(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
You use ~ when you want to describe something that is more important, serious, or significant than other things in a group or situation.
The ~ factor in the decision to stay or to leave was usually professional...
Drug abuse has long been a ~ problem for the authorities there...
Exercise has a ~ part to play in preventing and combating disease.
= key, crucial
ADJ: ADJ n
2.
A ~ is an officer who is one rank above captain in the British army or the United States army, air force, or marines.
...Major Alan Bulman.
N-COUNT; N-TITLE; N-VOC
3.
At a university or college in the United States, a student’s ~ is the main subject that they are studying.
English ~s would be asked to explore the roots of language.
N-COUNT: oft poss N
4.
At a university or college in the United States, if a student is, for example, a geology ~, geology is the main subject they are studying.
She was named the outstanding undergraduate history ~ at the University of Oklahoma.
N-COUNT: n N
5.
If a student at a university or college in the United States ~s in a particular subject, that subject is the main one they study.
He ~ed in finance at Claremont Men’s College in California.
VERB: V in n
6.
In music, a ~ scale is one in which the third note is two tones higher than the first.
...Mozart’s Symphony No 35 in D Major.
? minor
ADJ: n ADJ, ADJ n
7.
A ~ is a large or important company. (BUSINESS)
Oil ~s need not fear being unable to sell their crude.
N-COUNT: oft n N
8.
The ~s are groups of professional sports teams that compete against each other, especially in American baseball. (mainly AM)
I knew what I could do in the minor leagues, I just wanted a chance to prove myself in the ~s.
N-PLURAL: the N
9.
A ~ is an important sporting competition, especially in golf or tennis.
Sarazen became the first golfer to win all four ~s.
N-COUNT