(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
Someone or something that is ~ is better or more important than other people or things.
You’re very ~ to me, darling...
There are strong arguments for holidays at Easter and Christmas because these are ~ occasions...
My ~ guest will be comedian Ben Elton.
ADJ
2.
Special means different from normal.
In ~ cases, a husband can deduct the travel expenses of his wife who accompanies him on a business trip...
So you didn’t notice anything ~ about him?...
? normal
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
You use ~ to describe someone who is officially appointed or who has a particular position ~ly created for them.
Frank Deford is a ~ correspondent for Newsweek magazine.
ADJ: ADJ n
4.
Special institutions are for people who have serious physical or mental problems.
Police are still searching for a convicted rapist, who escaped from Broadmoor ~ hospital yesterday.
ADJ: ADJ n
5.
You use ~ to describe something that relates to one particular person, group, or place.
Every anxious person will have his or her own ~ problems or fears.
...it requires a very ~ brand of courage to fight dictators.
= unique
ADJ: ADJ n
6.
A ~ is a product, programme, or meal which is not normally available, or which is made for a particular purpose.
...complaints about the BBC’s Hallowe’en ~, ‘Ghostwatch’...
Grocery stores have to offer enough ~s to bring people into the store.
N-COUNT