) in Please wait for me downstairs in reception. | leave sth at/with I've left the keys at reception. | report to All delegates should report to reception on arrival. | phone, ring

RECEPTION + NOUN area | counter, desk | hall | staff

PREP. at (the) ~ The man at reception says there's a call for you. | in ~ The documents are in reception. | on ~ I've been on reception (= working at the reception desk) the whole morning.

² formal party

VERB + RECEPTION attend | give, have, hold, host Are you having a big reception after the wedding? | organize | invite sb to Friends and family are invited to a reception after the ceremony.

PREP. at a/the ~ We met at a reception. | ~ for a reception for the Japanese trade delegation

³ type of welcome given to sb/sth

ADJ. enthusiastic, favourable, friendly, good, great, marvellous, positive, rapturous, rousing, sympathetic, warm | lukewarm, mixed | bad, chilly, cool, frosty, hostile | critical critical reception to a movie | public

VERB + RECEPTION enjoy, get, have, meet (with), receive The returning soldiers enjoyed a rousing reception. The scheme has had a somewhat mixed reception from local people. | expect The managers did not expect a sympathetic reception from the striking workers. | give sb/sth She was given a rapturous reception by the crowd.

RECEPTION + NOUN party A reception party of soldiers was there to greet the visiting head of state. | centre a reception centre for children who have run away from home

PREP. ~ by the book's reception by reviewers | ~ from a cool reception from the crowd | ~ into reception into the monastic order | ~ to the positive reception to the Chancellor's speech

⁴ quality of radio/television signals

ADJ. good, strong Television reception is very good in this area. | bad, poor, weak | radio, television

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recession noun

VERB + RECESSION cause | go into, move into, plunge (sth) into, sink into, slip into A rise in interest rates plunged Britain deeper into recession. | beat, combat | climb out of, come out of, emerge from, get (sth) out of, lead sth out of, move out of, pull (sth) out of active policies to pull the country out of recession | end | suffer from | escape (from) | ride out, survive As dozens of pubs go out of business, others are riding out the recession. | worsen

RECESSION + VERB loom With a recession looming, consumers are spending less. | hit sth The country has been hit by recession. | bottom out (= reach the lowest level)

PREP. in (a/the) ~ The economy is in deep recession.

PHRASES the depth of the recession, the effects/impact of the recession, in the depths of a recession, in times of recession, recovery from (the) recession, a way out of the recession > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recess noun

¹ period when a parliament, etc. does not meet

ADJ. Christmas, summer, Whitsun | parliamentary

VERB + RECESS go into, rise for (formal), take Parliament is taking the Christmas recess a little early this year. | return from

PREP. in ~ The decision cannot be made while the council is in recess.

² part of a wall, set back from the rest of the wall

ADJ. deep | shallow | dark | window

PREP. in/inside to fit a blind inside a window recess

³ (usually recesses) part furthest from the light

ADJ. dark, deep, dim He stared into the dark recesses of the room. | far, inner | hidden

VERB + RECESS lurk in (figurative) fears lurking deep in the recesses of our minds | push sth into/to (figurative) I had continually pushed my doubts to the darker recesses of my mind.

PREP. in/within the ~ of The statue was in the inner recesses of the temple.

PHRASES the recesses of your mind (figurative)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recipe noun

VERB + RECIPE have I've got a good recipe for fudge. | cook, make This recipe can also be made with ricotta cheese. | try (out) I enjoy trying out new recipes. | read | follow, stick to, use If you want the dish to turn out right you should follow the recipe. | adapt | devise All the recipes in the book have been devised by our team of experts. | discover, find He is credited with having discovered the first recipe for gin back in the 1600s.

RECIPE + VERB call for sth, use sth She always said that if a recipe calls for cream you shouldn't use yogurt instead. | contain sth The recipe contains lots of fat. | make sth, serve sb This recipe makes about thirty biscuits. This recipe serves four people.

RECIPE + NOUN book, card, leaflet | idea a magazine filled with recipe ideas

PREP. to a ~ The dish is made to a traditional Italian recipe. | ~ for a recipe for leek soup (figurative) To live every day to the full is a recipe for happiness.

PHRASES a recipe for disaster/success

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recipient noun

ADJ. largest | main, major | intended She was not the intended recipient of the reward. | ultimate the ultimate recipient of the money | suitable matching a donor kidney with the most suitable recipient | passive We are passive recipients of information from the world around us. | grateful (ironic) Dad was always the grateful recipient of her snobbery. | unwilling | lucky Our 1,000th member will be the lucky recipient of a mystery gift.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recital noun

ADJ. brief, short | solo | lunchtime | organ, piano, etc. | poetry, song

VERB + RECITAL give, play | attend, go to | listen to

PREP. ~ by a recital by the Grieg Trio

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recognition noun

¹ remembering/identifying sb/sth

ADJ. immediate, instant | early the early recognition of a disease | dawning | character, face, handwriting, speech, text (computing) | automatic, computer the automatic recognition of handwriting by computer

QUANT. flicker, sign She stared directly at the witness but he did not show a flicker of recognition (= he did not show that he recognized her).

VERB + RECOGNITION show | avoid He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head to avoid recognition. | allow The monitoring system allows recognition of pollution hot spots.

RECOGNITION + VERB dawn Recognition slowly dawned, ‘Oh, it's you Mrs Foster!’

RECOGNITION + NOUN software, system

PREP. beyond (all) ~ (figurative) Many of those interviewed said their job had changed beyond recognition (= changed completely) over the past five years. | out of (all) ~ (figurative) The equipment and methods of production have improved out of all recognition (= greatly improved). | without ~ He looked up, glanced at them without recognition, and went on his way.

PHRASES recognition in sb's eyes There was no recognition in his eyes (= he did not look as if he recognized her).

² accepting that sth exists/is true; public praise/reward

VERB + RECOGNITION achieve, earn sb, gain, get, obtain, receive, win His recitals have earned him recognition as a talented performer. | deserve | require Both of these perspectives are valid and require recognition. | imply They claim that signature of the peace accord did not imply recognition of the state's sovereignty. | ask for, call for, demand, request, seek | apply for | qualify for to qualify for UN recognition as an International Biosphere Reserve | accord sb/sth, give sb/sth, grant sb/sth | refuse sb/sth

RECOGNITION + VERB come Official recognition of the change came fast.

PREP. in ~ of an award in recognition of his outstanding work | without ~ She has worked actively but without recognition. | ~ as a country that has long sought recognition as a major power | ~ by/from recognition by his superiors of the service he had performed | ~ for They received recognition for their 20-year commitment to safety at sea.

PHRASES a lack of recognition, recognition of the importance of sth, recognition of the need for sth, a struggle for recognition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recognizable adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. clearly, easily, immediately, instantly, quite, readily John's car was easily recognizable in the car park. a building that was immediately recognizable as a prison | barely, hardly, scarcely

PREP. as a language barely recognizable as English | by recognizable by their distinctive uniforms | to The scheme's benefits were recognizable to all interest groups.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recognize verb

¹ know sb/sth again

ADV. immediately, instantly I immediately recognized the building. | easily This is the only species of flamingo in the region, easily recognized by its pink plumage. | barely, hardly Stella hardly recognized her brother.

VERB + RECOGNIZE learn to You learn to recognize the calls of different birds. | be easy to

PREP. as He recognized the man as one of the police officers. | by I recognized her by her red hair. | from I recognized them from a television show.

² understand sth

ADV. fully They fully recognize the need to proceed carefully. | belatedly, finally The government has belatedly recognized the danger to health of passive smoking.

VERB + RECOGNIZE must | be important to | begin to | be slow to The company had been slow to recognize the opportunities available to it. | fail to

PREP. as This issue must be recognized as a priority for the next administration.

PHRASES be generally/universally/widely recognized, be increasingly recognized The strength of this argument is being increasingly recognized. | failure to recognize sth

³ accept sth officially

ADV. clearly The law clearly recognizes that a company is separate from those who invest in it. | formally, officially | internationally, nationally The Medway estuary is recognized internationally as a conservation area.

VERB + RECOGNIZE agree to | refuse to

PREP. as All rivers should be officially recognized as public rights of way.

PHRASES be legally recognized A bill of exchange is a legally recognized document. | a refusal to recognize sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recoil verb

ADV. a little, slightly | instinctively As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled.

PREP. at Howard recoiled a little at the sharpness in my voice. | from She felt him recoil from her, frightened. | in He recoiled in apparent disgust.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recollection noun

VERB + RECOLLECTION have (no) I have only a vague recollection of sunshine and sand. I have absolutely no recollection of the incident. | bring back The place brought back painful recollections. | chuckle at/in, laugh at, smile at/in | shudder at

PREP. in ~ She stared at him in sudden recollection. | ~ from recollections from Eliot's own life

PHRASES to the best of your recollection To the best of my recollection (= if I remember correctly), he was not there that day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recommendation noun

¹ official suggestion

QUANT. list, series, set

VERB + RECOMMENDATION come up with, make, produce The council has produced a set of recommendations on ethics in health care. | give, offer, put forward, submit | publish | consider, discuss, review | agree with | disagree with | accept, adopt, approve, endorse The UN Security Council endorsed the recommendation submitted by the Secretary General. | reject | act on, carry out, follow, implement The government gave assurances that it would implement the recommendations in full. | enforce | support | oppose | ignore | be in accordance with, be in line with to develop a plan in line with the recommendations of national policy | base sth on The design of the breakwater was based on the recommendations of an engineering study.

RECOMMENDATION + VERB arise from sth, be based on sth, follow (from) sth, relate to sth a detailed set of recommendations following a comprehensive examination of the subject | aim at sth recommendations aimed at achieving a more equitable admissions policy

PREP. on/upon sb/sth's ~ I had the operation on the recommendation of my doctor. | ~ about/as to/concerning/on recommendations on how health and safety standards might be improved | ~ by/from recommendations by the judges | ~ for recommendations for improving the quality of service | ~ in respect of recommendations in respect of bank officials | ~ to the board's recommendations to the minister | ~ with regard/respect to recommendations with regard to management procedures > Special page at MEETING

² saying sb/sth is good/suitable

ADJ. glowing, high/highest | personal It's best to find a builder through personal recommendation.

VERB + RECOMMENDATION give sb/sth | get, receive | come on/with The new housekeeper came on the highest recommendation. The chef comes with her recommendation. | need no Swiss chocolates need no recommendation (= their good reputation is enough to recommend them).

PREP. at/on/upon sb's ~ At the recommendation of a psychiatrist, the accused will remain under observation. We went to Corfu on your recommendation (= because you recommended it).

PHRASES a letter of recommendation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recommend verb

¹ say that sb/sth is good

ADV. highly, thoroughly This book is highly recommended by teachers. | certainly, definitely I definitely recommend this film. | heartily | personally Consult a solicitor who is personally recommended to you.

PREP. for Who would you recommend for the job? | to I can recommend this book to anyone interested in food.

PHRASES sth has a lot/much to recommend it Your idea has much to recommend it.

² advise sb to do sth

ADV. strongly I would strongly recommend that you get professional advice. | particularly, specifically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recompense noun

ADJ. adequate, sufficient | financial

VERB + RECOMPENSE have All struggles should have their recompense. | expect | receive | give (sth in), pay (sth in) Substantial damages were paid in recompense.

PREP. as/in ~ She received a gift as recompense. | ~ for He was given £1,000 in recompense for his loss. | ~ from recompense from the government

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reconciliation noun

¹ ending a disagreement/conflict

ADJ. full | lasting | national, personal, political

VERB + RECONCILIATION seek He sought reconciliation with those he had stolen from. | attempt | achieve, bring about, effect, make, secure | promote, work for | call for The rebel leader called for reconciliation with the armed forces.

RECONCILIATION + NOUN agreement | talks

PREP. ~ between They aimed to secure a lasting reconciliation between the two countries. | ~ with She attempted reconciliation with her estranged brother.

PHRASES an attempt at reconciliation, efforts at/towards reconciliation, a gesture of reconciliation In a bold gesture of reconciliation, the government released the rebel leader. | a mood/spirit of reconciliation, a policy of reconciliation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reconnaissance noun

ADJ. general | preliminary | aerial/air, maritime, military Spotter planes made a preliminary aerial reconnaissance of the island.

VERB + RECONNAISSANCE carry out, conduct, do, make

RECONNAISSANCE + VERB reveal sth Reconnaissance revealed not a single large ship.

RECONNAISSANCE + NOUN flight, mission, sortie | party, patrol, team, unit | aircraft, plane

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reconstruction noun

ADJ. fundamental, major | complete, total | large/large-scale, life-size a life-size reconstruction of a Viking longboat | dramatic a dramatic reconstruction of school life in the 1940s | national The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war. | post-war | economic, historical, social

VERB + RECONSTRUCTION undertake A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. | stage The police have staged a reconstruction of the events leading up to the murder.

RECONSTRUCTION + NOUN period | work | plan, programme, scheme | cost reconstruction costs following the cyclone

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reconstruct verb

ADV. completely | partially | painstakingly Every aspect of the original has been closely studied and painstakingly reconstructed.

VERB + RECONSTRUCT attempt to, try to | be possible to It is not possible to reconstruct the complete symphony from these manuscript sketches.

PREP. from Local historians have reconstructed from contemporary descriptions how the hall may have looked in 1300.

PHRASES an attempt to reconstruct sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recorder noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recording noun

VERB + RECORDING make (sb) Make a few test recordings before you start the session in earnest. | play (sb), play (sb) back I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal. | hear, listen to | view, watch

RECORDING + VERB give sth, show sth The recording gives an account of his kidnapping. | sound … The recording sounds just like a live performance.

PREP. ~ by a recording by the Amadeus Quartet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

record noun

¹ account

VERB + RECORD keep He has always kept an accurate record of his spending. | check, consult I checked the records but nobody of that name had worked here. | destroy Medical records should not be destroyed. | file | update | be on, go on She is on record as saying that she once took drugs. He is the latest public figure to go on (the) record about corruption in politics.

RECORD + VERB contain sth The records contain the bank details of all employees. | show sth The records showed that the building had not been inspected for ten years. | suggest sth Fossil records suggest that the region was covered in water until relatively recently. | exist, survive No record exists of a battle on this site. | go back The university records go back as far as the 13th century.

PREP. in the ~(s) The historic agreement is preserved in the university records. | off/on the ~ Off the record, he told the interviewer what he thought of his colleagues. | ~ of a record of achievement | ~ on records on children's progress

PHRASES access to the records Under the law, every citizen has access to their official records. | put/set the record straight She called a press conference to set the record straight about her disappearance.

² best result, highest level, etc.

ADJ. all-comers, club, course, national, Olympic, track, world | unbeaten, unbroken | long-standing Bob Beamon's long-standing record for the long jump was eventually broken. | all-time | speed

VERB + RECORD hold Who holds the 100 metre sprint record? | establish, set She has just set a new world record. | beat, break, shatter If she continues like this she could beat the record. | equal He has equalled the Olympic record.

RECORD + VERB stand His mile record stood for twelve years. | fall

RECORD + NOUN book/books Bubka rewrote the pole-vault record books during his career. | attempt | breaker, holder | high, number Unemployment has reached a record high (= the highest level ever). There was a record number of candidates for the post.

PREP. ~ for These viewing figures are an all-time record for a single broadcast. | ~ with Lewis established a new world record with a time of 9.86 seconds.

PHRASES in record time I got to work in record time.

³ sb's performance in a particular area

ADJ. past, track | distinguished, enviable, excellent, exceptional, exemplary, fine, formidable, good, impressive, magnificent, outstanding, proven, remarkable, unique, unparalleled, unrivalled | abysmal, appalling, atrocious, bad, dismal, mediocre, poor, sorry | unenviable He has an unenviable record of ill-health. | satisfactory | consistent | clean, unblemished Apart from a parking fine ten years before, she had an unblemished driving record. | academic, educational, school | military | attendance The teacher spoke to her about her poor attendance record. | economic, environmental, human-rights the government's economic record | disciplinary | criminal, police | accident, safety The airline's accident record makes it among the safest.

VERB + RECORD have, possess | keep, maintain The company has maintained an accident-free record since it started business.

RECORD + VERB show sth Her record shows that she is able to compete under great pressure. | compare with sth Our record compares favourably with that of any similar-sized company. | speak for itself When it comes to quality, our record speaks for itself.

PREP. ~ among They have the worst human-rights record among member countries. | ~ for He has an appalling record for dishonesty. | ~ in The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in project management. | ~ on the government's abysmal record on crime

PHRASES on past records On past records, she should have no problem passing the exam. | on sb's past record

⁴ music

ADJ. long-playing | gramophone | classical, jazz, pop | best-selling

VERB + RECORD cut, make | release They released their first record in 1963. | listen to, play, put on I'll put on one of my favourite records.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

record verb

¹ information

ADV. carefully, meticulously, painstakingly | accurately, correctly, properly The weights must be recorded accurately. | faithfully It was all there, faithfully recorded in his uncle's stiff and formal style. | duly The contract is witnessed by others and duly recorded. | automatically, routinely The mother's occupation was not routinely recorded on the birth certificate. | officially | electronically, manually | graphically, vividly The circumstances of her death were graphically recorded in the local press.

PREP. as The time of the accident is recorded as 6.23 p.m.

PHRASES be recorded for posterity The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church. | historically recorded historically recorded events | poorly/well recorded The geographical spread of the industry in the 16th century is hard to ascertain, for much of it is poorly recorded.

² sound/pictures

ADV. secretly She secretly recorded the conversation.

PREP. from a programme she had recorded from the radio | on I recorded the film on video.

PHRASES beautifully/well recorded This CD has been beautifully recorded. | digitally recorded

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recount verb

ADV. vividly The story of his life is vividly recounted in this new book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recourse noun

ADJ. constant, frequent | limited | no other, only I have no other recourse than to inform the police. | direct The study of these creatures has been conducted without direct recourse to living specimens. | legal

VERB + RECOURSE have The mother of an illegitimate child had no legal recourse to the father. | seek An order was made against which he sought recourse in the supreme court. | avoid Their system of dispute resolution avoids recourse to the courts.

PREP. by ~ to people who deal with emotional pain by recourse to drugs and alcohol | without ~ to They tried to settle the dispute without recourse to the courts. | ~ against Citizens have learnt that they do have recourse against governments. | ~ to She often had recourse to her dictionary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recovery noun

VERB + RECOVERY achieve, make, stage Many people make remarkable recoveries after strokes. | aid, speed (up), stimulate A holiday would speed his recovery. a reduction in interest rates to stimulate global economic recovery | delay, hamper, hinder | wish sb We wish them all a speedy recovery.

RECOVERY + VERB be on the way, come The economic circumstances are right and recovery is on the way (= recovery will occur soon). | be … way off Unemployment is high and economic recovery is still a long way off (= it will be a long time until recovery). | be underway, occur, take place | continue

RECOVERY + NOUN time His injuries have returned as there was insufficient recovery time between matches. | period, phase | process | plan, programme | room After the operation she was taken to the recovery room. | position Continue resuscitation until the person starts breathing and then place them in the recovery position.

PREP. beyond ~ The region has been damaged by acid rain and rivers are fouled almost beyond recovery. | in ~ He's in recovery from the disease. | ~ from recovery from his illness | ~ in the recent recovery in consumer spending | ~ to a slow recovery to full health

PHRASES be on the road to recovery She is well on the road to recovery (= making good progress towards recovery). | hopes/prospects of recovery, a sign of recovery The economy is showing the first signs of recovery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recover verb

VERB + RECOVER help sb (to) | struggle to Yates is struggling to recover form a serious knee injury.

PREP. from Mrs Burton was last night recovering from her injuries in hospital.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recreation noun

RECREATION + NOUN area, centre, facilities, ground, room

PREP. for ~ She cycles for recreation.

PHRASES a form of recreation His only form of recreation is playing cards. | a source of recreation exploiting the countryside as a source of recreation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recruitment noun

PREP. ~ by recruitment by large companies | ~ into/to large-scale recruitment to the new industries

PHRASES a method of recruitment, a source of recruitment One source of recruitment is the civil service.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recruit noun

ADJ. latest, new, raw, recent raw recruits marching up and down with the drill instructor | possible, potential | young | graduate | army

VERB + RECRUIT find A common way for companies to find new recruits is by taking a stand at a job exhibition. | attract It's difficult to attract recruits when working conditions are so poor. | enlist, gain, sign up Thousands of recruits had been enlisted and partly trained. She tried to gain recruits for the party. | train Army recruits are all trained in first aid. | provide Their business schools provide recruits for domestic industry.

PREP. ~ to new recruits to the party

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recruit verb

ADV. directly The specialist institutions directly recruit their own staff. | actively | locally Most of the workers will be recruited locally. | personally She personally recruited the teachers. | specially Staff were recruited specially for the event.

VERB + RECRUIT need to | seek to, try to

PREP. as Peter Watson has been recruited as Sales Manager. | for A hundred patients were recruited for the study. | from Soldiers were recruited from the local villages. | into Some of the men were recruited into the army. | to Ten new members were recruited to the committee.

PHRASES newly/recently recruited

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recurrence noun

ADJ. high | frequent | tumour, ulcer, etc.

VERB + RECURRENCE avoid, prevent | experience, have, suffer He has suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury.

RECURRENCE + NOUN rate

PHRASES the likelihood of a recurrence, the risk of recurrence a high risk of recurrence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recur verb

ADV. constantly, frequently, regularly This is a constantly recurring problem which we must deal with.

VERB + RECUR be likely to | tend to

PREP. throughout a theme that recurs throughout the book

PHRASES keep recurring

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recyclable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. easily Paper is easily recyclable. | completely Glass products are completely recyclable. | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

recycle verb

ADV. endlessly, regularly (often figurative) endlessly recycling the same worn-out arguments

PREP. from made of plastic recycled from old packaging material | into These materials can be recycled into other packaging products.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

red tape noun

ADJ. bureaucratic

VERB + RED TAPE cut (through), reduce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

redemption noun

¹ being saved from the power of evil

VERB + REDEMPTION be in need of, need She believes that humanity is in need of redemption.

PREP. beyond ~ After another incident at the weekend, the club's reputation for violence is beyond redemption. | ~ from redemption from evil

² repayment of money invested/borrowed

ADJ. early There is a fee for early redemption. | capital, loan, share

REDEMPTION + NOUN date | price, value, yield

PREP. on ~ A charge is payable on redemption.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

redistribution noun

ADJ. major, massive, significant, substantial | equitable | income, land, population

VERB + REDISTRIBUTION be/become available for a national tax available for redistribution to local government | bring about The tax brought about a significant redistribution of wealth.

PREP. ~ from, ~ to redistribution from the rich to the poor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reduce verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, drastically, greatly, sharply, significantly, substantially | further | slightly We need to reduce the speed slightly. | gradually, progressively Legislation progressively reduced the number of situations in which industrial action could be taken.

VERB + REDUCE aim to, attempt to, seek to, try to | help (to) Giving up smoking helps reduce the risk of heart disease. | manage to | be designed to, be intended to | be expected to, be likely to

PREP. by Pollution from the works has been reduced by 70 per cent. | from, to The price is reduced from 99p to 85p.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to reduce sth, measures to reduce sth, reduce sth to a minimum The risks must be reduced to the absolute minimum.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reduction noun

VERB + REDUCTION achieve, make, secure The government has found it difficult to make real reductions in government spending. Every effort is made to secure the highest possible reduction in casualties. | cause, lead to, make, produce, result in These simple changes will make a substantial reduction in the fat content of your diet. | avoid | ask for, demand, seek I asked for a reduction as the dress was damaged. | get, receive Guests staying 14 nights will receive a ten per cent reduction. | suffer They suffered a severe reduction in income. | accept, welcome | give (sb), offer (sb) | propose She proposed a reduction in the state president's powers. | notice, observe, witness I haven't noticed any significant reduction in the performance of my car since switching to unleaded fuel. | announce | forecast The budget forecasts a deficit reduction of 27%. | mean, represent Our average margins dropped to 35%, which represents a reduction in gross margins of £109 million. | show Figures just released show a steady reduction in levels of emissions over the last four years.

REDUCTION + VERB occur, take place

REDUCTION + NOUN target the government's waste reduction targets

PREP. through a/the ~ economic growth through a reduction in interest rates | ~ by reduction by 30% | ~ from, ~ in There has been a sharp reduction in the number of accidents on motorways. | ~ on a 25% reduction on normal subscription rates | ~ to a reduction in the speed limit from 50 to 40 miles per hour

PHRASES a reduction in numbers They are concerned about the reduction in numbers of people eligible for legal aid. | a reduction in the amount/number/size of sth the reduction in the number of hospital beds

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

redundancy noun

ADJ. large-scale, major, mass, massive The closure of the mine led to large-scale redundancies. | widespread | threatened | compulsory, enforced, forced | voluntary

QUANT. round, wave a fresh wave of redundancies

VERB + REDUNDANCY make The bank will be making 3,500 redundancies over the next five years. | lead to, result in | avoid | announce | be threatened by/with, face Sixty workers at a clothing factory face redundancy because the firm is relocating. | accept, take, volunteer for Those choosing to take redundancy will receive the company's standard redundancy terms.

REDUNDANCY + VERB occur, take place

PHRASES the threat of redundancy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

redundant adj.

¹ no longer needed for a job

VERBS be | become | make sb the decision to make 800 employees compulsorily redundant

ADV. compulsorily

² not necessary or wanted

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | declare sth, make sth, render sth The chapel was declared redundant in 1995.

ADV. completely | virtually | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

red adj.

¹ of the colour of blood

VERBS glow The coals glowed red in the dying fire.

ADV. very | slightly The leaves looked slightly red.

ADJ. bright, brilliant, fiery, flaming, vibrant, vivid flaming red hair | dark, deep, rich | light, pale | dull | blood, brick, ruby her ruby red lips > Special page at COLOUR

² of the face

VERBS be, look | flush, go, grow, turn Mr Grubb was shouting and growing redder and redder in the face.

ADV. very | quite | rather, slightly

ADJ. bright, fiery He could feel himself going bright red.

PREP. with Ross flushed red with embarrassment.

PHRASES as red as a beetroot, red in the face Charles was rapidly turning red in the face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

referee noun

¹ controls a sports match

ADJ. boxing, football | match, tournament decisions taken by the match referee | international

REFEREE + VERB award sb sth The referee awarded a free kick to the home team. | book sb, send sb off The referee booked three players for offensive behaviour.

PHRASES the referee's decision

² recommends sb for a job

ADJ. academic, professional

VERB + REFEREE act as, be

PREP. ~ for His former employer agreed to act as a referee for him.

³ settles a dispute between people

ADJ. official

VERB + REFEREE act as to act as referee between the parties involved

PREP. ~ between

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reference noun

¹ mentioning sb/sth

VERB + REFERENCE contain, have Her diary contains no reference to the alleged appointment. | drop, make He dropped casual references to the legacy of his great work. The article makes no reference to his first marriage. | drop, omit The new constitution dropped all reference to previous wars. | find

PREP. in a/the ~ In an obvious reference to the president, he talked of corruption in high places. | in/with ~ to (written) I am writing with reference to your job application. | ~ (back) to The summary should be comprehensible without reference back to the source work.

² consulting sb/sth for advice/help/information

ADJ. easy, quick The book is organized alphabetically for easy reference. | further, future

PREP. by ~ to Our charges are calculated by reference to an hourly rate. | for ~ Retain a copy of the form for future reference. | without ~ to The decision was taken without reference to local managers.

PHRASES for reference purposes She needs the book for reference

⁴ number/note/symbol

ADJ. copious | full For full references of all books cited, see Appendix B. | appropriate Please send a full CV, quoting the appropriate reference. | cross-The cross-references refer you to information in other parts of the dictionary. | bibliographic/bibliographical | grid, map

VERB + REFERENCE quote | cite, give References to original sources are given at the end of each chapter.

REFERENCE + NOUN number

PREP. in a/the ~ The date of publication should be included in the reference. | ~ to a reference to page 17

PHRASES a list of references

⁵ letter about your character/abilities

ADJ. glowing | character

VERB + REFERENCE ask for | give (sb), provide (sb with), write (sb) | follow up, take up They've taken up my references (= contacted the person who provided the reference), so they must be interested in me.

PREP. ~ from a reference from your current employer

⁵ standards by which sth is judged

REFERENCE + NOUN point

PHRASES a frame of reference People interpret events within their own frame of reference. | a point of reference Unemployment serves as a useful point of reference in examining social problems. | terms of reference The matter was outside the committee's terms of reference. purposes. | a source of reference The book is an invaluable source of reference for the art historian.

³ book containing facts/information

ADJ. general The book is by far the best general reference on natural history.

REFERENCE + NOUN book, material, source, work | library | section You'll find the information in the reference section of your local library.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

referendum noun

ADJ. planned, proposed | popular | national, nationwide | constitutional, independence

VERB + REFERENDUM conduct, hold The referendum will be held on July 14th. | put sth to The proposals were put to a referendum. | call The president called a referendum that he hoped would confirm him in power. | call for, demand, propose The group called for a referendum on the death penalty. | oppose | boycott The unions urged people to boycott the referendum. | declare, organize | be adopted by, be approved by, be confirmed by, be endorsed by a new constitution adopted by referendum

REFERENDUM + VERB show sth A popular referendum showed that the majority of people want reform.

REFERENDUM + NOUN proposal The Democrats rejected the referendum proposal. | campaign | result

PREP. in a/the ~ The issue will be decided in a national referendum. | ~ on a referendum on a new constitution

PHRASES declare a referendum fair/illegal UN monitors declared the referendum fair. | the result/results of a referendum

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refer verb PHRASAL VERBS refer to sb/sth

VERB + REFER be used to The term ‘alexia’ is used to refer to any acquired disorder of reading.

PREP. as She always referred to Ben as ‘that nice man’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refinement noun

¹ improvement to/on sth; process of improving sth

ADJ. considerable, great A greater refinement of the categorization is possible. | extra, further | continuous, endless All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. | useful It is possible to add a few useful refinements to the basic system. | technical | modern

QUANT. degree

VERB + REFINEMENT need, require The technology requires a great deal of refinement. | add, introduce

PREP. ~ in a refinement in the masonry | ~ on a refinement on previous methods | ~ to to add a further refinement to the computer system

² being polite/well educated; clever in design

ADJ. great a woman of great refinement and beauty

VERB + REFINEMENT lack The kite was star shaped and lacked the refinement of current designs.

PREP. ~ in a lack of refinement in engine design

PHRASES a lack of refinement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refine verb

ADV. slightly | further | increasingly | constantly, continuously The information system is constantly refined and updated. | gradually

VERB + REFINE attempt to, try to | help (to)

PREP. into Sugar cane is refined into sugar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reflection noun

¹ image in a mirror, etc.

ADJ. clear | faint | blurred, distorted

VERB + REFLECTION catch a glimpse of, catch sight of, see He caught sight of her reflection in the window. | glance at, look at | gaze at, stare at, watch | examine, inspect, study

REFLECTION + VERB look … Her reflection in the mirror looked distorted.

PREP. in a/the ~ In the reflection on the glass door he could see the class behind him. | ~ in I saw my reflection in the polished marble. | ~ on the reflection of the mountains on the calm waters of the lake

² sending light/heat/sound back from a surface

ADJ. heat, light, sound

PREP. ~ from There is reflection of heat from the metal surface.

PHRASES the angle of reflection

³ indication/description of sth

ADJ. accurate, fair, true | inadequate | mere, pale This account is only a pale reflection of the true state of affairs. | direct, simple Young people's behaviour is a direct reflection of adults'. | sad

VERB + REFLECTION give (sb), provide Such studies do not give a true reflection of population needs.

PREP. ~ of/on/upon His low level of performance is no reflection on his general ability.

⁴ careful thought about sth

ADJ. deep, mature, serious, sober | further | quiet | personal | critical, philosophical, theological

VERB + REFLECTION encourage Counselling should encourage reflection on the past.

REFLECTION + VERB show sb/sth A moment's reflection will show you that that can't be true.

PREP. after/on/upon ~ On further reflection, I'm not so sure it's a good idea. | ~ about/on/upon The party needs a period of sober reflection about what went wrong.

PHRASES a moment's reflection, a period for/of reflection, time for reflection

⁵ written or spoken thoughts about sth

ADJ. interesting | poignant

VERB + REFLECTION have

PREP. ~ about/on/upon She has some interesting reflections about the spiritual state of the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reflective adj

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very | slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reflect verb

¹ send back light/heat/sound

ADV. dimly, dully The sun reflected dully off the stone walls. (figurative) In Milton's poem, Satan, even after his fall, dimly reflects his former glory. | back

PREP. from The screen reflects light from the sun. | off

² show/express sth

ADV. clearly | directly | accurately, closely, correctly, faithfully, well Does this opinion poll accurately reflect the public mood? | adequately The punishment should adequately reflect the revulsion felt by most people for this appalling crime. | merely, simply This year's budget simply reflects the fact that we have fewer people out of work. | not necessarily The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the editor.

VERB + REFLECT be designed to The exhibition is designed to reflect the diversity of the nation and its regions.

PREP. in The condition of the house is reflected in its low price.

³ think deeply

ADV. bitterly, gloomily, ruefully, wryly reflecting ruefully that the great American dollar didn't buy as much as it used to

VERB + REFLECT pause to | leave sb to He was left to reflect on the implications of his decision.

PREP. on/upon She paused to reflect on what she had achieved.

PHRASES time to reflect I need time to reflect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reflex noun

ADJ. good, lightning, quick | poor | automatic | natural | conditioned

VERB + REFLEX trigger The rapid movement of an object towards the eye triggers the blink reflex. | control | sharpen, speed up The training is designed to sharpen the fighter's reflexes. | slow (down) Alcohol can slow your reflexes. | suppress | test The doctor tested her reflexes.

REFLEX + NOUN action, reaction Almost as a reflex action, I grab my pen as the phone rings.

PREP. by ~ Almost by reflex, he helped himself to a drink.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reform noun

QUANT. package

VERB + REFORM adopt, bring about, introduce, put in place | push through They wanted a weak president and a strong one-chamber parliament able to push through radical reforms. | carry out/through, implement, put into practice, undertake | accelerate efforts to accelerate the structural reform of the economy | delay | block The conservative coalition could delay further reforms or block them altogether. | accept, welcome | advocate, call for, press for, propose They have issued a statement advocating reform of the legal system. | demand | back, encourage, support We are committed to supporting democracy and reform in the region. | require The practice of global politics requires reform. | plan | discuss

REFORM + VERB go through The reforms went through in spite of opposition from teachers. | aim at sth tax reforms aimed at encouraging land development

REFORM + NOUN process | movement | initiative, measure, package, programme | act, bill | policy

PREP. ~ in reforms in housing and education

PHRASES the need for reform, the pace of reform, a programme of reform, a timetable for reform

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reform verb

ADV. drastically, fundamentally, radically The health service must be radically reformed.

VERB + REFORM attempt to, seek to, try to

PHRASES attempts/efforts/proposals to reform sth, a need to reform sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refrain noun

ADJ. constant | familiar Complaints about school food have become a familiar refrain.

VERB + REFRAIN sing, take up The choir's sopranos took up the refrain.

REFRAIN + VERB go Shoppers, so the refrain goes, are never happy until they have found a bargain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refrain verb

ADV. carefully, deliberately He deliberately refrained from expressing his opinion on the matter. | wisely

PREP. from I refrained from laughing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refreshing adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. extremely, highly, really, very, wonderfully The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing. | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refreshment noun

ADJ. light | liquid (humorous)

VERB + REFRESHMENT need | take | pause for, stop for We stopped for refreshment halfway through the journey. | provide (sb with), serve Light refreshments will be served in the interval.

REFRESHMENT + VERB be available

REFRESHMENT + NOUN area, hut, kiosk, room | facilities, service

PREP. for ~ We're allowed twenty minutes for refreshment. | for ~s What are we going to have for refreshments?

PHRASES a place of refreshment, rest and refreshment rest and refreshment for the mind and body

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refugee noun

VERB + REFUGEE qualify as Those who did not qualify as refugees were returned to their home countries. | be considered, be found to be, be recognized as Only nine per cent were found to be genuine political refugees. | accept, resettle, take (back/in) The government has agreed to take only 150 refugees plus their dependants. | expel, return | house | help

REFUGEE + VERB flee sth refugees fleeing political persecution | be displaced refugees displaced by the civil war | arrive | pour Hundreds of refugees are pouring over the border. | live refugees living in camps along the border | return

PREP. among ~ Unemployment among the refugees has risen sharply. | ~ from refugees from civil wars

PHRASES a flood/influx of refugees a new influx of refugees from the combat zone | the flow of refugees, the plight of refugees, the return of refugees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refuge noun

ADJ. safe | temporary | wildlife | mountain a monk living in a mountain refuge | last (figurative) They looked to the country as the last refuge of liberty.

VERB + REFUGE take They took refuge in the embassy. | look for, seek They sought refuge in the mountain villages. | find They were hoping to find a safe refuge for the night. They found refuge from the bright sun. | give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with)

PREP. ~ against (figurative) Home is a refuge against the pressures of work. | ~ from The cave provided refuge from the storm.

PHRASES a place of refuge

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refund verb

ADV. in full Your money will be refunded in full. | promptly

PREP. to If you are not satisfied with the goods, the price will be refunded to you.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refusal noun

ADJ. blank, blunt, complete, flat, outright, point-blank | continued/continuing, obstinate, persistent, repeated, steadfast, stubborn | cowardly | wilful | polite | first If you decide to sell your car, I hope you'll give me first refusal (= the opportunity to buy it before it is offered to others).

VERB + REFUSAL be met by/with Her appeals for funds to support the cause were met with blank refusal.

PREP. ~ by/of a refusal by a patient to accept the recommended treatment

PHRASES a refusal of consent a refusal of consent to blood transfusions | refusal on … grounds their refusal on religious grounds to perform military service

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refuse noun

ADJ. domestic, household | uncollected

QUANT. heap, mound, pile

VERB + REFUSE dump People dump their refuse in the surrounding woods instead of taking it to the tip. | collect What day do they collect the refuse? | recycle

REFUSE + NOUN collection, disposal | bin | dump

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

refuse verb

ADV. adamantly, obstinately, resolutely, steadfastly, stoutly, stubbornly | categorically, flatly, point-blank, simply Gerard refused point-blank to co-operate. | pointedly The demand for an apology was pointedly refused. | politely | consistently

VERB + REFUSE can't/couldn't, can/could hardly They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. | be entitled to, have the right to Workers should be entitled to refuse to work under these conditions. | be/seem churlish to She offered them cups of tea and it seemed churlish to refuse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regain verb

ADV. completely He hadn't completely regained his strength. | quickly, rapidly | gradually, slowly | eventually, finally | never He was severely injured and never regained consciousness.

VERB + REGAIN fight to, struggle to, try to The team are struggling to regain last season's form. | be desperate to, be determined to, hope to He was determined to regain what his father had lost. | help sb (to) | manage to | be unable to, fail to

PHRASES an attempt/a bid/an effort to regain sth He is making a bid to regain his World No 1 ranking. | a chance/an opportunity to regain sth a chance to regain the lead in the contest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regard noun

¹ attention to/thought for sb/sth

ADJ. due, full, proper | scant | particular, specific

VERB + REGARD have (often law) When exercising its discretion, the court will have regard to all the circumstances. | pay, show The manifesto pays scant regard to green issues.

PREP. in/with ~ to I am writing with regard to your recent order. | without ~ for/to an attempt to plan the future of an industry without due regard to market forces | ~ for a proper regard for human dignity

PHRASES in that/this regard I have nothing further to say in this regard (= in regard to what has just been said). | a lack of regard a lack of regard for public safety | little/no regard for/to sb/sth

² respect/admiration for sb

ADJ. considerable, great, high | insufficient, low | mutual | critical

VERB + REGARD have, hold sb/sth in I have the greatest regard for his abilities. He is held in the highest regard by his colleagues. | win The film has won critical regard in America.

³ regards: used to send greetings to sb

ADJ. best, kind, warm (all written) The letter ended, ‘Kindest regards, Felicity.’

VERB + REGARD convey, give (sb), send (sb) (written) David sends his warmest regards to your parents.

PREP. ~ to (written) My regards to your aunt (= please give my regards to your aunt).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regard verb

¹ (often be regarded) think of sb/sth in a particular way

ADV. highly, well She was highly regarded as a sculptor. | generally, universally, widely The project was widely regarded as a success. | commonly, popularly, usually | conventionally, traditionally Foxes were traditionally regarded as vermin. | legitimately, properly, reasonably Civil contempt is not properly regarded as a criminal offence. | hitherto | still | no longer

VERB + REGARD seem to He seemed to regard the whole thing as a joke. | tend to They tend to regard the open expression of emotion as being soft and feminine. | come to I had come to regard him as a close friend. | continue to | be tempted to, be tempting to The successful are often tempted to regard their success as a kind of reward. | be a mistake to It would be a mistake to regard the incident as unimportant.

PREP. as Many of her works are regarded as classics. | with They regarded people outside their own village with suspicion.

² look steadily at sb/sth

ADV. steadily | intently | curiously, suspiciously, thoughtfully, warily

VERB + REGARD continue to His eyes continued to regard her steadily.

PREP. with She regarded the mess with distaste.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regimen noun

VERB + REGIMEN use We used a combined regimen of injection treatment and radiation therapy.

REGIMEN + VERB comprise sth a treatment regimen comprising two antibiotics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regime noun

¹ system of government

REGIME + VERB exist | come to power The communist regime came to power in 1975. | collapse, fall

PREP. against a/the ~ She called for sanctions against the regime. | under a/the ~ He spoke of the abhorrent crimes that had been committed under the regime. | ~ under a military regime under Franco

PHRASES a change of regime, the collapse/fall/overthrow of a regime, a member of a regime

² set of rules/procedures

VERB + REGIME create, introduce, set up, start It will be necessary to create a regime to monitor compliance with the agreements. | impose | subject sb to The children were subjected to a strict regime of meals, walks and lessons. | follow He suggested to me that I follow his fitness regime.

REGIME + VERB be based on sth a regime based on discipline and training

PREP. under a/the ~ Under the new regime you will be liable for automatic penalties for late submission of tax returns. | ~ for the new regime for accounting for charities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

region noun

¹ area of land/part of a country

VERB + REGION inhabit, live in Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. | work in | leave | visit | divide sth into The country is divided into 17 autonomous regions. | confine sb/sth to This bird is largely confined to the southern regions of the country.

REGION + VERB cover sb/sth The champagne-producing region covers 34,500 hectares.

PREP. across a/the ~ Sports events across the region have been cancelled because of the weather. | from a/the ~ Twenty participants from the Asia-Pacific region will be invited to the seminar. | in/within a/the ~ The animal is found in the northern regions of Sweden. | in the ~ of (figurative) She earns in the region of (= approximately) £200,000. | throughout a/the ~ The plant is found throughout the western regions of the country.

PHRASES sth varies from region to region Sanitary facilities varied widely from region to region.

² part of the body

ADJ. distinct, particular, specific | brain, etc.

PREP. from a/the ~ tissue from the mouth region | in/within a/the ~ cells in a particular region of the brain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

register noun

¹ list of names

VERB + REGISTER appear on, be on All those appearing on the register must notify the authorities of any change of address. | remain on | keep, maintain They keep a register of all those who have contributed to the fund. | call, take The teacher takes the register at the beginning of each class. | inspect | compile, create, draw up, establish She was asked to draw up a register of suitable sites. | add sb/sth to, enter sb/sth in/on, register sb/sth in/on Their names had been entered in the register as owners of the company. | omit sb/sth from | remove sb from, strike sb from/off He was struck off the medical register for professional misconduct. | sign The bride and bridegroom signed the register.

PREP. in a /the~ It was the last entry in the register. | on a/the ~ There are 36 children on the register.

PHRASES an entry in/on a register

² range of a voice/an instrument

ADJ. high, low, middle, upper the lower register of the piano

PREP. in a/the ~ boy trebles singing in high registers

³ level/style of a piece of writing/speech

ADJ. formal, informal | appropriate

VERB + REGISTER adopt He has adopted an informal register so as not to alienate his audience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

register verb

¹ put sb/sth on an official list

ADV. fully On completion of the preregistration year, graduates become fully registered by the General Medical Council. | jointly About 68 per cent of illegitimate births were jointly registered by both parents. | formally, officially | legally | duly As I reached my eighteenth birthday I duly registered for military service. | automatically

VERB + REGISTER be required to, have to, must You must register the death within three days. | be eligible to, be entitled to | fail to | refuse to

PREP. as the number of people officially registering as unemployed | at He registered at his local university. | for There is still time to register for English classes. | with Students living away from home are required to register with a local doctor.

² notice sth

ADV. barely, hardly, scarcely She had barely registered his presence. | vaguely He vaguely registered that the women had gone.

VERB + REGISTER fail to His eyes failed to register Meredith's surprise.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

registration noun

REGISTRATION + VERB be required

PREP. on ~ You will receive a free CD on registration with the club. | ~ as registration as a political party | ~ by the registration of the vehicle by the appropriate authority | ~ with Registration with the council is compulsory.

PHRASES an application for registration, a certificate of registration

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

registry noun

VERB + REGISTRY enter sth at/in, lodge sth at/in, register sth at The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry.

REGISTRY + VERB have sth, hold sth, keep sth The registry holds records of all major operations.

REGISTRY + NOUN fee | office | staff

PHRASES at a/the ~ The map is kept at the local land registry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regrettable adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very a deeply regrettable incident It is highly regrettable that the minister cannot be here in person. | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regret noun

ADJ. big, bitter, deep, genuine, great, profound, real, sincere Her biggest regret was that she had never had children. She expressed deep regret at the incident.

QUANT. pang, stab, tinge, twinge

VERB + REGRET feel, have I have absolutely no regrets about resigning. | express, show

PREP. to your ~ To my regret, I lost touch with her years ago. | with ~ It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Mr Fred Fisher. | without ~ She thought of them without regret. | ~ about/over She showed no regret about leaving her country. | ~ at my sincere regret at what has happened | ~ for She enjoyed living alone, but felt a tiny pang of regret for her mother's cooking.

PHRASES expression of regret The police offered no expression of regret at his wrongful arrest. | a matter for/of regret I never learned to play an instrument and that's a matter of some regret.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regret verb

ADV. bitterly, deeply, greatly, really, very much The president said that his country deeply regretted the incident. | rather | immediately, instantly I immediately regretted not asking for his name and address. | later Pierre told them some things he later regretted telling. | never

VERB + REGRET begin to | come to, live to She knew that she would live to regret this decision.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regularity noun

QUANT. degree Sons followed their fathers' trade with a high degree of regularity.

VERB + REGULARITY maintain The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.

PREP. with (a) ~ He exercised with a regularity that amazed us. | ~ in Is there any regularity in English word stress?

PHRASES with alarming/depressing/monotonous regularity the statistics that he quotes with monotonous regularity | with great/increasing regularity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regular adj.

¹ frequent

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. very | fairly, quite at fairly regular intervals

² following a pattern

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very highly regular patterns | perfectly Her face was perfectly regular. | fairly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regulate verb

ADV. carefully, closely, properly, strictly, tightly The use of these chemicals is strictly regulated.

VERB + REGULATE attempt to, seek to | be designed to, be intended to a code of conduct intended to regulate press reporting on the royal family

PHRASES an attempt to regulate sth, heavily/highly regulated a highly regulated economy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

regulation noun

¹ control of sth

VERB + REGULATION call for, demand They are calling for tighter regulation of the industry. | introduce | be subject to Theatre, cinema and broadcasting are all subject to regulation by local authorities.

PREP. ~ by regulation by local authorities

² (usually regulations) law/rule

VERB + REGULATION comply with, conform to, meet, observe, satisfy To comply with government hygiene regulations, there must be a separate sink for hand washing. | breach, break, contravene, flout, infringe | adopt, bring in, impose, introduce, issue, make These restrictions are set out in regulations made by the minister. | liberalize, relax The government is under pressure to relax censorship regulations. | tighten | enforce In practice, the regulations are rarely enforced.

REGULATION + VERB be designed to The regulations are designed to encourage lower consumption of water. | control sth, govern sth, protect sth regulations governing trade and industry | impose sth, require sth, restrict sth, specify sth, stipulate sth Regulations require water authorities to test sea water for bacteria. | apply (to sth) These regulations apply to all cows sold after June 1998. | come into force

REGULATION + NOUN uniform, white shirt, etc. She was wearing the regulation school uniform.

PREP. against (the) ~s It's against safety regulations to fix these doors open. | in (the) ~ The limits are specified in the regulations. | under (the) ~ Under the new regulations, each worker must have a rest every two hours. | ~s concerning/regarding There are strict regulations concerning the adoption of children. | ~ on regulations on hygiene

PHRASES a breach of the regulations, compliance with a regulation, in accordance with (the) regulations The notice is in accordance with Regulation 7. | rules and regulations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rehabilitation noun

ADJ. economic, physical, psychiatric, social

REHABILITATION + NOUN centre, unit a drug rehabilitation centre | services | plan, period, process, programme, scheme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rehearsal noun

ADJ. dress

VERB + REHEARSAL do, have, hold We only had one full rehearsal. | attend, go to

REHEARSAL + VERB take place | go How did the rehearsal go?

REHEARSAL + NOUN room, space, studio | time

PREP. at (a/the) ~ He apologized for his outburst at rehearsal. | during (a/the) ~ During the dress rehearsal she suddenly forgot her lines. | in ~ They're performing every night and they have another production in rehearsal. | ~ for rehearsals for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ | ~ of a rehearsal of the final scene

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rehearse verb

ADV. carefully | mentally She mentally rehearsed what she would say to Jeff.

PREP. for rehearsing for the show

PHRASES well rehearsed He had all the words he needed typed out and well rehearsed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reinforcement noun

¹ supporting/strengthening sth

ADJ. powerful

VERB + REINFORCEMENT provide The minister's statement provides reinforcement for the view that tax cuts are likely in the budget. | receive | have The windows have steel reinforcement. | need 2 reinforcements extra soldiers, etc.

ADJ. police, troop

VERB + REINFORCEMENT call for, call in, send for, summon The crowd was very large and police reinforcements were called in. | bring in, send

REINFORCEMENT + VERB arrive Reinforcements arrived too late.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reinforce verb

¹ support sth that already exists

ADV. enormously, greatly, massively, powerfully, strongly This report strongly reinforces the view that the system must be changed. | further | merely, only, simply All this simply reinforces my earlier point. | constantly, continually, continuously, repeatedly | implicitly | mutually Violent behaviour and rejection by society are mutually reinforcing. | unwittingly | positively

VERB + REINFORCE help (to), serve to, tend to

² make sth stronger

ADV. heavily

PREP. with The door was built of oak, heavily reinforced with iron.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rein noun

¹ (often reins) for controlling a horse

VERB + REIN hold Can you hold the reins for a minute? | gather (up), pick up Sean gathered up the horse's reins. | grab (at), pull on She pulled sharply on the reins. | give/hand sb, let go of | lengthen, shorten

PREP. on a ~ She had the horse on a long rein.

² the reins: being in control/the leader of sth

VERB + REIN hold It's the Treasury that effectively holds the reins. | grasp, take up The vice-president was forced to take up the reins of office. | hand over

PHRASES the reins of government/office/power

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rejection noun

ADJ. blanket, outright, total, wholesale | deliberate

VERB + REJECTION fear Children who have had bad experiences fear rejection. | risk | cope with, take It takes a very buoyant personality to cope with constant rejection.

REJECTION + NOUN letter, slip a publisher's rejection slip

PREP. ~ by the rejection of the child by its mother

PHRASES fear of rejection, feelings of rejection, the rejection of an idea/a proposal/a theory

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reject verb

ADV. decisively, emphatically, firmly, roundly, strongly, vehemently, vigorously She firmly rejected the suggestion that she had lied to Parliament. | categorically, completely, flatly, out of hand, outright, unequivocally, utterly Don't just reject their suggestions out of hand. | overwhelmingly | unanimously | narrowly Voters narrowly rejected the scheme. | immediately, instantly | quickly | consistently, constantly | eventually, finally | deliberately | explicitly, expressly, specifically | effectively | indignantly The paper indignantly rejected charges that it had invented the story to boost sales. | formally | publicly | instinctively | automatically No one knows why a foetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. | rightly It was an ill-researched product that consumers rightly rejected.

VERB + REJECT vote to | be free to, have the right to Consumers have the right to reject faulty goods and demand a refund. | urge sb to He urged the committee to reject the plans.

PREP. as The proposal was rejected as too costly. | in favour of Their design was rejected in favour of one by a rival company.

PHRASES reject sth on … grounds The scheme was rejected on economic grounds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rejoicing noun

ADJ. great, much | general, popular

PREP. amid/amidst ~ The bridge was completed in 1811 amidst much rejoicing. | ~ at general rejoicing at the team's victory

PHRASES a cause for rejoicing She had a personal cause for rejoicing. | an occasion for rejoicing Finding a job should have been an occasion for rejoicing. | scenes of rejoicing There were scenes of rejoicing at the news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relapse noun

ADJ. acute

VERB + RELAPSE suffer | cause, trigger A wide range of emotionally stressful events may trigger a relapse. | prevent

RELAPSE + VERB occur

PREP. in ~ Even in relapse there will be times when the patient's general condition improves.

PHRASES a risk of relapse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

related adj.

¹ connected

VERBS be, seem

PREP. to The occurrence of the disease is apparently related to standards of hygiene.

² of the same family

VERBS be

ADV. closely | distantly | genetically All the bees in the colony are genetically related.

PREP. to He claims to be distantly related to the British royal family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relate verb

ADV. closely | directly, specifically The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.

VERB + RELATE be able to, can/could | attempt to, try to | be difficult to, find sth difficult to I found it difficult to relate the two ideas in my mind.

PREP. to Our product needs an image that people can relate to.

PHRASES the ability to relate to sb/sth, an attempt to relate sth Attempts to relate studies on animals to those on humans are not really comparing like with like.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relationship noun

¹ between people/groups/countries

ADJ. friendly, good, happy, harmonious, healthy, strong | broken, difficult, failed, fragile, poor, stormy, strained, troubled, uneasy | close, intense, intimate, special Britain's special relationship with the US | enduring, lasting, long-standing, long-term, permanent, serious, stable, steady He was not married, but he was in a stable relationship. | brief, casual | family, human, interpersonal, one-to-one, personal | doctor-patient, parent-child, etc. | business, contractual, formal, marital, physical, power, professional, sexual, social, working | caring, love-hate, loving

VERB + RELATIONSHIP enjoy, have They enjoyed a close working relationship. The school has a very good relationship with the community. He had brief relationships with several women. | begin, build (up), develop, establish, foster Building strong relationships is essential. They established a relationship of trust. | cement, improve, strengthen | continue, maintain | handle, manage He's not very good at handling personal relationships. | break off She broke off the relationship when she found out about his gambling. | destroy Lack of trust destroys many relationships.

RELATIONSHIP + NOUN difficulties, problems | goals

PREP. in a/the ~ In normal human relationships there has to be some give and take. At the moment he isn't in a relationship. | ~ among The focus is on relationships among European countries. | ~ between, ~ to their relationship to each other | ~ with

PHRASES the breakdown of a relationship, a network/web of relationships

² family connection

ADJ. blood, family, kin, kinship

PREP. in a/the ~ Some people think only about themselves, even in family relationships. | ~ between ‘What's the relationship between you and Tony?’ ‘He's my cousin.’ | ~ to What relationship are you to Pat?

³ connection between two or more things

VERB + RELATIONSHIP bear, have The fee bears little relationship to the service provided. | examine, explore, look at, study His latest book examines the relationship between spatial awareness and mathematical ability. | discover, find They discovered a relationship between depression and lack of sunlight. | demonstrate, show | see, understand | stand in Women and men stand in a different relationship to language.

PREP. in a/the ~ The different varieties of the language are in a dynamic relationship with each other. | ~ between I can't see the relationship between the figures and the diagram. | ~ to the relationship of a parasite to its host | ~ with

PHRASES the nature of the relationship

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relation noun

¹ connection between two or more things

ADJ. causal | direct The energy an animal uses is in direct relation to speed and body mass. | close The study shows the close relation between poverty and ill health. | significant

VERB + RELATION bear, have The film bore no relation to (= was very different from) the book. The fee bears little relation to the service provided. | show

PREP. in ~ to Similar policies were pursued in the 1970s, particularly in relation to health services. | ~ between, ~ to the relation of the subject to the object

² member of sb's family

ADJ. close, near | distant | blood | poor (often figurative) Other sparkling wines are often considered the poor relations of champagne.

VERB + RELATION visit

PREP. ~ to What relation is Rita to you?

PHRASES friends and relations 3 relations between people/groups/countries

ADJ. close, cordial, friendly, good, harmonious | improved | difficult, poor, strained | class, diplomatic, economic, foreign, gender, human, industrial, international, labour, personal, political, power, public, race, sexual, social, trade The change of government led to improved industrial relations. a public relations exercise | Anglo-American, East-West, etc.

VERB + RELATION cultivate, develop, establish, foster the need to establish good relations with our European partners | break off, damage, sever, suspend Diplomatic relations have been broken off between the two countries. | improve, strengthen Renewed efforts are being made to improve the strained relations between the two countries. | restore, resume | regulate the mechanisms that regulate the relations between labour and capital

RELATION + VERB improve Relations between the two states have improved. | deteriorate, sour, worsen

PREP. ~ among, ~ between, ~ with

PHRASES an improvement in relations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relative noun

ADJ. close, near The succession passed to the nearest surviving relative. | distant | blood, family If you die without a will, only a husband, wife, children and blood relatives are entitled to inherit your property. | immediate The deceased's immediate relatives, her mother and father, will inherit her estate. | living, surviving | elderly, old | young | female, male | poor (often figurative) He believes that interior design is the poor relative of (= inferior to) architecture. | dependent | disabled, ill, sick | distressed, grieving

VERB + RELATIVE have I have no parents or close relatives. | lose an organization that helps people who have lost their relatives (= whose relatives have died) | care for, give support to, help, look after, support She's looking after an elderly relative. | live with | stay with, visit | trace The police are trying to trace the relatives of the deceased. | inform The names of the victims are being withheld until the relatives have been informed.

PHRASES friends and/or relatives an intimate reception for close friends and relatives | a relative by marriage

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relaxation noun

¹ time spent resting/sth you do to rest

ADJ. deep, great an ointment that helps muscle relaxation | complete, total | muscle/muscular

VERB + RELAXATION aid, promote Some people take up yoga to aid relaxation.

RELAXATION + NOUN exercises, techniques | therapy | class He goes to relaxation classes.

PREP. for ~ She listens to classical music for relaxation. | ~ from a chance for relaxation from work

PHRASES a form/kind of relaxation, rest and relaxation, a state of relaxation

² making rules/controls less strict

ADJ. further | general | limited, partial, slight | temporary | gradual

VERB + RELAXATION call for, seek Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures. | promise The government has promised further relaxations in foreign exchange controls.

PREP. ~ in/of a relaxation in the rules

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relaxed adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem | keep sb

PREP. about I was very relaxed about the decision.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relax verb

ADV. deeply Deeply relax all your muscles. | completely, totally | a little, slightly | just, simply Just relax and take it easy. | gradually, slowly He gradually relaxed and began to enjoy himself. | consciously She realized how tense she was and consciously relaxed. | visibly

PREP. against Jenna relaxed against the pillows. | into His severe expression relaxed into a half-smile.

PHRASES lie/sit back and relax, relax and enjoy sth/yourself

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relay (also relay race) noun

ADJ. 4 ~ 400, etc. | medley, sprint

VERB + RELAY run (in) She ran in the 4 ~ 400 relay. | win

RELAY + NOUN race | team

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

release noun

¹ freeing sb from prison, etc.

ADJ. immediate There have been calls for his immediate and unconditional release. | imminent | early | unconditional

VERB + RELEASE grant sb He was granted early release. | secure A public outcry secured her release from detention.

RELEASE + NOUN date

PREP. ~ from his release from hospital

PHRASES release on bail/parole

² freeing sb from an emotion, a pain, etc.

ADJ. welcome She saw death as a welcome release from pain. | emotional

VERB + RELEASE give (sb) Crying gave some emotional release.

PREP. ~ from

PHRASES a feeling/sense of release, a release of tension All societies have social mechanisms for the release of tension.

³ book/film/record/piece of news

ADJ. latest, new, recent | commercial | book, CD, film's, news, press, record, video

RELEASE + VERB be/come out The new CD releases will be out on Friday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

release verb

¹ allow sb to be free

ADV. quickly | immediately | eventually, finally | conditionally, unconditionally

PREP. from She was released from prison last week.

PHRASES newly/recently released

² allow sth to escape

ADV. accidentally The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.

PREP. from the gases that are released from aerosols | into How much radiation was released into the air?

³ make sth less tight

ADV. suddenly She laughed, the tension inside her suddenly released.

⁴ make sth available

ADV. officially Figures to be officially released this week reveal that long-term unemployment is still rising.

VERB + RELEASE refuse to Police have refused to release the name of the dead man.

PREP. to Details of the attack have not yet been released to the public.

PHRASES newly/recently released newly released recordings | originally/previously released The album was originally released in 1974.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relevance noun

VERB + RELEVANCE be/remain of The book is of particular relevance to student nurses. | bear, have The theory bears little relevance to practice. | lack, lose Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world. | ensure Constant revision of the curriculum must be undertaken to ensure its continuing relevance. | increase | see | demonstrate, establish Skim the book in order to establish its relevance to your needs. | assess, consider, examine, explore, judge | question

PREP. ~ for/to I can't see the relevance of his comment to the debate.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relevant adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. especially, extremely, highly, particularly, specially, very | barely, hardly, not really, scarcely Past imperial glories are hardly relevant to the present day. | (only) marginally, partially | not necessarily, not strictly Resist the temptation to discuss topics that are not strictly relevant to the essay question. | directly | only indirectly | immediately | no longer | potentially | apparently | clearly, obviously | universally | morally, politically, socially Is there a morally relevant difference between human life and animal life? | vocationally vocationally relevant qualifications

PREP. to information relevant to this case

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reliability noun

ADJ. greater/greatest, high | poor | absolute | improved, increased | statistical

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + RELIABILITY ensure Changes in design will ensure the quality and reliability of the printer. | improve, increase | reduce | assess, evaluate, judge It is important to assess the reliability of the data. | measure The reliability of the statistical estimates can be measured.

RELIABILITY + VERB improve, increase

RELIABILITY + NOUN problem

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reliable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | consider sth

ADV. extremely, highly, very It has a highly reliable control system. | absolutely, completely, perfectly, totally He's a good musician and totally reliable. | not entirely, not exactly, not terribly, not wholly | fairly, quite, pretty, reasonably | enough, sufficiently These measurements are reliable enough for most purposes.

PREP. as This statement is not reliable as evidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reliance noun

QUANT. degree a high degree of reliance on newspaper reports

VERB + RELIANCE place I don't think you should place too much reliance on these figures. | act in (law) | increase | reduce | eliminate the means by which individuals might reduce or eliminate reliance on the state | encourage They believe that modern farming techniques encourage an excessive reliance on harmful chemicals. | lead to

PREP. in ~ on/upon (law) He acted in complete reliance on the account of a couple of eyewitnesses. | ~ on/upon the increased reliance of the university on private funds

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reliant adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. heavily, highly The service has become heavily reliant on government support. | completely, entirely, totally, wholly | increasingly | largely | quite

PREP. on/upon The charity is completely reliant on public donations.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relic noun

ADJ. ancient | last It was the last relic of the old system. | historic/historical | precious | holy, religious, sacred, saintly

VERB + RELIC discover The relics were discovered in a lead box in the ruins of an abbey. | shelter A shrine was constructed to shelter the relics. | remove The duke secretly removed the relics from the reliquary.

RELIC + VERB survive This silver belt buckle is the only relic of the imprisoned soldiers that survives.

PREP. ~ from Most of these guns are relics from the Boer War.

PHRASES a relic of an age/a time relics of a bygone age a relic of the time when people travelled by horse and carriage | a relic of the past They believe that hunting is a relic of the past and are calling for it to be banned.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relief noun

¹ removal of anxiety/pain

ADJ. considerable, deep, enormous, great, huge, immense, intense, overwhelming, tremendous | certain The news of his appointment was received with a certain relief by most people. | sheer | complete | temporary The drugs only provided temporary relief from the pain. | fast, immediate, instant | evident, obvious She smiled with evident relief. | blessed, welcome | pain The injection gives complete pain relief.

VERB + RELIEF bring (sb), give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) Morning brought no relief from the heat. | come as The news came as a welcome relief to Brian. | seek She sought relief in drink. | find, get He found relief from his fears in a world of fantasy and art. | experience, feel I felt enormous relief once they phoned. | sense She could sense his relief when she said she wouldn't be leaving. | express

RELIEF + VERB come He believes that relief only comes from helping others with their suffering. | flood Relief flooded through me as the aeroplane landed safely.

PREP. in ~ She smiled in relief. | out of ~ He hugged her out of sheer relief. | to your ~ To my great relief, she didn't notice that anything was wrong. | with ~ He sighed with relief. | ~ at relief at not having been made a fool of | ~ from relief from hunger | ~ to The news was a huge relief to her.

PHRASES a cry/a sigh/tears of relief He breathed a sigh of relief. | a sense/wave of relief

² food/money/medicine given to people in need

ADJ. humanitarian | emergency | famine, flood | foreign, international

VERB + RELIEF give sb, provide (sb with), send (sb) The organization provides emergency famine relief.

RELIEF + NOUN work She said that the fighting has halted almost all relief work in the area. | effort, operation There was a huge international relief effort to bring help to the stricken area. | package, programme Congress has agreed an $11 million relief package for victims of the hurricane. | aid, supplies | agency, fund, organization | staff, worker | convoy, flight

³ reduction in the amount of tax, etc. you have to pay

ADJ. debt, interest, mortgage, tax

VERB + RELIEF get, obtain, receive You get mortgage relief of 10% on the next £5,000. | be entitled to, qualify for | apply for, claim, seek

RELIEF + VERB be available No tax relief is available in respect of this loss.

⁴ sth interesting that replaces sth boring

ADJ. light | comic

VERB + RELIEF give (sb), provide (sb with) The scene provided some comic relief for the audience.

PREP. for ~ The comical characters are brought into the story for a little light relief.

PHRASES a moment of relief

⁵ way of decorating wood, stone, etc.

ADJ. high The scene has been carved in high relief. | bas, low | carved, sculptured | alabaster, bronze, marble, plaster, stucco | classical, Greek, Roman

VERB + RELIEF carve (sth) in

RELIEF + NOUN carving, sculpture | panel

PREP. in ~ a sculpture in high relief

⁶ making sth noticeable

ADJ. sharp, stark

VERB + RELIEF bring sth into, throw sth into (often figurative) The proximity of the wealthy suburb to the squatter camp throws the plight of the squatters into even sharper relief. | stand out in The snow-capped mountains stood out in sharp relief against the blue sky.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relieved adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. extremely, greatly, hugely, immensely, mightily, profoundly, very | almost | a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | clearly, obviously, visibly | secretly I was secretly relieved when Ed said it was time to turn back.

PREP. at We were greatly relieved at the news of their safe return.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relieve verb

ADV. temporarily

VERB + RELIEVE attempt to, try to trying to relieve the symptoms of depression | help (to) Her jokes helped to relieve the tension. | be designed to, be intended to Respite care is intended to relieve parents temporarily of the burden of caring for severely disabled children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

religion noun

RELIGION + VERB be based on sth a religion based on reason | originate from sth He believes that all religions originated from a single source. | develop | spread

PREP. by ~ These people are predominantly Russian Orthodox by religion. | in a/the ~ In their religion, mountains are sacred.

PHRASES an adherent/follower of a religion, a form/kind of religion > Note at RELIGION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

religious adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. deeply, devoutly, highly, very a deeply religious person | strictly He distanced himself from the strictly religious aspects of the music. | quite | essentially, fundamentally Yoga is essentially religious and not just physical. | specifically the specifically religious content of the programme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relinquish verb

ADV. voluntarily They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.

VERB + RELINQUISH be forced to He was forced to relinquish control of the company. | refuse to | be willing to | be reluctant to | persuade sb to

PREP. to She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

relish verb

ADV. positively, really | not particularly He did not particularly relish the prospect of a meeting with his boss. | rather | clearly, obviously | secretly She secretly relished the thought of being alone with him.

VERB + RELISH appear to, seem to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reluctance noun

VERB + RELUCTANCE have | display, express, indicate, reflect, show His designs indicate a reluctance to conform to fashion. She showed considerable reluctance to leave. | pretend | overcome | notice, sense | understand I can quite understand your reluctance to talk about what happened to you. | explain These political tensions explain the reluctance of financiers to invest in the region.

PREP. with ~ With great reluctance, we have come to the decision to close the hospital. | ~ by/on the part of reluctance by insurers to keep paying out heavy claims

PHRASES a show of reluctance With a great show of reluctance, the government granted independence to the colony. | a sign of reluctance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reluctant adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem Students may feel reluctant to ask questions. | become | remain

ADV. decidedly, deeply, extremely, remarkably, very | increasingly | a little, rather, somewhat | apparently | clearly | curiously, strangely She was curiously reluctant to talk about the experience. | understandably Children are sometimes understandably reluctant to wear glasses that are ugly or uncomfortable. | notoriously The monarchy was notoriously reluctant to embrace change.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rely verb PHRASAL VERBS rely on/upon sb/sth

¹ need sb/sth

ADV. heavily, a lot, strongly countries that rely heavily on food aid | entirely, exclusively, solely | increasingly | largely, mainly | traditionally

VERB + RELY be forced to, have to, must people who are forced to rely on public transport | tend to

PREP. for They relied entirely on these few weapons for their defence.

² trust sb/sth

ADV. safely You can safely rely on his judgement. | simply Most historians simply rely on archives.

VERB + RELY can/could | can/could always | can/could no longer The party could no longer rely on its traditional supporters.

PREP. for I couldn't rely on John for information.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remains noun

ADJ. abundant, considerable, extensive, substantial abundant remains of marine algae the extensive remains of a medieval abbey | impressive | fragmentary | visible | existing, surviving | ancient, prehistoric | Greek, Roman, etc. | battered, mangled, shattered the mangled remains of the bomber's van | burnt(-out), charred, smouldering | earthly, human, mortal This tomb holds the mortal remains of King Richard III. | animal, archaeological, fossil/fossilized, organic, plant, skeletal

VERB + REMAINS discover, find, locate, reveal, uncover, unearth While excavating the site for a new hotel, workers unearthed the remains of several dinosaurs. | identify The remains have been identified as those of a Mr Thomas, who lived in Richmond. | excavate, exhume, remove They are excavating the remains of an Iron Age settlement. Marie Curie's remains were exhumed and interred in the Pantheon. | bury, inter | dump | destroy Environmentalists say that the road will destroy the remains of the world's first commercial railway. | feed on The ivory gull often follows polar bears to feed on the remains of seal kills.

REMAINS + VERB survive Considerable remains survive of the great city walls begun by Theodosius in AD 413. | lie Her remains lie at rest in St Andrew's churchyard. | date from … The burnt-out remains date from the 13th century.

PREP. among/in the ~ The body was found among the remains of a burnt-out cottage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remand noun

ADJ. custodial

VERB + REMAND be held on He was held on remand, charged with causing malicious damage to property.

REMAND + NOUN centre, home | prisoner

PREP. on ~ I was in prison on remand for three weeks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remarkable adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. most, quite, really, truly, very a most remarkable musician a truly remarkable discovery | rather

PREP. for These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remark noun

VERB + REMARK make, pass, utter | withdraw He was expelled from the party for failing to withdraw his controversial remarks. | address Who were those rude remarks addressed to? | ignore, take no notice of I just ignored her last remark.

REMARK + VERB apply to sb/sth These remarks apply equally to doctors. | be directed at/to sb The remark was directed at him. | suggest sth Her remarks suggest that the negotiations may be successful. | provoke sth The remark provoked an angry response from the crowd.

PREP. in a/the ~ He made a few factual errors in his remarks on Rembrandt. | ~ about/concerning/on I shall keep my remarks on the subject brief. | ~ by/from remarks by officials | ~ to a casual remark to his father

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remark verb

VERB + REMARK be heard to

PREP. on/upon Several people remarked on her outfit. | to He remarked to Jane that he had not heard from Sally for a long time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remedy noun

¹ treatment/medicine

QUANT. dose One dose of the remedy is sufficient.

REMEDY + VERB be available | work She tried various remedies, but none of them worked.

PREP. ~ for He took a herbal remedy for his hay fever.

² way of dealing with a problem

VERB + REMEDY have | pursue, seek They will have to seek a judicial remedy for breach of contract. | resort to Desperate remedies were resorted to in the search for food. | exhaust They advised him to exhaust all other remedies before applying to court. | create | offer | afford (sb), grant sb, provide (sb with) remedies afforded to creditors by a bankruptcy order

REMEDY + VERB be available | lie in sth When the reservoir becomes blocked, the only remedy lies in cleaning the entire system.

PREP. ~ against The agreement states that he has a remedy against the subcontractor. | ~ for remedies for breach of contract | ~ in You have a remedy in civil law.

PHRASES rights and remedies The Act created rights and remedies for consumers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remedy verb

ADV. easily This could easily be remedied if the authorities were willing.

VERB + REMEDY attempt to, seek to, take steps to, try to The government should have taken steps to remedy the situation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remember verb

ADV. clearly, distinctly, vividly, well I distinctly remember Jane saying that the show started at eight. I remember Miss Scott very well. | dimly, vaguely | correctly, rightly If I remember correctly, you were supposed to collect the keys on your way here. | fondly She fondly remembered her early years in India. | still | always I'll always remember this holiday. | suddenly | belatedly Julia belatedly remembered what else she was supposed to do.

VERB + REMEMBER can/could I can't remember her name. | try to | be important to

PREP. as He still remembered her as the lively teenager he'd known years before. | for She is best remembered for her first book, ‘In the Ditch’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reminder noun

VERB + REMINDER act/serve as, be, provide The ruined church acts as a constant reminder of the war. | give sb, issue, send (out) She gave him a gentle reminder that payment was due. | receive | need

REMINDER + NOUN letter, note, notice

PREP. ~ about We were sent a reminder about the next meeting. | ~ to a timely reminder to people that leaving their doors open is an invitation to thieves

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remind verb

ADV. constantly, frequently, repeatedly | gently She gently reminded him that the baby was getting cold and should be taken indoors.

VERB + REMIND not have to, not need to I'm sure I don't need to remind you that we have lost our last ten matches. | serve to An event like this serves to remind us that we do not have control over nature.

PREP. about I rang to remind him about the party. | of She looked at her watch to remind him of the time.

PHRASES keep reminding sb PHRASAL VERBS remind sb of sb/sth

ADV. forcefully, forcibly, sharply, strongly, vividly The building reminded me strongly of my old school. | irresistibly | suddenly I was suddenly reminded of a tiger defending its cubs. | always Mrs Nolan always reminded Marie of her own mother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reminiscent adj.

VERBS be

ADV. closely, highly, strongly, very This painting is strongly reminiscent of da Vinci's ‘Annunciation’. | faintly, slightly, somewhat | curiously, strangely | strikingly | irresistibly

PREP. of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remnant noun

ADJ. small | last, surviving The museum is one of the last remnants of the 17th-century palace. | faint, tattered the tattered remnants of the flag (figurative) faint remnants of the city's glorious past

PREP. ~ from (figurative) Their outdated attitudes are a remnant from colonial days.

PHRASES a remnant from/of the past

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remorse noun

ADJ. deep, genuine, real

QUANT. pang, stab

VERB + REMORSE be filled with, be full of, be overcome with, be stricken with, feel, have, suffer She knew that the next day she would be guilty and full of remorse. I suffered no remorse. | display, express, show

PREP. without ~ He died without remorse. | ~ at He felt some remorse at his behaviour. | ~ for She was filled with remorse for the crime. | ~ over She felt a sharp pang of remorse over the incident.

PHRASES a feeling of remorse, tears of remorse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remote adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem

ADV. extremely, very | impossibly, infinitely, utterly Adulthood and responsibility seemed impossibly remote. | increasingly | comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat a fairly remote possibility rural areas that are relatively remote | geographically, physically geographically remote areas

PREP. from Jane felt remote from what was going on around her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

removal noun

VERB + REMOVAL call for, demand, seek They demanded her removal from office. | order In a symbolic move, the new government ordered the removal of the dictator's statue. | require The programme required the removal of government subsidies. | allow | arrange for to arrange for the removal and disposal of waste. | facilitate | prevent

PREP. ~ from The local council does not allow the removal of sand from the beach. | ~ to the collection's temporary removal to storage

PHRASES removal from office

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

remove verb

ADV. altogether, completely, entirely | effectively By producing an heir, the Queen effectively removed her cousin's hopes of succeeding to the throne. | permanently, temporarily | quickly | easily The old cladding can be easily removed using a claw hammer. | painlessly | carefully | forcibly people who have been forcibly removed from their homes | surgically Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. | physically

ADV. try to | be possible to | be difficult to These stains can be difficult to remove.

PREP. for Fittings should be completely removed for cleaning. | from She removed the dirty dishes from the table. | with Bee stings should be removed with tweezers.

PHRASES remove sth at a stroke The proposed law would remove at a stroke the long-cherished right to trial by jury.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rendezvous noun

¹ arrangement to meet sb

ADJ. secret

VERB + RENDEZVOUS have | arrange | keep Although it was late, there was still enough time to keep the rendezvous. | make She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare. | miss

PREP. ~ with I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.

PHRASES a place for a rendezvous

² place where people meet

ADJ. popular The cafe is a popular rendezvous for young lovers. | secret | pre-arranged

VERB + RENDEZVOUS make your way (back) to/towards The platoon made its way to the pre-arranged rendezvous in the desert.

RENDEZVOUS + NOUN point

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

renewal noun

ADJ. annual | cultural, economic, national, physical, religious, spiritual, urban an urban renewal programme in the city centre

VERB + RENEWAL seek He sought renewal of the grant. to seek spiritual renewal | apply for | obtain to obtain a renewal of the certificate | bring (about) They felt the need to bring about a renewal of society. | be/fall due for, come up for Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.

RENEWAL + NOUN programme, project | date | notice If you have any queries, please contact us on the number shown on your policy or last renewal notice. | fee

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

renew verb

ADV. completely | annually Membership must be renewed annually. | periodically, regularly | constantly, continually, repeatedly | automatically

VERB + RENEW decide to | agree to | refuse to

PHRASES a chance/an opportunity to renew sth a chance to renew acquaintance with old friends | need renewing The paintwork will need renewing every five years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

renovate verb

ADV. extensively, substantially | completely The hotel has been completely renovated.

PHRASES newly/recently renovated the newly renovated church

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

renovation noun

ADJ. extensive, major The building has undergone major renovation. | complete, full-scale, total | house

VERB + RENOVATION carry out The council is to carry out extensive renovations to the building. | complete | be in need of, need, require The old Victorian house is in need of renovation. | be closed for The gallery is closed for renovation. | undergo

RENOVATION + NOUN work | programme

PREP. ~ to renovation to the town hall

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rental noun

ADJ. annual, monthly, weekly | short term | car, line, telephone, television, video The phone bill gives a breakdown of the cost of the line rental and of calls.

RENTAL + NOUN company | terms | charge, fee, payment | income | accommodation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rent noun

VERB + RENT pay | afford He couldn't afford the rent by himself. | be/fall behind with, owe You put your tenancy at risk if you fall behind with the rent. | charge The rent charged depends largely on the size and locality of the flat. | collect The landlord came around to collect the month's rent. | receive The council receives rent on local property that it owns. | fix The rent will be fixed at 18% of the market value of the property. | increase, push up, put up, raise The large stores have pushed up the rents in the area. The new lease will put her rent up to £200 a week. | calculate, determine

RENT + VERB be/fall due, be payable The rent will fall due on the last day of the quarter. | go up, increase, rise Their rent has increased from £5,200 to £8,600 a year. | fall

PREP. in ~ The company has paid out a lot of money in rent. | ~ for The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable. | ~ from They earned rent from their property in London. | ~ on the rent on a factory

PHRASES arrears of rent to be liable for arrears of rent | a month's/week's/year's rent, the non-payment/payment of rent The movement advocated the non-payment of rent and taxes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reorganization noun

ADJ. comprehensive, fundamental, major, radical | corporate, internal | government, school

VERB + REORGANIZATION undergo The company has undergone a major reorganization. | carry out

REORGANIZATION + VERB take place

REORGANIZATION + NOUN costs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reorganize verb

ADV. completely, totally | systematically

PREP. as The laboratory was reorganized as a separate establishment. | into Their headquarters was reorganized into five regional offices.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repair noun

VERB + REPAIR carry out, do, make | complete It is unlikely that the repairs will be completed on time. | be in need of, need, require | be closed for The museum is currently closed for structural repairs. | undergo The highway is undergoing major repairs.

REPAIR + VERB cost sth

REPAIR + NOUN work | job The damage meant a nine-month repair job. | bill, cost | centre, facility, garage, shop, yard a repair yard for fishing boats | man Why don't you get a TV repair man to have a look at it before you buy a new one? | kit

PREP. beyond ~ The gearbox was damaged beyond repair. | under ~ We were given a courtesy car to use while our car was under repair. | ~ to to carry out repairs to the railway track

PHRASES a backlog of repairs Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs. | in good/poor repair The tools are old but in good repair. | keep sth in (good) repair As a tenant you are required to keep the house in good repair. | repair and maintenance They are responsible for the repair and maintenance of the buildings. | a … state of repair The barn was in a poor state of repair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repair verb

VERB + REPAIR try to | help (to) Natural vitamins in the shampoo will help repair damaged hair.

PHRASES the cost of repairing sth They estimate the cost of repairing the damaged roads at £1 million. | have sth repaired I'm having my car repaired next week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repatriate verb

ADV. forcibly

PREP. from, to The refugees were forcibly repatriated from Hong Kong to Vietnam.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repatriation noun

ADJ. compulsory, forced/forcible, involuntary, mandatory | voluntary

VERB + REPATRIATION await, face refugees awaiting repatriation

REPATRIATION + NOUN programme

PREP. ~ from voluntary repatriation of people from the disputed territory to their homes | ~ to

PHRASES the repatriation of profits

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repayment noun

VERB + REPAYMENT make The repayments can be made directly from your current account. | keep up, meet They are struggling to keep up their loan repayments. | claim, demand The bank has demanded repayment of the loan. | be due for The loans were due for repayment in July 2002. | spread Repayments can be spread over one to 25 years. | calculate

REPAYMENT + NOUN period | method, schedule, terms | loan, mortgage

PREP. ~ on repayments on the mortgage | ~ to repayment to the fund

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repay verb

¹ pay back money

ADV. fully, in full The loan must be repaid in full by December 31.

VERB + REPAY be able/unable to, can/could (afford to) | use sth to The proceeds from the sale will be used to repay the loan.

PREP. to This money must be repaid to the bank.

² bring you sth in return for your efforts

ADV. amply, more than, well The charter can be seen in the town museum, which more than repays a visit.

PREP. for I felt that I had been amply repaid for my exertions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repeat verb

ADV. just, merely, simply There is no point in merely repeating what we've done before. | again | constantly, continually, endlessly, indefinitely, over and over (again) constantly repeating the same mistakes A single note repeated over and over again, throbbing in my head. | consistently, persistently, regularly | exactly, faithfully, word for word She faithfully repeated everything he had told her. He repeated what she had said word for word. | mechanically, parrot-fashion, parrot-like students repeating drills parrot-fashion | blandly, desperately, helplessly, lamely ‘Oh,’ she repeated lamely. | slowly | quietly, softly | patiently | stubbornly

VERB + REPEAT can/could only I can only repeat what I have already said to other journalists. | be necessary to, need to It may be necessary to repeat the dose several times to effect a cure.

PREP. after The students repeated each sentence after their teacher. | to You must not repeat this to anyone.

PHRASES keep repeating sb/sth She kept repeating it over and over again like a robot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repellent adj.

VERBS be | find sb/sth

ADV. utterly | slightly, vaguely | mutually mutually repellent substances such as oil and water

PREP. to His arrogance was utterly repellent to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repentance noun

ADJ. genuine, sincere, true | deathbed

VERB + REPENTANCE show They refused to showed repentance for their crimes.

PHRASES a sign of repentance They were released on parole for showing signs of repentance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repent verb

ADV. bitterly She bitterly repented what she had done.

VERB + REPENT come to He came to repent his hasty decision.

PREP. of She has repented of her sins.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repercussion noun

ADJ. considerable, important, major, serious, significant | wide/widespread | international | economic, political, social

VERB + REPERCUSSION have

REPERCUSSION + VERB be felt The repercussions of the change in policy will be felt throughout Europe.

PREP. ~ for Changes in the industry had major repercussions for the local community. | ~ on The pay cuts are likely to have serious repercussions on productivity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repertoire noun

VERB + REPERTOIRE have She has a rather limited repertoire. | add (sth) to, broaden, build (up), develop, expand, extend, increase He has added considerably to his piano repertoire. She needs to build up a repertoire of pieces.

REPERTOIRE + VERB include sth His repertoire includes a large number of Scottish folk songs.

PREP. in the/your ~ a key piece in the standard concert repertoire

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repetition noun

ADJ. exact | frequent | constant, endless

VERB + REPETITION use Blues is a musical form that uses a lot of repetition. | avoid, prevent She said I should avoid repetition of words in my essay.

PHRASES the risk of repetition At the risk of repetition (= although I have already mentioned this), it is worth mentioning again that young children are particularly vulnerable to accidents in the home.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repetitive adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, get

ADV. extremely, highly, very | endlessly a boring and endlessly repetitive task | a bit, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

replacement noun

¹ replacing one thing with another

ADJ. complete, full Complete replacement of the roof tiles would be very costly. | partial | direct The series III gearbox is a direct replacement for a series II. | gradual | eventual

VERB + REPLACEMENT be in need of, need, require The original furnishings are now in need of replacement.

REPLACEMENT + NOUN programme | cost, value Rare instruments are usually insured for their full replacement value. | equipment

PHRASES hormone replacement therapy

² sb/sth that replaces sb/sth else

VERB + REPLACEMENT appoint, bring in (sb/sth as), hire We'll have to see how bad the injury is before deciding whether to bring in a replacement. | name (sb as) She was named as a possible replacement for the cabinet minister. | need | look for, seek | find We need to find a replacement for Jan when she goes on maternity leave. | get | come in/on as, go on as He came on as a replacement for the injured striker. | have She had a hip replacement six years ago.

REPLACEMENT + NOUN teacher | part, unit Do you know where I can get the replacement part? | car, vehicle

PREP. as ~ Trams are now often preferred as replacements for buses. | ~ by the president's temporary replacement by the Chief of Staff | ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

replace verb

¹ take the place of sb/sth; exchange sb/sth

VERB + REPLACE cannot/could not Machines cannot replace people in this work. | can/can't afford to | be built to, be designed to, be intended to, be used to It was built to replace the old Victorian jail. | appoint sb to, elect sb to | be expensive to Halogen lamps give excellent service, but the bulbs are expensive to replace.

PREP. as She replaced Jane Stott as Managing Director. | with We replaced the old television set with a newer one.

² put sth back in the right place

ADV. carefully, gently

PREP. in She replaced the dress in the wardrobe. | on He carefully replaced the vase on the shelf.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

replay noun

¹ game that is played again

ADJ. final, first-round, quarter-final, etc. | championship, cup

VERB + REPLAY earn, force They earned a replay with their 1?1 draw.

PREP. ~ against/with a replay against Real Madrid | ~ between the replay between Liverpool and Portsmouth

² playing again of a short section of a film, tape, etc.

ADJ. action (often figurative) It was an action replay (= repetition) of the problems of his first marriage. | slow-motion | television/TV, video

VERB + REPLAY see, study, view, watch He has watched a video replay of his fall on numerous occasions.

REPLAY + VERB show sth The replay shows that it was a handball.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

replica noun

ADJ. exact | full-scale, full-size, life-sized | half-scale, 1:5 scale, etc. | miniature

VERB + REPLICA build, create, construct, make She made a 1:5 scale replica of Captain Cook's ship, ‘The Endeavour’.

PREP. in ~ The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reply noun

VERB + REPLY get, have, receive Have you had a reply to your letter yet? | give sb, make He made no reply, but simply walked away. | send (back), write I must write my letter in time for them to send back a reply. | elicit, produce The report elicited a formal reply from the minister. The questionnaire produced 9,000 replies. | await (written), wait for | expect

REPLY + VERB come (back) ‘No,’ came the reply. A reply came back almost by return of post. | be forthcoming They waited patiently for a reply but none seemed to be forthcoming.

REPLY + NOUN card, form, slip Please fill in the reply card and return it to us as soon as possible.

PREP. in ~ (to) What did they say in reply? I am writing in reply to your request for information on holidays in Italy. | ~ from a reply from the minister | ~ to my reply to your query

PHRASES a chance to reply She quickly left the room before he had a chance to reply. | a right of reply I am grateful to you for having given me a right of reply (= the opportunity to respond) to the article in your magazine about my company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reply verb

VERB + REPLY not bother to She didn't even bother to reply.

PREP. to He did not reply to my letter. | with She replied with a smile.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reporter noun

VERB + REPORTER speak to, talk to, tell We were warned not to talk to reporters.

PREP. ~ for/with She then became a crime reporter with a national newspaper. | ~ from The secret was leaked to a reporter from the ‘New York Times’. | ~ on the chief reporter on the ‘Daily Herald’ > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

report noun

¹ written/spoken account of sth

VERB + REPORT deliver, give sb, make, present The committee presented its report to the Attorney General. | compile, do, draw up, prepare, produce, type (up), write I typed up a report about the morning's events for our clients. | file, give (sb/sth), let sb have, submit Our correspondent in Washington files a report most days. I'll let you have a report as soon as I can. | issue, release Auditors normally issue a report as to whether the company accounts have been prepared correctly. | leak a confidential report leaked to the press | have, hear, receive We've had reports of a gang shooting in the city. | call for The MPs called for a full report on the nuclear contract. | commission The government commissioned a report on the state of agriculture in the country. | launch, undertake | accept, endorse Following discussion, the annual report was accepted unanimously. | reject | confirm | deny They could neither confirm nor deny reports that the chairperson was to be replaced. | read | consider, discuss | publish | appear in A large number of tables and figures appear in the report.

REPORT + VERB be based on sth This report is based on the analysis of 600 completed questionnaires. | concern sth, cover sth, detail sth, examine sth, look at sth, relate to sth The report looks at the health risks linked to obesity. | comprise sth, contain sth, include sth | comment (on) sth, describe sth, explain sth, express sth, indicate sth, mention sth, outline sth, say sth, state sth Reports have indicated that a growing number of medium-sized firms are under financial pressure. | cite sth, list sth, note sth The report notes evidence that secondary smoke from other people's cigarettes harms unborn children. | add sth, go on … The report went on to list her injuries. | acknowledge sth, admit (to) sth The report admits to several outstanding questions about the safety of the waste dumps. | allege sth, claim sth | argue sth | demonstrate sth, show sth | reveal sth The riots had been sparked off by police mishandling of a case, a report revealed yesterday. | draw attention to sth, emphasize sth, highlight sth, point sth out, stress sth The report draws attention to the appalling conditions in the country's prisons. | warn sth The report warns that more job losses are likely. | confirm sth | conclude sth, find sth, link sth with sth a report linking ill health with industrial pollution | advocate sth, call for sth, propose sth, recommend sth, suggest sth, urge sth The report called for sweeping changes in the education system. | accuse sb/sth, attack sb/sth, blame sb/sth, criticize sb/sth | be called sth, be entitled sth a report entitled ‘Kick-start’ | be out Criticism has been levelled at local businesses in a report out (= released) today.

REPORT + NOUN writer, writing

PREP. according to a/the ~ According to this evening's weather report, there will be snow tomorrow. | amid/amidst ~s The pro-democracy rally came amidst reports of dissatisfaction among army officers. | in a/the ~ The findings are summarized in the report. | ~ about, ~ by a report by scientists | ~ from a report from the select committee | ~ into The department has launched a report into the bombing. | ~ on an official report on the accident

² written statement about a student's work

ADJ. good | bad | school | end-of-term

VERB + REPORT get She got a better report this year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

report verb

ADV. back The reconnaissance party reported back that the town was heavily fortified.

VERB + REPORT be expected to, expect to The company is expected to report record profits this year. | be delighted to, be glad to, be happy to, be pleased to I am pleased to report that the scheme is going well. | have to It is with regret that I have to report the death of one of our members. | fail to He was charged with careless driving and failing to report an accident.

PREP. from This is John Hutchins, reporting from Zimbabwe. | on reporting on the situation in central Africa | to Report the theft to the police as soon as possible.

PHRASES be widely reported The incident was widely reported in the British press.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

representation noun

¹ sth that shows/describes sth

VERB + REPRESENTATION generate, produce There are many ways of generating a two-dimensional representation of an object.

PHRASES a form/means of representation

² having representatives to speak/vote for you

VERB + REPRESENTATION have They had a strong representation in government. | achieve, secure, win All parties won representation in the national assembly. | ensure, guarantee He claims that their electoral system ensures fair representation of all parties. | increase The party has increased its representation in Parliament. | reduce | allow sb, provide (sb with) The accused was not allowed legal representation. | get, obtain

PREP. ~ by representation by a lawyer | ~ for representation for employees | ~ from representation from all parties

PHRASES a system of representation

³ formal statements

ADJ. false | oral, written

VERB + REPRESENTATION make | receive

PREP. ~ to They may make representation to government on matters affecting their organization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

representative adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sb/sth

ADV. very | fully, properly, truly | not necessarily | broadly, fairly, reasonably a broadly representative sample | widely Exhibits include a widely representative collection of railway rolling stock. | statistically | nationally a nationally representative picture of the employment situation

PREP. of Is this group of people fully representative of the population in general?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

representative noun

VERB + REPRESENTATIVE appoint, appoint sb (as), choose (sb as), elect, elect sb (as), nominate, nominate sb (as) | send The association is sending representatives to the conference. | recall They have recalled their representatives from the negotiations. | consult (with), meet (with) Management are obliged to consult with union representatives about possible redundancies. | discuss (sth) with

REPRESENTATIVE + VERB attend sth The negotiations were attended by representatives of several states.

REPRESENTATIVE + NOUN body The country has a new supreme representative body.

PREP. ~ for a representative for international shipping companies | ~ from/of representatives from citizens' groups | ~ to representatives to a conference > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

represent verb

¹ be a member of a group

ADV. strongly, well Local businesses are well represented on the committee. | poorly | adequately | disproportionately Women are disproportionately represented among welfare recipients.

² act/speak officially for sb

ADV. legally The suspect must appear and may be legally represented.

VERB + REPRESENT choose sb to, elect sb to, select sb to He was chosen to represent Scotland in three consecutive World Cup Finals.

³ show sth

ADV. accurately Representing an image accurately requires a great many bytes of digital information. | fairly | falsely | diagrammatically, graphically, schematically, visually The data can be represented graphically in a line diagram. | symbolically

VERB + REPRESENT be intended to It is not clear what these symbols were intended to represent. | purport to The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people.

PREP. as The film represents women as victims. | to He admitted falsely representing to police officers that the car had been stolen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repressed adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, severely, very | rather | sexually women who are sexually repressed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repression noun

¹ using force to control people

ADJ. extreme, massive, severe | bloody, brutal, ruthless | political | government, military, police, state

VERB + REPRESSION suffer (from) The trade unions suffered brutal repression after the coup. | subject (sb/sth) to Reports claimed that civilians were being subjected to ruthless repression.

PREP. ~ against repression against ethnic minorities | ~ by repression by the state

PHRASES a target for/of repression

² controlling strong emotions/desires

ADJ. emotional, sexual

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repress verb

ADV. firmly feelings that had been firmly repressed | barely She could barely repress a sigh of relief.

VERB + REPRESS try to | be unable to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reprieve noun

ADJ. temporary | last-minute He was saved from the gallows by a last-minute reprieve.

VERB + REPRIEVE earn, gain, get, win | give sb/sth, grant (sb/sth) The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.

PREP. ~ from The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reprimand noun

ADJ. severe | public | verbal, written

VERB + REPRIMAND earn (yourself), get, receive The manager earned himself a severe reprimand for criticizing the referee. | give sb, issue (sb with) She was issued with a reprimand for leaking the news.

PREP. ~ for a reprimand for a breach of the rules

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reprimand verb

ADV. severely | gently | officially | publicly

PREP. for She was severely reprimanded for accepting the money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reprisal noun

ADJ. bloody, savage

VERB + REPRISAL take The gang threatened to take reprisals against them. | threaten (sb with) | suffer She tried to persuade the soldiers that they would not suffer reprisals if they surrendered. | expect, fear

REPRISAL + NOUN attack, raid

PREP. in ~ for A dozen hostages were shot in reprisal for the killing of an army officer. | ~ against reprisals against witnesses for the evidence they have given | ~ from reprisals from angry fans

PHRASES fear of reprisals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reproach noun

ADJ. bitter | mild There was mild reproach in his tone.

PREP. beyond/above ~ Her conduct had always been beyond reproach. | with ~ He glanced at her with reproach. | ~ about There was no reproach about his failure to turn up. | ~ to Paul saw this as a reproach to himself.

PHRASES full of reproach Her voice was full of reproach. | a look of reproach He gave Helen a look of bitter reproach. | a word of reproach She had never uttered a word of reproach.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reproduce verb

¹ produce a copy of sth; produce sth again

ADV. accurately, exactly, faithfully The colours can be reproduced fairly accurately. The book's characters are faithfully reproduced in the film. | merely, simply In her own work she simply reproduces the very conventions that she claims to despise.

VERB + REPRODUCE be able to, can/could | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to It is difficult to reproduce a signature exactly.

PREP. from The map is reproduced here from a Victorian original.

PHRASES an attempt to reproduce sth Writing grew out of an attempt to reproduce speech in a permanent form. | reproduced by courtesy/permission of sb/sth The painting is reproduced here by courtesy of the Tate Gallery. | widely reproduced These works were popular and widely reproduced.

² produce young

ADV. asexually, sexually

VERB + REPRODUCE be able to, can/could The offspring have to be able to reproduce in their turn. | fail to

PREP. by Many single cell organisms reproduce by splitting in two.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reproduction noun

¹ producing babies/animals/plants

ADJ. human | biological | asexual, sexual

REPRODUCTION + VERB take place

PHRASES a method of reproduction

² act/process of producing a copy/recording

ADJ. accurate, faithful, (good/high) quality | colour, graphic, photographic, sound Using a wide tape gives better quality sound reproduction.

VERB + REPRODUCTION give, provide | ensure The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting.

³ sth that has been reproduced

ADJ. exact, faithful an exact reproduction of an ancient building | large | black and white, colour | photographic The quality of a photographic reproduction decreases with time.

REPRODUCTION + NOUN furniture (= furniture made as a copy of an earlier style)

PREP. ~ from a reproduction from an old book

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

republic noun

ADJ. new | autonomous, independent | breakaway the breakaway republics of the former Soviet empire | self-proclaimed | democratic, federal, Islamic, people's, socialist the People's Republic of China | banana (disapproving, offensive) (= a small poor country with a weak government, that depends on foreign money)

VERB + REPUBLIC create, establish, form, found | abolish | declare (sth), proclaim (sth) They have declared themselves an independent democratic republic. | recognize (sth as) | overthrow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

repulsive adj.

VERBS be, look, smell | find sb/sth

ADV. deeply, extremely She found the idea deeply repulsive. | utterly | slightly | morally, sexually

PREP. to He was utterly repulsive to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reputable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly, very a highly reputable company

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reputation noun

VERB + REPUTATION enjoy, have He has the reputation of being a hard worker. | acquire, build (up), earn, establish, gain, make Her international reputation is built on an impressive list of publications. | damage, destroy, lose, ruin, tarnish | protect | live up to November is certainly living up to its reputation?we've had nothing but rain all week. | live down She found it hard to live down her reputation as a second-rate actress. | stake He has staked his reputation on the success of the play.

REPUTATION + VERB grow | suffer The company's reputation suffered when it had to recall thousands of products that were unsafe.

PREP. by ~ He was by reputation difficult to please. | ~ as You've made quite a reputation for yourself as a rebel! | ~ for The company has a well-deserved reputation for being reliable.

PHRASES a loss of reputation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

request noun

VERB + REQUEST make, put in, submit I've put in a request for a room with a view of the sea. | get, have, receive We have had repeated requests for a pedestrian crossing near the school. | agree to, comply with, grant | respond to | refuse, reject, turn down | repeat

PREP. at sb's ~ The play was written by Agatha Christie at the request of Queen Mary. | by ~ The writer's name was withheld by request (= because the writer had asked for this to be done). | on/upon ~ We will arrange accommodation on request. | ~ for The helpline was inundated with requests for information on the crash.

PHRASES available on request A detailed list of our publications is available on request. | by popular request The film is being shown again by popular request. | a number of requests

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

request verb

PREP. from We have requested some information from the company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

requirement noun

VERB + REQUIREMENT comply with, fulfil, meet, satisfy, suit We can arrange a holiday to meet your requirements exactly. | impose, lay down, set (down/out) The government has imposed strict safety requirements on fairground rides. | relax, waive to relax university entrance requirements

PREP. for your ~ We grow enough vegetables for our own requirements. | to your ~ Our conservatories and porches can be designed to your exact requirements. | ~ for Large buildings have specific requirements for fire-brigade access.

PHRASES subject to (the) requirements The school can decide which pupils will be given priority of admission, subject to the requirements of the law. | surplus to requirements (= more than is needed) 300 workers at the factory have been told they are surplus to requirements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

require verb

ADV. urgently Many of the refugees urgently require medical treatment. | reasonably (law)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rescue noun

ADJ. dramatic | daring | attempted | air-sea, mountain, sea | financial

VERB + RESCUE attempt Her own boat capsized after she attempted a rescue. | come/go/rush to No one came to their rescue until the following day.

PREP. to sb's/the ~ Her wails of distress brought him running from the house, like a knight to the rescue. | ~ from his rescue from a burning building

PHRASES fire and rescue New Zealand fire and rescue services carried out several extensive searches for survivors. | search and rescue The navy are on a search and rescue mission.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

researcher noun

QUANT. group, team

RESEARCHER + VERB investigate sth, work in/on sth researchers working in different disciplines researchers working on the biochemistry of learning | believe sth, claim sth, note sth, say sth, suggest sth, think sth | discover sth, find sth Researchers found 17 per cent of their random sample to be severely depressed. | show sth | conclude sth The researchers have concluded that further studies are needed.

PHRASES researchers in the field The book is written by experts who are well known as researchers in the field. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

research noun

QUANT. piece a startling piece of historical research

VERB + RESEARCH carry out, conduct, do, undertake She's doing research on Czech music between the wars. | be based on One paper based on research conducted at Oxford suggested that the drug may cause brain damage.

RESEARCH + VERB demonstrate sth, indicate sth, prove sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth What have their researches shown? | produce sth, yield sth Recent research on deaf children has produced some interesting findings about their speech.

PREP. ~ in Most research in the field has concentrated on the effects on children. | ~ into/on They are carrying out research into the natural flow patterns of water.

PHRASES an area of research, research and development spending on military research and development

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

research verb

ADV. carefully, exhaustively, extensively, fully, meticulously, properly, thoroughly, well | poorly The book has been poorly researched.

PREP. for She is currently researching for her next novel. | into I spent two years carefully researching into his background.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resemblance noun

VERB + RESEMBLANCE bear, have, show The plot of the movie bears more than a passing resemblance to Jane Austen's ‘Emma’. | see I can see the family resemblance.

RESEMBLANCE + VERB end They are both called Nigel, but there the resemblance ends (= they are not similar to each other in any other way).

PREP. ~ between There is a close resemblance between her and her daughter. | ~ to Crocodiles still have a strong resemblance to their long-lost ancestors.

PHRASES a point of resemblance The story has points of resemblance to a Hebrew myth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resemble verb

ADV. closely, greatly, strongly, very much He very much resembles a friend of mine. | in no way, not remotely He does not resemble his brother in any way. I have never seen anything remotely resembling the horrors of that day. | faintly, in some respects/ways, rather, somewhat, superficially, vaguely | oddly, uncannily

VERB + RESEMBLE be designed to The house was designed to resemble a church. | tend to

PREP. in The meat resembles chicken in flavour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resentful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, grow They grew bitter and resentful. | remain

ADV. bitterly, deeply, extremely, very They were bitterly resentful of the fact that they had to work such long hours. | increasingly | almost She looked at him, almost resentful now. | a little, slightly, vaguely | secretly

PREP. about/at She felt resentful at the way she had been treated. | of He was very resentful of their success. | towards He felt deeply resentful towards his ex-wife.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resentment noun

ADJ. angry, bitter, considerable, deep, deep-seated, great, intense, smouldering | growing, increasing | popular, widespread | old She felt all her old resentment flaring up.

VERB + RESENTMENT bear, feel, harbour I bore him no resentment. You seem to be harbouring some resentment against your boss. | express, show | contain, hide He struggled to contain his resentment. | arouse, breed, cause, create, fuel, give rise to, lead to, provoke Inequality breeds resentment.

RESENTMENT + VERB build up, grow Don't let your resentment build up. | flare up

PREP. ~ about/over Maggie was filled with resentment about her treatment. | ~ against the growing resentment against foreigners | ~ among The measures fuelled resentment among students. | ~ at I felt great resentment at having to work such long hours. | ~ between the bitter resentment between the two brothers | ~ towards their resentment towards each other

PHRASES a cause/source of resentment, a feeling/sense of resentment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resent verb

ADV. bitterly, deeply, greatly, strongly She bitterly resented the fact that her husband had been so successful. | rather | rightly | secretly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reservation noun

¹ arrangement for a seat/room

ADJ. airline, hotel

VERB + RESERVATION have Do you have a reservation? | make | confirm | cancel

RESERVATION + NOUN service | fee | form

PREP. ~ for I'd like to make a reservation for four people for Friday night, please.

² feeling of doubt about sth

ADJ. considerable, deep, grave, major, serious, severe, strong | minor, slight | certain I have certain reservations regarding several of the clauses in the contract. | initial

VERB + RESERVATION have | express, voice NATO generals voiced reservations about making air strikes.

RESERVATION + VERB concern sth

PREP. despite ~s Despite his initial reservations, he came to love London. | with ~s The employees are backing the reorganization plans, with reservations. | without ~ I can recommend her without reservation. | ~ about/concerning/over/regarding They have expressed reservations concerning the provisions of the treaty.

PHRASES one/only reservation My one reservation concerns the performance of the vehicle in wet conditions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reserved adj.

VERBS be, seem She seems quite reserved.

ADV. deeply, extremely, very | quite, rather | naturally his naturally reserved manner

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reserve noun

¹ supply of sth available to be used in the future

ADJ. great, huge, large, substantial, vast | sufficient | low, small | existing | additional | last It took my last reserves of strength and will to swim to the lifeboat. | untapped The region is thought to have some of the world's largest untapped oil reserves. | hidden She had hidden reserves of courage. | capital, cash, contingency, currency, financial, foreign currency/exchange, gold, international In the face of a severe crisis relating to international reserves, the government devalued the currency twice. | coal, energy, gas, oil | timber | food | fat The birds build up fat reserves to help them survive the winter.

VERB + RESERVE have We have only a small reserve of coal. | hold sth in, leave sth in, keep sth in The crack troops were held in reserve behind the front line. | dig into, dip into, draw on/upon, tap, use He had to draw on reserves of strength just to finish the race. | call on/up/upon, summon (up) her ability to summon up reserves of concentration and energy | build (up) | deplete, exhaust The company has depleted its reserves to make the purchase. | pay sth out of The dividend had to be paid out of reserves. | take

RESERVE + VERB be available | dwindle, fall

RESERVE + NOUN currency, funds | tank The plane was fitted with fuel reserve tanks for long-distance flights.

PREP. in ~ The rail company has two trains in service and one in reserve.

² protected area for plants/animals, etc.

ADJ. national | bird, forest, game, natural/nature, wildlife

VERB + RESERVE create, establish

³ quality/feeling

ADJ. deep, strong | natural They made him feel at ease, despite his natural reserve.

PREP. with ~ Any contract should be treated with reserve until it has been checked. | without ~ She trusted him without reserve (= completely).

⁴ extra player; second team

VERB + RESERVE play in He will continue to train and may play in the reserves next season.

RESERVE + NOUN side, team | goalkeeper, striker, etc. | game, match

⁵ extra military force

ADJ. army | strategic | volunteer

RESERVE + NOUN force, police

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reserve verb

ADV. exclusively, expressly, specially, specifically, strictly The star has a ski slope reserved exclusively for her. | normally, usually a ceremony normally reserved for heads of state

PREP. for The car park is reserved for customers only.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reservoir noun

¹ where water is stored

ADJ. natural | artificial, man-made | underground

PREP. in a/the ~

² amount of sth that can be used

ADJ. huge, vast

VERB + RESERVOIR tap (into)

PREP. ~ of tapping into the vast reservoir of information available on the Internet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

residence noun

¹ house

² living in a particular place

ADJ. long | permanent | temporary | main, normal, principal

VERB + RESIDENCE establish, take up The family took up temporary residence in the manor house. | remain in, stay in The family house was sold off but she remained in residence on the ground floor.

RESIDENCE + NOUN permit He has applied for a residence permit.

PREP. in ~ The flag flying above the palace indicates that the Queen is in residence.

PHRASES a change of residence, a hall of residence The university has two halls of residence for its postgraduate students. | a place of residence The notice was addressed to her last known place of residence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resignation noun

¹ giving up your job; letter of resignation

ADJ. immediate | shock, sudden, surprise, unexpected | forced | mass

VERB + RESIGNATION hand in, submit, tender She handed in her resignation following the dispute over company policy. | announce | withdraw | offer (sb), proffer | threaten | prompt, provoke, lead to The accusation prompted the resignation of the cabinet minister. | force Illness forced his resignation from the squad. | call for, demand The protesters called for the immediate resignation of the minister. | accept She has refused to accept the resignation of her deputy. | reject

RESIGNATION + VERB be/become effective My resignation is effective from May 1.

RESIGNATION + NOUN letter | announcement His resignation announcement was widely expected. | speech, statement

PREP. ~ as her resignation as party leader | ~ from A scandal led to his resignation from office.

PHRASES a call for sb's resignation, resignation on (the) grounds of sth She tendered her resignation on grounds of ill health. | a letter of resignation

² willingness to accept a difficult situation

ADJ. weary

PREP. in ~ Hearing that the train was running late, he sighed in weary resignation. | with ~ She spoke with resignation. | ~ to resignation to fate

PHRASES a look/sigh of resignation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resign verb

ADV. formally

VERB + RESIGN be forced to, be obliged to, have to He was forced to resign due to ill health. | intend to | offer to, threaten to The minister offered to resign after his affair became public. Two MPs threatened to resign if the government did not agree to examine this case. | decide to | refuse to | call on sb to They called on her to resign as chief executive.

PREP. as He resigned as chairman. | from She formally resigned from the government. | over Three members of the committee resigned over the issue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resilience noun

ADJ. great, remarkable | natural

VERB + RESILIENCE have | demonstrate, show

PREP. ~ to She has shown great resilience to stress.

PHRASES strength and resilience

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resilient adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | make sth

ADV. extremely, highly, remarkably, very a remarkably resilient woman | pretty

PREP. to The body of the camera makes it highly resilient to outdoor use.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resistance noun

¹ trying to stop sth

VERB + RESISTANCE mount, offer, put up They mounted stiff resistance to the proposal. | encounter, meet (with), run into The advancing army met with little resistance. | break (down), crush, overcome

RESISTANCE + VERB stiffen | collapse, crumble

RESISTANCE + NOUN movement | fighter, forces, group, leader, worker

PREP. without ~ The attacks did not take place without resistance. | ~ against armed resistance against the Nazis | ~ to There was fierce resistance to the new laws.

PHRASES the line/path of least resistance (= the easiest way of doing sth), a pocket of resistance (= an area of resistance)

² to a disease/drugs

ADJ. high | low | disease | antibiotic, drug

VERB + RESISTANCE have | build up, develop You need to build up your resistance to colds. | lower

PREP. ~ to Aids lowers the body's resistance to infection.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resistant adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, highly, particularly, remarkably, very | quite, relatively

PREP. to a metal that is highly resistant to corrosion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resist verb

ADV. fiercely, firmly, resolutely, strenuously, strongly, vigorously | successfully They successfully resisted pressure from their competitors to increase prices. | naturally People naturally resist change. | stubbornly | passively The civil population passively resisted. | physically | at first, initially, so far He has so far resisted pressure to resign.

VERB + RESIST be able/unable to, can/could (hardly), can't/couldn't (easily) She could hardly resist the urge to turn and run. Trends in the national economy confront firms with pressures they cannot easily resist. | can/could never, can/could no longer | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to | try to | manage to | be determined to | be helpless to, be powerless to She was powerless to resist the attraction that she felt to him. | tend to

PHRASES the strength to resist sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resolution noun

¹ formal decision taken after a vote

VERB + RESOLUTION draft | propose, put forward, table | vote on | adopt, agree, approve, carry, pass The resolution was carried unanimously. | block, reject

RESOLUTION + VERB be aimed at sth, call for sth The resolution called for the resumption of negotiations. | declare sth, proclaim sth a resolution declaring independence | approve sth, authorize sth The assembly adopted a resolution approving the scheme. | condemn sth a resolution condemning the invasion

PREP. under (a/the) ~ weapons banned under Resolution 687 | ~ on The General Assembly rejected the resolution on the subject of arms control. > Special page at MEETING

² settling a dispute

ADJ. early, quick, rapid | final, ultimate | peaceful Hopes of a peaceful resolution to the conflict were fading. | satisfactory, successful | conflict, dispute methods of conflict resolution

VERB + RESOLUTION require | press for The government is pressing for an early resolution of the hostage crisis. | achieve, reach

PREP. ~ to the likelihood of achieving a satisfactory resolution to the problem

³ being firm and determined

ADJ. great

VERB + RESOLUTION have | show She showed great resolution in her dealings with management. | lack

⁴ firm decision to do/not to do sth

ADJ. firm, good | New Year/New Year's

VERB + RESOLUTION make I made a New Year resolution to give up smoking. | keep

⁵ power to give a clear image

ADJ. high high-resolution graphics | low | maximum | screen | pixel a monitor capable of a 1,024 by 768 pixel resolution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resolve verb

VERB + RESOLVE attempt to, take steps to, try to | be unable to, fail to The two countries have failed to resolve their differences on this. | help (to) | be difficult to

PREP. by/through The crisis was finally resolved through high-level negotiations.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to resolve sth They met in a last-ditch attempt to resolve their differences. | a means/method/way of resolving sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resort noun

RESORT + NOUN area, town | hotel

PREP. at/in a/the ~ They spent a month at a fashionable ski resort in Switzerland.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resourceful adj.

VERBS be He is very clever and endlessly resourceful.

ADV. highly, very | endlessly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resource noun

VERB + RESOURCE be rich in, have Australia is a country rich in natural resources. We do not have the resources (= the money) to update our computer software. | lack | pool, share We'll get by if we pool our resources. | allocate, distribute, provide | divert, reallocate, redistribute the government's role in diverting resources into social policies | draw on, exploit, manage, mobilize, tap, use to mobilize resources in the community to provide shelter for the homeless We need to manage our resources better. | deplete, use up | squander, waste | conserve

RESOURCE + NOUN centre | allocation, management | depletion | constraints, implications

PHRASES access to resources, the allocation/distribution/provision of resources, the exploitation of resources, a lack of resources, the use of resources We must make the most efficient use of the available resources.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

respectability noun

ADJ. international The country has again achieved international respectability after years of isolation. | bourgeois, middle-class, working-class | academic, intellectual, political, scientific

VERB + RESPECTABILITY achieve, gain The theory has now gained scientific respectability. | give sth

PHRASES an air/a facade/a veneer of respectability

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

respectable adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

respect noun

¹ admiration

ADJ. considerable, deep, great | grudging | mutual a relationship based on mutual respect

VERB + RESPECT feel, have, hold sb in She held him in considerable respect. | command, earn (sb), gain (sb), get, inspire, win (sb) a society in which age commands great respect | lose

PREP. ~ for He felt a grudging respect for her talents as an organizer.

² polite behaviour/consideration/care

ADJ. great, utmost | due, proper the respect due to his great age

VERB + RESPECT accord sb/sth, pay (sb/sth), show (sb/sth), treat sb/sth with the respect accorded to her memory He treats his grandparents with great respect.

PREP. out of ~ We observed a minute's silence out of respect for the disaster victims. | with ~ With all due respect, I think you've misunderstood what he said. The chainsaw is a dangerous tool?it should be used with respect.

PHRASES a lack of respect to show a lack of respect for authority | a mark/sign/token of respect

³ detail/point

ADJ. certain | different | crucial, important, significant | material

VERB + RESPECT differ in There was one respect, however, in which they differed. | be alike in, be identical in, be similar in, resemble sth in

PREP. in … ~ (s) The report is accurate in all material respects. | in ~ of (= concerning) A writ was served on the firm in respect of their unpaid bill. | with ~ to (= concerning) The two groups were similar with respect to income and status.

PHRASES in all/many/some respects In many respects she is like her mother. | in every/this respect The marriage was a disaster in every respect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

respect verb

¹ admire sb/sth

ADV. deeply, greatly, really, very much

PREP. as She is widely respected as a politician. | for She was much respected for her knowledge of herbs.

PHRASES be highly/much/well respected a highly respected doctor | be internationally/universally/widely respected WWF is internationally respected for its conservation work.

² pay attention to sth

VERB + RESPECT promise to, undertake to The government has promised to respect human rights. | fail to Her daughters failed to respect her last wishes.

PHRASES a duty to respect sth, failure to respect sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

respite noun

ADJ. brief, moment's, temporary a moment's respite from the ringing of the phone | much needed, welcome

VERB + RESPITE have | bring (sb), give (sb), provide (sb with) The tablets brought temporary respite from the excruciating pain. | gain (sb), win (sb)

RESPITE + NOUN care

PREP. without ~ The storm continued for two hours without respite. | ~ from They had no respite from the demands of their children.

PHRASES a period of respite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

respond verb

¹ react

ADV. immediately, instantly | promptly, quickly, rapidly, swiftly | enthusiastically, favourably, positively, well Both sides have responded positively to the plan. Their son is responding well to the treatment. | forcefully, vigorously | adequately, appropriately, constructively, effectively, intelligently | adversely, aggressively, angrily | cautiously, coolly | sensitively, sympathetically | generously | magnificently The teams responded magnificently to the challenge. | accordingly The government needs to listen to the public and respond accordingly. | readily The plants readily respond to these stimuli. | directly | automatically, instinctively | flexibly | differently | merely, simply We do not have a strategy. We merely respond to ideas from local people. | emotionally, imaginatively to respond emotionally to the landscape | in kind The terrorists declared all-out war on the government and the government responded in kind.

VERB + RESPOND be able/unable to | be likely to She wasn't sure how he was likely to respond. | fail to His condition failed to respond to the treatment. | be slow to | enable sb to enabling teachers to respond flexibly to the needs of their students

PREP. by The government responded by tightening the law on gun ownership. | to Companies have to respond to the changing economic climate. | with The demonstrators threw stones and the police responded with tear gas.

PHRASES an ability/a capacity/a willingness to respond, a failure to respond

² say sth in reply

ADV. politely | angrily | coolly | drily

PREP. to He responded politely to her questions. | with He responded with a smile when she spoke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

response noun

VERB + RESPONSE give, make | get, have, receive Have you had any responses to the advertisement yet? | bring/call forth, draw, elicit, evoke, produce, provoke His comments drew an angry response from the crowd.

RESPONSE + NOUN rate, time We sent out over 100 letters but the response rate was low (= few people replied).

PREP. in ~ (to) In response, she stormed out of the room. | ~ from The response from local businesses has been muted. | ~ to What was their response to the question?

PHRASES (a) lack of response Due to lack of response the event has been cancelled.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

responsibility noun

¹ being responsible

VERB + RESPONSIBILITY have She has responsibility for public transport. | accept, assume, bear, shoulder, take (on/over) The bank refuses to accept responsibility for the mistake. Will you take responsibility for arranging the food? | share | lay, place The government of the time placed responsibility for the poor on the Church. | delegate, devolve, hand over devolving responsibility downwards so decisions are taken nearer to the people they will affect | abdicate, evade, shirk, shift to shift legal responsibility for the correct labelling of goods onto the shopkeeper | admit, claim No organization has yet claimed responsibility for the bomb attack. | deny, disclaim, duck Ducking responsibility is fatal in a democracy. | allocate, assign (sb), give sb | attribute He attributed responsibility for the killing to the secret service. | burden sb with | absolve sb from/of

RESPONSIBILITY + VERB fall on sb, lie/rest with sb

PREP. ~ for Full responsibility for the fiasco lies with the PR department. | ~ towards He feels a strong sense of responsibility towards his parents.

PHRASES the age of criminal responsibility, the burden of responsibility The school governors carry a special burden of responsibility. | do sth on your own responsibility (= without being told to and being willing to take the blame if it goes wrong), a position of responsibility, a sense of responsibility

² job/duty

VERB + RESPONSIBILITY have | carry out, discharge, fulfil | accept, face up to, take on, undertake He seems unwilling to face up to his responsibilities as a father. I don't feel ready to take on new responsibilities. | delegate | avoid, evade, shirk | relieve sb of

PREP. ~ for The heads of school departments have particular responsibilities for the curriculum. | ~ to/towards The club has a responsibility to its members.

PHRASES duties and responsibilities, rights and responsibilities parental rights and responsibilities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

responsible adj.

¹ having the job/duty of doing sth

VERBS be | become | remain | make sb I am making you responsible for the cooking.

ADV. entirely, totally, wholly | chiefly, largely, mainly, primarily | individually | collectively, jointly All members of the Cabinet are collectively responsible for decisions taken. | formally, legally | nominally The company could not indicate a person even nominally responsible for staff training. | ultimately The board is ultimately responsible for policy decisions. | financially

PREP. for They're responsible for cleaning the engine.

² being the cause of sth/to blame for sth

VERBS be, feel | become | consider sb, deem sb, find sb, hold sb, regard sb as, see sb as, think sb They held him responsible for the failure of the policy.

PREP. for Who was responsible for the mistake?

³ having to report to sb/sth

VERBS be

ADV. directly | ultimately a complex web of party bodies ultimately responsible to the Central Committee

PREP. to The prime minister is directly responsible to Parliament.

⁴ showing/needing good sense and reliability

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly, quite | ecologically, environmentally The organization needs to become more environmentally responsible. | morally, politically, socially allocating resources in a morally responsible way

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

responsive adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, very The company is highly responsive to changes in demand. | fully | fairly, quite | directly, immediately | sexually

PREP. to She's fairly responsive to new ideas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restaurant noun

VERB + RESTAURANT go (out) to If you're too tired to cook, let's go to a restaurant. | leave, walk out of They walked out of the restaurant without paying. | manage, run She runs a family fish restaurant on the seafront.

RESTAURANT + VERB offer sth, serve sth, specialize in sth a restaurant offering a wide variety of local specialities The hotel restaurant serves a buffet breakfast. an Asian restaurant specializing in Thai cuisine

RESTAURANT + NOUN manager, owner, staff | chain

PREP. at a/the ~ They argued the whole time we were at the restaurant. | in a/the ~ We had a quick meal in a small local restaurant.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restoration noun

¹ returning sth to its original condition

ADJ. complete, full | extensive Many of the older paintings have undergone extensive restoration.

VERB + RESTORATION carry out | undergo | await, be in need of, need This historic watermill is currently awaiting restoration.

RESTORATION + NOUN programme, project, work

PREP. for ~ The palace is closed for restoration. | under ~ a steam engine under restoration

² bringing sth back into use/existence

ADJ. full the full restoration of Sino-US relations | immediate Protesters called for the immediate restoration of civil liberties.

PHRASES the restoration of diplomatic relations, the restoration of the monarchy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restore verb

¹ bring back a situation/feeling

ADV. quickly, soon Order was quickly restored. | formally Diplomatic relations were formally restored.

VERB + RESTORE need to We need to restore public confidence in the industry. | attempt to, try to | help (to) | be designed to, be intended to

PREP. to Peace has now been restored to the area.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to restore sth an attempt to restore the company's finances | be aimed at restoring sth, measures to restore sth, a way of restoring sth

² repair/rebuild sth

ADV. extensively The interior has recently been extensively restored. | completely, fully | partially, partly | beautifully, handsomely, sympathetically, tastefully | carefully, faithfully, lovingly, painstakingly

PREP. to The train has been restored to full working order.

PHRASES newly/recently restored, restore sth to its former glory The buildings have now been restored to their former glory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restrained adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. remarkably, unusually, very I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restraint noun

¹ limit/control on sth

ADJ. effective | voluntary talks on voluntary wage restraint | conventional what happens when the conventional restraints on human cruelty are removed | physical Sometimes the care workers need to use physical restraint on the hospital patients. | budgetary, economic, expenditure, financial, fiscal, monetary, pay, spending, wage | contractual, judicial, legal, regulatory | cultural, moral, social

VERB + RESTRAINT impose, use | remove

PREP. without ~ Prices continued to rise without restraint. | ~ on/upon The government imposed restraints on spending.

² behaving in a calm/moderate way

ADJ. considerable, great, remarkable | mutual the mutual restraint shown by police and protesters. | sexual

VERB + RESTRAINT exercise, show Journalists have exercised remarkable restraint in not reporting all the sordid details of the case. | appeal for, call for

PREP. ~ by The government called for restraint by both sides.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restrain verb

ADV. barely I barely restrained myself from hitting him. | effectively | forcibly, physically She had to be physically restrained.

VERB + RESTRAIN be unable to, can't/couldn't, can/could no longer She could not restrain a flash of pride. | seek to, try to | manage to

PREP. from He restrained himself from shouting at her.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to restrain sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restricted adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. heavily, highly, narrowly, seriously, severely, very New heavy industries were concentrated in narrowly restricted areas. He has a severely restricted diet. | increasingly | fairly, rather, relatively, somewhat | apparently | unduly Access to higher education has been unduly restricted for people with disabilities.

PREP. to Access to the documents remains restricted to civil servants.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restriction noun

ADJ. severe, tight, tough | major | petty The removal of petty restrictions has made life easier. | absolute | further | artificial free movement of goods between member countries without any artificial restrictions | proposed | contractual, government, legal, statutory | advertising, age, credit, financial, import, parking, price, reporting (= restrictions on information that newspapers may report), speed, time, trade, travel, visa

VERB + RESTRICTION impose, introduce, place The government has introduced tough new import restrictions. | lift, remove The press asked for restrictions on reporting the war to be lifted. | accept | be subject to The right of sale is subject to certain restrictions.

RESTRICTION + VERB affect sth, apply The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.

RESTRICTION + NOUN order

PREP. without ~ Citizens of the EU can travel without restriction within the EU. | ~ on/upon The regulations were seen as a restriction on personal freedom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restrictive adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, very | increasingly | fairly, rather, somewhat | unduly, unnecessarily He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

restrict verb

VERB + RESTRICT attempt to, seek to, try to | tend to Having small children tends to restrict your freedom.

PREP. to I'm restricting myself to one glass of wine a day.

PHRASES an attempt to restrict sth attempts to restrict the sale of alcohol | measures to restrict sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rest noun

ADJ. complete | good, long | little, short | well-deserved, well-earned | bed She's on complete bed rest, antibiotics and plenty of fluids.

VERB + REST find (formal), get, have, take Her heart would find no rest until she knew the truth. Get some rest while you can. I had a good long rest before the party. | need | come to The ball rolled down the hill and came to rest against a tree.

REST + NOUN day, period | area | home

PREP. at ~ At rest (= when not moving) the insect looks like a dead leaf. | ~ from The doctor advised him to take a complete rest from football.

PHRASES a day of rest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rest verb

VERB + REST let sth She let his hand rest heavily on hers.

PREP. against She rested the ladder against the wall. | on/upon His hands rested lightly on her shoulders.

PHRASES rest easy I can rest easy (= stop worrying) knowing that she's safely home. PHRASAL VERBS rest on/upon sth

ADV. solely, squarely It is rare for the responsibility for causing conflict to rest solely on one side. rest with sb

ADV. squarely Surely the blame rests squarely with Sir Ralph? | ultimately The decision ulitmately rests with the council.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

result noun

¹ outcome/effect

VERB + RESULT have, produce My interference had rather an unfortunate result. | achieve, get, obtain This was not the result we had hoped to achieve.

PREP. as a/the ~ These actions were taken as a direct result of the strike. | with a/the ~ Parking restrictions were lifted, with the result that the road is permanently blocked by cars.

² desired effect

ADJ. concrete, tangible We have yet to see any concrete results from the research.

VERB + RESULT come up with, get, produce | give, show When is all your effort going to show some results?

³ final position in a competition

ADJ. election | football, racing, etc.

VERB + RESULT announce, read out The announcer was reading out the football results.

⁴ (often results) mark given for an examination

ADJ. encouraging, good | disappointing, poor | exam, examination | A-level, degree, etc.

VERB + RESULT get, have When do you get your exam results?

⁵ of an experiment, a medical test, an investigation, etc.

ADJ. interim, preliminary | experimental, research | test, X-ray | referendum, survey

VERB + RESULT wait for The doctor is still waiting for my results. | get, have, receive I haven't had the X-ray results yet. | analyse, evaluate | present, publish They hope to publish their results next month. | give, yield All three methods yielded identical results.

RESULT + VERB demonstrate sth, indicate sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth Preliminary results suggest that there is no cause for concern. | confirm sth, support sth

PREP. pending the ~(s) of Work on the scheme has been halted, pending the results of a judicial enquiry. | ~ from evaluating the results from various recent surveys

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

result verb PHRASAL VERBS result in sth

ADV. inevitably This move will inevitably result in the loss of a lot of jobs. | not automatically, not necessarily | easily Complacency could easily result in tragedy. | quickly | eventually

VERB + RESULT can/could, may/might, should, will/would | be expected to, be liable to, be likely/unlikely to Such measures are likely to result in decreased motivation of the workforce.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

resuscitation noun

ADJ. emergency, mouth-to-mouth

VERB + RESUSCITATION give sb We gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and heart massage.

RESUSCITATION + NOUN equipment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retailer noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retain verb

ADV. still | no longer | somehow Despite the decay the mosque somehow retained a profound grandeur.

VERB + RETAIN be keen to, hope to, want to, wish to | attempt to, seek to, struggle to, try to He struggled to retain control of the situation. | manage to | help (to) | be allowed to, be entitled to, have the right to He was allowed to retain his parliamentary seat.

PREP. as The president retained her as his chief adviser.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retaliation noun

ADJ. massive | swift | trade | nuclear

VERB + RETALIATION bring, prompt, provoke a casual remark that brought swift retaliation from her boyfriend | threaten | fear

PREP. in ~ He never said a single word in retaliation. | in ~ for They killed two men in retaliation for a bomb attack the previous day. | ~ against fearing retaliation against government troops | ~ by/from the possibility of retaliation by other governments | ~ for retaliation for the bombing of civilians

PHRASES an act of retaliation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retarded adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. severely Many of the children are severely retarded. | slightly | educationally, emotionally, mentally a mentally retarded child

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rethink noun

ADJ. complete | fundamental, major, radical

VERB + RETHINK have

PREP. ~ of to have a fundamental rethink of policy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rethink verb

ADV. radically

VERB + RETHINK be forced to, have to, need to I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retirement noun

ADJ. early, premature A knee injury forced him into premature retirement. | active | comfortable, happy He provided for a comfortable retirement by selling the business. | compulsory, enforced compulsory retirement at 60 her enforced retirement from the sport

VERB + RETIREMENT consider, look forward to, think about | approach, be close to, near | plan (for), prepare for, provide for helping you to plan your retirement | reach | announce | go into | come out of He is going to come out of retirement for this one last concert. | force sb into | mark They presented him with an engraved watch to mark his retirement. | enjoy, spend I intend to spend my retirement travelling.

RETIREMENT + NOUN age | benefits, package, pension | gift, party | home

PREP. after/before (your) ~ After her retirement from the stage she began to drink. | at (your) ~ Your pension plan provides a cash lump sum at retirement. | for (your) ~ saving for her retirement | in (your) ~ His father was now living in retirement in France. She has found a new hobby in her retirement. | on (your) ~ a gift from the firm on his retirement | until (your) ~ He remained in the post until his retirement last year. | ~ as her retirement as sales director | ~ at retirement at fifty-five | ~ from his retirement from first-class cricket

PHRASES the age of retirement The age of retirement for all employees is 60. | take early retirement The company suggested that he should take early retirement. | wish sb a long and happy retirement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retire verb

ADV. early He is hoping to retire early on medical grounds.

VERB + RETIRE be compelled to, be forced to, be obliged to, have to Anderson was forced to retire because of injury at the age of 26. | be due to, plan to Mr McNeil is due to retire later this month. | decide to

PREP. as He recently retired as head teacher of their school. | at Most women retire at 60. | from She retired from the bank last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retort noun

ADJ. quick, sharp | angry, caustic, furious

VERB + RETORT hurl, make He opened his mouth to make a caustic retort. | bite back, refrain from, suppress He bit back a sharp retort. | bring, draw, meet with Her remark drew bitter retorts from the unemployed workers. | sting sb into He was stung into an angry retort.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retort verb

ADV. quickly | angrily, bitterly, coolly, crisply, curtly, drily, flatly, furiously, grimly, harshly, sarcastically, sharply, stiffly ‘How dare you!’ he retorted angrily.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retreat noun

¹ retreating/leaving

ADJ. hasty, headlong, rapid I decided to beat a hasty retreat. | humiliating, ignominious, undignified | dignified, orderly, strategic, tactful, tactical I made a tactful retreat before they started arguing.

PREP. in ~ The enemy was now in retreat. | on the ~ fresh evidence that trade unionism is on the retreat | ~ from He took part in the retreat from Paris. | ~ into her retreat into a fantasy world of her own | ~ to an ignominious retreat to the River Vistula

PHRASES be in full retreat On the eastern front the army was in full retreat. | a line of retreat We succeeded in cutting off the enemy's line of retreat.

² quiet and private place

VERB + RETREAT turn sth into, use sth as She plans to use it as a winter retreat. | go into He went into retreat at his country home to escape the attention of the media.

PREP. ~ for a summer retreat for the rich | ~ from staying here at his secret retreat from life in the busy city

³ private time at a quiet place

ADJ. religious, spiritual

VERB + RETREAT go on She goes on a spiritual retreat for two weeks every summer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retreat verb

ADV. hastily, quickly, rapidly, swiftly | further | back He retreated hastily back to his car.

VERB + RETREAT try to | order sb to The army was ordered to retreat.

PREP. before They retreated before the Americans. | behind He retreated behind the table. | from, in the face of He retreated in the face of strong opposition. | into He retreated into his own world. | to She retreated from the busy office to her own room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

retribution noun

ADJ. fair, just | divine

VERB + RETRIBUTION demand, seek | exact | fear

RETRIBUTION + VERB come, follow Violent retribution soon followed.

PREP. in ~ His armies invaded their lands in retribution. | ~ against retribution against wrongdoers | ~ for He saw his suffering as retribution for the sins of his past life. | ~ from Members of Parliament clearly feared retribution from their constituents. | ~ on She saw the sentence as just retribution on the man who had assaulted her.

PHRASES an act of retribution, fear of retribution The victim did not report the incident for fear of retribution.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

return noun

¹ coming/going back; giving sth back

VERB + RETURN make Shevchenko made an emotional return to his former club. | mark The victory marked Williams' return to top form. | await, wait for | greet The smell of cooking greeted his return home. | celebrate | delay, put off | demand He demanded the return of his money. | call for, push for, vote for The UN continued to call for a return to civilian rule.

RETURN + NOUN address, date

PREP. in ~ (for) She gave them all the help she could, and asked for nothing in return. | on sb's ~ He promised to visit us on his return. | ~ from The date of their return from India is a fortnight from now. | ~ to Jones is hoping for an early return to racing after her injury.

PHRASES by return (of post) All orders will be dispatched by return of post (= by the next post).

² (also returns) profit

VERB + RETURN achieve, get, make, receive You should get a good return on this investment. | boost, enhance, improve, increase, maximize to maximize returns to shareholders | estimate | give (sb), offer (sb), produce, provide, show, yield The venture yielded a net return of £15 million. | represent These figures represent a return of 8.5% per annum.

RETURN + VERB increase | decline, decrease

PREP. ~ on the return on capital/investment/savings

PHRASES a rate of return

³ ticket to travel to a place and back again

ADJ. day, period | business class, economy, first-class, standard, tourist class

RETURN + NOUN ticket | flight, journey

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

return verb

VERB + RETURN be due to She is due to return to school in a fortnight. | be expected to, be likely to, be/look set to | be allowed to | decide to, expect to, hope to, intend to, plan to, want to, wish to | agree to, promise to | fail to Suspicions were aroused when he failed to return to work on Monday morning. | force sb to Lack of cash forced her to return to work.

PREP. from She had recently returned from Paris. | to She never returned the book to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reunion noun

ADJ. emotional, tearful | class, college, school, university | family | annual | grand

VERB + REUNION have, hold, plan The reunion is held every two years. | arrange, organize | attend, go to | celebrate Let's have a party to celebrate our reunion.

REUNION + VERB take place

REUNION + NOUN dinner, lunch

PREP. at a/the ~ At the reunion I met a friend I hadn't seen for twenty years. | ~ between an emotional reunion between mother and son | ~ for organizing a reunion for former company employees | ~ with a tearful reunion with his family

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revealing adj.

VERBS be

ADV. deeply, highly, particularly, very some deeply revealing insights into his life | quite, rather

PREP. about The book is very revealing about young people's views of themselves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revelation noun

ADJ. amazing, astonishing, devastating, embarrassing, sensational, shattering, shock, startling, sudden | fresh, latest, recent | divine He claimed to know these things by divine revelation.

QUANT. flash A sudden flash of revelation came to him.

VERB + REVELATION come as, prove To many younger members of her audience, these performances must have come as a revelation.

REVELATION + VERB come The embarrassing revelations came just hours before he was to make his speech.

PREP. ~ about/concerning fresh revelations concerning their private lives | ~ for The demonstration proved something of a revelation for our teachers. | ~ from He claimed to have had a revelation from God. | ~ to His acting ability was a revelation to us all.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revenge noun

ADJ. sweet

VERB + REVENGE seek, want | exact, get, have, take, wreak He vowed to take his revenge on the man who had killed his brother.

REVENGE + NOUN attack, killing

PREP. in ~ The attack was in revenge for the deaths of two loyalist prisoners. | ~ for revenge for the insult | ~ on taking revenge on her attacker

PHRASES an act of revenge The bombing was an act of revenge for the shooting of two young boys. | a desire for revenge The accusations were driven by a desire for revenge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revenue noun

ADJ. annual, yearly | expected, potential the firm's expected annual revenue | overall, total, worldwide | additional, extra | considerable, substantial | lost Tax fraud costs the country millions in lost revenue. | government, public, tax the main sources of public revenue | advertising, export, oil, sales, tourism, tourist, etc.

VERB + REVENUE depend on, need, rely on These television companies rely on advertising revenue for their funds. | earn, get, raise | collect The central government collects the tax revenue on behalf of local authorities. | spend, use | bring in, generate, produce, yield The project will not generate any revenue until 2010. | increase | reduce | lose

REVENUE + VERB be derived from sth, come from sth Their government's revenues come mainly from direct taxes. | go up, grow, rise | drop, fall, go down

PREP. in ~ a drop in revenue | ~ from revenues from the sale of oil

PHRASES loss of revenue, a source of revenue Tourism is the island's main source of revenue. > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reverence noun

ADJ. deep, great, profound | due, proper

VERB + REVERENCE have | hold sb in He is still held in great reverence throughout the country. | inspire a painting that inspires deep reverence for nature

PREP. in ~ I closed my eyes in reverence. | with ~ She spoke of them with profound reverence. | ~ for reverence for human life | ~ to/towards Children are taught to show respect and reverence towards their grandparents.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reversal noun

ADJ. complete, total | dramatic, sudden | apparent | policy | role Some people looking after elderly parents have trouble with the role reversal involved.

VERB + REVERSAL amount to, mark, represent This represents an apparent reversal of previous US policy. | bring about, lead to, result in

PREP. ~ in the dramatic reversal in population decline | ~ of a reversal of current trends

PHRASES a reversal of fortunes Industrial unrest and cheaper imports played their part in the company's reversal of fortunes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reverse noun

¹ opposite

ADJ. exact

VERB + REVERSE do If you tell children to do something, they will often do the exact reverse.

PREP. on the ~ (= on the opposite side) The coin has a date on one side and the emperor's head on the reverse.

² gear

VERB + REVERSE put sth in/into, throw sth into I put the car in reverse.

REVERSE + NOUN gear

³ problem

ADJ. major, serious

VERB + REVERSE experience, have, meet with, suffer Their forces have suffered serious reverses in recent months.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reverse verb

¹ move backwards

ADV. carefully She carefully reversed the lorry up the narrow driveway. | slowly | in, out

PREP. into The car reversed into a hedge. | out of He reversed slowly out of the garage.

² change sth to the opposite

VERB + REVERSE seek to, try to | fail to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reversible adj.

VERBS be The operation is easily reversible.

ADV. easily, readily | completely, totally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

review noun

¹ considering sth again

ADJ. complete, comprehensive, extensive, full, full-scale, fundamental, in-depth, major, overall, systematic, thorough, wide-ranging | brief, rapid, short | urgent | annual, periodic, regular the government's annual policy review | constant, continuous | critical The first chapter presents a critical review of the existing nursery education system. | government, independent, internal, judicial | financial, pay, performance, policy, rent

VERB + REVIEW ask for, call for, campaign for, press for, seek Greenpeace will seek a judicial review if a full public enquiry is not held. | announce, order | carry out, conduct, do, hold, undertake | present

REVIEW + VERB take place | cover sth, deal with sth | conclude sth, indicate sth, propose sth, recommend sth, suggest sth

REVIEW + NOUN body, committee, group

PREP. due for ~ The rent is due for review. | under ~ The matter is still under review. | ~ by a review by the court

² report on a film, restaurant, etc.

ADJ. enthusiastic, favourable, glowing, good, rave | bad, hostile, poor, scathing The show has good audience figures despite poor reviews in the press. | critical | mixed The book received mixed reviews. | book, film

VERB + REVIEW do, write I'm doing a review for the local paper. | give sth | get, have, receive, win | open to Their new musical opened to glowing reviews. | read, see Did you see the review in ‘The Times’?

REVIEW + VERB appear His review appeared in yesterday's paper.

REVIEW + NOUN copy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

review verb

¹ examine sth again

ADV. comprehensively, fully, thoroughly | extensively, widely | carefully | briefly | urgently Safety procedures are being urgently reviewed after a chemical leak at the factory. | currently We are currently reviewing the situation. | constantly, regularly | annually, from time to time, periodically This figure will be reviewed from time to time in the light of inflation. | critically Pull out your budget and critically review each line on it.

VERB + REVIEW agree to, promise to | ask sb to | decline to, refuse to

PHRASES review sth in the light of sth This case should be reviewed in the light of new evidence.

² write a report of a book/film, etc.

ADV. favourably The film has been favourably reviewed in a number of papers. | critically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revise verb

ADV. extensively, drastically, heavily, radically, substantially The text has been quite radically revised. | completely, fully, thoroughly | slightly | constantly, continually The procedures are continually revised?it is very difficult to keep up with the latest version. | periodically | downwards, upwards

VERB + REVISE be forced to, have to The estimate for the building work had to be revised upwards. | be necessary to

PREP. from, to The figure has now been revised from £1 million to £2 million.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revision noun

¹ making changes

ADJ. complete, considerable, drastic, extensive, fundamental, major, radical, substantial, thorough | minor | constant, frequent | downward, upward an upward revision of government expenditure plans | policy, treaty

VERB + REVISION propose, recommend, suggest | call for, demand They called for revisions to the treaty. | be open to, be subject to Our conclusions are always open to revision in the light of fresh evidence. | undergo The scheme has recently undergone drastic revision. | agree (to), announce, approve In October Parliament approved a revision of the budget. | bring about, lead to, result in | carry out, complete, conduct, make, undertake

PREP. ~ in This has brought about a radical revision in the style of school management. | ~ to revisions to the plan

PHRASES the process of revision The process of revision continued at rehearsals.

² studying

VERB + REVISION do I've got to do some maths revision tonight.

REVISION + NOUN class, course, lesson | question

PREP. ~ for revision for tomorrow's history exam

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revival noun

ADJ. great, major, marked | modern, recent | cultural, economic, industrial, literary, religious, etc. The late 19th century was a time of religious revival.

VERB + REVIVAL enjoy, experience, undergo His work is enjoying a revival in popularity. | stage The economy has staged something of a revival in the last year. | bring about, cause, lead to, spark, stimulate The exhibition has stimulated a revival of interest in the Impressionists. | see The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.

PREP. ~ in a revival in the fortunes of the Democratic Party | ~ of a revival of ancient skills

PHRASES a revival of interest the revival of interest in local radio | signs of (a) revival He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revive verb

¹ bring sth back

ADV. quickly, rapidly Banks and businesses had been rapidly reviving business activities in China. | suddenly

VERB + REVIVE try to trying to revive some of the old customs | help (to), help sb (to) the country's readiness to help revive the economic fortunes of its neighbours

PHRASES an attempt/effort to revive sth attempts to revive falling sales | be aimed at reviving sth an initiative aimed at reviving talks on the country's political future

² make sb conscious again

VERB + REVIVE try to

PREP. with They revived him with cold water.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to revive sb Attempts to revive her failed and she was dead on arrival at hospital.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revolt noun

ADJ. great The Great Revolt of 1381 may have been caused by attempts to keep wages down. | full-scale, general, large-scale, mass, popular, serious, widespread There was a general revolt against the leadership at the party congress. | open Parliament came out in open revolt against the president. | armed | peasant/peasant's, shareholder's, student, etc.

VERB + REVOLT cause, prompt, provoke, stir up | lead a student-led revolt | stage | control, crush, deal with, put down, quash, suppress The revolt was suppressed with total ruthlessness.

REVOLT + VERB break out Revolt broke out when the government decided to raise the price of bread. | spread | overthrow sb/sth The regime was overthrown by a popular revolt.

PREP. in ~ The farmers rose in revolt. | ~ against the revolt against the poll tax in Britain | ~ by a revolt by backbenchers | ~ over the farmers' revolt over imported meat | ~ within revolt within the party

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revolution noun

¹ changing the political system

VERB + REVOLUTION carry out, conduct, fight, foment, stage The activists were charged with fomenting revolution. | crush, put down | call for

REVOLUTION + VERB break out | spread | overthrow sth, topple sth the revolution which overthrew the old regime | fail the failed 1911 revolution

PREP. ~ against a revolution against communist rule

PHRASES the outbreak of the revolution, revolution from above/below (= fought by people already in power/by people without political power), the threat of revolution

² complete change in methods, opinions, etc.

ADJ. quiet There has been a quiet revolution in the way writing is taught. | complete | virtual | minor | agrarian, agricultural, computer, cultural, economic, electronic, environmental, industrial, political, scientific, sexual, social, technological

VERB + REVOLUTION achieve, bring (about) The coming of television brought about a revolution in people's leisure activities. | undergo Marketing has undergone a revolution in recent years. | embrace, welcome Doctors have welcomed the fitness revolution.

REVOLUTION + VERB take place As the eighteenth century wore on, an agricultural revolution took place. | transform sth The computer revolution has transformed the workplace.

PREP. ~ in He achieved a virtual revolution in the way music is recorded.

³ movement around sth; one complete turn

ADJ. complete, full One full revolution of the knob will open the hatch.

VERB + REVOLUTION make

PREP. through a ~ The earth turns through one complete revolution approximately every twenty-four hours. | ~ about/around/round How long does it take for the planet Jupiter to make a complete revolution around the sun?

PHRASES revolutions a/per minute > See REV

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revolver noun

ADJ. army, service

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

revulsion noun

ADJ. deep, utter | widespread The killing caused widespread revulsion. | instinctive

VERB + REVULSION be filled with, feel | cause | express | conceal

PREP. in/with ~ The children shrank back from him in revulsion. | ~ against public revulsion against violence in our society | ~ at He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea. | ~ for He was filled with hatred and revulsion for everything about her. | ~ towards She seems to feel revulsion towards her own children.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of revulsion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rev noun

ADJ. high | low The engine is almost silent at low revs. | engine

VERB + REV do On average the engine does 4,000 revs per minute.

REV + NOUN counter

PHRASES revs a/per minute > See REVOLUTION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rewarding adj.

VERBS be, prove | find sth I found it immensely rewarding working with the less able children.

ADV. extremely, highly, immensely, particularly, richly, very | intrinsically I did not expect the job to be intrinsically rewarding. | potentially | mutually a mutually rewarding partnership | financially a satisfying as well as a financially rewarding career

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reward noun

¹ for effort, etc.

ADJ. considerable, great, high, huge, rich Top athletes enjoy rich rewards. | fitting, just, suitable, well-deserved | poor, scant It was a poor reward for years of devoted service. | tangible Victory brought glory as well as more tangible rewards. | economic, financial, material, monetary

VERB + REWARD earn, enjoy, gain, get, obtain, reap, receive We are just starting to reap the rewards of careful long-term planning. | bring, have, provide Hard work usually brings its own rewards. | deserve You deserve a reward for all your efforts.

PREP. as a ~ Give yourself some time off as a reward. | ~ for a reward for hard work rewards for employees who do their jobs well

PHRASES reward enough The look on her face when I told her was reward enough.

² for helping the police

ADJ. big, huge, large, substantial | $20,000, £10,000, etc. | cash

VERB + REWARD offer, put up | give sb, pay sb | claim | get, receive

REWARD + NOUN money

PREP. ~ for There is a reward for information leading to an arrest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

reward verb (often be rewarded)

ADV. amply, generously, handsomely, highly, well You will be handsomely rewarded for your loyalty. highly rewarded occupations (= those that pay well) | poorly | adequately, duly, properly, suitably We must make sure that effort is properly rewarded. | justly | further | immediately, promptly, quickly | eventually, finally

PREP. for He was duly rewarded for his outstanding contribution to the arts. | with Her efforts were justly rewarded with a British Empire Medal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rewrite verb

ADV. drastically, extensively, substantially | completely | slightly

PHRASES an attempt to rewrite sth attempts to rewrite history

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rhetoric noun

ADJ. empty, mere Her speech was just empty rhetoric. | militant, powerful, radical | government, official | nationalist, patriotic, political, revolutionary, sectarian

VERB + RHETORIC adopt, engage in, resort to, use He was quite prepared to use militant rhetoric in attacking his opponents.

PREP. behind/beneath the ~ Behind all the rhetoric, his relations with the army are dangerously poised. | despite the ~ Little has changed, despite the rhetoric about reform. | ~ about/concerning/on official rhetoric on the virtues of large families

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rheumatism noun

ADJ. chronic

VERB + RHEUMATISM get | have, suffer from | relieve The pills help to relieve my rheumatism. > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rhyme noun

¹ using words that have the same sound as each other

ADJ. internal

VERB + RHYME write (in)

RHYME + NOUN scheme

PREP. in ~ a story in rhyme

² word that has the same sound as another

ADJ. half

PREP. ~ for Can you think of a rhyme for ‘tragic’?

³ short piece of writing with rhyming words

ADJ. nonsense | nursery

VERB + RHYME recite | make up

PREP. ~ about The kids made up a rhyme about a frog.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rhythm noun

VERB + RHYTHM develop, fall into, get into, settle into, slip into She soon settled into a regular rhythm. | have, lack | make Her feet made a steady rhythm on the pavement. | find Williams is having trouble finding her rhythm on the serve. | beat (out), clap (to), tap out Her pencil tapped out a staccato rhythm on the desk top.

RHYTHM + NOUN section the band's rhythm section

PREP. in (a) ~ snapping his fingers in rhythm | to a/the ~ I found myself swaying to the rhythm of the music. | with a/the ~ I like music with a good rhythm. | ~ in There's rhythm in her movements.

PHRASES a sense of rhythm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ribbon noun

ADJ. long | wide | narrow, thin | satin, silk, velvet | hair, medal

QUANT. length, piece He cut off a length of ribbon.

VERB + RIBBON tie, tie sth (back/up) with He tied some gold ribbon round the present. Her hair was tied back with a black silk ribbon. | undo, untie | cut The Lord Mayor cut a ribbon to launch the celebrations. | have, wear She had a pink ribbon in her hair. She was wearing a pink hair ribbon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rib noun

ADJ. bony, skinny | broken, bruised, cracked, fractured He sustained a broken rib.

VERB + RIB break, crack, crush | dig sb in, nudge sb in, poke sb in, prod sb in

RIB + NOUN cage | injury

PREP. against the/your ~s, in the/your ~s I woke him up with a poke in the ribs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rice noun

QUANT. grain | bag, packet, sack | bowl

VERB + RICE cultivate, grow, produce | harvest | boil, cook | drain, strain

RICE + NOUN crop, production | farmer, grower, producer | field, paddy | cake, pudding, salad, wine | dish a spicy rice dish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rich adj.

¹ with a lot of money

VERBS be, feel, look | become, get, grow people who want to get rich quickly | make sb This discovery never made her rich.

ADV. enormously, extremely, fabulously, filthy (informal), immensely, incredibly, seriously, stinking (informal), very He's fabulously rich, one of the richest men in the world. It was mean of her only to give £1?she's filthy rich, you know. | quite, relatively | newly a newly rich businessman

² containing/providing sth

VERBS be

ADV. especially, exceptionally, extraordinarily, particularly, unusually, very the exceptionally rich fishing grounds of the North Sea | fairly, quite, relatively | potentially | culturally a culturally rich nation

PREP. in Oranges are rich in vitamin C.

³ of food

VERBS be

ADV. very, wonderfully The sun-dried tomatoes give the dish a wonderfully rich flavour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ride noun

ADJ. long, short We have a long ride ahead of us tomorrow. | leisurely We went for a leisurely ride along the canal. | comfortable, easy, smooth (all often figurative) The new legislation did not have a smooth ride through Parliament. | bumpy, rough, uncomfortable It was a bumpy ride along the farm track. (figurative) The new teacher was given a rough ride by the class. | wild He took her for a wild ride on the back of his motorbike. | free He used to get free rides by hiding in the toilet of the train. | bike, bus, cab, car, coach, cycle, gondola, sleigh, taxi, train, tram | camel, donkey, pony | funfair, helterskelter, rollercoaster, white-knuckle (often figurative) The day had been a rollercoaster ride of emotion.

VERB + RIDE have, take Visitors can take a ride on a steam locomotive. | go for She's gone for a ride on her bike. | enjoy | bum, cadge, get, hitch, thumb I managed to cadge a ride with a lorry driver. | give sb

PREP. ~ from The ride from our house to my parents' takes about an hour. | ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ride verb

ADV. fast, hard They rode hard all night. | slowly | steadily | bareback, side-saddle riding bareback on a circus horse | away, back, home, off, on, out, over, past At the end of the film they ride off into the sunset.

VERB + RIDE learn to | teach sb (how) to

PREP. along, down, from, on, through, to, up, etc. riding along a country lane

PHRASES go riding

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ridicule noun

ADJ. general, public

VERB + RIDICULE attract, draw, receive | expose sb/sth to, hold sb/sth up to, treat sb/sth with | be open to, face, invite, risk | fear A faintly comic figure, he fears ridicule above all else.

PHRASES an object of ridicule, a target for/of ridicule The prime minister was becoming an object of ridicule.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ridiculous adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get This is getting ridiculous!

ADV. bloody (taboo), really | absolutely, completely, downright, quite, totally, utterly It's downright ridiculous that the library isn't open on Mondays! | almost | a bit, faintly, a little, mildly, pretty, rather, slightly, somewhat | patently The whole idea was patently ridiculous.

PHRASES a sense of the ridiculous The whole situation appealed to her sense of the ridiculous.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

riding noun

ADJ. horse

VERB + RIDING go

RIDING + NOUN boots, breeches, crop, hat, jacket | centre, school, stables

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rifle noun

ADJ. automatic, high-powered, semi-automatic, .22 | air, army, assault, hunting, sporting | Kalashnikov, M-16, etc.

RIFLE + NOUN barrel, butt | bullet | fire, shot | club, range

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rift noun

ADJ. deep, growing, serious | public | ideological | marital, marriage

VERB + RIFT cause, create, lead to | deepen, widen His actions only deepened the rift between himself and the majority of Congress. | heal, mend, patch up, repair

RIFT + VERB develop, occur, open up A rift had opened up within the party. | deepen, grow, widen

PREP. ~ among/between new evidence of a rift between the two countries | ~ in/within The debate has succeeded only in widening rifts within the Church. | ~ over a rift over public spending | ~ with trying to heal the rift with his brother

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

right adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound, taste The meat doesn't taste right to me. | come, turn out I'm sure it'll all turn out right in the end. | get sth He never gets anything right. | make sth It may be a very easy way to make money, but that doesn't make it right.

ADV. absolutely, dead, exactly, just, quite You're dead right. There's nothing we can do. She needs to get everything exactly right for her guests. There's something not quite right about these figures. | almost, more or less, nearly Don't worry about it?that's more or less right.

PREP. about You were quite right about the weather.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

right noun

¹ what is morally good

PREP. in the ~ (= having justice and truth on your side) There's no doubt that he's in the right on this.

PHRASES have right on your side I appealed against the decision because I knew I had right on my side. | know right from wrong Children of that age don't know right from wrong. | right and wrong She doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong. | the rights and wrongs of sth We sat discussing the rights and wrongs of the prison system.

² entitlement

ADJ. basic, fundamental, inalienable the basic rights of all citizens | absolute, perfect I've got a perfect right to park here if I want to. | equal | exclusive, sole | full | automatic Any employee who is sacked has an automatic right to appeal. | animal, human animal rights campaigners human rights violations | legal, statutory | contractual | moral You have a moral right to that money. | civil the civil rights movement | gay, women's | parental The local authority exercises parental rights over the children until foster homes are found. | squatters' The teenagers claimed squatters' rights and were allowed to remain in the building. | pension | voting | divine, god-given the old idea of the divine right of kings I suppose you think you have some god-given right to tell me what to do?

VERB + RIGHT enjoy, have, retain They have no right to come onto my land. | assert, claim, demand | know You can't do that to me?I know my rights. | establish The new president undertook to establish full rights for all minorities. | stand up for You should stand up for your rights and insist that he pays you. | reserve I reserve the right to leave at any time I choose. | gain, get | confer on sb, give sb, grant sb We were granted the exclusive rights to produce the software in the UK. | extend The government extended voting rights to everyone over the age of 18. | exercise | enforce The landlord enforced his right to enter the property. | abdicate, give up, relinquish, renounce He renounced his right to the throne. | waive They gave me my uncle's money, on condition that I waived all rights to his property. | forfeit, lose | defend, protect, safeguard | acknowledge, recognize, respect | affect, infringe These additional guarantees do not affect your statutory rights. | deny sb | abolish

PREP. as of ~, by ~ The property belongs to her by/as of right. | by ~ of The Normans ruled England by right of conquest. | within your ~s You're acting entirely within your rights. | ~ of the right of assembly/asylum/citizenship/free speech/ownership | ~ over He claimed full rights over the discovery. | ~s for equal rights for all | ~ to Do I have any right to compensation?

PHRASES have every right She has every right to feel bitter. | right of way There is no public right of way across the fields.

³ rights: legal authority/claim to sth

VERB + RIGHT acquire, buy, get, obtain | sell He sold the film rights for $2 million. | have, hold

⁴ right side/direction

VERB + RIGHT take Take a right at the traffic lights.

PREP. from the ~ Look out for traffic coming from the right. | on the ~ Ours is the first house on the right. | to the ~ Keep over to the right.

PHRASES the first/second, etc. right Take the first right, and then it's the second turning on your left. | from left to right/from right to left The books are numbered from right to left.

⁵ the right: in politics

ADJ. extreme, far

PREP. on the ~ He's on the extreme right of the party.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rigid adj.

¹ not able/willing to change

VERBS appear, be, seem | become, grow He grew even more rigid and uncompromising as he got older.

ADV. extremely, very | entirely An entirely rigid system is impractical. | excessively | fairly, rather, relatively We operate within fairly rigid parameters.

² stiff

VERBS be, feel, lie, look, stand She feigned sleep, lying rigid in bed. | become, go | remain

ADV. very | absolutely, completely, quite | almost

PREP. with He went absolutely rigid with shock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rigour noun

¹ strictness

ADJ. full The crime will be treated with the full rigour of the law. | academic, intellectual, logical, scientific

VERB + RIGOUR lack Their analysis lacks rigour.

PREP. with ~ | ~ in There is a need for academic rigour in approaching this problem.

² rigours: severe conditions

ADJ. full

VERB + RIGOUR be subjected to, face, suffer computers that are subjected to the rigours of the office environment | avoid, escape The town managed to escape the rigours of war. | stand up to, survive, withstand | prepare sb/sth for, protect (sb/sth) against The thick coat of the mountain goat protects it against the rigours of winter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ring noun

¹ piece of jewellery

ADJ. engagement, eternity, signet, wedding | diamond, gold, etc. She wore a diamond engagement ring.

VERB + RING have on, wear He had a signet ring on his little finger. | put on | take off

RING + NOUN finger (= the finger next to the little finger, especially on the left hand)

² circle

ADJ. inner | outer | concentric The street plan of the city has evolved as a series of concentric rings. | black, dark He had dark rings around his eyes. | smoke, tree to blow smoke rings

VERB + RING form, stand in The children formed a ring around their teacher.

PREP. in a/the ~ The children sat on the floor in a ring.

³ where a performance, match, etc. takes place

ADJ. boxing, bull, circus, show, wrestling

PREP. in/into the ~ He was back in the ring (= the boxing ring) only a month after the injury.

PHRASES retire from the ring (= stop boxing)

⁴ people involved in sth secret/illegal

ADJ. drugs, smuggling, spy

VERB + RING be involved in | break up Customs officials have broken up a major drugs ring.

⁵ telephone call

VERB + RING give sb I'll give you a ring once I get home.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rinse noun

ADJ. good | final | cold

VERB + RINSE give sth Give your hair a good rinse after shampooing it.

PREP. ~ in/with a rinse with cold water

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rinse verb

ADV. well | thoroughly Always rinse your hair thoroughly. | quickly | away, off, out She rinsed out her coffee cup. Make sure you rinse all the soap out.

PREP. from rinsing the flour from his hands | in She rinsed her hands in cold water. | with Rinse the dishes with warm water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

riot noun

VERB + RIOT cause, provoke, spark (off), start The city's housing and unemployment problems sparked serious riots. | put down, quell

RIOT + VERB begin, break out, erupt, occur, start Prison riots broke out over worsening conditions.

RIOT + NOUN police, squad | gear, shield | control

PREP. during/in a/the ~ He was killed in the riots. | ~ against/over a riot against bread prices

PHRASES run riot Fans ran riot after the match, overturning cars and looting shops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ripe adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, smell, taste

ADV. really, very a really ripe strawberry | fully, perfectly, quite Make sure the plums are fully ripe before you eat them.

Some of the apples were not quite ripe. | almost, just about, nearly The crops were just about ripe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ripple noun

ADJ. little, small

VERB + RIPPLE cause, set off The decision caused ripples of concern among the parents. | send I dropped the pebble in the water, sending ripples across the pond. His remarks sent a ripple of laughter through the audience. | feel He felt a small ripple of fear pass through him.

RIPPLE + VERB pass/run through sb/sth | spread (across) sth He watched the ripples spread across the pool.

RIPPLE + NOUN effect

PREP. ~ of A ripple of unease passed through her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ripple verb

ADV. gently, smoothly, softly

PREP. across Small waves rippled gently across the pond. | through Shock rippled through her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rise noun

¹ increase

PREP. on the ~ (= rising) Crime is on the rise. | ~ in a twofold rise in prices | ~ on a rise on last year's levels

² becoming more powerful/important

ADJ. meteoric, spectacular, swift

PREP. ~ of the rise of capitalism | ~ to His swift rise to the national team surprised everyone.

PHRASES the rise and fall of sth the rise and fall of the Roman Empire | rise to fame/power/prominence a meteoric rise to fame

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rise verb

¹ move upwards

ADV. majestically the cliffs which rise majestically from the ocean

PREP. from Smoke rose from the chimney.

² stand up

ADV. slowly

VERB + RISE make to, try to He made to rise but found his legs were not strong enough to support him.

PREP. from She rose slowly from her chair to greet us.

³ get out of bed

ADV. early, late He rose early and went for a walk.

⁴ increase

ADV. dramatically, markedly, sharply, significantly, steeply, substantially House prices have risen sharply in recent months. | a little, slightly | further, higher | steadily | fast, quickly, rapidly The cost of health care is rising faster than ever.

VERB + RISE be expected to, be likely to, be projected to, be set to Entry standards into the profession are set to rise further. | be unlikely to | begin to | continue to

PREP. above Air pollution has risen above an acceptable level. | by Unemployment has risen by 25,000 this month. | from, in Gas rose in price. | in line with State benefits will rise in line with inflation. | to Inflation rose from 2% to 5% last year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rising noun

ADJ. military, peasant

VERB + RISING participate in, take part in | lead | crush, put down, suppress The government succeeded in crushing the military rising.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

risky adj.

VERBS be, look, prove, seem, sound | consider sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

risk noun

ADJ. big, considerable, grave, great, high, major, serious, significant, substantial, terrible high-risk patients a major risk to livestock | good | bad, poor | low, slight, small | additional, extra, increased | reduced | genuine, real | attendant, inherent, possible, potential Standards of hygiene have fallen with all the attendant risks of disease. There are considerable risks inherent in the policy. | long-term | relative | foolish, unacceptable, unnecessary | calculated I take calculated risks but never gamble. | commercial, credit, environmental, financial, fire, health, insurance, safety, security Those old boxes in the corridor are a fire risk. He's a good insurance risk.

QUANT. degree, level | element The operation carries an element of risk.

VERB + RISK face, run, take If you don't revise, you run the risk of failing. I'm not prepared to take risks?I want the equipment thoroughly checked. | entail, incur, involve, pose Pollutants in the river pose a real risk to the fish. | increase | minimize, reduce | avoid | assess, measure The directors will have to assess our credit risk. | outweigh The benefits outweigh the risks.

RISK + VERB outweigh sth

RISK + NOUN group Miners are a high risk group for certain types of gastric cancer. | factor Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for this disease. | assessment | reduction | management

PREP. at ~ to put someone's life at risk | at ~ from/of Journalists in the zone are at serious risk of being kidnapped. | at the ~ of At the risk of sounding rude, don't you think you'd better change for the party? | at ~ to He saved the child at considerable risk to himself. | ~ by He knew he was taking a big risk by going skiing. | ~ from a risk from contaminated water | ~ in I was taking a big risk in lending her the money. | ~ to a risk to health

PHRASES at your own risk The building is unsafe?enter at your own risk. | an increase/a reduction in risk, risks and benefits/rewards the risks and benefits of a drug

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

risk verb

VERB + RISK cannot/could not, dare not, not want to, would not I simply can't risk being seen there. I didn't want to risk being late. | be prepared to, be willing to He was prepared to risk everything in order to achieve his ambition. | decide to

PREP. for I am not risking my neck for anyone! | on I wouldn't risk my money on a scheme like this one.

PHRASES risk it I knew I would be in trouble if I was found out, but I decided to risk it anyway. | risk life and limb the brave tourist who risks life and limb for adventure | risk losing sth families who risk losing their homes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ritual noun

VERB + RITUAL go through, perform She had to go through the ritual of kissing the toys before her son would go to sleep. rituals performed by druids at Stonehenge on Midsummer's Day | make She makes an elaborate ritual of the washing-up.

RITUAL + VERB take place

RITUAL + NOUN practice the ritual practices of ancient religions | murder, sacrifice, slaughter the accusation that they practised ritual murder

PREP. in a/the ~ Women's roles in the rituals of many religions have been limited.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rivalry noun

ADJ. bitter, fierce, great, intense | long-standing, old | friendly | international | ethnic, personal, political, professional, sexual, sibling Bitter ethnic rivalries within the region have grown in recent years.

RIVALRY + VERB grow

PREP. ~ between rivalry between the army and the police | ~ for rivalry for the party leadership | ~ over rivalry over who is to head the delegation | ~ with rivalry with foreign firms

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rival noun

ADJ. arch, bitter, close, deadly, fierce, great, serious | biggest, chief, main, nearest, principal | long-standing, old They're old political rivals. | jealous | foreign, international The company is well equipped to compete with its international rivals. | business, political

VERB + RIVAL have She has no rivals for the job. | beat, defeat

RIVAL + NOUN candidate | faction, gang, group | company, firm | bid, offer | claim

PREP. ~ for They were rivals for her love. | ~ in They were rivals in love. | ~ to Grand it may be, but this cathedral is no rival to the great cathedral of Amiens.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

river noun

VERB + RIVER cross, ford, get across We crossed the river by ferry. How are we going to get across the river? | bridge They've bridged the river at four points. | dam Wildlife groups are protesting against the proposal to dam the river. | dredge They're dredging the river to make it safer for larger boats. | navigate The rocks and sandbanks make the river hard to navigate.

RIVER + VERB flow, run, wind This river flows into the Mediterranean Sea. A river runs through the field. The river winds its way through the hills. | rise The river has risen with the rains. The river rises in Bulgaria and flows through Greece to the Aegean. | be in flood, burst its banks, flood (sth), overflow sth The river had overflowed its banks. | dry up This river dried up long ago.

PREP. across a/the ~ There's a bridge across the river. | along a/the ~ We walked along the river. | down a/the ~, down by a/the ~, down to a/the ~ Let's go down to the river at sunset. | into a/the ~ He dived into the river. | in a/the ~ Trout live in this river. | on a/the ~ There was a rowing boat on the river. | up a/the ~ sailing up the river | ~ of (figurative) a river of lava

PHRASES the banks/bottom/middle/side/surface of a river They were waiting for us on the other side of the river. | a bend in the river, the course/direction of a river, the river's edge

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

roadblock noun

ADJ. army, police

VERB + ROADBLOCK erect, set up Police have set up a roadblock on the road to London. | remove

PREP. at a/the ~ They were stopped at a roadblock leaving the city. | through a/the ~ The truck drove through the roadblock at 100 mph.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

road noun

(figurative) It does appear we are on the right road to success. | east-west, etc. | coast, coastal, country, mountain | access, arterial, ring, service, side, slip The new ring road should reduce city centre traffic. | toll

VERB + ROAD follow, go down Follow the road round to the left.

(figurative) We have discussed privatization, but we would prefer not to go down that road. | take, turn (left/right) into/off Take the next road on the right. | cross, get across | pull (out) into He was hit by a lorry as he pulled out into the main road. | pull off I pulled off the road for a rest. | join The track joins the main road just south of the village. | hog (= drive near the middle of the road so that others cannot get past) | block, cordon off Angry farmers blocked the road with their tractors. Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. | build | pave, resurface, surface | widen

ROAD + VERB go, lead, run Where does this road go? The road runs parallel to the river. | bend, curve, turn, twist, wind The road twists and turns up the hillside. | ascend, climb The road ascends steeply from the harbour. | cross sth The road crosses the river further up the valley. | branch (off), fork Our road branches off to the left just past the wood.

PREP. across the ~ The house across the road is for sale. | along the ~ He was walking along the road when he was attacked. | by ~ It takes three hours by road (= driving). | down/up the ~ They live just down the road from us. | in the ~ There was a dog in the road so we stopped. We live in/on Kingston Road. | (out) into the ~ She stepped out into the road without looking. | off the ~ My car's off the road at the moment while I recondition the engine. | on a/the ~ There's something lying on the road. There was a lot of traffic on the road this morning. on the road to Damascus My car is back on the road (= is working) again. We'd been on the road (= travelling) since dawn and needed a rest. | ~ along/over/through, etc. the main road through the centre of town | ~ from, ~ to the road to London

(figurative) to be on the road to recovery/success

PHRASES at/by/on the side of the road, the bottom/end/top of the road, the end of the road (figurative) This latest row could mean the end of the road for the band. | the middle of the road A dog was sitting in the middle of the road, so we stopped. | the next/second, etc. road on the left/right, a stretch of road a notoriously dangerous stretch of road

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

roam verb

ADV. free, freely The animals were allowed to roam free. | about/around

VERB + ROAM allow sb/sth to, let sb/sth

PREP. over Her eyes roamed over him, assessing him. | through roaming through the town

PHRASES the freedom/right to roam Ramblers are calling for the right to roam to be made law.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

roar noun

VERB + ROAR give, let out | hear

ROAR + VERB go up A mighty roar went up from the crowd as the home team scored.

PREP. above/over the ~ She couldn't make herself heard over the roar of the engines. | with a ~ The car sped off with an almighty roar. | ~ from There was a crash and a roar from the kitchen. | ~ of a roar of applause/laughter > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

robbery noun

ADJ. attempted, bungled, failed | armed | bank, highway, street

VERB + ROBBERY commit, take part in

ROBBERY + NOUN attempt

PHRASES robbery with violence He was sentenced to four years in prison for robbery with violence. > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

robber noun

ADJ. armed, masked | bank, train | grave, tomb

QUANT. band, gang

VERB + ROBBER hunt Police are hunting a masked robber who snatched £15,000 from a post office. | catch

ROBBER + VERB hold sb/sth up Robbers held up a bank at gunpoint. | snatch sth, steal sth, take sth | escape with sth, get away with sth, make off with sth Robbers escaped with £30,000 of payroll money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

robe noun

VERB + ROBE slip on

PREP. in a/the ~ an old man swathed in robes > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rocket noun

¹ spacecraft

ADJ. space

VERB + ROCKET launch | go/send into orbit

ROCKET + VERB blast off, take off | land

ROCKET + NOUN booster, engine | fuel | scientist (often humorous) You don't have to be a rocket scientist (= very clever) to do this job.

² weapon

ADJ. long-range | anti-aircraft, anti-tank

VERB + ROCKET fire

ROCKET + VERB explode

ROCKET + NOUN attack | launcher

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rock noun

¹ hard, stony part of the earth

QUANT. chunk, lump, piece, slab

VERB + ROCK form

ROCK + VERB form rocks that formed beneath the sea | jut out A great rock jutted out into the sea.

PHRASES a layer of rock, an outcrop of rock The castle is perched on a massive outcrop of rock.

² music

ADJ. live | country, glam, hard, heavy, indie, progressive, punk

PHRASES rock and roll the king of rock and roll

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rock verb

ADV. violently The boat rocked violently in the huge waves. | gently, slightly She gently rocked the baby in her arms. The boat rocked slightly. | back and forth, backwards and forwards, from side to side, to and fro He rocked back and forth in his chair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

role noun

¹ in a play, film, etc.

VERB + ROLE perform, play, take John's playing the leading role in this year's play. | cast sb in | interpret She interprets the role as more tragic than I expected.

PREP. in the ~ (of) He was very good in the role.

² position and importance

ADJ. central, crucial, decisive, dominant, essential, fundamental, important, key, leading, major, pivotal, primary, prominent, significant, vital | minor, secondary, subordinate | constructive, full, positive, useful, valuable | active | passive | direct | clear Every member of staff must have a clear role. | traditional | changing | dual, twin She has a dual role as principal and French teacher. | conflicting her conflicting roles as mother and manager of a large company | advisory, consultative, managerial, supervisory | maternal, parental | economic, educational, military, political, social, strategic the economic role of small towns A cup of tea often serves an important social role. | symbolic

VERB + ROLE have, occupy, perform, play, serve Regional managers occupy a crucial role in developing a strategic framework. | provide (sb/sth with) | adopt, assume, take (on) I've had to take on the role of mother in her absence. | fulfil He really wants to fulfil his role as godfather properly. | cast sb in He has been cast in the role of chief apologist for the government. | find We need to find a useful role for the volunteers in the campaign. | define, redefine a clearly defined role within the group | swap

ROLE + NOUN model | reversal

PREP. in a/the ~ She has joined the team in a consultative role. | ~ as the teacher's role as instructor | ~ for The new prime minister promised a greater role for women in government. | ~ in Pressure groups played a major role in bringing about the reforms.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

roll noun

¹ bread

ADJ. bread | crusty, soft | brown, white, wholemeal | buttered, filled | ham, cheese, etc.

² list of names

ADJ. falling Falling rolls could lead to smaller class sizes.

ADJ. electoral, membership, school

VERB + ROLL strike sb off, remove sb from He should be struck off the roll of solicitors. | call, take The chairman called the roll (= to see if everyone was present).

ROLL + NOUN call Staff evacuated the building and a roll call was taken outside.

PREP. on (the) ~ The local authority has 50,000 pupils on roll. There are 340 children on the school roll.

PHRASES a roll of honour Her name was engraved on sport's roll of honour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

roll verb

¹ move by turning over

ADV. slowly | around, away, back, forward, over rolling over and over in the mud

PREP. down A tear rolled slowly down her cheek. | off

² make sth into the shape of a ball/tube

ADV. tightly She carried the magazine tightly rolled up in her hand. | up

PREP. into He rolled the paper into a tight ball.

³ of a ship/plane

ADV. heavily | to and fro The ship was rolling heavily to and fro.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

romance noun

¹ love affair

ADJ. brief | broken | whirlwind They married after a whirlwind romance. | holiday | teenage

VERB + ROMANCE have They had a brief romance in the eighties.

ROMANCE + VERB blossom

² romantic feeling

ADJ. true

VERB + ROMANCE find People find romance in strange places.

ROMANCE + VERB be in the air Could romance be in the air for the young prince?

PHRASES love and romance Most of her songs are about love and romance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

romantic adj.

¹ showing/causing feelings of love

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | become, get You're getting quite romantic in your old age!

ADV. extremely, incredibly, intensely, terribly, very, wildly, wonderfully | not at all | quite, rather

² imaginative and emotional, not realistic

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, very highly romantic notions of honour | hopelessly, ridiculously Their dreams of love and marriage are hopelessly romantic. | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

romantic noun

ADJ. great, true | old | incurable

PHRASES be a romantic at heart

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

roof noun

ADJ. conical, flat, gabled, mansard, pitched, pointed, sloping, steep | corrugated iron, glass, slate, thatched, tiled, tin | car, church, etc.

VERB + ROOF support The roof is supported by stone columns.

ROOF + VERB slope The roof slopes down to the top of the windows. | cave in, fall in, collapse Five people were killed when the roof fell in. | leak

ROOF + NOUN space The burglars removed tiles to climb into the roof space. | covering, slate, tile | beams, rafters, structure, timbers | insulation | garden, terrace The hotel has a charming roof garden.

PREP. in a/the ~ There are small windows in the roof. | on a/the ~ There's a cat on the roof. | under your ~ (= in your house) I won't have that man under my roof again!

PHRASES under one/the same roof (= in the same building) We're good friends but we could never live under the same roof.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

room noun

¹ in a house/building

VERB + ROOM burst into, come/go into, creep into, enter, hurry into, march into, run/rush into, slip/sneak into, step into, storm into, stride into, walk into, wander into | back out of, come/go out of, creep out of, flounce out of, hurry out of, leave, march out of, run/rush out of, slip out of, step out of, storm out of, stride out of, walk out of As soon as the teacher left the room there was uproar. | show sb into, usher sb into | cross, go around/round, pace (around/round), prowl (around/round), walk, wander around/round He was pacing the room nervously. She prowled around the room like a caged tiger. I wandered restlessly round my room. | echo around/round, run around/round A ripple of laughter ran round the room. | glance, look around/round, scan | fill | clean, tidy | decorate, paint a room decorated in pastel shades | air, ventilate | light a room lit by one dusty light bulb | share I used to share a room with my sister. | occupy | vacate Guests are requested to vacate their rooms by 11 a.m. | set aside a room set aside for quiet study | book, hire, rent We hired a room for the party. I rented a room while looking for a house to buy.

ROOM + VERB adjoin sth, face sth, overlook sth The room adjoins the hotel kitchens. | contain sth The room contained little more than a table and chair. | be crammed with sth, be filled with sth, be full of sth | be equipped with sth, be furnished with sth, have sth The patient was in a private room equipped with bathroom and colour TV. | measure sth a room measuring 6 metres by 7 | darken | fall silent, grow quiet The room fell silent as she rose to speak. | smell The room smelled of stale sweat and coffee. | spin, sway She felt sick and the room was spinning.

PREP. around/round a/the ~, from ~ to ~ She flew from room to room looking for the fire extinguisher. | in/into a/the ~, inside a/the ~

² space; enough space

ADJ. ample, considerable, enough, sufficient | insufficient | head (also headroom), leg (also legroom)

ADJ. leave, make We had to move the furniture to make room for the piano.

PREP. ~ for Will there be enough room for that large sofa in your sitting room? (figurative) The sales figures are good, but there is still room for improvement.

PHRASES room for manoeuvre

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rooted adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. deeply | firmly

PREP. in His problems are deeply rooted in his childhood experiences.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

root noun

¹ of a plant

ADJ. deep, shallow | gnarled

ROOT + VERB develop, grow | put down, take I hope those cuttings will take root.

ROOT + NOUN system | crops, vegetables

PREP. by its/the ~s She pulled the shrub out by its roots.

² roots: place where you feel you belong

ADJ. humble Despite his wealth, he never forgot his humble roots. | cultural severed from our cultural roots by industrialization | middle-class, peasant, working-class | French, Scottish, etc.

VERB + ROOT get/go back to, return to My husband wants to go back to his Irish roots. | trace They can trace their roots back to the sixteenth century. | put down We haven't been here long enough to put down roots. | cut yourself off from

³ cause/source

ADJ. deep | very | common The two languages share a common root. | historical

VERB + ROOT have | get at/to, go to I've spent months trying to get to the root of the problem. | lie at

ROOT + NOUN cause

PREP. at (the ~ of) It is a moral question at root. His fears of loneliness lay at the very root of his inability to leave. | ~ in The unrest has roots in religious differences.

PHRASES the root of all evil They consider globalization to be the root of all evil. | the root of the matter/problem I expect money is at the root of the matter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rope noun

ADJ. strong | slack | guy, mooring, skipping, tow I tripped over the guy rope of the tent in the dark.

QUANT. length, piece

VERB + ROPE knot, tie (sth together with) He tied the planks together with a strong rope. | tighten | loosen | coil (up) | pull (at/on)

PHRASES a coil of rope

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rose noun

ROSE + NOUN garden | bed | bush | petals | bowl

PHRASES a bed of roses, the scent/smell of a rose > Note at FLOWER(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rotate verb

ADV. quickly, rapidly | gently, slowly | freely

VERB + ROTATE allow sth to It is best to allow the rotor to rotate freely.

PREP. around The blades rotate around a central point. | on The earth rotates on its axis. | through The handle rotates through 360 degrees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rota noun

ADJ. daily, weekly, etc. | duty | cleaning

VERB + ROTA have | draw up, work out I've been asked to draw up the cleaning rota.

ROTA + NOUN scheme, system

PREP. on the ~ | ~ for Are you on the rota for cooking?

PHRASES on a rota basis We share the babysitting duties on a rota basis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

roundabout noun

VERB + ROUNDABOUT enter | get off, leave Leave the roundabout at the second exit. | drive/go around/round

PREP. at the ~ At the roundabout, turn right. | on the ~ There was a lot of traffic on the roundabout.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rounded adj.

¹ having a round shape

VERBS be

ADV. gently, slightly, softly | beautifully, nicely beautifully rounded arches

² complete and balanced

VERBS be

ADV. well | fully a fully rounded education

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

round noun

¹ series of events

ADJ. ceaseless, endless, long Life to him was one long round of parties. | fresh, further, new

PREP. ~ of a fresh round of peace talks

² regular series of visits, etc.

ADJ. daily, weekly | milk, paper

VERB + ROUND do, make The milkman does his round very early.

PREP. on sb's ~ a doctor on his round

³ number of drinks

VERB + ROUND buy, order I bought the last round.

PHRASES It's my round. (= It's my turn to buy the drinks.), a round of drinks We just had time for one more round of drinks.

⁴ part of a competition

ADJ. first, second, etc. Italy qualified for the second round of the tournament by beating Germany. | opening, preliminary | final | qualifying

PREP. in a/the ~ Australia were knocked out in the second round.

⁵ (in golf) one game

VERB + ROUND have, play, shoot

PHRASES a round of golf We had a good round of golf today.

⁶ bullet/bullets

ADJ. live | blank

VERB + ROUND fire The soldiers fired several blank rounds into the crowd.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

round verb PHRASAL VERBS round sth off

ADV. nicely A coffee would round the meal off nicely.

PREP. with We rounded off the day with a picnic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

route noun

VERB + ROUTE follow, take | choose, map out, plan, work out You'll have to plan your route carefully. | retrace We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path.

ROUTE + VERB cross sth, follow sth, go, pass through sth, run, take sb The alternative route takes you along the river. | climb, turn | lead | lie Our route lay straight ahead and downhill.

ROUTE + NOUN map

PREP. along the ~ There are plenty of bed and breakfasts along the route. | on the ~ We live on the school bus route. | ~ between the most direct route between London and Brighton | ~ from the air route from Berlin to Beijing | ~ through a scenic route through the south of France | ~ to the shortest route to Bruges the best route to success

PHRASES en route (= on the way) We'll stop for lunch en route.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

routine noun

VERB + ROUTINE establish, get into, settle into It took me a week to settle into a routine. | follow, go through We go through the same old routine every morning. | break, change, vary

PHRASES a change from the/in/of routine The children were confused by the change of routine. | a matter of routine Bags of all visitors to the museum are searched as a matter of routine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rout noun

ADJ. total

VERB + ROUT become, end in, turn into The game ended in a total rout. | put sb to They put the rebel army to rout. | start | complete

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

row1 /req/ noun

PREP. in a/the ~ The children stood in a row. It rained for five days in a row (= without a break). We have seats in the front row. | ~ of a long row of shops

PHRASES the end/middle of the row, rows and rows, row upon row He looked down at row upon row of eager faces.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

row2 /raq/ noun

¹ argument

ADJ. almighty, awful, big, bitter, blazing, fearful, ferocious, fierce, flaming, furious, great, huge, major, serious, terrible, tremendous, unholy, violent We had a blazing row over who should do the cooking. | domestic, family | stand-up A couple was having a stand-up row in the street. | public | drunken | long-running | diplomatic, political

VERB + ROW have | kick up I'm going to kick up a row if I don't get my money back. | cause

ROW + VERB blow up, break out, develop, erupt A row blew up over pay rises for ministers. | go on, rage (on)

PREP. in a/the ~ He came to prominence in the row over defence policy. | ~ about/over Carol and I had a terrible row about how much money she spends. | ~ between a row between the left and right wings of the party | ~ with a row with my mother

² loud noise

ADJ. unholy

VERB + ROW make Someone's making an unholy row outside.

ROW + VERB go on, rage (on) The row went on and on.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

row2 /raq/ noun

¹ argument

VERB + ROW have | kick up I'm going to kick up a row if I don't get my money back. | cause

ROW + VERB blow up, break out, develop, erupt A row blew up over pay rises for ministers. | go on, rage (on)

² loud noise

ADJ. unholy

VERB + ROW make Someone's making an unholy row outside.

ROW + VERB go on, rage (on) The row went on and on.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

royalty noun

¹ money paid to an author, etc.

ADJ. advance

VERB + ROYALTY pay | earn, get, receive | charge

ROYALTY + NOUN cheque, payment

PREP. in ~s She earns a lot in royalties. | ~ from/on He has received royalties on previous inventions.

PHRASES an advance on royalties

² members of the royal family

ADJ. minor

PHRASES in the presence of royalty She behaved as if she were in the presence of royalty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rubbish noun

¹ waste material

ADJ. domestic, household | garden

QUANT. bag, pile | tons

VERB + RUBBISH put out I forgot to put the rubbish out last night. | collect, remove, take away The rubbish is collected on Tuesdays. | clear (out), dispose of, dump, throw (away/out) He's clearing rubbish out of the attic. Someone had dumped their rubbish by the road. Throw the rubbish in the bin. | leave, strew (around) There was rubbish strewn around everywhere. | pick up

RUBBISH + VERB decay, rot

RUBBISH + NOUN bag, bin, skip | dump, heap, tip | collection, disposal | chute

² sth that you think is bad/silly/wrong

ADJ. absolute, complete, total, utter The film was absolute rubbish. | worthless Many critics see the paintings as worthless rubbish. | old The antique shop was just full of old rubbish.

VERB + RUBBISH talk Don't talk such rubbish!

PREP. ~ about the usual rubbish about his undiscovered talents

PHRASES a load of (old) rubbish, What rubbish!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rubble noun

ADJ. brick, rock, stone | building

QUANT. heap, pile What was once a cottage was now a crumbling heap of rubble.

VERB + RUBBLE be reduced to The school was reduced to rubble. | clear (away) | sift through Police sifted through the rubble looking for clues.

PREP. amid/amidst/among/amongst the ~ She stood among the rubble left by the earthquake. | beneath/under the ~ Our car was buried somewhere under the rubble. | in the ~ Several people were trapped in the rubble.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rub verb

ADV. briskly, hard, vigorously He rubbed his face briskly with the towel. | well Put a little cream onto each hand and rub it in well. | gently, lightly He gently rubbed his swollen nose. | thoughtfully She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. | wearily Corbett rubbed his eyes wearily. | in, together He began to rub his hands together in glee.

VERB + RUB begin to

PREP. against The cat rubbed against my legs. | at She stood up, rubbing at her back. | into Rub the cream well into your skin. | on She rubbed her hands on her apron. | with I rubbed my glasses with my handkerchief.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rucksack (also backpack) noun

VERB + RUCKSACK pack | unpack | put on, shoulder | pull off, remove, take off | carry, have on, wear He had a large rucksack on.

PREP. in a/the ~ He had very little in his rucksack.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rude adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound | become | consider sth, think sb/sth I hope you won't think me rude if I leave early.

ADV. downright, extremely, really, terribly, very He wasn't just impolite?he was downright rude. | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | deliberately

PREP. about He's very rude about her cooking. | to Don't be so rude to your mother!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rugby noun

QUANT. game

VERB + RUGBY play | watch

PHRASES Rugby League, Rugby Union > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rug noun

ADJ. threadbare | bedside, fireside, hearth, picnic | oriental, Persian

VERB + RUG make, weave | scatter, spread There were several brightly coloured rugs scattered around.

RUG + VERB cover sth A Persian rug covered the polished floor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ruin noun

¹ spoilt state

ADJ. complete, utter

VERB + RUIN fall into, go to The cottage gradually fell into ruin.

PHRASES be the ruin of sb/sth Drink has been the ruin of her. | go to rack and ruin They've let the house go to rack and ruin.

² end of success, hopes, etc.

ADJ. economic, financial | political

VERB + RUIN face The company faces ruin over the new road plans. | bring, lead to, mean, spell The cost would have meant financial ruin for us. | save from

PHRASES on the brink/verge of ruin, the road to ruin He's on the road to political ruin.

³ damaged building, town, etc.

ADJ. ancient | charred, smoking the charred ruins of their home | abbey, castle, etc.

VERB + RUIN be/lie in ~ The church now lies in ruins. | leave sth in ~ The earthquake left the town in ruins.

PREP. ~s of the ancient ruins of Jericho

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ruin verb

ADV. completely, quite, totally The experience has completely ruined her life. | nearly | partly | effectively | financially The long legal battle ruined him financially.

VERB + RUIN threaten to A knee injury threatened to ruin her Olympic hopes. | be going to All this mud is going to ruin my shoes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ruler noun

RULER + VERB come to power, seize power | govern (sb/sth), hold power a ruler who held power for over twenty years

PREP. under a/the ~ The country was finally united under one ruler. | ~ over He eventually became ruler over the Burgundians.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rule noun

¹ what you can or cannot do, say, etc.

QUANT. set The aim is to get each member country to adhere to a single set of rules.

VERB + RULE draw up, establish, formulate, impose, issue, lay down, make, set out | abide by, adhere to, follow, go by, obey, observe, play by, stick to If he wanted a loan he would have to play by the bank's rules. | be in line with, conform to The packaging does not conform to EU rules. | be in breach of, break, disregard, fall foul of, flout, violate Their action was in breach of Stock Exchange rules. | apply, enforce The referee applied the rules to the letter (= very strictly). | bend, relax Couldn't they just bend the rules and let us in without a ticket? | waive | tighten up The rules on claiming sickness benefit have been tightened up. | be bound by, be fettered by, be governed by Social workers are bound by rules of confidentiality. | interpret, understand The punishment depends on how the umpire interprets the rules.

RULE + VERB apply, be applicable, operate | provide sth, say sth, state sth, stipulate sth The competition rules provide that a cash alternative may be given. | govern sth the rules governing the importing of livestock | allow (for) sth, permit sth The existing rules allow for some flexibility. | forbid sth, prohibit sth | limit sth, restrict sth rules limiting imports

RULE + NOUN book The officials went strictly by the rule book.

PREP. according to the ~s According to the rules, no alcohol can be consumed on the premises. | against/contrary to the ~s Tackling a player without the ball is against the rules. | in accordance with the ~s The music was turned off at midnight, in accordance with the rules. | outside the ~s behaviour which is outside the rules | under a/the ~ Under this rule, only full members of the club are entitled to vote. | within the ~s I believed I was acting within the rules. | ~ about/concerning/on/regarding/relating to What are the school rules about dress? | ~ for There seems to be one rule for the rich and another for the poor. What is the rule for forming plurals? | ~ of the rules of the game

PHRASES a breach/violation of the rules, a body/code/network/system of rules, respect for the rules, rules and regulations

² what is usual

ADJ. general There are few exceptions to the general rule that shops close at six o'clock.

PREP. as a ~ As a rule, hardly anybody uses this road.

PHRASES be the rule Among her friends, casual dress and a relaxed manner are the rule.

³ government

VERB + RULE impose

PREP. under … ~ The country remained under direct rule by the occupying powers.

PHRASES the rule of law a society based on the rule of law

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rule verb

ADV. justly

PREP. by the president's powers to rule by decree | over He left his son to rule over Saragossa.

PHRASES rule supreme, rule with an iron fist/hand; rule with a rod of iron (= control a person or group of people very severely) PHRASAL VERBS rule sth out

ADV. altogether, categorically, completely, definitely, entirely, firmly, totally This theory cannot be ruled out altogether. | virtually | effectively His age effectively ruled him out as a possible candidate. | apparently | automatically Infringement of this regulation would automatically rule you out of the championship. | immediately | formerly, hitherto, previously

VERB + RULE cannot/could not, fail to, refuse to

PREP. as Police have now ruled her out as the killer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ruling noun

VERB + RULING give, hand down, issue, make | overturn, reverse The Court of Appeal overturned the original ruling. | uphold

PREP. ~ against the European Court's ruling against detention without trial | ~ by the ruling by the High Court | ~ in favour of The newspaper said that this was a ruling in favour of freedom of speech. | ~ on The House of Lords will make a final ruling on the case next week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rumble noun

ADJ. deep, low | dull | distant | ominous

VERB + RUMBLE give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ The door slid shut with a rumble. | ~ of

PHRASES the rumble of thunder We could hear the distant rumble of thunder. > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rumour noun

ADJ. malicious, nasty, scurrilous, ugly, vicious | baseless, false, unconfirmed, unfounded, unsubstantiated, wild | strong, widespread | persistent

RUMOUR + VERB circulate, get about/around, go around/round, spread | abound, be flying about/around, be rife Rumours about an impending royal divorce were rife. | sweep sth The rumour quickly swept the town. | persist

RUMOUR + NOUN factory, mill The Washington rumour mill suggests the money changed hands illegally.

PREP. amid/amidst ~s The manager resigned suddenly amidst rumours of misconduct. | ~ about/concerning/surrounding rumours surrounding the closure of the hospital | ~ of There were persistent rumours of drug taking among staff.

PHRASES rumour has it that … Rumour has it that he was sacked from his last job. | there is no truth in the rumour There is no truth in the rumour that the head teacher is about to resign.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

runner noun

ADJ. fast, good | distance, long-distance, marathon, middle-distance | cross-country, fell, road | front (often figurative) He is currently the front runner for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. | fancied one of the fancied runners in today's race

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

running noun

¹ activity/sport

ADJ. cross-country, fell, road | distance, long-distance, marathon, middle-distance

RUNNING + NOUN event, race | shoe, shorts, vest | track

² management of business, etc.

ADJ. efficient, smooth Careful planning is needed to ensure the smooth running of the event. | day-to-day

VERB + RUNNING be involved in, be responsible for

RUNNING + NOUN costs, expenses

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

run noun

¹ on foot

ADJ. five-mile, etc. | fun, sponsored The local council has organized a two-mile fun run for charity. | training | record-breaking The Ethiopian is aiming to produce his second record-breaking run of the week.

VERB + RUN go for, have Let's go for a run before dinner. | go on I'm going on a sponsored run tomorrow. | break into When he saw me he broke into a run. | take He took a run at the wall and just managed to clear it.

PREP. at a ~ She took the stairs at a run. | on the ~ (= escaping by running) The prisoners have now been on the run for three days.

PHRASES make a run for it (= escape by running)

² of success/failure

ADJ. bad, disappointing, disastrous, dismal, poor | excellent, fine, good, remarkable, successful | unbeaten, winning | record-breaking

VERB + RUN enjoy, have Spurs have had a winning run of ten games. | begin | end Manchester United have finally ended their run of victories.

RUN + VERB begin | end

PREP. ~ of a run of good/bad luck

³ of a play/film

ADJ. long | short | eight-week, six-month, etc. | successful | sell-out

VERB + RUN have The play had a long run in the West End. | begin They play began its run last June. | end

RUN + VERB begin | end

⁴ way things are/happen

ADJ. common, general, ordinary, usual She was very different from the general run of American movie stars. In the normal run of things the only exercise he gets is climbing in and out of taxis.

PHRASES against the run of play Villa scored in the 15th minute against the run of play (= although the other team had seemed more likely to score).

⁵ in cricket/baseball

ADJ. home

VERB + RUN get, make, score They've got another run! He's only made four home runs all season. | be on, have Our team is on 90 runs.

⁶ attempt/practice

ADJ. dry, dummy, practice, trial

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

run verb

¹ move quickly on foot

ADV. fast, quickly John can run very fast. She ran quickly downstairs. | blindly | headlong | away, downstairs, home, off, out, upstairs

VERB + RUN begin to, turn and/to | want to He just wanted to run away and hide.

PREP. down She turned and ran blindly down the street. | into He ran headlong into an enemy patrol. | out of He ran out of the house. | to, towards, up, etc.

² manage sth

VERB + RUN try to Stop trying to run my life for me. | manage to | help (to), help sb (to)

³ work

ADV. efficiently, smoothly The engine was running very smoothly.

PREP. on Our car only runs on unleaded petrol.

⁴ happen

ADV. smoothly Things ran very smoothly for a while. | concurrently, consecutively He was given two twelve-month sentences to run concurrently.

⁵ buses/trains

ADV. regularly Local buses run regularly to and from the town. | late The train was running late, as usual.

PREP. between, from, to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rural adj.

VERBS be

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ruse noun

ADJ. simple | clever, subtle

RUSE + VERB succeed | fail

PREP. ~ by sb The attack may merely be a ruse by the enemy to distract our forces.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rush noun

¹ sudden quick movement

ADJ. headlong, sudden

PREP. ~ for The film ended, and there was a rush for the exits. | ~ of A rush of water came from the burst pipe.

² busy period

ADJ. awful, great, mad, tearing | sudden | last-minute | Christmas

RUSH + NOUN decision | job You can see that the painting was a rush job. | hour During the rush hour the journey may take up to twice as long.

PREP. in a ~ I've been in a mad rush all day. | ~ for a last-minute rush for tickets | ~ of a sudden rush of tourist traffic

PHRASES have a rush on We've had a rush on at the office, dealing with the backlog of orders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rush verb

ADV. headlong, madly a train rushing headlong down the track | immediately | suddenly | about, around, back, home, in, off, out, over, past She was rushing around madly looking for her bag.

PREP. along, from, into, out of, through, to, etc. A surge of joy rushed through her body. He was rushed to hospital.

PHRASES come/go rushing Two men came rushing into the room. | rush to sb's/the rescue Whenever her little brother was upset, Jane rushed to the rescue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Russian noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rustle verb

ADV. softly the sound of the leaves rustling softly

PREP. in The wind rustled in the bushes. | through the sound of their feet rustling through the grass

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rust noun

VERB + RUST clean off, get off, remove, scrape off

RUST + NOUN spot, stain | protection A zinc coating is applied to the steel for rust protection.

PHRASES covered/flecked/red/spotted with rust The old padlock was red with rust.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rust verb

ADV. badly | away, through The car had been rusting away in his garage for years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

rut noun

ADJ. muddy | deep | cart, tractor, wagon

PREP. in a ~ (figurative) My job bores me?I feel I'm in a rut. | into a ~ (figurative) I'd got into a rut, cooking the same things week after week. | out of a ~ (figurative) Moving abroad gave her the chance to get out of a rut.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sabbath noun

ADJ. Jewish, Muslim, etc.

VERB + SABBATH keep, observe | break

SABBATH + NOUN day | rest

PREP. on the ~ It was considered a sin to work or play on the Sabbath.

PHRASES observance of the Sabbath The speaker advocated a less austere observance of the Sabbath.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sabotage noun

ADJ. deliberate, planned | economic, industrial They conducted a campaign of economic sabotage.

SABOTAGE + NOUN attempt | raid

PHRASES an act of sabotage

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sabotage verb

ADV. deliberately They accused him of deliberately sabotaging the peace talks.

VERB + SABOTAGE attempt to, try to They had tried to sabotage our plans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sack noun

¹ large bag

ADJ. bulging bulging sacks of toys | hessian, paper, plastic, stuff | flour, mail, potato, refuse

VERB + SACK fill They filled the sacks with potatoes. | put sth in, tie sb/sth (up) in The kittens had been tied up in a sack and thrown in the river. | empty | carry (sth in)

SACK + VERB be filled with sth, be full of sth

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ of a sack of coal

² the sack: dismissal from your job

VERB + SACK get She got the sack after 20 years of service. | give sb | be threatened with, face Hundreds of postal workers are facing the sack.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sacred adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | consider sth, deem sth, hold sth, regard sth as Certain animals were regarded as sacred. the feeling that all life should be held sacred

ADV. absolutely | almost

PREP. to The place was sacred to the Celts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sacrifice noun

¹ giving sth up

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, heavy, real | financial, personal | heroic | supreme, ultimate Soldiers who die for their country have made the supreme sacrifice.

VERB + SACRIFICE make

² part of a ceremony

ADJ. animal, human | religious, ritual | blood | pagan

VERB + SACRIFICE perform | offer (sth as)

PREP. ~ to Food and wine were offered as sacrifices to the gods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sacrifice verb

VERB + SACRIFICE be obliged to, have to | be prepared to, be willing to She was prepared to sacrifice having a family in order to pursue her career.

PREP. for soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country

PHRASES sacrifice sth for the sake of sth Comfort has been sacrificed for the sake of improved performance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sadden verb

ADV. deeply, greatly I was deeply saddened by his death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sadness noun

ADJ. deep, great, real, unutterable

QUANT. hint

VERB + SADNESS be filled with, be full of, feel Claudia felt a deep sadness. | express, show | hide | bring (sb) I had brought nothing but sadness to my family. | be tinged with Our joy was tinged with sadness.

PREP. with ~ It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of William Hales. | ~ about/at/over He expressed his sadness about what had happened. | ~ for Kate felt a great sadness for him.

PHRASES an air/aura of sadness a lonely place with an aura of sadness | a feeling/sense of sadness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sad adj.

¹ unhappy

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, grow | make sb This music always makes me sad.

ADV. all, desperately, immensely, particularly, profoundly, really, unbearably, very I called Mum, sounding all sad and pathetic. | almost | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | strangely

PREP. about She was still feeling very sad about her father's death.

² causing unhappiness

VERBS be, seem | find sth

ADV. deeply, extremely, intensely, particularly, profoundly, really, terribly, unutterably, very a deeply sad occasion | a bit, a little, quite, rather a rather sad story

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

safeguard noun

ADJ. adequate, effective, proper, sufficient Does the procedure provide adequate safeguards against corruption? | added, additional, extra, further | appropriate, necessary | environmental, nuclear | constitutional, legal, procedural

VERB + SAFEGUARD introduce | provide (sb with) | build in/into sth Appropriate safeguards would have to be built into the procedures to avoid abuses.

PREP. ~ against The credit agreement includes safeguards against overcharging.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

safeguard verb

ADV. fully, properly | adequately, satisfactorily This legislation does not adequately safeguard the rights of consumers.

VERB + SAFEGUARD help (to) | be designed to | take steps to

PREP. against We must take steps to safeguard our environment against these threats. | from to safeguard the young plants from frost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

safety noun

ADJ. extra, greater The seat is bolted in place for extra safety. | comparative, reasonable, relative A blizzard forced the climbers back to the relative safety of their tents. | perfect Walkways allow visitors to enter the caves in perfect safety. | child, passenger, personal, public The house has to be rearranged with a view to child safety. | fire, food, nuclear, etc. | air, home, industrial, occupational, road, traffic, etc.

VERB + SAFETY ensure, guarantee | improve | fear for Police fear for the safety of the missing children.

SAFETY + NOUN controls, improvements, limits, measures, precautions, procedures, provisions | guidelines, laws, legislation, levels, policy, recommendations, regulations, requirements, rules, standards | violation | hazard, risk | check, inspection | inspector, officer, official, watchdog The plan was rejected by the government nuclear safety watchdog. | record | aspect, considerations, factor, implications, issues, matters | awareness The police are conducting a safety awareness programme in local schools. | campaign, initiative, training | belt, equipment, features, harness, helmet, rope The car has many safety features, including anti-skid braking. | catch, device, valve | barrier, net (often figurative) State benefits provide a safety net for the very poor. | glass, pin, razor, seat

PREP. for ~ The stairs are fitted with handrails either side for safety. | for your own ~ The police gave him protection for his own safety. | in ~ The people want to be able to walk the streets at night in safety. | to ~ We managed to run to safety before the building collapsed.

PHRASES for safety reasons For safety reasons, children should not operate the machine unsupervised. | health and safety The company was fined by the health and safety inspectors. | on safety grounds The playground was closed down on safety grounds. | a place of safety The refugees finally reached a place of safety. | safety first When cycling on the roads, remember: safety first.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

safe adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | remain, stay | play (it) Does good marketing mean playing safe (= avoiding risks) and staying traditional? | make sth, render sth The army experts made the bomb safe. | keep sth Keep your money safe by carrying it in an inside pocket. | consider sth, declare sth, deem sth The water was not considered safe to drink.

ADV. all, extremely, really, very Don't worry?he'll be all safe and snug in the barn. | absolutely, completely, perfectly, quite, totally a completely safe and secure environment for young children | not entirely The wood is never entirely safe for women on their own. | comparatively, fairly, pretty, reasonably, relatively | enough You should be safe enough, but don't go too far. | environmentally She claimed that nuclear power was the most environmentally safe form of energy.

PREP. from They were safe from attack. | with Your money will be safe with me.

PHRASES better safe than sorry, safe and sound They returned from their adventure safe and sound.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

safe noun

ADJ. bank, hotel, office | wall

VERB + SAFE open | close, lock | break into, crack

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saga noun

ADJ. continuing, long-running, ongoing | extraordinary | sorry, terrible | complicated | family

PREP. in a/the ~ His suicide is the latest chapter in this terrible saga of greed and betrayal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sag verb

ADV. slightly | wearily | back, forward He sagged wearily back in his chair. Helga's body sagged forward.

PREP. against She sagged against the door. | under The shelf sagged under the weight of hundreds of volumes.

PHRASES sag in the middle a mattress that was beginning to sag in the middle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sailing noun

¹ sport

ADJ. catamaran, dinghy, etc.

VERB + SAILING go

SAILING + NOUN club, school | holiday, trip | boat, craft, dinghy, ship, vessel

² journey made by boat

ADJ. daily, overnight, regular, weekday, weekend | return

VERB + SAILING delay | suspend Sailings were suspended in the high winds.

PREP. ~ between The company operates regular sailings between Hull and Zeebrugge. | ~ from, ~ to the 4 p.m. sailing from Dover to Calais

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sailor noun

ADJ. experienced, good, keen | inexperienced, novice | drowned, shipwrecked

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sail noun

ADJ. main | canvas

SAIL + VERB billow, flap The bay was full of yachts with billowing sails. | fill

SAIL + NOUN area, shape, size | canvas

PREP. under ~ The yacht came in under sail and anchored near us.

PHRASES the days of sail The boat is preserved as a monument to the days of sail. | in/under full sail She advanced towards us like a galleon in full sail. | set sail (for) We set sail for France at first light.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sail verb

ADV. serenely | single-handed to sail single-handed around the world | away, back, on, out, past The boat sailed serenely on towards the horizon.

VERB + SAIL learn to | teach sb to

PREP. across sailing across the English Channel | down, for The ferry sails for Southampton at 5.30. | from, into We sailed the boat out into the middle of the lake. | on We sailed on a large ocean liner. sailing on the sea | out of sailing out of the harbour | to sailing from Dover to Calais. | up, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saint noun

ADJ. blessed, holy | patron St Nicholas is the patron saint of children.

VERB + SAINT canonize

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salad noun

VERB + SALAD make, prepare | toss She tossed and dressed the salad. | dress | serve sth with | come with

SALAD + NOUN greens, leaves | cream, dressing | garnish The sandwiches came with a rather limp salad garnish. | bowl | bar > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salary noun

VERB + SALARY pay (sb) | earn, receive | increase | cut, decrease, reduce

PREP. on a ~ It's impossible to bring up a family on such a low salary.

PHRASES an increase/a rise in salary, a cut/drop in salary Workers are being asked to take a cut in salary.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salesman, salesperson noun

ADJ. experienced | door-to-door, telephone, travelling | car, computer, double-glazing, insurance, used car, vacuum cleaner

SALESMAN, SALESPERSON + VERB sell sth a travelling salesman selling electrical goods > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salesman, salesperson noun

ADJ. experienced | door-to-door, telephone, travelling | car, computer, double-glazing, insurance, used car, vacuum cleaner

SALESMAN, SALESPERSON + VERB sell sth a travelling salesman selling electrical goods > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sale noun

¹ act of selling

ADJ. quick The price is low to ensure a quick sale. | major, massive a major sale of paintings the massive sale of foreign currency reserves | illegal the illegal sale of alcohol | auction, bring-and-buy, car-boot, garage, jumble, tabletop | house, share, etc.

VERB + SALE ban, block, halt, prevent, prohibit, stop | close, make Closing the sale means that you ask the buyer to say yes or no. | hold A sale of paintings will be held at the Town Hall on Saturday.

SALE + VERB make sth, realize sth, total sth The jumble sale made £358 for cancer research. The sale of paintings totalled £250,000. | go ahead/through, proceed | fall through The sale of the house fell through when the buyer pulled out.

SALE + NOUN agreement, contract | price | proceeds to maximize the sale proceeds

PREP. for ~ I see they've put their house up for sale. | on ~ The new stamps are now on sale at main post offices.

PHRASES conditions of sale The conditions of sale were posted up around the auction room. | a contract of sale, on open sale Drugs were on open sale in the club. | the proceeds/profits from a sale All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to charity. | (on) sale or return The novels are delivered to newspaper shops and other outlets on a sale or return basis.

² sales: amount sold

QUANT. level, value, volume The high volume of sales makes the low pricing policy profitable.

VERB + SALE achieve, have | generate The advertising campaign generated massive sales. | boost

SALE + VERB account for sth North American sales account for 40% of the worldwide market. | amount to sth, reach sth sales amounting to over £4 million Sales failed to reach 10,000 units. | exceed sth | be/go up, grow, improve, increase, rise, rocket, skyrocket, soar Sales of ice cream are up because of the hot weather. | be/go down, decline, drop, fall, slump

PHRASES a decline/drop/fall/slowdown/slump in sales, a growth/an increase/a jump/a rise/a surge/an upturn in sales, sales and marketing > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)> Special page at BUSINESS

³ period of reduced prices

ADJ. annual, summer, winter, etc. | clothing, furniture, etc. | clearance, closing-down

PREP. at/in the ~s I bought it at the winter sales.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saliva noun

QUANT. dribble He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.

VERB + SALIVA produce | swallow

SALIVA + VERB dribble, drip, drool | flow The smell of food causes the saliva to flow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salmon noun

VERB + SALMON eat, have | bake, cook, grill, poach, roast | fish for | catch, land | farm

SALMON + NOUN fillet, steak | mousse, paste | farm, farming, fishing | river | pink a salmon-pink shirt

PHRASES a fillet of salmon

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salon noun

ADJ. beauty, grooming, hair, hairdressing | leading, professional, top | unisex

VERB + SALON go to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salt noun

ADJ. soluble | potassium, sodium, etc. | mineral, rock, sea | common, cooking, table | celery, garlic

QUANT. grain | pinch

VERB + SALT add, put in/on, season sth with, sprinkle (sth with) Don't put so much salt on your chips!

PHRASES high/low in salt, salt and pepper Add salt and pepper to taste (= in the quantity preferred). > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salute noun

¹ military gesture

ADJ. military, naval | smart | mock

VERB + SALUTE give (sb) The sentry gave a smart salute and waved us on. | acknowledge, return | take The Queen took the salute as the guardsmen marched past.

² action of respect or welcome

ADJ. final, last | 21-gun, etc. | special | triumphant, victory

PREP. in ~ The guests raised their glasses in salute. | ~ from The retiring editor received a special salute from the local newspaper. | ~ to His first words were a salute to the people of South Africa.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salute verb

ADV. smartly The captain stood to attention and saluted smartly.

PREP. with He saluted Pippa with a graceful bend of his head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

salvation noun

ADJ. individual, personal | eternal

VERB + SALVATION bring | seek | attain, find | work out I can't solve her problems for her?she'll have to work out her own salvation.

PREP. ~ from salvation from sin | ~ through The medieval Church believed in salvation through faith and works.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

same adj., pron. the same

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste They both taste just the same to me. | remain, stay

ADV. exactly, just, precisely I had exactly the same experience. | not altogether, not quite That's not quite the same thing, is it? | almost, basically, broadly, essentially, more or less, nearly, practically, pretty much, roughly, substantially, virtually Your new job will be essentially the same as your old one.

PREP. as Your dress is nearly the same as mine.

PHRASES one and the same We can do the two things at one and the same time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

same adj., pron. the same

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste They both taste just the same to me. | remain, stay

PREP. as Your dress is nearly the same as mine.

PHRASES one and the same We can do the two things at one and the same time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sample noun

¹ small quantity of sth

ADJ. blood, DNA, faecal, RNA, rock, serum, tissue, urine, etc. | biopsy, clinical

VERB + SAMPLE collect, take | provide All the athletes had to provide a urine sample. | analyse, study, test

SAMPLE + NOUN book We looked at sample books to choose the furniture fabric. | bottle

PREP. ~ of samples of tissue

² people in a survey

ADJ. small | large, wide | population | representative | random

VERB + SAMPLE draw a sample drawn from men aged 35?40

SAMPLE + VERB comprise sth, consist of sth Our sample comprised 250 catering workers.

SAMPLE + NOUN size A larger sample size yields more reliable data. | survey | group

PREP. ~ of a wide sample of people

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sample verb

ADV. randomly

PREP. from The survey was done using a group of 100 children randomly sampled from the school population.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sanction noun

¹ official permission

ADJ. official | divine, religious

VERB + SANCTION give sb/sth The conference gave its official sanction to the change of policy.

PREP. with/without sb/sth's ~ No decision can be taken without the sanction of the complete committee.

² punishment

VERB + SANCTION impose | use

PREP. ~ against There were strict sanctions against absenteeism. | ~ for Employers imposed heavy sanctions for union activity.

³ (usually sanctions) against a country

ADJ. punitive | international, UN | economic, financial, military, trade

VERB + SANCTION impose | lift | break Some companies have broken sanctions by supplying arms to the warring states. | call for

SANCTION + NOUN order The company is in breach of a sanctions order. | busting Several firms were under investigation for sanctions busting.

PREP. ~ against The UN called for sanctions against the invading country.

PHRASES the imposition of sanctions, the lifting of sanctions, a threat of sanctions

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sanction verb

ADV. officially | legally, socially Slavery was once socially sanctioned. | tacitly He had tacitly sanctioned repression against the opposition parties.

VERB + SANCTION refuse to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sanctuary noun

VERB + SANCTUARY seek Thousands of refugees have sought sanctuary in neighbouring countries. | take In former times, criminals could take sanctuary inside a church. | give sb, offer (sb)

PREP. ~ from It had been built as a sanctuary from World War II bombs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sandal noun

ADJ. high-heeled | flat, low-heeled | open, open-toed | strappy

QUANT. pair

VERB + SANDAL kick off > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sandwich noun

ADJ. cheese, ham, etc. | toasted | open | club

QUANT. round

VERB + SANDWICH make He made two rounds of tuna sandwiches. | bite into, eat, have, munch, take a bite of

SANDWICH + NOUN filling | bag, box | bar

PREP. in a/the ~ What would you like in your sandwich?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sand noun

QUANT. grain | patch, strip

SAND + NOUN beach, dune | pit (also sandpit) | castle (also sandcastle)

PREP. in the ~ The children played happily in the sand. | on the ~ We found her asleep on the sand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sane adj.

VERBS be, seem | remain, stay | keep sb Having that little bit of time to myself is what keeps me sane.

ADV. eminently, very | completely, perfectly, quite, utterly She seems perfectly sane to me. | not entirely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sanitation noun

ADJ. inadequate, poor, primitive | better, improved, proper | public

SANITATION + NOUN system | project

PHRASES lack of sanitation the direct link between disease and lack of adequate sanitation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sanity noun

VERB + SANITY doubt, question There were moments when he doubted his own sanity. | fear for I fear for her sanity if this continues much longer. | keep, maintain, preserve, retain Getting away at weekends is the only way I can retain my sanity. | lose | recover, regain | threaten The pace of city life threatens our sanity.

SANITY + VERB return Stock market trading slowly settled down as sanity returned.

PREP. for your ~ Such a move is essential for the sanity of all concerned.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sap noun

VERB + SAP extract Maple syrup is made from sap extracted from the sugar maple tree.

SAP + VERB rise It was spring, and the sap was rising.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sarcasm noun

ADJ. bitter, heavy, withering | gentle, mild | deliberate | thinly-veiled, veiled

QUANT. edge, hint, note, touch, trace There was an edge of sarcasm in her voice. He made the remark without a hint of sarcasm.

VERB + SARCASM be full of, be heavy with, drip (used about sb's voice) His voice dripped sarcasm.

PREP. with ~ ‘Your skills amaze me,’ she said, with heavy sarcasm. | ~ in I detected a touch of sarcasm in his remarks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sarcastic adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. extremely, very | faintly, lightly, mildly, slightly, somewhat His tone was lightly sarcastic.

PREP. about He was very sarcastic about my attempts at telling jokes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

satellite noun

ADJ. artificial | commercial, communications, meteorological, reconnaissance, research, spy, weather

VERB + SATELLITE launch, put into orbit, put up, send up

SATELLITE + VERB be in orbit, orbit sth About 100 Russian satellites are orbiting the earth. | pass over sth The satellite passes over Britain every afternoon. | monitor sth, track sth a new satellite that monitors changes in the environment | broadcast sth, relay sth, transmit sth The satellite will transmit the information back to earth.

PREP. from a/the ~ images from satellites | via ~ The BBC broadcast the game via satellite.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

satire noun

ADJ. biting, brilliant | political, social the recent boom in political satire

PREP. ~ on The film is a brilliant satire on Hollywood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

satisfaction noun

QUANT. level My current level of job satisfaction is pretty low.

VERB + SATISFACTION derive, feel, find, gain, get, have, take He derived great satisfaction from knowing that his son was happy. Although we didn't win, we were able to take some satisfaction from our performance. | bring (sb), give sb, provide (sb with) | express

PREP. in ~ She watched in satisfaction as he opened the present. | to your ~ The matter was resolved to our general satisfaction. | with ~ He nodded with evident satisfaction. | ~ at her deep satisfaction at seeing justice done | ~ in I find satisfaction in helping people. | ~ of I had the satisfaction of proving him wrong. | ~ with Both parties expressed their complete satisfaction with the decision.

PHRASES cause/grounds for satisfaction Although the team lost, their performance gave cause for satisfaction. | a feeling/sense of satisfaction, a source of satisfaction The children were a major source of satisfaction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

satisfactory adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, prove, seem, sound | consider sth, find sth, regard sth as

ADV. eminently, highly, most, very It was all most satisfactory. | completely, fully, perfectly, quite | far from, less than, not altogether, not at all, not entirely, not totally, not wholly The results were not entirely satisfactory. | broadly, fairly, generally, more or less, reasonably | apparently | mutually The arrangement has proved mutually satisfactory.

PREP. to We hope this proposal is satisfactory to you.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

satisfied adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem | declare/profess/pronounce yourself He declared himself satisfied with the results.

ADV. extremely, more than, very, well feeling well satisfied with her day's work | absolutely, completely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally | far from, not entirely, not wholly | fairly, generally, reasonably | enough, sufficiently Her parents seemed satisfied enough with her progress. | apparently

PREP. with She seemed satisfied with the arrangements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

satisfying adj.

VERBS be | find sth

ADV. deeply, eminently, extremely, highly, immensely, really, richly, very There's something deeply satisfying about eating vegetables that you have grown yourself. | completely, thoroughly, wholly | quite | personally the need for a personally satisfying set of beliefs | mutually a mutually satisfying relationship | aesthetically, logically, musically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

satisfy verb

VERB + SATISFY must, should The education system must satisfy the needs of all children. | be able/unable to, can/could The owners were unable to satisfy all the demands of the workers. Nothing could satisfy his desire for power. | seem to His answer seemed to satisfy her. | be enough to, be sufficient to Her description of events was not enough to satisfy the court. | fail to The meal failed to satisfy his hunger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saturation noun

ADJ. market

VERB + SATURATION approach, be close to The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries. | reach

SATURATION + NOUN level, point Demand for the product has reached saturation point. | coverage television's saturation coverage of the World Cup | bombing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Saturday noun > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saucepan (also pan) noun

ADJ. non-stick | heavy, heavy-based

VERB + SAUCEPAN cover Cover the saucepan and remove from the heat. | remove from the heat | add sth to, put sth in/into, return sth to | remove sth from

SAUCEPAN + VERB contain sth a pan containing lots of boiling salted water

PREP. in/into a/the ~ Heat one tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Pour the pasta into a pan of boiling water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sauce noun

VERB + SAUCE make | thicken | reduce | pour on/over sth, spoon on/over sth Pour the sauce over the pasta.

SAUCE + VERB thicken

SAUCE + NOUN bottle

PREP. in ~ chicken in white wine sauce | with ~ We had lamb with mint sauce. > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saunter verb

ADV. casually, slowly | along, back, in, out, over She sauntered in fifteen minutes late.

PREP. along, into, out of, through, etc. He sauntered casually through the door.

PHRASES come sauntering He came sauntering over to meet us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sausage noun

ADJ. beef, garlic, liver, pork, etc. | vegetarian | spicy

QUANT. slice

VERB + SAUSAGE eat, have | cook, fry, grill

SAUSAGE + VERB sizzle

SAUSAGE + NOUN meat, skin | roll > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

savage adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become

ADV. downright, really, very | increasingly The war became increasingly savage. | rather a rather savage dog

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saver noun

ADJ. existing Only children whose parents are existing savers may open an account. | small encouraging small savers to invest in UK companies

PREP. ~ with savers with the United Bank

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

save noun

ADJ. brilliant, excellent, fine, good, great, outstanding, spectacular, superb | crucial, important, vital | diving | one-handed

VERB + SAVE bring off, make, pull off Casillas made some spectacular saves.

PREP. ~ by/from some great saves from both keepers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

save verb

¹ keep sb/sth safe

VERB + SAVE be able/unable to, can/could, may, might (just) It's a trick that might just save us from total disaster. | help (to) She helped save my career. | battle to, try to Doctors battled to save the little boy's life. | manage to We managed to save the animals from being put down.

PREP. from They saved the paintings from destruction.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to save sth a last, desperate attempt to save his marriage | a battle/bid/campaign to save sth

² not spend money

ADV. up

VERB + SAVE try to | manage to

PREP. for I'm trying to save up for my holiday.

³ in football/hockey

ADV. brilliantly

PREP. from The goalie saved brilliantly from Johnson's long-range shot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saving noun

¹ amount not used or wasted

VERB + SAVING add up to, give (sb), mean, represent, result in For a family of four this can mean a saving of around £500. | offer (sb) This design offers considerable savings in fuel efficiency. | achieve, make We need to see where financial savings can be made. | pass on We will pass on this saving to our customers.

SAVING + VERB come from sth, result from sth The major savings come from reduced labour costs.

PREP. with a ~ This was done, with a saving of 40% in staff costs. | ~ for a saving for club members | ~ from savings from the use of the new technology | ~ in a significant saving in energy costs | ~ on You can have all the benefits of membership while making a big saving on price. | ~ to This represents a saving to British business of about £175 million a year.

² savings: money saved in a bank, etc.

ADJ. small | long-term | life | personal, private

VERB + SAVING have I haven't got any savings. | invest | deposit, put My grandfather refused to put his savings in the bank. | take out, withdraw | break into, dip into | tie up You get higher interest if you agree to tie up your savings for a long period. | build up I was determined to build up some savings. | spend, use (up) | live on She lost her job and had to live on her savings. | lose The couple lost their entire life savings on the venture.

SAVING + VERB grow

SAVING + NOUN account, bank | certificate | plan, scheme

PHRASES access to your savings The card gives you instant access to your savings.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saviour noun

ADJ. possible, potential

VERB + SAVIOUR hail sb as, see sb/sth as, treat sb as The people clearly saw her as their saviour. | be acclaimed as, emerge as He emerged as the potential saviour of the club.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

saying noun

ADJ. well-known | old, traditional | favourite It was one of my mother's favourite sayings.

PREP. ~ about traditional sayings about the weather

PHRASES as the saying goes ‘Practice makes perfect,’ as the old saying goes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

say verb

VERB + SAY be about to, be going to I've forgotten what I was going to say. | hasten to | long to, want to I want to say how much we have all enjoyed this evening. | hate to I hate to say it, but I think Stephen may be right. | dare (to) I dared not say a word about it to anyone. | suffice (it) to Suffice it to say, I refused to get involved. | be fair to It is fair to say a considerable amount of effort went into the project. | be untrue to | have nothing to, have something to Be quiet, I have something to say. | hear sb, overhear sb I heard him say they were leaving tomorrow.

PREP. about Do you have anything to say about this? | to That's not what he said to me.

PHRASES be quoted as saying sth The minister was quoted as saying that the government would do whatever was necessary to restore order. | a thing to say That was a very cruel thing to say.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scaffolding noun

QUANT. piece

VERB + SCAFFOLDING erect, put up | remove, take down | climb (up)

SCAFFOLDING + NOUN pole

PREP. on the ~ There are several builders working on the scaffolding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scales noun

ADJ. weighing | bathroom, kitchen

QUANT. pair, set a pair of kitchen scales

VERB + SCALES put sth on/onto, weigh sth on | get on/onto, stand on, step on/onto | tip At birth, she tipped the scales at a healthy 7lb 9oz.

PREP. on the ~ I had a shock when I stood on the scales.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scale noun

¹ size/extent

ADJ. full It was several days before the full scale of the accident became clear. | big, considerable, grand, greater, huge, large, massive, monumental, vast | modest, small | sheer It is difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of the suffering caused by the war. | unprecedented a misuse of presidential power on an unprecedented scale | ambitious, lavish Do they always entertain on such a lavish scale? | global, international, national, regional, world | commercial The dolls are now produced on a commercial scale. | human The city would operate on a more human scale if cars were banned from the centre.

VERB + SCALE increase | reduce

PREP. in ~ The paintings are small in scale. | on a ~ pollution on a massive scale

PHRASES an economy of scale Economies of scale enable the larger companies to lower their prices. | the scale of the problem

² range of values

ADJ. fixed | sliding Benefits are paid on a sliding scale according to family income. | rating | time Can you give me any sort of time scale for the completion of the building work? | evolutionary | social | pay, salary, wage The company has a five-point pay scale. | Beaufort, Richter The earthquake measured 6.4 on the Richter scale.

VERB + SCALE go/move down/up, rise up He has risen up the social scale from rather humble beginnings.

SCALE + VERB go/range from … to … a scale ranging from ‘utterly miserable’ to ‘deliriously happy’

PREP. on a/the ~ Where do birds come on the evolutionary scale? | ~ of … to … On a scale of 1 to 10, he scores 7.

PHRASES the bottom/end/top of the scale After 10 years, she had worked her way to the top of the pay scale.

³ relation between actual size and size of a model, etc.

VERB + SCALE draw sth to | have

SCALE + NOUN drawing, model He's made a scale model of the Eiffel Tower.

PREP. to ~ The plan of the building is not drawn to scale. | ~ of … to … The map has a scale of one centimetre to the kilometre. a scale of 1: 25,000

⁴ in music

ADJ. major, minor | chromatic, diatonic, diminished, pentatonic, whole-tone

VERB + SCALE play, sing | practise We could hear her practising her scales.

PREP. ~ of the scale of C major

⁵ on a fish, etc.

ADJ. overlapping | fine, thin | armoured | fish

VERB + SCALE be covered in/with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scalp noun

ADJ. itchy | flaky

VERB + SCALP massage | scratch

SCALP + VERB itch | crawl, prickle Her scalp crawled with tension. | gleam His pink scalp gleamed through his sparse hair.

SCALP + NOUN condition, problem treatment for hair and scalp problems | massage, treatment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scandal noun

ADJ. big, great, major | fresh | national, public | bribery, corruption, drug/drugs, financial, political, sex/sexual

QUANT. series The government was rocked by a series of scandals.

VERB + SCANDAL cause, create | expose, reveal, uncover | be embroiled in, be implicated in, be involved in, be mixed up in There have been calls for the resignation of the minister involved in the sex scandal. | be rocked by | attract Their relationship attracted a lot of scandal. | spread, stir up She's always trying to stir up scandal. | cover up, hush up

SCANDAL + VERB break, develop, erupt The scandal broke on the front pages of all the papers the next day. | involve sb/sth | surround sb/sth financial scandals surrounding the government

PREP. in a/the ~ He was imprisoned for his part in the bribery scandal. | ~ over the scandals over corruption in public life

PHRASES the centre of a scandal The apartment was paid for by the bank at the centre of the scandal. | a hint/suggestion of scandal Until the story was published there had been no hint of scandal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scan noun

¹ quick look

ADJ. quick, rapid A quick scan of the local paper revealed nothing.

PREP. ~ of

² examination by a machine

ADJ. body, bone, brain | ultrasound | routine

VERB + SCAN have | give sb | take

SCAN + VERB reveal sth A routine scan revealed abnormalities in the foetus.

PREP. ~ of The doctors took a scan of his thigh bone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scan verb

ADV. carefully | quickly, rapidly | anxiously, nervously She scanned the street nervously, looking for the two men. | eagerly

PREP. for I scanned the paper for news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scapegoat noun

ADJ. convenient, easy

VERB + SCAPEGOAT make sb, use sb as He has been made a scapegoat for the company's failures.

PREP. ~ for They are being made the scapegoats for all the ills of society.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scarce adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, grow Medical supplies were growing scarce. | remain

ADV. extremely, particularly, very | increasingly Skilled workers were becoming increasingly scarce. | pretty, rather, relatively, somewhat Money was somewhat scarce after the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scarcity noun

ADJ. great | relative

SCARCITY + NOUN value Old properties in the town have acquired a scarcity value.

PREP. ~ of There is a great scarcity of food in the drought-stricken areas.

PHRASES in times/years of scarcity In times of scarcity, lions will travel great distances in search of food.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scared adj.

VERBS be, be running (figurative), feel, look, seem, sound They had their opponent running scared. | get

ADV. dead, downright, extremely, really, shit (taboo), very | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | just, plain He wasn't ill, Sophie decided. He was just plain scared.

PREP. about It's only a little injection. It's nothing to be scared about. | at feeling a little scared at the thought of the operation | of I'm really scared of heights.

PHRASES scared out of your wits, scared stiff (informal), scared to death (informal)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scare noun

ADJ. major, terrible a major health scare | minor | bomb | food, health | Aids, BSE, etc.

VERB + SCARE cause | give sb It wasn't a serious heart attack, but it gave him a terrible scare. | get, have

SCARE + NOUN story, tactics The government used scare tactics to get parents to have their children vaccinated against the disease.

PREP. ~ about/over the scare over British beef

PHRASES a bit of a/quite a scare I got a bit of a scare when the police rang.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scare verb

ADV. really | easily He doesn't scare easily.

VERB + SCARE try to

PREP. into They're just trying to scare us into letting out the secret. | with You don't scare me with your threats!

PHRASES scare sb silly/stiff/to death (informal) The very thought of flying scares me stiff. | scare the hell/life/living daylights out of sb (informal) You scared the life out of me, hiding like that! | scare the pants off sb (informal)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scarf noun

ADJ. long | chiffon, silk, woollen | college, football

VERB + SCARF wind around sth, wrap around sth He wrapped his scarf around his neck. | knot, tie She had a scarf tied over her head. | unwind

SCARF + VERB cover sth Her hair was covered by a silk scarf. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scarlet adj.

¹ bright red in colour

ADJ. bright, brilliant, flaming, vivid > Special page at COLOUR

² red in the face

VERBS be | become, blush, flush, go, turn

ADV. absolutely He had gone absolutely scarlet with embarrassment.

ADJ. bright She flushed bright scarlet.

PREP. with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scar noun

ADJ. deep, large, long | puckered | disfiguring, ugly, unsightly | permanent | emotional, mental, psychological Her mental scars will take time to heal.

VERB + SCAR leave | bear (often figurative) The countryside still bears the scars of the recent hurricane.

SCAR + VERB form | heal

SCAR + NOUN tissue

PREP. ~ on The cut left a permanent scar on his arm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scar verb (often be scarred)

ADV. badly, deeply, hideously His face was badly scarred by the fire. | emotionally, mentally, physically, psychologically She was both physically and mentally scarred by the accident. | permanently

PREP. with (figurative) Their minds were scarred with bitterness.

PHRASES be scarred for life, leave sb scarred The accident left him permanently scarred.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scattered adj.

VERBS be, lie

PREP. about/around, across, among, on, over Broken glass lay scattered over the floor. | throughout, with The whole area was scattered with debris.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scenario noun

VERB + SCENARIO consider, construct, imagine | describe, paint the scenario painted by some sections of the Western press | enact, play out He enjoyed playing out the various scenarios in his own mind.

SCENARIO + VERB unfold

PREP. in a/the ~ In a worst-case scenario, the disease will reach epidemic proportions. | under a/the ~ Under any of these scenarios, the company will run into debt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scenery noun

¹ features of the countryside

ADJ. beautiful, breathtaking, delightful, dramatic, fantastic, glorious, impressive, magnificent, spectacular, stunning, superb, wonderful | changing, ever-changing, varied | surrounding The village is charming and the surrounding scenery superb. | passing | coastal, mountain, mountainous

VERB + SCENERY admire, enjoy, look at, take in An observation deck lets you take in the passing scenery.

SCENERY + VERB change

PREP. amid/amidst/in (the) ~ The hotel lies amidst spectacular mountain scenery. | through (the) ~ The train passes through some magnificent scenery.

PHRASES the beauty of the scenery, a change of scenery For a complete change of scenery, take a ferry out to one of the nearby islands. | a variety of scenery The river passes through a rich variety of scenery.

² in a theatre

VERB + SCENERY set up | change

PREP. ~ for That table is part of the scenery for Act 2.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scene noun

¹ place where sth happened

ADJ. accident, crash, murder footprints found near the murder scene

VERB + SCENE attend, be on PC Michael Potter attended the scene. | arrive at/on, reach An ambulance soon arrived at the scene of the accident. | leave | be called to The police were called to the scene. | survey He surveyed the scene with horror.

PREP. at the ~ Police say the man died at the scene. | on the ~ Photographers were on the scene in seconds. | ~ of The criminal often revisits the scene of the crime.

² what you see around you

ADJ. beautiful, charming, idyllic, peaceful, picturesque | appalling, distressing, horrific | touching | bizarre, extraordinary, strange She opened the door on an extraordinary scene of disorder. | familiar | domestic a touching domestic scene | ever-changing I stared out of the window of the train on the ever-changing scene. | city, country, rural, street

VERB + SCENE watch, witness

SCENE + VERB occur, take place, unfold We sat in horror watching the scenes of violence unfold before us. | be reminiscent of sth Paramedics tended the wounded in scenes reminiscent of wartime.

PREP. amid/amidst ~s of The star arrived amidst scenes of excitement. | in a/the ~ | ~ from scenes from Greek mythology | ~ of He painted scenes of country life. The battlefield was a scene of utter carnage.

PHRASES a change of scene You're exhausted. What you need is a complete change of scene.

³ one part of book, play, etc.

ADJ. opening | climactic, final, last | dramatic, funny, steamy, touching, tragic The film has several steamy bedroom scenes. | action, battle, bedroom, crowd, death, fight, love, nude, sex

VERB + SCENE act, play She plays the love scenes brilliantly. | rehearse, run through to run through the final scene again | film, shoot | set The scene is set in the first paragraph with an account of Sally's childhood. | change | steal The little girl stole the scene from all the big stars.

SCENE + VERB take place | shift Then the scene shifts to the kitchen.

SCENE + NOUN change

PREP. in a/the ~ He appears in the opening scene. | ~ between There is a dramatic fight scene between the two brothers.

PHRASES behind the scenes (= behind the stage), a change of scene

⁴ public display of anger, etc.

ADJ. big | little | angry, ugly, unpleasant, terrible | emotional, violent

VERB + SCENE cause, create, make Quiet, now! Don't make a scene! | have

PREP. ~ between There have been a couple of ugly scenes between him and the manager. | ~ with She had some terrible scenes with her father.

⁵ area of activity

ADJ. burgeoning, flourishing, lively | contemporary | international, local, world | art, club, comedy, drug/drugs, economic, education/educational, fashion, gay, literary, music/musical, political, social, sporting, etc. He is heavily involved in the local art scene.

VERB + SCENE be involved in, be part of | appear on, arrive on, come on/onto Owen arrived on the international scene in the 1998 World Cup. | vanish from Many of the stars of the nineties have completely vanished from the music scene. | dominate

PREP. on/onto the ~ the eruption of Cuban music onto the world scene

PHRASES a newcomer to the scene The film's dir | not your scene (informal) Hillwalking is not my scene, so I stayed at home.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scented adj.

VERBS be

ADV. heavily, highly, powerfully, richly, strongly richly scented flowers | delicately, lightly the delicately scented writing paper | beautifully, sweetly

PREP. with The air was scented with the smell of pines.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scent noun

¹ pleasant smell

VERB + SCENT have This flower has no scent. | be filled with The air was filled with the scent of lilac. | give off, release The flowers give off a heady scent at night. | smell

SCENT + VERB come, drift From the vine outside came the scent of honey. | fill sth The scent of pine filled the room. | linger The scent of incense lingered in the air.

² smell that an animal/a person leaves behind

ADJ. body, human, masculine, personal, sexual

VERB + SCENT be on, have The dog was on the scent of a rabbit. The hounds have the scent. | leave The cat had left its scent on the sofa. | catch, pick up One of the hounds had picked up the scent of a fox. | lose | follow

SCENT + NOUN gland | trail

³ liquid with a sweet smell that you put on your body

ADJ. expensive | cheap

QUANT. bottle

VERB + SCENT use, wear | dab on, put on, spray on She dabbed some scent on her wrists. | smell | reek of, smell of She reeked of cheap scent.

SCENT + NOUN bottle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sceptical adj.

VERBS be, look, remain | become

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very | increasingly | fairly, mildly, rather, slightly, somewhat in a mildly sceptical tone of voice | openly They remained openly sceptical about her promises of improvement.

PREP. about He is deeply sceptical about the value of teaching poetry. | as to Many were sceptical as to whether the plan would succeed. | of They are highly sceptical of political leaders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scepticism noun

QUANT. certain amount, degree, great deal I regard their press releases with a degree of scepticism.

VERB + SCEPTICISM have She has a healthy scepticism towards the claims in the company's report. | express, voice

PREP. with ~ This theory was initially received with great scepticism by her fellow scientists. | ~ about/over/towards He expressed a great deal of scepticism about the value of psychoanalysis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sceptic noun

VERB + SCEPTIC convince, win over He has managed to convince even the sceptics. | confound

SCEPTIC + VERB argue sth, point out sth, say sth Sceptics will argue that no such scheme has ever proved successful.

PREP. ~ about She is a sceptic about the dangers of global warming.

PHRASES prove the sceptics right/wrong Events since the elections have proved the sceptics right.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

schedule noun

ADJ. daily, weekly, etc. | ambitious, busy, demanding, gruelling, heavy, hectic, punishing, tight | rigid, strict | business, production, training, work, etc. | flight, television, etc. disruptions to flight schedules caused by the strike

VERB + SCHEDULE have, work to She has an very demanding schedule. | arrange, design, draw up, plan, prepare | amend | be/go according to, keep to, meet, run to, stick to At this stage everything is going according to schedule. We had to work a lot of overtime to meet the strict production schedule. | be/run ahead of | be/fall/run/slip behind | interrupt, take time out of The president took time out of his busy schedule to visit our school.

PREP. in the ~ Allow time in the schedule for holidays and illness. | on ~ The project is right on schedule.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

schedule verb

ADV. currently | originally The meeting was originally scheduled for March 12th. | provisionally, tentatively

PREP. for The film is scheduled for release next month.

PHRASES be scheduled to begin/start/take place The Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on July 4th.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scheme noun

VERB + SCHEME have He has an ingenious scheme to attract funding. | come up with, design, devise, draw up, dream up, plan, prepare, propose, think up She's come up with a hare-brained scheme for getting her novel published. | approve | announce, establish, initiate, introduce, launch, organize, set up, start The government set up a scheme of limited public health assistance in 1992. | adopt, carry out, operate, run | back a government-backed scheme | be in, join, participate in, take part in | use | leave I opted to leave the company pension scheme. | abolish, wind up

SCHEME + VERB offer sth, provide sth | allow sth, enable sth The scheme allows customers to trade in their own computer against the cost of a new one. | aim to, be aimed at sth, be designed for/to, involve sth a scheme involving local libraries | apply to sth, cover sth The scheme applies to families with three or more children. | go ahead, proceed The scheme has been given approval to go ahead. | succeed, work | collapse, fail

PREP. in a/the ~ Schools in the scheme will receive an annual grant. | under a/the ~ Under the scheme, land would be sold to building companies. | ~ for Is this another one of your crazy schemes for making money? a training scheme for unemployed teenagers | ~ whereby a scheme whereby the elderly will be provided with help in the home

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

schizophrenia noun

ADJ. chronic

VERB + SCHIZOPHRENIA have, suffer from | develop | diagnose | treat

SCHIZOPHRENIA + NOUN sufferer > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scholarship noun

VERB + SCHOLARSHIP gain, get, win | award (sb), give (sb) The Fund awards four scholarships every year.

SCHOLARSHIP + NOUN exam/examination | programme, scheme | student

PREP. on a ~ Two of the girls here are on scholarships. | ~ to He won a scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scholar noun

ADJ. brilliant, distinguished, eminent, famous, great, leading, outstanding | visiting | biblical, classical, French, history, literary, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

schooling noun

ADJ. good She received the best schooling the town could offer. | bad, poor Many children are disadvantaged by poor schooling. | compulsory Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen. | formal | primary, secondary

VERB + SCHOOLING get, have, receive He has had no formal schooling. | continue (with) She continued with her schooling after a long period of illness. | interrupt

SCHOOLING + VERB suffer We will stay in this country, as we don't want her schooling to suffer.

SCHOOLING + NOUN system

PHRASES access to schooling A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area. | years of schooling children's development in the early years of schooling

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

school noun

ADJ. elementary, high, middle, nursery, prep/preparatory, primary, secondary | comprehensive, grammar, secondary modern | direct-grant, grant-maintained, state | independent, private, public (In Britain ‘public schools’ are private.) | special She attends a special school for children with learning difficulties. | boys', co-educational, girls', mixed, mixed-sex, single-sex | boarding, residential | day | Sunday | summer | local, rural, village | art, business, dance, drama, film, language, medical, riding, secretarial, training, etc.

VERB + SCHOOL attend, go to | start | finish, leave | skip, (play) truant from | be/stay off, keep sb off His mum kept him off school for two weeks when he was ill.

PREP. after ~ We're going to play football after school. | at (a/the) ~ She didn't do very well at school. Their son's at the school near the station. | in (a/the)~ Are the children still in school? the cleverest child in the school

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

science noun

SCIENCE + NOUN education, research, teaching | museum, park

PREP. ~ of Meteorology is the science of the weather.

PHRASES the history of science, the laws of science, science and technology, the world of science His experiments have achieved notoriety in the world of science. > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and more nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scientific adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. highly It all looks highly scientific! | truly | purely Her curiosity was purely scientific. | not very His approach was not very scientific.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scientist noun

QUANT. group, team

SCIENTIST + VERB be interested in sth, be involved in sth, specialize in sth, study sth, work (on sth) scientists interested in Antarctic research | know sth | estimate sth The scientists estimate that nearly two-thirds of the continent has become drier over the past 60 years. | argue sth, believe sth, claim sth, say sth, suggest sth, warn (of) sth Scientists warned of even greater eruptions to come. | examine sth | discover sth, find sth, identify sth, reveal sth | agree (on) sth, conclude sth | disagree (on) sth | report sth | develop sth Scientists have developed an injection that doesn't use a needle. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scissors noun

ADJ. blunt, sharp | kitchen | nail

QUANT. pair a pair of nail scissors

VERB + SCISSORS cut sth with, use Don't use these scissors to cut paper or card.

SCISSORS + VERB cut These scissors don't cut very well.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scold verb

ADV. gently | severely

PREP. for Rose scolded the child gently for her bad behaviour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scope noun

¹ opportunity

ADJ. full In her new house she had full scope for her passion for gardening. | ample, considerable, enormous, great, tremendous | limited

VERB + SCOPE have | allow (sb), give sb, leave (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) These courses give students more scope for developing their own ideas. | increase | cut down, reduce

PREP. ~ for There is limited scope for creativity in my job.

² range/extent

ADJ. broad, wide | limited, narrow The scope of the exhibition is disappointingly narrow. | geographical, territorial The geographical scope of product markets has widened since the war.

VERB + SCOPE broaden, expand, extend, increase, widen | limit, reduce, restrict | define, determine These criteria were used to determine the scope of the curriculum.

SCOPE + VERB broaden, expand, extend, increase, widen | narrow

PREP. beyond/outside the ~ of The subject lies outside the scope of this book. | in (sth's) ~ The survey is too limited in (its) scope. | within the ~ of These disputes fall within the scope of the local courts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

score noun

¹ in a game, competition, etc.

VERB + SCORE achieve, finish with, get, have | give (sb) He got round the course in 72, giving him an average score of 70. | make, take A goal in the last few minutes took the score to 4?2. | keep, record I'll keep (the) score. | level, tie Figo levelled the scores with a curling free kick.

SCORE + VERB be, stand at At half-time the score stood at 3?0.

SCORE + NOUN card (also scorecard), chart, sheet Inamoto had a good game but failed to get his name on the score sheet (= failed to score).

PREP. ~ against the best score for years against Italy

² in a test

ADJ. excellent, good, high, perfect, record, top | bad, low, poor | average, mean | aggregate, overall, total | IQ, test

VERB + SCORE achieve, get, have, obtain | give sb | boost, increase Some scientists claim that vitamins will boost your child's IQ score.

SCORE + VERB range Most ten-year-olds had scores ranging between 50 and 70.

PREP. ~ for She got an unusually low score for creativity.

³ written music

ADJ. full | music/musical | orchestral, piano, vocal the vocal score of ‘The Magic Flute’ | film

VERB + SCORE play, read, write

PREP. in a/the ~ a mistake in the piano score

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

score verb

¹ win points/goals, etc.

ADV. nearly | easily Cunningham broke away and ran some 40 metres to score easily.

VERB + SCORE try to | manage to | fail to, have yet to Peter Walker has yet to score this season. | look likely to Villa always looked the team most likely to score.

PREP. against The England team failed to score against Italy on Saturday. | for She has not yet scored for her new club. | with He scored with a neat header.

PHRASES come close to scoring It was Robertson who came closest to scoring. | open the scoring Zidane opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the game.

² gain marks in a test

ADV. highly, well In the key area of negotiation, women scored highly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scorn noun

ADJ. withering She reserved her most withering scorn for journalists.

VERB + SCORN feel | express | heap, pour, throw Abuse and scorn were heaped upon the new tax.

PREP. with ~ He stared with some scorn at his interviewers. | ~ for She expressed her scorn for the rules.

PHRASES an object of scorn His poetry was the object of scorn.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scowl noun

ADJ. black, dark | permanent

VERB + SCOWL wear | give sb | be set in His face was set in a permanent scowl.

SCOWL + VERB deepen

PREP. in a ~ Her brows drew together in a scowl. | with a ~ He looked up at me with a scowl.

PHRASES have a scowl on your face

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scowl verb

ADV. darkly, fiercely, heavily She scowled darkly and muttered something under her breath. | down

PREP. at His eyes scowled down at her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scramble noun

ADJ. difficult, steep | desperate, mad, undignified, wild There was a mad scramble for the exits.

PREP. in a/the ~ I lost my sister in the scramble for a seat. | ~ down, over, up, etc. an undignified scramble down the slope | ~ for a scramble for tickets for the game

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scramble verb

ADV. frantically They scrambled frantically over the piles of debris. | awkwardly | away, back

VERB + SCRAMBLE manage to

PREP. down, into, out of, over, through, up, etc. She managed to scramble over the wall.

PHRASES scramble to your feet He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. | scramble to safety

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scrape verb

ADV. carefully, gently She carefully scraped away the top layer of paint. | away, back, off I scraped the dirt off.

PREP. against He scraped the car against the garage wall. | along Patrick lifted the gate to prevent it scraping along the ground. | from Her hair was scraped back from her face. | on I scraped my elbow on the wall as I cycled past. | with I scraped the carrots with a knife.

PHRASES scrape sth clean The wood had been scraped clean. PHRASAL VERBS scrape through

ADV. (only) just He only just scraped through his exams.

VERB + SCRAPE manage to The Conservatives managed to scrape through to an election victory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scrap noun

¹ small piece or amount

ADJ. little She scribbled the address on a little scrap of paper. | food The pigs are fed on food scraps.

PREP. ~ of Every scrap of land in the town has been built on.

² recyclable items or material

QUANT. piece

VERB + SCRAP sell sth for The engine has been sold for scrap. | collect

SCRAP + NOUN iron, material, metal, paper, etc. | heap, yard (also scrapyard) My first computer has been consigned to the scrap heap. | dealer, merchant | value Police estimate the scrap value of the lead at around £8,000.

³ fight

VERB + SCRAP get into, have

PREP. in a/the ~ He looks like he's been in a scrap. | ~ with He had a bit of a scrap with the boy next door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scratch noun

ADJ. deep, long, nasty, terrible | light, little, minor, slight, small, superficial His only injuries were some minor scratches above his eye.

VERB + SCRATCH have

SCRATCH + NOUN mark

PREP. without a ~ She emerged from the wrecked vehicle without a scratch. | ~ on I've got some nasty scratches on my legs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scratch verb

ADV. badly The table had been badly scratched.

PREP. at He kept scratching at his nose. | on I scratched my arm on a rose bush. | with She scratched his face with her nails.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scream noun

ADJ. high-pitched, loud, piercing, shrill | muffled, stifled | blood-curdling, hysterical, terrible, terrified

VERB + SCREAM give, let out | hear

SCREAM + VERB echo, ring out His screams echoed through the empty house.

PREP. with a ~ She reacted to the news with hysterical screams. | ~ for a scream for help | ~ of screams of laughter/terror

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scream verb

VERB + SCREAM want to I was so bored I wanted to scream. | begin to | hear sb

PREP. after Marion screamed after them, ‘Stop! Stop!’ | at She screamed at me to get out of the way. | for The trapped passengers screamed for help. | in People ran for the exits, screaming out in terror. | with People were staggering about, screaming with pain.

PHRASES begin/start screaming, scream your head off The baby was screaming its head off. | stop screaming

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

screen noun

¹ on a TV, computer, etc.

ADJ. big (often figurative), giant, huge, large big screen entertainment (= at the cinema) | small (often figurative) She appears regularly on the small screen (= on television). | blank I sat gazing at the blank screen, trying to think of something to write. | computer, television/TV, video

VERB + SCREEN appear on | fill The star's lovely face filled the screen. | gaze at, look at, stare at, watch

SCREEN + VERB flicker The screen flickered, and then everything went dark.

PREP. off ~ They play deadly rivals in the show but they are good friends off screen. | on (the) ~ She is remembered mainly for her performances on screen. Information can be viewed on screen or printed out. The image came up on the screen for a few seconds.

PHRASES stage and screen stars of stage and screen

² partition

ADJ. folding The room was divided by a folding screen.

VERB + SCREEN put up

PREP. behind a/the ~ His desk was discreetly placed behind a screen. | ~ between There is a screen between the two beds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

screen verb

¹ hide sth

PREP. from The building is completely screened from the road by high bushes.

² check sb/sth for faults/illnesses

ADV. carefully All foster parents are carefully screened.

PREP. for All pregnant women are to be screened for the infection.

³ show sth on television/in a cinema

ADV. live The programme will be screened live on BBC1.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

screw noun

ADJ. masonry, wood

VERB + SCREW fix, loosen, tighten, turn

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

screw verb

ADV. firmly, tightly | down, together Screw the drain cover down tightly.

PREP. into She screwed the lock into the door. | on/onto I screwed the lid back on the jar. | to The bed was screwed to the floor.

PHRASES screw sth in place/into position I screwed the curtain rail in place.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scribble verb

ADV. furiously The students were all scribbling away furiously. | away, down

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scripture noun (often scriptures)

ADJ. holy, sacred the sacred scripture of the Buddhists | Christian, Hebrew, Hindu, Jewish, etc.

QUANT. passage, verse

VERB + SCRIPTURE interpret, read (from) She read from the scriptures. | teach | follow | quote (from)

PREP. in the ~s You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

script noun

¹ text of a play, film, etc.

ADJ. draft | original | final | drama, film, movie, news, radio, television/TV

VERB + SCRIPT prepare, write | read

SCRIPT + NOUN editor

PREP. ~ about a script about a farmer's life | ~ for a script for children's TV

² system/style of writing

VERB + SCRIPT decipher, read Archaeologists have had trouble deciphering the script.

PREP. in a/the ~ She writes in a neat copperplate script.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scrub noun

¹ small trees growing in a dry area

ADJ. desert miles of desert scrub | low The vegetation consisted of low scrub.

QUANT. patch The horses stood near a patch of scrub.

VERB + SCRUB be covered in, be overgrown with The mountain was covered in scrub.

² cleaning

ADJ. good I gave the table a good scrub.

VERB + SCRUB give sb/sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scrub verb

ADV. thoroughly | away, down, out

PREP. at She scrubbed at the child's face with a tissue. | from, off He scrubbed the blood from his shoes.

PHRASES freshly scrubbed his freshly scrubbed face | scrub sth clean The table had been scrubbed clean.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scruples noun

ADJ. moral, religious a man of few moral scruples

VERB + SCRUPLES have | overcome Some persuasion would be required to overcome her scruples.

PREP. without ~ A man who can treat his family so must be completely without scruples. | ~ about I don't have any scruples about taking her car?she's often borrowed mine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scrutinize verb

ADV. carefully, closely, minutely | fully, thoroughly

PREP. for All parts of the aircraft are closely scrutinized for signs of wear or damage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scrutiny noun

ADJ. careful, close, detailed, intense, rigorous, serious, thorough The company has come under intense scrutiny because of its environmental record. | international, judicial, media, parliamentary, public, scientific The activities of the committee are subject to public scrutiny.

VERB + SCRUTINY be subjected to, come under, submit to, undergo | be open to, be subject to | bear The testimony of the chief witness doesn't bear scrutiny.

PREP. under ~ The company is under scrutiny by the Inland Revenue. | ~ by I realized I was being subjected to intense scrutiny by a group of children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

scuffle noun

ADJ. brief | minor

VERB + SCUFFLE be involved in

SCUFFLE + VERB break out A scuffle broke out among people in the crowd.

PREP. in a/the ~ He was injured in a scuffle at the football match. | ~ between a scuffle between rival gangs | ~ with He was involved in a scuffle with photographers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sculptor noun

ADJ. celebrated, famous, great, influential | talented | contemporary | court He was court sculptor to Alexander the Great.

SCULPTOR + VERB create sth, work (on sth) a classical Greek figure created by the sculptor Polyclitus > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sculpture noun

ADJ. abstract | monumental

QUANT. piece | series | collection

VERB + SCULPTURE create, make She creates sculptures out of scrap materials. | display, exhibit, show

PREP. ~ by a sculpture by Henry Moore | ~ of a sculpture of a horse

PHRASES an exhibition of sculpture/sculptures > Note at ART

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seafood noun

ADJ. fresh

VERB + SEAFOOD eat, have | prepare

SEAFOOD + NOUN dish a good wine to drink with fish or seafood dishes | cocktail, salad | restaurant > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seagull (also gull) noun

QUANT. flock

SEAGULL + VERB circle, fly, wheel | dive-bomb, swoop | cry, scream, screech, shriek

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seal noun

¹ animal

QUANT. colony A colony of seals lay basking in the sun.

VERB + SEAL cull Environmentalists claim there is no reason to cull seals.

SEAL + VERB bark

SEAL + NOUN pup | cull

² for a document

ADJ. wax an official-looking letter with a wax seal

VERB + SEAL break He broke the seal, and opened the envelope.

PHRASES a seal of approval Her report was given the seal of approval by senior management.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seal verb

¹ close sth

ADV. carefully, firmly, properly, tightly, well The containers must be carefully sealed so that no air can get in. | completely, totally The unit is completely sealed. | virtually | effectively | hermetically a hermetically sealed container | off, up

PREP. from The nuclear plant would be effectively sealed off from the world. | with He sealed the bag tightly with sticky tape.

² show formally that sth is agreed

ADV. formally

PHRASES be signed and sealed The contracts are already signed and sealed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seam noun

¹ in fabric

VERB + SEAM sew, stitch, tack She sewed the seam with small neat stitches. | unpick It took hours to unpick the seams. | iron, press

PHRASES be bursting at the seams (often figurative) The film is bursting at the seams with good performances. | come/fall apart at the seams (often figurative) Their marriage was coming apart at the seams.

² of coal, etc.

ADJ. coal | rich They're still mining a rich seam of high-grade coal.

VERB + SEAM mine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

search noun

VERB + SEARCH begin, launch, mount, start The police immediately launched a nationwide search for the killer. | carry out, conduct, do, make The search for the missing men was conducted in poor weather conditions. | abandon, call off The search was called off when it began to get dark.

SEARCH + NOUN operation The police mounted an extensive search operation. | party, team | warrant | engine This is one of the fastest Internet search engines.

PREP. in ~ of We're constantly in search of new talent. | ~ for the search for oil off the coast

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

search verb

PREP. among We searched among the rocks for crabs. | for Police are still searching for the missing child. | in He searched in his pocket and found a few coins. | through searching through a drawer

PHRASES search far and wide, search sth from top to bottom We searched the house from top to bottom. | search high and low I have searched high and low and cannot find them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seaside noun

VERB + SEASIDE go to Every summer we went to the seaside for two months.

SEASIDE + NOUN resort, town, village

PREP. at the ~ a holiday at the seaside | by the ~ They have a cottage by the seaside.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

season noun

¹ of the year

ADJ. dry, monsoon, rainy, wet In this climate there are no real changes of temperature, just a wet and a dry season. | summer, winter, etc.

VERB + SEASON be in, come into Melons are just coming into season. | be out of, go out of

² period when an activity takes place

ADJ. holiday, tourist | high, peak The resort gets overcrowded in peak season. | low, off The hotel is almost empty in the off season. | breeding, mating | growing, planting | lambing | cricket, football, hunting, racing, etc. | championship, league | gruelling, hard It was the final race of a hard season. | successful | disappointing, disastrous | close The team trained hard during the close season and won its first five matches. | consecutive, successive Our team won the trophy for the second successive season. | Christmas, festive best wishes for the festive season

SEASON + NOUN ticket Season ticket holders do not have to queue.

PHRASES the height of the season > Note at SEASON

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

season verb

ADV. well

PREP. with Season the meat well with salt and pepper.

PHRASES highly seasoned highly seasoned food

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seat belt noun

VERB + SEAT BELT wear By law, you are obliged to wear seat belts. | fasten, put on | undo, unfasten

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seating noun

ADJ. comfortable The auditorium has comfortable seating and modern acoustics.

SEATING + NOUN area | arrangements, plan We need to work out the seating plan for the wedding.

PREP. ~ for There is seating for 250 people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seat noun

¹ for sitting on

ADJ. empty, spare, vacant There were no empty seats left in the hall. Do you have a spare seat in your car? | comfortable, comfy | cushioned | bicycle, car | back, front, rear I always feel sick if I sit in the back seat of the car. | driver's, driving, passenger | baby, child, safety | pillion I had a terrifying journey on the pillion seat of a Honda 750. | aisle, window I always ask for an aisle seat when I fly. | lavatory, toilet | good, ringside I got to the theatre early to get a good seat. We had ringside seats for the boxing match.

VERB + SEAT get, have, take Please take a seat. Is this seat taken? | book, reserve Is it possible to book seats for the play? | save Can you save me a seat if you get there first? | occupy, sit on The best seats were occupied by the friends and families of the performers. It is very uncomfortable to sit on these seats. | resume The audience resumed their seats for the second half of the play. | give up, vacate He gave up his seat on the bus to a pregnant woman. | lean back in, recline in, settle back in | settle into We had hardly settled into our seats when the first goal was scored. | get (up) out of | put back, recline

SEAT + NOUN cover | reservation

PREP. in a/the ~ The man in the passenger seat seemed to be asleep. | on a/the ~ I found my gloves lying on the back seat. | out of a/the ~ He leapt out of his seat when he saw the rat. | ~ for I managed to get some seats for the ballet.

² in Parliament, etc.

ADJ. congressional, parliamentary, Senate | marginal | safe | Labour, Tory, etc.

PREP. ~ in a seat in Parliament | ~ on a seat on the local council

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seat verb

ADV. comfortably He seated himself comfortably at the foot of the bed. The car seats six comfortably.

PREP. at Ramirez was seated at a table near the window. | on She seated herself on the sofa.

PHRASES be seated Please be seated. | be seated cross-legged, remain/stay seated Please remain seated until your name is called.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sea noun

¹ large area of salt water

VERB + SEA cross We crossed the Mediterranean Sea on a cruise ship. | go to (= become a sailor) | put (out) to The ship put to sea (= left port) in deteriorating weather conditions. | be lost at They were lost at sea when their ship sank en route for Madeira. | stare out to She stood on the cliff, staring out to sea.

SEA + VERB rise In recent years the sea has risen by a couple of inches. | recede, retreat The sea has retreated a little since the river was diverted.

PREP. at ~ We spent three weeks at sea. | across the ~ We sailed across the Black Sea in a yacht. | by (the) ~ We sent our furniture by sea. They live by the sea. | down to the ~ We'll go down to the sea for a swim before dinner. | in/into the ~ I love swimming in the sea! | on the ~ three ships sailing on the sea | out to ~ She fell overboard and was swept out to sea.

PHRASES the bottom/edge/middle/surface of the sea, the boom/booming/murmur/roar/sound of the sea

² (also the seas) movement of the waves of the sea

ADJ. choppy, dangerous, heavy, mountainous, raging, rough, stormy A week of heavy seas has created problems for fishermen.

VERB + SEA roam, sail He has sailed the seven seas.

PHRASES on the high seas, the seven seas

³ large amount of sth

ADJ. vast

PREP. ~ of She scanned the vast sea of faces below her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secluded adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. very, wonderfully | fairly, pretty We managed to find a fairly secluded spot for our picnic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seclusion noun

ADJ. complete, total, utter | relative For holidays, I prefer the relative seclusion of the countryside.

PREP. in (the ~ of) I live very much in seclusion these days. She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

second thought noun

VERB + SECOND THOUGHT have ~s | not give sth As for the money, don't give it a second thought.

PREP. on ~s On second thoughts, maybe I won't apply for the job after all. | without a ~ He dismissed the rumour without a second thought. | ~s about We're beginning to have second thoughts about buying a car.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

second noun

¹ very short moment of time

ADJ. brief, fleeting, split I only saw the man for a split second as he ran past. | single | heart-stopping For a heart-stopping second he thought he had lost his keys.

VERB + SECOND take This will only take a second. | have Do you have a second, Miss White? | wait Wait a second?this letter's been sent to me by mistake.

SECOND + VERB pass, tick by The seconds ticked by.

SECOND + NOUN hand

PREP. for a ~ For a second I thought you were my mother. | in a ~ I'll be with you in a second. | in/within ~s Within seconds he had disappeared from view.

PHRASES a fraction of a second If he'd reacted a fraction of a second later, he would surely have died. | a matter of seconds The end of the match is only a matter of seconds away. > Note at MEASURE

² person/thing that comes next after the first

ADJ. close, good | bad, distant, poor | equal, joint | creditable, worthy The young German runner finished a creditable second.

VERB + SECOND come, finish

PREP. ~ to Sunny Boy came a close second to the winner.

³ university degree

ADJ. lower, upper | good

VERB + SECOND be awarded, gain, get, obtain

PREP. ~ in He got a good second in history.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secrecy noun

ADJ. absolute, total | great, strict | excessive, unnecessary | commercial, official

VERB + SECRECY maintain | be shrouded in | swear sb to All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.

SECRECY + VERB surround sth

PREP. in ~ The drugs squad operates in the greatest secrecy. | ~ about The organization has managed to maintain secrecy about its activities.

PHRASES a blanket/cloak/veil of secrecy A blanket of secrecy surrounded the tribunals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secretary noun

¹ person who works in an office

ADJ. executive, legal | press, publicity | personal, private | social | school > Note at JOB

² official of a club/government department, etc.

VERB + SECRETARY act as | resign as | elect, elect sb (as) | replace (sb as)

SECRETARY + NOUN General UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan

PREP. ~ for the Secretary for National Defence | ~ to secretary to the jockey club

PHRASES the post of secretary, Secretary of State the United States Secretary of State

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secretive adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, unusually, very his highly secretive nature | almost | rather, slightly, somewhat

PREP. about They were very secretive about their plans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secret adj.

VERBS be | remain, stay | keep sth

ADV. highly, top, very a top secret meeting | absolutely, entirely | more or less | formerly, hitherto, previously revealing the text of the hitherto secret treaty

PREP. from They managed to keep the party more or less secret from Christine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secret noun

¹ sth that must not be known by others

ADJ. big, great | little | closely guarded, well-kept a charming museum that is one of the city's best-kept secrets (= that not many people know about) | hidden, inner, innermost, intimate That evening she had revealed many of her innermost secrets. | open Their affair is an open secret. | dark, guilty, shameful, terrible | commercial, family, military, official, state, trade

VERB + SECRET have | guard, keep Can you keep a secret? | betray, divulge, let sb in on/into, reveal, tell sb She let us into her secret?she'd got engaged. | find out, uncover

SECRET + VERB be/get out How did the secret get out?

PREP. in ~ The film stars were married in secret to avoid publicity. | ~ about There was some secret about the source of his wealth. | ~ from I have no secrets from you.

PHRASES make no secret of the fact that … , make a secret of sth He refuses to make any secret of his political allegiances.

² only/best way of doing/achieving sth

VERB + SECRET reveal, tell sb

PREP. ~ behind She revealed the secret behind her extraordinary success. | ~ of the secrets of staying healthy

PHRASES the secret of (sb's) success

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

section noun

ADJ. large, long Large sections of the forest have been destroyed by acid rain. a long section of roadway | short, small | main | personnel, political (in a company, an organization, etc.) He works in the embassy's political section. | business, finance, travel, etc. (of a newspaper) | biology, history, reference, etc. (in a library) | brass, percussion, rhythm, string, wind, woodwind (in an orchestra) | cello, horn, etc. (in an orchestra)

VERB + SECTION divide sth into The book is divided into chapters, sections and sub-sections.

SECTION + NOUN manager (in a company, an organization, etc.)

PREP. in a/the ~ You'll find the book in the music section. | in ~s The table comes in sections. | under ~ (relating to a section of a law, etc.) The case was the first prosecution under Section 3A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

PHRASES a section of society an area populated largely by the poorer sections of society

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sector noun

¹ part of the business activity of a country

PREP. in a/the ~ employment opportunities in the higher education sector

PHRASES a sector of the economy/market

² part of an area or of a large group of people

VERB + SECTOR divide sth into Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war.

PHRASES a sector of the population/society

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sect noun

ADJ. religious | evangelical, fundamentalist | Buddhist, Christian, etc.

VERB + SECT belong to | join

SECT + NOUN member

PHRASES a leader/member of a sect

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secular adj.

VERBS be

ADV. completely, purely It began as a religious organization, but these days it is purely secular. | essentially, largely We live in a largely secular society. | aggressively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secure adj.

VERBS be, feel | become | make sth | keep sth It's important to keep your documents secure.

PREP. against The house has been made secure against intruders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

secure verb

¹ fix/lock sth firmly

ADV. firmly, properly, tightly

PREP. to The crates had not been properly secured to the truck. | with She secured the boat with a rope.

² get/achieve sth

ADV. easily Victory was not going to be easily secured. | automatically

VERB + SECURE be able to, manage to | fail to They failed to secure the release of the prisoners. | help (to)

PHRASES an attempt/effort to secure sth, be aimed at securing sth, a chance/hope of securing sth trying to improve their chances of securing employment | succeed/be successful in securing sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

security noun

¹ feeling safe/being free from worry

ADJ. greater | emotional, psychological | economic, financial | job

VERB + SECURITY have They have the security of a good home. | give (sb), provide (sb with) He gave her the emotional security she needed.

PHRASES be lulled into a false sense of security, a feeling/sense of security, the security of tenure

² to protect sb/sth from thieves, attack, war, etc.

VERB + SECURITY ensure, provide (sb with) | improve, strengthen, tighten (up) We need to tighten security around the hotel during the president's visit. | compromise, undermine The leaking of secrets from the Defence Ministry has compromised national security.

PREP. ~ against The bars are to provide security against break-ins.

PHRASES for security reasons For security reasons, passengers are requested not to leave any luggage unattended. | peace and security

³ when you borrow money

VERB + SECURITY lend sth on | stand His father agreed to stand security for his son's house-purchase loan. | take (sth as)

PREP. against the ~ of The bank will make a loan against the security of the lender's house. | as ~ She pledged her jewellery as security for a £50,000 loan. | ~ for 4 securities share documents

ADJ. company, government | foreign, overseas | listed, unlisted | gilt-edged

VERB + SECURITY issue | buy | sell

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sedation noun

ADJ. heavy | light

PREP. under ~ The attack victim is currently in hospital, under heavy sedation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sedative noun

ADJ. powerful, strong | mild The doctor gave her a mild sedative to help her sleep.

VERB + SEDATIVE give sb, prescribe (sb)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seductive adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. extremely, very | infinitely These opportunities seemed infinitely seductive. | almost His words had a soothing, almost seductive quality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seed noun

¹ from which a plant grows

ADJ. grass, poppy, etc. | bird

QUANT. packet

VERB + SEED plant, sow | produce, set This tree produces very hard seeds. The plant will set seed in June. | grow/raise sth from She grew all the broccoli plants from seed. | spread Most seeds are spread by the wind. | go/run to Allow some of the plants to run to seed, and save the seed for next year.

SEED + VERB germinate, grow, sprout

SEED + NOUN head, pod | packet, tray | bank, catalogue, merchant | cake | corn, potato

PHRASES a variety of seeds The catalogue has hundreds of different varieties of seeds.

² player in a sports competition

ADJ. first, second, etc. | number one, number two, etc. | top Venus Williams was the top seed at Wimbledon this year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seek verb

ADV. actively people who are unemployed and actively seeking work | avidly, eagerly, keenly | desperately, urgently He was desperately seeking a way to see her again. | successfully | in vain, unsuccessfully, vainly

PREP. for They sought in vain for somewhere to shelter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seep verb

ADV. gradually, slowly | away, out, through The power had gradually seeped away.

VERB + SEEP begin to

PREP. from Blood was seeping slowly from the wound. | into, out of Water was seeping out of the tank. | through The damp seeped through her thin shoes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seethe verb

ADV. inwardly, privately Inwardly she was seething, and vowed to get her own back. | quietly, silently

PREP. at She was seething at the insult. | with He clenched his fists, seething with anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

see verb

¹ become aware of sth using your eyes

ADV. clearly | dimly | hardly I could hardly see because of the smoke. | just We could just see the hotel in the distance. | suddenly

VERB + SEE be able to, can/could I could see the boat quite clearly now. | strain to | be amazed to, be surprised to He was surprised to see Lucy standing there. | be relieved to | be glad to, be overjoyed to, be pleased to I'm glad to see that you're keeping well. | let sb A dolphin? Oh, let me see!

PHRASES turn and see He turned and saw her smile.

² meet/visit sb

VERB + SEE want to, wish to What is it you want to see me about? | live to He didn't live to see his grandchildren. | be glad to, be overjoyed to, be pleased to Aren't you pleased to see me?

PREP. about She's gone to see the mechanic about getting her car repaired.

³ go with/accompany sb

PHRASES see sb home Don't worry, I'll see you home.

⁴ understand/realize sth

VERB + SEE can/can't, don't I can see why you were so angry about it. I don't see why she should get more money than the others. | be difficult to It is difficult to see how to get round this problem.

⁵ find out

VERB + SEE want to I want to see how they'll react. | let sb Let's see what happens.

PHRASES go and see ‘Has the post come yet?’ ‘I'll just go and see.’ | wait and see ‘Is he going to get better?’ ‘I don't know, we'll just have to wait and see.’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

segregate verb

ADV. strictly

PREP. according to, by Jobs were strictly segregated by gender. | from The women were segregated from the male workers in the factory. | into The common room was segregated into smoking and non-smoking areas.

PHRASES highly segregated Women's work has always been highly segregated. | racially/socially segregated

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

segregation noun

ADJ. complete | racial, religious, residential, sex, social to bring an end to sex segregation within the school

VERB + SEGREGATION practise

PREP. ~ between Partitions provided a segregation between the smoking and non-smoking areas of the canteen. | ~ by segregation by race | ~ within

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seize verb

¹ take hold of sb/sth suddenly and firmly

ADV. immediately, suddenly He was immediately seized and thrown into prison.

PREP. by She seized him by the arm. | from He seized the book from her hand.

PHRASES seize hold of sb/sth The wrestlers try to seize hold of each other.

² take sth

ADV. immediately, promptly She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her. | eagerly, gratefully

VERB + SEIZE be quick to, be ready to He was quick to seize on this idea. | be determined to | attempt to, try to | fail to He had failed to seize his chance.

PREP. on/upon The rumours were eagerly seized on by the local press.

PHRASES an attempt to seize sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seizure noun

ADJ. biggest | drugs, land | cocaine, heroin, etc.

VERB + SEIZURE make Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.

PHRASES search and seizure The Act confers powers of entry, search and seizure on the police.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

selection noun

¹ process of choosing/being chosen

VERB + SELECTION make She took a long time to make her selection. | win She hopes to win selection for the Olympic 800 metres team.

SELECTION + NOUN criteria, policy | procedure, process | board, committee, panel

PREP. ~ as his selection as candidate for the Green Party | ~ for

² number of people/things that have been chosen

ADJ. varied, wide | random We interviewed a random selection of teenagers. | representative | judicious, well-chosen | final The final selection of winners will be announced at the end of the event.

PREP. ~ from, ~ of a selection of hits from well-known musicals

³ collection of goods in a shop, etc. that are for sale

ADJ. comprehensive, extensive, huge, large, vast, wide | limited, small | excellent, fine, good, great, interesting, superb

VERB + SELECTION offer The shop offers a wide selection of wines. | choose from

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

selective adj.

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, highly, very | increasingly | fairly, quite, rather | necessarily The list provided here is necessarily selective. | notoriously The human memory is notoriously selective. | socially the socially selective nature of population changes

PREP. about He is quite selective about what he studies. | in Most of the girls are extremely selective in their choice of boyfriends.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

select verb

VERB + SELECT allow sb to, enable sb to

PREP. according to The design of the course allows students to select modules according to their interests. | for She has been selected for the England team. | from You can select goods from our catalogue.

PHRASES highly selected Although this was a very highly selected study group, the results were in agreement with our findings. | well selected This anthology is well selected and presented.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-assurance noun VERB + SELF-ASSURANCE be lacking in, lack | exude In conversation she exudes wit and self-assurance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-confidence noun

PHRASES an air of self-confidence She had an air of self-confidence that he admired. | a lack of self-confidence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-conscious adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, get | make sb He studied her in a way that made her very self-conscious.

ADV. acutely, highly, horribly, painfully, very | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat

PREP. about He started to get self-conscious about his weight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-contained adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, very | completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly The flat is completely self-contained. | largely a largely self-contained community | fairly, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-control noun VERB + SELF-CONTROL have | lose | regain | keep She struggled to keep her self-control. | exercise, show You should try exercising a little self-control! | take It took all the self-control he had not to lose his temper. | learn SELF-CONTROL + VERB snap

PHRASES a lack/loss of self-control

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-defence noun SELF-DEFENCE + NOUN class, group

PREP. in ~ He told police that he had acted in self-defence. | ~ against self-defence against armed assailants

PHRASES an act of self-defence, the art of self-defence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-evident adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become

ADV. by no means These truths were by no means self-evident when Galileo first suggested them. | almost | largely | fairly

PREP. to It was self-evident to her that anything so wonderful could not have evolved accidentally.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-interest noun

ADJ. enlightened | pure VERB + SELF-INTEREST be motivated by | pursue your own

PHRASES in your own self-interest Directors may be tempted to act in their own self-interest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-pity noun

QUANT. wave He felt a sudden wave of self-pity. VERB + SELF-PITY wallow in

PHRASES tears of self-pity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-respect noun VERB + SELF-RESPECT have She has little self-respect. | lose | regain | keep, preserve He chose not to resign to keep his self-respect.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self-sufficient adj.

VERBS be | become

PREP. in These people have now become almost self-sufficient in grain crops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

selfishness noun

ADJ. pure, utter

PHRASES an act of selfishness an act of utter selfishness | greed and selfishness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

selfish adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | become

ADV. extremely, incredibly, very | entirely, purely, totally, utterly | pretty, quite, rather a pretty selfish attitude | basically People are basically selfish.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

self noun

ADJ. whole He put his whole self into the performance. | real, true | deep, inner, innermost | private | public Her private and public selves were vastly different. | normal, usual | former, old She knew that with a holiday he would be back to his former self. | cheerful He's his usual cheerful self again. | better She knew his better self would struggle to serve her best interests. | conscious | physical | good (humorous) We look forward to seeing Mrs Brown and your good self this evening.

VERB + SELF reveal He was afraid to reveal his innermost self.

PHRASES a loss of self, a sense of self, a shadow of your former self

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sell verb

ADV. cheaply

VERB + SELL be able to, can/could | want to | plan to | try to They are still trying to sell their house. | be expected to, expect to The novel was expected to sell between 1,000 and 1,500 copies. | be willing to | be forced to The company has been forced to sell land to recoup some of the losses. | be/prove difficult to, be/prove hard to The property proved hard to sell.

PREP. at We sell these little notebooks at £1 each. | for They sold their house for £147,000. | to She sold her car to a friend.

PHRASES buy and sell (sth) Many banks are willing to buy and sell shares on behalf of customers. PHRASAL VERBS sell sth off

ADV. cheaply Derelict inner-city sites could be sold off cheaply for housing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

semblance noun

VERB + SEMBLANCE have | lack The film lacks any semblance of realism. | gain | drop, lose He dropped all semblance of dignity and rushed down the street after her. | keep, maintain, preserve, retain | bring, give sth She struggled to bring a semblance of order to the meeting. | restore (sth to), return (sth) to

PREP. in/into a/the ~ of She bared her teeth in a semblance of a smile. | ~ of He tried to restore some semblance of normality to their home life.

PHRASES a/some semblance of order

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seminar noun

¹ class at a university, etc.

ADJ. termly, weekly, etc. | graduate

QUANT. series

VERB + SEMINAR conduct, give | attend, go to

SEMINAR + NOUN group | discussion, paper | room | programme, series

PREP. at/in a/the ~ There was some lively debate at this week's seminar. | ~ on Professor Mackay will give a seminar on musical settings of Verlaine's poetry.

² conference for discussion/training

ADJ. all-day, half-day, weekend | one-day, two-day, etc. | business, economic | training

VERB + SEMINAR organize, hold, run | attend, go to

SEMINAR + VERB take place

SEMINAR + NOUN participant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

senator noun

ADJ. American, US | Democratic, Republican | former the former US Senator, James Hurley

VERB + SENATOR elect, elect sb (as)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seniority noun

VERB + SENIORITY attain, gain

PREP. by ~ Promotion in the job was by seniority.

PHRASES in order of seniority, a level of seniority, next in seniority On the death of the captain, the officer next in seniority assumed command.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

senior adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very a meeting of all the very senior officers | fairly, quite, relatively | enough, sufficiently She wasn't senior enough to take such a decision.

PREP. to Is Mark senior to you?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sensation noun

¹ physical feeling

ADJ. delicious, exquisite, pleasant, pleasurable, wonderful | unpleasant | curious, odd, strange | burning, choking, prickling, tingling | bodily, physical

VERB + SENSATION experience, feel, have He felt a tingling sensation down his side. | produce | enjoy Most people enjoy the sensation of eating.

PREP. ~ of the sensation of sand between your toes

² ability to feel

ADJ. pure He gave way to pure sensation.

VERB + SENSATION have She had no sensation in her hands. | lose

SENSATION + VERB come back

³ feeling/impression

ADJ. curious, eerie, odd, strange

VERB + SENSATION have I had the eerie sensation that I was not alone.

PREP. ~ of the sensation of being watched

⁴ great excitement/surprise/interest

ADJ. great | overnight

VERB + SENSATION cause, create The film caused a sensation among film critics.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

senseless adj.

¹ having no meaning

VERBS be, seem

ADV. absolutely, quite It was an absolutely senseless act of violence.

² unconscious

VERBS be, lie He lay senseless out in the rain. | beat sb, kick sb, knock sb The thugs beat him senseless with a baseball bat. The branch of a tree knocked one of the riders senseless.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sense noun

¹ one of the five natural physical powers of the body

ADJ. acute, good, keen | poor | sixth

SENSE + VERB tell sb When she came to, her senses told her she was lying on a sandy beach. | reel, swim Her senses reeled as she fought for consciousness.

SENSE + NOUN organ

PREP. through the ~s Although he can't see, he learns a lot through his other senses.

PHRASES an assault on the senses, the evidence of your senses, the five senses, the sense of hearing/sight/smell/taste/touch

² understanding/awareness of sth

ADJ. deep, great, keen, strong, tremendous He felt a deep sense of relief after the phone call. | growing, heightened | slight, vague a vague sense of unease | innate, intuitive, natural a natural sense of justice | moral

PREP. ~ of He seems to have lost his sense of reality.

³ natural ability to do/produce sth well

ADJ. good | bad, poor | innate, intuitive, natural | business, dress He has no dress sense.

VERB + SENSE have

PREP. ~ of a good sense of direction/rhythm/timing

⁴ ability to think/act in a sensible way

ADJ. good | common, horse Common sense tells me I should get more sleep.

VERB + SENSE have He at least had the sense to call the police. | display, show | learn I wish my daughter would learn some sense.

SENSE + VERB tell sb

PHRASES have more money than sense, (not) an ounce of sense If you had an ounce of sense, you'd never have agreed to help him.

⁵ reason

ADJ. perfect It all makes perfect sense (= is easy to understand).

VERB + SENSE make | see I tried to make him see sense, but he just wouldn't listen. | talk If you can't talk sense, I'm leaving!

PREP. ~ in There's a lot of sense in what he's saying.

PHRASES talk sense into sb We'll try and talk a little sense into her. | there's no sense in sth There's no sense in going home before the film.

⁶ your senses: ability to think clearly

VERB + SENSE come to, regain | take leave of Have you taken leave of your senses? | bring sb to

PHRASES in your (right) senses No one in their right senses would give him the job!

⁷ meaning

VERB + SENSE have That word has three senses. | make That sentence doesn't make sense (= has no meaning).

PREP. in a ~ In a sense, she's right.

PHRASES in every sense of the word, in a very real sense In a very real sense, post-war repression was the continuation of the war. | in the true sense of the word

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sense verb

ADV. clearly, strongly I sensed quite strongly that she was angry with me. | dimly, vaguely | just Maybe she could just sense what I needed. | intuitively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sensible adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound This approach seems very sensible to me. | consider sb/sth, deem sth

ADV. eminently, extremely, really, very | perfectly In the state I was in, this seemed a perfectly sensible remark. | hardly Are you going out to search for it at this time of night? It seems hardly sensible. | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably Ben's usually pretty sensible. | enough That advice sounds sensible enough. | apparently | clearly, obviously | politically, strategically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sensitive adj.

¹ able to understand other people's feelings

VERBS be | become | make sb Her experiences had made her sensitive to other people's troubles.

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, unusually, very a highly sensitive, caring man | increasingly | quite

PREP. to Horses are very sensitive to their riders' moods.

² easily upset/annoyed

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. acutely, deeply, extremely, morbidly, painfully, particularly, terribly, very | a bit, pretty, rather

PREP. about Teenagers are often very sensitive about their appearance. | to He was acutely sensitive to criticism.

³ needing to be dealt with carefully

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, particularly, very this highly sensitive issue | fairly, rather, somewhat a somewhat sensitive question | commercially, environmentally, politically, socially commercially sensitive information

⁴ reacting quickly/more than usual to sth

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, morbidly, painfully, particularly, unusually, very | quite

PREP. to Her eyes are very sensitive to light.

⁵ able to measure very small changes

VERBS be The bat's hearing is remarkably sensitive.

ADV. acutely, especially, exquisitely, extremely, highly, keenly, remarkably, very The equipment is highly sensitive. | fairly, quite | enough, sufficiently The probe is sensitive enough to detect the presence of a single microbe.

PREP. to sensitive to the slightest movement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sensitivity noun

ADJ. deep, extreme, great | heightened, increased

VERB + SENSITIVITY have | develop, display, show Migrating birds show extreme sensitivity to air currents. | lack Many doctors lack sensitivity when dealing with their patients.

PREP. with ~ She broke the news to us with great sensitivity. | ~ in She is not known for her sensitivity in dealing with complaints. | ~ over There is deep sensitivity over the treatment of minority groups. | ~ to The course teaches sensitivity to body language. | ~ towards the need for sensitivity towards the views of the children

PHRASES a lack of sensitivity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sentence noun

¹ group of words

VERB + SENTENCE begin | finish Peter finished Jane's sentence for her. | construct, form, formulate, generate, write He can barely form a grammatical sentence. | parse

SENTENCE + VERB contain sth, have sth Does the sentence contain an adverb?

SENTENCE + NOUN structure

² punishment given by a judge

VERB + SENTENCE hand down, impose, pass, pronounce The judge will pass sentence on the accused this afternoon. | be given, get, receive | serve He will have to serve a life sentence. | carry out | await He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence. | face She could face a long prison sentence. | commute, reduce The death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment. | suspend | appeal against | review | quash | carry The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

PREP. under ~ (of) He has been in prison for two months under sentence of death. | ~ for an eight-year sentence for burglary

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sentence verb

PREP. for They had been sentenced for murder. | to He was sentenced to two years in prison.

PHRASES sentence sb to death, sentence sb to imprisonment The judge sentenced her to life imprisonment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sentiment noun

VERB + SENTIMENT express | agree with, echo, endorse, share He agrees with the sentiments expressed in the editorial. | disagree with | arouse

SENTIMENT + VERB grow

PREP. ~s about/on It would be a mistake to ignore their strong sentiments on the issue. | ~ against The killings at the weekend helped arouse popular sentiment against the organization. | ~ in favour of public sentiment in favour of state ownership

PHRASES my sentiments exactly (= I agree) ‘I don't see why we should change our plans just because of him.’ ‘My sentiments exactly.’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

separable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. easily, readily Church and State were not easily separable in this period. | completely

PREP. from The two things were never identical, but never separable from each other.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

separate adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | keep sb/sth The women are kept separate from the men. | consider sth

ADV. very, widely I kept my two lives very separate. species from widely separate parts of the world | absolutely, completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly The waste water is kept entirely separate from the rainwater. | largely | rather, relatively, somewhat | essentially The two groups are essentially separate and independent. | apparently | hitherto, previously to merge the two previously separate businesses | geographically, physically

PREP. from a lifestyle which is quite separate from that of her parents

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

separate verb

¹ move/keep people/things apart

VERB + SEPARATE attempt to, try to | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to It was impossible to separate the rival fans.

PREP. from separating the boys from the girls | into I separated the documents into two piles.

PHRASES sharply separated The disciplines of science and engineering are not always sharply separated. | widely separated The two groups became widely separated.

² stop living together

ADV. legally

VERB + SEPARATE decide to

PREP. from She is separated from her husband.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

separation noun

¹ being apart

ADJ. complete, total | clear, rigid, strict | long She is visiting her family after a long separation. | physical

PREP. ~ between the clear separation of powers between the executive and the legislature | ~ from the separation of children from their parents during the war

² when a married couple lives apart

ADJ. formal, judicial, legal | trial

SEPARATION + NOUN agreement, order

PREP. ~ between the separation between Mary and her husband | ~ from the separation from his wife

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

September noun > Note at MONTH

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sequel noun

¹ to a book, film, etc.

VERB + SEQUEL do, make, write He's been asked to make a sequel to ‘Peter Pan’.

PREP. in a/the~ Some important new characters appear in the sequel. | ~ to

² sth that happens after sth else

ADJ. immediate | strange, unexpected

VERB + SEQUEL have The affair had a strange sequel.

PREP. ~ to The immediate sequel to the price rises was uprisings across the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sequence noun

VERB + SEQUENCE complete Complete the following sequence: 1, 4, 8, 13 … | follow We had to follow a complex sequence of movements.

PREP. in ~ The book is more satisfying if you read each chapter in sequence. | in a/the ~ The heroine dies in the closing sequence of the film. | ~ of

PHRASES a sequence of events

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

serene adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound | remain

ADV. very | perfectly, utterly | almost | quite | outwardly beneath the outwardly serene surface

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

serenity noun

ADJ. absolute Her face had an expression of absolute serenity. | comparative She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.

VERB + SERENITY achieve, find

PREP. with ~ She was able to face death with serenity. | ~ of older people who have achieved a serenity of understanding

PHRASES a feeling of serenity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sergeant noun

¹ officer of low rank in the army/air force

ADJ. flight, platoon > Note at RANK

² officer in the police

ADJ. police | detective Detective Sergeant Peter Wiles | desk, duty, station Visitors to the police station should report to the station sergeant.

PHRASES the rank of sergeant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

series noun

¹ number of things that come one after another

ADJ. whole He is in hospital for a whole series of tests. | endless, long | complex a complex series of events | continuous | concert, lecture, test (in cricket) Australia won the test series against England.

PREP. in a/the ~ The quartet will be performing in a series of lunchtime concerts. | ~ of

PHRASES the first/last, etc. of a/the series, the first/latest, etc. in a series

² programmes on radio/television

ADJ. radio, television/TV | comedy, crime, documentary, drama

QUANT. part

PREP. in a/the ~ She has a small part in a drama series for radio. | ~ about/on We watched the final part of a series on famous gardens.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

seriousness noun

ADJ. deadly, deep, full, great, high He maintained an attitude of high seriousness. | mock | underlying The joke did not obscure the underlying seriousness of his point. | moral

VERB + SERIOUSNESS appreciate, realize, recognize, understand Only later did he realize the full seriousness of his offence. | exaggerate | underestimate | play down | treat sth with The problem was not treated with the seriousness it deserved.

PREP. with ~ She spoke with great seriousness of the hardships she had endured.

PHRASES in all seriousness You can't in all seriousness think they'll give you the job! | take, treat, etc. sth with the utmost seriousness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

serious adj.

¹ bad/dangerous

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become, get By this time the riots were getting serious. | remain

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very | fairly, quite | potentially

² not joking

VERBS be, look, sound Come on, be serious! | become, turn He became serious all of a sudden.

ADV. deadly, quite, very

PREP. about Are you serious about resigning?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sermon noun

ADJ. lengthy, long | short

VERB + SERMON deliver, give, preach

PREP. during/in a/the ~ He fell asleep during the sermon. | ~ against He gave a long sermon against abortion. | ~ on She preached a sermon on forgiveness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

servant noun

VERB + SERVANT employ, have

SERVANT + VERB serve sb, wait on sb An army of servants waited on the king's household.

SERVANT + NOUN girl

PHRASES an army/a retinue of servants The duchess arrived, surrounded by her retinue of servants. | servants' quarters

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

serve verb

¹ give sb food or drink

ADV. immediately Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve immediately.

VERB + SERVE be ready to Cover and chill the salad until ready to serve.

PREP. to They served a wonderful meal to more than 50 delegates. | with The delegates were served with a wonderful meal. Serve the lamb with new potatoes and green beans.

PHRASES serve sth chilled/cold/hot The quiche can be served hot or cold.

² work

ADV. faithfully, loyally, well She served the family faithfully for many years (= as a servant).

VERB + SERVE continue to

PREP. as I shall continue to serve as a trustee. | in She served in the medical corps. | under He served under John Major in the early 1990s.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

service noun

¹ system that provides sth the public needs

ADJ. efficient, excellent, good, valuable | adequate | bad, inadequate, poor, terrible | complete, comprehensive, full | standard | basic | reduced | back-up, support | emergency, essential A passer-by called the emergency services (= the ambulance/fire /police services). Essential services (= the supply of water, gas, electricity) will be maintained. | vital providing a vital service to the public | available Find out what services are available in your area. | public | advisory, banking, counselling, financial, information, medical, news, rescue, telephone, etc. | ambulance, diplomatic, fire, foreign, health, intelligence, library, police, postal, prison, probation, prosecution, secret, security, social She works for the social services

SERVICE + VERB improve | deteriorate

SERVICE + NOUN industry, sector

PREP. in/out of ~ (used of buses, trains, etc.)

PHRASES goods and services

² work of serving a customer

VERB + SERVICE give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) Our main concern is to provide quality customer service. | get | guarantee We guarantee first-class service. | complain about complaining about poor service

³ working for a country, company, etc.

VERB + SERVICE do All 18-year-old males are required to do a year's military service. | see He saw service during the First World War.

PREP. ~ to service to the community

PHRASES conditions of service

⁴ work done for sb; help given to sb

ADJ. great, immense, invaluable, valuable | professional

VERB + SERVICE be of, do sb, perform, render May I be of service to you? You have done us a great service. payment for services rendered | offer (sb), provide (sb with) She offered her services as a childminder.

PREP. at your ~ The cabin staff are at your service throughout the flight. | ~s of We need the services of a good lawyer. | ~ to He was given an award for his services to the disabled.

⁵ the services: the armed forces

ADJ. armed

VERB + SERVICE go into, join Most of the boys went straight into the services.

⁶ bus, train etc.

PREP. in ~ This bus is not in service. | out of ~ | ~ between The company offers direct, fast and frequent services between large towns and cities. | ~ from, ~ to

⁷ religious ceremony

ADJ. church, religious | funeral, marriage, memorial, etc. | afternoon, evening, morning

VERB + SERVICE attend, go to | hold

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

service verb

ADV. fully, properly The car was fully serviced last month. | regularly

PHRASES have/get sth serviced You should get all gas appliances regularly serviced.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

session noun

¹ meeting of a court, parliament, etc.

VERB + SESSION hold | attend | boycott | address The president addressed a closed session of Congress.

PREP. in a/the ~ in the opening session | in ~ The court is now in session.

² time spent doing an activity

VERB + SESSION have, offer (sb), provide (sb with), run The college runs training sessions every afternoon. | attend

SESSION + VERB take place

SESSION + NOUN guitarist, musician, singer, etc.

PREP. ~ on a session on remedial reading

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

setback noun

VERB + SETBACK experience, receive, suffer His research has suffered a temporary setback.

PREP. ~ for a further setback for the coal industry | ~ to a serious setback to his chances of re-election

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

settee noun

ADJ. comfortable, comfy | chintz, leather-covered, etc. | three-seater, two-seater | wide

VERB + SETTEE sink down on/onto, sit (down) on, slump down on/onto He slumped down exhausted on the settee. | be sprawled on, lie on, sprawl on

PREP. on the ~ She found her glasses lying on the settee.

PHRASES the arm/back of a settee

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

setting noun

¹ place where sth happens

ADJ. unlikely The hospital is an unlikely setting for an art auction. | unfamiliar | natural wild animals in their natural setting | attractive, beautiful, charming, delightful, idyllic, lovely, magnificent, perfect, picturesque | dramatic | peaceful, secluded, tranquil | intimate | formal, informal | rural | contemporary biblical stories in a contemporary setting | social The French Club offers the chance to practise your language skills in a social setting. | work In a work setting, more formal language would be used. | hospital, laboratory, etc. | cultural, educational, historical | domestic, family elderly people living in a domestic setting

VERB + SETTING create, provide The park provides the perfect setting for the play.

PREP. in a/the … ~ a hotel in a beautiful setting of landscaped gardens | ~ for a lovely setting for a picnic | ~ in a dramatic setting in Cornwall | ~ of the rural setting of Petrarch's sonnets

² of controls

ADJ. high, low, moderate | default, standard

VERB + SETTING adjust, change | increase, reduce

PREP. at a/the ~ The oven should be at a high setting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

settled adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | get

ADV. very | fairly, quite She seems fairly settled in her new job already. | comfortably, happily He is happily settled with third wife Gladys and their two children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

settlement noun

¹ agreement

VERB + SETTLEMENT agree, reach Both parties hope to reach an amicable settlement. | negotiate, produce The union has negotiated a temporary settlement. | seek Lawyers are seeking an out-of-court settlement. | offer

PHRASES the terms of the settlement

² payment of debt, etc.

ADJ. prompt, speedy | early | full full settlement of a debt | cash | debt

PREP. in ~ of a cheque in settlement of the amount owing | under a/the ~ a beneficiary under the settlement

³ place where people have come to live

ADJ. ancient, early | land | agricultural, rural

VERB + SETTLEMENT establish, found The Romans established a settlement on the south shore.

SETTLEMENT + VERB grow up A settlement grew up around the castle.

SETTLEMENT + NOUN site

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

settler noun

ADJ. early, first, original

SETTLER + VERB move in/into sth When the first settlers moved into the area they faced immense hardships. | establish, found French settlers founded New Orleans.

PREP. ~ from settlers from France | ~ in Dutch settlers in Cape Town

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

settle verb

¹ end an argument

ADV. amicably, peacefully Hopes of settling the conflict peacefully are fading. | satisfactorily The matter has not yet been satisfactorily settled. | eventually, finally | informally, out of court The company has agreed to settle out of court (= come to an agreement without going to court).

VERB + SETTLE attempt to, try to | agree to

PREP. with After six months, the company finally settled with the unions.

PHRASES an attempt to settle sth

² choose a permanent home

ADV. permanently He has now settled permanently in London. | eventually, finally | happily | down

VERB + SETTLE decide to, intend to

PHRASES be densely settled a fertile area that was densely settled in early times | be ready to settle down She felt she wasn't yet ready to settle down.

³ make sb/yourself comfortable

ADV. comfortably, happily, peacefully, snugly He settled himself more comfortably in his chair. | quickly, soon | back, down He settled back in his chair to watch television. She settled down for a quiet doze on the sofa.

VERB + SETTLE be unable to, can't/couldn't Unable to settle, she trailed around the house all day. | allow sb to, let sb She kept fussing around, refusing to let him settle. | help (to), help sb (to) I took a pill to help settle my nerves. PHRASAL VERBS settle in/settle into sth

ADV. happily, nicely The kids settled happily into their new school. | quickly, soon

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

set adj.

¹ ready

VERBS be, look, seem | get (used when starting a race) Get set … Go!

ADV. all Are you all set? Let's go!

PREP. for The Italian team looks set for victory.

² determined

VERBS be

ADV. dead

PREP. against Her father is dead set against the marriage. | on The council is now set on expanding the sports centre.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

set noun

¹ group of similar things

ADJ. complete, full, whole | common These two species share a common set of characteristics. | closed, open A grammatical choice is drawn from a closed set of options. | complex | data, instruction a computer's instruction set | chess, dinner, printing, tea, train

VERB + SET break up She had a complete set of these dining-room chairs but it was broken up after she died. | complete, make up She won a silver medal in the long jump to complete her set (= of all three types of medal).

SET + VERB comprise sth, consist of sth

PREP. in a/the ~ There are ten pictures in the set. | ~ of a set of accounts/books/clothes/keys/valves a set of beliefs/circumstances/factors/guidelines

PHRASES one/part of a set The plate is part of a set.

² scenery for play or film

ADJ. film, stage, studio

VERB + SET design | build | dismantle, take down

PREP. off ~ Off set, the two actors became close friends. | on (the) ~ All the cast are on the set throughout.

³ in tennis

VERB + SET play | win | lose

PHRASES in straight sets Rusedski won in straight sets (= his opponent won none).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

severe adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | remain

ADV. especially, exceptionally, extremely, particularly, really, unusually, very an exceptionally severe frost | increasingly | fairly, moderately, quite, relatively women affected by mild to moderately severe symptoms | enough, sufficiently Cases of plant poisoning severe enough to warrant hospital admission are rare.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

severity noun

ADJ. great | extreme, utmost | increasing | mock She wagged her finger with mock severity.

VERB + SEVERITY assess

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sewage noun

ADJ. raw, untreated | treated

VERB + SEWAGE dump, pump In some parts of the country raw sewage is pumped straight in the sea. | treat Sewage should be treated in a proper disposal system.

SEWAGE + NOUN farm, plant, works | disposal, treatment | discharge, effluent, sludge | pollution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sewing noun

ADJ. hand

VERB + SEWING do I haven't done any sewing for ages. | take in She took in sewing to supplement her income.

SEWING + NOUN basket, kit | needle, thread | machine | machinist

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sew verb

ADV. carefully, neatly The squares of fabric were all sewn neatly together. | on, together, up I sewed on three buttons. He sewed up the tear with needle and thread.

PREP. onto He sewed the patch onto the back of his trousers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sexism noun

ADJ. blatant, rampant She was shocked by his blatant sexism. Sexism is rampant in many institutions.

VERB + SEXISM combat, fight (against) efforts to combat sexism in the workplace

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sexual intercourse noun

ADJ. full | consensual | non-consensual, unlawful | unprotected

VERB + SEXUAL INTERCOURSE engage in, have | consent to | submit to | refuse | obtain, procure the crime of obtaining sexual intercourse by threat

SEXUAL INTERCOURSE + VERB occur, take place Rape is committed where sexual intercourse takes place without consent.

PREP. during ~ | ~ with She denied having had sexual intercourse with him.

PHRASES an act of sexual intercourse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sexuality noun

ADJ. female, male | human | deviant | gay, lesbian | overt Her overt sexuality shocked cinema audiences.

VERB + SEXUALITY express Victorian women were rarely allowed to express their sexuality. | come to terms with He couldn't come to terms with his sexuality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sexy adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | find sb

ADV. extremely, incredibly, really, very I find him incredibly sexy. | pretty, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sex noun

¹ male or female

ADJ. female, male | opposite At that age they can started becoming shy with the opposite sex. | single a single-sex school | fair/fairer, gentle (humorous) (= women; some women may find these terms annoying)

SEX + NOUN change She's had a sex change operation. | equality | discrimination, inequality | ratio

PREP. between the ~es differences/inequalities/relations between the sexes

PHRASES the battle of the sexes The quiz is a battle of the sexes between a team of male students and a team of female students. | on grounds of sex discrimination on grounds of sex | irrespective/regardless of sex The word ‘man’ can refer to all humans, irrespective of sex.

² sexual intercourse

VERB + SEX engage in, have She had never had sex before. | consent to | refuse | obtain, procure

PREP. ~ between sex between consenting adults | ~ with sex with her husband

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shack noun

ADJ. tin, wooden | derelict, dilapidated, run-down

PREP. in a /the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shade noun

¹ area out of the sunlight

ADJ. cool | deep | welcome | dappled | leafy in the leafy shade of a fig tree

QUANT. patch searching for a patch of shade to rest in

VERB + SHADE give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with)

PREP. in (the) ~ a plant that grows well in shade sitting in the shade | into the ~ Let's move into the shade. | under the ~ of sitting under the shade of an umbrella | ~ for giving shade for cattle | ~ from The huge trees offered shade from the sun.

PHRASES light and shade

² type of colour

ADJ. delicate, light, muted, pale, pastel, soft, subtle, translucent The rooms were decorated in delicate pastel shades. | dark, deep, rich, strong His face turned an even deeper shade of red. | bright, vivid | attractive, beautiful | startling, stunning painted in startling shades of pink and orange | autumnal, natural, neutral, warm Towels in warm shades can soften the room.

VERB + SHADE be available in, come in This wool is available in 18 stunning shades.

PREP. in a ~ The sea glistened in shades of blue and emerald. | ~ for our new range of shades for lips and eyes | ~ of He threw out his old suits, all in shades of grey and brown.

³ small difference

ADJ. political reformers of all political shades

PREP. ~ of a word with various shades of meaning

PHRASES shades of opinion

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shade verb

ADV. completely | lightly, partially This plant prefers a lightly shaded position.

PREP. against She shaded her eyes against the fierce sun. | from We were completely shaded from the sun by the poplar trees. | with a small town square shaded with trees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shading noun

ADJ. light, subtle an effect that is achieved with subtle shading | dark, heavy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shadow noun

ADJ. dark, dense, deep, strong The house lay in dark shadow. | giant, long | grotesque, monstrous, sinister, strange, terrible | dancing, flickering

VERB + SHADOW cast, make, produce, throw The boat's sail cast a shadow on the water. Use a desk light to produce a strong shadow. The candles on the table threw huge flickering shadows against the wall. | fill sth with ~s The streets were now filled with terrible shadows. | emerge from, loom up out of, step out from/of ~s Suddenly a huge figure loomed up out of the shadows. | move into, shrink into, slip (back) into ~s She shrank back into the shadows as the footsteps approached. | lurk in, wait in, watch from criminals lurking in the shadows

SHADOW + VERB fall, lie The evening shadows were beginning to fall. Deep shadows lay across the small clearing where they sat. | get longer, lengthen As the shadows lengthened, the men drifted home for their tea. | dance, leap, move, pass the leaping shadows of the flames The shadows of the clouds passed over us.

PREP. among the ~s an odd shape among the shadows | in the ~s I could just make out a figure in the shadows. | into the ~s I backed into the shadows until the police car had passed. | in ~ His face was in shadow. | into ~ The storm clouds threw the mountain peaks into dense shadow. | from/out of the ~s A huge figure stepped out of the shadows. | through the ~s the fears that kept crowding in on her as she hurried through the shadows

PHRASES live in the shadow of sb/sth (often figurative) She had always lived in the shadow of her older sister.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shaft noun

ADJ. deep | vertical | lift, mine (also mineshaft) A fire broke out in the main lift shaft. | air, ventilation

VERB + SHAFT bore, drill, sink

PREP. down a/the ~ The body had been thrown down a disused mineshaft. | in/into a/the ~, through a/the ~ The workers go down to the tunnels through a vertical shaft sunk from the top of the cliff.

PHRASES the bottom/top of a shaft They lowered him down to the bottom of the deep shaft.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shake-up noun

ADJ. big, major, radical | urgent | boardroom, council, personnel VERB + SHAKE-UP need | call for The paper calls for an urgent shake-up in the system for looking after the elderly. | plan The headline read ‘Local council plans shake-up’. | face, go through, have, undergo Police forces face the biggest shake-up in their 150-year history. | survive My job did not survive the shake-up.

PREP. in a/the ~ the posts that were scrapped in the recent shake-up | ~ at a major shake-up at the company | ~ in a radical shake-up in the chemical industry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shaken adj.

VERBS be, look | leave sb The experience left her deeply shaken.

ADV. badly, considerably, deeply, profoundly, quite, severely | a bit, a little, rather, somewhat Are you all right? You look a bit shaken up. | clearly, obviously, visibly | still | up

PREP. by She was visibly shaken by the news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shake noun

ADJ. brisk, good, vigorous Give the tablecloth a good shake before putting it away. | little, slight | mental He gave himself a mental shake and got down to work. | rueful a rueful shake of the head

VERB + SHAKE give sb/sth

PREP. with a ~ | ~ of

PHRASES a shake of your/the head

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shake verb

¹ of a person/building

ADV. badly, uncontrollably, violently Her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't hold her glass. | almost He was almost shaking with the intensity of what he was saying. | fairly (informal) Natalie fairly shook with laughter. | literally, physically I was numb with dread. I was literally shaking.

PREP. with She was shaking with rage.

PHRASES be shaking all over He was crying and shaking all over. | be shaking like a leaf, find yourself/start shaking I found myself shaking uncontrollably with cold. | stop shaking I just couldn't stop shaking.

² object/person

ADV. roughly, vigorously, violently He shook the blankets vigorously to get rid of the dust. She must have shaken the baby quite violently to inflict such severe injuries. | gently, slightly | well Shake well before use. (instructions on a bottle of medicine, etc.) | suddenly | physically

PREP. by He shook her gently by the shoulders.

³ your head

PREP. at He shook his head at her disbelievingly. | in She shook her head in disbelief.

⁴ sb's hand

ADV. firmly, vigorously | warmly

PHRASES shake sb by the hand Our host shook each of us warmly by the hand. PHRASAL VERBS shake sb/sth off

ADV. completely, fully | quickly | easily He had not easily shaken Claudine off. | off

VERB + SHAKE can't/couldn't (seem to) I can't seem to shake off this cold. | seem to | try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shaky adj.

¹ shaking because you are frightened/ill

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | get, go | leave sb/sth The experience had left him rather shaky.

ADV. distinctly, extremely, very | all You've gone all shaky! | a bit, a little, rather, slightly

PREP. with Her voice was low and shaky with emotion.

² not firm or strong

VERBS be, feel, look | remain

ADV. dangerously, decidedly, distinctly, extremely, very Financially, the arrangement was distinctly shaky. | a bit, a little, pretty, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shallow adj.

¹ not deep

VERBS be, look | become, get The water gets quite shallow towards the shore. | remain

ADV. extremely, very | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively Don't worry, the water's quite shallow. | enough, sufficiently Follow the south shore, crossing the river where it is shallow enough.

² not showing serious thought

VERBS appear, be, seem Tony seemed very shallow and immature.

ADV. exceedingly, extremely, very | quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shame noun

¹ feeling that you have lost the respect of others

ADJ. deep

VERB + SHAME be filled with, feel | bring, cause His arrest for stealing brought shame on his family. | die of (figurative) I nearly died of shame!

PREP. from ~ She wept from the shame of having let everyone down. | in ~ She shut her eyes in shame. | to your ~ To my shame, I didn't tell Robert about the party. | without ~ He had cried noisily and without shame at the news of Esther's death. | with ~ She blushed with shame. | ~ about/over You feel absolutely no shame over what you did, do you? | ~ at She felt a flush of shame at what she'd done.

PHRASES a cause for shame Her pregnancy was no cause for shame. | a feeling/sense of shame, bow/hang your head in shame He was being held by two security guards, his head bowed in shame.

² a shame: sth that makes you feel disappointed

ADJ. crying, great, real, terrible, wicked

PREP. ~ about It's a terrible shame about Stuart losing his job, isn't it?

PHRASES a bit of a shame, rather a shame, such a shame, what a shame What a shame you can't come!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shame verb

ADV. publicly The people who did this deserve to be publicly shamed.

PREP. into An outcry from customers has shamed the company into lowering its prices.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shampoo noun

¹ liquid soap for washing hair

ADJ. anti-dandruff, baby, frequent-use, gentle, mild, moisturizing, revitalizing

VERB + SHAMPOO use, wash your hair with

PREP. ~ for a shampoo for greasy hair

PHRASES shampoo and conditioner

² act of washing hair

VERB + SHAMPOO give sb/sth | have

PHRASES a shampoo and set I'll have a shampoo and set, please.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shaped adj.

VERBS be

ADV. beautifully, perfectly her beautifully shaped mouth | grotesquely | irregularly | awkwardly All the rooms in the house were awkwardly shaped. | curiously, oddly, strangely an oddly shaped parcel | specially You can buy specially shaped bricks for an arch.

PHRASES be shaped like sth curious vases shaped like birds and animals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shape noun

¹ physical outline

ADJ. basic, simple The children cut the paper into various simple shapes. | characteristic, distinctive I recognized the distinctive shape of a Boeing-747. | curious, interesting, unusual, weird | awkward The desk was an awkward shape and wouldn't fit through the door. | original | geometric/geometrical, regular, symmetrical | complex | asymmetrical, irregular | odd, random tiles of random shape | solid, three-dimensional | aerodynamic | angular, arch, circular, cone/conical, cylindrical, diamond, dome, egg, elliptical, elongated, hemispherical, hexagonal, oblong, pentagonal, pointed, pyramid/pyramidal, rectangular, round, spherical, triangular, wedge | rounded, smooth | arrow, banana, cross, pear, star, T, etc. The road forms an L shape. The bruise was a sort of mushroom shape. | blurred, ghostly, shadowy, vague | huge, massive | black, dark, grey | human | body You can't change your natural body shape.

VERB + SHAPE cut out, draw, make, trace First draw the rough shape of your chosen animal. Fold the paper to make the shape of a cone. | cut sth into, make sth in, produce sth in a cheese similar to Brie but produced in a different shape | come in, have Tables come in various shapes. | assume, make, take on Ordinary things assumed different shapes in the mist. | keep, retain These garments will retain their shape even with repeated washing. | regain | change | lose | distort The wide-angle lens distorts shapes. | distinguish, make out, see I could just make out the shapes of animals in the field.

SHAPE + VERB appear, emerge, loom Ghostly shapes loomed out of the fog.

PREP. in the ~ of a doormat in the shape of a cat

PHRASES out of shape The bicycle had been battered out of shape. | oblong/rectangular/hexagonal, etc. in shape The island is roughly circular in shape.

² structure/nature of sth

ADJ. general | changing | final | future

VERB + SHAPE alter, change, determine, influence He did much to determine the shape of Europe's political map at that time. | take A wonderful idea began to take shape in her brain. | give the words we use to give a shape to our feelings

PHRASES in any shape or form I can't stand insects in any shape or form. | the shape of things to come This revolutionary transport system could be the shape of things to come.

³ good or bad condition

ADJ. fine, good, great | bad, poor | physical He's 64, but he's in better physical shape than I am.

VERB + SHAPE get sb/sth into, knock/lick/whip sb/sth into Get your body into shape for the summer! Leave the boy with me?I'll soon knock him into shape! | be in, keep in, stay in You are in pretty good shape for your age. She likes to stay in shape. | be out of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shape verb

ADV. profoundly Memory can be profoundly shaped by subsequent experience. | largely | actively, deliberately actively shaping the history of their country

VERB + SHAPE help (to)

PHRASES a part/role in shaping sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shareholder noun

PREP. ~ in the major shareholders in the company

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

share noun

¹ part of sth that has been divided

ADJ. bigger, large, the lion's, major, significant, substantial | full | modest a modest share of total exports | 5%, 10%, etc. The wife owns an 80% share of their second home. | equal | disproportionate The government devotes a disproportionate share of the budget to military expenditure. | proportionate | market The company's market share slipped to under 15% last month.

VERB + SHARE get, have, receive, take You should receive a large share of the profits. Hospitals take the lion's share of the NHS budget. | increase, reduce | claim Everyone seems to want to get into television to claim their share of fame and fortune. | do We must all do our share of the work.

PREP. ~ of a reduced share of the vote

PHRASES sb/sth has their/its (fair) share of sth The industry has had its fair share of problems.

² in a company

ADJ. ordinary | preference

VERB + SHARE acquire, buy, get, invest in, purchase | have, hold (formal), own | sell | deal in, trade in a new firm dealing in US shares | float, issue The company has issued four classes of shares.

PREP. ~ in I've got a few shares in British Aerospace.

PHRASES a class of shares, the value of your shares Will this affect the value of my shares? > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs) > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

share verb

ADV. fully Personal experience of childbirth gives a dimension of knowledge that others cannot fully share. | equally We shared the money equally between the three of us. | out

PREP. among How do you share out three cakes among four people? | between Responsibility is shared between parents and teachers. | in He shared in our enthusiasm for rowing. | with She had to share a bedroom with her sister.

PHRASES widely shared These ideas are widely shared in the community.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shark noun

ADJ. killer, man-eating

SHARK + VERB attack sb, maul sb

SHARK + NOUN attack | fishing

PHRASES shark-infested The boat went down in shark-infested waters off the coast of South Africa.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sharp adj.

¹ having a fine edge or point

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | stay | keep sth

ADV. extremely, really, very, wickedly a display of wickedly sharp teeth | pretty, quite, rather

PHRASES as sharp as a razor

² very great or sudden

VERBS be

ADV. particularly, very | fairly, quite, rather a fairly sharp rise in the cost of living

³ able to think/act/understand/see/hear quickly

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, razor, very a razor sharp mind | pretty, quite

⁴ angry/severe

VERBS be, sound Her voice sounded rather sharp.

ADV. very | a bit, quite, rather | suddenly ‘Stick to the facts, ’ said Romanov, his voice suddenly sharp.

PREP. with She was quite sharp with me when I talked during her lecture.

⁵ flavour

VERBS be

ADV. extremely, very Raw cranberries are extremely sharp and must always be cooked with a little sugar. | slightly This cheese has a slightly sharp flavour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shattered adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. absolutely, completely, totally His run had left him feeling totally shattered. | pretty | emotionally feeling drained and emotionally shattered after her ordeal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shatter verb

¹ break into very small pieces

ADV. completely

PHRASES shatter (sth) into pieces The mirror shattered into a thousand pieces.

² destroy sth completely

ADV. completely an event that completely shattered her life | abruptly, brutally, rudely, suddenly The moment was abruptly shattered by the sound of Mia's loud voice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shave noun

ADJ. close, smooth You can get a really close, smooth shave with this new double-bladed razor.

VERB + SHAVE need He badly needed a shave. | get, have He had a bath and a quick shave first. | give sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shawl noun

ADJ. heavy | light | crocheted, knitted | embroidered, fringed

VERB + SHAWL be draped in, be wrapped in | drape, throw, wrap Ruth draped a shawl over her shoulders. | throw off | draw, pull She pulled her shawl about her protectively. | tie wearing a shawl tied around her waist

SHAWL + VERB cover sth > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shed noun

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sheep noun

ADJ. hill | lost, stray the doleful cries of lost sheep

QUANT. flock, herd

VERB + SHEEP farm, keep, raise, rear My grandfather used to raise sheep in Wales. | tend | slaughter | shear | drive, herd, round up, shepherd The dogs herded the sheep into the pen.

SHEEP + VERB graze There were a lot of sheep grazing high up on the mountain. | bleat, (go) baa | lamb It's nearly the sheep's lambing time.

PHRASES a breed of sheep

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sheet noun

¹ large piece of fabric used on a bed

VERB + SHEET change, fold, put on, tuck in She changed the sheets on all the beds. Could you put some fresh sheets on the bed? | climb between, slide between, slip between/under I slipped under the sheets and was asleep in an instant. | cover sb/sth with, pull back/over/up The police had covered the body with a sheet. I pulled the sheet up over my nose.

PREP. beneath/under a/the ~ | between the ~ She lay between the cool sheets.

PHRASES sheets and blankets

² piece of paper

ADJ. blank, clean He pulled a blank sheet of paper towards him and began to write. | A3, A4, etc. | large | printed, typed The advertisement was a single printed sheet. | loose, separate | answer, balance, data, diet, fact, information, news, record, score I sent for the programme's free fact sheet on the disease.

VERB + SHEET take, use Take a clean sheet of paper and start again.

SHEET + NOUN music

PREP. ~ of a sheet of blotting paper

PHRASES a sheet of paper

³ flat thin piece of any material

ADJ. flat, large, thin | baking | dust The furniture was covered in dust sheets. | canvas, plastic, polythene | ice the Antarctic ice sheet

SHEET + NOUN metal, steel, vinyl sheet metal workers

PREP. ~ of a sheet of glass/plastic/metal (figurative) Sheets of flame shot into the air.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shelf noun

VERB + SHELF have The fridge had three shelves. | build, put up She soon learned how to put up her own shelves. | arrange sth on, display sth on, put sth (back) on, replace sth on, return sth to, stack sth on, stock I put the packet back on the shelf. He's got a job stocking shelves in a supermarket. | clear I've cleared a shelf in the cupboard for you. | get sth down from/off, pick sth from/off, remove sth from, take sth down from/off The supermarket immediately removed the product from its shelves. | fill, fit on, go on, remain on, sit on Souvenirs filled the shelves. Her diaries just sat on the shelf for years (= nobody looked at them for years). | reach (for/to) She reached for the shelf next to the bed.

SHELF + VERB be full of sth, contain sth, hold sth

SHELF + NOUN space | life The medicine has a shelf life of six months.

PREP. off a/the ~ I knocked it off the shelf by accident. | on a/the ~ the books on the shelves | ~ of a shelf of books on economics

PHRASES be filled/lined with shelves The walls of her study were lined with shelves. | a place on your shelves The book deserves a place on everyone's shelves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shell noun

¹ on eggs/nuts/some animals

ADJ. broken, empty, hard, outer, protective, thick (figurative) She had built up a protective shell of indifference around herself. | egg (also eggshell) | cockle, conch, cowrie, fossil, mollusc, mussel, oyster, scallop, sea (also seashell), snail The garden was littered with empty snail shells. | coconut, walnut

VERB + SHELL have creatures that have shells | come out of, emerge from (often figurative) He's really come out of his shell since he met Marie. | go (back) into, retreat into, withdraw into The snail went back into its shell. | remove sth from Remove the mussels from their shells.

² explosive weapon

ADJ. heavy | unexploded | anti-aircraft, artillery, cannon, howitzer, mortar

VERB + SHELL load | fire

SHELL + VERB fall, land | blow up, burst, crash, explode | hit sth, strike sth Two shells hit the roof. | blow sth apart/off, blow sb/sth up

SHELL + NOUN fire They braved heavy shell fire to rescue the wounded. | case/casing, fragments, splinter | crater, hole

³ outer walls of a building

ADJ. concrete | burnt-out, empty, hollow The fire reduced the school to a hollow shell.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sheltered adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. snugly, well The farmyard was snugly sheltered with buildings on three sides. | fairly, quite, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shelter noun

¹ protection from danger/bad weather

VERB + SHELTER afford (sb), give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) The great elm trees gave shelter from the wind. | need | find, run for, seek, take | refuse sb The nuns won't refuse you shelter. | leave We had to leave the shelter of the trees.

PREP. in/under the ~ of standing in the shelter of the shop doorway | ~ from to seek shelter from the rain

PHRASES shelter for the night

² small building that gives protection

ADJ. makeshift, temporary | stone, underground, wooden | air-raid, bomb, bus, emergency, fallout

VERB + SHELTER build, erect, make, put up The villagers were building temporary shelters.

PREP. in a/the ~ You'll be safer in the shelter. | ~ for a shelter for cattle

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shelve verb

¹ put sth to one side and leave it for a while

ADV. quietly Plans to expand the company have had to be quietly shelved.

VERB + SHELVE be forced to, have to

² slope

ADV. gently, steeply The ground shelves quite steeply here. | down The beach shelves gently down to the sea.

PREP. to, towards

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sherry noun

ADJ. small | cream, dry, sweet | cooking

QUANT. bottle, glass

VERB + SHERRY have I'll have a small sherry, please. | drink, sip

SHERRY + NOUN glass

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shield noun

¹ used to protect the body

ADJ. riot

VERB + SHIELD be armed with, be equipped with, carry, have | act as Look for something that can act as a shield, like a dustbin lid.

PREP. behind a/the ~ a row of police officers behind their riot shields | on a/the ~ She did not recognize the coat of arms on his shield.

² sb/sth used for protecting yourself

ADJ. protective | human | nuclear | heat The nose of the space capsule is protected by a heat shield. | breast, face, gum, hand

VERB + SHIELD use sb/sth as They used 400 hostages as human shields. | form

PREP. ~ against The ozone layer forms a shield against harmful solar rays.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shield verb

ADV. partially, partly | carefully He carefully shielded the flame with his cupped hand.

VERB + SHIELD try to trying to shield the children from the full horrors of the war

PREP. against She raised her hand to shield her eyes against the sun. | from new laws to shield companies from foreign competition | with He shielded her with his body.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shift noun

¹ change

VERB + SHIFT be, represent These proposals represent a dramatic shift in policy. | bring about, cause, lead to, produce, result in | mark, see The moment marked a significant shift in attitudes to the war. | detect I detected a subtle shift towards our point of view. | explain one factor which may explain the president's policy shift

SHIFT + VERB occur, take place These climate shifts occurred over less than a decade.

PREP. ~ between the many shifts between verse and prose that occur in Shakespeare | ~ (away) from the shift away from direct taxation | ~ in a shift in public opinion | ~ to a sudden shift to the right in British politics | ~ towards a shift towards part-time farming

² division of the working day

ADJ. double, long, split I agreed to work double shifts for a few weeks. | day, early, late, night | eight-hour, ten-hour, etc. | afternoon, evening, morning, weekend

VERB + SHIFT be/come/go on, do, work (in) ~s I'm doing the early shift this week. I didn't realize that I'd have to work shifts. The clinic is staffed by ten doctors who work in shifts. | change (your) ~s It was 8.00 a.m. and the nurses were changing shifts. My husband has changed his shifts, from the afternoon shift to the night one. | be/go/come off

SHIFT + NOUN work | supervisor, manager, worker | pattern, system They'd altered his shift pattern twice in the past fortnight.

PREP. on a/the ~ a decision for the chief nurse on each shift

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shift verb

¹ move

ADV. slightly Julie shifted her position slightly and smiled. | impatiently, restlessly, uncomfortably, uneasily She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. | away

PREP. from She shifted her gaze away from the group of tourists. | onto He shifted his weight onto his left foot. | to Her eyes shifted to his face.

PHRASES shift from foot to foot

² change

VERB + SHIFT attempt to, try to trying to shift the blame onto the government | tend to | begin to

PREP. (away) from I felt the advantage had suddenly shifted away from us. | onto, to His sympathies rapidly shifted to the side of the workers. | towards These changes will shift the balance in higher education more towards science subjects.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shine verb

VERB + SHINE seem to (figurative) She seemed to shine with an inner radiance. | make sth You've really made that floor shine!

PREP. at The watchman shone his torch at us. | from (figurative) Love and pride shone from her eyes. | in The water was shining faintly in the moonlight. | like The dark wood shone like glass. | on/upon The light shone on his face. | with (figurative) His dark eyes shone with excitement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shin noun

VERB + SHIN kick (sb in/on) I kicked him hard in the shins to shut him up. | bang, bark, bruise, gash, graze, knock I barked my shin on a tree stump.

SHIN + NOUN bone | guard, pad

PREP. on the/your ~ a nasty cut on her shin

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shipment noun

¹ quantity of goods sent from one place to another

ADJ. arms, drug, oil, plutonium, weapons, etc.

VERB + SHIPMENT receive, send | escort An armed patrol boat will escort the shipment. | seize Customs officers have seized a large shipment of cocaine.

PREP. ~ of a shipment of arms

² act of transporting goods

ADJ. illegal | bulk | onward taken to Aqaba in Jordan for onward shipment to Brazil | waste trying to ban toxic waste shipments

VERB + SHIPMENT await large quantities of food awaiting shipment to the worst affected areas | arrange, begin, make | ban, stop | resume

PREP. ~ from to arrange a shipment from India | ~ to illegal shipment of arms to the Third World

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ship noun

ADJ. wooden | enemy | cargo, container, cruise, merchant, pirate, sailing, supply

QUANT. fleet

VERB + SHIP board, come/go aboard, come/go on board | sail | steer | moor The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London. | build, launch | load (sth onto), unload (sth from) The dockers were loading the cargo onto the ship. | christen, name | abandon The captain gave the order to abandon ship. | go down with The captain went down with his ship. | scuttle, sink, torpedo | jump Some of the crew jumped ship (= left it illegally) at Gibraltar and disappeared.

SHIP + VERB carry sb/sth a ship carrying more than a thousand people | arrive, dock | anchor, be/lie at anchor Their ship lay at anchor at the mouth of the harbour. | depart, go, leave, put to sea, sail, set sail | be wrecked, collide with sth, hit sth, run aground | capsize | go down, sink

PREP. aboard/on/on board a/the ~ They are now on a ship bound for New York. | by ~ There was no time to send the goods by ship. | ~ to/(bound) for

PHRASES the bow/stern of a ship, the captain/crew of a ship, the deck of a ship

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shirt noun

VERB + SHIRT button up, unbutton | pull off | tuck in He tucked his shirt into his trousers. | wash | iron

SHIRT + NOUN button, collar, cuff, front, pocket, sleeve, tail

PHRASES in (your) shirtsleeves (= not wearing a jacket) > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shiver noun

ADJ. little, slight, small | involuntary | sudden, unexpected | cold | delicious a delicious shiver of pleasure

VERB + SHIVER give She gave a little shiver and laughed. | feel He felt a shiver of excitement. | send His appearance sent a cold shiver down her spine. | suppress She tried to suppress a shiver of anticipation.

SHIVER + VERB go, pass, ripple, run A shiver of unease ran through the audience.

PREP. with a ~ ‘I'm scared, ’ she admitted, with a shiver. | ~ of a shiver of fear

PHRASES give sb the shivers Just thinking about flying gives me the shivers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shiver verb

ADV. convulsively, uncontrollably, violently | a little, slightly | involuntarily She shivered involuntarily as he approached her.

VERB + SHIVER begin to, start to | make sb His cruel and callous comments made me shiver.

PREP. at He shivered at the thought of it. | with I was shivering with cold.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shocked adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, sound

ADV. badly, deeply, genuinely, greatly, profoundly, quite, really, terribly, truly, very The passengers were badly shocked but unharmed. | almost | a bit, a little, mildly, rather, slightly | visibly

PREP. at They were shocked at how the children had been treated. | by She was visibly shocked by the conditions she witnessed in the refug

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shocking adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | find sth

ADV. deeply, extremely, very a deeply shocking and painful discovery | quite, rather, slightly

PREP. to His attitude was shocking to her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shock noun

¹ extreme surprise

ADJ. awful, big, complete, considerable, dreadful, great, major, nasty, real, terrible, tremendous | mild, slight | first, initial Once the initial shock had worn off, I got to like my new hairstyle. | sudden | culture It was a bit of a culture shock when I first came to this country.

VERB + SHOCK come as | feel, get, have She felt shock that he would be capable of such an act. I got a terrible shock when I saw him. | give sb | be in for If you think it's going to be easy you're in for a shock! | die of (informal) I nearly died of shock when your mother appeared. | get over, recover from

PREP. in ~ She looked round in shock. | with a ~ She realized with a sudden shock that she was being followed. | ~ at/on her shock on seeing him with another woman | ~ to This news came as a great shock to me.

PHRASES a bit/something of a shock, quite/rather a shock, a hell of a shock, in a state of shock I think I'm still in a state of shock. | a feeling/sense of shock, the shock of your life (informal), a shock to the system (informal) The low wages came as something of a shock to her system.

² electric shock

ADJ. massive | mild He gave himself a mild electric shock while changing a light bulb. | electric

VERB + SHOCK get, receive | give sb

³ extreme weakness caused by injury or shock

ADJ. deep | mild | delayed

VERB + SHOCK be in, be suffering from, suffer He was in deep shock after the accident. | go into He had gone into shock and was shaking violently. | be treated for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shock verb

ADV. deeply, really The news had shocked her deeply. | easily He had old-fashioned ideas and was easily shocked.

PREP. into The news shocked her into action.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shoelace noun

ADJ. undone | loose

QUANT. pair

VERB + SHOELACE do up, tie | undo, untie | retie

SHOELACE + VERB come undone > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shoe noun

QUANT. pair a sturdy pair of walking shoes

SHOE + VERB fit (sb) | pinch sth The shoes, though elegant, pinched her feet terribly.

PHRASES the heel/sole/toe of a shoe > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shoot noun

¹ new part of a plant

ADJ. fresh, green, new, tender, young | flowering | lateral, side | bamboo

VERB + SHOOT have This plant hasn't got any shoots yet. | develop, produce, put out, send out These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots.

SHOOT + VERB appear, come up, develop, emerge, grow, sport Keep the bulbs in a cool dark place until shoots appear.

² occasion when you photograph sb/sth

ADJ. fashion, film, photo, photographic, video a five-day photo shoot in Cyprus | location

PREP. on a/the ~ He goes out on shoots with very little equipment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shoot verb

ADV. straight She practised for days until she could shoot straight. | accidentally He accidentally shot himself in the foot. | fatally Four policemen were fatally shot in the incident. | summarily If caught, the men could be summarily shot as spies. | back If they shoot, we shoot back.

VERB + SHOOT want to | threaten to | be going to I thought for a moment that he was going to shoot. | try to

PREP. at soldiers shooting at a target | with She was shot with a small automatic pistol.

PHRASES shoot (sb) on sight Any intruders will be shot on sight. | shoot sb dead The police shot him dead. | shoot sb in the arm, leg, chest, etc., shoot to kill The soldiers were told to shoot to kill.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shopkeeper noun

ADJ. small an organization set up to help small shopkeepers | prosperous | local, village

SHOPKEEPER + VERB sell sth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shoplifting noun

SHOPLIFTING + NOUN spree They stole thousands of pounds' worth of goods in a two-day shoplifting spree. > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shopper noun

ADJ. average what the average shopper's trolley contains | compulsive | Christmas | window | personal (= sb you pay to do your shopping)

VERB + SHOPPER be crowded with, be packed with, be thronged with The street was thronged with shoppers. | attract, encourage, persuade, tempt encouraging shoppers to leave their cars at home

SHOPPER + VERB rush a busy day in London stores as shoppers rushed to beat the rise in VAT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shopping noun

¹ food, etc. bought in shops

VERB + SHOPPING be laden with | carry | put away, unpack They unpacked the shopping and put it away.

² activity of shopping

VERB + SHOPPING do, go (out) She's doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. I have to go shopping in town this afternoon.

SHOPPING + NOUN bag, basket, trolley | list | arcade, area, centre, complex, facilities, mall, precinct, street the town's main shopping street | expedition, spree, trip She won £10,000 and immediately went on a shopping spree. | hours outside normal shopping hours

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shop noun

QUANT. parade, row The post office is at the end of the row of shops. | chain The brothers opened a chain of electrical shops in the eighties.

VERB + SHOP have, keep, own, run | open, set up She opened a flower shop in the High Street. (figurative) Some buskers had set up shop outside the station. | close, shut (up) At 5.30 she shuts up shop and goes home.

SHOP + NOUN assistant, manager, manageress, owner, staff, worker | counter, display, doorway, front, premises, shelves, sign, window | chain a famous shoe shop chain

PREP. around/round a/the ~ I went around all the shops but I couldn't find a present for him. | at a/the ~ There was was a break-in at that new shop last night. | in a/the ~ She works part-time in a shop.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shore noun

¹ land along the edge of a sea/lake

ADJ. golden, sandy on the golden shores of beautiful Bali | rocky, wooded | barren, bleak, desert, deserted, exposed, lonely, wilder (figurative) a Belgian from the wilder shores of Flemish nationalism | lee, sheltered | distant, far, farther, opposite, other Meg was pointing towards the far shore. | north/northern, etc. The path ran along the southern shore of the lake. | lake

VERB + SHORE approach, reach | leave | follow, hug We sailed until midnight, hugging the shore. | be found on, be washed up on A dying dolphin was found washed up on the shore.

SHORE + NOUN bird | road | leave

PREP. along the ~ walking along the wooded shores of the lake | around the ~ of The route goes around the shore of Derwent Water. | by the ~ strolling by the shore | close to/near the ~ The sea appears calm near the shore. | from (a/the) ~ just a few miles from shore watching from the shore | on (a/the) ~ The others were now safely on shore. There are a lot of rocks on that shore. | on the ~s of The hotel is situated on the sheltered shores of the Moray Firth. | (down/back) to/towards the ~ The hotel's gardens stretch down to the lake shore.

² (also shores) particular country

ADJ. American, British, etc. the ship in which Columbus first sailed to American shores | foreign, native | our, these

VERB + SHORE arrive on, come to, reach, return to He was glad to return to his native shores. | leave | defend We will fight to the death to defend our shores.

PREP. beyond/outside the ~ The decisions will be taken beyond these shores.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

short cut noun

VERB + SHORT CUT take, use

PREP. ~ across/through Take the short cut across the fields. | ~ to There are no short cuts to economic recovery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shortage noun

VERB + SHORTAGE cause, create, lead to, result in | be affected by, be hampered by, face, have, suffer (from) Industry is facing a serious labour shortage. | alleviate, deal with, ease, meet, overcome, solve, tackle The recent heavy rains have helped to ease the water shortage. | exacerbate The energy shortages were exacerbated by the severe winter.

SHORTAGE + VERB occur | cause sth, lead to sth A shortage of resources has led to a cutback.

PREP. because of/due to a/the ~ Lives are being put at risk because of staff shortages. | ~ in Their economy continued to suffer shortages in raw materials. | ~ of a desperate shortage of food

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shortcoming noun

ADJ. obvious, perceived | fundamental, serious | minor | sb's own, personal | technical

VERB + SHORTCOMING have, suffer from | draw attention to, expose, highlight, identify, reveal | be aware of They are well aware of their own shortcomings. | ignore, overlook The committee is willing to overlook your past shortcomings. | compensate for, eliminate, make good, make up for, overcome, remedy Their proposal seeks to remedy these shortcomings.

SHORTCOMING + VERB stem from sth Not all these shortcomings stem from inadequate resources.

PREP. despite/in spite of sb/sth's ~s Despite its obvious shortcomings, the plan was accepted by the government. | ~ in the shortcomings in the law

PHRASES shortcomings on sb's part They said the accident was due to shortcomings on the part of the pilots.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shorten verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, significantly The course has now been shortened considerably.

PREP. by His driving ban has been shortened by a year. | from, to The waiting time has been shortened dramatically from eight weeks to just one week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shorthand noun

¹ system of writing

VERB + SHORTHAND learn | do, take, take/write sth down in Her secretary was taking shorthand. He took the speech down in shorthand. | transcribe

SHORTHAND + NOUN typist, writer A shorthand writer will make a transcript. | notes | notation

² quick way of talking about sth

ADJ. convenient, useful

VERB + SHORTHAND use sth as

PREP. ~ for The term ‘machine’ is used as a convenient shorthand for the total hardware and software system.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shortlist noun

VERB + SHORTLIST compile, draw up The interviewers have to draw up a shortlist of five or six people. | put sb on I think we should put her on our shortlist. | choose from They will choose from a shortlist of seven candidates.

PREP. on a/the ~ | ~ for The film is on the shortlist for Best Picture. | ~ of a shortlist of three a shortlist of candidates

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shorts noun

QUANT. pair > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

short adj.

¹ not measuring much from one end to the other

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. extremely, really, very | comparatively, fairly, quite, rather, relatively a relatively short distance of 50 to 100 miles

² not lasting a long time

VERBS be, feel, seem | become, get The working week is getting shorter and shorter. | make sth | keep sth Do you mind if we keep the meeting short?

ADV. extremely, very | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively It was all over in a relatively short space of time.

³ not having enough of what is needed

VERBS be, look Our team was one player short. | become, get We're getting short of funds.

ADV. extremely, really, terribly, very, woefully If space is really short, that door can be moved. United looked woefully short of menace in attack. | a bit, quite, rather

PREP. of Mike was a bit short of cash just then.

⁴ rude

VERBS be

ADV. a bit, rather

PREP. with Sorry I was a bit short with you earlier.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shotgun noun

ADJ. 12-bore, double-barrelled, pump-action, sawn-off The men were armed with sawn-off shotguns. | loaded

VERB + SHOTGUN fire | be armed with, carry | threaten sb with | load | aim

SHOTGUN + NOUN licence | cartridge, pellet | blast The cause of death was a shotgun blast at close range. | wound

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shot noun

¹ act of firing a gun

QUANT. series, volley A volley of shots rang out.

VERB + SHOT aim | fire, take I took a few more shots at the target, but missed every time.

SHOT + VERB ring out | hit sb/sth, strike sb/sth The shot hit him in the upper chest. | kill sb/sth | miss (sb/sth)

PREP. ~ from a shot from his semi-automatic rifle | ~ to She was killed by a single shot to the head.

² person who shoots a gun, etc.

ADJ. crack, good, excellent She is a crack shot with a rifle. | bad, poor

³ act of kicking/hitting a ball

ADJ. fine, good, great, superb | poor, wayward | long

VERB + SHOT crack/get in, have, take, try Go on?take another shot. | miss | mishit | block, parry, save The goalkeeper parried his first shot but he scored from the rebound.

SHOT + VERB be on target | go wide, miss My first shot went wide, but my second was right on target.

PREP. ~ at/on Their captain tried a long shot on goal. | ~ from his right-footed shot from outside the penalty area a superb shot from Rivaldo > Special page at SPORT

⁴ photograph; picture in a film

VERB + SHOT get, take I got some great shots of the runners as they crossed the line.

SHOT + VERB show sth a wide-angle shot showing the Houses of Parliament

PREP. ~ from a shot from a low angle | ~ of a publicity shot of the band performing

⁵ injection of a drug

ADJ. booster

VERB + SHOT give sb | get, have Have you had all your shots for your holiday yet?

PREP. ~ of a shot of penicillin The applause acted on her like a shot of adrenalin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shoulder noun

¹ part of the body between the neck and the arm

ADJ. dislocated, frozen His frozen shoulder has stopped him playing tennis.

PREP. over your ~ He slung the sack over his shoulder and set off.

PHRASES a pat on the shoulder He gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. | shoulder to shoulder The route of the procession was lined with police officers standing shoulder to shoulder. | tap sb on the shoulder I tapped the man on the shoulder and asked him to move.

² shoulders: the part between the two shoulders

VERB + SHOULDER shrug When I asked him why he'd done it he just shrugged his shoulders. | hunch He hunched his shoulders against the cold wind.

SHOULDER + VERB be bent, be bowed, be stooped She was crouched with her head forward and her shoulders bent. | droop, drop, sag, slump My shoulders dropped with relief. | lift, shrug Her shoulders lifted in a vague shrug. | heave, shake, twitch His enormous shoulders heaved with sobs. | stiffen, tighten | relax

PREP. on your ~s The child sat on her father's shoulders to watch the parade go by.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shoulder verb

¹ accept the responsibility for sth

VERB + SHOULDER have to, must She had to shoulder the burden of childcare. | be willing/unwilling to He was unwilling to shoulder this responsibility alone.

² push sb/sth with your shoulder

ADV. roughly We were shouldered roughly out of the way. | aside, out of the way

PHRASES shoulder your way past/through sb/sth She shouldered her way through the crowd.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shout noun

VERB + SHOUT give, let out | hear I heard her warning shout too late. | be greeted with | give sb (figurative) Give me a shout if you'd like to come with us.

SHOUT + VERB echo, go up A great shout of excitement went up as she crossed the finishing line.

PREP. with a ~ With a shout of pain, he pulled his hand away from the hot stove. | ~ from There were shouts of laughter from the crowd. | ~ of

PHRASES a shout of anger/alarm/pain, a shout of laughter, a shout of victory > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shout verb

VERB + SHOUT want to | try to | open your mouth to He opened his mouth to shout, but no sound came out. | begin to, start to | hear sb I could hear him shouting down the telephone.

PREP. about What were they shouting about? | above We had to shout above the noise of the engines. | after We shouted after him, but he couldn't hear us. | at There's no need to shout at me! | for We shouted for help. | to He shouted to the lorry driver to stop.

PHRASES keep (on) shouting, shout and scream They were surrounded by people shouting and screaming. | shout at the top of your voice, shout yourself hoarse She shouted herself hoarse, cheering on the team. | start/stop shouting

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shove noun

ADJ. little | good, hefty, violent

VERB + SHOVE give sb/sth Harry gave him a hefty shove and he fell over.

PREP. with a ~ She sent him off with a little shove.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shove verb

ADV. hard, roughly I shoved hard until the door opened. | aside, away, back He shoved me roughly aside.

PREP. down, in She shoved the letter in a drawer. | into, out of, through A leaflet was shoved through my letter box.

PHRASES push and shove The crowd was pushing and shoving to get a better view. | shove your way We shoved our way to the bar.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

showdown noun

ADJ. final The scene was set for the final showdown. | title, World Cup, etc.

VERB + SHOWDOWN have | avoid | face, head for | force, seek He was now strong enough to force a showdown with them.

PREP. ~ against the showdown against Holland in April | ~ between the title showdown between Arsenal and United | ~ over The council is heading for a showdown over the new proposals. | ~ with Britain's World Cup showdown with Australia last month

PHRASES it comes to a showdown (= a showdown happens) Of course I'll support you if it comes to a showdown.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shower noun

¹ for washing your body

ADJ. cold, cool, hot | power | brief, quick I'll just take a quick shower. | electric | en suite, private

VERB + SHOWER have, take

SHOWER + NOUN cubicle, curtain, room | head, mixer, rose, tray | gel

² of rain or snow

ADJ. rain, sleet, snow | heavy, light | blustery, wintry | scattered | April

SHOWER + VERB spread | die out Scattered showers during the afternoon will die out by late evening.

³ of small objects

ADJ. dust, meteor, meteorite

PREP. ~ of The grinding wheel sent out a shower of sparks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

showing noun

¹ how sb/sth behaves or performs

ADJ. good, strong | disappointing, disastrous, dismal, poor the party's poor showing in the election

VERB + SHOWING make, put up The opposing team put up a very strong showing. | improve on The team will have to improve on today's showing if it is to survive in the competition.

PREP. on sb's ~ On its present showing, the party should win the election. | ~ against the euro's strong showing against the dollar | ~ by/from It was a great showing by the Brazilian team.

² showing a film, etc.

ADJ. private

VERB + SHOWING attend, go to The young princes attended a private showing of the new Disney film. | get, have, receive | give sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

showroom noun

ADJ. car, furniture | electricity, gas We chose a new cooker from the gas showroom.

VERB + SHOWROOM go to, visit | open, set up

SHOWROOM + NOUN door, window | condition He managed to find a second-hand Ferrari in showroom condition. | price | model They took 10 per cent off the price of the computer as it was a showroom model.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

show noun

¹ type of entertainment

VERB + SHOW see, watch Did you see the Lenny Henry Show last night? | host

SHOW + VERB feature sb/sth, star sb a live show featuring the best of Irish talent

SHOW + NOUN business

PREP. from a/the ~ songs from the show | in a/the ~ one of the acts in the show | on a/the ~ (only used about television and radio shows) I saw her on a chat show yesterday.

PHRASES the star of the show The dog was the real star of the show. > Note at PERFORMANCE(for more verbs)

² public display/exhibition

ADJ. big | annual, spring, summer | local | agricultural, air, art, boat, cat, dog, fashion, flower, horse, motor, trade

VERB + SHOW have, hold, organize, put on They are holding a big fashion show at the Hilton tonight. | attend, go to

SHOW + VERB feature The show features the work of local artists.

SHOW + NOUN ring

PREP. at a/the ~ There were more than 500 exhibitors at the trade show. | on ~ (being shown for people to look at) The paintings are on show until April.

³ outward expression of an emotion/attitude

ADJ. great | brave | public

VERB + SHOW make, put on Although she hated him, she put on a show of politeness. | be all He shouts a lot but it's all show.

PREP. for ~ She pretends to be interested in opera, but it's only for show. | ~ of He made a great show of welcoming us.

PHRASES a show of force/strength The Democrats organized a show of strength, a mass rally in Central Park.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

show verb

¹ make sth clear; let sb see sth

ADV. clearly The figures clearly show that her claims are false.

VERB + SHOW appear to, seem to | go to It just goes to show what you can do when you really try. | aim to, attempt to, seek to, try to | be able to, can/could | be unable to, fail to | be expected to, be likely to Third quarter figures are likely to show a further fall in figures. | help (to) | offer to | refuse to Lewis refused to show any emotion. | be anxious to, be eager to, be happy to, be keen to, intend to, want to, wish to Les was happy to show her how it should be done. | be designed to | let sb Let me show you on the map.

PREP. to She showed her new toy to her friends.

PHRASES a chance to show sth I'm giving him a chance to show what he can do.

² be visible

ADV. hardly It's such a tiny mark, it hardly shows.

VERB + SHOW begin to | let sth She tried not to let her disappointment show.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shrapnel noun

ADJ. flying He was hit in the arm by flying shrapnel.

QUANT. piece

VERB + SHRAPNEL be hit by, be shattered by, be wounded/killed by

SHRAPNEL + VERB fly, whistle The bomb exploded, sending shrapnel whistling through the trees.

SHRAPNEL + NOUN wound

PREP. ~ from the shrapnel from the grenade

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shred noun

¹ small thin piece of sth

ADJ. fine, thin | tattered the tattered shreds of their flag

PREP. in/into ~s Cut the orange peel into fine shreds. (figurative) Their economy is in shreds. | ~ of leaving just a few shreds of cloth

PHRASES cut/rip/tear sth to shreds (figurative) Their case was torn to shreds by the defence lawyer.

² very small amount of sth

ADJ. every With her had gone every shred of hope he had for the future. | last, remaining She was hanging on to the last remaining shreds of her reputation.

PREP. ~ of There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that we will win.

PHRASES not a/the slightest shred of sth, not/without a shred of evidence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shred verb

ADV. finely Shred the lettuce leaves finely.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shriek noun

ADJ. loud | little She gave a little shriek of delight. | high-pitched, piercing

VERB + SHRIEK give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ She fell to the floor with a shriek of pain. | ~ of Shrieks of laughter came from the bedroom.

PHRASES a shriek of delight/pain, a shriek of laughter > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shriek verb

ADV. aloud | all but, almost He all but shrieked when he saw her.

VERB + SHRIEK hear sb

PREP. at Stop shrieking at me! | in She shrieked in terror. | with The audience shrieked with laughter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shrine noun

ADJ. hallowed, holy, religious, sacred This shrine is sacred to the Hindu god Vishnu. | Christian, Islamic, etc. | forest, rural, wayside | portable

VERB + SHRINE build, erect, turn sth into | dedicate a shrine dedicated to the sea goddess | go on/make a pilgrimage to, visit On his recovery he made a pilgrimage to the shrine of St John.

PREP. at a/the worshipping at wayside shrines | ~ of the shrine of St Cuthbert at Durham | ~ to She had turned the room into a shrine to her dead son.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shrink verb

¹ become smaller

PREP. by Their profits shrank by 4% last year. | from, to Their share of the market has shrunk from 14% to 5%.

PHRASES shrink in size Households have been shrinking in size but increasing in number.

² move away

ADV. a little He shrank a little at the sight of the blood. | away, back

VERB + SHRINK try to

PREP. against He shrank back against the wall. | in She shrank back in terror. | into I shrank back into the shadows. | from She shrank from his touch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shroud noun

VERB + SHROUD wrap sb in A human form lay there, wrapped in a shroud.

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ of (figurative) The nuclear project was cloaked in a shroud of secrecy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shrub noun

VERB + SHRUB grow | plant, put in | dig up, take out | replant | cut back, prune Overgrown deciduous shrubs can be cut back at this time of year.

SHRUB + VERB grow Tender shrubs don't grow well here. | come into flower, flower

SHRUB + NOUN rose

PHRASES be planted with shrubs The bed is planted with flowering shrubs. | a variety of shrub

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shrug noun

VERB + SHRUG give The boy gave a slight shrug and walked away.

PREP. in a ~ She lifted her shoulders in a little shrug | with a ~ ‘I don't know,’ she said with a shrug. | ~ of a shrug of resignation

PHRASES a shrug of the shoulders

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shrug verb

ADV. lightly, slightly | carelessly, dismissively, indifferently, negligently, nonchalantly She shrugged nonchalantly and turned away. | impatiently, irritably | apologetically | helplessly, ruefully He shrugged helplessly and said nothing. | expressively | just, merely, only, simply He merely shrugged his shoulders in reply. PHRASAL VERBS shrug sth off

VERB + SHRUG be able to, can/could, try to The team have been able to shrug off their recent failures and perform well. | try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shudder noun

ADJ. little, slight, small, tiny | deep, exaggerated, great, violent | involuntary

VERB + SHUDDER give She gave a little shudder when she touched his clammy hand. | feel | repress, suppress He repressed a shudder of disgust. | send The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him

SHUDDER + VERB go/pass/run through sb/sth, rack sb/sth A shudder of pain racked his body.

PREP. with a ~ He remembered that awful moment with a shudder. | ~ of a shudder of relief

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shudder verb

ADV. convulsively, uncontrollably, violently | slightly | involuntarily She shuddered involuntarily as he approached her. | inwardly

VERB + SHUDDER make sb The sight of the dead body made them shudder.

PREP. at She shuddered at the memory of school exams. | through A deep sigh shuddered through her body. | with His whole body shuddered with fury.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shuffle verb

¹ walk by sliding your feet along

ADV. awkwardly, slowly Simon shuffled awkwardly towards them. | along, away, forward, out, off, over The queue shuffled slowly forward.

PREP. across, down, into, out of, towards, etc.

² move your body/feet around

ADV. nervously, uncomfortably, uneasily She shuffled nervously on the bench. | about, around The boys shuffled around uncomfortably.

PHRASES shuffle in your chair/seat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shutter noun

¹ cover for a window

ADJ. closed, open He left the shutter open. | metal, steel, wooden | security, window

VERB + SHUTTER have | fling open, fold back, open, throw back/open He threw open the shutters to cool the room. | close, pull down, put up The village shop had put up the shutters for the night.

SHUTTER + VERB be/come down All the shutters in the street were down. (figurative) I could feel the shutters coming down in her mind.

PREP. behind ~ She could be seen waiting for him behind half-closed shutters. | through ~ Daylight was filtering through the shutters when he woke up.

² part of a camera

ADJ. camera

VERB + SHUTTER press

SHUTTER + VERB click As the princess approached you could hear hundreds of camera shutters clicking.

SHUTTER + NOUN speed You will need a fast shutter speed for photographing sport.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shuttle noun

¹ plane/bus/train

VERB + SHUTTLE catch, fly on, get, take

SHUTTLE + NOUN bus, flight, service, train The supermarket operates a complimentary shuttle service. | diplomacy (= international talks carried out by sb who travels between two or more countries)

PREP. on a/the ~ We'll fly up on the shuttle. | ~ between the shuttle between Adrar and Oran | ~ from, ~ to I took the Eastern Airlines shuttle from Washington to New York.

² (also space shuttle) spacecraft

SHUTTLE + NOUN craft | crew | mission

PREP. aboard/on board the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shut adj.

¹ in a closed position

VERBS be, look | bang, blow, clang, click, clunk, slam, slide, swing The window blew shut. The elevator door slid shut. | remain, stay | be clenched, be jammed His jaw was clenched shut. | bang sth, kick sth, leave sth, pull sth, slam sth, slide sth, snap sth I'll leave the window shut for now. He slammed the case shut. She snapped shut a file on her desk. | keep sth The gates are always kept shut. (figurative) Afraid to ask seemingly stupid questions, I kept my mouth shut.

ADV. firmly, properly, tightly The door was firmly shut.

² not open to the public

VERBS be, look The bars all look shut to me. | remain

PREP. for The park is now shut for the winter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shyness noun

ADJ. natural | extreme, intense, paralysing

VERB + SHYNESS be overcome with, have, suffer from He was suddenly overcome with shyness. | forget, get over, lose, overcome She had to work very hard to overcome her paralysing shyness. She completely forgot her shyness in her fascination with what he was saying. | cure

SHYNESS + VERB disappear, vanish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shy adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound Please don't be shy?I won't eat you! | become, get, go, grow

ADV. desperately, excessively, extremely, painfully, terribly, very As a teenager I was painfully shy. | all She went all shy and hid behind her mother. | almost | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | naturally He is a naturally shy, retiring man. | chronically

PREP. of I was a bit shy of them at first. | with You don't have to be shy with me, you know.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

shy verb

ADV. violently

PREP. at Her horse shied violently at a gorse bush.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sibling noun

ADJ. elder/older, younger The younger children were badly treated by older siblings.

SIBLING + NOUN rivalry

PREP. among/between ~s poor relationships between siblings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sickness noun

¹ state of being ill

ADJ. chronic, long, long-term

SICKNESS + NOUN absence | allowance, benefit | insurance | rate

PREP. due to/owing to/through ~ The Personnel Department keeps a record of employees absent through sickness.

² nausea

VERB + SICKNESS suffer (from)

SICKNESS + VERB rise The sickness rose inside him.

PHRASES a feeling of sickness Several workers complained of feelings of sickness and headaches.

³ particular type of illness

ADJ. acute, chronic | air, car, motion, travel | altitude/mountain, decompression, radiation, sleeping > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sick adj.

¹ ill

VERBS be, look | become, fall (formal), get (informal) He fell sick with yellow fever. She was afraid she would get sick if she stayed in that place any longer.

ADV. chronically, desperately, extremely, terribly, very The house has accommodation for up to 60 chronically sick or disabled residents. a very sick woman in the next bed | incurably, terminally | mentally

PHRASES be off sick John's not in the office today, he's off sick.

² ill in your stomach

VERBS be, feel, look Mum, I feel sick! | get I get travel-sick if I sit in the back seat. | make sb If you eat all that chocolate it'll make you sick.

ADV. horribly, really, very, violently He leaned sideways and was violently sick. | almost | a bit, faintly, a little, quite, rather, slightly | continually | physically Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.

PREP. with Laura felt almost sick with embarrassment.

PHRASES be as sick as a dog

³ bored/disgusted/annoyed

VERBS be | become, get I'm getting sick of all these delays. | make sb Her attitude makes me sick.

ADV. heartily, really He was getting heartily sick of all the false sympathy. | absolutely, thoroughly | a bit, pretty, rather She was getting a bit sick of his moaning.

PREP. of I'm getting sick of you leaving things in a mess.

PHRASES sick and tired of sth, sick to death of sth, sick to the back teeth of sth

⁴ cruel/in bad taste

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. extremely, really, very You're really sick, you know that? | pretty, rather It was pretty sick humour, I thought.

PHRASES sick in the head Whoever started the fire must be sick in the head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sick noun the sick

ADJ. chronic, long-term

VERB + SICK visit | care for, look after workers who are caring for the sick and elderly | treat | cure, heal the Church's mission to preach the gospel and heal the sick

PHRASES the sick and wounded The sick and wounded were evacuated from the war zone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

side effect noun

ADJ. adverse, dangerous, harmful, nasty, negative, serious, severe, toxic, undesirable, unexpected, unfortunate, unpleasant, unwanted | beneficial | long-term | physical

VERB + SIDE EFFECT cause, have, produce The treatment has some unfortunate side effects. | suffer

PREP. ~ from The patient suffered severe side effects from the drug. | ~ of The drug has the beneficial side effect of lowering the patient's blood pressure. | ~ on The medication can have adverse side effects on the patient.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sideline noun

ADJ. lucrative, nice (little), profitable, useful He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.

VERB + SIDELINE have | develop

PREP. ~ for Cider making was a sideline for many farmers. | ~ in She is developing a nice little sideline in childminding for friends. | ~ to The restaurant started out as a sideline to his main business.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

side noun

¹ flat surface of sth thin

ADJ. flip, reverse The reverse side of the coin has a picture of a flower.

² either of the two parts of a place/object

ADJ. far, opposite, other At the other side of the room, a group of people were clustered around the fire. | near | right, wrong A car came rushing towards them on the wrong side of the road. | left-hand, right-hand the left-hand side of the page | east, west, etc.

PREP. at one/the ~ Some people were standing at one side of the room. | down one/the ~ A path leads down one side of the garden. | from ~ to ~ The cat sat with its tail twitching from side to side. | on/to one ~ (= not in the middle) She put her head to one side as she talked.

³ right/left part of your body

ADJ. left-hand, left, right-hand, right the right-hand side of the brain

PREP. down your ~ He is paralysed down his left side as a result of polio. | in the/your ~ I've got an awful pain in my side. | on your ~ I always sleep on my side because I'm not comfortable on my back.

⁴ aspect/quality of sb/sth

ADJ. positive | bad, dark, negative, ugly The scandal has shown us the ugly side of politics. | caring, creative, feminine She likes men who do not hide their feminine side. | business, commercial, financial, management, marketing, etc. I had nothing to do with the financial side of the firm.

VERB + SIDE have He's usually very kind and gentle, but he has his less positive side too. | show | hide

PREP. ~ to There are several sides to most problems.

PHRASES look on the bright side Even when things go badly, try to look on the bright side. | on the credit/debit side On the credit side, we played well, although we lost the match. | see the funny side (of sth) Fortunately, Julie saw the funny side when I spilled coffee on her.

⁵ team

ADJ. good, strong | losing, winning | away, home As the home side, they were expected to play an attacking game. | League, Test

VERB + SIDE captain | field Sussex are likely to field a strong side.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

siege noun

¹ when an army surrounds a town

ADJ. long, prolonged

VERB + SIEGE lay The English forces laid siege to the city of Tournai. | withstand This fortress could withstand a siege for years if necessary. | lift, raise, relieve (= arrive to help the people in a siege) The royal forces marched south to lift the siege of Donnington Castle.

SIEGE + VERB last The siege lasted two years.

SIEGE + NOUN warfare | engine

PREP. at a/the ~ wounded at the siege of Edinburgh Castle in 1573 | during a/the ~, under ~ At the very end of the war, Prague again came under siege. | ~ of

² when the police, etc. surround a building

ADJ. four-day, ten-hour, etc. | armed, gun, police

SIEGE + VERB end The seven-hour armed siege at the school ended peacefully.

PREP. during a/the ~ The terrorists were shot dead during the siege of the embassy.

PHRASES a state of siege The police placed the city centre under a virtual state of siege.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

siesta noun

ADJ. short | afternoon

VERB + SIESTA have, take Lots of people were taking a short siesta in the shade.

SIESTA + NOUN time

PREP. for a ~ I went upstairs for my afternoon siesta.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sieve noun

ADJ. fine

VERB + SIEVE pass/press/strain sth through

PREP. in a/the ~ Wash the rice in a sieve under cold running water. | through a/the ~ Strain the cream through a fine sieve into the egg mixture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sift verb

¹ pass sth through a sieve

ADV. finely Sift the flour finely before adding it to the mixture. | in, together Beat the mixture until smooth, then sift in the remaining sugar.

² examine sth very carefully

ADV. carefully, methodically

PREP. through They spent days carefully sifting through the evidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sighting noun

ADJ. confirmed, reliable | unconfirmed | reported | rare | UFO

VERB + SIGHTING have We now have three confirmed sightings of an enemy plane. | report | follow up, investigate The police are now following up a number of reported sightings of the missing woman's car.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sightseeing noun

VERB + SIGHTSEEING do, go We did some sightseeing in the morning. It's too hot to go sightseeing.

SIGHTSEEING + NOUN excursion, tour, trip

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sight noun

¹ ability to see

ADJ. excellent, good, normal, perfect | defective, failing, poor, weak | long, short

VERB + SIGHT have She has very little sight in her left eye. | lose He's lost the sight of one eye. | save The surgeons battled to save her sight.

SIGHT + VERB deteriorate, fail, go I think my sight is beginning to go.

SIGHT + NOUN test | defects, problems

PHRASES the/your sense of sight

² act/moment of seeing sth

VERB + SIGHT catch, get, have She suddenly caught sight of the look on her mother's face. We will soon get our first sight of the Statue of Liberty. | keep She kept sight of him in her mirror. | lose

PREP. at the ~ (of) Her knees went weak at the sight of him.

PHRASES at first sight He looked at first sight like an English tourist. | cannot stand/bear the sight of sth (= hate seeing sb/sth) I never could stand the sight of blood. | a clear sight of sth He didn't shoot until he had a clear sight of the goal. | know sb by sight (= to recognize sb without knowing them well), the mere/very sight of sb/sth The mere sight of her sitting there made his heart beat faster. | shoot (sb) on sight (= to shoot sb immediately you see them) Soldiers have been ordered to shoot looters on sight. | sick of the sight of sb/sth We've shared an office for too long and we're sick of the sight of each other.

³ position where sth can be seen

VERB + SIGHT come into Then the towers of the castle came into sight. | disappear from, vanish from She watched until the car disappeared from sight. | hide (sth) from, remove sth from I hid the papers from sight. | keep sth in Keep their car in sight for as long as you can.

PREP. in ~ (often figurative) The end is in sight (= will happen soon). | out of ~ He kept out of sight behind a pillar. | within ~ of The cricket ground was situated within sight of both village pubs.

PHRASES come in sight of sb/sth At last we came in sight of a few houses. | in full sight of sb He tried to break into a car in full sight of a policeman. | in plain sight They waited until the enemy was in plain sight. | your line of sight She was now standing just out of his line of sight. | not let sb/sth out of your sight Whatever you do, don't let them out of your sight!

⁴ sth that you see

ADJ. common, regular | bizarre, rare, strange, unexpected, unfamiliar, unlikely, unusual | awe-inspiring, awesome, beautiful, breathtaking, fine, impressive, inspiring, magnificent, spectacular, splendid, unforgettable, wonderful | depressing, pathetic, pitiful, sad, sorry He really did look a sorry sight, his hair tangled and his clothing covered in feathers. | ghastly, gruesome, horrifying, terrible, terrifying

VERB + SIGHT look

PHRASES not a pretty sight I'm not a pretty sight when I get out of bed in the morning. | sights and sounds The sights and sounds of the city distracted her from her work.

⁵ sights: places of interest

ADJ. famous, historic

VERB + SIGHT see, take in, visit Let's get out of the hotel and see the sights.

⁶ sights: your aim/expectation

VERB + SIGHT have sb/sth in/within Rossi has the defending champion in her sights in tomorrow's race. | lower, raise After failing to get into university, he lowered his sights and got a job in a shop.

PHRASES set your sights on sth/have your sights set on sth She has her sights set on becoming a writer. | set your sights high/low He says he wants to win the trophy, but I think he's setting his sights too high.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sigh noun

VERB + SIGH breathe, give, heave, let out I breathed a sigh of relief. | repress, stifle, suppress | hear

SIGH + VERB escape sb A weary sigh escaped him.

PREP. on a ~ She let out her breath on a sigh. | with a ~ ‘I suppose we'd better get back to work,’ he said with a heavy sigh. | ~ of She gave a deep sigh of contentment.

PHRASES a sigh of relief > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sigh verb

PREP. in He sighed in exasperation. | with We sighed with relief when the noise stopped.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

signal noun

¹ sign/action/sound that sends a message

ADJ. clear, unmistakable | agreed, pre-arranged | conflicting, confusing, contradictory, mixed | wrong Laughing when you should be crying sends out the wrong signals to people. | alarm, danger, distress, warning | hand, non-verbal, semaphore, smoke, verbal, visual

VERB + SIGNAL arrange He had arranged a signal for the band to begin. | give (sb), make, send (out) When I give the signal, run! | interpret (sth as), read, see sth as The remark was seen as a signal that their government was ready to return to the peace talks. | pick up, respond to Interviewers quickly learn to pick up non-verbal signals. | act as The insect's bright colours act as warning signals to its predators.

SIGNAL + VERB come from sth trying to read the signals coming from the patient | indicate sth the signals that can indicate danger

PREP. at/on a ~ At a pre-arranged signal, everyone started cheering. | ~ for She made a signal for the car to stop. | ~ from/to Wait for the signal from the leader of your group.

² set of lights for drivers

ADJ. railway, traffic

VERB + SIGNAL operate

SIGNAL + VERB be (on) red/green The traffic signals were on red. | fail

SIGNAL + NOUN box | failure

³ series of radio waves, chemical messages, etc.

ADJ. faint, weak | strong | high-frequency, low-frequency | acoustic, analogue, audio, chemical, digital, electrical, electronic, light, radar, radio, sonar, sound, television/TV, video, wireless

VERB + SIGNAL carry, pass The nerves carry these signals to the brain. | convert (sth into), scramble, unscramble The signal is scrambled into code before it is sent. | emit, generate, send, transmit | detect, pick up, receive, respond to This equipment can detect very low frequency signals.

SIGNAL + VERB travel A light signal can travel well over 16km before it halves in intensity. | fade

PREP. ~ from a faint signal from the satellite | ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

signal verb

¹ move your arms to give a signal

ADV. frantically, wildly She signalled frantically to us.

PREP. for He raised his hand and signalled for the waiter. | to She signalled to the bus driver to stop.

² show/mark sth

ADV. clearly These changes clearly signal the end of the welfare state as we know it. | effectively | not necessarily A change of mind in one instance does not necessarily signal a change in overall policy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

signatory noun

ADJ. authorized The document must be signed by an authorized signatory of the company. | first, original

SIGNATORY + VERB agree sth Signatories agreed to support the nuclear test ban.

PREP. ~ of/to the signatories to the treaty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

signature noun

ADJ. illegible

VERB + SIGNATURE add, append, put, scrawl, write We both refused to put our signatures to the agreement. | witness Your signature must be witnessed by two people. | collect, gather, get, obtain They collected over 1,000 signatures for the petition. | bear, carry The will bears her signature. | forge

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

significance noun

ADJ. considerable, criminal, deep, enormous, great, immense, major, profound, real | full, general, wider The scientists are cautious about the wider significance of their findings. | limited, minor | particular, special | real, true They failed to appreciate the true significance of these discoveries. | functional, practical, statistical, strategic, symbolic, theoretical | constitutional, cultural, economic, moral, historical, political, religious, social

VERB + SIGNIFICANCE have The ceremony has great symbolic significance. | acquire, assume, gain, take on Suddenly his son's relationship with the girl took on a new significance. | attach Let us not attach too much significance to these meetings. | assess | appreciate, be aware of, grasp, understand | exaggerate | minimize, play down, underestimate

SIGNIFICANCE + VERB lie in sth The significance of this lies in the fact that he had previously denied all knowledge of the fund. | attach to sth Does any significance attach to the use of the technical terms?

PREP. ~ for/to a meal that has particular significance for a Jewish family | of ~ a policy of special significance to women

PHRASES be of little, no, etc. significance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

significant adj.

VERBS be, prove | become | remain | consider sth (as), deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth, view sth as The move was regarded as significant in Japan.

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, particularly, very | fairly, quite | statistically These differences are not statistically significant.

PREP. for This development proved highly significant for the whole town. | to rituals which are deeply significant to Christians

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sign noun

¹ sth that shows that sth exists/may happen

ADJ. clear, definite, distinct, obvious, real, sure, telltale, unmistakable | external, outward, visible All the outward signs of growth in the market are there. | tangible | early, first Strong likes or dislikes of various foods are another of the early signs of pregnancy. | increasing | encouraging, good, healthy, hopeful, positive, welcome He was silent. It was a good sign. | bad, disturbing | danger, ominous, warning Are appliances you buy safe? We point out the danger signs.

VERB + SIGN bear, have The murder had all the signs of a crime of passion. | exhibit, display, give, show By now the fish was showing signs of distress. | detect, find, see, watch out for We detected signs that they were less than enthusiastic about the holiday. | interpret (sth as), read, recognize, see sth as | look for Look carefully for signs of damp. | point out

SIGN + VERB appear, come The first signs of spring appeared. | indicate sth, point to sth All the signs pointed to it being more than just a coincidence.

PREP. at a/the ~ He disappeared at the first sign of trouble. | from ~ The villages regarded the earthquake as a sign from God. | ~ of

PHRASES sign of life There was no sign of life in the house (= there seemed to be nobody there). | a sign of the times It's a real sign of the times: 30 small businesses face financial ruin this month. | little/no/not the least/not the slightest sign (of sb/sth) He spoke up without the slightest sign of nervousness.

² board, etc. giving information/a warning

VERB + SIGN erect, hang out/up, hold up, put up Some of the marchers were holding up signs and placards. Someone had put up a ‘For Sale’ sign. | see | read | follow Just follow the signs for Bridgend.

SIGN + VERB read sth, say sth The sign read ‘No Fishing’. | indicate sth This sign indicates that cycling is allowed. | point The sign pointed down a small lane. | advertise sth | warn signs warning against trespass | flash A neon sign flashed above the door.

PREP. ~ for/to Follow the road and you'll see signs for the turn-off.

³ movement with a particular meaning

ADJ. frantic | rude | thumbs-up, V

VERB + SIGN give (sb), make She gave me a thumbs-up sign. | communicate through They had to communicate through signs and grunts.

SIGN + NOUN language, system

PREP. ~ for the sign for ‘woman’ in sign language

PHRASES make the sign of the cross The priest made the sign of the cross over the dead body.

⁴ mark/symbol with a particular meaning

ADJ. euro, pound, etc. | equals, minus, plus, etc.

VERB + SIGN draw, make The wizard drew some strange signs in the air with his wand. | use I used the Chinese sign for ‘father’ instead of ‘uncle’.

SIGN + VERB mean sth What does this sign mean?

PREP. ~ for I can't remember the sign for ‘square root’.

⁵ star sign

ADJ. birth, star

VERB + SIGN be born under

PREP. ~ of people born under the sign of Gemini

PHRASES the signs of the Zodiac

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sign verb

ADV. duly One copy of this letter should be duly signed and returned to us. | formally | personally a first edition of the book, personally signed by the author

VERB + SIGN be required to, have to This is the contract you will be required to sign. | ask sb to, persuade sb to | agree to | refuse to

PREP. for The postman asked me to sign for the parcel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Sikhism noun > Note at RELIGION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silence noun

¹ quietness

ADJ. lengthy, long, prolonged | brief, momentary, a moment's, short There was a moment's silence before she replied. | deep, hushed | absolute, complete, dead, deadly, deathly, total, utter We sat in complete silence, save for the ticking of the clock. A deathly silence hung over the town. | shocked, stunned | awkward, embarrassed, embarrassing, strained, uncomfortable An awkward silence followed. | fraught, heavy, ominous, tense | brooding She fell into long, brooding silences. | stony, sullen | eerie | companionable They walked in companionable silence. | expectant, pregnant | sudden

VERB + SILENCE maintain She maintained a stony silence. | break, interrupt, punctuate, shatter Lewis finally broke the long silence between them. a silence punctuated only by the occasional sniff from the children | lapse into, relapse into, retreat into, subside into, trail into (all only used about people) He lapsed into a sullen silence. | stun sb into The boys were stunned into silence by this news. | be met with Her question was met with an uneasy silence. | observe (= as a sign of respect for the dead, etc.) A minute's silence for the victims will be observed.

SILENCE + VERB descend, fall A sudden silence fell over the room. | hang, prevail, reign Silence reigned. | ensue, follow | deepen, grow, lengthen, spread, stretch He thought for a moment, the silence lengthening.

PREP. in (the) ~ They ate their breakfast in silence.

² not saying anything about sth

ADJ. deafening The government's only response has been a deafening silence. | dignified | deliberate

VERB + SILENCE keep, maintain He has so far kept a dignified silence on the subject.

PREP. ~ from There seems to have been a deliberate silence from the newspapers.

PHRASES a conspiracy/wall of silence There is a conspiracy of silence about what is happening (= nobody is willing to talk about it). | the right to silence (= the right not to say anything when accused of a crime), a vow of silence She has broken her vow of silence on the issue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silence verb

ADV. completely | effectively Criticism has now been effectively silenced. | quickly | abruptly, instantly Her scream was abruptly silenced.

VERB + SILENCE try to | manage to | fail to Even these improvements to the service failed to silence a grumbling chorus of complaints.

PREP. with She silenced him with a glare.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silent adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, fall, go, grow The crowd fell silent as she began to speak. The room grew silent as the men entered. | keep, lie, remain, sit, stand, stay I could not keep silent any longer. The street lay silent and deserted. She sat silent throughout the meal.

ADV. remarkably, unusually | absolutely, completely, perfectly, quite, totally, utterly | almost, virtually The new bus is virtually silent. | largely an issue about which the researchers are largely silent | fairly, rather | suddenly | eerily, strangely The street was strangely silent. | grimly, obstinately, resolutely, stubbornly Len remained obstinately silent. | uncomfortably For long periods they were uncomfortably silent because they could think of nothing to say. | uncharacteristically

PREP. about They had kept remarkably silent about their intentions. | on The report was silent on that subject.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silhouetted adj.

VERBS be, stand A dark shape stood silhouetted against the bright morning sky.

ADV. clearly, sharply, starkly He woke to see their two heads clearly silhouetted against his window.

PREP. against

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silhouette noun

ADJ. black, dark, stark

VERB + SILHOUETTE see

PREP. in ~ He drew the city in silhouette. | ~ against I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silk noun

VERB + SILK produce fine silks produced in Italy | spin, weave | be lined with, be trimmed with

SILK + NOUN industry, mill

PREP. in ~ (= wearing clothes made of silk) ladies in silks and satins | of ~ an evening dress of pure white silk

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silly adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get Stop it now, you two?this is getting silly!

ADV. bloody (taboo), damn/damned, downright, extremely, incredibly, really, remarkably, very a really silly question | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silt noun

ADJ. fine The water contains fine silt.

VERB + SILT deposit During the annual floods the river deposits its silt on the fields.

SILT + NOUN deposit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

silver noun

¹ metal

ADJ. pure, solid | sterling

VERB + SILVER extract, mine Silver is extracted from silver ore. | set sth in a gemstone set in silver

SILVER + NOUN ore | bar, ingot, plate | mine

² (also the silver) objects made of silver

ADJ. family He was forced to sell the family silver to pay for the repairs to the house.

VERB + SILVER polish

³ (also silver medal) in sports

ADJ. Olympic

VERB + SILVER get, take, win She got a silver in the long jump. He took the silver this year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

similarity noun

QUANT. degree

VERB + SIMILARITY bear, have The area bears a superficial similarity to south London. | reveal, show | share these theories share certain similarities | explain a route across the Pacific which may explain the similarity between the two cultures

SIMILARITY + VERB exist | end Here the similarity with Western politics ends.

PREP. ~ between, ~ in the striking similarity in their behaviour | ~ to the chimpanzee's similarity to humans | ~ with The panel shows marked similarities with mosaics found elsewhere.

PHRASES a point of similarity There are several points of similarity between the two cases.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

similar adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound, taste | remain

ADV. extremely, remarkably, strikingly, uncannily, very The three portraits are remarkably similar. | basically, broadly, quite, rather, roughly, somewhat countries with broadly similar characteristics | superficially Their experiences are superficially similar. | qualitatively

PREP. in The two houses are similar in size. | to Snake meat tastes similar to chicken.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simmer verb

ADV. gently, slowly Allow the soup to simmer gently for ten minutes. | quietly (figurative) She was still quietly simmering from her row with Nathan.

VERB + SIMMER allow sth to

PREP. in a mixture of vegetables simmered in yogurt

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simple adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, prove, seem, sound | keep sth, make sth The golden rule when creating your design is: keep it simple. Is all this technology making our lives simpler? | find sth I found the work fairly simple.

ADV. extremely, quite, very Don't worry?it's all quite simple. | fairly, pretty, rather, relatively | deceptively a deceptively simple technique

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simplicity noun

ADJ. extreme, great | relative | apparent Don't be fooled by the music's apparent simplicity.

VERB + SIMPLICITY have

PREP. for ~ For simplicity, I shall continue to use the general word ‘river’.

PHRASES be simplicity itself (= to be very simple) His solution to the problem was simplicity itself. | for the sake of simplicity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simplification noun

ADJ. considerable, drastic, gross

VERB + SIMPLIFICATION make

PREP. ~ in He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simplify verb

ADV. considerably, greatly The whole process has now been greatly simplified. | drastically, grossly He presents the theory in a grossly simplified form. | slightly

VERB + SIMPLIFY try to

PHRASES highly simplified This is a highly simplified view of the economy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simplistic adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound

ADV. extremely, grossly, highly, overly, very a highly simplistic generalization | a bit, fairly, a little, rather, somewhat The graphics are somewhat simplistic.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simulate verb

ADV. closely The device simulates conditions in space quite closely.

VERB + SIMULATE be designed to, be used to Models are used to simulate the workings of a real-life system. | try to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

simulation noun

ADJ. computer, electronic, laboratory, real-time, virtual reality | accident, flight

VERB + SIMULATION carry out, run To test the model under different conditions, it is necessary to run simulations on a computer.

SIMULATION + VERB indicate sth, show sth

SIMULATION + NOUN model using simulation models to predict earthquake patterns | program | techniques | exercise, experiment | game

PREP. in a/the ~ the basic steps in the simulation | through The pilot's skills are tested through simulation. | ~ of a virtual reality simulation of a moon landing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sincere adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. deeply, really, very the warm, deeply sincere note in her voice | completely, entirely, perfectly, quite, utterly, wholly | enough Her protests seemed sincere enough.

PREP. about his refusal to be sincere about his feelings | in Have they been sincere in their efforts to resolve the crisis?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sincerity noun

ADJ. complete, deep, great, total | genuine, passionate | apparent ‘It's wonderful,’ he said with apparent sincerity.

VERB + SINCERITY doubt, mistake, question There seems no reason to doubt the sincerity of his beliefs. There was no mistaking his sincerity. | be convinced of She wasn't yet convinced of his sincerity. | demonstrate, prove, show

PREP. with ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

singer noun

ADJ. accomplished, fine, good, great, talented | chart-topping, famous, popular, well-known | amateur, professional | backing, lead an interview with the band's lead singer | blues, carol, country (and western), folk, gospel, jazz, opera, pop, rock, soul | cabaret, nightclub, pub

SINGER + VERB perform sth Singers took turns to perform songs they had written.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

singing noun

ADJ. beautiful, fine, good | lusty, spirited | carol, choral, folk, hymn | communal, community, congregational, massed | solo, unaccompanied

VERB + SINGING lead The vicar led the hymn singing. | accompany Her brother accompanied her singing on the piano.

SINGING + NOUN career | lesson | teacher | voice He has a lovely singing voice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

single noun

¹ ticket

VERB + SINGLE buy, get I got a single to Birmingham.

PREP. ~ to A single to Stratford, please.

² CD, tape, etc.

ADJ. best-selling, hit | debut, first | forthcoming | latest, new

VERB + SINGLE play She was in her room playing her singles. | release (sth as) The band later released this album track as a single.

SINGLE + VERB come out

SINGLE + NOUN chart number one in the singles chart

PHRASES ~ by It was voted the best single by a solo artist. | ~ from the new single from the band ‘Therapy?’

³ singles: in tennis

ADJ. junior, men's, women's

VERB + SINGLE play I prefer playing singles to doubles. | win She won the junior singles.

SINGLE + NOUN championship, final, match | champion, player | title

PHRASES in the ~ She decided not to play in the singles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sing verb

ADV. loud, loudly, lustily The birds sang louder than ever. | gently, quietly, softly singing quietly to himself | beautifully, like an angel, sweetly, well | badly | cheerfully, happily Birds sang cheerfully in the trees. | a bit, a little She could sing a bit and agreed to take part in the show. | live Have you ever heard the band sing live? | together We played and sang together.

VERB + SING can I can't sing very well. | start to | hear sb/sth

PREP. about singing about love | to Shall I sing to you?

PHRASES start/stop singing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sinister adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | find sth

ADV. downright, extremely, really, very | almost | faintly, rather, slightly, somewhat, vaguely I found his silence rather sinister. | somehow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sink noun

ADJ. kitchen | blocked | earthenware, enamel, porcelain, stainless steel, stone

VERB + SINK fill She filled the sink with hot water. | block | clear, unblock

SINK + NOUN unit | plunger I bought a sink plunger to clear the blocked kitchen sink.

PREP. at the ~ She was at the sink, washing up the dinner things. | down the ~ Don't pour tea leaves down the kitchen sink?it'll get blocked. | in the ~ Put the dishes in the sink.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sink verb

¹ in water/mud, etc.

ADV. slowly | fast Fergus was in waist-deep and sinking fast. | deep | down She sank down into the soft soil.

VERB + SINK begin to, start to

PREP. below/beneath We watched the boat sink beneath the waves. | into Our feet sank deep into the soft sand as we walked. | (up) to He sank up to his knees in the mud.

PHRASES sink like a stone The box sank like a stone. | sink without trace It seemed as though the ship had sunk without trace.

² fall/sit down

ADV. gratefully, happily I sank gratefully into the warm, dry bed. | gracefully | low | back, down

PREP. into He sank lower into his chair. | onto She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet.

PHRASES sink to the floor/ground She sank to the ground, exhausted. | sink to your knees The old man had sunk to his knees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sin noun

ADJ. cardinal, deadly, mortal | unforgivable | venial | besetting The besetting sin of 18th-century urban Britain was drunkenness. | original the Christian doctrine of original sin

VERB + SIN commit | confess They had confessed their sins and done their penance. | forgive (sb their)

PREP. ~ against Sin against others is seen as a sin against God.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sip noun

ADJ. careful, cautious, little, nervous, small | long | noisy

VERB + SIP have, take I took a little sip of my drink.

PREP. in ~s He drank the whisky in sips.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sip verb

ADV. slowly | thoughtfully | idly She sat in the warm sun, idly sipping champagne. | appreciatively, gratefully He sipped the warm milk appreciatively.

VERB + SIP pause to She paused to sip her tea.

PREP. at He sipped at his beer thoughtfully. | from She sipped from her glass of water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

siren noun

ADJ. approaching The cars had stopped at the sound of the approaching siren. | air-raid, ambulance, factory, police, warning

VERB + SIREN put on, sound, switch on The ships all sounded their sirens. | hear

SIREN + VERB go (off), sound, start | blare, howl, scream, wail The ambulance sped off with its siren wailing. | die away The police siren died away into the hot night.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sister noun

PHRASES brother and sister Have you got any brothers and sisters? | like sisters The girls are so close, they're like sisters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

site noun

¹ piece of land where a building was/is/will be

VERB + SITE choose, find, identify, locate, look for | acquire, buy, purchase The local council has recently acquired the site. | clear, prepare The site is being cleared for development. | build (sth) on, develop | occupy The site is presently occupied by offices. | stand near/on The school stands on the site of an ancient settlement.

SITE + VERB belong to sb

PREP. at a/the ~ The factory will be built at a site to the north of the city. | in a/the ~ The hotel is in a prime site overlooking the sea. | on (a/the) ~ Hard hats must be worn on site. He was injured on a building site.

² place where sth happened or that is used for sth

VERB + SITE visit The president is to visit the crash site later today. | disturb, remove sth from, steal sth from penalties for disturbing archaeological sites

³ on the Internet

VERB + SITE access, browse, search for, visit | build, create, design, set up | host, own

PREP. at ~ At this site you'll find all the latest news and gossip. | in ~ Check out the links in our home site. | ~ about sites about Japan | ~ for the most popular sites for children | ~ on I'm searching for sites on aromatherapy. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

site verb

ADV. carefully, strategically The fence is strategically sited to prevent anyone getting onto the beach. | conveniently | discreetly | attractively, beautifully The hotel is beautifully sited by a lake in a steep valley. | badly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

situated adj.

VERBS be

ADV. beautifully, delightfully, ideally, picturesquely, pleasantly, superbly, well The hotel is delightfully situated close to the waterfront. Zakro was well situated for trade with Greece. | conveniently | inconveniently | centrally | remotely | quietly

PREP. for ideally situated for touring the country

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

situation noun

¹ the things that are happening

ADJ. general, overall, total, whole | current, immediate, present | international, local, national, world | actual, concrete, real/real-life | hypothetical, unlikely | favourable, happy, healthy, ideal, privileged | satisfactory, stable | chaotic, explosive, fluid, unstable, volatile | awkward, delicate, difficult, embarrassing, sticky, stressful, tense, tricky, uncomfortable, unpleasant, vulnerable I always seem to get into sticky situations on holiday. | dangerous, hazardous, perilous, risky | crisis, emergency | alarming, bad, critical, deplorable, desperate, disgraceful, grave, intolerable, serious, terrible, tragic, unhappy | catch-22, hopeless, no-win | absurd, bizarre, extraordinary, ludicrous, novel, odd, paradoxical, ridiculous, strange, unique, unusual | complex, complicated | simple | one-to-one | social Do you feel awkward in social situations? | strategic | work | domestic | economic, financial, legal, military, political the international political situation

VERB + SITUATION bring about, create, lead to, result in | be faced with, be placed in, encounter, face, find yourself in, get into I found myself in rather an awkward situation. | avoid | grasp, take in, understand She found it difficult to take in the situation. | analyse, appraise, assess, consider, discuss, examine, judge, look at, review, size up, take stock of, think about, weigh up | clarify, describe, explain, outline, sum up | accept, face up to | address, be in control of, cope with, deal with, handle, respond to, take control of learning strategies to cope with difficult situations | ameliorate, defuse, ease, help, improve, rectify, remedy The peacekeepers are trained to defuse potentially explosive situations. | exploit, take advantage of He saw she was confused and he took full advantage of the situation. | lose control of | affect, change, influence, transform | aggravate, complicate, exacerbate Interfering now would only exacerbate the situation.

SITUATION + VERB arise, develop We will deal with that if the situation arises. | improve | change | deteriorate, worsen The situation is deteriorating rapidly.

PREP. in a/the ~ What would you do in this situation?

PHRASES the gravity/seriousness of the situation Given the gravity of the situation, I'm not surprised she's panicking. | a way out of the situation I was in trouble and I could see no way out of the situation.

² position of sth

ADJ. beautiful, idyllic, pleasant

PREP. in a ~ located in a beautiful situation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sit verb

¹ on a chair, etc.

ADV. still Just sit still! | quietly He would sit quietly and watch what was happening. | comfortably | in silence We sat in silence for a few moments. | cross-legged, with your legs crossed The children sat cross-legged on the floor. She was sitting in her favourite chair with her legs crossed. | (bolt) upright He sat bolt upright, hands folded in front of him. | demurely, primly She sat demurely on the edge of her chair. | back, down | side by side, together

VERB + SIT let sb Surely someone would stand up and let her sit down? | gesture for/to sb to, motion (for/to) sb to He motioned the young officer to sit down.

PREP. astride sitting astride a horse | at He was sitting at his desk. | beside She went and sat beside him. | in He sat back in his chair and started to read. | on Can I sit on this chair? | opposite They sat opposite each other.

² seem right/not seem right

ADV. comfortably, easily, well | uneasily

PREP. with His views did not sit comfortably with the management line.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

size noun

¹ how big or small sth is

ADJ. considerable, enormous, fair, good, great, impressive, large, massive, substantial, vast The kitchen is (of) a fair size. The vast size of the country made it difficult to govern. | diminutive, limited, modest, small Despite its diminutive size, the car is quite comfortable. | average, medium, middle, moderate, reasonable, sufficient | overall, total | sheer, very The sheer size of these dinosaurs was their main defence. | appropriate, convenient, correct, desirable, handy, manageable, optimum, right The ladder is a handy size for using in the house. classes of manageable size | wrong | comparable, equivalent, similar | standard, uniform The standard size for the tiles is 300mm square. | non-standard | maximum, minimum The fish grow to a maximum size of 50cm. | actual, full, life The ring is shown actual size in the illustration. a life-size model of a Roman soldier | class, family, group, household, market, population, sample

VERB + SIZE increase | decrease, limit, reduce The company is reducing the size of its workforce. | double in, grow in, increase in Houses increase in size further away from the city centre. | be reduced in, decline in, decrease in, diminish in | differ in, range in, vary in These insects range in size from 2 to 5cm. | grow to, reach | estimate, guess (at) I had to guess at the size of the batteries. | overestimate, underestimate

SIZE + VERB increase | decline, decrease, fall | range from, vary The size of her audience varied.

PREP. from the ~ of From the size of the queues outside the cinema, it was a very good film. | in ~ How do the samples compare in size? | in the ~ of the increase in the size of the population

PHRASES half, two, three, etc. times the size of sth Their house is twice the size of ours. | shapes and sizes There are people of all shapes and size in the judo class.

² one of a number of fixed measurements

ADJ. large, medium, small The company is now going to make these products in larger sizes. | 2-litre, 4-pound, etc. The 5-litre size comes in a metal tin. | imperial, metric New radiators come in metric sizes. | children's, men's, women's | chest, collar, foot ‘Extra large’ fits chest sizes 44 to 50. | bra, shoe

QUANT. range, variety

VERB + SIZE be, take What size are you (= for shoes or clothes)? What size do you take? | find sth in, get sth in I couldn't find the blouse in my size. | be available in, come in The bricks come in four sizes.

SIZE + VERB fit sb I have to wear children's shoes because the women's sizes don't fit me.

PREP. in a/your ~ Have you got this dress in a Size 12?

PHRASES be a size too big, small, etc. The jacket is several sizes too large for him. | Size 2, 10, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skating noun

ADJ. ice, roller | figure, speed

VERB + SKATING go We used to go skating on the lake in cold winters.

SKATING + NOUN championships, event | rink | routine | world some of the skating world's leading choreographers > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skeleton noun

ADJ. dinosaur, fish, human, mammal/mammalian, etc. | external, internal

VERB + SKELETON form

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sketch noun

¹ quick drawing

ADJ. lightning, quick | rough | preliminary, preparatory | charcoal, ink, pencil, watercolour

VERB + SKETCH do, draw, make

SKETCH + NOUN book, pad | map | plan

PREP. in a/the ~ The family house appears in several of her sketches. | ~ by a series of sketches by John Constable | ~ for to make a sketch for an oil painting | ~ of He did some rough sketches of the costumes. > Note at ART

² short description

ADJ. brief, thumbnail The talk began with a thumbnail sketch of the political situation at that time. | biographical, character

VERB + SKETCH give sb

PREP. ~ of He gave us character sketches of all his eccentric relations.

³ short comic scene

ADJ. short | comic, satirical

VERB + SKETCH do, perform | write

PREP. ~ about a comic sketch about a talking cat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skid noun

VERB + SKID get into, go into The lorry went into a skid and crashed into the barrier.

SKID + NOUN mark The police examined the skid marks to see how fast the car had been travelling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skiing noun

VERB + SKIING go | have The United States has plenty of good skiing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skilful adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very | fairly, reasonably

PREP. at I became skilful at drawing. | in highly skilful in his tactics

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skilled adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. especially, extremely, highly, particularly, remarkably, very a highly skilled workforce Interviewing is a very skilled job. | fully fully skilled craftsmen | increasingly | quite | enough, sufficiently

PREP. at skilled at needlework | in skilled in the basic techniques | with She wasn't very skilled with the camera yet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skill noun

ADJ. considerable, consummate, extraordinary, great, remarkable He is a negotiator of considerable skill. With consummate skill, she steered the conversation away from any embarrassing subjects. | good, poor She has good organizational skills. | basic, necessary the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic | essential, important, marketable, practical, transferable, useful training in problem-solving and other transferable skills | new, old to learn some new skills | special, specialist No special skills or knowledge are required for the job. | professional | analytical | entrepreneurial, management, managerial, organizational | diplomatic, negotiating | linguistic, reading, writing | business, communication, computer, interpersonal, language, research, social, study, survival It is important to develop good study skills. | manual | artistic, culinary, medical, military, musical, political, scientific, tactical, technical

QUANT. range, set She had to develop a whole new set of skills when she changed job. | degree, level an operation that called for a high degree of skill

VERB + SKILL have, possess | lack | need, require, take a feat requiring skill and patience | acquire, develop, learn, pick up | demonstrate, display, exercise, practise, show (off) | apply, harness, use, utilize The manager must harness the skills of the workers to firm objectives. | broaden, hone, improve, increase, master, sharpen, upgrade helping children to master the skills necessary to live in our society She attends regular training weekends to sharpen her skills. | refresh, update | pool, share | assess, test a course that will test the skills of any golfer

SKILL + NOUN level | acquisition, development, training | shortage The country is facing a skills shortage.

PREP. with ~ She performed the task with great skill. | ~ as her skills as a doctor | ~ at his skill at painting | ~ in their skill in selecting the best designs | ~ of the basic skills of managing an office | ~ with his skill with a sword

PHRASES a lack of skill, a mastery of skills a mastery of basic language skills

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skim verb

ADV. barely (figurative) This report has barely skimmed the surface of the subject. | low A bird skimmed low over the heather.

PREP. across/over We skimmed across the water in a small sailing boat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skinny adj.

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. really, terribly, very | a bit, fairly, rather At school I was fairly skinny and undersized.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skin noun

¹ covering of a human/animal body

VERB + SKIN break, burn, damage, irritate | protect | nourish, soothe | shed This snake sheds its skin eight times a year.

SKIN + VERB glisten, glow Her skin was glistening with sweat after her run. | age They claim that this cream makes the skin age more slowly. | hang, sag | blister, to the doctor.

PHRASES skin and bone The dog lost more and more weight, and was soon little more than skin and bone.

² skin of an animal that has been removed

ADJ. animal | crocodile, goat, leopard, sheep (also sheepskin), etc.

VERB + SKIN cure, tan

³ covering of some fruits/ vegetables

ADJ. banana, onion, potato, etc.

VERB + SKIN peel off, remove burn, peel | crawl, prickle, tingle Just thinking about spiders makes my skin crawl.

PREP. against the/your ~ The sheets felt rough against her sunburnt skin. | beneath the/your ~ Beneath his skin, the muscles were tight with tension. | in the/your ~ The drugs reduce the inflammation in the skin. | on the/your ~ blisters on the skin | through the/your ~ A network of veins showed through his skin. | under the/your ~ He discovered a lump under his skin so he went

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skip verb

ADV. lightly, nimbly | happily | along

PREP. down, up He skipped lightly up the stairs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skirmish noun

ADJ. little, minor | border

SKIRMISH + VERB break out, take place Minor skirmishes broke out all along the border.

PREP. in a/the ~ He was killed in a border skirmish. | ~ between skirmishes between the police and guerillas | ~ over a skirmish over boundaries | ~ with They were involved in a skirmish with rival fans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skirt noun

SKIRT + VERB billow, swirl Her full skirt billowed around her as she danced. | ride up Her skirt rode up her thighs when she sat down.

SKIRT + NOUN length > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ski noun

QUANT. pair

VERB + SKI put on | remove, take off

PREP. on ~s The children go to school on skis.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skull noun

ADJ. thick | thin | fractured

VERB + SKULL crack, fracture

SKULL + NOUN fracture

PHRASES the back/base/front/side/top of the skull, close to the skull The soldiers' hair was cropped close to the skull. | a fracture of/to the skull

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skyline noun

ADJ. dramatic | city | Hong Kong, London, etc. | northern, southern, etc.

VERB + SKYLINE form | dominate The skyline is dominated by a nuclear power station. | be silhouetted against/on, stand (out) against/on A medieval castle stands against the skyline. | break The skyline is broken by a water tower.

PREP. above/over ~ Clouds of smoke floated over the skyline. | against the ~ the moving figures he could see against the skyline | along the ~ lights twinkling along the Beirut skyline | below the ~ The sun slipped below the skyline. | on the ~ There are several gothic spires on the city skyline.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

skyscraper noun

ADJ. towering

SKYSCRAPER + VERB loom, rise On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth.

SKYSCRAPER + NOUN block

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sky noun

QUANT. patch a patch of blue sky

VERB + SKY light up The fireworks lit up the sky. | patrol

SKY + VERB clear (up), lighten The rain stopped and the skies cleared. | cloud over, darken, turn grey, etc. | be streaked with sth The sky was streaked with gold.

PREP. across the ~ Black clouds spread across the sky. | against the ~ The eagle was black against the early morning sky. | beneath/under a ~ a ship tossing under a darkening sky | from/out of the ~ A strange object dropped out of the sky. | in the ~ There was a kite high up in the sky. | ~ above A helicopter appeared in the sky above them. | ~ over patrolling the skies over the Channel

PHRASES high/low in the sky when the sun is low in the sky | the sky above/overhead Swallows darted about in the sky overhead. | take to the skies (= to go into the sky) Some vintage aircraft will be taking to the skies at this weekend's fair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slab noun

ADJ. great, huge, large They were unloading great slabs of rock. | thick | paving | mortuary

PREP. on a/the ~ corpses laid out on cold mortuary slabs | ~ of a slab of butter/chocolate/concrete/meat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slacken verb

ADV. a little, slightly His grip slackened a little and she pulled away. | off Slacken off the ropes. Growth in the economy was beginning to slacken off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slack adj.

¹ loose

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, go Let the reins go slack. | leave sth Leave the thread slightly slack to allow for movement.

ADV. very | completely Some of the ropes were completely slack. | a bit, fairly, slightly

² not busy

VERBS be, seem | become | remain The antiques business remained slack.

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, fairly, pretty, rather This season has been pretty slack for local hotels so far.

³ lazy

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | a bit, rather

PREP. in She knew she had been very slack in her church attendance recently.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slam verb

ADV. hard She ran out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. | back, down He said goodbye and slammed the phone down.

VERB + SLAM hear sth

PREP. against Kath's heart slammed against her ribs. | behind I heard the door slam behind him. | into The car skidded and slammed into a tree.

PHRASES slam (sth) shut He slammed the lid shut.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slander noun

ADJ. gross, malicious, vicious, vile

VERB + SLANDER be guilty of | sue sb for

PREP. ~ against He was found guilty of slander against his employers. | ~ on Many teachers saw the statement as a gross slander on their profession.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slang noun

ADJ. colloquial | current | army | rhyming

VERB + SLANG talk in, use

SLANG + NOUN expression, term, word

PREP. in ~ in army slang | ~ for ‘Ruby Murray’ is rhyming slang for ‘curry’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slant noun

¹ leaning position

VERB + SLANT have | take on Her chin took on a stubborn slant.

PREP. at a ~ They held their spears at a slant. | on the ~ Cut the flower stems on the slant.

² way of thinking about sth

ADJ. different, new | feminist, left-wing, etc.

VERB + SLANT give sth, put He puts his own particular slant on everything.

PREP. with a … ~ an article with a right-wing slant | ~ on That's a different slant on the causes of the First World War. | ~ to The story gives a new slant to his character.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slap noun

ADJ. gentle, little | hard, sharp, stinging | resounding | hearty He gave his brother a hearty slap on the back to congratulate him.

VERB + SLAP deliver, give sb His mum delivered a hard slap and sent him to bed. | get, receive

PREP. with a ~ He hit the water with a resounding slap.

PHRASES a slap in the face (figurative) The closure of the school is a slap in the face to the local community.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slap verb

ADV. hard | gently, lightly | away She slapped his hand away.

VERB + SLAP want to I wanted to slap his face.

PREP. across The officer slapped him hard across the face. | on She slapped the boy on the leg.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slash verb

ADV. wildly

PREP. at, through He slashed through the rope. | with He slashed wildly at me with a knife.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slaughter noun

ADJ. indiscriminate, mass, wholesale the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians | senseless, terrible | ritual

VERB + SLAUGHTER prevent, stop We were helpless to stop the slaughter.

SLAUGHTER + NOUN house (also slaughterhouse)

PREP. for ~ transporting live horses for slaughter

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slaughter verb

¹ kill an animal

ADV. humanely The animals are all humanely slaughtered. | ritually | illegally elephants illegally slaughtered by poachers

PREP. for Thousands of birds were slaughtered for their feathers.

² kill a large number of people

ADV. brutally, cruelly Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slavery noun

ADJ. domestic Their stated aim was to free women from domestic slavery.

VERB + SLAVERY establish, introduce Chios is said to have introduced slavery into Greece. | abolish | sell sb into | free sb from | be born into

PREP. in ~ They were living in slavery and poverty. | under ~ conditions for children under slavery

PHRASES the abolition of slavery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slave noun

ADJ. fugitive, runaway

VERB + SLAVE have, own | buy, take sb as | sell (sb as) | use (sb as) | free, liberate landowners who freed their slaves voluntarily

SLAVE + NOUN labour a railway built by slave labour | driver, master, owner, trader | market, trade, traffic the abolition of the slave trade | ship

PREP. ~ of a slave of habit | ~ to a slave to fashion

PHRASES the emancipation of slaves, the trade in slaves

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sledge noun

ADJ. dog, horse-drawn, motor

VERB + SLEDGE pull | drive

PREP. in/into/on/onto a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sleepy adj.

¹ ready to go to sleep

VERBS be, feel, look, sound | become, get, grow | make sb The alcohol was making him sleepy.

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, a little, quite, rather She was beginning to get a bit sleepy.

² very quiet

VERBS be, seem | remain The town remains sleepy despite the activity all around it.

PHRASES sleepy little a sleepy little fishing village

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sleep noun

¹ condition of rest

ADJ. deep | light | REM

VERB + SLEEP drift into/off to, drop off to, get to, go (back) to | cry/sob yourself to | get, sleep, snatch Close your eyes and get some sleep now. Tom was in the front room sleeping the sleep of the dead. I snatched a few hours' sleep in the afternoon. | need | survive on They seem to survive on only a few hours' sleep a night. | induce, lull/send sb to using drugs to induce sleep The quiet music soon sent her to sleep. | drift in and out of He drifted in and out of sleep all night. | lose Don't lose sleep over it?we'll sort everything out in the morning. | disrupt | catch up on I used Saturday to catch up on my sleep. | feign I feigned sleep when the ticket inspector came round.

SLEEP + VERB come Sleep came to her in snatches. | overcome sb, overtake sb Sleep finally overtook me.

SLEEP + NOUN pattern | deprivation, loss | apnoea

PREP. during ~ your heart rate during sleep | in your ~ He often walks and talks in his sleep.

PHRASES a lack of sleep suffering from a lack of sleep | a wink of sleep I won't get a wink of sleep with that noise downstairs.

² period of sleep

VERB + SLEEP need | have Did you have a good sleep? | be in I was in a deep sleep when the phone rang. | drift into, fall into, sink into I immediately fell into a dead sleep. | awake/awaken/wake (sb) from He woke from a fitful sleep with a headache.

PHRASES a (good/poor) night's sleep You'll feel better after a good night's sleep.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sleep verb

ADV. properly, soundly, well I haven't slept properly for weeks. The children were all sleeping soundly. Did you sleep well last night? | peacefully, quietly | easier, easily, quiet When the murderer is caught we can all sleep easier in our beds at night. | badly, fitfully, uneasily | deeply, heavily He was exhausted and slept deeply. | lightly She always slept very lightly so I had to be careful not to wake her. | barely, hardly, scarcely She felt as if she had hardly slept. | a little | alone | together

VERB + SLEEP be unable to, can't/couldn't I couldn't sleep so I got up and went downstairs. | try to You must be very tired. Try to sleep a little. | let sb | put sb/sth to You should always put babies to sleep on their backs. We had to have our dog put to sleep (= humanely killed because it was so ill).

PREP. for I only slept for four hours that night. | through She slept right through the storm. | with Everyone knows she sleeps with the boss.

PHRASES not sleep a wink (= not sleep at all) I didn't sleep a wink last night. | sleep late Let them sleep late on Saturday morning if they want to. | sleep like a baby/log (= sleep very well), sleep rough the problem of young people who sleep rough in the streets

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sleeve noun

ADJ. long, short | full, puffed, voluminous, wide | rolled-up | coat, shirt, etc.

VERB + SLEEVE push back/up, roll up She rolled up her sleeves and got down to work. | roll down | tug at I looked around to see who was tugging at my sleeve.

PREP. in … ~s It was sunny, and everyone was in short sleeves. | on a/the ~ There's tomato sauce on your sleeve.

PHRASES in (your) shirtsleeves (= not wearing a jacket)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slender adj.

¹ thin in an attractive way

VERBS be, look

ADV. very Those trousers make you look very slender. | quite | boyishly her boyishly slender figure

² small in amount/size

VERBS be, seem | remain

ADV. decidedly, very His musical achievements have been decidedly slender. | fairly, pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slice noun

ADJ. big, generous, great, huge, large, thick | considerable, fair, significant, sizeable, substantial They spend a fair slice of the budget on research and development. | small, thin | cheese, lemon, pizza, etc.

VERB + SLICE cut She cut a thin slice of lemon.

PREP. in ~s The sausage is also sold pre-packed in slices. | ~ of a slice of toast The agency takes a large slice of the profits.

PHRASES cut sth into slices He cut the meat into thick slices.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slice verb

ADV. finely, thinly Slice the bread thinly. | thickly | neatly | off, up Slice up the mushrooms and fry them.

PREP. into The axe sliced into her shoulder. | off slicing pieces off the joint of meat | through The knife sliced through his ear.

PHRASES slice sth in half/two Slice the onion in two.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slide noun

¹ in photography

ADJ. colour | photographic

VERB + SLIDE show He gave a fascinating slide show on climbing in the Himalayas. | develop

SLIDE + NOUN film | presentation, show | projector

² for use with a microscope

ADJ. glass | microscope

VERB + SLIDE mount sth on

³ playground equipment

VERB + SLIDE go/play on, go down He wouldn't go down the slide by himself.

PREP. on a/the ~ There were lots on children on the slide.

⁴ change to a lower/worse condition

ADJ. downward | inexorable

VERB + SLIDE halt, prevent, stop

PREP. ~ in to stop the slide in the euro | ~ into trying to prevent the inexorable slide into war | ~ towards the market's recent slide towards panic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slide verb

ADV. slowly Tears slid slowly down his pale cheek. | quickly | easily | smoothly a vehicle that will slide smoothly across snow | gently | gracefully | noiselessly, quietly, silently The moon slid silently behind a cloud. | imperceptibly | helplessly We slid helplessly down the slope. | away, back, backwards, down, forward, forwards, in, out, sideways The drawers slide in and out easily. (figurative) The eyes slid away from his own in embarrassment.

VERB + SLIDE begin to The melting snow began to slide from the sloping roofs.

PREP. across, along, down, from, into, off, onto, out of, over, to, up, etc. She took the note and slid it quickly into her pocket. He slid off the couch and walked over to me.

PHRASES slide open The lift doors slid open.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slight adj.

¹ very small in degree

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. extremely, very | comparatively, fairly, quite, rather, relatively

² thin and delicate

VERBS be, look She looked very slight, almost fragile.

ADV. very | physically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slime noun

ADJ. thick | primeval, primordial the primeval slime from which all life developed

VERB + SLIME be covered in/with | produce Frogs produce slime to keep their skin moist.

SLIME + VERB ooze

PHRASES a trail of slime The snail left a trail of slime along the floor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slimy adj.

VERBS be, feel, look The seaweed felt cold and slimy.

ADV. very | all The walls were all slimy and green.

PREP. with The steps were slimy with moss.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slim adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, get (informal) dieters who have got slim using these methods | keep, remain, stay She works very hard to stay slim. | make sb Step exercises can help make you slim. | keep sb

ADV. very | quite

PHRASES tall and slim

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sling verb

ADV. loosely | carelessly, casually His jacket was carelessly slung over one shoulder.

PREP. across, around/round, from, in, on, over, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slippery adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, get The concrete gets slippery when it's wet. | make sth The oil made the ground slippery and treacherous to walk on.

ADV. extremely, very | a bit Watch out?the floor's a bit slippery.

PREP. with rocks that were slippery with seaweed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slipper noun

ADJ. warm | bedroom, carpet | satin, sheepskin, silk, suede

QUANT. pair

VERB + SLIPPER kick off > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slip noun

¹ mistake

ADJ. little, slight, tiny | unfortunate | Freudian

VERB + SLIP make She made a couple of unfortunate slips during the talk.

PHRASES a slip of the pen/tongue I didn't mean to say that?it was just a slip of the tongue.

² piece of paper

ADJ. betting, pay, rejection, voting He got over fifty rejection slips before his novel was published.

PREP. on a/the ~ He wrote the address on a slip of paper.

PHRASES a slip of paper

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slither verb

ADV. silently A snake was slithering silently towards us. | helplessly He slithered helplessly down the slope. | away The snake slithered away.

PREP. across, along, down, on, over, to, etc. Her knees gave way and she slithered to the floor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slogan noun

VERB + SLOGAN coin, come up with, invent | adopt (sth as), have (sth as), use (sth as) | chant, shout | bear a T-shirt bearing the slogan ‘I Flirt, Therefore I Am’

PREP. on the ~ They fought the election on the slogan ‘The time has come’. | under a/the ~ protesting under the slogan ‘When women stop, everything stops’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slope noun

ADJ. precipitous, severe, sheer, steep | gentle, gradual, slight | long, short | downhill, downward | uphill, upward | higher, upper There was snow on the higher slopes of the mountain. | lower | northern, north-facing, etc. The vineyards on the south-facing slopes get more sunshine. | open | forested, grassy, icy, rocky, scree, smooth, snow-covered/snowy, wooded | mountain | dry, nursery, ski dry-slope skiing Some tourists were having a skiing lesson on the nursery slope. | negative, positive The unemployment-income curve on the graph has a negative slope. | slippery (figurative) Once he'd tried that first cigarette, he was on the slippery slope to being a smoker.

VERB + SLOPE ascend, clamber up, climb (up) We clambered up the steep, rocky slope. | descend | have The football pitch has a slope of about one metre.

SLOPE + VERB lead (up/down) to sth a slope leading down to the river | fall, rise The lower slopes rise quite gently. | steepen | flatten, level off

PREP. down a/the ~ I scrambled down the icy slope. | on a/the ~ We camped on an open mountain slope. | up a/the ~ There were more skiers further up the slope.

PHRASES the angle of slope the angle of slope of the sides of the pyramid | the bottom/foot/top of a slope

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slope verb

ADV. steeply The ground slopes away steeply at the back of the house. | gently, slightly | away, down, downwards, up, upwards

PREP. to The field slopes down to a small river. | towards

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slot verb

ADV. easily, neatly, simply | together The panels slot together to make a compost bin.

PREP. between, in, into He slotted the magazines neatly into the rack.

PHRASES slot (sth) into place All the pieces of the puzzle now slotted into place.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slow adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | remain

ADV. extremely, incredibly, remarkably, very | interminably | a bit, comparatively, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | agonizingly, desperately, frustratingly, painfully, tediously, tortuously Filming was painfully slow. | notoriously Civil court proceedings are notoriously slow. | noticeably He was noticeably slow to respond. | necessarily Genetic evolution is necessarily slow.

PREP. at They are extremely slow at reaching decisions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slow verb

ADV. considerably, markedly, noticeably, sharply, significantly Sales have slowed down quite markedly. | barely, hardly The roadblocks hardly slowed them at all. | a bit, a little, slightly | gradually | deliberately She very deliberately slowed her steps. | down, up

VERB + SLOW begin to | try to Rachel tried to slow her breathing. | be expected to Economic growth is expected to slow.

PHRASES slow to a crawl/walk/snail's pace, slow to a halt/stop The two of them had slowed almost to a stop.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slumber verb

ADV. deeply | peacefully The child slumbered peacefully in her arms. | fitfully

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slump noun

ADJ. world/worldwide | economic, housing, price, property, sales

PREP. in a ~ The economy is in a slump. | into ~ The industry is sinking into slump. | ~ in Estate agents were badly hit by the slump in property prices.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slump verb

¹ decrease suddenly

ADV. badly, disastrously, dramatically, heavily Oil prices have slumped quite badly in recent months.

PREP. by Profits slumped by 70 per cent. | from, to Shares in the company slumped from £2.75 to £1.54.

² fall/sit down suddenly and heavily

ADV. a little | dejectedly | forward sitting with her head slumped forward | back, down

PREP. against He slumped against the wall. | in She slumped back in her seat. | into He slumped down into a chair. | over She slumped dejectedly over the wheel.

PHRASES be found slumped … He was found slumped in a pool of blood by security guards. | lie/sit slumped …

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slum noun

VERB + SLUM clear (away), demolish, knock down, remove

PREP. in a/the ~ born in the slums of East London

PHRASES the clearance/demolition/removal of slums

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slur noun

ADJ. racial, racist, sexist, sexual

VERB + SLUR cast The comments cast a slur on her character.

PREP. ~ against/on The joke was seen as a slur against the mentally ill. a slur on his good name

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

slush noun

ADJ. dirty There was dirty brown slush all over the roads and pavements. | brown, grey

VERB + SLUSH turn to The snow had turned to slush.

PREP. through the ~ A pair of wide tracks led through the slush and mud.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smack noun

ADJ. good, hard

VERB + SMACK give sb, land (sb) He longed to land her a good smack in the face. | get

PREP. with a ~ She brought her hand down on the water with a smack.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smack verb

ADV. hard I'll smack you very hard if you do that again!

PREP. on She smacked the boy on his leg. PHRASAL VERBS smack of sth

ADV. strongly, too much Today's announcement smacks strongly of a government cover-up. | a little

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smallpox noun

QUANT. attack In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox. | case | outbreak

VERB + SMALLPOX have, suffer from | catch, contract, get | die from/of | eradicate

SMALLPOX + NOUN epidemic | vaccination > Special page at ILLNESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

small adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get, grow The gap seemed to be getting smaller. The kite grew smaller and smaller and finally disappeared altogether. | remain, stay Choose plants that will stay quite small.

ADV. extremely, really, terribly, very | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively

PREP. for My coat was rather small for Bob.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smash noun

¹ breaking noisily into pieces

VERB + SMASH hear

PREP. with a ~ The plate hit the floor with a smash. | ~ of He heard the smash of breaking glass.

² car, etc. crash

ADJ. head-on | bus, car, train | motorway, road

VERB + SMASH have

PREP. in a/the ~ Four people were seriously injured in a head-on smash on the A45.

³ in tennis

ADJ. powerful | overhead

VERB + SMASH hit He can hit a powerful overhead smash.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smear noun

¹ mark

ADJ. greasy

VERB + SMEAR leave

PREP. ~ of His fingers left a smear of sweat on the wall.

² lies about an important person

VERB + SMEAR cast The article cast a smear on the Minister for Health.

SMEAR + NOUN campaign, tactic

PREP. ~ against/on campaign smears against the socialist candidate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smear verb

ADV. liberally She smeared the cream liberally on her face.

PREP. across, on, (all) over, with The child had smeared jam all over her face.

PHRASES heavily smeared with Their faces were heavily smeared with mud.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smell noun

ADJ. overpowering, pervasive, pungent, rich, sharp, strong There was an overpowering smell of burning tyres. | faint | distinct | distinctive, particular, unmistakable | funny, peculiar, strange, unusual What's that funny smell? | familiar | lingering | aromatic, delectable, delicious, fragrant, fresh, lovely, nice, savoury, sweet, wonderful the aromatic smells of a spring garden full of herbs | warm | appalling, awful, bad, evil, horrible, nasty, offensive, terrible, unpleasant, vile | acrid, nauseating, putrid, rank, sickly An acrid smell filled the air. | damp, dank, musty, rancid, sour, stale the sour smell of unwashed linen | earthy, fishy, masculine, metallic, musky, oily, smoky, spicy | cooking Cooking smells drifted up from the kitchen.

VERB + SMELL be filled with, have The air was filled with a pervasive smell of chemicals. The cottage had a musty smell after being shut up over the winter. | give off The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked. | catch, detect As she walked into the house she detected the smell of gas.

SMELL + VERB come, emanate, drift, float, waft A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. | fill sth, hang | hit sb Then the pungent smell hit us?rotting fish and seaweed.

PREP. ~ from the putrid smell from the slaughterhouse | ~ of The faint smell of her perfume hung in the air.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smell verb

¹ notice/identify sth by using your nose

ADV. properly, well I had a streaming cold, so I could not smell properly. | almost Snow fell so that you could almost smell the cold.

VERB + SMELL can/could

² have a particular smell

ADV. strongly His clothes smelled strongly of fish. | faintly, slightly, vaguely He smelled faintly of sweat. | deliciously, pleasantly, sweetly

PREP. like It smells like rotten meat! | of The kitchen smelled sweetly of herbs and fruit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smile noun

QUANT. glimmer, hint, trace A trace of a smile played across her lips.

VERB + SMILE have, wear She had a happy smile on her face. | flash (sb), give sb, smile He flashed her a disarming smile. She smiled a smile of dry amusement. | manage She managed a weak smile. | return She returned his smile. | hide, repress, suppress They had to hide their smiles. | forced Her father forced a smile. | bring Her antics brought a smile to my face. | crease into His face creased into a smile.

SMILE + VERB fade, freeze, vanish Her sunny smile vanished as she read the letter. | cross sth, flicker across sth, play across sth A faint smile flickered across her face. | tug at the corner of the mouth A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. | grow, spread (across/over sth) Her smile grew radiant. A gentle smile spread over her face.

PREP. with a ~ ‘Oh, hello, ’ he said, with a smile. | ~ of a smile of approval

PHRASES be all smiles Twelve hours later she was all smiles again. | be wreathed in smiles His face was wreathed in smiles. | wipe the smile off sb's face I'm going to wipe that smile off your face (= make you stop thinking this is funny).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smile verb

VERB + SMILE try to | manage to | make sb The memory still made her smile.

PREP. at He turned and smiled at me. | with She smiled with pleasure.

PHRASES smile from ear to ear, smile to yourself She smiled to herself, picturing how surprised her mother would be to see her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smirk noun

ADJ. arrogant, knowing, patronizing, self-satisfied

VERB + SMIRK have She had a self-satisfied smirk on her face. | give She gave a knowing smirk. | conceal, hide He made no attempt to conceal his smirk.

SMIRK + VERB flicker A smirk flickered at the corner of his mouth as he watched my struggle.

PREP. with a ~ ‘Comfortable?’ he asked with a smirk. | ~ of a smirk of triumph

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smog noun

ADJ. heavy | urban | photochemical

VERB + SMOG reduce measures to reduce smog

SMOG + NOUN alert | level

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smoker noun

ADJ. chain, heavy | regular | light | passive the risk of lung cancer in passive smokers | cigar, cigarette, pipe

SMOKER + NOUN a smoker's cough

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smoke noun

ADJ. dense, thick | black, blue, grey, etc. | billowing | acrid, choking, stale | cigar, cigarette, pipe, tobacco

QUANT. cloud, column, haze, pall, plume, puff, spiral, wisp We sat drinking in a haze of cigarette smoke. The witch disappeared in a puff of smoke.

VERB + SMOKE belch (out), blow, emit The lorry ahead was belching out black smoke. Don't blow smoke in my face! | exhale | inhale | go up in The barn went up in smoke (= was destroyed by a fire). | be wreathed in She sat there wreathed in cigarette smoke.

SMOKE + VERB belch, billow, curl, drift, fill, pour, rise from/into Blue smoke curled upwards from her cigarette. | hang A pall of yellow smoke hung over the quarry. | clear When the smoke cleared we saw the extent of the damage.

PHRASES full of smoke, thick with smoke The public bar was thick with stale tobacco smoke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smoke verb

¹ cigarette/pipe, etc.

ADV. heavily He has always smoked heavily.

² meat/fish/cheese

ADV. heavily | lightly The ham is cured, then lightly smoked.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smoking noun

ADJ. chain, heavy | passive the dangers of passive smoking | cigar, cigarette, pipe, tobacco

VERB + SMOKING start, take up | give up, quit, stop I'm trying to give up smoking. | cut down on The doctor advised me to cut down on smoking and alcohol. | ban

SMOKING + NOUN habit | ban A total smoking ban has been imposed throughout the building. | room

PHRASES a ban on smoking, the dangers/effects of smoking a study of the harmful effects of smoking | no smoking The company has a strict no smoking policy. | smoking-related death/disease/illness

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smooth adj.

¹ without bumps

VERBS be, feel, look | become | wear sth The steps had been worn smooth by the thousands of passing feet.

ADV. beautifully, exceptionally, extremely, really, very her beautifully smooth complexion | completely, perfectly | almost | fairly, quite | deceptively the deceptively smooth surface of the glacier

² without problems

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become

ADV. extremely, incredibly, really, remarkably, very The project got off to a remarkably smooth start. | completely | not entirely The process of negotiation was not entirely smooth. | almost | fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively a fairly smooth transition to democracy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smooth verb

ADV. carefully, gently She smoothed his hair gently. | back, down, out Her mother smoothed back Alice's hair. Use an iron to smooth out any creases.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smuggle verb

ADV. secretly | aboard, abroad, in, out

VERB + SMUGGLE try to | manage to

PREP. into goods which have been smuggled into Britain | out of Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smuggling noun

ADJ. arms, cocaine, drug, heroin, gold, ivory, etc.

SMUGGLING + NOUN attempt | gang, operation, racket, ring | route | vessel > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

smug adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get Now don't get smug just because you've won a couple of games.

ADV. incredibly, very the incredibly smug expression on his face | almost | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly

PREP. about What are you looking so smug about?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snack noun

VERB + SNACK eat, have | stop for | cook (sb), fix (sb), make (sb), prepare I fixed myself a light snack. | provide (sb with), serve A bar service provides drinks and snacks throughout the day.

SNACK + NOUN food | lunch, meal, time Most office staff prefer a snack lunch to a sit-down meal. | service | bar, counter, kiosk > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snag noun

ADJ. big, major | minor, small A minor snag is that it's expensive. | possible, potential | technical

VERB + SNAG hit We've hit a technical snag: the printer isn't compatible with my PC. | iron out There are a few snags to iron out before the prototype is ready.

PREP. ~ in one of the snags in the scheme | ~ to There is a snag to the job: you have to work at weekends. | ~ with I suddenly saw the major snag with the whole idea.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snail noun

ADJ. edible | land, marine, pond, sea, water

SNAIL + NOUN shell

PHRASES (at) a snail's pace Traffic had slowed to a snail's pace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snake noun

ADJ. deadly one of the world's deadliest snakes | poisonous, venomous | grass, sea, tree, water

SNAKE + VERB bite sb/sth, strike sth She was bitten by a snake while walking through long grass. The snake lifted up its head before striking its prey. | slide, slither, wind (its way) A small green snake slithered across the wet road. The snake wound its way through the undergrowth. | hiss, spit | moult, shed its skin | coil (itself) around, coil up, curl up | uncoil

SNAKE + NOUN bite (also snakebite) | charmer | venom

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snap verb

¹ break suddenly with a sharp noise

ADV. suddenly The branch suddenly snapped.

PHRASES snap (sth) in half/two She picked up the pencil and snapped it in two.

² move (sth) quickly with a sharp noise

PHRASES snap (sth) open/shut She snapped the lid shut. | snap (sth) together The plastic pieces snap together to make a replica of a dinosaur.

³ speak in a quick angry way

ADV. angrily, impatiently, irritably, sarcastically, sharply | back ‘How should I know?’ Zen snapped back.

PREP. at He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children.

⁴ lose control

ADV. finally My patience finally snapped.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snarl verb

ADV. savagely, viciously He snarled savagely at her. | almost

PREP. at A guard dog snarled at us as we walked by.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snatch noun

ADJ. brief

VERB + SNATCH catch, hear, overhear We caught snatches of conversation from the room next door. | hum, sing He was humming a snatch of a song from ‘Cabaret’.

PREP. in ~es She learnt to sleep in brief snatches.

PHRASES a snatch of conversation/music/song

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snatch verb

ADV. almost | quickly | away, up She leapt to her feet, snatching up her bag.

VERB + SNATCH try to

PREP. at He snatched at her arm as she walked past. | from She almost snatched the letter from my hand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sneer noun

ADJ. arrogant | faint, slight

VERB + SNEER give He gave an arrogant sneer. | hide

PREP. with a ~ | ~ at The prime minister resisted a sneer at his opponent's misfortune.

PHRASES curl/twist your lips into a sneer, a sneer in your voice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sneeze verb

ADV. loudly Someone sneezed loudly at the back of the hall.

VERB + SNEEZE make sb The smoke reached her and made her sneeze.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sniff noun

ADJ. deep, good | loud

VERB + SNIFF give, let out She gave a loud sniff of disapproval. | hear | get, have, take to get a sniff of fresh air

PREP. between ~s ‘I'm sorry,’ he said between sniffs. | with a ~ ‘I'm fine,’ she said with a sniff. | ~ at The dog had a good sniff at the bushes around the garden.

PHRASES a sniff of disapproval > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sniff verb

PREP. at The dog sniffed at his shoes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snippet noun

ADJ. little | interesting He passed on any interesting snippets of information he could glean from his colleagues.

VERB + SNIPPET gather, glean | give, pass on

PREP. ~ from The article gave a few snippets from her forthcoming memoirs. | ~ of a snippet of conversation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snobbery noun

ADJ. inverted His dismissive attitude towards the rich is just inverted snobbery. | cultural, intellectual, musical

PREP. ~ about his snobbery about mixing with people from other classes | ~ towards snobbery towards electronic music

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snooker noun

ADJ. professional

QUANT. frame, game We played a couple of frames of snooker in the evening.

VERB + SNOOKER play

SNOOKER + NOUN ball, cue, table | ace, champion, player, star | club, hall, room | match, tournament | league > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snore verb

ADV. loudly, noisily | gently, lightly, quietly, softly She was asleep in a chair and snoring gently. | contentedly He began to snore contentedly.

VERB + SNORE begin to, start to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snort noun

ADJ. little | loud | derisive

VERB + SNORT give, let out He gave a snort of contempt. | hear

PREP. with a ~ ‘What a mess they made of it,’ said Sam with a snort of derision. | ~ of

PHRASES a snort of derision/disgust, a snort of laughter She let out a loud snort of laughter. > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snort verb

ADV. loudly | softly | angrily, contemptuously, derisively, impatiently, indignantly He snorted indignantly and walked away.

PREP. in He snorted in disgust. | with Her friends snorted with laughter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snowfall noun

ADJ. heavy | light | annual | average What's the average snowfall for this region?

VERB + SNOWFALL have We had a light snowfall last night.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snowflake noun

SNOWFLAKE + VERB fall, flutter | melt

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snow noun

QUANT. flake | fall, flurry | patch | blanket, carpet | inch Three inches of snow fell had fallen.

VERB + SNOW be covered in The car was completely covered in snow. | clear, shovel, sweep She cleared the snow from the path.

SNOW + VERB cover sth, lie, pile (up), settle Snow covered everything from horizon to horizon. Snow had piled up against the walls of the cottage. It was too warm for the snow to settle. | drift, drive, fall, swirl | melt, thaw

SNOW + NOUN conditions, flurry, storm (also snowstorm) | plough (also snowplough) | blindness

PREP. across ~ They travelled across the snow in a sleigh. | in/into ~ The children are playing in the snow. | through ~ We struggled through the deep snow back to the chalet. | under ~ The steps were buried under the snow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snow verb

ADV. hard, heavily It had been snowing heavily all night. | lightly

PHRASES start/stop snowing It started snowing just as we were setting out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snub noun

ADJ. deliberate

VERB + SNUB deliver sb He took the opportunity to deliver us another snub. | receive

PREP. as a ~ | ~ for/to His cancellation of the concert was seen as a deliberate snub to the organizers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snub verb

ADV. deliberately | publicly | rudely

PHRASES feel snubbed He was not invited to the party, and felt snubbed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snuff noun

QUANT. pinch

VERB + SNUFF inhale, take

SNUFF + NOUN box

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

snuggle verb

ADV. close She slipped her arm through his and snuggled close. | down, up I snuggled down in my sleeping bag.

PREP. against Claudia snuggled against him. | into She snuggled into him and closed her eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soaked adj.

VERBS be, look | get

ADV. absolutely, completely, thoroughly

PHRASES soaked to the skin There was a sudden shower and we got soaked to the skin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soak verb

ADV. completely, thoroughly | overnight | off, out Place the jar in warm water to soak the label off.

VERB + SOAK leave sth to I've left the clothes to soak overnight.

PREP. in Soak the clothes in cold water. | into Water dripped off the table and soaked into the carpet. | through The rain had soaked through every layer of his clothing. | with He soaked the cloth with petrol.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soap noun

QUANT. bar, cake

VERB + SOAP use, wash (sth) with

SOAP + NOUN flakes, powder | bubble, suds | dish, dispenser

PHRASES soap and water

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soar verb

¹ increase very fast

ADV. dramatically Profits have soared dramatically in recent months.

VERB + SOAR be expected to, be set to Borrowing is set to soar to an astonishing £60 billion.

PREP. by Retail sales soared by 10% in the twelve months to November. | from, to Inflation has soared from 5% to 15%.

PHRASES send sth soaring The fuel shortage sent prices soaring.

² fly high in the air

ADV. high | overhead A buzzard soared high overhead.

PREP. above, over an eagle soaring high above them

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sober adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | remain, stay She wanted a drink, but she had to stay sober. | keep sb Only the thought of her kept him sober.

ADV. completely, perfectly, quite, stone-cold | not entirely | almost, fairly, more or less, pretty well, reasonably, relatively By this time he felt more or less sober again. | enough At that point she was still sober enough to ask sensible questions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sob noun

VERB + SOB give, let out | be racked by/with, shake with He was too racked by sobs to reply. | choke back, stifle Choking back a sob, she ran to her father's chair. | hear

SOB + VERB break from sb/sth, burst from sb/sth, escape sb/sth A sob escaped her lips. | rise A choked sob rose in his throat. | catch A dry sob caught in her throat. | rack sth, shake sth Deep racking sobs shook his whole body. | subside

SOB + NOUN story You can't expect me to believe this sob story!

PREP. between ~s ‘I don't want to go!’ she got out between sobs. | through ~s He continued his story through stifled sobs. | with a ~ ‘Why didn't you tell me?’ she said with a sob. | ~ from a sob from George | ~ of a great sob of despair

PHRASES a sob of despair/pain/relief > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sob verb

ADV. aloud | loudly | quietly, silently | hysterically, uncontrollably, wildly | almost He was pleading, almost sobbing, first silently and then aloud.

VERB + SOB begin to, start to He began to sob uncontrollably. | hear sb I heard a child sobbing loudly.

PREP. with She was sobbing with pain and fear.

PHRASES sob your heart out

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soccer noun

QUANT. game

VERB + SOCCER play | watch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

social security noun

VERB + SOCIAL SECURITY be entitled to, claim, receive If you are unemployed you can claim social security.

SOCIAL SECURITY + NOUN provision, system plans to improve social security provision for single parents | benefits, payments | contributions All people in work pay social security contributions. | department, minister, office | budget, funds, spending

PREP. on ~ He's out of work and on social security.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

social worker noun

ADJ. senior | trained | specialist | psychiatric | hospital, residential > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

socialism noun

ADJ. democratic, state

VERB + SOCIALISM build, establish trying to build socialism in their own country

PREP. under ~ They believed that these problems would disappear under socialism.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

socialist noun

ADJ. dedicated, staunch, strong | radical, revolutionary | liberal | moderate | democratic

SOCIALIST + VERB come to power The socialists came to power in 1981.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

society noun

¹ people who have shared customs and laws

VERB + SOCIETY build, create, shape the struggle to build a just society | permeate, pervade the greed that pervades modern society | fit into Prisoners often have problems fitting into society on their release. | polarize

SOCIETY + VERB be based on sth a society based on social justice

PREP. in/within (a) ~ the role of television in modern Western society

PHRASES a cross-section of society The clinic deals with a wide cross-section of society | the fabric of society The civil war tore apart the fabric of society. | the higher/top echelons of society Officers were drawn largely from the top echelons of society. | a level/rank/stratum of society Child cruelty exists at all levels of society. | a member of society welfare reforms to protect the most vulnerable members of society | an outcast from/of society She devoted herself to helping the outcasts of society. | the backbone/a bulwark/a pillar of society One of the pillars of society must be that everyone has access to the legal system. He considered himself to be a pillar of society. | your place/rank in society A person's job is one of the factors that determines their place in society. | the rest of society He felt isolated from the rest of society. | a section/sector/segment of society Every section of society must have access to education. | society as a whole The research examines minorities and their relation to society as a whole. | society at large Health standards have risen in society at large. | the structure of a society the class structure of British society

² organization formed for a particular purpose

ADJ. secret | debating, dramatic, historical, horticultural, law, medical, musical, religious, etc.

VERB + SOCIETY belong to She belongs to the historical society. | become a member of, join | create, establish, form, found, set up, start

PREP. in a/the ~ She was active in the Society for Women's Suffrage. | ~ for a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals | ~ of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sociology noun

ADJ. classical, mainstream, radical | industrial, medical, political, urban, etc.

PHRASES the sociology of culture/knowledge/religion/science, etc. > Note at SUBJECT(for verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

socket noun

¹ for electricity

ADJ. 13 amp, etc. | electric/electrical, mains, plug, power | aerial, headphone, etc. | input, output | floor, wall

VERB + SOCKET plug (sth) into The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.

SOCKET + NOUN outlet

² in the body

ADJ. sunken | eye, hip, shoulder

VERB + SOCKET sink into Her eyes sank deep into their sockets.

PREP. in its ~ His eyes bulged madly in their sockets.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sock noun

QUANT. pair

VERB + SOCK pull on, pull up | pull off | knit | darn, mend > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sofa noun

VERB + SOFA collapse on/onto, flop (back) on/onto, lower yourself onto, settle (yourself) (down) on, sink down on/onto, sink (back/down) onto, sit (down) on, slump (back) on/onto He slumped back on the sofa in tears. | be sprawled across/on, be stretched out on, lie on, lounge on, recline on, sprawl across/on, stretch out on I spent the evening sprawled on the sofa, watching TV. | get up from, jump up from, pull yourself up from, rise from He got up from the sofa to fetch some drinks.

SOFA + NOUN bed

PREP. on the ~ She was curled up on the sofa.

PHRASES the arm/back/edge of a sofa

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soften verb

¹ become/make sth softer/gentler

ADV. considerably, a lot | a little, slightly His smile softened slightly.

² make sth seem less severe

ADV. slightly, somewhat

VERB + SOFTEN try The chancellor may try to soften the blow somewhat with a cut in interest rates. | help (to)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

software noun

QUANT. piece an exciting piece of design software

VERB + SOFTWARE use, run My PC isn't powerful enough to run that software. | design, develop, write | download, install

SOFTWARE + VERB run The software will run on most IBM-compatible PCs.

SOFTWARE + NOUN application, package, product, program, system, tool | development, engineering | developer, engineer | company, firm, house > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soft adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, go, turn | stay Her skin had stayed soft and supple.

ADV. beautifully, extremely, incredibly, really, very The fabric has a beautifully soft texture. | all These tomatoes have gone all soft. | fairly, quite, rather, relatively, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soil noun

¹ earth

VERB + SOIL cultivate | dig, till, turn, work fields of newly turned soil The clayey soils of the region are difficult to work. | fertilize | drain | loosen

PREP. in (the) ~ The flowers do well in sandy soil.

² part of a country

ADJ. native | foreign

VERB + SOIL set foot on She first set foot on French soil at a small Channel port.

PREP. on … ~ protests over the siting of nuclear weapons on British soil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solace noun

ADJ. great | spiritual

VERB + SOLACE bring (sb), give sb, offer (sb) The news brought no solace to the grieving relations. | find, take Unable to travel, he found some solace in reading about other people's journeys abroad. | seek They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.

PHRASES turn to sb/sth for solace His career took a nosedive and he turned to drink and drugs for solace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soldier noun

VERB + SOLDIER be, serve as | enlist as He decided to enlist as a soldier. | play little boys playing soldiers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solemnity noun

ADJ. great The monument was unveiled with great solemnity. | mock

PREP. with ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solemn adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound She usually had a smile on her face, but now she looked solemn. | become, grow His face grew solemn. | remain

ADV. very He addressed them all in very solemn tones. | rather Her mood was rather solemn.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sole noun

ADJ. thick, thin | leather, rubber | inner

PHRASES the sole of your boot/shoe I've got a hole in the sole of my shoe. | the soles of your feet The sand was so hot I got blisters on the soles of my feet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solicitor noun

ADJ. good | qualified | trainee | duty, practising There will be no court duty solicitor today. She is still a practising solicitor at the age of sixty-two.

PHRASES a firm of solicitors > Note at PROFESSIONAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solicit verb

ADV. actively She had actively solicited funds for her election campaign.

PREP. for Local companies were solicited for money. | from She solicited support from other teachers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solidarity noun

ADJ. international, national | class, community, family, group, social, (trade) union, working-class

VERB + SOLIDARITY feel | demonstrate, express, show | foster, promote

PREP. in ~ with Various other groups of workers went on strike in solidarity with the train drivers. | ~ against promoting union solidarity against management | ~ among/amongst/between The conflict fostered solidarity among Arab oil states. | ~ with Orwell expressed his solidarity with the miners in the book.

PHRASES a gesture of solidarity Catering staff staged a sit-down protest as a gesture of solidarity with the striking nurses. | a sense of solidarity The strike fostered a sense of solidarity among the workers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solid adj.

¹ hard and firm/not hollow

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, go If you put it in the freezer, it will go solid.

² reliable and strong

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become | remain

ADV. extremely, really, very | absolutely, rock Support for the plan remained rock solid. | fairly, pretty There is pretty solid evidence to show that the disease is caused by poor hygiene.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solitude noun

ADJ. absolute

VERB + SOLITUDE seek

PREP. in ~ to pray in solitude | in the ~ of She enjoyed a few moments of peace in the solitude of the garden.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solo noun

ADJ. long | brief, short | brilliant | piano, violin, etc. | soprano, tenor, etc.

VERB + SOLO do, perform, play, sing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soluble adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. highly, very It is a highly soluble gas. | easily, freely | completely, totally | partially, partly, slightly

PREP. in The disulphate was easily soluble in water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solution noun

¹ to a problem, difficult situation, etc.

VERB + SOLUTION look for, seek, work towards | achieve, agree (on), arrive at, come up with, find, produce, reach, work out attempts to find a comprehensive political solution to the crisis | propose, put forward, suggest | adopt | offer, provide

PREP. ~ for a quick solution for dealing with the paper shortage | ~ to They were seeking an ultimate solution to the city's traffic problem.

² liquid in which a solid has been dissolved

SOLUTION + VERB contain

PREP. in ~ aluminium ions in solution

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solvent noun

ADJ. volatile | chlorinated | chemical, organic | cleaning, industrial

VERB + SOLVENT abuse, sniff

SOLVENT + VERB evaporate

SOLVENT + NOUN abuse, sniffing

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

solve verb

VERB + SOLVE attempt to, try to | help (to), help sb (to) We were given clues to help us solve the puzzle. | be designed to a scheme designed to solve the housing problem | fail to | be difficult to

PREP. by We hope the difficulty can be solved by getting the two sides together to discuss the issues. | with The problem cannot be solved with spending cuts alone.

PHRASES an attempt to solve sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sombre adj.

VERBS be, look, seem Everyone looked very sombre. | become, grow His eyes grew sombre. | remain The mood in Parliament remained sombre.

ADV. very | fairly, rather, somewhat She was in a somewhat sombre mood. | suitably The funeral cortege passed, to suitably sombre music.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

song noun

¹ piece of music with words

ADJ. beautiful, good, great, lovely | catchy | mournful, sad | country, folk, pop/popular, traditional a Hungarian folk song | bawdy, children's, drinking, love, patriotic, protest, religious After a few drinks, they were all singing bawdy songs at the top of their voices. a protest song written in the sixties | theme, title the theme song from ‘The Godfather’ the title song from the Beatles' album ‘Help!’

VERB + SONG compose, write | do, perform, play, sing They performed another two songs as encores. Sing us a song, Susanna! | record

SONG + NOUN writer (also songwriter) a singer-songwriter | contest

PREP. in (a/the) ~ Important historical events were commemorated in song. | ~ about a song about love

² act of singing

VERB + SONG break into, burst into He strummed a couple of chords on the guitar and they all burst into song.

PREP. in ~ He heard voices raised in song.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

son noun

VERB + SON have They've got three young sons. | bear (formal), give birth to | bring up Living alone and trying to bring up a young son is no easy task.

SON + VERB grow up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soothing adj.

VERBS be, feel Her touch felt wonderfully soothing.

ADV. very, wonderfully

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sophisticated adj.

¹ having a lot of experience of the world

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get

ADV. highly, very She was a highly sophisticated and elegant woman. | quite, rather | enough, sufficiently | intellectually, politically

² advanced and complicated

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get

ADV. extremely, highly, very incredibly sophisticated computers | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | enough, sufficiently | technically, technologically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sophistication noun

ADJ. considerable, great | growing, increased, increasing | cool | political, technical, technological

VERB + SOPHISTICATION have The decor has a cool sophistication. | lack

PREP. with ~ He writes with increasing sophistication on the subject.

PHRASES an air of sophistication Despite her scruffy clothes, there was an air of sophistication about her. | a degree/level of sophistication Computers raised the level of sophistication of these maps. | a lack of sophistication He felt people were contemptuous of his lack of sophistication. | a veneer of sophistication She adopted an upper-class accent to give herself a veneer of sophistication.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soprano noun

ADJ. first, principal, second | boy, female, male | coloratura, lyric, operatic | clear, pure

VERB + SOPRANO sing She has sung soprano in many major operas.

SOPRANO + NOUN voice She has a natural, clear soprano voice. | part The soprano part in this opera is very demanding

PREP. in a ~ She sings in an exceptionally pure soprano.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sore noun

ADJ. open, running (often figurative) The border dispute was a running sore in relations between the countries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sorrow noun

ADJ. deep, genuine, great, unbearable

VERB + SORROW feel I felt no sorrow for her. | express He wrote to the dead man's mother expressing his deep sorrow. | share She wanted to share his sorrow. | hide I couldn't hide my sorrow and anger. | bring, cause The war brought sorrow to millions.

PREP. to sb's ~ To his great sorrow he could not remember his mother. | with ~ They accepted the decision with sorrow. | ~ at his sorrow at having to quit his job

PHRASES a feeling/pang of sorrow Claudia felt a deep pang of sorrow for her sister. | full of sorrow He looked at Katherine, his eyes full of sorrow. | tears of sorrow Tears of relief were mixed with tears of sorrow. | a time of sorrow This is a time of great sorrow for all the family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sorry adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | make sb I'll make you sorry you were ever born!

ADV. awfully, deeply, desperately, dreadfully, extremely, frightfully, genuinely, really, terribly, truly, very I'm really sorry Jane can't come with us. I'm terribly sorry. I didn't catch your name. | almost She was almost sorry to stop work. | a bit, a little, quite, rather

PREP. about I'm sorry about the noise. I'm sorry about your mother. I do hope she'll soon be feeling better. | for She is obviously deeply sorry for what she has done. I feel really sorry for John.

PHRASES better safe than sorry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sort noun

ADJ. best, worst | right, wrong | funny, odd, strange He was friendly in a funny sort of way.

PREP. ~ of The shop sells all sorts of books.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sort verb

¹ put things into different groups/places

ADV. busily | out I sorted the clothes out into two piles.

PREP. according to Sort the books according to their subject matter. | by The most common way of grouping was to sort the children by ability. | into We sorted the washing into piles of different garments. | through busily sorting through her clothes

² find an answer to a problem

ADV. out Someone will have to sort this problem out.

VERB + SORT have to | try to | help (to), help sb (to) | leave sb to Leave them to sort it out among themselves.

PHRASES get sth sorted (out) If he can't get his talk sorted, we'll have to ask someone else.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soul noun

¹ part of sb believed to exist after body is dead

ADJ. immortal | damned | human, individual

VERB + SOUL save Missionaries saw it as their task to save souls. | sell to sell your soul to the Devil

PHRASES the souls of the dead

² part of sb/sth that shows its true nature

ADJ. very The plea touched him to his very soul. | whole | inner

VERB + SOUL lose In the process of being made into a film, the story seemed to have lost its soul. | bare He bared his soul to her. | search I searched my soul for any malice that could have provoked his words, but found none.

SOUL + NOUN mate

PREP. in your ~ Deep in her soul she knew she had to return to her country.

PHRASES body and soul She gave herself to him body and soul. | heart and soul He gave himself heart and soul to the cause.

³ deep feeling and thought

VERB + SOUL have | lack

PREP. with ~ She sang the song with passion and soul.

⁴ person

PHRASES a soul in torment The dog was howling like a soul in torment. | not be a soul in sight By midnight, there wasn't a soul in sight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soundtrack noun

ADJ. film

VERB + SOUNDTRACK compose | listen to

PREP. ~ for/of/to She composed the soundtracks to several hit movies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sound adj.

¹ in good condition

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably That seems like fairly sound advice. | structurally Is the building structurally sound?

PHRASES safe and sound (= not hurt) We arrived home safe and sound.

² sensible

VERBS be, seem

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, perfectly She had a perfectly sound reason for acting as she did. | fairly, pretty, reasonably | basically, fundamentally | commercially, ecologically, environmentally, financially, ideologically, theoretically It was a financially sound investment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sound noun

¹ sth you hear

VERB + SOUND hear | emit, make, produce, pronounce, transmit, utter What's making that awful creaking sound? Three bones transmit sounds to the inner ear. He didn't utter a single sound throughout the meeting.

SOUND + VERB carry, travel Sound carries well over calm water. | come A strange sound came from the box. | echo | die away

SOUND + NOUN wave | effect | bite As a politician he is a master of the 30-second sound bite.

PREP. at the ~ of He turned around at the sound of footsteps behind him. | without a ~ The door opened without a sound. | ~ of the sound of breaking glass | ~ from There was a strange sound from downstairs.

PHRASES the speed of sound 2 the sound from television/radio, etc.

ADJ. recorded | mono, stereo

VERB + SOUND turn down/up Can you turn the sound up?

SOUND + NOUN level, quality | system a stereo sound system | recording | recorder | engineer > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

soup noun

QUANT. bowl, cup, mug | packet, tin

VERB + SOUP cook, make, prepare | bring to the boil, heat (up), simmer | have We had a cold cucumber soup as a starter. | drink, eat (Eat is the normal verb when the soup is served in a bowl.) | slurp Don't slurp your soup! | ladle (out), serve He ladled out three bowls of soup.

SOUP + NOUN bowl, dish, plate, tureen | spoon | kitchen (= a place where soup and other food is supplied free to people with no money)

PHRASES a bowl/cup/mug of soup, a packet/tin of soup > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

source noun

¹ where you get sth from

ADJ. excellent, fertile, good, lucrative, reliable, rich, valuable a fertile source of ideas a lucrative source of income a rich source of vitamins | important, main, major, principal | cheap a cheap source of labour | external, foreign Do you have any foreign sources of income? | independent an independent source of funding | additional | alternative We need to look for alternative sources of energy. | natural | renewable The village obtains all its energy from renewable sources. | energy, food, heat, light, power, water

VERB + SOURCE be, constitute, prove, provide The census constitutes the principal source of official statistics. These crustaceans provide a valuable food source for some fish. | exploit, tap, use (as) The government hopes to tap new sources of employment in the area of health. | locate We tried to locate the source of the sound.

PREP. at ~ Under the PAYE system, employees' income is taxed at source (= by the employer). | ~ of a reliable source of advice

PHRASES a variety of sources The research was funded from a wide variety of sources.

² person, book, etc. that gives information

VERB + SOURCE use (as) | cite, quote Researchers try to quote primary sources wherever possible. | disclose, name, reveal The police refused to reveal the source of their information.

SOURCE + VERB claim sth, describe sth, disclose sth, indicate sth, report sth, reveal sth, say sth, suggest sth Government sources indicated that a compromise might be reached. One source said: ‘Our blood is up. We are angry at the way we have been treated.’ | deny sth

SOURCE + NOUN material

PREP. according to ~s According to informed sources, a takeover bid is planned for next month. | ~ of

PHRASES sources close to sb Sources close to the player claim he won't be entering this year's championship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sour adj.

¹ having a sharp taste

VERBS be, taste The sauce tasted very sour.

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, quite, rather, slightly

² not fresh

VERBS be, smell, taste The milk smelled sour. | go, turn By the next day the wine had turned sour.

ADV. very | a bit, rather, slightly

³ bad-tempered

VERBS be | go, grow, turn | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat Their friendship has turned a little sour.

ADV. extremely, really, very

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sovereignty noun

SOVEREIGNTY + VERB reside (in/with sb/sth) Sovereignty resides with the people.

PREP. ~ over The treaty gave Edward III sovereignty over Calais and the whole of Aquitaine.

PHRASES a claim to sovereignty Two countries have a claim to sovereignty over the islands. | a declaration of sovereignty Protesters called on the government to adopt a declaration of sovereignty. | a loss of sovereignty the partial loss of sovereignty to supranational institutions | the sovereignty of Parliament/the people This constitutes an attack on the sovereignty of Parliament. | a transfer of sovereignty fears about the transfer of sovereignty to the European Union | a violation of sovereignty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sow verb

ADV. early Sow early for an early crop. | thickly, thinly Sow the seeds quite thinly.

PREP. with We've sown that field with wheat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spacecraft noun

VERB + SPACECRAFT launch

SPACECRAFT + VERB orbit sth a spacecraft orbiting the earth

PREP. in/on a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

space noun

¹ empty area

ADJ. large, vast, wide She left a large space empty at the bottom of the page. He liked the wide open spaces of the Australian countryside. | adequate, ample, enough, sufficient The new flat has ample living space. | limited, small, tiny | narrow the narrow space between the sofa and the wall | open | confined, enclosed Avoid using the cleaner in a confined space. | awkward This chisel is useful for getting into awkward spaces. | available, free, vacant The exhibition takes up most of the available space in the gallery. looking for a free parking space | blank, empty, white Fill in the blank spaces in the table. The page layout included plenty of white space. | living | storage | floor, roof, shelf, wall, etc. | office | parking | personal She moved out of the house because she wanted her own personal space. | private | public | green The inner residential areas don't have many green spaces. | air The plane strayed into French air space. | disk | advertising The magazine is struggling to fill all its advertising space. | exhibition, gallery

VERB + SPACE make use of, take up, use The potted plants take up too much space. | create, make They moved the sofa to make space for the piano. | waste | save | clear We'd better clear a space for the new computer. | fill (in) | jostle for A motley collection of ornaments jostled for space on the crowded shelf. | stare into She sat there motionless, staring into space.

PREP. ~ between the space between the bookshelves

PHRASES be/run short of space I'm running short of disk space. | time and space The writer lacked the time and space to develop his idea fully.

² vast area containing planets, stars, etc.

ADJ. deep | outer

VERB + SPACE go into

SPACE + NOUN exploration, programme, research, science | flight, travel | capsule, probe, rocket, ship (also spaceship), shuttle, station

PREP. in ~ the first man in space

³ period of time

ADJ. long | brief, short | 2-second, 10-minute, etc. The recording includes a 5-second space between tracks. | breathing The extension of the deadline gives us a breathing space.

PREP. for the ~ of The job holder will be on probation for the space of six months. | in/within the ~ of He fell asleep in the space of a few minutes. | ~ of She returned to top-class tennis after a space of two years.

PHRASES a space of time They have achieved a great deal in a short space of time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

space verb

ADV. at intervals, equally, evenly, regularly Telephone boxes are spaced at regular intervals along the motorway. Make sure the posts are spaced evenly apart. | irregularly | closely | generously, well, widely | apart, out The fruits should be well spaced out so that they are not touching each other.

PREP. along

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spacious adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. extremely, very | fairly, quite, reasonably | deceptively, surprisingly The house benefits from a deceptively spacious kitchen (= that is larger than it seems).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spade noun

¹ tool for digging

ADJ. garden There was a garden spade in the shed.

VERB + SPADE dig sth with, use He dug a deep hole in the lawn with his spade.

PHRASES bucket and spade children playing in the sand with their buckets and spades

² playing card > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spaghetti noun

ADJ. wholemeal

QUANT. strand

VERB + SPAGHETTI eat, have | cook | drain, strain Drain the spaghetti well.

SPAGHETTI + NOUN sauce > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Spanish noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

span noun

¹ length

ADJ. full | broad, wide a broad span of interests | clear The bridge has a clear span of 36 metres. | 12-foot, 500-metre, etc. | wing (also wingspan) The bird has a 1-metre wingspan.

² length of time

VERB + SPAN cover The book covers the entire span of Arab history.

PREP. over a/the ~ Developments were monitored over a span of two years.

PHRASES a span of time/years

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spare verb

ADV. barely, hardly, scarcely She hardly spared him a second glance.

VERB + SPARE can/could

PREP. for Can you spare some money for the homeless?

PHRASES to spare Have you any money to spare? We should get there with half an hour to spare.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sparkle noun

ADJ. extra | old She has lost none of her old sparkle as a jazz singer.

VERB + SPARKLE have | lack | lose | add, put (back) A live band added extra sparkle to the occasion.

PHRASES a sparkle in your eyes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spark noun

¹ small bright piece of burning material/electric flash

ADJ. tiny | flying | electric

VERB + SPARK emit, produce, send (out), shower, strike The firework showered sparks all over the lawn. His iron-tipped stick struck sparks from the pavement.

SPARK + VERB fly | ignite sth, set fire to sth Flying sparks set fire to the dry grass. | die (out)

PHRASES a shower of sparks The grinding wheel sent a shower of sparks across the workbench. | a spark of light

² small amount of a quality/feeling

ADJ. little, tiny A tiny spark of rebellion flared within her. | creative, divine, vital

VERB + SPARK have | lack His performances lack creative spark. | feel She felt a little spark of anger. | kindle

SPARK + VERB flare, kindle

PREP. ~ of He had kindled a spark of interest within her.

PHRASES a spark of hope/life, a spark of originality

³ (usually sparks) feelings of anger/excitement

VERB + SPARK shoot Her eyes shot sparks of contempt. | draw His remarks drew sparks from her.

SPARK + VERB fly Sparks flew at the meeting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spasm noun

ADJ. sudden | muscle, muscular

VERB + SPASM feel He felt a spasm of panic sweeping over him. | go into The muscle goes into spasm, producing the symptom of cramp.

SPASM + VERB pass, subside

PREP. in ~ She could not speak; her throat was in spasm. | ~ of He kicked the chair in a spasm of impatience.

PHRASES a spasm of coughing/pain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spatter verb

ADV. liberally

PREP. against Rain spattered against the window. | on Blood was spattered on the walls and doors. | over The water had spattered all over her face. | with His clothes were liberally spattered with mud.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speaker noun

¹ person who makes a speech

ADJ. brilliant, good | keynote, main, principal | guest, invited, visiting | public She's a good public speaker. | after-dinner

² person who speaks a particular language

ADJ. fluent He's a fluent Arabic speaker. | mother-tongue, native a native speaker of English | non-native | Japanese, Russian, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speak verb

¹ have a conversation

ADV. briefly We spoke briefly on the phone. | at length | hardly Ben hardly spoke to me all evening.

VERB + SPEAK want to | refuse to The president refused to speak to the waiting journalists. | dare (to) No one had ever dared speak to him like that before.

PREP. about, to I need to speak to Joseph about this matter. | with Can I speak with you for a minute?

PHRASES be on speaking terms (with sb) We are still on speaking terms after the argument. | not be speaking (to sb) Ed and Dave aren't speaking at the moment.

² use your voice to say sth

VERB + SPEAK be able/unable to, can/could (hardly) She was so moved she could hardly speak. | begin to, open your mouth to She opened her mouth to speak and found she couldn't. | try to | dare not, not trust yourself to He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. | hear sb I heard him speak at the debating society.

PREP. about, against He spoke out against mismanagement. | for I speak for all my colleagues. | in favour of She spoke in favour of the new tax. | on She speaks on women's issues. | on behalf of I speak on behalf of many thousands of women. | of He speaks very warmly of you. | to He will be speaking to history students about the causes of war.

³ know a language

ADV. fluently, well He speaks German fluently.

VERB + SPEAK be able/unable to, can/could | learn to learning to speak a foreign language | teach sb to

PREP. in Would you prefer it if we spoke in French?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spear noun

ADJ. hunting

VERB + SPEAR be armed with, carry The tribesmen were armed with spears and shields. | lift, raise | brandish | hurl, throw | thrust

PHRASES the point of a spear She had a fish impaled on the point of her spear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

specialist noun

VERB + SPECIALIST bring in They brought in an outside specialist to install the computer system.

PREP. ~ in She is a specialist in eighteenth-century English painting. | ~ on a specialist on the history of this city

PHRASES a group/team of specialists, a specialist in the field The book is written by P.H. Reaney, a noted specialist in the field. > Note at DOCTOR> Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speciality noun

ADJ. local, regional

PHRASES a speciality of the house I ordered the speciality of the house?frogs' legs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

specialization noun

ADJ. increased, increasing | narrow His specialization is too narrow to be of interest to more than a handful of students. | professional | academic | economic There has been increased economic specialization throughout the country. | regional

QUANT. degree The production line involves a high degree of specialization of labour.

PREP. ~ in Her degree is in French, with specialization in seventeenth-century literature.

PHRASES an area of specialization The company has gradually focused on its current areas of specialization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

specialized adj.

VERBS be These tools are very specialized. | become

ADV. highly, very a job calling for highly specialized skills | increasingly | narrowly narrowly specialized subjects | fairly, quite, rather, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

special noun

ADJ. daily The restaurant has an extensive menu and daily specials. | television, TV There are lots of TV Christmas specials for children this year. | Christmas, election | football

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Special Page

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

species noun

SPECIES + VERB be found, grow, live, occur Similar species of fish occur in Mongolia. | be threatened with extinction, become extinct, die out | survive

PREP. ~ of a native species of fish

PHRASES a member of a species

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

specification noun

VERB + SPECIFICATION draft, draw up, lay down, write | meet The aircraft have to meet the strict specifications laid down by the FAA.

PREP. (according) to the/your ~s Each vehicle can be equipped according to your specifications.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

specific adj.

VERBS be Can you be a little more specific in your instructions?

ADV. highly, very issuing a highly specific set of instructions | quite | fairly, rather

PREP. about She was quite specific about the type she wanted.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

specify verb

ADV. clearly | fully | carefully | exactly, precisely She did not specify precisely how many people were involved in the incident. | explicitly | correctly Are all the details correctly specified? | uniquely Each computer is uniquely specified by its serial number. | otherwise Unless otherwise specified, all fields have a maximum length of 20 characters.

VERB + SPECIFY allow sb to | require sb to | be used to | be possible to It should be possible to specify the range of values of x which would satisfy this equation. | be difficult to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

specimen noun

¹ example

SPECIMEN + NOUN plant, tree | letter, paper specimen exam papers

² small amount of sth used for testing

ADJ. blood, urine, etc. | geological

VERB + SPECIMEN collect, take | give The motorist may be required to give a urine specimen. | obtain

PREP. ~ of a specimen of blood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spectacles noun

QUANT. pair

SPECTACLES + VERB be perched on sth, perch on sth Her wire-framed spectacles were perched on the end of her nose. | glint Her spectacles glinted in the moonlight. | steam up His spectacles steamed up in the hot room.

PREP. behind your ~, through your ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spectacle noun

ADJ. dramatic, great, magnificent | sad, unedifying the sad spectacle of him struggling to keep up with the younger players | public Hangings took place outside the prison as a public spectacle. | sporting

VERB + SPECTACLE witness

PHRASES make a spectacle of yourself (= make yourself look ridiculous in public)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spectacular adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. really, very | absolutely, quite, truly The waterfall is quite spectacular. | pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spectator noun

ADJ. mere, passive | interested | paying | cricket, football, sports, etc.

QUANT. crowd

SPECTATOR + VERB gather, turn up | line sth Spectators lined the route of the president's walkabout. | applaud (sb/sth), boo (sb/sth), cheer (sb/sth)

SPECTATOR + NOUN event, sport

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spectre noun

ADJ. terrible | old | constant

VERB + SPECTRE evoke, raise Wall Street's collapse raised spectres of the 1987 stock market crash. | banish

SPECTRE + VERB hang over sb/sth, haunt sb/sth, hover over sb/sth, loom (over sb/sth)

PREP. ~ of The terrible spectre of civil war hung over the country once again.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spectrum noun

¹ of colours

ADJ. visible Beyond the red end of the visible light spectrum is infrared. | continuous a continuous spectrum of light waves | colour, electromagnetic

SPECTRUM + NOUN analysis

PHRASES the colours of the spectrum Other species can perceive colours of the spectrum that are invisible to us. | the … band/end/part of the spectrum the ultraviolet part of the spectrum

² full or wide range

ADJ. complete, full The courses cover the full spectrum of levels. | broad, wide | narrow | entire, whole | political, social

VERB + SPECTRUM cover

PREP. across the ~ There was consensus across the political spectrum. | ~ of a wide spectrum of interests

PHRASES at one/the other end of the spectrum, both/opposite ends of the spectrum The two speakers were chosen to represent opposite ends of the spectrum. | a spectrum of opinion The newspaper covers a broad spectrum of opinion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speculate verb

VERB + SPECULATE can/could only | decline to, refuse to | be fascinating to, be interesting to, be tempting to | be idle to It is idle to speculate what the consequences would have been. | be difficult to

PREP. about There was no point speculating about the possibility of them getting back together. | as to We can only speculate as to this man's identity. | on/upon He refused to speculate on her reasons for leaving.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speculation noun

¹ making guesses about sth

VERB + SPECULATION cause, encourage, fuel, give rise to, increase, intensify, invite, lead to, prompt, raise | dampen, discourage, end, put an end to | dismiss | indulge in

PREP. amid ~ He was dropped from the team amid speculation that he was seriously ill. | ~ among There was wild speculation among the students as to the reason for cancelling the lecture. | ~ about/as to/on/over There has been increasing speculation over the future of the monarchy.

PHRASES a matter for speculation, a subject of speculation

² buying and selling for profit

ADJ. financial | market | currency, land, property, etc.

PREP. ~ against speculation against the euro | ~ in speculation in oil | ~ on speculation on the stock market

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speechless adj.

VERBS be, remain, sit, stand Rachel stood speechless. | leave sb, render sb The news left us all speechless.

ADV. completely, totally | almost, practically | for a moment, momentarily, temporarily

PREP. with He was almost speechless with anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speech noun

¹ speaking

VERB + SPEECH have Most people have speech, but significantly fewer have writing.

SPEECH + NOUN act | style | defect, impairment, impediment | therapist, therapy | community phonological variation in a speech community

PREP. in ~ Certain grammatical rules must be followed when describing a conversation in reported speech.

PHRASES a figure of speech When we talk about ‘selfish’ genes it is just a figure of speech. | freedom of speech the right of/to freedom of speech | the power of speech He temporarily lost the power of speech after the accident.

² formal talk

VERB + SPEECH deliver, give, make | broadcast His speech was broadcast on national radio. | write

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ about/on She made a stirring campaign speech on improving the lot of the unemployed. | ~ to In her speech to the House of Commons, she outlined her vision of Britain in the 21st century.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speed limit noun

ADJ. high, low | legal

VERB + SPEED LIMIT keep to/within | break, exceed Motorists can be fined on the spot for exceeding speed limits. | set | raise | reduce

PREP. over the ~ He was driving over the 60 mph speed limit. | below/under the ~, within the ~ You have to come down that hill in a low gear to keep within the speed limit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speeding noun

VERB + SPEEDING fine sb for, stop sb for The driver had been stopped twice for speeding on the same day.

SPEEDING + NOUN conviction, offence | fine He was obliged to pay a £40 speeding fine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

speed noun

ADJ. amazing, astonishing, breakneck, fast, great, high, incredible, lightning, phenomenal, remarkable, startling, surprising, terrific The new houses have been built with astonishing speed. He drove us to the hospital at breakneck speed. | low, slow | full, maximum, top | excess 90% of car accidents involve excess speed. | constant, steady | average | cruising, flying, operating, reading, running The machinery is regulated to a safe running speed. | engine, traffic, etc. | air, wind

QUANT. burst The Greek runner produced an electrifying burst of speed over the last 50 metres.

VERB + SPEED attain, reach The car reaches a speed of 60 miles per hour within five seconds. | build up, gain, gather, increase, pick up The train pulled out of the station, slowly gathering speed. | lose | curb, kill, reduce measures to curb the speed of cars travelling through the village | maintain The boat maintained a steady speed while the sea was calm. | measure

SPEED + VERB increase | decrease

SPEED + NOUN control, reduction, restriction | record ‘Mallard’ holds the speed record for a steam locomotive. | hump | camera, trap

PREP. at ~ (= fast) The train was travelling at speed when the accident happened. at lightning speed | with ~ Hedgehogs, though small, can move with surprising speed.

PHRASES (at) full speed He was running at full speed when a tendon snapped in his leg. | full speed ahead The boat can be brought to a stop from full speed ahead within her own length. | the speed of light/sound Concorde crosses the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound. | a turn of speed For a small car it has a good turn of speed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spelling noun

ADJ. correct, incorrect | conventional, usual | alternative, different, variant | American, English, etc. | phonetic

VERB + SPELLING use | check | correct | improve

PREP. in … ~ In American spelling ‘travelled’ only has one ‘l’. | ~ for/of The document uses the British spelling for caesium.

PHRASES be good/poor, etc. at spelling

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spell noun

¹ period of time

VERB + SPELL go through, have

PREP. during a … ~ She managed to write a letter during a quiet spell at work. | ~ as He had a brief spell as ambassador to Turkey.

PHRASES a spell of … weather a spell of sunny weather | a spell of unemployment

² magical effect

ADJ. magic, magical | powerful | hypnotic the hypnotic spell of the crickets singing in the garden

VERB + SPELL be/come/fall under | cast, put, weave The witch cast a spell on/over them. | break, remove She uttered the magic word, and the spell was broken.

PREP. under a/the ~ Sleeping Beauty was under a spell when the prince found her. | under sb's ~ The audience was completely under his spell.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spell verb

ADV. correctly, wrongly

PREP. as The article spelled ‘survey’ as ‘servay’. | with Is ‘necessary’ spelt with one ‘s’, or two? PHRASAL VERBS spell sth out

ADV. clearly | fully, in detail | exactly, precisely She spelled out precisely what she wanted.

VERB + SPELL have to, need to

PREP. for Do I really have to spell it out for you? | to His speech spelled out a clear message to the car industry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spending noun

VERB + SPENDING boost, increase | cut, cut back (on), reduce

SPENDING + VERB rise | fall

PREP. ~ on More spending on the National Health Service was promised.

PHRASES a cut/reduction in spending, an increase/a rise in spending > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spend verb

ADV. wisely Try to be objective if you want to spend your money wisely. | lavishly

PREP. on The company spent a lot on advertising.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sperm noun

VERB + SPERM produce

SPERM + VERB fertilize sth The sperm fertilizes the egg.

SPERM + NOUN cell | count a high/low/normal sperm count | duct | bank, donor

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sphere noun

ADJ. wider He wanted to spread his ideas to a wider sphere than the school. | academic, cultural, domestic, economic, military, political, social His work is little known outside the academic sphere. | private, public

PREP. in/within sb's/the ~ The region is within the Russian sphere of influence. | outside sb's/the ~ The matter is outside my sphere of responsibility. | ~ of

PHRASES a sphere of activity/influence/life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spice noun

¹ flavour for food

ADJ. ground | mixed | exotic

SPICE + NOUN mix/mixture | cupboard, jar, rack

PHRASES herbs and spices

² excitement and interest

VERB + SPICE add, give The romance added spice to the holiday.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spice verb

PREP. with Their bread is spiced with cinnamon.

PHRASES heavily/highly spiced I don't really like highly spiced food. | lightly spiced a dish of lightly spiced rice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spicy adj.

VERBS be, smell, taste The soup tasted mildly spicy.

ADV. really, very | lightly, mildly, quite, slightly | deliciously a deliciously spicy flavour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spider noun

ADJ. hairy | poisonous

SPIDER + NOUN silk | web

PHRASES a spider's web

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spill verb

ADV. almost | accidentally | out, over He nodded, his tears spilling over.

VERB + SPILL try not to | let sth He opened the curtains, letting the morning light spill into the room.

PREP. down, from, into, onto, out of, over I accidentally spilled my drink all over him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spin-off noun

ADJ. positive, valuable | unexpected | commercial

PREP. ~ from

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spine noun

¹ backbone

ADJ. fractured | cervical, lumbar

VERB + SPINE bend, curve | straighten | stiffen | slide along/down/up (figurative) An icy chill slid up my spine.

PREP. in the/your ~ the nerves in the spine

PHRASES the base of the spine, curvature of the spine, send shivers along/down your spine

² sharp point on some plants/animals

ADJ. pointed, sharp | fine | poisonous, venomous | savage Once embedded in the skin, these savage spines are difficult to dislodge.

VERB + SPINE bear, carry, have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spin noun

¹ fast turning movement

ADJ. quick, rapid | slow | back (also backspin), top (also topspin) She puts heavy topspin on her serve.

VERB + SPIN go into He had to stop the helicopter from going into a spin. | come out of | put sb/sth in(to), send sb/sth into (figurative) The president's death sent the stock market into a spin. | give sth Give the washing another spin. | impart, put on How do you put more spin on the ball?

SPIN + NOUN bowler | bowling

² on information

ADJ. positive

VERB + SPIN put on The chairman tried to put a positive spin on the closure of the factory.

SPIN + NOUN doctor government spin doctors

PREP. with a ~ The film retells the famous legend with a Marxist spin.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spin verb

ADV. fast, quickly, rapidly The blade spins very fast. | freely The wheel can now spin freely. | around/round, away, back He spun round to face her.

VERB + SPIN begin to, start to | make sth (figurative) The wine made my head spin.

PHRASES spin like a top The engine stopped. The dinghy spun like a top and a huge wave came at me. | spin on your heel She spun on her heel and walked out of the room. | spin out of control The car spun out of control.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spiral noun

ADJ. destructive, vicious | downward, upward | inflationary, wage-price

VERB + SPIRAL halt, stop

PREP. ~ of to halt the vicious downward spiral of drug abuse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spiritual adj.

VERBS be

ADV. deeply, truly, very This is an deeply spiritual piece of music. a truly spiritual experience | purely | almost The colours had an almost spiritual quality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spirit noun

¹ mind or feelings

ADJ. human

PREP. in ~ I will be with you in spirit.

² spirits: morale

ADJ. flagging

VERB + SPIRIT keep up, lift, raise We sang songs to keep our spirits up. | revive | break, dampen A string of defeats has failed to dampen the team's spirits.

SPIRIT + VERB lift, rise

PHRASES in good/high/low/poor, etc. spirits She isn't in the best of spirits today.

³ person

⁴ courage/liveliness

ADJ. great, tremendous | adventurous, competitive, fighting, indomitable, pioneer/pioneering

VERB + SPIRIT be full of, have She has plenty of fighting spirit. | display, show | break

PREP. with ~ He sang with great spirit.

PHRASES broken in spirit They tortured him until he was broken in spirit.

⁵ feelings of loyalty

ADJ. community, party, public, team

VERB + SPIRIT have | develop, foster, promote

⁶ attitude/mood

VERB + SPIRIT have | enter into

PREP. in a ~ of Both sides have come together in a spirit of goodwill. | ~ of a spirit of adventure

PHRASES in the right/wrong spirit, the spirit of the age/times

⁷ real/intended meaning of a rule, an agreement, etc.

VERB + SPIRIT obey | be/go against, be contrary to

PHRASES the spirit of the law The referee should try to obey the spirit as well as the letter of the law.

⁸ soul/ghost

ADJ. ancestral | evil, malevolent | restless Owls were believed to be restless spirits who had returned to earth.

VERB + SPIRIT conjure up, contact, invoke, summon (up) | exorcise, ward off She slept with a cross under the pillow to ward off evil spirits. | be possessed by

SPIRIT + VERB live on Many people believe the spirit lives on after death.

PHRASES the spirits of the dead

⁹ (usually spirits) strong alcoholic drink

QUANT. measure a single measure of spirits

VERB + SPIRIT drink

PHRASES a bottle of spirits

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spite noun

ADJ. pure | personal

VERB + SPITE be full of, feel She was angry and full of spite. | vent He vented his spite on his grandfather.

PREP. out of ~ She killed her neighbour's cow out of pure spite. | with ~ ‘Your cooking is hard to forget’, he said with spite. | ~ towards I felt no spite towards her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

splash noun

¹ sound; amount of liquid

ADJ. big, huge | small | loud | soft

VERB + SPLASH make (often figurative) She intended to make a big splash with her wedding. | hear

PREP. with a ~ She jumped into the pool with a splash.

² area of colour/light

ADJ. bold, bright a bold splash of red

VERB + SPLASH add, lend Window boxes of tulips added a splash of colour to the street.

PHRASES a splash of colour/light

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

splash verb

¹ in/with water

ADV. happily The baby was splashing happily in the bath. | about, around splashing around in the sea

PREP. against Rain splashed against the window. | on/onto She splashed some petrol onto the wood and set fire to it. | over She splashed some water over her boots to clean them. | through They splashed through the puddles. | with Her clean washing was all splashed with mud.

² be splashed with sth: with a colour

ADV. generously, liberally He was in his mid-forties, his hair liberally splashed with grey.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

splendid adj.

VERBS be

ADV. really a really splendid evening | absolutely, perfectly, quite, simply, truly The meal was quite splendid! | pretty, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

splendour noun

ADJ. full A butterfly emerged in its full splendour a week later. | glorious, great, regal | former, original | faded, fading | scenic

VERB + SPLENDOUR have The hotel has the splendour of a nineteenth-century mansion. | lose | recapture, regain It will take a lot of repair work before the theatre regains its former splendour. | restore sth to The house has been restored to its original splendour.

PREP. in ~ They dined in a special suite in glorious splendour. | in sb's/sth's ~ There below lay Paris in all its splendour. | of ~ a castle of great splendour | ~s of I've only just discovered the splendours of the English countryside.

PHRASES in solitary splendour The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

splinter noun

ADJ. tiny | glass, metal, wooden

VERB + SPLINTER get, have | pull out, remove

SPLINTER + VERB lodge

PREP. ~ of A small splinter of metal had lodged in his thumb.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

split noun

ADJ. clear, deep, major, serious A serious split in the ruling coalition appeared soon after the election. | growing | damaging

VERB + SPLIT cause, lead to

SPLIT + VERB appear, occur, open up

PREP. ~ between a split between the right and left wings of the party | ~ in/within, ~ over a growing split in the Church over the ordination of women | ~ with Mike's split with his wife

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

split verb

¹ break into two or more parts

ADV. easily Plastic splits quite easily. | apart

PREP. into He split the log into several pieces.

PHRASES split (sth) across/down the middle The lid had split down the middle. | split (sth) open The ripe seed pod splits open and scatters the seeds. | split (sth) in half/two Split the coconut in half.

² separate into different groups

ADV. formally | eventually, finally | apart, away, off, up The rock group split up last year.

PREP. from Several factions split from the party. | into On January 1,1993 Czechoslovakia formally split into two independent states. | on/over The party finally split over the issue of gun control.

PHRASES be deeply/irrevocably split The party is deeply split on this issue.

³ divide/share sth

ADV. equally, evenly

PREP. among, between The cost has been split equally between three countries.

PHRASES split sth two/three/four ways The profit will be split three ways.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spoils noun

VERB + SPOILS divide, share The soldiers began to divide the spoils. | take

PHRASES a division/share of the spoils

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spoil verb

¹ make sth useless/unsuccessful/not very good

ADV. completely, quite Her selfish behaviour completely spoiled the evening. | rather, slightly, somewhat

VERB + SPOIL mustn't, not be going to, not want to I don't want to spoil things for everyone else. | be a pity to It would be a pity to spoil the surprise. | try to | not let sth Don't let the bad weather spoil your holiday.

² a child

PREP. with spoiling the children with expensive toys

PHRASES be completely/thoroughly/utterly spoilt Those children are thoroughly spoilt! | spoil sb rotten My grandparents used to spoil me rotten. | a spoilt brat/child

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sponge noun

ADJ. damp/dampened, wet | bath

VERB + SPONGE squeeze (out)

SPONGE + VERB fill with sth, soak sth up This sponge doesn't soak up water very well.

PREP. with a/the ~ Wipe the surface with a damp sponge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sponsorship noun

ADJ. generous, major | direct | arts, sports | business, commercial, corporate, government, industrial, private | tobacco

VERB + SPONSORSHIP attract, find, get, obtain, raise, receive, win | look for, seek | withdraw (from) The company has decided to withdraw from some of its sports sponsorship.

SPONSORSHIP + NOUN deal, package, programme, scheme | money

PREP. through ~ Two million pounds were raised through sponsorship. | under (the) ~ under commercial sponsorship | with/without ~ Without generous corporate sponsorship, the ballet company would not have survived. | ~ for/of sponsorship for next year's World Cup | ~ from We have won sponsorship from one of the big banks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sponsor noun

VERB + SPONSOR look for, seek | attract, find, get | act as

SPONSOR + VERB back sb/sth, support sb/sth

SPONSOR + NOUN money

PREP. ~ for/of I need to find some more sponsors for my bike ride to Brighton.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spontaneous adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. genuinely | quite, totally | apparently, seemingly | wonderfully a wonderfully spontaneous performance of the symphony

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spooky adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, sound | become, get It got a bit spooky when James started telling ghost stories.

ADV. dead, decidedly, really, very | a bit, pretty, quite, rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spoon noun

ADJ. dessert, serving, soup, sugar

VERB + SPOON pick up | lay down, put down | beat sth with, eat sth with, fold/stir sth in with, stir sth with, use I stirred my coffee with the sugar spoon.

PREP. ~ of two spoons of sugar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sportsman, sportswoman noun

ADJ. famous | great, outstanding one of the greatest all-round sportswomen this country has produced | all-round | keen They are all keen sportsmen. | amateur, professional

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sportsman, sportswoman noun

ADJ. famous | great, outstanding one of the greatest all-round sportswomen this country has produced | all-round | keen They are all keen sportsmen. | amateur, professional

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sport noun

PREP. in ~ the use of dogs in sport

PHRASES the world of sport

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spotlight noun

¹ lamp

VERB + SPOTLIGHT shine on They shone the spotlight on a woman waving at the back of the audience. | step into He stepped into the spotlight to the wild applause of the crowd.

SPOTLIGHT + VERB be on sb/sth, fall on sb/sth, shine on sb/sth

PREP. in/under the ~ It was hot under the spotlights.

² public attention/interest

ADJ. national, public | media

VERB + SPOTLIGHT come into/under This issue will come under the spotlight at tomorrow's meeting. | bring sth into, put, throw, turn These revelations threw a spotlight on the shakiness of the economy. | share The captain had to share the spotlight with the new young star. | steal

SPOTLIGHT + VERB be on sb/sth, fall on sb/sth, turn on sb/sth

PREP. in/under the ~ The quality of food in the shops is back in the spotlight. | out of the ~ The affair is now out of the spotlight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spot noun

¹ small red mark on the skin

VERB + SPOT break out in The children all had measles, and had broken out in spots. | scratch, squeeze

² place/area

ADJ. exact, particular, precise | convenient, good, ideal, perfect, right, suitable Take the time to find the right spot to pitch your tent. | beautiful, beauty, idyllic, lovely, pleasant The lake is one of the local beauty spots. | favourite, popular a favourite spot for picnickers | deserted, desolate, isolated, lonely, remote | quiet, secluded | shady, sheltered | sunny | holiday, tourist | picnic | sore, tender | sensitive (often figurative) From his angry reply it was obvious that I had touched a sensitive spot. | vulnerable, weak Check your house for weak spots where a thief could get in. | blind (often figurative) I have a blind spot where jazz is concerned (= I don't understand it). | danger, trouble one of the world's major trouble spots | high, number one/two, etc., top The record quickly reached the number one spot in the charts. | bald He usually wears a hat to hide his bald spot.

VERB + SPOT mark On your map, X marks the spot where the race begins. | reach | be frozen/rooted to He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

PREP. on the ~ The fire brigade was on the spot within minutes.

PHRASES an accident black spot

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spot verb

ADV. quickly | easily Most of these fossils are too small to be easily spotted. | suddenly | eventually, finally

VERB + SPOT be difficult to, be easy to | fail to

PHRASES well spotted ‘There's parking space over the far side.’ ‘Well spotted!’

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sprawl verb

ADV. untidily | out He was sprawled out on the sofa.

PREP. across, in, on, over She sprawled untidily in an armchair.

PHRASES lie/sit sprawled She lay sprawled across the bed. | send sb sprawling The blow sent him sprawling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spray noun

ADJ. fine, light | salt, sea

QUANT. cloud, plume The boat sent a cloud of spray up behind it.

VERB + SPRAY send (up), throw (up)

SPRAY + VERB fly (up) Spray flew up onto the rocks.

PREP. ~ of a spray of salt water

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spread noun

ADJ. good, great, wide | rapid | gradual, slow | geographical, global The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.

VERB + SPREAD encourage Such unhygienic conditions encourage the spread of disease. | halt, prevent, stop | control, limit, reduce

PREP. ~ of the spread of fire

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spread verb

¹ open sth so that you can see all of it

ADV. carefully | out We spread the rug out on the floor.

PREP. across, on, over

PHRASES spread sth open He had a newspaper spread open on his knee.

² reach more people/wider area

ADV. fast, like wildfire, quickly, rapidly, soon The news spread like wildfire. | gradually, slowly | easily The disease spreads easily. | widely Allow plenty of space for this plant as its roots spread widely. | far and wide His fame had spread far and wide. | geographically Friends may be spread geographically. Neighbours, by definition, are nearby. | outwards

PREP. across, among, around/round, beyond, from, into, over, through, throughout, to The effects of this policy spread far beyond children now at school. The fire rapidly spread to adjoining buildings.

PHRASES thinly spread Expertise in this field is very thinly spread across the country.

³ cover a surface with a soft substance

ADV. generously, liberally, thickly | lightly, thinly | evenly Don't make the paste too thick, or it will not spread evenly.

PREP. on He spread jam on the toast. | with Spread each slice generously with butter.

⁴ divide/share sth

ADV. equally, evenly, uniformly | unevenly

VERB + SPREAD try to

PREP. among, between We tried to spread the workload evenly between the departments. | over The course takes forty hours, spread over twenty weeks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spree noun

VERB + SPREE go on He's gone on a drinking spree.

PREP. on a ~ She's out on a mad spending spree.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spring noun

¹ season

ADJ. last, next, this (coming) | early, late, mid- | wet

SPRING + NOUN weather | sun, sunlight, sunshine | frost/frosts, rain/rains, wind | tide The highest spring tides of the the year occur after the equinoxes in March and September. | equinox | term The students spend the whole spring term on teaching practice. | flower | lamb, greens a delicious recipe for spring lamb | clean, cleaning They decided to give the attic a spring clean. | collection, exhibition > Note at SEASON(for more collocates)

² coiled metal or wire

VERB + SPRING break The children broke some springs jumping on the bed.

SPRING + VERB break, go Most of the springs have gone in the old sofa.

³ where water comes up

ADJ. hot, thermal | bubbling | mineral, mountain

SPRING + VERB bubble A thermal spring bubbled up out of the rocks.

SPRING + NOUN water

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spring verb

ADV. suddenly | apart, back, down, forward, out, up He sprang back in alarm.

VERB + SPRING be ready to, be waiting to The lion crouched, ready to spring.

PREP. at Therese sprang at him and kissed him on both cheeks. | into, out of He sprang out of the car.

PHRASES spring open He worked a knife blade into the drawer and it sprang open. | spring to attention The sentry sprang to attention. | spring to your feet She sprang to her feet and ran to answer the doorbell.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sprinkle verb

ADV. lightly | evenly

PREP. on, onto, over Sprinkle sugar evenly over the top of the cake. | with Sprinkle the meat lightly with salt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sprint noun

ADJ. quick, short | 100-metre, etc.

VERB + SPRINT break into, make The runners broke into a sprint a few hundred yards from the finish. It started raining, so we made a sprint for a cafe.

SPRINT + NOUN relay Jamaica won the gold in the sprint relay. | finish Sato just pipped the Kenyan runner in a sprint finish. | champion Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones | hurdles | double the 100-metre and 200-metre sprint double

PREP. in a ~ This car could comfortably outpace its rivals in a sprint. | ~ for The Moroccan came out best in a frantic sprint for the line.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spurt noun

ADJ. sudden | great A great spurt of blood came out of the wound. | brief, little | final | growth

VERB + SPURT put on She put on a spurt to get to the station in time. | feel He felt a spurt of resentment against his brother.

PREP. with a ~ With one final spurt, he reached the top of the hill. | ~ in a spurt in capital spending | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spur noun

¹ on horse rider's boots

QUANT. pair

VERB + SPUR dig in/into, put/set to He dug his spurs into the horse's flank and cantered off.

² encouragement

ADJ. great, powerful, strong

VERB + SPUR act as, be | give (sb), provide (sb with)

PREP. ~ for The research provided a spur for reform. | ~ to a spur to action

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

spy noun

ADJ. enemy, government, police

VERB + SPY act as, be, work as He denied acting as an enemy spy. | recruit (sb as)

SPY + NOUN film, movie, novel, story, thriller | camera, plane, satellite | network, ring Counter-intelligence officers uncovered a spy ring involving twenty agents.

PREP. ~ for He was a spy for the government.

PHRASES a network of spies

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squabble noun

ADJ. petty | bitter | domestic, family | internal

VERB + SQUABBLE have | resolve, settle

PREP. ~ about/over squabbles about money | ~ among/between I always have to settle squabbles between the children. | ~ with a squabble with her publisher over royalties

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squad noun

ADJ. good, strong They've got together a good squad for the World Cup. | anti-terrorist, bomb (disposal), crime, drug/drugs, flying, fraud, police, riot, vice an early-morning raid by the police flying squad | assassination, death, hit | demolition | firing It was almost his turn to go before the firing squad. | football, rowing, etc.

SQUAD + NOUN detective, member, officer a fraud squad detective | car

PREP. in a/the ~ He's working in the drugs squad.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squalor noun

ADJ. public, urban

VERB + SQUALOR live in

PREP. amid/in the ~ of a beautiful garden amid the squalor of the slums | in ~ He was born in squalor next to London's docks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

square adj.

VERBS be, look

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

square noun

¹ shape

ADJ. neat | perfect

VERB + SQUARE cut sth into, divide sth into Cut the sandwiches into neat squares.

SQUARE + NOUN shape

PREP. ~ of A square of light shone from the skylight.

² open space in a town, etc.

ADJ. central, main | public | city, town, village | market crowds thronging the market square

VERB + SQUARE throng

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squeak noun

ADJ. little | high, high-pitched

VERB + SQUEAK give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ The door opened with a squeak. | ~ of She gave a little squeak of surprise.

PHRASES not a squeak (figurative) ‘Have you heard from them?’ ‘Not a squeak since yesterday.’ | the squeak of rubber the squeak of rubber soles on the wooden floor | a squeak of surprise > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squeal noun

ADJ. little | high-pitched

VERB + SQUEAL give, let out She gave a little squeal of delight. | hear

PREP. with a ~ The car stopped with a squeal of brakes. | ~ of

PHRASES the squeal of brakes, a squeal of delight > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squeeze noun

¹ pressing with fingers

ADJ. affectionate | comforting, reassuring

VERB + SQUEEZE give sb He gave his mother a comforting squeeze as he left.

PHRASES ~ of A squeeze of her hand reassured him.

² in a small space

ADJ. tight There were seven of us in the car and it was a tight squeeze.

PREP. at a ~ We can get six in the car at a squeeze.

PHRASES a bit of a squeeze

³ reduction in money

ADJ. cash, credit, economic, financial, profits, tax

VERB + SQUEEZE feel All manufacturers are feeling the squeeze. | put The government is trying to put the squeeze on high earners.

PREP. ~ on a squeeze on spending

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squeeze verb

¹ press sth hard

ADV. hard, tightly | gently ‘I know,’ she said, squeezing his hand gently.

PREP. from squeezing the juice from a lemon | out of I squeezed the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.

PHRASES freshly squeezed freshly squeezed orange juice

² limit the money available

ADV. hard, severely High interest rates have squeezed the industry hard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squint noun

ADJ. bad | slight

VERB + SQUINT have | correct A squint can sometimes be corrected by an eyepatch.

SQUINT + NOUN surgery

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squirm verb

ADV. uncomfortably | silently | visibly

VERB + SQUIRM make sb The very mention of her singing made her squirm uncomfortably.

PREP. at He squirmed visibly at the thought of his secret being revealed. | in/with He squirmed with embarrassment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

squirrel noun

ADJ. grey, red

SQUIRREL + VERB dart, scamper, scurry The squirrel scampered across the lawn

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stability noun

VERB + STABILITY achieve, bring, ensure, give sb, provide (sb with) The policy should bring greater monetary stability to the country. | lack | threaten, undermine | maintain, preserve

PHRASES a period of stability The country was enjoying a period of political stability. | a threat to stability The conflict is becoming a threat to stability in the region.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stable adj.

¹ not likely to move

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | make sth | keep sth Put a book under the table to keep it stable.

ADV. extremely, very | perfectly, quite Don't worry?it's perfectly stable! | fairly, pretty | enough, sufficiently The unit is stable enough on level ground.

² not likely to change suddenly

VERBS be, look, seem | become | remain | keep sth attempts to keep prices stable

ADV. extremely, highly, remarkably, very | completely, perfectly Animals rarely live in completely stable environments. | broadly, comparatively, fairly, more or less, quite, reasonably, relatively, roughly | enough, sufficiently He was not emotionally stable enough to think through his decision. | apparently | emotionally, financially, politically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stab noun

¹ injury

VERB + STAB make the boy made a stab at the pig

STAB + NOUN wound

PREP. ~ at

² sudden pain

ADJ. sharp, sudden

VERB + STAB feel

PHRASES ~ of He felt a sharp stab of disappointment.

³ attempt

ADJ. brave, good | unsuccessful

VERB + STAB have, make, take

PREP. ~ at I had a stab at answering the question.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stab verb

ADV. repeatedly He is accused of repeatedly stabbing a sixteen-year-old boy.

VERB + STAB threaten to | try to

PREP. at, in He was stabbed in the chest. | with I stabbed at my meat with my fork.

PHRASES be found stabbed He was found stabbed in his car. | stab sb to death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stack verb

ADV. carefully, neatly | away, up The wood was collected up and carefully stacked away. Stack the chairs up over there.

PREP. against The cases were stacked against the wall. | in The paintings were stacked in a corner of the room. | on The plates were neatly stacked on the draining board. | with shelves stacked with boxes

PHRASES be stacked in piles Boxes were stacked in piles all round the room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stadium noun

VERB + STADIUM fill, pack (into) Thousands packed into the stadium to watch the final.

PREP. at a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

staff noun

QUANT. member There are only four full-time members of staff in the company.

VERB + STAFF employ, have The company has a staff of fifty. | appoint, engage, hire, recruit, take on staff appointed to the project I've heard they're recruiting staff at the moment. | dismiss, fire, lay off, make redundant, sack A spokesperson said that the bank expects to make 15,000 staff redundant over the next three years. | train | pay They pay their staff by cheque. | join He joined the editorial staff in 1999. | leave

PREP. on the ~ (of) She has been on the staff of the hospital for most of her working life.

PHRASES chief of staff (= the most senior officer serving under and advising the person who commands each of the armed forces)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

staff verb be staffed

ADV. well | fully, properly The ward is now fully staffed. | adequately | inadequately, short I'm afraid we're desperately short staffed at the moment.

PHRASES be staffed (entirely/largely/mainly) by/with sb The office will be staffed entirely with volunteers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stage noun

¹ period/state in progress/development

ADJ. distinct The process has three distinct stages. | early, first, initial, opening, preliminary | advanced, closing, final, last, late, latter, terminal Her husband was in the advanced stages of cancer. | halfway, intermediate, secondary | transitional | successive | critical, crucial, important, key, main | easy The book guides you through making your own website in easy stages. | difficult | delicate, vulnerable | embryonic, larval, pupal | experimental, exploratory | committee, design, development/developmental, formative, planning The scheme is still at the planning stage. | knockout, semi-final, etc. Colombia's win sent them through to the knockout stage of the tournament.

VERB + STAGE go/move/pass through The water goes through three stages of purification. | enter, reach We've entered a crucial stage in the project.

PREP. at a/the ~ You should read this article at some stage. | by ~s The university was put together by stages. | during/in a/the ~ in the early stages of the job | in ~s We renovated the house in two stages. | ~ in an important stage in her life | ~ of the latter stages of the race

PHRASES the beginning/end of a stage Pupils are tested at the end of each stage of the course. | a/one stage further take the investigation one stage further | a stage of development/life

² in a theatre, etc.

ADJ. centre (often figurative) A new actress will take centre stage in next month's production of ‘The Doll's House’. | revolving

VERB + STAGE go on, take (to) He was too nervous to go on stage. I was shaking as I took the stage. She took to the stage when she was at university. | leave She left the stage to tumultuous applause. | set (often figurative) The thrilling semi-finals set the stage for what should be a great game. | boo sb off

STAGE + NOUN management, manager | direction Shakespeare's famous stage direction: ‘Exit, pursued by a bear.’ | play, production, show | appearance, performance, role | set The stage set is the most expensive ever built. | door | name David Harries adopted the stage name Dixon Hare when he became a full-time actor. | left, right | fright Even experienced actors can suffer from stage fright.

PREP. off ~ A trumpet sounded off stage. | on ~ The entire cast is on stage in the final scene.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stage verb

ADV. carefully The event was very carefully staged. | elaborately an elaborately staged drama

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

staggered adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. absolutely, quite

PREP. at I was staggered at her rudeness. | by He looked quite staggered by the news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

staggering adj.

VERBS be

ADV. absolutely, quite The public response was absolutely staggering. | fairly, pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stagger verb

ADV. almost | a little, slightly | blindly She staggered blindly off into the darkness. | about, around, away, back, backwards, forward, off, out

PREP. from, into, out of, through, towards, under, etc. He was staggering under the weight of the sack.

PHRASES stagger to your feet She staggered to her feet and tottered unsteadily across the room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stagnation noun

ADJ. economic, political

VERB + STAGNATION lead to

PHRASES a period/years of stagnation Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

staid adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get, grow He had grown staid and dull.

ADV. positively, very The locals were a very staid lot. | rather a rather staid and old-fashioned hotel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stain noun

ADJ. stubborn | dark | coffee, grass, etc.

VERB + STAIN leave | get out, remove

STAIN + VERB spread The glass fell off the table and a dark stain spread over the carpet.

PREP. ~ on The coffee left a stain on his shirt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stain verb

PREP. with The shirt was heavily stained with blood.

PHRASES be badly/heavily/slightly stained, stain sth green, red, etc. The children's fingers were stained purple with blackberry juice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

staircase noun

VERB + STAIRCASE ascend, climb, go/run, etc. up, mount | descend, go/run, etc. down | use

STAIRCASE + VERB lead to sth The spiral staircase led to an upper gallery.

PREP. on the ~ They passed each other on the staircase.

PHRASES the bottom/foot/head/top of the staircase

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stair noun

¹ stairs steps inside a building

QUANT. flight We went up three flights of stairs.

VERB + STAIR ascend, climb, go/run, etc. up, mount | descend, go/run, etc. down | take, use Take the back stairs.

STAIR + VERB lead to sth | creak

STAIR + NOUN rod The carpet was held in place by brass stair rods. | gate

PREP. under the ~ a cupboard under the stairs | ~ (down/up) to the stairs to the third floor

PHRASES the bottom/foot/head/top of the stairs, take the stairs two, etc. at a time He rushed up to the bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time.

² one step

ADJ. top | bottom

STAIR + VERB creak The third stair creaked as I stepped on it.

PREP. on/the a ~ He sat waiting on the bottom stair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stake noun

¹ (also stakes) amount that could be won/lost

ADJ. big, high | low, small | political

VERB + STAKE play for They always play for high stakes. | raise | lower

PREP. at ~ The minister will face the enquiry with his reputation at stake.

² share of a company, etc.

ADJ. controlling, large, majority, significant, substantial | minority, small | direct | financial, equity

VERB + STAKE have | acquire, buy, take | sell | build up, increase, lift, raise | cut, reduce

PREP. ~ in She acquired a four per cent direct stake in the business.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stalemate noun

ADJ. political

VERB + STALEMATE end in, reach, result in The talks reached (a) stalemate. | break Efforts to break the stalemate in the peace talks continue. | be locked in Discussions are locked in stalemate.

STALEMATE + VERB continue

PREP. ~ between a stalemate between management and unions | ~ in The stalemate in the trade talks continues. | ~ on/over a stalemate over economic union

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stale adj.

VERBS be, look, smell, taste The room smelled musty and stale. | become, go, turn This bread's going stale.

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly

PREP. with The atmosphere was stale with cigarette smoke.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stall noun

ADJ. market | book, cake, fish, flower, etc.

VERB + STALL have He has a flower stall in Portobello Road market. | put up, set out/up | pack up | man, run Who's going to man the stall at lunchtime?

STALL + VERB sell sth a stall selling second-hand books

STALL + NOUN holder (also stallholder), keeper

PREP. at a/the ~ I bought this trout at the market fish stall. | behind the ~ the man behind the stall

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stall verb

ADV. effectively Discussions were effectively stalled by the union's refusal to participate.

PHRASES stall for time He asked them all kinds of pointless questions, stalling for time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stamina noun

ADJ. great | mental, physical

VERB + STAMINA have She didn't the stamina to complete the course. | lack | need, require | build (up), increase Aerobic exercise helps to build up stamina.

PHRASES reserves of stamina Emma Walton had to call on all her reserves of stamina to win the 10,000 metres. | a test of stamina Final exams at university can be as much a test of stamina as of knowledge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stammer noun

ADJ. bad, nervous, severe | slight

VERB + STAMMER develop | have, speak with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stamp noun

¹ on a letter/package

ADJ. postage | first-class, second-class | Christmas, commemorative

QUANT. book, set, sheet a book of ten first-class stamps

VERB + STAMP put on, stick on She stuck a first-class stamp on the letter. | lick, moisten | issue, launch The Post Office has launched some new Christmas stamps. | collect

STAMP + NOUN album, collecting, collector

² instrument for stamping a design, etc. on a surface

ADJ. official | date

³ character/quality

ADJ. unmistakable

VERB + STAMP bear, carry His work bears the unmistakable stamp of genius. | leave, put She left her stamp on the school.

PREP. ~ of the stamp of authority

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stamp verb

ADV. hard | impatiently She stamped her foot impatiently. | about, around, down, off He stamped off in disgust.

PREP. on She stamped on my toe!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stance noun

¹ position in which sb stands

VERB + STANCE adopt, take up The boxer took up a fighting stance. | change | keep, maintain

PREP. in a ~ He lounged in an armchair in a stance of deliberate contempt.

² attitude

VERB + STANCE adopt, take (up) | alter, change | maintain The wife of the accused has maintained an impartial stance throughout the trial.

PREP. ~ against The president has adopted a hardline stance against abortion. | ~ on/towards He has changed his stance on monetary union.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

standard adj.

VERBS be, be fitted as, come as Anti-lock brakes are fitted as standard. | become

ADV. almost The stations were built to a simple, almost standard design. | fairly, pretty a fairly standard method of assessing employees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

standard noun

¹ level of quality

ADJ. high | low, poor | minimum | acceptable, adequate, decent, proper, reasonable We must ensure proper standards of care for the elderly. | improved, rising | clear | objective Judged by any objective standards, the campaign was a disaster. | official, required | conventional, usual | consistent, uniform, universal | exacting, rigorous, strict, stringent | professional The work has been done to a professional standard. | international, national | quality We have to try and achieve the quality standards set by the project. | qualifying The Olympic qualifying standard has been set at 64.50m. | living The region enjoys the highest living standards in Europe. | accounting, advertising, safety, trading, etc. | academic, educational, environmental, health, intellectual, technical, etc.

VERB + STANDARD have The agency has very high standards. | boast, enjoy | define, establish, set | achieve, meet, reach The factory is struggling to meet national environmental standards. She has reached an acceptable standard of English. | fall short of The hotel service fell short of the usual standard. | apply, enforce, provide It's impossible to apply the same academic standards across the country. | judge sb/sth by | improve, raise | lower | maintain, sustain

PREP. above/below (the) ~ Your work is below standard. | by … standards By modern standards, he isn't a particularly fast runner. | to a … ~ The building work had not been completed to a satisfactory standard. | up to ~ We need to bring our computer system up to standard. | ~ in standards in safety

PHRASES by any standard She's a great violinist by any standard. | a drop/fall in the standard, an increase/a rise in the standard There has been an increase in the standard of service provided. | a standard of living the fall in their standard of living caused by redundancy

² (usually standards) acceptable level of behaviour

ADJ. declining, falling My grandparents are always complaining about falling moral standards. | double the double standard frequently encountered in nineteenth-century attitudes to sex | ethical, moral

VERB + STANDARD prescribe | keep up, maintain | improve, raise

STANDARD + VERB drop, fall

PHRASES standards of behaviour/conduct

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

standing noun

¹ reputation

VERB + STANDING have Professor Greenan has a high standing in the academic world. | enhance, improve | damage, diminish

STANDING + VERB decline, fall | rise

PREP. of … ~ She married into a family of higher social standing. | ~ among her low standing among her fellow scientists | ~ as His standing as a film director has risen in recent years. | ~ in/within his international standing in cancer research | ~ with She was appointed for her high moral standing with the general public.

PHRASES in good standing with sb a knight in good standing with the king

² length of time that sth has existed

ADJ. long | many years', 25 years', etc. Their relationship is of many years' standing.

PREP. of … ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

standpoint noun

ADJ. different We must approach the problem from a different standpoint. | positive | practical | ideological, theoretical | economic, historical, political, religious, technical, etc.

VERB + STANDPOINT adopt We should try to adopt a more positive standpoint. | approach sth from, view sth from

PREP. from a/the ~ (of) From the standpoint of women, this looks like a policy of discrimination.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

standstill noun

ADJ. complete, total | virtual

VERB + STANDSTILL come to, grind to The train came to a complete standstill. | bring sth to The roadworks brought the traffic to a standstill.

PREP. at a ~ The factory has been at a standstill for days.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stand noun

¹ effort to resist opposition

ADJ. defiant, determined, firm, strong, tough | moral, principled | last, last-ditch | public

VERB + STAND make, take

PREP. ~ against to make a stand against industries that contribute to river pollution | ~ on He has taken a public stand on the issue of misuse of hospital funds.

² table/small shop

ADJ. market, trade | hot-dog, newspaper, etc. | display, exhibition | information

VERB + STAND have Our company has a display stand at this year's fair. | set up | man We took it in turns to man the exhibition stand.

PREP. at a/the ~ We can get a magazine at the newspaper stand. | on the ~ I'll be on the stand for two hours. You'll find brochures on our new products on the stand.

³ furniture/equipment for putting sth on

ADJ. hat, umbrella | microphone, music

PREP. in/on a/the ~ There was some flute music open on the music stand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stand verb

¹ be on your feet/be upright

ADV. upright | still Stand still while I take your photo. | barefoot | on tiptoe She stood on tiptoe to reach the shelf. | awkwardly, meekly, stiffly, uncertainly He stood awkwardly in the doorway, not sure what to say. | around, there Don't just stand there?do something.

VERB + STAND can/can't, could/couldn't The roof was so low I could not stand upright. | can/could barely/hardly He felt so weak he could hardly stand.

PHRASES be left standing After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.

² tolerate sth

VERB + STAND can/can't, could/couldn't I can't stand that man! | can/could hardly

³ be a candidate in an election

ADV. successfully, unsuccessfully

PREP. against Two candidates will be standing against her. | as She stood unsuccessfully as a candidate in the local elections. | for He is standing for Oxford East in the parliamentary election. PHRASAL VERBS stand by

ADV. idly, passively Surely the world cannot stand idly by and let this country go through the agony of war yet again?

VERB + STAND can/can't, could/couldn't stand up

ADV. straight You'll look taller if you stand up straight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stardom noun

ADJ. Hollywood, international

VERB + STARDOM achieve, rise to, rocket to, shoot (sb) to Her number one single shot her to stardom. | be tipped for This young tennis player is being tipped for stardom. | be coached for, be groomed for He was groomed for stardom by his rock-singer father.

PHRASES sb's rise to stardom her meteoric rise to stardom | the road to stardom He set out on the lonely road to stardom early in life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stare verb

ADV. fixedly, hard, intently, unblinkingly I could see a man staring at me intently. | steadily | impassively | absently, blankly, blearily, blindly, dully, sightlessly, uncomprehendingly, unseeingly, vacantly She stared blankly at the brick wall in front of her. | dazedly, disbelievingly, incredulously, open-mouthed, wide-eyed, wildly I stared at him open-mouthed, unable to speak. | bleakly, gloomily, glumly, grimly, helplessly, hopelessly, morosely He stared at me bleakly and said nothing. | coldly, coolly, defiantly, fiercely, moodily, stonily She stared at him stonily as he came in. | curiously, quizzically, suspiciously, thoughtfully | silently, wordlessly | just, merely, simply | (for) a moment For a long moment they just stared at each other. | still He was still staring at himself in the mirror. | across, around/round, back, down, out, (straight) ahead, up She stared back at him. He stared straight ahead and did not move.

VERB + STARE can/could only She could only stare at him with pain in her eyes. | seem to | continue to | turn to Everyone in the room turned to stare at her. | pause to, stop to

PREP. across, after She stalked off, leaving them all staring after her. | around/round, at, in I stared in horror at his bloody mouth. | into, out of, through, with He just stared at her with disbelief.

PHRASES sit/stand staring, stand/stop and stare It was too cold to stand and stare. | stare into space She was just sitting there, staring into space.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

starter noun

ADJ. cold, hot

VERB + STARTER eat, have Are you having a starter? | choose, order I've chosen a hot starter. | serve sth as This dish can be served as a starter or a main course.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

starting point noun

ADJ. convenient, good, suitable, useful

VERB + STARTING POINT be, provide, serve as | take sth as, use sth as

PREP. from a/the ~ They reached the same conclusion from different starting points. | ~ for Your paper provides a useful starting point for the discussion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

startled adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. very | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | for a moment, momentarily She was momentarily startled by the sight before her. | suddenly

PREP. at She was obviously a little startled at this idea. | by startled by his sudden appearance in the doorway

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

start noun

ADJ. auspicious, bright, encouraging, flying, good, great, impressive, promising, sound, wonderful Despite a bright start, Liverpool lost the match. | disappointing, disastrous, poor, rocky, shaky, slow, uncertain | false After a couple of false starts, she found the job that suited her. | fresh, new | early, late | very right from the very start

VERB + START make I think it's time we made a start. | get off to The company has got off to an impressive start this financial year. | herald, mark

START + NOUN button, date, signal

PREP. at the ~ (of) Everyone was in a conciliatory mood at the start of the meeting. | from the ~ She felt at home in her new job right from the start. | ~ to The fine winter weather heralded a good start to the year. | ~ in Moving to a good school gave Sally a fresh start in life.

PHRASES from start to finish This is a thoroughly good book from start to finish.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

start verb

ADV. suddenly Her heart suddenly started to race. | immediately | just He has just started at school. At that point I just started to hate the man. | off, out We'll start off by doing some warm-up exercises. | (all over) again We'll just have to start all over again.

VERB + START decide to, expect to, hope to, intend to, plan to | be due to, be expected to, be scheduled to Work is due to start this weekend. | be ready to By early evening he was ready to start work. | be about to, be going to A new term was about to start. | had better You'd better start packing if you're to leave early tomorrow morning.

PREP. by Let's start by reviewing what we did last week. | from Start from the beginning and tell me exactly what happened. | on I've finished decorating the bathroom, so now I can start on the bedroom. | with Let's start with this first piece of music.

PHRASES get started It's already quite late, so I think we should get started. | let's start

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

starvation noun

ADJ. prolonged, slow | mass | oxygen The pilot had lost consciousness because of oxygen starvation.

VERB + STARVATION be threatened by, face, suffer | rescue sb from, save sb from | die from/of

STARVATION + NOUN diet, rations | wages The workers lived in poor conditions and were paid starvation wages. | level Millions of people around the world live at or below starvation level.

PHRASES death by/from starvation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

starve verb

ADV. literally She refused food and literally starved herself to death.

VERB + STARVE leave sb to He locked them in and left them to starve.

PHRASES be half starved The poor cat was half starved. | starve to death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

star noun

¹ small point of light in the night sky

QUANT. cluster a dense cluster of stars at the galaxy's nucleus

STAR + VERB be out | shine, twinkle A bright star shone in the East. | appear, come out

STAR + NOUN cluster

PREP. under the ~s We camped out under the stars.

PHRASES a canopy of stars They lay down under a canopy of stars. | the brightness/density/luminosity of a star

² famous person

ADJ. big There were several big Hollywood stars at the function. | true, undisputed | rising, young | football, pop, etc. | Hollywood, screen, film, movie, soap, TV

QUANT. array, galaxy, host Channel 4 has lined up a galaxy of stars for the coming season.

STAR + NOUN quality, status | role | actor, performer, player | attraction, turn He was the star turn at the celebrations. | vehicle The film was nothing more than a star vehicle for Tom Hanks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

statement noun

ADJ. brief, short Saunder's lawyer made a brief statement to the press outside the court. | bald, blunt, flat His bald statement that he'd resigned concealed his anxiety about the situation. | comprehensive, definitive, detailed, full | explicit An explicit statement of objectives is vital before the project begins. | clear, simple | bold, firm, positive, strong | explanatory | false, inaccurate, misleading | sweeping She made one of her sweeping statements about foreigners. | joint The two heads of state issued a joint statement. | formal, government, official, public | political They decided to make a political statement by refusing to vote. | oral, signed, sworn, written

VERB + STATEMENT issue, put out, release | give, make He admitted giving a false statement to the police. | take The police will take a statement from each of you. | withdraw | deny

PREP. in a/the ~ In a statement released today, the Department of Health said … | ~ about The clothes you wear are a statement about yourself. | ~ on a statement on human rights | ~ to He's trying to withdraw the statement he made to Parliament last week.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

statesman noun

ADJ. great, leading | elder, senior Political power resided with the nation's elder statesman and party leader. | international, world his reputation as a world statesman

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

state noun

¹ condition

ADJ. acceptable, fit, good, healthy She managed to get the company's finances into a healthy state. | appalling, awful, bad, desperate, dire, dreadful, pitiful, poor, sorry, terrible | run-down We were shocked at the run-down state of the hospital. | emotional, mental, psychological He's not in a fit enough mental state to drive. | physical The inspectors assess the physical state of schools and equipment. | financial | nervous, trance-like He goes into a trance-like state when he plays the guitar. | current, present | former, previous | natural You can either varnish the wood or leave it in its natural state. | constant, continual, continuous, permanent, perpetual The country is in a perpetual state of anarchy. | advanced an advanced state of dehydration

VERB + STATE get into, go into | get sth into

PREP. in a ~ Jane was in a terrible state after losing her job. | into a ~ Babies can cry themselves into a state of frenzy. | ~ of His life seems to be in a constant state of chaos.

PHRASES be in a good/bad, etc. state of repair The house was in a poor state of repair when we bought it. | a state of affairs The brothers' refusal to work together had brought about this sad state of affairs. | a state of emergency The government has declared a state of emergency in the flooded regions. | a state of flux The education system is still in a state of flux following the recent reform. | a state of health He's concerned about his mother's state of health. | a state of mind Public speaking can produce a state of mind akin to panic. | a state of shock The driver was just sitting there in a state of shock. | a state of war

² country/government

STATE + NOUN enterprise, monopoly | control, ownership The telephone network is still under state control. | property Every citizen could buy shares in privatized state property. | sector, system Teachers in the state sector are asking for a 7% pay rise. schools outside the state system | education, school Did you go to a state school or a private school? | aid, funding, funds, subsidy, support | benefit, pension unemployed people living on state benefit The state pension is barely enough to live on. | intervention large-scale state intervention in industry | spending Some prefer tax cuts to greater state spending on health and social services. | employee | secret He was shot for passing state secrets to foreign powers.

PHRASES affairs/matters of state The president's wife is said to have a powerful hand in affairs of state. | head of state Visiting heads of state usually stay in the palace.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

state verb

ADV. clearly, plainly Please state clearly how many tickets you require. | exactly, explicitly, expressly, precisely, specifically These facts were nowhere explicitly stated. | categorically, definitely, positively, unequivocally She stated categorically that she had no intention of leaving. | emphatically, firmly | bluntly, flatly ‘Alcohol doesn't solve problems,’ she stated flatly. | confidently | correctly, rightly | falsely, incorrectly, wrongly | openly, publicly He stated his own views quite openly. | formally, officially | blandly | easily The demands are more easily stated than met. | briefly, succinctly | quietly | just, merely, simply I am merely stating the facts. | repeatedly | previously As previously stated, the phrase ‘value for money’ has an ambiguous meaning.

VERB + STATE go on to The report goes on to state that: … | fail to The committee failed to state their reasons for this decision.

PHRASES stated above/below We cannot accept this proposal for the reasons stated above. | state the obvious At the risk of stating the obvious, people who have not paid cannot be admitted. | unless otherwise stated/unless stated otherwise All the photographs in this book, unless otherwise stated, date from the 1950s.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

static adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain, stay

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stationery noun

ADJ. business, hotel, office, wedding | quality

STATIONERY + NOUN shop, supplier | cupboard

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

station noun

¹ where trains stop

ADJ. next We get off at the next station. | railway, train | metro, subway, tube, underground

VERB + STATION get to, go to We got to the station just as the train was pulling out. | leave | arrive at The train arrived at Oxford Station twenty minutes late.

STATION + NOUN platform

PREP. at a/the ~ He got off at the same station. | in a/the ~ There's a newspaper kiosk in the station.

² where buses/coaches begin and end journeys

ADJ. bus, coach

VERB + STATION leave The coach leaves the station at 0900 hours. | arrive at

PREP. at a/the ~ We waited for him at the coach station.

³ radio/television company

ADJ. radio, television/TV | foreign, local | cable, satellite | commercial

VERB + STATION get, pick up, tune (in) to I can pick up a lot of foreign stations on this radio. | listen to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

statistics noun

VERB + STATISTICS prepare, produce | keep We no longer keep statistics on former employees. | release

STATISTICS + VERB indicate sth, prove sth, reveal sth, show sth, tell sb sth | suggest sth

STATISTICS + NOUN office

PREP. according to ~ According to official statistics, the island had 37 inhabitants. | ~ on The government has released new statistics on the cost of living. > Note at SUBJECT(for more verbs and nouns)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

statue noun

ADJ. colossal, enormous, huge, large | small | life-size | equestrian | bronze, marble, etc.

VERB + STATUE erect, put up | unveil

STATUE + VERB be, stand The statue stands in one of the main squares.

PREP. ~ of a statue of the Virgin | ~ to the unveiling of a statue to Lord Brown

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stature noun

¹ height

ADJ. great, imposing | diminutive, short, slight, small | full The statue shows King Richard in full stature beside his horse. | physical

VERB + STATURE have | lack The president lacks physical stature.

PREP. of … ~ He was a man of great stature who carried himself well.

PHRASES a lack of stature Despite his lack of stature, he became a successful footballer. | small in stature Both her parents are fairly small in stature.

² importance

ADJ. considerable, great, growing | full | public | international, world | political

VERB + STATURE gain in, grow in, rise in She has grown in stature since winning the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. | achieve Geomorphology has now achieved full stature as a branch of geology. | enhance The election result enhanced the party's stature. | diminish | rise to … Her reputation has risen to world stature.

STATURE + VERB grow, increase, rise His political stature increased during the crisis.

PREP. of ~ a writer of international stature

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

status quo noun

VERB + STATUS QUO defend, keep, maintain, preserve There are many people who wish to maintain the status quo. | threaten, upset | change | restore

PHRASES a return to the status quo They wanted a return to the status quo before the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

status noun

ADJ. great, high, superior | inferior, low, lowly low-status jobs | relative The relative status of the speakers affects what language is used. | equal | current | full The college has now achieved full status as part of the university. | privileged, special | economic, educational, employment, financial, occupational, professional, social, socio-economic a payment made to every individual irrespective of employment status | marital | legal They argued that the email had no signature and therefore no legal status. | independent A referendum produced a massive majority in favour of fully independent status for the region. | amateur | charitable The organization has charitable status. | diplomatic | immigrant, refugee, resident | international | celebrity He achieved celebrity status through his role in a popular sitcom. | classic, cult, legendary a car from the 50s that has acquired cult status

VERB + STATUS enjoy, have The teaching profession has a low status in England. This sort of bike has status among teenagers. | achieve, acquire Marrying a rich woman helped him achieve status. | bring sb, give sb Owning the yacht has given them status. | accord, attach, give High social status is attached to the legal profession. | recognize | befit At last James had an office that befitted his status. | rise in The neighbourhood has risen in status in recent years. | improve, raise They are campaigning to raise the status of nurses. | lower | change | maintain | lose Churches seem to have lost some of their status. | apply for She applied for resident status but was turned down. | acquire, get They have acquired refugee status. | grant sb | deny sb, refuse sb Women are still denied equal status in the company.

STATUS + NOUN symbol Scars are status symbols among mountain bike riders.

PREP. ~ as China's status as an economic superpower | ~ among The company has managed to maintain its status among retailers.

PHRASES change in status the change in status of teachers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

statute noun

ADJ. legal | federal, parliamentary | criminal

VERB + STATUTE pass | comply with

STATUTE + NOUN law the obligations of the employer in common and statute law | book This archaic law remained on the statute books until last year.

PREP. by ~ Local authorities are required by statute to provide care homes for the elderly. | under (a/the) ~ a trading company formed under statute

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stay noun

VERB + STAY enjoy Did you enjoy your stay in Prague? | shorten | extend, prolong She has extended her stay by three days.

PREP. during a/the ~ We did a lot of walking during our stay. | throughout a/the ~ It poured with rain throughout their stay.

PHRASES the duration/length of (your) stay

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stay verb

ADV. behind, on Alex stayed behind when the others had gone. She failed her exam, and had to stay on at school for another year. | on My hat won't stay on! | (at) home, indoors financial incentives for women to stay at home with their children | away | here, there | late I'm staying late at the office tonight. | overnight | indefinitely We can't stay here indefinitely.

PREP. for We ended up staying for lunch. | till/until I'm going to stay until tomorrow. | with ‘Stay with me, ’ he pleaded.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steady adj.

¹ not moving or shaking

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become | remain | hold sb/sth, keep sb/sth Hold the ladder steady!

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, perfectly, quite, rock His gaze was rock steady. | not quite She opened the letter with hands that were not quite steady. | almost

² developing/happening at a regular rate

VERBS be, seem | become | hold, remain Share prices have held steady over the last few days.

ADV. remarkably, very | fairly, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steak noun

VERB + STEAK eat, have | cook, fry, grill, stew > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steamer noun

ADJ. paddle | lake, river | pleasure | tramp

PREP. by ~, on (board) a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steam noun

ADJ. hot, scalding | high-pressure

QUANT. cloud, jet The saucepan on the cooker puffed little jets of steam.

VERB + STEAM emit, generate, produce

STEAM + VERB come, escape | rise Steam rose from her mug of cocoa. | condense | drive sth The engine is driven by steam. | hiss

STEAM + NOUN power | engine, locomotive, ship, train, turbine | age

PHRASES the age of steam Savour the sights and smells of the age of steam in the National Railway Museum.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steel noun

ADJ. solid | forged, galvanized, mild, reinforced, rolled, stainless

VERB + STEEL make, manufacture, produce | harden, temper

STEEL + NOUN ingot, sheet | industry, manufacture, mill, plant, works

PREP. in ~ building in steel and aluminium

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steep adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get

ADV. extremely, impossibly, incredibly, really, terribly, very an incredibly steep hill | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | deceptively The terrain is often deceptively steep (= steeper than you expect).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steering wheel noun

VERB + STEERING WHEEL grip, hold | turn Turn the steering wheel hard to the right. | grab He grabbed the steering wheel from her to prevent the car going off the road. | lose control of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steering noun

ADJ. heavy, light | power/power-assisted

VERB + STEERING have Does the car have power steering?

STEERING + NOUN column, wheel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stem noun

VERB + STEM break, cut (back/out), prune (back), shorten, trim When the bush has finished flowering, cut back all the stems.

STEM + VERB break

PREP. on a/the ~ There are several leaves on each stem.

PHRASES the base of the stem Cut half an inch off the base of each stem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stench noun

ADJ. overpowering, powerful | unmistakable | appalling, foul, nauseating, sickening, terrible, unpleasant | acrid, fetid, putrid

STENCH + VERB fill sth The air was filled with the overpowering stench of decomposing vegetation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

step noun

¹ in walking, running, etc.

VERB + STEP go, take He'd only gone a few steps, when he realized he'd left his wallet behind. | retrace You might find your ticket if you retrace your steps back to the car.

PREP. ~ (away) from She was only a step away from the cliff edge. | ~ towards He took a hesitant step towards her.

PHRASES a spring in your step I had a spring in my step when I walked into that office for the last time. | a step ahead/behind He lagged a few steps behind. | a step back/backwards/forward/sideways, a step closer/nearer, with each/every step He grew fainter with every step.

² in dancing

ADJ. dance | jive, tango, etc.

VERB + STEP execute, perform He executed some jive steps on the pavement. | learn | keep in She had trouble keeping in step.

PREP. in ~, out of ~ (with) He was out of step with the music.

³ action taken in order to achieve sth

ADJ. big, considerable, giant, huge, massive | small | critical, crucial, decisive, essential, great, important, key, major, vital | first, initial, preliminary | final, last | additional, further, next What's the next step? | logical, necessary, reasonable We shall take all necessary steps to prevent public disorder. | active | forward, positive | backward, retrograde The new law is seen by many as a backward step. | bold, brave, reckless | dramatic, drastic, extraordinary, rare, unprecedented, unusual | irreversible, irrevocable It suddenly struck her that having a baby was an irrevocable step. | careful, precautionary | faltering, tentative They have taken their first tentative steps towards democracy. | practical | welcome | immediate, urgent I shall take immediate steps to have this matter put right. | false One false step could mean disaster.

VERB + STEP go, make, take | follow If you follow all the steps, nothing will go wrong.

PREP. ~ in The move was a first step in establishing a union. | ~ to/towards The talks mark a step towards peace.

PHRASES bring sth/be/come/move a step closer/nearer (to sth) Greece moved a step closer to the World Cup finals with last night's win. | a short step from/to sth It's only a short step from this disorder to complete chaos. | a step back/backwards/forward The offer constitutes a considerable step forward. | step by step a step-by-step guide to setting up an aquarium | a step further If he goes one step further with this crazy idea, I'll resign. | a step in the right direction The new speed limit does not solve the problem, but it is a step in the right direction. | a step on the road/way to sth

⁴ on stairs, a ladder, etc.

ADJ. bottom, top

VERB + STEP mind Mind the step!

PREP. on a/the ~ She paused on the top step.

PHRASES a step down/up There are three steps down to the garden.

⁵ steps: set of steps

ADJ. front | back | outside

QUANT. flight You have to go up four flights of steps to get up to the roof.

VERB + STEP ascend, climb, go/run, etc. up, mount She went up a flight of steps to the side entrance. | descend, go/run, etc. down

STEP + VERB lead to sth The front steps lead to an enormous terrace.

PREP. ~ (down/up) to the steps down to the pool

PHRASES the bottom/foot/top of the steps

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

step verb

PREP. across, from, in, in front of, into, on, onto, out of, over, past, through, towards Don't step in the puddle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stereotype noun

ADJ. common, popular, traditional, usual | negative | cultural, national, racial | gender, sexual | social

VERB + STEREOTYPE create, produce | perpetuate, reinforce Jokes perpetuate various national stereotypes. | conform to, fit Not all areas of the country fit the stereotypes of the poor north and the rich south. | challenge, reject a writer who challenges sexual stereotypes

PREP. ~ about common stereotypes about the French | ~ of the stereotype of women as passive victims

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sterile adj.

¹ completely clean

VERBS be | become | remain | make sth | keep sth This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.

ADV. completely | virtually

² not able to produce young animals/babies

VERBS be | become | remain | leave sb, make sb

ADV. permanently Male workers were made permanently sterile by this pesticide.

³ with no interest or life

VERBS be | become, grow Their relationship had grown sterile over the years.

ADV. very | increasingly the increasingly sterile debate on constitutional reform | largely | rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sterling noun

PHRASES pounds sterling 50 pounds sterling > Note at CURRENCY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steward, stewardess noun

ADJ. chief, senior | air, cabin, ship's | wine | shop She was an active trade unionist and had been elected a shop steward.

VERB + STEWARD, STEWARDESS act as | elect (sb)

PREP. ~ to Moore was acting as steward to Sir Michael le Fleming. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

steward, stewardess noun

ADJ. chief, senior | air, cabin, ship's | wine | shop She was an active trade unionist and had been elected a shop steward.

VERB + STEWARD, STEWARDESS act as | elect (sb)

PREP. ~ to Moore was acting as steward to Sir Michael le Fleming. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sticky adj.

VERBS be, feel | become, go

ADV. horribly, really, very covered in a horribly sticky mess | all The rubber's gone all sticky. | a bit, rather, slightly The paint was still slightly sticky.

PREP. with His hair was sticky with blood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stick noun

ADJ. big, long | little, short | thick, thin

QUANT. bundle | pile

VERB + STICK brandish, wave A mob came over the hill yelling and brandishing sticks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stick verb

ADV. just, simply He simply stuck a pin in at random amongst the names of candidates.

PREP. in, into, on, onto, through He stuck the note through her letter box. PHRASAL VERBS stick to sth

ADV. close, closely | rigidly, slavishly, strictly sticking slavishly to the rules | doggedly, firmly, resolutely, stubbornly She simply made a decision and resolutely stuck to it.

VERB + STICK tend to I tended to stick to tried and tested techniques. | decide to | be determined to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stiff adj.

¹ difficult to bend/move

VERBS be, feel, lie, look, sit, stand She lay stiff and still beside him. | become, get, go My trousers were getting stiff with mud. My fingers had gone stiff with cold.

ADV. very | a bit, fairly, quite, rather

PREP. with The clothes were stiff with dust and grease.

² having sore muscles

VERBS be, feel He felt stiff all over. | become, get, go You'll get stiff if you don't have a hot bath. | leave sb, make sb All that digging made me really stiff.

ADV. really, very | all My arm's gone all stiff. | a bit, a little, rather

PREP. from stiff from kneeling

³ strong/severe

VERBS be, seem Their punishment seemed rather stiff.

ADV. very in the face of some very stiff competition | a bit, fairly, quite, rather

⁴ not friendly or relaxed

VERBS be, look, seem, sound She was aware that her words sounded stiff. | become

ADV. very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stigma noun

ADJ. social

VERB + STIGMA carry Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma. | remove Wider knowledge of the disease removed some of the stigma from it. | suffer (from) He still suffered the stigma of having been rejected for the army.

STIGMA + VERB be attached to sth, be associated with sth There is still a lot of stigma attached to suicide.

PREP. ~ to There is no stigma to being made redundant.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stillness noun

ADJ. absolute, great, utter | sudden There was a sudden stillness in the air. | eerie | inner

VERB + STILLNESS break A voice behind the hedge broke the stillness.

PREP. in (the) ~ He lay in absolute stillness. in the stillness of the night

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

still adj.

¹ not moving

VERBS be, hold, keep, lie, sit, stand, stay Hold still a minute while I pin your dress up. For goodness' sake, sit still! | hold sb/sth, keep sb/sth I held the cat still while the vet gave the injection.

ADV. very | absolutely, quite, stock-He stood stock-still, hardly daring to breathe.

² calm and quiet

VERBS be, look, seem | become, go Suddenly everything went still. | remain

ADV. very | completely It was a completely still, warm evening. | strangely The air was strangely still and silent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stimulate verb

ADV. greatly, significantly, strongly | further | effectively | directly An interest rate increase directly stimulates saving and reduces real expenditure. | intellectually activities designed to stimulate the children intellectually

VERB + STIMULATE help (to) | be designed to, be intended to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stimulating adj.

VERBS be, sound | find sb/sth

ADV. extremely, really, very | intellectually, visually The programme contains some creative and visually stimulating material.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stimulation noun

ADJ. direct | electrical electrical stimulation of nervous tissue | auditory, sensory, visual | sexual | intellectual, mental

VERB + STIMULATION get You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job. | give sb, provide (sb with) The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children. | respond to

PHRASES a lack of stimulation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stimulus noun

ADJ. great, major, powerful, strong | negative, positive | external | initial | auditory, intellectual, sensory, verbal, visual

VERB + STIMULUS act as, give, provide | react to, respond to

STIMULUS + VERB come from sth The initial stimulus came from a letter in the newspaper.

PREP. ~ for The very act of lying down in bed should provide a strong stimulus for sleep. | ~ to A reduction in corporate tax should act as a stimulus to economic activity.

PHRASES (in) response to a stimulus

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sting noun

¹ of an insect, etc.

ADJ. dangerous, nasty, painful | bee, wasp, etc. | nettle, etc. | deadly, fatal

VERB + STING have The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly. | get You can get a nasty sting from a jellyfish. | give sb | feel

² sharp pain

ADJ. hot, sharp the hot sting of tears

VERB + STING feel He felt the sharp sting of the soap in his eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stink noun

¹ very unpleasant smell

ADJ. acrid, overpowering

STINK + NOUN bomb

PREP. ~ of the acrid stink of cordite

² very strong complaint about sth

ADJ. tremendous

VERB + STINK cause, kick up, make, raise The parents of the pupils say they'll kick up a stink if the school roof isn't repaired before the winter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stint noun

ADJ. long | brief

VERB + STINT do He's doing a brief stint at the World Bank in Washington. | start | finish

PREP. during a/the ~ She met her husband during her stint at the London office.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stipulation noun

VERB + STIPULATION make The only stipulation the building society makes is that house must be insured. | drop

PREP. with the ~ He left all his money to the town with the stipulation that it should be used to build a new football stadium. | ~ about/as to There's no stipulation as to the amount you can invest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stirrup noun

VERB + STIRRUP adjust | rise in, stand (up) in She stood up in her stirrups to see where the others had gone.

STIRRUP + NOUN leather She had to lengthen her stirrup leathers.

PREP. in a/the ~ He put his feet in the stirrups.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stir noun

¹ action of stirring

ADJ. good

VERB + STIR give sth Give the mixture a good stir.

² general excitement or shock

ADJ. considerable, great, real

VERB + STIR cause, create

PREP. ~ about/over There was quite a stir about the book. | ~ among/amongst The discovery caused something of a stir among physicists.

PHRASES quite a/something of a stir

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stir verb

¹ move a liquid round and round

PREP. into Chop an onion and stir it into the sauce.

² move

PHRASES stir in your sleep

³ make sb feel an emotion

ADV. deeply, greatly It was not music to set hearts on fire or deeply stir the emotions. | up Going back there stirred up a lot of memories for her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stitch noun

¹ in sewing

ADJ. blanket, chain, cross, running, seam, tacking, zigzag, etc.

VERB + STITCH do, put, sew (sth) with Can you do chain stitch? Put a stitch in the corner of the pocket to keep it in place. The edge was sewn with blanket stitch. | remove, take out

² in knitting

ADJ. knitted | cable, garter, plain, purl, slip, stocking, tuck, etc.

VERB + STITCH knit | cast on, cast off | drop, pick up

³ in a wound

ADJ. dissolvable, dissolving, self-dissolving

VERB + STITCH have I had to have five stitches when I cut my finger. | insert, put in | remove, take out | have out When are you having your stitches out?

STITCH + VERB dissolve

PREP. ~ in He had twenty stitches in a head wound.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stock exchange noun

VERB + STOCK EXCHANGE open | close Bahrain's stock exchange closed up 10.09 points today at 2160.09.

STOCK EXCHANGE + VERB rally, rise The stock exchange rallied in response to the announcement of massive American investment. | fall

STOCK EXCHANGE + NOUN collapse, crash

PREP. on the ~ to lose money on the stock exchange

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stockbroker noun

ADJ. large | leading | private client | City

VERB + STOCKBROKER consult

PREP. through a ~ The bonds were sold through a stockbroker.

PHRASES a firm of stockbrokers > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stocking noun

ADJ. fishnet, sheer | 15-denier, etc. | laddered | Christmas trinkets you can use to fill a Christmas stocking

QUANT. pair

VERB + STOCKING pull on | peel off She slowly peeled off one stocking. | ladder She laddered her stocking on a bramble bush. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stock noun

¹ available supply of sth

VERB + STOCK carry, have, hold, keep The big supermarkets carry huge stocks of most goods. | add to, increase | dispose of, get rid of, reduce, sell off They're selling off their old stock cheap. | maintain, protect laws to protect fish stocks | replace, replenish

STOCK + VERB be/go up, increase | be/go down, decline, dwindle, fall, run low Stocks of coal are running dangerously low. | last The offer is only available while stocks last.

STOCK + NOUN cupboard, room (also stockroom) | levels | control

PREP. from ~ We can supply the table from stock. | in ~ Have you got futon beds in stock or will I have to order one? | out of ~ Red tights are out of stock.

² share in the capital of a company

ADJ. blue-chip, gilt-edged, index-linked

STOCK + VERB be down/up | fall, go down, plummet, sink | go up, rise, soar

STOCK + NOUN exchange, market | index

PREP. in ~s She's got about £30,000 in stocks.

PHRASES investment in stocks, the value of the stocks The total value of the stocks was over £3 million.

³ liquid used for making soups, sauces, etc.

ADJ. chicken, fish, vegetable, etc.

VERB + STOCK make | thicken | dilute, reduce | flavour Flavour the stock with bay leaves.

STOCK + NOUN cube

PREP. in a/the ~ Poach the fish in the stock.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stock verb be stocked

ADV. plentifully, well | fully, properly

PREP. with shops stocked with cheap souvenirs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stomach noun

¹ part of the body where food is digested

ADJ. empty, full You shouldn't drink wine on an empty stomach (= without eating food). | queasy, upset She's been off work with an upset stomach. | strong You need a strong stomach to go on the giant roller coaster. | weak

VERB + STOMACH turn The smell of the dead dog turned his stomach. | settle He had a hangover, so he ordered a sandwich to settle his stomach. | settle in A feeling of nausea settled in her stomach. | pump He had his stomach pumped after taking an overdose.

STOMACH + VERB churn, heave, lurch My stomach lurched as another big wave hit the boat. | rumble | tighten, turn (over), twist

STOMACH + NOUN ache, bug, cancer, complaint, cramp, disorder, illness, pain, problem, ulcer, upset | lining, wall | acids, juices | contents Human remains were found among the stomach contents of the shark. | pump, tube

PREP. in the/your ~ enzymes in the stomach

PHRASES butterflies in your stomach I had butterflies in my stomach as I went to get my exam results. | the pit of your stomach I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach when I saw the ambulance.

² front part of the body below the chest

ADJ. firm, flat | bulging, fat, flabby, large, stout | bloated, swollen | bare

VERB + STOMACH hold in, pull in, suck in He sucked in his stomach as he walked past the girls. | lie on | clutch, hold ‘Call a doctor!’ he said, clutching his stomach. | pat, rub ‘I'm eating for two now,’ she said, patting her stomach.

STOMACH + VERB protrude, stick out

STOMACH + NOUN muscles | injury, strain, wound

PREP. on the/your ~ I lay on my stomach on the beach.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stone noun

¹ hard solid substance

QUANT. block, slab

VERB + STONE break, cut, hew (sth from/out of) Convicts were made to break stone for the roads. The stone is cut into blocks ready for building. The walls were hewn from local stone. | dress | be built/carved/made from/in/(out) of, carve sth in names carved in stone

STONE + NOUN block, flag, slab The path's stone flags were worn and broken. | arch/archway, bridge, building, floor, pillar, stairs, structure, wall, etc. | monument, sculpture | age

PREP. in ~ He is a sculptor who works mainly in stone.

² small piece of rock

QUANT. heap, pile

VERB + STONE hurl, throw The boys were caught throwing stones at passing trains.

³ precious stone

ADJ. gem (also gemstone), precious, semi-precious

VERB + STONE mine | cut | set She had the stone set in a ring.

STONE + VERB glitter, shine

⁴ measure of weight > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stool noun

ADJ. high, tall | three-legged | folding, fold-up | bar, kitchen, music, piano

VERB + STOOL perch on/be perched on, sit (down) on He was perched on a bar stool, ordering a beer. | get off | drag up, pull up She pulled up a stool next to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stopover noun

ADJ. brief

VERB + STOPOVER have

PREP. at a/the ~ We had our tickets checked at each stopover. | during a/the ~ During our two-day stopover in Bangkok we saw most of the sights.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stoppage noun

ADJ. complete | work

VERB + STOPPAGE call The stoppage was called to protest against wage cuts. | threaten | be involved in | end

PREP. during a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stop noun

¹ stopping or staying

VERB + STOP bring/draw sth to, put She brought the car to an abrupt stop. to put a stop to all the arguments | come to, draw to, slow to The truck came to a sudden stop. | screech to | have, make We had a lunch stop at Timperley.

STOP + NOUN sign

PREP. ~ at There will be a stop at Canterbury. | ~ for a stop for refreshments

PHRASES come to a dead/full stop Between twelve and two everything comes to a dead stop.

² for a bus, etc.

ADJ. bus, tram | request

VERB + STOP get off at | miss We were chatting and missed our stop.

PREP. at a/the ~ We dropped the kids off at the bus stop. | between ~s You're not allowed to get off between stops.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stop verb

ADV. abruptly, dead, (dead) in your tracks, immediately, short, suddenly Suddenly he stopped dead: what was he doing? The question stopped Alice in her tracks. | altogether The sobs came less frequently, then stopped altogether. | for a moment, momentarily | never That phone never stops ringing!

VERB + STOP can/can't, could/couldn't He couldn't stop thinking about her. | try to | be going to When is the violence going to stop? | want (sb/sth) to I was enjoying myself so much I didn't want to stop.

PREP. from They tried to stop me from leaving.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

storage noun

ADJ. safe the safe storage of nuclear weapons | cold | disk the available disk storage capacity | food, water, etc. | data, information, etc.

VERB + STORAGE put sth in/into The strawberries are put into cold storage for several months. | take sth out of

STORAGE + NOUN facilities | device, medium, system digital storage devices | area, capacity, space | building, cabinet, compartment, cupboard, depot, room, shed, unit a handy storage compartment below the oven | bin, container, jar, tank, vessel | cost | life The cheese has a storage life of two months.

PREP. in ~ All their furniture is in storage until they come back from Africa.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

storey noun

ADJ. lower | top, upper

VERB + STOREY have The house has three storeys. | occupy The kitchen occupies the lower storey.

PREP. on a/the ~ I live on the top storey.

PHRASES 5/10, etc. storeys high The building is four storeys high.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

store noun

¹ shop

QUANT. chain

STORE + VERB sell sth

STORE + NOUN chain | account, card | assistant, manager, owner | detective

PREP. at/in a/the ~

² supply for future use

ADJ. considerable, good, great, inexhaustible, large, vast | small | food | fat your body's fat stores

VERB + STORE have, keep | build up

STORE + NOUN cupboard, room (also storeroom)

PREP. ~ of a vast store of knowledge

³ place for keeping sth

ADJ. cold, cool, dry Beef and lamb are hung in a cold store for at least a week. | temporary | ammunition, equipment, grain, etc.

STORE + VERB hold sth The grain store holds several thousand tonnes.

PREP. in a/the ~ You'll find a ladder in the equipment store. | ~ for We're using the shed as a temporary store for all our stuff.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

store verb

ADV. carefully, properly, safely The paintings were carefully stored in crates dependent on their size. | conveniently, easily Butane can be conveniently stored as a liquid in a can. | electronically electronically stored information | separately | together | away, up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

storm noun

¹ period of bad weather

ADJ. bad, big, devastating, disastrous, ferocious, fierce, great, heavy, raging, severe, terrible, tremendous, violent | approaching, gathering, impending the dark clouds of an approaching storm | freak | autumn, summer, winter | tropical | monsoon | dust, electric/electrical, lightning, magnetic, rain, sand, snow, thunder (also thunderstorm)

VERB + STORM be in for I think we're in for a storm (= going to have one).

STORM + VERB hit sth, strike sth It was the worst storm to hit London this century. | rage The storm raged all night. | be brewing, be coming A storm had been brewing all day. | blow up, break, burst The storm broke while we were on the mountain. | abate, blow itself out, blow over, pass, subside The storm blew over after a couple of hours. | batter sth, buffet sth, lash sth, ravage sth, sweep sth a boat battered by the storm Winter storms swept the coasts. | last The storm lasted for three days.

STORM + NOUN cloud (often figurative) In 1939 the storm clouds gathered over Europe. | damage, losses Insurance companies face hefty payouts for storm damage.

PREP. during/in a/the ~

PHRASES at the height of the storm, the calm/lull before the storm, the eye of the storm

² violent display of strong feeling

ADJ. approaching, coming, gathering a gathering storm of discontent | political

VERB + STORM arouse, cause, create, provoke, raise, spark | face | ride out, weather The government is determined to ride out the political storm sparked by its new immigration policy.

STORM + VERB blow up, break, burst, erupt | blow over, pass

PREP. amid a/the ~ The band toured Ireland amid a storm of controversy. | ~ between, ~ of His comments created a storm of protest in the media. | ~ over A storm blew up between Britain and America over Venezuela.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

story noun

¹ account of events/people, true or invented

ADJ. true | plausible | false, made-up She told the police a false story about being attacked. | apocryphal | cock-and-bull, tall No one would believe such a tall story. | official The official story was that the singer had broken his arm falling in the shower. | wild | convincing | charming, compelling, delightful, dramatic, exciting, fantastic, fascinating, good, great, interesting, intriguing, nice, wonderful | amazing, bizarre, colourful, crazy, extraordinary, incredible, outrageous, remarkable, strange | inspiring | amusing, entertaining, funny | epic the epic story of a family's escape from war | complex, elaborate | straightforward | awful, horrific, horrifying, nasty, shocking, terrible, tragic | sorry His life was a sorry story of betrayal and rejection. | depressing, heart-rending, moving, poignant, sad | improbable The film tells the improbable story of a monkey that becomes a politician. | well known | familiar the familiar story of a star who turns to drink and drugs | popular There is one popular story in the village of a man-eating cat that lives in the forest. | life, success She told them her life story. | hard-luck, rags-to-riches He was boring people with more of his hard-luck stories. The film is the rags-to-riches story of a country girl who becomes a famous singer. | after-dinner | coherent The film lacks a coherent story. | full, whole I suspected he hadn't told us the whole story. | short a collection of short stories | children's | classic | bedtime | mythical, mythological | adventure, Bible, biblical, crime, detective, fairy, ghost, horror, love, private-eye, spy, suspense

QUANT. fragment We had difficulty in piecing together the fragments of her story. | collection a collection of stories by modern writers

VERB + STORY read (sb) My dad sometimes read me a story at bedtime. | write | narrate, recount, relate, tell (sb) | embellish, embroider | believe The police didn't believe her story. | stick to We must stick to our story about the accident. | change At first he denied everything, but then he changed his story and said it was an accident. | swap We swapped stories about our worst teachers. | circulate, spread

STORY + VERB abound, circulate, get about, go around/round, spread Stories abound of vandalism and looting. A story was going round that the factory was in line for closure. | emerge | begin, open, start The story opens with a man hiding from the police under a woman's skirt. | progress, unfold The motives of the hero become clearer as the story unfolds. | end | be called sth, be entitled sth | be set in … The story is set in Poland in the 1930s. | be based on sth | concern sth, involve sth, revolve around sth | contain sth | illustrate sth This story illustrates the dangers of living on credit.

STORY + NOUN teller(also storyteller) | telling (also storytelling) | line (also storyline) His novels always have the same basic storyline.

PREP. ~ about a story about time travel | ~ of the story of the Beatles

PHRASES but that's another story Many years later I returned to Africa but that's another story (= I am not going to talk about it now). | it's a long story ‘How come you've only got one shoe on?’ ‘It's a long story.’ | sb's half/side of the story The teacher punished me without listening to my side of the story. | so the story goes, the story goes that … (= used to describe what people are saying although it may not be correct) She never saw him again?or so the story goes. | the story of my life Out of work with no money?that's the story of my life. | to cut a long story short Anyway, to cut a long story short (= not to give all the details), we had this argument and I haven't seen him since. | a version of a story According to Rachel's version of the story, they threw the key in the river.

² report in a newspaper, etc.

ADJ. big, top The biggest story of the day was the signing of the peace agreement. And now back to our top story tonight … | exclusive | main | full Full story on page 3. | scare scare stories about the harmful effects of the vaccination | inside The magazine gives the inside story of life in a rock band. | sensational | lurid, sordid, spicy lurid stories of politicians' sexual adventures | cover, front-page, lead The magazine chose the peace process as its cover story. | news

VERB + STORY file, write More than one correspondent filed a story about the incident. | carry, print, publish, run Every newspaper carried the story.

PREP. ~ about, ~ of the story of his arrest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stow verb

ADV. carefully, neatly, safely | away

PREP. in The luggage was now safely stowed away in the back of the truck.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

straightforward adj.

¹ clear and simple

VERBS appear, be, look, prove, seem, sound | find sth I think you'll find it all quite straightforward.

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very | absolutely, entirely, perfectly, quite Look, it's perfectly straightforward?just multiply everything by five. | by no means, far from, hardly, less than Getting funding for the project was far from straightforward. | comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively | apparently | deceptively The answer to this question is deceptively straightforward (= more straightforward than it looks).

² honest

VERBS be, seem

ADV. very | quite | refreshingly a refreshingly straightforward attitude

PREP. about, with He was quite straightforward with us about the difficulties involved.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

straight adj.

¹ not bent or curved

VERBS be, look | become | stay | keep sth Keep your back absolutely straight.

ADV. absolutely, completely, dead, perfectly Keep going in a dead straight line. His teeth were white and perfectly straight. | almost, more or less, nearly, practically | fairly, relatively

² level/upright

VERBS be, look | hang sth, put sth Can you hang that sign straight for me?

ADV. absolutely, completely, perfectly, quite | almost, more or less, nearly

³ tidy/in order

VERBS be | get sth, put sth I'm trying to get the house straight before the weekend. She tidied up and put the ornaments straight.

⁴ honest and truthful

VERBS be I think he was pretty straight with me.

ADV. absolutely, completely, totally | fairly, pretty

PREP. with Are you being completely straight with her?

⁵ clear/understood

VERBS be | get sth

ADV. absolutely Let's get this absolutely straight.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strained adj.

¹ worried and tense

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. very | a bit, a little, rather She looked rather strained and miserable.

² not natural or friendly

VERBS be | become, grow | remain The atmosphere remained somewhat strained all evening.

ADV. extremely, severely, very Relations between the two countries had become severely strained. | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strain noun

¹ severe demand on strength, resources, etc.

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, heavy, real, severe, terrible, tremendous It's a real strain having to get up so early! | slight | increasing | constant | excessive, intolerable, unbearable, undue | emotional, financial, mental, nervous, physical, psychological The mental strain of sharing an office with Alison was starting to tell. | breaking a fishing line with a 15lb breaking strain

VERB + STRAIN be/come under, feel, suffer (from) Television newsreaders come under enormous strain. After weeks of overtime, she was starting to feel the strain. | cause, create, impose, place, put Increasing demand is placing undue strain on services. | ease, reduce | cope with, stand, take | increase

STRAIN + VERB show, take its toll (on sb), tell (on sb) After six weeks of uncertainty, the strain was beginning to take its toll.

PREP. under the ~ The ice gave way under the strain. He broke under the strain of having to work twelve hours a day. | ~ on There's too much strain on the corner of the table.

PHRASES a bit of a strain I found it a bit of a strain making conversation with her. | signs of strain After three years, their marriage was beginning to show signs of strain. | stresses and strains the stresses and strains of a long day | take the strain off sb/out of sth The new scheme is designed to take the strain out of shopping.

² injury

ADJ. bad | slight | back, eye, muscle, thigh, etc.

VERB + STRAIN have, be suffering from | get You'll get eye strain if you don't put the light on. | recover from, shake off Gerrard will play if he can shake off a slight thigh strain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strain verb

¹ make a great effort to do sth

ADV. hard straining hard to understand | forward I strained forward to get a better view.

VERB + STRAIN have to

PREP. against The dogs were straining against the sledge. | at Several men were straining at a rope, trying to move the stalled vehicle. | for Their ears strained for any slight sound.

PHRASES strain to hear/see sth We had to strain to hear what was being said.

² put a lot of pressure on sth

ADV. seriously, severely The dispute severely strained relations between the two countries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strait noun

¹ narrow piece of water connecting seas, etc.

ADJ. narrow

VERB + STRAIT go through, pass through | enter

STRAIT + VERB separate sth The oil terminal is in the narrow strait that separates the island from the mainland.

PREP. across the ~ He tried to swim across the Straits of Gibraltar. | in the ~ a ship anchored in the Straits of Hormuz | on the ~ The town is on the straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. | through the ~ Many hundreds of vessels pass through the straits each year. | ~ between 2 straits trouble

ADJ. desperate, dire, serious | financial

PREP. in ~ The business is in dire financial straits.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stranded adj.

VERBS be | become, end up, find yourself, get We ended up stranded in Paris with no money. Some people found themselves stranded in the lifts as the power failed yet again. We got stranded in the city centre after we missed the last bus home. | leave sb Thousands of air travellers were left stranded by the strike.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strand noun

¹ single thread, hair, etc.

ADJ. long | thick, thin | loose | single

VERB + STRAND twist (together), weave (together) She wove the four coloured strands together into a ribbon.

PREP. ~ of a loose strand of hair

² one part of a story, idea, etc.

ADJ. important, main | different, distinct, separate, various At the end, all the different strands of the story are brought together.

VERB + STRAND bring together, draw together, pull together, weave together | disentangle, unravel

STRAND + VERB come together

PREP. ~ to There are three main strands to the policy. | ~ in/within There are various strands in feminist thinking.

PHRASES strands of opinion/thought

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stranger noun

ADJ. complete, perfect, total | virtual | passing

PREP. ~ to He was a complete stranger to me. She was a stranger to the place

PHRASES almost a stranger His years abroad had made him almost a stranger with his family. | a stranger here You're a stranger here, aren't you? | a stranger in/to these parts A stranger to these parts would be confused by some of the local customs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strange adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | consider sth, find sth, regard sth as, think sth His behaviour was regarded as very strange.

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather, somewhat He's quite nice, but a bit strange.

PREP. to Their accent was strange to her ears.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strangle verb

ADV. almost, half, nearly

VERB + STRANGLE try to

PREP. with He was strangled with a scarf.

PHRASES be found strangled

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strap noun

PREP. on a/the ~ His binoculars were on a strap round his neck. | ~ across, ~ around/round, etc. She had a wide leather strap around her wrist.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strap verb

ADV. safely | firmly, tightly | down, in, on He strapped his gun belt on.

PREP. into Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. | to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strategy noun their strategy | ~ for to develop

PHRASES a change in strategy The good, but one or two of the details coming year may herald a change could be improved. | in strategy for major publishers. | comprehensive | global a global the marketing strategy | grand | adoption/development/formulation draft | dual, two-pronged The of a strategy The money will go government has employed a dual towards the development of new strategy to achieve these two product and sales strategies. | the objectives. | radical | high-risk, implementation/pursuit of a risky | defensive | prevention | strategy Their single-minded economics-based, pursuit of this controversial market-oriented, etc. a strategy led to their fall from customer-oriented business power. | part of a strategy He strategy | anti-inflationary, pretended that resigning was part anti-racist, etc. | survival | of his long-term career strategy.defence, military | campaign, election, electoral, government, political | pedagogic, teaching | learning | business, commercial, company, corporate, financial, investment, management/managerial, marketing, product, promotional, recruitment, research, sales | economic, energy, environmental, industrial, legislative, etc.

VERB + STRATEGY have | design, develop, devise, draw up, formulate, map out, plan, work out A coherent strategy for getting more people back to work needs to be developed. The council is drawing up a strategy to meet the needs of the homeless. | explore It is certainly a strategy worth exploring. | adopt, decide (on), employ, follow, implement, pursue, use They're pursuing a strategy of massive retaliation. | outline, propose, set out, unveil The document sets out the government's new strategy. | change, revise | focus The company will now focus its strategy on its core business areas. | abandon

STRATEGY + VERB be based on sth | be aimed at sth, be designed to a strategy aimed at reducing the risk of accidents | consist of sth, involve sth | work The company's financial strategy is not working. | fail

STRATEGY + NOUN development, formulation | review | document, paper

PREP. in a/the ~ the key idea in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strawberry noun

QUANT. punnet I bought a punnet of strawberries.

STRAWBERRY + NOUN bed, plant > Special page at FRUIT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

straw noun

ADJ. fresh

QUANT. bale I sat on a bale of straw near the fire.

PREP. in (the) ~ The rat hid in the straw. | on (the) ~ The animals sleep on straw.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stray verb

ADV. far The animals hadn't strayed too far. | accidentally, involuntarily Her eyes strayed involuntarily.

VERB + STRAY allow sth to new penalties for owners who allow their dogs to stray

PREP. from Be careful not to stray from the path. | into, off, to His eyes strayed to the telephone. (figurative) Her thoughts strayed to the journey ahead of her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

streak noun

¹ thin line

ADJ. dark There were dark streaks down her cheeks where she had been crying. | faint, pale

PREP. ~ of The last streaks of light faded from the sky.

PHRASES a streak of lightning A streak of lightning forked across the sky. | a streak of red, white, etc. She had a few streaks of grey in her black hair.

² aspect of sb's character

ADJ. strong | hidden | adventurous, competitive, independent, mean, puritanical, rebellious, ruthless, selfish, stubborn, vicious

VERB + STREAK have Most of the players have a strong competitive streak. | reveal, show She suddenly revealed a mean streak in her character.

PREP. with a ~ Holidays in the Australian outback are for those with an adventurous streak. | ~ of There was a streak of insanity in the family.

³ period of good/bad luck

ADJ. winning | losing

VERB + STREAK be on The team has been on a winning streak since it won against Lazio.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

streamline verb

ADV. perfectly

PREP. for Dolphins are perfectly streamlined for movement in the water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stream noun

¹ small river

VERB + STREAM cross

STREAM + VERB flow, run The stream flows through a narrow valley.

STREAM + NOUN bed

PREP. across a/the ~, down a/the ~, in a/the ~ There are small fish in the stream. | on a/the ~ a leaf floating on the stream | up a/the ~

PHRASES the side/edge of the stream

² continuous flow of a liquid/gas/light

ADJ. thin | air, gas

VERB + STREAM let in

STREAM + VERB flow A stream of blood flowed from the wound.

PREP. ~ of

³ continuous flow of people/vehicles/things happening

ADJ. constant, continuous, endless, never-ending, steady a constant stream of letters Cars filed past in an endless stream.

VERB + STREAM let loose/out

PREP. ~ of He let loose a stream of abuse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

street noun

VERB + STREET go along/down/up, take, turn down/into/up Take the second street on the right after the bridge. We turned down a dead-end street by mistake. | cross | block, cordon off | patrol The police have been patrolling the streets in this area since the murder. | roam, throng, walk Gangs roamed the streets at night. Crowds thronged the streets. | clear Police were told to clear the streets of drug dealers before the Olympics. | widen

STREET + VERB go, lead, run | bend, curve, turn | be lined with sth streets lined with cafes | be named sth, be named after sb/sth Mozart is remembered by a street named after him.

STREET + NOUN corner | map, plan | layout, network, pattern the dense street pattern of the old town | name, number, sign Most street names were changed under the new regime. The shops had no street numbers on. | lamp, light, lighting | parking | crime, gang | attack, battle, brawl, fight, fighting, robbery, violence He suffered extensive injuries in a street attack. street fighting between police and stone-throwing youths | demonstration, protest | party, procession | cleaner, sweeper | door There were photographers outside the street door so she used a back entrance. | market | entertainer, entertainment, musician, performer, theatre | pedlar, seller, trader, vendor | hustler Tourists need to be wary of street hustlers near the station. | cred/credibility, culture, fashion, life, wisdom His spell in prison gained him a lot of street cred. the street culture of working-class youth | collection The charity is having a street collection in aid of the local hospital. | children, kids, urchins a charity set up to house street children | girls (= prostitutes) | value drugs with a street value of £5 million

PREP. across a/the ~ He could see her across the street. | along a/the ~ They walked along the street. | down a/the ~ A band was playing a little way down the street. | in a/the ~ We live in Barker Street. | (out) in a/the ~ A couple were arguing out in the street. | into a/the ~ She stepped out into the street. He turned into a side street. | off a/the ~ a club just off William Street a scheme to keep teenagers off the streets | (out) on the ~s Thousands of people were out on the streets for the protest. | through the ~s He wandered through the streets of Calcutta. | up a/the ~ There's a chemist's just up the street.

PHRASES at/above/below street level, the end/top of the street, the other side of the street, the street on the left/right

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strengthen verb

ADV. considerably, enormously, greatly, immeasurably, significantly, substantially The success in the election strengthened the party's position considerably. | further This merger will further strengthen the company and ensure its continued success. | merely This temporary setback merely strengthened her resolve. | gradually

VERB + STRENGTHEN help (to), serve to | be designed to These exercises are designed to strengthen your stomach muscles.

PREP. against The euro has strengthened against the dollar.

PHRASES an attempt/effort to strengthen sth, be aimed at strengthening sth The new law is aimed at strengthening protective measures for workers. | measures to strengthen sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strength noun PREP. below/under ~ Injuries meant that the Dutch team was below strength for the final. | with ~ She pushed him away with unexpected strength.

PHRASES at full strength The orchestra was at full strength for the Mahler symphony. | be/get back to full strength I'm still not quite back to full strength after my illness. | every ounce of strength She summon | a feat of strength He used to entertain people with his feats of strength. | a pillar/tower of strength He was a tower of strength to his sisters when their father died. | a position of strength They are negotiating from a position of strength. | reserves of strength When she had twins, she discovered reserves of strength that she didn't know she had. | a show of strength 50,000 troops massed on the border in the biggest show of strength to date. | a source of strength Her childhood memories were a great source of strength when her mother was killed. | strength born of desperation/fear/panic, etc. With strength born of pure panic, she threw her attacker to the ground. | strength of character/purpose/will, strength of feeling, the strength of your position, a test/trial of strength Today's vote is being seen as a test of strength for the government. The dispute developed into a trial of strength between management and the union. | with all your strength She threw the rope with all her strength.

² useful quality

ADJ. great | real

VERB + STRENGTH exploit, play to The team may not have the best players, but it plays to its strengths.

STRENGTH + VERB lie in sth Her great strength lies in her flexibility.

PHRASES strengths and weaknesses

¹ how strong sb/sth is

VERB + STRENGTH have He had just enough strength to reach for the phone. | find, summon up I'm trying to summon up the strength to do some more work. | build up, gain, gather You need to try and build up your strength before the winter. The opinion that the president should stand down has gained considerable strength. | gain in, grow in, increase in | vary in These wines vary in strength between 11° and 15°. | lose | get back, recover, regain | give sb/sth, lend sb/sth Her love and support gave me strength. The metal reinforcement gives it the strength to resist the high winds. | sap The series of steep hills sapped the cyclists' strength. | conserve, save | draw (on), use She was able to draw on her immense inner strength. | put He put all his strength into reorganizing the department. | take It took all his strength to open the box. | test The Moroccan athlete ran a fast lap to test the strength of the other runners. | increase | reduce, undermine Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position.

STRENGTH + VERB grow, increase | decline, ebb (away), fail, falter, wane The country's economic strength is declining. Her strength was ebbing fast, so her children were called to her bedside.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stressful adj.

VERBS be, prove, sound | become, get My job's getting more and more stressful. | find sth I find these meetings rather stressful.

ADV. extremely, highly, particularly, very | fairly, quite, rather | emotionally It was an emotionally stressful time for him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stress noun

¹ state of tension

ADJ. acute, considerable, extreme, great, high, severe Separation is a time of high emotional stress. | excessive | greater, increased | low | daily the daily stress of teaching | emotional, mental, psychological, social | economic, financial The high mortgage payments put them under severe financial stress.

QUANT. level Many workers experience a high level of stress in their daily life.

VERB + STRESS cause, create A divorce causes children great emotional stress. | avoid, remove | add to, increase | reduce, relieve | be under, experience, have, suffer (from) He's been under a lot of stress lately. | cope with, handle, manage, stand, take He's had to give up his job as leader of the project?he just couldn't take the stress.

STRESS + VERB bring sth about/on an illness brought on by stress

STRESS + NOUN level high stress levels | control, management Staff are encouraged to go on stress management courses.

PREP. under ~ He broke under stress and had to leave.

PHRASES a source of stress An overcrowded workplace can be a major source of stress. | a symptom of stress Tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of stress.

² emphasis that shows importance

ADJ. enormous, great | particular, special | equal | undue

VERB + STRESS lay, place, put I must lay great stress on the need for secrecy.

PREP. with the ~ on a study of child development, with the stress on acquisition of social skills | ~ on There's been a lot of stress on getting drug sellers off the streets.

³ emphasis on a word, syllable, etc.

ADJ. main, major, primary, strong | secondary, weak | sentence, word

VERB + STRESS carry, have, take Italian words usually have the main stress on the penultimate syllable in the word. The first syllable takes the stress. | place, put | mark Mark the primary stress in each word.

STRESS + VERB fall, go Where does the stress fall in ‘psychological’?

STRESS + NOUN mark | pattern

PREP. ~ on There's a stress on the second syllable.

⁴ physical force

ADJ. enormous, high | low | constant | equal There is equal stress on all parts of the structure.

VERB + STRESS exert, set up The tower exerts an enormous stress on the walls. The movements set up stresses in the earth's crust. | apply, put, subject sth to Stress is applied to the wood to make it bend. Standing all day puts stress on your feet. The buttresses are subjected to constant stress. | bear, take, withstand | increase, reduce | transfer, transmit | calculate Engineers calculated the stresses borne by each of the bridge supports.

PREP. under ~ Some woods warp under stress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stress verb

ADV. heavily, strongly He stressed the point very strongly that all these services cost money. | constantly, continually, repeatedly She has constantly stressed the government's poor record in this area. | rightly Doctors have rightly stressed the importance of exercise.

VERB + STRESS can only, must I must stress that we still know very little about this disease. | tend to Private schools tend to stress the more academic subjects. | be anxious to, be at pains to, be careful to, be keen to She is at pains to stress the cultural differences between the two countries. | be important to

PHRASES be worth stressing sth It is worth stressing that this was only a relatively small survey.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stretch noun

¹ area of land or water

PREP. along a/the ~ There are tailbacks along a 10-mile stretch of the motorway. | on a/the ~ The festival is being held on a stretch of parkland near the river. | ~ of

² stretching

ADJ. good | gentle

VERB + STRETCH have Have a good stretch from time to time to prevent yourself getting stiff.

PHRASES at full stretch Her arms were at full stretch.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stretch verb

¹ pull sth tight

ADV. taut/tautly, tight/tightly Make sure that the rope is stretched tight. Stretch the fabric tightly over the frame.

PREP. across, between, over Striped awnings had been stretched across the courtyard.

² your body/part of the body

ADV. gently | lazily, luxuriously He stirred and stretched lazily. | full-length Andrea turned out the light and stretched full-length on the bed. | down, forwards, out, up, upwards She stretched up to reach the top shelf.

³ cover a large area

ADV. far The wood does not stretch very far. | endlessly | ahead, away The road stretched ahead.

VERB + STRETCH seem to The beach seemed to stretch endlessly.

PREP. along, beyond, for The beach stretches for five miles. | from, into, to an area which stretches from London to the north

⁴ continue over a period of time

ADV. endlessly | back, out The town's history stretches back to before 1500.

PREP. before Endless summer days stretched out before us. | into The talks look set to stretch into a second week.

⁵ your ability/intelligence

ADV. really | fully We can't take on any more work?we're fully stretched as it is.

PREP. to This department is stretched to its limit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stride noun

¹ step

ADJ. long, short In one short stride, he reached the window. | quick, rapid | slow | easy | purposeful

VERB + STRIDE take | lengthen, shorten He lengthened his stride to keep up with her. | break Without breaking her stride she ducked the ball. | match He matched his stride to her slower pace.

PREP. in a ~

² progress

ADJ. considerable, enormous, giant, great

VERB + STRIDE make She's made enormous strides in English this term.

PREP. ~s in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stride verb

ADV. briskly, quickly | confidently | purposefully | angrily | ahead, away, back, forward, in, off, out, over, past He strode off in search of a taxi.

PREP. across, along, away, down, into, out of, over, past, through, towards, up She strode purposefully towards the door.

PHRASES come striding He came striding up the path.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strife noun

ADJ. internal | ethnic, factional, internecine, sectarian | civil, industrial, political, religious, social | domestic, marital

VERB + STRIFE cause, provoke | be torn (apart) by The country has been torn apart by years of civil strife. | end

PREP. during/in the ~ He lost his job during last year's industrial strife. | ~ among/between internecine strife among the nationalities of the empire

PHRASES an end to the strife, a time of strife

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strike noun

¹ industrial protest

QUANT. series, wave

STRIKE + NOUN action Prison officers are threatening to take strike action. | ballot, call, threat | leader | breaker | committee, movement

PREP. during a/the ~ There was a continual police presence during the strike. | ~ against a strike against the employment of non-union labour | ~ by a strike by tax collectors | ~ for a strike for a ten-hour day | ~ in protest at a strike in protest at the government's economic policies | ~ in support of Miners staged a one-day strike in support of the steel workers. | ~ over a strike over wages

PHRASES days lost in/through strikes Unofficial action accounted for 40% of the days lost through strikes last year.

² sudden military attack

ADJ. air, military, nuclear | pre-emptive | retaliatory

VERB + STRIKE carry out, launch, make

PREP. in a/the ~ The house was damaged in an air strike. | ~ against/on The aircraft carried out a pre-emptive strike against bases in the north.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strike verb

¹ hit/attack sb/sth

ADV. firmly, hard He struck her hard across the face. | deep The German army struck deep into northern France. | directly | repeatedly | home (often figurative) The remark struck home.

VERB + STRIKE be ready to, prepare to

PREP. against The oar struck against something hard. | at He struck at me repeatedly with a stick. | into He struck the ball firmly into the back of the net. | on The ball struck her on the head.

² come into your mind suddenly/give an impression

ADV. immediately | suddenly It suddenly struck me how we could improve the situation. | just An awful thought has just struck me. | forcibly Joan was struck quite forcibly by the silence.

PREP. as He struck me as being rather stupid.

³ go on strike

VERB + STRIKE threaten to | vote to

PREP. against, for The union has voted to strike for a pay increase of six per cent. | in protest at

PHRASES the right to strike

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

striking adj.

VERBS be, look That hat looks very striking.

ADV. especially, extremely, particularly, very | quite She was tall and quite striking. | immediately What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.

PREP. in The picture was striking in its simplicity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

string noun

¹ thin cord

ADJ. taut, tight He pulled the string tight. | loose | tangled He had hair like tangled yellow string.

QUANT. bit, length, piece I cut a length of string to tie up the package. | ball

VERB + STRING knot, tie, tie sth up with Tie the string round the parcel. | undo, untie | wind (up) He wound the string into a ball. | unwind | dangle (sth) on Next to the phone, there was a pencil dangling on a string.

PREP. in the ~ There's a knot in the string.

PHRASES on the end of a string

² on a musical instrument

VERB + STRING tighten, tune | loosen | pluck | change, replace | break

STRING + VERB break | vibrate

STRING + NOUN instrument

PREP. on a/the ~ Play it on the G string.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stripe noun

STRIPE + VERB run The butterfly is black and white with a blue stripe running down each wing.

PREP. with ~s a white tablecloth with red stripes | ~ across/down, etc. The toad has a distinctive yellow stripe down its back.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strip noun

ADJ. narrow, thin, tiny | thick, wide Cut the meat into thick strips. | coastal | landing This aircraft requires a good-sized landing strip.

PREP. in ~s The wallpaper can then be torn off in strips. | ~ of a narrow strip of leather

PHRASES cut/tear sth into strips

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strip verb

¹ take off your/sb's clothes

PREP. down to Office workers stripped down to their shirtsleeves in the heatwave. | off He stripped off his shirt. We stripped off and went for a swim.

PHRASES strip (sb) naked She was stripped naked and left in a cell. | strip to the waist He stripped to the waist and began to dig.

² take sth away

ADV. completely | away, off, out Strip out any damaged wiring.

PREP. from The bark is stripped from the trees by hand. | of The president had been completely stripped of power. | off We stripped the paint off the walls.

PHRASES strip sth bare The room had been stripped bare by the thieves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strive verb

ADV. hard, mightily He strove very hard to remain calm. | desperately desperately striving for some sort of dignity | earnestly | always, constantly, continually

PREP. after striving after artistic beauty | against man striving against the elements | for The school constantly strives for excellence in its teaching. | towards companies that strive towards bigger profits

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stroke noun

¹ of a brush, pen, etc.

PHRASES with a stroke of the pen With a stroke of the pen our names were removed from the register.

² in sport

ADJ. fast, slow | powerful The Romanian rowers pulled ahead with fast, powerful strokes. | backhand, forehand (in tennis, etc.)

VERB + STROKE play He played some powerful backhand strokes throughout the game.

PREP. by a, two, etc. ~ (in golf) Woods leads by two strokes.

PHRASES a/two, etc. strokes ahead/behind (in golf)

³ in swimming

ADJ. long, short He swam back with long slow strokes. | fast, slow | back (also backstroke), breast (also breaststroke)

VERB + STROKE do, swim You can't swim more than four strokes before you reach the other side.

⁴ sudden illness of the brain

ADJ. crippling, massive, serious | minor, slight | fatal

VERB + STROKE have, suffer She had a massive stroke and lost her speech.

STROKE + VERB leave sb … The stroke left him paralysed down his right side.

STROKE + NOUN patient, victim > Special page at ILLNESS

⁵ sth that happens unexpectedly

ADJ. sudden I had a sudden stroke of inspiration.

VERB + STROKE have

PREP. at a/one ~ They lost half their fortune at a stroke. | ~ of a stroke of genius

PHRASES a stroke of (good/bad) luck, a stroke of (good) fortune > Note at STROKE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stroke verb

ADV. gently, lightly, softly, tenderly | thoughtfully He stroked his beard thoughtfully. | absently She stroked the cat absently. | away She gently stroked away his tears.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stroll noun

VERB + STROLL be/go out for, go for, take They took a leisurely stroll along the river bank.

PHRASES a stroll around (sth)/away The beach is only a short stroll away.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stroll verb

ADV. casually, leisurely, slowly | about, around, away, back, down They strolled down to the canal.

PREP. across, along, around, down, into, out (of), past, through as he strolled leisurely through the streets

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

strong adj.

¹ physically powerful

VERBS be, feel, look | become, grow | make sb All that outdoor work has made him very strong.

ADV. extremely, immensely, really, very | pretty, quite | enough Don't try to go back to work before you are physically strong enough. | physically

² not easily damaged

VERBS be, look

ADV. extremely, really, very | fairly, pretty, quite | enough The box looks strong enough.

³ powerful

VERBS be, look, prove, seem, smell, taste | become, get, grow | remain | make sth | keep sth This news helped keep the dollar relatively strong today.

ADV. extremely, immensely, particularly, really, very He exerts an extremely strong influence on his classmates. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather | enough The party lacks a strong enough local base.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

structure noun

VERB + STRUCTURE have | lack The job lacked a basic career structure. | be based on | create, devise, establish to devise a new management structure | impose

STRUCTURE + VERB be based on sth

PREP. of a … ~ The cell walls of plants are of a fairly rigid structure. | … in ~ The building is very simple in structure. | in a/the ~ There are weaknesses in the structure of the organization. | ~ in/within the salary structure in the firm

PHRASES a change in structure, a change in/to the structure significant changes in the power structure | a lack of structure The novel suffers from a lack of structure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

structure verb

ADV. beautifully, carefully, clearly, neatly, properly, well She had structured her arguments very carefully. | badly | loosely a very loosely structured organization | rigidly, tightly | hierarchically, logically

PREP. according to the idea that living organisms had been structured according to a divine plan | around The teaching is structured around three topics. | into The company is structured into two divisions.

PHRASES highly structured a complex but highly structured complaints procedure

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

struggle noun

¹ fight

ADJ. great, life-and-death, titanic | bitter, desperate, fierce, heroic, violent There were the sounds of a desperate struggle. | just The UN supported what it saw as the just struggle of an oppressed people. | unequal | armed The group supported the armed struggle against the dictator. | class, internecine Marx wrote about the class struggle. | economic, ideological, leadership, political, power, revolutionary

VERB + STRUGGLE begin, put up, take up If someone snatched your bag, would you put up a struggle? They took up the struggle against racism. | be engaged/locked in, carry on, wage species engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the ever-changing environment

STRUGGLE + VERB ensue, take place | continue, go on | intensify

PREP. in a/the ~ One of the security guards was hurt in the struggle. | without a ~ She won't give up without a struggle. | ~ against the struggle against fascism | ~ between the struggle between good and evil | ~ for the long struggle for democracy | ~ over a struggle over the property | ~ with He was involved in a struggle with the police.

PHRASES a sign of a struggle The police said that there was no sign of a struggle by the murder victim. | years of struggle After 150 years of struggle against brutal colonial rule, the country won its independence.

² great effort

ADJ. desperate, great, hard, real, uphill It will be an uphill struggle to maintain exports at the current level. | long | ceaseless, constant, endless | unequal

VERB + STRUGGLE face, have We had a real struggle to get everything into the suitcase. | give up I've given up the unequal struggle to keep my house tidy.

PHRASES a bit of a struggle It was a bit of a struggle for me to get there so early.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

struggle verb

¹ try very hard to do sth

ADV. desperately, hard, manfully, painfully, really, valiantly He struggled desperately to get to the shore. He struggled hard to keep the boat upright. | a little | constantly | on She struggled on despite the pain.

VERB + STRUGGLE have to

PREP. against The small boat struggled against the waves. | along, down, for Shona struggled for breath. | through The family struggled through the next few years. | up They struggled up the hill. | with I'm really struggling with this essay.

PHRASES struggle to your feet She struggled to her feet and set off after him.

² have great difficulties

ADV. badly The team struggled badly last season. | financially I was unemployed and struggling financially.

³ fight sb/try to get away from them

ADV. fiercely, furiously, violently She struggled furiously but could not get away. | together Ben and Jack struggled together on the grass.

PREP. against struggling against her attacker | with He was hit in the mouth as he struggled with the raiders.

PHRASES struggle free The attacker's victim managed to struggle free.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stuck adj.

VERBS be | become, get | remain | get sth

ADV. firmly | completely, fast I couldn't budge the drawer?it was stuck fast.

PREP. in She got the key stuck in the lock. | onto, to The tiles were stuck firmly to the wall.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

student noun

STUDENT + NOUN nurse, teacher | numbers, population Student numbers at the college have increased by 25 per cent. | days She travelled a lot in her student days. | life thoroughly enjoying student life | grant, loan She had to take out a student loan to help her through college. | accommodation, dormitory | demonstration, protest, unrest taking part in a student demonstration

PREP. as a ~ She first went to London as a student.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

studio noun

ADJ. art, artist's, design, photographer's, photographic, photography, portrait | broadcasting, film, movie, radio, recording, sound, television/TV | rehearsal | dance

STUDIO + NOUN recording | audience a studio audience for a new television sitcom | executive a studio executive for a major Hollywood studio

PREP. in a/the ~ The photograph was taken in a studio.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

study noun

¹ learning

ADJ. full-time, part-time | graduate, postgraduate | independent, private This grammar book is suitable both for classroom use and for independent study. | academic The course integrates academic study and practical training. | language

QUANT. course, programme

VERB + STUDY take up Now that her children are all at school, she's going to take up full-time study again.

STUDY + NOUN group A bible study group meets every Sunday at the church. | leave The company allows its staff to take paid study leave. | skills The first part of the course is designed to develop students' study skills.

PREP. ~ for full-time study for an MA

PHRASES an area/a field of study Students do a foundation year before specializing in their chosen field of study. 2 studies sb's learning activities

ADJ. further Many undertake further studies after passing their A levels.

VERB + STUDY undertake | continue, pursue | complete, finish When he has completed his studies, he'll travel round the world. | resume, return to She returned to her studies when her children reached school age. 3 studies subjects

ADJ. business, management, religious, women's, etc. She's doing women's studies at Liverpool University.

VERB + STUDY do | lecture in, teach He lectures in management studies.

⁴ piece of research

ADJ. new, present, recent The present study reveals an unacceptable level of air pollution in the city centre. | earlier, previous | careful, close, comprehensive, detailed, intensive, serious a close study of share prices She devoted herself to a serious study of the Koran. | major | definitive | initial, pilot, preliminary A preliminary study suggested that the product would be popular. | research Research studies carried out in Italy confirmed the theory. | empirical, experimental, systematic, theoretical | anthropological, historical, scientific, sociological | field This phenomenon has been observed in both laboratory and field studies. | feasibility The company undertook an extensive feasibility study before adopting the new system. | literary | case a detailed case study of nine companies | comparative a comparative study of the environmental costs of different energy sources

VERB + STUDY commission, fund, support the recommendations of a study commissioned by the World Bank | carry out, conduct, do, make, undertake, work on He has made a special study of the way that birds communicate with one another. | publish

STUDY + VERB take place | aim at/to, be aimed at sth, attempt to, be designed to, set out to The study set out to examine bias in television news coverage. | be based on sth a study based on a sample of male white-collar workers | cover sth The ten-year study covered 13,000 people aged 15-25. | concern sth, deal with sth, examine sth, focus on sth, investigate sth, look at sth | compare sth The study compares the incidence of bone cancer in men and women. | conclude sth, demonstrate sth, find sth, indicate sth, report sth, reveal sth, say sth, show sth, suggest sth, warn sth | provide sth The study provided valuable insight into the development of the disease. | highlight sth, identify sth The study highlighted three problem areas.

STUDY + NOUN group The study group was selected from a broad cross section of the population.

PREP. in a/the ~ In a recent study, 40% of schools were found to be understaffed. | under ~ the biochemical process under study | ~ into a study into the viability of the mine | ~ on a definitive study on medieval weapons

PHRASES an area/a field of study, the results/findings of a study, the subject of a study Shakespeare is the subject of a new study by Anthony Bryan.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

study verb

¹ spend time learning about sth

ADV. hard

PREP. for She is studying hard for her A levels. | under/with He studied under Professor Sager.

² examine sth carefully

ADV. carefully, closely, in depth, in detail, intently, intensively She picked up the letter and studied it carefully. In the third year a number of areas are studied in detail. | extensively, widely | fully, thoroughly | systematically | thoughtfully He studied her thoughtfully, then smiled.

PHRASES be easily/well studied The influence of heredity is best studied in genetically identical twins.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stuff verb

ADV. frantically, hastily, quickly

PREP. inside, into He hastily stuffed a few clothes into a bag. | with She stuffed her case with presents for the kids.

PHRASES be stuffed full of sth Her briefcase was stuffed full of papers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stumble verb

ADV. almost, nearly | a little, slightly She stumbled a little on the uneven path. | blindly He stumbled blindly on through the dark building. | about, along, around, away, back, backwards, forward, on, out

PREP. against, along, down, from, into, out of, over, towards, etc. They stumbled over the ploughed field.

PHRASES stumble to your feet The train stopped, and several passengers stumbled to their feet. PHRASAL VERBS stumble across/on/upon sth

ADV. accidentally, by chance, unwittingly I stumbled across the place quite by chance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stumbling block noun

ADJ. big, main, major, real

VERB + STUMBLING BLOCK remove

PREP. ~ to The question of disarmament proved a major stumbling block to agreement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stunned adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sit, sound, stand Morton stood stunned, unable to believe his ears. | leave sb Leaving them all stunned, she walked out of the bar.

ADV. deeply | absolutely, completely, quite | almost | a bit, a little, slightly, somewhat | briefly, momentarily

PREP. at They seemed stunned at his outburst. | by She was a bit stunned by the news. | with stunned with grief

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stunning adj.

VERBS be, look

ADV. really You look really stunning in that dress! | absolutely, quite, simply The finished effect was absolutely stunning. | visually a visually stunning piece of cinema

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stunt noun

¹ sth done for attention

ADJ. publicity

VERB + STUNT arrange, organize She arranged a publicity stunt to make the public aware of the product. | pull What do you hope to gain by pulling a stunt like that?

PREP. as a ~ They jumped off London Bridge as a publicity stunt.

² dangerous act

ADJ. dangerous, daredevil | dramatic, spectacular | film

VERB + STUNT carry out, do, perform The actor performed all the stunts himself. | attempt

STUNT + VERB backfire, go wrong

STUNT + NOUN artist, man (also stuntman), woman (also stuntwoman) | driver, pilot, rider

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stun verb

ADV. absolutely | almost | briefly, momentarily

PREP. into The assault was so unexpected that he was briefly stunned into submission.

PHRASES stun sb into silence The guests were stunned into silence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stupidity noun

ADJ. complete, crass, incredible, sheer, utter

VERB + STUPIDITY demonstrate, show Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.

PREP. through (your) ~ Through his own stupidity, he missed an excellent opportunity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stupid adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound I felt really stupid when I realized what had happened. My sister made me look stupid in front of all my friends. | act (informal) I decided it was best to act stupid.

ADV. bloody (taboo), damn/damned, exceptionally, extremely, fucking (taboo), incredibly, monumentally, particularly, really, very | absolutely, completely, (just) plain, utterly That was just plain stupid! | not entirely I'm not entirely stupid. I checked the train times before we came out. | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | enough, sufficiently He's stupid enough to believe anything. | crassly, grossly a crassly stupid thing to do

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stupor noun

ADJ. drunken

VERB + STUPOR drink yourself into, fall into, go into, sink into As the whisky took effect, he gradually fell into a drunken stupor. | come out of, emerge from | rouse sb from The noise of someone banging at the door roused her from her stup

PREP. in a ~ He fell to the ground in a stupor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

stutter noun

ADJ. bad | slight | occasional

VERB + STUTTER have, speak with He spoke with a stutter, which got worse when he was angry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

style noun

¹ way that sth is done/made

VERB + STYLE have The two artists have radically different styles. | develop, establish, evolve, find, form He evolved his style of painting while working as a magazine illustrator. | adapt, adjust, alter, change, modify, tailor The pianist had to tailor his style to suit the vocalist's distinctive voice. | adopt, use | copy, emulate, follow

PREP. in ~ very utilitarian in style | in a/the ~ The new houses have been built in a traditional style.

² good quality

ADJ. enormous, fine, great, real, terrific | certain

VERB + STYLE have He has a certain style. | ooze The whole house just oozed style. | add, give sb/sth

PREP. with ~ Whatever she did, she did it with style.

PHRASES a touch of style Long velvet curtains add a touch of style to the main room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subdued adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. very | almost | a bit, fairly, rather, somewhat | suitably She was dressed in grey and looked suitably subdued. | strangely, unusually I felt strangely subdued when it was all over.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subjective adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. highly, very painted from a highly subjective point of view | entirely, purely, wholly The criticisms are purely subjective. | essentially, largely Taste in art is essentially subjective. | rather, somewhat | inevitably, necessarily making inevitably subjective judgements

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

NOTE Subjects of study do, read, study ~ do ~ is more commonly used with school subjects (but may also be used with university subjects): She did maths, physics and chemistry at school. study ~ is used with both school and university subjects: He studied German at school. She went on to study mathematics at university. read ~is only used with university subjects and is quite formal: She was educated privately and at Pembroke College, where she read classics. lecture in, teach ~ He taught music at a school in Edinburgh. Other verbs used with subject can also be used with particular subjects of study: Half the students take geography at A level. We offer accounting as a subsidiary course. ~ degree, a degree/diploma in ~ a law degree a higher diploma in fine art ~ class, course, lecture, lesson The genetics lectures are on a different campus. ~ department, a/the department of ~ All enquiries should be made to the Department of Architecture. ~ graduate, student, undergraduate Some architecture graduates gain further qualifications in specialist fields. ~ lecturer, teacher, tutor He's an English teacher at Highland Road School. ~ professor, (a) professor of ~ She's professor of linguistics at the University of Wales. the study of ~ The study of philosophy helps you to think critically. in ~ He got As in history and art.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subject adj. subject to sth

¹ likely to be affected by sth

VERBS be, seem | become | leave sb/sth, make sb/sth His illness left him subject to asthmatic attacks.

ADV. very | increasingly | rather | still At this stage these are proposals and are still subject to change.

² under the authority of sb/sth

VERBS be Everyone was entirely subject to the whim of the Sultan. | become | remain | make sb/sth All the priories were made directly subject to the abbot of Cluny.

ADV. entirely | directly | expressly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subject noun

¹ topic or person under consideration

ADJ. big, complex, vast | simple | excellent, fascinating, good, interesting | cheerful Can we talk about a more cheerful subject? | gloomy, unpleasant | delicate, difficult, embarrassing | taboo Work is a taboo subject when we go out for dinner. | closed I don't wish to discuss it any further?the subject is closed. | chosen Each candidate has to speak for three minutes on their chosen subject. | pet Once he gets onto his pet subject there's no stopping him.

VERB + SUBJECT cover, debate, discuss, talk about, touch on We touched briefly on the subject. | deal with I wasn't quite sure how to deal with the delicate subject of money. | examine, have a (fresh) look at, investigate, look into We want to have a fresh look at the difficult subject of social security benefits. | bring up, broach, get onto, raise | drop Let's drop the subject since we don't seem to be able to agree. | stick to I wish he'd stick to the subject rather than telling us his boring stories. | get off, wander off She was supposed to be speaking about sales figures, but she kept wandering off the subject. | get back to, return to Getting back to the subject of heating, has anyone got any suggestions for improvements? | avoid | change Don't change the subject.

SUBJECT + VERB arise, come up The subject of gambling has come up several times recently.

SUBJECT + NOUN matter I like the way she writes, although I'm not interested in her subject matter.

PREP. on a/the ~ While we're on the subject of the theatre, has anyone been to see the new show?

PHRASES a range of subjects We discussed a wide range of subjects.

² area of study

VERB + SUBJECT take What subjects are you taking at A level? | offer The department offers seven different subjects in all. | fail (in), pass She was disappointed to fail in two of her four subjects. | drop

SUBJECT + NOUN area The syllabus is divided into five subject areas.

PREP. in a/the ~ He did well in every subject.

PHRASES a choice of subject/subjects His unusual choice of subjects made it harder to find a job. | a range of subjects > Note at SUBJECT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

submarine noun

ADJ. conventional | diesel, diesel-powered | atomic, nuclear, nuclear-powered | midget, miniature | enemy

SUBMARINE + VERB dive | surface | sink (sth) | operate, patrol (sth) the problem of submarines operating too close to fishing vessels

SUBMARINE + NOUN captain, commander, crew | base, fleet | attack, warfare

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

submerged adj.

VERBS be, lie, remain | become

ADV. deeply | completely, fully, totally | almost | barely barely submerged antagonism | half, partially, partly

PREP. in The machine can be totally submerged in water. | below/beneath/under The car was submerged under 20 feet of water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

submission noun

¹ accepting sb else's control

ADJ. complete, total

VERB + SUBMISSION demand, expect The emperor demanded total submission from his subjects. | gain, get | beat sb into, bomb sb into, force sb into, starve sb into, stun sb into They bombed the village into submission.

PREP. ~ to the patient's submission to the demands of the hospital

² of a plan/statement

ADJ. detailed | joint | oral, written

VERB + SUBMISSION make | accept | reject | consider, hear | support, uphold The judge upheld the defendant's submission and quashed his conviction.

PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ to The companies have made a joint submission to the minister.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

submit verb

¹ give/propose sth so that it can be discussed

ADV. formally He formally submitted his resignation

VERB + SUBMIT ask sb to, invite sb to, require sb to Six groups were invited to submit proposals for the research. Candidates for the degree are required to submit a 30,000-word thesis.

PREP. for They have submitted plans for our approval. | to She submitted her report to the committee.

² accept sb's power/control

ADV. voluntarily, willingly He submitted voluntarily to arrest. | meekly

VERB + SUBMIT refuse to | be willing to | be compelled to, be forced to, be obliged to They were forced to submit to Bulgarian rule.

PREP. to She refused to submit to threats. They abandoned their town rather than submit to the Persians.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subnormal adj.

VERBS be, seem | classify sb as, treat sb as

ADV. severely | educationally, mentally special provision for educationally subnormal children

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subordinate adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. completely, wholly | essentially He had an essentially subordinate role. | directly She was directly subordinate to the president (= reported directly to the president). | formally The monarch is formally subordinate to Parliament.

PREP. to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subordinate verb

ADV. firmly | completely, totally, wholly | largely

PREP. to The needs of the individual are completely subordinated to those of the state.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subscriber noun

ADJ. cable/digital/satellite TV, magazine, phone, telephone | regular | annual

PREP. ~ to Subscribers to the magazine can take advantage of this special offer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subscribe verb PHRASAL VERBS subscribe to sth

ADV. fully, wholeheartedly I subscribe wholeheartedly to this theory.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subscription noun

ADJ. annual, monthly, yearly, etc. | full

VERB + SUBSCRIPTION pay | take out | cancel

SUBSCRIPTION + NOUN fee, rate

PREP. ~ to Do you wish to take out a full twelve-month subscription to the journal?

PHRASES a year's/month's/lifetime's, etc. subscription The prize was a lifetime's subscription to ‘Newsweek’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subsidence noun

ADJ. rapid, slow, steady

VERB + SUBSIDENCE be liable to, suffer from A number of houses had suffered from coal-mining subsidence.

SUBSIDENCE + VERB occur

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subside verb

ADV. quickly, rapidly | gradually, slowly The storm gradually subsided. | eventually, finally

VERB + SUBSIDE begin to

PREP. into Her tears subsided into sniffs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subsidiary noun

ADJ. foreign, overseas | Spanish, Madrid-based, etc. | owned a 58%-owned subsidiary of Millennium Graphics | banking, manufacturing, software, etc.

VERB + SUBSIDIARY operate as The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of a large French company. | have, own | create, establish, form, set up | acquire | close

SUBSIDIARY + NOUN company > Note at ORGANIZATION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subsidize verb

PHRASES heavily/highly subsidized The airline is heavily subsidized by the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subsidy noun

QUANT. level The level of subsidy given to farmers is to be reduced.

VERB + SUBSIDY get, receive | lose | give sth, grant sth, pay, provide (sth with) The Arts Council granted them a small subsidy. | cut, reduce Export subsidies have been reduced by 20%. | abolish, remove

SUBSIDY + NOUN payments | scheme, system | cuts

PREP. ~ for state subsidies for rice producers | ~ on subsidies on basic goods and services | ~ to subsidies to agriculture

PHRASES a cut/reduction in subsidies The government cut spending through reductions in state subsidies to industry. | the removal/abolition of subsidies protests against the removal of subsidies on basic commodities

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subsistence noun

ADJ. bare, basic

SUBSISTENCE + NOUN agriculture, farmer, farming | economy | level Most of the population lives at subsistence level.

PHRASES a level of subsistence They were living barely above the level of subsistence. | means of subsistence She had no means of subsistence and was dependent on charity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

substance noun

¹ material

VERB + SUBSTANCE use | contain | produce Some frogs produce very toxic substances in their skin. | take The athletes had taken banned substances to increase their strength.

² important content

ADJ. real The real substance of the report was in the third part. | added His disappearance has given added substance to the argument that he stole the money.

VERB + SUBSTANCE have The image of him that the media have presented has no substance. | give sth, lend sth The letters lent substance to the rumours. | lack

PREP. in ~ There's no difference in substance between the two points of view. | of ~ Nothing of substance was achieved at the meeting. | without ~ Their allegations were without substance. | ~ in There's no substance in the story. | ~ to There was little substance to his claims.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

substitute noun

ADJ. good | acceptable, adequate, satisfactory | close | poor The television is a poor substitute for human companionship.

VERB + SUBSTITUTE act as, serve as His teacher acted as a father substitute. | use sth as | produce, provide The company produces substitutes for lead in petrol.

PREP. ~ for There's no substitute for hard work.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subtitle noun

ADJ. English, French, etc.

VERB + SUBTITLE have | read

PREP. with ~s a Japanese film with English subtitles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subtlety noun

ADJ. extreme, great, real

VERB + SUBTLETY have Her dancing has great subtlety. | display, show | bring sth, lend sth His understanding of light brings great subtlety to his painting. | lack | appreciate, grasp, understand She was too young to grasp the subtleties of the film.

PREP. with ~ He uses language with great subtlety.

PHRASES a lack of subtlety, of great/some subtlety a pianist of great subtlety

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subtle adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, very | infinitely making infinitely subtle distinctions | not exactly, not too He was not exactly subtle about it! | fairly, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suburb noun

VERB + SUBURB move out to As soon as we can afford it, we'll move out to the suburbs.

SUBURB + VERB grow The middle-class suburbs are growing fast.

PREP. from the ~s For a child from the suburbs, a trip to the city was a great adventure. | in a/the ~ She's renting in some grey suburb of Birmingham. | in the ~s Many people work in the centre but live in the suburbs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subversive adj.

VERBS be | consider sth, deem sth, judge sth, regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. very | inherently | overtly taking an overtly subversive approach | potentially | morally

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subversive noun

ADJ. dangerous

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

subway noun

ADJ. pedestrian

VERB + SUBWAY take, use

PREP. along a/the ~, in a/the ~, through a/the ~ He ran through the pedestrian subway.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

succeed verb

¹ manage to achieve what you want; do well

ADV. admirably, brilliantly, well The plan succeeded pretty well. | not quite | nearly They very nearly succeeded in blowing up the parliament building. | largely We feel that we have largely succeeded in our aims. | partially, partly | eventually, finally | apparently | academically the pressure on children to succeed academically

VERB + SUCCEED be likely/unlikely to The appeal is unlikely to succeed. | be determined to, hope to, want to No company can hope to succeed at everything.

PREP. against to succeed against serious opposition | at She can teach you how to succeed at tennis. | in She has succeeded in a difficult career. We succeeded in repairing the engine. | with hints on how to succeed with interior design

² have a job/position after sb else

VERB + SUCCEED appoint sb to, elect sb to He was appointed to succeed Sir Georg Solti as head of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. | be tipped to

PREP. as He was widely tipped to succeed William Hague as leader of the party. | to She succeeded to the throne in 1558.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

successful adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become

ADV. astonishingly, enormously, extremely, highly, hugely, outstandingly, particularly, phenomenally, remarkably, spectacularly, very his phenomenally successful period as manager | not entirely Their attempts had not been entirely successful. | fairly, moderately, partially, quite, rather, relatively The operation was only partially successful. | academically, commercially, politically a politically successful manoeuvre

PREP. at Though a top-rated movie star he has been remarkably successful at keeping his private life private. | in hoping their party would be successful in the elections

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

succession noun

¹ series of people, things, etc.

ADJ. endless, long, never-ending | constant, continuous, uninterrupted | quick, rapid We lost three secretaries in quick succession. | whole A whole succession of presidents had tried to resolve the issue without success.

PREP. in ~ There has been a rise in crime for the second year in succession.

² right to have an important position after sb else

ADJ. legitimate | disputed | dynastic, hereditary

VERB + SUCCESSION ensure, secure He wanted to have a son to secure the succession.

PREP. in ~ to Betty Munn is the manager in succession to Edna Greenan.

PHRASES the line/order of succession He is next in (the) line of succession to the British throne. | the right of succession, succession to the throne

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

successor noun

ADJ. logical, natural, obvious | rightful, worthy Their latest disc is a worthy successor to their popular debut album. | chosen, designated, eventual | immediate | likely, possible, potential

VERB + SUCCESSOR have He doesn't have an obvious successor as party leader. | appoint, choose, elect, find | groom | hand over to She will hand over to her successor in one year's time.

SUCCESSOR + VERB take over

PREP. as sb's ~ She has been appointed as his successor. | ~ as Andrew Kirkham will be her successor as Chief Executive. | ~ to The new Ministry of Food is the successor to the old Department of Agriculture.

PHRASES the appointment/choice/election of a successor, be tipped as a possible successor The former newsreader is being tipped as a possible successor to the outgoing Head of Broadcasting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

success noun

¹ good results

ADJ. considerable, conspicuous, enormous, great, notable, overwhelming, phenomenal, remarkable, spectacular, tremendous, unprecedented | limited, moderate, modest The campaign to stop drink-driving had only limited success. | popular, public | early, initial | immediate | long-term, short-term | business, commercial, economic, financial | academic, educational, electoral, literary, military, etc. | international The company's excellent marketing has resulted in enormous international success.

QUANT. amount, degree Initially, the venture enjoyed a fair amount of success.

VERB + SUCCESS achieve, enjoy, have, notch up She had little success in getting new customers. He is keen to notch up yet another success. | bring A change of management failed to bring success. | end in, lead to, result in The year-long fight for a pay rise ended in success. | ensure, guarantee We can't guarantee immediate success. | be vital to Your contribution was vital to the success of the concert.

SUCCESS + VERB come Success didn't come overnight?she struggled for years before making any money. | lie (in sth) Much of his success lies in his skill in handling staff. | depend on sth The success or failure of the project depends on how committed the managers are.

SUCCESS + NOUN rate The operation has a success rate of over 80%. | story The company has been one of the success stories of the past decade.

PREP. without ~ She tried to persuade them without success. | ~ in I've had some success in getting rid of the weeds. | ~ with the secret of his success with women

PHRASES a chance/hope of success What are our chances of success? We're trying to get him to sponsor us, but there's not much hope of success. | confident of success She had worked hard and was confident of success. | the key to success, a lack of success, the secret of (sb's) success, a symbol of (sb's) success

² sth that achieves its aim

ADJ. big, complete, considerable, conspicuous, enormous, great, huge, major, notable, outstanding, phenomenal, popular, real, remarkable, resounding, roaring, runaway, spectacular, total, tremendous, unprecedented, unqualified The band's new album has been a runaway success. | modest, qualified | business, commercial, economic, popular The book proved a major commercial success. | international | immediate

VERB + SUCCESS be, prove | have We had one or two outstanding successes. | judge sth The event was judged a success by its organizers. | make She's made a real success of that job.

PHRASES wish sb (every) success We are sad to see Hiroko go, and wish her every success in the future.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

succumb verb

ADV. almost | rapidly | eventually, finally | easily, readily people who succumb easily to exploitation

VERB + SUCCUMB be likely to

PREP. to Malnourished children are more likely to succumb to infections.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suck verb

ADV. noisily She was noisily sucking up milk through a straw. | away, in, out, up She sucked away on her thumb. He cut the orange in half and sucked out the juice.

PREP. at He sucked at the wound on his hand. | from The machine sucks up mud and stones from the bottom of the pond. | into, on The baby sucked on her bottle. | out of, through

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sue verb

ADV. successfully | unsuccessfully

VERB + SUE be able to, be entitled to, have the right to | threaten to

PREP. for He threatened to sue the company for negligence. | over The water authority was successfully sued over his illness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sufferer noun

ADJ. main, worst The worst sufferers of the condition tend to live in highly polluted areas. | lifelong, long-term | fellow The sessions will enable you to discuss problems with fellow asthma sufferers. | aids, arthritis, asthma, cancer, hay fever, etc. | back, back pain

PREP. ~ from He's been a lifelong sufferer from hay fever.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suffering noun

ADJ. great, intense, terrible, unbearable | needless, unnecessary | widespread | human | mental, physical The taunts of her schoolmates caused her intense mental suffering.

QUANT. amount The western world has contributed to the immense amount of suffering in underdeveloped countries.

VERB + SUFFERING cause (sb), inflict | increase | alleviate, ease, reduce, relieve These tablets should relieve his suffering for a couple of hours. | endure, experience

PHRASES pain and suffering His life was one of pain and suffering.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suffer verb

ADV. a lot, badly, greatly, severely, terribly This area suffered very badly in the storms. | needlessly Thousands of children in the world today suffer needlessly.

VERB + SUFFER be likely to Premature babies are more likely to suffer from breathing difficulties in childhood.

PREP. for I played tennis yesterday and I know I shall suffer for it today. | from She suffers from asthma. | with He suffers terribly with migraines.

PHRASES suffer in silence They were just expected to suffer in silence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sufficient adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem, sound | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as Do you really regard that explanation as sufficient?

ADV. quite | far from | barely, hardly, scarcely Our budget is scarcely sufficient to pay people, let alone buy any new equipment. | just | almost

PREP. for The salary proved sufficient for his needs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sugar noun

QUANT. lump, spoonful | bag, packet

VERB + SUGAR put in/on, spoon, sprinkle, stir in/into, take (= in tea or coffee) He stirred another spoonful of sugar into his tea. Do you take sugar in your tea? | contain | produce

SUGAR + VERB dissolve

PHRASES high/low/reduced sugar content, high/low in sugar Most junk food is high in sugar. | no added sugar apple juice with no added sugar

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suggestion noun

¹ proposal

ADJ. constructive, excellent, good, interesting, helpful, positive, practical, sensible, valuable | absurd, bizarre, impractical, ludicrous, outrageous, preposterous, ridiculous, stupid | tentative

VERB + SUGGESTION have Has anyone got any suggestions for a title? I've had several helpful suggestions from colleagues. | come up with, give sb, make, offer, put forward Can you give us any suggestions for a slogan? May I make a suggestion? | accept, act on, adopt, take up I think we might take up the suggestion of printing the books in Hong Kong. | take sb up on May we take you up on your suggestion of sharing the costs for the party? | deny, dismiss, reject They dismissed the suggestion that they hadn't worked hard. He rejected my suggestion as impractical. | welcome | consider, look at, note We have noted your suggestion and will give it due consideration.

SUGGESTION + NOUN book, box

PREP. at the ~ of At the suggestion of his boss, he resigned. | ~ about/as to/concerning/on Management welcomes practical suggestions on how to improve the facilities. | ~ for suggestions for further reading

PHRASES amid suggestions that She left the country amid suggestions that she had stolen from the firm. | be open to suggestions I'm not sure what to do with all this money, but I'm open to suggestions. > Special page at MEETING

² communicating without stating directly

ADJ. implicit | hypnotic analgesia through hypnotic suggestion

PREP. by/through ~ There's no scientific basis to the method?it works by suggestion.

PHRASES the power of suggestion These healers claim to remove the pain by the power of suggestion.

³ trace of sth

ADJ. faint, mere, slightest

VERB + SUGGESTION carry, have

PREP. at the ~ of At the slightest suggestion of criticism, he loses his temper. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suggestive adj.

¹ making you think of sth

VERBS be, seem

ADV. highly (medical), strongly, very The results were highly suggestive of malignancy. | vaguely

PREP. of music that is suggestive of warm summer days

² making people think about sex

VERBS be, look, sound | become

ADV. very | faintly, quite, rather | sexually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suggest verb

¹ propose sth/state sth indirectly

ADV. tentatively I tentatively suggested that she might be happier working somewhere else. | respectfully, tactfully I would respectfully suggest a different explanation for the company's decline. | helpfully ‘Shall I tell them you're ill?’ Alice suggested helpfully.

VERB + SUGGEST seem reasonable to It seems reasonable to suggest that all life forms on earth share a common origin. | be wrong to | be tempting to | dare (to) How dare you suggest such a thing?

PREP. as She suggested John as chairman. | for Who would you suggest for the job? | to He suggested to the committee that they should delay making a decision.

PHRASES can/may I suggest, I (would) suggest I would suggest that you see your doctor about this.

² show sth in an indirect way

ADV. strongly The evidence suggests quite strongly that the fire was caused by an explosion.

VERB + SUGGEST seem to The evidence seems to suggest that he did steal the money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suicidal adj.

¹ wanting to kill yourself

VERBS be, feel, look, sound | become, get He became very depressed and even got suicidal at one point.

ADV. almost

² likely to cause your failure

VERBS be, prove

ADV. economically, politically a move which would be politically suicidal

PREP. for These policies would prove suicidal for our economy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suicide noun

ADJ. attempted | mass Members of the sect committed mass suicide. | economic | electoral, political Raising taxes before an election would be political suicide.

VERB + SUICIDE commit | attempt | contemplate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suitability noun

ADJ. greater

VERB + SUITABILITY assess, demonstrate, determine to assess the suitability of the accommodation for a disabled person | ensure | doubt, have doubts about, question

PREP. ~ for the greater suitability of women for the work

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suitable adj.

VERBS be, look, prove, seem, sound | make sth The exercise-with-answer-key format makes the book suitable for self-study. | consider sth, deem sth These properties are considered especially suitable for older people.

PREP. as not suitable as a word-processing program | for The walk is suitable for all the family. | to conditions suitable to their development

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suitcase (also case) noun

ADJ. heavy, light | open | battered His only possession was a battered old suitcase of clothes. | false-bottomed The money was smuggled out in a false-bottomed suitcase.

VERB + SUITCASE cram/stuff/throw sth in/into, pack He stuffed a few clothes in a case, grabbed his wallet and left. Have you packed your case yet? | take sth out of, unpack | close, fasten, shut, snap shut She snapped her suitcase shut and stuck on a label. | open | lift, pick up The suitcase was too heavy to lift. | clutch, hold | carry, drag, heave, hump, lug She heaved her case down from the luggage rack. travellers humping suitcases about | drop, dump, put down | live out of He got fed up of living out of a suitcase and left his job as a sales rep.

SUITCASE + VERB be crammed/stuffed with sth, be full of sth, contain sth The suitcase was full of drugs.

PREP. in/inside a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suited adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | make sth

ADV. admirably, eminently, especially, particularly, peculiarly, very, well lands that are well suited to dairy farming | ideally, perfectly, uniquely She was ideally suited to the job. | hardly, not really | ill-, little, not really a song ill-suited to male voices | genuinely Is this a job for which you are genuinely suited? | naturally | temperamentally

PREP. for He was not really suited for army life. | to an approach especially suited to the adult learner

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suite noun

¹ of furniture

ADJ. three-piece a three-piece lounge suite | bathroom, bedroom, dining/dining-room, lounge

VERB + SUITE put in We're having a new bathroom suite put in.

PHRASES a suite of furniture

² set of rooms in a hotel, office block, etc.

PHRASES a suite of rooms/offices

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suit noun

¹ set of clothes

SUIT + NOUN jacket, trousers

PREP. in a ~ Two men in suits came out of the hotel.

PHRASES a suit and tie They won't let you into the restaurant without a suit and tie. | a suit of armour The cavalry wore a suit of light armour and carried a shield. | a suit of clothes We bought the baby a couple of suits of clothes.

² of playing cards

ADJ. trump

VERB + SUIT follow (= play the same suit as the previous player)

SUIT + VERB be trumps Which suit is trumps? | change The suit changed to diamonds.

PREP. from/in a/the ~ All the cards have to be from the same suit.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suit verb

ADV. admirably, fine, well A camping holiday would suit me fine. You will have to try out the various tennis rackets to find out which one suits you best. | down to the ground (informal), perfectly Country life suits me down to the ground! This arrangement suited me perfectly.

VERB + SUIT seem to | adapt sth to, adjust sth to, be designed to, be tailored to a shampoo designed to suit all hair types

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

summarize verb

ADV. briefly, succinctly | aptly, best, conveniently, neatly, usefully, well The research has been usefully summarized in an article by Greenwood. | easily

VERB + SUMMARIZE attempt to, try to | be possible to | be difficult to

PREP. as The results of the survey can be summarized as follows: …

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

summary noun

ADJ. accurate, apt, clear, excellent, fair, good, useful Is that a fair summary of the situation? | comprehensive, detailed, full | general, overall | brief, concise, quick, short | bald, crude | financial, statistical | news, plot Details of new titles, with plot summaries, are included in the catalogue.

VERB + SUMMARY make, prepare, write Could you make a short summary of this article for me? | give (sb), provide (sb with), supply (sb with) He has provided a useful summary of the main categories.

SUMMARY + NOUN sheet, table | report, statement

PREP. in ~ In summary, his views are out of date. | in a/the ~ She decided not to include this incident in her summary of the day's events.

PHRASES in summary form The information is shown in summary form in the following tables.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

summer noun

ADJ. last, next, this (coming) | early, late, mid-(also midsummer) | high Seville is scorching in high summer. | good, hot, scorching | dry, wet | Indian We had an Indian summer that year, very warm until October. (figurative) She seems to be enjoying an Indian summer of popularity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

summit noun

¹ top of a mountain

ADJ. high The Pic Long is the highest summit in the region. | very | rocky, snow-capped, snow-covered, snowy | mountain

VERB + SUMMIT arrive at, climb (to), gain, get to, reach

SUMMIT + NOUN attempt, bid The blizzard forced them to delay their summit bid.

PREP. at the ~ We were standing at the very summit of the highest mountain in India. | below the ~ They reached base camp, 12,000 metres below the summit. | on the ~ The climbers planted a flag on the summit.

² important meeting between leaders

VERB + SUMMIT have, hold, host The 2004 summit will be hosted by Japan. | attend, go to

SUMMIT + NOUN conference, meeting, talks | agenda | agreement, declaration

PREP. at a/the ~ These measures were decided at a summit in July. | ~ between annual summits between the major OECD economies | ~ on a two-day international summit on drugs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

summons noun

¹ order to go somewhere

ADJ. peremptory, urgent | royal

VERB + SUMMONS send (out) | await, expect I stayed in that night awaiting her summons. | get, hear, receive | answer, obey, respond to | ignore

SUMMONS + VERB come She was ready when the summons duly came.

PREP. ~ from She responded immediately to the summons from the head teacher. | ~ to I received an urgent summons to her office.

PHRASES in answer to a summons He arrived panting in answer to Blake's summons.

² order to go to a court of law

ADJ. court | private | witness

VERB + SUMMONS issue, take out | deliver, present (sb with), serve (sb with) The summons can be served on either of the partners in the business.

PREP. ~ against Her neighbours took out a summons against her for noise nuisance. | ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

summon verb

¹ order a person to come to a place

ADV. duly | hastily, urgently | back

PREP. for She was duly summoned for an interview. | from He has been summoned from New York to give evidence at the trial. | to She was summoned back to his office.

² find sth that you need

ADV. barely, hardly He could hardly summon the strength to stand up. | up

VERB + SUMMON can/could | try to | manage to She managed to summon up a smile.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sum noun

¹ amount of money

ADJ. considerable, generous, good, handsome, hefty, high, large, not inconsiderable, princely (ironic), significant, substantial, tidy (informal) It seemed an absurdly high sum to pay for a coat. For his first book he received the princely sum of $400. The team has raised substantial sums for local charities. | astronomical, colossal, enormous, exorbitant, huge, magnificent, massive, record, staggering, vast £200 was an astronomical sum of money in 1547. He joined the club two years ago for a record sum. | five-figure, six-figure, etc. | small, modest, nominal, reasonable, token, trifling The charity pays a nominal sum to lease the premises. | derisory, paltry | average | net | round $10,000 is a good round sum. | full, overall, total | agreed, fixed | undisclosed, unspecified | annual, monthly, etc. | regular | guaranteed | capital, cash, lump My wife would receive a guaranteed lump sum in the event of my death. | tax-free

VERB + SUM borrow, earn, fetch, raise, recover Some of the paintings should fetch a tidy sum at today's auction. You will have to go to court to recover these sums. | get, receive | award sb, contribute, give sb, grant sb, lend sb, offer sb, pay (sb), repay The judge awarded them an undisclosed six-figure sum in damages. | invest, spend | cost a project that cost vast sums of public money | charge (sb), fine sb | agree (on) We eventually agreed a sum and I gave him a cheque.

SUM + VERB be due, be payable The landlord has the right to recover any sums payable under this lease | be equal/equivalent to sth The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. | exceed sth

PHRASES a sum of money

² calculation

ADJ. difficult, easy

VERB + SUM do, find the answer to I did a quick sum to work out how much it would cost.

PHRASES get your sums right/wrong The company got its sums wrong when estimating how many customers it would attract.

³ amount got by adding numbers

VERB + SUM calculate, find, work out Calculate the sum of the following figures.

PREP. ~ of The sum of two and five is seven.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sum verb PHRASAL VERBS sum sth up

ADV. aptly, neatly, nicely, succinctly, well | perfectly | just about ‘So we're stuck in this place, with no food, no heat, no light and no prospect of anyone coming to rescue us?’ ‘That just about sums it up.’

VERB + SUM seem to | attempt to, try to attempting to sum up recent economic trends | be difficult to, be hard to The appeal of this charming little town is hard to sum up.

PREP. as She summed it up as ‘the most brilliant lecture I've ever attended’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Sunday noun > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sunglasses noun

ADJ. clip-on | wrap-around | mirror, mirrored, reflecting | designer

QUANT. pair

VERB + SUNGLASSES have on, wear | put on, take off | adjust

SUNGLASSES + VERB be perched on sth, perch on sth Her sunglasses were perched on her head.

PREP. behind your ~ She observed the goings-on from behind her mirrored sunglasses.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sunlight noun

ADJ. blinding, bright, brilliant, harsh, hot, intense, scorching, strong, warm He emerged from the tunnel into blinding sunlight. | direct, full plants that do not like direct sunlight | pale, weak, wintry | dappled, golden the dappled sunlight of the forest | reflected | afternoon, morning, evening | autumn, spring, etc.

QUANT. beam, ray, shaft | patch, pool

VERB + SUNLIGHT block out a dank backyard with a wall that blocked out the sunlight | gleam in, glint in, shimmer in, sparkle in The sea shimmered in the sunlight. | be exposed to Do not leave your skin exposed to sunlight for too long. | blink in, squint in They emerged from the cinema, blinking in the sunlight.

SUNLIGHT + VERB come, fall, filter, flood, penetrate, pierce, pour, shine, slant, stream Sunlight filtered dustily through the slats of the door. in dark thickets where sunlight could not penetrate She threw back the shutters and the sunlight streamed in. | dapple sth, gleam on/through sth, glimmer on sth, glint on sth, glitter on sth, reflect from/on sth, shimmer on sth, sparkle on sth Sunlight dapples the grass around us. the sunlight sparkling on the water

PREP. in the ~ waves sparkling in the sunlight | into the ~ We came out into bright sunlight again.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sunny adj.

VERBS be, look | become, get | remain, stay

ADV. brilliantly, very a brilliantly sunny day | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sunset noun

ADJ. beautiful, glorious, spectacular, stunning | orange, red

VERB + SUNSET admire, watch, ride/sail off into At the end of the movie, the hero rides off into the sunset.

PREP. against the ~ The trees were black against the sunset. | at ~ walking along the beach at sunset | ~ over a beautiful sunset over the bay

PHRASES the glow of the sunset sitting in the last glow of the sunset

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sunshine noun

ADJ. blazing, bright, brilliant, dazzling | beautiful, glorious, pleasant two weeks of glorious sunshine | hot, sweltering, warm | hazy, mild, pale, watery, wintry | fitful It was a cool day with fitful sunshine. | afternoon, evening, morning | June, July, etc. | autumn, spring, etc. She sat on the wall, enjoying the spring sunshine.

VERB + SUNSHINE bask in, enjoy, soak up | be bathed in The town was bathed in spring sunshine. | gleam in, glow in, sparkle in

SUNSHINE + VERB beat down, flood, pour, slant, stream The sunshine came streaming in at the window.

PREP. in (the) ~ The race was run in bright sunshine. | into the ~ She followed us out into the sunshine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suntan noun

ADJ. golden, good

VERB + SUNTAN have | show off, sport Everyone in the bar was sporting a suntan. | get, work on He spent the mornings on the beach getting a suntan. I'm going down to the pool to work on my suntan!

SUNTAN + NOUN lotion, oil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sun noun (usually the sun)

ADJ. blood-red, bright, brilliant, golden, red, yellow | hazy, pale, thin, watery, weak, wintry | high, low The wintry sun was already low in the sky. | rising | dying, setting, sinking, westering, western The distant mountains glowed in the light of the setting sun. | baking, blazing, burning, fierce, harsh, hot, scorching, strong, warm | direct, full This plant likes a dryish soil in full sun. | afternoon, early, early-morning, evening, late, midday, morning, noon/noonday | autumn, spring, summer, winter | August, February, etc. | desert, tropical | Caribbean, Italian, etc.

VERB + SUN blot out, obliterate The clouds darkened, obliterating the sun. | soak up We were lying by the pool, soaking up the afternoon sun. | catch You've caught the sun (= become slightly burnt by the sun).

SUN + VERB come up, climb, rise The sun climbed higher in the sky.

The sun rises in the east. | dip, drop, go down, set, sink The sun sets in the west. It was getting cooler as the sun sank below the horizon. | be out, be up The sun was up now, and strong. | move The sun moved slowly westward. | appear, break through (sth), come out, emerge Just then, a watery sun broke through the clouds. | beat down, blaze down, burn, glare, shine A brilliant sun shone through the trees. | disappear, go in The sun went in and it started to rain. | catch sth, flash on sth, glance on sth, glint off/on sth, play on sth, sparkle (on sth) The sun caught her dazzling copper hair. The sun glinted on the blades. | pour down/in, slant through sth, stream in/through sth The evening sun slanted through the window. | strike sth, touch sth The sun struck the steep blue slates of the roof. | warm sth The sun warmed his face.

SUN + NOUN god | worshipper | lounge, terrace, trap (also suntrap) | bed (also sunbed), lounger (also sunlounger) | hat (also sunhat), umbrella, visor | tan (also suntan) | cream, lotion, oil, protection On children, use a cream with a high sun protection factor. | damage, exposure wrinkles caused by sun damage

PREP. in the ~ Don't sit in the sun too long. The helmets were glinting in the sun. We've booked a holiday in the sun (= in a place that is warm and sunny). | into the ~ We went out into the sun. | out of the ~ We did our best to keep out of the sun. | ~ in with the sun in her eyes | ~ on enjoying the feel of the sun on his back

PHRASES the rays of the sun/the sun's rays

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

superb adj.

VERBS be, look, sound She looked superb.

ADV. really | absolutely, quite, simply The cuisine is absolutely superb.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

superficial adj.

VERBS be, seem | remain

ADV. extremely, very | entirely, purely He began to feel he could cope, on a purely superficial level, at least. | increasingly | largely, more or less | fairly, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

superfluous adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become | make sth, render sth | consider sth

ADV. quite, totally, wholly She gave him a look that made words quite superfluous. | almost | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

superiority noun

ADJ. absolute, complete, overwhelming, total | effortless Driving the Jaguar gave him a feeling of total control, effortless superiority. | inherent, innate, intrinsic, natural | academic, biological, cultural, intellectual, moral, numerical, physical, racial, social, technical, technological a discredited ideology of racial superiority | male, masculine his air of masculine superiority | air, military, naval

VERB + SUPERIORITY achieve, establish the enemy's attempts to establish air superiority | enjoy, have For a long time France enjoyed overwhelming superiority in this field. | confirm, convince sb of, demonstrate, prove, show, underline | maintain | assert, assume, claim, imply The use of the words ‘modern’ and ‘old’ is not meant to imply the superiority of one over the other. | acknowledge, bow to Their team has had to bow to Australia's superiority in recent years.

PREP. ~ in making use of their superiority in numbers | ~ over the company's clear technological superiority over its rivals | ~ to The settlers remained convinced of their superiority to the native population.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of superiority

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

superior adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | make sth What is it that makes this technique superior? | consider sth, see sth as I don't see either product as superior to the other.

ADV. clearly, distinctly, far, greatly, markedly, vastly The new products are far superior to the old ones. They defeated a greatly superior Roman army. | altogether, infinitely, wholly The house was altogether superior to the kind of thing most men of Adam's age could aspire to. | rather, slightly, somewhat | inherently, intrinsically, naturally | supposedly | undoubtedly | numerically the numerically superior (= larger in numbers) British forces | economically, educationally, intellectually, morally, socially, technically

PREP. in a microwave that is vastly superior in design to all other models | to She felt socially superior to most of her neighbours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

superior noun

ADJ. immediate The form has to be signed by your immediate superior. | social

VERB + SUPERIOR report sb/sth to She threatened to report the assistant to his superiors.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supermarket noun

ADJ. leading, major, top | high-street, local

SUPERMARKET + NOUN chain, giant, group | development | car park, checkout, queue, shelf, trolley An increasing amount of organic produce is to be found on supermarket shelves. | brand | assistant, manager

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

superstition noun

ADJ. popular | age-old, ancient, old | local | pagan | primitive

VERB + SUPERSTITION have We have a lot of superstitions about animals. | be riddled with The topic of birth is riddled with superstition. | believe in unwilling to believe in local superstitions | dismiss sth as, reject sth as

SUPERSTITION + VERB be attached to sth Red-headed people have many superstitions attached to them.

PREP. ~ about primitive superstitions about death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supervise verb

ADV. carefully, closely, strictly, well The children will be closely supervised at all times. | fully, properly The pool is fully supervised by trained staff. | adequately | inadequately | personally I will supervise the work personally. | internationally a proposal for an internationally supervised ceasefire

VERB + SUPERVISE appoint sb to An executive officer was appointed to supervise the arrangements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supervision noun

VERB + SUPERVISION need, require | get, have, receive | exercise, give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) The scheme offers only minimal supervision for young offenders. | be responsible for The head porter is responsible for the supervision and allocation of duties. | keep sb/sth under He needs to be kept under strict supervision. | improve, tighten | relax | escape (from), evade She managed to escape her boss's constant supervision.

SUPERVISION + NOUN order The local authority can apply for a supervision order for the child.

PREP. under (sb's) ~ under the close supervision of her teachers | with/without ~ Children are not allowed to swim without adequate supervision. | ~ by They still require supervision by skilled colleagues. | ~ from Trainees will receive personal supervision from experienced staff.

PHRASES a lack of supervision

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supervisor noun

VERB + SUPERVISOR act as

PREP. under a/the ~ the people working under that supervisor > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supper noun

SUPPER + NOUN dish It can also be eaten as a supper dish with a salad. | table, things, tray Ellie cleared away their supper things.

PHRASES a bit/bite of supper They invited me round for a bite of supper. > Note at MEAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supplement noun

¹ sth that is added

ADJ. useful, valuable | colour (= a colour magazine that comes with most weekend papers in Britain), magazine, special, Sunday Our special supplement is packed with inspirational ideas for healthy and glamorous hair. | dietary, food, mineral, nutritional, vitamin

VERB + SUPPLEMENT provide (sb/sth with) | add The farmer adds a supplement to the horse's feed. | take, use (sth as) I take a vitamin supplement every day. You can use these books as supplements to the basic English course.

PREP. ~ to This document is a supplement to the main report.

² extra amount of money

ADJ. $100, £50, etc. A balcony is available for a £20 supplement. | flight, single room If you want to travel on a different day a flight supplement is payable. | earnings-related, means-tested means-tested supplements to the basic pension

VERB + SUPPLEMENT add, charge We charge a small supplement for this service. | carry, have Weekend flights carry a supplement. | pay

SUPPLEMENT + VERB be payable

PREP. at a ~ Single rooms are available at a supplement. | ~ for a $20 supplement for each extra night | ~ on There is a supplement on rooms with a sea view.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supple adj.

VERBS be, feel, look leaving your skin feeling soft and supple | become, get He was gradually getting more supple. | keep, remain, stay exercises that will help you to keep supple | make sth a cream that is used on dry skins to make them nice and supple | keep sth You must exercise your joints to keep them supple.

ADV. extremely, very

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supplier noun

PREP. ~ to the leading arms supplier to the rebel forces

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supply noun

¹ sth that is supplied

ADJ. total It is impossible to measure the total supply of money in circulation. | endless, inexhaustible, infinite, limitless, never-ending, unending He has an endless supply of corny jokes. | abundant, bountiful, good, large, plentiful | adequate, ample, sufficient | inadequate, limited, small Hurry, as we only have a limited supply of these TVs in stock! | dwindling | constant, continuous, regular, steady | fresh The body needs a fresh supply of vitamin C every day. | ready, reliable the provision of a reliable supply of clean water to rural communities | domestic | air, blood, oxygen, etc. A clot in the brain cut off her blood supply. | food, milk, water, etc. | coal, electricity, energy, fuel, gas, oil, power, etc. Domestic coal supplies were more plentiful in the mid-1950s. Turn off the mains electricity supply. | mains | labour The farmers depend on a casual labour supply at harvest time. | money the country's problems with ballooning inflation and swelling money supply

VERB + SUPPLY have Make sure you have an adequate supply of brochures. | get, lay in, obtain, receive We should lay in a good supply of beer for the party. | produce, provide The studio produced a steady supply of good films. | ensure, maintain | cut off, disconnect, disrupt, stop The electricity company disconnected our supply for non-payment of a bill. The storm disrupted the town's power supply. | deplete, exhaust, use (up) By the end of the winter the supply of grain was severely depleted. | replenish, restore | increase | restrict, limit, reduce | exceed, outstrip Demand for top-quality programmers exceeds supply, leading to extortionate salaries.

SUPPLY + VERB increase | fall | exceed/meet demand Labour supply did not increase to meet demand.

SUPPLY + NOUN line, system the water supply system | contract

PREP. ~ of a supply of spare batteries | ~ to to maintain an adequate water supply to the inner city areas

PHRASES be in short supply Food is in short supply following the flooding. | demand and supply/supply and demand laws of supply and demand | a fall/a shortfall in supply There will soon be a shortfall in supply of qualified young people. | an increase in supply 2 supplies amount of sth needed

ADJ. abundant, plentiful | limited, meagre | vital | emergency, relief | arms, food, medical, military, office The Red Cross flew emergency food supplies into the war zone.

VERB + SUPPLY bring (in/up), lay in, provide (sb/sth with) The money raised will provide vital medical supplies to refugee camps. | be/run out of, be/run short of | threaten Rebel action threatened relief supplies.

SUPPLY + VERB hold out, last | be depleted, be exhausted, run low/out/short

PREP. ~ of The injured climbers had only meagre supplies of water and peanuts to live off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supply verb

VERB + SUPPLY agree to | refuse to | fail to | ask sb to Each applicant is asked to supply a portfolio of work at interview.

PREP. for goods supplied for private use | from The water was supplied from an eight-wheeled tanker. | to They were accused of supplying arms to the rebels. | with He refused to supply the police with information.

PHRASES a contract to supply sth, intent to supply (sb/sth) (law) He was charged with possession of drugs with intent to supply others. | keep sb/sth supplied with sth keeping the guests well supplied with champagne

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supporter noun

ADJ. active, ardent, close, committed, die-hard, enthusiastic, faithful, fanatical, fervent, great, keen, loyal, passionate, stalwart, staunch, strong an active supporter of democratic change The emperor was deserted by his closest supporters before the end of the war. die-hard supporters of the old system Only stalwart supporters of the team stayed to the end of the match. | leading, principal, prominent | lifelong, long-time | traditional an area of traditional Labour supporters | reluctant | government, opposition, party, political | Conservative, Labour, etc. | grass-roots, rank-and-file The party has not been listening to the concerns of its grass-roots supporters. | football, rugby, etc.

QUANT. army, group, set, team Both sets of supporters applauded the fantastic goal.

VERB + SUPPORTER have | attract, rally to attract supporters to the cause

SUPPORTER + VERB rally Supporters rallied to his assistance when he was declared bankrupt. | cheer a coachload of cheering football supporters

PHRASES a crowd/rally of supporters The opposition leader addressed a rally of 50,000 supporters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supportive adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | find sb

ADV. extremely, highly, incredibly, strongly, very, wonderfully strongly supportive of the government's approach All the hospital staff were wonderfully supportive. | entirely, fully, totally, wholly We are totally supportive of this idea. | broadly, generally, largely | mutually establishing a mutually supportive and caring relationship

PREP. of fully supportive of the changes | to They were all extremely supportive to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

support noun

¹ help and encouragement

ADJ. complete, full, total | active, considerable, enthusiastic, firm, generous, good, great, loyal, massive, overwhelming, solid, strong, tremendous, unqualified, wholehearted The socialist candidate enjoys the firm support of local industry. the company's generous financial support of the arts The poll revealed massive support for the proposal. The plan received strong support from farmers. | unflagging, unstinting, unswerving, unwavering We would like to thank Edna Hales for her unstinting support over the years. | growing, increased, increasing | continued, continuing | broad, community, general, majority, mass, popular, public, wide/widespread The government has lost majority support in the Assembly. | main | limited, lukewarm, qualified My idea only received lukewarm support from my colleagues. | adequate, sufficient | direct, indirect | long-term people who need long-term support at home | personal The proposal has the personal support of the president. | mutual The parents of the sufferers get together for mutual support. | international | Labour, Liberal, etc. | all-party, bipartisan, cross-party | administrative, economic, electoral, emotional, financial, moral, political, practical, technical, etc. She took her sister with her to the interview for moral support. | government, official, state | air, military, naval | price a price support mechanism

VERB + SUPPORT enjoy, have The policy has the support of the community. | derive, draw, get, receive Which groups does the party draw most of its support from? | enlist, find, gain, mobilize, secure, win Campaigners have enlisted the support of their local MP. | attract, cultivate, drum up, muster, rally, recruit, seek, solicit, whip up | give sb/sth, lend (sb/sth), offer (sb/sth), provide (sb/sth with), throw organizations that provide support and advice to small businesses She threw her full support behind him. | lose | cut (off), withdraw | need, require She will need a lot of emotional support at this difficult time. | count on, rely on Can I count on your support? | announce, come out in, confirm, demonstrate, express, pledge, reaffirm, show one of the first scientists to come out in support of ‘The Origin of Species’ Many TV celebrities have already pledged their support to the appeal. | bolster, broaden, build (up), increase, strengthen The government is trying to build popular support for an unwinnable war. | weaken

SUPPORT + VERB come Support came from all sections of the community. | grow, rise Support for the Liberals has risen to 30 per cent. | fall

SUPPORT + NOUN base He had no support base within the party. | group a local support group for single parents | network | services

PREP. in ~ of an intense campaign in support of the proposal | with/without … ~ The pipeline is to be built with international support. | ~ against Farmers mobilized considerable support against government plans to remove import restrictions. | ~ among The party wishes to broaden its support among professionals. | ~ between mutual support between local cooperatives | ~ for The president has expressed his support for the project. | ~ from The policy has broad support from industry.

PHRASES a base of support Fears that instability would return under the Democrats gave the government a broad base of support. | a cut/decline in support, an expression of support The rebel leader claimed to have received expressions of support from all the neighbouring countries. | a lack of support, a source of support

² money to buy food, clothes, etc.

ADJ. child, family, social | income

VERB + SUPPORT claim Families earning below a certain amount can claim child support.

PHRASES a means of support

³ sth that carries the weight of sb/sth

ADJ. firm | additional, extra | back, knee, etc. | roof

VERB + SUPPORT give sth The piece of wood under the mattress is to give my back extra support.

PHRASES hold onto sb/sth for support He held onto his wife for support as he left the hospital.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

support verb

¹ help/encourage/agree with sb/sth

ADV. fervently, overwhelmingly, strongly The people of this country overwhelmingly support their president. I strongly support the view that education should be available to everyone. | fully, wholeheartedly | unanimously | actively The group is actively supported by several Members of Parliament. | tacitly | enthusiastically | loyally He has supported the party loyally for over twenty years. | ably The soloists were ably supported by the University Singers.

VERB + SUPPORT agree to, be pledged to, pledge to, promise to He promised to support me at the meeting. | be prepared to, be willing to | fail to, refuse to

PREP. in Very few countries supported the United States in its action.

PHRASES be widely supported These policies were widely supported in the country.

² show that sth is true/correct

ADV. strongly The evidence strongly supports his claims.

VERB + SUPPORT appear to, seem to, tend to

³ give sb money

ADV. financially | generously

VERB + SUPPORT help (to)

PREP. through Her parents supported her all through college.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suppose verb

ADV. mistakenly, wrongly

VERB + SUPPOSE be plausible to, be reasonable to It's reasonable to suppose that people go into this business in search of fame. | be absurd to, be implausible to, be naive to, be unreasonable to

PHRASES be commonly/generally/popularly suppposed This combination of qualities is generally supposed to be extremely rare. | reason to suppose sth There is no reason to suppose she's lying.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supposition noun

ADJ. mere, pure That is mere supposition! | reasonable It is a reasonable supposition that many mothers would welcome the offer of part-time work.

VERB + SUPPOSITION make, work on Let's work on the supposition that she meant no offence. | be based on | confirm, support | be correct in You are correct in your suppositions about the source of his wealth.

SUPPOSITION + VERB be based on sth

PREP. on (a/the) ~ She was charged on the supposition that she had colluded with her husband in the murders. | ~ about They are making all sorts of suppositions about our possible reaction. | ~ of a supposition of innocence

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suppression noun

ADJ. total | bloody, brutal, violent

PREP. during/in the ~ of He was injured in the bloody suppression of the uprising.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suppress verb

¹ stop sth by using force

ADV. bloodily, brutally, ruthlessly, vigorously, violently A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.

VERB + SUPPRESS attempt to, seek to, try to | use sth to using violence to suppress opposition

PHRASES an attempt to suppress sth

² stop sth from being seen/known

ADV. completely | effectively The medication effectively suppressed the pain. | deliberately This information had been deliberately suppressed. | systematically

VERB + SUPPRESS attempt to, seek to, try to

PHRASES an attempt to suppress sth

³ stop yourself doing/expressing sth

ADV. firmly | hardly He could hardly suppress his surprise. | instantly The disloyal thought was instantly suppressed. | quickly

VERB + SUPPRESS be unable to, cannot/could not She was unable to suppress a giggle. | try to | manage to | be hard to

PHRASES barely suppressed Her face was charged with barely suppressed anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

supremacy noun

ADJ. total, unchallenged | world | air, military, naval | economic, political | male

PREP. ~ in the battle for supremacy in the world economic markets | ~ over By the end of the war, the prince had established total supremacy over all his rivals. | ~ within factions fighting for supremacy within the Church

PHRASES a battle/fight/struggle for supremacy, a challenge/threat to sb/sth's supremacy, a symbol of supremacy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surcharge noun

ADJ. small | tax a corporate tax surcharge

VERB + SURCHARGE add, impose, levy, put A surcharge of 40 francs was added to our bill. A surcharge is levied on late applications. | pay

PREP. ~ for There is a surcharge for excess baggage. | ~ on There is a 2% surcharge on credit card users.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sure adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound You don't seem very sure to me. | make Make sure no one finds out about this. | make sb What makes you so sure she'll come back to you?

ADV. absolutely, completely, damned, quite | doubly To make doubly sure they would not be disturbed she turned the key in the lock. | not altogether, not entirely, not quite, not really I'm not altogether sure he would appreciate your efforts. | fairly, pretty

PREP. about Pottz was confident of taking the American title, but less sure about the world championship. | of You'd better be completely sure of your facts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surface noun

VERB + SURFACE come (up) to, rise to | bring sth to The captain brought the submarine to the surface. | scratch, skim, touch (all figurative) The investigation barely scratched the surface of the city's drug problem. | ripple The wind rippled the surface of the lake.

SURFACE + NOUN area | level | layer the surface layer of the skin | temperature, tension | water Surface water made driving conditions hazardous.

PREP. above/over the ~, across the ~, along the ~, below/beneath/under the ~ The ring slowly sank beneath the surface of the mud pool. (figurative) She gives the impression of being rather conventional, but under the surface she is wildly eccentric. | in the ~ Cracks began to appear in the surface of the earth. | on a/the ~ a trail of pink flowers floating on the surface of the water (figurative) On the surface his words were funny, but I detected quite a lot of anger behind them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surf noun

ADJ. heavy | distant the roar of distant surf

VERB + SURF ride dolphins riding the surf

SURF + VERB break, roll (in) the sound of surf breaking on the beach | roar, thunder

PREP. in the ~ The children splashed about in the surf.

PHRASES the roar/thunder of (the) surf

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surgeon noun

VERB + SURGEON be, work as | become, qualify as He is determined to qualify as a surgeon. | see

SURGEON + VERB operate, perform an operation, remove sth the surgeon who will operate on you Surgeons removed her right leg above the knee.

PHRASES surgeon's knife Many people are terrified at the thought of the surgeon's knife.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surgery noun

¹ medical treatment

VERB + SURGERY have, undergo She had minor surgery on her knee. | perform He has been performing heart surgery for ten years. | need, require

PREP. after/before/during ~ She felt weak for six months after undergoing major abdominal surgery. | ~ for emergency surgery for a twisted gut | ~ to After the accident, she needed extensive plastic surgery to her face.

² place/time a doctor/dentist sees patients

ADJ. open | afternoon, evening, morning | dental, doctor's, GP's, veterinary

VERB + SURGERY do, have, hold I'll do morning surgery, if you like. We only have a morning surgery. He holds surgery from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | attend, go to those attending the doctor's surgery with physical symptoms I'll have to go to the surgery to pick up the prescription.

SURGERY + NOUN hours

PREP. in a/the ~ Dr Smith isn't in the surgery today.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surge noun

¹ of feeling

VERB + SURGE experience, feel He experienced that familiar surge of excitement.

SURGE + VERB sweep (over/through) sb/sth A great surge of emotion swept through him.

PREP. with a ~ He thought of his old teacher with a surge of affection. | ~ of a sudden surge of adrenalin

² movement/increase

ADJ. dramatic, extraordinary, great, huge, massive | growing | sudden, unexpected | temporary | last-minute, overnight, recent A last-minute surge in ticket sales saved the show from closure. | storm, tidal The storm surge caused widespread flooding.

PREP. ~ in a dramatic surge in the demand

PHRASES a surge forward Police struggled to control the sudden surge forward by the demonstrators.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surname noun

ADJ. double-barrelled, hyphenated

VERB + SURNAME bear, have | address/call sb by The teacher addresses the students by their surnames. | change | adopt, assume, take On marriage most women still take their husband's surname.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surpass verb

ADV. far | comfortably, easily

PREP. in The second half of the match comfortably surpassed the first in entertainment value.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surplus noun

ADJ. large a large grain surplus | small

VERB + SURPLUS produce

SURPLUS + NOUN cash, stock

PREP. in ~ The pension fund is in surplus.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surprised adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound

ADV. extremely, greatly, most, really, terribly, very | hardly, not altogether, not at all, not entirely, not in the least, not particularly, not totally, scarcely Her father didn't seem at all surprised. | almost | a bit, faintly, a little, mildly, pretty, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat, vaguely She looked faintly surprised at my remark. | genuinely | clearly, evidently, obviously | secretly | constantly, continually I am constantly surprised by what my fourteen-month-old son understands. | momentarily | agreeably, pleasantly He was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was no longer afraid.

PREP. at He sounded surprised at this request. | by She appeared genuinely surprised by this gesture of affection.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surprise noun

¹ feeling of surprise

ADJ. great, utter | mild, some | initial After the initial surprise I got to like the place. | mock His eyebrows rose in mock surprise.

QUANT. element The Egyptian team relied on the element of surprise to defeat their stronger opponents.

VERB + SURPRISE express, register, show | feign He feigned surprise when I went up and said hello. | hide She was quick to hide her surprise. | cause The president's remarks caused surprise and embarrassment.

PREP. in ~ ‘Walk twenty miles!’ repeated the old man in surprise. | to your ~ Much to her surprise she enjoyed the party. | with/without ~ It was with some surprise that I read of his resignation. | ~ at She showed no surprise at the news.

PHRASES an expression/a look of surprise, a gasp/scream/shriek, etc. of surprise

² sth that you did not expect

ADJ. big, complete, great, major, total | lovely, nice, pleasant, wonderful

VERB + SURPRISE come as | get, have I had a lovely surprise when I saw Mark there. | spring Johnson sprung a surprise by beating the favourite in the first round. | be in for Your mother's in for a bit of a surprise when she gets home. | catch sb by, take sb by The storm took us completely by surprise.

SURPRISE + NOUN announcement, attack, party, victory, visit

PREP. ~ for It was a complete surprise for me. | ~ to His refusal came as no surprise to his boss.

PHRASES a bit of a/quite a surprise

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surprise verb

ADV. greatly, really | not at all The outcome did not surprise me at all. | hardly | a little, slightly

VERB + SURPRISE wouldn't It wouldn't surprise me if they announced they were going to get married. | seem to | want to They wanted to surprise their mother and get the breakfast ready.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surprising adj.

VERBS be, seem | make sth | find sth

ADV. extremely, really, very | hardly, not altogether, not at all, not entirely, not really, not totally, not wholly, scarcely It is hardly surprising that rumours continue to circulate. | a bit, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surrender noun

ADJ. total | unconditional | immediate

VERB + SURRENDER demand The allied commander demanded their immediate and unconditional surrender. | force/starve into The villagers were starved into surrender. | accept, take The division took the surrender of a group of some 500 rebels.

PREP. ~ to the government's surrender to the nationalists' demands

PHRASES a flag of surrender The rebels hoisted the white flag of surrender. | in (mock) surrender He raised his hands in mock surrender. | the terms of surrender offering them easy terms of surrender

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surrender verb

ADV. completely After three weeks under siege they surrendered completely. | immediately | eventually, finally | formally The British formally surrendered on 31 May. | voluntarily

VERB + SURRENDER order sb to They were ordered to surrender their weapons to the police. | agree to They agreed to surrender their claim to the territory. | refuse to | be forced to

PREP. to He surrendered voluntarily to his enemies. The dictator surrendered power to Parliament.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surrogate noun

VERB + SURROGATE act as, be

SURROGATE + NOUN father, mother, parent | child

PREP. ~ for He used the Internet as a surrogate for contact with real people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surroundings noun

VERB + SURROUNDINGS adapt to, be in harmony with, blend into, blend (in) with, fit into/in with The new hotel blends perfectly with the immediate surroundings.

PREP. amid … ~ classic French cuisine served amid elegant surroundings | in … ~ We spent the afternoon relaxing in the beautiful surroundings of my parents' home.

PHRASES the beauty of the surroundings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surround verb

ADV. completely, entirely, totally | almost, virtually | quickly | immediately Will found himself immediately surrounded by screaming fans. the immediately surrounding area

PREP. with They surrounded the building with tanks and armoured vehicles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

surveillance noun

ADJ. close, constant, regular, round-the-clock, routine | covert | aerial, CCTV/closed-circuit television, electronic, satellite, video | military, police

VERB + SURVEILLANCE be under The suspects are under police surveillance. | keep/place/put sb/sth under The country's borders are kept under constant surveillance. | carry out, mount The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months. | increase, reduce

SURVEILLANCE + NOUN camera, device, equipment | method, operation, system | aircraft | flight | team

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

survey noun

¹ study of sth

VERB + SURVEY carry out, conduct, do, make, undertake The charity did a survey of people's attitudes to the disabled. | commission | participate in, respond to, take part in 94 per cent of people who took part in the survey said they agreed.

SURVEY + VERB cover sth, deal with sth, examine sth The survey covered 74 species. | ask sth | claim sth, conclude sth, confirm sth, disclose sth, find sth, highlight sth, identify sth, indicate sth, report sth, reveal sth, say sth, show sth, suggest sth A customer satisfaction survey highlighted the need for clearer pricing.

SURVEY + NOUN data, results | method, technique | respondent

PREP. according to a/the ~ According to the survey, many young adults have experimented with drugs of some kind. | in a/the ~ the questions used in the survey | ~ into a survey into the state of English in universities | ~ on a survey on drivers' attitudes to the police

PHRASES the findings/results of a survey

² of land or a building

ADJ. full | aerial | archaeological, geological, geophysical, land, seismic | structural, valuation A structural survey of the property revealed serious defects.

VERB + SURVEY carry out, do, make

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

survey verb

ADV. carefully | coldly, coolly, critically Her green eyes surveyed him coolly.

PREP. from I surveyed the scene from my window.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

survival noun

ADJ. long-term, short-term | continued | day-to-day | sheer fighting for the sheer survival of the museum | improved The study showed improved survival of patients using the drug. | chance, miraculous the chance survival of the king's letters to his mistress | business, economic, human, national, physical, political

VERB + SURVIVAL fight for | ensure The campaign will hopefully ensure the survival of the tiger. | improve, prolong Chemotherapy can prolong survival in cancer patients. | threaten The arrival of this South American predator threatened the survival of native species. | be crucial for/to, be essential to, be necessary for, be vital for/to Adaptability is essential to survival in a changing environment.

SURVIVAL + NOUN chances, rate | skills, strategy | kit The expedition members carried flares in their survival kit. | instinct

PREP. ~ against the struggle for survival against such well-armed enemies | ~ as his survival as leader

PHRASES a battle/fight/struggle for survival, be a matter/question of survival For the poorest people, life was merely a matter of survival. | a chance of survival Doctors gave him only a 50% chance of survival. | the instinct for survival He lacked the common instinct for survival. | a threat to the survival of sth The main threat to the survival of these creatures comes from their loss of habitat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

survive verb

ADV. well (used with another adverb or in the forms better or best) The frescoes have survived remarkably well. Seedlings survive better in stony soil. | barely, hardly The islanders could barely survive without an export crop. | just (about), narrowly I can just about survive on what I earn. The prime minister narrowly survived a leadership challenge. | (for) long Nobody can survive long without water. | still Only one copy of the book still survives. | miraculously A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25,000-volt electric shock. | somehow

VERB + SURVIVE struggle to poor people struggling to survive | be able to, can/could, manage to | expect (sb/sth) to Doctors did not expect him to survive the night. | hope to She cannot hope to survive long in power. | be likely/unlikely to | be lucky to Once diagnosed with lung cancer, a patient is lucky to survive for five years. | enable sb to, help sb (to)

PREP. as Will she survive as party leader? | from Very little has survived from this period of history. | into Very few of the children survived into adult life. | on They survived on roots and berries. | through She survived through two world wars. | until The original apple tree survived until 1911.

PHRASES the only/sole surviving sb/sth the only surviving member of her family | survive intact/unscathed Few buildings survived the war intact.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

survivor noun

ADJ. great Like all great survivors, she has a ruthless streak. | the last, the only, a rare, the sole This grand park is a rare survivor from the eighteenth century. | bomb, crash

VERB + SURVIVOR find, pick up, rescue The navy helped pick up the survivors. | look/search for The emergency services searched all night for crash survivors.

PREP. ~ from a survivor from the Titanic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

susceptible adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | leave sb/sth, make sb/sth The operation had left her susceptible to infection.

ADV. easily, extremely, highly, particularly, readily, unusually, very certain highly susceptible individuals | quite, rather | genetically

PREP. to Some dogs are thought to be genetically susceptible to the disease.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspect adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | render sth The theory is rendered suspect by its reliance on now discredited sources.

ADV. deeply, highly, very Some of the evidence was deeply suspect. | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat | politically the forced adoption of children of politically suspect citizens

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspect noun

ADJ. chief, main, number one, prime She has been identified as the prime suspect. | likely, obvious, possible, potential | usual | murder, terrorist

VERB + SUSPECT have, identify (sb as) The police have several suspects. | arrest, detain, hold, round up The army rounded up all the usual terrorist suspects. | interrogate, interview, question | release | extradite, hand over

PREP. ~ for The letter makes him a possible suspect for her murder. | ~ in Two men were arrested as suspects in the bombing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspect verb

¹ believe that sth may happen/be true

ADV. strongly | rather I rather suspect they were trying to get rid of me. | rightly, wrongly | all along, always These revelations only prove what I suspected all along.

VERB + SUSPECT begin to | have reason to She had no reason to suspect that Sylvia had not been telling the truth.

PHRASES be widely suspected It was widely suspected that the cadets had been acting on orders.

² believe sb is guilty of sth

ADV. rightly, wrongly

PREP. of He was wrongly suspected of the crime.

VERB + SUSPECT have grounds to, have reason to

PHRASES have grounds for suspecting sb/sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspend verb

ADV. immediately | indefinitely | temporarily Funding for the new building has been temporarily suspended. | effectively

VERB + SUSPEND agree to, decide to, vote to The government has decided to suspend production at the country's biggest lead plant. | threaten to | be forced to

PHRASES the power to suspend sth The EU should have the power to suspend subsidy payments to farmers who pollute the environment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspense noun

ADJ. heart-pounding, nail-biting, unbearable

VERB + SUSPENSE keep sb in Don't keep us in suspense?did you get the job or not? | break Don't look at the end of the book yet?you'll break the suspense. | build (up), create | bear She couldn't bear the suspense a moment longer.

SUSPENSE + VERB be killing sb (informal) I don't get the results till next week, and the suspense is killing me.

SUSPENSE + NOUN story

PREP. ~ about They were kept in suspense about their possibility of joining the expedition for several weeks.

PHRASES an agony of suspense I suffered agonies of suspense in silence. | a state of suspense

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspension noun

¹ stopping of activity

ADJ. total | brief, temporary | lengthy, long | immediate | automatic Another caution will result in his automatic suspension from the final.

VERB + SUSPENSION give sb, impose, order A four-day suspension was imposed on her. | get, incur He incurred a suspension on reduced pay. | appeal against

PREP. under ~ a detective under suspension from the Metropolitan Police | ~ from his suspension from the club

PHRASES a period of suspension The athlete could face a lengthy period of suspension if found guilty.

² on a vehicle

ADJ. front, rear | active, computer-controlled, independent, self-levelling | car, etc.

VERB + SUSPENSION be fitted with, have The new model is fitted with computer-controlled suspension.

SUSPENSION + NOUN system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspicion noun

¹ belief that sb has done sth wrong or that sth is true

ADJ. strong There is strong suspicion on both sides that information is being withheld. | the slightest, vague I don't think he had the slightest suspicion anything was wrong. | awful, dark, horrible, nagging, nasty, sneaking, terrible, worst I have a nasty suspicion he's organized a surprise party for me. My worst suspicions were realized when I received my redundancy notice. | lingering | growing | groundless, unfounded Our suspicions turned out to be groundless. | widespread | initial

VERB + SUSPICION entertain, harbour, have We had our suspicions as to who did it, but nothing could be proved. | be/come/fall under He fell under suspicion of tax evasion. | arouse, cast, cause, create, fuel, give rise to, invite, raise, sow Parked vehicles that arouse suspicion should be reported to the police. information that casts suspicion on one of the most powerful figures in the party Their suspicions were further fuelled when both men failed to turn up to the appointment. odd behaviour that invites suspicion | avoid | confide, share She confided her suspicions to no one but her diary. | confirm, justify A telephone call confirmed my worst suspicions. | realize | allay, dispel She was anxious to allay any suspicion that she had married for money.

SUSPICION + VERB exist The suspicion exists that Harries is stealing money from the company safe. | linger, remain | grow | attach to sb, fall on sb Strong suspicion attached to the victim's boyfriend.

PREP. above/beyond ~ They thought the head teacher was beyond suspicion. | on ~ of arrested on suspicion of bribery | ~ about/as to/concerning his suspicions about the candidate's background | ~ against Suspicions against the former prime minister remain.

PHRASES the finger of suspicion The finger of suspicion pointed to Gilbert Cash, a close friend of the victim. | grounds for suspicion The police must have reasonable grounds for suspicion before they can get a search warrant. | an object of suspicion Boys were an immediate object of suspicion to her. | under a cloud of suspicion He ended his athletics career under a cloud of suspicion when he refused to take a drug test.

² absence of trust

ADJ. considerable, deep, grave, great | mutual an atmosphere of mutual suspicion

VERB + SUSPICION regard/treat/view sb/sth with They viewed the new scheme with great suspicion.

³ small amount of sth

ADJ. faint, slightest Her remarks lacked even the faintest suspicion of humour.

PREP. ~ of His mouth quivered in the suspicion of a smile.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

suspicious adj.

¹ not trusting sb

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow I think they're starting to get suspicious. | remain | make sb Something about her smile made him suspicious.

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, profoundly, very She remained deeply suspicious of computers. | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat His voice grew faintly suspicious. | immediately, instantly | naturally I have a naturally suspicious mind. | rightly British voters are rightly suspicious of attempts to save money in the area of education.

PREP. about They were somewhat suspicious about her past. | of She was highly suspicious of his motives.

² making you feel that sth is wrong

VERBS be, look, seem, sound We have to carry on as usual or it would look suspicious. | consider sth, find sth, regard sth as, treat sth as I find it very suspicious that he left halfway through the morning. Police are treating both fires as suspicious.

ADV. highly, very acting in a highly suspicious manner | not remotely Are you sure you haven't seen anything even remotely suspicious? | a bit, rather, somewhat

PHRASES see/hear anything suspicious Inform the police immediately if you see anything suspicious.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sustain verb

ADV. long The soil was so badly eroded it could no longer sustain crop production. | indefinitely | still

VERB + SUSTAIN be able/unable to, can/could | help (to) | be difficult to, be hard to, be impossible to This relationship would be very difficult to sustain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Swahili noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swallow verb

¹ food/drink, etc.

ADV. hastily, quickly | accidentally She accidentally swallowed a glass bead. | easily Liquid food may be more easily swallowed. | down She swallowed down her breakfast in a hurry.

PHRASES swallow sth whole Most snakes swallow their prey whole.

² move your throat muscles

ADV. deeply, hard | convulsively, drily, nervously, painfully She swallowed convulsively, determined not to cry. | back He swallowed back the lump in his throat.

VERB + SWALLOW have to She had to swallow hard before she could speak.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swan noun

ADJ. black, white | graceful

SWAN + VERB glide, swim | fly | land | hiss

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swap noun

ADJ. straight | job | spy

VERB + SWAP do, make Let's do a straight swap?your guitar for my bike. | agree on/to

SWAP + NOUN deal The football managers agreed on swap deals involving their star players.

PREP. ~ between a spy swap made between East and West Germany | ~ with I did a swap with my brother.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sway verb

¹ from side to side/backwards and forwards

ADV. gently, lightly, a little, slightly | alarmingly, dangerously, precariously The stage swayed alarmingly under their weight. | dizzily, drunkenly, unsteadily | back and forth, backwards and forwards, from side to side The cow's udder swayed from side to side as she walked along.

VERB + SWAY begin to

PREP. in The curtains swayed gently in the breeze.

² influence sb/sth

ADV. easily He will not easily be swayed by argument.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swear word noun

ADJ. bad, strong That's one of the strongest swear words in Spanish. | mild

QUANT. string

VERB + SWEAR WORD use | mouth, mutter He mouthed a swear word at me through the window. | leave out I left out the swear words when I told the boss what the staff had said about him.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swear verb

¹ use bad language

ADV. loudly | quietly, silently, softly, under your breath | viciously, violently

VERB + SWEAR hear sb He heard her swear under her breath.

PREP. at He swore loudly at her and left.

² make a serious promise

ADV. solemnly He swore solemnly that he would never hit her again. | on oath

VERB + SWEAR be prepared to I would be prepared to swear on oath that they didn't see me. | make sb He made her swear on the Bible that she wouldn't leave him.

PREP. by I swear by Almighty God to tell the truth. | to I swear to you, I don't know anything.

PHRASES swear sb to secrecy/silence We were all sworn to secrecy about the plan.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweater noun

VERB + SWEATER pull on | peel off | knit > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweaty adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, smell | become, get

ADV. really, very | all Ugh! You're all sweaty and horrible! | a bit, rather

PREP. from Her forehead was sweaty from the pain she was in. | with feeling sweaty with embarrassment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweat noun

QUANT. bead, drop, trickle

VERB + SWEAT break into, break out in/into She broke out in a cold sweat when she saw the spider. | work up | wake (up) in | bring sb out in | be bathed/covered/drenched/soaked in, be beaded/streaming with, be dripping (with), be slippery/wet with, glisten with The workmen were streaming with sweat. His forehead was dripping sweat. | mop, wipe He mopped the sweat from his brow.

SWEAT + VERB appear, break out His hands trembled and sweat broke out all over his body. | glisten, stand out sweat glistening on her forehead Sweat stood out on his shoulders. | bead sth, drip/pour/run from/into/off sth, run/trickle down sth Sweat beaded her face. Sweat was running down his back. | soak sth

SWEAT + NOUN gland

PREP. in a ~ She woke up in a cold sweat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweat verb

ADV. freely, heavily, a lot, profusely | slightly | off He's trying to sweat off a few pounds in the gym.

VERB + SWEAT begin to | make sb The heat was making us sweat.

PREP. from We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture. | with He awoke with a pounding heart, sweating with fear.

PHRASES sweat buckets, sweat like a pig (both informal) After two hours of digging he was sweating like a pig.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweep noun

ADJ. broad, great, long, wide The house overlooks the great sweep of the St Lawrence river. | grand, grandiose He dismissed his assistant with a grandiose sweep of his hand. | comprehensive Her eyes made a comprehensive sweep of the room. | upward The upward sweep of her hair was held in place by a comb. | elegant, fine, graceful

VERB + SWEEP make, take We made a wide sweep south to the River Dee.

PREP. in one ~ (figurative) Thousands of jobs were lost in one broad sweep. | with a ~ with a sweep of his arm

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweetness noun

¹ sweet smell/taste

ADJ. natural | cloying, sickly | lingering the lingering sweetness of incense

QUANT. hint This is a full-bodied wine with just a hint of sweetness.

VERB + SWEETNESS taste

² pleasantness

ADJ. exquisite, great | saccharine (= false) She smiled with saccharine sweetness.

VERB + SWEETNESS taste to taste the sweetness of military success

PHRASES all sweetness and light People think she's all sweetness and light, but she's actually got an awful temper.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweet adj.

¹ tasting like sugar/smelling pleasant

VERBS be, smell, taste The air smelled sweet and clean. | make sth | find sth I found the dessert a bit sweet for my taste.

ADV. extremely, very | a bit, quite, rather, slightly | enough Is the tea sweet enough for you? | sickly an overpowering, sickly sweet smell

² nice

VERBS be, look | keep sb (informal) He'd promised her a new car, just to keep her sweet (= keep her in a good mood).

ADV. awfully, really, terribly, very | quite, rather

PREP. to She was really sweet to me.

PHRASES sweet little a rather sweet little cottage

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sweet noun

ADJ. chewy, sugary | boiled

QUANT. bag, box, packet, tube

VERB + SWEET eat, suck sucking a boiled sweet

SWEET + NOUN shop

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swelling noun

ADJ. marked There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. | slight

VERB + SWELLING reduce

SWELLING + VERB occur | go down, subside

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swell noun

¹ movement of the surface of the sea

ADJ. heavy | gentle, slight | 10-foot, 20-foot, etc. | Atlantic, ocean bobbing up and down like a small boat in a heavy ocean swell

SWELL + VERB break, come/roll in, lift sb/sth, surge up The Atlantic swell surged up under them.

PREP. in a/the ~ The trawler rolled wildly in the heavy swell. | on/with the ~ The boat rose and fell with the swell.

² curve in sth

ADJ. firm, gentle, soft, warm

PREP. ~ of the gentle swell of her breasts

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swell verb

ADV. badly His sprained ankle had swollen badly. | slightly | up Her feet swelled up after the long walk to the top of the hill.

PREP. with Her legs had swollen with the heat.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swerve noun

ADJ. sudden The car made a sudden swerve to the left.

VERB + SWERVE make

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swerve verb

ADV. sharply, violently | suddenly | away

PREP. across The car veered out of control and swerved across the road. | into A lorry suddenly swerved into her path. | off The vehicle swerved off the road.

PHRASES swerve to avoid sb/sth The car swerved sharply to avoid the bus.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swift adj.

VERBS be

ADV. incredibly, remarkably, very He made a remarkably swift recovery. | fairly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swig noun

ADJ. deep, good, long | quick

VERB + SWIG have, take

PREP. ~ from He took a deep swig from the bottle. | ~ of She had a quick swig of water and then set off again.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swimmer noun

ADJ. good, keen, strong She's a strong swimmer. | poor | champion, competitive, Olympic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swim noun

ADJ. evening, morning, regular | quick How about a quick swim before breakfast?

VERB + SWIM go for, have, take She got up early and went for a swim.

PREP. for a ~ Are you joining us for a swim?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swim verb

ADV. strongly, vigorously A water vole swam vigorously upstream. | quickly, rapidly | slowly | around, ashore, back, downstream, out, upstream Exhausted, they swam ashore.

VERB + SWIM can/could | learn to | teach sb to

PREP. across swimming across the river | in swimming in the sea | to We swam out to the boat. | towards She swam back towards the shore.

PHRASES go swimming

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swing noun

¹ change in public opinion, sb's mood, etc.

VERB + SWING need, require The party needs a swing of only 2.5% to win the seat. | represent This represents a swing of 14% towards Labour. | suffer (from)

PREP. ~ against a dramatic swing against the socialists | ~ away from the swing away from science in the sixth form | ~ from, ~ in a sharp swing in the attitudes of many economists | ~ to/towards/in favour of signs of a late swing to the Democrats

² swinging movement

ADJ. wild | backward, forward | golf | practice

VERB + SWING do, make, take the technique for making the perfect golf swing | change | practise golfers practising their swings

PREP. ~ at He took a wild swing at the ball.

³ swinging seat

VERB + SWING go/play on Some kids were playing on the swings.

PREP. on a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swing verb

¹ move backwards and forwards/from side to side

ADV. gently, slowly | violently, wildly She lashed out, her arm swinging wildly. | back and forth, backwards and forwards, from side to side, to and fro The pendulum swung slowly backwards and forwards.

PREP. from I could see him swinging from the branch of a large tree.

² move smoothly

VERB + SWING slowly | suddenly | sharply The road swung sharply round. | across, around/round, away, back, down, off, up Hearing a sarcastic note in his voice, she swung around to face him.

VERB + SWING let sth She let the door swing shut behind her.

PREP. from She swung down from the tree in one easy movement. | into He swung up into the saddle and rode off. | towards Niccolo ` swung towards her.

PHRASES swing open/shut/to

³ change quickly

ADV. rapidly | suddenly | wildly The balance of power swung wildly from one party to the other. | heavily Opinion swung heavily to the left.

PREP. from, to Her mood could swing rapidly from gloom to exhilaration.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swipe noun

ADJ. good | playful | side

VERB + SWIPE take She took a playful swipe at her brother.

PREP. ~ at The article takes a side swipe at the teachers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

switchboard noun

ADJ. busy | telephone

VERB + SWITCHBOARD call, ring | jam, swamp The BBC switchboard was jammed with furious calls. | be/work on, operate

SWITCHBOARD + NOUN operator

PREP. on a/the ~ the girl on the switchboard | through a/the ~ All calls must pass through the switchboard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

switch noun

¹ small button/lever

ADJ. mains, master, power The mains switch is in the cupboard under the stairs. | electric, electrical | dimmer, off, on, on-off, time, timer We fitted dimmer switches in all the bedrooms. I couldn't find the off switch on the remote control. | ignition, intercom, light

VERB + SWITCH flick, flip, press, pull, throw, turn off/on Someone threw a switch and the electricity went off.

SWITCH + VERB activate sth, control sth, operate sth This switch controls the heating system.

PREP. by (a) ~ The light operates by time switch. | on a ~ The heater is on a timer switch. | ~ for the switch for the air conditioning

PHRASES at the flick of a switch in the days before electricity was available at the flick of a switch | a bank of switches The pilot reached across to the huge bank of switches on his right and flicked a couple.

² change that sb makes

ADJ. abrupt, immediate, sudden | big | complete | tactical The team's manager made a shrewd tactical switch in defence.

VERB + SWITCH make

PREP. ~ away from There will be no overnight switch away from old voting habits. | ~ back to, ~ between the recent switches between direct and indirect taxation | ~ from her switch from full-time to part-time work | ~ in their abrupt switch in allegiance | ~ (over) to theatre directors who make the switch over to films

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

switch verb

ADV. easily, readily | suddenly My mind suddenly switched back to my conversation with Jeremy. | around/round, back, over

VERB + SWITCH decide to He decided to switch tactics.

PREP. between The remote control allows you to switch easily between TV channels. | (away) from He switched his allegiance from the British to the French. | to, with We asked them if they would switch places with us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swollen adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day. | remain

ADV. badly, grossly, hideously, horribly, very His ankle is bruised and quite badly swollen. Her face was still horribly swollen. | all Her eyes were all red and swollen from crying. | a bit, quite, rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

swoop verb

ADV. low An eagle swooped low over the trees. | suddenly | down, in

PREP. on, over, towards (figurative) Customs officers swooped on several houses last night looking for drugs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sword noun

ADJ. long, short | double-edged, two-edged (both figurative) The potential financial boost is a double-edged sword (= has advantages and disadvantages). | ceremonial, dress | Samurai

VERB + SWORD be armed with, carry, wear | draw, unsheathe | brandish, wield | thrust I thrust my sword into his chest. | sheathe

SWORD + NOUN arm | belt | blade | stroke

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

syllable noun

ADJ. final, first, last, middle, second, third, etc. | accented, stressed, strong, tonic | unstressed, weak

VERB + SYLLABLE consist of, contain, have words that have three or more syllables | pronounce | put the accent/stress on, stress Put the stress on the second syllable. | split a word into She split the word up into syllables so that he could have a go at spelling it.

PHRASES stress falls/is on a syllable Normally, the stress falls on the first syllable of a word. | a word of one, two, etc. syllables You'll have to spell it out to him, using words of one syllable (= explain it in simple language).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

syllabus noun

VERB + SYLLABUS design, develop, devise, draw up, plan, work out, write | follow, offer, teach, use The courses do not follow the syllabus of any particular examination board. Several schools in Britain already teach the baccalaureate syllabus. | follow, do, study Students do different syllabuses according to their ability. | change, extend, reform, revise, widen the need to revise the history syllabus | cover, get through It was impossible to cover the overloaded syllabus in a year. | stick to | depart from There is little time to depart from the syllabus. | fit/plan sth into, integrate sth into/with How can computer skills be integrated into the syllabus? | be based on | fit in with

SYLLABUS + VERB contain sth, cover sth, include sth Does the syllabus cover modern literature?

SYLLABUS + NOUN content, design

PREP. from ~ questions from last year's syllabus | in a/the ~ Let's include that in this year's syllabus. | on a/the ~ Is geometry on the GCSE syllabus? | under a/the ~ This period of history was not examined under the old syllabus. | ~ for some syllabuses for basic courses in geography | ~ in the exam syllabuses in arts subjects

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

symbolic adj.

VERBS be, seem | become The case became symbolic of US racial tension. | regard sth as, see sth as His refusal to accept the honour was seen as highly symbolic.

ADV. deeply, heavily, highly, very This is a gruesome and heavily symbolic tale. | purely The role of monarch is a purely symbolic one. | largely, mainly | somehow

PREP. of These two objects are symbolic of life and death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

symbolism noun

ADJ. expressive, rich | sound Sound symbolism means that we can often guess the meaning of a word from its sound. | mythological, pagan, religious | political | phallic, sexual

VERB + SYMBOLISM be full of, be rich in, contain Christian churches are still full of pagan symbolism. | interpret, understand

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

symbol noun

¹ image/object/event that is a sign of sth

ADJ. clear, dramatic, perfect, potent, powerful, supreme, ultimate The Berlin wall was the supreme symbol of the Cold War. | universal The dove is a universal symbol of peace. | outward, physical, visual The company car is an outward symbol of the employee's status. | ancient, traditional | national | cultural, military, political | divine, religious, sacred | Christian, Hindu, etc. | fertility, phallic, sexual, virility The villagers took fertility symbols into the fields to ensure a good harvest. | sex (= a person famous for being attractive) He is not most people's idea of a sex symbol. | status A stressful job can actually be a status symbol.

VERB + SYMBOL adopt sth as, regard sth as, see sth as, use sth as Eggs are seen as the symbol of new life.

² letter/sign that has a particular meaning

ADJ. identifying All GM products carry an identifying symbol. | abstract, geometric, geometrical | graphic, written | chemical, Chinese, linguistic, mathematical, musical, phonemic, phonetic, punctuation A list of phonetic symbols is given in the front of the dictionary.

VERB + SYMBOL bear, be marked with, have The coin bears a Jewish symbol. The bottle had a skull and crossbones symbol on it. | display, show, use Hotels that show this symbol offer activities for children. | look out for, see Always look out for the special ABTA symbol at your travel agent's. You can use your tokens wherever you see this symbol. | decipher, interpret, understand

SYMBOL + VERB denote sth, indicate sth, mean sth, represent sth What does this little symbol mean?

PREP. in ~s a message written in symbols | ~ for O is the chemical symbol for oxygen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

symmetrical adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become

ADV. highly highly symmetrical crystals | exactly, fully, perfectly, quite, wholly | almost | broadly, fairly The plan of the building is broadly symmetrical.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

symmetry noun

ADJ. perfect, pleasing

VERB + SYMMETRY break, destroy The trees break the symmetry of the painting.

PREP. ~ between the symmetry between different forces

PHRASES an axis/a line of symmetry

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sympathetic adj.

¹ showing you understand sb's feelings

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become | find sb I found the doctors quite sympathetic.

ADV. deeply, extremely, genuinely, immensely, truly, very a patient and deeply sympathetic man He sounded genuinely sympathetic. | largely | fairly, pretty, quite | suitably She made suitably sympathetic noises down the phone.

PREP. about My boss is being very sympathetic about my problems. | to They were extremely sympathetic to my plight. | towards I did not feel sympathetic towards them.

² in agreement with sb/sth

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very | entirely | less than | broadly, generally, quite | politically

PREP. to The government is broadly sympathetic to our ideas.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sympathize verb

¹ understand sb's feelings/problems

ADV. deeply, really I sympathize deeply with his family.

VERB + SYMPATHIZE can/could I can really sympathize with John. | be easy to, be hard not to It is hard not to sympathize with her dilemma.

PREP. with We sympathized with the bereaved family.

² agree with sb

ADV. entirely, fully

PREP. with I entirely sympathize with this view.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

sympathy noun

ADJ. considerable, deep, genuine, great, heartfelt, real | scant | general, popular, public, widespread

VERB + SYMPATHY be full of, feel, have She seemed to feel some sympathy for the patients. | express, extend, give sb, offer (sb), show (sb) She expressed her deepest sympathy for him. She says I haven't given her enough sympathy. We extend our sympathy to the families of the victims. | expend, waste | demand, want I don't want your sympathy! | deserve | arouse, attract, earn, elicit, engage, evoke, excite, gain, get, rouse, win Their plight aroused considerable public sympathy. He didn't get much sympathy from anyone. | lose

SYMPATHY + VERB go out to sb, lie with sb Our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife and family. My sympathy lies with his wife.

PREP. in ~ with Nurses came out on strike in sympathy with the doctors. | out of ~ She married him more out of sympathy than love. | with ~ Desmond eyed her anguished face with sympathy. | ~ for He has a total lack of sympathy for young people. | ~ to The government showed sympathy to their cause. | ~ towards He acted with some sympathy towards his victim. | ~ with She had every sympathy with him.

PHRASES a feeling of sympathy, full of sympathy, have every/little sympathy for sb, a lack of sympathy, a pang of sympathy I felt a pang of sympathy for her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

symphony noun

ADJ. Beethoven's 5th, Dvorak's 7th, etc. | C major, D minor, etc.

VERB + SYMPHONY compose, write | conduct, perform, play Bruckner's Symphony No. 5, conducted by Hugh Wolff

SYMPHONY + NOUN orchestra the Chicago Symphony Orchestra | concert

PHRASES symphony No. 2, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

symptom noun

ADJ. characteristic, classic, common, typical | minor, secondary | chronic | acute | intermittent, recurrent | dangerous, distressing, potentially fatal, serious, severe, unpleasant | mild | visual, visible These virus infections display obvious visual symptoms. | behavioural, mental, neurotic, physical, physiological, psychiatric, psychological, psychosomatic, schizophrenic the physical symptoms that are the result of stress | abdominal, respiratory, urinary | allergic, asthmatic, flu, flu-like, menopausal, stress, withdrawal

VERB + SYMPTOM display, exhibit, experience, have, present with (medical), report, show, suffer (from) She had all the classic symptoms of the disorder. The patient was admitted presenting with flu-like symptoms. | develop, get Not all carriers of the disease develop symptoms. | bring about, cause, produce | aggravate, exacerbate Cigarettes can aggravate the symptoms of a cold. | ignore He had been ignoring the symptoms for years. | detect, diagnose, identify, interpret, recognize teaching nursing staff how to identify and treat the symptoms of poisoning | control, reduce, relieve, suppress, treat

SYMPTOM + VERB appear, arise, develop, occur | persist, recur If symptoms persist, consult your doctor. | worsen | disappear

PHRASES the onset of symptoms 40 per cent of patients were treated within three hours of the onset of symptoms. | symptom free after two symptom free years

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

synchronize verb

ADV. carefully | exactly, precisely

PREP. with The timing of the gun was precisely synchronized with the turning of the plane's propeller.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

syndicate noun

ADJ. crime, criminal, drug/drugs, smuggling | banking, insurance | lottery, pools

VERB + SYNDICATE form | run | join

PREP. in a/the ~ I'm in a lottery syndicate at work.

PHRASES a member of a syndicate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

syndrome noun

ADJ. acute | clinical

VERB + SYNDROME have, suffer from | develop | cause, produce | diagnose, recognize | be known as This phenomenon has become known as the ‘Californian syndrome’.

SYNDROME + VERB affect sb, be present in sb, occur This syndrome mostly affects women in their forties.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

synonymous adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | make sth His deeds had made his name synonymous with victory. | consider sth, regard sth as, see sth as, treat sth as

ADV. completely, exactly | almost, largely, more or less, roughly, virtually

PREP. with Until the late eighteenth century, ‘opera’ was almost synonymous with Italian opera.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

syringe noun

ADJ. clean, sterile | used a beach scattered with used syringes | disposable | hypodermic

VERB + SYRINGE fill, prepare | draw sth into The doctor drew a dose of morphia into the syringe. | share

SYRINGE + NOUN exchange a syringe exchange scheme

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

system noun

¹ set of ideas/rules for organizing sth

VERB + SYSTEM build, create, design, develop, devise, set up | adopt, apply, implement, introduce implementing a new system of stock control | advocate | join | be part of They are all part of the corrupt system we need to change. | manage, operate, run | manipulate, play, use playing the legal system to his own advantage | organize How is the sytem organized? | adapt, change, transform | tinker with | improve, modernize, overhaul, refine, reform, reorganize, simplify, streamline, strengthen modernizing their judicial system | perfect | perpetuate perpetuating an unjust system | clog up a backlog of cases clogging up the system | destabilize, disrupt, undermine, weaken attempts to disrupt the rail system | dismantle | abandon, do away with, scrap | destroy, overthrow | replace | restore | criticize, fight, rebel against She spent her years at school fighting the system. | defend, support | beat, buck You can never beat the system! | bypass trying to bypass the bureaucratic system | blame It's not your fault?blame the system.

SYSTEM + VERB exist | be based on sth, rest on sth Every political system rests on certain fundamentals. | be aimed at sth, be geared to sth | allow sth, enable sth This system allows you to study at your own speed. | offer sth, provide sth | be in operation, be operational, function, work proving that the system works effectively | break down, collapse

PREP. in a/the ~ at another point in the transport system | under a/the ~ Under the new system, all children will be monitored by a senior social worker. | ~ for devising an appropriate system for presenting the required information

² group of things/parts that work together

ADJ. sophisticated | computer, computer-based, electronic, manual, mechanical | audio, sound, stereo | satellite | air-conditioning, alarm, electronic mail, exhaust, heating, life-support, phone, plumbing, public address, sprinkler, telephone, ventilation | river, road

VERB + SYSTEM build, create, develop | improve, streamline | install For this month only, installing the system is free.

SYSTEM + VERB function, operate, work | break down, fail The air-conditioning system failed.

PREP. in/with a/the ~ a fault in the sound system

³ the body, or parts of it that work together

ADJ. auditory, circulatory, digestive, immune, (central) nervous, reproductive, respiratory, sensory, visual

PREP. in a/the ~ a valve in the circulatory system

PHRASES a shock to the system Returning to work after a long break can be a terrible shock to the system.

⁴ workings of a computer

VERB + SYSTEM install | boot up, reboot Just reboot the system and try again. | build, design, develop designing a voice recognition system | launch

SYSTEM + VERB run The system runs on this workstation. | crash, fail, go down The entire computer system went down.

SYSTEM + NOUN software

PREP. in a/the ~ faults in the data processing system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

T-shirt noun

ADJ. baggy, loose | long-sleeved, short-sleeved > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tablet noun

¹ pill

ADJ. Ecstasy, paracetamol, saccharin, sleeping, vitamin, etc. Take two paracetamol tablets with water.

VERB + TABLET take

PHRASES in tablet form The drug is now available in tablet and capsule form.

² slab

ADJ. clay, stone, wax, etc. | commemorative, memorial We had a memorial tablet put up on the church wall.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

table noun

¹ piece of furniture

ADJ. big, high, huge, large, long | little, low, small | circular, rectangular, round, square | drop-leaf, fold-away, folding, trestle We arranged the party food on a trestle table in the garden. | baize-covered, glass-topped, white-clothed, white-napped | glass, plastic, wooden | polished, scrubbed | ramshackle, rickety, rough | empty We found an empty table at the back of the restaurant. | bare | corner, window We'll take the corner table near the bar, please. | dining (room), kitchen She often does her homework at the kitchen table. | breakfast, dinner, lunch We never discuss politics at the breakfast table. | conference, negotiating They spent hours around the negotiating table. | billiard, ping-pong, pool, snooker, table-tennis | makeshift We turned the box upside down and used it as a makeshift table.

VERB + TABLE sit around/round, sit (down) at They were all five of them sitting round the kitchen table. | get up from, leave He left the table in a hurry. | lay, set Please lay the table for six. | clear You clear the table and I'll wash the dishes. | book, reserve We booked a table in our favourite restaurant for 8 p.m.

TABLE + NOUN decorations | edge

PREP. across the ~ She leaned across the table towards him. | around/round the ~ We gathered round the table to hear his news. | at the ~ to sit down at the table | on the ~ She put the vase on the table. | over the ~ They flirted over the dinner table. | under the ~ The potato rolled under the table.

PHRASES the centre/middle of the table, the edge/end/head of the table My father always sits at the head of the table. | a round table discussion/meeting, round table talks All parties took part in the round table discussions on the peace process.

² list of facts/figures

ADJ. statistical | league The league table shows the Danish team in first place with eight points.

VERB + TABLE compile, draw (up) | see See Table XII for population figures.

TABLE + VERB show sth

PREP. in a/the ~ He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. United are second in the table.

PHRASES the bottom/top of the table, mid-table The team will be lucky to finish the season mid-table.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tabloid noun

ADJ. daily, Sunday | national | popular

VERB + TABLOID read

TABLOID + NOUN journalism, newspaper, press He believes that the tabloid press has behaved disgracefully.

PREP. in a/the ~ I despair when I read what passes for news in some of the tabloids.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taboo adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | consider sth, regard sth as Sex is considered taboo as a topic for discussion.

ADV. strictly The subject of death was strictly taboo in their society.

PREP. to Such work was taboo to women.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taboo noun

ADJ. rigid, strict | deep-seated | cultural, gender, religious, sexual, social | incest

VERB + TABOO observe his failure to observe the tribe's rigid taboos | break, flout, violate | break down the problem of breaking down deep-seated cultural taboos | reinforce

TABOO + NOUN subject

PREP. ~ about the taboo about religion in British society | ~ against the taboo against marrying a foreigner | ~ on reinforcing their taboos on sexuality | ~ surrounding the taboos surrounding menstruation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tackle noun

ADJ. bad, crunching, ferocious, high, hard, late, scything, strong Their captain was sent off for a high tackle on Cooper. | brave, skilful | cover, last-ditch Only a last-ditch tackle by Song prevented Raul from scoring. | sliding | flying A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle. | rugby

VERB + TACKLE execute, get in, go in for, make I managed to get in a sliding tackle, but he scored anyway.

PREP. ~ from a crunching tackle from her opponent | ~ on He was booked for a tackle from behind on Morris. | in a/the ~ She lost the ball in a tackle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tackle verb

¹ deal with sth difficult

ADV. properly, seriously | directly, head-on The drugs problem has to be tackled head-on. | effectively, successfully

VERB + TACKLE attempt to, try to | help (to) | fail to failing to tackle the key issues

PREP. with The problem is being tackled with a range of measures.

PHRASES a way of tackling sth

² in sport

ADV. hard He can run fast and tackle hard.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tack noun

¹ way of achieving sth

ADJ. right, wrong

VERB + TACK go off on, take, try New research is taking a different tack. The interviewer decided to try another tack. | change, switch She suddenly changed tack, taking him by surprise.

PREP. on a/the ~ I think you're on the wrong tack with that approach.

PHRASES a change of tack

² direction of a sailing boat in relation to the wind

ADJ. port, starboard | opposite

VERB + TACK sail on We were sailing on starboard tack. | change, swing onto/to The yacht swung to the opposite tack.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tactic noun

ADJ. subtle | legitimate Some players see injuring their opponent as a legitimate tactic. | devious, dubious, underhand | aggressive, bully-boy, bullying, extreme, guerrilla, heavy-handed, militant, revolutionary, scare, shock, strong-arm, terror, violent | non-violent, softly-softly | psychological | smear | avoidance, delaying, diversionary, spoiling, stalling Children are adept at delaying tactics. | negative, time-wasting The coach was criticized for his negative tactics. | short-term | campaigning, marketing, negotiating, promotional | military, naval, parliamentary, police, political

VERB + TACTIC decide on, discuss, plan, talk (about), work out She decided on a stalling tactic. | adopt, apply, deploy, employ, try, use the temptation to use underhand tactics They were desperate enough to try shock tactics. | resort to, stoop to I refuse to stoop to such bullying tactics. | change, rethink, switch They would do well to switch tactics. | demand, require Longer races demand different tactics.

TACTIC + VERB pay off, succeed, work His strong-arm tactics paid off. | fail

PREP. ~ for teaching parents tactics for dealing with aggressive children

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tact noun

ADJ. considerable, great, the utmost

VERB + TACT have | call for, need, require The situation called for considerable tact. | display, exercise, show, use Employees are trained to show tact and patience with difficult customers.

PREP. with ~ The incident should have been handled with more tact by the police.

PHRASES a lack of tact, the soul of tact Their host, who was the soul of tact, never mentioned the incident again. | tact and diplomacy/sensitivity

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tag noun

¹ label

ADJ. identity, name, price The baby had a plastic name tag on its ankle. Despite a price tag of £100,000, the car was sold in two days. | security | gift, luggage | ankle, ear, wrist

VERB + TAG attach, put I still have to put gift tags on all the presents.

PHRASES sth carries/has a price tag of £500/$10,000, etc. This designer suit carries a price tag of £2,000.

² reputation

VERB + TAG lose, shake off, shed The president made several jokes in an attempt to shake off his ‘humourless’ tag.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tailored adj.

VERBS be

ADV. beautifully, elegantly, exquisitely, finely, immaculately, superbly wearing a beautifully tailored suit | perfectly | expensively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tailor verb

ADV. carefully | exactly | accordingly, individually, specially, specifically We identify your needs, and tailor your training accordingly.

PREP. for a system that is specially tailored for small firms | to The account offered by the bank will be tailored exactly to your needs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tail noun

¹ of an animal, a bird, etc.

ADJ. long | short | bushy, curly, curved, forked, pointed | muscular, prehensile

VERB + TAIL flick, swish, thrash, wag, whisk The dog wagged its tail furiously. | dock It used to be fashionable to dock horses' tails.

TAIL + VERB twitch, wag, wave The dog ran out with its tail wagging madly.

TAIL + NOUN feathers, fin

² of a thing

TAIL + NOUN section The plane's tail section had broken off. | fin, light

PREP. at the ~ the truck at the tail of our convoy

PHRASES nose to tail Traffic which used to be nose to tail now flows freely.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

takeover noun

ADJ. attempted, proposed | hostile | agreed | company | communist, military

TAKEOVER + NOUN attempt, bid a hostile takeover bid | offer | battle The consortium won a fierce takeover battle for the engineering group.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

take verb

ADV. well | badly She took the news of her father's death very badly. | seriously I wanted to be taken seriously as an artist. | philosophically Harry took his rejection philosophically.

PREP. as He took what I said as a criticism. PHRASAL VERBS take to sth

ADV. kindly They won't take kindly to being ordered about.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

takings noun

VERB + TAKINGS add up, check, count (up) | boost The shop's new look has boosted its takings considerably. | cut

TAKINGS + VERB be up/down, drop, rise Box office takings are up by 40% on last year.

PREP. in ~ She was losing about £100 a week in takings. | ~ from the takings from wines and beers > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

talented adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound

ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, outstandingly, really, supremely, truly, very an extraordinarily talented designer Some of these young musicians are hugely talented. | not particularly | quite | precociously a precociously talented youngster | artistically, musically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

talent noun

ADJ. considerable, enormous, exceptional, extraordinary, formidable, genuine, great, major, outstanding, prodigious, rare, real, remarkable, special, tremendous, undoubted, unique | God-given, inborn, innate, natural, raw Hard work is important, but it is no substitute for raw talent. | hidden, undiscovered | mediocre | fresh, new The company is always looking out for new talent. | young | precocious | home-grown, local one of the few teams that relies on home-grown talent | top We are losing our top talent to other countries who pay more. | acting, artistic, creative, literary, managerial, musical, scientific, vocal, writing

VERB + TALENT have, possess The lad has undoubted talent. | demonstrate, display, reveal, show | flaunt, show off The banquet gave the chef a chance to flaunt his talents. | direct, redirect, turn After making her name as a singer, she turned her talents to acting. | discover, recognize, spot, unearth She has a keen eye for spotting talent. United have unearthed a real talent in this young defender. | build (on), cultivate, develop, harness, make the most of, nurture, realize, tap, use, utilize an effort to develop his creative talents to the full The theatre visits schools to tap young talent. | squander, waste His parents accused him of wasting his talents and abilities.

TALENT + VERB lie Her talents lay in organization.

TALENT + NOUN scout, spotter | competition, contest, show

PREP. of ~ He is a violinist of exceptional talent. | with/without ~ kids with musical talent | ~ for You have a natural talent for storytelling.

PHRASES a man/woman, etc. of many talents, a pool of talent Hollywood directors have a marvellous pool of acting talent to draw from. | a wealth of talent There is a wealth of talent out there in our schools.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tale noun

ADJ. long, rambling | amazing, bizarre, curious, extraordinary, fantastic, magical, marvellous, strange | awful, dire, sad, sorry, terrible the sorry tale of his marriage breakdown | dreary She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence. | chilling, gruesome, hair-raising, horror, macabre | mysterious, spooky | funny, humorous, witty | foolish | lurid, spicy, tawdry | fanciful, far-fetched, incredible, tall, unlikely a tall tale that would fool no one | old wives' | rags-to-riches the rags-to-riches tale of an orphan who becomes a star | epic, heroic an epic tale of courage and heroism | cautionary, moral, morality | folk, traditional | childhood | fairy (often figurative) Winning the French Open was a fairy-tale end to her career. | romantic

VERB + TALE narrate, regale sb with, relate, tell (sb) She regaled us with tales of her wild youth. | invent, make up, spin

TALE + VERB begin | unfold | concern sb/sth, involve sb/sth | be set in … a tale set in 19th-century Moscow | be based on sth

PREP. ~ about a tale about a hungry snake | ~ of tales of adventure the curious tale of the man who sold his hair

PHRASES a tale of woe (= about failure, bad luck, etc.), (have) a tale to tell Each of the survivors had a terrible tale to tell. | tell tales (= to say things about sb that are untrue or that they would prefer to be secret)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

talk noun

¹ a conversation

ADJ. good, little (often ironic), long, quiet, serious I will have to have a little talk with that young lady (= tell her that I disapprove of sth). | heart-to-heart, intimate

VERB + TALK have

TALK + NOUN show

PREP. ~ about I enjoyed our talk about the old days. | ~ with I need to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.

PHRASES (to exchange/make) small talk (= to talk politely about unimportant things) He was never very good at making small talk with her parents.

² talking

ADJ. excited, heady There was excited talk of emigrating to America. | ridiculous, wild There is ridiculous talk of her breaking the world record soon. | careless, dangerous, idle, loose | fighting, tough | straight She likes straight talk and hates hypocrites. | double The president's true agenda was hidden in political double talk. | dirty, filthy | cheap, easy, empty, mere The chairman's boasts about future profits was just cheap talk. | fine, grand (ironic) What all the fine talk came down to was hard cash. | baby I never used baby talk to my little girl. | pillow the pillow talk of lovers

TALK + VERB turn to sth Talk turned to money and tempers began to fray.

PREP. ~ about/of All this talk of the president resigning is nonsense!

PHRASES be just talk ‘You think it's just talk?’ ‘No, I think it's true.’ | for all the talk of sth For all the talk of bringing their children up the same, the boys ended up never doing any of the cooking.

³ (also talks) discussions between official groups

QUANT. round A further round of talks is expected in March.

TALK + VERB be scheduled Talks were scheduled for Rome the following month. | take place The peace talks will take place in Cairo. | begin, open, start | end | resume | be aimed at sth, be designed to the latest round of talks aimed at ending the civil war | centre on sth, concentrate on sth, cover sth, deal with sth, focus on sth The talks centred on bilateral trade. | produce sth Talks produced agreement on an end to the occupation. | be deadlocked, break down, collapse, fail, founder, stall The talks remain deadlocked over spending plans. The talks foundered on the issue of compensation.

PREP. during ~ The agreement was concluded during talks in Beijing. | in ~ He is currently in talks with two football clubs. | ~ about/on/over holding talks over the political future of the province | ~ between the failure of talks between the two communities | ~ with The delegation arrived for talks with their government.

⁴ lecture

ADJ. entertaining, informative, interesting | introductory | pep, sales, team | radio

VERB + TALK give | attend, go to

TALK + VERB be entitled sth She gave a very entertaining talk entitled ‘My life and hard times’.

PREP. ~ about/on Did you go to the talk on Peru?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

talk verb

VERB + TALK be able to, can/could I can't talk about it just now. | need to, want to I need to talk to you. | begin to | be easy to He was so easy to talk to. | be difficult to, be hard to | hear sb, listen to sb, overhear sb I loved to hear him talk about the old days. | make sb The police questioned him for four hours, trying to make him talk. | let sb Just shut up and let me talk for a minute.

PREP. about talking about their new clothes | of (formal) We often talked of the war. | to I'll talk to John this afternoon. | with I've talked with him on the telephone.

PHRASES start/stop talking

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tall adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get, grow

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, unusually, very | fairly, quite, rather She is quite tall for her age.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tame adj.

¹ not afraid of people

VERBS be, look, seem | become

ADV. extremely, very | almost | quite

² boring

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound | become | find sth I found office work very tame after army life.

ADV. positively, very living a life that makes Wild West movies look positively tame | a bit, a little, pretty, rather, somewhat To us it was all pretty tame stuff.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tangled adj.

VERBS be, look | become, get

ADV. hopelessly | all My hair had got all tangled. | a bit Your hair looks a bit tangled. | up

PREP. in My legs got hopelessly tangled in the rope.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tangle noun

ADJ. bewildering, confused a confused tangle of voices | dense, matted a dense tangle of undergrowth

VERB + TANGLE get into He got into a tangle with his budget figures. | sort out, unravel The legal tangle was never really unravelled.

PREP. in a ~ This string's in a tangle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tanker noun

¹ ship carrying oil or petrol

ADJ. giant, huge, large | gas, oil | coastal

TANKER + VERB carry sth, transport sth a tanker carrying thousands of tons of crude oil | run aground The tanker ran aground in heavy seas and is breaking up on the rocks. | break up | spill sth A damaged tanker has spilled millions of gallons of oil into the sea.

TANKER + NOUN disaster, spill the worst year for tanker spills for ten years | fleet | route | traffic | operator, owner

² heavy vehicle for carrying liquids

ADJ. fuel, milk, petrol | road

VERB + TANKER drive

TANKER + VERB carry sth

TANKER + NOUN driver

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tank noun

¹ container

VERB + TANK fill

TANK + VERB contain sth

PREP. in/into a/the ~ Put a little fish food into the tank. | ~ of a full tank of petrol

² military vehicle

ADJ. armoured, army, battle

VERB + TANK climb into, get into | drive

TANK + VERB roll Tanks rolled in to end the siege.

TANK + NOUN regiment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tanned adj.

VERBS be, look | become, get

ADV. deeply, very His blue eyes glittered in his deeply tanned face. | lightly, slightly | healthily

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tantrum noun

ADJ. temper

VERB + TANTRUM have, throw He threw a tantrum on the school bus. | deal with | ignore

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tan noun

ADJ. deep, golden | healthy | all-over | fake

VERB + TAN have | show off, sport Show off your tan in this little white top. | get, top up, work on I want to top up my tan on the sunbed at the gym.

PREP. against your ~ His teeth were a gleaming flash of white against his tan.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tape noun

¹ magnetic material used for recording

ADJ. magnetic The data is stored on the magnetic tape. | audio, computer, video (also videotape) | recording

VERB + TAPE hold sth on, store sth on | capture sth on, get sth on Police are examining the incident, which was captured on tape. | splice

TAPE + NOUN drive (= in a computer) | recording

PREP. on ~ I've got the whole concert on tape.

² cassette with magnetic tape on it

VERB + TAPE make I made another tape to play in the car. | play (back), put on The police will be able to play back the videotape for clues. | listen to, watch | mime to The singer was miming to a pre-recorded tape. | fast-forward, pause, replay, rewind, start, stop, wind back, wind forward/on | erase, wipe Someone had deliberately erased the tapes.

TAPE + VERB contain sth, have sth The tape contained damning evidence. What does this tape have on it?

TAPE + NOUN deck, recorder | recording

³ long narrow strip of fabric/paper

QUANT. piece, strip | roll

VERB + TAPE seal sth (up) with I sealed up the package with strong adhesive tape.

TAPE + NOUN measure Use a steel tape measure to measure the dimensions of the room.

⁴ piece of material stretched across a racetrack

ADJ. finishing

VERB + TAPE break her look of triumph as she broke the finishing tape

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tape verb

ADV. firmly The wires are taped firmly together. | together, up The box was all taped up.

PREP. onto, to She had taped a note to the fridge door.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tap noun

¹ for water, gas, etc.

VERB + TAP turn (off/on) Turn the tap clockwise. | run You have to run the tap a long time before the hot water comes.

TAP + VERB drip, run Someone has left the tap running. | leak

TAP + NOUN water | washer

PREP. on ~ The pub has two sorts of beer on tap (= in a barrel with a tap on it). (figurative) We have this sort of information on tap (= available to be used at any time).

² quick gentle blow; the sound it makes

ADJ. gentle, light, little | sharp

VERB + TAP give sb/sth

PREP. ~ at There was a little tap at the door. | ~ on He gave her a tap on the shoulder.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tap verb

ADV. gently, lightly She tapped her fingers gently on the table. | away She tapped away at her keyboard.

PREP. against, at, on, with She tapped the ice with a stick.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

target noun

¹ sb/sth that you try to destroy, hurt, steal, etc.

VERB + TARGET aim at, attack, go for, shoot at | hit, reach (used of a missile) The bomb reached its intended target ten seconds later. | miss, overshoot The flare overshot its target and set light to a hotel. | destroy The missile is aimed specifically to destroy military targets. | track The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.

PREP. off ~ The missile veered way off target and landed in the sea. | on ~ Politically speaking, his jibes were right on target. | ~ for an easy target for shoplifters

² object that you shoot at

VERB + TARGET put up, set up The archers were setting up their targets. | aim at, shoot at | hit | miss | use sth as The boys used an old tree stump as a target.

TARGET + NOUN area | practice

PREP. off ~ Patton was just off target with a header. | on ~ His first shot was bang on target. | wide of the ~ The shot went wide of the target.

³ result, person, etc. that you aim to reach

ADJ. achievable, attainable, low, modest, realistic | ambitious, demanding, difficult, high, tough, unrealistic She has always set herself very high targets. | impossible | clear | chief, key, main, major, primary, prime, principal | annual | immediate, initial | future, long-term, ultimate | attainment, economic, financial, growth, inflation, performance, production, profit, recruitment, sales, spending

VERB + TARGET set Managers must set targets that are realistic. | aim for Pupils should be given a target to aim for. | achieve, meet, reach | stay within in a desperate attempt to stay within budget targets | exceed The company pays bonuses to workers who exceed production targets. | fall short of

TARGET + NOUN audience, group, market | date to meet a target date of May 2002 | figure, price, weight

PREP. above (a/the) ~ Sales so far this year are 20% above target. | off ~ These figures are way off target. | on ~ We are still right on target. | over (a/the) ~ Many wage settlements reached were over the original target of 4%. | towards (a/the) ~ We are working towards a target of twenty cars a week. | ~ for setting new targets for growth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

target verb

ADV. carefully, deliberately a carefully targeted marketing campaign Children are deliberately targeted. | particularly, specifically

PREP. at The products are targeted at young people. | for This hospital is targeted for additional funding. | on Tax cuts should be targeted on the poor. | towards We target our services towards specific groups of people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tariff noun

QUANT. level a 40% level of tariffs on imports

VERB + TARIFF fix, set The agreement fixed tariffs for foreign goods coming into Japan at 5%. | impose, introduce, levy The US could impose punitive tariffs of up to 100% on some countries' exports. | pay | increase, raise | cut, lower, reduce | abolish, eliminate

TARIFF + NOUN reduction, reform | structure, system | level, rate | barrier the aim of removing all tariff barriers by the year 2003

PREP. ~ on They set a tariff of 36% on British wool cloth.

PHRASES a reduction in tariff/tariffs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tarnish verb

¹ become/make sth less bright

ADV. badly The mirror had tarnished quite badly.

² spoil sth

ADV. severely their severely tarnished reputation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tart noun

¹ open pie

ADJ. fruit, jam, treacle | apple, strawberry, etc.

VERB + TART make

² woman

ADJ. cheap, little

VERB + TART look like That dress makes her look like a tart. | call sb He had called her a cheap little tart.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

task force noun

ADJ. special | government, presidential, etc. | naval, police, etc. | health, housing, etc.

VERB + TASK FORCE create, establish, form, set up | lead

TASK FORCE + NOUN team

PREP. ~ on The government has set up a special task force on health care reform.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

task noun

ADJ. awesome, challenging, daunting, enormous, formidable, great, Herculean, huge, mammoth, massive, monumental | arduous, demanding, difficult, exacting, exhausting, hard, laborious, onerous, stiff, time-consuming, tough, uphill | dangerous, hazardous | basic, easy, simple, small Translating the letter was no easy task. | menial, mundane, repetitive, tedious | complex, mind-boggling | delicate, tricky | fruitless, hopeless, impossible | daily, day-to-day, routine | central, fundamental, important, main, major, primary, principal The primary task of the chair is to ensure the meeting runs smoothly. | essential, vital | immediate, urgent | enviable, pleasant | thankless, unenviable, unpleasant | administrative, domestic, household, manual | self-appointed, self-imposed

VERB + TASK take on, take upon yourself, undertake Nobody was keen to take on such a thankless task. | approach, get to grips with, tackle How do you tackle a task like that? | carry out, do, fulfil, get on with, perform I left her to get on with the task of correcting the errors. | accomplish, complete, succeed in | cope with | fail in | allocate, assign (sb), delegate, entrust sb with, give sb, set sb She failed to complete the task that she had been set. | be charged with, be faced with, have She was charged with the important task of telling the children. | be engaged in I was engaged in the delicate task of clipping the dog's claws. | help sb with | be suited/unsuited to His thick fingers were not well suited to the task.

TASK + VERB require sth The task requires a variety of skills and experience. | fall to sb The unenviable task of telling my parents fell to the head teacher. | confront sb, face sb The team have no illusions about the size of the task confronting them.

PREP. ~ for a hard task for the committee | ~ in one of the first tasks in language learning

PHRASES the task ahead We need to think realistically about the task ahead. | the task in hand We should stop chatting and get back to the task in hand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tasteful adj.

VERBS be Most of the furniture was quite tasteful.

ADV. very | impeccably | quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taste noun

¹ flavour

VERB + TASTE have The soup had a very salty taste. | leave The drink left a bitter taste in his mouth. (figurative) The whole business left a nasty taste in my mouth. | spoil Don't have a cigarette now?you'll spoil the taste of your food! | enhance, improve | enjoy, savour She savoured the taste of the champagne. | disguise, take away I had a strong coffee to take away the nasty taste of the food.

TASTE + NOUN buds 2 a taste small amount

ADJ. little | real That job gave me my first real taste of teaching. | first

VERB + TASTE get, have Have a taste of this cake. | give sb, provide (sb with)

PREP. ~ of This was her first taste of success.

PHRASES a taste of things to come The new appraisal scheme is only a taste of things to come.

³ liking

VERB + TASTE have They have a taste for adventure. | like, share You obviously share her taste in reading. | acquire, cultivate, develop, get | lose I've lost my taste for travelling. | indulge Now he is retired he has time to indulge his tastes for writing and politics. | demonstrate, display Her choice of outfit demonstrated her taste for the outrageous. | appeal to, cater for, match, meet, satisfy, suit a range of hotels to suit all tastes and budgets

TASTE + VERB lie It all depends on where your tastes lie. | change, differ, vary Lifestyles differ and tastes vary.

PREP. for your ~ The theatre was too modern for my taste. | to ~ (= according to how much of sth as you want) Add salt and pepper to taste. | to your ~ If fishing is not to your taste, there are many other leisure activities on offer. | ~ for People with a taste for complex plots will enjoy this book. | ~ in young people's tastes in music

PHRASES a man/woman of … tastes a man of advanced tastes | a matter of (personal) taste What type of bicycle you should buy is very much a matter of personal taste.

⁴ ability to make good choices

ADJ. excellent, exquisite, good, great, impeccable Her work is executed with impeccable taste. | appalling, bad, deplorable, doubtful, dubious, poor, terrible

VERB + TASTE reflect, show The house reflected his taste. | exercise The designer has exercised good taste in her use of different fonts.

PREP. in … ~ That joke was in very poor taste. | with ~ The room had been decorated with great taste. | ~ in She has terrible taste in clothing.

PHRASES an arbiter of taste Contemporary arbiters of taste dismissed his paintings as rubbish. | in the best/worst possible taste The love scenes are all done in the best possible taste. | a lack of taste The remark showed a deplorable lack of taste. | a man/woman of taste, taste and decency The film was judged to offend against standards of public taste and decency.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taste verb

ADV. strongly The water tasted strongly of chemicals. | faintly, slightly The fish tasted faintly of garlic.

PREP. like The fruit tasted rather like mango. | of a cake which tasted of almonds

PHRASES taste awful/bitter/foul/horrible, taste delicious/good/sweet/wonderful, taste funny

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tatters noun

VERB + TATTERS lie in (figurative) Her marriage now lay in tatters. | hang in Everywhere wallpaper hung in tatters. | leave sth in (figurative) an injury that left his dreams in tatters

PREP. in ~ Her clothes were in tatters. (figurative) With their plans now in tatters, they gave up.

PHRASES rags and tatters

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tattoo noun

VERB + TATTOO do She's having a tattoo done on her leg. | have | be covered in His arms were covered in tattoos. | remove I've decided to get my tattoo removed.

TATTOO + NOUN parlour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taunt noun

ADJ. playground, racial/racist

VERB + TAUNT hurl, shout | endure, face, suffer He had to endure the racist taunts of the crowd. | ignore

TAUNT + VERB sting (sb into) Their taunts stung him into his best performance for the team yet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taunt verb

ADV. softly ‘Running away?’he taunted softly.

PREP. about Some of the girls taunted her about her weight. | with The other children taunted him with nicknames.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taut adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, go Her body went as taut as a bowstring. | remain, stay Exercise helps your muscles to stay taut. | pull sth, stretch sth His skin was stretched taut over his cheekbones. | hold sth, keep sth Try to keep the lead taut, as it will help your puppy to learn.

PREP. with (figurative) a voice taut with anger

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taxable adj.

VERBS be | become | remain | make sth

ADV. fully Where payments exceed these limits they become fully taxable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taxation noun

ADJ. excessive, heavy, high the heavy taxation on smokers and drinkers | low | direct, indirect | progressive, redistributive | company, corporate, general, local, personal changes in corporate taxation

QUANT. level, rate a promise to lower the overall level of taxation

VERB + TAXATION increase, put up, raise If the government raises direct taxation, it will lose votes. | cut, lower, reduce | avoid | be exempt from Any profits made are totally exempt from taxation.

TAXATION + NOUN policy, system | rate

PREP. after/before ~ The loss before taxation was $2.7 million. | from/out of ~ The hospital was funded from taxation. | through ~ the power to raise funds through taxation | ~ on increased taxation on oil companies

PHRASES the burden of taxation reducing the heavy burden of taxation on the wealthy | a form of taxation The poll tax was a very unpopular form of taxation. | for taxation purposes They were treated as a married couple for taxation purposes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taxing adj.

VERBS be, prove | become

ADV. very | fairly | intellectually, physically There was nothing intellectually taxing about the course.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

taxi noun

PHRASES by ~ a five-minute trip by taxi

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tax noun

ADJ. high, low | direct, indirect | basic, basic-rate, higher-rate | progressive, redistributive | regressive A regressive tax, like the poll tax, takes proportionately more of a poor person's income. | windfall The privatized utility companies may be faced with a windfall tax on the profits of the last few years. | back (informal) The tax office demanded £80,000 in back taxes. | council, poll | capital, capital gains, income, inheritance, land, profits, property, savings, wealth | consumption, purchase, sales, value added (= VAT) | capital transfer, investment | company, corporation | car, road, vehicle It's time to renew your car tax. | carbon, energy, fuel, petrol | excise, import

VERB + TAX pay | impose, introduce, levy, put Direct taxes could only be levied with the consent of Parliament. The government may put an indirect tax on books. | collect the government department responsible for collecting taxes | deduct Your employer will deduct the tax for you. | increase, put up, raise | cut, lower, reduce | abolish | overpay | reclaim | offset sth against, set/write sth off against Claims for expenses can be set off against tax. | avoid, escape | evade She was charged with conspiracy to evade taxes.

TAX + VERB go up, increase, rise Taxes look set to rise again. | come/go down, fall | be chargeable, be payable the amount on which capital gains tax is payable

TAX + NOUN payer (also taxpayer) a higher-rate tax payer | authority/authorities, office, man (also taxman) (informal) She owes the taxman £10,000. | law, legislation, measures, policy, reform, structure, system | period, year The tax year begins in April. | cut, increase | band, bracket, rate, threshold Her salary puts her in the highest tax band. | revenue, yield | assessment, form, return You have to fill in your tax return by tomorrow. | advantage, allowance, benefit, break, concession, credit, exemption, incentive, perks, rebate, refund, relief There are tax advantages to working freelance. You will only receive tax relief on the first £30,000. | affairs, arrangements His tax affairs are under investigation by the police. | avoidance | loophole Her accountant was good at exploiting tax loopholes. | dodge, evasion, fraud He gave the Porsche to his mother as a tax dodge. | dodger | exile She is living as a tax exile in Monaco. | haven The island is a popular tax haven for the very rich. | collector, consultant, inspector | bill, charge, invoice, payment | arrears He was ordered to pay $2 million in tax arrears. | liability an increase in tax liability on company cars | burden putting a new tax burden on the middle classes | base By broadening the tax base (= making more people pay tax) the chancellor could raise more revenues.

PREP. after/before ~ Profits after tax were £262,000. | in ~ Collectively, smokers pay over £15,000 a day in tax. | ~ on introducing a 60% tax on alcohol

PHRASES for tax purposes the rules for deciding on someone's residence status for UK tax purposes | (the basic/higher) rate of tax an increase in the basic rate of tax

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tax verb

ADV. heavily Many self-employed people are heavily taxed. goods which are most heavily taxed | lightly

PREP. according to Drinks would be taxed according to their alcoholic strength. | at Many goods were taxed at 17.5%. | on You will be taxed on all your income.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

teacher noun

VERB + TEACHER train | find (sb)

TEACHER + VERB teach sth | work with sb teachers working with pupils with special educational needs

TEACHER + NOUN education, training She's been accepted at Bath Teacher Training College. | trainer | association, union He is chairman of the Parent Teacher Association. | shortage > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

teaching noun

¹ work/profession of a teacher

VERB + TEACHING get/go into He's going to go into teaching.

TEACHING + NOUN method, strategy, style, technique | aid, material, resource She used puppets as teaching aids. | aim, objective, point Write each teaching point on the whiteboard. | ability, skills | experience, qualification Applicants must hold a recognized teaching qualification. | job, post | career Mr Murphy retired at the end of a disciples who passed on Jesus's teaching | base sth on the great moral teachings on which our culture is based

PREP. in the ~ regarded as the source of goodness in the teachings of Confucius | ~ about/on the Church's teaching on forgiveness 30-year teaching career. | practice You have to do six weeks teaching practice as part of the course. | staff, profession They have left the teaching profession, demoralized and undervalued. | commitments, duties, load, responsibilities, role Lecturers who have heavy teaching loads. | centre, establishment, institution | environment, situation a teaching environment where English is not the first language | programme, session, term, year Work experience is integrated into the teaching programme. The teaching year runs from October to May. | time Critics say that these tests waste teaching time. | hospital

PREP. in ~ I've been in teaching for ten years.

PHRASES an approach to teaching the modern approach to language teaching | a method/style of teaching

² ideas and beliefs that are taught by sb

ADJ. ancient, traditional | biblical, moral, religious | Buddhist, Christian, etc.

VERB + TEACHING follow He followed the teachings of the Koran on this subject. | reject | explain, interpret | pass on, spread the

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

teach verb

ADV. effectively information which helps the teacher teach more effectively

VERB + TEACH try to trying to teach my daughter to behave | be qualified to I am not qualified to teach this subject. | be designed to training courses designed to teach managerial techniques | help (to), help sb (to)

PREP. about teaching children about the world around them | to She teaches English to Polish students.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

teamwork noun

ADJ. effective, good

VERB + TEAMWORK emphasize, encourage The company says the aim is to encourage teamwork.

PREP. through ~ achieving our success through effective teamwork

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

team noun

¹ group of people who play a sport together

VERB + TEAM field, have | choose, get together, organize, pick, put together Can you get a team together by Saturday? | coach, manage | be in/on, play in/for I'm playing for the first team this week. | be called up to, be selected for, get into/onto, make Cole has been selected for the team to meet Italy next week. You didn't make the team, I'm afraid. | be dropped from, be left out of | join, sign for | play (against) | lead | support

TEAM + VERB compete (in sth), take part (in sth) The team competes in a local league. There are six teams taking part. | win (sth) | lose (sth) Our team lost the final.

TEAM + NOUN game, sport | captain, coach, manager, mate (also teammate) He apologized to his teammates for his mistake. | championship, event, prize | effort, performance | selection | talk The manager gives his team talks in English. | sheet (= the list of players chosen for the team)

PREP. in/on a/the ~ I'll have you on the first team. | ~ for She's in the team for the World Championships. > Special page at SPORT

² group of people who work together

ADJ. joint a joint team of French and German economists | five-strong | husband and wife | campaign, creative, design, development, editorial, investigation, management, marketing, production, project, research, sales a member of the senior management team | legal, medical | multidisciplinary | rescue

VERB + TEAM build, form, train Willing volunteers formed teams of helpers to carry everything in. a specially trained team of counsellors | lead, head, manage, run | join She has recently joined our sales team. | work (together) as learning to work together as a team

TEAM + VERB comprise sb, consist of sb The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. | develop sth, operate, work on/with sth the team that developed this microchip The team will work closely with other government departments.

PREP. in a/the ~ There are 20 people in the team. | ~ of a team of scientists

PHRASES a member of a team, part of a team

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tearful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound She sounded angry and tearful. | become, get He suddenly became very tearful. | leave sb Defeat left her tearful, pale and drained.

ADV. very | almost I felt quite emotional?almost tearful. | a bit, a little, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tear1 /tie(r)/ noun

ADJ. angry, bitter, emotional There were angry tears in Lily's eyes. | burning, fresh, hot, salty, scalding Her eyes were blinded by scalding tears. | genuine, real | crocodile (figurative) (= insincere) They weep crocodile tears for the poor and disadvantaged but are basically happy with things as they are. | great, huge, large | single, solitary | silent | helpless, sudden, uncontrollable | unshed His eyes were bright with unshed tears.

VERB + TEAR cry, shed, weep She wept silent tears when she heard his name. (figurative) I won't shed any tears when Frank retires. | dry, wipe (away) I picked the little girl up and helped dry her tears. She wiped a tear from her eye. | blink/choke/fight/hold back He had to fight back tears of frustration. | break down in, burst into She broke down in tears in court. | move/reduce sb to His father's angry shouting reduced the little boy to tears. | brim/fill with His eyes filled with sudden tears. | end in (figurative) (= to have an unhappy result)

TEAR + VERB appear, brim in your eyes, brim over, come, fill your eyes, form, gather, spring into/to your eyes, start, well (up) Her tears brimmed over and fell on her cheek. He could never read the letter without tears coming to his eyes. | course/pour/roll/run/slide/trickle down sth, drip into/onto sth, fall, flow, overflow, stream A single tear rolled slowly down her cheek. | stand Tears stood in Oliver's eyes. | blur sth, cloud sth Tears blurred his vision. | burn (sth), prick (at/in) sth, sting your eyes She felt tears pricking her eyelids. | dry (up)

PREP. in ~s He came to me in tears. | through your ~s She tried to smile through her tears. | ~ for He shed no tears for his lost youth. | ~ of tears of happiness | ~ over It turned out to be a lot of tears over nothing.

PHRASES bring tears to your eyes It brings tears to your eyes to see the children having such fun. | close/near to tears More than once I came near to tears. | a flood/floods of tears We were in floods of tears at the end of the film. | a mist of tears I saw it all through a mist of tears. | on the verge of tears, tears in your eyes, too deep for tears There are times when suffering may be too deep for tears.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tear2 /tee(r)/ noun

VERB + TEAR have | make | mend

PREP. ~ in This sheet has a tear in it.

PHRASES wear and tear (= the damage to objects, furniture, etc. that is the result of normal use)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tear3 /tee(r)/ verb

ADV. badly His clothes were badly torn. | easily Careful?the fabric tears very easily. | almost, nearly The storm nearly tore the roof off. | apart, off, out, up The dogs tore the fox apart. (figurative) We tore the other team apart in the second half.

VERB + TEAR threaten to

PREP. from I tore another sheet from the pad. | off She tore the label off the suitcase. | on She tore her skirt on a nail. | out of Several pages had been torn out of the book.

PHRASES tear free/loose She tore herself free. One error and he would have been torn loose and hurled overboard by the squalling wind. | tear sth in half/two She tore the piece of paper in half. | tear sb limb from limb He threatened to tear me limb from limb. | tear sth open She tore the letter open. | tear sth to pieces/shreds (often figurative) The critics tore his last film to shreds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tease verb

ADV. mercilessly | a little, gently, lightly

VERB + TEASE used to

PREP. about His friends used to tease him about his tatty clothes. | with They teased her mercilessly with remarks about her weight.

PHRASES be just/only teasing Don't get upset, I was only teasing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tea noun

¹ drink

QUANT. cup, flask, mug, pot

VERB + TEA drink I don't drink tea. | have | sip, swallow She sipped her hot tea slowly. | take a mouthful/sip of | brew, get (sb), make (sb), mash I'll make you some tea. | bring sb, dispense (often humorous), ply sb with (humorous), serve (sb), take sb I'll bring you a cup of tea in a few minutes. John rushed around dispensing tea and cakes to everyone. | pour (sb) (out) Pour me out a cup of tea please. | stir

TEA + VERB brew, mash You haven't let the tea brew long enough. | cool

PREP. in your ~ Do you take sugar in your tea?

PHRASES tea and coffee, tea and biscuits/cake/cakes/sandwiches/scones, tea and sympathy He tried to alleviate their disappointment by inviting them in for tea and sympathy. | tea for two ‘Tea for two’, said Mary, ‘and a slice of your delicious chocolate cake.’ | tea or coffee Would you like tea or coffee? | tea-making facilities All rooms have tea-making facilities.

² leaves for making tea

ADJ. loose (= tea that is not in bags)

QUANT. packet

VERB + TEA grow

TEA + VERB grow

³ meal

ADJ. afternoon, cream, high | birthday, funeral

TEA + NOUN things I cleared away the tea things. > Note at MEAL(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

technicality noun

ADJ. complex | legal

VERB + TECHNICALITY understand | discuss, go into I don't want to go into all the technicalities just now.

PREP. on a ~ (= because of a technicality) The court was forced to release him on a technicality.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

technical adj.

VERBS be, sound | become, get The conversation was getting a bit technical for me, so I left them to it.

ADV. extremely, highly, very A lot of the discussions were highly technical. | purely This is a purely technical problem. | a bit, quite, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

technician noun

VERB + TECHNICIAN train a need to train technicians in computer aided engineering > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

technique noun

ADJ. effective, powerful, useful | basic, simple | conventional, established, standard, traditional | advanced, modern, sophisticated | ingenious | alternative, experimental | assessment, communication, dating, evaluation, exam/examination, farming, interview, management, manufacturing, marketing, problem-solving, recording, relaxation, research, sales, teaching, training She needs to work on her interview technique if she's going to get a job. | analytical, mathematical, medical, photographic, scientific, statistical, surgical

VERB + TECHNIQUE have He has an ingenious technique for dealing with problems of that sort. | adopt, apply, deploy, employ, implement, try, use On the walls I applied the same technique as I had used for the ceiling. | develop, devise, pioneer The technique was pioneered in California. | acquire, learn, master, practise struggling to master the new technique | adapt, improve, perfect, work at/on | demonstrate, describe

TECHNIQUE + VERB allow sth, enable sth Modern freezing techniques enable the chickens to be stored for weeks. | work The new technique works better than the one it has replaced. | be based on sth, be derived from sth singing techniques derived from Tibetan music

PREP. ~ for techniques for the storage of data | ~ in They learn basic techniques in self-defence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

technology noun

ADJ. current, existing, present-day | emerging, the latest, modern, new small businesses that are involved with emerging technologies | basic, low | advanced, complex, high, leading-edge, sophisticated, state-of-the-art, up-to-date, white-hot | alternative, innovative a car based on alternative technology | efficient | communication/communications, computer, digital, energy, information, management, manufacturing, nuclear, production, software, telecommunications | educational, environmental, medical, military

VERB + TECHNOLOGY have We now have the technologies to transplant limbs. | adopt, apply, employ, exploit, introduce, take advantage of, use exploiting existing technologies more fully | create, develop, improve | be based on a car engine based on technology developed for aeroplanes | invest in The company is investing heavily in new technologies.

TECHNOLOGY + VERB develop Telecommunications technology is developing fast. | allow sth, enable sth This technology enables computers to read handwriting.

PREP. ~ for the technology for the extraction of iron ore

PHRASES advances in technology recent advances in medical technology | the impact of (a) technology, science and technology

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tedious adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound | become, get Her visits were starting to get a bit tedious. | make sth | find sth He found committee meetings extremely tedious.

ADV. extremely, incredibly, very | almost | a bit, a little, pretty, rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

teenager noun

ADJ. older, young a young teenager of fourteen | difficult, rebellious | spirited | gauche, gawky

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

teens noun

ADJ. early a girl in her early teens | late | mid

VERB + TEENS reach He didn't want to share a room with his brother once he reached his teens.

PREP. during your ~ His parents divorced during his teens. | in your ~ All my children are in their teens. | since your ~ She's had skin problems since her teens.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

teetotal adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. strictly I'm strictly teetotal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

telecommunications noun

ADJ. global, international, national, world | public a public telecommunications system | digital

TELECOMMUNICATIONS + NOUN infrastructure, link, network, services, system modernizing their postal and telecommunications networks | equipment, products, satellite, technology | company, firm, giant (informal), group, operator Japan's telecommunications giant, NTT | business, industry, market, sector

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

telegram noun

ADJ. congratulatory

VERB + TELEGRAM send (sb) | get, receive

TELEGRAM + VERB arrive, come

PREP. ~ from, ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

telephone noun

ADJ. pay, public | office, private The office telephones were all out of order. | cellular, cordless, mobile, portable | radio, satellite

VERB + TELEPHONE use Can I use your telephone? | be on Don't pester me now?I'm on the telephone. We're not on the telephone, so you'll have to come round to the house. | answer, get (informal), pick up Hang on?I'll just get the telephone. | hang up, put down She put down the telephone and burst into tears. | leave/take off the hook I've been trying to phone him all day?he must have left his telephone off the hook. | be wanted on The waiter came to tell me I was wanted on the telephone. | call sb to He was called to the telephone just as he was leaving. | bug, tap | connect, install | disconnect

TELEPHONE + VERB ring, shrill The telephone was ringing furiously. The telephone shrilled into the silence. | be off the hook

PREP. by ~ Can I get in touch by telephone? | on the ~ She sounded very distant on the telephone. | over the ~ I don't want to talk about this over the telephone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

telescope noun

ADJ. powerful | 26-metre, 60-millimetre, etc. | astronomical, optical, radio, space images from the Hubble space telescope

VERB + TELESCOPE use | look at sth with/without, see sth with/without stars that cannot be seen without a telescope | look (at sth) through, view sth through | set up She set up her telescope on the balcony. | build building the largest telescope in the world

PREP. through a/the ~

PHRASES the wrong end of a telescope He felt as if he were seeing things through the wrong end of a telescope.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

televise verb

ADV. nationally a nationally televised debate | live

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

television noun

VERB + TELEVISION watch The children watched television for most of the evening.

TELEVISION + VERB broadcast sth, screen sth The state television screened pictures of the trial.

PREP. in ~ She works in television. | in front of the ~ He spends hours in front of the television every night. | on ~ We were watching the news on television.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tell verb

¹ give sb information

ADV. bluntly, curtly, flatly She told me bluntly it was my own fault. | gravely | smugly | truthfully | falsely

VERB + TELL want to | be going to I was going to tell you?I just didn't get round to it. | try to | hate to I hate to tell you, but the car's a write-off. | let sb I tried to tell them but they wouldn't let me.

PREP. about I never told him about the money. | of No one had told her of the dangers. | to He told the story to all his friends.

² order sb

ADV. firmly, sternly ‘Calm down,’ he told her firmly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

temperamental adj.

VERBS be, seem | become, get

ADV. highly, very Actors have the reputation of being highly temperamental. | a bit, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

temperament noun

VERB + TEMPERAMENT have

PREP. by/in ~ She was fiery by temperament. | of … ~ a man of an equable temperament

PHRASES a display of temperament He's given to displays of temperament (= he often behaves in an emotional way).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

temperature noun

¹ how hot or cold sth is

TEMPERATURE + VERB go up, increase, rise | drop, fall, go down, plummet Overnight the temperature fell as low as -30°C.

PREP. at ~ Serve the wine at room temperature. | in a ~ This plant grows well in temperatures above 55°F. | ~ above/below/between, ~ of The fish prefer a temperature of 24?27°C.

PHRASES a change/variation in temperature, a drop in temperature, an increase/a rise in temperature, a range of temperature

² fever

ADJ. high | slight

VERB + TEMPERATURE have, run She's running a temperature. | take The nurse produced a thermometer and took my temperature. | bring down They used ice packs to bring down her temperature.

TEMPERATURE + VERB go up, rise | come down

PREP. ~ of He's in bed with a temperature of 102.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

temper noun

¹ tendency to become angry easily

ADJ. bad, fierce, fiery, nasty, terrible, vicious, violent | uncontrollable

QUANT. display, fit, flash, outburst He broke the chair in a fit of violent temper.

VERB + TEMPER have He has a nasty temper. | control, keep I only just managed to keep my temper with him. | fly into, lose She loses her temper at the drop of a hat (= without good reason).

TEMPER + VERB flare, rise Tempers flared as the traffic jam became worse. | cool (down)

TEMPER + NOUN tantrum

PREP. in a ~ She stormed out of the room in a temper.

PHRASES keep you temper in check/under control He had to learn to keep his temper under control before he could become a teacher.

² way you are feeling

ADJ. bad, filthy, foul, ill, terrible Peter's comments were responsible for her ill temper. | good | frayed Frayed tempers at the end of the match led to three players being se | uncertain

VERB + TEMPER improve | recover, regain She regained her good temper after a chat.

TEMPER + VERB improve | fray, worsen

PREP. in a ~ He stormed out of the room in a temper.

PHRASES not be in the best of tempers I wasn't in the best of tempers when I arrived at the meeting.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

temple noun

¹ building used for worship

TEMPLE + NOUN priest

PREP. in a/the ~ They went to pray in the temple.

² part of the head

ADJ. left, right | throbbing

PREP. at sb's/the ~ s He's greying at the temples. | in sb's ~ s There was a throbbing in her temples.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

temporary adj.

VERBS be The arrangement's only temporary.

ADV. very | strictly | relatively | only

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tempo noun

¹ speed of an activity/event

ADJ. increasing

VERB + TEMPO increase, raise, step up United stepped up the tempo in the second half. | slow (down)

TEMPO + VERB quicken | slacken | change

PHRASES the tempo of life They soon adapted to the tempo of life on the island.

² speed of a piece of music

ADJ. fast, quick | slow | moderate | waltz, etc.

VERB + TEMPO change

TEMPO + NOUN indications, markings

PREP. at a … ~ They took the last movement at an unusually slow tempo.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

temptation noun

ADJ. big, great, overwhelming, strong | constant

VERB + TEMPTATION feel, have I had the constant temptation to look out of the window. | avoid, overcome, resist | give in/way to, succumb to, yield to

PHRASES in/out of temptation's way, place/put temptation in sb's way Keep your valuables locked away so as not to put temptation in the way of thieves.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tempt verb

VERB + TEMPT could, may/might | try to

PREP. into Charlotte was tempted into parting with £20 for the painting. | with restaurants tempting us with delicious cakes

PHRASES be almost/half tempted I was almost tempted to strip off and plunge straight into the pool. | be/feel tempted Did you ever feel tempted to cheat? | be seriously/severely/sorely/very tempted She was sorely tempted to throw the wine in his face.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tenancy noun

TENANCY + VERB end, expire

TENANCY + NOUN agreement

PREP. under a/the ~ The club occupies the land under a protected tenancy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tenant noun

VERB + TENANT find | evict

TENANT + VERB occupy sth The property is currently occupied by a life tenant.

TENANT + NOUN farmer

PHRASES landlord and tenant conflicts that might arise between landlord and tenant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tendency noun

ADJ. clear, great, marked, strong | slight | greater, growing, increasing There's a growing tendency for women to marry later. | broad, common, general | in-built, inherent, innate, natural, underlying | alarming, dangerous, unfortunate, worrying The later model has an unfortunate tendency to collapse after a few weeks' use. | contradictory | centrifugal The civil war reinforced the centrifugal tendencies at work within the economy. | aggressive, homicidal, suicidal, violent | artistic, criminal, etc. He displayed artistic tendencies at an early age. | homosexual, lesbian

VERB + TENDENCY have | display, reveal, show | reinforce | curb, reduce

PREP. ~ among a worrying tendency among the abused to become abusers | ~ for There is a tendency for farm sizes to increase. | ~ on the part of The tendency on the part of the children is to blame their parents for everything. | ~ towards Industry showed a tendency towards increasingly centralized administration.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tenderness noun

ADJ. extreme, great, infinite | unexpected | loving

QUANT. wave He felt a brief wave of tenderness towards his old teacher.

VERB + TENDERNESS feel | show

PREP. with (a) ~ She spoke with loving tenderness. | ~ for/towards She felt great tenderness for him.

PHRASES tenderness in sb's eyes/voice, etc. There was tenderness in his face as he looked at her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tender adj.

¹ kind and loving

VERBS be, feel, seem | become

ADV. very | almost Her expression became soft, almost tender. | quite

PREP. towards He felt tender and loving towards her.

² soft and easy to cut/bite

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. beautifully, very This meat is beautifully tender. | just Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender. | almost | quite

³ painful when touched

VERBS be, feel, look The back of my neck feels very tender. | become

ADV. very | rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tender noun

ADJ. highest, lowest | successful | competitive | open, private, public

VERB + TENDER lodge, make, put in, submit | invite, put sth out to, seek The government invited tenders for a project to computerize the social security system. The laundry service was put out to competitive tender. | go out to The building of the new school will go out to tender. | win | lose | accept

TENDER + NOUN offer | document, list | price

PREP. by ~ The property is to be sold by tender.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tendon noun

ADJ. damaged, severed | Achilles

VERB + TENDON pull, sever, tear

TENDON + NOUN injury, trouble | operation, repair

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tend verb

ADV. carefully, lovingly She lovingly tended her little garden.

PREP. to He tended to her every need.

PHRASES well-tended well-tended lawns

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tenement noun

ADJ. crowded | crumbling, dilapidated, ruined, run-down | four-storey, two-storeyed, etc.

TENEMENT + NOUN block, building, house, housing, slum

PREP. in a/the ~ living in a crowded tenement

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tennis noun

QUANT. game

VERB + TENNIS play | watch

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tenor noun

¹ male singing voice/singer

ADJ. celebrated, famous, great | high | operatic

VERB + TENOR sing We persuaded Jake to sing tenor (= sing the tenor part).

TENOR + VERB sing Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.

TENOR + NOUN voice | part, solo | register

² atmosphere/feeling

ADJ. even Nothing ever changes the even tenor of life in our village. | general, whole The whole tenor of the meeting was very positive.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tense adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow The situation grew increasingly tense. | remain

ADV. extremely, incredibly, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather I was feeling a bit tense and restless.

PREP. about There's no point in getting tense about the situation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tense noun

ADJ. future, past, present | continuous, perfect, progressive, simple the present simple tense | verb

VERB + TENSE use | form ‘Have’ is the auxiliary verb used to form perfect tenses.

TENSE + NOUN marker | system

PREP. in the … ~ In the sentence ‘I stroked the cat’, ‘stroked’ is in the past tense.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tension noun

¹ inability to relax

ADJ. inner | emotional, muscle/muscular, nervous, pre-menstrual, sexual He suffers from nervous tension.

VERB + TENSION feel, suffer from I feel some tension in my shoulders. | sense As soon as he entered, he sensed a tension in the air. | cause, create | relieve | release

TENSION + NOUN headache

PREP. ~ in The hot bath eased the tension in his body.

PHRASES a release of tension Laughter can be a great release of tension. | a sign of tension Horses are very sensitive to signs of tension in humans.

² bad feeling between people, countries, etc.

VERB + TENSION cause, create, generate | defuse, ease, reduce She often used humour to defuse tension in meetings. | heighten

TENSION + VERB build up, grow, increase, mount, rise | ease | be palpable

PREP. ~ among The tension among the audience was palpable. | ~ between tension between local youths and the police | ~ in/within The redundancies caused greater tensions within the company. | ~ over There has been increased tension over the border incident. | ~ with renewed tension with France

PHRASES a source of tension Money was always a source of tension between her parents.

³ of rope, wire, etc.

ADJ. string

VERB + TENSION adjust This old racket needs its string tension adjusted. | release

PREP. in ~ The metal is weak in tension. | under ~ Stay clear of cables which are under tension. | ~ on The sudden tension on the line told me I had hooked a fish.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tent noun

QUANT. row

VERB + TENT erect, pitch, put up, set up They pitched their tent in a little clearing in the wood. | unzip, zip shut/up | dismantle, take down | pack away/up | share

TENT + VERB blow down, collapse

TENT + NOUN camp, city a tent city housing refugees from the war | door, flap, frame, opening, peg, pole, rope, wall

PREP. in a/the ~

PHRASES the door/flap/roof of a tent

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tenure noun

¹ holding an important position

ADJ. life, long | brief, short

VERB + TENURE have She had a long tenure of office.

PREP. during sb's ~ He achieved a lot during his short tenure.

PHRASES a tenure of office

² legal right to occupy property/land

ADJ. life, secure | fixed-period | housing, land | feudal, freehold

PHRASES security of tenure The tenants have security of tenure.

³ right to remain permanently in your job

ADJ. academic

VERB + TENURE have | get | grant sb She has been granted tenure at Leeds University.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terminal noun

¹ place/building that handles goods/passengers

ADJ. international | air/airport, bus, ferry, rail/railway | passenger | container, freight | coal, gas, etc.

TERMINAL + NOUN building

PREP. at/in a/the ~ We met up at the bus terminal.

² computer equipment

ADJ. colour | computer | network | display

VERB + TERMINAL connect, disconnect

TERMINAL + NOUN keyboard, screen, server

PREP. at a/the ~ There were two students at each terminal. | on a/the ~ pressing keys on a terminal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terminate verb

ADV. abruptly, prematurely His contract was abruptly terminated. | swiftly | automatically

VERB + TERMINATE be entitled to, be free to

PHRASES the right to terminate sth Either party has the right to terminate the agreement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

termination noun

¹ ending of sth

ADJ. early, premature | sudden

TERMINATION + NOUN date

PHRASES notice of termination The landlord gave notice of the termination of tenancy. | a termination of a contract, termination of employment You are required to give the company six weeks' notice of termination of employment.

² abortion

ADJ. early

VERB + TERMINATION have, undergo She chose to have an early termination.

PHRASES a termination of (a) pregnancy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terminology noun

ADJ. modern | specialist, specialized, technical | computer, legal, medical, scientific, etc.

VERB + TERMINOLOGY use The article uses rather specialized musical terminology. | borrow | standardize

PREP. in … ~ The outer walls, in building terminology, are ‘double skin’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

term noun

¹ word or group of words

VERB + TERM use | be couched in | define, explain | coin The term ‘acid rain’ was coined in the nineteenth century.

TERM + VERB connote sth, denote sth, describe sth, mean sth | apply to sth, be applied to sth, cover sth, refer to sth The term ‘renewable energy’ is applied, for example, to energy deriving from solar radiation.

PREP. ~ for ‘Old man’ is a slang term for ‘father’. | ~ of a term of abuse/endearment

PHRASES in glowing terms The chairman spoke of the achievements of the company in glowing terms. | in no uncertain terms We let them know in no uncertain terms just how disappointed we were. | in simple terms 2 in … terms showing what aspect of something you are considering

ADJ. absolute, material, practical, real Income has increased in real terms by 5%. | relative Iceland has had a mild winter, in relative terms. | broad, general | concrete | abstract | international | cultural, economic, financial, money, political, social, etc. In money terms, the event was a disaster.

³ (usually terms) of an agreement/a relationship

ADJ. favourable, unfavourable | express the breach of an express term in the contract | implied | contract, credit, peace

VERB + TERM dictate, negotiate, set Our opponents set the terms of the debate. | agree on

PREP. under the ~s of Under the terms of the alliance, Japan was not obliged to enter the war.

PHRASES on amicable/friendly/good terms The dispute was resolved on amicable terms. | on equal terms It is a sport in which the top men and women can compete on equal terms. | on familiar/first-name terms I'm on first-name terms with my boss. | on speaking terms They haven't been on speaking terms since they had that big row. | terms and conditions A wide range of accounts are available, with varying terms and conditions.

⁴ period of a school/university year

ADJ. college, school, university | autumn, spring, etc. | teaching

PREP. during (the) ~ It's hard to get away during term. | in the ~ We have exams in the summer term.

PHRASES the beginning/end of term We have exams at the end of term.

⁵ period of time

ADJ. long, short a long term of imprisonment | full (medical) The pregnancy went to full term (= lasted the normal length of time). | fixed The contract was for a fixed term of five years. | jail, prison | presidential

VERB + TERM serve He served a five-year prison term.

TERM + VERB expire, run out

PREP. at ~ (medical) Her baby was born at term.

PHRASES in the long/medium/short term In the long term, our efforts will pay off. | a term of imprisonment, a term of office The president was sworn in for his second term of office. | a term of years The lease is granted for a set term of years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

term verb be termed

PREP. as His condition would be more accurately termed as ‘chronic fatigue’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terrace noun

¹ flat area of stone next to a restaurant, etc.

VERB + TERRACE open onto The dining room opens onto a paved terrace.

TERRACE + VERB overlook sth The hotel has a roof terrace overlooking the sea.

TERRACE + NOUN bar, garden, restaurant

PREP. on a/the ~ There's a table free on the terrace.

² line of joined houses

ADJ. long | two-storey, three-storey, etc.

TERRACE + NOUN house (also terraced house)

PREP. in a/the ~ Our house is in a long Victorian terrace in north London.

PHRASES a terrace of houses

³ (usually terraces) for growing crops on a hill

ADJ. steep | cultivated

VERB + TERRACE dig The villagers had dug terraces in the hillside.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terrain noun

VERB + TERRAIN cross, traverse

PREP. across/over ~ It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terrible adj.

VERBS be, look, seem, sound

ADV. really, truly I thought something really terrible had happened. | absolutely, just, quite, simply He suddenly collapsed?it was simply terrible. | pretty, rather | not very Nothing very terrible happened.

PREP. for It must have been terrible for the survivors.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terrified adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem

ADV. really, truly | absolutely, completely, quite, utterly | pretty | clearly, obviously, plainly | secretly

PREP. at She was absolutely terrified at the thought of jumping off the bridge. | of He's terrified of spiders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

territory noun

¹ area of land that belongs to one country, etc.

VERB + TERRITORY hold | annex, capture, conquer, invade, occupy, recapture, take | control, govern, rule The territory had been controlled by Azerbaijan for many years. | cede, surrender | explore (often figurative) Tired of writing detective novels, she began to explore new territory. | settle The territory was never densely settled. | enter | leave | overfly The plane was shot down while overflying enemy territory. | stray into The soldiers strayed into hostile territory.

² of an animal

ADJ. breeding

VERB + TERRITORY defend, patrol | mark (out), scent-mark

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terrorism noun

ADJ. urban | international, organized, state

VERB + TERRORISM combat, fight | defeat | give in to This government will not give in to terrorism.

TERRORISM + NOUN campaign

PREP. ~ against Public cooperation is vital in the fight against terrorism.

PHRASES an act of terrorism > Note at CRIME(for more verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terrorist noun

ADJ. suspected | armed | international The bomb attacks have been attributed to a group of international terrorists. | republican, right-wing, separatist, etc.

TERRORIST + NOUN band, faction, gang, group, organization, unit | act, action, activity, atrocity, attack, bomb, bombing, campaign, explosion, incident, murder, violence an increase in terrorist activity | threat | target Aircraft remain likely terrorist targets. | victim | charge, crime, offence | suspect

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

terror noun

¹ great fear

ADJ. absolute, naked, pure, real, sheer | constant

VERB + TERROR be filled with, feel, have, shake/tremble with He was filled with absolute terror at the sight. the sheer terror she felt when she saw him He had a real terror of darkness. | bring, inspire, spread The explosion brought terror to hundreds of local residents. He inspired terror in everyone he met. | live in She lived in terror of her father. | flee in The shots sent the crowd fleeing in terror.

PREP. from ~ trembling from terror and excitement | in ~ He was found hiding in terror. | out of ~ He cried out, out of pure terror. | with ~ His face was white with terror.

PHRASES strike terror into (the heart of) sb Its fearsome appearance struck terror into their hearts.

² violent action for political purposes

ADJ. political

VERB + TERROR resort to, use The group has resorted to terror to try to get what it wants. | give in to

TERROR + NOUN campaign | tactics | gang, group

PHRASES an act of terror people who carry out acts of terror | a campaign of terror The bombing formed part of a nationwide campaign of terror. | a reign of terror The dictator's ten-year reign of terror left over 100,000 dead.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

testament noun

ADJ. fine, fitting, worthy

VERB + TESTAMENT bear The immaculate state of the garden bears testament to a lifetime's effort.

PREP. ~ to The monument is a worthy testament to the courage of the men who fought in the war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

testify verb

VERB + TESTIFY be prepared to, be willing to | be unwilling to, refuse to | call sb to, force sb to The president's former aides were called to testify at his trial.

PREP. against She refused to testify against her brother. | before She was unwilling to testify before Congress. | for a Mafia member who was prepared to testify for the authorities | to A senior officer testified to the existence of police hit squads. A large number of witnesses testified to the tribunal.

PHRASES testify in court

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

testimony noun

¹ formal statement that sth is true

VERB + TESTIMONY give | hear

PREP. by your ~ He had by his own testimony taken part in the burglary. | in ~ In testimony before the Crown Court, she described her movements on the day of the murder. | ~ about The witness was called to give oral testimony about the incident outside the theatre. | ~ against The court heard her testimony against the accused. | ~ before

² proof

ADJ. ample, clear, eloquent, powerful, remarkable, striking

VERB + TESTIMONY bear, stand as

PREP. ~ to His thick, swollen fingers bore testimony to a lifetime of toil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

test noun

¹ examination of sb's knowledge/ability

ADJ. demanding, difficult, gruelling | easy, simple | fair, good, objective This type of exam does not provide a fair test of the student's knowledge. | listening, oral, practical, written | cloze, multiple-choice | placement He scored well in the placement test and was put in the most advanced class. | achievement, aptitude, endurance, intelligence, IQ, language, memory, mental, proficiency, spelling The recruits were put through a week of gruelling endurance tests. | driving | screen Three actors out of a hundred were chosen from the screen test.

TEST + NOUN result | conditions As a final practice for the exam, they had to write two essays under test conditions. | paper, questions

PREP. in a/the ~ Some of the questions in the history test were rather difficult. | ~ in a test in mathematics | ~ on a test on the French Revolution

² experiment/medical examination

QUANT. number, series She underwent a series of blood tests.

VERB + TEST have, undergo | do, | use The test used in detecting the disease carries its own risks. | fail Three athletes were sent home after failing drugs tests.

TEST + VERB take place | confirm sth, indicate sth, reveal sth, show sth The urine test showed some sort of infection. | prove negative/positive | come into force The new safety test came into force last month. | be designed to a test designed to detect bowel cancer

TEST + NOUN result a negative/positive test result | data | conditions The machine refused to perform properly under test conditions. | bed The company is using the university data library as a test bed for its new software. | site protesters at nuclear test sites | facility | drive, flight, run He's taken the car out on a test run. | driver, pilot | aircraft, car | trial The new drink went down well in the test trials. | methods, procedures | system | performance | subject | equipment, instruments, kit, machine | samples, substances | programme, schedule | phase, stage The software is still at the test stage. | session Subjects had to attend ten test sessions on different days. | certificate The vehicle did not have a current test certificate at the time of the accident. | case This was the first action taken by a cancer sufferer against a tobacco company, and was seen as a test case.

PREP. ~ for a test for diabetes | ~ on a test on the engine

³ shows how good, strong, effective, etc. sb/sth is

VERB + TEST pose The calls for tax reform pose a severe test for the government. | put sb/sth to The latest pay dispute has really put her management skills to the test. | face The new prime minister is facing his toughest political test so far.

TEST + NOUN case

PHRASES the acid test (= a way of carry out, conduct, perform, run Rigorous safety tests are being carried out on the new jet. deciding whether sth is successful or true) Whether he would accept a pay cut would be the acid test of his loyalty to the company. | stand the test of time Whether this new technology will stand the test of time remains to be seen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

test verb

¹ examine sth to find out if it is working/what it is like

ADV. adequately, properly The product had not been adequately tested before being put on the market. | rigorously | extensively | fully, exhaustively, thoroughly | regularly, routinely You should test your brakes regularly. | directly | empirically, experimentally the importance of empirically tested research | formally | successfully The exercise successfully tested the procedures for dealing with a serious oil spillage. | clinically, dermatologically | out a good way to test out his hypothesis

VERB + TEST decide to We decided to test the theory experimentally. | attempt to, seek to, try to | be designed to, be intended to | be used to | be difficult to It is difficult to test a potential cure when a disease is ill-defined.

PREP. for Squeeze the fruit to test for ripeness. | on We only sell products that have not been tested on animals.

PHRASES have sth tested I'm having my eyes tested this week. | test negative/positive Two of the athletes tested positive for illegal drugs. | test sth to the limit The training tested his body to the very limit. | tried and tested tried and tested techniques

² require all sb's strength/ability/resources, etc.

ADV. seriously, severely, sorely Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested in a rather poor match. There were times when my temper was sorely tested.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

textbook noun

ADJ. basic, general, introductory, standard Do you have the standard textbook on the subject? | recommended | economics, geography, medical, etc. | school

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

textile noun

ADJ. embroidered, handwoven, printed, woven | cotton, woollen, etc.

TEXTILE + NOUN business, company, factory, firm, industry, manufacture, manufacturer, manufacturing, mill, trade, worker | design, designer

PREP. in ~s She has a job in textiles.

PHRASES the manufacture/production of textiles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

texture noun

VERB + TEXTURE have | add, give sth I use a styling gel to give texture to my hair.

PREP. in ~ The cloth was rough in texture. | with a … ~ a piece with a dense choral texture

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

text noun

¹ writing in a book/newspaper, on a computer, etc.

ADJ. complete, full The newspaper printed the full text of the interview. | draft | final | original | main The illustrations are printed separately from the main text. | accompanying The catalogue consists of colour reproductions of the paintings with accompanying text. | electronic, handwritten, printed, typewritten, written

QUANT. block, body, chunk, line, page, piece, portion Hand symbols in the main body of the text cross-refer the reader to the appendices. Use the mouse to move chunks of text from place to place.

TEXT + NOUN file The program allows you to import text files from other word processors. | editor one of the best HTML text editors available | message, messaging The text message just said ‘Hope 2CU@the party’. > Special page at COMPUTER

² book or piece of writing to be studied

ADJ. basic, key, standard | recommended, set ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ was one of our set texts for A level. | prepared He stood up and began reading from a prepared text. | authoritative, influential | introductory | academic, dramatic, legal, literary, poetic, sacred, scientific, etc. We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth-century playwrights. | biology, mathematics, etc.

VERB + TEXT read (from) | analyse, deconstruct, interpret, study | annotate

TEXT + NOUN analysis

PREP. in a/the ~ We discussed the use of metaphor in the text. | ~ about/on a poetic text about growing up in rural England

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thank you noun

ADJ. big, special | polite

VERB + THANK YOU give, say He didn't even say thank you. We said our thank yous and goodbyes to the hosts and went to catch a cab. | get

THANK YOU + NOUN letter, present

PREP. ~ for She got a special thank you for all her hard work. | ~ to a big thank you to the hospital staff

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thankful adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem

ADV. deeply, extremely, very | just I'm just thankful that my mother never lived to see this.

PREP. for We were thankful for the chance to rest.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thanks noun

ADJ. big, special A big thanks to all of you who supported our fund-raising campaign. | heartfelt, sincere, warm | grateful

VERB + THANKS express, give, say We would like to express our warmest thanks for all you've done. I said thanks and put the phone down. | nod, smile She smiled her thanks as the car drove off. | get, receive You'll get little thanks from him for all your trouble. | accept | deserve Their generosity deserves our grateful thanks.

THANKS + VERB go to sb Thanks go to Claire Potter for making the hall available to us.

PREP. as/in ~ for He got a bottle of whisky in thanks for his cooperation. | ~ to He gave thanks to God for the safe return of his son.

PHRASES a letter/vote/word of thanks The chairperson proposed a vote of thanks to the volunteers. | many thanks Many thanks for the flowers. | thanks be to God We were all pulled out alive, thanks be to God.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thank verb

ADV. gratefully, profusely, properly, sincerely, warmly I would like to thank you all most sincerely. He thanked her warmly for the meal. | politely | personally | publicly

VERB + THANK must, want to, would like to I wanted to thank him personally.

PREP. for I haven't thanked Bill properly yet for his present.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thaw noun

ADJ. rapid, sudden | spring, summer The arctic shore remains frozen until the summer thaw.

THAW + VERB begin, come, set in

PREP. during a/the ~ The river often floods during the thaw.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thaw verb

ADV. completely Make sure the meat has thawed completely before cooking. | a little (figurative) Relations between the two countries thawed a little after the talks. | visibly (figurative) The old nun was as imperious as ever, but visibly thawed when she saw the children. | out Has the meat thawed out yet?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

theatre noun

¹ where you go to see plays, etc.

ADJ. large | little, small | crowded, packed The theatre was packed for the opening night. | open-air | puppet The pier has a unique little puppet theatre.

VERB + THEATRE go to, visit I haven't been to the theatre for ages.

THEATRE + NOUN ticket | production | audience | manager, staff

PREP. at a/the ~ We were at the theatre last night. | in a/the ~ There's a bar in the theatre.

² drama

ADJ. good, great He writes the sort of dialogue that makes great theatre. | live | amateur | commercial, professional | fringe, provincial, repertory There was some good fringe theatre at the festival. | classical, contemporary, experimental, modern, music/musical, popular | street We saw some good street theatre while we were in Paris. | community, youth | political (often figurative) The Chancellor's speech was an absorbing piece of political theatre.

QUANT. piece

VERB + THEATRE study He is studying Greek theatre.

THEATRE + NOUN studies | critic

³ work of acting in/ producing plays

VERB + THEATRE be in, work in | go into He wants to go into the theatre when he finishes university.

THEATRE + NOUN director, producer | company, group

⁴ in a hospital

ADJ. operating

VERB + THEATRE take to He's already been taken to theatre for the operation.

THEATRE + NOUN nurse, sister

PREP. in (the) ~ She was in the operating theatre for two hours.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

theft noun

ADJ. petty | attempted | car, cattle, etc.

PREP. ~ from They are accused of theft from a newsagent's shop. | ~ of She admitted the theft of three pairs of trousers. > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

theme noun

VERB + THEME develop, discuss, examine, explore His later novels develop the theme of alienation. | warm to ‘Our work’, he continued, warming to his theme, ‘will be a milestone in scientific history.’

THEME + VERB emerge Several familiar themes emerged from the discussion. | run through sth The same themes run through all her novels.

THEME + NOUN music, song, tune | park, pub

PREP. on the ~ of He gave a talk on the theme of teenage unemployment.

PHRASES variations on a theme Most of the essays appear to be variations on a few central themes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

theology noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

theoretical adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. highly | purely This research is purely theoretical. | largely | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

theory noun

ADJ. complete | partial | general Einstein's general theory of relativity | coherent | unified the existence of a grand unified theory that determines everything in the universe | current, new | classical the classical theory of gravity | pet One of her pet theories is that people who restrict their calorie intake live longer. | conflicting | critical | abstract His comments are just abstract theory and show little understanding of the realities of the situation. | economic, legal, linguistic, literary, political, scientific, social, etc. | post-modernist, structuralist, etc. Current feminist theory consists of several different trends. | conspiracy a conspiracy theory about the princess's death | chaos, game, quantum, number, particle, probability, relativity, etc.

QUANT. set Each school has its own set of theories.

THEORY + VERB evolve | hold sth, suggest sth

PREP. in ~ In theory, these machines should last for ten years. | ~ about He has a theory about why dogs walk round in circles before going to sleep.

PHRASES theory and practice the distinction/relationship between theory and practice

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

therapist noun

ADJ. trained | experienced | beauty, occupational, sex, speech > Note at DOCTOR> Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

therapy noun

ADJ. alternative, complementary | behaviour, speech | aversion, occupational, regression, relaxation, shock, etc. | family, group They discuss their problems in group therapy sessions.

QUANT. course

VERB + THERAPY need, require | be given, have, receive, undergo He will have to have shock therapy. | be in, go into I went into therapy because my doctor suggested it.

THERAPY + NOUN group, session

PHRASES a form of therapy the use of hypnosis as a form of therapy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thermometer noun

ADJ. accurate | clinical | digital, mercury | rectal | meat, sugar Check that the roast is cooked right through, using a meat thermometer.

VERB + THERMOMETER read

THERMOMETER + VERB measure sth

THERMOMETER + NOUN reading

PREP. on a/the ~ the reading on the thermometer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thesis noun

¹ part of a university degree

ADJ. doctoral, MA, Master's, MSc, PhD, etc. | chemistry, geology, etc. | research

VERB + THESIS work on | complete, do, write (up) | submit | publish

THESIS + NOUN research, title, topic

PREP. by ~ She completed an MSc by thesis. | in a/the ~ research presented in a thesis | ~ about/on He's doing a doctoral thesis on the early works of Shostakovich.

² statement of an idea/a theory

ADJ. basic, central, main

VERB + THESIS prove, support The results of the experiment support his central thesis. | disprove | advance He advanced the thesis that too much choice was burdensome to people. | challenge, refute

PREP. ~ about a thesis about the effects of new technology on skills

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thick adj.

¹ of solid things/growing things

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. extremely, really, very | fairly, quite, rather, relatively Use fairly thick wads of newspaper. | enough, sufficiently a screen of trees thick enough to conceal the building entirely

² of liquid

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get The paint's got too thick. I'll have to thin it down.

ADV. very | fairly, quite, rather | enough, sufficiently

³ of fog/smoke/air

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, grow The air had grown thick and smoky.

ADV. very | fairly, quite, rather

PREP. with The air was thick with dust. (figurative) The atmosphere was thick with tension.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thief noun

QUANT. gang

VERB + THIEF catch

THIEF + VERB take sth, snatch sth, steal sth A thief snatched her handbag containing her wages. | escape with sth, get away with sth, make off with sth | break in | strike The thief struck while the family were out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thigh noun

THIGH + NOUN bone, muscle | injury, strain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thing noun

¹ used instead of the name of an object

ADJ. basic, essential I need to buy a few basic things like bread and milk.

VERB + THING make He makes things out of wood.

² things: objects/clothing/tools

ADJ. swimming, tennis, etc. | breakfast, lunch, etc. He hadn't washed up the dinner things yet.

VERB + THING get together, pack Come on kids, get your things together?we're going. | put on, take off Hang on a second?I'll just take off my painting things (= clothes). | clear away/up, put away, tidy away/up Clear your painting things (= materials) away.

³ (used with negatives) anything

VERB + THING hear, know, notice, see I can't see a thing without my glasses. | miss I'm going to arrive early, because I don't want to miss a thing. | do She's tricked you, and you can't do a thing about it. | eat I haven't eaten a thing all day. | say Nobody said a thing when he appeared with a wig on. | mean Fame and fortune don't mean a thing if you don't have happiness.

⁴ fact/event/situation/action

ADJ. good, great, positive It's a good thing you remembered to turn off the gas! The best thing would be to apologize straight away. If she works hard she's capable of great things. Try to look on your rejection as a positive thing. | lovely, nice, wonderful | bad, negative Too much studying can be a bad thing. It's no bad thing to express your anger. | appalling, awful, dreadful, horrible, terrible That was a horrible thing to say to her. | amazing, curious, exciting, extraordinary, funny, interesting, remarkable, startling, strange, striking, surprising, weird The amazing thing is, he wouldn't accept any money! | ridiculous | frightening, worrying | annoying | foolish, silly, stupid I admit it was a foolish thing to do. | bloody (taboo), damn/damned | crucial, key, main, important, vital The key thing is to remain calm. | little, the slightest, small, trivial I give thanks for every little thing. He loses his temper at the slightest thing. It's such a small thing to ask. | easy Apologizing is never the easiest thing to do. | hard | brave, dangerous, risky | natural Entertaining people is the most natural thing in the world for her. | close, close-run I managed to get on the train, but it was a close-run thing (= I almost missed it). | rare | everyday She helped with the everyday things like shopping and cooking. | usual I did my usual thing of losing my keys. | nearest, next best He's the nearest thing to a film star I've ever met. I wanted to be a musician, but teaching music is the next best thing. | real It's just a practice, not the real thing. | the whole Let's forget the whole thing. | last The last thing she wanted was to upset her parents.

QUANT. loads, lots, plenty I've got loads of things to do today.

VERB + THING do He has a funny way of doing things. It's impossible to get things done when you're looking after a baby. | make up, say Who's been saying things about me? | be hearing/imagining/seeing There's nobody at the door?you must have been imagining things!

THING + VERB go on, happen, occur There are some weird things going on in that house. A funny thing happened to me this morning …

PREP. ~ about The best thing about Alan is he's always honest.

PHRASES among/amongst other things Amongst other things, I have to deal with mail and keep the accounts. | have better things to do I've got better things to do than stand here chatting all day! | kind/sort of thing They go canoeing, climbing, that sort of thing. | know/learn/teach sb a thing or two Jack knows a thing or two about kids?he's got five. | no such thing There's no such thing as ghosts (= they don't exist). | such a thing/a thing like that People defraud their companies every day, but Mike would never do such a thing! | a thing of the past Books may one day become a thing of the past.

⁵ things: general situation, as it affects sb

VERB + THING think over/through She's taken a few days off to think things over. | look at, see Try to look at things from my point of view. | discuss, talk over, talk through We arranged to meet and talk things over. | explain | accept You should suggest changes, rather than accept things as they are. | change | arrange, deal with, handle, look after, run, sort out Who's going to look after things while you're away? I want to get things sorted out before I go away. | straighten out | mess up, spoil | patch up They patched things up a week after their quarrel. | speed along/up It might speed things up if you phone them. | delay, hold up, slow down

THING + VERB stand As things stand at present, he seems certain to win. | be going He asked me how things were going. | change | go (according) to plan, go well, work (out) I just don't know if things are going to work out. | get better, improve, look up We were in trouble but now things are looking up. | look bright/good/promising/rosy There was a week to go to the deadline and things were looking good. | look bleak/grim Things looked bleak for the future of the factory. | be in/get into a mess, get out of hand, get/run out of control, go wrong | get worse, go downhill | turn out I'm sure things will turn out OK. | come to a head Things came to a head when money was found to be missing from the account. | get to sb Try not to let things get to you.

PHRASES all/other things being equal All other things being equal, the bigger fighter should win. | all things considered All things considered, I think we've done a good job. | get/keep things going/moving They hired temporary staff to keep things going over the summer. | get/put things straight I marched into his office to get a few things straight. | have/keep things in hand/under control He offered to help, but she assured him she had things in hand. | have things on your mind We chatted about school, but I could tell she had other things on her mind. | let things slide/slip She'd started the term studying hard, but now was beginning to let things slip. | let things take their course/happen Don't worry about it?just let things take their course. | make things better, easier, difficult, worse, etc. Her apology only served to make things worse. | put things right He apologized, and asked for a chance to put things right. | things to come The pay cut was just a taste of things to come.

⁶ what is needed/socially acceptable

ADJ. proper, right He did the right thing and went back to his wife. I did all the right things but I couldn't get the engine to start. | wrong She always manages to say the wrong thing. | logical, obvious, prudent, sensible Calling a doctor seemed the logical thing to do. | decent, done, honourable He did the decent thing and resigned. It's not the done thing to ask someone how much they earn. | very Iced tea?the very thing!

VERB + THING do | say

PHRASES just the thing, not quite the thing It wouldn't be quite the thing to turn up in running gear.

⁷ a person/an animal

ADJ. little, old The baby's a pretty little thing. | silly | poor You must be starving, you poor thing!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thinker noun

PREP. ~ on a leading thinker on constitutional law

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thinking noun

¹ using your mind to think

QUANT. piece a brilliant piece of lateral thinking

VERB + THINKING do We have some hard thinking to do before we agree to the plan. | apply The book shows you how to apply critical thinking to your studies.

PREP. ~ behind It was difficult to see what the thinking was behind their eventual decision.

² opinion

VERB + THINKING develop, shape | clarify, explain | change They are unlikely to have changed their thinking so soon. | dominate His writings on motorized warfare dominated strategic thinking in the 1930s.

PREP. in … ~ contemporary trends in feminist thinking | ~ about/on What is the current Conservative thinking on social security?

PHRASES a shift in sb's thinking There's been a shift in government thinking on genetically-modified food. | to sb's way of thinking (= in sb's opinion) To my way of thinking, it would just be a massive waste of money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

think noun

ADJ. long | hard

VERB + THINK give sth, have

PREP. ~ about I've had a long, hard think about it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

think verb

¹ have an opinion

ADV. really | personally I personally think it's all been a lot of fuss over nothing. | honestly Did you honestly think I would agree to that? | never I never thought you would carry out your threat.

VERB + THINK be inclined to I'm inclined to think we've been a little harsh on her.

PREP. about I still don't know what he really thinks about it. | of What did you think of the film?

² have an idea

ADV. suddenly

PREP. of I suddenly thought of a way I could help.

³ consider/reflect

ADV. carefully, deeply, (long and) hard She thought long and hard before accepting his offer. | fleetingly | rationally He seemed to have lost the ability to think rationally. | frantically What can I do now? he thought frantically. | contemptuously, despairingly, dully, glumly, grimly, guiltily, indignantly, irritably, miserably, resentfully | ruefully, wistfully, wryly

VERB + THINK dread to, hate to, shudder to, tremble to I hate to think what would have happened if we hadn't arrived.

PREP. about Think about what you are going to do next. | of I often think of Jane.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thin adj.

¹ of solid things: not thick

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, wear The fabric was wearing thin. (figurative) That joke is wearing a little thin.

ADV. extremely, incredibly, very, wafer-a plate of wafer-thin bread and butter | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, relatively | enough a sliver of rock thin enough to be translucent

² not fat

VERBS be, look | become, get, grow

ADV. extremely, painfully, pathetically, pitifully, terribly, very The old horse was painfully thin. | fairly, quite, rather She's tall and quite thin.

³ of liquids

VERBS be, look, seem The paint looks a bit thin. | become, get Be careful that the mixture doesn't get too thin.

ADV. terribly, very | a bit, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

third noun

ADJ. first, middle, last the last third of the novel | bottom, lower | top, upper Most of the pupils' marks were in the upper third of the range.

VERB + THIRD divide sth into He divided the money into thirds.

PREP. ~ of Over a third of sales were made over the Internet.

PHRASES about/almost/at least/over a third, between a third and a half, a third to (a) half The discount is a third to a half of the full price.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thirst noun

¹ desire to drink

ADJ. great, intense, raging, terrible, unquenchable

VERB + THIRST suffer from Many of the refugees were suffering badly from thirst. | quench, slake | die of | work up After walking five miles, they had worked up a great thirst.

² strong desire

ADJ. great, unquenchable He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

VERB + THIRST have | satisfy

PREP. ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thought noun

¹ sth that you think

ADJ. comforting, good, happy, pleasant, positive It was a comforting thought that at least her father hadn't suffered. Before going on stage, I breathe deeply and think positive thoughts. | anxious, appalling, awful, bad, black, dark, depressing, disquieting, disturbing, gloomy, negative, sad, sobering, terrible A disturbing thought suddenly struck me. | interesting, intriguing | first, immediate, initial My immediate thought was that he must be joking. | sudden | little | fleeting, passing | conscious | unspoken | waking She occupied all his waking thoughts.

VERB + THOUGHT have, think I've just had a thought (= an idea). He remained aloof, thinking his own thoughts. | have Let me have your thoughts on the report. | express, write down | read She often seems to know what I'm thinking, as though she can read my thoughts. | dread, not be able to bear, not like, not relish She said she couldn't bear the thought of living alone in the house. I don't like the thought of you walking home alone.

THOUGHT + VERB come/pop into your mind, come to sb, cross your mind, go/flash/pass/race through your mind, hit sb, occur to sb, strike sb The thought crossed my mind that Jim might know the answer. All kinds of thoughts raced through my mind. | ~s turn to sth My thoughts turned to home.

PREP. ~ about He lay there thinking gloomy thoughts about life and death. | ~ of The children were overjoyed at the thought of going to the seaside on holiday. | ~ on They asked him what his thoughts were on the government's announcement.

PHRASES just a thought Would Mark be able to help? It's just a thought. | keep your thoughts to yourself He's not the kind of man to keep his thoughts to himself. | the mere/very thought of sth The mere thought of lice makes my head itch. | push/put the thought aside/away, push the thought from/out of your mind

² process/act of thinking

VERB + THOUGHT give sb/sth, spare (sb) I've given the matter careful thought. Don't give it another thought (= to tell sb not to worry after they have said they are sorry). Spare a thought for us?we'll be working through the night to finish the report. | direct, turn I tried to turn my thoughts to pleasanter things. | provoke The article was intended to provoke thought. | be deep in, be lost in She was deep in thought and didn't hear me call her.

THOUGHT + VERB go into sth Not enough thought has gone into this essay.

THOUGHT + NOUN pattern, process I couldn't see what thought processes led him to that conclusion.

PREP. without ~ They had acted rashly, without thought.

PHRASES after a moment's thought After a moment's thought, I accepted his offer. | freedom of thought The constitution guarantees freedom of thought and belief. | a line/mode/train of thought That line of thought can only lead to one conclusion. He hesitated, as though he had lost his train of thought. | thought-provoking There was a thought-provoking article about poverty in the paper. | with no thought for sth He ran into the burning house with no thought for his own life.

³ ideas

PHRASES a school of thought They belong to different schools of thought. | a strand of thought three different strands of scientific thought

⁴ kindness

ADJ. kind, kindly, nice Thank you for the flowers?it was a very kind thought.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thrashing noun

¹ hitting

ADJ. good, sound

VERB + THRASHING give | get He got a sound thrashing once his father found out. | deserve

² defeat

VERB + THRASHING give | have, suffer, take The team suffered a 4-0 thrashing on Sunday.

PREP. ~ of Richmond clinched promotion with a 50-3 thrashing of Roundhay.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thrash verb

¹ hit sb many times

ADV. soundly That boy deserves to be soundly thrashed!

PREP. with He thrashed the poor servant with his stick.

² move your arms and legs in an uncontrolled way

ADV. helplessly, violently, wildly | about, around The cow fell on its side and thrashed about wildly.

³ defeat sb easily in a game

ADV. soundly The visiting side were soundly thrashed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

threadbare adj.

VERBS be | wear sth The carpets had worn rather threadbare.

ADV. a little, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thread noun

¹ piece of cotton, etc.

QUANT. length, piece

VERB + THREAD spin | catch, pull You've pulled a thread in your jumper.

PHRASES hanging by a thread (often figurative) The player's career is hanging by a thread after this latest injury to his knee.

² connection between ideas, parts of a story, etc.

ADJ. central, main | common, connecting | consistent, continuous | narrative | loose Apart from one or two loose threads, the police now had the complete picture of what happened.

VERB + THREAD follow, trace I found it hard to follow the main thread of his argument. | lose The speaker lost his thread halfway through the talk. | keep She struggled against all the interruptions to keep the thread of her argument. | draw together, pick up, pull together, weave The author eventually picks up the various threads of the plot and weaves them into a masterly conclusion.

THREAD + VERB run through sth A continuous thread runs through all the versions of the legend. | emerge On studying the different historians' accounts, common threads emerge. | unravel As the film progresses, the threads of the plot slowly begin to unravel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

threatening adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound | become | regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. extremely, seriously, very seriously threatening behaviour | increasingly | almost | rather, slightly, somewhat | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

threaten verb

¹ warn sb that you may hurt, kill or punish them

ADV. publicly | personally, physically He says he was physically threatened in an attempt to get him to sign over his rights. | repeatedly She had repeatedly threatened to commit suicide. | allegedly, reportedly

PREP. with She threatened him with a gun.

PHRASES feel threatened I never felt threatened by him.

² be likely to harm/destroy sth

ADV. gravely, seriously, severely social unrest which seriously threatens the stability of the whole area | increasingly | directly | constantly, continually Our marriage was constantly threatened by his other women.

VERB + THREATEN could | appear to, seem to

PHRASES be threatened with sth Many species are now threatened with extinction.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

threat noun

¹ expression of intention to do harm/punish

ADJ. dire, terrible Despite dire threats of violence from extremist groups, the protest passed off peacefully. | empty, idle The kids took no notice of the teacher's idle threats. | implied, veiled The company's pay offer was accompanied by thinly-veiled threats of redundancies if it was rejected. | explicit | physical, violent | verbal | bomb, death, suicide

VERB + THREAT issue, make, utter | receive | carry out It's unwise to make threats that you cannot carry out. | lift, withdraw Teachers have lifted their threat of strike action. | reduce | give in to The government refused to give in to the hijackers' threats.

PREP. ~ against The accused made death threats against a notable politician.

² possible danger

VERB + THREAT be, pose, present, represent the environmental threat posed by oil spillages | consider sth (as), perceive sth as, regard sth as, see sth as, view sth as Translators do not yet perceive computers as a threat to their livelihood. | face, meet

PREP. under ~ Many wild plants are under threat of extinction. | ~ from the threat from overfishing | ~ of a threat of violence | ~ to The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

threshold noun

¹ doorway

VERB + THRESHOLD cross

PREP. across/over the ~ He hesitated before stepping across the threshold. | on the ~ She stood on the threshold, unsure whether to enter.

² level

ADJ. high, low | maximum, minimum | critical | earnings, tax | boredom, pain She has an extremely low boredom threshold.

THRESHOLD + NOUN level, value Below a certain threshold level a person will not be able to detect sound.

PREP. above/below a/the ~ Her wages are below the income tax threshold.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thrilled adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. really | absolutely, quite, utterly | not exactly He's not exactly thrilled at the prospect of working for his old rival. | secretly

PREP. at I was secretly thrilled at the prospect of going there again. | with I'm really thrilled with the results.

PHRASES thrilled to bits I was thrilled to bits when my son won the cup.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thriller noun

ADJ. gripping | best-selling | comedy, erotic, mystery, political, psychological, sci-fi/science fiction, spy a gripping political thriller

VERB + THRILLER publish, write She had always wanted to write a spy thriller. | read

THRILLER + NOUN writer

PREP. in a/the ~ one of the characters in the thriller | ~ by a new thriller by this American writer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thrill noun

ADJ. big, great, real | cheap | vicarious He gets vicarious thrills from watching people bungee jumping.

VERB + THRILL enjoy, experience, feel, get, have | give sb

THRILL + NOUN seeker

PREP. for a/the ~ He used to steal from shops just for the thrill of it. | ~ from/out of He used to get cheap thrills out of frightening the girl next door. | ~ of She felt a thrill of excitement as the mountains came into view.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thrive verb

ADV. positively | still The glass industry still thrives there.

VERB + THRIVE seem to | continue to These traditions continued to thrive. | fail to (medical)

PREP. on Some people seem to thrive on stress.

PHRASES failure to thrive (medical) concerned about their baby daughter's failure to thrive

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

throat noun

¹ front part of the neck

VERB + THROAT cut, slash, slit

PREP. by the ~ She seized her attacker by the throat.

² passage down which air and food pass

ADJ. bad, infected, sore | dry

VERB + THROAT clear She cleared her throat, then began to speak.

THROAT + VERB ache, hurt | close (up), constrict, seize up, tighten His throat constricted with fear when he saw the knife. | dry, go dry

THROAT + NOUN infection | lozenge, pastille

PREP. down the/your ~ She felt the cold water trickle down her throat.

PHRASES the back of your throat The medicine left a sour taste in the back of my throat. | a lump in your throat He felt a lump in his throat, and tears forming in his eyes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

throb noun

ADJ. deep, heavy | dull | steady the steady throb of the engine

VERB + THROB feel, hear

PREP. ~ of a throb of pain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

throb verb

ADV. painfully | angrily The vein at his temple throbbed angrily. | rhythmically

VERB + THROB begin to, start to

PREP. with Her head throbbed with pain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

throne noun

ADJ. empty, unoccupied, vacant | imperial, papal, royal

PREP. on the ~ Queen Victoria remained on the throne for over sixty years.

PHRASES sb's accession to the throne, a claimant/pretender to the throne a claimant to the vacant Spanish throne | sb's claim/right to the throne, an heir to the throne The marriage failed to produce an heir to the throne. | the power behind the throne (figurative) According to the papers, the prime minister's private secretary is the real power behind the throne. | the succession to the throne

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

throng noun

VERB + THRONG join people coming from all directions to join the throng

PREP. among/through the ~ He made his way slowly through the throng. | in the ~ She was lost in the throng. | into the ~ He disappeared into the throng.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

throw verb

ADV. angrily | casually He threw the keys casually down on the table. | aside, away, back, down, out She threw her head back and laughed.

VERB + THROW be ready to, be tempted to, want to | threaten to He threatened to throw her in the river if she screamed. | be going to

PREP. at He threw a stone at the window. | in/into I just wanted to throw myself into his arms and cry. | to She threw the ball to him. | towards

PHRASES throw sth open He threw the double doors open in a dramatic gesture.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thrust noun

¹ strong push

ADJ. backward, downward, forward, upward | aggressive, fierce, powerful | knife The realization that she was gone was like a knife thrust. | pelvic

VERB + THRUST make The Third Army made an aggressive thrust towards the front line.

PHRASES ~ into a thrust into the unknown

² the thrust: main part/ideas

ADJ. broad, central, general, main, major She explained the broad thrust of the party's policies. | dramatic, intellectual, narrative, political The dramatic thrust of the film centres around the conflict between the brothers.

VERB + THRUST direct He's going to direct the main thrust of his work towards reforming welfare policy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thrust verb

ADV. deep/deeply | hard | suddenly She suddenly thrust out her arm. | aside, away, back, forward, out

PREP. at He thrust a piece of paper at me. | into She thrust her hands deep into her pockets.

PHRASES thrust your way She thrust her way through the dense undergrowth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thud noun

ADJ. heavy, loud, resounding | dull, muffled, soft | sickening

VERB + THUD give She felt her heart give an extra thud. | hear | feel

PREP. with a ~ He hit the floor with a sickening thud.

PHRASES the thud of a heart, the thud of hooves

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thud verb

ADV. hard, painfully, violently, wildly (all only used with heart) Her heart was thudding violently as she went into the room.

PREP. against The waves thudded against the side of the ship. | into The sniper's bullets thudded into the wall. | on Steps thudded on the stairs. | with His heart thudded with excitement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thug noun

ADJ. teenage, young | vicious | armed, knife-wielding | racist | football, soccer

QUANT. gang He was beaten up by a gang of thugs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thumb noun

VERB + THUMB suck | flick, jab, jerk ‘What'll we do with them?’ he asked, jerking his thumb at the suitca | raise, stick out He smiled and raised a thumb in greeting. I stuck out a thumb and a car stopped immediately. | twiddle (often figurative) I sat there twiddling my thumbs until the manager finally appeared.

THUMB + NOUN nail (also thumbnail)

PHRASES between finger and thumb/between thumb and forefinger I picked up the beetle carefully between finger and thumb. | thumbs up He made a thumbs-up sign through the window to tell us everything was fine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thump noun

ADJ. good, heavy, loud | muffled

VERB + THUMP give sb/sth She gave the television a good thump, and the picture came back. | hear

PREP. with a ~ The sack of wheat hit the ground with a loud thump.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thump verb

¹ hit sb/sth with your fist

ADV. hard He thumped Jack hard in the face. | down He thumped his fist down onto the table.

PREP. with She thumped the desk with her fist.

² of the heart

ADV. hard, heavily, loudly, painfully, wildly

VERB + THUMP begin to Her heart began to thump wildly in her chest.

PREP. against He spun round, his heart thumping against his ribs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thunderstorm noun > See STORM

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thunder noun

ADJ. loud The thunder was getting louder and louder. | dull The gunfire rumbled like dull thunder. | distant the rumble of distant thunder | approaching

QUANT. clap, crash, peal, roll, rumble

THUNDER + VERB boom, break, burst, crash, explode, roar Thunder boomed in the sky overhead. | growl, grumble, roll, rumble | rattle sth, shake sth The windows were shaken by a tremendous crash of thunder.

THUNDER + NOUN clap (also thunderclap) | cloud (also thundercloud)

PHRASES the sound of thunder, there's thunder in the air (= thunder is likely), thunder and lightning

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Thursday noun > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

thwart verb

ADV. easily | constantly Plans to expand the company have been constantly thwarted.

VERB + THWART attempt to, try to

PREP. in They were thwarted in their attempt to gain overall control of the company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ticket noun

¹ for travel, an event, the theatre, etc.

ADJ. one-way, single | return, round-trip | day, season, weekly an annual season ticket | first-class, second-class, etc. a first-class rail ticket | invalid, valid | complimentary, free I've got complimentary tickets for the theatre. | concessionary, family Concessionary tickets are available at half the standard price. | advance Use the coupon below to reserve advance tickets for the exhibition. | admission, entrance, entry | air/airline, bus, plane, rail, train, etc. | cinema, concert | library

VERB + TICKET buy, get, obtain, purchase | have, hold You must hold a valid ticket for your entire journey before boarding the train. | book, reserve | show (sb) He showed the guard his ticket.

PREP. by ~ admission by ticket only | ~ for I bought a ticket for the concert. a ticket for Saturday | ~ to I've got a free ticket to the match. a plane ticket to New York

² for a lottery, etc.

ADJ. winning | lottery, raffle

QUANT. book I bought a whole book of raffle tickets and I still didn't win anything.

³ giving a penalty

ADJ. fixed-penalty | parking

VERB + TICKET give sb, issue | get

PREP. ~ for The police officer gave us a ticket for going through a red light.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tickle noun

ADJ. little

VERB + TICKLE give sb/sth | feel, get, have He felt a tickle on the back of his neck.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tick verb

¹ of a clock, etc.

ADV. loudly | relentlessly | away The clock ticked relentlessly away on the mantelpiece.

² mark sth with a tick

ADV. simply To take advantage of this extra bonus offer, simply tick the box on your order form. | mentally | off She mentally ticked off the names of the people she had already spoken to. PHRASAL VERBS tick along/over

ADV. nicely The business is ticking over nicely at the moment. | still

PHRASES keep things ticking over Morrison had kept things ticking over in my absence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tide noun

¹ change in the level of the sea

VERB + TIDE catch (= to take advantage of a favourable tide) We have to get up early to catch the tide.

PREP. at … ~ Seals lie on the rocks at low tide. | on a/the ~ We went out to sea on the ebb tide.

PHRASES the ebb and flow of the tide

² strong movement in favour of/against sth

ADJ. growing, rising the rising tide of crime | shifting | political He hasn't the courage to swim against the political tide.

VERB + TIDE go with | go/swim against | stem, turn (back) attempts to stem the tide of revolution

TIDE + VERB run Seeing the tide was now running in his direction, he renewed his campaign for reform. | carry sb/sth along | turn The tide of public opinion seems to be turning at last.

PREP. against a/the ~ It takes courage to speak out against the tide of public opinion. | on a ~ They were carried along on a tide of euphoria. | ~ against, ~ in favour of Civil liberties groups helped to turn the tide against industrial violence.

PHRASES a tide of history the shifting tides of history | the turn of the tide In the early 1990s there was a marked turn of the tide.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tidy adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | stay Why does nothing ever stay tidy around here? | get sth, make sth | keep sth I hope you're going to keep your room tidy.

ADV. extremely, very | immaculately, scrupulously It was a neatly furnished and immaculately tidy room. | fairly, quite The sitting room is fairly tidy.

PHRASES clean/neat and tidy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tie noun

¹ worn round the neck with a shirt

VERB + TIE knot, tie | loosen | adjust, straighten

TIE + NOUN pin

PHRASES collar/jacket/shirt/suit and tie > Special page at CLOTHES

² (usually ties) sth that connects you with sb/sth

VERB + TIE have We have close economic ties with our neighbours. | establish | cement, strengthen | cut, sever He cut all ties with the Church. | loosen, weaken

PREP. ~ between There is a strong tie between her and her daughters. | ~ of ties of kinship | ~ to/with to establish diplomatic ties with China

³ in a game/competition

VERB + TIE end in, result in The match ended in a tie.

TIE + NOUN break/breaker

PREP. ~ between a tie between Egypt and France | ~ for There was a tie for first place.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tie verb

¹ attach/fasten sb/sth with string/rope

ADV. firmly, securely, tightly Did you tie the balloons on tightly? | loosely He wore plimsolls, loosely tied with bits of string. | carefully | neatly Tie the cords neatly. | back, on, together, up

PREP. around/round He tied his dressing gown firmly around him. | onto I tied the bundle onto the end of the string. | to She tied the rope securely to a tree. | with Katie tied her hair back with a ribbon.

PHRASES tie sb hand and foot The prisoners were tied hand and foot.

² connect sb/sth with sb/sth else

ADV. closely, intimately Their company's future is closely tied to our own. | directly | firmly | inextricably | in, together, up Production and consumption are inextricably tied together.

PREP. in with The concert will tie in with the festival of dance taking place the same weekend. | to You can't stay tied to her forever. | up with Her behaviour is tied up with her feelings of guilt.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tiger noun

ADJ. man-eating | marauding | sabre-toothed

TIGER + VERB growl, purr, roar | spring | maul sb The zookeeper was mauled to death by a tiger. | prowl A marauding tiger was often seen prowling around the village.

TIGER + NOUN cub | skin | hunt

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tighten verb

¹ become/make sth firmer/tighter

ADV. fractionally, a little, slightly | convulsively, involuntarily Her fingers tightened convulsively with every jolt she received. | painfully | up Can you tighten up the bolts for me?

VERB + TIGHTEN seem to | feel sth, sense sth He felt his stomach tighten. | make sth His words made her throat tighten.

PREP. about/around/round His hand tightened painfully around her wrist. | on Her grip seemed to tighten on the door handle. | in He saw his father's jaw tighten in irritation. | into His mouth tightened into a thin hard line. | with Her face tightened with pain.

² make sth more strict

ADV. considerably

VERB + TIGHTEN take steps to Steps were taken to tighten discipline in the school.

PREP. up The law in this area has been tightened up considerably.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tights noun

QUANT. pair

VERB + TIGHTS pull on | peel off | ladder

TIGHTS + VERB ladder

PHRASES a ladder in your tights > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tight adj., adv.

¹ not loose

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get, go Those jeans have got too tight and I can't wear them any more. The rope suddenly went tight. | hold (on) ‘Hold tight!’ She increased her grip. | clamp sth, clench sth, close sth, draw sth, pull sth, shut sth, stretch sth, tie sth His jaw was clenched tight. Every muscle in her face was drawn tight. Shut your eyes tight. The cloth was stretched tight over the frame. | clutch sth, grip sth, hold sth, keep sth He held his children tight. Keep the rope tight.

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably | enough You didn't tie it tight enough.

² with not much time/money to spare

VERBS be, look, seem | get I think we'd better leave?time's getting very tight.

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very | a bit, fairly, pretty, rather

³ controlled very strictly

VERBS be, seem | become | remain Security at the airport remains tight.

ADV. extremely, really, very | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite | enough Are the controls tight enough?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tight adj., adv.

¹ not loose

ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably | enough You didn't tie it tight enough.

² with not much time/money to spare

VERBS be, look, seem | get I think we'd better leave?time's getting very tight.

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very | a bit, fairly, pretty, rather

³ controlled very strictly

VERBS be, seem | become | remain Security at the airport remains tight.

ADV. extremely, really, very | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite | enough Are the controls tight enough?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tile noun

ADJ. broken, damaged, loose, missing | decorative, glazed, hand-painted, plain | ceramic, clay, cork, mosaic, quarry, stone, terracotta, vinyl | carpet, ceiling, floor, roof/roofing, wall | bathroom, kitchen

VERB + TILE cover sth with, fit, lay, put down I'm laying ceramic floor tiles in the kitchen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

till noun

ADJ. computerized, electronic

TILL + VERB ring a sales idea that has set tills ringing all over the country

TILL + NOUN receipt, roll

PREP. at/behind/on the ~ The supermarket didn't have enough people working on the tills. | in/into a/the ~ Put the money straight into the till. | from/out of a/the ~ He gave her £10 from the till.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tilt noun

ADJ. sharp | slight | downward, upward | backward, forward

PREP. at a ~ I positioned the photo at a slight tilt. | ~ to/towards a tilt to the left

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tilt verb

ADV. sharply The ground tilted sharply downwards. | a little, slightly | back/backwards, down/downwards, forward, up/upwards

PREP. away from Tilt the mirror away from you. | towards Her face was tilted towards the sky.

PHRASES tilted to one side She thought for a minute, her head tilted to one side.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

timber noun

¹ trees/wood for use in building/carpentry

QUANT. baulk, length, piece

VERB + TIMBER cut, fell, harvest, saw | dress, season, treat

TIMBER + VERB decay, rot

TIMBER + NOUN product | company, industry, merchant, production, yard | construction, frame, structure, support | beam, building, floor, etc.

² (usually timbers) piece of wood used in a building

ADJ. sound | exposed The house has exposed oak timbers. | ceiling, floor, roof | ship's

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

timetable noun

VERB + TIMETABLE agree on, draw up, establish, outline, set (out) | adhere to, follow, keep to Implementation of the reforms was kept to a very strict timetable. | consult, look at

PREP. according to the ~ According to the timetable, the bus should have come in at 9.00. | in a/the ~ It said in the timetable that a train was due at 5.30. | ~ for The delegates outlined what they considered a realistic timetable for troop withdrawal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

time noun

¹ what is measured in minutes, hours, days, etc.

TIME + VERB elapse, go by, pass As time went by we saw less and less of each other. The changing seasons mark the passing of time. | fly How time flies! | drag Time drags in this job. | heal sth Time heals all wounds.

PREP. in ~ The world exists in time and space. | over ~ Perceptions change over time. | through ~ travel through time

PHRASES the mists of time The origins of this custom are lost in the mists of time.

² time shown on a clock

ADJ. good, perfect My watch keeps good time. | local The attacks were launched at 9 p.m. local time. | British Summer, Greenwich Mean, etc.

VERB + TIME tell Can your son tell the time yet? | have Have you got the time? | make What time do you make it? | look at Look at the time! We'll be late. | keep

PREP. ahead of/behind … ~ two hours behind Central European Time

PHRASES this time tomorrow, etc. This time tomorrow I'll be in Canada. | time in/of the morning/afternoon/evening, time of (the) night/year, time of day

³ time when sth happens/should happen

ADJ. peak There are extra buses at peak times. | closing, opening | arrival, departure

VERB + TIME fix, set We need to fix a time for the next meeting.

TIME + VERB come You'll feel differently about it when the time comes.

PREP. ahead of ~ Check the programme ahead of time. | behind ~ The plane took off an hour behind time. | by the ~ By the time you get there the meeting will be over. | in ~ We got home in time to see the end of the match. | on ~ The trains are rarely on time.

⁴ amount of time

VERB + TIME have Have you got time for a chat? I had no time to think. | give sb/sth I can certainly do the job if you give me time. | take (sb) It takes time to make changes in the law. It took her a long time to read the report.

Take your time (= take as much time as you like). | spend She spends much of her time reading. | kill, pass, while away It helps to pass the time. | fritter away, idle away | devote, put She devotes all her spare time to gardening. He put all his time into the show. | allow They didn't allow much time for discussion. | find, make I can never find time to write letters. I can probably make the time to see them. | wait We had to wait some time before the bus arrived. | gain, save You would save time with a dishwasher. | waste | lose, run out of We have no time to lose (= we must hurry). I didn't finish the test?I ran out of time. | be pressed for/short of | be out of | play for Not knowing what to do, she played for time by going to the bathroom.

TIME + VERB be up, run out Sorry, your time is up.

TIME + NOUN period, scale, span | limit | lag

PREP. at a ~ He surfs the Internet for hours at a time. | for a ~ I lived there for a time. | in ~ You'll get used to the work in time. | over/with ~ Her skills improved with time.

PHRASES all in good time (= sth will happen when the time is right) Be patient, Emily! All in good time. | all the time/the whole time The letter was in my pocket all the time (= while I was looking for it). She leaves the lights on all the time (= always/repeatedly). | a battle/race against time Finishing the book was a race against time. | if time permits We will discuss this matter later, if time permits. | in the fullness of time (= when the time is right, usually after a long period), in good/plenty of time Get to the airport in good time (= plenty of time before the plane leaves). | in next to no time/in no time at all, in ten minutes', three hours', etc. time I'll be back in ten minutes' time. | in your own (good) time (= taking as long as you want/need), a length of time Have you lived abroad for any length of time? | most of the time, a period of time, some/a long time ago Her parents died a long time ago. | a waste of time What a waste of time!

⁵ (often times) period in the past/present

ADJ. good, great, happy | bad, difficult, hard, rough, sad, troubled, unhappy Times are hard for the unemployed. | ancient, early, former, old in ancient times | modern, recent | medieval, prehistoric, etc.

VERB + TIME have We had a great time at the party.

TIME + VERB change Times have changed since Grandma was young.

PREP. at a/the~ He lived at the time of the French Revolution. At one time Mary was my best friend. | before your ~ The Beatles were before my time. | in your ~ Mr Curtis was the manager in my time (= when I was working there). | in ~s in times of trouble

PHRASES from/since time immemorial (= for a very long time), of all time the greatest footballer of all time | a sign of the times, time was when Time was when (= there was a time when) we never needed to lock our house at night.

⁶ occasion

ADJ. that, this I'm determined to pass this time. | last When was the last time you saw her? | another, next Next time you're here let's have lunch together. | one | each, every Every time I hear that song I feel happy. | appropriate, good, suitable Is this an appropriate time to discuss my salary? | appointed, right | bad, wrong This would be a bad time to tell her. | first, second, etc. | umpteenth | countless I've told you countless times.

VERB + TIME bide We'll have to bide our time until the rain stops.

TIME + VERB come Your time will come. | be ripe The time is ripe for revolution.

PREP. at a/the ~ The lift can take four people at a time. At the time of writing, a ceasefire is under discussion. Hot water is available at all times. He can be rather moody at times. | by the ~ She'll have gone by the time we get there. | for the … ~ I told her not to do it for the umpteenth time. | ~ for It's time for a break.

PHRASES at the present time, for the time being (= temporarily), a number of times, X times out of X three times out of ten

⁷ when you experience sth in a particular way

ADJ. enjoyable, fun, good, grand, great, marvellous, pleasant, splendid, wonderful It was a fun time for us girls. | awful, dreadful, horrible, miserable, sad, terrible

VERB + TIME have Did you have a good time in Spain?

⁸ time taken in a race, etc.

ADJ. fast | record He completed the course in record time.

VERB + TIME clock up, record She clocked up one of the fastest times of the year.

⁹ musical rhythm

ADJ. march, waltz | double, quick | four-four, three-four, etc.

VERB + TIME beat, keep The conductor beat time with a baton.

TIME + NOUN signature

PREP. in/out of ~ (to/with) clapping in time to the music

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

time verb

ADV. beautifully, conveniently, well This campaign is well timed. | perfectly, to perfection We had timed our arrival to perfection. | badly | carefully The schedule must be carefully timed.

PREP. for The meeting is timed for 3 o'clock.

PHRASES be timed to coincide with sth The show is timed to coincide with the launch of her new book.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

timing noun

ADJ. exact, precise There is disagreement within the government over the exact timing of the referendum. | convenient The timing of the meeting is not convenient. | inconvenient, unfortunate the unfortunate timing of the announcement | accurate, careful, good, impeccable, perfect | bad, poor | split-second | comic

VERB + TIMING have He has the split-second timing all good players need.

PREP. with … ~ The punchline was delivered with perfect comic timing.

PHRASES get the timing right/wrong, a matter of timing Using press releases to good effect is a matter of timing. | a sense of timing She has a wonderful sense of timing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tinge noun

ADJ. faint, slight blue with a slight tinge of purple | blue, bluish, etc. a slight reddish tinge

VERB + TINGE have

PREP. ~ of a tinge of regret | ~ to The sky had a slight pink tinge to it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tinkle noun

ADJ. faint, little, soft

VERB + TINKLE hear

PREP. with a ~ The wine glass dropped to the floor with a tinkle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tint noun

ADJ. rich | blue, bluish, etc. | autumn The fabrics were mainly in rich autumn tints, reds and oranges.

PREP. ~ of The branches of the trees were barely showing their first tint of green.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tiny adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become

ADV. extremely, really, very | quite | comparatively, relatively The minister appealed to the Cabinet not to target her comparatively tiny budget of £4 billion.

PHRASES little tiny/tiny little Look at his little tiny fingers. Aren't they sweet?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tin noun

ADJ. biscuit | airtight, sealed

TIN + NOUN opener (also tin-opener)

PREP. in a/the ~ Store the seeds in an airtight tin. | ~ of a tin of tomatoes

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tip-off noun

ADJ. anonymous | phone VERB + TIP-OFF give sb | get, receive | act on Acting on a tip-off, police raided the house.

PREP. ~ about Customs officers had received a tip-off about a shipment of cocaine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tip noun

¹ pointed end

ADJ. northern, etc. We took a bus to the northern tip of the island. | very The cat was black except for a patch of white on the very tip of its tail.

PREP. ~ of the tips of your fingers/toes

² money

ADJ. big, generous, good, large | poor, small

VERB + TIP give sb, leave sb He left the waitress a large tip. | get We get rather poor tips on weeknights.

³ advice

ADJ. good, handy, helpful, useful | hot He said he'd been given a hot tip for that afternoon's race. | beauty, gardening, money-saving, safety, etc. | racing

VERB + TIP have | give sb, pass on | take, use Take a safety tip from me?get that light mended! | pick up

PREP. ~ for some handy tips for gardeners | ~ on Do you have any tips on buying a second-hand car?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tip verb (often be tipped)

ADV. hotly, strongly | widely

PREP. as The senator has been widely tipped as a future president. | for The band is being hotly tipped for the top.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tiredness noun

ADJ. desperate, extreme, overwhelming | mental, physical | chronic, constant

QUANT. wave Once the last boxes were packed away, he was overtaken by a wave of tiredness.

VERB + TIREDNESS be overtaken by, feel, suffer from | relieve

TIREDNESS + VERB overcome sb Finally tiredness overcame him, and he fell asleep on the sofa. | set in A desperate tiredness set in after hours of anxious waiting.

PHRASES a sign of tiredness The team was in good spirits and showed no signs of tiredness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tired adj.

¹ needing rest

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get | leave sb, make sb The walk left me quite tired out.

ADV. awfully, bone (informal), dead, desperately, extremely, really, terribly, very Polly suddenly felt bone tired. | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | just Of course I'm not ill. I'm just tired. | enough He felt tired enough to go to sleep standing up. | mentally, physically | visibly | out

PREP. from I'm still a bit tired from the journey.

PHRASES tired and drawn He looked tired and drawn.

² tired of sb/sth: feeling you have had enough

VERBS be | become, get, grow (formal) She had grown heartily tired of his company.

ADV. heartily, really, very | a bit, a little, rather

PHRASES sick and tired (informal) I'm sick and tired of listening to you whine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tire verb

ADV. easily, quickly She found herself tiring more quickly these days. | out The long walk had really tired me out.

VERB + TIRE begin to After an hour Rick began to tire.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tissue noun

¹ organic material

ADJ. living | healthy, normal Vitamin C helps maintain healthy connective tissue. | damaged, diseased | animal, human, plant Dyes were extracted by boiling the plant tissue. | body, brain, intestinal, muscle, etc. | connective, scar | fat, fatty, fibrous, soft She treats skin and soft tissue injuries in casualty.

² paper handkerchief

ADJ. paper | toilet

QUANT. box, pack, packet, wad She grabbed a wad of tissues from the box and soaked up the spilt wine.

VERB + TISSUE use

PREP. on a/the ~ He wiped his nose on a tissue. | with a/the ~ She gently dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

title noun

¹ name of a book, film, etc.

ADJ. book, essay, film, song

VERB + TITLE give sth

TITLE + NOUN page | role He played the title role in ‘Hamlet’. | track ‘Birth’, the title track of his latest album

PREP. under a/the ~ She published her poetry under the title ‘The Land and the Garden’.

² book, magazine, etc.

ADJ. new Forty per cent of new titles were actually new editions of existing books. | best-selling

VERB + TITLE publish The company is publishing fewer titles than last year.

³ name of a rank/profession

ADJ. grand, long She bears the grand title ‘Divisional President of the Finances Committee’. | courtesy, diplomatic, honorary, honorific, official ‘Mrs’ was a courtesy title for any unmarried woman in business at that time. ‘Minister’ is one of several diplomatic titles. | job His job title is Special Projects Officer. | full Victor Oldenburg, or Count Victor Oldenburg and Hess, to give him his full title

VERB + TITLE bear, have, inherit She has a title (= is of noble birth). | award, bestow, confer The king bestowed lands and titles upon his followers.

⁴ championship win

ADJ. European, national, world, etc. | championship, French Open, Premier League, etc. | heavyweight, middleweight, etc.

VERB + TITLE clinch, win Deportivo clinched the title with a goal in the final seconds of the last game of the season. | hold He held the world heavyweight title until last year. | defend | retain | lose

TITLE + NOUN challenge, fight, match He has been building up fitness for his world title challenge. | holder > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toast noun

¹ bread

ADJ. brown, white, wholemeal | dry | soggy

QUANT. piece, round, slice We'll have another round of toast, please.

VERB + TOAST make making toast for breakfast | butter, spread buttered toast She ate two slices of toast spread with jam. | burn I can smell burnt toast.

PREP. on ~ For lunch we had cheese on toast.

² drink

VERB + TOAST make, propose He raised his glass as if to make a toast. | drink | respond to

PREP. ~ to The bridegroom ended his speech by proposing a toast to the hosts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toast verb

¹ make sth brown and crisp by heating it

ADV. lightly Toast the bread lightly on both sides.

² drink to sb/sth

ADV. silently He raised his glass, silently toasting his absent son.

PREP. in/with We toasted his victory in champagne.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tobacco noun

ADJ. mild, strong | stale | pipe

VERB + TOBACCO chew, smoke | be addicted to | grow

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toenail noun

ADJ. ingrowing

VERB + TOENAIL clip, cut, trim

TOENAIL + NOUN clippings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toe noun

ADJ. big, little The shoe pressed painfully against her big toe. | bare Under his bare toes the floor felt gritty. | broken, bruised

VERB + TOE stand on, tread on She stood on her toes to kiss him. Ouch! That was my toe you just trod on. (figurative) She trod on a lot of toes when she joined the company. | stub | break, bruise, crack | dip I dipped my toe in the river to test the temperature. (figurative) So far they have only dipped their toe in the potentially vast computer market. | point | curl | touch Can you touch your toes (= while keeping your legs straight)?

TOE + VERB curl (often figurative) The man's broad smile made her toes curl (= made her feel embarrassed or uncomfortable).

TOE + NOUN injury

PREP. between the/your ~s He had some kind of fungus between his toes. | on your ~s He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer. (figurative) The threat of inspections kept us all on our toes (= made sure we kept everything up to standard and were ready).

PHRASES from head/top to toe He gave himself a good scrub from head to toe. | the tips of your toes I stood on the tips of my toes to look through the window. | the toe of your boot/shoe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toilet noun

VERB + TOILET go to, use I need to go to the toilet. | be desperate for, need Do you need the toilet? | flush (sth down) Someone's forgotten to flush the toilet. He flushed the letter down the toilet. | block, clog | unblock

TOILET + NOUN bowl, seat | paper, roll, tissue | brush, cleaner | facilities | training

PREP. in the ~, on the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toil noun

ADJ. hard | relentless, unceasing, unending, unremitting | daily | manual, physical | honest

PHRASES hours, years, etc. of toil a lifetime of unremitting toil | sweat and toil a day of sweat and toil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

token noun

ADJ. good luck, love

PREP. in ~ of She presented them with a small gift in token of her thanks.

PHRASES (as) a token of appreciation/friendship/respect We hope you will accept this book as a small token of our appreciation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tolerable adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth | find sth She inspected the rooms and found them perfectly tolerable.

ADV. very | perfectly | barely, scarcely In August the heat is barely tolerable. | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tolerance noun

ADJ. great, high, remarkable | low | amused, patronising He watched the kids throw water around with amused tolerance. | political, racial, religious | zero (of crime) Howard County has a zero tolerance policy on alcohol use by teenagers.

QUANT. degree, level

VERB + TOLERANCE have | show | lack | learn

TOLERANCE + NOUN level

PREP. ~ for Some children have a low tolerance for boredom. | ~ of people with a high tolerance of discomfort | ~ to Tolerance to alcohol decreases with age. | ~ towards She was showing greater tolerance towards her younger sister than before.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tolerant adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become, get, grow

ADV. extremely, remarkably, surprisingly, very, wonderfully Mares are surprisingly tolerant of the roughness and rudeness of their own offspring. | pretty, quite, reasonably He's pretty tolerant of my faults.

PREP. of They learn to be tolerant of other people. | towards They are more tolerant towards gypsies now.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tolerate verb

¹ allow sth you do not like

ADV. barely | merely She actually seemed pleased to see him: most of her visitors she merely tolerated. | grudgingly | officially Union activity was officially tolerated but strongly discouraged. | no longer The government is not prepared to tolerate this situation any longer.

VERB + TOLERATE be unable to, (not) be prepared to, (not) be willing to, cannot/could not, find sth difficult to, will/would not I will not tolerate this behaviour!

² not be affected by difficult conditions

ADV. readily, well This plant prefers alkaline soil, though it will readily tolerate some acidity. She tolerated the chemotherapy well.

VERB + TOLERATE be unable to, cannot/could not, find/make sth difficult to, will/would not people whose eye condition makes it difficult to tolerate bright light

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toleration noun

ADJ. religious

QUANT. degree, measure Religious minorities were allowed a wide measure of toleration.

PREP. ~ for He preached toleration for all religions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toll noun

¹ money that you pay to use a road, bridge, etc.

ADJ. motorway, road

VERB + TOLL charge, collect, exact, impose, levy the possibility of imposing tolls on some motorways | pay

TOLL + NOUN bridge, motorway, road | booth | charge

² amount of damage done/number of people killed

ADJ. great, heavy, terrible, tragic | casualty, death, injury | human

VERB + TOLL take The pressure of fame can take a terrible toll. The recession is taking its toll.

TOLL + VERB mount, rise The death toll from yesterday's crash is still rising. | reach sth The casualty toll could reach 200.

PREP. ~ on Illness has taken a heavy toll on her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tomato noun

ADJ. ripe | green | rotten, squashed | cherry, plum | sundried, tinned

VERB + TOMATO eat, have | chop, peel, slice | grow

TOMATO + NOUN juice, ketchup, paste, puree, salad, sauce, soup | plant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tone noun

¹ quality of a sound, especially of the human voice

ADJ. deep, low | falling, rising The rising tone of her voice emphasized her panic. | hushed, quiet, subdued speaking in hushed tones | clear, ringing | sharp, shrill, stentorian, strident | gravelly | dry, even, expressionless, flat, level, measured, neutral The question was posed in a flat tone. | normal, reasonable | brisk, businesslike, matter-of-fact She answered him in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone. | commanding, firm, forthright | formal | sepulchral, solemn | dramatic, urgent | casual, offhand | bright, conversational | gentle, mild, pleasant, soft, sympathetic, warm Her tone was mild, almost conversational. | dulcet, honeyed (both often ironic) We heard the dulcet tones of the sergeant, bawling at us to get on parade. | clipped, cool, curt, frigid, hard, harsh, icy In cool, clipped tones, he told her what had happened. | aggressive, biting, contemptuous, disapproving, dismissive, ironic, mocking, patronizing, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing, threatening His tone was faintly mocking. | aggrieved, reproachful, shocked | bantering, conciliatory, conspiratorial, reverential, wheedling

VERB + TONE adopt, speak in, take When she heard my accent, she adopted a warmer tone. Don't you take that tone with me. | soften | change | interpret Her tone was hard to interpret.

TONE + VERB change His tone changed dramatically when he saw the money. | convey sth, imply sth, indicate sth, suggest sth | betray sb/sth, give away sb/sth Her tone betrayed her impatience.

PREP. in a/the ~ ‘You ought to have thought of them,’ she said in a reproachful tone. | in ~s of ‘I don't believe it!’ cried Henry in tones of utter amazement.

PHRASES a tone of voice I didn't like his tone of voice; I felt he was being condescending.

² general quality/style of sb/sth

ADJ. dominant, general, overall, prevailing The general tone of the report was favourable. | moral, political, social The newspaper sets a high moral tone in its editorial about politicians' private lives. | favourable | negative | comic, humorous

VERB + TONE set Her enthusiastic speech set the tone for the day's conference.

PREP. in ~ His letter was very negative in tone.

³ shade of a colour

⁴ on the telephone

ADJ. dial/dialling, engaged

VERB + TONE get I keep getting the engaged tone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tongue noun

¹ soft part inside the mouth

ADJ. forked | loose, sharp (both figurative) Everyone knows now, thanks to Ken's loose tongue (= he could not keep the secret). She could tear a character to pieces in three minutes with her sharp tongue.

VERB + TONGUE poke/put/stick out It's very rude to stick your tongue out at people. | run He ran his tongue nervously over his lips. | click/cluck | bite, hold (both figurative) She was dying to say something sarcastic to him, but bit her tongue and stayed silent. | free, loosen (both figurative) The wine had loosened his tongue. | roll/slip/trip off It's not a name that exactly trips off the tongue (= is easy to say).

TONGUE + VERB hang out The dog lay in a patch of shade with its tongue hanging out. | flick, flicker The snake's tongue flicked out of its mouth. | lick sth His tongue licked dry lips. | wag (figurative) This is a small island and tongues are beginning to wag (= people are beginning to gossip). | find (figurative) Before she could find her tongue (= speak) the door had closed behind him. | watch (figurative) You just watch your tongue (= be careful what you say)!

PHRASES be on the tip of your tongue (figurative) It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse. | get your tongue around/round sth (figurative) He was having trouble getting his tongue around my name. | a tongue of fire/flame (figurative) Tongues of flame licked up the walls.

² a language

ADJ. mother, native She speaks English and Danish, though her native tongue is German. | foreign | strange

PREP. in a/the ~ She could hear men whispering in a foreign tongue.

PHRASES speak in tongues (= to speak in unknown languages, especially at a religious ceremony)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tonne noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tonsils noun

ADJ. swollen

VERB + TONSILS have out I had my tonsils out when I was ten.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ton noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tool noun

¹ instrument for making/repairing things

QUANT. set

VERB + TOOL use | sharpen | blunt Cutting concrete would blunt a metal-cutting tool. | down ~s Workers downed tools (= stopped work) in protest at poor safety standards in the works.

TOOL + NOUN kit

PHRASES the tool/tools of the trade The guitarist opened the case and took out the tool of his trade.

² sth that helps you do/achieve sth

ADJ. effective, essential, important, indispensable, invaluable, major, necessary, powerful, useful, valuable, vital | educational, learning, reference, research This dictionary is an invaluable reference tool for advanced learners. | ideological, negotiating, political, propaganda We must ensure that education is not used as a political tool. | communication, management, marketing | analysis/analytical, design, desktop, development, drawing, multimedia, presentation, programming, software

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tooth noun

VERB + TOOTH have | brush, clean | extract, pull out, remove | have out I've just had a tooth out at the dentist's. | knock out | lose I lost three teeth in the fight. | fill | bare, reveal, show The dog bared its teeth at us and growled. The man smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. | clamp, clench, grit He broke off what he was saying, clamping his teeth together. She answered through clenched teeth (= opening her mouth only a little because of anger). | clamp sth between/in His pipe was firmly clamped between his teeth. | gnash, grind | sink The cat sank its teeth into his finger. | cut The baby's crying because he's cutting a new tooth (= a new one is coming through).

TOOTH + NOUN decay, loss | abscess | enamel | mark The cat left teeth marks in my arm.

PREP. against the/your ~ He clashed the spoon against his teeth as he ate. | between the/your ~ She answered the phone with a cigarette between her teeth. | in the/your ~ The cat came in with a mouse in its teeth. | through the/your ~ ‘Come here now!’ she growled through her teeth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toot noun

VERB + TOOT give (sb), let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ The car overtook with a toot. | ~ of

PHRASES the toot of a horn, a toot on the horn The taxi driver gave a toot on the horn. > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

topic noun

ADJ. chosen, selected | broad, general, large, wide Before dealing with specific cases, she spoke on the broad topic of ‘discipline’. | diverse, wide-ranging The book covers such diverse topics as snorkelling and first aid. | narrow | central, dominant, important, key, main, major, principal | complex, difficult | conversational, essay, lecture, research | controversial, sensitive It might be better to avoid such a controversial topic. | historical, philosophical, scientific, social, etc.

VERB + TOPIC consider, cover, discuss, explore, deal with, focus on, look at, speak on, write on In the next chapter the writer focuses on the topic of adoption.

TOPIC + NOUN area, heading | work Our teaching is based largely on topic work.

PREP. on a/the ~ Mr Graham will speak on the topic of dog breeding.

PHRASES a choice of topic She was an excellent speaker, but I found her choice of topic strange. | a range/variety of topics, a topic of conversation/discussion His main topic of conversation is football.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

topless adj.

VERBS be, go, perform, pose, sunbathe Do you dare to go topless on the beach? There were rumours that she had posed topless for a magazine. | show sb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

top adj.

VERBS be | come She came top in the exams.

PREP. in She was top in maths. | of He was top of his class.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

top noun

¹ highest part/surface of sth

ADJ. extreme, very We didn't climb to the very top of the mountain, but close enough. | cliff (also clifftop), hill (also hilltop), mountain (also mountaintop), roof (also rooftop), table, tree (also treetop)

PREP. at the ~, on ~ Each cake had a cherry on top. There was a vase on top of the bookcase. | to the ~

PHRASES from top to bottom I'm going to clean the house from top to bottom this weekend.

² highest/most important rank/position

VERB + TOP get to, make it to, reach, rise to Few of the trainee footballers make it to the top. She rose to the top of her profession within ten years.

PREP. at the ~ The company has an unusually high proportion of young people at the top. | on ~, to the ~

PHRASES top of the agenda Pay was now (at the) top of the employees' agenda. | top of the class She was top of the class in maths.

³ cover that you put on sth in order to close it

ADJ. bottle

VERB + TOP lever off, prise off, remove, take off, unscrew | put on, screw on

⁴ piece of clothing

ADJ. hooded, long-sleeved, sleeveless | baggy, loose | bikini, pyjama, tracksuit > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

torch noun

¹ electric light carried in the hand

ADJ. powerful | electric

VERB + TORCH carry, have | switch off/on, turn off/on | flash, play, point, shine The policeman played his torch over the men's faces. I shone my torch through the crack.

TORCH + VERB flash, play, shine A powerful torch shone in their direction.

TORCH + NOUN beam

PHRASES the beam of a torch, light from/of a torch We struggled to read the map by the light of the torch.

² piece of burning wood carried to give light

ADJ. blazing, burning, flaming, flaring, flickering

VERB + TORCH light They lit their torches from the fire. | carry, hold Servants were carrying lighted torches.

TORCH + VERB light The path to the castle was lit by blazing torches. | burn The torches were burning fiercely. | flare | flicker, splutter | go out The torch flickered and went out.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

torment noun

ADJ. great | inner, mental, private

VERB + TORMENT endure, suffer She has suffered great mental torment. | be released from

PREP. in ~ He was a man in torment.

PHRASES a soul in torment The sea wailed like a soul in torment.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tornado noun

TORNADO + VERB hit sth, strike sth The town was hit by a tornado last night. | damage sth, destroy sth, devastate sth

PREP. in a/the ~ The building was badly damaged in a tornado.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

torpedo noun

VERB + TORPEDO carry enemy planes carrying torpedoes | fire, launch, release | drop

TORPEDO + VERB hit sth, strike sth

TORPEDO + NOUN tube | boat, bomber

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

torrent noun

¹ large amount of water moving very quickly

ADJ. raging, roaring, rushing After heavy rain, the little stream becomes a raging torrent. | foaming, muddy

PREP. in ~s The rain poured down in torrents.

PHRASES a torrent of rain/water

² large amount of sth that comes suddenly

VERB + TORRENT unleash The sight of her father unleashed a torrent of emotions.

PREP. in a ~ Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words. | ~ of a torrent of abuse/criticism/tears

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

torso noun

ADJ. bare, naked | tanned | lower, upper | human | headless, mutilated The headless torso of a man was found in some bushes.

VERB + TORSO reveal He took off his shirt to reveal his tanned torso.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

torture noun

ADJ. brutal | systematic | mental, physical

VERB + TORTURE inflict | suffer

TORTURE + NOUN camp, chamber, room | victim

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

torture verb

ADV. badly, brutally, severely | routinely The prisoners were routinely tortured.

PHRASES torture sb to death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toss noun

VERB + TOSS lose, win England won the toss and chose to kick off.

PREP. with a ~

PHRASES (by/on) the toss of a coin The order of play was decided by the toss of a coin. | a toss of sb's/the head ‘Of course not, ’ she said with a toss of her head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toss verb

¹ throw sth carelessly

ADV. carelessly, casually She picked up the package and casually tossed it into her bag. | aside, away, back, over She tossed back her blonde hair.

PREP. into, out of, to He tossed the letter over to me.

² keep moving up and down/from side to side

ADV. restlessly She tossed about restlessly all night with a high fever. | about He was tossed about in his boat.

PHRASES toss and turn He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

³ cover food in a sauce

ADV. gently, lightly | well | together

PREP. in Toss the vegetables lightly in olive oil.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

total noun

ADJ. annual, monthly | combined, cumulative, grand, overall, sum His two goals give him a grand total of 32 for the season. The sum total of my knowledge of biology is not impressive. | final | high, huge, large, record a record total of victories | low, small | global, national, world/worldwide | jobless, unemployment Britain's jobless total rose by 20,000 last month.

VERB + TOTAL add up to, give, make (up) Their earnings were £250, £300 and £420, giving a total of £970. | bring, take A donation of £250 has been received, bringing the total to £3,750. | achieve The Greens achieved a total of 18 seats.

TOTAL + VERB rise | fall

PREP. in ~ In total, they spent 420 hours on the project. | out of a ~ of 180 vehicles out of a total of 900 examined were not roadworthy. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

touched adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem

ADV. deeply, greatly, really, very | quite, rather

PREP. by We were deeply touched by your concern.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

touch noun

¹ act of touching sb/sth

ADJ. delicate, gentle, light, slight The slightest touch will set off the alarm.

PREP. at sb/sth's ~ The door swung open at his touch. You can now do your shopping at the touch of a button.

² small detail

ADJ. final, finishing | decorative, festive, homely, romantic The family photos give the room a homely touch. | humorous | classy, lovely, nice, professional Giving her flowers was a nice touch. | feminine, human, idiosyncratic, individual, personal | little The decor includes many idiosyncratic little touches.

VERB + TOUCH add, give sth, put She's just putting the finishing touches to her painting.

³ particular ability

ADJ. golden, magic | deft, sure With students she had a sure touch and showed great personal sensitivity. | light He handles this controversial subject with a light touch. | political He found his old political touch when the crisis emerged.

VERB + TOUCH find | lose Maybe the champion is losing her magic touch.

⁴ small amount of sth

ADJ. little, subtle | welcome

VERB + TOUCH add, bring Her speech brought a welcome touch of humour to the evening.

PREP. with a ~ of ‘Thanks,’ she said, with a touch of sarcasm. | ~ of

⁵ contact

ADJ. close The security staff were in close touch with the local police.

VERB + TOUCH get in I'm trying to get in touch with Jane. Do you have her number? | keep in, stay in It is important to keep in touch with the latest research. Let's keep in touch. | put sb in I'll put you in touch with someone in your area. | lose I've lost touch with all my old friends.

PREP. in ~ Are you still in touch with your friends from college? | out of ~ This government is increasingly out of touch with ordinary voters. | ~ with

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

touch verb

¹ put your hand on sb/sth; be in contact with sb/sth

ADV. (not) actually, not even, not quite He did not actually touch the substance, but may have inhaled microparticles. | barely, hardly, scarcely You've hardly touched your food (= not eaten it). | almost, nearly, practically Their faces were almost touching. | just | briefly His fingers briefly touched hers. | gently, lightly | gingerly | accidentally, inadvertently He accidentally touched a live wire attached to overhead power cables. | never He said I kicked him, but I never touched him!

VERB + TOUCH want to | (not) dare (to) Don't you dare touch me! | reach out to Her hand reached out to touch his cheek. | let sb He wouldn't let me touch the wound.

PREP. on He touched her gently on the arm. | with She touched him with her hand.

² make sb feel a strong emotion

ADV. deeply The story touched me very deeply. PHRASAL VERBS touch on/upon sth

ADV. briefly | just, merely Photojournalism and the birth of photography are merely touched on in the book.

VERB + TOUCH want to I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tough adj.

¹ difficult/unpleasant

VERBS be, seem | get

ADV. extremely, particularly, really, very | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite Things were pretty tough at first.

PREP. on It's very tough on the wives when the husbands go off like that.

² strict/firm

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. extremely, particularly, very | fairly, pretty, quite | enough Has the government been tough enough on polluters?

PREP. on The government has promised to get tough on crime. | with You have to be tough with these young thugs.

³ strong

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get, grow | act, talk (both informal) Then this guy started acting tough.

ADV. incredibly, really, remarkably, very | pretty, quite, reasonably | enough Are you sure you're physically tough enough for this job? | mentally, physically

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tourism noun

ADJ. international, overseas | mass, package | expanding, increased | eco-friendly, ecological, environmental, green, sustainable | farm

VERB + TOURISM boost, increase, promote | be dependent upon, depend on, rely on The islands' economy is largely dependent upon tourism.

TOURISM + VERB boom, increase With the advent of the railways, tourism boomed. | decline, fall, slump

TOURISM + NOUN business, enterprise, industry, market, sector | development, promotion | strategy | officer | potential The city is finally realizing its tourism potential.

PREP. through ~ The town survives mainly through tourism.

PHRASES a decline/downturn/drop in tourism, the development/promotion of tourism, earnings/income/revenue from tourism, the growth in/of tourism, the impact of tourism, an increase/a rise in tourism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tourist noun

ADJ. foreign, Western | American, Japanese, etc. | modern, nineteenth-century

QUANT. coachload, party

VERB + TOURIST attract, draw The Story of the Loch Ness Monster has attracted many tourists to the area. | drive/frighten away The high level of crime is frightening away tourists.

TOURIST + VERB flock to sth, frequent sth, visit sth the part of town most frequented by tourists

TOURIST + NOUN area, centre, destination, haunt, resort, spot, town, trap Recently Edinburgh has become a popular tourist centre. | attraction, facility, sight Pompeii is one of Italy's prime tourist attractions. The theme park is the region's most popular tourist facility. | route, trail The town is off the usual tourist trail. | hotel, shop | business, industry, trade | board, office | information the local tourist information office | guide I bought a tourist guide to Paris. She works as a tourist guide. | map | traffic, visitors the reduction in tourist traffic due to the violence | season | potential The city has unrealized tourist potential. | visa | bus, coach

PHRASES influx of tourists The festival is accompanied by a huge influx of tourists.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tournament noun

VERB + TOURNAMENT enter, play (in), take part in The tournament was played under floodlights. Several top teams have agreed to play in the tournament. | win | hold, organize

TOURNAMENT + VERB take place

TOURNAMENT + NOUN victory, win her first tournament win of the season | leader, winner | director, organizer, sponsor | referee | player, professional the tournament professional at the local golf club | golf She retired from tournament golf last year.

PREP. in a/the ~ the strongest player in the tournament | out of a/the ~ The loser will be out of the tournament.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tour noun

¹ journey

ADJ. foreign, international, national, nationwide, overseas, provincial, world | American, UK, etc. | two-city, three-country, etc. The group will shortly go on a ten-city European tour. | whirlwind, whistle-stop The president embarked on a whirlwind tour of the provinces. | comprehensive, gruelling, lengthy, long, marathon | two-week, three-week, etc. | official the prime minister's first official overseas tour | grand He took his degree in 1665 before embarking on the grand tour (= a tour of Europe lasting several months). | inclusive, package an all-inclusive package tour of Austria | mystery (often humorous) We reboarded the coach and set off on a magical mystery tour in search of tea. | coach, cycle, rail, walking | camping | cricket, rugby, etc. | concert, lecture, speaking, study, theatre | sell-out, successful The band is just back from a sell-out European tour.

VERB + TOUR do, go on, make, undertake | embark on, set off on

TOUR + NOUN company, operator | date, schedule Phone for details of the band's tour dates. | leader, manager Our tour leaders are all fluent in English. The team's tour manager called a press conference. | party, squad He wasn't selected for England's tour party to Australia. | bus, van

PREP. on (a) ~ We met a group of cyclists on a tour in the Lake District. The band is currently on tour in the States. | ~ of I'd like to do a tour of Belgium on foot.

PHRASES tour of duty The soldiers were returning from a six-month tour of duty in Northern Ireland.

² short visit

VERB + TOUR give sb, take sb on | do, make I made a lightning tour of the office to say goodbye.

TOUR + NOUN guide

PHRASES tour of inspection The headmaster started his tour of inspection with the staff room.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tour verb

ADV. extensively

VERB + TOUR plan to

PREP. all over We plan to tour all over the country. | in She has toured extensively in the US.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

towel noun

VERB + TOWEL drape, wrap He had a towel draped across his shoulders.

TOWEL + VERB hang Several towels hung over the side of the bath.

TOWEL + NOUN rail a heated towel rail

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tower noun

TOWER + VERB collapse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

town noun

¹ place with many streets and buildings

VERB + TOWN build, found | live in How many people live in the town? | get out of, leave, move out of He left town yesterday for a conference in York. They wanted to move out of town and start a new life in the country.

TOWN + VERB grow | flourish

TOWN + NOUN hall, square, walls | council | life | planning

PREP. in ~ They'll be back in town tomorrow. | out of ~ I was out of town last week. an out-of-town superstore | outside (the) ~ a lake just outside the town

PHRASES the centre/middle of (the) town, the edge/outskirts of (the) town

² main part of a town, with the shops, etc.

VERB + TOWN go into I'm going into town?can I get you anything?

PREP. in ~ Mum's in town doing some shopping.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tow noun

VERB + TOW give sb A truck driver gave me a tow to the nearest garage.

TOW + NOUN bar, line, rope | plane, truck, vehicle | pilot

PREP. in ~ (usually figurative) a harassed mother with three small children in tow | under ~ The ship, whose engine had failed, is now safely under tow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toxic adj.

VERBS be, stay | become | remain

ADV. extremely, highly, very | quite | potentially potentially toxic chemicals

PREP. to This chemical is toxic to many forms of life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

toy noun

VERB + TOY play with | snatch Freddie kept snatching toys from the other children. | pick up, put away, tidy up/away

TOY + NOUN department, library, shop, store All kinds of toys can be borrowed from the toy library. | company, maker, manufacturer | box, cupboard

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trace noun

¹ mark/sign that shows sb/sth happened/existed

ADJ. archaeological, historical | indelible, permanent | memory (technical)

VERB + TRACE leave The burglar had left several traces of his presence. Little trace is left of how Stone Age people lived. | bear, reveal, show | discover, find The search party had found no trace of the missing climbers. | obliterate, remove Remove all traces of rust with a small wire brush. | disappear/sink/vanish without The ship seems to have sunk without trace.

TRACE + VERB remain Traces still remain of the long-defunct Surrey Iron Railway.

PREP. with/without a ~ of sth ‘No thanks,’ she said, with a trace of irritation in her voice. | without ~ The plane was lost without a trace over the Atlantic.

² very small amount of sth

ADJ. discernible, faint, minute, slight, small, tiny There was not the faintest trace of irony in her voice. | unmistakable

VERB + TRACE contain The water was found to contain traces of sulphuric acid. | detect, find

TRACE + NOUN amount | element, gas, metal, mineral Kelp is rich in vitamins and trace elements.

PREP. ~ of a trace of amusement/anxiety/a smile

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trace verb

¹ find out where sth is/where it comes from

ADV. successfully

PREP. to The stolen paintings have been successfully traced to a London warehouse.

² find/describe the cause/origin of sth

ADV. carefully | easily Words have over the centuries acquired meanings not easily traced in dictionaries. | directly | historically | back

VERB + TRACE can | attempt to, try to | be difficult to The origins of the custom are difficult to trace. | be possible to

PREP. to The book traces the history of the game back to an incident in 1863.

³ mark where the line of sth is with a thin object

ADV. lightly

PREP. with She lightly traced the outline of his face with her finger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

track record noun

ADJ. good, impressive, proven | poor

VERB + TRACK RECORD have, possess

PREP. ~ for If possible, select pairs of fish that already have a track record for breeding. | ~ in Applicants should have a proven track record in telesales.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

track noun

¹ marks left behind by a car/a person/an animal

ADJ. deep | fresh | animal, boot, car, tyre The beach is criss-crossed with animal tracks.

VERB + TRACK leave, make Rabbits had left tracks in the snow. | cover (often figurative) He had been careless, and had done little to cover his tracks. | follow

PREP. on the ~ of (often figurative) She felt the excitement of a journalist on the track of a good story.

PHRASES freeze/halt/stop in your tracks (figurative), halt/stop sb/sth in their/its tracks (figurative) The disease was stopped in its tracks by immunization programmes. | make tracks (figurative) It's getting late?I'd better make tracks (= leave).

² path/rough road

VERB + TRACK follow

TRACK + VERB lead The track leads across a meadow. | fork When the track forks, take the left fork.

PREP. along/down/up a/the ~ Continue along the farm track for another hundred metres.

PHRASES off the beaten track (figurative) (= not in a place that most people go to), on the right/wrong track (figurative) The new manager successfully got the team back onto the right track. | on the wrong track (figurative) The police were on the wrong track when they treated the case as a revenge killing.

³ special path, often in a circle, for racing

PHRASES track and field The competition features many top track and field athletes.

⁴ metal rails on which a train runs

ADJ. rail, railway, tram | double, single | elevated | eastbound, westbound, etc. | narrow gauge, standard gauge

VERB + TRACK lay | lift Many branch lines were closed, and the tracks lifted.

TRACK + NOUN layout

⁵ direction/course that sb/sth takes

ADJ. fast, inside an inside track to the ear of government | parallel, twin a twin track approach to crime | career She decided to change her career track.

VERB + TRACK switch He switched tracks and went back to college.

PREP. along a/the ~ Film comedy developed along a similar track to film drama. | on (a/the) ~ A UN spokesman insisted that the implementation of the peace plan is back on track. The ship was on a southerly track. | ~ for She seems to be on the fast track for promotion. | ~ to The country is on the fast track to democracy.

PHRASES keep track of sth (= to know what is happening, where sth is, etc.) Keep track of all your payments by writing them down in a book. | lose track of sth (= to not know what is happening, where sth is, etc.) I was so absorbed in my work that I lost track of time.

⁶ one song/piece of music on a cassette/CD

VERB + TRACK cut, lay down, record She had already cut a couple of tracks as lead singer with her own group. | play | listen to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tractor noun

ADJ. caterpillar | agricultural, farm

VERB + TRACTOR drive

TRACTOR + VERB plough, work the sound of a tractor ploughing in the field nearby

TRACTOR + NOUN driver | cab | shed

PREP. on a/the ~ a farmer on his tractor

PHRASES a tractor and trailer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trade union (also trades union, union) noun

ADJ. free, independent, official, public sector, recognized, registered | militant, strong | local, national | electricians', teachers', etc.

VERB + TRADE UNION form, set up | dissolve | join | belong to | ban

TRADE UNION + VERB be affiliated to sth | represent sb/sth The union represents 40% of all hospital workers. | negotiate (sth) The nurses' union negotiated a 3% pay rise. | accept sth, agree (to sth) | refuse sth, reject sth, threaten sth The union threatened strike action if its demands were not met. | claim sth, express sth Several unions expressed support for the strike. | support sb/sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trader noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tradesman noun

ADJ. skilled This is a job for a skilled tradesman. | local | self-employed | respectable He got into trouble for seducing the daughter of a respectable tradesman. | wealthy

PHRASES tradesmen's entrance All deliveries should be made to the tradesmen's entrance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trade noun

¹ buying/selling of goods/services

VERB + TRADE carry on, conduct, do, engage in, ply the tools needed to carry on a trade All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. | boost, build up, develop, expand, increase, promote a bid to boost foreign trade He built up a trade in seeds, corn and manure. | damage, harm A bitterly cold winter damaged industrial output and trade. | lose Shops have lost a day's trade. | ban, restrict

TRADE + VERB boom, expand, grow, increase, pick up | decline, fall

TRADE + NOUN balance, figures, performance, statistics | surplus | deficit, gap, imbalance | barrier, blockade, boycott, embargo, restrictions, sanctions | tariff | dispute, war The countries were locked in a trade war, refusing to allow imports of each other's goods. | liberalization | benefits, concessions | accord, agreement, deal, pact, protocol, treaty | negotiations, talks | cooperation, links, network, relations | policy, practice The US was accused of employing unfair trade practices. | law, rules | bloc The five countries formed a regional trade bloc. | delegation, mission Several local firms took part in a trade mission to Spain. | official, representative talks between trade officials from the two countries | mark (also trademark), name | exhibition, fair, show | centre | route The road has been an important trade route since prehistoric times. | cycle the boom and slump periods of a trade cycle | association, body, group, organization the trade body representing water companies (see also trade union) | buyer, customer The vase was bought by a trade buyer (= for example, somebody who works in the antiques trade). | directory | journal, magazine, paper, press | information, secret The employees were fired for divulging trade secrets to a competitor.

PREP. in a/the ~ She's in the wholesale fruit trade. These special flour sacks are known in the trade as ‘pockets’. | ~ between Trade between the Adriatic ports and their hinterland had grown. | ~ in Steps were taken to ban the trade in ivory. | ~ with The US has restricted trade with India. > Special page at BUSINESS

² job

VERB + TRADE learn | exercise, follow, practise

PREP. by ~ She is a carpenter by trade.

PHRASES a jack of all trades (= a person who can do many different types of work), the tricks of the trade The experienced artisan would pass on the tricks of the trade to the apprentice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trade verb

VERB + TRADE continue to | cease to

PREP. as They now trade as a partnership. | in countries trading illegally in rhinoceros horn | with Early explorers traded directly with the Indians.

PHRASES cease/continue trading The company has now ceased trading. | trade under the name (of) sth The company trades under the name ‘English Estates’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trading noun

ADJ. busy, heavy, hectic, intensive In heavy trading, the 100-share index closed down 38 points. | quiet | free | fair, unfair a code of practice for fair trading | fraudulent, illegal, insider a Wall Street dealer jailed for insider trading | sole Sole trading is where an individual carries on his or her own business. | global, international, world | stock market | commodity, currency, equity, foreign exchange, share, stock | ivory

TRADING + VERB begin, open | close

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

traditional adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | almost | fairly, pretty, quite, rather | essentially a bold but essentially traditional design

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tradition noun

ADJ. age-old, ancient, archaic, centuries-old, deep-rooted, enduring, living, long/long-established, old, time-honoured, unbroken, well-established | distinguished, fine, great, honourable | cherished, hallowed | dominant, powerful, strong | ancestral, family | local, national, native | folk, popular | oral | Catholic, Christian, pagan, etc. | Eastern, English, European, etc. | 19th-century, classical, medieval, modernist, etc. | academic, artistic, cultural, ideological, literary, military, musical, philosophical, political, religious, sociological, sporting, teaching, theatrical This region has a great sporting tradition. | democratic, liberal, radical, revolutionary

VERB + TRADITION have | cherish, continue, follow (in), keep alive, maintain, preserve, uphold Following in the Hitchcock tradition, he always appears in the films he directs. Villagers get together every year to keep this age-old tradition alive. | hand down an oral tradition handed down from generation to generation | break (with), go against He broke with the family tradition and did not go down the mines. | establish, start | revive

TRADITION + VERB continue, die hard, survive Old habits and traditions die hard.

PREP. according to (a/the) ~ According to tradition, a tree grew on the spot where the king was killed. | by ~ By tradition, nobody interrupts an MP's maiden speech. | in (a/the) ~ In time-honoured tradition, a bottle of champagne was smashed on the ship. He's a politician in the tradition of (= similar in style to) Kennedy.

PHRASES a departure from tradition In a departure from tradition, the bride wore a red dress. | in the best traditions of sth The building was constructed in the best traditions of medieval church architecture. | respect for tradition I acquired lasting respect for tradition and veneration for the past.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

traffic jam noun

ADJ. long, severe

VERB + TRAFFIC JAM be/get caught/stuck in, sit in Our coach was caught in a traffic jam and got to Heathrow forty minutes late.

PREP. ~ on the … Police report severe traffic jams on the M25, with five-mile tailbacks in places.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

traffic light (also light) noun

ADJ. amber, green, red | temporary There are temporary traffic lights because of the roadworks.

QUANT. set Turn left at the third set of traffic lights.

VERB + TRAFFIC LIGHT go though, jump He was stopped by the police for going through a red light.

TRAFFIC LIGHT + VERB change (to sth), go green, etc. A line of vehicles waited for the traffic lights to change. Stop when the lights change to red. | be (on) green, etc. The lights were on red but she didn't stop. | work The traffic lights weren't working.

PREP. at the ~s There was a hold-up at the lights.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

traffic noun

¹ vehicles travelling somewhere

QUANT. stream

TRAFFIC + VERB build up, thicken In the town centre, traffic was already building up as early as 3 p.m. | grow, increase Traffic has increased by 50% in ten years. | clog sth Traffic clogs the streets of the city centre. | thin Traffic thins noticeably after 9 a.m. | flow, move, speed, travel The road is being widened to keep traffic moving. | go by, pass | head We joined the traffic heading northwards on the motorway. | roar, rumble

PHRASES the volume of traffic

² messages, signals, etc.

ADJ. radio, telephone | data, voice | network | Internet, Net, site, Web, website Our company will help you generate site traffic.

VERB + TRAFFIC boost, build, generate

³ illegal buying and selling of sth

ADJ. illegal | arms, drug

PREP. ~ in sth the traffic in arms

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tragedy noun

¹ event/situation that causes great sadness

ADJ. absolute, appalling, awful, great, major, real, terrible | family, human, personal, private

VERB + TRAGEDY end in A family's outing ended in tragedy when their boat capsized. | be dogged by, suffer | avert, avoid, prevent

TRAGEDY + VERB happen, occur, strike (sb) Tragedy struck when their 8-year-old daughter was knocked down by a car.

PREP. ~ for sb The closure of the factory is a tragedy for the whole community.

² serious play with a sad ending

ADJ. classical, Greek, Jacobean, Shakespearean

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tragic adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. genuinely, particularly, really, terribly, very a genuinely tragic figure in the play | almost | quite, rather a rather tragic story

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trailer noun

ADJ. lorry | horse

VERB + TRAILER load | pull, tow

TRAILER + VERB carry sth a trailer carrying a motor boat

PREP. on/onto a/the ~ a broken-down car on a trailer

PHRASES a tractor and trailer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trail noun

¹ line/smell that sb/sth leaves behind

ADJ. scent Ants follow a scent trail laid down previously. | blood, smoke, vapour | thin | muddy | false

VERB + TRAIL lay, leave, make The couple laid a false trail to escape the paparazzi. The tourists left a trail of litter behind them. | pick up The dog had picked up the trail of a rabbit. | follow | lose The fox had crossed a stream, and the hounds lost the trail.

TRAIL + VERB go cold They had to find the kidnappers before the trail went cold.

PREP. on sb's ~ Detectives had found several new clues and were back on the murderer's trail.

PHRASES a trail of blood, a trail of devastation The hurricane passed, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. | a trail of smoke

² path/route

ADJ. forest, nature, woodland | 10-kilometre, 5-mile, etc. | cycle, mountain bike, tourist, walking | hippy, tourist This restaurant is off the tourist trail. | campaign, comeback, winning (all figurative) After a disastrous few seasons, the team are on the comeback trail.

VERB + TRAIL follow, hit In 1967 she hit the hippy trail to India. | be on (often figurative)

TRAIL + VERB go, lead, wend its way The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows.

PREP. along a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trail verb

¹ move/walk slowly

ADV. slowly | wearily

PREP. after I trailed wearily after the others. | around/round They spent their lives trailing around the country. | (along) behind

² have a lower score than the other player/team

ADV. badly Liverpool are now trailing badly in the league.

PREP. by They were trailing by 12 points until the last few minutes of the game.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trained adj.

VERBS be

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trainee noun

ADJ. management, teacher | graduate Many companies recruit graduate trainees to train as managers.

VERB + TRAINEE employ, recruit, take on

TRAINEE + VERB work

TRAINEE + NOUN accountant, dealer, manager, nurse, solicitor, teacher

PREP. as a ~ She joined as a management trainee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trainer noun

¹ person who trains sb/sth

ADJ. orchestral, teacher | boxing, etc. | animal, dog, horse, racehorse | champion, winning | personal, private He works out every morning with his personal trainer. > Note at JOB

² (usually trainers) sports shoe

QUANT. pair

VERB + TRAINER lace up, unlace > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

training noun

¹ learning skills

VERB + TRAINING do, get, have, receive, undergo You have to do a year's intensive training to become a paramedic. | give sb, provide (sb with) | require

TRAINING + NOUN base, camp, centre, college, establishment, facility, school an army training base a teacher training college | activity, course, exercise, initiative, package, plan, programme, project, scheme, strategy, system The soldiers were building a bridge as a training exercise. | methods, policy, procedures, process, techniques, skills | needs, objectives, requirements | opportunities, provision | aid, device, equipment, material | manual | instructor, manager, officer, staff | body, committee, company, department, organization, provider, service | place, placement | event, workshop | day, period, etc. | budget, costs, fees

PREP. by ~ She's an accountant by training. | in ~ I am delighted with the work he has done in training. | ~ for Training for nursing was on strictly formal lines. | ~ in Employees should be given training in safety procedures.

² physical exercises

ADJ. hard, rigorous, serious, strict, tough She did six months' hard training before the marathon. | pre-season

VERB + TRAINING do

TRAINING + NOUN run, session, stint | regime, regimen, routine, schedule | ground, pitch, track (figurative) This local newspaper has been a training ground for several top journalists.

PREP. in ~ Lewis is in serious training for the Olympics. | ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

train noun

¹ railway engine pulling carriages/trucks

TRAIN + VERB run In summer the trains run as often as every ten minutes. | start | terminate The train terminated in Carlisle. | be bound for … an express train bound for Edinburgh | be due The next train is due at 9.45. | be delayed, be held up, be late, run late Most trains are running late because of the accident. | arrive, come in, come into sth, draw in, draw into sth, pull in, pull into sth, steam in, steam into sth The next train to arrive at Platform 2 is 00.30. | London to Glasgow, etc. the Paris to Brussels train The trainthe 12.30 from Leeds.

VERB + TRAIN take, travel by From Germany they travelled by train to Poland. | travel on She's travelling on the same train as you. | use | catch, get, make We had to get up early to make the 6 o'clock train for Florence. | miss | wait for | run for I was late and had to run for my train. | board, get on, hop on, jump aboard/on We jumped on the train just as it was about to leave. | jump from/off, jump out of She tried to kill herself by jumping off a moving train. | alight from, get off | meet (sb off) I'm going to the station to meet her off the train. | change You'll have to change trains at Cambridge. | operate, run The company plans to run trains on key intercity routes. | cancel The 10.19 train has been cancelled. | drive | haul a train hauled by a steam locomotive | stop | derail | fall under, throw sb under Driven to despair, he threw himself under a train. came in and I got on. The train drew into the station. | come, go We didn't want to leave the platform in case the train came. | reach The train reached Prague at half past six. | return | depart, draw out (of sth), leave, pull away, pull out (of sth), start (off), steam out The train pulled out of the station. | head … The train headed out of Athens. | stand, wait The train now standing at Platform 3 is the 16.50 to Brighton. a train waiting at a signal | move Slowly the train began to move. | travel The high-speed train travels at 120 mph. | chug, trundle The train chugged slowly forward. | gather speed | hurtle, rush, speed, steam a picture of the bullet train speeding past Mount Fuji | slow (down) | brake | be brought to a halt, come to a halt, halt, stop | rattle, rumble, thunder, whistle The train rattled into the station. | jerk, jolt, lurch, shudder The train jolted into motion. | approach, come The train came towards them. | pass | enter sth The train entered the tunnel. | collide (with sth) | be loaded with sth, carry sth

PREP. aboard/on/on board a/the ~ the people on the train | by ~ It's quicker by train. | ~ between trains between Brindisi and Rome | ~ for/to He was leaving on the early train for Zaragoza. | ~ from the train from Birmingham to Worcester

PHRASES a train load of sth train loads of iron ore | a train to catch I can't stop now, I have a train to catch.

² number of people/animals moving in a line

ADJ. camel, mule, wagon | supply

³ series of events/actions/thoughts

VERB + TRAIN set sth in That telephone call set in train a whole series of events. | bring sth in (figurative) Unemployment brings greater difficulties in its train (= causes great difficulties).

PHRASES a train of events, a train of thought The telephone rang and she lost her train of thought.

PREP. in sb's ~ (figurative) In the train of (= following behind) the rich and famous came the journalists.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

train verb

ADV. hard

PREP. for The team is training hard for the big match.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

traitor noun

VERB + TRAITOR turn He turned traitor and joined the opposition. | denounce sb as

PREP. ~ to He is seen as a traitor to the cause.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trait noun

VERB + TRAIT have, possess | lack | share She shares several character traits with her father. | display, exhibit, show | acquire, develop, inherit We do not know which behavioural traits are inherited and which acquired. | identify, recognize

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trample verb

ADV. down crops that have been trampled down by walkers' feet | underfoot He saved a little girl from being trampled underfoot in the rush for the fire exit.

PREP. on (often figurative) The government is trampling on the views of ordinary people. | over Police officers had been trampling all over the ground.

PHRASES be trampled to death

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tram noun

ADJ. modern | electric, horse/horse-drawn, steam

VERB + TRAM catch, go on, take | miss | board, get on | get off

TRAM + VERB run The last tram ran through Glasgow in September 1962. | rattle | stop

PREP. by ~ There is easy access to the centre of the city by tram. | on a/the ~ They sat together on the rattling tram. | ~ from, ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trance noun

ADJ. catatonic, deep | light | hypnotic, mesmeric

VERB + TRANCE fall into, go into | put sb into | come out of, awake/wake from

TRANCE + NOUN state

PREP. in a ~ In a deep trance, the subject is taken back to an earlier stage of their life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tranquil adj.

VERBS be, lie, look, seem The village lay tranquil in the evening sunlight. | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very, wonderfully | perfectly, quite | fairly, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transaction noun

VERB + TRANSACTION carry out, conduct, enter into, make | effect, handle to effect a transaction for a client | close, complete

TRANSACTION + VERB proceed, take place to ensure the transaction proceeds smoothly

TRANSACTION + NOUN charges, costs

PREP. ~ between The system records all transactions between the firm and its suppliers. | ~ in Transactions in land are frequently handled by an estate agent. > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transcript noun

ADJ. faithful, full, verbatim | edited | official | radio, video | interview, trial

VERB + TRANSCRIPT read (through), go through | make | print, publish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transferable adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. easily, freely, highly, readily The shares are freely transferable. | fully, wholly | not necessarily

PREP. between Tickets are transferable between members of the same family. | from, to Skills which are not necessarily transferable from one environment to another.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transfer noun

ADJ. massive The war caused a massive transfer of population. | efficient, smooth, successful the smooth transfer of power to the new government | net There has been a net transfer of lower-paid people away from the inner cities. | permanent Her boss recommended a permanent transfer overseas. | direct Employees are paid by direct transfer to a bank account. | data, information, knowledge | land, property | population | resource | technology | file, multimedia, software | inter-company, inter-hospital, etc. | bank, capital, cash, credit, financial, money, share, stock | electronic, telegraphic | embryo, gene | charge, electron, energy, heat, nuclear, thermal | close-season, free, 15-million-pound, etc. (all in football)

VERB + TRANSFER make Only the owner can make a transfer of goods. | give sb His club have given him a free transfer.

TRANSFER + VERB take place

TRANSFER + NOUN deal, fee, list, payment, price, system (all in football)

PREP. ~ between the transfer of property between private buyers | ~ from, ~ to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transfer verb

VERB + TRANSFER agree to | refuse to

PREP. across/between Can the disease be transferred across species? | from, into She transferred the sauce into a china jug. | onto, to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transformation noun

ADJ. amazing, complete, dramatic, fundamental, major, miraculous, profound, radical, remarkable, revolutionary, startling, total | subtle | gradual | immediate, instant, rapid, sudden | cultural, economic, historical, intellectual, physical, political, social, structural

VERB + TRANSFORMATION undergo The way we work has undergone a radical transformation in the past decade. | make He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband. | achieve, bring about, carry out, cause, effect, lead to Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook. | accelerate | complete

TRANSFORMATION + VERB begin | come about, occur, take place A startling cultural transformation occurred in post-war Britain.

TRANSFORMATION + NOUN process

PREP. ~ from The transformation from disused docks into city-centre cultural venue took three years. | ~ in This decision marked a fundamental transformation in policy. | ~ into Japan's transformation into an economic superpower | ~ to Russia's transformation to a market economy

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transform verb

ADV. considerably, fundamentally, profoundly, radically The riots radically transformed the situation. | completely, entirely, totally, utterly | quickly, rapidly | gradually, slowly | suddenly | apparently | miraculously He seems to have been miraculously transformed into a first-class player. | overnight Things cannot be transformed overnight.

VERB + TRANSFORM help (to) | manage to

PREP. from, into The place was transformed from a quiet farming village into a busy port.

PHRASES the power to transform sb/sth the power of religion to transform our hearts and minds

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transition noun

VERB + TRANSITION bring about, cause, effect The negotiators hoped to effect a smooth transition to an interim administration. | complete, make The company was slow to make the transition from paper to computer. | undergo | mark The ceremony marks the transition of the student to graduate status. | ease, smooth

TRANSITION + VERB occur, take place | be complete Her transition from girl to woman was complete.

TRANSITION + NOUN period, process | phase

PREP. during (the) ~ He will remain head of state during the transition to democracy. | in ~ The country is in transition from an agricultural to an industrial society. | ~ between This training course aims to smooth the transition between education and employment. | ~ from, ~ to

PHRASES a period of transition, a process of transition, a state of transition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transit noun

ADJ. air, rail, road, sea | mass An improved mass transit system would cut traffic on the roads. | rapid

TRANSIT + NOUN point The port has become a transit point in the drug trade. | camp a transit camp for refugees | lounge The passengers had been transferred into the transit lounge. | shed The goods were still in a transit shed on the quay. | system The city has acquired a light rail transit system.

PREP. in ~ Many of the goods were damaged in transit. | ~ between goods in transit between factory and store | ~ from, ~ to in transit from factory to store

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

translate verb

¹ change sth from one language to another

ADV. literally ‘Tiramisu’ literally translates as ‘pull-me-up’. | accurately, correctly | freely, loosely, roughly | generally, normally, usually | variously a Greek word variously translated as ‘summit’, ‘top’ and ‘finishing stroke’

VERB + TRANSLATE attempt to, try to | be difficult to This word is difficult to translate.

PREP. as The word ‘sensus’ can be translated as ‘feeling’. | for I don't speak Italian?can you translate for me? | from The book has been translated from the Japanese by Livia Yamaguchi. | into an expression that is difficult to translate into English

PHRASES widely translated The novel has been widely translated.

² change into a different form

ADV. directly | effectively | easily | automatically Teacher expectations do not automatically translate themselves into student results.

VERB + TRANSLATE attempt to, try to trying to translate the theory into simple concepts | be difficult to

PREP. into A small increase in local spending will translate into a big rise in council tax.

PHRASES translate sth into action/practice attempting to translate these ideas into action

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

translation noun

ADJ. accurate, correct, exact | approximate, free, rough | direct, literal, straight, word-for-word | English, Japanese, etc. | simultaneous There will be simultaneous translation in English and Chinese. | automatic, machine advances in machine translation

VERB + TRANSLATION do, make I've got this translation to do for Friday. She tried making her own translation of the sign without consulting a dictionary. | work on | read | survive The poems do not survive the translation into English. | lose sth in The irony is lost in translation.

TRANSLATION + VERB read The translation of the Latin motto reads ‘Not for oneself, but for others’.

TRANSLATION + NOUN process | service, work | facilities | exercise | equivalent

PREP. for ~ Each unit of the course ends with sentences for translation. | in ~ I read the book in translation, not in the original Norwegian. | ~ into Simultaneous translation into English is available to delegates.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

translator noun

ADJ. Dutch, Japanese, etc. | professional | freelance working as a freelance translator

TRANSLATOR + VERB translate from/into sth, work from/into sth translators working from Portuguese into English > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transmission noun

¹ sending out/passing on

VERB + TRANSMISSION prevent

TRANSMISSION + NOUN equipment, line, technology | mechanism, network, system | route The virus's usual transmission route is by sneezing.

PREP. ~ among HIV transmission among homosexual men | ~ between transmission between patients | ~ by transmission by satellite | ~ from, ~ to transmission from one aircraft to another | ~ through HIV transmission through blood transfusion

PHRASES a mode of transmission, a risk of transmission There is a risk of transmission of the virus between hypodermic users.

² TV/radio programme

ADJ. radio, television/TV | FM, long-wave, medium-wave, short-wave, UHF, VHF | live, satellite, stereo | test

VERB + TRANSMISSION receive

PREP. ~ from a live transmission from Sydney

³ in a car, etc.

ADJ. automatic, manual | 4-speed, 5-speed

TRANSMISSION + NOUN system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transmitter noun

ADJ. radar, radio, television/TV | voice They discovered voice transmitters hidden in the wall. | FM, long-wave, medium-wave, short-wave, VHF | low-power, powerful | ground, hand-held, satellite

VERB + TRANSMITTER be equipped/fitted with

TRANSMITTER + VERB emit sth, send out sth The receiver picks up pulses emitted by the transmitter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transmit verb

¹ pass sth from one person to another

ADV. actively | easily, readily | genetically, sexually the study of genetically transmitted diseases

PREP. from, through The disease cannot be transmitted through coughing or sneezing. | to The infection can be transmitted from a mother to her baby. | via The virus is easily transmitted via needles.

² send out TV programmes/electronic signals, etc.

ADV. automatically | electronically

PREP. from, to automatically transmitting data from one part of the system to another

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transparent adj.

VERBS be, look | become

ADV. extremely, very | completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally They are so thin that they are quite transparent. | almost Her eyelids were blue and almost transparent. | fairly, rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transplant noun

ADJ. bone-marrow, heart, heart-lung, kidney, liver, etc. | double, multi-organ, multiple

VERB + TRANSPLANT have, undergo She will have to have a heart-lung transplant within 48 hours. | carry out, do, perform | reject It is likely that such a transplant will be rejected in older people.

PREP. for ~ a shortage of kidneys for transplant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transplant verb

ADV. successfully

PREP. from, into Organs are transplanted from donors into patients who need them. | to The Dutch successfully transplanted trees to the East Indies.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

transport noun

VERB + TRANSPORT use | arrange | provide | have access to people who have no access to private transport

PREP. without ~ The car broke down, leaving us without transport.

PHRASES a form/means/method/mode of transport, your own transport Applicants for the job must have their own telephone and transport.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trappings noun

ADJ. external, outward, visible She scorns the visible trappings of success, preferring to live unnoticed.

PHRASES all the trappings They enjoyed all the trappings of wealth. | the trappings of power/success

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trap noun

¹ hidden equipment used for catching sb/sth

ADJ. animal, bear, man, mouse (also mousetrap), etc. | gin, leghold, pit/pitfall | radar, speed Slow down?there are speed traps along this stretch of road.

VERB + TRAP be/get caught in | catch sth in | free sth from The fox had managed to free itself from the trap. | lay, set | bait Mousetraps are traditionally baited with cheese.

² sth that tricks you; unpleasant situation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

traumatic adj.

VERBS be | become, get

ADV. deeply, extremely, particularly, really, very this deeply traumatic incident in his past | fairly, quite, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trauma noun

ADJ. major, severe | emotional, physical, psychological | childhood The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.

VERB + TRAUMA go through, suffer | get over, recover from

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

traveller noun

ADJ. business | commercial Her father was a commercial traveller who sold kitchenware. | frequent Attractive discounts are available to frequent travellers. | foreign, international | great, inveterate, keen, seasoned | adventurous, intrepid | independent Independent travellers often steer clear of the most touristy spots. | discerning | fellow I got to know my fellow travellers quite well in the course of the three-day journey. | tired, weary | unwary Stations can be dangerous places for the unwary traveller. | air, rail/railway, train | space | armchair (= sb who doesn't travel but likes to read about distant places) His travel books have given pleasure to generations of armchair travellers.

VERB + TRAVELLER guide Local tribesmen earn their living guiding travellers across the mountains.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

travel noun

PREP. ~ from, ~ to The price includes return rail travel from London Victoria to Dover.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

travel verb

ADV. fast News travels fast these days. | slowly | regularly business people who travel regularly to the US | widely She travels widely in her job. | freely The dissidents were unable to hold meetings or travel freely. | independently I prefer travelling independently to going on a package holiday. | together | separately We had to travel separately as we couldn't get seats on the same flight. | economy class, first class, etc. I always travel first class. | far, further (afield) for the holidaymaker who wants to travel further afield | abroad The job gives her the opportunity to travel abroad. | home | back, back and forth, down, downstream travelling back and forth across the Channel | north, northwards, etc.

VERB + TRAVEL be able/unable to | be free to | want to, wish to | be forced to, have to Hundreds of hospital patients may have to travel long distances for treatment. | refuse to

PREP. across, along, around/round, between, by, from, into, through, to We decided to travel by car. We travelled through France and into Germany.

PHRASES freedom to travel, go travelling When I finished college I went travelling for six months (= spent time visiting different places). | travel light She travels light, choosing to use as little equipment as possible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tray noun

ADJ. laden, loaded a heavily laden tray | breakfast, coffee, drinks, hospitality, supper, tea Every hotel room has a colour TV, telephone and hospitality tray.

VERB + TRAY bear, carry | pick up | balance He balanced the tray on his knees. | place, put down

PREP. on a/the ~ A waitress came in, carrying tea on a tray. | ~ of waiters bearing trays of champagne

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treacherous adj.

VERBS be, look, prove | become | remain

ADV. extremely, very | rather | notoriously the mountain's notoriously treacherous rocky crest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tread noun

¹ sound you make when you are walking

ADJ. firm, heavy I heard his heavy tread moving about upstairs. | light, soft | measured, slow, steady

VERB + TREAD hear

TREAD + VERB move

PREP. with a … ~ A policeman walked by with a slow, measured tread.

PHRASES the tread of feet The streets have echoed to the tread of feet for more than ten centuries.

² on a tyre

ADJ. tyre, wheel | deep, shallow | worn

TREAD + VERB be worn The tyre tread has been worn below the legal limit.

TREAD + NOUN depth, pattern, width

PHRASES a breadth/depth/width of tread

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tread verb

ADV. heavily He came down the stairs, treading as heavily as he could. | gently, lightly, softly | carefully, gingerly, warily She trod gingerly. It would be risky to hurry. (figurative) The government will have to tread carefully in handling this issue. | down She planted the seeds and trod the earth down.

PREP. in Billy trod in a big puddle. | into Some cake crumbs had been trodden into the carpet. | on Be careful not to tread on the flowers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treason noun

ADJ. high

PREP. ~ against an act of high treason against the English crown

PHRASES an act of treason > Note at CRIME(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treasurer noun

ADJ. deputy | honorary the honorary treasurer of the rugby club | corporate

VERB + TREASURER act as, be, serve as He agreed to act as treasurer. | appoint, appoint sb (as), elect, elect sb (as) | resign as, retire as

PHRASES treasurer's report The treasurer's report gives a breakdown of the club's income and expenditure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treasure noun

¹ collection of very valuable objects

ADJ. buried, hidden, lost, sunken | pirate, Roman, royal | vast a vast treasure of medieval manuscripts

VERB + TREASURE hunt for, look for, search for | dig up, discover, find, uncover, unearth | hide

TREASURE + NOUN chest, house, trove (figurative) This book is a treasure house of information on Arctic birds. | hunter, hunting

PHRASES a hoard of treasure

² sth that is very valuable

VERB + TREASURE discover, find, uncover, unearth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treatment noun

¹ way you behave towards sb/deal with sth

ADJ. favourable, preferential, special, VIP She was given the VIP treatment after winning gold for her country at the Sydney Olympics. | generous, lenient | equal, fair | good, humane | sensitive, sympathetic | discriminatory, unequal, unfair, unjust, unkind | brutal, cruel, degrading, harsh, ill-, inhuman, inhumane, rough, violent He claims he suffered ill-treatment at the hands of prison officers. | shabby You shouldn't put up with such shabby treatment.

VERB + TREATMENT get, have, receive, suffer | deserve He had done nothing to deserve such cruel treatment. | give sb, mete out (to sb) The treatment meted out to captured soldiers was harsh. | put up with

² medical care

QUANT. course

VERB + TREATMENT get, have, receive, undergo She is still undergoing medical treatment. | administer, give sb, provide (sb with) Paramedics are to have extra training in administering on-the-spot treatment. | need, require | seek When his depression worsened, he decided to seek treatment. | advise, prescribe, recommend, suggest | refuse | benefit from, respond to He responded well to treatment and is now walking again.

TREATMENT + NOUN decision, option | centre, room | method, procedure, technique | course, plan, programme, regime, regimen, schedule

PREP. in ~ He's in treatment for cocaine addiction. | ~ for She is receiving treatment for a heart condition.

³ process for cleaning/protecting sth

ADJ. sewage, surface, water Galvanizing is a common surface treatment for steel.

TREATMENT + NOUN facility, plant, works

⁴ discussion of a subject, work of art, etc.

ADJ. definitive, exhaustive, systematic | lengthy | cursory, superficial | philosophical, theoretical

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treaty noun

VERB + TREATY agree on/to | draw up, prepare | negotiate | be/become a party to, conclude, enter into, finalize, make, sign In September 1871 Japan entered into a commercial treaty with China. | accept, approve, ratify, vote for All the members have voted to ratify the treaty. | reject, vote against | condemn, criticize, oppose | amend, review, revise | adhere to | be in breach of, breach, break, violate The new law may be in breach of the Treaty of Rome. | abrogate, repudiate | enforce | impose The people felt the treaty had been imposed on them by their government. | be bound by | be laid down by/in the criteria laid down in the treaty

PREP. by ~ Certain areas had been ceded by treaty. | under a/the ~ These arrangements under the treaty apply to the whole of Europe. | ~ between a bilateral treaty between the US and Mexico | ~ with The government concluded a peace treaty with the rebels.

PHRASES an article/a clause of a treaty, the provisions/terms of a treaty, the ratification of a treaty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treat noun

VERB + TREAT give sb | deserve

PREP. as/for a ~ We took the kids to the zoo for a special treat.

PHRASES be in for a treat/have a treat in store If their latest album is half as good as their last one, we've a real treat in store.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treat verb

¹ handle sb/sth in a particular way

ADV. equitably, fairly, humanely, kindly, leniently, sympathetically, well | abominably, badly, harshly, roughly, shabbily, unfairly, unjustly They treat their animals quite badly. | seriously These allegations are being treated very seriously indeed. | differently | separately

VERB + TREAT tend to Parents still tend to treat boys differently from girls.

PREP. as the tendency to treat older people as helpless and dependent | like Don't treat me like a child! | with He treated the idea with suspicion.

PHRASES a tendency to treat sb/sth

² give sb medical treatment

ADV. easily | successfully | surgically

VERB + TREAT be difficult to | use sth to

PREP. for She was treated for cuts and bruises. | with We can treat this condition quite successfully with antibiotics.

³ use a substance to protect sth

ADV. chemically Chemically treated hair can become dry and brittle.

PREP. for You need to treat this wood for woodworm. | with The timber has been treated with chemicals to preserve it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

treble (also triple) verb

ADV. more than | almost, nearly

PREP. in Some goods have almost trebled in price. | to The figure has more than trebled to 67 per cent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tree noun

QUANT. clump, copse, grove | avenue, belt, line

VERB + TREE plant | climb | chop down, cut down, fell Protesters formed a human blockade to stop loggers felling trees. | uproot The floods left a tide of mud and uprooted trees. | prune

TREE + VERB grow | stand An enormous oak tree stands at the entrance to the school. | line sth Palm trees line the broad avenue. | sway Trees swayed gently in the breeze. | be blown down, blow down | produce sth The tree produces tiny white blossoms.

TREE + NOUN bark, branch, leaves, root, stump, trunk | tops (also treetops) | canopy dappled shafts of light which struggled through the tree canopy | cover Tree cover would prevent further soil erosion. | felling, planting | species | line (also treeline) Above the treeline take a grassy path leading steeply towards the summit. | belt The tree belt around the fields acts as a windbreak. | growth | rings The forest can be dated by studying tree rings. | damage tree damage caused by acid rain | nursery He bought tools and seeds with the aim of setting up a tree nursery. | surgeon

PREP. in a/the ~ a bird in a tree | on a/the ~ fruit on a tree | under a ~ We sat under a tree, in the shade. | up a/the ~ The cat got stuck up a tree.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trek noun

ADJ. long, marathon | 100-kilometre, 20-mile, etc. | 3-day, 10-hour, etc. | arduous, hard

VERB + TREK go on, make, take The family made the long trek west in 1890.

PREP. on a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tremble verb

ADV. badly, violently | helplessly, involuntarily, uncontrollably | a little, slightly | inside

VERB + TREMBLE begin to, start to I began to tremble uncontrollably. | make sb The thought made him tremble inside.

PREP. at She trembled at the thought of going back through those prison doors. | with trembling with anger

PHRASES tremble all over, tremble from head to foot/toe, tremble like a leaf

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tremor noun

¹ small earthquake

ADJ. minor, slight | severe | earth

² shaking movement

ADJ. faint, slight, small, tiny He felt a tiny tremor of excitement as he glimpsed the city lights. | violent | uncontrollable | nervous | icy

VERB + TREMOR send Her expression sent an icy tremor through him. | feel She felt a tremor run down her back when she saw him. | control He couldn't control the tremor in his voice.

TREMOR + VERB run A tremor ran through the audience. | shake sb/sth An uncontrollable tremor shook his mouth.

PREP. with/without a ~ He managed to make his short speech without a tremor. | ~ of a tremor of fear

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trench noun

ADJ. deep, narrow, shallow | muddy | defensive | enemy | communication, front-line

VERB + TRENCH dig

TRENCH + NOUN warfare

PREP. in the ~ life in the trenches in the First World War

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trend noun

VERB + TREND begin, create, set, start In the 1960s, Britain set the fashion trends. | continue | follow We are following the American trend towards more flexible working conditions. | reinforce | buck, counteract, go against efforts to buck the current downward trend in sales | reverse | halt | detect, notice | indicate, reflect, show, suggest The data indicates a trend towards earlier retirement.

TREND + VERB develop, emerge | continue | indicate sth, reflect sth, suggest sth Current trends suggest that car traffic will continue to grow. | grow

PREP. ~ away from a trend away from narrow specialization | ~ for A trend for romance and nostalgia has emerged. | ~ in future trends in the volume of employment | ~ towards the trend towards privatization

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trial noun

¹ in a court of law

VERB + TRIAL come to, face, go on, go to, stand He never came to trial for the robbery. She died before the case came to trial. A man has gone on trial accused of murdering his girlfriend. | bring sb to, commit sb for, put sb on Four people had been arrested and committed for trial. | await He is in prison awaiting trial on drugs charges. | attend As a journalist he attended every murder trial of note. | order The judge ordered a new trial on the grounds that evidence had been withheld. | adjourn | halt, stop The judge halted the trial when it emerged witnesses had been threatened. | tell (in a news report) Murder trial told of horrific attack.

TRIAL + VERB proceed, take place | begin, open | continue, resume | collapse The trial collapsed after a key prosecution witness admitted lying.

TRIAL + NOUN court, judge, jury, lawyer | verdict | procedure, proceedings, process

PREP. at the ~ More than a hundred witnesses gave evidence at the trial. | during the ~ The letters that were shown during his trial turned out to be forgeries. | on ~ She is presently on trial at the Old Bailey. | without ~ Opposition leaders had been jailed without trial. | ~ by The president faces trial by television tonight when he takes part in a live debate. | ~ for She faces trial for murder. | ~ over Three people are to stand trial over the deaths of a young couple.

² act of testing sb/sth

ADJ. clinical, experimental, field If clinical trials are successful the drug could be on the market early next year. | full-scale, large-scale | controlled, double-blind, randomized | free, home We've got this vacuum cleaner on ten days' free trial. | speed | Olympic, rowing, soccer, etc.

VERB + TRIAL carry out, conduct | take part in | have He had a trial with Chelsea when he was young.

TRIAL + VERB show sth The trial showed a dramatic reduction in side effects.

TRIAL + NOUN period She agreed to employ me for a trial period. | run They are treating the trip as a trial run for their 500-mile sponsored ride later this month. | data, results | project, scheme | game | separation The couple agreed on a trial separation.

PREP. under ~ A new stocktaking system is currently under trial at the supermarket.

PHRASES on a trial basis The new system will be introduced on a trial basis. | trial and error We discovered the ideal mix of paint by trial and error. | a trial of strength The dispute was regarded as a trial of strength by the unions.

³ experience/person that causes difficulties

ADJ. sore She was a sore trial to her family at times.

PREP. ~ to

PHRASES trials and tribulations the trials and tribulations of married life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

triangle noun

¹ shape

ADJ. equilateral, isosceles, right-angled, scalene

VERB + TRIANGLE construct (technical), draw Use your protractor to construct an equilateral triangle. | form | cut sth into I cut the sandwiches into triangles.

PHRASES the apex of a triangle

² musical instrument > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tribe noun

ADJ. aboriginal, indigenous, native | desert, forest, hill | nomadic | backward, primitive | barbaric, hostile, warring

VERB + TRIBE belong to

PHRASES a member of a tribe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tribunal noun

ADJ. independent | international, local, village | higher, inferior | industrial, military, transport, war crimes | appeal/appeals, appellate, arbitral, arbitration, complaints, disciplinary, judicial

VERB + TRIBUNAL set up A war crimes tribunal was set up to prosecute those charged with atrocities. | go to The dismissed workers decided to go to a tribunal. | apply to | refer sth to The case was referred to an industrial tribunal. | appear before/at | tell She told the tribunal that she was a victim of sex discrimination.

TRIBUNAL + VERB be in session, hold a session The tribunal held its first session later that month. | hear sth | conclude sth, decide sth, find sth The tribunal found for her employers (= judged that they were right). | settle sth The dispute was settled by a tribunal. | order sth, rule sth | dismiss sth

TRIBUNAL + NOUN decision | hearing | procedure, proceedings | representation | chairman, member

PREP. at a/the ~ The police gave evidence at the tribunal. | before a/the ~ No legal aid was available to cover representation before tribunals. | by ~ The fee for the player will be decided by tribunal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tributary noun

TRIBUTARY + VERB feed sth The Thames is fed by several small tributaries.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tribute noun

¹ sth you say/do to show you respect/admire sb/sth

VERB + TRIBUTE pay The couple paid tribute to the helicopter crew who rescued them. | lead The prime minister led the tributes to ‘a great statesman and a decent man’.

TRIBUTE + VERB flood in Tributes flooded in when her death was announced.

TRIBUTE + NOUN album, concert

² sign of how good sb/sth is

ADJ. great, remarkable

PREP. ~ to The bridge is a remarkable tribute to the skill of the Victorian railway engineers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trickle noun

ADJ. small, thin | constant, steady a constant trickle of water | slow | mere The flood of offers of help had dwindled to a mere trickle.

VERB + TRICKLE dwindle to, slow to

PREP. ~ of a trickle of blood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trick noun

¹ deception

ADJ. cheap, dirty, knavish, mean, nasty, rotten The party chairman accused the opposition of dirty tricks in their election campaign. | stupid | funny | little | con/confidence

VERB + TRICK play, pull, try, use, work We decided to play a little trick on the teacher. | fall for She won't fall for such a stupid trick. | learn He's learnt a trick or two in his time working in the tax office.

TRICK + VERB work

TRICK + NOUN question

PHRASES a trick of the light A trick of the light made it look like she had a moustache.

² best way of doing sth

ADJ. special | useful

PREP. ~ of the trick of getting out red wine stains | ~ to There's no trick to it?you just need lots of practice.

PHRASES the trick is to … The trick is to keep your body still and your arms relaxed. | the tricks of the trade

³ skilled act

ADJ. clever, difficult | card, conjuring, disappearing, magic | party

VERB + TRICK do, perform | learn | teach

TRICK + VERB work

TRICK + NOUN photography | ending

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trigger noun

VERB + TRIGGER pull, squeeze | tighten on Her finger tightened on the trigger as she heard footsteps approaching.

TRIGGER + NOUN finger

PHRASES have your finger on the trigger (= to be ready to shoot)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trim verb

ADV. carefully, neatly his neatly trimmed moustache | away, off Trim away the lower leaves. | into trimming the bush into a heart shape

PHRASES get/have your hair trimmed

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

triple verb > See TREBLE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trip noun

VERB + TRIP be (away) on, go on, make, take She's away on a business trip. From here visitors can take a boat trip along the coast to Lundy Island. | have Did you have a good trip? | come back from, return from | be back from He's just back from a trip to New York. | arrange, organize, plan | book | cancel | extend | cut short I had to cut short my trip when my wallet was stolen. | enjoy Enjoy your trip!

PREP. ~ by a five-minute trip by taxi | ~ to a trip to Tokyo

PHRASES a trip abroad My last trip abroad was two years ago. | the trip home The trip home took us five hours! | the trip of a lifetime They saved for years for their trip of a lifetime to Hawaii.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trip verb

¹ knock your foot on sth and fall

ADV. almost, nearly | over, up One of the boys tripped over and crashed into a tree. Be careful or you'll trip up.

PREP. on She tripped on the loose stones. | over I nearly tripped over the cat.

PHRASES trip and fall Don't leave toys on stairs where someone could trip and fall.

² walk lightly

ADV. lightly | out

PREP. along tripping along the path | down She came tripping lightly down the stairs. | up

PHRASES come tripping

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

triumphant adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | emerge, return The Democrats have emerged triumphant from the political crisis.

ADV. positively There was a positively triumphant note in her voice. | almost | ultimately Hers is a moving and ultimately triumphant story.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

triumph noun

VERB + TRIUMPH score The union scored a triumph in negotiating a minimum wage within the industry. | hail sth as, see sth as They hailed the signing of the agreement as a major diplomatic triumph.

PREP. in ~ The leading runner raised his arms in triumph. | ~ against their recent triumph against Brazil triumph against seemingly insuperable odds | ~ for The match was a personal triumph for Rivaldo. | ~ in their triumph in the general election | ~ over Her Wimbledon victory was hailed as a triumph over adversity.

PHRASES a moment of triumph, a sense of triumph

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

triumph verb

ADV. eventually, finally, ultimately She was confident that she would ultimately triumph over adversity.

PREP. over

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trivial adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, completely | almost | a bit, comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | essentially making a few essentially trivial changes | apparently, seemingly Apparently trivial clues may turn out to be quite important.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trolley noun

ADJ. laden, loaded The waiter was pushing a laden sweet trolley towards our table. | baggage, luggage, shopping | drinks, tea | dessert, sweet | hospital, supermarket

VERB + TROLLEY load, pile Passengers with trolleys piled high with luggage waited at the check-in desk. | push, wheel

TROLLEY + NOUN service On many trains, refreshments are provided by a trolley service.

PREP. on a/the ~ They brought breakfast to the room on a trolley.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trombone noun

ADJ. muted | bass, tenor | slide > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

troops noun

VERB + TROOPS deploy, mass, send (in) They are massing troops on the border. The UN is sending peace-keeping troops into the trouble spot. | provide (sb with), supply (sb with) The British Army has provided troops for the UN all over the world. | withdraw | command, lead, order He ordered troops to shoot to kill if attacked. | call in | quarter, station Five hundred troops were quartered in a village just behind the front line. | transport | rally | train

TROOPS + VERB fight (sb), kill sb | be based, be positioned, be posted, be stationed troops based in West Germany | advance, march, move in, move into sth Allied troops were advancing on the capital. | arrive, cross (into) sth, enter sth, land, reach sth Russian troops crossed into Austrian territory. | mass Government troops have massed on the northern border. | guard sth, patrol sth troops patrolling the border | occupy sth | attack (sb), invade (sth), overrun sth, storm sth, surround sth Rebel troops stormed the presidential palace. | fire on sb/sth, open fire, shoot sb | pull out, withdraw

PHRASES the deployment of troops, the withdrawal of troops

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trophy noun

ADJ. major | coveted, prestigious, prized | quiz, racing, sporting, swimming, etc. | championship

VERB + TROPHY lift, pick up, receive, take, win Britain has not lifted the trophy since it last hosted the event. | award, present | defend Portugal will be defending the trophy they won last year.

TROPHY + NOUN cabinet | winner

PREP. ~ for He picked up a trophy for best news editor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trot noun a trot

ADJ. brisk, fast, spanking | gentle

VERB + TROT break into When the horses reached the field they broke into a brisk trot. | slow to

PREP. at a ~ We set off at a fast trot. | into a ~ He kicked his horse into a trot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trot verb

ADV. briskly, quickly | happily | obediently Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. | across, along, off, over He trotted off to greet the other guests.

PREP. down, up She trotted quickly down the stairs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

troubled adj.

VERBS be, feel, look

ADV. deeply, greatly, particularly, very | vaguely She still felt vaguely troubled by it all. | financially financially troubled firms

PREP. at/by He was deeply troubled by the news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trouble noun

¹ problems

VERB + TROUBLE mean, spell She knew that a hygiene inspection could spell trouble for her restaurant. | have, suffer from He has had back trouble since changing jobs. | get (yourself) into, run into The firm soon ran into financial trouble. | keep out of, stay out of | pour out She poured out all her troubles to her mother. | cause, lead to The printer's causing trouble again. | avoid | forget, put behind you He put his past troubles behind him and built up a successful new career.

TROUBLE + VERB come Trouble often comes when you're least expecting it.

PREP. in ~ When she saw the teacher coming towards her she knew she was in big trouble. | ~ for He got into trouble for not doing his homework. | ~ with I've had endless trouble with my car. He is in trouble with the law again.

PHRASES a cause/source of trouble, a history of … trouble She has a history of back trouble. | in times of trouble In times of trouble she always turns to her mum. | trouble ahead I can see trouble ahead.

² arguing/violence

ADJ. crowd

VERB + TROUBLE cause, make He had a reputation for making trouble in the classroom. | be asking for, be looking for, court, stir up He was asking for trouble when he insulted their country. Fans wandered the town after the match looking for trouble.

TROUBLE + VERB be brewing There was trouble brewing among the workforce. | blow up, flare (up) Trouble blew up when the gang was refused entry to a nightclub.

TROUBLE + NOUN spot Extra journalists have been sent to the main trouble spots.

PREP. ~ between trouble between the teachers

³ extra work

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great They went to enormous trouble to make her stay a pleasant one.

VERB + TROUBLE bring (sb), cause (sb), give sb, make, put sb to I don't want to make trouble for her. I don't want to put you to any trouble. | go to, take We took the trouble to plan our route in advance. | be worth Do you think it's worth the trouble of booking seats in advance? | save sb Why don't we bring a pizza to save you the trouble of cooking? | thank sb for Thank you very much for all your trouble.

PHRASES be more trouble than it's worth Growing your own vegetables is more trouble than it's worth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trouble verb

ADV. deeply, greatly This latest news troubled him deeply. | hardly, scarcely

PHRASES be troubled with sth He has been troubled with a knee injury.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trough noun

¹ container for animal feed/water

ADJ. drinking, feeding | water | cattle, horse, pig

² low point

ADJ. deep

VERB + TROUGH fall to, reach Inflation fell to a trough of 3.3%.

PHRASES from peak to trough The stock market fell by 48% from peak to trough. | the peaks and troughs the peaks and troughs of economic cycles

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trousers noun

QUANT. pair

VERB + TROUSERS pull on, pull up | drop, pull down He dropped his trousers in a rude gesture.

TROUSERS + NOUN bottoms, leg, pocket He tucked his trouser bottoms into his socks.

PREP. in ~ He disapproves of women in trousers. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trout noun

VERB + TROUT eat, have | bake, cook, fry, grill | catch, fish for, land, tickle | farm

TROUT + NOUN fishing | farm, fishery | stream > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

truancy noun

ADJ. persistent

VERB + TRUANCY combat, tackle measures to combat persistent truancy in our schools | reduce | condone parents who condone their children's truancy

TRUANCY + NOUN level, rate

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

truant noun

ADJ. persistent | school

VERB + TRUANT play She often played truant and wrote her own sick notes.

TRUANT + NOUN officer

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

truce noun

ADJ. brief, temporary A temporary truce had been reached earlier that year. | permanent | three-day, week-long, etc. | fragile, uneasy | electoral, party, political

VERB + TRUCE call, declare, offer, propose The guerrillas have called a one-month truce. | agree (to/on), conclude, make, negotiate, reach The priest helped to negotiate a truce between the warring sides. | maintain | break, violate

TRUCE + VERB hold, last, prevail | collapse The two-day truce collapsed in intense shellfire. | expire, lapse They renewed the war as soon as the truce expired.

PREP. during a/the ~ during a wartime electoral truce | ~ among/between An uneasy truce prevailed between them at dinner. | ~ with the fragile truce with France

PHRASES a flag of truce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

truck noun

¹ large heavy vehicle

QUANT. convoy

VERB + TRUCK drive | park | load, unload

TRUCK + VERB rumble A convoy of heavy trucks rumbled past. | carry sth a truck carrying sacks of vegetables

TRUCK + NOUN driver | load a truck load of grain

² open railway wagon

ADJ. railway | cattle, coal, goods

VERB + TRUCK pull

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trudge verb

ADV. slowly trudging slowly back to the office | wearily He trudged wearily on down the road. | along, back, home, off, on trudging along in silence

PREP. across, along, around, down, through, up We trudged slowly through the fields.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

true adj.

¹ right or correct

VERBS be, ring, seem, sound Her explanation doesn't ring quite true. | come All her wishes came true. It was like a dream come true. | remain

ADV. particularly, very This is particularly true of older women. | absolutely, perfectly, quite It's perfectly true that I didn't help much, but I was busy. | certainly While this is certainly true for some, it's not true for others. | by no means, far from, not at all This degree of inequality was by no means true of all Victorian marriages. ‘That's not true at all, ’ he said firmly. | hardly, not completely, not entirely, not quite, not strictly, scarcely It's hardly true to call cleaning windows a ‘profession’. That's not strictly true, I'm afraid. | almost, more or less, pretty well The story is more or less true. | objectively

² faithful

VERBS be | remain, stay

ADV. absolutely

PREP. to She stayed true to her principles.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trumpet noun

ADJ. muted | BB, C, EB, etc.

VERB + TRUMPET blow

TRUMPET + VERB blare, sound

TRUMPET + NOUN blast, call, fanfare

PHRASES a blast of the trumpet the shrill blast of a trumpet | a fanfare/flourish of trumpets A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trump noun

TRUMP + NOUN card (often figurative) Vienna's trump cards include concerts in the palaces where Mozart made music. | suit > Note at CARD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

truncheon noun

ADJ. rubber

VERB + TRUNCHEON be armed with, carry | draw | beat sb with Some of the prisoners were beaten about the head with rubber truncheons.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trunk noun

¹ part of a tree

ADJ. thick | gnarled | fallen | rotting | tree 2 trunks for swimming

ADJ. bathing, swimming

QUANT. pair I need a new pair of swimming trunks. > Special page at CLOTHES

³ strong box with a lid

ADJ. old | tin | steamer

VERB + TRUNK pack, unpack

PREP. in a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trustee noun

ADJ. joint They act as joint trustees of the fund. | sole | independent | public | professional

VERB + TRUSTEE act as, be, serve as | appoint, appoint sb (as) | remove (sb as) | resign as

PREP. ~ for They hold the land as trustees for the infant.

PHRASES a board of trustees

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trust noun

¹ relying on sb/sth

ADJ. great They have placed great trust in him as a negotiator. | absolute, complete | blind, implicit They followed the instructions in blind trust that all would turn out well. | basic | mutual | sacred They accepted the responsibility as a sacred trust (= sth that had been trusted to them). | fragile the fragile trust that existed between them | misplaced | public the need to restore public trust

TRUST + VERB exist

PREP. ~ between efforts to promote mutual trust between nations | ~ in His trust in them was misplaced.

PHRASES a breach of trust, a lack of trust, a position of trust As a teacher, you are in a position of trust.

² financial arrangement

ADJ. independent, self-governing | offshore, overseas | investment | unit Investing in a unit trust reduces risks for small investors. | charitable, family, hospital

VERB + TRUST hold sth in/on, keep sth in The proceeds will be held in trust for the children until they are eighteen. | create, establish, set up Wealthy people can set up overseas trusts for their children. | invest in | administer, run

TRUST + NOUN account, assets, fund | deed | status | manager | beneficiary, holder

PREP. in ~ His father put the money in trust for him until he was 21. | ~ for the Cecil Houses Trust for old people

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

trust verb

ADV. implicitly I trust you implicitly. | completely, fully | not entirely, not quite, not really You can never entirely trust even a ‘tame’ leopard.

VERB + TRUST can/could I knew I could trust John. | be prepared to, be willing to | be reluctant to I was reluctant to trust the evidence of my senses.

PREP. to I stumbled along in the dark, trusting to luck to find the right door. | with I'd trust her with my life.

PHRASES not to be trusted He is not to be trusted with other people's money. | tried and trusted tried and trusted techniques

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

truthful adj.

VERBS be

ADV. very | absolutely, completely | not entirely, not quite I don't think you are being entirely truthful.

PREP. about She was completely truthful about her involvement in the affair.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

truth noun

¹ what is true

ADJ. absolute, gospel (informal), honest (informal), real She takes everything she reads in the paper as gospel truth. | full, whole It still doesn't make sense to me?I don't think he's told us the whole truth. | exact, literal | naked, plain, simple The simple truth is he's lost his job. | underlying | awful, bitter, cruel, dreadful, hard, harsh, horrible, horrid, painful, sad, shocking, terrible, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome the shocking truth about heroin addiction among the young The sad truth is he never loved her. | objective | empirical, historical, moral, poetic, psychological, religious, scientific, spiritual It's a good film but contains little historical truth. | divine

QUANT. element, grain There may have been a grain of truth in what he said.

VERB + TRUTH know So now you know the truth. If the truth be known, I was afraid to tell anyone. | admit, speak, tell (sb) He was reminded of his duty to speak the truth when questioned in court. I'm sure she's telling the truth. To tell you the truth, I'm rather dreading his return. | establish, discover, find out, get at, learn, reveal, uncover She was determined to discover the truth about her neighbours. The journalist protested that he was only trying to get at the truth. | guess | accept, acknowledge, face (up to) | doubt The police doubt the truth of his statement. | conceal, cover up, hide, suppress You've been hiding the truth from me!

TRUTH + VERB be, lie We are examining the matter to see where the truth lies. | come out, emerge Towards the end of the letter the cruel truth emerged. | dawn on sb The awful truth suddenly dawned on her.

PREP. in ~ She laughed and chatted but was, in truth (= in fact), not having much fun. | ~ about finding out the truth about her husband | ~ behind What's the truth behind all the gossip? | ~ in There is no truth in the rumour.

PHRASES be economical with the truth (= not to tell the whole truth), nothing could be further from the truth I know you think she's mean, but nothing could be further from the truth. | the quest/search for (the) truth, a ring of truth His explanation has a ring of truth to it. | a seeker after truth (literary) seekers after divine truth | the truth of the matter The truth of the matter is we can't afford to keep all the staff on. | the truth will out (saying) (= People will find out the true facts of a situation even if you try to keep them secret.)

² fact that is true

ADJ. basic, central, common, essential, eternal, fundamental, general, great, important, profound, simple, ultimate, universal in search of the eternal truths of life | ancient | obvious, self-evident, undeniable We hold these truths to be self-evident … | underlying | half, partial His evidence was a blend of smears, half truths and downright lies. | harsh, home, painful, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome It's time we told him a few home truths about sharing a house. | necessary | moral, philosophical, scientific, spiritual | divine

VERB + TRUTH establish, reveal, uncover | tell sb | accept, acknowledge, face up to

PREP. ~ about She was forced to face up to a few unwelcome truths about her family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

try noun

¹ attempt

ADJ. good, nice Never mind?it was a good try. Better luck next time. | another

VERB + TRY have Can I have a try? | give sth It looks difficult, but let's give it a try. | be worth It may not work, but it's certainly worth a try.

PREP. ~ at She's having another try at the marathon.

² scoring move in rugby

VERB + TRY get, go over for, score | convert

PREP. ~ against He scored three tries against New Zealand. | ~ by/from an excellent try by winger Neil Lang > Special page at SPORT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

try verb

ADV. desperately, frantically, hard She was trying desperately to stay afloat. Sam was trying hard not to laugh. | gamely, manfully, valiantly trying valiantly to smile through her tears | clumsily clumsily trying to make amends | feebly | in vain, unsuccessfully, vainly

VERB + TRY decide to I decided to try again. | be going to I hope you're not going to try and deny it. | be tempted to | be tempting to | let sb Can't you do it? Let me try.

PHRASES be just/only trying to do sth I was just trying to help! | give up trying I've given up trying to persuade her. | try your best/hardest/utmost I tried my best not to laugh.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tuba noun

ADJ. muted | bass, tenor > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tube noun

¹ long hollow pipe

PREP. down a/the ~ pouring the liquid down the tube | in/into a/the ~ I put the poster back into its tube. | through a/the ~ He gave the lamb its food through a tube. | up a ~ 2 the tube the Underground

ADJ. London

VERB + TUBE go on, take, travel by/on

TUBE + NOUN line, station, ticket, train

PREP. by ~ I go to work by tube. | on the ~ I bumped into him on the tube.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tub noun

ADJ. bath (also bathtub) | hot

VERB + TUB lie in, soak in I love soaking in a hot tub. | climb/get in | climb/get out of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tuck verb

ADV. carefully, discreetly, neatly | gently | firmly | cosily, safely The children were safely tucked up in bed. | away, in, up The boys tucked their shirts in.

PREP. behind The loos were discreetly tucked away behind a screen of trees. | inside He tucked the map inside his shirt. | into He tucked his trousers neatly into his boots. | under She tucked the newspaper under her arm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Tuesday noun > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tug noun

ADJ. good, sharp All it needed was a good tug. | gentle, little, slight | quick, sudden

VERB + TUG give (sth) | feel

PREP. with a ~ She started the engine with one tug of the starter rope. | ~ at She felt a sharp tug at her sleeve. | ~ on She gave a little tug on the rope.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tug verb

ADV. gently | hard He tugged harder, but it was caught fast.

PREP. at She tugged at his arm to get his attention. | by He tugged me by the sleeve.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tuition noun

VERB + TUITION give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) | get, have, receive

TUITION + NOUN fee

PREP. under sb's ~ She had become expert in Chinese cooking under the tuition of her aunt. | ~ for tuition for beginners extra tuition for the exams | ~ from He is receiving tuition from a well-known artist. | ~ in tuition in Italian

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tulip noun

ADJ. dwarf | early, late, mid-season

TULIP + NOUN bulb | fields > Note at FLOWER(for verbs)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tummy noun

¹ part of the body where food is digested

ADJ. empty, full

TUMMY + VERB rumble

TUMMY + NOUN ache, bug, trouble, upset

PREP. in the/your ~ I get a fluttery feeling in my tummy before meeting new people.

² front part of the body below the chest

ADJ. bulging, fat, flat

VERB + TUMMY pull in

TUMMY + NOUN muscles

PREP. on the/your ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tumour noun

ADJ. cancerous | malignant | benign | primary | brain, breast, kidney, etc.

VERB + TUMOUR diagnose | remove

TUMOUR + NOUN cell, tissue | formation, growth | virus

PREP. ~ in a primary tumour in the breast | ~ on a malignant tumour on the eyelid

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tune noun

VERB + TUNE give sb, hum, play (sb), sing, whistle She gave us a tune on the piano. | hum/sing along with | compose, write | pick out The kids were picking out a popular tune on the old piano. | carry, hold He wasn't allowed in the choir because he couldn't hold a tune.

PHRASES to the tune of sth The crowd were singing ‘Give us jobs, not more cuts!’ to the tune of ‘Happy Birthday To You’.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tune verb

¹ adjust an engine/a machine

ADV. permanently

PREP. to a laser that is permanently tuned to the correct frequency

PHRASES finely/highly tuned a finely tuned engine

² adjust a television/radio

ADV. in Don't forget to tune in to our special election programme this evening.

PREP. for, to I tuned to the BBC for the late news.

PHRASES badly tuned He heard everything through a screen of interference, like on a badly tuned radio. | stay tuned Stay tuned for the news.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tunnel noun

VERB + TUNNEL go through, use | disappear into, enter, go into The train disappeared into a tunnel. | come out of | bore, build, construct, dig, excavate They've built a new tunnel through the mountain. The initial section of tunnel had to be dug by hand.

TUNNEL + VERB run A service tunnel runs between the two buildings.

TUNNEL + NOUN mouth, roof, wall

PREP. through a/the ~

PHRASES a labyrinth/maze/network/system of tunnels The badger sett had twelve entrances to what must have been a labyrinth of tunnels.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turf noun

ADJ. green | soft, springy | artificial | hallowed, home (of a sports pitch) the hallowed turf of Wembley the team's first success of the season on home turf

QUANT. piece, sod primitive cottages made of sods of turf and sticks

VERB + TURF cut They still cut turf here for fuel. | lay laying turf to create a lawn

TURF + NOUN fire

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turkey noun

TURKEY + VERB gobble Turkeys make a funny gobbling sound.

TURKEY + NOUN farm | breast | dinner, lunch > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turmoil noun

ADJ. constant Her mind was in a state of constant turmoil. | emotional, inner, mental | economic, political

VERB + TURMOIL cause, plunge/send/throw sb/sth into Her emotional life was thrown into turmoil.

PREP. in ~ He came to a stop, his chest heaving, his thoughts in turmoil. | ~ of a turmoil of emotions

PHRASES a state of turmoil

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turn-off noun

ADJ. next VERB + TURN-OFF take Take the next turn-off. | miss, overshoot We were chatting and overshot our turn-off.

PREP. ~ for the turn-off for Leeds

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turning point noun

ADJ. crucial, major, real, significant | historic This win could prove to be a historic turning point (= one that will be remembered) in the fortunes of the team. | historical, political The industrial revolution was a major historical turning point (= a turning point in history).

VERB + TURNING POINT be, mark, prove (to be) | see sth as | reach In 1914 the world reached a turning point in its history.

TURNING POINT + VERB come The turning point came when reinforcements arrived from the south.

PREP. at a ~ The process of disarmament is at a crucial turning point. | ~ in

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turning noun > See TURN

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turnout noun

¹ number of people who vote in an election

ADJ. high | low, poor | electoral, voter Voter turnout was high at the last election.

PHRASES a decline/fall in turnout, an increase in turnout

² number of people who go to a meeting, match, etc.

ADJ. big, good, large | disappointing, poor

VERB + TURNOUT attract The concert attracted a large turnout.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turnover noun

¹ amount of business a company does

VERB + TURNOVER have | record The company recorded a turnover of £50 million last year. | boost, increase | reduce

TURNOVER + VERB be up | be down Turnover was down compared with last year's figures. | double, grow, increase, rise The firm's UK turnover increased (by) 30% to £10 million. | drop, fall, slip Turnover fell from £12 million to £11 million. | reach sth Turnover reached $2 billion in the 12 months to September. | exceed sth, top sth The company's worldwide turnover exceeds $5 billion.

TURNOVER + NOUN figure, growth, rate, tax

PHRASES a decline/fall in turnover, an increase/a rise in turnover > Special page at BUSINESS

² rate at which people come and go from a job/place

ADJ. fast, high, rapid | low | labour, staff | population The inner city has a rapid population turnover.

VERB + TURNOVER have

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

turn noun

¹ act of turning sb/sth round

ADJ. full, half, quarter a full turn of the handle to the right | 90-degree, 180-degree, etc. | quick a quick turn of his head

VERB + TURN give sth Give the knob a turn.

² change of direction

ADJ. left/left-hand, right/right-hand | sharp | wide | sudden | three-point (see also U-turn)

VERB + TURN do, make, negotiate She stopped talking as she negotiated a particularly sharp turn.

PHRASES at every turn (figurative) At every turn I met with disappointment. | a turn to the left/right He made a sudden turn to the right. | twists and turns (figurative) trying to follow all the twists and turns of the plot

³ (also turning) bend/corner in a road

ADJ. next | wrong

VERB + TURN take He took a wrong turn and ended up on the coast road. | miss

PHRASES a turn on the left/right Take the next turn on the right. | twists and turns a lane full of twists and turns

⁴ time when you must or may do sth

VERB + TURN have, take Can I have a turn? I'll take a turn making the dinner?you have a rest. The children took turns on the swing. | miss If you can't put any cards down you have to miss a turn. | give sb Give Sarah a turn on the swing. | wait Be patient and wait your turn! | come to By the time it came to my turn to sing, I was a bag of nerves.

TURN + VERB come When my turn finally came, I was shaking with nerves.

PREP. in ~ (= one after the other) They gave their names in turn. | in sb's ~ She had not been friendly to Pete and he, in his turn, was cold to her when she came to stay. | out of ~ (= before or after your turn) I'm writing to you out of turn because I have some very important news.

⁵ change

ADJ. dramatic, sudden, unexpected | different, new | downward

VERB + TURN take Her career took an unexpected turn when she moved to New York.

PREP. by ~(s) This movie is by turn (= alternately) terrifying and very funny. | on the ~ (= changing) Our luck is on the turn.

PHRASES take a turn for the better/worse I'm afraid Grandma has taken a turn for the worse. | a turn of events In a dramatic turn of events she took control of the company into her own hands.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tussle noun

ADJ. little | legal

VERB + TUSSLE have Anna and her conscience had a little tussle. | be engaged in, be involved in

PREP. in a/the ~ He broke his leg in a tussle for the ball. | ~ between a tussle between the country's parliament and government | ~ for Five teams are involved in the tussle for promotion. | ~ over a tussle over the closure of the local hospital | ~ with We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tutorial noun

ADJ. group, individual

VERB + TUTORIAL have I've got two tutorials today. | prepare for | go to | miss | give (sb) He gives one lecture and two tutorials a week.

TUTORIAL + NOUN class, group

PREP. at/during/in a/the ~ | ~ on a tutorial on the rise of the novel

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tutor noun

VERB + TUTOR act as

PREP. ~ to Roger Ascham, tutor to Queen Elizabeth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twang noun

ADJ. slight | nasal | American, Cockney, etc.

VERB + TWANG have, speak with She had a slight Australian twang. | hear

PREP. with a ~ The words came out with an Irish twang to them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twig noun

ADJ. dry | bare | dead | birch, willow, etc.

VERB + TWIG break (off), snap (off) He broke off a twig from a willow tree and used it to shoo the flies away.

TWIG + VERB break, snap The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twilight noun

ADJ. gathering, thickening

TWILIGHT + NOUN world (figurative) the twilight world of the occult | zone (figurative) the twilight zone between living and merely existing | years (figurative) a forgotten man who spent his twilight years alone

PREP. at ~, in/into the ~ She walked away into the thickening twilight.

PHRASES in the twilight of your career/life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twinge noun

ADJ. sharp | little, slight | sudden

VERB + TWINGE experience, feel, get, suffer | give sb The letter still gives him a twinge when he thinks of it.

PREP. ~ of a twinge of guilt

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twinkle noun

ADJ. mischievous, wicked

PHRASES a twinkle in sb's eye

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twin noun

ADJ. identical | fraternal, non-identical | conjoined, Siamese

QUANT. pair a pair of identical twins

VERB + TWIN expect | give birth to, have

TWIN + NOUN boys, girls She had twin girls. | daughters, sons | brother, sister

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twist noun

¹ act of twisting sth

ADJ. little, slight | quick, sharp | wry

VERB + TWIST give sth Give the cap another twist?it's not on properly.

PREP. ~ of He finished him off with a quick twist of the knife. | ~ to a wry twist to her mouth

² change/development

VERB + TWIST give sth The writer takes well-known fairy tales and gives them an ironic twist. | take The scandal has taken a new twist this week.

PREP. in a ~, with a ~ classic French dishes with a twist (= with a difference) | ~ in a twist in the plot | ~ to In a bizarre twist to the evening the police came at eleven and arrested our host.

PHRASES a twist in the tail The story has a twist in the tail?six months later she married the husband of her victim. | a twist of fate, twists and turns the twists and turns in the economy

³ in a road, river, etc.

ADJ. sharp

PREP. ~ in a sharp twist in the road

PHRASES twists and turns the twists and turns of the river

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twist verb

ADV. slightly She twisted slightly in her chair to look up at him. | gently Gently twist off the green stalks. | violently She fired again and saw the creature twist violently. | bitterly, scornfully, wryly His mouth twisted bitterly. | away, off, together, up Her black her was twisted up into a knot on top of her head.

PREP. around/round I twisted the bandage round his leg. | with His face was twisted with rage.

PHRASES twist and turn The road twists and turns along the coast. | twist (yourself) free He managed to twist himself free. | twist sth out of shape Her mouth was twisted out of shape by grief.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twitch noun

ADJ. nervous | slight His mouth gave a slight twitch. | involuntary | muscle, muscular

VERB + TWITCH have He has a twitch in his right eye. | develop | give

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

twitch verb

ADV. convulsively, violently The body twitched violently and then lay still. | uncontrollably | a little, slightly | nervously Her fingers twitched nervously.

PREP. with His shoulders twitched with suppressed laughter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tycoon noun

ADJ. business, media, newspaper, property, publishing, shipping

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

type noun

¹ kind/sort

VERB + TYPE identify | revert to The boss came back from holiday all relaxed and smiling, but now he's reverting to type.

PREP. in ~ The recession is similar in type to that of ten years ago. | of a ~ a country inn of a type that has all but vanished | ~ of There are various types of daffodil(s).

PHRASES of its type This exercise is the hardest of its type. | a range/variety of types

² person

ADJ. artistic, careful, City (= a person who works in finance in the City of London), creative, entrepreneurial, literary, old-fashioned The bar was crowded with City types in suits. He was the old-fashioned type, well-mannered and always in a suit and tie.

PHRASES true to type True to type, Adam turned up an hour late. | (not) your type She's not really my type?she's a bit too serious.

³ printed letters

ADJ. bold, heavy | italic | roman

VERB + TYPE print sth in, set sth in Key paragraphs of the report are set in italic type.

PREP. in … ~ The important words are in bold type.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

type verb

PREP. into She typed the details into the computer. | on This letter was typed on an electronic typewriter.

PHRASES closely typed 300 proposals and amendments covering 78 closely typed pages

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

typhoon noun

TYPHOON + VERB hit sth, strike sth The village was hit by a typhoon. | damage sth, destroy sth, devastate sth The plantation was devastated by a typhoon.

PREP. in a/the ~ His home was destroyed in a typhoon.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

typical adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as, take sth as You must not take this attitude as typical of English people.

ADV. extremely, highly, very | absolutely, altogether, entirely, just That's altogether typical of Tom! They're going to be late? Now, isn't that just typical? | by no means, not necessarily East Anglia is by no means typical of rural Britain. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather

PREP. of Julia is fairly typical of her age group.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

typing noun

ADJ. audio, touch

VERB + TYPING do Could you do some typing for me?

TYPING + NOUN error | course | skills | speed | pool (= a group of people who share a company's typing work)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

typist noun

ADJ. good | audio, copy, shorthand > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tyranny noun

ADJ. petty

VERB + TYRANNY be freed from, overthrow | impose (often figurative) An artist's need for money imposes the tyranny of popular taste.

PREP. ~ over her tyranny over her staff

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tyrant noun

ADJ. cruel, great | petty Some of the prison officers were petty tyrants.

VERB + TYRANT overthrow

TYRANT + VERB rule sth The country had long been ruled by tyrants.

PREP. under a/the ~ The kings of Sparta would not serve under the tyrants of Syracuse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

tyre noun

QUANT. set

VERB + TYRE change, replace | inflate, pump up | deflate, let down Someone let the tyres down overnight as a mean joke. | fit, fit sth with This car is fitted with radial tyres. | blow, burst He was going so fast he blew a tyre. | patch, repair, retread He's patching the bike tyre that got a puncture yesterday. | check She checked the tyres and oil before setting off. | slash Vandals had slashed the tyres and broken the side mirror.

TYRE + VERB deflate, go flat, get/have a puncture, puncture | blow (out), burst A back tyre blew after half an hour tearing along a rocky road. | crunch, screech, squeal The tyres crunched to a standstill on the gravel. She braked suddenly, her tyres squealing in protest.

TYRE + NOUN mark, tracks | pressure | tread

PHRASES a crunch/screech/squeal of tyres He roared up the drive with a screech of tyres.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

U-turn noun

¹ movement in a car VERB + U-TURN do, execute, make

² sudden change of plan

ADJ. complete | dramatic, spectacular | embarrassing, humiliating | government, policy VERB + U-TURN do, execute, make, perform The government has made a spectacular U-turn on taxes.

PREP. ~ on a U-turn on education policy | ~ over a government U-turn over plans to cut social security payments

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ugly adj.

¹ unattractive

VERBS be, look

ADV. extremely, hideously, incredibly, really, very The witch was hideously ugly. | almost | pretty, quite, rather

² dangerous/threatening

VERBS be, look, sound | get, turn

ADV. really, very | pretty, quite A fight started and things got pretty ugly. | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ultimatum noun

VERB + ULTIMATUM deliver, give sb, issue, present (sb with), send The government denied that it had presented the union with an ultimatum. | get, receive | comply with | ignore | withdraw

ULTIMATUM + VERB demand sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

umbilical cord noun

VERB + UMBILICAL CORD clamp, cut, tie

UMBILICAL CORD + VERB be (twisted/wound) around sb's neck

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

umbrella noun

ADJ. furled, rolled | beach, sun | golf | nuclear, protective (both figurative) the American nuclear umbrella over Western Europe

VERB + UMBRELLA open, put up, unfurl | let down She let down her umbrella and furled it. | fold, furl

UMBRELLA + NOUN stand | body, group, organization (all figurative) an umbrella group including members of opposition parties | heading, name, term, title, word (all figurative) ‘Herb’ is an umbrella term covering many types of plant.

PREP. under an/the ~ She was fast asleep under a big beach umbrella. (figurative) The two sectors combined under the umbrella of the Scottish Council.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unable adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, prove, seem | become | remain | find yourself, leave sb, make sb She found herself unable to meet his gaze. The accident left him unable to walk. | deem sth The road was deemed unable to cope with increased traffic.

PHRASES unwilling or unable He remained silent, unwilling or unable to say what was in his mind.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unacceptable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | remain | make sth The cost of these proposed changes makes them unacceptable. | consider sth, deem sth, find sth, regard sth as, see sth as Most people would consider such risks wholly unacceptable.

ADV. completely, quite, simply, totally, utterly, wholly | inherently There is nothing inherently unacceptable in these proposals. | morally, politically, socially socially unacceptable behaviour

PREP. to Such a solution would be quite unacceptable to the majority of people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unaffected adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | remain

ADV. altogether, completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | almost, virtually | largely | comparatively, relatively | apparently, seemingly She was seemingly unaffected by his presence.

PREP. by He appeared totally unaffected by this experience.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unanimous adj.

VERBS be

ADV. almost, nearly, virtually

PREP. about Doctors are unanimous about the dangers of this drug. | in They were unanimous in this decision. | on The experts are not unanimous on this point.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unavoidable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | make sth This latest incident makes his dismissal unavoidable.

ADV. absolutely, quite, totally, utterly | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unaware adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | remain

PREP. of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unbalanced adj.

¹ rather mad

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. a little, slightly | mentally She became mentally unbalanced after the accident.

² not fair to all ideas or sides of sth

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, seriously, very | completely, wholly The report is completely unbalanced. | slightly, somewhat a somewhat unbalanced account of the events

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unbearable adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem | become, get | make sb/sth His arrogance made him absolutely unbearable! | find sb/sth They found the heat unbearable.

ADV. absolutely, quite | almost

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unbeatable adj.

VERBS be, look, seem The French team looks unbeatable. | become | remain United remain unbeatable at the top of the League.

ADV. almost, virtually He now has an almost unbeatable lead over his rivals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unbelievable adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become | find sth I find this quite unbelievable.

ADV. really | completely, quite, totally | just, simply | almost | pretty

PREP. to It's simply unbelievable to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unbroken adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. almost, largely, virtually a tradition of government involvement which remained virtually unbroken until the 1990s

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uncertainty noun

ADJ. considerable, great | growing | continuing, lingering | economic, financial, legal, political

QUANT. degree, element

VERB + UNCERTAINTY cause, create, give rise to, lead to | add (to), fuel, increase Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation. Her comments will add uncertainty to an already complicated situation. | reduce | bring/put an end to, eliminate, remove, resolve | face They are facing some uncertainty about their jobs.

UNCERTAINTY + VERB surround sth the uncertainty surrounding the proposed changes in the law

PREP. ~ about a feeling of uncertainty about his future | ~ as to There's considerable uncertainty as to whether the government's job creation strategies will work. | ~ over uncertainty over the safety of the drug

PHRASES an area of uncertainty One area of uncertainty remains: who will lead the team? | a feeling of uncertainty, a period of uncertainty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uncertain adj.

¹ not confident

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become

ADV. deeply, very I feel deeply uncertain about the future. | a little, rather, slightly | strangely

PREP. about, as to He seemed strangely uncertain as to how to continue. | of We were rather uncertain of the direction it came from.

² not known exactly

VERBS be, look | become | remain, seem

ADV. extremely, highly, very | increasingly | quite, rather, somewhat | still Whether diet is an important factor in this illness is still uncertain. | inevitably, inherently The world is inherently uncertain. | notoriously Cost estimates are notoriously uncertain in this business.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unchanged adj.

VERBS appear, be, look | remain, stay | leave sth

ADV. completely, quite, totally | almost, practically, virtually | largely, substantially | basically, essentially, fundamentally The school appeared essentially unchanged since my day. | relatively

PREP. by She was the only one of us unchanged by events.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uncharacteristic adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. very | quite, totally | rather

PREP. of The houses were totally uncharacteristic of the area.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uncle noun

ADJ. benevolent, kindly The boss smiled at us all like a benevolent uncle. | bachelor | maternal, paternal | great (= the brother of one of your grandparents)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uncomfortable adj.

¹ not comfortable

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get | make sth Sharp stones on the path made walking barefoot rather uncomfortable. | find sth I find these chairs incredibly uncomfortable.

ADV. downright, extremely, incredibly, most, really, terribly, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | physically

² feeling/causing worry/embarrassment

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem | become, get He started to get a bit uncomfortable as the conversation continued. | make sb The way he looked at her made her distinctly uncomfortable. | find sth

ADV. acutely, decidedly, deeply, distinctly, downright, extremely, really, terribly, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly | clearly, obviously, visibly

PREP. with Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uncommon adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | by no means, far from, not at all Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago. | fairly, quite, rather, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unconcerned adj.

VERBS act, appear, be, look, seem, sound I tried to act unconcerned.

ADV. very | completely, quite, totally | relatively | apparently, seemingly

PREP. about They appeared completely unconcerned about what they had done. | by He was apparently unconcerned by his failure to gain a university place.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unconsciousness noun

ADJ. deep

VERB + UNCONSCIOUSNESS fall/lapse/sink/slip into

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unconscious adj.

¹ in a state that is like sleep

VERBS appear, be, lie, look They found her lying unconscious on the floor. | become | remain | batter sb, beat sb, kick sb, knock sb, leave sb, render sb He was knocked unconscious by the impact. The attack left her unconscious.

ADV. deeply | completely | almost | still 2 unconscious of sb/sth not aware of sb/sth

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. quite, totally Parents are often quite unconscious of the ways in which they influence their children.

³ done without you being aware of it

VERBS be, seem

ADV. deeply | quite, totally, wholly These impulses are often totally unconscious. | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uncontrollable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. completely, totally | almost, virtually an almost uncontrollable urge to laugh | apparently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undecided adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | remain | leave sth The question cannot be left undecided.

ADV. very | quite | still | as yet She is as yet undecided in which direction she wants to make her future career.

PREP. about He is still undecided about what to do. | as to They are undecided as to whether to buy a new car. | on The government remains undecided on this issue.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

underestimate noun

ADJ. gross, serious The official figures are a gross underestimate of the true number.

PREP. ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

underestimate verb

ADV. badly, considerably, greatly, grossly, massively, seriously, substantially He realized that he had seriously underestimated their strength. | totally | fatally

VERB + UNDERESTIMATE tend to

PHRASES sth should not be underestimated The importance of these feelings should not be underestimated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undergraduate noun

ADJ. first-year, second-year, etc. | college, university | Harvard, Oxford, etc. | Chemistry, History, etc.

UNDERGRADUATE + NOUN course, curriculum, degree, studies | student | teaching | level | grant

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

underground noun

ADJ. London

VERB + UNDERGROUND go on/by, take, travel on/by

UNDERGROUND + NOUN station, train, tunnel | system bringing the whole underground system to a halt

PREP. in the ~ I always seem to get lost in the underground. | on the ~ passengers on the underground

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undergrowth noun

ADJ. deep, dense, tangled, thick

QUANT. patch

VERB + UNDERGROWTH clear

PREP. into the ~ The snake slithered off into the undergrowth. | in the ~ I noticed someone hiding in the undergrowth. | through the ~ I could hear him crashing through the undergrowth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

underline verb

¹ draw a line under a word

ADV. heavily The word ‘not’ was heavily underlined.

² emphasize sth

ADV. clearly | just, merely, only, simply This disaster merely underlines the need for a consistent foreign policy. | further

VERB + UNDERLINE serve to | seem to | be intended to a move intended to underline US concern over the issue

PHRASES underline the fact that …

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undermine verb

VERB + UNDERMINE threaten to | attempt to, seek to, try to | help (to), serve to, tend to | be likely to | be designed to, be intended to a terror attack intended to undermine the morale of citizens

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

underpants noun

ADJ. men's

QUANT. pair

PREP. in your ~ He sat on the examination table in his underpants. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

understandable adj.

¹ seeming normal and reasonable

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. very | completely, entirely, perfectly, quite, wholly | fairly

² easy to understand

VERBS be, seem

ADV. easily, readily Warning notices must be readily understandable.

PREP. to The instructions must be understandable to the average user.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

understanding noun

¹ knowledge of a subject, of how sth works, etc.

ADJ. complete, full He showed a full understanding of the sequence of events. | growing | clear, deep, good, profound, proper, sophisticated, thorough, true You need to read more widely to gain a proper understanding of the issue. | adequate, basic, broad, general, sufficient | limited She has only a limited understanding of what the job involves. | conceptual, critical, rational, theoretical | historical, musical, scientific, etc. | instinctive | common Some religions have a common understanding of the nature of a divine being.

QUANT. level The students seem to have a reasonable level of understanding of how genes work.

VERB + UNDERSTANDING have | show | reflect This change of policy reflects a growing understanding of the extent of the problem. | lack | acquire, arrive at, gain | give sb | advance, broaden, deepen, develop, enhance, enrich, improve, increase a book that will deepen your understanding of global warming

PREP. ~ about The book aims to give children a balanced understanding of food, farming and the environment. | ~ of

PHRASES a lack of understanding

² intelligence

ADJ. human

VERB + UNDERSTANDING pass a level of cruelty that passes human understanding

PREP. beyond (your) ~ The idea of eternity is beyond our full understanding.

³ ability to feel sympathy and trust

ADJ. deeper, great | mutual | international

VERB + UNDERSTANDING show He didn't show much understanding towards her when she lost her job. | bring (about), develop, lead to Greater contact between the two groups should lead to a better mutual understanding. | gain in, grow in After spending a month living together, they have gained in understanding of each other. | foster, promote, work for

PREP. ~ between The association fosters a deeper understanding between prisons and the public.

⁴ informal agreement

ADJ. written | verbal | tacit, unspoken There is an unspoken understanding that Hugh will be in charge while Jane is away.

VERB + UNDERSTANDING have | come to, reach They came to an understanding on when final payment was to be made.

PREP. ~ between an understanding between the companies to fight against the proposed tax reform | ~ on a tacit understanding on the need for a pay rise | on the ~ I thought you gave me the book on the understanding that I could keep it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

understand verb

ADV. clearly, well | fully, perfectly, quite I fully understand the reason for your decision. | not really Her behaviour wounded him in a way he did not really understand. | adequately | correctly, properly She realized that she had never properly understood him. | easily, readily The reasons for this decision are not easily understood. | instinctively, intuitively She intuitively understood his need to be alone.

PREP. about We understand little about this disease.

PHRASES be commonly/generally/popularly understood What is generally understood by ‘democracy’? | be imperfectly/incompletely/poorly understood The effects of these chemicals on the body are still poorly understood. | be universally/widely understood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

understatement noun

ADJ. gross ‘A little strange’ is a gross understatement.

PHRASES a bit of/something of an understatement, the understatement of the year (informal) To say he wasn't amused must be the understatement of the year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undertaking noun

¹ piece of work/business

ADJ. considerable, large, major, serious | worthwhile | hazardous, risky | joint the first joint undertaking of the two societies | commercial, financial We have to decide if this is a worthwhile commercial undertaking.

² formal promise

VERB + UNDERTAKING give (sb) He gave an undertaking not to leave the country before the trial. | seek | obtain | carry out, honour, renege on The factory failed to honour its undertaking to stop dumping waste into the local river. | sign

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undertone noun

ADJ. sinister | racist, sexual The article was full of racist undertones.

VERB + UNDERTONE have

PREP. in an ~ ‘I don't think she's been told yet,’ he said in an undertone. The couple at the next table were speaking in undertones.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

underwear noun

QUANT. change, set She packed a fresh set of underwear and her toothbrush.

PREP. in your ~ He was getting cold standing around in his underwear. > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

underworld noun

ADJ. dark, sinister the dark underworld of smuggling | criminal

UNDERWORLD + NOUN figure

PREP. in the … ~ She was a shady figure in the Dublin underworld.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undesirable adj.

VERBS be, seem | make sth | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. extremely, highly, very a situation which is highly undesirable | totally | clearly, obviously It is clearly undesirable for the issue to be ignored. | economically, politically, socially It was felt that the ageing of society was socially and economically undesirable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undignified adj

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become

ADV. most, very | thoroughly | rather, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undone adj.

¹ not fastened or tied

VERBS be | come My button's come undone again. | get sth I can't get this knot undone.

² not done

VERBS be | remain | leave sth We left the washing-up undone and went out for the day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

undressed adj.

VERBS be, feel She felt undressed without her hat. | get He got undressed and ready for bed.

ADV. half He was half undressed when the doorbell rang.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unease noun

ADJ. deep, great, growing | certain, some, vague She felt a vague unease. | general, public

VERB + UNEASE feel | express, show They expressed their deep unease about the lack of security arrangements. | hide I smiled to hide my unease. | sense He sensed a certain unease in her. | cause, create

UNEASE + VERB grow, rise

PREP. ~ about/at/over Many felt unease about the methods used.

PHRASES a feeling/sense of unease, a source of unease He looked in vain for the source of his unease.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uneasy adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow We were starting to grow slightly uneasy. | remain | make sb

ADV. decidedly, deeply, distinctly, extremely, profoundly, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat, vaguely | strangely

PREP. about I felt distinctly uneasy about lending her so much money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unemployed adj.

VERBS be, be registered (as) | become | remain | leave sb, make sb The closure of the factory left hundreds of men unemployed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unemployed noun the unemployed

ADJ. long-term | rural, urban

PREP. among the ~ The party's policies were popular among the unemployed.

PHRASES the plight of the unemployed, the ranks of the unemployed He graduated with a good degree, only to join the ranks of the unemployed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unemployment noun

QUANT. level, rate

VERB + UNEMPLOYMENT be faced with, face | cause, create | alleviate, bring down, cut, keep down, reduce | increase | combat, tackle

UNEMPLOYMENT + VERB hit sb Unemployment has hit unskilled workers in particular. | climb, double, increase, rise, soar Unemployment climbed above two million. | decline, fall | average sth, stand at sth Unemployment averaged 15% across the country. | reach sth, touch sth Unemployment touched 30%.

UNEMPLOYMENT + NOUN benefit, money, pay, payments, relief | compensation, cover, insurance | data, figures, levels, numbers, percentage, rate, statistics, total | crisis, problem | blackspot This former mining town is now an unemployment blackspot. | trap The unemployment trap exists when an unemployed person on benefit would be worse off in a low-paid job.

PREP. ~ among Unemployment among graduates is falling steadily.

PHRASES a period of unemployment, a rise/an increase/a fall in unemployment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unexpected adj.

VERBS be

ADV. most, very Help came from a most unexpected quarter. | completely, quite, totally, wholly | not entirely His death was not entirely unexpected. | rather, somewhat It happened in rather unexpected circumstances.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unfair adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sth, regard sth as, think sth She thought it most unfair that girls were not allowed to take part.

ADV. extremely, grossly, terribly, very I thought the decision was grossly unfair. | quite, totally, utterly, wholly | a bit, a little, pretty, rather, slightly | blatantly, demonstrably, patently

PREP. to He was terribly unfair to the younger children.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unfamiliar adj.

¹ not well-known to you

VERBS be, feel, look, sound

ADV. very | completely, quite, totally | not entirely | slightly

PREP. to The language was completely unfamiliar to me.

² not having knowledge or experience of sth

VERBS appear, be, seem

ADV. very | completely, quite | relatively

PREP. with We were quite unfamiliar with the town.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unfashionable adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. extremely, terribly, very | completely | rather, relatively She lived in a rather unfashionable part of London.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unfit adj.

¹ unsuitable for sth/not capable of sth

VERBS be, look | become | make sb/sth, render sb/sth His conduct made him unfit to act as director of a company. | consider sb/sth, declare sb/sth, deem sb/sth, find sb/sth The house was declared quite unfit for human habitation.

ADV. completely, quite, totally, wholly | medically, mentally, physically

PREP. for completely unfit for our purposes She was found unfit for work.

² not in good physical health

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become

ADV. very | completely, quite | slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unforgettable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. quite, totally, truly It was a truly unforgettable experience. | pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unfortunate adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sb/sth

ADV. extremely, most, particularly, singularly, very It was a most unfortunate choice of expression. | a bit, a little, rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unfounded adj.

VERBS be, prove

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | not altogether These claims were not altogether unfounded. | largely | manifestly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unfriendly adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become

ADV. distinctly, extremely, really, very a distinctly unfriendly tone of voice | rather | environmentally the use of environmentally unfriendly products (= that harm the environment)

PREP. to She was really unfriendly to me.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unhappiness noun

ADJ. considerable, deep, great | general, widespread | personal

VERB + UNHAPPINESS feel | express | cause, lead to Bottling up your anger can only lead to unhappiness.

PREP. ~ about He expressed his unhappiness about the arrangements. | ~ at the great unhappiness she felt at having to leave the town | ~ with his deep unhappiness with the situation

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unhappy adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, grow She grew more unhappy as the years went by. | make sb It makes me very unhappy to see you so miserable.

ADV. deeply, desperately, distinctly, dreadfully, extremely, most, really, terribly, very, wretchedly She is deeply unhappy. He described it as ‘a most unhappy and distressing case’. | entirely We felt entirely unhappy with the whole situation. | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather | clearly, obviously | equally He was equally unhappy with the alternative. | personally

PREP. about He sounded a bit unhappy about the extra work he had to do. | at She was very unhappy at the idea of staying in London. | with They were terribly unhappy with the arrangements.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unheard-of adj.

VERBS be

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally At that time, it was completely unheard-of for girls to go to university. | by no means | almost, practically, virtually | hitherto, previously He was sentenced to a hitherto unheard-of seven life terms in prison.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unheard adj.

VERBS go Their protests went unheard.

ADV. previously a previously unheard tape of their conversations

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unification noun

ADJ. European, German, etc. | economic, monetary, political

VERB + UNIFICATION achieve, bring about

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uniformity noun

ADJ. broad | great | bland, drab, dull

VERB + UNIFORMITY achieve, ensure, impose

PREP. ~ in Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uniform noun

ADJ. full | smart | regulation She was wearing the regulation uniform of tunic, hat and tie. | standard (figurative) They wore the standard uniform of the well-to-do American out of office hours. | traditional | dress a man in the full dress uniform of the US Marines | army, fireman's, military, naval, nurse's, prison, school, etc.

PREP. in (a/the) ~ The limousine was driven by a chauffeur in uniform. A man in a uniform stopped us entering. | out of ~ a soldier out of uniform > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uninhabitable adj.

VERBS be, look, remain, seem | become | make sth, render sth houses made uninhabitable by radioactive contamination | declare sth Fifty homes were declared uninhabitable.

ADV. totally | almost, virtually | permanently

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uninhibited adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem The loud music made him feel totally uninhibited. | become

ADV. very | completely, quite, totally, utterly | pretty I'm a pretty uninhibited sort of person.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unintelligible adj.

VERBS be, sound | become

ADV. quite, totally | almost, practically, virtually | largely | mutually mutually unintelligible languages

PREP. to Dolphin sounds are unintelligible to humans.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uninterested adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem, sound

ADV. completely, totally | apparently

PREP. in She was completely uninterested in her sister's career.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

union noun

ADJ. close, tight Some of the member states wanted a tighter union rather than the loose confederation that developed. | loose | full a move towards full European union | economic, monetary, political

VERB + UNION create, form | dissolve

UNION + VERB break up The Soviet Union broke up after only a few years of liberalization.

PREP. ~ between currency union between the two countries | ~ with the union with East Germany > See TRADE UNION

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unique adj.

VERBS be | make sb/sth Its magnificent proportions make this palace unique among the buildings of the world.

ADV. quite, totally, truly The city has an atmosphere which is quite unique. | by no means, far from, hardly Although such a case is rare, it is by no means unique. | almost, virtually | apparently

PREP. to This monkey is unique to the island.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

united adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

ADV. closely, firmly | absolutely, entirely, fully, totally The members of the team were absolutely united in their common goal. obstacles to a fully united Europe | largely | legally, politically a politically united federation

PREP. in united in their aims

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unity noun

ADJ. complete Complete political unity is impossible to achieve. | greater | European, German, Irish, etc. | cultural, economic, national, party, political, religious, social a government of national unity

VERB + UNITY achieve, bring about | preserve | destroy, shatter, weaken | restore He restored peace and unity in the country after years of civil war. | call for, promote The party is calling for greater political and economic unity in Europe.

PREP. in ~ live together in unity | ~ among The dispute has destroyed unity among the workers. | ~ between a degree of unity between staff and students

PHRASES a sense of unity a leader who gave her people a strong sense of unity | unity in diversity The organization promotes racial tolerance and unity in diversity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unit noun

¹ single thing

ADJ. large, small | basic, fundamental The family is the basic unit of society. | discrete, individual, single

VERB + UNIT break sth down into, divide sth into Large departments were broken down into smaller units.

² fixed amount

ADJ. basic, standard | monetary | lexical, linguistic

UNIT + NOUN cost, length, weight

PREP. ~ of a unit of currency a unit of length fifty units of electricity

PHRASES per unit Electricity is ten pence per unit.

³ group of people

ADJ. cohesive The new manager changed a talented collection of individuals into a cohesive unit. | baby, casualty, emergency, intensive care, maternity, psychiatric, surgical, etc. She works in the maternity unit at the local hospital. | army, enemy, military | intelligence | policy | research | family, social the role of the family unit in the community

VERB + UNIT be attached to The cancer research unit is attached to the local university.

⁴ piece of furniture/equipment

ADJ. cooking, kitchen, sink, storage | air-conditioning, control, power, processing, shower the central processing unit in a computer

VERB + UNIT install We're having new kitchen units installed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

universal adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | remain

PREP. among These practices remain universal among the islanders. | in a scheme that is universal in scope

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

universe noun

ADJ. entire, whole | physical

VERB + UNIVERSE create Do you believe God created the universe?

PREP. in the ~ Could there be intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?

PHRASES the beginning/origin(s) of the universe

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

university noun

ADJ. new | ancient | red-brick | local, provincial | research, teaching

VERB + UNIVERSITY attend, go to, study at | apply for | enter | finish (at), graduate from, leave

PREP. at (the) ~ She's at university, studying engineering. She teaches English at the University of Wales.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unknown adj.

VERBS be | remain These sites remain largely unknown to the British public.

ADV. absolutely, completely, entirely, quite, totally, utterly His whereabouts were quite unknown during this period. | almost, practically, virtually This drug was practically unknown in Britain. | largely | comparatively, relatively She was then still comparatively unknown. | as yet, currently, still | hitherto, previously a period of democratic development previously unknown in their country | apparently | otherwise He cites the works of two otherwise unknown authors, the originals of these works having been lost.

PREP. to Gold was totally unknown to their civilization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unknown noun

¹ place/thing that you know nothing about

ADJ. great What the weather will be like on the day is, as always, the great unknown.

PREP. into the ~ Motherhood was for her a journey into the unknown.

PHRASES fear of the unknown

² sb who is not well known

ADJ. complete The championship was won by a complete unknown. | virtual a cast of virtual unknowns

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unlikely adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, sound The takeover bid now looks unlikely to succeed. | become | remain, seem | make sth | consider sth, think sth He thought it unlikely that she would refuse.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unlimited adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem | become

ADV. almost, virtually This new technology opens up almost unlimited possibilities. | apparently | potentially

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unlucky adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem, sound | become | consider sb/sth, regard sb/sth as, think sb/sth The number thirteen is traditionally considered unlucky.

ADV. dead, desperately, extremely, very She was desperately unlucky to fall as badly as she did. | a bit, a little

PREP. for a date that is unlucky for that family | with She has been very unlucky with injuries this year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unmistakable adj.

VERBS be

ADV. quite The main symptom is a scarlet rash that's quite unmistakable.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unmoved adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound | remain | leave sb Her daughter's accident had left her curiously unmoved.

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally | largely, relatively | apparently | curiously

PREP. by He was quite unmoved by my anger.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unnatural adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | consider sth, regard sth as

ADV. highly, terribly, very food produced under highly unnatural conditions | quite | almost | a bit, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unnecessary adj.

VERBS appear, be, prove, seem | become | make sth, render sth | consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as

ADV. completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly No, no, that's quite unnecessary. | largely | a little, rather, somewhat | strictly

PREP. to the possession of items strictly unnecessary to survival

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unnoticed adj.

VERBS be, go, lie, pass The ticket lay unnoticed in my desk drawer for a week. His remark passed unnoticed. | remain

ADV. completely, entirely There's a good chance my absence will go completely unnoticed. | almost, practically, virtually | largely | hitherto, previously a hitherto unnoticed detail

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unorthodox adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound | become

ADV. highly, very a highly unorthodox teaching style | a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unpaid adj.

VERBS be | remain | leave sth customers who leave their bills unpaid till the last minute

ADV. virtually the virtually unpaid labour of large peasant families

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unpleasant adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, sound, taste | become, get, turn Things started to get unpleasant when their neighbours called in the police. | make sth He may make life unpleasant for the rest of us. | find sb/sth I found the atmosphere in there extremely unpleasant.

ADV. decidedly, deeply, exceedingly, extremely, highly, most, particularly, very | thoroughly a thoroughly unpleasant man | not altogether, not entirely The overall feeling was a strange mixture of sensations, not altogether unpleasant. | fairly, pretty, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat His clothes smelled pretty unpleasant.

PREP. for tests which are unpleasant for patients | to He was very unpleasant to my friends.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unpopularity noun

ADJ. great, growing

VERB + UNPOPULARITY increase

PREP. ~ among Her close relationship with the teacher increased her unpopularity among her schoolmates. | ~ with the great unpopularity of the policy with teachers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unpopular adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | remain | make sb/sth His advanced views made him unpopular with many of the clergy.

ADV. deeply, desperately, extremely, highly, particularly, terribly, very | increasingly | rather, somewhat | generally, widely | politically Cuts in government expenditure are politically unpopular.

PREP. among Highly priced shares are unpopular among investors. | with He's unpopular with the students.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unprecedented adj.

VERBS be

ADV. entirely, quite, totally | by no means | almost, virtually | supposedly | historically a historically unprecedented growth in retirement at a fixed age

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unprovoked adj.

VERBS be

ADV. completely, totally a totally unprovoked attack

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unqualified adj.

VERBS be

ADV. totally

PREP. for He is totally unqualified for the job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unreal adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unreasonable adj.

VERBS appear, be, seem, sound She did not want to appear unreasonable. | become, get His demands were getting more and more unreasonable. | consider sth, find sb/sth, hold sth (law), judge sth (law), regard sth as, think sth I find her a bit unreasonable at times. This clause in the contract was held unreasonable.

ADV. extremely, grossly, very | completely, quite, totally, utterly, wholly | a bit | apparently

PREP. about He was totally unreasonable about it.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unrest noun

QUANT. period, wave The increase in fees sparked a new wave of student unrest.

VERB + UNREST cause, spark (off), stir up | crush, deal with, put down, quell The government's attempts to crush serious popular unrest led to civil war.

PREP. during (the) ~ Many shops were looted during the unrest. | ~ over growing unrest over pay levels

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unscathed adj.

VERBS be, be left, emerge, escape, get away, remain, survive, walk away The children escaped unscathed.

PREP. by The town centre was left unscathed by the riots.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unscrupulous adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. completely, quite, thoroughly In his desire for power, he has become thoroughly unscrupulous. | pretty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unstable adj.

¹ likely to change suddenly

VERBS appear, be, seem | become | remain | make sth, render sth Prison order is rendered unstable by young inmates serving short sentences.

² not mentally normal

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. highly, very | rather | emotionally, mentally vulnerable, emotionally unstable individuals

³ likely to move or fall

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get The building was beginning to get unstable. | make sth

ADV. dangerously, extremely, very The wall was dangerously unstable. | rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unsuitable adj.

VERBS be, prove | make sth The huge proportions of the main rooms made the house unsuitable for conversion into flats. | consider sth, deem sth, find sth Many tasks were considered unsuitable for women.

ADV. highly, most, very | completely, entirely, quite, totally, wholly | manifestly, obviously

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unsure adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound I felt a bit unsure about him. | remain | leave sb, make sb His sudden change of heart left Brenda unsure once more.

ADV. terribly, very | completely | a bit, a little, rather | obviously, plainly | still

PREP. about If you're still unsure about what you are supposed to do, speak up! | as to We were unsure as to what to do next. | of She was rather unsure of her reception.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unthinkable adj.

VERBS be, seem | make sth | consider sth This would have been considered unthinkable only a decade ago.

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite | almost, practically, virtually | hitherto, previously A hitherto unthinkable question was asked. | politically

PREP. to This course of action would have been unthinkable to the Russian generals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

untidy adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | become, get I've got more untidy since I stopped going out to work. | remain, stay I'm afraid the house will have to stay untidy for now. | leave sth, make sth My son had left the studio very untidy. Books and magazines lying around make the place very untidy.

ADV. dreadfully, extremely, very Everything was dreadfully untidy. | a bit, a little, rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unused adj.

VERBS appear, be, lie, look, remain, sit, stand, stay The church has lain empty and unused since 1994. | leave sth The meeting rooms are left unused for long periods.

ADV. virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unused adj.

VERBS appear, be, lie, look, remain, sit, stand, stay The church has lain empty and unused since 1994. | leave sth The meeting rooms are left unused for long periods.

ADV. virtually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unusual adj.

VERBS appear, be, look, seem | become | consider sth It was considered unusual for a gentleman's son to study medicine.

ADV. decidedly, distinctly, extremely, highly, particularly, really, very This is a highly unusual case. | by no means, hardly, not at all It's not at all unusual to feel very tired in the early months of pregnancy. | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather, relatively, slightly, somewhat | enough, sufficiently The arrival of a taxi was unusual enough; an unknown woman getting out of it was sensational.

PREP. for It's unusual for a woman to do this job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unveil verb

ADV. formally, officially The government has officially unveiled its plans for tax reform.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unwarranted adj.

VERBS be, seem The delay did seem unwarranted.

ADV. quite, totally, wholly a wholly unwarranted smear campaign

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

unwell adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound He complained of feeling unwell. | become | remain | make sb

ADV. extremely, really, very | a little, vaguely patients who just feel vaguely unwell

PREP. with You should delay vaccination if you are unwell with a fever.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

up-to-date adj.

¹ modern/most recent

VERBS be | bring sth We'll have to bring our equipment up-to-date. | keep sth

ADV. really, very | bang, completely Today's holiday parks are bang up-to-date.

² having the most recent information about sth

VERBS be, seem | keep It is difficult to keep up-to-date with all the developments. | bring sb | keep sb

ADV. completely, fully

PREP. on Bring me up-to-date on their progress. | with We can keep you fully up-to-date with your financial position.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upbringing noun

ADJ. conventional Mine was a conventional family upbringing. | sheltered, strict | Catholic, Jewish, etc., religious | cultural | middle-class, etc.

VERB + UPBRINGING have He had a normal middle-class upbringing. | give sb They gave their children a strict Catholic upbringing.

UPBRINGING + VERB give sb sth, prepare sb (for sth) Her upbringing had given her the social skills to cope with such situations. My upbringing prepared me for anything.

PHRASES part of your upbringing Part of his upbringing had been not to question his elders.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

update noun

ADJ. monthly, regular, weekly, etc.

VERB + UPDATE give (sb), provide (sb with) The report gives an update on the currency crisis. | get, receive

PREP. ~ on an update on the political crisis | ~ to We need an update to the mailing list.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

update verb

VERB + UPDATE seek to, try to | wish to

PREP. on Could you update me on how the work is progressing? | with The files are continuously updated with new information.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upgrade verb

ADV. significantly, substantially | constantly We are constantly upgrading our software to meet customers' needs.

PREP. from, to customers who want to upgrade from version 4.2 to version 4.5 | with All the machines can be upgraded with the new processors.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upheaval noun

ADJ. big, enormous, great, major, massive, violent | domestic, economic, emotional, political, social The loss of his high-paying job caused enormous domestic upheaval. | revolutionary

VERB + UPHEAVAL cause, provoke | go through, undergo The company underwent a massive upheaval after the takeover.

PREP. during/in the ~ He rose to power during the political upheavals of the 1990s.

PHRASES a period of upheaval

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uphold verb

ADV. firmly, resolutely, vigorously | unanimously Three judges unanimously upheld the sentence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upkeep noun

VERB + UPKEEP contribute to, pay for Our taxes help pay for the upkeep of the city's parks. | afford

PHRASES responsible/responsibility for the upkeep of The local council is responsible for the upkeep of roads.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uplifting adj.

VERBS be, feel | find sth

ADV. really, very | suitably a suitably uplifting ending for the film | morally, spiritually

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upright adj.

VERBS be, sit, stand rows of children sitting upright at their desks | come, jerk, scramble, shoot, spring, struggle Slowly the boat came upright. Polly jerked upright, wild-eyed and blinking. | remain, stay The flag pole wouldn't stay upright. | drag sb/sth, haul sb/sth, heave sb/sth, jerk sb/sth, place sth, prop sth, pull sb/sth Pulling himself upright, he squared his shoulders. | hold sb/sth, keep sth

ADV. fully a fully upright posture | almost | relatively | rigidly, stiffly She held herself rigidly upright.

PHRASES sit/stand bolt upright (= to sit/stand with your back straight) He was sitting bolt upright on his chair, looking very tense.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uprising noun

VERB + UPRISING provoke, spark (off) | stage | crush, put down, quell, suppress

PREP. during/in the ~ He was killed in the Warsaw uprising. | ~ against the 1951 uprising against colonial rule

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uproar noun

ADJ. great | mild | emotional

VERB + UPROAR cause, provoke

PREP. amid (an/the) ~ The trial proceeded amid uproar. | in (an/the) ~ Financial markets were in uproar after the crash of the rouble. The classroom was in an uproar. | ~ over There was a great uproar over plans to pull down the old library.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upset adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get Don't get so upset about it! | remain | leave sb, make sb The incident had left him visibly angry and upset.

ADV. badly, bitterly, deeply, desperately, dreadfully, extremely, genuinely, greatly, particularly, profoundly, really, seriously, terribly, very She's obviously deeply upset by his behaviour. | thoroughly | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | clearly, obviously, visibly

PREP. about upset about her divorce | at He was upset at missing all the excitement. | by upset by the death of their pet | with I think she may be a bit upset with you.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upset noun

ADJ. big, major | minor | emotional

VERB + UPSET have We had our first major upset when Rogers was taken off with a leg injury. | cause

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upset verb

ADV. badly, deeply, really, terribly | easily She was sensitive and easily upset.

VERB + UPSET not mean to, not want to, not wish to I'm sorry?I didn't mean to upset you. Keep the volume down?we don't want to upset the neighbours! | be likely to This decision is likely to upset a lot of people.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upsurge noun

ADJ. great, massive | sudden

PREP. ~ in an upsurge in violent crime

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uptight adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | get Try to laugh at it instead of getting uptight. | make sb

ADV. really, very | all (informal) He gets all uptight if anyone criticizes him! | a bit, quite

PREP. about He's feeling a bit uptight about his exam tomorrow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

upturn noun

ADJ. dramatic, sharp | slight | economic

VERB + UPTURN be on, take Sales are on the upturn. Their fortunes have taken an upturn in recent months.

UPTURN + VERB come We expect an increase in demand when the economic upturn eventually comes.

PREP. ~ in a sharp upturn in oil prices

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

uranium noun

ADJ. natural | enriched a tonne of highly enriched uranium | depleted | weapons-grade

VERB + URANIUM mine | recover

URANIUM + NOUN ore, reserves | fuel | mine, miner, mining | enrichment

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Urdu noun > Note at LANGUAGE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

urgency noun

ADJ. desperate, extreme, great, utmost a matter of the utmost urgency | added, new The murders have given added urgency to the debate about inner-city crime.

QUANT. note There was a note of urgency in her voice.

VERB + URGENCY give sth, lend sth The bomb attack lent a new urgency to the peace talks. | increase | stress

PREP. with ~ We need to act with urgency to ensure his safety. | ~ about Is there any urgency about this? | ~ in There was an urgency in her movements.

PHRASES a lack of urgency We waited in the car while he checked his tyres with an irritating lack of urgency. | a matter of urgency The refugee situation must now be addressed as a matter of urgency. | a sense of urgency

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

urgent adj.

VERBS be, seem, sound Can you come to the phone?it sounds urgent. | become, get

ADV. extremely, really, very | increasingly the increasingly urgent political situation at home | quite, rather Don't forget that one, it's rather urgent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

urge noun

ADJ. great, irresistible, overwhelming, powerful, strong, terrible, uncontrollable, violent, wild | sudden I felt a sudden urge to smash the teapot against the wall. | instinctive, natural an instinctive urge to tap your feet to the beat of the music | primal, primeval, primitive the primal urge to reproduce | biological, creative, sexual

VERB + URGE feel, get, have | control, fight (back), resist, suppress She resisted the urge to kiss him. I suppressed a strong urge to yawn. | overcome He overcame his urge to run from the room. | satisfy

PREP. ~ for Leaving him off the guest list satisfied her urge for revenge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

urge verb

ADV. strongly | constantly, repeatedly He has repeatedly urged the government to do something about this. | publicly | quietly | unsuccessfully

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

urine noun

ADJ. stale I gagged on the stench of stale urine.

QUANT. drop, stream

VERB + URINE pass | leak He said he leaked urine when he coughed.

PREP. in (the/your) ~ sugars in urine

PHRASES a smell/stench of urine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

usage noun

¹ way/amount that sth is used

VERB + USAGE increase | reduce

USAGE + VERB increase | fall

PREP. ~ of Usage of computers in schools is increasing.

² way that words are used

ADJ. common, everyday, general, normal, ordinary, popular That word is no longer in common usage. | current, modern a book on current English usage | actual Actual usage of the word is different from the meaning given in the dictionary. | correct | American, English, etc. | language, linguistic, word | colloquial

VERB + USAGE come into, enter The term ‘eco-tourism’ entered common usage in the 1990s.

PREP. in ~ The word has a slightly different meaning in popular usage.

PHRASES patterns of usage Dictionary definitions tend to show stereotypical patterns of usage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

used adj.

VERBS be, look The board game looked used.

ADV. commonly, extensively, frequently, regularly, well, widely a widely used technique for assessing the strength of metals | little, rarely a little-used path through the wood

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

usefulness noun

ADJ. limited, some | general | practical | potential

PREP. of … ~ The theory is of limited usefulness. | ~ for the exam's usefulness for ranking students | ~ in the drug's usefulness in the treatment of cancer | ~ to The report is of potential usefulness to the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

useful adj.

VERBS be, look, prove, seem | become | make yourself She told Fred to make himself useful. | consider sth, find sth some leaflets which you might find useful

ADV. enormously, especially, exceptionally, extremely, genuinely, highly, more than (informal), particularly, really, tremendously, very making an exceptionally useful contribution to the debate In all departments, Leeds looked a more than useful side (= they played very well). | fairly, pretty, quite | equally The same information is equally useful when negotiating. | generally, universally This method has proved the most generally useful. | potentially | practically The subject is practically useful and will stand you in good stead when looking for a job. | undoubtedly an undoubtedly useful skill | socially to provide rewarding and socially useful employment

PREP. as useful as a short-term measure | for useful for a variety of purposes useful for people who need a short break | in She was very useful in dealing with foreign visitors. | to information which will be useful to new mothers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

useless adj.

¹ of no use

VERBS be, feel, prove Her efforts to avoid him proved useless. | become | leave sth, make sth, render sth The condition rendered her legs virtually useless. | reject sth as They rejected the designs as useless.

ADV. bloody (taboo) | absolutely, completely, entirely, quite, totally, utterly, wholly | worse than A computer program with too many icons is worse than useless. | all but, almost, practically, virtually | largely | fairly, pretty | equally There are two manuals, both of them equally useless.

PREP. as A candle is practically useless as a light source. | for The land is useless for cattle. | in This drug is useless in the treatment of patients with Aids. | to The information was useless to him.

² weak/not successful

VERBS be

ADV. bloody (taboo) | completely | pretty

PREP. at I'm pretty useless at this job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

user noun

ADJ. heavy, large heavy users of credit The larger users of the service have to pay more. | small | daily, regular | current, existing Existing users will be able to upgrade their software at a reduced price. | first-time, novice They offer a short course to first-time users of the software. | end The company supplies its computers direct to the end user. | computer, PC | business, home a computer intended for business and home users | bus, car, rail, road, transport | wheelchair A special entrance is being built for wheelchair users. | library | service a survey of health service users | telephone | electricity, energy | drug, heroin, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

use noun

¹ using/being used

ADJ. considerable, extensive, great, heavy, liberal | full, maximum He made full use of the opportunity to travel. | excessive a style of writing with an excessive use of metaphor | increased, increasing | constant, continued, daily, everyday, frequent, regular, repeated, routine the daily use of a deodorant | wide, widespread a campaign to encourage wider use of public transport | common, current, general, normal, ordinary This software is no longer in common use. | limited | occasional | appropriate, careful, clever, correct, effective, efficient, good, judicious, legitimate, optimum, proper, safe, selective Holding a lavish party was not the best use of scarce funds. an efficient use of resources an article with a judicious use of examples The layout of the furniture makes optimum use of the space available. | indiscriminate, poor | illegal, unauthorized | personal, private | external, internal This antiseptic is for external use only. | home fire extinguishers for home use | clinical, commercial, industrial | official | exclusive for the exclusive use of club members | free Guests have free use of the hotel swimming pool. | immediate Only half the land was fit for immediate use. | drug, heroin, etc. Drug use in this age group is on the increase. | land | language | energy | library

VERB + USE make We made use of the car while you were away. | bring sth (back) into, come into a technology which came into use at the end of the last century | go out of The expression went out of use some time ago.

PREP. for ~ This phone number is only for use in an emergency. | in ~ The phone is in constant use.

PHRASES ease of use This model has been designed for greater ease of use. | for use as The record is intended for use as background music. | ready for use This room is now ready for use.

² purpose for which sth is used

ADJ. different | new

VERB + USE have This herb has a variety of uses. | find, put sth to Can you find a use for this old table? Don't throw that box away?I'm sure I could put it to some use.

PHRASES a variety of uses

³ ability/permission to use sth

ADJ. full the full use of your mental faculties

VERB + USE have Since his stroke he hasn't had the use of his left hand. | give sb, offer (sb) We gave them the use of our house while we were on holiday. | deny sb They denied us use of the college library. | lose | recover, regain After a while she regained the use of her fingers.

PREP. ~ of She lost the use of her legs in a car accident.

⁴ how useful sth is

ADJ. practical

VERB + USE be of Could this old coat be of use to you? | have I have no use for my golf clubs any more.

PREP. of … ~ It's of no practical use to me. | ~ to Is it any use to you?

PHRASES be no use It's no use running?the train has already gone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

use verb

ADV. carefully, efficiently | sparingly This paint is very expensive, so please use it sparingly. | indiscriminately | frequently, generally, habitually, normally, regularly, usually Do you habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of your job? | occasionally, rarely | up The oil had all been used up.

VERB + USE be easy to, be simple to These garden shears are lightweight and easy to use. | be difficult to, be hard to | be ready to | be likely to, tend to the factors that make people likely to use heroin Manufacturers tend to use disks made in the US. | decide to | intend to, plan to | attempt to, try to | allow sb to, be entitled to, let sb, permit sb to Candidates are not allowed to use dictionaries in the exam. | forbid sb to | teach sb to

PREP. as The tennis court is sometimes used as a car park. | for chemicals that are used for cleaning

PHRASES permission to use sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

usual adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. very | quite Don't worry?it's quite usual to have a few problems at first. | fairly | far from This kind of behaviour is far from usual in children of this age.

PREP. for It's usual for the man to propose marriage.

PHRASES as per usual (informal) Everyone blamed me as per usual. | as usual (= in the same way as what happens most of the time or in most cases) Steve, as usual, was the last to arrive. | business as usual (= things will continue as normal in spite of a difficult situation) It's business as usual at the factory, even while investigators sift through the bomb wreckage. | in the usual way The metal can then be painted in the usual way.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

utility noun

¹ usefulness

ADJ. great, high | low | social He argued that the arts have great social utility.

VERB + UTILITY have

PREP. of … ~ This computer is of low utility for the home user.

² service provided for the public

ADJ. public, state-owned | privatized | electricity, water a privatized electricity utility

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

utilize verb

ADV. heavily | extensively | fully, to the full The new computer system is not being fully utilized yet. | effectively, successfully

PREP. as Concrete had long been utilized as a bonding and covering material.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vacancy noun

ADJ. unfilled | suitable The agency will let you know if they have any suitable vacancies. | casual, temporary | job, presidential, senate, staff

VERB + VACANCY have | create, leave Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy. | fill

VACANCY + VERB arise, exist, occur A vacancy has arisen in our sales department.

PREP. ~ for a vacancy for head chef | ~ in a vacancy in the catering department

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vacant adj.

VERBS be | become, fall (only used of jobs) A seat became vacant and he sat down in it. A job fell vacant in the accounting department. | remain | leave sth The office of president had been left vacant since her retirement. | keep sth The job will be kept vacant for a few more weeks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vaccination noun

ADJ. flu, measles, rubella, smallpox, etc.

VERB + VACCINATION have | give sb

VACCINATION + NOUN campaign, programme

PREP. ~ against a vaccination against tetanus

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vaccine noun

ADJ. effective, safe | measles, rubella, etc. The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives. | live a live vaccine containing the polio virus

QUANT. dose one dose of BCG vaccine

VERB + VACCINE give sb | have, receive | develop

VACCINE + VERB protect sb The vaccine protects babies and children against tuberculosis. | prevent sth a vaccine to prevent rubella

PREP. ~ against Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against the disease. | ~ for a vaccine for meningitis

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vacuum noun

ADJ. perfect | moral, political, spiritual The writer criticized the moral vacuum in society. | power Her resignation left a power vacuum in the government.

VERB + VACUUM create, leave, produce The machine then creates a vacuum. | fill Other gases rush in to fill the vacuum.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vagina noun

VERB + VAGINA enter, penetrate

PREP. in/into/inside the/your ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vague adj.

VERBS be, look, sound ‘Where did you leave it?’ Isobel looked vague. | become, get She seems to be getting rather vague as she grows older. | remain | leave sth The identity of the city in the novel is deliberately left vague.

ADV. extremely, hopelessly, very Her directions were hopelessly vague. | a bit, fairly, a little, pretty, quite, rather, somewhat | enough, sufficiently It was a vague enough concept for the liberals to unite around. | suitably | deliberately, intentionally You're being deliberately vague. | necessarily Since the officers knew little themselves their reassurances were necessarily vague. | inherently an inherently vague and subjective concept | notoriously The law is notoriously vague on this point.

PREP. about I am vague about what happened during the rest of the night. | as to I was suitably vague as to exactly how I had acquired the money. | in The statement was vague in its wording.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

validity noun

ADJ. great | equal Don't you think that both views have equal validity? | doubtful, dubious, questionable | face The theory has the face validity of being consistent with recent findings. | legal, scientific The legal validity of the claims has been challenged.

VERB + VALIDITY have | give sth, lend sth His reputation lends a certain validity to the approach that it might not deserve. | cast doubt on, challenge, deny, question | accept, confirm, uphold The judges upheld the validity of the previous judgement. | assess, test to assess the scientific validity of new treatments

PREP. of … ~ The results are of doubtful validity. | ~ for the theory's validity for parent-child relationships

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

valid adj.

¹ legally acceptable

VERBS be | become | remain, stay | deem sth, hold sth The original written contract was held valid.

ADV. still Is your passport still valid? | no longer | legally Is the contract legally valid?

PREP. for Vouchers are only valid for races taking place before 31 December.

² strong and convincing

VERBS be, seem | become | remain | accept sth as, consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as We accepted several different approaches as valid.

ADV. extremely, very | absolutely, completely, perfectly This is a perfectly valid question to raise. | not entirely | reasonably | equally using a different, but equally valid, technique | universally a universally valid set of moral principles | not necessarily | not strictly That argument is not strictly valid in this case. | still | no longer The old assumptions are no longer valid. | logically, scientifically, statistically a logically valid deduction

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

valley noun

VALLEY + NOUN bottom, floor, side

PREP. in a/the ~ The cottage was in a wooded valley.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

valour noun

ADJ. great a soldier famed for his great valour

VERB + VALOUR demonstrate, display, show He showed valour and skill on the battlefield.

PREP. an act/a deed of valour

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

valuable adj.

¹ worth a lot of money

VERBS be, look | become | remain

ADV. extremely, really, very | quite, rather | commercially commercially valuable expertise

² very useful

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | remain | make sb/sth They have skills and qualities which make them highly valuable. | consider sth

ADV. eminently, enormously, especially, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, highly, immensely, most, particularly, really, truly, very | increasingly | quite | equally The subject could be equally valuable for scientists. | inherently, intrinsically The Romantics believed that the life of the imagination was intrinsically valuable. | potentially | ecologically, educationally, scientifically, socially ecologically valuable species

PREP. as The survey was valuable as an indicator of local opinion. | for Good eyesight is a quality which is extremely valuable for a hunting animal. | to documents that are enormously valuable to historians

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

valuation noun

VERB + VALUATION carry out, do, make, prepare

VALUATION + NOUN fee, report

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

valueless adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. completely, quite Our shares became completely valueless overnight.

PREP. as Some of the royal forests had become valueless as hunting grounds.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

value noun

¹ amount of money that sth is worth

ADJ. high, low the high value of the dollar | full, total | real, true | nominal a share with a nominal value of £20 | face At yesterday's auction an old coin sold for many times more than its face value of 20 pence. | residual a residual value of 10% of its original cost | resale Regular servicing will add to the resale value of your PC.

VERB + VALUE place, put, set It's hard to put a value on a company with large assets and turnover but low profits. | add | increase, raise | double, triple, etc. Dramatic developments on the stock market tripled the value of his shares. | lower, reduce | hold, keep The piano has held its value. | calculate, work out

VALUE + VERB double, triple, etc. | appreciate, go up, increase | decrease, depreciate, fall, go down

PREP. in ~ The land has dropped in value. | to the ~ of Jewellery to the value of a million pounds was stolen last night.

PHRASES an increase/a rise in value, a drop/fall/reduction in value

² how much sth is worth compared with its price

ADJ. excellent, good, great, outstanding | poor

PHRASES value for money Though a little more expensive, the larger model gives better value for money.

³ importance

ADJ. enormous, great, high, immense, incalculable, tremendous | doubtful, dubious, limited, low His published account of his travels is of dubious value to other explorers. | lasting | main, real, true | practical, sentimental, symbolic

VERB + VALUE have The stolen necklace only had sentimental value for her. | attach, place, put, set He places a high value on marriage.

VALUE + VERB be, lie The real value of the book lies in its wonderful characterization.

PREP. of ~ He didn't say anything of value. | ~ to Pottery fragments are of great value to archaeologists.

⁴ values: set of beliefs

ADJ. dominant the dominant values of a society | conservative, conventional, traditional | common, shared, universal What shared values do you have with your friends? | human | aesthetic, cultural, educational, ethical, moral, political, social, spiritual We need to be guided by our moral values. | family The party's election campaign emphasized its belief in family values. | middle-class, Victorian, Western | parental the rejection of parental values by a child | democratic, liberal

QUANT. set a prevailing set of cultural values

VERB + VALUE have, hold They hold very middle-class values. | cherish, encourage, foster Is it the role of schools to foster spiritual values? | hold onto, preserve a society that has failed to preserve its traditional values

VALUE + NOUN system a common value system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

value verb

¹ decide how much sth is worth

ADV. officially

PREP. at The company has recently been valued at $6 billion.

² think sb/sth is very important

ADV. greatly, highly, particularly | increasingly | positively | negatively Housework is negatively valued as a retreat from a disliked alternative?employment work. | rightly the fear of losing the independence that they rightly value | socially one of the most socially valued roles in contemporary society?being a parent

VERB + VALUE learn to learning to value the ordinary things in life

PREP. as I value her very highly as a friend. | for He hated to be valued for his looks alone.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

valve noun

ADJ. safety | non-return, one-way | drain, pressure-relief | fuel, water, etc. | heart, radiator, etc.

VERB + VALVE fit The plumber will fit some new safety valves. | open You need special tools to open the valve. | close

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vandalism noun

ADJ. mindless, wanton | criminal | environmental

VERB + VANDALISM discourage, prevent

PHRASES an act of vandalism

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vandal noun

ADJ. car Car vandals caused more than £10,000 worth of damage to vehicles last Saturday.

VERB + VANDAL deter, discourage The windows are covered with grilles to deter vandals.

VANDAL + VERB damage sth, wreck sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vanish verb

¹ disappear suddenly and completely

ADV. just, simply I turned round and she had simply vanished. | abruptly, instantly, promptly, suddenly | quickly, rapidly Her feelings of shyness rapidly vanished. | mysteriously a man who mysteriously vanished from his home last month

VERB + VANISH seem to | make sb/sth

PREP. from All thoughts of romance vanished from his mind. | into She vanished into the mist.

PHRASES vanish from the face of the earth, vanish from sight, vanish into thin air At a stroke she could make things vanish into thin air. | vanish without trace

² disappear over a period of time

ADV. altogether, completely, entirely, totally Many of these old cinemas have now vanished altogether. | all but, almost, virtually country inns of a type that has now all but vanished | long since The people who built this temple have long since vanished. | forever Much of the land we loved has vanished forever.

PREP. from This plant is vanishing from the British countryside.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vanity noun

ADJ. great | female, human, male, personal

VERB + VANITY appeal to, flatter My suggestion appealed to her vanity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

van noun

¹ vehicle for transporting goods, etc.

ADJ. light | transit | camper | delivery, furniture, ice-cream, mail, removal | armoured, police

VERB + VAN drive | park | load, unload

VAN + NOUN driver

² type of railway carriage

ADJ. goods, guard's, luggage

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vapour noun

ADJ. water

QUANT. cloud There was a hissing sound, and clouds of vapour were emitted.

VERB + VAPOUR form, turn to The particles then form a vapour. | emit, give off/out

VAPOUR + VERB condense

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

variability noun

ADJ. considerable, extreme, great, high, wide There is considerable variability in all the test scores. | low, slight

QUANT. degree

PREP. ~ among/between variability among different health authorities | ~ in variability in crop yields

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

variable adj.

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very, widely Polar habitats are harsh and highly variable. | infinitely These systems are infinitely variable. | increasingly | quite, slightly, somewhat

PREP. in variable in shape

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

variation noun

VERB + VARIATION show The businesses showed a dramatic variation in how they treated their staff. | find, observe Considerable variation was found in the terms offered by different banks. | analyse

VARIATION + VERB occur

PREP. ~ according to variation according to the time of year | ~ across She is studying language variation across the social range. | ~ among variation among the students in terms of ability | ~ between variations between different accents | ~ by There is little variation by sex or social class in these attitudes. | ~ in slight variations in pressure | ~ with temperature variation with altitude | ~ within There may be striking variations within a species.

PHRASES a range of variation, a variation on a theme His numerous complaints are all variations on a theme.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

varied adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. enormously, extremely, highly, immensely, richly, tremendously, very, widely, wonderfully a richly varied cultural life | endlessly, infinitely an endlessly varied repertoire of songs | increasingly | quite | enough, sufficiently

PHRASES many and varied The opportunities the job offers are many and varied.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

variety noun

¹ not being the same; different kinds of sth

ADJ. amazing, astonishing, bewildering, considerable, endless, enormous, exciting, extraordinary, fascinating, good, great, huge, impressive, incredible, infinite, large, remarkable, rich, surprising, tremendous, vast, wide, wonderful The market sold a bewildering variety of cheeses. the rich variety of the local bird life

VERB + VARIETY add, give, offer Dealing with customers adds variety to the job.

PREP. of … ~ a country of great variety | ~ in There is wide variety in shape and colour. | ~ of Menus offer a good variety of seafood.

² particular type of sth

ADJ. distinctive | common-or-garden, standard | rare, unusual | different There are hundreds of different varieties of apple. | new, old Old varieties of rose can be less resistant to diseases.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

varnish noun

ADJ. clear, colourless, transparent | gloss, glossy | matt (see also nail varnish)

QUANT. coat The table needed two coats of varnish.

VERB + VARNISH apply Apply the varnish evenly over the whole surface. | remove, scrape off, strip off

VARNISH + VERB dry | protect sth You need a good quality varnish to protect the timber.

VARNISH + NOUN remover

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vary verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, enormously, a great deal, greatly, a lot, markedly, sharply, significantly, substantially, tremendously, widely, wildly | hardly The sword hardly varied in form from the 12th to the 15th century. | (a) little, slightly, somewhat | constantly, continuously the continuously varying intensities of natural light | never | inevitably, necessarily What can be found will inevitably vary according to the area under study. | naturally, obviously Personal preference naturally varies. | systematically | accordingly Dictionaries are produced with specific markets in mind, and their contents vary accordingly. | inversely The availability of good medical care tends to vary inversely with the need for it. | geographically, historically Voting behaviour varies geographically.

VERB + VARY can, may Prices can vary enormously. | be likely to, tend to

PREP. according to The leaf's size varies widely according to the area where it grows. | among Services offered vary among the main high street banks. | between The rate of growth varies considerably between different industries. The doses used for surgical anaesthesia vary between 2 and 10mg/kg. | by Access to this information varies by social class. | depending on Costs are likely to vary depending on where you live. | from … to … The situation varies slightly from country to country. Its speed varies from 20 mph to 35 mph. | in The rooms vary in size. | with The danger of a heart attack varies with body weight.

PHRASES vary over/with time studying moral values and how they vary over time

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vase noun

ADJ. flower | china, crystal, cut-glass, glass, porcelain, silver, stone

VASE + VERB be filled with sth, contain sth, hold sth | stand A silver vase stood on the mantelpiece.

PREP. in a/the ~ flowers arranged in a vase | ~ of a vase of fresh flowers

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vault noun

¹ strong, underground room

ADJ. secure | bank, museum | treasure

VERB + VAULT keep/store sth in

PREP. in a/the ~ The jewels were kept in a bank vault.

² room under a church where dead people are buried

ADJ. burial, family, royal

VERB + VAULT bury sb in She is to be buried in the family vault.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

veer verb

ADV. sharply, violently, wildly The ship veered round wildly in the rough sea. | (to the) left, (to the) right | away, round The plane veered away to the left.

PREP. between (figurative) He veered between calm acceptance and hysterical accusations. | from (figurative) The play veers from loopy comedy to serious moralizing. | off The car veered off the road. | to The path veers sharply to the right. | towards He veered left towards them.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vegetable noun

VERB + VEGETABLE grow They grow all their own vegetables. | eat, have | boil, cook, overcook, parboil, steam, stir-fry | chop, peel, puree

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vegetarian noun

ADJ. strict They are strict vegetarians.

VEGETARIAN + NOUN cookery, dish, food, meal | diet | restaurant

PHRASES suitable for vegetarians All our cheeses are suitable for vegetarians.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vegetation noun

ADJ. green | dense, lush, luxuriant, thick | scrub, scrubby, sparse As we drove towards the desert, the vegetation became sparse. | decaying, decomposing, rotten, rotting piles of rotting vegetation | natural Removal of the natural vegetation has resulted in a loss of nutrients in the soil. | aquatic, woodland, sub-tropical, tropical

VERB + VEGETATION be covered in/with The hills are covered in lush green vegetation.

VEGETATION + VERB grow

VEGETATION + NOUN cover

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vehicle noun

¹ used for transporting people or things

QUANT. convoy The president's car was being followed by a convoy of vehicles.

VERB + VEHICLE own | hire Hire a four-wheel-drive vehicle?there are lots of spots to discover off the beaten track. | drive | park | impound, tow away The vehicle was impounded as part of the police investigation. | abandon Sniffer dogs were brought in to follow the men after they abandoned the vehicle in a ditch.

VEHICLE + VERB arrive An eyewitness said, ‘We saw loads of smoke, and then the emergency vehicles arrived.’ | break down | collide, crash (into sth) Two drivers escaped injury when their vehicles collided near Thirsk. | run on sth vehicles running on lead-free petrol

VEHICLE + NOUN emission tighter controls on vehicle emissions | manufacture

² sth used for communicating ideas/achieving sth

ADJ. excellent, ideal, perfect | important, main, major

PREP. ~ for The play is a perfect vehicle for her talents. | ~ of The Students' Union is the main vehicle of communication for students in the college.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

veil noun

¹ piece of material for covering a woman's head

ADJ. bridal The bridal veil was fringed with lace.

VERB + VEIL wear | lift (back), remove, take off

VEIL + VERB cover sth A veil covered her face.

PREP. behind a/the ~ I couldn't see her face behind the veil.

² sth that stops you knowing the full truth about sth

VERB + VEIL lift The government has decided to lift the veil on its plans. | draw It would be better to draw a veil over what happened next (= not talk about it).

PREP. behind/under ~ of The work is carried out behind a veil of secrecy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vein noun

¹ tube carrying blood in the body

ADJ. blue A blue vein throbbed in his forehead. | broken, thread, varicose She uses make-up to hide the thread veins in her cheeks. | jugular

VERB + VEIN course/run along/through, flow through, pump through, race through, rush through He felt the adrenalin coursing through his veins.

VEIN + VERB bulge, pulse, stand out, throb The veins stood out on her throat and temples.

² particular style/quality

ADJ. rich

VERB + VEIN hit, strike The team have hit a rich vein of form recently. | tap (into)

PREP. ~ of The writer tapped into a rich vein of humour in the play.

PHRASES in a different vein, in a lighter/more serious vein Fortunately, the rest of the evening continued in a lighter vein. | in the same vein/in a similar vein

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

velocity noun

ADJ. enormous, high | low | constant, uniform | average, mean | maximum

VERB + VELOCITY achieve, attain, reach Eventually, the star attained the velocity of light. | move with to move with a uniform velocity | increase, raise

VELOCITY + VERB increase, rise | decrease, fall

PREP. at a/the ~ Light travels at a constant velocity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

velvet noun

ADJ. heavy | rich | faded, worn | crushed

PREP. of ~ curtains of heavy crimson velvet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vendetta noun

ADJ. personal, political

VERB + VENDETTA conduct, pursue, run

PREP. ~ against For years he pursued a vendetta against the Morris family.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

veneer noun

ADJ. thin | false | civilized

VERB + VENEER acquire | strip (off), strip sb/sth of They have stripped the veneer of jingoism from the play, by showing war in its true horror.

VENEER + VERB disguise sth, hide sth, mask sth He managed to acquire a thin veneer of knowledge to mask his real ignorance. | crack For the first time her veneer of politeness began to crack.

PREP. behind/below/beneath/under a/the ~ They're brutal people behind their civilized veneer. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vengeance noun

ADJ. terrible

VERB + VENGEANCE exact, take, wreak She is determined to wreak vengeance on those who killed her cousin. | be bent on, demand, seek, swear, vow, want He stormed out, eyes blazing, bent on vengeance.

PREP. ~ against They sought vengeance against the countries that had humiliated France in 1814. | ~ for vengeance for the murder of the princess | ~ on He silently vowed vengeance on them all.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

venomous adj.

VERBS be

ADV. highly a highly venomous snake | actively There are two types of mollusc that are actively venomous.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

venom noun

¹ poisonous fluid from a snake, etc.

ADJ. deadly | snake, spider, etc.

VENOM + VERB inject, spit The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.

VENOM + NOUN gland

² extreme anger or hatred

ADJ. pure, real, undisguised a look of pure venom

VERB + VENOM spit She surveyed him coldly with eyes that spat venom.

PREP. with ~ She said it quickly and with venom.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ventilate verb

ADV. adequately, properly, well Make sure that the room is well ventilated. | badly, poorly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ventilation noun

ADJ. adequate, good Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. | inadequate, poor | artificial, mechanical | natural | through The windows at the back are blocked up, so there is no through ventilation.

VERB + VENTILATION give, provide Zips up the sides of the jacket give good ventilation.

VENTILATION + NOUN system | brick, duct, grille, hole, opening, pipe, shaft, slit, tube

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

venture noun

VERB + VENTURE embark on, undertake The directors of the company refused to undertake such a risky venture. | establish, set up The company has set up a joint venture with a firm in Austria. | join (in), join sb in His son Mark will be joining him in the new venture.

VENTURE + NOUN capital, funds, money

PREP. ~ by a cooperative venture by firms at the science park > Special page at BUSINESS

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

venture verb

ADV. cautiously She ventured cautiously into the room. | rarely, seldom | far, further (afield) Some of the men ventured further out to sea. | abroad, forth, out, outside A few people ventured out into the street.

VERB + VENTURE dare (to) She would not have dared venture here alone.

PREP. away from, beyond, into, out of They rarely ventured beyond their local market town.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vent noun

ADJ. air, heating | roof, side

VERB + VENT open, close | fit, install

PREP. through a/the ~ Air passes through a vent.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

venue noun

ADJ. ideal, perfect, popular, prestigious, top Europe's top venue for indoor athletics | intimate With room for only 200 people, this is the most intimate venue the band has played for years. | all-seater, 500-seater, etc. | outdoor | home, neutral The match will be played at a neutral venue. | tourist | cabaret, concert, conference, entertainment, exhibition, performance, rock, sporting/sports

VERB + VENUE be, provide The Holiday Inn provided the venue for this year's conference. | hire | play | pack (out) The musical has been packing out venues around the world.

PREP. at a/the ~ The meeting will be held at a venue in the south of the city. | in a/the ~ She has performed in venues around Europe. | ~ for The hall is a popular venue for weddings.

PHRASES a change of venue

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

verb noun

VERB + VERB use In this essay he has used the same verbs over and over again. | take ‘Government’ can take a singular or plural verb. | agree with The subject doesn't agree with the verb. | conjugate, inflect Do you know how to conjugate the verb ‘seek’? | modify, qualify Adverbs modify verbs.

VERB + VERB take sth Transitive verbs take a direct object. | agree with sth, inflect Add an ending to make the verb agree with the subject. | end in sth

VERB + NOUN ending, form, phrase

PHRASES a verb of motion/perception

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

verdict noun

¹ decision in a court of law about whether sb is guilty

ADJ. adverse, favourable In the case of an adverse verdict, the company could stand to lose millions. | guilty, not guilty, not proven | majority, unanimous a unanimous verdict of not guilty | formal The jury returned a formal verdict after direction by the judge. | jury, trial | appeal, inquest | accident, accidental death, manslaughter, murder, misadventure, open, suicide An open verdict was the only appropriate one, given the very unclear evidence at the inquest.

VERB + VERDICT consider The judge sent the jury away to consider its verdict. | agree (on), arrive at, reach They reached a verdict after hours of deliberation. | announce, bring in, deliver, enter, read out, give, pass, pronounce, record, return The verdict was delivered in front of a packed courtroom. The jury returned a verdict of guilty at the end of the trial. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. | accept | appeal against, protest against | overturn, quash, reverse, set aside His family always insisted that the original ‘guilty’ verdict should be overturned. | uphold The verdict was upheld at appeal.

VERDICT + VERB be in sb's favour

PREP. ~ against We believe that the verdict against him was unfair. | ~ of a verdict of accidental death

² decision/opinion

ADJ. final The panel will give its final verdict tomorrow. | general, overall, unanimous The unanimous verdict was that the picnic had been a great success.

VERB + VERDICT give

PREP. ~ on What's your verdict on her new book?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

verge noun

ADJ. grass | motorway, roadside

VERB + VERGE bring sb/sth to (figurative) This action brought the country to the verge of economic collapse.

PREP. on the ~ (figurative) She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when she finally sought help.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

verification noun

ADJ. empirical, scientific

VERIFICATION + NOUN procedures

PREP. subject to ~ The credit card is then accepted, subject to verification of the signature.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vermin noun

VERB + VERMIN regard sth as Farmers regard foxes as vermin. | catch, control, deal with, shoot

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

versatile adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem

ADV. amazingly, extremely, highly, very, wonderfully This machine is amazingly versatile. | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

verse noun

ADJ. humorous, light, satirical | blank, free, rhyming

VERB + VERSE compose, write

VERSE + NOUN form | drama

PREP. in ~ a play in verse

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

version noun

¹ sth based on sth else

ADJ. current, latest, new, updated, up-to-date | early, initial, original, preliminary, prototype an earlier version of this computer software | later, subsequent | definitive, final the final version of the architectural plans | future A future version of the camera is currently being developed. | basic, standard | primitive, simplified | amended, enhanced, improved, modified, refined, revamped | advanced, complex, elaborate, sophisticated a more advanced version of the initial concept | high-performance | customized | de luxe, expensive, luxury | cheap, low-cost | miniature | enlarged | compact, cut-down, portable, scaled-down, small-scale | full-blown, full-length, full-size | French, French-language, etc. the Japanese-language version of the software

VERB + VERSION develop | bring out, create, come out/up with, introduce, launch, offer, present, produce, release, roll out, unveil The company will roll out an enhanced version of its operating system in the new year.

VERSION + VERB be out, come out The new version comes out in June. | be based on sth

² play, film, book, piece of writing, etc.

ADJ. draft, rough Keep a copy of the rough version of your essay. | abridged, condensed, short, simplified | unabridged, unsimplified | expanded | authorized, official This is the official version of the painter's biography. | unauthorized, unofficial | hardback, paperback | CD-ROM, electronic, interactive | French, French-language, etc. | film, movie, musical, screen, stage, television The film version does not live up to the original novel. | cover (= of a song) The band does a lively cover version of ‘Johnny B. Goode’.

VERB + VERSION do

PREP. in a/the ~ The children read the novel in its abridged version.

³ way sth is seen/done by sb

ADJ. accurate, faithful | full Only one newspaper printed the full version of the speech. | popular | extreme, radical | watered-down, weak Theirs is a watered-down version of socialism.

VERB + VERSION give sb She agreed to give her version of events to journalists.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vessel noun

¹ ship/boat

VESSEL + VERB be afloat It was one of the largest vessels afloat. | sail The damaged vessel sailed on for another 50 miles. | be bound for sth a French vessel bound for Nigeria | enter a port, make port The vessel finally made port after thirty days at sea. | leave a port | carry sb/sth The vessel carried a crew of 130. | flood | go/lie/run aground, sink The vessel flooded and began to sink.

PREP. aboard a/the ~ They managed to haul the survivors aboard the vessel. | alongside a/the ~ A rescue boat managed to come alongside the crippled vessel. | on/on board a/the ~ A fire broke out on board the vessel.

² container for liquids

ADJ. drinking | empty It is a scientific fact that empty vessels make the most noise. | ritual, sacred ancient bronze ritual vessels | bronze, glass, pottery, silver, wooden

VERB + VESSEL fill

VESSEL + VERB contain sth > See BLOOD VESSEL

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vestige noun

ADJ. last, remaining The government has to remove any last vestiges of corruption.

VERB + VESTIGE lose, shed | dispel, remove, strip sb/sth of | preserve, retain I'm struggling to retain any vestige of belief in his innocence. | show He showed no vestige of remorse for his crime.

PREP. without a ~ He looked at her without a vestige of sympathy. | ~ of

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vest noun

ADJ. sleeveless | string | thermal | running | bullet-proof

PREP. in (your) ~ standing there in vest and shorts > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

veteran noun

¹ sb who has served in the army, navy, etc.

ADJ. war | army, navy | retired | disabled, wounded | Vietnam, World War Two, etc.

PREP. ~ of a veteran of World War Two

² sb with long experience of an activity, etc.

ADJ. seasoned He's the seasoned veteran, who has taken the children to the museum many times. | industry

VETERAN + NOUN campaigner, leader, politician

PREP. ~ of a veteran of numerous political campaigns

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

veto noun

ADJ. effective, virtual | absolute | government, presidential

VERB + VETO have | cast, exercise, impose, use The board can exercise its veto to prevent the decision. | lift The agreement became possible when Spain lifted its veto. | override, overturn The Senate voted to override the president's veto.

VETO + NOUN power, rights

PREP. ~ against The nobles had a virtual veto against peasant candidates. | ~ on The Opposition effectively have a veto on constitutional reform. | ~ over a veto over all political appointments

PHRASES a power/right of veto

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

veto verb

ADV. effectively The president effectively vetoed this measure.

VERB + VETO threaten to

PHRASES the power/right to veto sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vet noun

ADJ. good | qualified | practising | country, local

VERB + VET call (out) I think we'll have to call the vet out. | consult, go to, see, speak to/with, take sth to, talk to/with We had to take the dog to the local vet.

VET + VERB recommend sth > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vet verb

ADV. carefully | fully, thoroughly

PREP. for All goods are carefully vetted for quality before they leave the factory.

PHRASES vetting procedure We are introducing new security vetting procedures.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

viability noun

ADJ. continued, continuing, future, long-term She is very negative about the long-term viability of the project. | commercial, economic, financial, political

VERB + VIABILITY assess, explore, investigate, test | prove Once the railways had proved their viability expansion was rapid. | ensure | maintain, preserve, safeguard measures to preserve the viability of small businesses | improve | doubt, question The company has questioned the commercial viability of the mine. | threaten, undermine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

viable adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem, sound None of the projects proved financially viable. | become | remain | make sth It is only their investment that makes the programme economically viable. | consider sth, regard sth as

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vibrate verb

ADV. gently

VERB + VIBRATE seem to

PREP. through The thuds vibrated through the car. | with The atmosphere seemed to vibrate with tension.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vibration noun

ADJ. high-frequency, low-frequency

VERB + VIBRATION cause, make, produce | dampen, reduce | detect, feel Certain animals can feel vibrations in the sand. Their instruments can detect the slightest vibration.

VIBRATION + NOUN frequency | level

PREP. ~ from vibrations from heavy traffic

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vice noun

ADJ. secret

VERB + VICE indulge (in) He used his inheritance to indulge his vices of drinking and gambling.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vicinity noun

ADJ. close, immediate, near

PREP. in the ~ (of) There is no hospital in the immediate vicinity.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vicious adj.

VERBS be, look, sound | become, get, turn The computer wars are going to get vicious over the next few years.

ADV. particularly, truly, very a particularly vicious and brutal crime | increasingly | rather

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

victim noun

ADJ. hapless, helpless, innocent, poor, unfortunate, unsuspecting, unwilling He defrauded his innocent victims of millions of pounds. | easy Tourists are easy victims for pickpockets. | passive | willing In his fantasies, women became passive and sometimes even willing victims. | intended, potential The intended victims were selected because they seemed vulnerable. | child, elderly the child victims of the war | Aids, cancer, heart attack, plague, stroke | accident, bomb, crash, disaster, earthquake, famine, flood The government is sending aid to flood victims. | kidnap, murder, rape | sacrificial | fashion She's a fashion victim (= wears the newest fashions even if they do not suit her).

VERB + VICTIM portray sb as In his trial, he tried to portray himself as the victim of an uncaring society. | claim The train crash claimed its tenth victim yesterday when the driver died in hospital. | compensate a bill aimed at compensating victims of air pollution | blame The cut in benefits for the unemployed is a classic case of blaming the victim.

PREP. ~ of They were the victims of a cruel hoax.

PHRASES fall victim to sb/sth Unfortunately, she fell victim to an unscrupulous landlord. | a victim of your/its own success The small firm became a victim of its own success when it could not supply all its orders on time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

victorious adj.

VERBS be, emerge, prove Osborne emerged victorious after the second round of voting.

ADV. eventually, ultimately Against all the odds, Frederick II was ultimately victorious.

PREP. in victorious in the election | over The Reds were victorious over the Whites.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

victory noun

ADJ. famous, glorious, great, historic, impressive, notable, outstanding, remarkable, significant, superb | clear, clear-cut, comfortable, convincing, crushing, easy, emphatic, handsome, landslide, massive, overwhelming, resounding, sweeping His party won a landslide victory in the elections. | complete, comprehensive, outright, total | narrow | conclusive, decisive The army won the decisive victory that changed the course of the war. | dramatic, thrilling | shock, stunning, surprise, unexpected | crucial, vital | deserved, well-deserved | hollow, Pyrrhic | election, electoral, military, moral, political

VERB + VICTORY clinch, ensure, notch up, pull off, record, score, secure, snatch, win They would do whatever lay in their power to ensure victory for themselves. The Hungarians pulled off a surprise victory against the Italian champions. | taste The England cricket team has tasted victory for the first time this season. | end in | roar/romp/storm/sweep to Labour swept to victory in the 2001 election. | hail sth as | hail Union leaders hailed the socialists' victory as a huge step forward. | celebrate | claim The outcome left both sides claiming victory. | gain sb, give sb | deny sb The Dutch champions were denied victory in a tough 2?2 draw at Porto.

VICTORY + NOUN celebration, parade | speech | dance, salute

PREP. ~ against a victory against Fascism | ~ for The case was hailed as a victory for the common man. | ~ over their resounding victory over England

PHRASES snatch victory from the jaws of defeat

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

victor noun

ADJ. clear, runaway | worthy

VERB + VICTOR be, emerge (as) The team emerged as worthy victors.

PREP. ~ over The French pair fought back to finish two sets to one victors over the Williams sisters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

videotape noun

VERB + VIDEOTAPE make | copy (sth) onto, record (sth) onto Film can also be copied onto videotape. | screen The videotape of the attack caused outrage when it was screened on the news.

PREP. ~ of a videotape of the demonstration

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

video noun

¹ system of recording moving pictures and sound

ADJ. interactive

VIDEO + NOUN camera, equipment, machine, player, recorder, screen | clip, film, footage, image, picture, recording, replay, sequence The jury watched video footage of the riots. | shoot The band are in Iceland doing a video shoot. | channel I can't find the video channel on this television. | game | conferencing | conference, presentation | link The speech was broadcast via a video link to thousands standing outside. | surveillance

PREP. on ~ The film is already out on video.

² tape/cassette

VERB + VIDEO make | manufacture, produce | release The group's new video will be released next month. | capture sb/sth on, catch sb/sth on The thief was caught on video as he pocketed watches and rings. | rent (out) We rent videos out nearly every weekend. | watch The children can sit for hours watching videos. | show (sb) Their teacher showed them a video about the Romans. | fast-forward, rewind

VIDEO + NOUN cassette | library, rental shop, shop | release a review of the latest video releases

PREP. ~ of a security video of the attack

³ (also video recorder)

VERB + VIDEO programme, set Did you remember to set the video for ‘Inspector Morse’?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

viewer noun

ADJ. television/TV | armchair While fewer people are attending football matches, armchair viewers are growing in number.

VERB + VIEWER attract, pull (in) The evening news is to change its serious image in a bid to attract more viewers. | be a hit with The new sitcom has been a smash hit with viewers. | inform, tell The announcer informed viewers that programmes would be running late. | entertain | outrage, shock a major new drama series that looks set to shock television viewers

VIEWER + VERB see sth, watch sth BBC viewers saw the prime minister lose his cool on last night's ‘Question Time’. It is estimated that four million viewers watched the programme. | switch (between) channels, switch off | phone in, write in Hundreds of viewers phoned in to complain after the show.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

viewpoint noun

VERB + VIEWPOINT express, present, put forward | adopt, take He always takes the opposite viewpoint to the rest of the group. | share I understand her viewpoint, but do not share it. | support He quoted recent test results to support his viewpoint. | look at/see/view sth from Seen from the student's viewpoint, the oral exam can be frightening. | see, understand

PREP. from the ~ of From the viewpoint of teachers, there has been a great increase in work.

PHRASES from a purely … viewpoint From a purely commercial viewpoint, the film was a failure.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

view noun

¹ opinion/idea about sth

ADJ. general, popular, prevailing, widely held The prevailing view is that he has done a good job in difficult circumstances. | conflicting, differing, divergent, opposing, polarized The debate brings together experts with conflicting views. | clear, forthright, strong He's a doctor with clear views on how to prevent illness. | idealized, optimistic, positive, romantic, rosy Her rosy view of life abroad seems rather naive. | jaundiced, negative, pessimistic After his experience in jail, he has a pretty jaundiced view of the penal system. | conventional The conventional view is that work is pleasant and rewarding. | unorthodox | minority | political | liberal, modern, progressive, radical | moderate | conservative, reactionary | extremist, hard-line | stereotyped, stereotypical | informed | ill-informed, uninformed | world His world view revolves around a battle between rich and poor.

VERB + VIEW have, hold | take I took the view that an exception should be made in this case. | air, convey, expound, express, make known, present, put forward The meeting gave everyone the chance to air their views. She picked up the phone and made her views known to her boss. | discuss, exchange, share At the meeting, we hope people will exchange views freely. | canvass, solicit He called a meeting to solicit the views of his staff. | reflect, represent His letter to the management did not reflect the views of his colleagues. | adhere to, agree with, endorse | confirm, support | challenge His music challenges the view that modern jazz is inaccessible.

PREP. in your ~ In my view it was a waste of time. | ~ about Teachers generally keep their views about politics hidden. | ~ on Experts hold widely differing views on this subject.

PHRASES an exchange of views It's good to have a full and frank exchange of views. | a point of view From a teacher's point of view, activities that can be done with minimal preparation are invaluable. | take a dim view of sth (= have a poor opinion of sth) My mother takes a pretty dim view of my cooking skills.

² ability to see/be seen from a particular place

ADJ. good, grandstand, wonderful | poor, terrible We had a poor view of the stage from where we were sitting. | clear, unimpeded, uninterrupted, unobstructed | back, front, rear, side The picture shows a front view of the car. | close, close-up | public Tensions within the band remained hidden from public view. | overall (figurative) The staff handbook gives an overall view of the company.

VERB + VIEW get, have The pillar prevented me getting a clear view of the action. | give sb The patio gave an unimpeded view across the headland to the sea. | block A woman in a very large hat was blocking my view of the procession. | come into A large truck suddenly came into view. | disappear from They stood waving on the platform, until the train disappeared from view. | be hidden from

PREP. in ~ There was nobody in view. | on ~ The carriage was put on view for the public to see.

PHRASES in full view (of sth) He was shot in full view of a large crowd.

³ scenery

ADJ. breathtaking, fine, lovely, magnificent, spectacular, splendid, stunning, superb, wonderful a room with a breathtaking view across the bay | commanding, panoramic | mountain, sea, etc.

VERB + VIEW afford, boast, enjoy, give, have Most rooms enjoy panoramic views of the sea. The large windows give fine views of the surrounding countryside. | admire, enjoy a place to unwind and enjoy the view

PREP. ~ across/over a view over the valley | ~ from the view from his apartment | ~ of

PHRASES a room with a view

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

view verb

VERB + VIEW tend to | try to

PREP. as This behaviour is not viewed as acceptable. | from trying to view the situation from an American perspective | with They tend to view foreigners with suspicion.

PHRASES generally/widely viewed as sth He is widely viewed as a possible prime minister. | increasingly viewed as sth, traditionally viewed as sth, a way of viewing sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vigilance noun

ADJ. constant, continued, eternal | extra, increased, special You should exercise extra vigilance about locking your car properly.

VERB + VIGILANCE exercise, maintain | relax The birds cannot afford to relax their vigilance against predators. | require

PREP. ~ against vigilance against shoplifters | ~ on the part of sb Guaranteeing the safety of students requires continued vigilance on the part of teachers.

PHRASES a need for vigilance

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vigilant adj.

VERBS be, keep, remain, stay | become

ADV. especially, extra, extremely, particularly, very | constantly, ever The organization is ever vigilant for threats to the habitats of birds.

PREP. about Be extra vigilant about what you eat or drink. | against You need to be vigilant against garden pests.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vigil noun

¹ when you stay awake to look after sb, etc.

ADJ. all-night, constant, round-the-clock, 24-hour Since the accident, the boy's parents have kept a constant vigil at his bedside. | bedside | lonely For three nights, the shepherd maintained his lonely vigil.

VERB + VIGIL keep, maintain He told the gatekeeper to keep vigil.

PREP. ~ over the husband's vigil over his dying wife

² silent political protest; time of prayer

ADJ. candlelight/candlelit, night-time, nocturnal Protesters held a candlelit vigil against the war. | silent a silent vigil outside the presidential palace | prayer

VERB + VIGIL hold, stage | attend

PREP. ~ for a vigil for the murdered politician

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vigorous adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, very leading a very vigorous campaign to get the chairman removed | quite taking some quite vigorous exercise | enough, sufficiently

PREP. in The group is not vigorous enough in its opposition to the proposals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vigour noun

ADJ. added, increased, increasing | fresh, new, renewed He returned to work with a sense of renewed vigour after his holiday. | extraordinary, great, tremendous | youthful | creative, intellectual, physical

VERB + VIGOUR pursue/tackle sth with The government gave assurances that the enquiry would be pursued with vigour.

PREP. with ~

PHRASES full of vigour She was a wonderful, bubbly girl, full of vigour. | vim and vigour He set to his task with renewed vim and vigour. | with equal vigour She attacked both political parties with equal vigour.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

village noun

VILLAGE + NOUN community, life | church, green, hall, pub, school, shop, street | centre

PREP. in a/the ~ They live in a farming village. | outside a/the ~ Our cottage is just outside the village.

PHRASES the centre/middle of the village, the edge/outskirts of the village

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

villain noun

ADJ. pantomime He wore a black cloak, like a pantomime villain.

VERB + VILLAIN cast sb as She seems to have cast me as the villain in her latest emotional upheaval. | play He has played villains in most of his films. | catch, nail The police still haven't nailed the villain.

PHRASES the villain of the piece/story He changed his story to make his wife appear the villain of the piece.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

villa noun

VERB + VILLA have, own | rent | live in, stay in

VILLA + NOUN holiday

PREP. in a/the ~ staying in his Spanish holiday villa

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vintage noun

ADJ. classic, fine, superb | rare

VINTAGE + NOUN champagne, claret, port, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

violate verb

ADV. flagrantly, shamelessly They have flagrantly violated the treaty. | systematically | brutally The peace of the island community had been brutally violated.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

violation noun

VERB + VIOLATION commit The army was accused of committing violations against the accord. | be, constitute This action constitutes a violation of international law.

PREP. in ~ of There is plenty of evidence that her actions were in violation of an earlier contract. | ~ against violations against minimum wage agreements

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

viola noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

violence noun

¹ behaviour that hurts other people physically

ADJ. considerable, great, excessive, extreme, large-scale, serious | fresh There are fears of fresh violence if the strike continues. | continuing, escalating, growing | gratuitous, unnecessary Letters poured in complaining about the gratuitous violence on the show. | mindless, random, uncontrolled | brutal | criminal, unlawful | endemic, institutionalized, widespread attempts to rescue the country from endemic violence | sporadic In spite of sporadic violence, polling was largely orderly. | domestic, physical, sexual | drug-related, election-related, etc. | communal, ethnic, inter-communal, inter-ethnic, racial, sectarian | political, revolutionary, terrorist | left-wing, right-wing

QUANT. level

VERB + VIOLENCE commit, engage in, inflict, perpetrate, resort to, turn to, use people who inflict violence on animals violence perpetrated by the army The peasants believed their only choice was to resort to violence. Under no circumstances should police use violence against protesters. | suffer She had suffered years of violence and abuse. | encourage, incite, provoke | denounce, deplore, hate, reject | breed Hatred breeds violence. | spill over into The enthusiasm of the protest spilled over into violence. | contain UN peacekeepers are struggling to contain the escalating violence. | end, quell Troops were called in to quell the violence. | be capable of We are all capable of violence in certain circumstances.

VIOLENCE + VERB break out, erupt, flare, occur Violence erupted outside the prison last night. | mar sth The demonstration was marred by violence. | escalate, intensify, worsen Observers have warned that the violence could escalate into full-scale armed conflict. | spread

PREP. ~ against violence against police officers | ~ among violence among football supporters | ~ between violence between rival ethnic groups | ~ towards violence towards ethnic minorities | ~ within violence within the family

PHRASES an act of violence Any act of violence against another player must be punished. | an end to violence The former leader of the terrorist group has called for an end to the violence. | an eruption/outbreak of violence The police are bracing themselves for an outbreak of violence. | fear of violence, a life of violence It was a predictable death for a man who had lived a life of violence. | men of violence the men of violence who start wars | an outburst of violence He had a short temper and was prone to outbursts of violence. | a threat of violence, an upsurge in violence, a victim of violence a refuge for victims of domestic violence | violence begets/breeds violence We have to make people realize that violence only begets more violence. | a wave of violence

² physical/emotional force

ADJ. suppressed

PREP. with (a) ~ He kissed her with suppressed violence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

violent adj.

¹ using physical strength intended to hurt/kill

VERBS be | become, get, grow, turn

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, particularly, really, terribly, very | increasingly | almost | a bit, fairly, pretty, quite, rather She started to get a bit violent. | gratuitously The film is contrived, sentimental and gratuitously violent. | potentially dealing with potentially violent incidents | physically, sexually

PREP. to, towards He was violent towards his wife on several occasions.

² very strong

VERBS be | become

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, very an exceptionally violent storm | almost He felt a strong, almost violent, dislike for the stranger. | fairly, quite

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

violin noun

ADJ. muted

VERB + VIOLIN tune (up)

VIOLIN + NOUN bow, string | family The cello is a member of the violin family. > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

virginity noun

VERB + VIRGINITY lose

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

virtue noun

ADJ. cardinal, great, special | chief | inherent There is no inherent virtue in having read all the latest books. | negative, positive She has just one, negative virtue?she never tells lies. The brochure makes a positive virtue of the island's isolated position. | old-fashioned, traditional He understands the traditional virtue of hard work. | Christian, ethical, moral | domestic | civic, public | political | easy women of easy virtue (= with low standards of sexual morality)

VERB + VIRTUE have Her book has the cardinal virtue of simplicity. | emphasize, extol, preach He never stops extolling the virtues of the free market.

PHRASES make a virtue of necessity (= to manage to gain an advantage from sth you have to do and cannot avoid), a paragon of virtue It would have taken a paragon of virtue not to feel jealous.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

virus noun

ADJ. deadly | virulent | Aids, flu, hepatitis, herpes, HIV, measles, etc. | computer

VERB + VIRUS be infected with, contract, develop | carry | pass (on), spread, transmit An infected person can pass the virus to others. | isolate | inactivate

VIRUS + VERB attack sb/sth The virus attacks a variety of cells in the body. | replicate

VIRUS + NOUN infection | vaccine

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

visa noun

ADJ. entry, exit, transit | student, tourist, travel

VERB + VISA get, obtain I obtained a visa after hours of waiting at the embassy. | extend, renew | give sb, grant (sb), issue, issue sb (with) | deny sb, refuse sb She was refused a visa because of her criminal record. | need, require Do South Africans need a visa to go to France? | stamp | check | overstay He was arrested for overstaying his visa.

VISA + VERB expire Her visa expired six months ago.

VISA + NOUN regulations, requirements, restrictions | application

PREP. on a ~ She entered the country on a student visa. | ~ for Do you need a visa for Egypt?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

viscount, viscountess noun > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

viscount, viscountess noun > Note at PEER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

visibility noun

¹ how far you can see

ADJ. clear, good, excellent, high | bad, limited, low, poor, zero

VERB + VISIBILITY reduce The sand in the air reduced visibility to a hundred yards.

VISIBILITY + VERB be down to sth Visibility was down to 25 yards.

PREP. in … ~ We set a course in good visibility and calm seas.

² obviousness in public life

ADJ. high | greater, increased, increasing

VERB + VISIBILITY increase, raise We aim to raise the visibility of ethnic minorities in our organization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

visible adj.

VERBS be | become | remain, stay The scars remained visible all her life. | leave sth, make sth We cut the trees down to make the lake visible from the house.

ADV. all too, clearly, easily, highly, obviously, particularly, plainly, readily, very His relief was all too visible. The election poster was clearly visible from the street. Italy has a highly visible environmental movement. | fully, quite The sea was now out, leaving the wreck fully visible. Ellie's quite visible embarrassment | just The mountains were just visible, dusky and black. | barely, hardly, scarcely The low, flat boats were barely visible. | almost | half, partially She stood, half visible in the dim light. | dimly, faintly A figure was dimly visible in the evening gloom. | externally | immediately Women are advised to wait where they are not immediately visible to approaching traffic. | still | no longer

PREP. to Its contents were visible to all of them.

PHRASES visible to the naked eye tiny spiders that are hardly visible to the naked eye

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vision noun

¹ ability to see

ADJ. 20/20, excellent, perfect The eye test shows she has perfect vision. | normal | clear The rain prevented her having clear vision of the road ahead. | blurred, defective, distorted, impaired, poor | double, tunnel (often figurative) | all-round The high driving position gives excellent all-round vision. | binocular, stereoscopic | X-ray | distance I can read without glasses, but my distance vision is poor. | night | peripheral Use your peripheral vision widely when moving from place to place.

VERB + VISION have | give (sb) | obscure, restrict | blur The tears blurred her vision. | improve

VISION + VERB clear Her vision cleared and she realized Niall was standing beside her.

PREP. across your ~ A bird shot across her vision.

PHRASES your field of vision She was aware of shapes moving across her field of vision. | your line of vision Someone was standing in my line of vision so I couldn't see the screen.

² picture in your imagination

VERB + VISION experience, have, receive I had visions of us getting hopelessly lost. | conjure up The word ‘island’ conjures up a vision of a relaxing summer holiday.

VISION + VERB fade As he approached, the vision faded and there was no one there.

PREP. in a/the ~ The idea came to her in a vision. | ~ of

³ ability to see/plan for the future

VERB + VISION have | develop | convey, expand on/upon, outline, promote He outlined his vision for the new economic order. | impose The new leader set about imposing his vision on the party. | share | cloud He was determined not to let emotions cloud his vision.

PREP. of ~ a statesman of great vision | ~ for a vision for the future | ~ of an alternative vision of society

PHRASES breadth of vision His plans for the country's future show a remarkable breadth of vision.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

visitor noun

VERB + VISITOR get, have, receive Do you get many visitors? | expect The house was tidy and I could see he was expecting visitors. | entertain The front room was used mainly for entertaining visitors. | attract, bring (in) The festival brings 5,000 visitors to the town every year. | interest The town has much to interest the visitor. | deter The lack of facilities in the town may deter the casual visitor. | admit The college only admits visitors in organized groups.

VISITOR + VERB come, flock, turn up Visitors flocked to see the show.

VISITOR + NOUN attraction | centre Pick up a free map of the town from the visitor centre.

PREP. ~ from Visitors from Ireland will find much that reminds them of home. | ~ to visitors to the museum

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

visit noun

VERB + VISIT go on, make, pay sb, undertake We used to go on school visits to museums and historical buildings. How many doctors are still able to make home visits? Pay us a visit next time you're in town. | get, have, receive | look forward to I'd been looking forward to my cousin's visit for ages. | arrange, organize | postpone | cancel | cut short He was forced to cut short a visit to North America. | prolong He offered her a drink to try to prolong her visit. | announce We received a letter announcing a visit from government inspectors. | be (well) worth If you're staying in Rome, Ostia is well worth a visit.

VISIT + VERB mark sth, signal sth The visit signalled the normalization of relations between the two countries.

PREP. during/on a/the ~ On one of her regular visits home, she told her parents she was engaged. | ~ from We had a visit from somebody collecting for charity. | ~ to a visit to the theatre

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

visit verb

ADV. regularly

VERB + VISIT come to, go to My parents are coming to visit me next week. We've just been to visit my grandparents. | decide to, hope to, intend to, plan to, promise to, want to, wish to | be expected to, be likely to A million people are expected to visit the museum over the next 12 months. | invite sb to, urge sb to

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

visualize verb

ADV. easily

VERB + VISUALIZE be able/unable to, can/could I could visualize the scene in the office. | try to | be easy to | be difficult to, be hard to It is difficult to visualize how the town must have looked years ago.

PREP. as I visualized him as a typical businessman.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vitality noun

ADJ. enormous, exceptional, great, remarkable, sheer, tremendous You have to admire the sheer vitality of his performance. | renewed | continuing | creative, cultural, economic | inner, mental

VERB + VITALITY burst with He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health. | restore

PHRASES full of vitality, a lack of vitality

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vital adj.

VERBS be, prove, seem | become | remain | consider sth, regard sth as, see sth as

ADV. particularly, really | absolutely | strategically the strategically vital industrial zone

PREP. for fostering team spirit, which is vital for success | to These nutrients are absolutely vital to good health.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vitamin noun

ADJ. take The doctor told me to take vitamins regularly.

VERB + VITAMIN contain Most foods contain vitamin E. | be rich in Fish is rich in vitamins and minerals. | enrich sth with, fortify sth with breakfast cereals enriched with vitamins

VITAMIN + NOUN drops, injections, pills, supplements, tablets | requirements | deficiency Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vivid adj.

¹ very bright

VERBS be

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, really, very | quite, rather She uses quite vivid colours.

² very clear

VERBS be | remain

ADV. extraordinarily, extremely, very, wonderfully a wonderfully vivid imagination | quite | still

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vocabulary noun

ADJ. extensive, large, rich, wide English has a rich vocabulary and literature. Try to develop a wide vocabulary. | limited, narrow, poor, restricted, small | active, passive | basic, essential, key | formal | business, scientific, specialized, technical

VERB + VOCABULARY have | acquire, learn Learners of languages acquire vocabulary through practice. | build, develop, enlarge, enrich, expand, extend, increase, widen This book has been designed to help you expand your vocabulary. | enter The word ‘think tank’ entered the vocabulary (= became part of the language) in the 1960s. | use Specialized vocabulary is used in all the major disciplines.

VOCABULARY + NOUN item

PREP. ~ for/of the essential vocabulary for tourism

PHRASES not in sb's vocabulary The word ‘failure’is not in his vocabulary (= for him, failure does not exist).

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vocal adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. extremely, highly, very a highly vocal opposition group | increasingly criticized by a small but increasingly vocal minority | quite

PREP. about women who are very vocal about men's failings

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vocation noun

ADJ. real, true | religious

VERB + VOCATION find She struggled for years to find her true vocation. | have | follow, pursue He is desperate to pursue his vocation as an artist. | miss She feels that she missed her vocation by not working with children.

PREP. ~ for She seems to have a vocation for healing. | ~ to a vocation to the priesthood

PHRASES a sense of vocation This is a job that demands a sense of vocation.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vogue noun

ADJ. current | temporary

VERB + VOGUE enjoy Cycling enjoyed a vogue at the end of the nineteenth century. | come (back) into Scooters have recently come back into vogue.

VOGUE + NOUN word

PREP. in ~ the type of pop song in vogue at that time | out of ~ Disaster movies are currently out of vogue. | ~ for the current vogue for Japanese food

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

voice noun

¹ sounds you make when speaking or singing

VERB + VOICE hear I could hear voices in the next room. | raise She's a teacher who never has to raise her voice to discipline the children. | drop, lower She dropped her voice to a whisper. You're shouting?please lower your voice. | project Try to project your voice so that the people at the back of the room can hear you. | lose She's lost her voice and won't be able to sing tonight. | find He swallowed nervously as he tried to find his voice. | put on She put on a silly voice as she imitated her boss.

VOICE + VERB go up, rise His voice rose in angry protest. | die away, drop, fade, tail away/off, trail away/off ‘So he won't come … ’ her voice trailed off in disappointment. | be filled/tinged with sth Her voice was filled with emotion. | deepen, harden, soften, thicken His voice suddenly thickened with emotion. | echo Her voice echoed through the silent house. | whisper ‘Be quiet!’ a voice whispered in his ear. | hiss, purr | call (out), cry (out) ‘Who is it?’ a female voice called out. | scream, shout She was dimly aware of voices shouting. | boom (out) | cut through sth, pierce sth His deep voice cut through the silence. | break, crack His voice broke with emotion. His voice broke (= became a deep, man's voice) when he was 14. | falter, quaver, shake, tremble, waver Her voice shook with fear. | drone (on) The flat, unemotional voice droned on.

VOICE + NOUN recognition the computer's voice recognition capability | mail (also voicemail), mailbox, message, traffic | synthesizer

PREP. in a/your ~ ‘Get out!’ she shouted in a shrill voice. There was fury in his voice as he answered her.

PHRASES at the top of your voice I was shouting at the top of my voice but she couldn't hear me. | a babble/hum/murmur of voices They could hear a loud babble of voices coming from the crowded bar. | in good voice The home fans were in good voice (= making a loud noise) before the match. She was in good voice (= singing well) at the concert tonight. | keep your voice down Please keep your voice down so as not to wake the children. | keep your voice level/steady He managed to keep his voice steady despite his feelings of panic. | tone of voice ‘Do you have to speak to me in that tone of voice?’ she said sadly.

² expression of ideas/opinions

ADJ. critical, dissenting Dissenting voices at the newspaper are very rare. | lone a lone voice of dissent | powerful Powerful voices in the Senate are determined to bring down the president. | distinctive a writer with a highly distinctive voice

VERB + VOICE find Refugees have been unable to find a voice in politics. | add, lend Many senior politicians have lent their voices to the campaign. | give The magazine gave voice to hundreds of oppressed factory workers. | listen to

PREP. ~ of to listen to the voice of conscience

PHRASES make your voice heard a society in which individuals are able to make their voices heard | speak with one voice The teachers speak with one voice when they demand an end to the cuts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

void adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth, render sth an impediment which rendered the marriage void | declare sth

PHRASES null and void The election was declared null and void.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

void noun

ADJ. great, massive | aching | black

VERB + VOID leave | fill It seemed that nothing could fill the aching black void left by Rachel's death.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

volatile adj.

¹ that can easily change

VERBS be | become | remain

² that can easily change into a gas

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. highly, very a highly volatile liquid

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

volcano noun

ADJ. active, dormant, extinct

QUANT. chain

VOLCANO + VERB erupt An active volcano may erupt at any time.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

volley noun

¹ of stones, bullets, etc.

VERB + VOLLEY fire, unleash The police fired a volley of bullets over the heads of the crowd.

PREP. ~ of

² in sport

ADJ. backhand, cross-court, forehand (in tennis) | left-foot, right-foot (in football) | stunning, superb Williams took the set with a stunning backhand volley down the line. | 30-yard, etc.

VERB + VOLLEY hit She hit a forehand volley into the net. | crack/crash/lash home, strike, unleash (all in football) Cole lashed home a 20-yard volley.

PREP. on the ~ Figo met the ball on the volley and scored.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

voltage noun

ADJ. high, low | constant | changing, varying | mains, supply Most house lighting runs at the full mains voltage of 240 volts. | input, output

VERB + VOLTAGE increase, step up, turn up | decrease, step down, turn down | produce | apply A voltage is then applied across the cell electrodes.

PREP. at a ~ The motor operates at low voltages.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

volume noun

¹ amount of space

ADJ. total the total volume of the containers

PREP. by ~ They sell screws and nails by volume. | in ~ 2 litres in volume

² quantity of sth

ADJ. sheer The sheer volume of fiction produced is staggering. | considerable, enormous, great, heavy, high, huge, large, substantial, vast | small

VERB + VOLUME increase | decrease, reduce | double/grow//increase/rise in Sales have doubled in volume. | decrease/fall in

VOLUME + VERB double, increase, rise Sales volume has doubled since 1999. | decrease, fall

³ strength of sound that sth makes

ADJ. high | full, maximum | low

VERB + VOLUME increase, turn up | decrease, turn down | grow/increase/rise in | decrease/fall in

VOLUME + NOUN control the volume control on the television

PREP. at … ~ The car stereo was on at full volume.

⁴ book

QUANT. series

VERB + VOLUME publish

PREP. in a/the ~ Her poems are now available in a single volume. | ~ of a volume of short stories | ~ on a volume on ancient history

PHRASES run to five, several, etc. volumes The encyclopedia is a huge work, running to 20 volumes.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

voluntary adj.

VERBS be | remain

ADV. completely, entirely, purely The organization is run on a purely voluntary basis. | largely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

volunteer noun

¹ sb who offers to do sth

QUANT. army, band, group, network, team An army of volunteers cooked meals for the children.

VERB + VOLUNTEER appeal for, ask for, call for, look for The charity is appealing for volunteers to take elderly patients to and from hospital. | find, get, recruit We can't get any volunteers to help in the gardens. | provide The local community provided volunteers to repair the road. | encourage | need, want | work as

VOLUNTEER + VERB come forward Hundreds of volunteers have come forward to offer their help. | man sth, staff sth | carry sth out | provide support, support sb The support our volunteers provide cannot be measured in purely practical terms.

VOLUNTEER + NOUN staff, worker | carer, driver, helper

PREP. ~ for He worked as a volunteer for Oxfam.

² in the armed forces

ADJ. army, civilian

VERB + VOLUNTEER recruit | serve as

VOLUNTEER + NOUN army, militia, unit

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

volunteer verb

ADV. kindly Barbara Forrest has kindly volunteered to lead a guided walk to Bolton Abbey.

PREP. as We volunteered as witnesses. | for I volunteered for service in the Air Force.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vomit verb

ADV. violently | promptly Corbett leaned against the wall and promptly vomited. | up He vomited up all that he had eaten for lunch.

VERB + VOMIT want to The smell made me want to vomit. | make sb They gave her salty water to make her vomit.

PHRASES nausea and vomiting The symptoms include headaches, nausea and vomiting. | vomiting and diarrhoea

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

voter noun

VERB + VOTER woo attempts to woo undecided voters | persuade | convince | urge, warn | influence

VOTER + VERB choose sb, favour sb, pick sb, prefer sb In this election, voters chose candidates who promised economic security. | participate in sth, turn out More than two million voters participated in the election. | cast their vote | support sth, vote yes (to sth) | reject sth, vote no (to sth) | change/ switch allegiance

VOTER + NOUN turnout Voter turnout was very low. | registration | disillusionment | intimidation The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vote noun

¹ choice/decision made by voting

VERB + VOTE have, put sth to the, take We should put the resolution to the vote. Let's take a vote on the issue. | have The chairperson always has the casting vote. | cast, record (formal) You can cast your vote at the local polling station. 50% of the eligible voters recorded their vote. | gain, get, obtain, poll, receive, secure, win Our candidate polled only 10% of the vote. | swing factors that could swing the vote against the president | count Votes are still being counted.

VOTE + VERB go to sb/sth My vote will go to the party that addresses crime. | fall The party's vote fell by 6%. | increase, rise | double, treble, etc.

PREP. by ~ The bill was passed by a single vote. Members are elected by direct vote. | ~ against, ~ for a vote for the government | ~ in favour (of sth), ~ on a vote on the new law

PHRASES a vote of confidence/no confidence The government received a massive vote of confidence from the electorate. | a vote of thanks A special vote of thanks went to the organizer, Tim Woodhouse. > Special page at MEETING

³ the vote: legal right to vote in elections

VERB + VOTE have How many years

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vote verb

ADV. overwhelmingly | unanimously The committee voted unanimously to accept the plans. | narrowly The Senate voted narrowly to continue funding the scheme. | formally The proposals were formally voted upon. | tactically | down, in, out The proposal was voted down.

VERB + VOTE be eligible to, be entitled to young people who are eligible to vote for the first time | intend to

PREP. against They voted overwhelmingly against the proposal. | for They all voted for the new tax. | in She returned home in order to vote in the elections. | in favour of The committee voted in favour of the plan. | into the government that has just been voted into power | off She was voted off the committee. | on/upon Parliament is to vote on tobacco advertising tomorrow. | onto, out of He was voted out of office. | (by) … to … They voted 15 to 2 to accept the offer. | with Her party voted with the government.

PHRASES the right to vote Everyone over 18 has the right to vote. | a round of voting She was elected on the second round of voting. | vote Conservative, Labour, Republican, etc., vote no/yes They voted yes to the agreement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

voucher noun

VERB + VOUCHER give sb, issue (sb with) The company issues travel vouchers to all managers. | get, receive I got a credit voucher for £30. | redeem, spend, use

VOUCHER + VERB entitle sb to sth a voucher entitling you to a half-price meal | be worth sth a voucher worth £100 | be redeemable a 50p money-off voucher redeemable against any future purchase of the product

PREP. ~ for a voucher for children's glasses

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vowel noun

VERB + VOWEL begin with, contain, end in/with

VOWEL + NOUN sound | system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vow noun

ADJ. formal, solemn | marriage, wedding | monastic, religious | final She left the convent before taking her final vows.

VERB + VOW make, take He made a vow to avenge his father's death. | keep She kept her vow of silence until she died. | break Nothing will persuade me to break this vow. | exchange The couple exchanged vows at the altar. | renew

PREP. ~ of a vow of poverty

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vow verb

ADV. quietly, silently He silently vowed vengeance on them all.

PREP. to She vowed to herself that she would not show any emotion.

PHRASES vow never to do sth I vowed never to drink so much again.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

voyage noun

VERB + VOYAGE embark on, go on, make, set out on, undertake

PREP. during a/the ~ Lady Franklin kept a journal during the voyage. | on a/the ~ There were mainly scientists on the voyage. The Titanic sank in April 1912 on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. | ~ from, ~ to

PHRASES a voyage of discovery (often figurative) Going to college can be a voyage of discovery.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vulnerability noun

ADJ. extreme, great | economic, financial the economic vulnerability of unskilled workers | genetic evidence of a genetic vulnerability to cancer | naked, raw the naked vulnerability in his eyes

VERB + VULNERABILITY demonstrate, expose, highlight, show (up) The earthquake highlighted the vulnerability of elevated highways. | decrease, reduce | increase | exploit, take advantage of The gang had taken advantage of the immigrants' vulnerability.

PREP. ~ to the extreme vulnerability of old people to crime

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vulnerable adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem You must try not to appear vulnerable. | become | remain | leave sb/sth, make sb/sth The virus attacks the immune system, leaving your body vulnerable to infections.

ADV. acutely, especially, extremely, highly, intensely, particularly, very | completely, totally, utterly | increasingly | quite, rather She is very sensitive and rather vulnerable. | potentially | peculiarly, uniquely Hippos are uniquely vulnerable to drought. | oddly, strangely He smiled, making her suddenly feel oddly vulnerable. | somehow | economically, militarily, politically The company is in an economically vulnerable position.

PREP. to These offices are highly vulnerable to terrorist attack.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

vulture noun

VULTURE + VERB circle, hover, soar, wheel Vultures circled overhead as the lions fed. | gather, wait | swoop | scavenge (sth)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wade verb

ADV. ashore The men waded ashore. | out

PREP. across, in, into, through We waded across the stream.

PHRASES wade knee-deep/waist-deep Rescuers had to wade waist-deep in flood water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waft verb

ADV. gently The night air wafted gently over them. | around, in, up A scent of honey wafted up from the hives.

PREP. across, down, from, into, over, through, up Spicy smells wafted through the air.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wage noun (alsowages)

WAGE + VERB increase, rise | decrease, fall

PHRASES a cut/fall in wages, growth in wages, an increase/a rise in wages

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wagon noun

¹ vehicle pulled by animals

ADJ. covered, open | horse-drawn | hay, supply

QUANT. train a long train of supply wagons

VERB + WAGON drive | pull, draw

WAGON + VERB roll covered wagons rolling across the prairies

WAGON + NOUN train | wheel

² open railway truck

ADJ. rail/railway | empty | full | coal, freight, goods

VERB + WAGON pull

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wag verb

ADV. furiously The dog raced ahead, its tail wagging furiously.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wail noun

ADJ. loud | high, high-pitched | banshee | distant We could just hear the distant wail of a siren.

VERB + WAIL give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ With a wail he threw himself on the bed and buried his face in the pillow. | ~ of She gave a wail of anguish. > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wail verb

ADV. almost | helplessly

VERB + WAIL begin to | hear sb

PREP. for wailing for her dead husband | with She wailed with despair.

PHRASES weeping and wailing A crowd of women followed the coffin, weeping and wailing.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waistline noun

¹ measurement of the body around the waist

ADJ. expanding

VERB + WAISTLINE watch Low-fat foods are ideal for people who are watching their waistline.

² part of a piece of clothing

ADJ. high, low

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waist noun

¹ part around the middle of the body

ADJ. narrow, neat, slender, slim, small, tiny | 34-inch, etc.

WAIST + NOUN height

PREP. about/around/round the/your ~ She wore a broad belt about her waist.

PHRASES from the waist down/up A large towel covered him from the waist down. | stripped to the waist, waist-deep/-high Where we were standing, the lake was waist-deep.

² part of a piece of clothing that goes round the waist

ADJ. high, low | belted, drawstring, elasticated | tight | 34-inch, etc. These jeans have a 32-inch waist.

WAIST + NOUN measurement, size | pocket

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waiter, waitress noun

ADJ. head the head waiter in a large restaurant | hotel, restaurant | wine | passing She ordered a large vodka and tonic from a passing waiter. | hovering (literary, disapproving), obsequious He didn't fancy spending hours in the restaurant, surrounded by hovering waiters.

VERB + WAITER, WAITRESS beckon (to), call (over), signal (to), summon (over), wave over He casually waved over the waitress and settled the bill.

WAITER, WAITRESS + VERB arrive with sth, bring (sb) sth, serve (sb) sth A waitress arrived with the wine they had ordered.

WAITER, WAITRESS + NOUN service Lunch is a buffet meal, while dinner is waiter service.

PHRASES catch the waiter/waitress's eye I tried to catch the waiter's eye to ask for our bill. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waiter, waitress noun

VERB + WAITER, WAITRESS beckon (to), call (over), signal (to), summon (over), wave over He casually waved over the waitress and settled the bill.

WAITER, WAITRESS + VERB arrive with sth, bring (sb) sth, serve (sb) sth A waitress arrived with the wine they had ordered.

WAITER, WAITRESS + NOUN service Lunch is a buffet meal, while dinner is waiter service.

PHRASES catch the waiter/waitress's eye I tried to catch the waiter's eye to ask for our bill. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wait noun

ADJ. endless, long We had a long wait to see the doctor. | short | agonizing, anxious, nerve-racking, nervous, worrying | frustrating | boring, tedious

VERB + WAIT face, have The accused faces an agonizing wait while the jury considers its verdict.

PREP. ~ for a short wait for an ambulance

PHRASES be worth the wait The dress was so beautiful when it arrived that it was well worth the wait.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wait verb

ADV. long Have you been waiting long? | in vain They waited in vain for a response. | quietly, silently | patiently, politely He waited patiently while she got ready. | anxiously, impatiently, nervously, tensely, uneasily Their parents waited anxiously for news. | breathlessly, expectantly, with bated breath I waited with bated breath for what would happen next. | about, around

VERB + WAIT have to, must You'll have to wait until you're older. | can/could hardly, can't/couldn't I can hardly wait for my holiday! I can't wait to see their new baby.

PREP. for I'm waiting for a bus. | till/until We'll have to wait until it stops raining.

PHRASES keep sb waiting I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. | wait a long time She had to wait a long time for the right man to come along. | wait a minute/moment Hey! Wait a minute! I'll come with you! | wait and see We'll wait and see what the weather's like before we make a decision.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wake, waken verb

¹ stop being asleep

ADV. early, late She had woken even earlier than usual. | suddenly | up I woke up quite late this morning.

PREP. from She had just woken up from a deep sleep.

PHRASES wake (up) to find sth Any minute now she'd wake up to find herself at home safe in bed. | wake (up) with a start She woke with a start from a terrible nightmare.

² make sb stop sleeping

ADV. gently I woke him gently. | up

VERB + WAKE, WAKEN be careful not to Be careful not to wake the children!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wake, waken verb

¹ stop being asleep

ADV. early, late She had woken even earlier than usual. | suddenly | up I woke up quite late this morning.

PREP. from She had just woken up from a deep sleep.

PHRASES wake (up) to find sth Any minute now she'd wake up to find herself at home safe in bed. | wake (up) with a start She woke with a start from a terrible nightmare.

² make sb stop sleeping

ADV. gently I woke him gently. | up

VERB + WAKE, WAKEN be careful not to Be careful not to wake the children!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

walk noun

¹ trip on foot

ADJ. brief, little, short We took a brief walk around the old quarter. | good, long, long-distance, marathon It's a good (= fairly long) walk to the town centre, so I usually cycle. We went for a long walk after breakfast. He's done several long-distance walks for charity. | three-minute, five minutes', etc. It's a five-minute walk from the lecture theatre to the restaurant. We live just a few minutes' walk from the station. | brisk, vigorous The doctor advised a brisk walk every day. | easy, gentle, leisurely | hard, strenuous | exhilarating, lovely, pleasant, pretty | twenty-minute, two-mile, etc. | after-dinner, afternoon, daily, evening, etc. | solitary She used to enjoy solitary walks along the cliffs. | romantic | guided We went on a guided walk of the city in the afternoon. | charity, sponsored She's doing a 200-mile sponsored walk in aid of cancer research. | circular | coastal, country, forest, hill, lakeside, nature, riverside, woodland | space, tightrope the anniversary of the first space walk

VERB + WALK do, go for, go on, have, take The book contains circular walks you can do in half a day. We'll go for a walk before lunch. We went on a ten-mile walk along the coast. | take sb/sth for She takes her dog for a walk every evening. | break They broke their walk at a pub by the river. | continue, resume

WALK + VERB take sb/sth The walk takes two hours. The walk takes you past a lot of interesting buildings.

PREP. on a/the ~ He met her on one of his Sunday afternoon walks. | within (a) ~ All amenities are within an easy walk of the hotel. | ~ from, ~ to

PHRASES a walk around I had a little walk around to calm my nerves.

² style of walking

VERB + WALK do, have She did a silly walk to amuse her friends. He has a mincing walk, fast with short steps.

³ a walk: speed of walking

VERB + WALK slow to | move off at, set off at The horses set off at a walk.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

walk verb

ADV. briskly, fast, quickly, swiftly | slowly | calmly, quietly I got up and walked calmly out into the early evening. | cautiously | barefoot She had no sandals and walked barefoot. | ahead, away, back, backwards, forward, in, on, out, together Jake was walking some way ahead.

PREP. along, down, into, out of, to, towards, up, etc. She walked cautiously up the drive towards the door.

PHRASES go walking For our holiday we went walking in the Lake District.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wallet noun

ADJ. bulging, fat, stuffed He pulled a £10 note out of his fat wallet. a wallet stuffed with fifty-pound notes

VERB + WALLET get out, pull out, take out | put away

PREP. in a/the ~ He carried a photo of his children in his wallet.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wallpaper noun

ADJ. faded, peeling | floral, flowery, patterned, striped | flock, textured

QUANT. roll six rolls of wallpaper

VERB + WALLPAPER hang | be covered/hung with | strip (off), take off

WALLPAPER + NOUN paste

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wall noun

VERB + WALL build, erect, put up | demolish, destroy, pull down | climb (over), scale The burglars must have scaled the side wall. | jump down from, jump over | cover, line, paint, paper, plaster She covered her walls with pictures of film stars.

WALL + VERB stand | enclose sth, surround sth | face sth the wall facing the door

WALL + NOUN clock, light | cupboard, unit | covering, decoration, hanging, tile

PREP. against a/the ~ She leant against the wall. | behind a/the ~ Nobody can see behind the wall. | on a/the ~ She hung the photos on the wall. | ~ along the wall along the seafront | ~ around/round high walls around the prison | ~ of (figurative) a solid wall of fog

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waltz noun

ADJ. slow | Viennese

VERB + WALTZ dance, do | play

WALTZ + NOUN rhythm, time

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wander verb

¹ move slowly around a place /go from place to place

ADV. slowly | aimlessly | disconsolately, restlessly | happily | at will, freely The cattle are allowed to wander freely. | just, simply Simply wandering is a pleasure in itself. | far, further (afield) One day she wandered further afield. | about, across, along, around/round, away, back, in, off, out, over He just wandered in one day and asked for a job.

VERB + WANDER be free to Visitors are free to wander through the gardens and woods. | allow sb/sth to, let sb/sth How could you let him wander off like that?

PREP. across, all over, along, among, around, into, out of, round, through, towards Don't go wandering all over the house! He wandered into a bar and ordered a drink.

PHRASES find sb wandering They found him wandering around aimlessly.

² stop concentrating

ADV. a little

VERB + WANDER begin to His attention was beginning to wander. | allow sth to, let sth Lissa let her mind wander a little.

PREP. from, to My thoughts wandered from the exam questions to my interview the next day.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wane verb

ADV. a little, somewhat Her popularity was waning somewhat. | gradually, rapidly

VERB + WANE begin to Her initial enthusiasm was clearly beginning to wane.

PHRASES wax and wane (= grow and then decrease) Public interest in the issue has waxed and waned over the years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

want noun

ADJ. human

VERB + WANT meet, satisfy, see to a society that satisfied all human wants

PREP. for ~ of Refugees are dying for want of proper health care. | in ~ Thousands of children are living in want.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

want verb

ADV. badly, desperately, really | just, only, simply I just want you to be happy. | genuinely, truly If you truly want to help, just do as I say. | always Thanks for the present?it's just what I've always wanted.

PHRASES all you want All I want is the truth. | exactly/just what you want

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warden noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wardrobe noun

¹ large cupboard for clothes

ADJ. built-in, fitted | double | walk-in

VERB + WARDROBE open | close

WARDROBE + NOUN door

PREP. in a/the ~ She hung the dress up in the wardrobe.

² sb's collection of clothes

ADJ. new | extensive | autumn, spring, etc.

VERB + WARDROBE have | buy I want to buy a whole new summer wardrobe.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ward noun

ADJ. open, public | private | hospital | maternity, surgical, etc.

VERB + WARD be admitted to He was admitted to the casualty ward. | be discharged from

WARD + NOUN nurse, sister, staff | round The doctor was doing her morning ward round.

PREP. in a/the ~ She spent five days in the maternity ward. | on the ~ How many midwives are on the ward?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warehouse noun

VERB + WAREHOUSE burn down

WAREHOUSE + VERB burn down

WAREHOUSE + NOUN foreman, manager, staff, worker He's a warehouse foreman for a removals firm.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

ware noun wares

ADJ. ceramic, metal, etc. | domestic, household

VERB + WARE sell | hawk, peddle, shout, show (off) street traders hawking their wares

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warfare noun

VERB + WARFARE engage in

PREP. ~ against warfare against other tribes | ~ between warfare between gangs

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warmth noun

¹ a fairly high temperature

ADJ. comfortable, delicious, enveloping, glowing, pleasant, seductive, welcome He moved towards the seductive warmth of the fire. | gentle the gentle warmth of the autumn sun | bodily, body This clothing maintains your body warmth.

VERB + WARMTH feel She could feel the warmth of the child's hand in her own. | bask in, enjoy, revel in We lay on the beach, basking in the warmth of the hot sun. | add (figurative) Autumn colours add warmth to a room.

WARMTH + VERB spread She sat by the fire and felt the warmth spread through her body.

PREP. for ~ They found the children huddled together for warmth. | ~ from warmth from the radiator

² friendliness or kindness

ADJ. genuine, real | friendly | human, personal She seems to be a person without human warmth.

VERB + WARMTH exude, radiate, show a person who radiates warmth and kindness | be lacking in, lack

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warm adj.

¹ at a fairly high temperature

VERBS be, feel, look | get, grow How can we get warm? She felt her face grow warm at his remarks. | keep, stay She tries to keep warm by sitting right next to the fire. The bread should stay warm for at least half an hour. | keep sb/sth These will keep your feet warm. | serve sth Bake for 15 minutes and serve warm with Greek yogurt.

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, particularly, really, very | almost It was a mild day, almost warm. | just Add the soured cream and cook, stirring, until just warm. | faintly, pretty, quite, reasonably, relatively, slightly | enough, sufficiently Are you sure you'll be warm enough dressed like that? | beautifully, blissfully, comfortably, deliciously, pleasantly, wonderfully sliding further down into the blissfully warm bed | uncomfortably The room seemed uncomfortably warm. | surprisingly | unseasonably, unusually The night air was soft and unseasonably warm.

PHRASES nice (and) warm Come and have a nice warm drink by the fire. That jacket looks nice and warm.

² friendly

VERBS be, sound | become

ADV. exceptionally, extremely, immensely, marvellously, really, very an immensely warm and friendly person | genuinely | surprisingly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warm verb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warning noun

ADJ. awful, dire, grim, ominous, stark, stern, strong There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV. | urgent | adequate, advance, ample, due, early, fair, prior I need advance warning of how many people to cater for. | clear, direct | coded The explosion came 20 minutes after a coded warning to police. | initial | final The referee fave him a final warning. | formal, government, official | salutary, timely, useful The team's defeat is a salutary warning before the World Cup. | friendly | veiled Her words sounded like a veiled warning. | audible, visual There is an audible warning when a certain speed is exceeded. | verbal, written His employers have placed him on final written warning. | air-raid, bomb, fire, flood, gale, hazard, storm There are 39 severe flood warnings on 22 rivers across the country. | health, safety Every cigarette packet carries a health warning.

VERB + WARNING give (sb), issue The police have issued a warning about pickpockets. | shout (out), sound The sirens sound a warning when fighter planes are sighted. The strike sounded a warning to all employers in the industry. | reiterate, repeat | be, serve as Let this be a warning to you not to trespass on my land again! What happened to him should serve as a warning to all dishonest politicians. | get, receive | ignore | heed They failed to heed a warning about the dangerous currents in the river.

WARNING + VERB come The warning came just minutes before the bomb exploded. | sound On 2 April 1916 air-raid warnings sounded throughout Edinburgh.

WARNING + NOUN notice, sign Red marks on the skin may be a warning sign for this disease. | bell, device, light, signal, system

PREP. in ~ The dog growled in warning as we approached. | without ~ He left his wife without warning. | ~ about a warning about teaching children to swim | ~ against a warning against complacency | ~ of They sent us fair warning of their arrival. | ~ to The police issued a warning to all drug users in the city.

PHRASES a word of warning He gave us a word of warning about going out alone at night.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warn verb

ADV. firmly | clearly | bluntly The chancellor bluntly warned the Cabinet to axe public spending or face higher taxes. | sternly | softly ‘Don't, ’ he warned softly. | specifically We were specifically warned against buying the house. | duly Having been duly warned that I would get nowhere with my application, I went right ahead and applied anyway. | constantly, repeatedly My mother constantly warned me not to go into teaching. | publicly

VERB + WARN had better, have to, must, should I must warn you that some of these animals are extremely dangerous. I thought I should warn her about it. | try to I did try to warn you. | fail to She claimed doctors had failed to warn her of the risks involved.

PREP. about No one had warned us about the unbearable heat. | against We were warned against drinking the local water. | of The report warns of the dangers of smoking. They warned us of the risks involved.

PHRASES be warned You will get better?but be warned, it may be a long process.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warranty noun

ADJ. general | specific We can not give a specific warranty for the work done on your property. | six-month, two-year, year's, etc.

VERB + WARRANTY give, provide | come with The computer comes with a year's warranty on all parts.

WARRANTY + VERB cover sth Corrosion is not covered by the warranty. | expire, run out

WARRANTY + NOUN period | claim

PREP. under ~ Is your car still under warranty? | ~ against a warranty against storm damage | ~ on The warranty on my watch ran out just before it broke.

PHRASES breach of warranty He took legal action against the company for breach of warranty.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warrant noun

ADJ. arrest, death, search The king refused to sign the death warrant for his old friend. | royal

VERB + WARRANT authorize, grant, issue, serve, sign The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest. The police served a warrant on him. | get, obtain | execute Police who executed a search warrant found a substantial amount of stolen property on the premises.

WARRANT + NOUN card

PHRASES without a ~ In certain circumstances, police may enter premises without a warrant. | ~ for

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warrant verb

ADV. hardly The TV appearance was so brief that it hardly warranted comment.

VERB + WARRANT be important/serious/severe enough to They do not consider the case serious enough to warrant a government enquiry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warrior noun

ADJ. formidable, great, mighty, noble | brave, valiant | famous, renowned

QUANT. band

WARRIOR + VERB fight

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

warship noun

ADJ. modern | surface | naval | nuclear

QUANT. fleet

VERB + WARSHIP build | command | lose Germany lost two warships during this attack.

PREP. aboard/on/on board a ~ He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wary adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | become, get, grow | remain | make sb The strange look in his eyes made me wary of accepting his offer.

ADV. decidedly, deeply, extremely, very | increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly | instinctively | suddenly Paula frowned, suddenly wary.

PREP. about Be wary about these so-called special offers. | of You should be very wary of people offering cheap tickets.

PHRASES keep a wary eye on sb/sth (often figurative) The Venetians knew to keep a wary eye on Spanish imperial ambitions.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

war noun

VERB + WAR be in, fight in My grandfather fought in two world wars. | fight, make, wage The two countries fought a short but bloody war. The Spartans were persuaded to make war on Athens. The terrorists were charged with waging war against the state. | win | lose | declare | go to The country went to war in 1914. | avert, prevent | be ravaged by

WAR + VERB approach, loom, threaten | begin, break out, come, erupt, start | escalate, spread talks to prevent the war from escalating | continue, drag on, go on, last, progress, rage (on) The war raged for nearly two years. | come to an end, end

PREP. at ~ a country at war | between the ~s (= between the First and Second World Wars), in (a/the) ~ killed in war He took part in the Vietnam War. | ~ against/with the war against the French a war against drug abuse | ~ between war between Iran and Iraq | ~ on The US declared war on Japan. | ~ with a trade war with the United States

PHRASES the horrors of war The country had just emerged from the horrors of civil war. | in a state of war, in time/times of war In times of war, troops were billeted in the mill. | on a war footing The army had been placed on a war footing. | the brink of war The crisis took Europe to the brink of war. | the outbreak of war At the outbreak of war, most children were evacuated to the countryside. | a theatre of war These aircraft are designed to take troops and weapons to any theatre of war in the shortest time possible. | a war of attrition

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

washing machine noun

ADJ. automatic

VERB + WASHING MACHINE load | empty, unload | run How often do you run your washing machine?

PREP. in/into a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

washing-up noun VERB + WASHING-UP do | leave Leave the washing-up?we can do it in the morning. WASHING-UP + NOUN bowl | liquid

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

washing noun

¹ cleaning sth with water

ADJ. frequent shampoo for frequent washing | hand I have quite a bit of hand washing to do.

VERB + WASHING do

WASHING + NOUN powder

² clothes

ADJ. dirty

QUANT. line A line of washing fluttered in the breeze. | pile piles of dirty washing

VERB + WASHING hang out, put out Have you got any pegs so I can hang the washing out?

WASHING + NOUN line

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wash noun

ADJ. good | quick | car

VERB + WASH have He had a quick wash and shave. | do I'm doing a dark wash (= washing all the dark clothes together). | could do with, need That car could do with a good wash.

PREP. in the ~ (= being washed or waiting to be washed) Your shirt's in the wash.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wash verb

ADV. carefully, properly, thoroughly | gently She gently washed and dressed the wound. | quickly

PHRASES freshly/newly washed the smell of freshly washed hair

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wasp noun

WASP + VERB fly, crawl | sting sb | buzz

WASP + NOUN sting

PHRASES a wasp's nest

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wastage noun

ADJ. excessive, high | natural Voluntary redundancies and natural wastage will cut staff numbers to the required level. | muscle Patients need exercise to prevent muscle wastage.

VERB + WASTAGE avoid, prevent | minimize | cut down on, reduce | increase | allow for Buy more paper than you need to allow for wastage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waste noun

¹ missing an opportunity to do/use sth

ADJ. absolute, complete, total, utter The whole thing has been a complete waste of time. | colossal, great, tremendous | awful, criminal, senseless, shocking, terrible a criminal waste of public money | needless, unnecessary, useless | tragic a tragic waste of human life | expensive | conspicuous

VERB + WASTE go to If nobody comes all this food will go to waste. | cause | avoid Try to avoid unnecessary waste. | cut down on, reduce | minimize

PREP. ~ of a waste of energy/resources

² unwanted substances/things

VERB + WASTE produce Tonnes of waste are produced every year. | dispose of, dump, get rid of More people are dumping waste illegally. | clean up the highly expensive task of cleaning up toxic waste | burn, incinerate an incinerator for burning hospital waste | bury, store | process, treat facilities for processing radioactive waste | recycle, reprocess | deal with, handle, manage the best solutions for managing waste | cut down on, reduce | eliminate | export, import Industrialized countries continue to export their waste.

WASTE + VERB contaminate sth, pollute sth areas contaminated by industrial waste

³ wastes: areas of ground not lived in or cultivated

ADJ. frozen, icy the frozen wastes of Antarctica

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waste verb

ADV. (not) entirely, (not) totally In the end her efforts were not entirely wasted. | just, simply You're just wasting your breath. She never listens. | largely

VERB + WASTE can't afford to, not want to He didn't want to waste valuable time in idle gossip. | be/seem a shame to It seems a shame to waste this good food. | not be going to I'm not going to waste any more time on the problem.

PREP. on Don't waste your money on a hotel room.

PHRASES no time to waste Hurry up?there's no time to waste!

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

watchdog noun

ADJ. consumer | financial, health, industry, pollution, safety | government, independent, official

VERB + WATCHDOG act as, be

WATCHDOG + NOUN body, group, organization | role

PREP. ~ for a consumer watchdog for transport | ~ on the government's official watchdog on nature conservation | ~ over The committee acts as an independent watchdog over government spending.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

watch noun

¹ instrument for telling the time

ADJ. digital | fob, pocket, wrist (also wristwatch) | sports

WATCH + VERB go My watch is ten years old and it's still going. | stop Sorry I'm late?my watch has stopped. | be slow, lose sth My watch loses a minute each day. | be fast, gain sth | say sth My watch says three o'clock.

WATCH + NOUN face | band (also watchband), strap

² guard

ADJ. careful, close I kept a close watch on my bag as I sat on the train. | constant, round-the-clock | night

VERB + WATCH keep, stand Two soldiers were ordered to keep watch for enemy aircraft. | put The garrison commander had put an extra watch on the prisoners.

WATCH + NOUN committee | tower

PREP. on ~ Some of the crew were sleeping, while others were on watch. | on the ~ for Cats are constantly on the watch for mice or other small mammals.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

watch verb

VERB + WATCH could only They could only watch in silence as their possessions were taken away. | continue to | pause to, stop to They stopped to watch the procession go by. | love to | let sb He let me watch while he assembled the model. | make sb The women were made to watch while their children were slaughtered.

PREP. for We watched for any sign of change in the weather. | from They watched from an upstairs window. | in She watched in astonishment as he smashed the machine to pieces. | with He watched with great interest how she coaxed the animals towards her.

PHRASES sit/stand and watch She stood and watched them walk off down the road.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

waterfall noun

ADJ. great, high | impressive, magnificent, spectacular | small

WATERFALL + VERB cascade, pour down, tumble She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

watershed noun

ADJ. important, major, significant | cultural, historical, political

VERB + WATERSHED be, mark, represent | reach

WATERSHED + VERB divide sth Darwin's theory of evolution was a watershed dividing the old way of thinking from the new.

PREP. ~ between The 19th century marked a watershed between the country's agricultural past and its industrial future. | ~ for The granting of the vote represented a watershed for the rights of women. | ~ in With the strike, a historical watershed in the development of the trade union movement was reached.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

water noun

¹ liquid

QUANT. drop

VERB + WATER drink | pour | slosh, spill, splash, spray, sprinkle, spurt, squirt Don't slosh too much water on the floor when you're having a bath. The burst pipe was spurting water everywhere. | filter, purify | contaminate, pollute | turn off/on They turned the water off for a few hours to do some work on the pipes.

WATER + VERB flow, pour, run | gush, spurt Brown water gushed out of the rusty old tap. | drip, trickle There was water dripping from a hole in the ceiling. | lap, slosh, spill, splash, spray, squirt Water had got into the boat and was sloshing about under our feet. | boil, freeze

PHRASES water-repellent water-repellent leather | water-resistant a water-resistant watch

² mass of water

WATER + NOUN sports

PREP. by ~ Many goods were transported by water in the last century. | in the ~ I saw something large floating in the water. | on the ~ The swan landed gracefully on the water. | through the ~ The boat cut effortlessly through the water. | under the ~ An abandoned village lies under the water of the reservoir.

PHRASES the water's edge She crouched at the water's edge to wash her hands.

³ waters: sea

PREP. in/into … ~ The submarine had strayed into Russian waters.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wavelength noun

ADJ. long, medium, short | infrared, ultraviolet | visible | acoustic, radio

VERB + WAVELENGTH tune in to

PREP. on a/the ~ Radio One has broadcast on this wavelength for years.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wave noun

¹ on water

ADJ. big, enormous, giant, great, huge, mountainous | small, tiny | white-capped, white-crested, white-topped | breaking | tidal Several villages have been destroyed by a huge tidal wave.

VERB + WAVE ride Surfers flocked to the beach to ride the waves.

WAVE + VERB rise | break, fall We watched the waves breaking on the shore. | lap the gentle sound of waves lapping the sand | crash, roar, smash I could hear the waves crash against the rocks.

WAVE + NOUN energy, power

PREP. in the ~s children playing in the waves | on the ~s There were seagulls bobbing on the waves.

PHRASES the crash/crashing/lap/lapping of the waves, the crest of a wave (often figurative) She is on the crest of a wave at the moment following her Olympic success.

² movement of energy

ADJ. electromagnetic, light, radio, seismic, shock, sound

VERB + WAVE emit, generate | deflect

WAVE + VERB bounce off sth, travel Sound waves bounce off objects in their path.

³ increase/spread

ADJ. big, enormous, huge, massive | fresh, new, next, recent | first, second, etc. the first wave of immigration in the 1950s | crime

VERB + WAVE send Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.

WAVE + VERB sweep (over) sth, wash over/through sb/sth With the fall of the Bastille in 1789, a wave of euphoria swept over Europe. A wave of relief washed over him as he saw that the children were safe.

PREP. ~ of a big wave of refugees

⁴ hand movement

ADJ. quick | cheery, friendly | farewell, parting

VERB + WAVE give (sb), return I returned his wave and started to walk towards him.

PREP. with a ~ | ~ of He dismissed her thanks with a quick wave of the hand.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wave verb

ADV. gently reeds waving gently in the breeze | vigorously | cheerfully, cheerily, happily | frantically, wildly They stood by the side of the road and waved frantically. | vaguely He waved a hand vaguely in the air. | dismissively | about/around, aside, back, on, through She waved cheerfully and he waved back. The guards waved us on.

VERB + WAVE turn and/to He turned to wave to his mother.

PREP. at We waved at the people on the shore. | to They waved to us as we passed. She waved him to a seat.

PHRASES wave (sb) goodbye people waving goodbye to their friends and relatives

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

way noun

¹ method/style

QUANT. number There are a number of ways to overcome this problem.

VERB + WAY have Fate has a way of changing the best of plans. | get into, get out of The women had got into the way of going up on the deck every evening. | explore, look at to look at ways of improving language teaching | develop, devise, find | change, mend Your father is unlikely to change his ways now. | be set in Grandma is so set in her ways.

PREP. in a/the ~ Can I help you in any way?

PHRASES in a big way He then started spending money in a big way. | in every way They're different in every way. | in more ways than one They're alike in more ways than one. | in its/your own way He was attractive in his own way. | a kind/sort of way He was a handsome man in a sinister sort of way. | (in) one way or another Most people are creative in one way or another. | a way of life the beliefs and practices of the Hindu way of life | ways and means Newspapers have ways and means of getting hold of secret information.

² route/road

ADJ. best, quickest, right, shortest | wrong | own, separate (figurative) He's always gone his own way when it comes to design. | covered We walked along the covered way to the science building.

VERB + WAY go I'm going your way, so we can walk together.

(figurative) When we finished school, we all went our separate ways. | go out of (figurative) She went out of her way to help them. | keep/stay out of (figurative) Let's keep out of her way while she's in such a bad mood. | bar, block, get in, stand in A fallen tree blocked the way.

(figurative) He wanted to go to university and would let nothing stand in his way. | clear, pave, prepare, smooth (all figurative) The withdrawal of troops should clear the way for a peace settlement. | give, make (= allow sb/sth to go first or take your place) Give way to traffic already on the roundabout. Make way for the Lord Mayor! Tropical forest is felled to make way for grassland.

(figurative) The storm gave way to bright sunshine. | edge, feel, inch, make, push, thread, weave, wend, wind, work He edged his way along the wall. The river wound its way through the valley. | cut, elbow, fight, force, hack, pick, shoulder We picked our way carefully over the jagged rocks.

(figurative) She fought her way up to the top of the company. | bluff, talk, trick (figurative) She bluffed her way through the exam. | lose She lost her way in the fog.

(figurative) This project seems to have lost its way. | find He couldn't find a way through the bracken.

(figurative) We will eventually find a way out of the crisis. | ask (sb) She asked him the way to the station. | tell sb | know Do you know the way? | come (figurative) Have any interesting articles come your way recently?

PREP. along the ~ We saw a dreadful accident along the way. | in the/your ~ There were several rocks in the way. | out of the/your ~ Could you please get those boxes out of my way? | on the/your ~ We stopped for a snack on the way here. | out of the/your ~ The supermarket is a bit out of my way. | ~ across The way across the fields is longer but pleasanter. | ~ from, ~ out of Can you tell me the way out of here? | ~ through The way through the woods is quicker. | ~ to the easiest way from my house to yours

PHRASES take the easy way out He took the easy way out and paid someone to write the article for him. | the way back/down/forward/here/home/in/out/over/there/up We stopped for a drink on the way home.

³ direction/position

ADJ. both Look both ways before crossing the road. | right | wrong They've gone the wrong way.

VERB + WAY go Which way did she go? | lead, point, show He showed us the way. | walk Walk this way, please. | look He looked my way, but didn't seem to recognize me.

PHRASES the … way round/up Try it the other way round. Which way up does this box go?

⁴ distance in space/time

ADJ. long | little, short

VERB + WAY come, go We had to go a long way before we found a telephone box. (figurative) The study of genes has come a long way in recent years.

PREP. ~ from, ~ to It's quite a way from my house to the shops.

PHRASES all the way This bus doesn't go all the way so you'll have to change. | quite a/some way, a … way ahead/away/off Your birthday is still some way off.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weaken verb

ADV. considerably, greatly, seriously, severely, significantly, substantially | fatally The regime was fatally weakened by the unrest and violence. | further | slightly, somewhat | gradually, progressively Central authority has been progressively weakened since the outbreak of the civil war. | permanently

VERB + WEAKEN begin to | serve to The division of Germany had served to weaken the party. | tend to | be designed to an unusual move designed to weaken the rebels

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weakness noun

¹ lack of strength

WEAKNESS + VERB be, lie The greatest weakness of the scheme lies in its lack of government support.

PREP. ~ in Service conditions soon revealed the inherent weaknesses in the vehicle's design.

PHRASES a moment of weakness In a moment of weakness I let him drive my car. | a sign of weakness He saw compromise as a sign of weakness. | strengths and weaknesses The appraisal system seeks to assess employees' strengths and weaknesses.

² liking for sth/sb

ADJ. real

VERB + WEAKNESS have I've got a real weakness for chocolate. | develop | overcome

PREP. ~ for He worries a lot about his weight, but can't overcome his weakness for fatty foods.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weak adj.

VERBS appear, be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, go | remain | leave sb, make sb When the spasm passed, it left him weak and sweating.

ADV. decidedly, extremely, fundamentally, particularly, very | a bit, comparatively, fairly, pretty, quite, rather, relatively | curiously He complained of feeling curiously weak and faint. | surprisingly | dangerously | lamentably | suddenly Her legs felt suddenly weak. | inherently The judge decided the evidence was inherently weak and inconsistent. | economically, mentally, militarily, physically, politically

PREP. at She's rather weak at maths. | from She was weak from shock. | in He's weak in English. | on The essay was a bit weak on detail. | with He was weak with hunger.

PHRASES weak at the knees His sudden smile made her go weak at the knees.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wealthy adj.

VERBS be, look | become, grow

ADV. enormously, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, fabulously, immensely, incredibly, seriously (informal), very He is now fabulously wealthy. | comparatively, fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wealth noun

¹ money, property, etc.

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, untold, vast | growing, increasing | economic, financial, material, mineral, natural The country's strong economy was built on its mineral wealth. The region possesses a vast natural wealth, particularly of timber. | national, personal, private

VERB + WEALTH have, possess | accumulate, acquire, inherit | lose He lost his wealth through poor investment. | create

PHRASES a distribution/redistribution of wealth a redistribution of wealth through taxation

² a wealth of: a lot of

ADJ. enormous, whole

VERB + WEALTH have Switzerland has an enormous wealth of beautiful old buildings.

PREP. of … ~ She is a woman of untold wealth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wean verb

ADV. gradually

VERB + WEAN attempt to, try to

PREP. (away) from trying to wean her away from gambling | off They have gradually weaned him off the drugs. | onto weaning a baby onto solid food

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weapon noun

ADJ. deadly, lethal, potent, powerful He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. | effective, useful | heavy, light The assault forces used heavy weapons, including anti-tank rockets and mortars. | automatic | atomic, biological, chemical, nuclear | offensive, strategic, tactical She pleaded guilty to carrying an offensive weapon. a ban on the use of tactical nuclear weapons | murder | ultimate (often figurative) The workers' ultimate weapon was the strike. | secret (often figurative) The team's secret weapon was their new young defender.

VERB + WEAPON be armed with, carry, have | deploy, fire, use | use sth as (often figurative) She used humour and wit as weapons against her enemies. | aim, point

WEAPON + NOUN system | technology the illegal transfer of weapons technology to hostile countries

PREP. ~ against (often figurative) This relaxation technique can serve as an effective weapon against stress.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weariness noun

ADJ. great | sheer, utter | war

VERB + WEARINESS succumb to She succumbed to weariness and went to bed.

WEARINESS + VERB overtake sb, overwhelm sb

PREP. … with ~ I had slept badly and felt numb with weariness. | in ~ His eyes were half closing in weariness. | ~ in He detected a note of weariness in her voice.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weary adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, grow I've grown rather weary of all your excuses.

ADV. very | almost His voice sounded almost weary. | a bit, a little, rather She looks a little weary.

PREP. of The people are weary of war.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wear noun

¹ use as clothing

ADJ. everyday, weekend | summer, winter

PREP. in ~ Silk shirts always feel soft and light in wear. | with ~ New shoes usually get more comfortable with wear.

PHRASES years of wear This is a quality garment which should give years of wear.

² clothes

ADJ. day, evening | designer, fashion | casual, leisure, outdoor | bridal, maternity | children's, men's, women's

³ long use

ADJ. hard, heavy

VERB + WEAR withstand This flooring can withstand years of hard wear.

PREP. … with ~ The stairs had become slippery with wear.

PHRASES centuries, years, etc. of wear The cathedral steps were polished smooth by centuries of wear.

⁴ damage caused by long use

ADJ. excessive | engine, tyre, etc.

VERB + WEAR show The tyres were beginning to show wear. | cause | minimize, reduce

WEAR + NOUN pattern the analysis of wear patterns on prehistoric stone tools | guarantee The flooring comes with a 20-year wear guarantee.

PREP. ~ on This new oil reduces wear on the engine.

PHRASES signs of wear, wear and tear

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wear verb

¹ have a piece of clothing on

ADV. proudly proudly wearing their uniforms

VERB + WEAR tend to I tend to wear a jacket to work. | refuse to She refused to wear prison clothes. | forbid sb to | be entitled to He is entitled to wear the regimental tie.

² last for a long time

ADV. badly, well Those curtains have worn very well.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weather noun

QUANT. spell

VERB + WEATHER brave Deciding to brave the weather, he grabbed his umbrella and went out.

WEATHER + VERB clear (up), improve, let up, warm up We'll go just as soon as this weather lets up. | hold out, keep up If the weather holds out we could go swimming later. | threaten Bad weather threatened. | break, deteriorate, worsen It was warm and sunny until the weekend, but then the weather broke. | become sth, get sth, turn sth Next day the weather turned cold. | remain sth, stay sth | close in, set in The weather closed in and the climbers had to take shelter. I wanted to mend the roof before the cold weather set in. | allow, permit I sat outside as often as the weather allowed. We're having a barbecue next Saturday, weather permitting. (You cannot say ‘weather allowing’.) | prevent sth Stormy weather prevented any play in today's tennis. | change

WEATHER + NOUN conditions The plane crashed into the sea in adverse weather conditions. | patterns, system the effects of global warming on the world's weather patterns The Atlantic weather systems had been kind. | forecast, report | data, records | satellite, station | chart, map

PHRASES a change in the weather We hadn't bargained for such a dramatic change in the weather. | in all weathers The lifeboat crews go out in all weathers. | the vagaries of the weather She packed all kinds of clothes to cope with the vagaries of the English weather. | whatever the weather He swims in the sea every day, whatever the weather.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weather verb

¹ pass safely through sth

ADV. successfully, well Their company had weathered the recession well.

VERB + WEATHER manage to (figurative) The company has managed to weather the storm.

² change in appearance because of the sun/air/wind

ADV. badly Some of the stone has weathered quite badly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weave verb

ADV. specially The carpet was specially woven to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the cathedral's foundation. | skilfully (often figurative) Hall skilfully weaves the historical research into a gripping narrative. | inextricably, intricately (both figurative) The whisky is inextricably woven into Scotland's history, customs and culture. | together weaving the threads together

PREP. from a basket woven from strips of willow | into A pattern is woven into the fabric.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

website noun

ADJ. Internet | official, unofficial the official website of Liverpool FC | comedy, commercial, company, education/educational, golf, news, personal, travel, etc.

WEBSITE + VERB be/go down There were so many visitors to the website that it went down.

WEBSITE + NOUN address, URL | designer

PREP. on a/the ~ You can find details of all our products on our website.

PHRASES a link to a website This page includes lots of links to other websites you may find interesting. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

web noun

¹ that a spider makes

ADJ. spider/spider's

VERB + WEB build, make, spin, weave

² complicated series/network of sth

ADJ. complex, complicated, intricate, tangled

VERB + WEB create, form, weave The mass media forms a web of communications. | be drawn into More and more people were drawn into his web of deceit.

PHRASES a web of deceit/deception, a web of intrigue, a web of relationships 3 the Web on the Internet

VERB + WEB access | browse, surf

PREP. on the ~ I found this survey on the Web. > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wedding noun

ADJ. church, registry office | royal | white

VERB + WEDDING attend, come to, go to | arrange | invite sb to | conduct The wedding will be conducted by the local vicar.

WEDDING + VERB take place The royal wedding will take place in June.

PREP. at a/the ~ I met her at my brother's wedding.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wedge verb

ADV. firmly, tightly

PREP. against, behind, between, into, under She wedged a chair firmly under the door handle.

PHRASES wedge sth in place/position, wedge sth open/shut Someone had wedged the door open with a brick.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

Wednesday noun > Note at DAY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weed noun

ADJ. annual, perennial | aquatic, pond, water

VERB + WEED kill | clear, pull up, remove | control, keep down, keep under control Routine maintenance of the garden consists of keeping weeds under control.

VERB + WEED grow, spread | push up, spring up There were weeds pushing up through the gravel.

WEED + NOUN control | killer (also weedkiller) | growth | seed, seedling

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weekend noun

ADJ. long I took Friday off, and spent a long weekend visiting friends. | wet It will be a wet weekend for much of England and Wales.

VERB + WEEKEND spend

WEEKEND + NOUN break, trip, visit | home, retreat

PREP. at the ~ What are you doing at the weekend? | at ~s What do you usually do at weekends? | over the ~ The office is closed over the weekend.

PHRASES a weekend away/off

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

week noun

VERB + WEEK spend We spent two weeks in France last summer. | take

WEEK + VERB elapse, go by, pass The week passed very slowly.

PREP. by the ~ They're paid by the week. | during/in the ~ I go out most weekends, but rarely during the week. | for a ~ I haven't seen him for weeks. | in a ~ We'll be back in a week. | in ~s It hasn't rained in weeks. | over/under a ~ It's over a week since she rang me. | per ~ How much do you earn per week? | within a/the ~ I'll have the report finished within the next couple of weeks.

PHRASES a day of the week Which day of the week was it?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weep verb

VERB + WEEP begin to, start to | want to | make sb

PREP. at He wanted to weep at the unfairness of it all. | for I felt I could have wept for joy. weeping for someone who has died | over We had wept over the death of our parents. | with She almost wept with happiness.

PHRASES break down and weep Several of the soldiers broke down and wept. | weep and wail The mourners followed the funeral procession, weeping and wailing. | weep buckets (informal) (= weep a lot)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wee noun

VERB + WEE do, have, take | be bursting for, need, want Mummy, I need a wee. | go for I'm going for a wee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weighted adj.

VERBS be, seem

ADV. equally The exam consists of six equally weighted questions. | heavily | unfairly

PREP. against This new legislation is unfairly weighted against the small farmer. | in favour of The course is heavily weighted in favour of engineering. | towards measures that are weighted towards small investors

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weight noun

¹ amount sth weighs

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, heavy, immense | light | gross, net | average, mean | sheer (figurative) The sheer weight of visitors is destroying this tourist attraction.

VERB + WEIGHT bear, carry, support The arch bears the weight of the bridge above. | bend/buckle/collapse/crack/sag/shift/sink beneath/under, give way beneath/under Many buildings collapsed under the weight of rain-soaked ash and mud. (figurative) He was buckling under the weight of his responsibilities. | crush sb beneath/under | creak/groan beneath/under She tried to be quiet, but the stairs creaked under her weight. | stagger/strain beneath/under The boy was staggering beneath the weight of a pile of boxes.

PREP. in ~ It is about 76 kilos in weight.

² weight of sb's body

VERB + WEIGHT watch I won't have any cake?I have to watch my weight. | gain, put on | lose, reduce, shed He's lost a lot of weight. | keep down | bear, carry, hold, support, stand, take I was worried that the branch wouldn't take my weight. | put, rest The doctor told me not to put my weight on this ankle for a month. | shift, transfer He nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot. | distribute Stand with your legs apart and your weight evenly distributed. | hurl, throw He threw his weight at the door and it burst open.

WEIGHT + VERB go up, increase | go down, decrease, drop, fall, plummet, plunge | fluctuate People's body weight can fluctuate during the day.

WEIGHT + NOUN gain, loss | control | problem

³ piece of metal

ADJ. heavy, large | light

VERB + WEIGHT lift She did circuit training and lifted weights to build her fitness.

WEIGHT + NOUN lifting, training

PHRASES weights and measures

⁴ heavy object

ADJ. heavy | dead With difficulty she managed to pull his dead weight onto the bed. | leaden (figurative) A leaden weight lay on her heart as she waved him goodbye.

VERB + WEIGHT lift Heavy weights should be lifted with a straight back.

⁵ importance/influence of sth

ADJ. due, sufficient Environmental considerations were given due weight in making the decision. | insufficient | considerable | sheer How can you ignore the sheer weight of medical opinion? | economic, financial, intellectual, political America's economic weight

VERB + WEIGHT attach, give, place They attach too much weight to academic achievement. | carry Her opinion seemed to carry little weight in the company. | add, lend The new evidence added considerable weight to the prosecution's case. Sir Leon lent his weight to the Tory campaign yesterday.

PHRASES put/throw your weight behind sth, weight of numbers The rebels were defeated by sheer weight of numbers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weigh verb

¹ consider sth carefully

ADV. carefully | up The jury weighed up the evidence carefully.

PREP. against We weighed the cost of advertising against the likely gains from increased business.

² be considered important

ADV. heavily, strongly

PREP. against His untidy appearance weighed against him. | in favour of This fact weighed heavily in her favour. | with His evidence weighed strongly with the judge.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

weird adj.

VERBS be, feel, seem, sound I started to feel quite weird.

ADV. really, very | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather It all sounds a bit weird to me.

PHRASES weird and wonderful Some of their clothes were really weird and wonderful.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

welcome adj.

VERBS be, feel | make sb They made us very welcome in their home.

ADV. doubly, especially, extremely, highly, more than, most, particularly, very The 1% rate cut is highly welcome. You would be a most welcome guest. | perfectly, quite You are perfectly welcome to stay here: I can't offer five-star accommodation, that's all. | not at all, not entirely He made it plain that Holman's interest in his business affairs was not at all welcome. | always Visitors are always welcome.

PREP. to New members are welcome to the club.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

welcome noun

ADJ. big, enthusiastic, friendly, great, rapturous, rousing, special, tumultuous, warm The audience gave the band a rousing welcome. | broad, general The proposals have been given a broad welcome by green campaigners. | cautious, guarded, qualified | cool, cold, chilly | official | hero's She got a hero's welcome on her return from the Olympics.

VERB + WELCOME get, receive | extend, give sb | await A warm welcome awaits you at this family-run hotel. | outstay/overstay your Sensing that he had outstayed his welcome, he quickly said his goodbyes and left.

PREP. in ~ She held out her arms in welcome. | ~ from The proposal received a cautious welcome from the Opposition. | ~ to A big welcome to our special guest, Sir James Greenan. They received a cold welcome to their new home.

PHRASES a smile of welcome, a speech of welcome, words of welcome

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

welcome verb

¹ greet sb/be pleased sb has come

ADV. heartily, warmly If you visit our town you will be warmly welcomed. | formally, officially | back The whole family turned out to welcome him back.

VERB + WELCOME be delighted to, be pleased to | prepare to, wait to The school is preparing to welcome the new intake of students.

PREP. into He welcomed us into the club. | to We are delighted to welcome you to our firm.

PHRASES look forward to welcoming sb, welcome sb with open arms They welcomed the new volunteers with open arms (= with enthusiasm).

² be pleased about sth and support it

ADV. enthusiastically, particularly, greatly, warmly Many companies have warmly welcomed these changes in legislation. | positively We positively welcome applications from all sections of the community. | broadly | cautiously Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. | initially

PHRASES be generally/universally/widely welcomed The proposals have been widely welcomed.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

welfare noun

¹ good health and happiness

ADJ. animal, child, community, employee, family, personal, student people concerned about child welfare

VERB + WELFARE improve, promote The government's policies will promote the welfare of all citizens.

² money, etc. from the government

ADJ. state

WELFARE + NOUN state the provision of services such as health through the welfare state | agency, authorities, department, programme, provision, services, system | officer, worker | clinic, facilities | benefits, payments lone parents living on welfare benefits | budget, costs, spending | cuts | fraud, scrounger The new government promised to clamp down on welfare scroungers.

PREP. on ~ the number of families on welfare

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

well-being noun

ADJ. general | emotional, mental, physical, psychological, social, spiritual | human, personal | economic, financial, material VERB + WELL-BEING contribute to, ensure, foster, promote A better water supply would contribute dramatically to the villagers' well-being. | threaten

PHRASES health and well-being, a sense of well-being She was filled with a sense of well-being.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

well noun

¹ for water

ADJ. deep, shallow | artesian | holy | wishing

VERB + WELL dig, sink

WELL + VERB run dry

² for oil

ADJ. oil

VERB + WELL drill

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wet adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, get, turn We got soaking wet just going from the car to the house. The weather may turn wet later on in the week. | get sth Mind you don't get your feet wet.

ADV. dripping, extremely, really, soaking, sopping, very His clothes were dripping wet. | a bit, a little, quite, rather, slightly It's still quite wet outside. | permanently permanently wet conditions

PREP. with The grass was wet with dew.

PHRASES wet through We were wet through and cold.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wet verb

ADV. thoroughly Wet your hair thoroughly before applying the shampoo. | slightly

PREP. with Wet the towel slightly with warm water.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whale noun

ADJ. beached, stranded

QUANT. school

VERB + WHALE hunt | harpoon

WHALE + NOUN hunting | meat, oil | stocks management and conservation of whale stocks

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wheat noun

ADJ. ripe | cracked, whole | durum | spring, winter

QUANT. ear, grain | bag, sack, sheaf | field

WHEAT + VERB grow

WHEAT + NOUN harvest | field | flour, germ

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wheelchair noun

ADJ. electric, motorized, powered

VERB + WHEELCHAIR use | manoeuvre Anthony manoeuvred his wheelchair out from behind his desk. | push | be confined to He's been confined to a wheelchair since the accident.

WHEELCHAIR + NOUN access | user better access for wheelchair users | athlete

PREP. by ~ In town, she gets about by wheelchair. | in a/the ~ It's hard to get around if you're in a wheelchair.

PHRASES accessible by wheelchair, wheelchair accessible facilities/vehicles, etc.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wheel noun

¹ on a bicicyle, car, etc.

WHEEL + VERB change, replace A tyre blew and we had to change the wheel.

WHEEL + VERB go round, spin, turn The wheels were still going round. (figurative) The political wheel had turned full circle, and he was back in power. | skid, slide, slip He braked suddenly, causing the front wheels to skid. | crunch, scream, shriek the sound of wheels crunching over snow | come off, fall off | lock She braked too hard and the wheels locked.

WHEEL + NOUN arch, base, bearings, hub, nut, rim, trim | clamp

PREP. on ~s A child was pulling along a little dog on wheels. | under the ~s She fell under the wheels of a bus.

² (also steering wheel)

VERB + WHEEL grip | turn | take I drove the first 200 miles and then Steve took the wheel.

WHEEL + NOUN lock

PREP. at the ~ The bus set off again with a fresh driver at the wheel. | behind the ~ I saw the car drive past, but didn't recognize the woman behind the wheel.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whereabouts noun

ADJ. current, present | unknown The present whereabouts of the manuscript is unknown. | exact, precise

VERB + WHEREABOUTS know She did not say where she was going, and nobody knows her whereabouts.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whiff noun

ADJ. faint | strong | unmistakable (often figurative) detecting the unmistakable whiff of electoral blackmail

VERB + WHIFF catch, get, detect I caught the whiff of whisky on his breath. (figurative) Journalists caught a whiff of scandal and pursued the actress relentlessly.

PREP. ~ of a whiff of perfume

PHRASES at the faintest/first/merest whiff of sth (figurative) He always retreated emotionally at the first whiff of conflict.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

while noun

ADJ. brief, little, short | fair, good, long, some Things continued quiet for some while.

VERB + WHILE take I'll mend it for you, but it could take a while.

PREP. after a ~ After a while, I began to get bored with my job. | for a/the ~ They chatted for a while. There's no need to do anything for the while. | in a ~ I'll be back in a while.

PHRASES all the while The bird hopped across the lawn, keeping a sharp lookout all the while. | once in a while Everybody makes a mistake once in a while (= occasionally). | (for) quite a while He kept me waiting for quite a while. | a while back The problems started a while back.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whimper noun

ADJ. little, small | frightened, pathetic

VERB + WHIMPER give The animal gave a pathetic little whimper.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whimper verb

ADV. softly The dog whimpered softly. | pathetically

VERB + WHIMPER begin to, start to | hear sb

PREP. with The boy was whimpering with pain.

PHRASES whimper like a child He stirred in her arms, whimpering like a child.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whim noun

ADJ. sudden | slightest The bird's nest is vulnerable to the slightest whim of the weather. | individual, personal | political Funding is subject to political whim.

VERB + WHIM indulge, pander to, satisfy | be subject to, be vulnerable to, depend on | suffer For years she had suffered her husband's whims.

PREP. at (sb's) ~ They seem to be able to change the rules of the game at whim. Slaves could be bought and sold at the whim of their masters. | on a ~ He bought the jacket on a whim, having seen it by chance in a shop window.

PHRASES your every whim The child's parents pandered to his every whim.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whine noun

ADJ. high, high-pitched | piercing | nasal

VERB + WHINE give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ She spoke with a whine. | ~ of

PHRASES the whine of a bullet/an engine/a motor > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whine verb

ADV. faintly, softly The engines whined softly in the background. | away

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whip noun

ADJ. driving, riding | bull, horse

VERB + WHIP crack, flick He cracked the whip and the horse leapt forward.

VERB + WHIP crack A hound yelped briefly as a whip cracked.

PHRASES the crack of a whip

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whip verb

¹ hit sb/sth with a whip

ADV. soundly He was taken back to the jail and soundly whipped.

² mix sth until it is light and stiff

ADV. gently, lightly Lightly whip the egg whites and add them to the mixture. | up

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whirl noun

ADJ. mad The next few days were a mad whirl of parties. | social It's easy to get caught up in the social whirl.

PREP. in a ~ His mind was in a whirl as he searched frantically for a solution.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whisky noun

QUANT. dash, drop, nip He added a dash of whisky to his coffee. | measure, shot, tot She poured herself a large tot of whisky. | bottle, flask, glass, hip-flask, tumbler

WHISKY + NOUN drinker | bottle, decanter | glass, tumbler | chaser He ordered a beer with a whisky chaser (= a small glass of whisky drunk after a beer). | business, company, distiller, distillery, industry, production, sales

PHRASES whisky on the rocks (= with ice)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whisper noun

ADJ. barely audible, the barest, faint, gentle, hushed, low, mere/the merest, soft | fierce, harsh | audible, loud, stage ‘I knew this would happen,’ he said in a stage whisper (= one that he wanted everyone to hear). | hoarse, husky, strangled | awed, excited, urgent | confidential, conspiratorial

PREP. above a ~ Their voices were very quiet, hardly above a whisper. | in a ~ They spoke in whispers.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whisper verb

VERB + WHISPER can/could only He could only whisper in reply. | hear sb She heard him whisper her name.

PREP. about I felt that everyone was whispering about me. | against ‘Hush, ’ he whispered against her hair. | through ‘No, ’ he whispered through gritted teeth. | to ‘Let's go,’ she whispered to Anne.

PHRASES whisper sth in/into sb's ear, whisper sweet nothings He held her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whistle noun

¹ small metal/plastic tube that you blow

ADJ. dog, factory, police, train | guard's, referee's, etc. | steam | penny, tin

VERB + WHISTLE blow (on), sound A train sounded its whistle in the distance.

WHISTLE + VERB blow, go, sound The referee's whistle went just before he shot the goal.

PHRASES a blast on a whistle He gave a short blast on his whistle.

² clear high-pitched sound

VERB + WHISTLE give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ The train entered the tunnel with a shrill whistle. | ~ of She gave a low whistle of admiration. > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whistle verb

ADV. loudly | softly, under your breath | through your teeth Norma looked at the parcel and whistled softly through her teeth. | cheerfully | tunelessly

VERB + WHISTLE begin to | hear sb

PREP. at Men whistled at her in the street. | in James whistled in amazement. | to William whistled to me from a distance.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

white adj.

¹ of the colour of snow or milk

ADJ. dead, pure | bright, brilliant | bone, creamy, icy, milky | dirty, off- | plain > Special page at COLOUR

PHRASES as white as snow

² very pale because of illness or fear

VERBS be, look | go, turn

ADV. extremely, very | rather

PREP. with He turned white with anger.

PHRASES as white as a sheet

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

white noun

ADJ. egg Whisk the egg whites until stiff.

VERB + WHITE beat, whip, whisk

PHRASES the white of an egg Use the whites of two eggs.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

whole noun

¹ all of sth

VERB + WHOLE cover, embrace, encompass, involve, span The project involved the whole of the university. | fill, occupy, take up The library takes up the whole of the first floor. | permeate, pervade Technology permeates the whole of our lives.

² complete thing

ADJ. coherent, cohesive, harmonious, homogeneous, integrated, organized, seamless She was struggling to organize her ideas into a coherent whole. | single | complex The author examines each aspect of Roman society, then attempts to summarize the complex whole. | meaningful At this age, babies do not yet combine sounds into a meaningful whole. | organic

VERB + WHOLE form, make (up) He tried to fit the pieces of evidence together to make a coherent whole.

PHRASES as a whole Unemployment is higher in the north than in the country as a whole.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

widen verb

PREP. from, into At this point the river widens into an estuary. | to The trade deficit had widened from £26 billion to £30 billion.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

widespread adj.

VERBS be | become | remain

ADV. extremely, remarkably, very | increasingly | fairly, pretty, quite | sufficiently | geographically a geographically widespread species

PREP. among Illiteracy is widespread among the poor.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wide adj.

¹ covering a large area or range

VERBS be, seem | become

ADV. enormously, exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, remarkably, unusually, very a very wide range of clothing | increasingly | fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively | sufficiently | surprisingly

² fully open

VERBS be | fling sth, open sth, spread sth He stood up and flung wide the door to the study. Open your mouth really wide. He spread his hands wide in appeal.

ADV. extremely, really, very

PREP. with Their eyes were wide with fear.

³ not close

VERBS be | shoot | fall, land

ADV. very | just

PREP. of Her shot fell just wide of the target.

PHRASES wide of the mark (figurative) (= not accurate) Their predictions turned out to be very wide of the mark.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

widow noun

ADJ. distraught, grieving | elderly, middle-aged, young | rich, wealthy | poor | war

VERB + WIDOW become | leave He died in March leaving a widow and three children.

PHRASES a widow's allowance/pension

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

width noun

ADJ. great the great width of his shoulders | full, overall, total, whole | narrow The fabric is only available in a narrow width. | maximum, minimum

VERB + WIDTH have The windows have a width of six feet. | measure Measure the width of each side. | increase | decrease, narrow (to), reduce The snow had narrowed the width of the road to a single track. The road narrows to a width of just four metres. | vary in

WIDTH + VERB grow, increase | decrease | vary

WIDTH + NOUN measurement | fitting The boots are available in a choice of width fittings.

PREP. across the ~ The pattern goes across the full width of the material. | in ~ The car is 1.775m in width.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wife noun

VERB + WIFE meet I first met my wife at university. | marry | desert, leave, walk out on | batter, beat

WIFE + VERB give birth His wife has just given birth to a son.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wig noun

ADJ. blond, curly | powdered

VERB + WIG have on, sport, wear Do you think she was wearing a wig? | put on | remove, take off

WIG + VERB perch The wig seemed to perch on his head.

PREP. in a/the ~ Who's that man in the wig?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wilderness noun

VERB + WILDERNESS transform They transformed the wilderness into a garden. | explore They set out to explore the earth's last great wilderness, Antarctica.

WILDERNESS + NOUN years (figurative) His wilderness years (= when he was out of politics and the public eye) in the 1990s were spent in North America.

PREP. in the ~ We were hopelessly lost in the wilderness.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wildlife noun

ADJ. abundant | endangered, rare | indigenous, local, native | marine, urban, wetland

VERB + WILDLIFE preserve, protect, save They called on the government to help protect native wildlife. | attract, encourage The large variety of native plants attracts wildlife to the area. | benefit | endanger, threaten The increasing use of pesticides threatens the wildlife of the area. | damage, harm | disturb Do not allow your dog to disturb wildlife. | be (a) home for/to, be rich in The forest is home to a wealth of wildlife.

WILDLIFE + NOUN habitat | area, garden, haven, park, refuge, reserve, sanctuary, site The school has its own small wildlife garden. | conservation, management, protection | trade the illegal wildlife trade | artist, cameraman, film-maker, photographer

PHRASES a wealth of wildlife

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wild adj.

¹ animals/plants

VERBS be, grow, live The flowers grow wild in the mountains. The dogs live wild on the streets.

ADV. truly This is truly wild and unspoilt countryside.

² out of control

VERBS be, look He looked wild and dangerous. | go, run When the princess appeared, the crowd went wild. They annoy the neighbours because they let their children run wild. | drive sb, make sb It makes me wild (= very angry) to see such waste.

ADV. really, very | absolutely | a bit, a little, pretty, rather Her hair was rather wild.

PREP. with The crowd was wild with excitement.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

will power noun

ADJ. sheer | strong

VERB + WILL POWER have I'm no good at slimming. The trouble is, I've got no will power. | take It took all his will power to stay in and study. | summon He tried to summon the will power to get out of bed. | need

PREP. by ~ She managed to finish the race by sheer will power.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

willingness noun

ADJ. general | genuine | greater, increased | growing, increasing

VERB + WILLINGNESS demonstrate, display, indicate, show, signal The new government has shown a willingness to listen and learn. | announce, confirm, declare, express Workers' leaders have expressed their willingness to cooperate. | demand, depend on, require Marriage counselling depends on both parties' willingness to try to solve problems.

PREP. in your ~ In her willingness to help them, she quite forgot that she wasn't as strong as she had been.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

willing adj.

VERBS appear, be, prove, seem They appear willing to talk to us.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

will noun

¹ power to choose; desire

VERB + WILL have She's got a very strong will. | lack | exercise, exert | lose She's lost the will to try and change things. | break, drain, sap Constant rejection has sapped her will. | regain | impose She usually manages to impose her will on the rest of the group. | bend to, obey They were taught to obey their father's will without question. | go against My father didn't want me to leave home, and I didn't like to go against his will.

PREP. against your ~ Much against my will, I let him go. | at ~ She believes employers should have the right to hire and fire at will.

PHRASES an act of will It requires an act of will to make myself go running in the morning. | a battle/clash of wills The meeting turned out to be a clash of wills. | an effort of will With a great effort of will he resisted her pleas. | of your own free will She left of her own free will. | the will of God, the will to live She gradually regained the will to live.

² legal document

ADJ. valid Two people must witness your signature or your will will not be valid. | living (= a record of your wishes regarding medical treatment at the end of your life)

VERB + WILL draw up, make His solicitor drew up the will. Have you made your will? | sign | leave She left no will and was unmarried. | read | alter, change | revoke Remarriage would revoke all previous wills. | forge | remember sb in She was moved when her neighbour remembered her in his will. | administer, execute | challenge, contest The family decided to contest the will in court. | break, overturn, set aside They succeeded in getting the will overturned.

PREP. by ~ Some things cannot be given away by will. | in a/the ~ She left me some money in her will. | under a/the ~ Under her father's will, she gets £5,000 a year.

PHRASES sb's last will and testament

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wilt verb

ADV. visibly

VERB + WILT begin to Some of the leaves were beginning to wilt.

PREP. in The plants will wilt in direct sunlight. | under By half-time, the team was wilting under the pressure. | with The passengers were visibly wilting with the heat and movement of the bus.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wince verb

ADV. a little, slightly | inwardly He winced inwardly at her harsh tone. | visibly

VERB + WINCE try not to | make sb | see sb

PREP. at She switched on the light, wincing at the sudden brightness. | in/with He winced in pain.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

windfall noun

ADJ. unexpected

VERB + WINDFALL get, have She had an unexpected windfall of a thousand pounds when a cousin died.

WINDFALL + NOUN gains, profits | tax

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

window noun

¹ in a building, car, etc.

VERB + WINDOW gaze out (of), gaze through, look in (through), look out (of), look through, peer out (of), peer (in) through, see out (of), see through, stare out of, stare (in) through I found her looking in the window of a department store. It was raining so hard I could scarcely see out the window. | lean out of, stick your head out of | knock on, rap on, tap on We tapped on the window to get their attention. | fling open, force (open), open, throw open There was evidence that the window had been forced. | roll down, wind down I rolled down the window to ask for directions. | close, roll up, shut | clean, wash | break, shatter, smash | replace

WINDOW + VERB open, wind down How does the window open? | close, go up | break, shatter, smash | blow out All the windows blew out with the force of the blast. | flash, gleam, glint, glow, shine The windows glinted in the sunlight. | steam up The windows all steam up when you have a shower. | rattle The windows rattle when a train goes past. | face sth, give a view of sth, look, overlook sth, stare a studio with windows looking south towards the park The windows of the house stared bleakly down at her.

WINDOW + NOUN frame, ledge, pane, sill | seat I always ask for a window seat when I fly. | cleaner He works as a window cleaner. | display | shopping I love going window shopping (= looking at things in the shops without buying anything).

PREP. at the ~ He was standing at the window waiting for us. | by the ~ I sat by the window to get some air. | in the ~ an advertisement in the shop window We caught sight of him in the window as we passed. There was a vase of flowers in the window. A bird flew in the open window. | out (of) ~ She gazed out of the window at the falling snow. | through ~ They threw a brick through the window.

² area on a computer screen

ADJ. active Click on the window to make it active.

VERB + WINDOW open | close If you close a couple of windows, the screen will be less cluttered. | enlarge, minimize, resize, shrink | drag, move | click on > Special page at COMPUTER

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

windscreen noun

ADJ. front, rear | car

VERB + WINDSCREEN clean, scrape, wipe She scraped the windscreen free of ice. | break, chip, crack, shatter, smash | fit, put in, replace, take out | clear, demist She switched the wipers on to clear the windscreen.

WINDSCREEN + VERB mist up | crack, shatter

WINDSCREEN + NOUN wiper

PREP. on a/the ~ I came back to find a parking ticket on the windscreen. | through a/the ~ Bright evening sunlight glared through the windscreen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wind noun

ADJ. fierce, gale-force, high, stiff, strong, terrible Rain and high winds are forecast. There was a stiff wind blowing. | light, moderate, slight | blustery, gusty | warm | biting, bitter, brisk, chill, cold, icy The icy wind cut right through us. | howling | fair, favourable, good They set sail the next morning with a fair wind. | adverse Adverse winds swept the boat off course. | head, tail A tail wind made the ride home very relaxing. | east, north, etc.

QUANT. blast, gust | breath There wasn't a breath of wind in the still air.

WIND + VERB blow, blow up, come, cut through sb/sth, sweep (through) sth The wind came from the west. A fierce wind swept through the countryside. | howl, moan, roar, whistle The wind roared through the tunnel. | buffet sth, rattle sth, whip sth (up) The wind whipped up the surface of the lake. | increase, pick up, rise | abate, die down, drop Let's wait until the wind drops before setting sail. | change The wind suddenly changed and began blowing from the north.

WIND + NOUN conditions, direction, power, pressure, speed

PREP. against the ~ We were rowing against the wind. | in the ~ a flag flapping in the wind | into the ~ We were sailing into the wind. | out of ~ Let's shelter out of the wind.

PHRASES the roar/sound of the wind

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wind verb

ADV. tight/tightly | carefully, neatly

PREP. around/round He wound the bandage tightly round his ankle. | into She wound the wool into a ball.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wine noun

QUANT. drop Would you like another drop of wine? | glass, bottle

VERB + WINE drink Do you drink wine? | have I'll have some wine, please. | sip, take a sip of She took a sip of her wine. | gulp, swig, take a gulp/swig of | pour (sb), top up The waiter went round topping up people's wine. | make, produce The winery has been making wine for a couple of centuries. | age, mature wine aged in the bottle | chill | serve | ply sb with They always ply their clients with wine before getting down to business.

WINE + VERB flow (figurative) The wine flowed freely at the party. | go to your head The wine had gone to his head and he was starting to talk rubbish. | breathe Open the wine an hour before the meal to let it breathe. | be corked | age, mature

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wing noun

¹ of a bird/insect

ADJ. left, right | fore, front The beetle's fore wings are small and are not used in flight. | back, hind | broad, long, narrow, pointed, short, stubby | delicate | leathery, membranous | broken, damaged a bird with a broken wing | outspread, outstretched | butterfly, chicken, etc. the patterns on butterfly wings First, fry the chicken wings in the oil until they begin to brown.

QUANT. pair

VERB + WING extend, open, spread, stretch, unfold | close, fold | flap, flutter It flapped its wings and flew off. | clean | clip (often figurative) Pete felt he had had his wings clipped when his driving licence was confiscated. | grow, sprout I wish I could sprout wings and fly away.

WING + VERB beat, flap, flutter

WING + NOUN tip | feathers

PREP. on a/the ~ It had white markings on its wings. | under a/the ~ The young birds were under the mother bird's wing. (figurative) Simon's uncle had taken him under his wing.

² of a plane

ADJ. aircraft | left, port | right, starboard | fixed | folding

WING + VERB stick out

WING + NOUN tip

³ of a building

ADJ. north, south, etc. | private | hospital | maternity | maximum security (= of a prison)

VERB + WING add, build | demolish, destroy, pull down A bomb destroyed the east wing.

PREP. in a/the ~ Our rooms were in the west wing.

⁴ of a car

ADJ. nearside, offside | front, rear

VERB + WING damage, dent The nearside wing was damaged in the accident. | mend, repair, replace

WING + NOUN mirror

PREP. in a/the ~ There was a dent in one wing.

⁵ of an organization

PREP. on a/the ~ They're on the left wing of the Labour Party.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wink noun

ADJ. broad | little | conspiratorial, knowing

VERB + WINK direct, give sb, throw sb

PREP. with a ~ ‘Know what I mean?’ he said with a wink. | ~ at He directed a conspiratorial wink at his son.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wink verb

ADV. broadly He winked broadly at Lucinda. | conspiratorially, saucily, wickedly She winked saucily at Jack. | back

VERB + WINK see sb I saw him wink at her.

PREP. at She winked at me, and I winked back.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

winner noun

ADJ. overall She didn't win every race, but she was the overall winner. | outright With three teams finishing on 40 points, there was no outright winner. | eventual | joint They were joint winners of the cup. | lucky She was the lucky winner of that week's biggest lottery prize. | deserved, worthy | clear, comfortable, convincing, easy, runaway She emerged as the clear winner. | impressive | big There were no big winners in this week's lottery. | shock, surprise, unexpected, unlikely | likely, possible, potential Barcelona look likely winners of the Spanish League. | first-time, three-times, etc. Italy, three times winners of the World Cup | consistent, frequent, prolific, regular She is a regular winner in local road races. | award, championship, competition, contest, cup, election, jackpot, league, match, (gold/silver/bronze) medal, prize (also prizewinner), race, title, tournament, trophy

VERB + WINNER emerge as | announce The winner of the competition will be announced this afternoon. | choose, pick The winner will be chosen from the five architects who get through the first round. He's very good at picking winners (= at guessing who is going to win). | back He backed the winner and won £70.

WINNER + VERB receive sth The winner will receive a prize of £500.

PREP. ~ against/over France were impressive 3?0 winners over Portugal.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

winter noun

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

win noun

ADJ. big, comfortable, convincing, decisive, easy, emphatic, handsome, resounding, runaway | last-gasp, narrow An extra-time penalty gave Barcelona a last-gasp win over Chelsea. | five-point, nine-wicket, single-shot, two-goal, etc. | hard-earned, hard-fought | deserved, well-earned | excellent, fine, great, impressive | thrilling | improbable, remarkable, shock, unexpected | famous People still talk about the famous win against Brazil. | away, home | cup final, league, semi-final, etc. | Democrat, Labour, etc.

VERB + WIN claim, chalk up, gain, have, notch (up), record, score We've had three successive wins in the National League. Torino notched up a 2?1 win at Lazio. | cruise to, romp to, sweep to Woods romped to a 12-shot win in the Open. | deserve, earn | give sb | celebrate

WIN + VERB come His only big win came in the French Open ten years ago. | keep sb, lift sb, put sb, take sb Williams's straight-sets win puts her through to the semi-final.

PREP. without a ~ They've gone four games without a win. | ~ against/over Liverpool gained a thrilling 5?4 win over Glenavon.

PHRASES a no-win situation She was in a no-win situation, taking the blame for things she did not have the power to change.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

win verb

ADV. comfortably, convincingly, easily, hands down, handsomely, outright The French team won hands down. | narrowly She narrowly won the first race. | duly He duly won, but was then sidelined by a leg injury. | unexpectedly | eventually, finally

VERB + WIN deserve to We didn't deserve to win?we played very badly. | hope to | be expected to, be tipped to, expect to The actress is tipped to win an Oscar for her performance. | be likely to | be going to Who do you think is going to win? | manage to | fail to The far right party failed to win a single seat. | help (to), help sb (to) qualities which help win business and motivate staff

PREP. against They stand a good chance of winning against their league rivals. | at I never win at tennis. | by She won the race by 40 metres. | on The match was eventually won on penalties.

PHRASES be capable of winning (sth) There are a lot of teams capable of winning the title. | be confident of winning (sth), a chance of winning (sth), a chance to win sth the chance to win the holiday of a lifetime | succeed in winning sth He succeeded in winning their confidence.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wiper noun

ADJ. windscreen | rear

VERB + WIPER put on, switch on, turn on | switch off, turn off | be fitted with

WIPER + VERB be going, be on Cars were coming past with their wipers going.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wipe verb

ADV. carefully, gently | hastily, quickly | easily The plastic surface can be easily wiped. | just, simply | away, down, up I wiped up the spilt wine.

VERB + WIPE pause to, stop to He paused to wipe the sweat from his forehead. | try to

PREP. from She gently wiped the tears from her eyes. | off He wiped the marks off the wall. | on She wiped her hands on the towel. | with When you've finished with it, simply wipe it clean with a damp cloth.

PHRASES wipe sth clean PHRASAL VERBS wipe sth out

ADV. completely, totally | almost, practically, virtually The regiment was virtually wiped out in the first battle. | effectively The disease has been effectively wiped out.

VERB + WIPE threaten to pollution that threatens to wipe out 100,000 fish

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wire noun

¹ metal as thin thread

QUANT. length, piece, strand

VERB + WIRE cut They cut the perimeter wire and escaped. | stretch The wire was stretched between two poles.

WIRE + NOUN grill, mesh, netting | basket, brush, cage, coat hanger, fence, fencing, frame, rack Cool the cakes on a wire rack. | cutters (also wire-cutters)

PREP. behind a/the ~ Behind the wire, the prisoners were exercising. | under a/the ~ We got in under the wire.

² for electricity

VERB + WIRE attach, connect The wire was attached to a pin in the plug. | disconnect He disconnected the wire from the clock. | run The electrician ran a wire from the kitchen to the bedroom.

WIRE + VERB go, lead, run, trail Where does this wire go? There were wires trailing everywhere. | show Surely the wires shouldn't show like that?

PREP. along a/the ~ the flow of electrical currents along a wire | down a/the ~ A dry laugh echoed down the telephone wire.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wire verb

ADV. correctly, properly You should check that the socket is correctly wired. | in, up She was wired up to a heart monitor.

PREP. for Many homes were wired for lighting only. | into, to The Christmas tree lights are all wired to one plug.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wiring noun

ADJ. electric/electrical | dangerous, faulty, loose | mains | house

VERB + WIRING renew, replace The existing wiring will have to be replaced. | take out They took out the old wiring. | disconnect | check (over), have a look at We'd better get an electrician to check the wiring before we start decorating. | conceal The wiring was concealed behind a false panel.

WIRING + NOUN diagram | system

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wisdom noun

ADJ. deep, great, profound | accepted, conventional, established, folk, popular, prevailing, received, traditional Conventional wisdom has it that riots only ever happen in cities. | street, worldly He is too lacking in worldly wisdom to be a politician. | accumulated, collective the accumulated wisdom of generations | ancient A bridge between ancient wisdom and modern insight is now being built. | innate, inner, instinctive, intuitive | political | divine

VERB + WISDOM doubt, have doubts about, question Many commentators doubted the political wisdom of introducing a new tax. | seek Those who seek wisdom at the shrine will find it. | impart Do you have any wisdom to impart on this subject? | prove The latest unemployment figures prove the wisdom of the government's policy.

PHRASES a fount/source of wisdom Consultants are too often seen as the source of all wisdom. | in sb's (infinite) wisdom (ironic) In their infinite wisdom, the council closed the swimming pool for the school holidays. | pearls of wisdom students eager to catch pearls of wisdom from the professor's lips | the pursuit of wisdom She devoted her life to the pursuit of wisdom. | wit and wisdom He entertained the audience for two hours with his wit and wisdom. | with the wisdom of hindsight It's easy enough to see what we should have done, with the wisdom of hindsight. | words of wisdom The former world champion imparted a few words of wisdom to the young runners.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wise adj.

VERBS be, look, seem | consider sth, judge sth, think sth It was not considered wise to move her to another hospital.

ADV. extremely, very | always It is always wise to write down important points.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wish noun

¹ feeling that you want sth

VERB + WISH have | express, make known She has expressed a wish to visit the Houses of Parliament. | fulfill She fulfilled her deepest wish when she flew solo for the first time. | get She's always wanted to be an actress, and I'm sure she'll get her wish. | grant sb | be responsive to, consider, honour, respect, take into account It is vital for schools to respect the wishes of parents. | carry out, comply with, implement, meet We need to update our equipment if we are to meet customers' wishes. | obey She flew into a rage if the staff didn't obey her wishes. | deny sb | disregard, flout, go against, ignore, override, ride roughshod over The committee rode roughshod over the wishes of union members. | reflect The change to the constitution reflects the wishes of the people who voted in the referendum.

WISH + NOUN fulfilment | list Draw up a wish list, defining the requirements for your ideal home.

PREP. against sb's ~s Her father will not speak to her, because she married against his wishes. | in sb's ~ In his wish to be as helpful as possible, he was forever asking her what she wanted. | in accordance with sb's ~s In accordance with his wishes, his ashes were scattered at sea. | ~ for a wish for peace

² saying secretly to yourself what you want to happen

VERB + WISH have, make When you see a black cat, you have to make a wish. | be allowed, get If you're the one who finds the hidden box, you get a wish. | grant The good fairy granted her three wishes.

WISH + VERB come true Lo and behold, on Christmas Day their wishes came true.

³ (usually wishes) hope that sb will be happy

ADJ. best, good Give my best wishes to Alison.

VERB + WISH give sb, send (sb)

PREP. with ~ (at the end of a letter) With best wishes for a happy birthday. | ~ for Every good wish for your future happiness together.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wish verb

ADV. dearly, desperately, devoutly, fervently, heartily, really, sincerely I heartily wished that I had stayed at home. I really wish I could go to America. | hard If you wish really hard, maybe you'll get what you want. | secretly | merely, only, simply ‘Where is he now?’ ‘I only wish I knew.’

PREP. for It's no use wishing for the impossible.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

withdrawal noun

¹ removing/leaving

VERB + WITHDRAWAL call for, demand The party is calling for the phased withdrawal of troops from the island. | agree to | announce | make The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.

PREP. ~ by a withdrawal by government troops | ~ from the army's withdrawal from the occupied territories

² from a bank account

ADJ. cash

VERB + WITHDRAWAL make

PREP. ~ from She made a withdrawal of £250 from her bank account.

³ stopping

ADJ. alcohol, drug

VERB + WITHDRAWAL suffer

WITHDRAWAL + NOUN symptoms

PREP. ~ from She was still suffering withdrawal from nicotine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

withdraw verb

¹ move/move sth away from a place

VERB + WITHDRAW decide to | intend to, wish to | threaten to | be compelled to, be forced to, be obliged to He was forced to withdraw from the competition due to injury. | persuade sb to

PREP. from Two thousand troops were withdrawn from the battle zone. | in favour of He eventually withdrew in favour of Blair, thought to be the more popular candidate. | into She withdrew into her own world.

² take sth away

VERB + WITHDRAW threaten to | agree to | refuse to | advise sb to, persuade sb to, urge sb to

PREP. from They threatened to withdraw their support from the government.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wither verb

ADV. simply Their support had simply withered away. | away

PREP. under The grass withered under a scorching sun.

PHRASES wither and die The business withered and eventually died.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

withhold verb

ADV. deliberately | reasonably, unreasonably Consent will not be unreasonably withheld.

VERB + WITHHOLD threaten to threatening to withhold future financial aid | decide to

PREP. from He was accused of deliberately withholding information from the police.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

withstand verb

VERB + WITHSTAND be able/unable to, can/could | manage to | be built to, be designed to The wooden boat was built to withstand just about every weather condition at sea. | be robust/strong/tough enough to The flooring needs to be tough enough to withstand wear. | enable sth to, help sth (to)

PHRASES be capable of withstanding sth

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

witness noun

¹ person who sees sth

ADJ. eye (also eyewitness) An eyewitness account described the plane as a ‘fireball’. | crucial, key, material, vital As the last person to see her alive, he was a material witness in the case. | independent | credible, reliable, unimpeachable | unreliable

VERB + WITNESS appeal for The police are appealing for witnesses. | trace Police have so far failed to trace any witnesses to the attack.

WITNESS + VERB come forward Two witnesses came forward with evidence.

WITNESS + NOUN account, statement

PREP. ~ to a witness to murder

² in a court of law

VERB + WITNESS call The defence called their first witness. | appear as She appeared as a character witness. | swear in | cross-examine, examine, interrogate, interview, question | hear | discredit | intimidate, threaten A judicial enquiry was ordered, but witnesses were threatened and none would testify. | suborn He was charged with conspiracy to suborn witnesses.

WITNESS + VERB take the stand The next witness took the stand. | give evidence, testify | make a statement, state sth | identify sb She was the only witness to identify Peters as the attacker.

WITNESS + NOUN box, stand | summons

PHRASES a witness for the defence/prosecution

³ of a signature

VERB + WITNESS act as

WITNESS + VERB sign

PREP. ~ to Would you be willing to act as a witness to my signature when I sign my will?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wit noun

¹ clever use of words

ADJ. great | quick, ready | acerbic, barbed, biting, caustic, dry, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing, sharp, wicked | gentle | dazzling, sparkling

VERB + WIT have He had a dry wit.

PHRASES wit and wisdom a book full of the wit and wisdom of his 30 years in politics

² intelligence

ADJ. native She had to use all her native wit to convince the police.

VERB + WIT have I hope he's got the wit to take the key with him.

PHRASES beyond the wit of man (= impossible) It should not be beyond the wit of man to resolve this dispute

³ wits: ability to think quickly

VERB + WIT gather, recover She couldn't seem to gather her wits and tell us what had happened. | blunt, dull Living alone in the country had dulled his wits. | sharpen

PHRASES a battle of wits The strike developed into a battle of wits between management and workers. | have/keep your wits about you They do tough interviews so you'll need to have your wits about you. | pit your wits against sb Celebrity teams pit their wits against each other in this lively quiz show.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wobbly adj.

VERBS be, feel, look | become, go When I stood up my legs went all wobbly.

ADV. all (informal), very | a bit, a little, rather, slightly The chair looked a bit wobbly.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wolf noun

ADJ. lone A lone wolf howled under the full moon. | marauding, ravening, slavering (figurative) She called the media ‘ravening wolves’.

QUANT. pack

WOLF + VERB bark, growl, howl | hunt

WOLF + NOUN cub | pack

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

woman noun

VERB + WOMAN depict, portray, present, show We want to change the way women are depicted in the media. | limit, reduce Women are limited to the more poorly paid jobs. Women are reduced to merely playing a passive role.

PHRASES the position/role of women There were important changes in the position of women in society. | a woman of the world He saw her as a woman of the world who could offer him advice. | women's lib/liberation (becoming old-fashioned) The freedom to wear trousers became a symbol of women's liberation. | the women's movement, women's rights

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

womb noun

ADJ. fertile | barren

VERB + WOMB carry sth in the nine months for which we are carried in our mothers' wombs | emerge from The baby's head was starting to emerge from the womb.

WOMB + NOUN lining

PREP. in the/your ~ A scan determines the position of the baby in the womb.

PHRASES the lining/neck/wall of the womb

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wonderful adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, smell, sound, taste

ADV. most, really | absolutely, perfectly, quite, truly The weather was absolutely wonderful. | pretty, rather

PHRASES weird and wonderful coming up with weird and wonderful marketing ideas

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wonder noun

¹ feeling of surprise/admiration

ADJ. great | childlike, wide-eyed

VERB + WONDER feel | express There aren't any words to express properly all the wonder that I feel. | gaze in, stare in She gazed down in wonder at the city spread below her. | be filled with, be full of The children's faces were full of wonder as they gazed up at the Christmas tree.

WONDER + NOUN cure, drug

PREP. in ~ Neville shook his head in wonder at it all | with ~ She held her breath with wonder and delight. | ~ at

PHRASES a feeling/sense of wonder

² amazing thing/person

ADJ. natural Iceland is full hot springs, beautifully coloured rocks, and other natural wonders. | scientific | constant, perpetual It was a constant wonder to me that my father didn't die of exhaustion. | nine days, seven-day She was determined to prove she was no seven-day wonder whose promise would remain unfulfilled. | boy (humorous) (also wonder boy) the new boy wonder of French football | one-hit (humorous) The band aren't the one-hit wonders some had feared: their second album contains some great rap music.

PHRASES do/work wonders (for sb/sth) The change of diet has done wonders for my skin. A good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast worked wonders. | the wonders of modern science/technology Thanks to the wonders of modern science, many common diseases will soon be things of the past. | the wonders of the world The palace has been described as the eighth wonder of the world.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wonder verb

ADV. hazily, idly, vaguely I wondered vaguely whether Robert could be the murderer. | briefly, fleetingly | apprehensively, uneasily I wondered uneasily if anything had happened to the children. | bleakly, despairingly | irritably | aloud ‘Where's Natasha?’ she wondered aloud. | just ‘Why do you ask?’ ‘I just wondered.’ | often, sometimes I sometimes wonder who's crazier, him or me.

VERB + WONDER begin to I was just beginning to wonder where you were. | cannot/could not help but, can only I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. | make sb His obvious hunger made her wonder how long he had been up and about.

PREP. about We'd wondered about you as a possible team member.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wooded adj.

VERBS be

ADV. densely, heavily, richly, thickly, well a thickly wooded area

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

woodwork noun

ADJ. exterior, interior | polished

VERB + WOODWORK paint, treat, varnish | polish | strip | clean, wash | hit He hit the woodwork (= the wooden frame of the goal) twice before scoring.

PREP. in the ~ There were cracks in the woodwork.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wood noun

¹ what trees are made of

QUANT. block, piece, plank, strip

VERB + WOOD chop, cut, saw | be made from/in/(out) of, carve/make sth from/in/out of The cabinet is made of cherry wood. We carve the moulds in wood. | paint, polish, stain, varnish She stained the wood green. | season Traditionally wood was seasoned in the open air. | burn | gather We gathered wood for the fire.

WOOD + VERB splinter the sound of splintering wood | rot Over the years, much of the wood in the house had rotted. | burn Dry wood burns easily.

PREP. in ~ The chapel has some interesting works in wood and marble.

² area covered with trees

ADJ. deep, dense, thick | dark, shady | broad-leaved, deciduous | beech, birch, oak, etc.

PREP. in the ~ a walk in the woods | through the ~ He wandered through the beech wood.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wool noun

QUANT. ball, skein

VERB + WOOL produce | knit sth in, spin, weave (sth in) She's knitting a jumper in pure wool. | card, comb

WOOL + NOUN merchant, shop, trade

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

word processing noun

ADJ. basic, simple

PHRASES application, package, product, program, software, system | business, service

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wording noun

ADJ. actual, exact, precise, specific | clear | appropriate | vague | ambiguous The wording was deliberately ambiguous.

VERB + WORDING alter, change | think about We need to think carefully about the wording of the request.

PREP. ~ of What's the exact wording of the clause?

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

word noun

¹ unit of language

ADJ. two-letter, three-letter, etc. | monosyllabic, disyllabic | two-syllable, three-syllable, etc. | big, long He uses big words to impress people. | compound | native | borrowed, loan When a new fruit is first imported, its name is usually also imported as a loan word. | foreign | content, function | exact, precise, very His exact words were, ‘There's nothing we can do about it.’ Those were her very words. | clear, plain | ambiguous | abstract, concrete | everyday I find even everyday words difficult to spell. | archaic, obsolete | key He wrote down a few key words to help him remember what to say. | right, wrong You can't always find the right word when you're translating. | dirty, four-letter, naughty, obscene, rude, taboo The play is full of four-letter words. Work is a dirty word to Frank. (see also swear word) | famous, household, immortal His name has become a household word since he first appeared in the series. the immortal words of Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the moon | code The police use code words for their major operations. | buzz (also buzzword), vogue E-marketing is the current buzzword. | spoken, written She combines visual images and the spoken word to great effect in her presentations.

VERB + WORD have Spanish has no word for ‘understatement’. | say, speak, use, utter He uses lots of long words. Every word he utters is treated as sacred text. | pronounce How is this word pronounced? | mispronounce | spell | misspell ‘Necessary’ is one of the most commonly misspelt words in English. | write | hear, read | mishear, misread I misheard the word ‘sick’ as ‘thick’. | know, understand | look up She looked the word up in the dictionary. | find | coin The word ‘e-commerce’ was coined to refer to business done over the Internet. | cross out, erase, rub out

WORD + VERB mean sth | refer to sth, relate to sth | convey sth, describe sth, express sth words describing body parts Words can't express how happy I am. | imply sth | denote sth Bold words denote chapter headings. | carry sth, have sth The same word can carry numerous meanings. The word has two meanings. | be derived from sth, come/derive from sth The word derives from a Norse word meaning ‘eye of the wind’. | begin (with sth), end (in/with sth) What's a word beginning with ‘c’ that means ‘a small wood’? | fail sb Words fail me (= I cannot express how I feel).

WORD + NOUN game

PREP. in sb's ~s The students had to retell the story in their own words. | ~ for What's the French word for ‘snail’?

PHRASES in all senses of the word She was a true friend in all senses of the word. | in other words They're letting me go?in other words, I've been sacked. | in so many words They told me in so many words (= directly) that I was no longer needed. | in the true sense of the word People who overeat are not addicts in the true sense of the word. | in words of one syllable (= using very simple language) Could you say that again in words of one syllable? | word for word (= exactly) He repeated word for word what the boy had said to him.

² sth you say

ADJ. quick | quiet The manager had a quiet word with Alison, and she gave him no more problems. | good, friendly, kind He hasn't a good word to say for anybody. | bad, unkind | angry, bitter, blunt, choice (ironic), cross, cruel, hard, harsh, heated, hurtful, strong | polite No polite words of gratitude came. | flattering, honeyed | empty, fine (ironic), meaningless Despite all their fine words, the council have never done anything to improve road safety. | weasel The government's promises on nurses' pay turned out to be weasel words (= deliberately unclear). | bold, brave Despite his brave words, I don't believe he can save the factory from closure. | wise | well-chosen He ruined her self-confidence with a few well-chosen words. | cautionary A few cautionary words are necessary regarding driving abroad. | soft, whispered They exchanged whispered words of love. | unspoken The look in her eyes filled in the unspoken words in her sentence. | dying, last Her last words were for her children. | final, last The Chairman always has the last word (= the final decision) on financial decisions. | fateful Seconds after uttering the fateful words ‘this is easy’, he crashed. | prophetic | magic

VERB + WORD have I've had a few words with John, and he's quite happy for you to stay. She had some harsh words to say about her colleagues. | put in, say, speak, utter If you run into the boss, put in a good word for me! Before we begin, I'd like to say a few words about who I am. Nobody's uttered a word to me about it. | give, say Just say the word and I'll go. | mumble, mutter | slur I knew he'd been drinking because he was slurring his words. | spit (out) She was so furious, she almost spat the words out: ‘You idiot!’ | bandy, exchange, have I usually exchange a few words with my neighbour when I see him. Words were exchanged (= there was an argument). | find He couldn't find the words to thank her enough. | choose, pick He chose his words carefully when commenting on her work. | quote | distort, twist She felt angry at how the journalist had twisted her words. | hang on The journalists hung on his every word as he spoke of his ordeal. | eat, take back When he told her she would fail, she swore she would make him eat his words. | not mince He doesn't mince his words when he talks about his ex-boss. | not breathe Don't breathe a word to anyone about what I've told you!

WORD + VERB conjure sth up, evoke sth Her words conjured up a strange picture in her mind. | burst from sb, come (out), emerge, fall, pour (out), slip (out), spill (out), tumble out He was nervous, and his words came out in a rush. His words fell into the silence like stones. | stick in your throat He wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but the words stuck in his throat. | float, hang in the air I let my words hang in the air. Maggie was no fool: she must realize I meant it. | echo, ring Her teacher's words echoed in her ears. | fade (away), tail away/off, trail away/off His words faded to silence as he saw she didn't believe him. | hit/strike home, strike/touch a chord | sink in She could feel her temper boiling as his words sank in.

PREP. in a ~ ‘Would you like to help us?’ ‘In a word (= briefly), no.’ | without a ~ She left without a word. | ~ about We never heard anyone say an unkind word about her. | ~ from And now a word from our sponsors … | ~ of a word of advice/warning | ~ with Can I have a quick word with you?

PHRASES get a word in (edgeways) I wanted to tell you that she'd phoned, but you were talking so much I couldn't get a word in edgeways. | a man/woman of few words (= a person who speaks very little), sb never spoke a truer word/never was a truer word spoken You said we were about to make a big mistake, and never was a truer word spoken! (= you were right), not a (single) word Remember?not a word to (= don't tell) Peter about any of this. We didn't say a single word to each other all day. | put words into sb's mouth He felt after the interview that the police officers had been trying to put words into his mouth in (= to make him say what they wanted him to say). | take the words out of sb's mouth I was about to say we should cancel the trip, but she took the words right out of my mouth (= she said it before me). | a word in sb's ear Can I have a word in your ear about tomorrow's presentation? | (by) word of mouth The restaurant does not advertise, but relies on word of mouth for custom.

³ promise

ADJ. solemn She gave him her solemn word that she would give up drugs.

VERB + WORD give sb | be as good as, be true to, keep He promised to help and was as good as his word. True to her word, she returned next day. | break, go back on Once he has made a promise, he never goes back on his word.

PHRASES have sb's word for sth We only have her word for it that the cheque is in the post. | a man/woman of his/her word You needn't worry about him not paying you back?he's a man of his word. | take sb at their word He said I could stay at his house any time, so I took him at his word. | take sb's word for sth I haven't seen his work, but I'll take his word for it that it's finished. | your word against sb's If it's your word against the police officer's, the jury are going to believe him. | sb's word is their bond, word of honour He gave me his word of honour that he wouldn't tell anyone.

⁴ information/news

VERB + WORD bring, get, send He sent word to his family that his captors were treating him well. | get We didn't get word of her arrest until the next day. | spread

WORD + VERB get out If word gets out about the affair, he will have to resign. | be, have it The word is they've split up. Word has it that she's leaving.

PREP. ~ about Health workers spread the word about the benefits of immunization.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

word verb

ADV. carefully, cautiously We need to word our question quite carefully. | ambiguously, vaguely | broadly | strongly He issued a very strongly worded statement denying any involvement in the plot.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worker noun

VERB + WORKER employ, have | engage, hire, recruit, take on | dismiss, fire, lay off, make redundant, sack | exploit The union accused the firm of exploiting its workers.

WORKER + VERB work | run sth, staff sth The shop is staffed by one paid worker and three volunteers. | lose a job 400 workers have lost their jobs. | demand sth Workers demanded fair wages and better working conditions. | vote The workers voted for industrial action. | (be on) strike, walk out The workers walked out last month after a failure to agree all the terms for the 110 lay-offs.

WORKER + NOUN participation worker participation in decision making

PHRASES the exploitation of workers, workers' demands, worker's rights > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

workforce noun

VERB + WORKFORCE employ, have The company employs a workforce of nearly 5,000. | cut, halve, reduce, slash, slim (down), trim | double, expand, increase | retrain, train | consult (with) The management always consults with the workforce before introducing major changes. | enter, leave The increase in the number of people entering the workforce has increased unemployment figures.

WORKFORCE + VERB fall | double, increase, rise | number sth, stand at sth The workforce numbers 500.

PREP. among a/the ~ There is a change in the distribution of skills among the workforce. | in a/the ~ One person in the workforce is always responsible for the same job.

PHRASES a member of the workforce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

workings noun

ADJ. inner, internal the inner workings of a watch the internal workings of Parliament | basic | complex, detailed | financial

VERB + WORKINGS analyse, explore, investigate | lay bare, reveal, shed light on Their research aims to shed light on the workings of the human mind. | know | understand It is hard to understand the complex workings of the social security system. | explain

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

workload noun

ADJ. enormous, heavy, huge | excessive | additional, extra, increased | lighter, reduced | administrative

VERB + WORKLOAD have She's got an increased workload this year. | expand, increase | ease, lighten, reduce An assistant one day a week would ease my workload. | distribute, share, spread We want to try and distribute the workload more evenly. | cope with

WORKLOAD + VERB expand, increase Doctors are having to cope with an ever-expanding workload.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

workmanship noun

ADJ. exquisite, fine, good, quality | bad, crude, defective, faulty, poor, shoddy

VERB + WORKMANSHIP admire I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic. | criticise

PREP. ~ on He accused the garage of shoddy workmanship on the bodywork.

PHRASES the quality/standard of workmanship

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

workman noun

ADJ. good, skilled | council

QUANT. gang A gang of council workmen has been digging a hole in the road.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

workout noun

ADJ. good | hard, vigorous | light | forty-minute, two-hour, etc. | aerobic

VERB + WORKOUT do, have When I do a good workout, I feel fine. The team had a hard workout this morning. | give sb/sth I went for a ride to give my new bike a workout.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

workshop noun

¹ room/building

ADJ. craft, design, pottery | engineering, locomotive, railway | farm | carpenter's, stonemason's, etc.

VERB + WORKSHOP set up He set up a workshop for his carving.

WORKSHOP + VERB employ sb The workshop employs 25 full-time workers.

PREP. in a/the ~

² period of discussion/work

QUANT. series The Careers Advisory Service will be running a series of workshops for students.

VERB + WORKSHOP do, hold, host, organize, put on, run The Institute will host a special two-day workshop on new building materials. | attend, go to, participate in, take part in

WORKSHOP + VERB cover sth, examine sth, focus on sth, look at sth The workshop covered a wide range of issues. | aim to, be aimed at sth a workshop aimed at brainstorming new marketing ideas

WORKSHOP + NOUN discussion, session | member, participant

PREP. at a/the ~, during a/the ~ During the workshop, they each practised their part in the performance. | in a/the ~ In the one-day workshop, she taught us the importance of breathing exercises. | ~ on I learned these new skills at a workshop on databases.

PHRASES a member of a workshop, a participant in a workshop

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

work noun

¹ effort/product of effort

ADJ. hard It's hard work trying to get him to do a few things for himself. It doesn't require skill?it's a matter of sheer hard work. | arduous, back-breaking, challenging, complicated, demanding, difficult, gruelling, intensive, labour-intensive, tiring, tough The show is the product of two years' intensive work. | rewarding | heavy They employ a couple of young men to do the heavy work. | donkey I did the donkey work (= hard work requiring little skill) but I hired a professional builder for the tricky bits. | light She's only allowed to do a little light work because of her bad arm. | easy | close I need to wear glasses for close work. | physical | delicate | dangerous | dirty Engine maintenance is dirty work. (figurative) The drugs gang used children to do their dirty work for them. | humdrum, monotonous, repetitive, tedious | fascinating, interesting | purposeful Many unemployed people welcome the chance to do purposeful work, even if unpaid. | valuable The research institute needs funds in order to carry on its valuable work. | paid, unpaid | professional | men's, women's They think that looking after children is women's work. | intellectual, mental | creative, imaginative | practical (see also fieldwork, paperwork) | investigative | undercover The scandal was revealed after months of undercover work by journalists. | leg (also legwork) Her job as a market researcher involves a lot of legwork (= walking around to collect information). | course (also coursework) | written His written work is the best in the class. | individual | group | project | collaborative, joint classroom activities involving collaborative work between children The report is the joint work of an economist and a sociologist. | remedial The poorly designed bridge needs remedial work to make it safe. | background, preliminary, preparatory | follow-up | honest He preferred to make his money from honest work rather than from gambling. | good, nice (informal), outstanding, sterling Nice work, James! I'm impressed.

In accepting the award, she mentioned the sterling work of her assistants. | careful, meticulous, painstaking | poor, shoddy, sloppy | charitable, humanitarian | community, youth | ground-breaking, innovative, pioneering He did pioneering work on microbes. | experimental | academic, commercial, educational, environmental, scientific | building, construction | your own Is this all your own work (= did you do it without help from others)?

QUANT. bit, piece It was an interesting piece of work.

VERB + WORK carry out, do, put in All the construction work was carried out in 2001. I've got lots of work to do today. She's put in a lot of work on the design. | get done, have done I think I'd better try and get some work done. We're going to have some building work done on the house. | produce Work produced on a word processor tends to look more professional. | get, have We get far too much work at this time of year. | take on, undertake I've taken on more work than I've got time to do. | create, make Big football matches make a lot of work for the police. | begin, commence, get down to, set about/to, start They began work on the project towards the end of the year. Stop talking and get down to work. We set to work on the outside of the house (= for example, painting it). | go about She went cheerfully about her work. | carry on, continue | complete, finish | halt, hold up, stop Work on the project was halted. | lose They lost the work to a competitor. | undo The new president spent the first year undoing the work of his predecessor. | oversee, supervise The assistant | set sb to She set them to work painting the fence. | require To carry out accurate market research requires a huge amount of work. | hand in We're supposed to hand in this work tomorrow.

WORK + VERB come The work comes in bursts according to the time of year. | wait That work can wait until tomorrow. | go How's the work going this morning? | involve sth What does the work involve? | begin, start | continue, go on | come to a standstill Work came to a complete standstill when rumours of redundancies started to circulate. | cost How much will the work cost?

WORK + NOUN ethic | rate Her boss told her she had to increase her work rate. | programme, schedule | surface Work surfaces should be left clear and clean.

PREP. at ~ He's been hard at work all morning. | ~ on I have to do some work on the engine before it'll be ready to drive. | ~ with She's done a lot of work with disadvantaged children.

PHRASES a backlog of work It will take a month to clear the backlog of work. | keep up the good work The hotel manager thanked the staff for their efforts so far and told them to keep up the good work. | your life's work The art collection was his life's work. | make light/short work of sth (= to do sth quickly and easily) Mike made short work of fixing the engine. | never/not a stroke of work She never does a stroke of work. | pressure of work Pressure of work forced him to cancel his holiday. | work in progress The showroom has been designed so that people can see work in progress.

² job

VERB + WORK have He's got a bit of freelance work at the moment. | look for He got made redundant, so now he's looking for work again. | find, get Full-time work is hard to find. | go to I go to work on the bus. | go out to Some mothers of young children choose not to go out to work. | start | finish, knock off What time do you finish work? | stop She stops work at the end of this month. | give up Just before he was sixty, he decided to give up work. | go back to, return to She has just returned to work after the birth of her child. | coordinate Sales reps meet up monthly to coordinate their work.

WORK + VERB go Work's going well at the moment. | start What time does work start in the morning? | finish

WORK + NOUN hours Employees must not make personal calls in work hours. | place (also workplace) | area, environment, room (also workroom) | station (also workstation) | roster, schedule | experience He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm. | permit | incentive High income tax can undermine work incentives. | practice An independent report has described some work practices in the industry as old-fashioned.

PREP. at ~ ‘Where's Diane?’ ‘She's at work.’ We had a party at work. | in (your) ~ With so much unemployment, I'm lucky to be in work. It's important to be happy in your work. | off ~ She's been off work with a bad back since July. | out of ~ He's been out of work since the factory closed. | through ~ I met him through work.

PHRASES a line of work ‘What line of work are you in?’ ‘Computing.’ | a place of work

³ book/music/art

QUANT. series | collection, exhibition

VERB + WORK compose, produce, write Beethoven composed his greatest works towards the end of his life. | commission | perform, play | hear, read, see Her work can be seen in most of the major European galleries. | conduct, direct, edit, produce, publish, put on Over the next two years, the theatre is putting on the complete works of Brecht. | display, exhibit, show The town hall is exhibiting works by local artists.

WORK + VERB be called sth, be entitled sth a work entitled ‘Forward Pass’

PREP. in a/the ~ She's studying the theme of death in the works of Beckett. | ~ by a work by an unknown eighteenth century writer

PHRASES an exhibition of sb's work The gallery is staging a special exhibition of Monet's early works. | a work of art/fiction/literature The building is hated by some and considered a work of art by others. (humorous) They discovered that his CV was a complete work of fiction. | a work of genius Her latest novel is a work of genius. > Note at ART

⁴ (also works) building/repairing

ADJ. extensive, major | road (also roadworks) | maintenance, repair, restoration | demolition

VERB + WORK carry out We are planning to carry out major works on the site. | plan | announce

WORK + VERB continue, go on The works will continue until the end of July.

PREP. at the ~ A contraflow is in operation at the works near Junction 5.

⁵ works: factory

VERB + WORK open | close (down), shut down

WORK + VERB turn sth out The works at Bury turned out thousands of television sets a week. | open | close (down)

WORK + NOUN foreman, manager, supervisor | canteen

PREP. at the ~ the night shift at the works

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

work verb

¹ do a job/task

ADV. hard He had been working hard all morning. | steadily | round the clock Emergency teams were working round the clock to make the homes secure. | full-time, part-time A lot of mothers choose to work part-time. | efficiently I work more efficiently on my own. | closely, collaboratively, together people who have worked closely together over a period of time | alone, independently | away We worked steadily away all morning.

VERB + WORK continue to | choose to, prefer to I prefer to work as part of a team. | motivate sb to Employees are motivated to work harder for a whole host of different reasons. | enable sb to I needed a job which would enable me to work at home. | refuse to

PREP. as He's working as a teacher at the moment. | at I've spent three hours working at this problem. | for She works for an oil company. | on We are working on plans for a new swimming pool. | with the people you work with

² function; have a result/effect

ADV. effectively, efficiently, perfectly, properly, satisfactorily, smoothly, well Everything worked very smoothly. | independently My limbs seemed to be working independently of each other.

VERB + WORK seem to PHRASAL VERBS work out

ADV. perfectly, well | badly

PREP. for Things worked out well for Janet in the end.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

world noun

¹ the earth/its people

ADJ. known a medieval map of the known world | whole

VERB + WORLD create, make They believe that God created the world. | destroy One of these days, humankind will destroy the world. | take over Fast food outlets seem to be taking over the world. | tour, travel | see As a young man, he wanted to see the world before he settled down. | lead Sweden leads the world in safety legislation.

WORLD + NOUN leader | economy | recession, slump | market | trade | price World oil prices continue to rise. | domination A handful of Internet companies are battling for world domination. | affairs, events | attention, opinion The bombing alienated world opinion. | war | champion He was easily beaten by the reigning world champion. | championships, cup, title | class The team is world class. | beaters The Portuguese team looked like world beaters in last night's game. | record She shattered the world record for the 200 metres. | rankings He has never before featured in the top ten world rankings. | religion the major world religions | music (= music that includes influences from different parts of the world) | tour The band are about to embark on a six-month world tour.

PREP. across the ~ Astronomers across the world will be watching the night sky. | all around/over/round the ~ The ceremony was watched live by millions around the world. | in the ~ He felt he was the luckiest man in the whole world. | throughout the ~ People throughout the world will be watching the big match on television.

PHRASES the end of the world (figurative) It won't be the end of the world if you don't get the job. | on a world scale Communist parties were formed on a world scale after the Russian Revolution. | on the world stage The country became an important player on the world stage. | a part of the world It's an interesting part of the world. | the world over Scientists the world over have been waiting for this breakthrough.

² part of the earth

ADJ. Arab, English-speaking, Western, etc. Heads of state from all over the Arab world gathered for the conference. | developed, First, industrialized, rich First World consumers will have to eat less meat. | developing, Third, underdeveloped | New, Old Machismo is a New World phenomenon with roots in Old World cultures.

PREP. in the … ~ In the Western world, there is a different attitude to marriage.

³ life/society

ADJ. ever-changing | cruel, dog-eat-dog, hard, tough | crazy, mad, topsy-turvy | ancient, medieval, Roman, etc. | contemporary, modern, today's | brave new the architects' vision of a brave new world of pristine concrete | vanishing These tribesmen are proud survivors of a vanishing world. | outside, real Throughout his time in prison he had no contact with the outside world. In the real world things don't always happen like they do in books. | dream, fantasy, imaginary, inner, private She enjoys creating imaginary worlds for children. She lives in her own inner world. | material, physical | simulated, virtual | spiritual | spirit Mediums claim to receive messages from the spirit world. | social | animal, insect, natural, plant I like living in the country because I'm interested in the natural world. | academic, art, business, fashion, industrial, literary, medical, sports | different We come from different worlds. | sb's own (little) She lives in her own little world. | whole (wide), wider She told him he was her only friend in the whole wide world. The wider world learned of his illness months after he told his family. | small I'm sure we'll meet again. It's a very small world in this profession.

VERB + WORLD change Young people always think they are going to change the world. | have, inhabit, live in Children often have their own private world. | look at, perceive, see, view different ways of looking at the world | come into, enter, escape into We come into the world with nothing. He entered the world of politics in 1997. Showbusiness gave him the chance to escape into another world. | bring sb into She had brought six children into the world. | escape from, shut yourself away from, shut out He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the world. | face For the first time since the death of her parents, she felt able to face the world. | take on He was so happy to leave school, he felt ready to take on the world. | tell He wanted to tell the world how happy he was. | prove to, show She was determined to show the world that she was no loser. | shake, shock, stun The news of the assassination shook the world.

WORLD + VERB fall apart His world fell apart when his wife died. | revolve around sb/sth She thinks the world revolves around her and her schedule. | owe sb sth He seems to think that the world owes him a living.

WORLD + NOUN knowledge | view Teachers influence the world view of their young students.

PREP. in the … ~ He's well known in the fashion world. | ~ about/around At this age, babies are starting to take an interest in the world around them. | ~ of In the world of high finance, there is little room for sentiment.

PHRASES experience/knowledge/perception of the world, the eyes of the world The eyes of the world are on the president. | in an ideal/a perfect world In an ideal world, I'd like to work just three days a week. | in a world of your own I tapped on the window to get her attention but she was in a world of her own. | the rest of the world He just wanted to shut himself away from the rest of the world. | watch the world go by He likes to sit outside his front door and watch the world go by. | the ways of the world He's too young to understand the ways of the world. | worlds apart Although they are twins, they are worlds apart in their attitude to life.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worm noun

WORM + VERB burrow, crawl Worms burrow down through the soil. | wriggle, writhe The worm was wriggling on the hook.

WORM + NOUN cast

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worried adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem | get I started to get worried when they didn't arrive home.

ADV. deeply, desperately, dreadfully, extremely, frantically, genuinely, particularly, really, seriously, terribly, very | increasingly | a bit, quite, rather, slightly | rightly Citizens in inner-city areas are desperately worried and rightly so.

PREP. about We were really worried about you!

PHRASES worried sick She was worried sick about her son.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worrying adj

VERBS be

ADV. deeply, extremely, particularly, seriously, terribly, very | a bit, rather, slightly

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worry noun

ADJ. big, considerable, great, main, major, real, serious Paying the mortgage is a big worry for many people. Her mother's poor health caused her considerable worry. My greatest worry is that he'll do something stupid. | slight | constant The money side of things has been a constant worry. | unnecessary She gave her parents unnecessary worry when she forgot to phone them. | immediate My immediate worry is money. | nagging, niggling I had a nagging worry that we weren't going to get there. | secret It was a relief to share my secret worries with him. | business, economic, financial, money | health

VERB + WORRY have That year he had major health worries. | be beset by She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries. | be frantic/ill/out of your mind/sick with I didn't know where he was and I was frantic with worry. | express | share | cause (sb), give sb | arouse, prompt The earth tremors prompted worries of a second major earthquake. | add to, increase The fact that she heard nothing from him only increased her worry. | forget Try and forget your worries for a little while. | ease | remove, take out Take the worry out of travelling with our holiday insurance offer.

WORRY + VERB disappear | prove groundless/unfounded Most of Nigel's worries proved groundless.

PREP. amid ~ The pound has fallen to a new low amid worries that the British economy is heading for trouble. | with ~ He was sick with worry about everything. | ~ about, ~ over They will not have worries over money. | ~ to His mother's health is an enormous worry to him.

PHRASES cause for worry There is no immediate cause for worry. | free from worry, freedom from worry, have no worries on that account/score The staff all work very hard?we've got no worries on that account. | the least of your worries When he lost his job, the size of his flat was the least of his worries. | a source of worry Money is a constant source of worry.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worry verb

ADV. a lot, particularly, really, terribly She worries a lot about crime. What really worries me is what we do if there's nobody there. | slightly | needlessly, unduly, unnecessarily You do worry unnecessarily, you know. | not too much Don't worry too much about it. | constantly

VERB + WORRY not let sth, not need to Don't let it worry you unduly. | begin to | tell sb not to

PREP. about Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. | with Don't worry the driver with unnecessary requests.

PHRASES enough/nothing to worry about Don't bother Harry?he has enough to worry about as it is. | stop worrying Stop worrying, Dad, we'll be fine. | worry yourself sick/to death (informal)

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worsen verb

ADV. considerably, dramatically, markedly, significantly The problem has worsened considerably in recent months. | steadily | rapidly | suddenly

VERB + WORSEN continue to The economic recession has continued to worsen.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worse adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem I feel even worse today! | become, get, grow The problem is getting worse all the time. The pain grew worse. | make sth Ignoring the problem will make it worse.

ADV. considerably, dramatically, far, a good/great deal, infinitely, a lot, (very) much, a sight, significantly It's much worse for the parents than it is for the child. Things could be a sight worse than they are. | almost The area seemed almost worse than the city he had left. | a little, rather, slightly, substantially | progressively, steadily The problem became progressively worse. | even, still We've run out of petrol. Worse still, we can't get any more until tomorrow.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worship noun

VERB + WORSHIP conduct, lead Our worship today is led by the Reverend John Parker. | attend

PREP. in ~ the use of music in worship

PHRASES an act of worship, forms of worship, freedom of worship Under the new regime, all religions enjoy freedom of worship. | a place of worship Fifteen per cent of the population attend a place of worship.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worst noun the worst

VERB + WORST expect It doesn't matter what I say. My mother always expects the worst. | fear, suspect | be prepared for, prepare for Although all the votes have not yet been counted, the Democrats are preparing for the worst. | confirm I had not expected to do well in my exams, and the letter confirmed the worst. | be spared, escape Scotland seemed to have escaped the worst of the recession. | do your Let them do their worst (= be as difficult as they can)?we'll fight them every inch of the way.

WORST + VERB be over He was still very ill, but the worst seemed to be over.

PREP. at (sb/sth's) ~ At worst, the drug can be fatal. At its worst, bullying is a kind of torture. | through the ~ Her sister helped her through the worst of her illness.

VERB + WORST bring out the worst in sb Pressure can bring out the worst in people. | get the worst of it He'd been in a fight and had obviously got the worst of it. | the worst that can happen Don't worry?the worst that can happen is that you'll get a fine.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worthless adj.

VERBS be, feel, prove, seem | become | make sth These contradictions made his evidence worthless. | consider sth, discard sth as, dismiss sth as, regard sth as, reject sth as, see sth as The opinion polls were dismissed as worthless.

ADV. absolutely, completely, quite, totally, utterly | almost, virtually | largely

PREP. to The diseased plants are quite worthless to the farmer.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worthwhile adj.

VERBS be, seem | become | make sth Their gratitude made it all worthwhile. | consider sth, find sth, think sth You might find it worthwhile to consult a financial adviser.

ADV. extremely, really, very, well | hardly The gamble seemed hardly worthwhile. | financially, socially pursuing socially worthwhile goals

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worthy adj.

VERBS be, seem | consider sth, deem sth, judge sth, think sth

ADV. most, very, well | entirely, wholly | hardly, scarcely The matter is scarcely worthy of the managing director's time. | enough We thought it was a worthy enough objective.

PREP. of It's a matter worthy of our attention.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worth adj.

VERBS be | become | make sth | consider sth, think sth Most of the candidates were not considered worth interviewing.

PREP. to This order is potentially worth millions of pounds to the company.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

worth noun

ADJ. real, true | intrinsic, objective Study has an intrinsic worth, as well as helping you achieve your goals. | individual, own, personal, self | moral | economic, financial, market Some experts doubt the economic worth of the project. The insurance company agreed to pay the car's current market worth. | net | literary, musical

VERB + WORTH have | prove The emergency lighting has proved its worth this year. | affirm Asking for advice from people affirms their personal worth. | find out, learn, realize I only found out its real worth when I tried to buy another one. | appreciate, know They don't appreciate her true worth. She knows her own worth. | doubt, express doubts about, question | assess, estimate, give sb an estimate of Can you give me some estimate of its worth?

PREP. of ~ He never contributed anything of worth to the conversation. | ~ to This necklace isn't worth anything in money terms, but its worth to me is incalculable.

PHRASES at sb/sth's real/true worth They don't appreciate her at her real worth. | of proven worth They are looking for a new sales manager of proven worth. | a sense of (your own) worth She has no sense of her own worth.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wound noun

VERB + WOUND inflict | receive, suffer | examine, probe | clean, dress

WOUND + VERB close | heal It was a clean wound, and it healed quickly.

WOUND + NOUN care, healing

PREP. ~ in He had deep wounds in his chest. | ~ to He died of gunshot wounds to the head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wound verb

¹ injure sb's body

ADV. badly, critically, gravely, grievously, seriously, severely | fatally, mortally She was fatally wounded in a car crash. | slightly

PREP. in One reporter was wounded in the leg.

PHRASES the walking wounded (= people who have been wounded, but not so badly that they cannot walk)

² hurt sb's feelings

ADV. deeply She was deeply wounded by his remarks.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

woven adj.

VERBS be

ADV. closely, densely, finely, tightly very fine and closely woven silk | coarsely, loosely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrangle noun

ADJ. bitter | complex | legal

VERB + WRANGLE be involved in, get into, have

WRANGLE + VERB ensue | continue, go on The legal wrangle continues.

PREP. in a/the ~ The two countries fell out in a bitter wrangle over imports. | ~ between The wrangle between the school and the local council has gone on for two years. | ~ over, ~ with I don't want to get into a wrangle with the committee.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrapper noun

ADJ. chocolate, sweet | Cellophane(R), foil, paper, plastic | sealed | plain | empty

VERB + WRAPPER remove, take off, tear off | drop, throw away, throw down He dropped a sweet wrapper.

WRAPPER + VERB litter sth Sweet wrappers littered the floor.

PREP. in a/the ~ The book arrived in a plain brown wrapper. | on a/the ~ There was a list of ingredients on the wrapper. | out of a/the She took the chocolate bar out of the foil wrapper.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrap verb

ADV. firmly, securely, tightly | loosely | carefully | individually Each apple was individually wrapped in paper. | up

PREP. around/round He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. | in She wrapped the child carefully in a blanket. PHRASAL VERBS wrap (sb) up

ADV. warm, warmly, well Make sure you wrap up warmly if you're going out.

PREP. against We went outside, well wrapped up against the cold. | in Christine was wrapped up in one of the blankets.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrath noun

ADJ. full, great | divine They saw the floods as a sign of divine wrath.

VERB + WRATH arouse, bring (down), feel, incur, provoke This remark brought the judge's full wrath down on Sergeant Golding. This is the second hotel to feel the wrath of the bombers. He incurred Helen's wrath by arriving late. What had she done to provoke his wrath? | fear She feared her father's wrath. | brave, face, risk If the prime minister fails, he will face the wrath of the voters. | appease, avoid, escape They left gifts for the gods to appease their wrath. He fled the country to escape the king's wrath. | turn, vent He vented his wrath on his colleagues.

PREP. ~ at his wrath at the insult | ~ of the wrath of God | ~ over the government's wrath over the incident

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wreath noun

ADJ. Christmas, festive | holly, laurel, poppy

VERB + WREATH lay The Queen laid a poppy wreath at the war memorial. | send He didn't come to the funeral but he sent a wreath. | be crowned with, wear

PREP. ~ of She wore a wreath of roses round her head.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wreckage noun

ADJ. mangled, tangled, twisted | blazing, burning, smoking | aircraft

QUANT. bit, piece Pieces of wreckage have been found up to three miles away.

VERB + WRECKAGE scatter, spread The crash left wreckage spread over a wide area. | be strewn with The runway is still strewn with wreckage. | sight Wreckage has been sighted fifteen miles north of the island. | survey He surveyed the wreckage of his expensive equipment. | search, sift through Police are searching the wreckage for clues to the cause of the accident. | examine | clear The wreckage has now been cleared from the motorway. | be buried in, be trapped in Several people are still trapped in the wreckage. | crawl from | cut sb (free) from, free sb from, pull sb from He had to be cut from the wreckage by firemen. | find sth among The remains of an explosive device were found among the wreckage. | recover sth from, rescue/save sb/sth from, salvage sth from Another body has been recovered from the wreckage. (figurative) Could nothing be rescued from the wreckage of her dreams?

WRECKAGE + VERB be strewn Wreckage was strewn over a wide area.

PREP. amidst/among/amongst the ~ Bodies lay among the tangled wreckage. | in the ~ Her body was discovered in the wreckage. | ~ from A search is going on for wreckage from the blazing aircraft.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wreck noun

¹ of a ship

VERB + WRECK discover, find, locate Divers were sent down to try and locate the wreck. | raise, salvage They're going to try and raise the wreck from the sea bed. | salvage sth from | escape (from)

PREP. in a/the ~ They are worried about the oil still in the wreck. | on a/the ~ Heavy seas prevented salvage teams from landing on the wreck. | ~ of the wreck of the Titanic

² of a car/plane

ADJ. total | crumpled | blazing, burning Explosions ripped through the blazing wreck.

VERB + WRECK be trapped in Two passengers are still trapped in the wreck.

³ of a person/thing

ADJ. absolute, complete, total | emotional, nervous The interview reduced him to a nervous wreck. | gibbering, quivering, shaking, whimpering I always turn into a gibbering wreck at interviews. | physical

VERB + WRECK feel, look I hadn't slept for two days, and I felt a complete physical wreck. | reduce sb to | escape (from) | salvage sth from

PREP. ~ of They still hoped to salvage something from the wreck of their marriage.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wreck verb

ADV. completely, totally A bomb completely wrecked the building. | almost, nearly | effectively

VERB + WRECK threaten to a crisis that threatens to wreck the peace talks

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wriggle verb

ADV. uncomfortably The children wriggled uncomfortably in their seats. | free The dog wriggled free of his grasp and ran off. | about, away

PHRASES wriggle your way She wriggled her way under the heavy eiderdown.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrinkled adj.

VERBS be | become

ADV. all, deeply, extremely, very His face was all wrinkled and old. | prematurely

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrinkle noun

ADJ. fine

VERB + WRINKLE have | get | prevent Is there anything you can do to prevent wrinkles?

WRINKLE + VERB appear, form Fine wrinkles started to appear round her eyes.

PREP. without a ~ Her skin was still without a wrinkle.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrist noun

ADJ. bony, slender, small, thin, tiny | sinewy | limp, weak | broken, injured, sprained

VERB + WRIST catch (sb by), clasp (sb by), grab (sb by), grasp (sb by), grip (sb by), seize (sb by), take (sb by) ‘Is it serious?’ she asked, clasping the doctor's wrist. I turned to leave but he clasped me by the wrist. | bend, twist He grabbed her wrist but she twisted it free. | encircle, enclose Strong fingers encircled her tiny wrists. | rub | break, dislocate, fracture, sprain | bandage | bind The burglars bound the family's wrists behind their backs. | slash, slit He slashed his wrists in a suicide attempt.

WRIST + NOUN watch (also wristwatch) | band, strap | action The secret of making the ball spin is in the wrist action. | joint | injury

PREP. around/round the/your ~ A policeman snapped handcuffs around his wrists. | by the ~, on the/your ~ He wears weights on his wrists when he goes running.

PHRASES a flick of the wrist She sent the shuttlecock flying over the net with a practised flick of the wrist.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

writer noun

ADJ. celebrated, distinguished, eminent, famous, great, influential, leading, major, prominent, well-known one of the greatest writers of all time | award-winning | best-selling, popular | favourite | prolific a very prolific crime writer | creative, fine, good, talented one of the best writers in journalism today | experienced | young | aspiring a chance for aspiring writers to get their work published | academic, freelance, ghost (also ghostwriter), professional, staff | anonymous | contemporary, living, modern, recent | ancient, classical, Greek, Roman | Renaissance, Victorian, etc. | sixteenth-century, etc. | early, later early writers in sociology | female, gay, male, woman She gives talks about being a black woman writer. | Christian, communist, feminist, political, socialist | religious, spiritual | comedy, fiction, prose, science-fiction | film, letter, magazine, music, paperback, screenplay, script, short-story, software, textbook | copy, feature, gossip, headline, leader, report | cookery, crime, fashion, food, football, golf, science, sports, thriller, travel | short-hand | the present (written) The present writer (= the person writing) has no experience in microbiology.

WRITER + VERB write sth a popular writer who has written over forty books | argue sth, describe sth, point sth out, put it (written), say sth, suggest sth As one twelfth-century writer put it, English wine could be drunk only with closed eyes and through clenched teeth. Is political culture, as some writers have suggested, in a state of collapse? | be interested in sth

PREP. ~ for a freelance feature writer for the Guardian | ~ of a writer of children's books | ~ on He is a prominent writer on civil liberties. | ~ to a writer to the letters column

PHRASES an association/a group/a guild of writers, a writer's association/group/guild/union, a writer in residence We have decided not to employ a writer in residence after June. | a writer of the day/period/time Unlike many writers of the period, she is not preoccupied with morality. | writer's block He's just released a new album after two years of writer's block. > Note at JOB

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

write verb

¹ form letters and words on paper

ADV. clearly, neatly Children must learn to write neatly. | busily She was busily writing in an exercise book. | down, out I'd better write this down, otherwise I'll forget it.

VERB + WRITE learn to | teach sb to

PREP. on He wrote a list on the back of an old envelope.

² produce a piece of writing

ADV. beautifully, well | badly | clearly the ability to write clearly in plain English | extensively He has written extensively on the subject. | anonymously

VERB + WRITE commission sb to He has been commissioned to write a history of the town. | inspire sb to, prompt sb to She was inspired to write the poem by a visit to the cathedral.

PREP. about a journalist who writes about problems in the developing world | for She writes for ‘The Times’. | of She wrote of her life in Africa. | on He writes on political issues.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

writing noun

¹ putting words on paper

VERB + WRITING do, practise Every morning the children do writing. | improve

WRITING + NOUN paper | desk

PHRASES reading and writing

² activity/job of writing

ADJ. effective The book aims to teach effective essay writing. | creative, descriptive, imaginative | academic, critical, scientific, technical | fiction, essay, letter, novel, prose, report, script | travel

QUANT. piece

VERB + WRITING teach

WRITING + NOUN skills

PHRASES a style of writing

³ written/printed words

VERB + WRITING put sth into The arrangement was never put into writing.

PREP. in ~ This agreement has to be confirmed in writing.

⁴ (often writings) books, etc.

QUANT. piece | anthology, collection an anthology of writing about jazz

VERB + WRITING read | publish His writings on the history of art were published by Greenway and Settle. | influence, inspire

WRITING + VERB be about sth, be concerned with sth, deal with sth Her early writing was concerned with the French Revolution. | include sth, range His writings range from ancient to contemporary art, and include a study of Giorgione's paintings. | indicate sth, provide sth, reflect sth, show sth, suggest sth His writings provide us with a first-hand account of the civil war. Her writings reflect the breadth of her interests. | influence sb/sth, inspire sb/sth

PREP. in … ~ You find a greater use of the passive in scientific writing. | through sb's ~ Her influence has been greatest through her writings. | ~ about Her name crops up frequently in writings about the Renaissance. | ~ by a collection of writings by artists | ~ on The book is a collection of writings on death by various authors.

⁵ handwriting

VERB + WRITING have He's got very neat writing. | read I can't read your writing. | recognize I didn't recognize the writing.

PREP. in sb's ~ The list was in Elizabeth's writing. > See HANDWRITING

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

writ noun

ADJ. High Court, Supreme Court, etc. | legal | libel, personal injury, etc.

VERB + WRIT apply for, obtain Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. | file, issue, serve A writ was filed in the High Court. The solicitor came to serve a writ on him. | be served with, receive He has been served with a High Court writ.

PREP. in a/the ~ 22 defendants are named in the writ. | ~ against The businessmen have issued a writ against the authority for damages. | ~ for a writ for damages/libel | ~ of (technical) a writ of execution/summons

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrong adj.

VERBS be, seem | go Things seemed to be going horribly wrong. | get sth He got all his sums wrong. | find sth The doctor could find nothing physically wrong with him. | get sb Don't get me wrong (= don't misunderstand me)?I'm not asking for any favours. | prove sb She was able to prove him wrong.

ADV. all, badly, disastrously, drastically, grossly, hopelessly, horribly, seriously, terribly, tragically You've got it all wrong. I never meant to imply that you were responsible. | absolutely, completely, entirely, fundamentally, quite, totally, wholly | just, simply She's simply wrong for this job. | not far They weren't far wrong with their estimate of 100,000. | not necessarily | clearly, obviously, plainly | morally, physically

PREP. about You were completely wrong about Maurice. He's not leaving. | with She was worried that there was something seriously wrong with her.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

wrong noun

ADJ. great, terrible | past | legal, moral | civil, criminal There are various kinds of civil wrongs, or torts.

VERB + WRONG commit, do (sb), inflict If they do wrong, they have to be punished. You are answerable in court for wrongs done to individuals. According to her, her son could do no wrong. He admitted he had done her wrong and asked for forgiveness. | compensate (sb) for, make up for, put right, redress, right, undo How can we right these wrongs? | suffer It's the job of the newspapers to expose the wrongs suffered by such people. | forgive The two communities must learn to forgive past wrongs. | acknowledge, apologize for, recognize | see no I see no wrong in asking him to share the expenses. | expose | avenge, take revenge for

PREP. in the ~ Although he knew he was in the wrong, he wouldn't apologize.

PHRASES the difference between right and wrong Children have to learn the difference between right and wrong. | the rights and wrongs (of sth) Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, there's not a lot we can do.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

X-ray noun

PREP. ~ of The dentist took an X-ray of my jaw. | ~ on I had to have an X-ray on my knee.

PHRASES the result/results of the X-ray The result of the X-ray gave no cause for concern.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

xylophone noun > Special page at MUSIC

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yacht noun

ADJ. luxury | private, royal | charter | cruising, racing | motor, sailing, steam

VERB + YACHT cruise on, sail They are cruising on a large motor yacht. | moor, tie up

YACHT + VERB sail, set sail

YACHT + NOUN race | club | marina

PREP. aboard/on/on board a/the ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yardstick noun

ADJ. good, useful | common

VERB + YARDSTICK have We don't have a common yardstick by which to compare the two cases. | apply, use | give sb, provide (sb with), serve as | measure sth against/by

PREP. against a ~ The new test provides a yardstick against which to measure children's learning. | by a ~ By any yardstick, that's a large amount of money.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yard noun > Note at MEASURE

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yarn noun

¹ thread

ADJ. fine, thick

QUANT. length, piece

VERB + YARN knit, spin, weave The yarn is woven into a coarse fabric. | thread The yarn has to be threaded through the needle. | dye | use

PREP. in a/the ~ There's a knot in the yarn.

² story

ADJ. amusing, good | adventure

VERB + YARN spin (sb), tell (sb) He tried to spin us some yarn about how he was collecting for the church. It was all lies.

PREP. ~ about

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yawn noun

ADJ. big, deep, huge | noisy | stifled

VERB + YAWN stifle, suppress He struggled to stifle a yawn. | give The little boy gave a huge yawn. | conceal He tried to conceal his yawn behind his hand.

PREP. with a ~

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yawn verb

ADV. hugely, widely He sat up and yawned hugely.

VERB + YAWN make sb | hear sb

PREP. at He got fed up of people yawning at him when he talked about his job.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yearning noun

ADJ. deep, desperate, enormous, great, passionate | romantic

VERB + YEARNING feel, have | express

PREP. with (a) ~ He looked at her with yearning. | ~ after He felt a great yearning after his old job. | ~ for They had a deep yearning for their homeland.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yearn verb

ADV. secretly | still

PREP. after He still yearned after her, even after all these years. | for She yearned for children of her own.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

year noun

ADJ. last, past The chart shows our performance over the past year. | past, preceding, previous, recent The event has not proved popular in past years. They had met once the previous year. | current | coming, following, future, next We have high hopes for the coming year. She died the following year. We aim to do even better in future years. | consecutive, successive She won the race for the third successive year. | alternate | intervening He soon realized that a lot had changed in the intervening years. | early, later the early years of the twenty-first century In his later years, he drifted away from politics. | new We're going skiing early in the new year. | final final-year university students | golden, good, happy, memorable, momentous the golden years of motoring | profitable | bad, hard, lean, poor | peak, record a peak year for exports | calendar | leap | academic, school | financial, fiscal, tax | light (often figurative) The new range puts us light years ahead of the competition. | election | sabbatical He spent his sabbatical year doing research in Moscow. | inter-war, post-war, pre-war, war ~s The children spent the war years abroad. | formative, tender ~s She was born in Spain but spent her formative years in Italy. children of tender years

VERB + YEAR spend He spent last year trying to get a new job. | take It took him ten years to qualify as a vet. | celebrate Next year they celebrate fifty years of marriage. | put on His wife's death has put years on him (= made him look/feel much older). | take off Careful make-up and styling can take years off you (= make you look much younger).

YEAR + VERB begin, start | end, finish | elapse, go by, pass A year elapsed before I heard from him again. The last year went by in flash. | run from/to sth The academic year runs from October to June. | see sth That year saw the explosion of the Internet.

PREP. by the ~ … The reforms will be fully implemented by the year 2007. | during the ~ during the next academic year | for a/the ~ profit for the current year to 31 December We lived there for ten years. | in a ~ I hope to retire in a year/in a year's time. | in a/the ~ in the next tax year Britain was invaded in the year 1066. | in ~s It's the first time we've met in years (= for many years). | over/under a ~ We've been friends for over twenty years. | per ~ Over 10,000 people per year are injured in this type of accident. | throughout the ~ The global economy means that all types of fruit and vegetables are available throughout the year. | ~s between … and … /from … to … the boom years from 1993 to 2000 | ~ of The book represents three years of hard work. That was in the year of the great flood.

PHRASES all year long I've been waiting for this moment all year long. | all (the) year round The city tour runs all the year round. | the beginning/end/middle/start of the year, be six, etc. years old She's only ten years old. | early/late in the year, a time of year It's usually much colder at this time of year. | the turn of the year The team has suffered a loss of form since the turn of the year.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yellow adj.

ADV. very | rather, slightly Her teeth were rather yellow.

ADJ. dark, deep, rich, strong | creamy, light, pale, soft She wore a pale yellow dress. | bright, brilliant, vivid | dirty, dull, sickly | canary, chrome, golden, lemon, primrose, saffron, sunshine > Special page at COLOUR

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yell verb

ADV. loudly | furiously, hysterically | almost | back, out She yelled back at me to mind my own business.

VERB + YELL hear sb

PREP. at He yelled at me furiously. | for yelling for help | in She yelled in pain as she touched the hot iron. | with The children were yelling with laughter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yelp noun

ADJ. little, small | sharp | muffled

VERB + YELP give, let out | hear

PREP. with a ~ | ~ of She jumped back with a little yelp of surprise.

PHRASES a yelp of pain > Note at SOUND

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yen noun > Note at CURRENCY

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yes noun, exclamation

ADJ. resounding, unequivocal, unqualified When the villagers were asked if they wanted the factory to be built, the answer was a resounding yes. | simple

VERB + YES answer, say In reply to his question, most of them answered yes. Please say yes! | vote

YES + NOUN vote

PREP. with a ~ He answered with a yes. | ~ to They voted yes to strike action.

PHRASES yes or no I need a simple yes or no.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yes noun, exclamation

ADJ. resounding, unequivocal, unqualified When the villagers were asked if they wanted the factory to be built, the answer was a resounding yes. | simple

VERB + YES answer, say In reply to his question, most of them answered yes. Please say yes! | vote

YES + NOUN vote

PREP. with a ~ He answered with a yes. | ~ to They voted yes to strike action.

PHRASES yes or no I need a simple yes or no.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yield noun

ADJ. good, high This method of cultivation produces higher yield. | low, poor Yields are quite poor this year.

VERB + YIELD produce

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yoga noun

ADJ. gentle | meditative

VERB + YOGA do, practise She does yoga for an hour a day. | take up | go to I go to yoga on Thursdays.

YOGA + NOUN exercises, movements, positions, technique | class, session He attends regular yoga classes. | teacher | practice | centre

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yoghurt noun

ADJ. natural, plain | apricot, strawberry, etc. | fat-free, low-fat | live | set, thick

QUANT. carton, pot

YOGHURT + NOUN carton, pot > Special page at FOOD

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

yogurt noun

ADJ. natural, plain | apricot, strawberry, etc. | fat-free, low-fat | live | set, thick

QUANT. carton, pot

YOGURT + NOUN carton, pot

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

young adj.

VERBS be, feel, look, seem I felt young again.

ADV. extremely, very She still looks very young. | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively He seemed quite young to have so much responsibility. | enough She looked young enough to be his daughter.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

youth noun

¹ period of your life when you are young

ADJ. early | unhappy | lost nostalgia for her lost youth | misspent His lack of qualifications was taken as a sign of a misspent youth.

VERB + YOUTH spend She spent much of her youth in Hong Kong. | idle away, waste He wasted his youth in front of a computer screen.

PREP. during your ~ She contracted the disease during her youth. | from ~ from youth to maturity | in your ~ He started going to discos in his early youth. | since your ~ I haven't danced since my youth! | throughout your ~ He played football throughout his youth.

PHRASES not in the first flush of youth Though no longer in the first flush of youth she's still remarkably energetic. | scenes from/of sb's youth

² being young

ADJ. extreme Her extreme youth was against her. | comparative | eternal in search of eternal youth

VERB + YOUTH have You still have your youth?that's the main thing.

³ young person

QUANT. gang, group

⁴ young people

YOUTH + NOUN culture | club, group, movement, organization, subculture, work | leader, worker | employment, unemployment, training | court, crime, custody a crackdown on youth crime

PHRASES the youth of today

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

zeal noun

ADJ. great, true | excessive, fanatical | crusading, missionary, radical, reforming, religious, revolutionary a crusading zeal to eradicate drug abuse

VERB + ZEAL burn with, have He burned with a reforming zeal. | demonstrate, show

PREP. with ~ She went about the task with the zeal of an enthusiast. | ~ for She had a true zeal for journalism. | ~ in their zeal in the promotion of education

PHRASES a lack of zeal

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

zest noun

ADJ. great | added, renewed, youthful Last month's victory has given him a renewed zest for the game.

VERB + ZEST be full of, have He is 74 years old but still full of zest. | add, give sb/sth The love affair added a little zest to her life. | lose

PREP. with ~ He campaigned with zest. | ~ for a zest for battle

PHRASES a zest for life

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

zip noun

VERB + ZIP close, do up, fasten, pull (up), slide (up) | open, pull (down), slide (down), undo | get caught in The fabric got caught in the zip and tore.

ZIP + VERB be/get stuck, stick The zip on my bag has stuck. | break | be open, be undone

ZIP + NOUN fastener

PREP. by a ~ The jacket was fastened by a zip at the front. | with a ~ a bag with a zip | ~ on > Special page at CLOTHES

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

zone noun

ADJ. broad, narrow | marginal, peripheral, transition/transitional, twilight a transition zone between tropical and arid vegetations the twilight zone between living and merely existing | border, frontier | neutral | battle, combat, military, war | buffer, demilitarized, exclusion, no-fly, no-go This area behind the station is a no-go zone for tourists. | occupation, occupied, security | autonomous | danger | emergency | disaster The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone. | safe | safety She stood some distance away from him to maintain a safety zone. | nuclear-free, smoke-free, traffic-free, weapons-free Most of the town centre is a traffic-free zone. | earthquake, fault, seismic | climatic, geographical | alpine, arid, coastal, temperate the alpine and arid zones of Australia | economic, enterprise, fishing, free-trade, industrial an industrial zone of factories, warehouses and shipyards | euro-(also eurozone) | northern, southern, etc. | pedestrian | time | erogenous | relegation The team finds itself in the relegation zone after a run of poor results.

VERB + ZONE control The rebels control the southern border zone. | create, declare sth, establish, impose, set up The area has been declared a closed military zone. | enforce Fighter planes are being sent to enforce the UN no-fly zone. | violate An enemy plane was shot down after it violated the exclusion zone. | cross into, enter We were crossing into a new time zone. | leave Aid workers were advised to leave the danger zone. | divide sth into Europe is divided into economic zones.

ZONE + NOUN boundary

PREP. in a/the ~ The plant grows only in the temperate zone. | into a/the We had accidentally strayed into the war zone. | out of a/the ~, within a/the ~ Companies within enterprise zones are given special help. | ~ between the neutral zone between the two countries

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

zoology noun > Note at SUBJECT

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

zoo noun

VERB + ZOO go to, visit | escape from | run a badly-run zoo

ZOO + NOUN animals | keeper (also zookeeper)

PREP. at a/the ~ We saw a baby polar bear at the zoo. | in a/the ~ These lions were born in the zoo.

OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

CD noun

ADJ. budget, full-price, mid-price | double | audio, music, multimedia, photo

PREP. on ~ That was the first album to come out on CD. | on a/the ~ How many tracks are on the CD? | ~ of