(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
An ~ is an important act or statement that is intended to solve a problem.
Government ~s to help young people have been inadequate...
There’s talk of a new peace ~.
N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N to-inf
2.
In a fight or contest, if you have the ~, you are in a better position than your opponents to decide what to do next.
We have the ~; we intend to keep it...
N-SING: the N
3.
If you have ~, you have the ability to decide what to do next and to do it, without needing other people to tell you what to do.
She was disappointed by his lack of ~.
N-UNCOUNT
4.
If you take the ~ in a situation, you are the first person to act, and are therefore able to control the situation.
We must take the ~ in the struggle to end the war...
PHRASE: V inflects