(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a number of pieces of paper, usually with words printed on them, which are fastened together and fixed inside a cover of stronger paper or cardboard. Books contain information, stories, or poetry, for example.
His eighth ~ came out earlier this year and was an instant best-seller...
...the author of a ~ on politics.
...reference ~s.
N-COUNT
2.
A ~ of something such as stamps, matches, or tickets is a small number of them fastened together between thin cardboard covers.
Can I have a ~ of first class stamps please?
N-COUNT: usu N of n
3.
When you ~ something such as a hotel room or a ticket, you arrange to have it or use it at a particular time.
British officials have ~ed hotel rooms for the women and children...
Laurie revealed she had ~ed herself a flight home last night.
...three-star restaurants that are normally ~ed for months in advance.
= reserve
VERB: V n, V n n, V-ed
4.
A company’s or organization’s ~s are its records of money that has been spent and earned or of the names of people who belong to it. (BUSINESS)
For the most part he left the ~s to his managers and accountants...
Around 12 per cent of the people on our ~s are in the computing industry.
N-PLURAL
5.
When a referee ~s a football player who has seriously broken the rules of the game, he or she officially writes down the player’s name.
League referee Keith Cooper ~ed him in the first half for a tussle with the goalie.
VERB: V n
6.
When a police officer ~s someone, he or she officially records their name and the offence that they may be charged with.
They took him to the station and ~ed him for assault with a deadly weapon.
= charge
VERB: V n
7.
In a very long written work such as the Bible, a ~ is one of the sections into which it is divided.
N-COUNT
8.
see also ~ing , cheque ~ , phone ~
9.
If you bring someone to ~, you punish them for an offence or make them explain their behaviour officially.
Police should be asked to investigate so that the guilty can be brought to ~ soon.
PHRASE: V inflects
10.
If you say that someone or something is a closed ~, you mean that you do not know anything about them.
Frank Spriggs was a very able man but something of a closed ~...
Economics was a closed ~ to him.
PHRASE: v-link PHR
11.
If a hotel, restaurant, theatre, or transport service is fully ~ed, or ~ed solid, it is ~ed up.
The car ferries from the mainland are often fully ~ed by February.
PHRASE: v-link PHR
12.
In my ~ means ‘in my opinion’ or ‘according to my beliefs’.
The greatest manager there has ever been, or ever will be in my ~, is retiring.
= to my mind
PHRASE: PHR with cl
13.
to cook the ~s: see cook
to take a leaf from someone’s ~: see leaf