(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ of something is a small amount of it.
All it required was a ~ of work...
I got paid a little ~ of money.
QUANT: QUANT of n-uncount
2.
A ~ means to a small extent or degree. It is sometimes used to make a statement less extreme.
This girl was a ~ strange...
She looks a ~ like his cousin Maureen...
That sounds a ~ technical...
Isn’t that a ~ harsh?
= slightly
PHRASE: PHR adj/adv/prep vagueness
3.
You can use a ~ of to make a statement less forceful. For example, the statement ‘It’s a ~ of a nuisance’ is less forceful than ‘It’s a nuisance’.
It’s all a ~ of a mess...
This comes as a ~ of a disappointment.
PHRASE: PHR n vagueness
4.
Quite a ~ means quite a lot.
They’re worth quite a ~ of money...
Things have changed quite a ~...
He’s quite a ~ older than me.
PHRASE: PHR of n, PHR after v, PHR compar
5.
You use a ~ before ‘more’ or ‘less’ to mean a small amount more or a small amount less.
I still think I have a ~ more to offer...
Maybe we’ll hear a little ~ less noise.
PHRASE: PHR more/less
6.
If you do something a ~, you do it for a short time. In British English, you can also say that you do something for a ~.
Let’s wait a ~...
I hope there will be time to talk a ~...
That should keep you busy for a ~.
PHRASE: PHR with v
7.
A ~ of something is a small part or section of it. (mainly BRIT)
That’s the ~ of the meeting that I missed...
Now comes the really important ~...
The best ~ was walking along the glacier.
= part
N-COUNT: with supp, oft N of n
8.
A ~ of something is a small piece of it. (mainly BRIT)
Only a ~ of string looped round a nail in the doorpost held it shut.
...crumpled ~s of paper.
= piece
N-COUNT: usu N of n
9.
You can use ~ to refer to a particular item or to one of a group or set of things. For example, a ~ of information is an item of information.
There was one ~ of vital evidence which helped win the case...
Not one single ~ of work has been started towards the repair of this road.
N-COUNT: usu N of n
10.
In computing, a ~ is the smallest unit of information that is held in a computer’s memory. It is either 1 or 0. Several ~s form a byte.
N-COUNT
11.
A ~ is 12? cents; mainly used in expressions such as two ~s, which means 25 cents, or four ~s, which means 50 cents. (AM)
N-COUNT
12.
Bit is the past tense of ~e .
13.
If something happens ~ by ~, it happens in stages.
Bit by ~ I began to understand what they were trying to do.
PHRASE: PHR with v
14.
If someone is champing at the ~ or is chomping at the ~, they are very impatient to do something, but they are prevented from doing it, usually by circumstances that they have no control over.
I expect you’re champing at the ~, so we’ll get things going as soon as we can.
PHRASE: V inflects
15.
If you do your ~, you do something that, to a small or limited extent, helps to achieve something.
Marcie always tried to do her ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
16.
You say that one thing is every ~ as good, interesting, or important as another to emphasize that the first thing is just as good, interesting, or important as the second.
My dinner jacket is every ~ as good as his.
PHRASE: PHR adj/adv emphasis
17.
If you say that something is a ~ much, you are annoyed because you think someone has behaved in an unreasonable way. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)
It’s a ~ much expecting me to dump your boyfriend for you.
PHRASE: v-link PHR feelings
18.
You use not a ~ when you want to make a strong negative statement. (mainly BRIT)
I’m really not a ~ surprised...
‘Are you disappointed?’ ‘Not a ~.’
PHRASE emphasis
19.
You say not a ~ of it to emphasize that something that you might expect to be the case is not the case. (BRIT)
Did he give up? Not a ~ of it!
PHRASE emphasis
20.
You can use ~s and pieces or ~s and bobs to refer to a collection of different things. (INFORMAL)
PHRASE
21.
If you get the ~ between your teeth, or take the ~ between your teeth, you become very enthusiastic about a job you have to do.
PHRASE: V inflects
22.
If something is smashed or blown to ~s, it is broken into a number of pieces. If something falls to ~s, it comes apart so that it is in a number of pieces.
She found a pretty yellow jug smashed to ~s.
PHRASE: PHR after v
23.
thrilled to ~s: see thrilled