(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Someone’s ~ in a place is the fact that they are there.
They argued that his ~ in the village could only stir up trouble...
Her Majesty later honoured the Headmaster with her ~ at lunch.
? absence
N-SING: with poss
2.
If you say that someone has ~, you mean that they impress people by their appearance and manner.
Hendrix’s stage ~ appealed to thousands of teenage rebels.
N-UNCOUNT: oft supp N approval
3.
A ~ is a person or creature that you cannot see, but that you are aware of. (LITERARY)
She started to be affected by the ghostly ~ she could feel in the house.
N-COUNT
4.
If a country has a military ~ in another country, it has some of its armed forces there.
The Philippine government wants the US to maintain a military ~ in Southeast Asia.
N-SING: usu supp N
5.
If you refer to the ~ of a substance in another thing, you mean that it is in that thing.
The somewhat acid flavour is caused by the ~ of lactic acid.
? absence
N-UNCOUNT: with poss
6.
If you are in someone’s ~, you are in the same place as that person, and are close enough to them to be seen or heard.
The talks took place in the ~ of a diplomatic observer.
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR