A2 (مبتدی)

take

I. take¹ S1 W1 /teɪk/ BrE AmE verb (past tense took /tʊk/, past participle taken) /ˈteɪkən/
[Word Family: noun: ↑takings, ↑undertaking, ↑take, ↑taker; verb: ↑take, ↑overtake, ↑undertake]
[Date: 1000-1100; Language: Old Norse; Origin: taka]
1. MOVE [transitive] to move or go with someone or something from one place to another OPP bring
take somebody/something to/into etc something
Barney took us to the airport.
Would you mind taking Susie home?
When he refused to give his name, he was taken into custody.
My job has taken me all over the world.
take somebody/something with you
His wife went to Australia, taking the children with her.
take somebody something
I have to take Steve the money tonight.
take somebody to do something
He took me to meet his parents.
2. ACTION [transitive] used with a noun instead of using a verb to describe an action. For example, if you take a walk, you walk somewhere:
Would you like to take a look?
Mike’s just taking a shower.
Sara took a deep breath.
I waved, but he didn’t take any notice (=pretended not to notice). British English
Please take a seat (=sit down).
take a picture/photograph/photo
Would you mind taking a photo of us together?
3. REMOVE [transitive] to remove something from a place
take something off/from etc something
Take your feet off the seats.
Someone’s taken a pen from my desk.
Police say money and jewellery were taken in the raid. ⇨ TAKE AWAY
4. TIME/MONEY/EFFORT ETC [intransitive and transitive] if something takes a particular amount of time, money, effort etc, that amount of time etc is needed for it to happen or succeed:
How long is this going to take?
Organizing a successful street party takes a lot of energy.
take (somebody) something (to do something)
Repairs take time to carry out.
It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dark.
take (somebody) ages/forever informal:
It took me ages to find a present for Dad.
take some doing British English informal (=need a lot of time or effort)
Catching up four goals will take some doing.
take courage/guts
It takes courage to admit you are wrong.
have what it takes informal (=to have the qualities that are needed for success)
Neil’s got what it takes to be a great footballer.
5. ACCEPT [transitive] to accept or choose something that is offered, suggested, or given to you:
Will you take the job?
Do you take American Express?
If you take my advice, you’ll see a doctor.
Our helpline takes 3.5 million calls (=telephone calls) a year.
Some doctors are unwilling to take new patients without a referral.
Liz found his criticisms hard to take.
I just can’t take any more (=can’t deal with a bad situation any longer).
Staff have agreed to take a 2% pay cut.
take a hammering/beating (=be forced to accept defeat or a bad situation)
Small businesses took a hammering in the last recession.
I take your point/point taken (=used to say that you accept someone’s opinion)
take sb’s word for it/take it from somebody (=accept that what someone says is true)
That’s the truth – take it from me.
take the credit/blame/responsibility
He’s the kind of man who makes things happen but lets others take the credit.
take it as read/given (=↑assume that something is correct or certain, because you are sure that this is the case)
It isn’t official yet, but you can take it as read that you’ve got the contract.
6. HOLD SOMETHING [transitive] to get hold of something in your hands:
Let me take your coat.
Can you take this package while I get my wallet?
take somebody/something in/by something
I just wanted to take him in my arms.
7. TRAVEL [transitive] to use a particular form of transport or a particular road in order to go somewhere:
Let’s take a cab.
I took the first plane out.
Take the M6 to Junction 19.
8. STUDY [transitive] to study a particular subject in school or college for an examination:
Are you taking French next year?
9. TEST [transitive] to do an examination or test SYN sit British English:
Applicants are asked to take a written test.
10. SUITABLE [transitive not in progressive or passive] to be the correct or suitable size, type etc for a particular person or thing:
a car that takes low sulphur fuel
What size shoe do you take?
The elevator takes a maximum of 32 people.
11. COLLECT [transitive] to collect or gather something for a particular purpose:
Investigators will take samples of the wreckage to identify the cause.
take something from something
The police took a statement from both witnesses.
12. CONSIDER [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to react to someone or something or consider them in a particular way
take somebody/something seriously/badly/personally etc
I was joking, but he took me seriously.
Ben took the news very badly.
She does not take kindly to criticism (=reacts badly to criticism).
take something as something
I’ll take that remark as a compliment.
take something as evidence/proof (of something)
The presence of dust clouds has been taken as evidence of recent star formation.
take somebody/something to be something
I took her to be his daughter.
take somebody/something for something
Of course I won’t tell anyone! What do you take me for? (=what sort of person do you think I am?)
I take it (=I ↑assume) you’ve heard that Rick’s resigned.
13. FEELINGS [transitive usually + adverb] to have or experience a particular feeling
take delight/pleasure/pride etc in (doing) something
You should take pride in your work.
At first, he took no interest in the baby.
take pity on somebody
She stood feeling lost until an elderly man took pity on her.
take offence (=feel offended)
Don’t take offence. Roger says things like that to everybody.
take comfort from/in (doing) something
Investors can take comfort from the fact that the World Bank is underwriting the shares.
14. CONTROL [transitive] to get possession or control of something:
Enemy forces have taken the airport.
Both boys were taken prisoner.
take control/charge/power
The communists took power in 1948.
Youngsters need to take control of their own lives.
take the lead (=in a race, competition etc)
15. MEDICINE/DRUGS [transitive] to swallow, breathe in, ↑inject etc a drug or medicine:
The doctor will ask whether you are taking any medication.
Take two tablets before bedtime.
take drugs (=take illegal drugs)
Most teenagers start taking drugs through boredom.
She took an overdose after a row with her boyfriend.
16. do you take sugar/milk? spoken British English used to ask someone whether they like to have sugar or milk in a drink such as tea or coffee
17. LEVEL [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to make someone or something go to a higher level or position
take something to/into something
The latest raise takes his salary into six figures.
Even if you have the talent to take you to the top, there’s no guarantee you’ll get there.
If you want to take it further, you should consult an attorney.
18. MEASURE [transitive] to measure the amount, level, rate etc of something:
Take the patient’s pulse first.
19. NUMBERS [transitive] to make a number smaller by a particular amount SYN subtract
take something away/take something (away) from something
‘Take four from nine and what do you get?’ ‘Five.’
Ten take away nine equals one.
20. MONEY [transitive] British English if a shop, business etc takes a particular amount of money, it receives that amount of money from its customers SYN take in American English:
The stall took £25 on Saturday.
21. somebody can take it or leave it
a) to neither like nor dislike something:
To some people, smoking is addictive. Others can take it or leave it.
b) used to say that you do not care whether someone accepts your offer or not
22. take somebody/something (for example) used to give an example of something you have just been talking about:
People love British cars. Take the Mini. In Japan, it still sells more than all the other British cars put together.
23. TEACH [transitive] British English to teach a particular group of students in a school or college
take somebody for something
Who takes you for English?
24. WRITE [transitive] to write down information:
Let me take your email address.
Sue offered to take notes.
25. take somebody out of themselves British English to make someone forget their problems and feel more confident:
Alf said joining the club would take me out of myself.
26. take a lot out of you/take it out of you to make you very tired:
Looking after a baby really takes it out of you.
27. take it upon/on yourself to do something formal to decide to do something without getting someone’s permission or approval first:
Reg took it upon himself to hand the press a list of names.
28. take something to bits/pieces British English to separate something into its different parts:
how to take an engine to bits
29. be taken with/by something to be attracted by a particular idea, plan, or person:
I’m quite taken by the idea of Christmas in Berlin.
30. be taken ill/sick formal to suddenly become ill
31. SEX [transitive] literary if a man takes someone, he has sex with them
32. take a bend/fence/corner etc to try to get over or around something in a particular way:
He took the bend at over 60 and lost control.
33. HAVE AN EFFECT [intransitive] if a treatment, ↑dye, drug etc takes, it begins to work successfully
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ take to move or go with someone or something from one place to another: Don’t forget to take your keys. | Shall I take you home? | I took Alice a cup of tea.
▪ bring to take someone or something to the place where you are now: We’ve brought someone to see you! | Will you bring your photos with you when you come?
▪ transport to take large quantities of goods from one place to another in a plane, train, ship etc: The plane is used for transporting military equipment. | The coal was transported by rail.
▪ deliver to take goods, letters, newspapers etc to someone’s home or office: Unfortunately, the package was delivered to the wrong address.
▪ fly to take someone or something somewhere by plane: The bread is specially flown in from Paris.
▪ ship to take goods from one place to another – this can be by ship, truck, plane, or train: Half the whisky is shipped to Japan and the US.
▪ carry to take people or goods somewhere – used especially when saying how many people or things, or what kind: The new plane can carry up to 600 passengers. | The ship was carrying a full cargo of oil.
▪ lead to take someone to a place by going in front of them: He led Julia through the house to his study. | Roland led the way back to the car in silence.
▪ guide to take someone to a place and show them the way: Emily guided him through a side gate into a large garden.
▪ escort to take someone to a place and protect or guard them: The prisoner was escorted into the room by two police officers. | The singer was escorted by her assistant and her bodyguard.
▪ usher to politely lead someone somewhere and show them where to go, especially because it is your job to do this: We were ushered into the lift by a man in uniform.
be taken aback phrasal verb
to be very surprised about something:
Emma was somewhat taken aback by his directness.
take after somebody phrasal verb [not in progressive]
to look or behave like an older relative:
Jenni really takes after her mother.
take somebody/something apart phrasal verb
1. to separate something into all its different parts OPP put together:
Tom was always taking things apart in the garage.
2. to search a place very thoroughly:
The police took the house apart looking for clues.
3. to beat someone very easily in a game, sport, fight etc
4. to show that someone is wrong or something is not true:
Tariq takes several gay myths apart in his book.
take against somebody/something phrasal verb British English
to begin to dislike someone or something, especially without a good reason:
Voters took against the relationship between the government and the unions in the 1970s.
take somebody/something ↔ away phrasal verb
1. to remove someone or something, or make something disappear:
She whisked the tray off the table and took it away.
He was taken away to begin a prison sentence.
This should take some of the pain away.
2. to take away British English if you buy food to take away, you buy cooked food from a restaurant and take it outside to eat it somewhere else ⇨ takeaway:
Fish and chips to take away, please.
3. take your breath away to be very beautiful, exciting, or surprising
take away from something phrasal verb
to spoil the good effect or success that something has:
The disagreement between the two men should not take away from their accomplishments.
take somebody/something ↔ back phrasal verb
1. take something ↔ back to admit that you were wrong to say something:
You’d better take back that remark!
2. take something ↔ back to take something you have bought back to a shop because it is not suitable:
If the shirt doesn’t fit, take it back.
3. to make you remember a time in the past:
Having the grandchildren around takes me back to the days when my own children were small.
take something ↔ down phrasal verb
1. to move something that is fixed in a high position to a lower position:
She made us take down all the posters.
2. to write down information:
Can I just take some details down?
3. to pull a piece of clothing such as trousers part of the way down your legs
take somebody/something ↔ in phrasal verb
1. be taken in to be completely deceived by someone who lies to you:
Don’t be taken in by products claiming to help you lose weight in a week.
2. take somebody ↔ in to let someone stay in your house because they have nowhere else to stay:
Brett’s always taking in stray animals.
3. take something ↔ in to understand and remember new facts and information SYN absorb:
He watches the older kids, just taking it all in.
His eyes quickly took in the elegance of her dress.
4. take something ↔ in American English to collect or earn a particular amount of money SYN take British English
5. to visit a place while you are in the area:
They continued a few miles further to take in Hinton House.
6. American English old-fashioned if you take in a show, play etc, you go to see it
7. take somebody ↔ in British English old-fashioned if the police take someone in, they take them to a police station to ask them questions about a crime:
All five teenagers were arrested and taken in for questioning.
8. take something ↔ in to make a piece of clothing fit you by making it narrower OPP let out
take off phrasal verb
1. REMOVE take something ↔ off to remove a piece of clothing OPP put on:
He sat on the bed to take his boots off.
Charlie was taking off his shirt when the phone rang.
2. AIRCRAFT if an aircraft takes off, it rises into the air from the ground SYN lift off ⇨ takeoff:
I felt quite excited as the plane took off from Heathrow.
3. SUCCESS to suddenly start being successful:
Mimi became jealous when Jack’s career started taking off.
4. HOLIDAY take something off (something) to have a holiday from work on a particular day, or for a particular length of time
take time off (work/school)
I rang my boss and arranged to take some time off.
take a day/the afternoon etc off
Dad took the day off to come with me.
5. COPY SOMEBODY take somebody ↔ off British English informal to copy the way someone speaks or behaves, in order to entertain people
take somebody/something ↔ on phrasal verb
1. take somebody ↔ on to start to employ someone ⇨ hire:
We’re taking on 50 new staff this year.
2. take something ↔ on to agree to do some work or be responsible for something:
Don’t take on too much work – the extra cash isn’t worth it.
3. take something ↔ on to begin to have a particular quality or appearance:
Her face took on a fierce expression.
His life had taken on a new dimension.
4. take somebody ↔ on to compete against someone or start a fight with someone, especially someone bigger or better than you:
Nigeria will take on Argentina in the first round of the World Cup on Saturday.
He was prepared to take on anyone who laid a finger on us.
5. take something ↔ on if a plane or ship takes on people or things, they come onto it:
We stopped to take on fuel.
take somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
1. take somebody ↔ out to take someone as your guest to a restaurant, cinema, club etc
take somebody ↔ out for
We’re taking my folks out for a meal next week.
2. take something ↔ out to make a financial or legal arrangement with a bank, company, law court etc
take out a policy/injunction/loan etc
Before taking a loan out, calculate your monthly outgoings.
3. take something ↔ out to get money from your bank account SYN withdraw:
How much would you like to take out?
4. take something ↔ out to borrow books from a library:
You can take out six books at a time.
5. take somebody/something ↔ out informal to kill someone or destroy something:
The building was taken out by a bomb.
take something out on somebody phrasal verb
to treat someone badly when you are angry or upset, even though it is not their fault:
Don’t take it out on me just because you’ve had a bad day.
take your anger/frustration etc out on somebody
Irritated with herself, she took her annoyance out on Bridget.
take over phrasal verb
to take control of something ⇨ takeover
take something ↔ over
His only reason for investing in the company was to take it over.
Ruth moved into our apartment and promptly took over.
take to somebody/something phrasal verb [not in passive]
1. to start to like someone or something:
Sandra took to it straight away.
Charles was an odd character whom Kelly had never really taken to.
2. to start doing something regularly
take to doing something
Dee’s taken to getting up at 6 and going jogging.
3. take to your bed to get into your bed and stay there:
He was so depressed, he took to his bed for a week.
take something up phrasal verb
1. take something ↔ up to become interested in a new activity and to spend time doing it:
Roger took painting up for a while, but soon lost interest.
2. to start a new job or have a new responsibility:
Peter will take up the management of the finance department.
take up a post/a position/duties etc
The headteacher takes her duties up in August.
3. take something ↔ up if you take up a suggestion, problem, complaint etc, you start to do something about it:
Now the papers have taken up the story.
take something ↔ up with
The hospital manager has promised to take the matter up with the member of staff involved.
I am still very angry and will be taking it up with the authorities.
4. to fill a particular amount of time or space
be taken up with something
The little time I had outside of school was taken up with work.
take up space/room
old books that were taking up space in the office
5. take something ↔ up to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea:
Rob took up the invitation to visit.
take up the challenge/gauntlet
Rick took up the challenge and cycled the 250 mile route alone.
6. to move to the exact place where you should be, so that you are ready to do something:
The runners are taking up their positions on the starting line.
7. take something ↔ up to make a piece of clothing shorter OPP let down
8. take something ↔ up to continue a story or activity that you or someone else had begun, after a short break:
I’ll take up the story where you left off.
take somebody up on something phrasal verb
to accept an invitation or suggestion
take somebody up on an offer/a promise/a suggestion etc
I’ll take you up on that offer of a drink, if it still stands.
take up with somebody/something phrasal verb
old-fashioned to become friendly with someone, especially someone who may influence you badly
II. take² BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑takings, ↑undertaking, ↑take, ↑taker; verb: ↑take, ↑overtake, ↑undertake]
1. [countable] an occasion when a film scene, song, action etc is recorded:
We had to do six takes for this particular scene.
2. sb’s take (on something) someone’s opinion about a situation or idea:
What’s your take on this issue?
3. be on the take informal to be willing to do something wrong in return for money:
Is it true that some of the generals are on the take?
4. [usually singular] American English informal the amount of money earned by a shop or business in a particular period of time
• • •
THESAURUS
■ what you say when giving examples
▪ for example used when giving an example: Prices have risen sharply. The price of gasoline, for example, has risen by over 50%. | Nepal has many attractions for visitors. For example, you can go trekking in the Himalayas, or see tigers in Chitwan National Park.
▪ for instance used when giving an example. For instance is slightly less formal than for example and is used more in spoken English: There were many unanswered questions. For instance, where was the money going to come from? | Some people are really good languages. Take Katie, for instance.
▪ eg/e.g. written used when giving an example or a list of examples. Don’t use eg in formal writing – use the full phrase for example: Make sure you eat foods that contain protein, e.g. meat, fish, eggs, milk, or cheese.
▪ such as especially written used when giving one or two typical examples when there are many others: It is difficult to get even basic foods such as bread and sugar.
▪ take spoken used when giving a particular example as a way of proving that what you are saying is correct: Take John – he has a good job but he didn’t go to university. | It is possible to recover from some types of cancer. Take skin cancer, for example.
▪ be a case in point used when emphasizing that someone or something is a good or typical example of what you have just mentioned: Some birds have returned to Britain after once being extinct here. The return of the osprey is a case in point.

motorcycle

mo‧tor‧cy‧cle /ˈməʊtəˌsaɪkəl $ -tər-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
a fast two-wheeled vehicle with an engine SYN motorbike
—motorcycling noun [uncountable]
—motorcyclist noun [countable]

bicycle

I. bi‧cy‧cle¹ W3 /ˈbaɪsɪkəl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: bi- + -cycle (as in tricycle)]

a vehicle with two wheels that you ride by pushing its ↑pedals with your feet SYN bike:
Can James ride a bicycle yet? ⇨ ↑exercise bike
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say bike rather than bicycle:
▪ They go everywhere by bike.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ ride a bicycle Riding a bicycle is very good exercise.
▪ get on/off a bicycle I got on my bicycle and cycled over to Rob’s house.
▪ push/wheel a bicycle (=walk beside it pushing it) She was wheeling her bicycle and talking to some friends.
■ bicycle + NOUN
▪ a bicycle shop (also bicycle store American English) His dream was to own a bicycle shop.
▪ a bicycle ride They went for a 50 km bicycle ride.
▪ a bicycle wheel/tyre My front bicycle tyre is flat.
▪ a bicycle pump (=for putting more air in a tyre) Where’s the bicycle pump?
▪ a bicycle helmet It’s safer to wear a bicycle helmet.
▪ a bicycle shed (=place for keeping bicycles in) He built a bicycle shed in the back yard.
II. bicycle² BrE AmE verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
formal to go somewhere by bicycle SYN bike, cycle
—bicyclist noun [countable]

grandfather

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

lose

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

lose out

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

mean

I. mean¹ S1 W1 /miːn/ BrE AmE verb [transitive] (past tense and past participle meant /ment/)
[Word Family: adjective: ↑meaningful, ↑meaningless; verb: ↑mean; noun: ↑meaning; adverb: ↑meaningfully]
[Language: Old English; Origin: mænan]
1. HAVE A PARTICULAR MEANING [not in progressive] to have or represent a particular meaning:
What does ‘patronizing’ mean?
The red light means ‘Stop’.
The report fails to define what is meant by the term ‘key issues’.
mean (that)
This light means you’re running low on fuel.
REGISTER
In written English, people often prefer to say that something indicates something is the case, rather than using mean:
▪ The light indicates that fuel supplies are low.
2. INTEND TO SAY SOMETHING [not in progressive] to intend a particular meaning when you say something
mean (that)
I meant we’d have to leave early – that’s all.
It’s pretty obvious what she means.
(do) you mean spoken (=used to check you have understood what someone intended to say)
Do you mean you’ve changed or Chris has changed?
do/if you know/see what I mean? spoken (=used to check that someone understands you)
I want to buy her something really special, if you know what I mean.
We’re still married but living apart in the same house, if you see what I mean.
Oh yeah! I see what you mean (=I understand what you are trying to say).
What I mean is, I don’t feel alone anymore (=used to explain more about what you have said).
‘I didn’t really like him.’ 'I know what you mean, I didn’t get on with him either (=used to say you understand and have had the same experience).
‘In three hours’ time, I’ll be a free man.‘ ’How do you mean (=used to ask someone to explain what they have just said)?'
3. INTEND TO DO SOMETHING to intend to do something or intend that someone else should do something
mean to do something
I’ve been meaning to ask you if you want to come for a meal next week.
I didn’t mean to upset you.
mean somebody/something to do something
I didn’t mean this to happen at all.
I never meant you to find out.
mean for somebody to do something especially American English:
I didn’t mean for her to get hurt.
I’m sure she didn’t mean it (=she did not intend to upset or hurt someone).
mean no harm/offence/disrespect (=not intend to harm, offend etc someone)
I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm.
He may sound a bit rude at times, but he means well (=intends to be helpful or kind, even if it does not seem like that).
I wasn’t criticizing you, I really meant it for the best (=wanted to be helpful, although my actions had the wrong effect).
4. RESULT IN SOMETHING [not in progressive] to have a particular result or involve something:
The merger will mean the closure of the company’s Sydney office.
Don’t let him see you. It will only mean trouble.
mean (that)
The high cost of housing means that many young people can’t afford to buy a house.
mean doing something
My new job will mean travelling all over the world.
Dieting also means being careful about which foods you buy.
5. BE FAMILIAR [not in progressive] if a name, word etc means something to you, you are familiar with it or you understand it:
He said his name was ‘Randall’ but it meant nothing to me (=I was not familiar with it).
Does the name Bryce mean anything to you?
You need to use analogies which will mean something to the reader.
6. SAY SOMETHING SERIOUSLY [not in progressive] to be serious about what you are saying or writing:
With children, if you say ‘no’, you have to mean it.
I meant what I said earlier.
You don’t really mean that, do you?
7. HOW IMPORTANT SOMEBODY/SOMETHING IS [not in progressive] used for saying how important someone or something is to you
mean something to somebody
I know how much your work means to you.
The medal meant a lot to him.
mean the world to somebody/mean everything to somebody (=be very important to someone)
He meant the world to her.
Time meant nothing (=it was not important) to me while I was travelling.
Of course the relationship meant something to me.
8. SHOW SOMETHING IS TRUE/WILL HAPPEN [not in progressive] to be a sign that something is true or will happen
mean (that)
Finding a lump does not necessarily mean you have cancer.
Clear skies mean that it will be a cold night.
Just because he’s been in prison, it doesn’t mean that he’s violent.
• • •
SPOKEN PHRASES
9. what do you mean ...?
a) used when you do not understand what someone is trying to say:
‘You’ll be careful won’t you?’ ‘What do you mean?’
b) used when you are very surprised or annoyed by what someone has just said:
What do you mean, you’ve cancelled the trip?
What do you mean by that?
c) used when you are very annoyed by what someone has just done:
What do you mean by calling me at this time of night?
10. SAY WHICH PERSON/THING used to say that a particular person or thing is the one that you are talking about, pointing to etc:
‘Hey you!’ ‘Do you mean me?’
I meant the pink dress, not the red one.
11. I mean
a) used when explaining or giving an example of something, or when pausing to think about what you are going to say next:
You’re more of an expert than me. I mean, you’ve got all that experience.
It’s just not right. I mean, it’s unfair isn’t it?
b) used to quickly correct something you have just said:
She plays the violin, I mean the viola, really well.
12. see what I mean? used when something that happens proves what you said before:
See what I mean? Every time she calls me up she wants me to do something for her.
13. that’s what I mean used when someone is saying the same thing that you were trying to say earlier:
‘We might not have enough money.’ ‘That’s what I mean, so we’d better find out the price first.’
14. I mean to say used when adding a reason or explanation for something you have just said, especially something you feel strongly about:
Of course she wants to see the children, I mean to say, it’s only natural isn’t it?
15. mean business to be determined to do something:
This decision shows the public that we mean business.
16. be meant to do something
a) if you are meant to do something, you should do it, especially because someone has told you to or because you are responsible for it:
Come on, Ellen, you’re meant to be helping me.
I thought the police were meant to protect people.
b) to be intended to do something:
The diagram is meant to show the different stages of the process.
17. be meant to be good/excellent/bad etc used to say that you have heard or read that something is good, bad etc:
The play is meant to be really good.
18. be meant for somebody/something to be intended for a particular person or purpose:
a book meant for children
19. be meant for somebody if two people are meant for each other, they are very suitable as partners for each other:
They were meant for each other.
She’s meant for him.
20. somebody was never meant for something/to be something used to say that someone is not at all suitable for a particular job or activity:
I was never meant for the army.
21. something was meant to be/happen used to say that you think a situation was certain to happen and that no one could have prevented it:
Dan left me after a month so I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.
22. know/understand what it means to be something to have experienced a particular situation, so that you know what it is like:
I know what it means to be alone in a foreign country.