(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
The ~ of something is the amount that it measures from one end to the other along the longest side.
It is about a metre in ~.
...the ~ of the fish...
The plane had a wing span of 34ft and a ~ of 22ft.
N-VAR: oft with poss, oft amount in N, N of amount
2.
The ~ of something such as a piece of writing is the amount of writing that is contained in it.
...a book of at least 100 pages in ~...
The ~ of a paragraph depends on the information it conveys.
N-VAR: oft with poss, oft amount in N
3.
The ~ of an event, activity, or situation is the period of time from beginning to end for which something lasts or during which something happens.
The exact ~ of each period may vary...
His film, over two hours in ~, is a subtle study of family life.
N-VAR: oft with poss, oft amount in N
4.
A ~ of rope, cloth, wood, or other material is a piece of it that is intended to be used for a particular purpose or that exists in a particular situation.
...a 30ft ~ of rope...
You can hang ~s of fabric behind the glass.
N-COUNT: with supp, oft N of n
5.
The ~ of something is its quality of being long.
Many have been surprised at the ~ of time it has taken him to make up his mind...
I noticed, too, the ~ of her fingers.
N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n
6.
If you swim a ~ in a swimming pool, you swim the distance from one end to the other.
I swim 40 ~s a day.
N-COUNT: usu num N
7.
In boat racing or horse racing, a ~ is the distance from the front to the back of the boat or horse. You can talk about one boat or horse being one or more ~s in front of or behind another.
Harvard won by four ~s.
N-COUNT: usu num N
8.
If something happens or exists along the ~ of something, it happens or exists for the whole way along it.
I looked along the ~ of the building...
The inspiration stemming from his travels lasted the ~ of his career.
N-SING: the N of n
9.
see also full-~
10.
If someone does something at ~, they do it after a long period of time. (LITERARY)
At ~ my father went into the house.
PHRASE: PHR cl
11.
If someone does something at ~, they do it for a long time or in great detail.
They spoke at ~, reviewing the entire incident.
PHRASE: PHR after v
12.
If you say that someone goes to great ~s to achieve something, you mean that they try very hard and perhaps do extreme things in order to achieve it.
Greta Garbo went to great ~s to hide from reporters and photographers.
PHRASE: V inflects
13.
at arm’s ~: see arm
the ~ and breadth of: see breadth