noun

rhythm and blues

 N-UNCOUNT
 Rhythm and blues is a style of popular music developed in the 1940's from blues music, but using electrically amplified instruments. The abbreviation R & B is also used

appearance

[əpɪ͟ərəns]
 ♦♦
 appearances
 1) N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft supp N When someone makes an appearance at a public event or in a broadcast, they take part in it.
  It was the president's second public appearance to date...
  Keegan made 68 appearances in two seasons for Southampton, scoring 37 times.
 2) N-SING: with supp Someone's or something's appearance is the way that they look.
  She used to be so fussy about her appearance...
  He had the appearance of a college student...
  A flat-roofed extension will add nothing to the value or appearance of the house.
 3) N-SING: with supp, oft N of n The appearance of someone or something in a place is their arrival there, especially when it is unexpected.
  The sudden appearance of a few bags of rice could start a riot.
  ...last Christmas, when there'd been the welcome appearance of Cousin Fred.
 4) N-SING: with supp, oft N of n The appearance of something new is its coming into existence or use.
  Flowering plants were making their first appearance, but were still a rarity...
  Fears are growing of a cholera outbreak following the appearance of a number of cases in the city.
 5) N-SING: with supp If something has the appearance of a quality, it seems to have that quality.
  We tried to meet both children's needs without the appearance of favoritism or unfairness...
  The US president risked giving the appearance that the US was taking sides.
 6) PHRASE: PHR with cl/group If something is true to all appearances, from all appearances, or by all appearances, it seems from what you observe or know about it that it is true.
  He was a small and to all appearances an unassuming man.
 7) PHRASE: V inflects If you keep up appearances, you try to behave and dress in a way that people expect of you, even if you can no longer afford it.
  His parents' obsession with keeping up appearances haunted his childhood.
 8) PHRASE: V inflects If you put in an appearance at an event, you go to it for a short time although you may not really want to, but do not stay.
  You must put in an appearance, at least, or she'll think you're avoiding her.
  Syn:
  show your face

play

[ple͟ɪ]
 ♦
 plays, playing, played
 1) VERB When children, animals, or perhaps adults play, they spend time doing enjoyable things, such as using toys and taking part in games.
  ...invite the children round to play...
  They played in the little garden...
  [V with n] Polly was playing with her teddy bear.
 N-UNCOUNT
 Play is also a noun. ...a few hours of play until the baby-sitter takes them off to bed.
 2) V-RECIP When you play a sport, game, or match, you take part in it.
  [pl-n V n] While the twins played cards, Francis sat reading...
  [V n with n] Alain was playing cards with his friends...
  [V n (non-recip)] I used to play basketball...
  [V for n (non-recip)] I want to play for my country...
  [V (non-recip)] He captained the team but he didn't actually play.
 N-UNCOUNT
 Play is also a noun. Both sides adopted the Continental style of play.
 3) VERB When one person or team plays another or plays against them, they compete against them in a sport or game.
  [V n] Northern Ireland will play Latvia...
  [V against n] I've played against him a few times.
 N-UNCOUNT
 Play is also a noun. Fischer won after 5 hours and 41 minutes of play.
 4) VERB When you play the ball or play a shot in a game or sport, you kick or hit the ball.
  [V n] Think first before playing the ball...
  [V n] Sikander Bakht played a bad shot...
  [V n adv] I played the ball back slightly.
 5) VERB 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.
  [V n on n] Someone had played a trick on her, stretched a piece of string at the top of those steps...
  [V n] I thought: `This cannot be happening, somebody must be playing a joke'.
 6) VERB 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.
  [V with n] She stared at the floor, idly playing with the strap of her handbag.
  Syn:
  toy
 7) N-COUNT A play is a piece of writing which is performed in a theatre, on the radio, or on television.
  The company put on a play about the homeless...
  It's my favourite Shakespeare play.
 8) VERB If an actor plays a role or character in a play or film, he or she performs the part of that character.
  [V n] ...Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, in which he played Hyde...
  [V n] His ambition is to play the part of Dracula.
 9) V-LINK 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.
  [V n] Hill tried to play the peacemaker...
  [V n] She was just playing the devoted mother...
  So you want to play nervous today? [Also V adj]
  Syn:
  act
 10) VERB 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.
  [V it adj/adv] Investors are playing it cautious, and they're playing it smart.
 11) V-ERG 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.
  [V n] Nina had been playing the piano...
  [V n] Two people played jazz on a piano...
  [V for n] He played for me...
  [V n n] Place your baby in her seat and play her a lullaby...
  The guitars played. [Also V n for n]
 12) V-ERG If you play a record, a compact disc, or a tape, you put it into a machine and sound is produced. If a record or tape is playing, sound is being produced from it.
  [V n] She played her records too loudly...
  [V n] Every evening in those days the BBC played `God Save The King'...
  [V n] The records were played on the radio...
  There is classical music playing in the background. [Also V n n]
 13) VERB 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...
  [V n] He will play concerts in Amsterdam and Paris.
  Syn:
  perform
 14) VERB When light plays somewhere, it moves about on a surface in an unsteady way. [LITERARY]
  [V prep] The sun played on the frosty roofs.
 15) PHRASE: V inflects (feelings) 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?.
 16) PHRASE: V inflects 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...
  Breathing brings many muscles into play.
 17) PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR in n 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.
  They played a part in the life of their community...
  The UN would play a major role in monitoring a ceasefire.
  ...the role played by diet in disease.
 18) to play ball → see ball
 to play your cards right → see card
 to play it by ear → see ear
 to play fair → see fair
 to play fast and loose → see fast
 to play second fiddle → see fiddle
 to play the field → see field
 to play with fire → see fire
 to play the fool → see fool
 to play to the gallery → see gallery
 to play into someone's hands → see hand
 to play hard to get → see hard
 to play havoc → see havoc
 to play host → see host
 to play safe → see safe
 to play for time → see time
 to play truant → see truant
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - play along
  - play at
  - play around
  - play back
  - play down
  - play off against
  - play on
  - play out
  - play up
  - play upon

exhibit

[ɪgzɪ̱bɪt]
 exhibits, exhibiting, exhibited
 1) VERB If someone or something shows a particular quality, feeling, or type of behaviour, you can say that they exhibit it. [FORMAL]
  [V n] He has exhibited symptoms of anxiety and overwhelming worry...
  [V n] Two cats or more in one house will also exhibit territorial behaviour...
  [V n] The economy continued to exhibit signs of decline in September.
  Syn:
  demonstrate, show
 2) VERB: usu passive When a painting, sculpture, or object of interest is exhibited, it is put in a public place such as a museum or art gallery so that people can come to look at it. You can also say that animals are exhibited in a zoo.
  [be V-ed] His work was exhibited in the best galleries in America, Europe and Asia.
  [V-ed] ...a massive elephant exhibited by London Zoo in the late 19th Century.
  Derived words:
  exhibition N-UNCOUNT usu for/on N Five large pieces of the wall are currently on exhibition in London.
 3) VERB When artists exhibit, they show their work in public.
  By 1936 she was exhibiting at the Royal Academy.
 4) N-COUNT An exhibit is a painting, sculpture, or object of interest that is displayed to the public in a museum or art gallery.
  Shona showed me round the exhibits.
 5) N-COUNT An exhibit is a public display of paintings, sculpture, or objects of interest, for example in a museum or art gallery. [AM]
  ...an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.(in BRIT, use exhibition)
 6) N-COUNT An exhibit is an object that a lawyer shows in court as evidence in a legal case.
 7) VERB If you say that someone exhibits something, you mean that they are showing it openly or publicly in order to be admired, noticed, or believed.
  [V n] Other women seemed content and even exhibited their bellies with pride...
  [V n] He seems to want to exhibit his shame.
  Syn:
  show off

[le̱ktʃə(r)]
 ♦♦♦
 lectures, lecturing, lectured
 1) N-COUNT A lecture is a talk someone gives in order to teach people about a particular subject, usually at a university or college.
  ...a series of lectures by Professor Eric Robinson...
  In his lecture Riemann covered an enormous variety of topics.
 2) VERB If you lecture on a particular subject, you give a lecture or a series of lectures about it.
  [V on/in n] She then invited him to Atlanta to lecture on the history of art...
  She has danced, choreographed, lectured and taught all over the world...
  [V n on n] Wendy Rigby was recently invited to lecture a group of doctors on the benefits of aromatherapy.
 3) VERB If someone lectures you about something, they criticize you or tell you how they think you should behave.
  [V n about/on n] He used to lecture me about getting too much sun...
  [V n] Chuck would lecture me, telling me to get a haircut...
  She was no longer interrogating but lecturing. [Also V n to-inf]
 N-COUNT
 Lecture is also a noun. Our captain gave us a stern lecture on safety.

tune

[tju͟ːn, AM tu͟ːn]
 ♦♦♦
 tunes, tuning, tuned
 1) N-COUNT A tune is a series of musical notes that is pleasant and easy to remember.
  She was humming a merry little tune.
  Syn:
  melody
 2) N-COUNT You can refer to a song or a short piece of music as a tune.
  She'll also be playing your favourite pop tunes.
 3) VERB When someone tunes a musical instrument, they adjust it so that it produces the right notes.
  [V n] `We do tune our guitars before we go on,' he insisted.
 PHRASAL VERB
 Tune up means the same as tune. V P n (not pron) Others were quietly tuning up their instruments.
 4) VERB: usu passive When an engine or machine is tuned, it is adjusted so that it works well.
  [be V-ed] Drivers are urged to make sure that car engines are properly tuned.
 PHRASAL VERB
 Tune up means the same as tune. V P n (not pron) The shop charges up to $500 to tune up a Porsche.
 5) VERB: usu passive If your radio or television is tuned to a particular broadcasting station, you are listening to or watching the programmes being broadcast by that station.
  [be V-ed to n] A small colour television was tuned to an afternoon soap opera.
 6) → See also fine-tune, signature tune, tuning fork
 7) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that a person or organization is calling the tune, you mean that they are in a position of power or control in a particular situation.
  Who would then be calling the tune in Parliament?
 8) PHRASE: V inflects (disapproval) If you say that someone has changed their tune, you are criticizing them because they have changed their opinion or way of doing things.
  You've changed your tune since this morning, haven't you?...
  Yesterday he changed his tune, saying the fare increase was experimental.
 9) PHRASE: V inflects (disapproval) If you say that someone is dancing to someone else's tune, you mean that they are allowing themselves to be controlled by the other person.
  The danger of commercialism is that the churches end up dancing to the tune of their big business sponsors.
 10) PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR A person or musical instrument that is in tune produces exactly the right notes. A person or musical instrument that is out of tune does not produce exactly the right notes.
  It was just an ordinary voice, but he sang in tune...
  Many of the notes are out of tune...
  It's no wonder the piano kept going out of tune.
 11) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR n If you are in tune with a group of people, you are in agreement or sympathy with them. If you are out of tune with them, you are not in agreement or sympathy with them.
  Today, his change of direction seems more in tune with the times...
  The peace campaigners were probably out of tune with most Britons.
 12) PHR-PREP: PREP amount To the tune of a particular amount of money means to the extent of that amount.
  They've been sponsoring the World Cup to the tune of a million and a half pounds.
 13) he who pays the piper calls the tune → see piper
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - tune in
  - tune out
  - tune up

soundtrack

[sa͟ʊndtræk]
 soundtracks
 also sound track
 N-COUNT
 The soundtrack of a film is its sound, speech, and music. It is used especially to refer to the music.

rhythm

[rɪ̱ðəm]
 ♦♦♦
 rhythms
 1) N-VAR A rhythm is a regular series of sounds or movements.
  His music of that period fused the rhythms of Jazz with classical forms...
  He had no sense of rhythm whatsoever...
  She could hear the constant rhythm of his breathing.
 2) N-COUNT A rhythm is a regular pattern of changes, for example changes in your body, in the seasons, or in the tides.
  Begin to listen to your own body rhythms.
  ...the seasonal rhythm of the agricultural year.

rest

I [re̱st]QUANTIFIER USES
 ♦♦
 1) QUANT: QUANT of def-n The rest is used to refer to all the parts of something or all the things in a group that remain or that you have not already mentioned.
  It was an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life...
  I'm going to throw a party, then invest the rest of the money...
  He was unable to travel to Barcelona with the rest of the team.
 PRON
 Rest is also a pronoun. Only 55 per cent of the raw material is canned. The rest is thrown away, or fed to cows.
 2) PHRASE (vagueness) You can add and the rest or all the rest of it to the end of a statement or list when you want to refer in a vague way to other things that are associated with the ones you have already mentioned. [SPOKEN]
  ...a man with nice clothes, a Range Rover and the rest...
  And what about racism and all the rest of it?
  Syn:
  and so on, et ceteraII [re̱st]VERB AND NOUN USES
 ♦♦
 rests, resting, rested
 (Please look at category 18 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.)
 1) VERB If you rest or if you rest your body, you do not do anything active for a time.
  He's tired and exhausted, and has been advised to rest for two weeks...
  [V n] Try to rest the injured limb as much as possible.
 2) N-VAR If you get some rest or have a rest, you do not do anything active for a time.
  `You're worn out, Laura,' he said. `Go home and get some rest.'...
  After I've had a good rest, I'll tell you everything.
 3) VERB If something such as a theory or someone's success rests on a particular thing, it depends on that thing. [FORMAL]
  [V on/upon n/wh] Such a view rests on a number of incorrect assumptions...
  [V on/upon n/wh] The long-term future of the country rests on how we teach our children.
  Syn:
  hang, depend
 4) VERB If authority, a responsibility, or a decision rests with you, you have that authority or responsibility, or you are the one who will make that decision. [FORMAL]
  [V with n] The judge said that `whether Miss Bergman wishes to admit it or not, the responsibility rests with her.'...
  [V with n] The final decision rested with the President.
 5) VERB If you rest something somewhere, you put it there so that its weight is supported.
  [V n prep] He rested his arms on the back of the chair...
  [V n prep] He rested one of his crutches against the rail.
  Syn:
  lean
 6) V-ERG If something is resting somewhere, or if you are resting it there, it is in a position where its weight is supported.
  [V prep/adv] His head was resting on her shoulder...
  [V n prep/adv] He had been resting his head in his hands, deep in thought.
 7) VERB If you rest on or against someone or something, you lean on them so that they support the weight of your body.
  [V prep] He rested on his pickaxe for a while.
  Syn:
  lean
 8) N-COUNT: usu n N A rest is an object that is used to support something, especially your head, arms, or feet.
  When you are sitting, keep your elbow on the arm rest.
  Syn:
  support
 9) VERB If your eyes rest on a particular person or object, you look directly at them, rather than somewhere else. [WRITTEN]
  [V on/upon n] As she spoke, her eyes rested on her husband's face.
  Syn:
  settle
 10) → See also rested
 11) PHRASE: V inflects When an object that has been moving comes to rest, it finally stops. [FORMAL]
  The plane had plowed a path through a patch of forest before coming to rest in a field.
  Syn:
  stop
 12) PHRASE If you say that someone can rest easy, you mean that they don't need to worry about a particular situation.
  In that case, we can rest easy. Gagnier is the most helpful superintendent they have.
 13) PHRASE: V inflects If someone tells you to give something a rest, they want you to stop doing it because it annoys them or because they think it is harming you. [INFORMAL]
  Give it a rest, will you? We're trying to get some sleep...
  I think you ought to give football a rest for a time.
 14) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that someone who has died is laid to rest, you mean that they are buried.
  His dying wish was to be laid to rest at the church near his Somerset home.
 15) PHRASE: V inflects If you lay something such as fears or rumours to rest or if you put them to rest, you succeed in proving that they are not true.
  His speech should lay those fears to rest...
  I am determined to put to rest these rumours that we are in financial trouble.
  Syn:
  allay
 16) PHRASE: V inflects If someone refuses to let a subject rest, they refuse to stop talking about it, especially after they have been talking about it for a long time.
  I am not prepared to let this matter rest...
  Let it rest, Rachel. Leave her in peace.
  Syn:
  drop
 17) PHRASE: V and N inflect To put someone's mind at rest or set their mind at rest means to tell them something that stops them worrying.
  She was quick to put his mind at rest. `Mrs Barrett will be delighted to have your brothers back,' she said...
  A brain scan last Friday finally set his mind at rest.
  Syn:
  reassure
 18) rest assured → see assured
 to rest on your laurels → see laurel
 to rest in peace → see peace