British English

commercial

I. com‧mer‧cial¹ S3 W2 /kəˈmɜːʃəl $ -ɜːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
1. related to business and the buying and selling of goods and services:
Our top priorities must be profit and commercial growth.
2. related to the ability of a product or business to make a profit:
Gibbons failed to see the commercial value of his discovery.
commercial success/failure
The film was a huge commercial success.
3. [only before noun] a commercial product is one that is produced and sold in large quantities
4. more concerned with money than with quality:
Their music has become very commercial.
5. commercial radio/TV/channel etc radio or television broadcasts that are produced by companies that earn money through advertising
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ a commercial bank (=one that accepts people’s money, provides loans etc) Several large commercial banks cut their lending rates.
▪ a commercial company/organization Many commercial companies are having financial difficulties.
▪ commercial property (=property for businesses and industry) He decided to invest in commercial property.
▪ commercial interests (=things that bring business advantages) The President’s reform programme threatened US commercial interests.
▪ the commercial sector (=the business part of the economy) The commercial sector sponsors sport.
▪ the commercial market (=the market for goods) A product like this should do well in the commercial market.
▪ commercial development (=the building of houses, hotels, restaurants etc) The increased number of tourists has resulted in further commercial development.
▪ commercial use The trees were planted for commercial use.
▪ commercial exploitation (=using something, especially natural resources, to make money) the commercial exploitation of mineral resources
▪ commercial activity Commercial activity in our society is highly competitive.
▪ commercial considerations/reasons/purposes Commercial considerations must come second to conservation of the environment.
▪ a commercial transaction (=a business deal) The deal was a straightforward commercial transaction.

sentimental

sen‧ti‧ment‧al /ˌsentəˈmentl◂, ˌsentɪˈmentl◂/ BrE AmE adjective
1. someone who is sentimental is easily affected by emotions such as love, sympathy, sadness etc, often in a way that seems silly to other people:
She said a sentimental goodbye.
sentimental about
People can be very sentimental about animals.
2. based on or relating to your feelings rather than on practical reasons:
He wasn’t the sort of person who kept things for sentimental reasons.
a sentimental journey to the place of his birth
The rings that were stolen were of great sentimental value (=important because of your feelings or memories relating to them).
3. a story, film, book etc that is sentimental deals with emotions such as love and sadness, sometimes in a way that seems silly and insincere:
a sentimental story set in Russia
—sentimentally adverb
• • •
THESAURUS
■ causing strong feelings
▪ emotional causing people to have strong feelings – used especially about experiences, speeches, or subjects that people have strong feelings about: Returning home after a year in hospital was an emotional experience for Katy. | He gave an emotional speech at the funeral. | It was a very emotional moment. | Abortion rights is a highly emotional issue.
▪ emotive used about issues or language that make people have strong feelings: Fox hunting is a very emotive issue in Britain. | ‘Indoctrination’ is rather an emotive word.
▪ moving making you feel strong feelings of sadness or sympathy: Kelly’s book about her illness is deeply moving. | a moving film
▪ touching making you feel slightly emotional – used especially when someone does something that shows how much they care about another person: Your loyalty is very touching. | My son phoned me to wish me good luck, which was a touching gesture.
▪ poignant making you feel strong feelings of sadness or pity, especially when you remember something in the past: Her youthful expression is a poignant reminder of the passing of time.
▪ sentimental (also schmaltzy) informal dealing with emotions such as love and sadness in a way that seems silly: He found the film too sentimental. | a schmaltzy comedy

23. roll with the punches to deal with problems or difficulties by doing whatever you need to do, rather than by trying only one method:
Strong industries were able to roll with the punches during the recession.

Examples from the Corpus

roll with the punches

• In high school you could just roll with the punches.• 
• Also be aware that the struggle itself can be exhilarating and enlightening, so roll with the punches and enjoy the fight!
• Many industries were able to roll with the punches in a tough economy.

sitting duck

ˌsitting ˈduck BrE AmE (also ˌsitting ˈtarget) noun [countable]
someone who is easy to attack or easy to cheat:
Out in the open, the soldiers were sitting ducks for enemy fire.

get to somebody/something phrasal verb informal1 to make someone feel annoyed or upset I’m under a lot of pressure at work, and sometimes it gets to me a bit. Don’t let things get to you.2 get to thinking/wondering something informal to start thinking something He got to thinking how disappointed his parents would be.

It’s only/just a matter of timeused to say that something will definitely happen in the future It can only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.

trustworthy

trust‧wor‧thy /ˈtrʌstˌwɜːði $ -ɜːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: adjective: ↑trusting, ↑trustworthy ≠ ↑untrustworthy, ↑trusty, ↑distrustful, ↑mistrustful; noun: ↑trust ≠ ↑distrust ≠ ↑mistrust, ↑trustee, ↑trusteeship, ↑trustworthiness; verb: ↑trust ≠ ↑distrust ≠ ↑mistrust]
able to be trusted and depended on
—trustworthiness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
■ people
▪ trustworthy especially written if someone is trustworthy, you can trust them because they are honest: Many people do not see politicians as trustworthy.
▪ reliable someone who is reliable can be trusted to do what they say they will do and not make any mistakes: a reliable employee | We need someone who is 100% reliable.
▪ responsible someone who is responsible can be trusted to behave in a sensible way: Sam’s a good babysitter – he’s responsible and the kids like him. | a responsible adult
▪ dependable someone who is dependable can be trusted to do what you need or expect: Britain is our most dependable ally.
▪ steady someone who is steady is sensible and you can depend on them: He’s only sixteen, but he’s steady and reliable.
▪ loyal someone who is loyal can be trusted to always give help or support to their friends, their country, their political party etc: She is fiercely loyal to her family. | He is one of the party’s most loyal supporters.
▪ faithful someone who is faithful stays loyal to a person, belief, political party etc, and continues to support them, even in difficult situations: Daniel had been a faithful friend. | a faithful member of the Communist Party
▪ can rely/depend on somebody if you can rely or depend on someone, you can be sure that they will do what you want or need them to do: Don’t worry about a thing – you can depend on me. | Patients rely on doctors to help them make the right decisions about their health care.
■ things
▪ reliable/dependable able to be trusted to do what you want, or to be accurate: The Boeing is a very reliable plane. | a dependable supply of oil | reliable economic forecasts | How can we be sure that his evidence is reliable?
▪ trustworthy if something is trustworthy, you know that it is true or accurate: a trustworthy source of information | a trustworthy guide
▪ can rely/depend on something if you can rely or depend on something, you can be sure that they will do what you want or need them to do: I need a car that I can rely on in all weathers.

love

I. love¹ S1 W1 /lʌv/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: adjective: ↑lovable ≠ UNLOVABLE, ↑loveless, ↑lovely, ↑loving, ↑unloved; noun: ↑love, ↑lover, loveliness., ↑lovey; verb: ↑love; adverb: ↑lovingly]
1. ROMANTIC ATTRACTION [transitive not in progressive] to have a strong feeling of ↑affection for someone, combined with sexual attraction:
I love you, Tracy.
He was the only man she had ever loved.
2. CARE ABOUT [transitive not in progressive] to care very much about someone, especially a member of your family or a close friend:
I love my grandad so much.
I’ve always loved children.
much-loved/well-loved
In 1941, her much-loved sister was killed in an accident.
Many people feel guilty after the death of a loved one.
3. LIKE/ENJOY [transitive] to like something very much or enjoy doing something very much:
I love carrots.
Jeff loves his work.
I love the way she sings that song.
Amy had always loved New York.
love doing something
I love going out to restaurants.
love to do something
We all love to talk about ourselves.
I’d love to (do something) spoken (=used to say that you would really like to do something)
‘Would you like to come swimming with us?’ ‘I’d love to.’
I’d have loved to have stayed till the end.
I’d love to know just why they did that.
4. LOYALTY [transitive not in progressive] to have a strong feeling of loyalty to your country, an institution etc:
Dad’s always loved the navy.
5. I love it! spoken used when you are amused by something, especially by someone else’s mistake or bad luck:
‘And then her boyfriend walked in and saw her kissing Ray.’ ‘I love it!’
6. sb’s going to love something spoken
a) used to say that someone will enjoy something:
Listen guys, you’re going to love this.
b) used to say that someone will not be pleased about something:
I’m going to love telling him we’ve changed our minds again.
⇨ ↑lover
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ love to like someone very much and care a lot about them – used about people in your family or someone who you are sexually attracted to: I love my wife and children very much. | Have you ever said ‘I love you’ and not really meant it?
▪ adore to love and admire someone very much: When she was a child she adored her father.
▪ be in love (with somebody) to feel that you love someone and want to have a romantic relationship with them: We were both young and very much in love. | Karen was in love with a man who was much older than her.
▪ be infatuated with somebody to love someone a lot and keep thinking about them, in a way that seems silly because you do not know them very well: He became infatuated with a woman he met at a conference.
▪ have a crush on somebody to love and be sexually attracted to someone you are not having a relationship with, usually someone older: Jane had a crush on the German teacher.
▪ be crazy about somebody informal to love someone very much – used for emphasis: She’s crazy about you.
▪ be devoted to somebody to love someone very much and give them a lot of attention: He was devoted to his wife and his children.
▪ dote on somebody written to love someone very much, especially a much younger family member, and behave very kindly to them: He dotes on his grandchildren.

modest

mod‧est /ˈmɒdəst, ˈmɒdɪst $ ˈmɑː-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: modestus]
1. NOT PROUD someone who is modest does not want to talk about their abilities or achievements OPP immodest, boastful
modest about
He was always modest about his role in the Everest expedition.
You’re too modest! You’ve been a huge help to us.
2. NOT BIG not very great, big, or expensive:
a modest increase in costs
She had saved a modest amount of money.
The new service proved a modest success.
a modest house with a small garden
his modest ambitions
3. SHY shy about showing your body or attracting sexual interest, because you are easily embarrassed OPP immodest:
She was a modest girl, always keeping covered, even in summer.
4. CLOTHES old-fashioned modest clothing covers the body in a way that does not attract sexual interest:
a modest knee-length dress
—modestly adverb:
‘I was just lucky,’ he said modestly.
modestly priced meals
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ modest not wanting to talk about your abilities or achievements and to say that you are good at something, even when you are – used to show approval: Miller, a quiet, modest man, gave credit to Asher for the initial discovery. | She was surprisingly modest about her own achievements as a player.
▪ self-effacing written not wanting to talk about yourself or to attract attention: Her husband was a quiet, self-effacing man who spent much of his time in his study.
▪ unassuming not wanting to be noticed and not expecting to be treated in a special way: By now Chapman was famous, but he remained as unassuming as ever. | He then began, in typically unassuming fashion, to establish the first modern dance company.
▪ humble believing that you are not more important, better, or cleverer than other people, and therefore not expecting to be treated in a special way: A good leader is humble enough to get advice from experts.
▪ unpretentious not trying to seem better than other people, even if you are rich, famous, clever etc: President Eisenhower was a friendly and unpretentious man who seemed to embody American virtues. | It's his unpretentious boyish charm that ensures Jackie Chan's position as one of the giants of international cinema.
▪ self-deprecating written behaving or talking about your own abilities or achievements in a way that makes them seem unimportant: Despite his intellect, he had an appealing self-deprecating humour. | The nice thing about him is his self-deprecating manner. His intellectual ability was never pushed at you, yet he obviously had great potential. | a self-deprecating smile

twenty

twen‧ty /ˈtwenti/ BrE AmE number, noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: twentig]
1. the number 20:
a small village twenty miles from Nairobi
I’m nearly twenty (=20 years old).
2. the twenties [plural] (also the 20s, the 1920s) the years from 1920 to 1929:
In the twenties the business expanded.
the early/mid/late twenties
The photograph was taken in the late twenties.
3. be in your twenties to be aged between 20 and 29
early/mid/late twenties
She was in her early twenties when I met her.
4. in the twenties if the temperature is in the twenties, it is between 20 degrees and 29 degrees
in the low/mid/high twenties
a warm day, with temperatures in the low twenties
5. [countable] a piece of paper money that is worth £20 or $20:
I offered the driver a twenty.
—twentieth adjective, pronoun:
in the twentieth century
her twentieth birthday
I’m planning to leave on the twentieth (=the 20th day of the month).