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How to use the dictionary

The definition uses words from a list of under 2.000 common words (see DefiningVocabulary at the end of the dictionary). Words not in this list are in SMALL

CAPITALS.

When a word has more than one meaning, the GUIDEWORDS help you to find theright one quickly.

Example sentences in italics are based on natural written and spoken English andshow how the word is most commonly used.

Meanings that are slightly different from the main definition are explained:. by a word or phrase in round brackets (= oo.) within an example sentence. by a complete sentence. not in italics. amongthe example sentences

A single word in bold shows that it is often found with the word being looked up.Sometimes the main word and one or more other words are shown in boldtogether. This means that this group of words has a special meaning which is notclear from the meanings of the separate words.

For further explanation see the Language Portrait on Words used together atWORD.

Special symbols mark words which learners might confuse with similar words intheir own language. The dictionary contains useful lists of these words: seeLanguage Portrait on False Friends at FALSE for an explanation of how to usethese symbols and lists.

Labels in italics give style and usage information. When they are placed before thedefinition they are true for all uses of the word. See the list at the front of thedictionary and the Language Portrait on Labels.

Well-known phrases from popular songs, television, films, books, plays andsayings by famous people are sometimes included after the examples.

Parts of speech (verb. noun. adjective etc.) are given in italics. See the notes ongrammar on the following pages.

Some words are given more than one part of speech. In these cases, a singledefinition explains all the parts of speech mentioned.

obj. after a verb shows that it always has an object (it is transitive).

(obj) after a verb shows that it sometimes has an object (it can be transitive or

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intransitive).

Grammar information is explained using example sentences. Grammar codes aregiven in square brackets [ ]. See the list at the front of the dictionary .. When grammar information is given before the

defntion, the grammar pattern is true for all uses of the word.. When grammar information is given after an eXilmple, that grammar pattern istrue only for particular uses of the word.

Irregular verb forms, plurals, comparatives and superlatives are shown.

British (f) and American ($) pronunciations are given using the internationalphonetic alphabet. The symbols are explained in the Pronunciation Table at theend ofthe dictionary.

Labels in italics show differences between British. American and AustralianEnglish. Words and phrases, spellings and particular meanings are labelled. Seethe Language Portrait on Varieties of English at VARIETY.