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at prep

1 indicating location or position: she had planted a vegetable garden at the back 2 towards; in the direction of: she was staring at the wall behind him 3 indicating position in time: we arrived at 12.30 4 engaged in: the innocent laughter of children at play 5 during the passing of: she works at night as a nurse's aide 6 for; in exchange for: crude oil is selling at its lowest price since September 7 indicating the object of an emotion: I'm angry at you because you were rude to meatavism (at-a-viz-zum) n 1 the recurrence of primitive characteristics that were present in distant ancestors but not in more recent ones 2 reversion to a former type > atavistic adjate vb the past tense of eatatheism (aith-ee-iz-zum) n the belief that there is no God > atheist natherosclerosis n, pl -ses a disease in which deposits of fat cause the walls of the arteries to thicken > atherosclerotic adjathlete n 1 a person trained to compete in sports or exercises ◇ SYNONYMS: sportsperson, player, runner, competitor, sportsman, contestant, gymnast, sportswoman 2 (chiefly Brit) a competitor in track-and-field eventsathletic adj 1 physically fit or strong ◇ SYNONYMS: fit, strong, powerful, healthy, active, trim, strapping, energetic 2 of or for an athlete or athletics > athletically adv > athleticism nathletics pl n (Brit & Austral) track-and-field events ◇ SYNONYMS: sports, games, races, exercises, contests, sporting events, gymnastics, track and field eventsathwart prep 1 across ▸ adv 2 transversely; from one side to anotheratlas n a book of mapsatmosphere n 1 the mass of gases surrounding the earth or any other heavenly body ◇ SYNONYMS: air, sky, heavens, aerosphere 2 the air in a particular place 3 a pervasive feeling or mood: the atmosphere was tense ◇ SYNONYMS: feeling, character, environment, spirit, surroundings, tone, mood, climate 4 a unit of pressure equal to the normal pressure of the air at sea level > atmospheric adj > atmospherically advatmospherics pl n radio interference caused by electrical disturbance in the atmosphereatoll n a circular coral reef surrounding a lagoonatom n 1 A the smallest quantity of an element which can take part in a chemical reaction B this entity as a source of nuclear energy 2 a very small amount ◇ SYNONYMS: particle, bit, spot, trace, molecule, dot, speckatom bomb n same as atomic bombatomic adj 1 of or using atomic bombs or atomic energy 2 of atoms > atomically advatomic bomb or atom bomb n a type of bomb in which the energy is provided by nuclear fissionatomic energy n same as nuclear energyatomic number n the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom of an elementatomic weight n the ratio of the average mass per atom of an element to one twelfth of the mass of an atom of carbon-12atomize or -ise vb -izing, -ized or -ising, -ised 1 to separate into free atoms 2 to reduce to fine particles or spray 3 to destroy by nuclear weaponsatomizer or -iser n a device for reducing a liquid to a fine sprayatonal (eh-tone-al) adj (of music) not written in an established key > atonality natone vb atoning, atoned to make amends (for a sin, crime, or wrongdoing)atonement n 1 something done to make amends for wrongdoing 2 (Christian theol) the reconciliation of humankind with God through the sacrificial death of Christatop prep on top ofatrium n, pl atria 1 (anatomy) the upper chamber of each half of the heart 2 a central hall that extends through several storeys in a modern building 3 the open main court of an ancient Roman house > atrial adjatrocious adj 1 extremely cruel or wicked 2 horrifying or shocking 3 (informal) very bad > atrociously advatrocity n 1 behaviour that is wicked or cruel ◇ SYNONYMS: cruelty, horror, brutality, savagery, wickedness, barbarity, viciousness, fiendishness 2 pl -ties an act of extreme cruelty ◇ SYNONYMS: act of cruelty, crime, horror, evil, outrage, abominationatrophy (at-trof-fee) n, pl -phies 1 a wasting away of a physical organ or part 2 a failure to grow ▸ vb -phies, -phying, -phied 3 to waste awayattach vb 1 to join, fasten, or connect ◇ SYNONYMS: affix, stick, secure, add, join, couple, link, tie 2 to attribute or ascribe: he attaches particular importance to the proposed sale ◇ SYNONYMS: ascribe, connect, attribute, assign, associate 3 attach oneself or be attached to to become associated with or joinattaché (at-tash-shay) n a specialist attached to a diplomatic missionattaché case n a flat rectangular briefcase for carrying papersattached adj 1 married, engaged, or in an exclusive sexual relationship ◇ SYNONYMS: spoken for, married, partnered, engaged, accompanied 2 attached to fond of ◇ SYNONYMS attached to: fond of, devoted to, affectionate towards, full of regard forattachment n 1 affection or regard for ◇ SYNONYMS: fondness, liking, feeling, relationship, regard, attraction, affection, affinity, aroha (NZ) 2 an accessory that can be fitted to a device to change what it can do ◇ SYNONYMS: accessory, fitting, extra, component, extension, supplement, fixture, accoutrement 3 a computer file sent with an email messageattack vb 1 to launch a physical assault (against) ◇ SYNONYMS: assault, strike (at), mug (informal), ambush, tear into, set upon, lay into (informal) 2 to criticize vehemently ◇ SYNONYMS: criticize, blame, abuse, condemn, knock (informal), put down, slate (informal), have a go (at) (informal) 3 to set about (a job or problem) with vigour 4 to affect adversely: BSE attacks the animal's brain 5 to take the initiative in a game or sport ▸ n 6 the act of attacking ◇ SYNONYMS: assault, charge, campaign, strike, raid, invasion, offensive, blitz 7 any sudden appearance of a disease or symptoms: a bad attack of mumps ◇ SYNONYMS: bout, fit, stroke, seizure, spasm, convulsion, paroxysm > attacker nattain vb 1 to manage to do or get (something): the country attained economic growth ◇ SYNONYMS: obtain, get, reach, complete, gain, achieve, acquire, fulfil 2 to reach ◇ SYNONYMS: reach, achieve, acquire, accomplish > attainable adjattainment n an achievement or the act of achieving somethingattar n a perfume made from damask rosesattempt vb 1 to make an effort (to do or achieve something); try ◇ SYNONYMS: try, seek, aim, struggle, venture, undertake, strive, endeavour ▸ n 2 an endeavour to achieve something; effort ◇ SYNONYMS: try, go (informal), shot (informal), effort, trial, bid, crack (informal), stab (informal) 3 attempt on someone's life an attack on someone with the intention to killattend vb 1 to be present at (an event) ◇ SYNONYMS: be present, go to, visit, frequent, haunt, appear at, turn up at, patronize 2 to go regularly to a school, college, etc. 3 to look after: the actors lounged in their canvas chairs, attended by sycophants 4 to pay attention ◇ SYNONYMS: pay attention, listen, hear, mark, note, observe, heed, pay heed 5 attend to to apply oneself to: I've a few things I must attend to ◇ SYNONYMS attend to something: apply yourself to, concentrate on, look after, take care of, see to, get to work on, devote yourself to, occupy yourself withattendance n 1 the act of attending ◇ SYNONYMS: presence, being there, attending, appearance 2 the number of people present ◇ SYNONYMS: turnout, audience, gate, congregation, house, crowd, throng, number present 3 regularity in attendingattendant n 1 a person who assists, guides, or provides a service ◇ SYNONYMS: assistant, guard, servant, companion, aide, escort, follower, helper ▸ adj 2 associated: nuclear power and its attendant dangers ◇ SYNONYMS: accompanying, related, associated, accessory, consequent, resultant, concomitant 3 being in attendanceattention n 1 concentrated direction of the mind ◇ SYNONYMS: thinking, thought, mind, consideration, scrutiny, heed, deliberation, intentness 2 consideration, notice, or observation ◇ SYNONYMS: awareness, regard, notice, recognition, consideration, observation, consciousness 3 detailed care or treatment ◇ SYNONYMS: care, support, concern, treatment, looking after, succour, ministration 4 the alert position in military drill 5 attentions acts of courtesy: the attentions of men seemed to embarrass herattentive adj 1 paying close attention 2 considerately helpful: at society parties he is attentive to his wife > attentively adv > attentiveness nattenuated adj 1 weakened 2 thin and extended > attenuation nattest vb 1 to affirm or prove the truth of 2 to bear witness to (an act or event) > attestation nattic n a space or room within the roof of a house ◇ SYNONYMS: loft, garret, roof spaceattire n clothes, esp. fine or formal onesattired adj dressed in a specified wayattitude n 1 the way a person thinks and behaves ◇ SYNONYMS: opinion, view, position, approach, mood, perspective, point of view, stance 2 a position of the body ◇ SYNONYMS: position, bearing, pose, stance, carriage, posture 3 (informal) a hostile manner 4 the orientation of an aircraft or spacecraft in relation to some plane or directionattorney n 1 a person legally appointed to act for another 2 (US) a lawyerattract vb 1 to arouse the interest or admiration of ◇ SYNONYMS: allure, draw, persuade, charm, appeal to, win over, tempt, lure (informal) 2 (of a magnet) to draw (something) closer by exerting a force on it ◇ SYNONYMS: pull (informal), draw, magnetizeattraction n 1 the act or quality of attracting ◇ SYNONYMS: appeal, pull (informal), charm, lure, temptation, fascination, allure, magnetism 2 an interesting or desirable feature: the attractions of working abroad ◇ SYNONYMS: appeal, pull (informal), charm, lure, temptation, fascination, allure, magnetism 3 an object or place that people visit for interest: this carefully preserved tourist attraction 4 (of a magnet) a force by which one object attracts another ◇ SYNONYMS: pull, magnetismattractive adj appealing to the senses or mind ◇ SYNONYMS: seductive, charming, tempting, pretty, fair, inviting, lovely, pleasant, hot (informal), fit (Brit informal), lush (slang) > attractively adv > attractiveness nattribute vb -uting, -uted 1 attribute to to regard as belonging to or produced by: a play attributed to William Shakespeare ◇ SYNONYMS: ascribe, credit, refer, trace, assign, charge, allocate, put down ▸ n 2 a quality or feature belonging to or representative of a person or thing ◇ SYNONYMS: quality, feature, property, character, element, aspect, characteristic, distinction > attributable adj > attribution nattributive adj (grammar) (of an adjective) coming before the noun modifiedattrition n constant wearing down to weaken or destroy: a war of attritionattune vb -tuning, -tuned to adjust or accustom (a person or thing)atypical (eh-tip-ik-kl) adj not typical > atypically advAu (chem) goldaubergine (oh-bur-zheen) n (Brit) the dark purple fruit of a tropical plant, cooked and eaten as a vegetableaubrietia (aw-bree-sha) n a trailing purple-flowered rock plantauburn adj (of hair) reddish-brownauction n 1 a public sale at which articles are sold to the highest bidder ▸ vb 2 to sell by auctionauctioneer n a person who conducts an auctionaudacious adj 1 recklessly bold or daring 2 impudent or presumptuous > audacity naudible adj loud enough to be heard > audibility n > audibly advaudience n 1 a group of spectators or listeners at a concert or play ◇ SYNONYMS: spectators, company, crowd, gathering, gallery, assembly, viewers, listeners 2 the people reached by a book, film, or radio or television programme 3 a formal interview ◇ SYNONYMS: interview, meeting, hearing, exchange, reception, consultationaudio adj 1 of or relating to sound or hearing 2 of or for the transmission or reproduction of soundaudiovisual adj involving both hearing and sight: audiovisual teaching aidsaudit n 1 an official inspection of business accounts, conducted by an independent qualified accountant 2 any thoroughgoing assessment or review: an audit of their lifestyle ▸ vb auditing, audited 3 to examine (business accounts) officiallyaudition n 1 a test of a performer's or musician's ability for a particular role or job ▸ vb 2 to test or be tested in an auditionauditor n a person qualified to audit accountsauditorium n, pl -toriums or -toria 1 the area of a concert hall or theatre in which the audience sits 2 (US & Canad) a building for public meetingsauditory adj of or relating to hearingau fait (oh fay) adj 1 (usually foll. by with) fully informed (about) 2 expertAug. Augustauger n a pointed tool for boring holesaught pron (old-fashioned, or literary) anything whatever: for aught I knowaugment vb to make or become greater in number or strength > augmentation nau gratin (oh grat-tan) adj cooked with a topping of breadcrumbs and sometimes cheeseaugur vb to be a good or bad sign of future events: a double fault on the opening point did not augur wellaugury n 1 the foretelling of the future 2 pl -ries an omenaugust adj dignified and imposingAugust n the eighth month of the yearauk n a northern sea bird with a heavy body, short wings, and black-and-white plumageaunt n 1 a sister of one's father or mother 2 the wife of one's uncle 3 a child's term of address for a female friend of the parentsauntie or aunty n, pl -ies (informal) an auntAunt Sally n, pl -lies 1 a figure used in fairgrounds as a target 2 any target for insults or criticismau pair n a young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with childcare or housework in return for board and lodgingaura n, pl auras or aurae 1 a distinctive air or quality associated with a person or thing ◇ SYNONYMS: air, feeling, quality, atmosphere, tone, mood, ambience 2 any invisible emanationaural adj of or using the ears or hearing > aurally advaureole or aureola n 1 a ring of light surrounding the head of a figure represented as holy; halo 2 the sun's corona, visible as a faint halo during eclipsesau revoir (oh riv-vwahr) interj goodbyeauricle n 1 the upper chamber of the heart 2 the outer part of the ear > auricular adjaurora n, pl -ras or -rae 1 an atmospheric phenomenon of bands of light sometimes seen in the polar regions 2 (poetic) the dawnaurora australis n the aurora seen around the South Poleaurora borealis n the aurora seen around the North Poleauscultation n the listening to of the internal sounds of the body, usually with a stethoscope, to help with medical diagnosisauspices (aw-spiss-siz) pl n under the auspices of with the support and approval ofauspicious adj showing the signs of future successAussie n, adj (informal) Australianaustere adj 1 stern or severe: his austere and serious attitude to events 2 self-disciplined or ascetic: an extraordinarily austere and puritanical organization 3 severely simple or plain: the austere backdrop of greyausterity n, pl -ties 1 the state of being austere ◇ SYNONYMS: plainness, simplicity, starkness 2 reduced availability of luxuries and consumer goodsAustralasian adj of Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islandsAustralia Day n a public holiday in Australia on January 26Australian adj 1 of Australia ▸ n 2 a person from Australiaautarchy (aw-tar-kee) n, pl -chies absolute power or autocracyautarky (aw-tar-kee) n, pl -kies a policy of economic self-sufficiencyauthentic adj 1 of undisputed origin or authorship; genuine ◇ SYNONYMS: real, pure, genuine, valid, undisputed, lawful, bona fide, dinkum (Austral & NZ informal), true-to-life, live 2 reliable or accurate ◇ SYNONYMS: accurate, legitimate, authoritative 3 (music) using period instruments, scores, and playing techniques > authentically adv > authenticity nauthenticate vb -cating, -cated to establish as genuine > authentication nauthor n 1 a person who writes a book, article, or other written work ◇ SYNONYMS: writer, composer, novelist, hack, creator, scribbler, scribe, wordsmith 2 an originator or creator ◇ SYNONYMS: creator, father, producer, designer, founder, architect, inventor, originatorauthoritarian adj 1 insisting on strict obedience to authority ◇ SYNONYMS: strict, severe, autocratic, dictatorial, dogmatic, tyrannical, doctrinaire ▸ n 2 a person who insists on strict obedience to authority ◇ SYNONYMS: disciplinarian, dictator, tyrant, despot, autocrat, absolutist > authoritarianism nauthoritative adj 1 recognized as being reliable: the authoritative book on Shakespeare ◇ SYNONYMS: reliable, accurate, valid, authentic, definitive, dependable, trustworthy 2 possessing authority; official ◇ SYNONYMS: commanding, masterly, imposing, assertive, imperious, self-assured > authoritatively advauthority n, pl -ties 1 the power to command, control, or judge others ◇ SYNONYMS: prerogative, influence, power, control, weight, direction, command, licence, mana (NZ) 2 a person or group with this power: a third escapee turned himself in to the authorities ◇ SYNONYMS: powers that be, government, police, officials, the state, management, administration, the system 3 a decision-making organization or government department: the local authority ◇ SYNONYMS: powers that be, government, police, officials, the state, management, administration, the system 4 an expert in a particular field ◇ SYNONYMS: expert, specialist, professional, master, guru, virtuoso, connoisseur, fundi (S African) 5 official permission: she had no authority to negotiate 6 a position that has the power to command, control, or judge others: people in authority ◇ SYNONYMS: command, power, control, rule, management, direction, mastery 7 on good authority from reliable evidence 8 confidence resulting from expertiseauthorize or -ise vb -izing, -ized or -ising, -ised 1 to give authority to ◇ SYNONYMS: empower, commission, enable, entitle, mandate, accredit, give authority to 2 to give official permission for ◇ SYNONYMS: permit, allow, grant, approve, sanction, license, warrant, consent to > authorization or -isation nauthorship n 1 the origin or originator of a written work or plan 2 the profession of writingautism n (psychiatry) a developmental condition characterized by difficulties in responding to and communicating with other people > autistic adjauto- or (sometimes before a vowel) aut- combining form 1 self; of or by the same one: autobiography 2 self-propelling: automobileautobiography n, pl -phies an account of a person's life written by that person > autobiographer n > autobiographical adjautocracy n, pl -cies government by an individual with unrestricted authorityautocrat n 1 a ruler with absolute authority 2 a dictatorial person > autocratic adj > autocratically advautocross n a sport in which cars race over a circuit of rough grassAutocue n (trademark) an electronic television prompting device displaying a speaker's script, unseen by the audienceautogiro or autogyro n, pl -ros a self-propelled aircraft resembling a helicopter but with an unpowered rotorautograph n 1 a handwritten signature of a famous person ▸ vb 2 to write one's signature on or inautomat n (US) a vending machineautomate vb -mating, -mated to make (a manufacturing process) automaticautomatic adj 1 (of a device or mechanism) able to activate or regulate itself ◇ SYNONYMS: mechanical, automated, mechanized, push-button, self-propelling 2 (of a process) performed by automatic equipment ◇ SYNONYMS: mechanical, automated, mechanized, push-button, self-propelling 3 done without conscious thought ◇ SYNONYMS: involuntary, natural, unconscious, mechanical, spontaneous, reflex, instinctive, unwilled 4 (of a firearm) utilizing some of the force of each explosion to reload and fire continuously 5 occurring as a necessary consequence: the certificate itself carries no automatic legal benefits ▸ n 6 an automatic firearm 7 a motor vehicle with automatic transmission > automatically advautomation n the use of automatic, often electronic, methods to control industrial processesautomaton n, pl -tons or -ta 1 a mechanical device operating under its own power 2 a person who acts mechanicallyautomobile n (US & Canad) a carautonomous adj 1 having self-government ◇ SYNONYMS: self-ruling, free, independent, sovereign, self-sufficient, self-governing, self-determining 2 independent of others ◇ SYNONYMS: self-ruling, free, independent, sovereign, self-sufficient, self-governing, self-determiningautonomy n, pl -mies 1 the right or state of self-government ◇ SYNONYMS: independence, freedom, sovereignty, self-determination, self-government, self-rule, self-sufficiency, home rule, rangatiratanga (NZ) 2 freedom to determine one's own actions and behaviour ◇ SYNONYMS: independence, freedom, sovereignty, self-determination, self-government, self-rule, self-sufficiency, home rule, rangatiratanga (NZ)autopsy n, pl -sies examination of a corpse to determine the cause of deathautosuggestion n a process in which a person unconsciously supplies the means of influencing his or her own behaviour or beliefsautumn n 1 the season of the year between summer and winter 2 a period of late maturity followed by a decline > autumnal adjauxiliary adj 1 secondary or supplementary 2 supporting ▸ n, pl -ries 3 a person or thing that supports or supplementsauxiliary verb n a verb used to indicate the tense, voice, or mood of another verb, such as will in I will goavail vb 1 to be of use, advantage, or assistance (to) 2 avail oneself of to make use of ▸ n 3 use or advantage: to no availavailable adj 1 obtainable or accessible ◇ SYNONYMS: accessible, ready, to hand, handy, at hand, free, to be had, achievable 2 able to be contacted and willing to talk: a spokesman insisted she was not available for comment > availability n > availably advavalanche n 1 a fall of large masses of snow and ice down a mountain ◇ SYNONYMS: snow-slide, landslide, landslip 2 a sudden or overwhelming quantity of anything ◇ SYNONYMS: large amount, barrage, torrent, deluge, inundationavant-garde (av-ong-gard) n 1 those artists, writers, or musicians whose techniques and ideas are in advance of those generally accepted ▸ adj 2 using ideas or techniques in advance of those generally accepted ◇ SYNONYMS: progressive, pioneering, experimental, innovative, unconventional, ground-breakingavarice (av-a-riss) n extreme greed for wealth > avaricious adjavast interj (naut) stop! cease!avatar n 1 (Hinduism) the appearance of a god in human or animal form 2 a movable image that represents a person in a virtual environment, such as an online role-playing gameAve. avenueavenge vb avenging, avenged to inflict a punishment in retaliation for (harm done) or on behalf of (the person harmed) > avenger navenue n 1 a wide street ◇ SYNONYMS: street, way, course, drive, road, approach, route, path 2 a road bordered by two rows of trees 3 a line of approach: the United States was exhausting every avenue to achieve a diplomatic solutionaver (av-vur) vb averring, averred to state to be true > averment naverage n 1 the typical or normal amount or quality ◇ SYNONYMS: standard, normal, usual, par, mode, mean, medium, norm 2 the result obtained by adding the numbers or quantities in a set and dividing the total by the number of members in the set ◇ SYNONYMS: standard, normal, usual, par, mode, mean, medium, norm 3 on average usually or typically ◇ SYNONYMS on average: usually, generally, normally, typically, for the most part, as a rule ▸ adj 4 usual or typical ◇ SYNONYMS: usual, standard, general, normal, regular, ordinary, typical, commonplace 5 calculated as an average ◇ SYNONYMS: mean, middle, medium, intermediate, median 6 mediocre or inferior ▸ vb -aging, -aged 7 to calculate or estimate the average of 8 to amount to or be on average ◇ SYNONYMS: make on average, be on average, even out to, do on average, balance out toaverse adj opposed: he's not averse to publicity, of the right kindaversion n 1 extreme dislike or disinclination 2 a person or thing that arouses thisavert vb 1 to turn away: he had to avert his eyes ◇ SYNONYMS: turn away, turn aside 2 to ward off: a final attempt to avert war ◇ SYNONYMS: ward off, avoid, prevent, frustrate, fend off, preclude, stave off, forestall, deflectavian (aiv-ee-an) adj of or like a bird: the treatment of avian diseasesavian flu n another name for bird fluaviary n, pl aviaries a large enclosure in which birds are keptaviation n the art or science of flying aircraftaviator or (fem) aviatrix n (old-fashioned) the pilot of an aircraftavid adj 1 very keen or enthusiastic: she is an avid football fan 2 eager: avid for economic development > avidity n > avidly advavocado n, pl -dos a pear-shaped tropical fruit with a leathery green skin and greenish-yellow fleshavocation n 1 (Brit & Austral & NZ old-fashioned) a person's regular job 2 (formal) a hobbyavocet n a long-legged shore bird with a long slender upward-curving billavoid vb 1 to refrain from doing ◇ SYNONYMS: refrain from, bypass, dodge, eschew, escape, duck (out of) (informal), fight shy of, shirk from 2 to prevent from happening ◇ SYNONYMS: prevent, stop, frustrate, hamper, foil, inhibit, avert, thwart 3 to keep out of the way of ◇ SYNONYMS: keep away from, dodge, shun, evade, steer clear of, bypass > avoidable adj > avoidably adv > avoidance navoirdupois or avoirdupois weight (av-er-de-poise) n a system of weights based on the pound, which contains 16 ouncesavow vb 1 to state or affirm 2 to admit openly > avowal n > avowed adj > avowedly (a-vow-id-lee) advavuncular adj (of a man) friendly, helpful, and caring towards someone youngerawait vb 1 to wait for ◇ SYNONYMS: wait for, expect, look for, look forward to, anticipate, stay for 2 to be in store for ◇ SYNONYMS: be in store for, wait for, be ready for, lie in wait for, be in readiness forawake adj 1 not sleeping ◇ SYNONYMS: not sleeping, sleepless, wide-awake, aware, conscious, aroused, awakened, restless 2 alert or aware: awake to the danger ▸ vb awaking, awoke or awaked, awoken or awaked 3 to emerge or rouse from sleep ◇ SYNONYMS: wake up, come to, wake, stir, awaken, rouse 4 to become or cause to become alert ◇ SYNONYMS: alert, stimulate, provoke, revive, arouse, stir up, kindleawaken vb 1 to awake 2 to cause to be aware of: anxieties awakened by reunificationaward vb 1 to give (something) for merit ◇ SYNONYMS: present with, give, grant, hand out, confer, endow, bestow 2 (law) to declare to be entitled, such as by decision of a court ◇ SYNONYMS: grant, give, confer ▸ n 3 something awarded, such as a prize ◇ SYNONYMS: prize, gift, trophy, decoration, grant, bonsela (S African), koha (NZ) 4 (law) the decision of an arbitrator or courtaware adj 1 aware of knowing about: he's at least aware of the problem 2 informed: they are becoming more politically aware every day ◇ SYNONYMS: informed, enlightened, knowledgeable, learned, expert, versed, up to date, in the picture > awareness nawash adv, adj washed over by wateraway adv 1 from a particular place: I saw them walk away and felt absolutely desolated ◇ SYNONYMS: off, elsewhere, abroad, hence, from here 2 in or to another, a usual, or a proper place: he decided to put the car away in the garage 3 at a distance: keep away from the windows ◇ SYNONYMS: at a distance, far, apart, remote, isolated 4 out of existence: the pillars rotted away 5 indicating motion or distance from a normal or proper place: the girl shook her head and looked away 6 continuously: he continued to scribble away ◇ SYNONYMS: continuously, repeatedly, relentlessly, incessantly, interminably, unremittingly, uninterruptedly ▸ adj 7 not present: she had been away from home for years ◇ SYNONYMS: absent, out, gone, elsewhere, abroad, not here, not present, on vacation 8 distant: the castle was farther away than he had thought 9 (sport) played on an opponent's groundawe n 1 wonder and respect mixed with dread ◇ SYNONYMS: wonder, fear, respect, reverence, horror, terror, dread, admiration ▸ vb awing, awed 2 to inspire with reverence or dread ◇ SYNONYMS: impress, amaze, stun, frighten, terrify, astonish, horrify, intimidateawesome adj 1 inspiring or displaying awe ◇ SYNONYMS: awe-inspiring, amazing, stunning (informal), impressive, astonishing, formidable, intimidating, breathtaking 2 (slang) excellent or outstandingawestruck adj overcome or filled with aweawful adj 1 very bad or unpleasant 2 (informal) considerable or great: that's an awful lot of money, isn't it? 3 (obsolete) inspiring reverence or dread ▸ adv 4 (not standard) very: I'm working awful hard on my linesawfully adv 1 in an unpleasant way ◇ SYNONYMS: badly, woefully, dreadfully, disgracefully, wretchedly, unforgivably, reprehensibly 2 (informal) very: we were both awfully busy ◇ SYNONYMS: very, extremely, terribly, exceptionally, greatly, immensely, exceedingly, dreadfullyawhile adv for a brief periodawkward adj 1 clumsy or ungainly ◇ SYNONYMS: clumsy, lumbering, bumbling, unwieldy, ponderous, ungainly, gauche, gawky, unco (Austral slang) 2 embarrassed: he was awkward and nervous around girls 3 difficult to deal with: the lawyer was in an awkward situation 4 difficult to use or handle: it was small but heavy enough to make it awkward to carry ◇ SYNONYMS: inconvenient, difficult, troublesome, cumbersome, unwieldy, unmanageable, clunky (informal) 5 embarrassing: there were several moments of awkward silence ◇ SYNONYMS: embarrassing, difficult, sensitive, delicate, uncomfortable, humiliating, disconcerting, inconvenient, barro (Austral slang) > awkwardly adv > awkwardness nawl n a pointed hand tool for piercing wood, leather, etc.awning n a canvas roof supported by a frame to give protection against the weatherawoke vb a past tense and (now rare or dialectal) past participle of awakeawoken vb a past participle of awakeAWOL (eh-woll) adj (military) absent without leave but without intending to desertawry (a-rye) adv, adj 1 with a twist to one side; askew: my neck was really awry after the journey 2 amiss or faulty: if a gear gets stuck, the whole system goes awryaxe or (US) ax n, pl axes 1 a hand tool with one side of its head sharpened to a cutting edge, used for felling trees and splitting timber ◇ SYNONYMS: hatchet, chopper, tomahawk, cleaver, adze 2 an axe to grind a favourite topic one wishes to promote 3 (informal) a severe cut in spending or in the number of staff employed ▸ vb axing, axed 4 (informal) to dismiss (employees), restrict (expenditure), or terminate (a project) ◇ SYNONYMS: abandon, end, eliminate, cancel, scrap, cut back, terminate, dispense withaxial adj 1 forming or of an axis 2 in, on, or along an axis > axially advaxil n the angle where the stalk of a leaf joins a stemaxiom n 1 a generally accepted principle 2 a self-evident statementaxiomatic adj 1 containing axioms 2 self-evident or obvious > axiomatically advaxis (ax-iss) n, pl axes (ax-eez) 1 a real or imaginary line about which a body can rotate or about which an object or geometrical construction is symmetrical ◇ SYNONYMS: pivot, shaft, axle, spindle, centre line 2 one of two or three reference lines used in coordinate geometry to locate a point in a plane or in spaceaxle n a shaft on which a wheel or pair of wheels revolvesaxolotl n an aquatic salamander of N Americaayatollah n one of a class of Islamic religious leaders in Iranaye or ay interj 1 (Brit & Austral & NZ) yes ▸ n 2 an affirmative vote or voterazalea (az-zale-ya) n a garden shrub grown for its showy flowersazimuth n 1 the arc of the sky between the zenith and the horizon 2 (surveying) the horizontal angle of a bearing measured clockwise from the northAztec n 1 a member of a Mexican Indian race who established a great empire, overthrown by the Spanish in the early 16th century 2 the language of the Aztecs ▸ adj 3 of the Aztecs or their languageazure n 1 the deep blue colour of a clear blue sky 2 (poetic) a clear blue sky ▸ adj 3 deep blue