(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
If someone or something ~s in a particular state or condition, they stay in that state or condition and do not change.
The three men ~ed silent...
The government ~ed in control...
He ~ed a formidable opponent...
It ~s possible that bad weather could tear more holes in the tanker’s hull.
V-LINK: V adj, V prep, V n, it V adj that/to-inf/wh
2.
If you ~ in a place, you stay there and do not move away.
He will have to ~ in hospital for at least 10 days...
VERB: V prep, also V
3.
You can say that something ~s when it still exists.
The wider problem ~s...
VERB: V
4.
If something ~s to be done, it has not yet been done and still needs to be done.
Major questions ~ to be answered about his work...
V-LINK: V to-inf-passive
5.
The ~s of something are the parts of it that are left after most of it has been taken away or destroyed.
They were tidying up the ~s of their picnic.
N-PLURAL: usu the N of n
6.
The ~s of a person or animal are the parts of their body that are left after they have died, sometimes after they have been dead for a long time.
The unrecognizable ~s of a man had been found...
N-PLURAL: usu with supp
7.
Historical ~s are things that have been found from an earlier period of history, usually buried in the ground, for example parts of buildings and pieces of pottery.
There are Roman ~s all around us.
N-PLURAL: usu supp N
8.
You can use ~ in expressions such as the fact ~s that or the question ~s whether to introduce and emphasize something that you want to talk about.
The fact ~s that inflation is unacceptably high...
The question ~s whether he was fully aware of the claims.
V-LINK: V that, V wh
9.
see also ~ing
10.
If you say that it ~s to be seen whether something will happen, you mean that nobody knows whether it will happen.
It ~s to be seen whether her parliamentary colleagues will agree.
PHRASE: usu it PHR whether vagueness