ability (noun) abil·i·ty
plural abilities
: the power or skill to do something
a young woman with many remarkable musical/artistic/athletic abilities
— often followed by to + verb
a teacher with an ability to inspire his students
Does he have the ability [=authority] to fire employees?
a writer’s ability [=capability, capacity] to interest readers
a young woman of great musical/artistic/athletic ability
She has shown some ability with foreign languages.
He always works to the best of his ability. [=as well as he can]
absorb (verb) ab·sorb
absorbs; absorbed; absorbing
1a: to take in (something, such as a liquid) in a natural or gradual way
A sponge absorbs water.
Plant roots absorb moisture.
a fabric that absorbs sweat
— often used as (be) absorbed
Water is absorbed by plants through their roots.
nutrients that are absorbed into the body
b: to draw in (heat, light, energy, etc.)
The walls are made of a material that absorbs sound.
absorbing heat from the sun
2a: to learn (something)
She is good at absorbing information/knowledge.
He has retained the values that he absorbed as a young man.
b: to take in and make (something) part of a larger group, country, etc.
a country that has absorbed many immigrants
smaller countries invaded and absorbed by/into bigger ones
3: to take up the whole interest or attention of (someone)
His interest in photography absorbs him completely.
I was so absorbed by her story that I lost track of time.
◊ If you are absorbed in something, you are fully involved in it.
She was (completely) absorbed in [=lost in] thought.
He quickly found himself absorbed in [=engrossed by] the movie.
4: to prevent (something harmful or unwanted) from passing through
The frame of the car absorbed the impact.
5a: to accept or deal with (something that is difficult, harmful, etc.)
The company has had to absorb many setbacks in the past year.
The expenses were absorbed [=borne] by his family.
b: to use up (something)
His work absorbs almost all of his time.
— absorbable (adjective)
nutrients absorbable by the body
— absorber (noun) plural absorbers
a moisture absorber
shock absorber
— absorbing (adjective)
The book includes an absorbing [=engrossing, fascinating] account of her childhood.
— absorption (noun)
the absorption of water by a sponge
the absorption of nutrients by the body
heat/noise absorption
His absorption in his work was total. [=he was totally absorbed in his work; he gave all his attention to his work]
ambition (noun) am·bi·tion
plural ambitions
1: a particular goal or aim : something that a person hopes to do or achieve
My first ambition as a child was to be in the circus.
The wife of a famous poet, she had literary ambitions of her own. [=she wanted to be a writer too]
He has ambitions for an acting career. = He has ambitions to become an actor. = His ambition is to be/become an actor.
She finally achieved/realized/fulfilled her life’s ambition [=the thing she most wanted to do in her life] when she started her own business.
2: a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous
He lacked ambition and couldn’t compete with the others.
With her talent and fierce ambition [=her very strong desire to succeed], she became a very successful actress.
3: a desire to do things and be active — usually used in negative constructions
I was tired and had no ambition [=initiative, energy], so I just spent the whole weekend watching TV.
brief (adjective)
1: lasting only a short period of time
The meeting will be brief.
She worked there for only a brief period (of time) in the late 1980s.
They stopped by for a brief [=quick] visit.
2: using only a few words
I promise to be brief. [=I promise to say what I need to say quickly]
She gave a brief [=concise] description/summary/history of the problem.
The essay is brief but thorough enough.
2 brief (noun)
plural briefs
1: a brief statement or report
a news brief
2: a document that states the facts a lawyer plans to use in a court case
a legal brief
3 brief (verb)
briefs; briefed; briefing
: to give information or instructions to (someone)
The captain briefed the crew on the new safety procedures.
The President has been briefed by his advisers.
brilliant (adjective) bril·liant
1: very bright; flashing with light
brilliant jewels
a brilliant star in the sky
a store decorated in brilliant colors
2: very impressive or successful
He pitched a brilliant game.
She gave a brilliant performance.
a brilliant career
3a: extremely intelligent : much more intelligent than most people
a brilliant scientist
She has a brilliant mind.
b: showing extreme intelligence : extremely clever
a brilliant idea
— often used in a joking or ironic way to describe a foolish idea, action, etc.
It was brilliant of you to leave your passport at home!
— brilliantly (adverb)
a star shining brilliantly
brilliantly colored clothes
She acted brilliantly in her first film.
a brilliantly written essay
capture (noun) cap·ture
captures; captured; capturing
1a: to take and hold (someone) as a prisoner especially by using force
They were captured by enemy soldiers.
b: to catch (an animal)
using traps to capture mice
2a: to get control of (a place) especially by using force
The city was captured by the Romans.
b: to win or get (something) through effort
She captured 60 percent of the vote in the last election.
The company plans on capturing a larger segment of the market.
3: to get and hold (someone’s attention, interest, etc.)
The show has captured the attention/interest of teenagers.
The story captured our imaginations. [=the story was very interesting and exciting]
4: to describe or show (someone or something) in a very accurate way by using writing, painting, film, etc.
The story captures the essence of the holiday.
The biography captured her perfectly.
The beauty of the landscape was captured perfectly by the artist.
5a: to record (something) in a picture, film, etc.
The robbery was captured (on film) by the security cameras.
b: to get and put (information) into a form that can be read or used by a computer
The system is used to capture data relating to the buying habits of young people.
a digital camera that captures 1.2 million pixels
6: to take (something, such as a chess piece) by following the rules of a game
In the game of chess, the goal is to capture your opponent’s king
certain (adjective) cer·tain
1: not having any doubt about something; convinced or sure
Are you certain [=sure] you want to leave today?
I feel less than certain about it. [=I am not sure about it]
She’s certain (that) she can do the job despite her lack of experience.
I’m fairly certain that I’ll be on time.
2 — used with “it” to say that something is known to be true or correct
Although little is known about these ancient people, it is certain that they grew a number of crops.
It’s not certain [=definite] that the company will lay off workers. [=the company may lay off workers, but it also may not]
It seems certain that the jury will convict him.
3 — used to say that something will definitely happen or that someone will definitely do something
Before the game was half over our team’s defeat was nearly certain.
Contact with the poison means certain death.
Her victory seems certain.
— often followed by to + verb
As technology develops, the rates of success with the procedure are certain to improve.
Health-care costs are certain [=sure] to increase in coming years.
She is almost certain to win.
He’s all but certain to say no. [=he will almost surely say no]
4 — used to refer to something or someone that is not named specifically
Each employee will receive a certain share of the profits.
Building even a simple bookcase takes a certain amount of skill. [=takes some skill]
Certain people are always late for dinner.
for certain
: without a doubt; definitely or certainly
No one knows for certain what the outcome will be.
We’ll need more than an hour to get there for certain. [=for sure]
make certain
: to do something or find out something so that you have no doubt about whether something is true, correct, will happen, etc.
Make certain (that) you lock the door when you leave = Make certain to lock the door when you leave.
We must make certain [=make sure] this doesn’t happen again.
She made certain she thanked each of them for coming.
2 certain (pronoun)
: certain ones; particular members of a group
Certain of his assumptions are simply not true.
We know that certain of his classmates walk to school every day.
clever (adjective) clev·er
1: intelligent and able to learn things quickly
A few clever [=smart, bright] students have started a business recycling old computers.
Some cats are clever enough to figure out how to operate doorknobs.
2: showing intelligent thinking
a clever design/invention
That’s the cleverest idea I’ve heard yet!
She found a clever hiding place for the letter.
— often used in a joking or ironic way to describe a foolish idea, action, etc.
Whose clever idea was it to leave the window open?
3: funny in a way that shows intelligence
I enjoyed the play’s clever [=witty] dialogue.
4: good at doing things with your hands : skillful
Even as a little boy playing with blocks he was clever with his hands.
a clever machinist
— cleverly (adverb)
a cleverly designed gadget
cleverly written dialogue
— cleverness (noun)
the cleverness of the idea
a cat’s cleverness
diagram (noun) di·a·gram
plural diagrams
: a drawing that explains or shows the parts of something
a diagram of the nervous system
This diagram shows how the clock operates.
2 diagram (verb)
diagrams; diagrammed or diagramed; diagramming or diagraming
: to show or explain (something) in a diagram
The coach diagrammed the new play on the blackboard.
The students were required to diagram a sentence.
examine (verb) ex·am·ine
examines; examined; examining
1: to look at (something) closely and carefully in order to learn more about it, to find problems
An accountant has been hired to examine the company’s books.
We need to examine [=consider] this question more carefully.
The police examined the evidence carefully.
2: to test or look carefully at (something or someone) for signs of illness or injury
You should have your eyes examined.
He was examined by several doctors, who found nothing wrong with him.
the examining room [=a room in a doctor’s office where the doctor examines patients]
fierce (adjective)
1a: very violent
He was killed in a fierce battle.
a fierce assault/attack
fierce combat/fighting
b: eager to fight or kill
a fierce tiger/warrior
a fierce fighter
2: having or showing a lot of strong emotion; very strong or intense
a fierce argument/struggle
The proposal has faced fierce opposition.
The two teams have had a fierce rivalry for many years.
3: very harsh or powerful
a fierce desert wind
a fierce heat wave
a fierce storm/squall
She was suffering through fierce [=excruciating] pain.
— fiercely (adverb)
He has been fiercely denounced by his former associates.
a fiercely partisan/independent voter
the fiercely hot sun
fiercely protective/loyal
gradual (adjective) grad·u·al
1: moving or changing in small amounts, happening in a slow way over a long period of time
We noticed a gradual change in temperature.
The hospital has made gradual improvements in health care.
2: not steep
a gradual slope
— gradually (adverb)
The population gradually increased.
The temperature changed gradually.
The cat moved gradually forward.
harsh (adjective)
1a: unpleasant and difficult to accept or experience
The climate there is very harsh.
We’ve had an extremely harsh winter.
a harsh environment
b: having an unpleasant or harmful effect because of great strength or force; too intense or powerful
harsh colors
a harsh [=shrill] whistle/voice
The lighting in the room was very harsh.
harsh chemicals/detergents
2a: severe or cruel; not kind
harsh discipline
a harsh disciplinarian
The state has established harsh penalties for drug dealers.
b: very critical; strongly negative
He had harsh words for his opponent.
harsh language
She has faced some extremely harsh criticism.
He has been one of her harshest critics.
— harshly (adverb)
She promised to deal harshly with all criminals.
He treats his students harshly.
The room was harshly lit.
imitate (verb) im·i·tate
imitates; imitated; imitating
1: to make or do something the same way as (something else)
Their competitors soon imitated [=copied] the idea.
Her style has been imitated by many other writers.
2a: to do the same thing as (someone)
She’s always imitating [=copying] her older sister.
b: to copy (someone’s or something’s behavior, sound, appearance, etc.)
He’s very good at imitating his father’s voice.
She can imitate the calls of many different birds.
journey (noun) jour·ney
plural journeys
: an act of traveling from one place to another : trip
a long journey across the country
a journey by train/bus
She’s on the last leg of a six-month journey through Europe.
We wished her a safe and pleasant journey.
— often used figuratively
the journey from innocence to experience
a journey through time
a spiritual journey
2 journey (verb)
journeys; journeyed; journeying
: to go on a journey; travel
They journeyed across Europe.
She was the first woman to journey into space.
locate (verb) lo·cate
locates; located; locating
1: to find the place or position of (something or someone)
We tried to locate the border of the property.
Can you locate your town on the map?
The missing boy was located by police in the woods.
2a: to put (something or someone) in a particular place
The company chose to locate its factory near the airport.
The guard located [=stationed, positioned] himself by the back door.
b: to make an area, city, etc., your home or the place where your business operates
The company located near the airport.
His parents located in Ohio.
◊ Something or someone that is located in a specified place is in or at that place.
The bathroom is located upstairs.
The company’s factory is located [=situated] near the airport.
He was working in Chicago for many years, but he is currently located in New York.
The restaurant is conveniently located just a few minutes from my house.
method (noun) meth·od
plural methods
1: a way of doing something
He claims to have developed a new method for growing tomatoes.
Their teaching method tries to adapt lessons to each student.
We need to adopt more modern methods of doing things.
2: a careful or organized plan that controls the way something is done
The book lacks method. [=the book is not arranged in an orderly way]
nectar (noun) nec·tar
1 literary : the drink that the Greek and Roman gods drank
2: a thick juice made from a particular fruit
apricot/mango nectar
3: a sweet liquid produced by plants and used by bees in making honey
observe (verb) ob·serve
observes; observed; observing
1: to watch and sometimes also listen to (someone or something) carefully
The class will be observing the movements of fish.
The patient must be observed constantly.
Children learn by observing their parents and others.
The story is a closely/well observed [=very realistic] portrait of the city.
The new teacher will give the lesson today and the principal will observe.
2: to see and notice (someone or something)
We observed a large flock of birds heading north.
He observed two children playing with marbles on the street corner.
She observed that every man in the room had removed his hat.
Few cases of the disease have been observed in humans.
3: to make a comment about something you notice
“The paint,” she observed [=remarked, said], “is already starting to peel.”
Looking around at the shuttered houses, he observed [=commented] that the island was entirely different in the winter.
4: to do what a custom, rule, law, etc., says you should do
The game will continue only when both teams agree to observe [=follow] the rules.
observing [=keeping] the Sabbath
5: to celebrate (a holiday) or honor (a person or event)
We’ll observe Independence Day at home this year.
They observed a moment of silence to remember their loved ones.
outcome (noun) out·come
plural outcomes
: something that happens as a result of an activity or process : result
the outcome of the election/game
We are still awaiting the final outcome of the trial.
There are two possible outcomes.