noun

loyalty

loy‧al‧ty /ˈlɔɪəlti/ BrE AmE noun (plural loyalties)
1. [uncountable] the quality of remaining faithful to your friends, principles, country etc
loyalty to/towards
Elizabeth understood her husband’s loyalty to his sister.
2. [countable usually plural] a feeling of support for someone or something
local/regional/tribal/family etc loyalty/loyalties
In the rural areas, family and tribal loyalties continue to be important.
the agony of divided loyalties (=loyalty to two different or opposing people) for the children in a divorce
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + loyalty
▪ absolute/total/complete loyalty He knew that he had Boyle's complete loyalty.
▪ great/deep/strong loyalty She was admired for her deep loyalty to her colleagues.
▪ fierce/intense loyalty She was touched by her friend's fierce loyalty.
▪ unswerving loyalty (=loyalty that does not change) He was rewarded for his unswerving loyalty.
▪ blind/unthinking loyalty (=loyalty to a person or group without questioning whether they are right - used disapprovingly) Sarah was criticized for her blind loyalty to her husband.
▪ undivided loyalty (=loyalty that goes only to one person or group) He has the undivided loyalty of Manchester United fans.
▪ divided loyalties (=when you feel that you should be loyal to two people, groups etc) She felt divided loyalties, having friends on both sides of the dispute.
▪ customer/brand loyalty (=when someone shops in the same shops or buys the same goods regularly) The company's marketing department is trying to build customer loyalty.
▪ party/political loyalty Most of the people seem to vote according to party loyalty.
▪ personal loyalty (=loyalty to someone as a person, rather than to a company or organization) He inspired personal loyalty among his employees.
▪ family loyalty Family loyalty prevented her from telling what she knew.
▪ national loyalty National loyalties can be a cause of conflict between countries.
▪ tribal loyalty (=loyalty to your group, team etc, which is felt by a large number of people - often used disapprovingly) Football fans tend to have a strange kind of tribal loyalty.
▪ company loyalty As people change jobs more often, company loyalty is less common.
■ verbs
▪ feel loyalty towards somebody/something Marco felt an intense loyalty to his native country.
▪ inspire/command somebody's loyalty (=make someone feel loyal to you) He inspires extraordinary loyalty among his staff.
▪ show/prove your loyalty (=do something that shows you are loyal to someone) He showed great loyalty to his wife during her long illness.
▪ swear/pledge loyalty (=promise that you will be loyal) The president's assistants swore their loyalty to him.
■ phrases
▪ a sense of loyalty She had a strong sense of loyalty to her family.
▪ an oath of loyalty (=a promise to be loyal) They swore an oath of loyalty to their king.
▪ where your loyalties lie (=who or what you are going to be loyal to) Do your loyalties lie with your friends or your family?
■ loyalty + NOUN
▪ a loyalty scheme (=when a company or shop gives customers a reward for continuing to use them) The supermarket operates a loyalty scheme.

heart

heart S1 W1 /hɑːt $ hɑːrt/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: adjective: heartened ≠ disheartened, heartening ≠ disheartening, heartless, hearty; noun: heart, heartlessness, heartiness; adverb: heartily, heartlessly, hearteningly ≠ dishearteningly; verb: hearten ≠ dishearten]
[Language: Old English; Origin: heorte]

1. BODY ORGAN [countable] the organ in your chest which pumps blood through your body:
Regular exercise is good for the heart.
Can you hear my heart beating?
Her cheeks were hot and her heart was pounding.
My heart raced. Were we going to land safely?
Daniel had no history of heart problems.
She suffers from a rare heart condition.
His breathing and heart rate were now normal.
2. EMOTIONS/LOVE [countable] the part of you that feels strong emotions and feelings:
His heart was full of anger and grief.
The plight of the refugees had tugged at the nation’s heart.
The doctor had an extremely kind heart.
She could hardly speak for the ache in her heart.
It would break Kate’s heart (=make her extremely sad) to leave the lovely old house.
He left the country with a heavy heart (=great sadness).
Edith loved her boy with all her heart and soul.
I was still pretty innocent then when it came to affairs of the heart (=matters relating to love and sex).
a woman with a heart of gold (=very kind character)
Sometimes I think he’s got a heart of stone (=very cruel character).
I’m glad I followed my heart rather than my head for once.
My father told me never to let my heart rule my head.
kind-hearted/cold-hearted/hard-hearted etc (=having a kind, unkind, cruel etc character)
He thinks of himself as a warm-hearted and caring human being.
3. YOUR CHEST [countable usually singular] the part of your chest near your heart:
He put his hand on his heart.
4. SHAPE [countable] a shape used to represent a heart
5. from the (bottom of your) heart with great sincerity and strength of feeling:
Leonard spoke from the heart.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
She sang the songs straight from the heart.
6. in your heart (of hearts) if you know, feel, or believe something in your heart, you are secretly sure about it although you may not admit it:
In her heart she knew she would never go.
Deep in his heart, he wanted Laura back.
7. IMPORTANT PART OF SOMETHING [singular] the most important or central part of a problem, question etc
the heart of something
difficult issues at the heart of science policy
We must get to the heart of the problem.
8. ENCOURAGEMENT [uncountable] confidence and courage:
This inspiring service gave us new heart.
We mustn’t lose heart when people complain.
We’ve got to take a bit of heart from the fact that we won.
9. at heart if you are a particular kind of person at heart, that is the kind of person that you really are even though you may appear or behave differently:
He may be a working class boy at heart, but his lifestyle has been transformed.
Let’s face it, we’re all romantics at heart. ⇨ have sb’s (best) interests at heart at interest¹(5), ⇨ young at heart at young¹(5)
10. THE CENTRE OF AN AREA [countable] the middle part of an area furthest from the edge
in the heart of something
a house in the heart of London
at the heart of something
an old house at the heart of an ancient forest
11. close/dear to sb’s heart very important to someone:
The President liked to go to Williamsburg, a place close to his heart.
Money is dear to Kathleen’s heart.
12. the hearts and minds of somebody the thoughts, emotions, and attitudes a group of people have about a particular subject, which is a combination of their strong emotional feelings and their calm and sensible thoughts:
The president must try to win the hearts and minds of the voters.
13. by heart when you know something by heart, you remember all of it exactly:
After a few days of phoning Stephanie, he knew her number by heart.
Actors have to learn their lines by heart.
14. sb’s heart sinks used to say that someone suddenly lost hope and began to feel unhappy:
Her heart sank when she saw the number of books she had to read.
15. with all your heart with all your strength, energy, or emotion:
He hates Los Angeles with all his heart.
We sang the hymn with all our hearts.
16. take something to heart to consider what someone says to you very seriously, often because it upsets you:
Anne took his criticisms very much to heart.
We took Stephen’s warnings to heart.
17. sb’s heart goes out to somebody used to say that someone feels a lot of sympathy towards another person:
My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
18. CARD GAMES
a) [countable] a heart shape printed in red on a playing card
b) hearts [plural] the suit (=set) of playing cards that have these shapes on them:
the ace of hearts
c) [countable] one of the cards in this set:
Have you got any hearts?
19. do something to your heart’s content to do something as much as you want:
She had lazed around the pool to her heart’s content.
The dog can run to its heart’s content out there.
20. sb’s heart misses/skips a beat used to say that someone suddenly feels a moment of fear or excitement:
His heart missed a beat as he saw the body of a small child at the water’s edge.
21. set your heart on something to want something very much:
His father bought him the bike he had set his heart on.
She had set her heart on becoming a hairdresser.
22. a man/woman etc after my own heart someone who likes the same things or behaves in the same way that you do:
Geoff really is a man after my own heart.
23. cry/sing etc your heart out if you cry, sing etc your heart out, you do it with all your energy or emotion:
He found me crying my heart out and was so kind. ⇨ eat your heart out at eat(4), ⇨ pour your heart out at ↑pour
24. your heart’s desire/everything your heart could desire the one thing you want most, or everything that you could possibly want:
To have a baby was her heart’s desire.
25. not have the heart to do something to be unable to do something because it will make someone unhappy:
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her beautiful vase was broken.
26. sb’s heart isn’t in it used to say that someone does not really want to do something:
She’s getting bored with the job and her heart’s not in it.
27. do something out of the goodness of your heart to do something out of kindness, not because you have been asked or expect a reward:
All these people were helping us out of the goodness of their hearts.
28. take somebody to your heart if people take someone to their hearts, they like them very much:
The fans have taken Hudson to their hearts.
29. VEGETABLE [countable] the firm middle part of some vegetables:
artichoke hearts
30. give/lose your heart to somebody to start to love someone very much
31. my heart was in my mouth used to say that you suddenly felt very afraid
32. sb’s heart is in the right place informal used to say that someone is really a kind person and has the right feelings about something important:
I don’t think his idea will work, though his heart’s in the right place.
33. it does your heart good to see/hear something used to say that something makes you feel happy
34. sb’s heart leaps literary used to say that someone suddenly feels happy and full of hope:
‘I couldn’t live without you,’ he said and Jane’s heart leapt.
35. be in good heart formal to feel happy and confident:
The team are in good heart and ready for the season’s matches.
36. have a heart! used to tell someone not to be too strict or unkind – used humorously
37. know the way to sb’s heart to know the way to please someone – used humorously
38. my heart bleeds (for somebody) used to say that you do not really feel any sympathy towards someone
⇨ a broken heart at broken²(9), ⇨ cross my heart at cross¹(11), ⇨ have a change of heart at change²(1), ⇨ sick at heart at sick¹(9), ⇨ strike at the heart of something at strike¹(7), ⇨ wear your heart on your sleeve at wear¹(8), ⇨ win sb’s heart at win¹(3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ sb’s heart beats Her heart was beating fast.
▪ sb’s heart pounds/thuds/thumps (=it beats very strongly) He reached the top, his heart pounding.
▪ sb’s heart races (=it beats very fast) Was there someone in the alley? Joe’s heart began to race.
■ heart + NOUN
▪ heart trouble/problems You should not take this medication if you have heart problems.
▪ heart disease Smoking increases the risk of heart disease.
▪ a heart condition (=something wrong with your heart) The baby was born with a heart condition.
▪ sb’s heart rate (=the number of times someone’s heart beats per minute) Your heart rate increases as you exercise.
■ adjectives
▪ healthy Eating oily fish can help maintain a healthy heart.
▪ a bad/weak heart (=an unhealthy heart) The effort proved too much for her weak heart.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ a good/kind heart (=a kind character) My father had a good heart.
▪ a big heart (=a kind and generous character) She may be only small, but she has a big heart.
▪ a soft heart (=a kind and sympathetic character) Julia’s soft heart had been touched by Minnie’s grief.
▪ a cold/hard heart (=used about someone who does not feel sympathy for other people) It takes a hard heart not to be moved by these images of suffering.
▪ a heavy heart (=feeling very sad) She made her way to the hospital with a heavy heart.
▪ a light heart (=feeling happy) Paul left for home with a light heart.
▪ a broken heart (=feeling very sad because of a problem in love) I wonder how many broken hearts Carlo was responsible for.
■ verbs
▪ break sb’s heart (=make someone feel very sad) It broke my heart to see him so sick.
▪ follow your heart (= do what your emotions want you to do) Go for it. Follow your heart. Who cares what everyone else thinks?
▪ sb’s heart aches (=to feel very sad) It made his heart ache to look at her
■ phrases
▪ heart and soul (=all your feelings) She loved Peter with all her heart and soul.
▪ affairs of the heart (=matters relating to love) I had little experience of affairs of the heart.
▪ sb’s heart rules their head (=someone makes decisions based on emotions rather than careful thought) He has never been one to let his heart rule his head.
▪ a heart of gold (=a very kind character) She was rather brisk in manner but with a heart of gold.
▪ a heart of stone (=a very cruel character) You’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel sorry for them.
▪ be in good heart (=to be happy and confident) The team was in good heart, despite their loss this weekend.
▪ be sick at heart (=to feel very unhappy) He was too sick at heart to know what to say.

tomato

to‧ma‧to S2 /təˈmɑːtəʊ $ -ˈmeɪtoʊ/ BrE AmE noun (plural tomatoes) [countable]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: Spanish; Origin: tomate, from Nahuatl tomatl]

a round soft red fruit eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable

rice

rice S3 /raɪs/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: ris, from Greek oryza, oryzon]
1. a food that consists of small white or brown grains that you boil in water until they become soft enough to eat ⇨ risotto, pilau:
a tasty sauce served with rice or pasta
a plate of brown rice
Serve with plain boiled rice.
a few grains of rice
2. the plant that produces rice:
Rice is the main crop grown in the area.
rice fields

bank

I. bank¹ S1 W1 /bæŋk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Sense 1,3,7: Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: banque, from Old Italian banca 'long seat, bank']
[Sense 2,4,6,8: Date: 1100-1200; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language. ]
[Sense 5: Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: banc 'long seat']
1. PLACE FOR MONEY
a) a business that keeps and lends money and provides other financial services
in the bank
We have very little money in the bank.
Barclays Bank
a bank loan
b) a local office of a bank:
I have to go to the bank at lunch time. ⇨ ↑clearing bank, ↑merchant bank
2. RIVER/LAKE land along the side of a river or lake
bank of
the banks of the River Dee
the river bank
3. blood/sperm/organ bank a place where human blood etc is stored until someone needs it
4. CLOUDS/MIST a large mass of clouds, mist etc:
a fog bank
bank of
banks of mist
5. RAISED AREA a large sloping mass of earth, sand, snow etc:
She was sitting on a grassy bank.
bank of
steep banks of snow
banks of flowers
6. MACHINES a large number of machines, television screens etc arranged close together in a row
bank of
banks of TV monitors
7. GAME a supply of money used to ↑gamble, that people can win ⇨ break the bank at ↑break¹(24)
8. be makin' bank American English spoken informal to earn a lot of money for the work that you do:
Check out Omar’s new car. The brother must be makin' bank.
9. ROAD a slope made at a bend in a road or ↑racetrack to make it safer for cars to go around
⇨ ↑bottle bank, ↑food bank, ↑memory bank
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ go to the bank I went to the bank and took out $80.
▪ borrow from a bank You may be able to borrow some money from the bank.
▪ a bank lends something The bank lent me £10,000 to help me start the business.
■ bank + NOUN
▪ a bank account How much do you have in your bank account at the moment?
▪ your bank balance (=the actual amount that you have in your bank account) I'm just going to check my bank balance online.
▪ a bank card You can withdraw money using your bank card.
▪ bank charges Will I have to pay bank charges on this account?
▪ a bank clerk (=a junior worker in a bank) He began his career as a bank clerk.
▪ a bank loan What's the interest rate on your bank loan?
▪ a bank note (=a piece of paper money) a $10 bank note
▪ a bank statement (=a written statement of how much you have in a bank account) I get a written bank statement once a month.
▪ a bank manager Could I make an appointment with the bank manager, please?
▪ a bank robber/robbery The bank robbers were never caught.
■ types of bank
▪ a high street bank (=one of the ordinary banks that most people use) There's a lot of competition between the major high street banks.
▪ a commercial bank (=an ordinary bank, or one that deals with large businesses) the role of UK commercial banks in the debt crisis
▪ an investment/merchant bank (=one that buys and sells stocks and shares etc) Goldman Sachs, the US investment bank
▪ a savings bank (=a bank that accepts your savings and provides mortgages)
▪ a clearing bank (=one of the banks in Britain that uses a clearing house when dealing with other banks) large commercial customers of the clearing banks
▪ a central bank (=the main financial authority in a country) The Bundesbank is the central bank of Germany.
▪ the World Bank (=an international organization providing financial help to developing countries) The road building was funded by the World Bank.

III. French² BrE AmE noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: frencisc, from Latin Franca 'Frank'; ⇨ ↑frank¹]
1. the French [plural] people from France
2. [uncountable] the language used in France, and some other countries:
How do you ask for directions in French?
3. pardon/excuse my French spoken used to say sorry for swearing

guitar

gui‧tar S3 W3 /ɡɪˈtɑː $ -ˈtɑːr/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: guitare, from Spanish guitarra, from Arabic qitar, from Greek kithara type of stringed instrument]
a musical instrument usually with six strings that you play by pulling the strings with your fingers or with a ↑plectrum (=small piece of plastic, metal etc)
an acoustic/an electric/a classical guitar ⇨ ↑bass guitar, ↑steel guitar

potato

po‧ta‧to S2 /pəˈteɪtəʊ $ -toʊ/ BrE AmE noun (plural potatoes)
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Spanish; Origin: batata, from Taino]

1. [uncountable and countable] a round white vegetable with a brown, red, or pale yellow skin, that grows under the ground
roast/fried/boiled/mashed potato
jacket potato (=cooked in its skin)
Marie stood at the sink, peeling potatoes (=cutting off the skin).
2. [countable] a plant that produces potatoes
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ peel potatoes (=cut the skin off them) Peel and slice the potatoes.
▪ slice potatoes (=cut them into long thin pieces)
▪ dice potatoes (=cut them into small square pieces)
▪ mash potatoes (=crush them until they are smooth, after boiling them)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + potato
▪ boiled potatoes Serve with plain boiled potatoes.
▪ mashed potato(es) (=boiled and crushed until smooth) I like sausages with mashed potatoes.
▪ roast potatoes (=cooked in an oven with fat) traditional roast beef with roast potatoes
▪ a baked/jacket potato (=cooked in its skin) We cooked baked potatoes in the embers of the fire.

computer

com‧put‧er S1 W1 AC /kəmˈpjuːtə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: ↑computer, ↑computing, ↑computerization; verb: ↑computerize]

an electronic machine that stores information and uses programs to help you find, organize, or change the information:
a huge global computer network
the latest computer software
on computer
The information is stored on computer.
by computer
Shoppers can send in their orders by computer and pick up their goods later.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ use a computer Most people do jobs in which they have to use a computer.
▪ log onto a computer (=start using it by typing a password) Next time you log onto your computer, you will have to use a new password.
▪ log off a computer (=stop using a computer system that requires a password)
▪ switch a computer on/off Always switch off your computer at the end of the day.
▪ start up/boot up a computer (=make it start working)
▪ shut down a computer (=close the programs and stop it working)
▪ restart/reboot a computer (=make it start working again) The problem sometimes disappears if I restart my computer.
▪ program a computer (=give it instructions so that it will do a particular job)
▪ hold/store something on a computer This data is all held on a central computer.
▪ a computer starts up/boots up My computer takes ages to start up in the morning.
▪ a computer crashes (=suddenly stops working)
▪ a computer is down (=is not working)
▪ a computer is up (=is working again after stopping working)
▪ software/a program runs on a computer You’ll need the appropriate software running on your computer.
■ computer + NOUN
▪ a computer system Our office is installing a new computer system.
▪ a computer screen/monitor Make sure your computer screen is at the right height.
▪ a computer keyboard The computer keyboard is shaped to put less strain on your wrists.
▪ a computer network (=a set of computers connected to each other) A virus had infected the entire computer network.
▪ a computer program (=a set of instructions stored inside a computer) At school, we’re learning how to write simple computer programs.
▪ computer software (=computer programs) Microsoft Corp is the world’s largest maker of personal computer software.
▪ computer hardware/equipment (=machines and equipment, not programs) a shop that sells computer equipment
▪ a computer game Kids love playing computer games.
▪ computer graphics (=images created by computers) There’s a massive market for high-speed computer graphics.
▪ computer technology the rapid progress in computer technology
▪ computer science (=the study of computers and what they can do)
▪ the computer industry You can make a lot of money in the computer industry.
▪ a computer company He runs his own computer company.
▪ a computer user Technology now allows computer users to talk to each other over the Internet.
▪ a computer programmer (=someone who writes the instructions a computer uses to do a particular job)
▪ a computer expert You don’t need to be a computer expert to use the programme.
▪ a computer hacker (=someone who tries to break into a computer system)
▪ a computer language (=a system of instructions used to program a computer)
▪ computer data CD ROMs store computer data.
▪ a computer virus (=a program that secretly destroys information stored on computers) Computer viruses do a lot of damage every single day.
▪ a computer error The mistake was caused by a computer error.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ Actions when using a computer
▪ start up/boot up to make a computer start working: I’m having problems starting up my computer.
▪ log on/in to start using a computer system by typing your name and password: He logged on and read his emails.
▪ click on something to press a button on a computer mouse to choose a program, file etc from the screen: When you click on the link, it sends you to the company’s website.
▪ install to add new software to a computer so that the software is ready to be used: All users should install anti-virus software.
▪ download to move information, pictures, or music from the Internet onto your computer: You can download MP3 files.
▪ upload to move information, pictures, or music from your computer to a different computer across the Internet: Sites such as YouTube allow you to upload your own videos.
▪ open to make a file or program ready to use: Open a new file and type in the information.
▪ scroll up/down to move information on a computer screen up or down so that you can read it: Scroll down to read the questions and answers.
▪ enter to type information into a computer: The program requires you to enter a password.
▪ delete to remove information from a computer: I’ve deleted his email. | When you delete a file, it first gets moved to the recycle bin.
▪ cut and paste to remove information from one place and put it in another place: Tutors are looking out for students who cut and paste their essays from the Internet.
▪ save to make a computer keep the work that you have done on it: Make sure you save any work you do before you shut the computer down.
▪ close to stop having a file or program ready to use: To close the window, click on the ‘X’ in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
▪ log off/out to stop using a computer system by giving it particular instructions: I get an error message when I log off.
▪ shut down to make a computer stop working: Employees should shut their computers down at the end of each day.
▪ restart/reboot to make a computer start working again: Wait a few minutes before rebooting your computer.

pasta

pas‧ta /ˈpæstə $ ˈpɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: Italian; Origin: Late Latin; ⇨ ↑paste¹]

an Italian food made from flour, eggs, and water and cut into various shapes, usually eaten with a sauce:
I eat a lot of pasta.