American English

caring

caring [adjective]

describes someone who is kind and gives emotional support to others

/ˈker.ɪŋ/

/ˈkeə.rɪŋ/

Example:

I've always thought of Jo as a very caring person.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

caring

car‧ing /ˈkeərɪŋ $ ˈker-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: noun: ↑care, ↑carer; adjective: ↑careful ≠ ↑careless, ↑caring ≠ UNCARING; verb: ↑care; adverb: ↑carefully ≠ ↑carelessly]
1. thinking about what other people need or want and trying to help them ⇨ care:
a warm and caring man
a caring attitude
The school aims to provide a caring environment.
2. [only before noun] involving the job of looking after other people:
Many of the caring professions are badly paid.
More men are taking on a caring role.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

caring

car·ing [caring] [ˈkeərɪŋ] [ˈkerɪŋ] adjective usually before noun
kind, helpful and showing that you care about other people
• He's a very caring person.
• caring parents
• Children need a caring environment.
• (BrE) a caring profession (= a job that involves looking after or helping other people)
Example Bank:
• He was described as ‘a good man, a caring father and a considerate neighbour’.

• She's a very caring person.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

caring / ˈkeə.rɪŋ / / ˈker.ɪŋ / adjective

B2 describes someone who is kind and gives emotional support to others:

I've always thought of Jo as a very caring person.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

caring

[ke͟ərɪŋ]
♦♦♦
1) ADJ-GRADED If someone is caring, they are affectionate, helpful, and sympathetic.
  He is a lovely boy, very gentle and caring.
  ...a loving, caring husband.
  Syn:
  loving
2) ADJ: ADJ n The caring professions are those such as nursing and social work that are involved with looking after people who are ill or who need help in coping with their lives. [BRIT]
  The course is also suitable for those in the caring professions.
  ...the caring services.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

caring

caring adj
1 [more ~; most ~] : feeling or showing concern for other people
• a caring parent/child/teacher
• a caring gesture
2 always used before a noun Brit : of or relating to work that involves helping people
• the caring professions

American English

British English

kind and thoughtful

B2 (Upper-intermediate)

adjective

clock in

clock in [phrasal verb]

to record the time you arrive at work on a special machine

/klɑːk/

/klɒk/

Example:

What time did you clock in this morning?

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

clock in/on phrasal verb especially British English
to record on a special card the time you arrive at or begin work SYN punch in American English:
I clock on at 8:30.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

clock in

ˌclock ˈin/ˈon derived
(BrE) (NAmE ˌpunch ˈin) to record the time at which you arrive at work, especially by putting a card into a machine
• Staff should clock in on arrival.
• I clock on at 8 a.m.

Main entry: clock_derived

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

clock in ( UK also clock on ) informal — phrasal verb with clock / klɒk / / klɑːk / verb [ T ]

to record the time you arrive at work on a special machine:

What time did you clock in this morning?

Clocking-in time is 9.00 a.m.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

clock in

PHRASAL VERB
When you clock in at work, you arrive there or put a special card into a device to show what time you arrived.
[V P] I have to clock in by eight.
Ant:
clock off

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

clock in/on [phrasal verb] chiefly Brit : to record on a special card the time that you start working
• What time did you clock on?
• I clocked in [=(US) punched in] 10 minutes late.

American English

British English

working hours and periods of work

B2 (Upper-intermediate)

phrasal verb

thanks but no thanks

This English expression means "no". You use it when:

Someone offers to help you or give you something
You don't want it
You think the offer is strange, annoying, or unbelievable
You want to show that you didn't like the offer, but still speak politely

You can use "Thanks but no thanks" in situations like these:

A friend offers you some food that looks disgusting.
A salesman tries to sell you something that you definitely don't want.
You got laid off last year, and now your old boss calls to try to get you to come back to your old job.

Example:

A: “Would you like one of my homemade brownies?”
B: “Thank you, but no thank you.”

media:

American English

British English

B1 (Intermediate)

galore

galore [adjective]

in great amounts or numbers

/ɡəˈlɔːr/

Example:

apples galore

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

galore

ga‧lore /ɡəˈlɔː $ -ˈlɔːr/ BrE AmE adjective [only after noun]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: Irish Gaelic; Origin: go leor 'enough']
in large amounts or numbers:
bargains galore in the sales

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

galore

gal·ore [ɡəˈlɔː(r)] [ɡəˈlɔːr] adjective after noun (informal)
in large quantities
• There will be games and prizes galore.
Word Origin:

[galore] early 17th cent.: from Irish go leor, literally ‘to sufficiency’.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

galore

galore /gəˈlɔːʳ/ US /-ˈlɔːr/
adjective [after noun] OLD-FASHIONED INFORMAL
in great amounts or numbers:
And for the sweet-toothed, this café has desserts galore.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

galore

[gəlɔ͟ː(r)]
ADJ: n ADJ (emphasis)
You use galore to emphasize that something you like exists in very large quantities. [INFORMAL, WRITTEN]
You'll be able to win prizes galore.
...a popular resort with beaches galore and a large marina.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

galore

ga·lore /gəˈloɚ/ adj always used after a noun informal : in large numbers or amounts
• The store promises bargains galore [=promises that there will be many bargains] during its weekend sale.

American English

British English

adjective

nostalgia

nostalgia [noun]

a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past

/nɑːˈstæl.dʒə/

/nɒsˈtæl.dʒə/

Example:

Some people feel nostalgia for their schooldays.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

nostalgia

nos‧tal‧gia /nɒˈstældʒə $ nɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[Date: 1700-1800; Language: Modern Latin; Origin: Greek nostos 'returning home' + algos 'pain']
a feeling that a time in the past was good, or the activity of remembering a good time in the past and wishing that things had not changed
nostalgia for
nostalgia for the good old days
He looked back on his university days with a certain amount of nostalgia.
a wave of nostalgia for how great life was in the 1960s
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ feel nostalgia He didn't feel any nostalgia for his school days.
▪ have nostalgia The immigrants I spoke to often had an intense nostalgia for their homeland.
■ adjectives
▪ great nostalgia (=a strong feeling of nostalgia) I read the college newsletter with great nostalgia.
▪ pure nostalgia (=used when talking about good things from the past that are not mixed with things from the present) It was an evening of pure nostalgia, as the band played hits from the 1940s.
■ phrases
▪ a feeling/sense of nostalgia Did it give you a sense of nostalgia to see the play on Broadway again?
▪ a pang of nostalgia (=a short feeling of nostalgia) She felt a pang of nostalgia for the time when they were all children.
▪ a wave of nostalgia (=a strong feeling of nostalgia) As I drove into the city I felt a wave of nostalgia sweep over me.
■ nostalgia + NOUN
▪ a nostalgia trip informal (=a situation or experience that reminds you of events in the past) Walking around campus was a great nostalgia trip for both of us.
▪ a nostalgia buff informal (=someone who likes old things) The restaurant, which still has its 1930s décor, is a favorite with nostalgia buffs.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

nostalgia

nos·tal·gia [nostalgia nostalgias] [nɒˈstældʒə] [nəˈstældʒə] [nɑːˈstældʒə] noun uncountable
a feeling of sadness mixed with pleasure and affection when you think of happy times in the past
• a sense/wave/pang of nostalgia
• She is filled with nostalgia for her own college days.
Derived Words: nostalgic ▪ nostalgically
Word Origin:
late 18th cent. (in the sense ‘acute homesickness’): modern Latin (translating German Heimweh ‘homesickness’), from Greek nostos ‘return home’ + algos ‘pain’.
Example Bank:
• He thought back to his time as a student and felt no nostalgia for any of it.
• I remember it with great nostalgia.
• Nostalgia buffs gathered for the auction of wartime memorabilia.
• She felt great nostalgia for the old way of life.
• She remembers her life as a singer with a certain wistful nostalgia.
• The college reunion was a great nostalgia trip.

• an evening of pure nostalgia

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

nostalgia / nɒsˈtæl.dʒə / / nɑːˈstæl- / noun [ U ]

C2 a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past:

Some people feel nostalgia for their schooldays.

Hearing that tune again filled him with nostalgia.

a wave (= sudden strong feeling) of nostalgia

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

nostalgia

[nɒstæ̱lʤə]
N-UNCOUNT: oft N for n
Nostalgia is an affectionate feeling you have for the past, especially for a particularly happy time.
He might be influenced by nostalgia for the surroundings of his happy youth...
He discerned in the novel an air of Sixties nostalgia.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

nostalgia

nos·tal·gia /nɑˈstælʤə/ noun [noncount] : pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again
• A wave of nostalgia swept over me when I saw my childhood home.
• He was filled with nostalgia for his college days.
- nos·tal·gic /nɑˈstælʤɪk/ adj [more ~; most ~]
• nostalgic memories
• Seeing pictures of my old friends made me feel very nostalgic.
• They remained nostalgic about the good old days.
- nos·tal·gi·cal·ly /nɑˈstælʤɪkli/ adv
• She spoke nostalgically about her childhood on the farm.

urge

urge [noun]

a strong wish, especially one that is difficult or impossible to control

/ɝːdʒ/

/ɜːdʒ/

Example:

The two of them seem unable to control their sexual urges.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

urge

noun
a strong feeling that you want to do something:
I had a sudden urge to laugh.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

II. urge² BrE AmE noun [countable]
a strong wish or need SYN desire
urge to do something
He could no longer resist the urge to go and see Amanda.
Suddenly she had an overwhelming urge to be with her son.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ strong/powerful The urge was too strong to resist.
▪ an irresistible/uncontrollable/overwhelming urge (=very strong) I was overcome by an irresistible urge to laugh.
▪ a sudden urge She fought back the sudden urge to beg his forgiveness.
▪ a sexual/biological urge Most of us feel the biological urge to reproduce.
▪ a primal/instinctive/basic/natural urge (=a natural urge that all people have) Every animal has an instinctive urge to survive.
■ verbs
▪ feel/have an urge I still sometimes feel an urge to have a cigarette.
▪ resist/fight/suppress an urge She had to resist a constant urge to look back over her shoulder.
▪ satisfy an urge (=do want you feel you want to do) He satisfied his urge to travel by going to India.
▪ give in to an urge (=do what you feel you want to do, when this is wrong) I try not to give in to the urge to gossip.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

noun
a strong desire to do sth
• sexual urges
• ~ to do sth I had a sudden urge to hit him.
Word Origin:
mid 16th cent.: from Latin urgere ‘press, drive’.
Example Bank:
• I felt a sudden urge to smash the teapot against the wall.
• I suppressed a strong urge to yawn.
• Leaving him off the guest list satisfied her urge for revenge.
• She resisted the urge to kiss him.
• an instinctive urge to tap your feet to the beat of the music
• the human urge to control the environment
• the primal urge to reproduce
• Freud claimed that this behaviour was caused by the repression of sexual urges.
• She felt a violent urge to laugh, but suppressed it, with difficulty.
• a/an biological/instinctive/primitive need/urge

• sexual needs/urges

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

urge / ɜːdʒ / / ɝːdʒ / noun [ C ]

C2 a strong wish, especially one that is difficult or impossible to control:

The two of them seem unable to control their sexual urges.

[ + to infinitive ] The urge to steal is very strong in many of the young men we look after here.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

urge

[ɜ͟ː(r)ʤ]
♦♦
urges, urging, urged
1) VERB If you urge someone to do something, you try hard to persuade them to do it.
  [V n to-inf] They urged parliament to approve plans for their reform programme...
  [V n to-inf] He urged employers and trade unions to adapt their pay settlements to the economic circumstances.
2) VERB If you urge someone somewhere, you make them go there by touching them or talking to them.
  [V n prep/adv] He slipped his arm around her waist and urged her away from the window...
  [V n] `Come on, Grace,' he was urging her, `don't wait, hurry up.'
3) VERB If you urge a course of action, you strongly advise that it should be taken.
  [V n on n] He urged restraint on the security forces...
  [V n] We urge vigorous action to be taken immediately.
4) N-COUNT: oft N to-inf If you have an urge to do or have something, you have a strong wish to do or have it.
  He had an urge to open a shop of his own...
  I have often talked about why we want to be mothers, but none of us can describe the urge exactly.
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - urge on

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

urge

²urge noun, pl urges [count] : a strong need or desire to have or do something
• the urge for something sweet
• He fought the urge to cry/laugh.
• creative/sexual urges

homesick

homesick [adjective]

unhappy because of being away from home for a long period

/ˈhoʊm.sɪk/

/ˈhəʊm.sɪk/

Example:

As I read my mother's letter, I began to feel more and more homesick.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

homesick

adjective
sad because you are away from home

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

homesick

home‧sick /ˈhəʊmˌsɪk $ ˈhoʊm-/ BrE AmE adjective
feeling unhappy because you are a long way from your home

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

homesick

home·sick [homesick homesickness] [ˈhəʊmsɪk] [ˈhoʊmsɪk] adjective
sad because you are away from home and you miss your family and friends
• I felt homesick for Scotland.
Derived Word: homesickness
Example Bank:
• She felt homesick for her country.

• She was beginning to get a bit homesick.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

homesick / ˈhəʊm.sɪk / / ˈhoʊm- / adjective

unhappy because of being away from home for a long period:

As I read my mother's letter, I began to feel more and more homesick.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

homesick

[ho͟ʊmsɪk]
ADJ-GRADED: usu v-link ADJ
If you are homesick, you feel unhappy because you are away from home and are missing your family, friends, and home very much.
  She's feeling a little homesick.
  Derived words:
  homesickness N-UNCOUNT There were inevitable bouts of homesickness.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

homesick

home·sick /ˈhoʊmˌsɪk/ adj [more ~; most ~] : sad because you are away from your family and home
• He was/got homesick when he went to college.
• She was homesick for her mother's cooking.
- home·sick·ness noun [noncount]

American English

British English

feeling sad and unhappy

B2 (Upper-intermediate)

adjective

camel

camel [noun] (ANIMAL)

a large animal with a long neck, that lives in the desert and has one or two humps (= large raised areas of flesh) on its back

/ˈkæm.əl/

Example:

camel hair

Oxford Essential Dictionary

camel

noun
a large animal with one or two round parts (called humps) on its back. Camels carry people and things in hot dry places.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Camel

Camel BrE AmE trademark
a type of cigarette made in the US, with a picture of a ↑camel on the packet

camel

cam‧el /ˈkæməl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 900-1000; Language: Latin; Origin: camelus, from Greek kamelos, from a Semitic language]

a large desert animal with a long neck and either one or two ↑humps (=large raised parts) on its back

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

camel

camel [camel camels] [ˈkæml] [ˈkæml] noun
1. countable an animal with a long neck and one or two humps on its back, used in desert countries for riding on or for carrying goods

compare dromedary

2. uncountable = camel hair
• a camel coat
see the straw that breaks/broke the camel's back at straw
Word Origin:

Old English, from Latin camelus, from Greek kamēlos, of Semitic origin.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

camel

camel (CLOTH) /ˈkæm.^əl/
noun [U] (ALSO camel hair)
a soft, pale brown woollen cloth used to make coats

camel (ANIMAL) /ˈkæm.^əl/
noun [C]
a large animal with a long neck, that lives in the desert and has one or two humps (= large raised areas of flesh) on its back
See also dromedary.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

camel

[kæ̱m(ə)l]
camels
N-COUNT
A camel is a large animal that lives in deserts and is used for carrying goods and people. Camels have long necks and one or two lumps on their backs called humps.
the straw that broke the camel's back → see straw

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

camel

cam·el /ˈkæməl/ noun, pl -els [count] : a large animal of Africa and Asia that has a long neck and one or two large humps on its back and that is often used for desert travel
the straw that breaks the camel's back
- see straw

seek

seek [verb] (SEARCH)

to try to find or get something, especially something that is not a physical object

/siːk/

Example:

"Are you actively seeking jobs?" she asked.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

seek

verb (seeks, seeking, sought /, has sought) (formal)
to try to find or get something:
You should seek help.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

seek

seek S2 W1 AC /siːk/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle sought /sɔːt $ sɒːt/) [transitive]
[Word Family: verb: ↑seek; noun: ↑seeker]
[Language: Old English; Origin: secan]
1. formal to try to achieve or get something:
Do you think the President will seek re-election?
seek refuge/asylum/shelter etc
Thousands of people crossed the border, seeking refuge from the war.
seek revenge/damages/compensation etc
He sought revenge against Surkov for separating him from his wife and son.
seek to do something
Local schools are seeking to reduce the dropout rate.
attention-seeking/publicity-seeking
2. seek (sb’s) advice/help/assistance etc formal to ask someone for advice or help:
If the symptoms persist, seek medical advice.
3. written to look for someone or something SYN look for:
new graduates seeking employment
Attractive woman, 27, seeks male, 25-35, for fun and friendship.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say that they are looking for someone or something rather than seeking someone or something:
▪ What kind of job are you looking for?
4. seek your fortune literary to go to another place hoping to gain success and wealth:
Coles came to the Yukon in the 1970s to seek his fortune.
5. to move naturally towards something or into a particular position:
Water seeks its own level.
⇨ ↑heat-seeking, ↑hide-and-seek, ↑self-seeking, ↑sought-after
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ nouns
▪ seek help He sought help from the police.
▪ seek advice/information If in any doubt, seek the advice of a senior officer.
▪ seek support/approval He said he would seek shareholder support for the proposal.
▪ seek permission They are seeking permission to build 200 new houses.
▪ seek refuge/asylum/shelter (=try to find somewhere safe) They sought refuge inside the castle.
▪ seek election/re-election (=try to be elected or re-elected) He hasn’t decided whether to seek re-election.
▪ seek compensation/damages (=ask for money because of something bad you have suffered) The other two may seek compensation for wrongful imprisonment.
▪ seek revenge Dafoe plays a computer mastermind who seeks revenge on his former employer.
■ adverbs
▪ actively The university is actively seeking new funds.
▪ desperately They ran in all directions, desperately seeking escape.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ search to look carefully for someone or something: Detectives continue to search for clues. | She searched through all his clothes.
▪ look for somebody/something to try to get someone or something you want or need: I’m looking for something to wear for my sister’s wedding. | The band is looking for a singer. | He’s decided to look for a new career.
▪ try to find somebody/something used especially when someone or something is difficult to find: I spent half an hour trying to find a parking space. | She was in the kitchen, trying to find something to eat that wasn’t raw carrot.
▪ seek formal to try to find something or someone. Used especially about jobs, help, or information. Also used in newspaper advertisements when trying to find a suitable person: They went there seeking work. | She decided to seek help. | Tall blond 18-year-old male seeks female 17+ for friendship.
▪ hunt to look for someone or something. Used when you look very carefully and thoroughly, or in the phrase house/job/bargain hunting: I’ve hunted everywhere, but I can’t find a recipe for French onion soup. | She’s gone out bargain-hunting in the sales.
▪ be on the lookout for somebody/something to be continuously looking for someone or something: I’m always on the lookout for a good bargain.
▪ leave no stone unturned to look for someone or something in every possible place: The police say they will leave no stone unturned in their search for the killer.
seek somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
to try to find someone or something, especially when this is difficult:
Our mission is to seek out the enemy and destroy them.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

seek

seek AW [seek seeks sought seeking] [siːk] [siːk] verb (sought, sought [sɔːt] ; [sɔːt] )(formal)
1. transitive, intransitive to look for sth/sb
• ~ sth/sb Drivers are advised to seek alternative routes.

• ~ for sth/sb (BrE) They sought in vain for somewhere to shelter.

2. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) to try to obtain or achieve sth
• to seek funding for a project
• Highly qualified secretary seeks employment. (= in an advertisement)
• He intends to seek custody of the children.

• We are currently seeking new ways of expanding our membership.

3. transitive to ask sb for sth
• ~ sth I think it's time we sought legal advice.

• ~ sth from sb She managed to calm him down and seek help from a neighbour.

4. intransitive ~ to do sth to try to do sth
Syn: attempt

• They quickly sought to distance themselves from the protesters.

5. -seeking (in adjectives and nouns) looking for or trying to get the thing mentioned; the activity of doing this
• attention-seeking behaviour
• Voluntary work can provide a framework for job-seeking.
see also heat-seeking, self-seeking
see also hide-and-seek
Idiom: seek your fortune
Derived: seek somebody out
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English sēcan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zieken and German suchen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sagire ‘perceive by scent’.
Thesaurus:
seek verb
1. T, I (formal)
• Police are seeking witnesses.
look • • search • • hunt • |written cast around/about for sth •
seek/look/search/hunt for sth
seek/look for/search for/cast around for a/an alternative/way
police/detectives seek/look for/search for/hunt sb/sth
2. T, I (formal)
• She is seeking work in the charity sector.
go after sth • |formal pursue •
seek/go after a job
actively/successfully seek/pursue sth
be currently seeking/pursuing sth
3. T (formal)
• She sought help from a neighbour.
ask • • appeal • • apply • • claim • • demand • |formal request • |especially journalism call for sth •
seek/ask for/appeal for/claim/request/call for sth from sb
formally seek/ask for/apply for/claim/request/call for sth
Example Bank:
• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.
• Jobs in Paris are highly sought after.
• The developer is currently seeking funding for the project.
• They initially sought to blame others for the disaster.
• We sought in vain for a solution.
• We're seeking for alternative materials which might bring the cost down.
• people who are unemployed and actively seeking work
• the answers she sought in those books
• Employers are seeking further clarification of the proposals.
• He admired her ability to seek out bargains.
• He encouraged governments to adopt a more forceful approach in seeking to improve the environment.
• I advise you to seek assistance from the police.
• I think you should seek guidance from your lawyer on this matter.
• It is best to seek a compromise rather than a perfect solution.
• Lawyers are seeking an out-of-court settlement.
• Police are seeking witnesses to the accident.
• She fled the country and is now seeking asylum in Sweden.
• The police are seeking independent confirmation of certain details of the story.
• The research project will seek to find an answer to this question.
• The state has actively sought to develop tourism.
• They are now seeking endorsement for their ideas.
• They sought comfort in each other.
• They sought refuge in the mountain villages.

• To receive the benefit, you have to be actively seeking work.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

seek / siːk / verb ( sought , sought ) formal (SEARCH)

B2 [ T ] to try to find or get something, especially something that is not a physical object:

"Are you actively seeking jobs?" she asked.

Hundreds of dissidents are seeking refuge/asylum in the US embassy.

B2 [ T ] to ask for advice, help, approval, permission, etc.:

Legal advice should be sought before you take any further action.

-seeking / -ɪŋ / suffix

A lot of bad behaviour is attention -seeking on the part of mixed-up kids.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

seek

[si͟ːk]

seeks, seeking, sought
1) VERB If you seek something such as a job or a place to live, you try to find one. [FORMAL]
  [V n] They have had to seek work as labourers...
  [V n] Four people who sought refuge in the Italian embassy have left voluntarily...
  [be V-ed for n] Candidates are urgently sought for the post of Conservative party chairman.
2) VERB When someone seeks something, they try to obtain it. [FORMAL]
  [V n] The prosecutors have warned they will seek the death penalty...
  [V n] Haemophiliacs are seeking compensation for being given contaminated blood.
3) VERB If you seek someone's help or advice, you contact them in order to ask for it. [FORMAL]
  [V n] Always seek professional legal advice before entering into any agreement...
  [V n] On important issues, they seek a second opinion...
  [V n from n] The couple have sought help from marriage guidance counsellors.
4) VERB If you seek to do something, you try to do it. [FORMAL]
  [V to-inf] He also denied that he would seek to annex the country...
  [V to-inf] Moscow is seeking to slow the growth of Russian inflation.
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - seek out

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

seek

seek /ˈsiːk/ verb seeks; sought /ˈsɑːt/; seek·ing [+ obj] somewhat formal
1 : to search for (someone or something) : to try to find (someone or something)
• He is seeking employment. [=he is looking for a job]
• The office is seeking a salesperson.
• The prince is seeking a wife.
• Snakes seek the sun to warm their bodies.
• thrill-seeking travelers [=travelers who want to have very exciting/thrilling experiences]
2 : to ask for (help, advice, etc.)
• You should visit your doctor and seek his advice.
• You should seek medical help immediately if you experience any chest pain or shortness of breath.
• The church is seeking donations/volunteers.
3 a : to try to get or achieve (something)
• He sought revenge for his son's murder.
• During the war, she sought asylum in Spain.
• They sought refuge in Canada.
• The company is seeking new ways to improve service.
• The mayor is seeking reelection.
• She seeks perfection in her work.
• attention-seeking behavior
• Immigrants come to America to seek their fortune. [=to try to become rich]
• They are seeking compensation/damages [=they are trying to get money] for their loss.
b : to make an attempt to do something
• Doctors have been seeking [=trying] to find a cure.
• The builders sought to make the bridge stronger.
seek out [phrasal verb] seek (someone or something) out or seek out (someone or something) : to search for and find (someone or something)
• His parents sought out the best doctors in the field.
• White blood cells seek out and destroy infections.

- see also heat-seeking

- seek·er noun, pl -ers [count]
• seekers of perfection
• job/thrill/pleasure/autograph seekers

American English

British English

searching

B2 (Upper-intermediate)

verb

wood

wood [noun] (MATERIAL)

a hard substance that forms the branches and trunks of trees and can be used as a building material, for making things, or as a fuel

/wʊd/

Example:

The table is made of wood.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

wood

noun

1 (no plural) the hard substance that trees are made of:
Put some more wood on the fire.
The table is made of wood.

2 (also woods) a big group of trees, smaller than a forest:
a large wood
a walk in the woods

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

wood S2 W2 /wʊd/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: adjective: ↑wooded, ↑wooden, ↑woody; noun: ↑wood, ↑woodenness; adverb: ↑woodenly]
[Language: Old English; Origin: wudu]

1. [uncountable and countable] the material that trees are made of ⇨ wooden, woody:
Put some more wood on the fire.
a polished wood floor
Her house was made of wood. ⇨ ↑hardwood, ↑softwood
2. [countable] (also the woods) a small forest:
a walk in the woods
3. touch wood British English, knock on wood American English said just after you have said that things are going well for you, when you want your good luck to continue
4. [countable] one of a set of four ↑golf clubs with wooden heads
5. not be out of the wood(s) yet informal used to say that there are likely to be more difficulties before things improve
6. not see the wood for the trees to not notice what is important about something because you give too much of your attention to small details
⇨ ↑dead wood
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ solid wood You can install a solid wood door.
▪ bare wood (=not painted or covered) The floors were of bare wood.
▪ a hard/soft wood Oak is a hard wood.
■ verbs
▪ chop wood He was chopping wood for the fire.
▪ cut/saw wood A local carpenter cut the wood to size.
▪ carve wood (=used a knife to shape it) The room was decorated with carved wood.
■ phrases
▪ a piece of wood He made a bench out of pieces of wood.
▪ a plank of wood (=a long thin flat piece) The shed was constructed from some old planks of wood.
▪ a block of wood I used a block of wood to knock the pole into the ground.
▪ the grain of the wood (=the natural lines in it) The oil enhances the natural grain of the wood.
■ wood + NOUN
▪ wood chips (=small rough pieces) Fish are smoked slowly over wood chips.
▪ wood shavings (=thin curly pieces) He cleared up the wood shavings.
▪ wood smoke There was a smell of wood smoke.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

wood

wood [wood woods] [wʊd] [wʊd] noun

1. uncountable, countable the hard material that the trunk and branches of a tree are made of; this material when it is used to build or make things with, or as a fuel
• He chopped some wood for the fire.
• a plank of wood
• All the furniture was made of wood.
• a wood floor
• furniture made of a variety of different woods
• In the spring, cut out the old wood and shorten the young stems (= of bushes, etc.).

see also dead wood, hardwood, softwood, wooden, woody

2. countable (also woods plural) an area of trees, smaller than a forest
• a large wood
• a walk in the woods

see also wooded

3. countable a heavy wooden ball used in the game of bowls

4. countable a golf club with a large head, that was usually made of wood in the past
compare iron
more at knock on wood at knock _v., neck of the woods at neck _n., touch wood at touch _v.
Idioms: not out of the woods ▪ not see the wood for the trees
See also: not see the forest for the trees
Word Origin:
Old English wudu, from a Germanic word related to Welsh gwŷdd ‘trees’.
Example Bank:
• He wandered through the beech wood.
• I made a coffee table out of a few bits of wood.
• Over the years, much of the wood in the house had rotted.
• Pine is a soft wood.
• She pruned the dead wood from the tree.
• She stained the wood green.
• She wandered through the woods.
• The cabinet is made of cherry wood.
• The chapel has some interesting works in wood and marble.
• The direction of the wood grain influences the composition of the carving.
• The house had dark wood floors.
• The pub had dark wood panelling.
• The wood was too green to burn.
• There were neat piles of kindling wood against the wall.
• Traditionally wood was seasoned in the open air.
• We came to a clearing in the woods.
• We carve the moulds in wood.
• We gathered wood for the fire.
• When using a plane, be sure to follow the grain of the wood.
• a cabin deep in the woods of Maine
• a wardrobe in a mahogany wood finish
• paper made from wood pulp
• the largest ancient wood in Scotland
• the sound of splintering wood
• varnish that retains the natural wood look

• We descended through an oak wood to the village below.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

wood

wood (GROUP OF TREES) /wʊd/
noun [C]
an area of land covered with a thick growth of trees:
an oak wood
See also woodland.

wooded /ˈwʊd.ɪd/
adjective
covered with trees:
wooded hills
The police found a vital clue to the girl's disappearance in a wooded area near her home.

woods /wʊdz/
plural noun
a wood:
We went for a walk in the woods after lunch.

woody /ˈwʊd.i/
adjective
They lived in a remote cottage set high on a woody hillside.

wood (MATERIAL) /wʊd/
noun
1 [C or U] a hard substance which forms the branches and trunks of trees and which can be used as a building material, for making things, or as a fuel:
He gathered some wood to build a fire.
She fixed a couple of planks of wood to the wall for shelves.
Mahogany is a hard wood and pine is a soft wood.
The room was heated by a wood-burning stove.

2 [C] a type of golf club (= long, thin stick) with a rounded wooden end, used in golf for hitting the ball over long distances:
He likes to use a number 2 wood to tee off.

wood /wʊd/
adjective
made of wood:
Solid wood furniture is much more sturdy and durable than chipboard furniture.
We sanded and polished the wood floor in the living room.
Much of the original 18th-century wood panelling was destroyed in the fire.
See also wooden (WOOD).

woody /ˈwʊd.i/
adjective
1 like wood, for example in taste or smell

2 describes plants with hard stems:
The garden was overgrown with woody plants such as hawthorn and bramble.
See also woody at wood (GROUP OF TREES).

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

wood

[w'ʊd]

woods
1) N-MASS Wood is the material which forms the trunks and branches of trees.
  Their dishes were made of wood...
  There was a smell of damp wood and machine oil.
  ...a short piece of wood.
2) N-COUNT A wood is a fairly large area of trees growing near each other. You can refer to one or several of these areas as woods, and this is the usual form in American English.
  After dinner Alice slipped away for a walk in the woods with Artie...
  About a mile to the west of town he came upon a large wood.
3) → See also dead wood
4) PHRASE: v-link PHR If something or someone is not out of the woods yet, they are still having difficulties or problems. [INFORMAL]
  The nation's economy is not out of the woods yet.
5) CONVENTION You can say `touch wood' in British English, or `knock on wood' in American English, to indicate that you hope to have good luck in something you are doing, usually after saying that you have been lucky with it so far.
  She's never even been to the doctor's, touch wood...
  Touch wood, I've been lucky enough to avoid any other serious injuries.
6) your neck of the woods → see neck
can't see the wood for the trees → see tree

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

¹wood /ˈwʊd/ noun, pl woods
1 [noncount] : the hard substance that makes up the stems and branches of trees and shrubs
• a block of wood
• Some baseball bats are made out of wood.
• The wood on the deck has begun to rot.
- see also deadwood, driftwood, hardwood, plywood
2 a or woods [count] : an area of land covered with many trees
• Their house is near a small wood.
• A thick woods runs along the boundary of the estate.
b woods : a thick growth of trees and bushes that covers a wide area : forest

[noncount]
• The house is surrounded by woods.
• He went for a hike in the woods.

[plural]
• The woods are a dangerous place for walking. [=the forest is a dangerous place for walking]
3 [count] : a golf club with a large head that was made of wood in the past but is now usually made of metal
• She hit a wood off the tee.
• a fairway wood [=a type of wood that is used to hit shots from the fairway]
- compare ¹iron 3
babe in the woods
- see babe
knock on wood US or chiefly Brit touch wood
✦People say knock on wood or touch wood and often hit or touch something made of wood as a way to prevent bad luck after they have just said that something good has happened, that they are in a good situation, etc.
• I've never broken a bone, knock on wood.
neck of the woods
- see ¹neck
not see the wood for the trees
- see tree
out of the wood/woods : in a position free from danger or difficulty
• Her health is getting better but she's not out of the woods yet. [=she is still sick; there is still a chance that her condition could get much worse]

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