(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Note: The pronunciation is also used for meanings 1 and 2 in British English.
1.
A ~ is an official right to be the only person or company allowed to make or sell a new product for a certain period of time.
P&G applied for a ~ on its cookies...
He held a number of ~s for his many innovations...
N-COUNT
2.
If you ~ something, you obtain a ~ for it.
He ~ed the idea that the atom could be split...
...a ~ed machine called the VCR II.
VERB: V n, V-ed
3.
You use ~ to describe something, especially something bad, in order to indicate in an emphatic way that you think its nature or existence is clear and obvious.
This was ~ nonsense.
...a ~ lie.
= obvious
ADJ emphasis
~ly
He made his displeasure ~ly obvious...
= clearly
ADV