A1 (پایه)

excited

excited [adjective]

feeling very happy and enthusiastic

US /ɪkˈsaɪ.t̬ɪd/ 
UK /ɪkˈsaɪ.tɪd/ 

هيجان‌ زده‌

مثال: 

Are you getting excited about your holiday?

Oxford Essential Dictionary

excited

 adjective
not calm, for example because you are happy about something that is going to happen:
He's getting very excited about his holiday.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

excited

excited /ɪkˈsaɪtəd, ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: adjective: ↑excitable, ↑excited, ↑exciting ≠ ↑unexciting, ↑excitable; noun: ↑excitement, ↑excitability; adverb: ↑excitedly, ↑excitingly; verb: ↑excite]
1. happy, interested, or hopeful because something good has happened or will happen:
Steve flies home tomorrow – we’re all really excited.
excited about
Maria’s starting to get pretty excited about the wedding.
excited by/at
We’re all excited by the prospect of a party.
excited to do something
Michelle sounded excited to hear from him.
excited (that)
I’m so excited that we’re going to New York.
The food was nothing to get excited about (=not very good or special).
excited crowds of shoppers
2. very nervous and upset about something so that you cannot relax
excited about
There’s no point getting excited about it. We can’t change things.
3. feeling sexual desire
—excitedly adverb:
People had gathered and were talking excitedly.
• • •
THESAURUS
excited feeling happy, especially about something good that has happened or is going to happen: He’s excited about his new job. | The kids always get excited on their birthday. | An excited crowd watched their team win 3–0. | When we get home, the dogs are always excited to see us. | Doctors are very excited by the discovery.
thrilled /θrɪld/ [not before noun] very excited and pleased: She was thrilled to hear that you were in London. | I was thrilled when they told me that I’d got a place on the course.
exhilarated /ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtəd, ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪd/ [not before noun] very excited and full of energy, especially because you are experiencing something new or something that involves risks: She felt exhilarated by her new freedom. | The climb left him feeling exhilarated.
look forward to something to feel excited about something good that is going to happen and to think about it a lot: The kids are looking forward to their vacation – they’ve never been to California before. | She’s really looking forward to meeting him.
can’t wait to do something especially spoken to be very excited about something good that is going to happen: I can’t wait to see him again.
on the edge of your seat extremely excited and interested when you are watching a film, game etc, because you do not know what is going to happen next: I was on the edge of my seat throughout the movie. | The game kept fans on the edge of their seats.
on tenterhooks /ˈtentəhʊks $ -ər-/ very excited and nervous because you are waiting to find out what has happened: Don’t keep us on tenterhooks! Did you pass your test?
rapturous [usually before noun] especially written rapturous behaviour shows that a large group of people are extremely excited and pleased: They received a rapturous welcome. | He came on the stage to rapturous applause (=everyone was clapping and cheering).

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

excited

ex·cited   [ɪkˈsaɪtɪd]    [ɪkˈsaɪtɪd]  adjective
1. feeling or showing happiness and enthusiasm
~ (about sth) The children were excited about opening their presents.
~ (at sth) I'm really excited at the prospect of working abroad.
~ (by sth) Don't get too excited by the sight of your name in print.
~ (to do sth) He was very excited to be asked to play for Wales.
The new restaurant is nothing to get excited about (= not particularly good).

• An excited crowd of people gathered around her.

2. nervous or upset and unable to relax

• Some horses become excited when they're in traffic.

3. feeling sexual desire
Syn: aroused
Derived Word: excitedly  
Thesaurus:
excited [excited excitedly] adj.
The kids are excited about the trip.
ecstaticelatedexhilaratedrapturouseuphoric
excited/ecstatic/elated/euphoric at sth
excited/ecstatic/elated about sth
feel excited/elated/exhilarated/euphoric 
Synonyms:
excited
ecstatic elated euphoric rapturous exhilarated
These words all describe feeling or showing happiness and enthusiasm.
excitedfeeling or showing happiness and enthusiasm: The kids were excited about the holiday.
ecstaticvery happy, excited and enthusiastic; showing this enthusiasm: Sally was ecstatic about her new job.
elatedhappy and excited because of sth good that has happened or will happen: I was elated with the thrill of success.
euphoricvery happy and excited, but usually only for a short time: My euphoric mood could not last.
rapturousexpressing extreme pleasure or enthusiasm: He was greeted with rapturous applause.
exhilaratedhappy and excited, especially after physical activity: She felt exhilarated with the speed.
to feel excited/elated/euphoric/exhilarated
to be excited/ecstatic/elated/euphoric at sth
to be excited/ecstatic/elated about sth
to be excited/elated/exhilarated by sth
to be ecstatic/elated/exhilarated with sth 
Example Bank:
Don't get the children too excited.
He was all excited about his new car.
He was puzzled but strangely excited by the commotion.
Maura tried not to look overly excited.
The kids seem pretty excited about the holiday.
excited at the news
• He was really excited to be asked to play for Wales.

• The buzz of excited chatter was quite deafening.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

excited / ɪkˈsaɪ.tɪd /   / -t̬ɪd / adjective

A1 feeling very happy and enthusiastic:

Are you getting excited about your holiday?

An excited crowd waited for the singer to arrive.

 

excitedly / -li / adverb

B1

She ran excitedly down the hall to greet her cousins.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

excited

/ɪksaɪtɪd/

1.
If you are excited, you are so happy that you cannot relax, especially because you are thinking about something pleasant that is going to happen to you.
I’m very excited about the possibility of playing for England’s first team...
I was so excited when I went to sign the paperwork I could hardly write.
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about n
ex‧cit‧ed‧ly
‘You’re coming?’ he said excitedly. ‘That’s fantastic! That’s incredible!’
ADV: ADV with v

2.
If you are excited, you are very worried or angry about something, and so you are very alert and cannot relax.
I don’t think there’s any reason to get excited about inflation...
= agitated
ADJ
ex‧cit‧ed‧ly
Larry rose excitedly to the edge of his seat, shook a fist at us and spat.
ADV: ADV with v

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

excited

excited adj [more ~; most ~] : very enthusiastic and eager about something
• They were excited about/over the trip.
• We were excited (to hear) that they were getting married.
• The children were excited before the school play.

foot ‍

foot [noun] (BODY PART)

( plural feet ) the part of the body at the bottom of the leg on which a person or animal stands

US /fʊt/ 
UK /fʊt/ 
foot -  پا

پا

مثال: 

Iraj has wide feet.

 

ايرج‌ پاهاى پهنى‌ دارد.‏

Oxford Essential Dictionary

foot

 noun

(plural feet ) the part of your leg that you stand on:
I've been walking all day and my feet hurt.

(plural foot or feet) (abbr. ft) a measure of length (= 30.48 centimetres). There are twelve inches in a foot:
'How tall are you?' 'Five foot six (= five feet and six inches).'

culture
In the past, people in Britain used inchesfeetyards and miles to measure distances. In the US, people still use these measurements. In Britain people now use both centimetres and metres as well as feet and inches but usually use miles instead of kilometres.

the lowest part of something same meaning the bottom:
She was standing at the foot of the stairs.

on foot walking:
Shall we go by car or on foot?

put your feet up to rest:
If you're tired, put your feet up and listen to some music.

put your foot down (informal) to say strongly that something must or must not happen:
My mum put her foot down when I asked if I could stay out all night.

put your foot in it (informal) to say or do something by accident that makes somebody embarrassed or upset

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

foot

I. foot1 S1 W1 /fʊt/ BrE AmE noun (plural feet /fiːt/) [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: fot]
1BODY PART the part of your body that you stand on and walk on:
My foot hurts.
I had blisters on the soles of my feet.
I dropped a glass earlier, so don’t walk around in bare feet.
The vet examined the horse’s hind feet.
Don’t wipe your feet on the carpet!
She stood on the platform, her suitcase at her feet.
2MEASUREMENT (plural feet or foot) (written abbreviation ft) a unit for measuring length, equal to 12 ↑inches or about 30 centimetres:
He’s six feet tall, with blonde hair.
Mark was standing just a few feet away from me.
I’d say she’s about five foot three (=five feet and three inches).
a one/two/three etc foot something
a four foot wall
square feet/cubic feet
15,000 square feet of office space
3BOTTOM PART the foot of something the lowest or bottom part of something
the foot of the stairs/ladder etc
He walked to the foot of the stairs.
the foot of a mountain/cliff etc
a small cottage at the foot of the hill
at the foot of something
a large wooden trunk at the foot of his bed
The date is shown at the foot of the page.
4on foot if you go somewhere on foot, you walk there:
It takes about 30 minutes on foot, or 10 minutes by car.
5get/jump/rise etc to your feet to stand up after you have been sitting:
He leapt to his feet and ran outside.
6on your feet
a) to be standing for a long time without having time to sit down:
The worst thing about working in the shop is that you’re on your feet all day. ⇨ dead on your feet at ↑dead1(8)
b) to be standing up:
As soon as the bell rang the class were on their feet and out of the door.
c) to feel better again after being ill and in bed:
We’ll soon have you on your feet again.
7be/get back on your feet to have enough money again, or to be successful again after having problems:
I need to get back on my feet again and forget all this.
8off your feet sitting or lying down, rather than standing or walking:
The doctor told me to stay off my feet for a few days.
9knock/lift etc somebody off their feet to make someone fall over:
They were blown off their feet by the force of the explosion.
10be rushed/run off your feet to be very busy:
Before Christmas, most salespeople are rushed off their feet.
11set foot in something to go to or enter a place:
She swore she would never set foot in his house again.
12be/get under your feet to annoy you by always being in the same place as you and preventing you from doing what you want:
I hate summer vacation. The kids are under my feet all day long.
13put your foot down
a) to say very firmly that someone must do something or must stop doing something:
You’ll just have to put your foot down and tell him he can’t stay out on school nights.
b) informal to make a car go faster
14put your feet up informal to relax, especially by sitting with your feet supported on something
15put your foot in it especially British Englishput your foot in your mouth especially American English to say something without thinking carefully, so that you embarrass or upset someone:
I’ve really put my foot in it this time. I didn’t realize that was her husband!
16start/get off on the wrong/right foot to start a relationship badly or well:
Simon and I got off on the wrong foot but we’re good friends now.
17not put a foot wrong British English to do everything right and make no mistakes, especially in your job
18have/keep both feet on the ground to think in a sensible and practical way and not have ideas or aims that will be impossible to achieve:
It was a great result, but we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground.
19fall/land on your feet to get into a good situation because you are lucky, especially after being in a difficult situation:
Don’t worry about Nina, she always falls on her feet.
20get/have/keep your foot in the door to get your first opportunity to work in a particular organization or industry
21have a foot in both camps to be involved with or connected with two opposing groups of people
22have somebody/something at your feet used to say that people admire or respect someone very much:
All Paris was at his feet. ⇨ have the world at your feet at ↑world1(24)
23have two left feet informal to be very ↑clumsy
24have one foot in the grave to be very old or very ill – used humorously
25... my foot! British English old-fashioned used to show that you do not believe something that someone has just said:
£50 my foot! It’ll cost £200 at least.
26leave feet first to die before you leave a place or job – used humorously:
If you keep fooling around with that gun you’ll be leaving this camp feet first.
27feet of clay someone that you admire who has feet of clay has faults and weaknesses that you did not realize they had
28foot soldier/patrol a soldier or group of soldiers that walks and does not use a horse or a vehicle
29foot passenger a passenger on a ship who has not brought a car with them
30.
a) left-footed/right-footed using your left foot or right foot when you kick a ball
b) flat-footed/four-footed having a particular type or number of feet
31foot pedal/brake/pump etc a machine or control that you operate using your feet
32SOCK the foot the part of a sock that covers your foot
33POETRY technical a part of a line of poetry in which there is one strong ↑beat and one or two weaker ones
⇨ the boot is on the other foot at ↑boot1(6), ⇨ get/have cold feet at ↑cold1(6), ⇨ ↑underfoot, ⇨ drag your feet/heels at ↑drag1(8), ⇨ find your feet at ↑find1(18), ⇨ from head to foot at ↑head1(1), ⇨ stand on your own (two) feet at ↑stand1(31), ⇨ sweep somebody off their feet at ↑sweep1(14), ⇨ have itchy feet at ↑itchy(3), ⇨ not let the grass grow under your feet at ↑grass1(6), ⇨ vote with your feet at ↑vote1(8)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ left foot My left foot ached a bit.
▪ right foot He has broken a bone in his right foot.
▪ front foot (=of an animal) The tiger has five claws in each of its front feet.
▪ back/hind foot (=of an animal) The horse lifted its back foot.
▪ big/small He had small neat feet.
▪ bare (=without any socks or shoes) The marble floor felt cold under his bare feet.
▪ flat (=having a medical condition in which someone’s feet rest flat on the ground, with no curved part) We’ve both got slightly flat feet.
▪ booted/sandalled feet (=wearing boots or sandals) He put down his rucksack and stretched out his booted feet.
■ verbs
▪ injure/hurt your foot Simon injured his foot while playing rugby.
▪ sb’s foot hurts She complained that her foot was hurting.
▪ raise/lift your feet He raised his foot off the floor and rested it on a chair.
▪ drag your feet (=walk slowly in an unwilling way) I was dragging my feet because I didn’t want to get there.
▪ wipe your feet (=wipe your shoes on a mat to remove dirt) Be sure to wipe your feet before coming into the house.
▪ stamp your feet (=bang them noisily on the ground) He stamped his feet in an attempt to keep warm.
▪ tap your feet (=bang them gently on the ground) She was tapping her feet in time with the music.
▪ shuffle your feet (=make small movements with them, because you are nervous or impatient) Ken shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor.
■ foot + NOUN
▪ a foot injury He suffered a foot injury during the match against Sporting Lisbon.
▪ a foot massage Would you like a foot massage?
■ phrases
▪ the sole of your foot (=the base of your foot, that you walk on)The soles of her feet were aching from the long walk.
▪ the ball of your foot (=the rounded part of your foot at the base of the toes) He has a blister on the ball of his foot.
▪ the heel of your foot (=the curved back part of your foot ) He kicked his opponent with the heel of his foot.
▪ at sb’s feet (=on the ground, near your feet) The dog was sitting at his master’s feet.
▪ in your stockinged/stocking feet (=not wearing shoes) She stood 5ft 6 inches tall in her stockinged feet.
▪ my feet are killing me informal (=my feet are hurting)

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

foot

foot [foot foots footed footing] noun, verb   [fʊt]    [fʊt]

noun (pl. feet   [fiːt]  ;   [fiːt]  ) 

PART OF BODY
1. countable the lowest part of the leg, below the ankle, on which a person or an animal stands
• My feet are aching. 
• to get/rise to your feet (= stand up) 
• I've been on my feet (= standing or walking around) all day. 
• We came on foot (= we walked). 
• Come on lads— on your feet and do some work! 
• walking around the house in bare feet (= not wearing shoes or socks) 
• Please wipe your feet (= your shoes) on the mat. 
• Daniel was shifting anxiously from foot to foot. 
• a foot pump (= operated using your foot, not your hand) 
• a foot passenger (= one who travels on a ferry  without a car)

see also  athlete's foot, barefoot, club foot, underfoot  

-FOOTED

2. (in adjectives and adverbs) having or using the type or number of foot/feet mentioned
• bare-footed 
• four-footed 
• a left-footed shot into the corner

see also  flat-footed, sure-footed  

PART OF SOCK

3. countable, usually singular the part of a sock, stocking, etc. that covers the foot  

BASE/BOTTOM
4. singular the ~ of sth the lowest part of sth; the base or bottom of sth
• the foot of the stairs/page/mountain

• The nurse hung a chart at the foot of the bed (= the part of the bed where your feet normally are when you are lying in it).  

MEASUREMENT

5. (pl. feet or foot)(abbr. ft) a unit for measuring length equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres
• a 6-foot high wall 
• We're flying at 35 000 feet.

• ‘How tall are you?’ ‘Five foot nine’ (= five feet and nine inches).  

-FOOTER

6. (in compound nouns) a person or thing that is a particular number of feet tall or long
• His boat is an eighteen-footer.

• Both my brothers are six-footers.  

IN POETRY

7. singular (technical) a unit of rhythm in a line of poetry containing one stressed syllable and one or more syllables without stress. Each of the four divisions in the following line is a foot 
• For ˈmen / may ˈcome / and ˈmen / may ˈgo. 
more at the boot is on the other foot at  boot  n., get/have cold feetat  cold  adj., drag your feet/heels at  drag  v., find your feet at  find v., not let the grass grow under your feet at  grass  n., cut the ground from under sb's feet at  ground  n., bind/tie sb hand and footat  hand  n., from head to foot/toe at  head  n., (get/have) itchy feetat  itchy, have two left feet at  left  adj., the patter of tiny feet at  patter  n., pull the rug (out) from under sb's feet at  pull  v., the shoe is on the other foot at  shoe  n., shoot yourself in the foot at  shoot  v., sit at sb's feet at  sit, in your stocking(ed) feet at  stocking, sweep sb off their feet at  sweep  v., think on your feet at  think  v., vote with your feet at  vote  v., wait on sb hand and foot at  wait  v., walk sb off their feet at  walk  v., take the weight off your feet at  weight  n., have the world at your feet at  world  
Word Origin:
Old English fōt, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch voet and German Fuss, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit pad, pāda, Greek pous, pod-, and Latin pes, ped- ‘foot’.  
Collocations:
Physical appearance
A person may be described as having:
Eyes
(bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes 
deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes 
small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes 
piercing/penetrating/steely eyes 
bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes 
bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows 
long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes 
Face
a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose 
a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose 
full/thick/thin/pouty lips 
dry/chapped/cracked lips 
flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks 
soft/chubby/sunken cheeks 
white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth 
a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead 
a strong/weak/pointed/double chin 
a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard 
a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache/ (especially USmustache 
Hair and skin
pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin 
dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin 
a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion 
deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles 
blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(BrE) ginger/grey hair 
straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair 
thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair 
dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair 
long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair 
a bald/balding/shaved head 
a receding hairline 
a bald patch/spot 
a side/centre/(US) center (BrEparting/ (NAmEpart 
Body
a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck 
broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders 
a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest 
a flat/swollen/bulging stomach 
a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist 
big/wide/narrow/slim hips 
a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back 
thin/slender/muscular arms 
big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands 
long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers 
long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs 
muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs 
big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet 
a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure 
be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build  
Synonyms:
bottom
base • foundation • foot 
These are all words for the lowest part of sth.
bottom • [usually sing.] the lowest part of sth:  Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page. ◊  I waited for them at the bottom of the hill. 
base • [usually sing.] the lowest part of sth, especially the part or surface on which it rests or stands:  The lamp has a heavy base. 
foundation • [usually pl.] a layer of bricks, concrete, etc. that forms the solid underground base of a building:  to  lay the foundations of the new school 
foot • [sing.] the lowest part of sth:  At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him. 
bottom or foot?
Foot is used to talk about a limited number of things: it is used most often with tree, hill/mountain, steps/stairs and page. Bottom can be used to talk about a much wider range of things, including those mentioned above for footFoot is generally used in more literary contexts.
at/near/towards the bottom/base/foot of sth
on the bottom/base of sth
(a) firm/solid/strong base/foundation(s) 
Synonyms:
stand
get up • stand up • rise • get to your feet • be on your feet 
These words all mean to be in an upright position with your weight on your feet, or to put yourself in this position.
stand • to be in an upright position with your weight on your feet: She was too weak to stand. ◊  Stand still  when I'm talking to you! 
Stand is usually used with an adverb or prepositional phrase to show where or how sb stands, but sometimes another phrase or clause is used to show what sb does while they are standing:  We stood talking for a few minutes. ◊  He stood and looked out to sea. 
get up • to get into a standing position from a sitting, kneeling or lying position:  Please don't get up! 
stand up • to be in a standing position; to stand after sitting: Stand up straight! ◊  Everyone would stand up when the teacher entered the classroom. 
stand, get up or stand up?
Stand usually means ‘to be in a standing position’ but can also mean ‘to get into a standing position’. Stand up can be used with either of these meanings, but its use is more restricted: it is used especially when sb tells sb or a group of people to stand. Get up is the most frequent way of saying ‘get into a standing position’, and this can be from a sitting, kneeling or lying position; if you stand up, this is nearly always after sitting, especially on a chair. If you want to tell sb politely that they do not need to move from their chair, use get up: Please don't stand up!
rise • (formal) to get into a standing position from a sitting, kneeling or lying position:  Would you all rise, please, to welcome our visiting speaker. 
get to your feet • to stand up after sitting, kneeling or lying:  I helped her to get to her feet. 
be on your feet • to be standing up:  I've been on my feet all day.  
Example Bank:
• Foot passengers were allowed to leave the ferry before the vehicles. 
• He raised his foot off the accelerator pedal. 
• He shifted his weight onto his back foot. 
• He swung a foot at the ball but missed completely. 
• He's broken several bones in his left foot. 
• His foot caught in the cable and he fell under the train. 
• My foot slipped as I was about to shoot and I missed the ball. 
• She kicked the ball with her right foot. 
• She put her foot down on the accelerator and the car lurched forward. 
• She was dressed from head to foot in green velvet. 
• She was tapping her foot impatiently. 
• That man trod on my foot and he didn't even apologize. 
• The city is best explored on foot. 
• They looked unsure and shifted uneasily from foot to foot. 
• soldiers on foot patrol 
• At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him.

Idioms: fall on your feet  feet first  foot the bill  get a foot in the door  get off on the right foot  get your feet wet  have a foot in both camps  have feet of clay  have one foot in the grave  have your feet on the ground  on your feet  put a foot wrong  put your best foot forward  put your feet up  put your foot down  put your foot in it  run off your feet  set foot in something  set somebody on its feet  stand on your own feet  under your feet  … my foot!

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

foot / fʊt / noun (BODY PART)

A1 [ C ] ( plural feet ) the part of the body at the bottom of the leg on which a person or animal stands:

I've got a blister on my left foot.

I've been on my feet (= standing) all day and I'm exhausted.

informal You look tired. Why don't you put your feet up (= sit or lie down with your feet resting on something) ?

Please wipe your feet (= clean the bottom of your shoes) before you come into the house.

See picture foot

get/rise to your feet C2 to stand up after you have been sitting:

He rose to his feet when she walked in.

on foot A2 walking:

Are you going by bicycle or on foot?

 

foot / fʊt / noun [ C ] ( plural feet or foot ) ( written abbreviation ft ) (MEASUREMENT)

B1 a unit of measurement, equal to twelve inches or 0.3048 metres, sometimes shown by the symbol ′:

The man was standing only a few feet away.

She is five feet/foot three inches tall.

She is 5′ 3″ tall.
 

foot / fʊt / noun [ S ] (BOTTOM)

C1 the bottom or lower end of a space or object:

They built a house at the foot of a cliff.

She dreamed she saw someone standing at the foot of her bed.

There's a note to that effect at the foot of the page.
 

foot / fʊt / noun [ C ] ( plural feet ) specialized (POETRY)

a unit of division of a line of poetry containing one strong beat and one or two weaker ones

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

foot

/fʊt/
(feet)

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.
Your feet are the parts of your body that are at the ends of your legs, and that you stand on.
She stamped her foot again.
...a foot injury.
...his aching arms and sore feet.
N-COUNT
• -footed
She was bare-footed.
...pink-footed geese.
COMB in ADJ

2.
The foot of something is the part that is farthest from its top.
David called to the children from the foot of the stairs...
A single word at the foot of a page caught her eye.
= bottom
 head, top
N-SING: usu the N of n

3.
The foot of a bed is the end nearest to the feet of the person lying in it.
Friends stood at the foot of the bed, looking at her with serious faces.
 head
N-SING: usu the N of n

4.
A foot is a unit for measuring length, height, or depth, and is equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres. When you are giving measurements, the form ‘foot’ is often used as the plural instead of the plural form ‘feet’.
This beautiful and curiously shaped lake lies at around fifteen thousand feet...
He occupies a cell 10 foot long, 6 foot wide and 10 foot high...
I have to give my height in feet and inches.
N-COUNT: usu num N, oft num N adj

5.
A foot brake or foot pump is operated by your foot rather than by your hand.
I tried to reach the foot brakes but I couldn’t.
ADJ: ADJ n

6.
A foot patrol or foot soldiers walk rather than travelling in vehicles or on horseback.
Paratroopers and foot-soldiers entered the building on the government’s behalf.
ADJ: ADJ n

7.
see also footing

8.
If you get cold feet about something, you become nervous or frightened about it because you think it will fail.
The Government is getting cold feet about the reforms.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR about n

9.
If you say that someone is finding their feet in a new situation, you mean that they are starting to feel confident and to deal with things successfully.
I don’t know anyone in England but I am sure I will manage when I find my feet...
PHRASE: V inflects

10.
If you say that someone has their feet on the ground, you approve of the fact that they have a sensible and practical attitude towards life, and do not have unrealistic ideas.
In that respect he needs to keep his feet on the ground and not get carried away...
Kevin was always level-headed with both feet on the ground.
PHRASE: usu v PHR [approval]

11.
If you go somewhere on foot, you walk, rather than using any form of transport.
We rowed ashore, then explored the island on foot for the rest of the day.
PHRASE

12.
If you are on your feet, you are standing up.
Everyone was on their feet applauding wildly.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

13.
If you say that someone or something is on their feet again after an illness or difficult period, you mean that they have recovered and are back to normal.
He said they all needed to work together to put the country on its feet again.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v

14.
If you say that someone always falls or lands on their feet, you mean that they are always successful or lucky, although they do not seem to achieve this by their own efforts.
He has good looks and charm, and always falls on his feet...
PHRASE: V inflects

15.
If you say that someone has one foot in the grave, you mean that they are very old or very ill and will probably die soon. (INFORMAL)
PHRASE: V inflects

16.
If you say, in British English, the boot is on the other foot or, mainly in American English, the shoe is on the other foot, you mean that a situation has been reversed completely, so that the person who was in the better position before is now in the worse one.
You’re not in a position to remove me. The boot is now on the other foot.
PHRASE: V inflects

17.
If someone puts their foot down, they use their authority in order to stop something happening.
He had planned to go skiing on his own in March but his wife had decided to put her foot down.
PHRASE: V inflects

18.
If someone puts their foot down when they are driving, they drive as fast as they can.
I asked the driver to put his foot down for Nagchukha.
PHRASE: V inflects

19.
If someone puts their foot in it or puts their foot in their mouth, they accidentally do or say something which embarrasses or offends people. (INFORMAL)
Our chairman has really put his foot in it, poor man, though he doesn’t know it.
PHRASE: V inflects

20.
If you put your feet up, you relax or have a rest, especially by sitting or lying with your feet supported off the ground.
After supper he’d put his feet up and read. It was a pleasant prospect.
= rest
PHRASE: V inflects

21.
If you never put a foot wrong, you never make any mistakes.
When he’s around, we never put a foot wrong...
PHRASE: V inflects, with brd-neg

22.
If you say that someone sets foot in a place, you mean that they enter it or reach it, and you are emphasizing the significance of their action. If you say that someone never sets foot in a place, you are emphasizing that they never go there.
...the day the first man set foot on the moon...
A little later I left that place and never set foot in Texas again.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft with brd-neg [emphasis]

23.
If someone has to stand on their own two feet, they have to be independent and manage their lives without help from other people.
My father didn’t mind whom I married, so long as I could stand on my own two feet and wasn’t dependent on my husband.
PHRASE: V inflects

24.
If you get or rise to your feet, you stand up.
Malone got to his feet and followed his superior out of the suite...
He sprang to his feet and ran outside.
PHRASE: v PHR

25.
If someone gets off on the wrong foot in a new situation, they make a bad start by doing something in completely the wrong way.
Even though they called the election and had been preparing for it for some time, they got off on the wrong foot.
PHRASE: V inflects

26.
to foot the bill: see bill
foot in the door: see door
drag your feet: see drag
to vote with your feet: see vote

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1foot /ˈfʊt/ nounpl feet /ˈfiːt/
1 [count] : the part of the leg on which an animal or person stands and moves : the part of the leg below the ankle
• He was wearing boots on his feet.
• tracks made by the feet of a bird
• standing on one foot
• The people in the crowd began to stamp their feet.
• She was walking around the house in (her) bare feet. [=she was not wearing any shoes or socks]
• She was in her stockinged/stocking feet. [=she was wearing socks but no shoes]
• It's a long hike, but we'll get there if we just keep putting one foot in front of the other. [=if we just keep walking]
• Wipe your feet [=rub the bottoms of your shoes on the doormat] when you come in.
- often used before another noun
• a foot pump [=a pump that is operated by being pressed with the foot]
• a foot brake
• an area that gets a lot of foot traffic [=an area where many people walk]
- see also athlete's foot, clubfoot, cold feet, flat foot
2 pl also foot [count] : a unit of measurement equal to {frac1/3} yard (0.3048 meter) or 12 inches
• a 10-foot pole = a pole 10 feet long
• He's six feet tall.
• He's six feet, three inches tall. = He's six foot three.
• a plant that grows three feet tall = a three-foot-tall plant
3 [singular]
a : the lowest part of something : bottom
• They camped at the foot of the mountain.
• at the foot of the stairs
b : the end of something that is opposite to the end that is called the head
• the foot of the bed [=the end where your feet are when you are lying on the bed]
• the foot of the table
4 [count] : a basic unit of rhythm in a line of poetry made up of a group of syllables that are accented in a certain way
• Each line of the poem has five feet.
at someone's feet : close to someone's feet
• His dog was lying at his feet.
- sometimes used figuratively
• He was young and fearless, and he felt the world was at his feet. [=felt that he could do great things in the world]
• She claimed that men fell at her feet. [=that men often fell in love with her]
be run/rushed off your feet Brit : to be very busy
• We are run off our feet trying to fill orders.
drag your feet
- see 1drag
feet of clay
✦A person who was admired in the past but who has serious faults or flaws can be described as having feet of clay.
• a former political leader who turned out to have feet of clay
find your feet : to start to be comfortable in a new situation : to begin to be confident or successful
• They quickly found their feet in their adopted country.
• I was away for a long time, so it will take me a while to find my feet again.
get/start off on the right foot : to begin a relationship well
• I want to get off on the right foot with your parents.
get/start off on the wrong foot : to begin a relationship badly
• They got off on the wrong foot when they first met and they've disliked each other ever since.
get your feet wet
- see 1wet
get your foot in the door : to make the first step toward a goal by gaining entry into an organization, a career, etc.
• He took a job as a secretary to get his foot in the door.
hand and foot
- see 1hand
have one foot in the grave : to be close to dying because of old age or illness
have/keep your feet on the ground : to be a sensible and practical person
• Even after she became famous, she always kept her feet on the ground.
let the grass grow under your feet
- see 1grass
light on your feet
- see 4light
my foot informal + somewhat old-fashioned
- used to express surprise or disagreement
• Fair, my foot! That contest wasn't fair!
off your feet : not in a standing position : in or into a sitting or lying position
• The blow knocked me off my feet.
• The doctor suggested that he stay off his feet [=that he avoid standing and walking] as much as possible.
on foot : by walking
• The refugees traveled on foot.
on your feet
1 : in a standing position
• I've been on my feet all day.
• He jumped over the wall and landed on his feet.
• They say that no matter how a cat falls, it always manages to land on its feet.
• By the end of the day the workers were dead on their feet. [=very tired but still standing, working, etc.]
✦In figurative use, to land on your feet or Brit fall on your feet is to be lucky and be in good condition or in a good situation after having a bad or difficult experience.
• He lost his job but landed on his feet when he was hired by another company just a few days later.
2 : in a good position or condition
• The business is finally/back on its feet.
3 : in a healthy condition after an illness or injury
• She should be out of the hospital and (back) on her feet again in a couple of weeks.
4 : quickly and while actively doing something
• Good debaters can think on their feet.
put a foot wrong : to make a mistake
• He never put a foot wrong during the campaign.
put your best foot forward
1 US : to behave very well so that someone will like you and approve of you
• When I visited my girlfriend's parents I tried to be very polite and put my best foot forward.
2 Brit : to try as hard as possible to do something difficult
• I've got to put my best foot forward [=do my best] to meet this deadline.
put your feet up informal : to sit and relax : to not work or be active
• I'm going to go home and put my feet up.
put your foot down
1 : to deal with someone in a harsh or strict way
• When my son broke his curfew for the third time, I knew it was time to put my foot down.
2 Brit : to make a car go faster
put your foot in your mouth chiefly US or put your foot in itinformal : to say something that causes someone to be embarrassed, upset, or hurt especially when you did not expect that reaction
• I really put my foot in it when I asked her about her job. I didn't know she'd just been fired.
set foot in : to enter (a place)
• That was the last time she ever set foot in this house.
set foot on : to walk on (something)
• Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the surface of the moon.
shoot yourself in the foot
- see 1shoot
stand on your own two feet : to support yourself without help from other people
• You can't live with your parents forever. It's time to get a place of your own and learn to stand on your own two feet.
sweep (someone) off his/her feet
- see 1sweep
the shoe is on the other foot or Brit the boot is on the other foot
- used to say that a situation has changed to the opposite of what it was before
• I used to boss my little sister around. Now the shoe is on the other foot. [=now she bosses me around]
• The shoe is on the other foot and he is the one asking for help this time.
to your feet : to a standing position
• I got/rose to my feet [=I stood up] and left.
• His inspirational speech brought the crowd to its feet.
• Everyone in the courtroom came to their feet when the judge entered.
two left feet
✦A person who dances badly can be described as having two left feet.
• My wife is a good dancer, but I've got two left feet.
under your feet chiefly Brit : in the way : underfoot
• I can't get any work done with those kids under my feet.
vote with your feet
- see 1vote

plate

plate [noun] (DISH)

a flat, usually round dish with a slightly raised edge that you eat from or serve food from
 

US /pleɪt/ 
UK /pleɪt/ 

بشقاب

مثال: 

There's still lots of food on your plate.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

plate

 noun
a round dish that you put food on Look also at number plate.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

plate

I. plate1 S2 W2 /pleɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[Sense 1,3,7: Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: plat 'plate, dish', from plat 'flat', from Vulgar Latin plattus, probably from Greek platys 'broad, flat']
[Sense 2, 4-5,8-11: Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: plat 'flat']
[Sense 6: Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Partly from Old French plat 'plate, piece of silver', partly from Old Spanish plata 'silver']
1. FOOD [countable]
a) a flat and usually round dish that you eat from or serve food on:
The plates were piled high with rice.
a dinner plate
b) (also plateful) the amount of food that is on a plate
plate of
He’s eaten a whole plate of french fries.
► Do not use plate when you mean ‘food cooked in a particular way as a meal’. Use dish: the chef who created this dish (NOT this plate)
2. SIGN [countable] a flat piece of metal with words or numbers on it, for example on a door or a car:
The brass plate on the door said ‘Dr Rackman’.
number/license/registration plate (=on a car)
Did anyone see the car’s license plate? ⇨ ↑L-plate, ↑nameplate
3. have a lot/enough on your plate informal to have a lot of problems to deal with or problems to worry about
4. PROTECTIVE COVERING [countable]
a) technical one of the thin sheets of bone, horn etc that covers and protects the outside of some animals
b) a thin sheet of metal used to protect something
metal/steel/iron plates
The shoes had metal plates attached to the heels.
5. EARTH’S SURFACE [countable] technical one of the very large sheets of rock that form the surface of the Earth ⇨ ↑plate tectonics
6. GOLD/SILVER
a) gold/silver plate ordinary metal with a thin covering of gold or silver
b) [uncountable] things such as plates, cups, forks, or knives made of gold or silver
7. hand/give/offer somebody something on a plate to let someone get or achieve something easily, without much effort from them:
I worked hard for what I’ve got. It wasn’t handed to me on a plate.
8. PICTURES/PHOTOS [countable]
a) a sheet of metal that has been cut or treated in a special way so that words or pictures can be printed from its surface:
copper printing plates
b) a picture in a book, printed on good-quality paper and usually coloured
c) a thin sheet of glass used especially in the past in photography, with chemicals on it that are sensitive to light
9. BASEBALL [countable usually singular] the place where the person hitting the ball stands
10. COMPETITION the ... Plate used in the names of sports competitions or races in which the winner gets a silver plate:
This horse won the Galway Plate.
11. TEETH [countable]
a) a thin piece of plastic shaped to fit inside a person’s mouth, into which ↑false teeth are fixed
b) British English a thin piece of plastic with wires fixed to it, that some people wear in their mouth to make their teeth straight SYN brace British English
⇨ ↑hotplate

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

plate

plate [plate plates plated plating] noun, verb   [pleɪt]    [pleɪt] 

 

noun  

 

 

FOOD
1. countable a flat, usually round, dish that you put food on
sandwiches on a plate
a pile of dirty plates
dinner plates
2. countable the amount of food that you can put on a plate
a plate of sandwiches
• two large plates of pasta

compare  plateful

3. countable (especially NAmE) a whole main course of a meal, served on one plate

• Try the seafood plate.  

FOR STRENGTH

4. countable a thin flat piece of metal, used especially to join or make sth stronger
• The tanks were mainly constructed of steel plates.

• She had a metal plate inserted in her arm.  

FOR INFORMATION

5. countable a flat piece of metal with some information on it, for example sb's name
• A brass plate beside the door said ‘Dr Alan Tate’.

see also  nameplate  

 

ON VEHICLE

6. usually plural the pieces of metal or plastic at the front and back of a vehicle with numbers and letters on it

see also  L-plate, license plate, number plate  

 

SILVER/GOLD

7. uncountable ordinary metal that is covered with a thin layer of silver or gold
• The cutlery is plate, not solid silver.

see also  gold plate, silver plate, tinplate

8. uncountable dishes, bowls, etc. that are made of silver or gold

• the family plate  

ON ANIMAL

9. countable (biology) one of the thin flat pieces of horn or bone that cover and protect an animal

• the armadillo's protective shell of bony plates  

GEOLOGY

10. countable one of the very large pieces of rock that form the earth's surface and move slowly
the Pacific plate
Earthquakes are caused by two tectonic plates bumping into each other.

see also  plate tectonics  

 

PRINTING/PHOTOGAPHY

11. countable a photograph that is used as a picture in a book, especially one that is printed on a separate page on high quality paper
• The book includes 55 colour plates.

• See plate 4.

12. countable a sheet of metal, plastic, etc. that has been treated so that words or pictures can be printed from it

• a printing plate

 

13. countable a thin sheet of glass, metal, etc. that is covered with chemicals so that it reacts to light and can form an image, used in larger or older cameras  

 

IN MOUTH
14. countable a thin piece of plastic with wire or artificial teeth attached to it which fits inside your mouth in order to make your teeth straight

compare  brace, dentures  

IN BASEBALL

15. singular (NAmE) =  home plate  

IN CHURCH
16. (usually the plate) singular a flat dish that is used to collect money from people in a church
see also  bookplate, breastplate, footplate, hotplate
more at hand sth to sb on a plate at  hand  v., step up to the plate at  step  v.  
Word Origin:
Middle English (denoting a flat, thin sheet, usually of metal): from Old French, from medieval Latin plata ‘plate armour’, based on Greek platus ‘flat’. Senses 1 to 3 represent Old French plat ‘platter, large dish’, also ‘dish of meat’, noun use of Old French plat ‘flat’.  
Thesaurus:
plate noun C
He barely touched the food on his plate.
dishbowlplatter
a plate/dish/bowl/platter of sth
on a plate/dish/platter
fill a plate/dish/bowl/platter 
Example Bank:
I could see how hungry she was from the way she cleared her plate.
She ate everything on her plate.
The driver was arrested for having false licence/license plates on his car.
The sink was full of dirty plates.
a plate of rice
He barely touched the food on his plate.
He came in carrying a plate of sandwiches.
The set includes four dinner plates, four side plates and four soup bowls.
There was an enormous pile of dirty plates in the kitchen sink.
There were two large plates of pasta on the table.
We used plastic cutlery and ate off paper plates.
• a vehicle's license plates

Idiom: have a lot much on your plate 

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

 

plate / pleɪt / noun (DISH)

A1 [ C ] a flat, usually round dish with a slightly raised edge that you eat from or serve food from:

paper/plastic/china plates

a dinner/salad plate

clean/dirty plates

There's still lots of food on your plate.

[ C ] ( also plateful ) an amount of food on a plate:

Stephen ate three plates of spaghetti.

 

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

plate

[ple͟ɪt]
 ♦♦♦
 plates

 1) N-COUNT A plate is a round or oval flat dish that is used to hold food.
  Anita pushed her plate away; she had eaten virtually nothing.
 N-COUNT: usu N of n
 A plate of food is the amount of food on the plate. ...a huge plate of bacon and eggs.
 2) N-COUNT A plate is a flat piece of metal, especially on machinery or a building.
 3) N-COUNT A plate is a small, flat piece of metal with someone's name written on it, which you usually find beside the front door of an office or house.
 4) N-PLURAL On a road vehicle, the plates are the panels at the front and back which display the license number in the United States, and the registration number in Britain.
 → See also number plate, license plate
  ...dusty-looking cars with New Jersey plates.
 5) N-UNCOUNT Plate is dishes, bowls, and cups that are made of precious metal, especially silver or gold.
  ...gold and silver plate, jewellery, and roomfuls of antique furniture.
 6) N-COUNT In printing, a plate is a sheet of metal which is carved or specially treated with chemicals so that it can be used to print text or pictures.
 7) N-COUNT In photography, a plate is a thin sheet of glass that is covered with a layer of chemicals which react to the light and on which an image can be formed.
 8) N-COUNT A plate in a book is a picture or photograph which takes up a whole page and is usually printed on better quality paper than the rest of the book.
  Fermor's book has 55 colour plates.
  Syn:
  illustration
 9) N-COUNT In a microscope, the plate is a small rectangular piece of glass onto which you put a small amount of the substance that you want to look at. You then slide the plate under the microscope to look at the substance.
  Syn:
  slide
 10) N-COUNT A dental plate is a piece of plastic which is shaped to fit inside a person's mouth and which a set of false teeth is attached to.
 11) N-COUNT In geology, a plate is a large piece of the earth's surface, perhaps as large as a continent, which moves very slowly. [TECHNICAL]
  The United States Geological Survey has revealed that the earthquake was not caused by a simple horizontal movement of one plate past another.
 12) N-COUNT: usu the N in sing In baseball, the plate is the same as the home plate. [AM]
 13) PHRASE: V inflects If you have enough on your plate or have a lot on your plate, you have a lot of work to do or a lot of things to deal with.
  We have enough on our plate. There is plenty of work to be done on what we have.
 14) PHRASE: V inflects (disapproval) If you say that someone has things handed to them on a plate, you disapprove of them because they get good things easily. [mainly BRIT]
  Even the presidency was handed to him on a plate.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

plate

 

2plate verb plates; plat·ed; plat·ing [+ obj]
1 : to add a layer of metal to the outside of (something) - usually used as (be) plated
• The tin cups were plated with silver.
2 baseball : to cause (a run or a runner) to score
• His second hit plated [=drove in] two runs.

1plate /ˈpleɪt/ noun, pl plates
1 [count]
a : a flat and usually round dish that is used for eating or serving food
plates, bowls, and cups
• a paper plate
• fancy dinner/salad/bread/dessert plates
• a large serving plate [=platter]
• pie plates [=plates used to hold pies]
- see picture at place setting
b : the food that is served on a plate
• a plate of cheese and crackers
• a fruit/vegetable/meat plate [=a plate filled with different fruits/vegetables/meats]
• I ate a salad and a plate of spaghetti.
2 [count] : a thin, flat piece of metal
• A shiny metal plate was screwed to the door.
• He had a steel plate put in his shoulder after the accident.
• a plate of armor
- see also breastplate, nameplate
3 [count] : license plate
- usually plural
• a car with New York plates
4 [count] : one of the usually flat, hard pieces that cover the body of some animals
• a dinosaur covered in bony plates
5 [singular] : a dish or small container used in some churches to collect money
• They passed around the plate during services.
• the collection plate
6 the plate baseball : home plate
• The runner was tagged out at the plate.
- see also step up to the plate (below)
7 [count] geology : one of the very large sections of the Earth's surface that are believed to move and cause earthquakes where they touch each other - see also plate tectonics
8 [noncount]
a : metal that is covered with a thin layer of gold or silver
• gold/silver plate
b : objects (such as dishes, knives, forks, etc.) that are covered with a thin layer of gold or silver
• The dishes were solid silver, not plate.
9 [count] : a special page in a book that has pictures on it
• The book is 500 pages long and contains over 50 color plates.
- see also bookplate
10 [count] : a surface of metal, plastic, or wood that is used in printing words or pictures on paper
• printing plates
11 [count] : a sheet of glass or plastic that is treated with a special chemical and used in photography
• photographic plates
12 [count] : the part of a set of false teeth that attaches to the mouth
• the upper/lower plate of a set of dentures
clean your plate
- see 2clean
on a plate informal : in a way that requires no effort : as a gift
• He was handed the job on a plate. [=he was given the job without having to do anything to earn it]
• The victory was handed to us on a plate.
on your plate informal
- used to refer to the things that a person has to do or deal with at one time
• She has a lot on her plate right now. [=she has a lot of things that she has to deal with right now]
• I've got enough on my plate to keep me busy this summer.
step up to the plate baseball : to move into position next to home plate in order to bat - often used figuratively in U.S. English
• He finally stepped up to the plate [=he finally took action] and asked her to marry him.
• If you want this promotion, you're going to have to step up to the plate. [=you will have to improve your work performance to show that you deserve the promotion]

- see also fashion plate

 

   1. noun
a) A dish from which food is serve d or eat en.
I filled my plate from the bountiful table.
b) The contents of such a dish.
I ate a plate of beans.
2. verb
a) To cover the surface material of an object with a thin coat of another material, usually a metal.
This ring is plated with a thin layer of gold.
b) To place the various elements of a meal on the diners plate prior to serving.
After preparation, the chef will plate the dish.

plate (PICTURE) /pleɪt/plate

noun [C] SPECIALIZED
a picture, especially in colour, in a book:
The three birds differ in small features (see Plate 4).

bike

bike [noun]

a bicycle

US /baɪk/ 
UK /baɪk/ 

دوچرخه

مثال: 

It would be better for the environment if more people used bikes rather than cars.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

bike

 noun (informal)
a bicycle or a motorbike:
I go to school by bike.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

bike

I. bike1 S2 /baɪk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Origin: bicycle]
1. a bicycle:
Let’s go for a bike ride.
by bike
They’ll be coming by bike.
2. informal a ↑motorcycle
3. on your bike! British English spoken used to tell someone rudely to go away
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
go somewhere by bike I usually go to work by bike.
ride a bike Her Dad taught her to ride a bike and to drive.
get on/off a bike He got off his bike and walked with her for a while.
rent a bike (also hire a bike British English) You can rent bikes and explore the island's cycle paths.
■ types of bike
a mountain bike (=a strong bicycle for riding over rough ground) They went out for a country ride on their mountain bikes.
a racing bike He bought a cool new racing bike.
an exercise bike (=used for exercising indoors) I usually go on the exercise bike and the rowing machine.
■ bike + NOUN
a bike ride We used to go for long bike rides in the summer holidays.
a bike race The Tour de France is a famous bike race.
a bike shed They used to meet behind the bike sheds at school.
a bike rack (=a metal frame that you can attach your bike to) All stations should provide bike racks for passengers.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

bike

bike [bike bikes biked biking] noun, verb   [baɪk]    [baɪk] 

noun
(informal)
1. a bicycle
She got on her bike and rode off.
I usually go to work by bike.

see also  mountain bike, pushbike, quad bike

2. a motorcycle 
Word Origin:
late 19th cent.: abbreviation.  
Example Bank:
He got on his bike and rode off.
She came off her bike when it skidded on some wet leaves.
She pedalled her bike up the track.
She tried to pedal her bike up the track.
We had to push our bikes up the hill.
We watched the boys on their bikes.
Idiom: on your bike!

Derived Word: biking 

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

bike / baɪk / noun [ C ]

A1 a bicycle:

It would be better for the environment if more people used bikes rather than cars.

My youngest child is learning to ride a bike.

B1 informal a motorcycle

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

bike

[ba͟ɪk]
 ♦♦♦
 bikes, biking, biked

 1) N-COUNT A bike is a bicycle or a motorcycle. [INFORMAL]
 2) VERB To bike somewhere means to go there on a bicycle. [INFORMAL]
  [V adv/prep] I biked home from the beach.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1bike /ˈbaɪk/ noun, pl bikes [count]
1 : bicycle
• She rode her bike to school.
• a bike path
2 : motorcycle
- see also dirt bike, motorbike

beach

beach [noun]

an area of sand or small stones near the sea or another area of water such as a lake

US /biːtʃ/ 
UK /biːtʃ/ 

ساحل

مثال: 

We spent the day on the beach.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

beach

 noun (plural beaches)
a piece of land next to the sea that is covered with sand or stones:
a sandy beach
We lay on the beach in the sun.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

beach

I. beach1 S2 W2 /biːtʃ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: Perhaps from Old English bæce 'small stream']
an area of sand or small stones at the edge of the sea or a lake:
a sandy beach
surfers on the beach
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning )
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + beach
crowded In the summer the beaches get very crowded.
quiet (=with few people on it) The beaches on this side of the island are quieter.
deserted/empty (=with no one on it) We took a boat to a deserted beach.
a sandy beach Corfu is known for its sandy beaches.
a shingle/pebble/pebbly beach (=covered with very small stones) Both resorts have small shingle beaches.
a rocky beach (=with large rocks on it) They anchored the boat off a rocky beach.
a long beach All around the coast of Lanzarote are long beaches of golden sand.
a white/golden beach The house was beside a dazzling white beach.
a private beach (=owned by someone, so you need permission to use it) The hotel has its own private beach.
a public beach (=for everyone to use) The public beaches were very dirty.
■ verbs
lie on the beach I find it boring just lying on the beach all day.
go to the beach They've gone to the beach for the weekend.
walk on/along the beach She loved to walk along the beach in the early morning.
■ beach + NOUN
a beach holiday British English (=a holiday spent mainly at the beach) She loves beach holidays, while he prefers city breaks.
a beach resort This is one of the most popular beach resorts in Greece.
a beach hut (=a small building on the beach for storing things such as swimming or sports equipment) a row of brightly painted beach huts
a beach bar/restaurant (=on the beach) We watched the sun go down from the beach bar.
a beach towel They spread out beach towels and opened parasols.
beach volleyball/football (=played on the beach) Who wants a game of beach volleyball?

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

beach

beach [beach beaches beached beaching] noun, verb   [biːtʃ]    [biːtʃ] 

 

noun
an area of sand or small stones (called shingle), beside the sea or a lake
tourists sunbathing on the beach
a sandy/pebble/shingle beach
a beach bar
 
Word Origin:
mid 16th cent. (denoting shingle on the seashore): perhaps related to Old English bæce, bece ‘brook’ (an element that survives in place names such as Wis bech and Sand bach), assuming an intermediate sense ‘pebbly river valley’.  
Culture:
seaside and beach
In the 18th century British people started going to the seaside for pleasure and for their health. Seaside towns such as Brighton, Lyme Regis and Scarborough became fashionable with the upper class. Bathing in the sea became popular and bathing machines were invented for people to get changed in. Later, towns like Blackpool, Clacton-on-Sea and Margate, which were close to industrial areas or to London, developed into large seaside resorts to which workers went for a day out or for their holiday. Long piers were built stretching out to sea and soon had a wide range of amusements built on them. Promenades were built along the shore for people to walk along. Rows of beach huts and chalets (= buildings where people could get changed or sit and have tea) took the place of bathing machines, and deckchairs were for hire on the beach. There were ice-cream sellers, whelk stalls, stalls selling buckets and spades for children to build sandcastles, and the occasional Punch and Judy show. In the early 1900s it became popular to send seaside postcards to friends. Children bought seaside rock, a long sugary sweet with the name of the place printed through it.
Most British people like to go to the sea for a day out or for a weekend. Resorts like Blackpool are still popular, but others are run-down and rather quiet. British people now prefer to go on holiday to beach resorts in Spain, Greece or the Caribbean because the weather is more likely to be sunny and warm.
Americans talk of going to the ocean or the beach, rather than the seaside. Some places, especially on the East coast, have very popular beaches and people travel long distances to go there. Florida is especially popular and at spring break (= a holiday in the spring for high school and college students) it is full of students.
Beach activities include swimming, surfing and windsurfing, also called sailboarding. Many people go to the beach but never go into the water. They spend their time playing games like volleyball (= hitting a large ball backwards and forwards over a net) and Frisbee (= throwing a flat plastic disc). Other people go to the beach to get a tan and spend all their time sunbathing. Many people worry about getting skin cancer if they get burnt by the sun and so put on sun cream or sun block to protect their skin. A day at the beach often also involves a picnic meal or, especially in the US, a barbecue (= meat cooked over an open fire)
Thesaurus:
beach noun C
They were sunbathing on the beach.
seashoresandshorelinelakesideshorecoastcoastline|especially BrE seasidesea|AmE ocean
on the beach/seashore/sand/shoreline/lakeside/shore/coast/coastline
at the beach/seashore/coast/seaside
by the seashore/lakeside/shore/coast/seaside/sea/ocean
go to the beach/seashore/coast/seaside/sea/ocean
Beach or seashore? Beach is usually used about a sandy area next to the sea, where people lie in the sun or play. Seashore is used more to talk about the area by the sea where people walk for pleasure
He liked to look for shells on the seashore.
 
Synonyms:
coast
beach seaside coastline sand seashore
These are all words for the land beside or near to the sea, a river or a lake.
coastthe land beside or near to the sea or ocean: a town on the south coast of England The coast road is closed due to bad weather.
It is nearly always the coast, except when it is uncountable: That's a pretty stretch of coast.
beachan area of sand, or small stones, beside the sea or a lake: She took the kids to the beach for the day. sandy beaches
seaside(especially BrE) an area that is by the sea, especially one where people go for a day or a holiday: a trip to the seaside
It is always the seaside, except when it is used before a noun: a seaside resort. The seaside is British English; in American English seaside is only used before a noun.
coastlinethe land along a coast, especially when you are thinking of its shape or appearance: California's rugged coastline
sanda large area of sand on a beach: We went for a walk along the sand. a resort with miles of golden sands
the seashorethe land along the edge of the sea or ocean, usually where there is sand and rocks: He liked to look for shells on the seashore.
beach or seashore?
Beach is usually used to talk about a sandy area next to the sea where people lie in the sun or play, for example when they are on holiday/vacation. Seashore is used more to talk about the area by the sea in terms of things such as waves, sea shells, rocks, etc, especially where people walk for pleasure.
along the coast/beach/coastline/seashore
on the coast/beach/coastline/sands/seashore
at the coast/beach/seaside/seashore
by the coast/seaside/seashore
a(n) rocky/unspoiled coast/beach/coastline
to go to the coast/beach/seaside/seashore 
Example Bank:
He walked along the beach.
She lay on the beach and read her book.
The island group has over 230 miles of pristine tropical beaches.
They met at the beach.
They sat on a grassy hill overlooking the beach.
a beautiful golden beach stretching for miles
She met him in a beach bar.
She took the kids to the beach for the day.
There are miles of beautiful sandy beaches.
• To the south is West Bay, a small port with a shingle beach.

• We could see tourists sunbathing on the beach.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

beach / biːtʃ / noun [ C ]

A1 an area of sand or small stones near the sea or another area of water such as a lake:

We spent the day on the beach.

a beach café

a beach towel

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

beach

[bi͟ːtʃ]
 ♦♦♦
 beaches, beaching, beached

 1) N-COUNT A beach is an area of sand or stones beside the sea.
  ...a beautiful sandy beach...
  I just want to lie on the beach in the sun.
  Syn:
  seashore
 2) V-ERG If something such as a boat beaches, or if it is beached, it is pulled or forced out of the water and onto land.
  [V n] We beached the canoe, running it right up the bank...
  The boat beached on a mud flat...
  [V pron-refl] Experts are unable to explain why the whales beached themselves.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1beach /ˈbiːʧ/ noun, pl beach·es [count] : an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake
• We spent the day at the beach.
• walking/lying on the beach
• white, sandy beaches
• private/public beaches

cold

cold [adjective] (LOW TEMPERATURE)

at a low temperature, especially when compared to the temperature of the human body, and not hot, or warm

US /koʊld/ 
UK /kəʊld/ 

سرد

مثال: 

cold weather

Oxford Essential Dictionary

adjective (colder, coldest)

1 not hot or warm; with a low temperature:
Put your coat on – it's cold outside.
I'm cold. Will you put the heater on?
hot and cold water
 opposite hot

which word?
Cool, cold or freezing? Cool means quite cold, especially in a pleasant way: It's hot outside but it's nice and cool in here. Freezing means extremely cold, often in an unpleasant way: It's absolutely freezing outside.

2 not friendly or kind:
She gave him a cold, hard look.
 

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

cold

I. cold1 S1 W1 /kəʊld $ koʊld/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative colder, superlative coldest)
[Language: Old English; Origin: ceald, cald]
1. OBJECTS/SURFACES/LIQUIDS/ROOMS something that is cold has a low temperature OPP hotcoldness:
She splashed her face with cold water.
a blast of cold air
We slept on the cold ground.
The house felt cold and empty.
ice/stone/freezing cold (=very cold)
The radiator is stone cold; isn’t the heating working?
go/get cold (=become cold)
My tea’s gone cold.
Come and eat or your dinner will get cold!
2. WEATHER when there is cold weather, the temperature of the air is very low OPP hotcoldness:
It was so cold this morning I had to scrape the ice off my windshield.
The day was bitterly cold.
The hut sheltered her from the cold wind.
cold winter/evening/January etc
the coldest winter on record
cold out/outside
It was raining and freezing cold outside.
The weather gets colder around the middle of October.
turn/grow cold (=become cold or colder, especially suddenly)
The nights grew colder.
3. be/feel/look/get cold if you are cold, your body is at a low temperature:
Could you turn up the heater, I’m cold.
I feel so cold!
My feet are as cold as ice (=very cold).
4. FOOD cold food is cooked but not eaten hot:
a plate of cold meats
a cold buffet
Serve the potatoes cold.
5. LACKING FEELING unfriendly or lacking normal human feelings such as sympathy, pity, humour etc OPP warmcoldly, coldness:
Martin was really cold towards me at the party.
His voice was as cold as ice.
She gave him a cold stare.
a cold calculated murder
6. get/have cold feet informal to suddenly feel that you are not brave enough to do something you planned to do:
The plan failed after sponsors got cold feet.
7. give somebody the cold shoulder informal to deliberately ignore someone or be unfriendly to them, especially because they have upset or offended you
8. LIGHT/COLOUR a cold colour or light reminds you of things that are cold OPP warmcoldness:
the cold light of a fluorescent tube
9. in the cold light of day in the morning, when you can think clearly or see something clearly:
The house seemed less threatening in the cold light of day.
10. cold (hard) cash American English money in the form of paper money and coins rather than cheques or ↑credit cards
11. leave somebody cold to not feel interested in or affected by something in any way:
Opera left him cold.
12. take/need a cold shower used humorously to say that someone is sexually excited and the cold water will stop them feeling that way
13. sb’s trail/scent is cold used to say that you cannot find someone because it has been too long since they passed or lived in a particular place:
I tracked the boy as far as the factory, but there his trail went cold.
14. IN GAMES [not before noun] used in children’s games, to say that someone is far away from the hidden object or answer they are trying to find:
You’re getting colder!
15. cold facts facts without anything added to make them more pleasant or interesting:
Statistics can be merely cold facts.
16. cold steel literary a weapon such as a knife or sword
in cold blood at ↑blood1(3), ⇨ cold fish at ↑fish1(8), ⇨ blow hot and cold at ↑blow1(21), ⇨ cold comfort at ↑comfort1(7), ⇨ pour cold water over/on at ↑pour(6), ⇨ a cold sweat at ↑sweat2(4)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ cold + NOUN
cold weather More cold weather is expected later this week.
a cold night/day It was a cold night with a starlit sky.
a cold winter A cold winter will increase oil consumption.
a cold wind A cold wind was blowing from the north.
a cold spell (=a period of cold weather, especially a short one) We’re currently going through a bit of a cold spell.
a cold snap (=a short period of very cold weather) There had been a sudden cold snap just after Christmas.
■ adverbs
freezing/icy cold Take your gloves – it’s freezing cold out there.
bitterly cold (=very cold) The winter of 1921 was bitterly cold.
unusually/exceptionally cold a period of unusually cold weather
quite/pretty cold It’s going to be quite cold today.
cold out/outside It’s too cold out – I’m staying at home.
■ verbs
become cold (also get cold informal) In my country, it never really gets cold.
turn/grow cold (=become cold, especially suddenly) The birds fly south before the weather turns cold.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ person
cold used especially when you feel uncomfortable: I’m cold – can I borrow a sweater?
cool a little cold, especially in a way that feels comfortable: The air-conditioning keeps everyone cool.
freezing (cold) spoken very cold and very uncomfortable: You look absolutely freezing!
shivery cold and unable to stop shivering, especially because you are ill: I felt shivery and had a headache.
■ weather
cold used especially when you feel uncomfortable: It gets very cold here in the winter.
cool a little cold, often in a way that feels comfortable: It’s very hot in the day, but cooler at night. | a nice cool breeze
chilly a little cold, but not very cold, in a way that feels rather uncomfortable: a chilly autumn day | It’s a bit chilly.
freezing (cold) spoken very cold and very uncomfortable: It’s freezing outside.
bitterly cold very cold and very uncomfortable: It can be bitterly cold in the mountains.
icy (cold) very cold, especially when the temperature is below zero: The wind was icy cold.
crisp cold, dry, and clear, in a way that seems pleasant: I love these crisp autumn mornings.
frosty in frosty weather, the ground is covered in a frozen white powder: It was a bright frosty morning.
arctic extremely cold and unpleasant, with snow and ice: He would not survive for long in the arctic conditions. | arctic weather
■ room
cold used especially when you feel uncomfortable: It’s cold in here.
cool a little cold, especially in a way that feels comfortable: Let’s go inside where it’s cool.
freezing (cold) spoken very cold: I had to sleep in a freezing cold room.
draughty British English, drafty American English /ˈdrɑːfti $ ˈdræfti/ with cold air blowing in from outside, in a way that feels uncomfortable: Old houses can be very draughty.
■ food, liquid, or something you touch
cold: The water’s too cold for swimming. | a cold stone floor
cool a little cold, especially in a way that seems pleasant: a nice cool drink | cool white sheets
freezing (cold) very cold: His friends pulled him from the freezing water.
chilled food and drinks that are chilled have been deliberately made cold: a bottle of chilled champagne
frozen kept at a temperature which is below zero: frozen peas

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

cold

cold [cold colds colder coldest] adjective, noun, adverb   [kəʊld] Click to play   [koʊld] Click to play

 

adjective (cold·er, cold·est

 

 

LOW TEMPERATURE
1. having a lower than usual temperature; having a temperature lower than the human body
I'm cold. Turn the heating up.
to feel/look cold
cold hands and feet
a cold room/house
hot and cold water in every room
Isn't it cold today?
It's freezing cold.
to get/turn colder
bitterly cold weather
• the coldest May on record

(BrE) The water has gone cold.  

 

 

FOOD/DRINK

2. not heated; cooled after being cooked
a cold drink
• Hot and cold food is available in the cafeteria.

• cold chicken for lunch  

 

 

UNFRIENDLY

3. (of a person) without emotion; unfriendly
to give sb a cold look/stare/welcome
Her manner was cold and distant.

• He was staring at her with cold eyes.  

 

 

LIGHT/COLOURS

4. seeming to lack warmth, in an unpleasant way
• clear cold light

• cold grey skies  

 

 

ROUTE

5. not easy to find

• The police followed the robbers to the airport but then the trail went cold.  

 

 

IN GAMES

 

6. used in children's games to say that the person playing is not close to finding a person or thing, or to guessing the correct answer  

 

UNCONSCIOUS
7. out ~ not before noun (informal) unconscious

• He was knocked out cold in the second round.  

 

 

FACTS

8. the ~ facts/truth facts with nothing added to make them more interesting or pleasant
see also  coldly, coldness 
more at make sb's blood run cold at  blood, blow hot and cold at  blow  v., go hot and cold at  hot  adj.  
Word Origin:
Old English cald, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch koud and German kalt, also to Latin gelu ‘frost’.  
Thesaurus:
cold adj.
1.
A cold wind blew.
chillyfreezingfrozenicy|written chill|usually approving coolcrisp|often disapproving bitterlukewarmtepid
Opp: hot, Opp: warm, Opp: mild
a/an cold/chilly/freezing/icy/chill/cool/crisp day/night/morning
cold/chilly/freezing/icy/cool/bitter weather
cold/lukewarm/tepid tea/coffee/food
2.
Her manner was cold and distant.
unfriendlycoolfrostychillyimpersonalremotedistant|written aloof
Opp: warm
a/an cold/unfriendly/cool/frosty look
a/an cold/unfriendly/cool/frosty/impersonal/aloof manner
a/an cold/unfriendly/cool voice/glance  
Synonyms:
cold
cool freezing chilly lukewarm tepid
These words all describe sb/sth that has a low temperature.
coldhaving a temperature that is lower than usual or lower than the human body; (of food or drink) not heated; cooled after being cooked: I'm cold. Turn the heating up. Outside it was bitterly cold. a cold wind hot and cold water It's cold chicken for lunch.
cool(often approving) fairly cold, especially in a pleasant way: a long cool drink We found a cool place to sit.
freezingextremely cold; having a temperature below 0° Celsius: It's absolutely freezing outside. I'm freezing!
chilly(rather informal) too cold to be comfortable: Bring a coat. It might turn chilly later.
lukewarm(often disapproving) slightly warm, sometimes in an unpleasant way: Her coffee was now lukewarm.
tepid(often disapproving) slightly warm, sometimes in an unpleasant way: a jug of tepid water
lukewarm or tepid?
There is really no difference in meaning or use between these words.
to feel/get cold/cool/chilly
cold/cool/freezing/chilly air/weather
a cold/cool/freezing/chilly wind
cold/cool/freezing/lukewarm/tepid water
a cold/cool/lukewarm/tepid shower/bath
cold/lukewarm/tepid tea/coffee/food
a cold/cool drink
It's cold/chilly/freezing outside. 
Example Bank:
Bake in the oven for twenty minutes. Serve hot or cold.
I found him a rather cold person.
I'm afraid the coffee's gone cold.
In January it turned very cold.
It's bitterly cold outside.
She was very cold towards me.
The rain overnight had made the water cold.
The room grew cold.
The sight of him standing there made her blood go cold.
There was a freezing cold wind.
This soup is stone cold!
Use ice to keep the drinks cold.
Your dinner's getting cold.
an ice-cold beer
A cold snap caused problems for drivers.
Every room has hot and cold water.
He was portrayed as a cold, calculating terrorist.
He was staring at her with cold eyes.
Her manner was cold and distant.
I'm cold. Turn the heating up.
It grew colder as the evening came.
It was the coldest winter on record.
It's cold chicken for lunch.
She gave David a cold look of disapproval.
• The stream was icy cold.

Idioms: cold fish  come in from the cold  get cold feet  give somebody the cold shoulder  in cold blood  in the cold light of day  leave somebody cold  leave somebody out in the cold  pour cold water on something 

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

cold / kəʊld /   / koʊld / adjective (LOW TEMPERATURE)

A1 at a low temperature, especially when compared to the temperature of the human body, and not hot, or warm:

a cold day/house

cold food/water

cold hands

cold weather

My feet are so cold.

It's freezing cold today.

You'll feel cold if you don't wear a coat.

 

coldness / ˈkəʊld.nəs /   / ˈkoʊld- / noun [ U ]

C2

It was the coldness of her manner that struck me.
 

cold / kəʊld /   / koʊld / adjective (UNFRIENDLY)

B1 not showing kindness, love, or emotion and not friendly:

His handshake was cold, and his eyes lifeless.

He stared into her cold blue eyes.

She would never feel welcome in this city with its cold, unsmiling inhabitants.

The school was a cold, unwelcoming place.

 

coldness / ˈkəʊld.nəs /   / ˈkoʊld- / noun [ U ]

C2

It was the coldness of her manner that struck me.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

cold

[ko͟ʊld]
 ♦♦
 colder, coldest, colds

 1) ADJ-GRADED Something that is cold has a very low temperature or a lower temperature than is normal or acceptable.
  Rinse the vegetables under cold running water...
  He likes his tea neither too hot nor too cold...
  Your dinner's getting cold.
  Ant:
  hot, warm
  Derived words:
  coldness N-UNCOUNT usu with supp She complained about the coldness of his hands.
 2) ADJ-GRADED: oft it v-link ADJ If it is cold, or if a place is cold, the temperature of the air is very low.
  It was bitterly cold...
  The house is cold because I can't afford to turn the heat on...
  This is the coldest winter I can remember.
  Ant:
  hot, warm
  Derived words:
  coldness N-UNCOUNT usu with supp Within quarter of an hour the coldness of the night had gone.
 3) N-UNCOUNT: also the N Cold weather or low temperatures can be referred to as the cold.
  He must have come inside to get out of the cold...
  His feet were blue with cold.
  Ant:
  heat
 4) ADJ-GRADED: usu v-link ADJ If you are cold, your body is at an unpleasantly low temperature.
  I was freezing cold...
  I'm hungry, I'm cold and I've nowhere to sleep.
 5) ADJ: usu ADJ n Cold food, such as salad or meat that has been cooked and cooled, is not intended to be eaten hot.
  A wide variety of hot and cold snacks will be available.
  ...cold meats.
  Ant:
  hot
 6) ADJ-GRADED Cold colours or cold light give an impression of coldness.
  Generally, warm colours advance in painting and cold colours recede.
  ...the cold blue light from a streetlamp.
  Ant:
  warm
 7) ADJ-GRADED (disapproval) A cold person does not show much emotion, especially affection, and therefore seems unfriendly and unsympathetic. If someone's voice is cold, they speak in an unfriendly unsympathetic way.
  What a cold, unfeeling woman she was...
  `Send her away,' Eve said in a cold, hard voice.
  Syn:
  unfeeling
  Ant:
  warm
  Derived words:
  coldly ADV-GRADED `I'll see you in the morning,' Hugh said coldly.
  coldness N-UNCOUNT His coldness angered her.
 8) ADJ-GRADED A cold trail or scent is one which is old and therefore difficult to follow.
  He could follow a cold trail over hard ground and even over stones.
  Ant:
  fresh
 9) ADJ-GRADED: v-link ADJ If you say that someone is cold when they are trying to guess the answer to a question or puzzle, you mean that they are thinking about it in the wrong way and are going to give a wrong answer.
  Ant:
  close, warm
 10) N-COUNT If you have a cold, you have a mild, very common illness which makes you sneeze a lot and gives you a sore throat or a cough.
 11) → See also common cold
 12) PHRASE: V inflects If you catch cold, or catch a cold, you become ill with a cold.
  Let's dry our hair so we don't catch cold.
 13) PHRASE: V inflects If something leaves you cold, it fails to excite or interest you.
  Lawrence is one of those writers who either excite you enormously or leave you cold.
 14) PHRASE: v-link PHR If someone is out cold, they are unconscious or sleeping very heavily.
  She was out cold but still breathing.
 15) PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR If you say that a person, group, or country has been left out in the cold, you mean that they have been ignored by others rather than being invited to take part in some activity with them.
  Developing countries might be left out in the cold in current world trade talks.
 16) in cold bloodsee blood
 to get cold feetsee foot
 to blow hot and coldsee hot
 to pour cold water on something → see water

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1cold /ˈkoʊld/ adj cold·er; -est
1 : having a very low temperature
• The water was too cold for swimming.
• The weather has been unusually cold this spring.
• a country with a cold climate
• It was a long, cold winter.
• It's cold outside, but the wind makes it feel even colder.
• It's bitterly/freezing cold out there!
• a cold, rainy day
• metal that is cold to the touch
• Her hands were icy cold. = They were as cold as ice.
2 : having a feeling of low body heat
• Are you cold? I could turn up the temperature if you'd like.
3 a of food : not heated
• a bowl of cold cereal
• He ate cold pizza for breakfast.
• We were happy to eat a hot meal rather than cold sandwiches.
cold meats
b of drinks : served at a very low temperature or with ice
• They're serving coffee, tea, and cold drinks.
• a cold glass of milk
• a cold beer
4 : not appealing or pleasant : causing a cold or unhappy feeling
• the cold gray sky
• the harsh cold lights of the hospital
5 : not friendly or emotional : lacking emotional warmth
• Why is he so cold and distant toward me?
• She gave me a cold stare and turned away.
• I got a cold reception when I came home.
6 : not changed or affected by personal feelings or emotions
• Like them or not, these are the cold facts!
• It's time they took a cold, hard look at the situation.
7 : learned or memorized exactly - used with have
• Keep repeating the lines until you have them (down) cold. [=until you have memorized them perfectly]
8 : unconscious or sleeping very deeply
• He passed out cold.
- usually used in the phrase out cold
• She was out cold by eight o'clock.
- see also knock cold at 1knock
9 : not fresh or strong : no longer easy to follow
• The dogs picked up a cold scent.
• The police had been hot on the trail of the escaped prisoners, but then the trail went cold.
10 : not close to finding something or solving a puzzle - used especially in children's games
• You're getting warmer! You're getting hot! Oh, now you're getting colder!
11 : not having success or good luck
• The team was hot in the first half, but their shooting turned cold in the second half. [=they missed a lot of shots in the second half]
blow hot and cold
- see 1blow
cast a cold eye on
- see 1eye
in cold blood
- see blood
in the cold light of day : in the day when things can be seen clearly rather than at night
• The house that had looked so sinister at night seemed much less frightening in the cold light of day.
- sometimes used figuratively
• She forced me to look at myself in the cold light of day, and I didn't like what I saw.
leave you cold
✦Something that leaves you cold does not interest or excite you.
• His movies leave me cold.
make someone's blood run cold
- see blood
pour/throw cold water on
- see water
- cold·ly adv
• “Your application has been denied,” he said coldly.
• She looked at me coldly and turned away.
- cold·ness noun [noncount]
• the icy coldness of winter
• Why does he treat me with such coldness and reserve?

hospital

hospital [noun]

a place where people who are ill or injured are treated and taken care of by doctors and nurses

US /ˈhɑː.spɪ.t̬əl/ 
UK /ˈhɒs.pɪ.təl/ 

بیمارستان

مثال: 

He is receiving hospital treatment.

او در بيمارستان‌ تحت‌ درمان‌ است‌.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

hospital

 noun
a place where doctors and nurses look after people who are ill or hurt:
My brother is in hospital – he's broken his leg.
The ambulance took her to hospital.

word building
If you are very ill or you have an accident you go to hospital (Be careful! In British English, you do not say to the hospital). A doctor gives you treatment and you are called a patient. You might need to have an operation. The room in a hospital where people sleep is called a ward.
 

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

hospital

hospital S1 W1 /ˈhɒspɪtl $ ˈhɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Medieval Latin hospitale 'place to stay at', from Latin hospitalis 'of a guest', from hospes; ⇨ ↑host1]
a large building where sick or injured people receive medical treatment:
They are building a new hospital.
in hospital British English:
She visited him in hospital.
in the hospital American English:
Two people are in the hospital with serious burns.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
go to hospital British English, go to the hospital American English The pain got worse and she had to go to the hospital.
be taken/rushed/airlifted to hospital British English, be taken/rushed/airlifted to the hospital American English Three people were taken to hospital after a crash on the motorway.
be admitted to hospital British English, be admitted to the hospital American English He was admitted to hospital suffering from chest pain.
leave/come out of hospital British English, leave/come out of the hospital American English Her mother never left the hospital.
be discharged/released from hospital British English, be discharged/released from the hospital American English (=be allowed to leave a hospital because you are better) It was several weeks before he was released from hospital.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + hospital
a psychiatric hospital (also a mental hospital old-fashioned) (=for people with mental illnesses) He was admitted to a secure psychiatric hospital.
a children’s hospital an important children’s hospital
a maternity hospital British English (=for women having babies) Many maternity hospitals have been forced to close.
■ hospital + NOUN
hospital treatment/care What do older people think of hospital care?
a hospital stay (=the period someone spends in hospital) New surgical techniques mean a hospital stay of less than 48 hours.
a hospital bed There is a shortage of hospital beds.
a hospital ward/room nurses working on hospital wards
• • •
THESAURUS
hospital a large building where sick or injured people receive medical treatment: He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital. | the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford | a mental hospital
medical center American English a large hospital, which often has many different departments, including areas for research: a discovery by doctors at the New England Medical Center
clinic a place, often in a hospital, where medical treatment and advice is given to people who do not need to stay in a hospital: a family-planning clinic (=which gives people help and advice about birth control) | a special clinic for people with drug and alcohol problems
hospice a special hospital for people who are dying: They are hoping to raise funds to build a hospice for sick and dying children.
nursing home/old people's home (also home) a place where people who are old and ill can live and be looked after, by nurses: She doesn't want to end up in a nursing home.
sanatorium a place where people recovering after a long illness were sent in the past, so that they could rest and receive special care: He was sent to a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps.
■ parts of a hospital
A&E/casualty British English, emergency room/ER American English the part of a hospital where people who are injured or who need urgent treatment are brought: A&E waiting times have gone down. | A 33-year-old man was brought to the emergency room in a coma.
operating theatre British English, operating room American English a room in a hospital where operations are done: Mrs Barnett was in the operating theatre for 11 hours while the transplant was carried out.
intensive care the part of a hospital where people who are very seriously ill or badly injured are cared for: Mr Dye is in intensive care with head injuries.
unit part of a hospital where a particular kind of treatment is carried out: the burns unit | the fertility unit
ward a large room in a hospital where people who need medical treatment stay: the women's ward | She works as a nurse on a busy hospital ward.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hospital

hos·pital [hospital hospitals]   [ˈhɒspɪtl]    [ˈhɑːspɪtl]  noun
a large building where people who are ill/sick or injured are given medical treatment and care: (BrE) He had to go to hospital for treatment.
(NAmE) He had to go to the hospital for treatment.
to be admitted to (the) hospital
to be discharged from (the) hospital
The injured were rushed to (the) hospital in an ambulance.
He died in (the) hospital.
I'm going to the hospital to visit my brother.
a psychiatric/mental hospital
hospital doctors/nurses/staff
There is an urgent need for more hospital beds.
see also  cottage hospital  
Word Origin:
Middle English (originally meaning a hospice run by the Knights Hospitallers in the 11th century): via Old French from medieval Latin hospitale, neuter of Latin hospitalis ‘hospitable’, from hospes, hospit- ‘host, guest’.  
Thesaurus:
hospital noun C
I'm going to the hospital to visit my brother.
infirmaryclinichospicesanatorium|AmE medical center
a private hospital/clinic/hospice/sanatorium/medical center
a/an eye/maternity/psychiatric hospital/clinic
go to/visit (the) hospital/a clinic 
British/American:
hospital
In BrE you say to hospital or in hospital when you talk about somebody being there as a patient: I had to go to hospital. She spent two weeks in hospital.
In NAmE you need to use the: I had to go to the hospital. She spent two weeks in the hospital.  
Example Bank:
He has been readmitted to hospital.
He is in hospital recovering from a heart operation.
He was taken to hospital as a precaution.
He's been taken to hospital for tests.
He's had to go into hospital rather suddenly.
How long will I have to stay in hospital?
I used to work as a cleaner in a hospital.
She came out of hospital this morning.
She was rushed to hospital.
She works at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
We went to the hospital to visit my gran.
He died in hospital.
He was admitted to hospital complaining of chest pains.
His delusions got worse until he was committed to a mental hospital.
I had to go to hospital.
I'm going to the hospital to visit my brother.
She was discharged from hospital and allowed to go home.
• The injured were rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

• There is a shortage of hospital beds.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

hospital / ˈhɒs.pɪ.t ə l /   / ˈhɑː.spɪ.t̬ ə l / noun [ C or U ]

A1 a place where people who are ill or injured are treated and taken care of by doctors and nurses:

a general/children's/maternity hospital

hospital patients/staff

UK I've got to go (in)to hospital ( US to the hospital) to have an operation.

UK She spent a week in hospital ( US in the hospital) last year.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

hospital

[hɒ̱spɪt(ə)l]
 
 hospitals
 N-VAR

 A hospital is a place where people who are ill are looked after by nurses and doctors.
  Queen Elizabeth Hospital is a children's hospital with 120 beds...
  A couple of weeks later my mother went into hospital...
  He may be able to leave hospital early next week.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

hospital

hos·pi·tal /ˈhɑːspɪtl̩/ noun, pl -tals [count] : a place where sick or injured people are given care or treatment and where children are often born
• (US) She's in the hospital. = (Brit) She's in hospital.
• (US) She was admitted to the hospital yesterday. = (Brit) She was admitted to hospital yesterday. [=she was hospitalized yesterday]
• (US) She'll be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. = (Brit) She'll be discharged from hospital tomorrow.
- often used before another noun
hospital beds
• a hospital gown

shopping

shopping [noun]

the activity of buying things from shops

US /ˈʃɑː.pɪŋ/ 
UK /ˈʃɒp.ɪŋ/ 

خرید

مثال: 

I'm going shopping this afternoon.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

shopping

 noun (no plural)

1 buying things from shops:
She does her shopping after work.
I usually go shopping at the weekend.

2 the things that you have bought in a shop:
Will you carry my shopping for me?

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

shopping

shopping S2 W3 /ˈʃɒpɪŋ $ ʃɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[Word Family: noun: ↑shop, ↑shopper, ↑shopping; verb: ↑shop]
1. the activity of going to shops and buying things:
Late-night shopping is becoming very popular.
shopping expedition/trip
She’s gone on a shopping trip to New York.
I went on a shopping spree (=went shopping and bought a lot of things) at the weekend and spent far too much money.
I’ve got to do some last-minute shopping.
the busy Christmas shopping season ⇨ ↑window-shopping
2. do the shopping to go shopping to buy food and other things you need regularly:
I hate doing the shopping at weekends.
3. British English the things that you have just bought from a shop:
Can you help me carry the shopping, please?
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
go shopping She skipped lunch in order to go shopping.
do some/the/your shopping I thought you wanted to do some shopping.
■ NOUN + shopping
Christmas shopping So you've done all your Christmas shopping, have you?
grocery shopping She even enjoys grocery shopping.
home shopping (=buying things at home, for example from a catalogue)
■ shopping + NOUN
a shopping expedition/trip His shopping trip with Uncle Billy had been a thorough success.
a shopping spree (=when you buy a lot of things) He admits to going on a shopping spree with someone else's credit card.
a shopping list (=a list of what you need to buy, especially of food) Always take a shopping list so you are not tempted to buy things you do not need.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

shopping

shop·ping [shopping]   [ˈʃɒpɪŋ]    [ˈʃɑːpɪŋ]  noun uncountable
1. the activity of going to shops/stores and buying things
to go shopping
(BrE) When shall I do the shopping?
(BrE) We do our shopping on Saturdays.
a shopping basket
a shopping trolley
(NAmE) a shopping cart

see also  window-shopping

2. (especially BrE) the things that you have bought from shops/stores
to put the shopping in the car  
Collocations:
Shopping
Shopping
go/go out/be out shopping
go to (especially BrE) the shops/(especially NAmE) a store/(especially NAmE) the mall
do (BrE) the shopping/(especially NAmE) the grocery shopping/a bit of window-shopping
(NAmE, informal) hit/hang out at the mall
try on clothes/shoes
indulge in some retail therapy
go on a spending spree
cut/cut back on/reduce your spending
be/get caught shoplifting
donate sth to/take sth to/find sth in (BrE) a charity shop/(NAmE) a thrift store
buy/sell/find sth at (BrE) a car boot sale/(BrE) a jumble sale/a garage sale/(NAmE) a yard sale
find/get/pick up a bargain
At the shop/store
load/push/wheel (BrE) a trolley/(NAmE) a cart
stand in/wait in (BrE) the checkout queue/(NAmE) the checkout line
(NAmE) stand in line/ (BrE) queue at the checkout
bag (especially NAmE) (your) groceries
pack (away) (especially BrE) your shopping
stack/stock/restock the shelves at a store (with sth)
be (found) on/appear on supermarket/shop/store shelves
be in/have in/be out of/run out of stock
deal with/help/serve customers
run a special promotion
be on special offer
Buying goods
make/complete a purchase
buy/purchase sth online/by mail order
make/place/take an order for sth
buy/order sth in bulk/in advance
accept/take credit cards
pay (in) cash/by (credit/debit) card/(BrE) with a gift voucher/(NAmE) with a gift certificate
enter your PIN number
ask for/get/obtain a receipt
return/exchange an item/a product
be entitled to/ask for/demand a refund
compare prices
offer (sb)/give (sb)/get/receive a 30% discount 
Example Bank:
A new car is on my shopping list.
Developers plan to build 4 000 square feet of shopping space here.
I do my weekly shopping on a Saturday.
I have to go shopping in town this afternoon.
I thought we'd do a little shopping before the show.
Improved electricity generation is one of the first things on the country's shopping list.
Jade wants me to take her shopping for a new outfit.
Jenny went directly to town for some serious shopping.
New York, the ultimate shopping destination
Only 22 shopping days left until Christmas!
She won £10 000 and immediately went on a shopping spree.
She's doing some last-minute Christmas shopping.
They unpacked the shopping and put it away.
This website is a valuable resource for comparison shopping.
We ensure that our customers have an exceptional shopping experience.
When shall I do the shopping?
a home shopping network
a personal shopping service
an Internet shopping site
detailed portraits of consumers' shopping habits
outside normal shopping hours
the Christmas shopping season
the back-to-school shopping season
the consumers' demand for one-stop shopping
the move to home shopping using your computer
the town's main shopping street

to suffer from compulsive shopping disorder

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

shopping / ˈʃɒp.ɪŋ /   / ˈʃɑː.pɪŋ / noun [ U ]

A1 the activity of buying things from shops:

The store is open for late night shopping on Wednesdays.

I'm going shopping this afternoon.

My granddaughter does my weekly shopping for me.

Christmas shopping

A2 goods that you have bought from shops, especially food:

She had so many bags of shopping that she could hardly carry them.

I forgot my shopping list .

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

shopping

[ʃɒ̱pɪŋ]
 ♦♦♦
 1) N-UNCOUNT When you do the shopping, you go to shops and buy things.
 → See also window shopping
  I'll do the shopping this afternoon.
 2) N-UNCOUNT Your shopping is the things that you have bought from shops, especially food.
  We put the shopping away.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

shopping

shopping noun [noncount]
1 : the activity of visiting places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things (such as food, clothing, etc.)
• We do (our) grocery shopping once a week. = We go grocery shopping once a week. [=we shop for groceries once a week]
• I can do your shopping for you.
• When are you going to do the shopping?
• I'm going shopping. [=(Brit) going to the shops]
• We went shopping for a gift at the mall.
- often used before another noun
• a shopping area/basket/cart
• We're going on a shopping trip in New York City.
• a shopping bag [=(Brit) carrier bag; a bag that a store gives you to carry any items you have bought there]
• We went on a shopping spree. [=we bought a lot of things in a short period of time]
2 Brit : the things that are bought at a shop or store
• Put the shopping in the car.

play

play [verb] (GAME)

to take part in a game or other organized activity

US /pleɪ/ 
UK /pleɪ/ 

بازی کردن

مثال: 

Do you want to play cards/football ( with us)?

Oxford Essential Dictionary

verb (playsplayingplayed )

to have fun; to do something to enjoy yourself:
The children were playing with their toys.

to take part in a game:
I like playing tennis.
Do you know how to play chess?

to make music with a musical instrument:
My sister plays the piano very well.

grammar
Note that we usually say 'play the violin, the piano, etc.': I'm learning to play the clarinet.

to put a record, CD, DVD, etc. in a machine and listen to it:
Shall I play the CD again?

to act the part of somebody in a play:
Who wants to play the policeman?

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

play

I. play1 S1 W1 /pleɪ/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: noun: ↑play, ↑interplay, ↑replay, ↑player, ↑playfulness; verb: ↑play, ↑outplay, ↑replay; adjective: ↑playful, ↑playable; adverb: ↑playfully]
[Language: Old English; Origin: plegan]
1CHILDREN [intransitive and transitive] when children play, they do things that they enjoy, often with other people or with toys:
Kids were playing and chasing each other.
play catch/house/tag/school etc
Outside, the children were playing cowboys and Indians.
play with
Did you like to play with dolls when you were little?
Parents need to spend time just playing with their children.
2SPORTS/GAMES
a) [intransitive and transitive] to take part or compete in a game or sport:
Karen began playing basketball when she was six.
If you feel any pain, you shouldn’t play.
Men were sitting in the park, playing cards.
play against
Bristol will play against Coventry next week.
She’s playing Helen Evans in the semi-final (=playing against her).
play for
Moxon played for England in ten test matches.
b) [transitive] to use a particular piece, card, person etc in a game or sport:
Harrison played a ten of spades.
The Regents played Eddie at center (=used him as a player in that position) in the game against Arizona.
c) [intransitive and transitive] to take a particular position on a team:
Garvey played first base for the Dodgers.
d) [transitive] to hit a ball in a particular way or to a particular place in a game or sport:
She played the ball low, just over the net.

MUSIC [intransitive and transitive]
to perform a piece of music on a musical instrument:
He’s learning to play the piano.
She played a Bach prelude.
Haden has played with many jazz greats.
A small orchestra was playing.
4RADIO/CD ETC [intransitive and transitive] if a radio, CD etc plays, or if you play it, it produces sound, especially music:
The bedside radio played softly.
play a record/CD/tape etc
DJs playing the latest house and techno tracks
5THEATRE/FILM
a) [transitive] to perform the actions and say the words of a particular character in a theatre performance, film etc:
Streep plays a shy, nervous woman.
play a role/part/character etc
Playing a character so different from herself was a challenge.
b) [intransitive] if a play or film is playing at a particular theatre, it is being performed or shown there:
‘Macbeth’ is playing at the Theatre Royal in York.
c) [transitive] if actors play a theatre, they perform there in a play
6play a part/role to have an effect or influence on something
play a part/role in
A good diet and fitness play a large part in helping people live longer.
7play ball
a) to throw, kick, hit, or catch a ball as a game or activity:
Jim and Karl were playing ball in the backyard.
b) to do what someone wants you to do:
So far, the company has refused to play ball, preferring to remain independent.
8PRETEND [linking verb] to behave as if you are a particular kind of person or have a particular feeling or quality, even though it is not true:
the accusation that scientists are playing God
Some snakes fool predators by playing dead.
‘What do you mean?’ ‘Don’t play dumb (=pretend you do not know something).'
Don’t play the innocent (=pretend you do not know about something) with me – we both know what happened.
play the idiot/the teacher etc
Susan felt she had to play the good wife.
He played the fool (=behaved in a silly way) at school instead of working.
9BEHAVE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to behave in a particular way in a situation, in order to achieve the result or effect that you want:
How do you want to play this meeting?
Play it safe (=avoid risks) and make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked.
play it carefully/cool etc
If you like him, play it cool, or you might scare him off.
10play games to hide your real feelings or wishes in order to achieve something in a clever or secret way – used to show disapproval:
Stop playing games, Luke, and tell me what you want.
11play something by ear
a) to decide what to do according to the way a situation develops, without making plans before that time:
We’ll see what the weather’s like and play it by ear.
b) if someone can play a musical instrument by ear, they can play a tune without looking at written music
12play a joke/trick/prank on somebody to do something to someone as a joke or trick
13play the game
a) to do things in the way you are expected to do them or in a way that is usual in a particular situation:
If you want a promotion, you’ve got to play the game.
b) British English to behave in a fair and honest way
14play the race/nationalist/environmentalist etc card to use a particular subject in politics in order to gain an advantage:
a leader who is skilfully playing the nationalist card to keep power
15play your cards right to say or do things in a situation in such a way that you gain as much as possible from it:
Who knows? If you play your cards right, maybe he’ll marry you.
16play your cards close to your chest to keep secret what you are doing in a situation
17play into sb’s hands to do what someone you are competing with wants you to do, without realizing it:
If we respond with violence, we’ll be playing into their hands, giving them an excuse for a fight.
18play for time to try to delay something so that you have more time to prepare for it or prevent it from happening:
The rebels may be playing for time while they try to get more weapons.
19play tricks (on you) if your mind, memory, sight etc plays tricks on you, you feel confused and not sure about what is happening:
It happened a long time ago, and my memory might be playing tricks on me.
20play the market to risk money on the ↑stock market as a way of trying to earn more money
21play the system to use the rules of a system in a clever way, to gain advantage for yourself:
Accountants know how to play the tax system.
22play second fiddle (to somebody) to be in a lower position or rank than someone else
23play hard to get to pretend that you are not sexually interested in someone so that they will become more interested in you
24SMILE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] written if a smile plays about someone’s lips, they smile slightly
25play hooky American Englishplay truant British English to stay away from school without permission
26play with fire to do something that could have a very dangerous or harmful result:
Dating the boss’s daughter is playing with fire.
27play to your strengths to do what you are able to do well, rather than trying to do other things:
It is up to us to play to our strengths and try to control the game.
28LIGHT [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] written if light plays on something, it shines on it and moves on it:
the sunlight playing on the water
29WATER [intransitive] written if a ↑fountain plays, water comes from it
30play a hose/light on something to point a ↑hose or light towards something so that water or light goes onto it
31play the field to have sexual relationships with a lot of different people
32play fast and loose with something to not be careful about what you do, especially by not obeying the law or a rule:
They played fast and loose with investors’ money.
33play happy families British English to spend time with your family, doing normal things, especially so that your family appears to be happy when it is not
play around (also play about British English) phrasal verb
1. to have a sexual relationship with someone who is not your usual partner
play around with
Wasn’t she playing around with another man?
It was years before I realized he’d been playing around.
2. to try doing something in different ways, to see what would be best, especially when this is fun
play around with
Play around with the ingredients if you like.
3. to behave in a silly way or waste time, when you should be doing something more serious SYN fool around:
When the teacher wasn’t looking, we used to play about a lot.
play around with something (also play about with somethingBritish English) phrasal verb
to keep moving or making changes to something in your hands SYN fiddle with:
Will you stop playing around with the remote control!
play along phrasal verb
1. to pretend to agree to do what someone wants, in order to avoid annoying them or to get an advantage:
She felt she had to play along or risk losing her job.
2play somebody along British English to tell someone something that is not true because you need their help in some way
play at something phrasal verb
1What is somebody playing at? British English spoken used when you do not understand what someone is doing or why they are doing it, and you are surprised or annoyed:
What do you think you’re playing at?
2. if you play at doing something, you do not do it properly or seriously
play at doing something
He’s still playing at being an artist.
3British English if children play at doctors, soldiers etc, they pretend to be doctors, soldiers etc
play at being something
a 14-year-old playing at being a grown woman
play something ↔ back phrasal verb
to play something that has been recorded on a machine so that you can listen to it or watch it:
He played back his answering machine messages.
play something ↔ down phrasal verb
to try to make something seem less important or less likely than it really is:
Management has been playing down the possibility of job losses.
play down the importance/seriousness/significance of something
The White House spokeswoman sought to play down the significance of the event.
play off phrasal verb
1British English if people or teams play off, they play the last game in a sports competition, in order to decide who is the winner:
The top two teams will play off at Twickenham for the county title.
2play off somebody/something American English to deliberately use a fact, action, idea etc in order to make what you are doing better or to get an advantage:
The two musicians played off each other in a piece of inspired improvisation.
play somebody off against somebody phrasal verb
to encourage one person or group to compete or argue with another, in order to get some advantage for yourself:
The house seller may try to play one buyer off against another, to raise the price.
play on/upon something phrasal verb
to use a feeling, fact, or idea in order to get what you want, often in an unfair way:
The ad plays on our emotions, showing a doctor holding a newborn baby.
play something ↔ out phrasal verb
1. if an event or situation is played out or plays itself out, it happens:
It will be interesting to see how the election plays itself out.
2. if people play out their dreams, feelings etc, they express them by pretending that a particular situation is really happening:
The weekend gives you a chance to play out your fantasies.
play up phrasal verb
1play something ↔ up to emphasize something, sometimes making it seem more important than it really is:
Play up your strongest arguments in the opening paragraph.
2play (somebody) up British English informal if children play up, they behave badly:
Jordan’s been playing up in school.
I hope the kids don’t play you up.
3play (somebody) up British English informal to hurt you or cause problems for you:
My knee’s been playing me up this week.
The car’s playing up again.
play up to somebody phrasal verb
to behave in a very polite or kind way to someone because you want something from them:
Connie always plays up to her parents when she wants money.
play with somebody/something phrasal verb
1. to keep touching something or moving it:
Stop playing with the light switch!
2. to try doing something in different ways to decide what works best:
Play with the design onscreen, moving text and pictures until you get a pleasing arrangement.
3. to consider an idea or possibility, but not always very seriouslySYN toy with:
After university, I played with the idea of teaching English in China.
4money/time/space etc to play with money, time etc that is available to be used:
The budget is very tight, so there isn’t much money to play with.
5play with yourself to touch your own sex organs for pleasureSYN masturbate
6play with words/language to use words in a clever or amusing way

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

play

play [play plays played playing] verb, noun   [pleɪ]    [pleɪ] 

verb  

 

OF CHILDREN
1. intransitive, transitive to do things for pleasure, as children do; to enjoy yourself, rather than work
• You'll have to play inside today.
• There's a time to work and a time to play.
• ~ with sb/sth A group of kids were playing with a ball in the street.
• I haven't got anybody to play with!

• ~ sth Let's play a different game.

2. transitive, no passive, intransitive to pretend to be or do sth for fun
• ~ sth Let's play pirates.

• ~ at doing sth They were playing at being cowboys.  

TRICK

 

3. transitive ~ a trick/tricks (on sb) to trick sb for fun  

SPORTS/GAMES
4. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) (with/against sb) to be involved in a game; to compete against sb in a game
• ~ sth to play football/chess/cards, etc. 
• ~ sb France are playing Wales tomorrow.
• ~ sb at sth Have you played her at squash yet?
• ~ for sb He plays for Cleveland.
• ~ against sb France are playing against Wales on Saturday.

• + adv./prep. Evans played very well.

5. intransitive to take a particular position in a sports team
• + adv./prep. Who's playing on the wing?

• + noun I've never played right back before.

6. transitive ~ sb (+ adv./prep.) to include sb in a sports team

• I think we should play Matt on the wing.

7. transitive ~ sth to make contact with the ball and hit or kick it in the way mentioned
• She played the ball and ran forward.

• He played a backhand volley.

8. transitive ~ sth (in chess) to move a piece in chess, etc

• She played her bishop.

9. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) (in card games) to put a card face upwards on the table, showing its value
• to play your ace/a trump

• He played out of turn!  

 

MUSIC

10. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) (on sth) to perform on a musical instrument; to perform music
• ~ (sth) to play the piano/violin/flute, etc. 
• In the distance a band was playing.
• ~ sth (on sth) He played a tune on his harmonica.
• ~ sth to sb Play that new piece to us.

• ~ sb sth Play us that new piece.

11. transitive, intransitive to make a tape, CD, etc. produce sound
• ~ sth (for sb) Play their new CD for me, please.
• ~ (sb sth) Play me their new CD, please.
• My favourite song was playing on the radio.

• For some reason this CD won't play.  

 

DVD/VIDEO

12. intransitive, transitive (of a DVD or video) to start working; to make a DVD or video start working
• This DVD won't play on my computer.
• ~ sth Click below to play videos.
• Nothing happens when I try to play a DVD.

• A short video was played to the court showing the inside of the house.  

 

ACT/PERFORM

13. transitive ~ sth to act in a play, film/movie, etc; to act the role of sb
• The part of Elizabeth was played by Cate Blanchett.

• He had always wanted to play Othello.

14. intransitive to pretend to be sth that you are not
• + adj. I decided it was safer to play dead.

• + noun She enjoys playing the wronged wife.

15. intransitive ~ (to sb) to be performed

• A production of ‘Carmen’ was playing to packed houses.  

 

HAVE EFFECT

16. transitive ~ a part/role (in sth) to have an effect on sth

• The media played an important part in the last election.  

 

SITUATION

17. transitive ~ sth + adv./prep. to deal with a situation in the way mentioned

• He played the situation carefully for maximum advantage.  

 

OF LIGHT/A SMILE

18. intransitive + adv./prep. to move or appear quickly and lightly, often changing direction or shape

• Sunlight played on the surface of the lake.  

 

OF FOUNTAIN

19. intransitive when a fountain plays, it produces a steady stream of water

• Two huge fountains were playing outside the entrance.

Rem: Most idioms containing play are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example play the game is at game.
 
Word Origin:

Old English pleg(i)an ‘to exercise’, plega ‘brisk movement’, related to Middle Dutch pleien ‘leap for joy, dance’.

Thesaurus:
play verb
1. I, T
• There's a time to work and a time to play.
enjoy yourself • • have fun • • celebrate • |informal have a good/great time • • party • • live it up •
Let's play/enjoy ourselves/have fun/celebrate/have a good time/party/live it up.
2. T, I
• He plays football in a local team.
compete • • go in for sth • • enter •
play/compete in a competition, etc.
play/compete against sb
3. T, I
• Who played the part of Juliet?
• I could hear a band playing in the distance.
perform • • act • |especially spoken do •
play/perform/do a piece 
play/act a role/part 
band/musician plays/performs/does sth
Play or act? When you are talking about drama act can be used with an object (act a part) as well as without (He just can't act.)play can only be used with an object (play a part) and is more commonly used in this way than act.  
Synonyms:
entertainment
fun • recreation • relaxation • play • pleasure • amusement
These are all words for things or activities used to entertain people when they are not working.
entertainment • films, television, music, etc. used to entertain people:  There are three bars, with live entertainment seven nights a week.
fun • (rather informal) behaviour or activities that are not serious but come from a sense of enjoyment:  It wasn't serious— it was all done  in fun . ◊  We didn't mean to hurt him. It was just  a bit of fun . ◊  The lottery provides  harmless fun  for millions.
recreation • (rather formal) things people do for enjoyment when they are not working:  His only form of recreation is playing football.
relaxation • (rather formal) things people do to rest and enjoy themselves when they are not working; the ability to relax:  I go hill-walking for relaxation.
recreation or relaxation?
Both these words can be used for a wide range of activities, physical and mental, but relaxation is sometimes used for gentler activities than recreation I play the flute in a wind band for recreation. ◊ I listen to music for relaxation.
play • things that people, especially children, do for enjoyment rather than as work:  the happy sounds of children  at play
pleasure • the activity of enjoying yourself, especially in contrast to working:  Are you in Paris  for business or pleasure ?
amusement • the fact of being entertained by sth:  What do you do for amusement round here?
to do sth for entertainment/fun/recreation/relaxation/pleasure/amusement
to provide entertainment/fun/recreation/relaxation/amusement 
Example Bank:
• Have you ever heard her play?
• He plays for Aston Villa.
• He plays for the Chicago Bears.
• I'm learning to play sax.
• I've never played John at tennis.
• Let's play at pirates!
• She has played in every game this season.
• She was playing cards with her mother.
• The band will be playing live in the studio.
• The little girl was playing with her toys.
• The other children wouldn't let him play.
• These guys make the team very difficult to play against.
• United are difficult to play against.
• a piece that is relatively easy to play
• learning to play the violin
• Do you want to play cards with me?
• Have you ever played her at chess?
• I haven't got anybody to play with!
• I've never played right back before.
• Let's play a different game.
• The part of the Queen was played by Helen Mirren.
• There's a time to work and a time to play.
• They play football on Saturday mornings.
• Who's playing on the wing?

• You'll have to play inside today.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

play / pleɪ / verb (GAME)

A1 [ I or T ] to take part in a game or other organized activity:

Do you want to play cards/football ( with us)?

Irene won't be able to play in the match on Saturday.

Which team do you play for ?

Luke plays centre-forward (= plays in that position within the team) .

B1 [ T ] to compete against a person or team in a game:

Who are Aston Villa playing next week?

[ T ] to hit or kick a ball in a game:

He played the ball back to the goalkeeper.

A good snooker player takes time deciding which shot to play.

[ T ] to choose a card, in a card game, from the ones you are holding and put it down on the table:

She played the ace of spades.

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

play

/pleɪ/
(plays, playing, played)

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.
When children, animals, or perhaps adults play, they spend time doing enjoyable things, such as using toys and taking part in games.
They played in the little garden...
Polly was playing with her teddy bear.
VERB: V, V with n

2.
When you play a sport, game, or match, you take part in it.
While the twins played cards, Francis sat reading...
Alain was playing cards with his friends...
I used to play basketball...
I want to play for my country...
He captained the team but he didn’t actually play.
V-RECIP: pl-n V n, V n with n, V n (non-recip), V for n (non-recip), V (non-recip)

 

3.
When one person or team plays another or plays against them, they compete against them in a sport or game.
Northern Ireland will play Latvia...
I’ve played against him a few times.
VERB: V n, V against n

 

4.
When you play the ball or play a shot in a game or sport, you kick or hit the ball.
Think first before playing the ball...
I played the ball back slightly.
VERB: V n, V n adv

5.
If you play a joke or a trick on someone, you deceive them or give them a surprise in a way that you think is funny, but that often causes problems for them or annoys them.
Someone had played a trick on her, stretched a piece of string at the top of those steps...
I thought: ‘This cannot be happening, somebody must be playing a joke’.
VERB: V n on n, V n

6.
If you play with an object or with your hair, you keep moving it or touching it with your fingers, perhaps because you are bored or nervous.
She stared at the floor, idly playing with the strap of her handbag.
VERB: V with n

 

8.
If an actor plays a role or character in a play or film, he or she performs the part of that character.
...Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, in which he played Hyde...
His ambition is to play the part of Dracula.
VERB: V n, V n

9.
You can use play to describe how someone behaves, when they are deliberately behaving in a certain way or like a certain type of person. For example, to play the innocent, means to pretend to be innocent, and to play deaf means to pretend not to hear something.
Hill tried to play the peacemaker...
So you want to play nervous today?
= act
V-LINK: V n, V adj

10.
You can describe how someone deals with a situation by saying that they play it in a certain way. For example, if someone plays it cool, they keep calm and do not show much emotion, and if someone plays it straight, they behave in an honest and direct way.
Investors are playing it cautious, and they’re playing it smart.
VERB: V it adj/adv

11.
If you play a musical instrument or play a tune on a musical instrument, or if a musical instrument plays, music is produced from it.
Nina had been playing the piano...
He played for me...
Place your baby in her seat and play her a lullaby...
The guitars played.
VERB: V n, V for n, V n n, V

12.
If you play a record, a CD, or a tape, you put it into a machine and sound is produced. If a record, CD, or tape is playing, sound is being produced from it.
She played her records too loudly...
There is classical music playing in the background.
VERB: V n, V, also V n n

13.
If a musician or group of musicians plays or plays a concert, they perform music for people to listen or dance to.
A band was playing...
He will play concerts in Amsterdam and Paris.
VERB: V, V n

14.
If you ask what someone is playing at, you are angry because you think they are doing something stupid or wrong. (INFORMAL)
What the hell are you playing at?
PHRASE: V inflects [feelings]

15.
When something comes into play or is brought into play, it begins to be used or to have an effect.
The real existence of a military option will come into play...
PHRASE: V inflects

16.
If something or someone plays a part or plays a role in a situation, they are involved in it and have an effect on it.
The UN would play a major role in monitoring a ceasefire.
...the role played by diet in disease.
PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR in n

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1play /ˈpleɪ/ verb playsplayedplay·ing
1 : to do activities for fun or enjoyment

[no obj]

• The children were playing in the yard.
• Can Sara come out and play?
• He played by himself in his room.
- often + with
• She's outside playing with her friends.
• You already have lots of toys to play with.
• a baby playing with his toes

[+ obj]

✦If children play teacher/school (etc.), they play by pretending to be adults.
• She likes to play teacher/doctor with her sisters.
- see also play house at 1house
2 a : to participate in (a game or sport)

[+ obj]

• Did you play any sports in high school?
• She plays soccer.
• Do you want to play (a game of) cards/poker?
• No one dares to play chess with/against him.
• It's not whether you win or lose (that's important), it's how you play the game.
• The children were playing hide-and-seek.

[no obj]

• I have a chess set. Do you want to play?
• It's your turn to play.
• She hurt her wrist but decided to continue playing.
• He played in every major tournament this year.
• He's always dreamed of playing on a professional hockey team.
- often + for
• We never play for money.
• I'm on a basketball team at school, but I also play for fun with my friends.
✦If you play for a particular team, you are a member of that team.
• Babe Ruth played for the Yankees.
• He used to play for Boston but got traded to New York.
b : to compete against (someone) in a game

[+ obj]

• The Yankees are playing the Red Sox tonight at Yankee Stadium.
• No one dares to play him at chess.
• When Tom and I are finished with this game, you can play the winner.

[no obj]

• The Yankees and the Red Sox are playing at Yankee Stadium.
• She has played against some of the best tennis players in the world.
✦If you play (someone) for (something), you play a game in which the winner will be able to take or keep something.
• “Is that the last can of soda?” “Yeah, I'll play you for it.”
c [+ obj] : to have (a particular position on a sports team)
• He dreamed about playing quarterback in the National Football League.
• She played center field in their last game.
• He plays third base.
• What position does he play?
d [+ obj] : to allow (someone) to play during a game especially in a particular position
• Her coach didn't play her in yesterday's game.
• They decided to play him at first base.
e [+ obj] : to place (a playing card) on the table during your turn in a card game
• I played the ace of hearts.
- often used figuratively
• lawyers who play the race card to defend their clients [=who say that their clients were treated unfairly because of their race]
- see also play your cards close to the chest/vest at 1card play your cards right at 1card
f [+ obj] : to move (a piece) during your turn in a chess game
• He played his rook/bishop/queen for the win.
g [+ obj] : to hit, kick, throw, or catch (a ball, puck, etc.)
• You have to play the ball where it lies.
• He played a wedge shot to the green.
• He played a great shot to his opponent's forehand.
• The shortstop played the ball perfectly.
3 [+ obj]
a : to bet money on (something)
• I used to gamble a lot. Mostly, I played the races/horses/slots.
• She only plays the lottery when there's a large jackpot.
b : to invest money in (the stock market) in order to try to earn money
• You can lose a lot of money playing the (stock) market.
4 a : to perform music on (an instrument)

[+ obj]

• She's been playing the violin since she was 10 years old.
• Where did you learn to play the piano?
• He can play guitar and drums.

[no obj]

• He played while she sang.
• Would you play for us?
• He plays in a band.
b [no obj] of an instrument : to produce music
• I could hear a guitar playing in the distance.
c [+ obj] : to perform (a song, a piece of music, etc.) on an instrument
• Would you play something for us?
• The band played their new hit song.
• The conductor had us play the piece again from the beginning.
• The band played a waltz.
• She started her career playing country music.
d [+ obj] : to perform music written by (a particular composer)
• The orchestra will be playing Mozart tonight.
e : to perform music in (a particular place)

[+ obj]

• It was her dream to play Carnegie Hall.
• She prefers playing small concert halls rather than big stadiums.
• The band has been playing bars and nightclubs.

[no obj]

• We mostly play in bars and nightclubs.
5 : to cause (a song, a piece of music, a movie, etc.) to be heard or seen

[+ obj]

• You kids are playing your music too loud.
• The radio station plays mostly hip-hop and R&B.
• Who decides which songs get played on the radio?
• We're waiting for you to play the movie.
• I asked him to play the album/CD/DVD for me.

[no obj]

• Our favorite song was playing on the radio.
• Classical music played softly in the background.
• The movie/DVD is already playing.
6 [no obj] : to be shown or performed usually more than one time
• The film is now playing [=is now being shown] in theaters across the country.
• What's playing at the theater/movies?
• The show has been playing to full/packed houses.
7 a [+ obj] : to act the part of (a particular character) in a film, play, etc.
• He played the lead role in Hamlet.
• Her character is being played by a relatively unknown actress.
• She's not a doctor, but she plays one on TV.
- often used figuratively
• My wife never disciplines the children. She gets to play the good guy while I have to play the bad guy. [=I have to discipline the children]
• I survived a terrible tragedy, but I don't want to play the victim. [=I don't want to act like a victim]
- often used with part or role
• Luck played an important part in their success. [=a lot of their success was because of luck]
• The essay discusses the role that television plays in modern society. [=the effect that television has on modern society]
• He's been playing the part/role of the jealous husband. [=he has been acting like a jealous husband]
• We all have a part/role to play in the future of this company. [=we all will be involved in an important way in the future of this company]
- see also role-play
b [no obj] : to pretend that you have a particular quality or are in a particular condition
• Don't play [=act] all innocent with me!
• She tried to teach her dog to play dead. [=to lie on its back and pretend to be dead]
• If anyone asks you about it, play dumb. [=act like you do not know anything about it]
8 : to act or behave in a particular way

[no obj]

• It's a very competitive business, and not everyone plays fair. = Not everyone plays by the rules.
• If you play smart [=if you make good decisions], you should be able to graduate in four years.

[+ obj]

• She didn't want to seem too eager, so she decided to play it cool. [=to act calm]
• If you play it smart, you should be able to graduate in four years.
• I decided to play it safe [=to be careful and avoid risk or danger] and leave early so that I would be sure to arrive on time.
- see also play by ear at 1ear
9 [no obj] : to do or say things in a joking way
• Don't take it so seriously. He was just playing. [=kiddingjoking]
- often + around
• I was just playing around. I didn't really mean it.
• Stop playing around and talk to me seriously for a moment.
10 [+ obj] : to do (something) to someone in order to amuse yourself or others
• He's known for playing pranks, so I wouldn't trust him if I were you.
- usually + on
• Let's play a joke on her.
• The students got in trouble for playing a trick on their teacher.
• I can't believe what I'm seeing. My eyes must be playing tricks onme.
11 [+ obj] informal : to use or control (someone or something) in a clever and unfair way
• I'm never going to let anyone play me again.
• She played you like a fool.
- often + for
• She realized too late that she had been played for a fool.
• They had been playing the guy for a sucker all along.
12 [+ obj] : to base a decision or action on (something)
• Sometimes you just have to play your luck [=to take a chance] and hope that everything turns out okay.
• The coach was playing the odds that his pitcher would get through the inning without giving up a run.
• Criminal investigators need to play [=to act on] their hunches.
13 [no obj] US : to be accepted or received in a particular way
• The script looked good on paper but didn't play well on Broadway.
- often + with
• His idea did not play well with the committee. [=the committee did not like his idea]
14 [no obj] : to move in a lively and irregular way
• A knowing smile played on/about her lips.
• We watched the moonlight playing on the water.
play along [phrasal verb] : to agree to do or accept what other people want
• They wanted me to cooperate with them, but I refused to play along. [=go along]
• If I pretend to be sick, will you play along and tell everyone that I had to go to the doctor?
- often + with
• I refused to play along with them.
• Will you play along with my plan?
play around also Brit play about [phrasal verb]
1 : to have sex with someone who is not your husband, wife, or regular partner
• He's not the kind of guy who plays around. [=fools aroundmesses around]
- often + on
• She's been playing around on her husband.
- often + with
• She's been playing around with one of her coworkers.
2 : to deal with or treat something in a careless way
• When it comes to protecting his family, he doesn't play around. [=fool aroundmess around]
- often + with
• You can't play around with diabetes; it's a very serious disease.
3 : to use or do something in a way that is not very serious
• It's time to stop playing around [=fooling around] and get busy.
- often + on
• I spent the evening playing around on the piano/computer/Internet.
- often + with
• I'm not really a painter; I just like to play around with paints.
4 play around with (something) : to move or change (something) or to think about (something) in different ways often in order to find out what would work best
• I see you've been playing around with the living room furniture again.
• The supervisor played around with our work schedules this week.
• We played around with the idea for a while but eventually realized that it just wouldn't work.
- see also 1play 9 (above)
play at [phrasal verb] play at (something)
1 : to do (something) in a way that is not serious
• They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.
2 chiefly Brit : to play by pretending to be (someone or something)
• (Brit) She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.
- often used in the phrase play at being (something)
• boys playing at being soldiers
3 Brit
- used to say in an annoyed way that you do not know the reason for someone's behavior
• What is he playing at?
• I have no idea what he was playing at.
play back [phrasal verb] play back (something) or play (something) back : to cause (recorded sounds or pictures) to be heard or seen
• The machine allows you to record and play back sounds.
• We finished recording our first take and played it back to hear how it sounded.
• He played the tape back to/for us.
- see also playback
play ball
- see 1ball
play down [phrasal verb] play down (something) or play (something) down : to make (something) seem smaller or less important
• She played down [=downplayed] her role in the research.
• It was a significant mistake though our CEO tried to play it down.
play fast and loose : to behave in a clever and dishonest way - usually + with
• He was accused of playing fast and loose with the truth. [=of being dishonest]
• reporters playing fast and loose with the facts
play for laughs or play (something) for laughs : to act in a funny way that makes people laugh
• She's fantastic in serious roles, but she also knows how to play for laughs.
• Most performers would have taken a serious tone during the scene, but he decided to play it for laughs.
play for time : to try to make something happen later instead of sooner : to try to delay something
• They're just playing for time, hoping that the situation will resolve itself.
play games
- see 1game
play God usually disapproving : to make decisions that have a very powerful and important effect on other people's lives
• lawyers who play God with people's lives
play hard to get : to pretend that you are not interested in having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone in order to make that person more attracted to you
• She's been playing hard to get, but I can tell that she likes me.
play into [phrasal verb] play into (something) : to help support (something, such as an idea)
• This new evidence plays into their theory quite nicely.
• Her methods play into the stereotype that lawyers are dishonest.
play into someone's hands or play into the hands of someone: to do something that you do not realize will hurt you and help someone else
• You're only playing into their hands by making such ridiculous accusations.
play off [phrasal verb]
1 chiefly Brit : to participate in a game that decides a winner from people or teams that had the same results in an earlier game : to play in a play-off
• The two teams played off for third place.
- see also play-off
2 play off (someone or something) US : to react to (someone or something) in a pleasing way : to combine with (someone or something) in a way that makes each part better
• In this scene, the two actors play off each other extremely well.
• The sweetness of the wine plays off the sharp flavor of the cheese.
3 play (someone or something) off against (someone or something) : to cause two people or groups to fight or compete with each other in a way that helps you
• They have been playing him off against his old enemies. [=causing him to fight with his old enemies]
• He played one side off against the other.
play on also play upon [phrasal verb] play on/upon (something) : to make people do what you want by using (their emotions, fears, concerns, etc.) in an unfair way
• The company plays on [=takes advantage of] the concerns of parents in order to sell their products.
• Politicians often win votes by playing on [=exploiting] people's emotions.
play out [phrasal verb]
1 a : to happen or occur in usually a gradual way
• Let's wait and see how things play out. [=take place, develop]
• The consequences of the error will play out for several years to come.
• Their personal tragedy was being played out in public.
b play out (something) or play (something) out : to make (something) happen
• She got to play out [=realize] her fantasy of being on TV.
• We watch professional athletes play out [=act outlive out] our dreams on the field.
• This scene plays itself out [=happens] daily in every large city in this country.
2 play out (something) or play (something) out : to finish (something)
• Her coach let her play out the rest of the season but said she wouldn't be allowed on the team next year.
• We'll stop the game after we play out this hand.
• playing out dangerous experiments
• That style of music had played itself out [=stopped being current or popular] and the record companies wanted something new.
- see also played-out
play the field : to have romantic or sexual relationships with more than one person at a time : to date more than one person
• He wanted to play the field a bit before he got married and settled down.
play the fool
- see 1fool
play to [phrasal verb]
1 play to (someone or something) : to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention
• He didn't mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd.
• He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.
2 play to (something) : to make use of (something)
• a film that plays to stereotypes of housewives
• In his latest album, he once again plays to his strengths as a classical musician.
play to the gallery
- see gallery
play up [phrasal verb]
1 play up (something) or play (something) up
a : to talk about or treat (something) in a way that gives it special importance : to emphasize or stress (something)
• During the interview, try to play down your weaknesses and play up your strengths.
b : to make (something) seem bigger or more important
• It was only a small achievement though our CEO tried to play it up.
2 play up or play (someone) up Brit : to cause problems or pain
• The children have been playing up [=misbehaving, acting up] again.
• The camera started playing up [=acting up] after I dropped it.
• Whenever it rains, my arthritis starts playing up. [=acting up]
• My back has been playing me up again.
play with [phrasal verb] play with (something)
1 : to move or handle (something) with your hands or fingers often without thinking
• She played with her hair while she talked on the phone.
• Stop playing with your food and eat.
2 : to handle, change, or deal with (something) in a careless way
• I played [=fiddled, messedwith the radio for a while but couldn't get it to work.
• It's important to teach your children not to play withguns/fire/matches.
• Don't play with [=play around with] my heart/emotions.
• You have to take this seriously. You're playing with people's lives!
• They're playing with other people's money.
3 : to think about (something) briefly and not very seriously
• Management has been playing with [=toying with] the idea of moving to a different building.
• I played with the idea of moving to Chicago but ended up staying in New York.
play with fire : to do something that is risky or dangerous
• People who use drugs are playing with fire.
play with words/language : to use words that sound similar or that have several different meanings especially in a clever or funny way
• a writer who enjoys playing with words
play with yourself : to touch your own sex organs for sexual pleasure : masturbate

problem

problem [noun]

a situation, person, or thing that needs attention and needs to be dealt with or solved

US /ˈprɑː.bləm/ 
UK /ˈprɒb.ləm/ 

مشكل‌، معضل‌، گرفتارى

مثال: 

Our main problem is lack of cash.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

problem

 noun

1 something that is difficult; something that makes you worry:
She has a lot of problems. Her husband is ill and her son is in prison.
There is a problem with my telephone – it doesn't work.

2 a question that you must answer by thinking about it:
I can't solve this problem.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

problem

problem S1 W1 /ˈprɒbləm $ ˈprɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: problème, from Latin problema, from Greek, 'something thrown forward', from proballein 'to throw forward']
1. DIFFICULTY a situation that causes difficulties:
She was older than me, but that wasn’t really a problem.
problem of
The problem of street crime is getting worse every year.
problem with
I’ve been having a few problems with my car.
REGISTER
In writing, people sometimes prefer to use the word issue rather than problem, as it sounds more neutral and less negative:
▪ the issue of race relations
2. something wrong with your health or with part of your body
health problem/problem with your health
Does she have any long-term health problems?
back/heart/kidney etc problem
If you have back problems you should avoid lifting heavy objects.
hearing problem
Many people with hearing problems try to hide their condition.
weight problem
She refuses to admit to herself that she has a weight problem.
emotional/psychological problem
Is this a sign of some kind of deeper psychological problem?
3. QUESTION a question for which you have to find the right answer, using mathematics or careful thought:
She gave us 20 mathematical problems to solve.
4. no problem spoken
a) used to say that you are happy to do something or for someone else to do something:
‘Can I bring a friend?’ ‘Sure, no problem.’
b) used after someone has said thank you or said that they are sorry:
‘Thanks for all your help.’ ‘No problem!’
5. have no problem (in) doing something to do something easily:
I’ve had no problem recruiting staff.
6. the (only) problem is (that) ... spoken used before saying what the main difficulty in a situation is:
The problem is, there isn’t enough time.
7. that’s your/his etc problem spoken used to say rudely that someone else is responsible for dealing with a situation, not you:
If you miss the train, that’s your problem.
8. it’s/that’s not my problem spoken used to say rudely that you are not responsible for dealing with a particular problem and are not willing to help:
‘We’ve got a serious staffing shortage.’ ‘That’s not my problem.’
9. What’s your/his etc problem? spoken informal used when you think that someone is behaving in a way that is unreasonable
10. Do you have a problem with that? spoken informal used to ask someone why they seem to disagree with you, in a way that shows that you are annoyed
11. problem child/family/drinker etc a child etc whose behaviour causes problems for other people
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
have a problem We saw water rushing in and realised we had a serious problem.
cause/create a problem The building’s lack of parking space could cause problems.
present/pose a problem (=cause it or make it have to be considered) A shortage of trained nurses is posing major problems.
deal with/sort out a problem The state has failed to deal with the problem of violence against women.
tackle/address a problem (=deal with it) There is more than one way to tackle this problem.
solve/resolve a problem (also fix a problem informal) He solved his financial problems by selling his car.
overcome a problem We try to help families overcome housing problems.
face a problem Terrorism is possibly the most important problem facing western countries.
raise a problem (=mention it, so that people can discuss it) He also raised the problem of noise from planes taking off and landing.
encounter/experience a problem You shouldn’t encounter any further problems.
a problem arises/occurs (also a problem comes up) (=it happens) Problems may arise when the family wants to move house.
compound/exacerbate a problem formal (=make it worse) The country’s economic problems are compounded by its ageing population.
the problem lies in/with something The problem lies in the design of the rocket.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + problem
big/major/serious The school’s biggest problem is a shortage of cash.
little/small/minor Old cars often develop minor engine problems.
the main problem The main problem for the climbers was lack of sleep.
a real problem They quickly found that their real problem lay with marketing.
a difficult problem Does the team have the skills to tackle these difficult problems?
a thorny/knotty problem (=difficult) He still faced the thorny problem of finding a way out of the jungle.
a fundamental problem (=relating to the most basic and important parts of something ) The government has done little to solve the fundamental problems of poverty and crime.
a pressing problem (=one that needs to be dealt with very soon) Lack of clean drinking water is the most pressing problem facing the refugees.
personal problems (=relating to your private life and relationships) My daughter found it hard to talk about her personal problems.
family problems She would never discuss family problems with outsiders.
financial/money problems Our financial problems are over.
economic problems He argued that the government was to blame for the country’s economic problems.
a technical problem The delay was caused by technical problems.
a practical problem Burying a pet can present practical problems.
an environmental problem Air pollution is our most serious environmental problem.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► It is more usual to say a big problem, a major problem or a serious problem, instead of saying 'an important problem'.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + problem
a health/medical problem Have you ever suffered from any of these health problems?
a back/heart/kidney etc problem He was born with heart problems.
a hearing problem There are special telephones for people with hearing problems.
a weight problem (=the problem of being too fat) Patients with weight problems were put on a strict diet.
psychological problems (also mental health problems) She is being treated for psychological problems at a mental hospital in Oxford.
emotional problems He suffers from depression and other emotional problems.
behavioural problems Many of these children have behavioural problems.
a serious/major problem Lifting things carelessly can lead to serious back problems.
a minor problem She has had some minor medical problems.
■ verbs
have a problem He's always had a weight problem.
suffer (from) a problem The patient began to suffer breathing problems.
• • •
THESAURUS
setback a problem that stops you from making progress: The space program suffered a major setback when the space shuttle, Discovery, exploded.
snag informal a problem, especially one that you had not expected: There’s a snag – I don’t have his number.
hitch a small problem that delays or prevents something: There have been a few last-minute hitches.
trouble when something does not work in the way it should: The plane developed engine trouble.
hassle spoken a situation that is annoying because it causes problems: Just trying to store all this stuff is a hassle.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

problem

prob·lem [problem problems] noun, adjective   [ˈprɒbləm]    [ˈprɑːbləm] 

noun
1. a thing that is difficult to deal with or to understand
big/major/serious problems
health/family, etc. problems
financial/practical/technical problems
to address/tackle/solve a problem
(especially NAmE) to fix a problem
the problem of drug abuse
If he chooses Mary it's bound to cause problems.
Let me know if you have any problems.
Most students face the problem of funding themselves while they are studying.
The problem first arose in 2008.
Unemployment is a very real problem for graduates now.
It's a nice table! The only problem is (that) it's too big for our room.
Stop worrying about their marriage— it isn't your problem.
There's no history of heart problems (= disease connected with the heart) in our family.

• the magazine's problem page (= containing letters about readers' problems and advice about how to solve them)

2. a question that can be answered by using logical thought or mathematics
mathematical problems
to find the answer to the problem
The teacher set us 50 problems to do.  
Word Origin:
late Middle English (originally denoting a riddle or a question for academic discussion): from Old French probleme, via Latin from Greek problēma, from proballein ‘put forth’, from pro ‘before’ + ballein ‘to throw’.  
Thesaurus:
problem noun C
Unemployment is a real problem for graduates now.
difficultyissuetroublecomplication|especially spoken the matter|usually approving challenge
(a/an/the) problem/difficulty/trouble/complication/issue/matter with sth
have problems/difficulties/issues/trouble
cause/avoid problems/difficulties/trouble/complications
create/bring/run into problems/difficulties/trouble
Problem or difficulty? To talk about one thing that is difficult to deal with use problem; to talk about more than one thing use either word
The problem first arose in 2008.
The project has been fraught with problems/difficulties from the start.
 
Example Bank:
All the anti-depressant does is mask the problem.
Depression is a natural feeling if your problems seem intractable.
Do you have a problem with her?
For years I've tried to overlook this problem.
Fortunately, it's easy to avoid any potential problems.
Framing the problem is an important step.
He believes he may have found a solution to the problem.
He developed a drinking problem.
He doesn't really see the problem.
He doesn't seem to understand my problem.
He had to undergo surgery to cure the problem with his knee.
He has been faced with all manner of problems in his new job.
Her new job had taken her mind off her family problems for a while.
His teachers say he has an attitude problem.
I didn't imagine there would be a problem about getting tickets.
I don't anticipate any future problems in that regard.
I forgot my problems for a moment.
I have five problems to do for homework.
I'm glad you finally admitted your problem.
If the problem persists you should see a doctor.
Inadequate resources pose a problem for all members of staff.
Most people can see the ethical problem with accepting such an offer.
No one ever asked why or how the problem originated.
One out of every five people is a problem drinker.
Our greatest problem is the lack of funds.
She had serious substance abuse problems with both cocaine and heroin.
She raised the problem of falling sales at the last meeting.
Staff shortages cause problems for the organization.
Success brings its own problems.
Systemic security problems have been identified.
The accident poses a terrible problem for the family.
The basic problem remains the lack of available housing.
The next meeting will address the problem of obesity.
The plan has been fraught with problems from the start.
The problem lies in the lack of communication between managers and staff.
The rail strike is a problem for all commuters.
The role of the sun in climate change is still a big unsolved problem.
The traffic in illegal drugs is a global problem.
Therein lies the problem.
These symptoms may indicate a serious problem.
They blame the problem on the new prescription drug law.
They created a task force to study this problem.
They sold their car to ease their financial problems.
This illustrates another potential problem.
This kind of activity develops the children's problem-solving skills.
This underscores the biggest problem with electronic voting.
Unforeseen problems often arise.
We had communication problems.
We need to get to the root of the problem before we can solve it.
We're faced with a whole host of new problems.
a new approach to problem drinking
a problem resulting from technical inadequacy
an elegant solution to a very complex set of problems
an important step in battling the terrorist problem
problems arising from poor ventilation
solving simple mathematical problems
the ability to solve simple mathematical problems
the inherent problems of merging two very different companies
the problem of poverty
the problems attributed to capitalism
the underlying problem that's causing your high blood pressure
‘But what am I supposed to do now?’ ‘Don't ask me— it's not my problem/that's your problem.
‘Can I pay by credit card?’ ‘Yes, no problem.’
If he chooses Mary it's bound to cause problems.
It's a nice table. The only problem is it's too big for the room.
Most students face the problem of funding themselves while they study.
Stop worrying about their marriage— it isn't your problem.
There's no history of heart problems in our family.
This is one of the great problems of cosmology: where did the overall structure of the universe come from?
• a mathematical/philosophical problem

Idioms: have a problem with something  it's not my problem  no problem  that's her problem  what's your problem? 

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

problem / ˈprɒb.ləm /   / ˈprɑː.bləm / noun [ C ]

A1 a situation, person, or thing that needs attention and needs to be dealt with or solved:

financial/health problems

Our main problem is lack of cash.

I'm having problems with my computer.

No one has solved the problem of what to do with radioactive waste.

The very high rate of inflation poses/presents (= is) a serious problem for the government.

When is the government going to tackle (= deal with) the problem of poverty in the inner cities?

[ + -ing verb ] Did you have any problems (= difficulties) gett ing here?

I'd love to come - the only problem is I've got friends staying that night.

a question in mathematics that needs an answer:

We were given ten problems to solve.

problem child, family, etc.

a child, etc. whose behaviour is bad

Word partners for problem

experience / have a problem • cause / create / pose / present a problem • a problem faces sb • address / deal with / tackle a problem • a problem arises / comes up / occurs • a big / major / real / serious problem • a problem with sth • the problem of sth

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

problem

[prɒ̱bləm]
 
 problems

 1) N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of/with n A problem is a situation that is unsatisfactory and causes difficulties for people.
  ...the economic problems of the inner city...
  The main problem is unemployment...
  He told Americans that solving the energy problem was very important...
  I do not have a simple solution to the drug problem.
 2) N-COUNT A problem is a puzzle that requires logical thought or mathematics to solve it.
  With mathematical problems, you can save time by approximating.
 3) ADJ: ADJ n Problem children or problem families have serious problems or cause serious problems for other people.
  In some cases a problem child is placed in a special school...
  She is afraid to contact the social services in case they are labelled a problem family.
  Syn:
  difficult
 4) CONVENTION You say `no problem' to show that you are willing to do what you have been asked. [INFORMAL, SPOKEN]
  `Can you repair it?' - `No problem'...
  If the property needs a new dishwasher, no problem, just put it on a credit card.
 5) CONVENTION You say `no problem' to let someone know that you do not mind them doing something they have said they are going to do. [INFORMAL, SPOKEN]
  `I ought to think about going actually. If that's all right with you.' - `Yeah. No problem.'...
  If they don't want to speak to me, fine. No problem.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1prob·lem /ˈprɑːbləm/ noun, pl -lems
1 [count] : something that is difficult to deal with : something that is a source of trouble, worry, etc.
• Racism and sexism are major social problems.
• The company is having financial problems.
• She has a drug problem. [=she is addicted to drugs]
• He has chronic health/medical problems.
• She has a weight problem. [=her weight is not healthy]
• The mechanic fixed the problem with the car.
• There are a few problems with your argument.
• We have to find a way to solve this problem.
• She is bothered by family/personal/marriage problems.
• We didn't have any problems getting here.
• I have my own problems to deal with.
• Mosquitoes are a problem in the summer.
• When he drinks too much, he causes problems.
• The problem with you is that you're too stubborn.
• We would love to have a dog. The only problem is (that) [=the reason that would be difficult is] we don't have the time to take care of it.
• The fact that you're late is not my problem. [=I am not responsible for helping you deal with the problem of being late]
2 [singular]
a : difficulty in understanding something
• I'm having a problem following your argument.
b : a feeling of not liking or wanting to do something
• “We'll have to leave a little early.” “OK, I don't have a problem with that.” [=that doesn't bother me]
• “He says he won't go.” “What's his problem?” [=why is he being so unreasonable?]
3 [count] : a mathematical question to be solved
• a math problem
• Solve these problems for homework.
no problem also not a problem informal
- used to say that you are happy to do something or that you are not bothered by something
• “Thanks for your help.” “No problem.”
• “I'm sorry for interrupting you.” “No problem.”
• “Can you get this done by lunchtime?” “No problem.”
• “I would like to pay with my credit card.” “Not a problem.”

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