British English

truth

truth S1 W2 /truːθ/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: adverb: ↑truly, ↑truthfully ≠ ↑untruthfully, ↑true; noun: ↑truth ≠ ↑untruth, ↑truthfulness; adjective: ↑true ≠ ↑untrue, ↑truthful ≠ ↑untruthful]
[Language: Old English; Origin: treowth 'faithfulness']
1. TRUE FACTS the truth the true facts about something, rather than what is untrue, imagined, or guessed OPP lie, falsehood, untruth:
How do we know you’re telling us the truth?
the truth about
She hoped to find out the truth about her family.
the truth behind
We’ll never know the truth behind what happened.
2. BEING TRUE [uncountable] the state or quality of being true
truth in
There was some truth in the accusations.
grain/element of truth (=small amount of truth)
There wasn’t a grain of truth in what he said.
There was an element of truth (=a small amount of truth) in what he said.
There is no truth in the rumour.
3. IMPORTANT IDEAS [countable usually plural] formal an important fact or idea that is accepted as being true:
The experience has taught us some basic truths.
an unhappy/unpleasant/unwelcome truth (=an unpleasant or disappointing fact)
It is in his interest to hide unhappy truths about his agency’s performance.
4. in truth in fact SYN really:
Early independence leaders were in truth little better than rebels.
5. if (the) truth be known/told used when telling someone the real facts about a situation, or your real opinion:
If the truth be known, I felt a little left out at school.
6. to tell (you) the truth spoken used when giving your personal opinion or admitting something:
To tell the truth, I was frightened to death.
7. nothing could be further from the truth used to say that something is definitely not true
8. the truth will out old-fashioned used to say that even if you try to stop people from knowing something, they will find out in the end
⇨ ↑half-truth, ↑home truth, ⇨ the moment of truth at ↑moment(15)

worst

I. worst¹ /wɜːst $ wɜːrst/ BrE AmE adjective [the superlative of bad]
[Language: Old English; Origin: wierresta, wyrsta]
1. [only before noun] worse than anything or anyone else ⇨ best:
This is the worst recession for fifty years.
My worst fear was that we would run out of food.
What is the worst possible thing that can happen?
2. be your own worst enemy to cause a lot of problems for yourself because of your own behaviour
3. come off worst to lose a fight or argument

enjoy

en‧joy S1 W1 /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[Word Family: verb: ↑enjoy; noun: ↑enjoyment; adverb: ↑enjoyably; adjective: ↑enjoyable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: enjoir, from Latin gaudere 'to show great happiness']
1. to get pleasure from something:
Sandra enjoys her job in the city.
I enjoyed every minute of it.
enjoy doing something
Young children enjoy helping around the house.
enjoy yourself (=be happy in a particular situation)
Julia was just starting to enjoy herself.
► Enjoy always has an object and is never followed by a preposition or an infinitive with ‘to’: Did you enjoy it (NOT Did you enjoy)? | I enjoyed my trip (NOT I enjoyed to/with my trip). | He enjoys playing football (NOT He enjoys to play football).
2. formal to have a particular ability or advantage:
These workers enjoy a high level of job security.
3. enjoy! spoken used to say that you hope someone gets pleasure from something you give them:
Here’s your steak – enjoy!

deeply

deep‧ly W3 /ˈdiːpli/ BrE AmE adverb
[Word Family: noun: ↑deep, ↑depth; adjective: ↑deep, deepening; verb: ↑deepen; adverb: ↑deeply]
1. used to emphasize that a belief, feeling, opinion etc is very strong, important, or sincere:
Her lies hurt my father deeply.
She is deeply upset.
He loves her deeply.
Teachers are deeply divided on this issue.
deeply held religious beliefs
2. in a serious, careful way:
Most doctors think deeply about what their patients want.
3. a long way into something
deeply into
John kept sinking more deeply into the mud.
4. breathe deeply to take a large breath of air into your lungs
5. sleep deeply to be in a deep sleep, from which it is hard to wake up

  sometimes

some‧times S1 W1 /ˈsʌmtaɪmz/ BrE AmE adverb
on some occasions but not always ⇨ occasionally:
I sometimes have to work late.
Sometimes, Grandma would tell us stories about her childhood in Italy.
‘Do you ever wish you were back in Japan?’ ‘Sometimes. Not very often.’
The journey takes an hour, sometimes even longer.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ sometimes on some occasions but not always: Sometimes, I wish I was still living in Tokyo. | He sometimes plays football with my brother.
▪ occasionally (also on occasion written) used about something that only happens a few times. Occasionally is used when something happens more rarely than sometimes: I prefer trousers but I do wear skirts occasionally. | Occasionally, operations have to be cancelled. | On occasion, prisoners were allowed visits from their families.
▪ (every) now and then/again (also from time to time) sometimes but not often or regularly: We still call each other every now and then. | Every now and again, an invention comes along which changes people's lives completely. | Even experienced doctors make mistakes from time to time.
▪ every so often sometimes at fairly regular periods: He looked up from his book every so often. | Every so often, a train whizzed past.
▪ at times if something happens at times, it happens sometimes but is not what usually happens: The job can be frustrating at times. | At times I've wondered whether I made the right decision in moving here.
▪ (every) once in a while sometimes but very rarely: We only see each other every once in a while.

walk away

walk away phrasal verb (see also ↑walk)
1. to leave a bad or difficult situation, instead of trying to make it better
walk away from
You can’t just walk away from 15 years of marriage!
When the business started to have problems, it was very tempting to walk away.
2. to come out of an accident or very bad situation without being harmed:
Miraculously, both drivers walked away without a scratch.

great

I. great¹ S1 W1 /ɡreɪt/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative greater, superlative greatest)
[Word Family: noun: ↑greatness, ↑great; adverb: ↑greatly; adjective: ↑great]
[Language: Old English]
1. LARGE [usually before noun] very large in amount or degree:
The movie was a great success.
The news came as possibly the greatest shock of my life.
The paintings cost a great deal (=a lot) of money.
John always takes great care over his work.
It gives me great pleasure (=I am very pleased) to introduce tonight’s speaker.
It’s a great pity that none of his poems survive.
The temptation was too great to resist.
2. EXCELLENT especially spoken
very good SYN wonderful, fantastic:
The weather here is great.
It’s great to be home.
a great day out for all the family
sound/taste/smell/feel etc great
I worked out this morning and I feel great.
You look great in that dress.
great for doing something
Email’s great for keeping in touch.
the great thing about somebody/something (=the very good thing about someone or something)
The great thing about Alex is that he’s always willing to explain things to you.
3. IMPORTANT
a) [usually before noun] important or having a lot of influence:
one of the greatest scientific achievements of our time
What makes a novel truly great?
great historical events
b) used in the title of a person or event that was very important in the past
Peter/Catherine etc the Great
I’m reading a biography of Alexander the Great.
the Great Depression
the Great War old-fashioned (=World War I)
4. GENEROUS very good or generous in a way that people admire:
a great humanitarian gesture
5. EXTREMELY SKILFUL famous for being able to do something extremely well:
Ali was undoubtedly one of the greatest boxers of all time.
a book about the lives of the great composers
6. BIG written very big SYN huge:
A great crowd had gathered.
A great iron stove filled half the room.
7. great big spoken very big:
Get your great big feet off my table!
8. DOING SOMETHING A LOT used to emphasize that someone does something a lot
a great talker/reader/admirer etc
Anthony’s a great talker – sometimes you just can’t get a word in.
Len was a great believer in the power of positive thinking.
be a great one for doing something
She’s a great one for telling stories about her schooldays.
9. to a greater or lesser extent used to emphasize that something is always true, even though it is more true or noticeable in some situations than others:
Most companies operate in conditions that are to a greater or lesser extent competitive.
10. be no great shakes informal to not be very good, interesting, or skilful:
The work’s no great shakes, but at least I’m earning.
11. be going great guns informal to be doing something extremely well:
After a slow start, the Tigers are going great guns.
12. BAD spoken informal used when you are disappointed or annoyed about something:
‘Daniel’s cancelled the party.’ ‘Oh great!’
13. ANIMAL/BIRD/PLANT ETC used in the names of some animals or plants, especially when they are bigger than other animals or plants of the same type:
the Great Crested Grebe
14. the great outdoors informal the countryside, considered as enjoyable and healthy:
He had a taste for adventure and the great outdoors.
15. great minds (think alike) spoken used humorously when you and another person have had the same idea
16. the greater good a general advantage that you can only gain by losing or harming something that is considered less important:
Some wars are fought for the greater good.
17. the great apes the different types of animals that are similar to large monkeys, considered as a group:
Alone of the great apes, the gorilla is not very efficient at using tools.
18. the great divide a situation in which there is a big difference between groups in society, areas of a country etc, for example a big difference between their wealth or attitudes:
The great divide between north and south seems to be as unbridgeable as ever.
19. Greater London/Los Angeles/Manchester etc London, Los Angeles etc and its outer areas
20. huge/enormous great British English spoken used to emphasize how big something is
21. great Scott!/great Heavens! spoken old-fashioned used to express shock or surprise
22. great with child literary very soon to have a baby
—greatness noun [uncountable]:
She was destined for greatness.

cease

I. cease¹ W3 AC /siːs/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]
[Word Family: noun: ↑cessation, ↑cease; verb: ↑cease; adverb: ↑ceaselessly; adjective: ↑ceaseless]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: cesser, from Latin cessare 'to delay', from cedere; ⇨ ↑cede]
1. formal to stop doing something or stop happening
cease to do something
He ceased to be a member of the association.
The things people will do for charity never cease to amaze me (=I am always surprised by them).
cease doing something
the decision to cease using CFCs in packaging
The rain ceased and the sky cleared.
cease trading/production/operations etc (=stop operating a business)
The company ceased production at their Norwich plant last year.
cease fire! (=used to order soldiers to stop shooting)
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually use stop rather than cease:
▪ They have stopped using CFCs in packaging.
▪ The rain stopped just as the fireworks began.
2. cease and desist law to stop doing something
⇨ ↑ceasefire, ⇨ wonders will never cease at ↑wonder²(5)

progressive

I. pro‧gres‧sive¹ /prəˈɡresɪv/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: noun: ↑progress, ↑progression, ↑progressive; verb: ↑progress; adverb: ↑progressively; adjective: ↑progressive]
1. supporting new or modern ideas and methods, especially in politics and education:
a progressive administration
progressive and forward-looking policies
2. happening or developing gradually over a period of time
progressive decline/reduction/increase etc
the progressive increase in population
Britain’s progressive decline as a world power
3. technical the progressive form of a verb is used to show that an action or activity is continuing to happen. In English, it consists of the verb ‘be’ followed by the ↑present participle, as in ‘I was waiting for the bus’. SYN continuous

powerful

pow‧er‧ful S3 W2 /ˈpaʊəfəl $ ˈpaʊr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: noun: ↑power, ↑superpower, ↑powerlessness, ↑empowerment; adjective: ↑powerful ≠ ↑powerless, ↑overpowering, ↑power, ↑powered; verb: ↑power, ↑empower, ↑overpower; adverb: ↑powerfully ≠ ↑powerlessly, ↑overpoweringly]
1. IMPORTANT a powerful person, organization, group etc is able to control and influence events and other people’s actions ⇨ powerless:
He was one of the most powerful men in Bohemia.
a very influential and powerful family
rich and powerful nations
2. SPEECH/FILM ETC having a strong effect on someone’s feelings or opinions:
a powerful speech
powerful reasons/arguments (=reasons that make you think that something must be true)
Good teamwork is a powerful tool (=very effective method) for effective management.
3. FEELING/EFFECT a powerful feeling or effect is very strong or great:
Immigrants have had a powerful influence on the local culture.
a powerful sense of tradition
4. MACHINE/WEAPON ETC a powerful machine, engine, weapon etc is very effective and can do a lot:
a new generation of more powerful PCs
a machine that is immensely powerful
a powerful 24-valve engine
a powerful telescope
5. PHYSICALLY STRONG physically strong:
Jed was a powerful, well-built man.
The females are smaller and less powerful than the males.
6. A LOT OF FORCE a powerful blow, explosion etc has a lot of force:
an explosion ten times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb
a powerful right-foot shot on goal
winds powerful enough to uproot trees
7. MEDICINE a powerful medicine or drug has a very strong effect on your body
8. TEAM/ARMY ETC a powerful team, army etc is very strong and can easily defeat other teams or armies:
a powerful fighting force
9. QUALITY very strong, bright, loud etc:
a powerful singing voice
the powerful headlights