(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ consists of metal rings connected together in a line.
His open shirt revealed a fat gold ~...
The dogs were leaping and growling at the full stretch of their ~s.
N-COUNT
2.
If prisoners are in ~s, they have thick rings of metal round their wrists or ankles to prevent them from escaping.
He’d spent four and a half years in windowless cells, much of the time in ~s.
N-PLURAL: in N
3.
If a person or thing is ~ed to something, they are fastened to it with a ~.
The dog was ~ed to the leg of the one solid garden seat...
She ~ed her bike to the railings...
We were sitting together in our cell, ~ed to the wall.
VERB: be V-ed to n, V n to n, V-ed, also V n adv/prep
•
Chain up means the same as ~ .
I’ll lock the doors and ~ you up...
All the rowing boats were ~ed up.
PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V-ed P, also V P n (not pron)
4.
A ~ of things is a group of them existing or arranged in a line.
...a ~ of islands known as the Windward Islands...
Students tried to form a human ~ around the parliament.
N-COUNT: N of n
5.
A ~ of shops, hotels, or other businesses is a number of them owned by the same person or company.
...a large supermarket ~.
...Italy’s leading ~ of cinemas.
N-COUNT: with supp
6.
A ~ of events is a series of them happening one after another.
...the bizarre ~ of events that led to his departure in January 1938.
= series
N-SING: N of n
7.
see also food ~