(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
The ~ thing is the most important one of several similar things in a particular situation.
...one of the ~ tourist areas of Amsterdam...
My ~ concern now is to protect the children...
What are the ~ differences and similarities between them?
= chief
ADJ: det ADJ
2.
If you say that something is true in the ~, you mean that it is generally true, although there may be exceptions.
Tourists are, in the ~, sympathetic people...
= on the whole
PHRASE: PHR with cl
3.
The ~s are the pipes which supply gas or water to buildings, or which take sewage away from them.
...the water supply from the ~s...
The capital has been without ~s water since Wednesday night.
N-COUNT: usu pl, usu with supp
4.
The ~s are the wires which supply electricity to buildings, or the place where the wires end inside the building. (~ly BRIT)
...amplifiers which plug into the ~s...
N-PLURAL: usu the N