British English

wife

wife S1 W1 /waɪf/ BrE AmE noun (plural wives /waɪvz/) [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: wif 'woman, wife']
the woman that a man is married to ⇨ husband, spouse:
Have you met my wife?
a refuge for battered wives
his second wife
ex-wife/former wife
He threatened to kill his ex-wife’s boyfriend.

children

chil‧dren /ˈtʃɪldrən/ BrE AmE
the plural of ↑child

child

child S1 W1 /tʃaɪld/ BrE AmE noun (plural children /ˈtʃɪldrən/) [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: cild]

1. YOUNG PERSON someone who is not yet an adult SYN kid:
The hotel is ideal for families with young children.
The film is not suitable for children under 12.
I was very happy as a child (=when I was a child).
a child of five/eight etc
For a child of five this was a terrifying experience.
a famous writer of children’s books
child victims of war
2. SON/DAUGHTER a son or daughter of any age:
I have five children, all happily married.
She lives with her husband, Paul, and three grown-up children.
Annie had always wanted to get married and have children.
Alex is an only child (=he has no brothers or sisters).
Our youngest child, Sam, has just started university.
eldest child especially BrE, oldest child especially American English
the decision to bring a child into the world (=have a baby)
3. SOMEBODY INFLUENCED BY AN IDEA someone who is very strongly influenced by the ideas and attitudes of a particular period of history
child of
a real child of the sixties
4. SOMEBODY WHO IS LIKE A CHILD someone who behaves like a child and is not sensible or responsible – used to show disapproval:
She’s such a child!
5. something is child’s play used to say that something is very easy to do:
I’ve cooked for 200 people before now. So, tonight is child’s play by comparison.
6. children should be seen and not heard an expression meaning that children should be quiet and not talk – used when you disapprove of the way a child is behaving
7. be with child old use to be ↑pregnant
8. be heavy/great with child old use to be nearly ready to give birth
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + child
▪ a four-year-old/ten-year-old etc child A four-year-old child should not be left on their own.
▪ a young child Young children are naturally curious about the world.
▪ a small child (=a young one) My family lived in France when I was a small child.
▪ a newborn child He was holding the newborn child in his arms.
▪ an unborn child (=a baby that is still inside its mother) Smoking can damage your unborn child.
▪ a spoilt/spoiled child (=allowed to do or have whatever he or she wants, and behaving badly) He’s behaving like a spoilt child.
▪ a gifted child (=extremely intelligent) a special school for gifted children
▪ a bright child (=intelligent) He was a bright child – always asking questions.
▪ a good/bad child Be a good child and sit down!
▪ a naughty child (=doing things that are not allowed) He's behaving like a naughty child.
▪ an easy/difficult child (=easy or difficult to deal with) Marcus was a very happy, easy child.
▪ a problem child (=very difficult to deal with) Problem children may need to be removed from the classroom.
▪ an adopted child (=legally made part of a family that he or she was not born into) I didn’t find out that I was an adopted child until years later.
▪ street children (=living on the streets because they have no homes) The organization aims to help street children in Latin America.
■ verbs
▪ bring up a child especially British English, raise a child especially American English The cost of bringing up a child has risen rapidly.
▪ a child is born Most children at born in hospital.
▪ a child grows up One in four children is growing up in poverty.
■ child + NOUN
▪ child abuse (=treating children in a very bad way, especially sexually) He was arrested on suspicion of child abuse.
▪ child development She’s an expert in child development.
▪ child labour British English, child labor American English (=the use of children as workers) The garments were made using child labour.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ child someone who is not yet an adult. You don’t usually use child to talk about babies or teenagers: Many children are scared of the dark. | He’s just a child.
▪ kid informal a child. Kid is the usual word to use in everyday spoken English: We left the kids in the car.
▪ little boy/little girl a young male or female child: I lived there when I was a little girl. | Little boys love dinosaurs.
▪ teenager someone between the ages of 13 and 19: There’s not much for teenagers to do around here.
▪ adolescent a young person who is developing into an adult – used especially when talking about the problems these people have: He changed from a cheerful child to a confused adolescent.
▪ youth especially disapproving a teenage boy – especially one who is violent and commits crimes: He was attacked by a gang of youths. | a youth court
▪ youngster a child or young person – used especially by old people: You youngsters have got your whole life ahead of you. | He’s a bright youngster with a good sense of humour.
▪ minor law someone who is not yet legally an adult: It is illegal to sell alcohol to a minor.

parent

par‧ent S1 W1 /ˈpeərənt $ ˈper-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin, present participle of parere 'to give birth to']
1. the father or mother of a person or animal:
Children under 14 should be accompanied by a parent.
The eggs are guarded by both parents.
Melissa’s spending the weekend at her parents’ house. ⇨ ↑birth parent, ⇨ foster parents at ↑foster²(3), ⇨ lone parent at ↑lone(2), ⇨ ↑one-parent family, ↑single parent
2. something that produces other things of the same type:
New shoots appear near the parent plant.
3. a company which owns a smaller company or organization:
Land Rover’s new parent
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + parent
▪ a single parent (also a lone parent British English) (=someone who has their children living with them, but no partner) My mum is a single parent.
▪ somebody's biological/natural parents Most children are reared by their natural parents.
▪ somebody's birth parents (=the ones who are biologically related to them) Only half the children who are adopted wish to discover their birth parents.
▪ somebody's real parents (=their biological parents) I was thrilled to have found my real parents.
▪ adoptive parents (=the people who take someone else's child into their home and legally become his or her parents) Adoptive parents often have little practical preparation for parenthood.
▪ a foster parent (=someone who has other people's children living with them) Teresa was removed from her mother's care and placed with foster parents.

father
I. fa‧ther1 S1 W1 /ˈfɑːðə $ -ər/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: fæder]
1. PARENT a male parent:
Ask your father to help you.
Andrew was very excited about becoming a father.
He’s been like a father to me.
a father of two/three/four etc (=a man with two, three etc children)
The driver, a father of four, escaped uninjured.
Steve recently became the proud father of a 7lb 12oz baby girl.
2. PRIEST Father a priest, especially in the Roman Catholic Church:
I have sinned, Father.
Father Devlin ⇒ Holy Father
3. fathers [plural] people related to you who lived a long time ago SYN ancestors:
Our fathers were exiles from their native land. ⇒ forefather
4. GOD Father a way of talking to or talking about God, used in the Christian religion:
our Heavenly Father
5. the father of something the man who was responsible for starting something:
Freud is the father of psychoanalysis.
6. from father to son if property or skill passes from father to son, children receive it or learn it from their parents:
This is a district where old crafts are handed down from father to son.
7. like father like son used to say that a boy behaves like his father, especially when this behaviour is bad
8. a bit of how’s your father British English informal the act of having sex – used humorously
⇒ city fathers, founding father
• • •
THESAURUS 
▪ father a male parent: My father’s a doctor. | He’s a father of three.
▪ dad informal used when talking to your father, or about someone's father: Can I borrow your car, Dad? | Her dad retired ten years ago. | My dad was in the army.
▪ daddy a name for father, which is used especially by young children or when you are talking to young children: Where’s your daddy? | Daddy, can I have a drink, please?
▪ pop American English informal (also pa old-fashioned) used when talking to your father, or about someone's father: I helped Pop fix the gate this morning. | Can I help, Pa? | He is in New York with his Pop's credit card, eating all the ice cream and pizza the city has to offer.
▪ papa old-fashioned informal used when talking to your father, or about someone's father: Papa had forbidden me to go. | She saw her papa 's face change at this news.
▪ sb’s old man informal someone's father – used when talking about him in a way that is not very respectful: His old man wouldn’t let him use the car.
▪ stepfather (also stepdad informal) a man who is married to your mother, who is not your father but often acts as your parent: Her stepfather is really nice.
II. father2 verb [transitive]
1. to become the father of a child by making a woman pregnant:
Hodgkins fathered seven children.
2. formal to start an important new idea or system:
Bevan fathered the concept of the National Health Service.
father something on somebody phrasal verb British English
formal to claim that someone is responsible for something when they are not:
A collection of Irish stories was fathered on him. 

mother

I. moth‧er¹ S1 W1 /ˈmʌðə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: mother, motherhood, mothering; adjective: motherly, motherless; verb: mother]
[Language: Old English; Origin: modor]
1. a female parent of a child or animal:
His mother and father are both doctors.
mother of two/three etc (=mother of two/three etc children)
Janet is a full-time teacher and a mother of two.
the relationship between mother and child
Goodnight, Mother.
Mother said they’d met at university.
If food is scarce, the mother will feed the smaller, weaker chicks.
mother cat/bird/hen etc (=an animal that is a mother)
2. be (like) a mother to somebody to care for someone as if you were their mother:
She’s like a mother to them. If they need anything she always helps out.
3. like a mother hen if someone behaves like a mother hen, they try to protect their children too much and worry about them all the time
4. learn/be taught something at your mother’s knee to learn something when you are a very young child:
the prayers which he had been taught at his mother’s knee
5. the mother of something
a) the origin or cause of something:
Westminster is known as ‘the mother of parliaments’.
Necessity is the mother of invention (=people have good ideas when the situation makes it necessary).
b) informal a very severe or extreme type of something, usually something bad:
I woke up with the mother of all hangovers.
6. spoken especially American English something very large and usually very good:
a real mother of a car
7. American English taboo spoken ↑motherfucker
8. Mother
used to address the woman who is in charge of a ↑convent
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ mother a female parent: My mother and father are both teachers.
▪ mum British English informal, mom American English informal used when talking to your father, or about someone's father: My mum and dad won’t mind if you want to stay the night. | Mom, where’s my sweater?
▪ mummy British English, mommy American English a name for mother, which is used especially by young children or when you are talking to young children: Where’s Mummy, Abbie?
▪ ma American English old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone's mother: Ma stirred the soup on the stove.
▪ mama old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone's mother: Mama seldom disagreed with Papa.
▪ stepmother (also stepmum British English informal, stepmom American English informal) a woman who is married to your father, who is not your mother but often acts as your parent: the wicked stepmother in fairy stories
II. mother² BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[Word Family: noun: mother, motherhood, mothering; adjective: motherly, motherless; verb: mother]
to look after and protect someone as if you were their mother, especially by being too kind and doing everything for them:
I don’t like being mothered!

grandparent

grand‧par‧ent /ˈɡrænˌpeərənt $ -ˌper-/ BrE AmE noun [countable usually plural]
one of the parents of your mother or father:
My grandparents live in Sussex.

grand‧moth‧er S3 /ˈɡrænˌmʌðə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
the mother of your mother or father
REGISTER
People usually say gran (in British English) or grandma when talking to or about their own grandmother:
▪ My grandma used to make lovely cakes.

grandfather

grand‧fa‧ther S3 /ˈɡrændˌfɑːðə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
the father of your father or mother
REGISTER
People usually say grandad (especially in British English) or grandpa when talking to or about their own grandfather:
▪ I used to stay at my grandpa’s house.

lose

lose S1 W1 /luːz/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle lost /lɒst $ lɒːst/)
[Word Family: noun: ↑loser, ↑loss; verb: ↑lose; adjective: ↑lost]
[Language: Old English; Origin: losian 'to destroy or be destroyed, to lose']
1. STOP HAVING ATTITUDE/QUALITY ETC [transitive] to stop having a particular attitude, quality, ability etc, or to gradually have less of it ⇨ loss:
I’ve lost my appetite.
lose confidence/interest/hope etc
The business community has lost confidence in the government.
Carol lost interest in ballet in her teens.
Try not to lose heart (=become sad and hopeless) – there are plenty of other jobs.
lose face (=stop having as much respect from other people)
A settlement was reached in which neither side lost face.
lose weight/height/speed etc
You’re looking slim. Have you lost weight?
The plane emptied its fuel tanks as it started losing altitude.
lose your sight/hearing/voice/balance etc
Mr Eyer may lose the sight in one eye.
The tour was postponed when the lead singer lost his voice.
Julian lost his balance and fell.
lose your touch (=become less skilled at doing something you used to do well)
This latest movie proves Altman is by no means losing his touch.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Douglas had lost consciousness.
lose all sense of time/direction/proportion etc
When he was writing, he lost all sense of time.
lose sight of something (=forget an important fact about a situation)
We must never lose sight of the fact that man must work in harmony with nature.
2. NOT WIN [intransitive and transitive] to not win a game, argument, election, war etc OPP win ⇨ defeat:
They played so badly they deserved to lose.
Klinger lost his seat in the election.
Arkansas just lost three games in a row.
He just can’t bear to lose an argument.
lose to
The Beavers have dropped only one game since losing to Oregon in January.
lose (something) by 1 goal/10 votes/20 points etc
The government lost by one vote.
The Communist candidate lost by a whisker (=a very small amount).
Freddie died in 1982 after losing his battle against AIDS.
lose somebody something
It was a rash decision, and it lost him the race (=caused him to lose the race).
3. CANNOT FIND SOMETHING [transitive] to become unable to find someone or something:
I’ve lost the tickets for tonight’s show.
I followed her on foot, but lost her in the crowd.
It was thought the manuscript had been lost forever.
be/get lost in the post British English be/get lost in the mail American English:
The parcel must have got lost in the post.
lose track of something/somebody (=stop knowing where someone or something is)
He lost track of her after her family moved away.
lose sight of something/somebody (=stop being able to see someone or something)
Don’t try to walk in a heavy snowstorm as you may lose sight of your vehicle. ⇨ lost property
4. STOP HAVING SOMETHING [transitive] if you lose something that is important or necessary, you then no longer have it, especially because it has been taken from you or destroyed ⇨ loss:
David’s very upset about losing his job.
Hundreds of people lost their homes in the floods.
My family lost everything in the war.
He was over the limit and will lose his licence.
90 naval aircraft were lost and 31 damaged.
lose a chance/opportunity
If you hesitate, you may lose the opportunity to compete altogether.
lose something to somebody/something
We were losing customers to cheaper rivals.
She was about to lose her husband to a younger woman.
California has lost 90% of its wetlands to development.
lose an arm/leg/eye etc
He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident.
He’s lost a lot of blood but his life is not in danger.
lose somebody something
the mistakes which lost him his kingdom (=caused him to lose his kingdom)
5. DEATH [transitive]
a) lose your life to die:
a memorial to honor those who lost their lives in the war
b) if you lose a relative or friend, they die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’ ⇨ loss:
One woman in Brooklyn lost a husband and two sons in the gang wars.
Sadly, Anna lost the baby (=her baby died before it was born).
lose somebody to cancer/AIDS etc
He lost his father to cancer (=his father died of cancer) last year.
Peter was lost at sea when his ship sank.
6. MONEY [intransitive and transitive] if you lose money, you then have less money than you had before ⇨ loss
lose on
The company is in debt after losing an estimated $30 million on its dotcom enterprise.
Creditors and investors stand to lose (=risk losing) vast sums after the company’s collapse.
A lot of people lost their shirts (=lost a lot of money) on Ferraris in the eighties.
It’s a great deal – we can’t lose!
lose somebody something
The stock market crash lost the banks £70 million (=caused them to lose £70 million).
7. have nothing to lose spoken if you have nothing to lose, it is worth taking a risk because you cannot make your situation any worse:
You might as well apply for the job – you’ve got nothing to lose.
have nothing to lose but your pride/reputation etc
The working class has nothing to lose but its chains. (=disadvantages, restrictions etc).
have a lot/too much to lose (=used to say that you could make your situation much worse)
These youngsters know they have too much to lose by protesting against the system.
8. TIME [transitive]
a) if you lose time, you do not make progress as quickly as you want to or should
lose time/2 days/3 hours etc
Vital minutes were lost because the ambulance took half an hour to arrive.
In 1978, 29 million days were lost in industrial action.
Come on, there’s no time to lose (=do not waste time).
lose no time in doing something (=do something immediately)
Murdock lost no time in taking out a patent for his invention.
b) if a watch, clock etc loses time, it runs too slowly and shows an earlier time than it should OPP gain
9. lose your way/bearings
a) to stop knowing where you are or which direction you should go in:
I lost my way in the network of tiny alleys.
b) to become uncertain about your beliefs or what you should do:
The company seems to have lost its way of late.
10. lose touch (with somebody/something)
a) if two people lose touch, they gradually stop communicating, for example by no longer phoning or writing to each other:
I’ve lost touch with all my old school friends.
They lost touch when Di got married and moved away.
b) if you lose touch with a situation or group, you are then no longer involved in it and so do not know about it or understand it:
They claim the prime minister has lost touch with the party.
It sometimes appears that the planners have lost touch with reality.
11. lose your temper/cool/rag to become angry
lose your temper/cool/rag with
Diana was determined not to lose her temper with him.
12. lose your head to become unable to behave calmly or sensibly:
You’ve all heard that Nadal lost his head over a girl?
13. lose your mind to become crazy SYN go crazy, go mad:
Nicholas looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
14. lose it spoken informal
a) to become very angry and upset:
She completely lost it with one of the kids in class.
b) (also lose the plot) to become crazy or confused:
I could see people thinking I’d totally lost the plot.
15. lose yourself in something to be paying so much attention to something that you do not notice anything else:
She listened intently to the music, losing herself in its beauty.
16. ESCAPE [transitive] if you lose someone who is chasing you, you manage to escape from them:
There’s a better chance of losing him if we take the back route.
17. CONFUSE SOMEBODY [transitive] spoken informal to confuse someone when you are trying to explain something to them:
Explain it again – you’ve lost me already.
18. REMOVE SOMETHING [transitive] to remove a part or feature of something that is not necessary or wanted:
You could lose the last paragraph to make it fit on one page.
19. lose something in the translation/telling to be less good than the original form:
The joke loses something in the translation.
⇨ lost², ⇨ lose count at count²(3), ⇨ lose sleep over something at sleep²(4)
lose out phrasal verb
to not get something good, valuable etc because someone else gets it instead:
The deal will ensure that shareholders do not lose out financially.
lose out to
He lost out to Roy Scheider for the lead role.
lose out on
Workers who don’t take up training may lose out on promotion.
 

lose out

lose out phrasal verb (see also ↑lose)
to not get something good, valuable etc because someone else gets it instead:
The deal will ensure that shareholders do not lose out financially.
lose out to
He lost out to Roy Scheider for the lead role.
lose out on
Workers who don’t take up training may lose out on promotion.

better (to be) safe than sorryspoken used to say that it is better to be careful, even if this takes time, effort etc, than take a risk that may have a bad result Set the alarm clock – better safe than sorry!