(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a change or development towards something new or different.
This is a growing ~.
...a ~ towards part-time employment.
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2.
To set a ~ means to do something that becomes accepted or fashionable, and that a lot of other people copy.
The record has already proved a success and may well start a ~.
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