(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
A ~ of something such as hair, wire, or thread is a single thin piece of it.
She tried to blow a gray ~ of hair from her eyes.
...high fences, topped by ~s of barbed-wire...
N-COUNT: usu N of n
2.
A ~ of a plan or theory is a part of it.
There had been two ~s to his tactics...
He’s trying to bring together various ~s of radical philosophic thought.
= element
N-COUNT
3.
If you are ~ed, you are prevented from leaving a place, for example because of bad weather.
The climbers had been ~ed by a storm...
VERB: be V-ed