CIRCUMSTANCE


Meaning of CIRCUMSTANCE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ sɜ:(r)kəmstæns ]

( circumstances)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

1.

The circumstances of a particular situation are the conditions which affect what happens.

Recent opinion polls show that 60 percent favor abortion under certain circumstances...

I wish we could have met under happier circumstances.

N-COUNT : usu pl , with supp

2.

The circumstances of an event are the way it happened or the causes of it.

I’m making inquiries about the circumstances of Mary Dean’s murder...

Hundreds of people had died there in terrible circumstances during and after the revolution.

N-PLURAL : with supp , oft the N of n

3.

Your circumstances are the conditions of your life, especially the amount of money that you have.

...help and support for the single mother, whatever her circumstances...

I wouldn’t have expected to find you in such comfortable circumstances.

= situation

N-PLURAL : usu with poss

4.

Events and situations which cannot be controlled are sometimes referred to as circumstance .

There are those, you know, who, by circumstance, end up homeless...

You might say that we’ve been victims of circumstance.

N-UNCOUNT

5.

You can emphasize that something must not or will not happen by saying that it must not or will not happen under any circumstances .

She made it clear that under no circumstances would she cancel the trip.

PHRASE : PHR with cl [ emphasis ]

6.

You can use in the circumstances or under the circumstances before or after a statement to indicate that you have considered the conditions affecting the situation before making the statement.

Under the circumstances, a crash was unavoidable...

PHRASE : PHR with cl

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Английский словарь Коллинз COBUILD для изучающих язык на продвинутом уровне.