(~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
The ~ of something such as a conversation, letter, or book is the thing that is being discussed or written about.
It was I who first raised the ~ of plastic surgery.
...the president’s own views on the ~.
N-COUNT
2.
Someone or something that is the ~ of criticism, study, or an investigation is being criticized, studied, or investigated.
Over the past few years, some of the positions Mr. Meredith has adopted have made him the ~ of criticism...
He’s now the ~ of an official inquiry.
N-COUNT: N of n
3.
A ~ is an area of knowledge or study, especially one that you study at school, college, or university.
...a tutor in maths and science ~s.
N-COUNT
4.
In an experiment or piece of research, the ~ is the person or animal that is being tested or studied. (FORMAL)
‘White noise’ was played into the ~’s ears through headphones...
N-COUNT
5.
An artist’s ~s are the people, animals, or objects that he or she paints, models, or photographs.
Her favourite ~s are shells spotted on beach walks.
N-COUNT: with supp
6.
In grammar, the ~ of a clause is the noun group that refers to the person or thing that is doing the action expressed by the verb. For example, in ‘My cat keeps catching birds’, ‘my cat’ is the ~.
N-COUNT
7.
To be ~ to something means to be affected by it or to be likely to be affected by it.
Prices may be ~ to alteration...
In addition, interest on Treasury issues isn’t ~ to state and local income taxes.
ADJ: v-link ADJ to n
8.
If someone is ~ to a particular set of rules or laws, they have to obey those rules or laws.
The tribunal is unique because Mr Jones is not ~ to the normal police discipline code.
ADJ: v-link ADJ to n
9.
If you ~ someone to something unpleasant, you make them experience it.
...the man who had ~ed her to four years of beatings and abuse...
VERB: V n to n
10.
The people who live in or belong to a particular country, usually one ruled by a monarch, are the ~s of that monarch or country.
Roughly half of them are British ~s.
N-COUNT: with supp
11.
When someone involved in a conversation changes the ~, they start talking about something else, often because the previous ~ was embarrassing.
He tried to change the ~, but she wasn’t to be put off.
PHRASE: V inflects
12.
If an event will take place ~ to a condition, it will take place only if that thing happens.
They denied a report that Egypt had agreed to a summit, ~ to certain conditions.
PREP-PHRASE