American English

retire

re‧tire S2 W3 /rɪˈtaɪə $ -ˈtaɪr/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: noun: ↑retiree, ↑retirement; adjective: ↑retired, ↑retiring; verb: ↑retire]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Old French; Origin: tirer 'to pull']
1. WORK
a) [intransitive] to stop working, usually because you have reached a certain age:
Most people retire at 65.
He was forced to retire early because of poor health.
retire from
I retired from teaching three years ago.
her decision to retire from her position as librarian of the law society
Her drink problem has forced her to retire from public life.
retire as
He retired as a GP last year.
b) [transitive usually passive] to ask someone to stop doing their job, usually because of ill health:
He became ill and was retired early.
2. QUIET PLACE [intransitive] formal to go away to a quiet place
retire to
I retired to my room to think.
3. JURY [intransitive] when a ↑jury in a law court retires, they go away to consider whether someone is guilty or not
4. GAME/RACE [intransitive] to stop competing in a game or race because you are losing or injured:
He had to retire with a neck injury in the second half.
5. BED [intransitive] literary to go to bed
6. ARMY [intransitive] to move back from a battle after being defeated
• • •
THESAURUS
■ leave your job
▪ leave: I left my last job because the salary was so low. | Why don’t you just leave?
▪ quit to leave your job permanently because you are not happy with it: After enduring months of harassment, Mrs Collins decided to quit her job. | I’ve told them I’m quitting.
▪ resign to officially announce that you have decided to leave your job: The company director was forced to resign over the scandal.
▪ hand in your notice/resignation to write an official letter to your employer saying that you are going to leave your job on a particular date: You have to hand in your notice at least four weeks before you leave.
▪ retire to leave your job in order to stop working permanently, usually because you have reached the age when most people stop working: After forty years of working for the bank, Karl retired in May. | He had to retire because of ill health.

lead

I. lead¹ S1 W1 /liːd/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle led /led/)
[Word Family: noun: lead, ↑leader, ↑leadership; adjective: lead, ↑leading; verb: ↑lead]
[Language: Old English; Origin: lædan]
1. TAKE SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE [intransitive and transitive] to take someone somewhere by going in front of them while they follow, or by pulling them gently
lead somebody to/into etc something
A nurse took her arm and led her to a chair.
The horses were led to safety.
lead somebody away/down etc
She was led away from the courtroom in tears.
The manager led the way through the office.
2. GO IN FRONT [intransitive and transitive] to go in front of a line of people or vehicles:
A firetruck was leading the parade.
3. BE IN CHARGE [intransitive and transitive] to be in charge of an organization, country, or team, or a group of people who are trying to do something:
He has led the party for over twenty years.
Some people say she is too old to lead the country (=be in charge of its government).
Beckham led his team to victory.
lead an investigation/inquiry/campaign
The investigation will be led by Inspector Scarfe.
They are leading a campaign to warn teenagers about the dangers of drug abuse.
lead a revolt/rebellion/coup etc
The rebellion was led by the King’s brother.
lead an attack/assault
Nelson preferred to lead the attack himself from the front.
a man who was born to lead
a communist-led strike
4. CAUSE SOMETHING TO HAPPEN [intransitive and transitive] to cause something to happen or cause someone to do something
lead to
the events that led to the start of the First World War
A degree in English could lead to a career in journalism.
lead somebody into something
Her trusting nature often led her into trouble.
lead somebody to do something
What led him to kill his wife?
lead to somebody doing something
His actions could lead to him losing his job.
5. CAUSE SOMEBODY TO BELIEVE SOMETHING [transitive] to make someone believe something, especially something that is not true
lead somebody to believe/expect/understand something
He had led everyone to believe that his family was very wealthy.
The hotel was terrible, and not at all what we had been led to expect.
Our research led us to the conclusion that the present system is unfair.
6. INFLUENCE [transitive] to influence someone to make them do something that is wrong
lead somebody into something
His brother led him into a life of crime.
He’s not a bad boy. He’s just easily led (=it is easy for other people to persuade him to do things that he should not do).
7. BE MORE SUCCESSFUL [transitive] to be more successful than other people, companies, or countries in a particular activity
lead the world/market/pack/field
US companies lead the world in biotechnology.
lead the way (=be the first to do something, and show other people how to do it)
The Swedes have led the way in data protection. ⇨ ↑leading¹(1)
8. BE WINNING [intransitive and transitive] to be winning a game, competition etc OPP lose:
At half-time, Brazil led 1–0.
With 15 laps to go, Schumacher led the race.
The polls showed Clinton leading Bush 55 percent to 34 percent.
lead by ten points/two goals etc
Nadal was leading by two sets.
9. PATH/DOOR ETC [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] used to say where a path, wire etc goes or what place is on the other side of a door
lead to/towards
The path led down to a small lake.
lead from/out of
the major artery leading from the heart
lead into
the door leading into the hallway
lead somebody to/into something
The riverside path leads visitors to a small chapel.
10. LIFE [transitive] if you lead a particular kind of life, that is what your life is like
lead a normal/quiet/busy etc life
If the operation succeeds, Carly will be able to lead a normal life.
He has led a charmed life (=been very fortunate).
lead a life of luxury/poverty etc
lead the life of a ...
She now leads the life of a recluse.
lead a double life (=deceive people by keeping different parts of your life separate and not letting anyone know the whole truth)
Joe had been leading a double life, seeing an ex-model while his wife believed he was on business.
They lead a nomadic existence.
11. DISCUSSION ETC [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to control the way a discussion, conversation etc develops:
I tried to lead the conversation back to the subject of money.
12. lead somebody up the garden path informal to deliberately deceive someone
13. lead somebody astray
a) to encourage someone to do bad or immoral things which they would not normally do
b) to make someone believe something that is not true
14. lead nowhere/not lead anywhere to not produce any useful result:
So far police investigations seem to have led nowhere.
15. lead by example to show the people you are in charge of what you want them to do by doing it yourself:
The best managers lead by example.
16. lead somebody by the nose to influence someone so much that you can completely control everything that they do:
Politicians think they can easily lead people by the nose.
17. this/that leads (me) to something used to introduce a new subject that is connected to the previous one:
That leads me to my final point. Where are we going to get the money?
18. somebody has their own life to lead used to say that someone wants to be able to live their life independently, without having to do things that other people want them to do
19. lead somebody a merry old dance/a right old dance British English to cause a lot of problems or worries for someone
20. market-led/export-led etc most influenced by the market, by ↑exports etc:
an export-led economic recovery
21. lead the eye if a picture, view etc leads the eye in a particular direction, it makes you look in that direction:
marble columns that lead the eye upward
22. CARD GAME [intransitive and transitive] to play a particular card as your first card in one part of a card game
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ lead to take a person or animal somewhere by going in front of them while they follow, or by pulling them gently: Rachel led Jo into the kitchen. | She was leading a horse, which seemed to have a bad leg.
▪ take to take someone somewhere with you when you have the transport, know the way, are paying etc: I took her to see a film. | Matt’s taking me in his car.
▪ guide to take someone through or to a place you know, showing them the way: Ali guided us through the streets to his house on the edge of the town.
▪ show to take someone to a place such as a table in a restaurant or a hotel room and leave them there: A waitress showed us to our table. | We were shown to our seats near the front of the theatre.
▪ point to show someone which direction to go using your hand or a sign: The sign back there pointed this way.
▪ escort to take someone somewhere, protecting them, guarding them, or showing them the way: He was escorted from the court by police. | The President’s car will be escorted by a military convoy.
▪ usher to show someone the way to a room or building nearby, usually as part of your job: His housekeeper ushered us into the living room.
▪ shepherd to carefully take someone somewhere – used especially about a group of people: The police shepherded thousands of people to safety in the cathedral.
▪ direct formal to tell someone where to go or how to get somewhere: He directed us to a cafe a few blocks away. | Can you direct me to the station?
lead off phrasal verb
1. to start a meeting, discussion, performance etc by saying or doing something:
I’d like to lead off by thanking Rick for coming.
lead off with
The French team led off with two quick goals in the first five minutes.
lead something ↔ off
Hal led the evening off with some folk songs.
2. lead off (something) if a road, room etc leads off a place, you can go directly from that place along that road, into that room etc
lead off from something
He pointed down a street leading off from the square.
a large room, with doors leading off it in all directions
3. to be the first player to try to hit the ball in an ↑inning (=period of play) in a game of baseball
lead somebody on phrasal verb
to deceive someone, especially to make them think you love them:
He thought she loved him, but in fact she was just leading him on.
lead on to something (also lead onto something) phrasal verb especially British English
to cause something to develop or become possible at a later time:
Alan Turing’s work led onto the development of modern computers.
lead with something phrasal verb
1. if a newspaper or television programme leads with a particular story, that story is the main one:
The Washington Post leads with the latest news from Israel.
2. to use a particular hand to begin an attack in ↑boxing, or a particular foot to begin a dance:
Adam led with his left and punched his opponent on the jaw.
lead up to something phrasal verb [not in passive]
1. if a series of events or a period of time leads up to an event, it comes before it or causes it:
the weeks that led up to her death
the events leading up to his dismissal
2. to gradually introduce an embarrassing, upsetting, or surprising subject into a conversation:
She had already guessed what he was leading up to.

the cradle of something formal the place where something important began:
Athens is often regarded as the cradle of democracy.

calm

I. calm¹ S3 W3 /kɑːm $ kɑːm, kɑːlm/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative calmer, superlative calmest)
[Word Family: noun: ↑calm, ↑calmness; verb: ↑calm; adverb: ↑calmly; adjective: ↑calm]
1. relaxed and quiet, not angry, nervous, or upset:
Glen was calm and composed at the funeral.
remain/stay/keep calm
I tried to stay calm and just ignore him.
2. if a place, period of time, or situation is calm, there is less activity, trouble etc than there sometimes is, or than there has been recently:
The financial markets are calm at the moment.
The streets are calm again after last night’s disturbances.
3. a sea, lake etc that is calm is smooth or has only gentle waves:
The seas were dead calm.
—calmly adverb
—calmness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ calm not getting angry, nervous, or upset, even in a difficult situation: We’ll talk about this later when you’re feeling calmer. | Everyone praised Douglas for the calm way in which he handled the situation.
▪ relaxed not worried about anything, especially so that people feel comfortable: Looking relaxed and confident, the president answered questions from the press. | There was a relaxed atmosphere.
▪ chilled-out (also chilled) informal very relaxed and not worried – used especially by young people: I’m much more chilled-out about the whole thing this year.
▪ laid-back informal someone who is laid-back is always relaxed and never seems to get worried or annoyed about anything: I like his laid-back attitude to life. | My parents are pretty laid-back and don’t mind me staying out late.
▪ mellow informal relaxed, friendly, and happy, especially after drinking alcohol: After a few drinks, everyone was pretty mellow.
▪ cool informal staying calm and not showing your emotions, especially when other people are getting excited or angry: He is the kind of player who always manages to stay cool, even under pressure. | She was as cool as a cucumber (=very cool).
▪ keep your head to manage to stay calm and behave in a sensible way in a difficult or frightening situation: In this job you need to be good at keeping your head in a crisis.

II. fold² BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: verb: ↑fold, ↑unfold; noun: ↑fold, ↑folder; adjective: folded, ↑folding]
[Sense 1,2,5: Date: 1200-1300; Origin: ⇨ ↑fold¹]
[Sense 3,4: Language: Old English; Origin: falod]
1. LINE a line made in paper or material when you fold one part of it over another:
Bend back the card and cut along the fold.
2. SKIN/MATERIAL [usually plural] the folds in material, skin etc are the loose parts that hang over other parts of it:
Her dress hung in soft folds.
3. the fold the group of people that you belong to and share the same beliefs and ideas as
return to/come back into the fold
The Church will welcome him back into the fold.
stray from/leave the fold
a former advocate of free market economics who had strayed from the fold
4. SHEEP a small area of a field surrounded by a wall or fence where sheep are kept for safety SYN pen ⇨ corral
5. ROCK technical a bend in layers of rock, caused by underground movements in the earth

fold

I. fold¹ W3 /fəʊld $ foʊld/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: verb: ↑fold, ↑unfold; noun: ↑fold, ↑folder; adjective: folded, ↑folding]
[Language: Old English; Origin: fealdan]
1. BEND [transitive] to bend a piece of paper, cloth etc by laying or pressing one part over another:
Fold the paper along the dotted line.
It’ll fit in if you fold it in half.
fold something over/under/down etc
Spoon the filling onto the dough, fold it over, and press down the edges.
2. SMALLER/NEATER [transitive] (also fold up) to fold something several times so that it makes a small neat shape ⇨ unfold:
I wish you kids would fold up your clothes!
He folded the map neatly.
3. FURNITURE ETC [intransitive and transitive] if something such as a piece of furniture folds, or you fold it, you make it smaller or move it to a different position by bending it:
The chairs fold flat for storage.
fold (something) away/up/down etc
a useful little bed that folds away when you don’t need it
Can you fold the shutters back? ⇨ ↑folding
4. fold your arms to bend your arms so that they rest together against your body:
George stood silently with his arms folded.
5. BUSINESS [intransitive] (also fold up) if an organization folds, it closes because it does not have enough money to continue
6. COVER [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to cover something, especially by wrapping it in material or putting your hand over it
fold something in something
a silver dagger folded in a piece of white cloth
7. fold somebody in your arms literary to hold someone closely by putting your arms around them
fold something ↔ in (also fold something into something) phrasal verb
to gently mix another substance into a mixture when you are preparing food:
Next, fold in the sugar.

nothing

I. noth‧ing¹ S1 W1 /ˈnʌθɪŋ/ BrE AmE pronoun
[Language: Old English; Origin: nan thing, nathing 'no thing']
1. not anything or no thing:
Nothing ever happens in this town.
There’s nothing in this box.
There was nothing else the doctors could do.
He had nothing more to say.
We know nothing about her family.
I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
I promised to say nothing about it to anyone.
We’ve heard nothing from her for weeks.
There’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
‘Do you know much about business?’ ‘Nothing at all.’
She had eaten virtually nothing at supper.
There’s nothing wrong with the data.
There’s nothing new about this.
A brief search was made but they found nothing untoward.
2. nothing but only:
She’d had nothing but bad luck.
3. have nothing against somebody/something if you have nothing against someone or something, they do not annoy or offend you:
I have nothing against him personally.
4. something which is considered unimportant, not interesting, or not worth worrying about:
‘What have you been doing?’ ‘Nothing. Just sitting here.’
There’s nothing on television tonight.
‘What did you do last weekend?’ ‘Oh, nothing much.’
Politics meant nothing (=was not important) to me for years.
The meal was nothing special (=it was not unusual or interesting) – just fish with a cheese sauce.
5. especially American English zero SYN nil British English:
We beat them ten to nothing.
6. have/be nothing to do with somebody/something if you have nothing to do with someone or something, or if someone or something has nothing to do with you, you are not involved or connected with it:
He said that he had nothing to do with the decision.
As I said, it’s nothing to do with me.
That’s got nothing to do with you.
I want nothing to do with (=do not want to be involved) the whole thing.
My staff had nothing whatsoever to do with this.
7. for nothing
a) without paying for something or being paid for something:
Why pay a plumber when my brother will do it for nothing?
b) if you do something for nothing, you make an effort but do not get the result you want:
We went all that way for nothing.
8. no money or payment at all:
This service will cost you nothing.
When a car has done that many miles, it’s worth nothing.
9. there’s nothing like something used to say that something is very good:
There’s nothing like a long hot bath after a day’s climbing.
10. there’s nothing in/to something used to say that what people are saying about someone or something is not true:
It seems there’s nothing in the rumours that she’s pregnant.
11. if nothing else used to emphasize one good quality or feature that someone or something has, while suggesting that it might be the only good one:
If nothing else, the report points out the need for better math education.
12. come to nothing if a plan or action comes to nothing, it does not continue or does not achieve anything
13. be nothing if not something used to emphasize a particular quality that someone or something has:
You’ve got to admit – he’s nothing if not persistent.
14. nothing doing spoken used to refuse to do something
15. (there’s) nothing to it spoken used to say that something is easy to do:
Anyone can use a computer. There’s nothing to it!
16. it was nothing/think nothing of it spoken used when someone has thanked you a lot for something you have done for them:
‘Thank you so much.’ ‘Oh, it was nothing.’
17. nothing of the sort/kind spoken used to say strongly or angrily that something is not true or will not happen:
‘I’ll pay.’ ‘You’ll do nothing of the sort!’
18. have nothing on somebody informal if someone has nothing on you, they are not better than you at something:
She’s got nothing on you when it comes to writing.
19. there’s nothing for it but to do something British English used when there is only one thing you can do in a particular situation:
There was nothing for it but to go back the way we came.
⇨ sweet nothings at ↑sweet¹(13), ⇨ to say nothing of at ↑say¹(46), ⇨ nothing on earth at ↑earth¹(9)
• • •
GRAMMAR
Do not use nothing with another negative word (eg 'not'). Use anything:
▪ I could not find anything suitable (NOT I could not find nothing suitable).

sleep

I. sleep¹ S1 W2 /sliːp/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle slept /slept/) [intransitive]
[Word Family: noun: ↑sleep, ↑sleeper, ↑sleepiness, ↑sleeplessness; adjective: ↑asleep, ↑sleepless, ↑sleepy; adverb: ↑sleepily, ↑sleeplessly; verb: ↑sleep]
1. to rest your mind and body, usually at night when you are lying in bed with your eyes closed ⇨ asleep:
I usually sleep on my back.
Did you sleep well?
He’s lucky because at least he has somewhere to sleep.
2. sleep rough British English to sleep outdoors in uncomfortable conditions, especially because you have no money
3. sleep on it spoken to not make a decision about something important until the next day
4. sleep tight spoken said especially to children before they go to bed to say that you hope they sleep well:
Good night, Jenny. Sleep tight!
5. somebody can sleep easy used to say that someone no longer has to worry about something:
Unlike some other Internet sites, when you buy from us, you can sleep easy.
6. sleep two/four/six etc to have enough beds for a particular number of people:
The villa sleeps four.
7. let sleeping dogs lie to deliberately avoid mentioning a subject, so that you do not cause any trouble or argument
8. literary if a village, house etc sleeps, it is very quiet during the night
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ sleep well I haven’t been sleeping well lately.
▪ sleep badly Eleanor slept badly that night.
▪ sleep soundly/deeply (=in a way that means you are not likely to wake) Within seconds, Maggie was sleeping soundly.
▪ sleep peacefully Celia slept peacefully beside him.
▪ sleep uneasily (=not sleep well, because you are worried) That night I slept uneasily, anxious about the meeting the next day.
▪ sleep fitfully literary (=sleep badly, waking up after short periods, especially because you are worried) She slept fitfully, her mind filled with images of Jack’s face.
▪ barely/hardly sleep (=to not sleep well) I’d hardly slept the night before the wedding.
▪ sleep late (=not wake up until late in the morning) She had slept late; it was already eleven.
■ phrases
▪ can’t/couldn’t sleep I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep.
▪ be unable to sleep He lay down but was unable to sleep.
▪ have trouble sleeping (=to not sleep well) Why do so many elderly people have trouble sleeping?
▪ sleep like a log (also sleep like a baby) informal (=sleep very well) I was exhausted and slept like a log.
▪ not sleep a wink informal (=not sleep at all) I didn’t sleep a wink last night.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ sleep to rest your mind and body with your eyes closed. Sleep is usually used when talking about how long, how deeply, or where someone sleeps. When saying that someone is not awake, you use be asleep: Most people sleep for about eight hours. | He slept downstairs. | Did you sleep well?
▪ be asleep to be sleeping: The baby’s asleep – don’t wake her. | He was fast asleep (=completely asleep)by the time I got home.
▪ oversleep to sleep for longer than you intended so that you wake up late in the morning: I overslept and was late for work.
▪ take a nap (also have a nap especially British English) (also have forty winks informal) to sleep for a short time during the day: I think I’ll have a nap. | She had been awake all night and was looking forward to taking a nap.
▪ have/take a snooze informal to sleep for a short time, especially in a chair, not in a bed: I think I’ll have a quick snooze.
▪ doze to sleep lightly, for example in a chair, and be easily woken: I wasn’t really asleep – I was just dozing. | I must have dozed off (=started sleeping) halfway through the film.
▪ kip British English informal to sleep somewhere, especially somewhere that is not your home – a very informal use: I kipped at my mate’s for a couple of days. | Is it alright if I kip on the floor?
sleep around phrasal verb informal
to have sex with a lot of different people without having a serious relationship with any of them – used to show disapproval
sleep in phrasal verb informal
to let yourself sleep later than usual in the morning:
We usually sleep in on Sunday mornings.
sleep something ↔ off phrasal verb informal
to sleep until you do not feel ill any more, especially after drinking too much alcohol:
He went to his room to sleep it off.
sleep over phrasal verb
to sleep at someone’s house for a night – used especially by children
sleep through phrasal verb
1. sleep through something to sleep while something is happening and not be woken by it:
How did you manage to sleep through that thunderstorm?
2. sleep through (something) to sleep continuously for a long time:
I slept right through till lunchtime.
The baby slept peacefully through the night.
sleep together phrasal verb
if people sleep together, they have sex with each other
sleep with somebody phrasal verb
to have sex with someone, especially someone you are not married to:
Everybody in the office knows he’s been sleeping with Kathy.

hang out

hang out phrasal verb (see also ↑hang)
1. informal to spend a lot of time in a particular place or with particular people
hang out with
I don’t really know who she hangs out with.
Where do the youngsters hang out? ⇨ ↑hangout
2. hang something ↔ out to hang clothes outside in order to dry them:
My job was to hang out the washing.
Hang the wet things out to dry.
3. let it all hang out informal to relax and do what you like

revenge

I. re‧venge¹ /rɪˈvendʒ/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
1. something you do in order to punish someone who has harmed or offended you
revenge for
She wanted revenge for the insult.
revenge against/on
At his wife’s funeral, he vowed revenge against her killer.
in revenge for something
a bomb attack in revenge for the imprisonment of the terrorists
2. the defeat of someone who has previously defeated you in a sport
revenge for
The Australians took revenge for their defeat here last time.
a revenge match
—revengeful adjective
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ take revenge He dreamed of taking revenge on his father’s killers.
▪ get (your) revenge Louise eventually got her revenge by reporting him to the immigration service.
▪ have your revenge One day I’ll have my revenge.
▪ seek revenge They play two women who seek revenge on their former partners.
▪ want revenge You broke her heart and now she wants revenge.
▪ exact/wreak revenge formal (=take revenge) He was exacting revenge on society.
▪ vow revenge (=promise to take revenge) His supporters vowed revenge for his death.
■ adjectives
▪ a terrible/awful revenge Caesar returned to Rome to exact a terrible revenge.
■ revenge + NOUN
▪ a revenge attack The camp was burned down, apparently in a revenge attack.
▪ a revenge killing Her death was followed by a series of revenge killings.
■ phrases
▪ an act of revenge The men were shot dead in an act of revenge for Khan’s assassination.
▪ revenge is sweet (=said when someone feels good because they have got revenge) It took me a long time, but revenge is sweet.