INDEX:
1. a word or group of words
2. a sentence or part of a sentence
3. a phrase or sentence that is well-known or often used
4. all the words someone knows or uses
RELATED WORDS
see also
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1. a word or group of words
▷ word /wɜːʳd/ [countable noun]
▪ Are there any words in the passage that you don’t understand?
▪ Look up any words you don’t know in a dictionary.
▪ Is ‘lunchtime’ one word or two?
▪ The word ‘origami’ comes from Japanese.
word for something
word that means something
▪ ‘Casa’ is the Italian word for ‘house’.
▪ What’s another word for ‘way out’?
▷ phrase /freɪz/ [countable noun]
a combination of two or more words that has a particular meaning :
▪ There are some useful words and phrases at the end of each chapter in the Student’s Book.
▪ Are you familiar with the phrase "the old boy network'?
use a phrase
▪ I was criticized for using the phrase ‘gay lifestyles’.
▪ His campaign is, to use one of his favourite phrases, ‘as dead as Elvis’.
in somebody’s phrase
according to a phrase which someone used
▪ The battle of El Alamein was, in Churchill’s phrase, "the end of the beginning'.
coin a phrase
invent a phrase
▪ Who first coined the phrase "Iron Curtain'?
turn of phrase
a particular phrase or word that someone uses
▪ The head of the bank described the salary cuts as ‘peanuts’, a turn of phrase which angered many bank workers.
▷ expression /ɪkˈspreʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a group of words that is used to talk about or say a particular thing :
▪ "It’ll be alright in the end' -- that was my mother’s favourite expression.
▪ ‘Shadow-boxing’? I’ve never heard that expression before!
use an expression
▪ I don’t normally use that expression myself, but I’ve heard other people use it sometimes.
▪ He said he didn’t care -- well actually he used a rude expression that I can’t repeat!
▷ term /tɜːʳm/ [countable noun]
a word or group of words that are used in a technical or scientific subject and have an exact meaning in that subject :
▪ Mr Hicks used the term ‘neighbourhood schools’ for what in effect were segregated black schools.
▪ It’s very difficult to give a definition of a term like ‘cyberspace’.
medical/legal/scientific etc term (for something)
▪ The medical term for losing your hair is ‘alopecia’.
▷ idiom /ˈɪdiəm/ [countable noun]
a group of words that are used together and have a special meaning that you cannot guess from the meanings of each separate word :
▪ ‘Full of beans’ is an idiom which means lively and energetic.
▪ In Hollywood, white stars are adopting black idioms, dress styles and manners.
idiomatic /ˌɪdiəˈmætɪk◂/ [adjective]
▪ Some idiomatic phrases don’t translate literally, so you have to find an equivalent.
▷ figure of speech /ˌfɪgər əv ˈspiːtʃǁˌfɪgjər-/ [countable noun]
a group of words that are used to describe someone or something in an unusual or poetic way :
▪ We describe our genes as ‘selfish’ or ‘ruthless’, but of course this is only a figure of speech.
▪ When I said we spent the night together, it was just a figure of speech. I didn’t sleep with her.
▷ catchword /ˈkætʃwɜːʳd/ [countable noun]
a word or phrase that people use in a particular situation, because it describes what is important in that situation :
▪ Variety will be the catchword at the new venue, with acts ranging from stand-up comedy to poetry readings.
▪ After World War II, the catchword for a newly health-conscious society was ‘protein’.
2. a sentence or part of a sentence
▷ sentence /ˈsentəns/ [countable noun]
a group of words that begins with a capital letter, ends with a full stop, and includes a verb :
▪ Write a complete sentence for each answer.
▪ Try to write using short, punchy sentences.
▪ Describe your best friend in a single sentence.
▪ The opening sentence of the book defines the concept of Tai-Chi-Chuan.
▷ clause /klɔːz/ [countable noun]
a group of words that has a subject and a verb and that is part of a sentence :
main clause
the clause that describes the main action
▪ We will go to the theatre tonight [main clause] if we can get tickets [subordinate clause].
subordinate clause/dependent clause
a clause that is not the main clause
▪ In the sentence ‘Can you tell me what time it is?’ ‘Can you tell me’ is the main clause, and ‘what time it is’ is a subordinate clause.
▷ phrase /freɪz/ [countable noun]
a small group of words which together form a single unit in a sentence - used in technical contexts :
▪ The phrase ‘a big black dog’ is the subject of the sentence.
noun/adverb/verb etc phrase
▪ ‘A bottle of whisky' is a noun phrase, and ’really rather foolishly' is an adverb phrase.
3. a phrase or sentence that is well-known or often used
▷ saying /ˈseɪ-ɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a short sentence that contains advice, or says what is usually true in a particular situation. Sayings have usually been used for a long time :
▪ ‘You’re only as old as you feel’ -- that’s one of my favourite sayings.
old/famous/well-known saying
▪ The more often you play the flute, the better you’ll get. Remember the old saying, practice makes perfect.
▪ How many times have we heard the famous saying, ‘Physician heal thyself’?
as the saying goes
according to a saying
▪ What followed, as the saying goes, shook the world.
▪ Like father, like son, as the saying goes -- by the time Tim was eight, he was already a budding entrepreneur.
▷ proverb /ˈprɒvɜːʳbǁˈprɑː-/ [countable noun]
a well-known saying that gives advice or says something about human life, especially using words that represent a wider meaning :
▪ Do you remember this old proverb: ‘When poverty comes in the door, love flies out of the window’?
Chinese/Arabic/French etc proverb
▪ An Irish proverb is relevant here -- ‘You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather is.’
cite/quote a proverb
▪ In reply, he quoted a Sanskrit proverb: ‘Forgiveness is the ornament of the brave’.
▷ buzzword /ˈbʌzwɜːʳd/ [countable noun]
a word or phrase from one special area of knowledge that people suddenly start using a lot, especially because they think it means something important :
▪ The big Internet buzzword at the moment is ‘push technology’.
▪ Customer-friendliness was the buzzword in British business circles.
▪ ‘Going snap’ on a decision was the latest buzzword in our office.
▷ cliché /ˈkliːʃeɪǁkliːˈʃeɪ/ [countable noun]
a phrase that is used so often that it seems boring, annoying, or silly :
▪ It’s a cliché, I know, but the game isn’t over till the final whistle blows.
old/tired cliché
▪ At the risk of repeating an old cliché, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
become a cliché
▪ It’s become a cliché to say that presidential candidates are being marketed like bars of soap or boxes of cereal.
clichéd [adjective]
▪ Without sounding too clichéd about it, there should be more to life than that.
▪ Poor production, dreary guitar chords and clichéd lyrics -- this latest album is truly awful.
▷ platitude /ˈplætɪtjuːd, ˈplætətjuːdǁ-tuːd/ [countable noun]
a phrase that is so clearly true that it has no useful meaning and is therefore annoying, especially because the person using it seems insincere and unsympathetic :
▪ The management tried to satisfy staff with some platitudes about the need to make sacrifices for the benefit of the company.
empty platitude
one that is meaningless
▪ The marriage counsellor could only offer us a string of empty platitudes.
mouth/spout platitudes
▪ Mr Gringold droned on, mouthing the usual platitudes about motivation and self-reliance.
▷ quotation /kwəʊˈteɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a sentence or phrase from a book, play, poem etc that is used to explain or show something :
▪ If you do use quotations in your essay, select them carefully.
▪ a dictionary of theatrical quotations
quotation from
▪ The book begins with a quotation from The Book of Common Prayer.
attribute a quotation to somebody
say that they are the first person to say it
▪ The quotation is attributed to Chu Hsi, an ancient Chinese philosopher.
▷ slogan /ˈsləʊgən/ [countable noun]
a short phrase that is easy to remember, especially one that is used by advertisers, politicians, or entertainers :
▪ Bloomingdale’s has as its slogan ‘Like no other store in the world’.
▪ Young men risked their lives to daub buildings with anti-government slogans.
slogan of
▪ ‘Liberte, egalite, fraternite’ was the slogan of the French Revolution.
advertising/marketing/campaign slogan
▪ They’ve come up with a new advertising slogan for the product.
▷ catchphrase /ˈkætʃfreɪz/ [countable noun usually singular]
a short, well-known phrase used regularly by an entertainer or other public figure :
▪ The public soon learned to associate the catchphrase ‘Ooh, you are awful’ with the inimitable Dick Emery.
▪ His catchphrases like'What a peach of a shot' and ‘That’s a dream of a pass’ are now part of tennis language.
▷ motto /ˈmɒtəʊǁˈmɑː-/ [countable noun usually singular]
a word or phrase that expresses a person or organization’s aims or beliefs :
▪ The school’s motto was ‘Work hard and play hard’.
▪ ‘All my life,’ said Sir Humphrey, ‘my motto has been ‘aim high’.’
family motto
▪ The Mortimer family motto is inscribed above the door -- ‘Humilitas’.
4. all the words someone knows or uses
▷ vocabulary /vəˈkæbjɑləri, vəʊ-ǁ-leri/ [countable noun usually singular]
someone’s vocabulary is all the words that they know or use :
▪ These stories are written for students with a vocabulary of about 2000 words.
▪ Reading is a good way to increase your vocabulary.
▪ a vocabulary test
▪ How big is the average 4-year-old’s vocabulary?
▷ terminology /ˌtɜːʳmɪˈnɒlədʒi, ˌtɜːʳməˈnɒlədʒiǁ-ˈnɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
all the technical words or expressions that are used in connection with a particular subject :
▪ One of the hardest things when studying linguistics is learning all the right terminology.
legal/medical/scientific etc terminology
▪ In legal terminology, a widow is the ‘relict’ of her late husband.
▪ Kelly wants to be a nurse, and is taking a medical terminology class at night.