| a large farm building for storing grain or keeping animals in | a hay barn |
| detain somebody to keep somebody in an official place, such as a police station, a prison or a hospital, and prevent them from leaving | He has been detained without trial for nearly two years now. |
| endorse something to say publicly that you support a person, statement or course of action | The newspaper has formally endorsed the Democratic candidate. |
| assimilate something to fully understand an idea or some information so that you are able to use it yourself | Some people can only assimilate change gradually. |
| (formal) having a lot of money and a good standard of living | affluent Western countries |
| dispose something/somebody + adv./prep. to arrange things or people in a particular way or position | The visitors disposed themselves in a circle round the statue. |
| extremely good / (formal) very great | They put on a fabulous performance. / fabulous wealth/riches/beauty |
| speed in doing something, especially because you do not have enough time | In her haste to complete the work on time, she made a number of mistakes. |
| (informal) very beautiful and attractive; giving great pleasure | a gorgeous girl/man |
| not planned but done because you suddenly want to do it | The audience burst into spontaneous applause. |
| (formal) (disapproving) unfair support for one person, team, idea, etc. | allegations of dishonesty and partiality |
| to state something, especially by giving an exact measurement, time, exact instructions, etc. | specify something Remember to specify your size when ordering clothes. |
| the crime of cheating somebody in order to get money or goods illegally | She was charged with credit card fraud. |
| (formal) proponent (of something) a person who supports an idea or course of action | She is among the most outspoken proponents of the plan |
| [countable] a total number or amount made up of smaller amounts that are collected together | The three smaller parties gained an aggregate of 25 per cent of the vote. |
| (of people) having a close and friendly relationship | We're not on intimate terms with our neighbours. |
| pinch somebody/something/yourself to take a piece of somebody’s skin and press it together hard with your thumb and the finger next to it | My sister's always pinching me and it really hurts. |
| likely to make you believe something that is not true | a deceptive advertisement |
| to behave and think in the same way as most other people in a group or society | conform to something He refused to conform to the local customs. |
| (often disapproving) (of rules, methods, etc.) very strict and difficult to change | His rigid adherence to the rules made him unpopular. |
| deviate (from something) to be different from something; to do something in a different way from what is usual or expected | The bus had to deviate from its usual route because of a road closure. |
| done quickly and with a lot of activity, but in a way that is not very well organized | a frantic dash/search/struggle ; frantic with worry |
| done by accident, without being intended | an inadvertent omission |
| to make or do something using whatever is available, usually because you do not have what you really need | here isn't much equipment. We're going to have to improvise. |
| (formal) clothes, especially fine or formal ones | dressed in formal evening attire |
| a narrow piece of leather, cloth or other material that is used to fasten something, keep something in place, carry something or hold onto something | the shoulder straps of her dress |
| a twisted mass of threads, hair, etc. that cannot be easily separated | Her hair was a mass of tangles. |
| (disapproving) the fact of being too proud of your own appearance, abilities or achievements | She had no personal vanity (= about her appearance). |
| devoid of something completely without something | The land is almost devoid of vegetation. |
| an official newspaper published by a particular organization containing important information about decisions that have been made and people who have been employed | The institute publishes a gazette twice a year. |
| very active, determined or full of energy | Take vigorous exercise for several hours a week. |
| a disease that causes one or more joints of the body to become painful and swollen (= larger than normal) | It is unclear why some people develop arthritis. |
| (formal) to please or satisfy somebody | it gratifies somebody to do something It gratified him to think that it was all his work. |
| to develop and improve something, especially a skill, over a period of time | She honed her debating skills at college. |
| a serious illness affecting one or both lungs that makes breathing difficult | She died from bronchial pneumonia. |
| affected or caused by a serious mental illness, in which somebody sees or hears things that are not there, or believes things that are not true | a psychotic disorder/illness |
| connected with strange powers of the mind and not able to be explained by natural laws | psychic energy/forces/phenomena/powers |
| seeming evil or dangerous; making you think something bad will happen | There was something cold and sinister about him. |
| of very little importance or size and not worth considering | The cost was negligible./ a negligible effect/impact/amount |
| to exist or be very common at a particular time or in a particular place | prevail in something We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. |
| [not usually before noun] susceptible (to something) very likely to be influenced, harmed or affected by something | Some of these plants are more susceptible to frost damage than others. |
| envious (of somebody/something) wanting to be in the same situation as somebody else; wanting something that somebody else has | They were envious of his success. |
| a small green, orange or brown seed that is usually dried and used in cooking, for example in soup or stew | lentil |
| an officer of the highest rank in the armed forces of some countries | Marshal of the Royal Air Force |
| to control or limit something, especially something bad | He needs to learn to curb his temper. |
| something that can be dangerous or cause damage | hazard to somebody/something. for example: Growing levels of pollution represent a serious health hazard to the local population. |
| (of humans or animals) not able to produce children or young animals / completely clean and free from bacteria | The experiment was performed under sterile conditions. |
| the quality of being new, different and interesting | It was fun working there at first but the novelty soon wore off (= it became boring). |
| (of circles) having the same centre | The revolving circle is concentric with the fixed outer circle. |
| ( formal ) omission (from something) the act of not including somebody/something or not doing something; the fact of not being included or done | The play was shortened by the omission of two scenes. |
| conversion (from something) (into/to something) the act or process of changing something from one form, use or system to another | Their main business is the conversion of farm buildings into family homes. |
| to push or force somebody/something into a small space; to move into a small space with the result that it is full | cram somebody/something into/onto something He crammed eight people into his car. |
| (formal) defer (doing) something to delay something until a later time | The department deferred the decision for six months. |
| to show that somebody/something is right or reasonable / to give an explanation or excuse for something or for doing something | justify doing something How can they justify paying such huge salaries? / justify something/yourself to somebody The Prime Minister has been asked to justify the decision to Parliament. |
| (formal) (also used following the noun it refers to)
without being affected by something; despite something | Notwithstanding some major financial problems, the school has had a successful year. / The bad weather notwithstanding, the event was a great success. |
| penalize somebody (for something) to punish somebody for breaking a rule or law by making them suffer a disadvantage | You will be penalized for poor spelling. |
| a small piece of something, especially paper, cloth, etc. | She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. |
| [often passive] (formal) to hang something from something else. / to officially stop something for a time; to prevent something from being active, used, etc. for a time | be suspended from something A lamp was suspended from the ceiling. / Production has been suspended while safety checks are carried out. |
| subsist (on something) to manage to stay alive, especially with limited food or money. (law) to exist; to apply and be relevant | Old people often subsist on very small incomes. / The terms of the contract subsist. |
| wrong because you have understood or judged a situation badly | In her misguided attempts to help, she only made the situation worse. |
| the main bad character in a story, play, etc. | He often plays the part of the villain. |
| a climbing plant that produces grapes | grapes on the vine |
