I. LOOKING AND PAYING ATTENTION
(~es, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Please look at category 15 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1.
If you ~ someone or something, you look at them, usually for a period of time, and pay attention to what is happening.
The man was standing in his doorway ~ing him...
He ~ed the barman prepare the beer he had ordered...
Chris ~ed him sipping his brandy...
I ~ed as Amy ate a few nuts.
VERB: V n, V n inf, V n -ing, V
2.
If you ~ something on television or an event such as a sports match, you spend time looking at it, especially when you see it from the beginning to the end.
I’d stayed up late to ~ the film...
They spent a great deal of time ~ing television.
VERB: V n, V n
3.
If you ~ a situation or event, you pay attention to it or you are aware of it, but you do not influence it.
Human rights groups have been closely ~ing the case...
Annoyed commuters could only ~ as the departure time ticked by.
VERB: V n, V
4.
If you ~ people, especially children or animals, you are responsible for them, and make sure that they are not in danger.
Parents can’t be expected to ~ their children 24 hours a day.
VERB: V n
5.
If you ~ someone, you follow them secretly or spy on them.
Ella was scared that someone was ~ing her...
VERB: V n
6.
If you tell someone to ~ a particular person or thing, you are warning them to be careful that the person or thing does not get out of control or do something unpleasant.
You really ought to ~ these quiet types...
If you’re ~ing the calories, don’t have mayonnaise.
VERB: V n, V n
7.
A ~ is a period of carefully looking and listening, often while other people are asleep and often as a military duty, so that you can warn them of danger or an attack.
I had the first ~ that May evening.
N-COUNT
8.
If someone keeps ~, they look and listen all the time, while other people are asleep or doing something else, so that they can warn them of danger or an attack.
Jose, as usual, had climbed a tree to keep ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
9.
If you keep ~ on events or a situation, you pay attention to what is happening, so that you can take action at the right moment.
US officials have been keeping close ~ on the situation.
PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR on n
10.
You say ‘~ it’ in order to warn someone to be careful, especially when you want to threaten them about what will happen if they are not careful.
‘Now ~ it, Patsy,’ the Sergeant told her.
PHRASE
11.
If someone is on ~, they have the job of carefully looking and listening, often while other people are asleep and often as a military duty, so that they can warn them of danger or an attack.
Apart from two men on ~ in the engine-room, everyone was asleep.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v
12.
If you are on the ~ for something, you are expecting it to happen and you therefore pay attention to events so that you will notice it when it does happen.
Environmentalists will be on the ~ for damage to wildlife.
= on the lookout
PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR for n
13.
If someone is being kept under ~, they are being guarded or observed all the time.
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR
14.
You say to someone ‘you ~’ or ‘just ~’ when you are predicting that something will happen, and you are very confident that it will happen as you say.
You ~. Things will get worse before they get better.
PHRASE
15.
to ~ your step: see step
II. INSTRUMENT THAT TELLS THE TIME
(~es)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
A ~ is a small clock which you wear on a strap on your wrist, or on a chain.
N-COUNT