I. NOUN USES
(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a number of carriages, cars, or trucks which are all connected together and which are pulled by an engine along a railway. Trains carry people and goods from one place to another.
The ~ pulled into a station...
We can catch the early morning ~...
He arrived in Shenyang by ~ yesterday.
N-COUNT: also by N
2.
A ~ of vehicles, people, or animals is a long line of them travelling slowly in the same direction.
...a long ~ of oil tankers.
N-COUNT: with supp, usu N of n
3.
A ~ of thought or a ~ of events is a connected sequence, in which each thought or event seems to occur naturally or logically as a result of the previous one.
He lost his ~ of thought for a moment, then recovered it...
Giles set in motion a ~ of events which would culminate in tragedy.
N-COUNT: usu sing, N of n
4.
The ~ of a woman’s formal dress or wedding dress is the long part at the back of it which flows along the floor behind her.
N-COUNT
5.
If a process or event is in ~ or has been set in ~, it is happening or starting to happen. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use in motion )
He praised the economic reforms set in ~ by the government.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v
II. VERB USES
(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
If someone ~s you to do something, they teach you the skills that you need in order to do it. If you ~ to do something, you learn the skills that you need in order to do it.
The US was ready to ~ its troops to participate...
Stavros was ~ing to be a priest...
Psychiatrists initially ~ as doctors...
We don’t ~ them only in bricklaying, but also in other building techniques...
Companies tend to favour the lawyer who has ~ed with a good quality City firm...
I’m a ~ed nurse...
VERB: V n to-inf, V to-inf, V as/in n, V n as/in n, V, V-ed
-~ed
Mr. Koutab is an American-~ed lawyer.
COMB in ADJ
~er (~ers)
...a book for both teachers and teacher ~ers.
N-COUNT
2.
To ~ a natural quality or talent that someone has, for example their voice or musical ability, means to help them to develop it.
I see my degree as something which will ~ my mind and improve my chances of getting a job...
VERB: V n
3.
If you ~ for a physical activity such as a race or if someone ~s you for it, you prepare for it by doing particular physical exercises.
Strachan is ~ing for the new season...
He has spent a year ~ing crews for next month’s round the world race.
VERB: V for n, V n for n, also V, V n
~er
She went to the gym with her ~er.
N-COUNT
4.
If an animal or bird is ~ed to do particular things, it is taught to do them, for example in order to be able to work for someone or to be a good pet.
Sniffer dogs could be ~ed to track them down.
...a man who ~ed hundreds of dogs...
VERB: be V-ed to-inf, V n, also V n to-inf
~er
The horse made a winning start for his new ~er.
N-COUNT
5.
If you ~ something such as a gun, a camera, or a light on a person or thing, you aim it at them and keep it towards them.
She ~ed her binoculars on the horizon...
VERB: V n on n
6.
If you ~ a tree, bush, or plant in a particular direction, you tie it and cut it so that it grows in that direction.
Instead of ~ing the shoots up the fence, lay them flat in both directions alongside it...
You could even put a trellis on your walls and ~ plants to grow up it.
VERB: V n prep, V n to-inf
7.
see also ~ing