SERIOUS


Meaning of SERIOUS in English

adjective

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a bad/serious accident

There’s been a bad accident on the freeway.

The road is closed following a serious accident.

a big/major/serious/heavy blow

The earthquake was a serious blow to the area’s tourism industry.

a big/serious/severe setback

This is a serious setback to the company.

a considerable/serious delay (= very long )

After a considerable delay, the report was finally published.

a difficult/serious dilemma

He was in a serious dilemma because neither option seemed very desirable.

a major/serious obstacle

Debt is a major obstacle to economic growth.

There are serious obstacles to obtaining sufficient funding.

a major/serious/deep/severe crisis

Our farming industry has been hit by a serious crisis.

a realistic/real/serious option (= something that you can really choose to do )

I wanted to start my own business but financially it was never a realistic option.

a real/serious alternative

Co-operation offers the only real alternative.

a serious assault

Last year, serious assaults increased by 40%.

a serious challenge

At the moment we are facing a serious environmental challenge.

a serious charge

Drinking and driving is a very serious charge.

a serious clash

This was one of the most serious clashes since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire.

a serious complaint

Serious complaints of negligence have been made.

(a) serious crime

Kidnapping is a very serious crime.

a serious defect

The movie has a few serious defects.

a serious disturbance

There were serious disturbances in a number of British cities.

a serious emergency (= a situation which involves danger to people )

The police usually respond quickly to serious emergencies.

a serious expression (= one that shows you are not joking )

I saw the serious expression on his little face and tried not to laugh.

a serious incident

The road is closed following a serious incident earlier today.

a serious offence

serious offences such as murder or armed robbery

a serious point

He’s making a joke but there is a serious point there as well.

a serious rival

He knows that he has no serious rival for the job.

a serious talk

Before she went to college, her father sat her down for a serious talk.

a serious violation

The committee said there had been serious violations of Senate rules.

a serious/bad error

The police made a serious error, which resulted in a young man’s death.

a serious/genuine attempt

This is the first serious attempt to tackle the problem.

a serious/grave mistake

There was a serious mistake in the instructions.

a serious/grave mistake

The decision to take the money was a serious mistake.

a serious/grave risk (= real and big )

The most serious risk of flooding this evening is on the River Wye.

a serious/important matter

It is a very serious matter to mislead the police.

a serious/major embarrassment (= severe and important )

This episode has been a serious embarrassment for the club.

a serious/major hazard

Lead pipes are a serious hazard to health.

a serious/major objection

There were serious objections to using the videotaped evidence at the trial.

a serious/major problem

Lifting things carelessly can lead to serious back problems.

a serious/major riot

The jail was hit by a serious riot last year.

a serious/major threat

Bad air quality poses a serious threat to public health.

a serious/severe constraint

The country's debts put serious constraints on its economic growth.

a serious/severe disadvantage

Public transport is very bad here, which is a serious disadvantage.

a serious/steady relationship (= one that lasts quite a long time )

It was his first serious relationship.

a serious/terrible misunderstanding

There have been some serious misunderstandings which have led to conflict.

a severe/serious shortage

There is a serious shortage of food in some areas.

a strong/serious competitor

In the global economy, China is emerging as a strong competitor.

a strong/serious disagreement

If you have a serious disagreement at work, talk to someone about it.

bad/serious/severe

The mines have caused serious pollution of the river system.

The pollution was so bad that most of the fish died.

big/major/serious

The school’s biggest problem is a shortage of cash.

grave/great/serious/severe misgivings (= serious and important worries )

Most of us have grave misgivings about the idea of human cloning.

grave/serious danger (= very great )

You have put us all in grave danger.

great/grave/serious peril

The economy is now in grave peril.

great/serious/considerable concern

The spread of the disease is an issue of considerable concern.

great/serious/significant harm

If you drink too much alcohol, you can do yourself serious harm.

harmful/serious/adverse etc side effect

a natural remedy with no harmful side effects

important/serious implications

The results of the experiment could have important implications for scientists.

in a serious/light-hearted etc vein

poems in a lighter vein

major/serious/severe difficulties

By then, we were having serious financial difficulties.

sad/serious

Maggie looked at him with a sad face.

serious consequences (= bad and important )

Too much fishing in these seas has had serious consequences.

serious consideration

At the time, I didn’t give his suggestion serious consideration.

serious flooding

The heavy rain has led to serious flooding in some areas.

serious misconduct

He was fired for serious misconduct .

serious questions

The incident has raised serious questions about police conduct.

serious repercussions

There were serious repercussions on his career.

serious thinking

Your mother and I have been doing some serious thinking.

serious trouble

I was having serious trouble knowing where to begin.

serious unrest

We are receiving reports of serious unrest in areas of northern India.

serious

The injury wasn’t serious.

serious

vaccines against serious diseases like hepatitis and meningitis

serious

Soon afterwards, they had their first serious quarrel.

serious

These are very serious accusations indeed.

serious/grave doubts

They have some serious doubts as to his honesty.

serious/grave reservations

They had serious reservations about the plan.

serious/major/basic/minor etc flaw

a slight flaw in the glass

serious/notable/major omission

Your failing to note her mistakes is a serious omission.

serious/severe erosion

Some areas of the coast have suffered severe erosion.

serious/severe unemployment

After the pit closed, the town experienced severe unemployment.

serious/severe

His illness is more severe than the doctors first thought.

serious/severe

The earthquake caused severe damage to a number of buildings.

serious/severe

He was admitted to hospital with a serious infection.

serious/severe/bad

He was taken to Broomfield Hospital with serious head wounds.

serious/significant erosion

The demonstrators were protesting about the serious erosion of individual freedoms.

serious/strong/leading etc contender

Her album is a strong contender for the Album of the Year award.

severe/serious burns

She was taken to the hospital with serious burns.

Several of the survivors suffered severe burns .

severe/serious/extreme hardship (= very bad )

The 1930s brought severe hardship to the Midwest, especially for Oklahoma.

severe/serious/important limitations

This approach to the problem has serious limitations.

strong/serious competition

The company is facing strong competition in the market.

the funny/serious side

Luckily, when I explained the situation, he saw the funny side of it.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

as

A spiritual void needs to be satisfied, so what is offered as serious and sacrosanct must be as good as it pretends.

Problems of rot were always with us but there were other problems as well which were just as serious .

Not that I think Carrick will win very much but at least they would be recognised as serious contenders.

He was being serious , or as serious as he knows how.

Like the quatrain poems it is funny at the same time as serious .

Supplies of food ran sufficiently low to pose a threat as serious as invasion.

Central heating can be as serious a scourge to fine old books as it is to fine old furniture.

The catalogue of offences regarded as serious enough to merit dismissal for a single occurrence is sometimes lengthy.

how

Secondly, just how serious is this man?

How hard writing was for each of us was a gauge of how serious we were.

Children are being shown a new video, which shows just how serious the consequences can be.

Everybody knew at once how serious the situation was.

I knew he now realized this was serious , but I was not sure I had got through to him how serious.

The thing that really struck me about her is how serious she was, how those big eyes soaked everything in.

At the outset, you must first decide just how serious you want to be.

The attempt at adding-machine accuracy shows how serious the priests were about numbering the new saints bound for heaven.

more

The touch judges come in for some even more serious verbals.

They left behind the remaining six injured who were in more serious condition.

No, it's more serious in my view.

Meanwhile, more serious mainstream criticism sees the colorblind vision of the republic at stake.

The middle-class YCs had been far more serious at school than Willis' lads.

Is his back problem more serious ?

The second objection is more serious .

In those letters, he outlined his activities and threatened more serious attacks on Barclays customers.

most

The report gives details of 58 of the most serious accidents.

Expulsion from Congress is reserved for the most serious misconduct and is considered unlikely in this case.

Priority would be given to patients with the most serious conditions.

Typically, companies that were experiencing the most serious crisis were willing to implement change at a faster rate.

There is clearly insufficient evidence for the most serious charges.

Furniture was smashed and fists flew in the most serious trouble at the Maze in recent months.

New closed prisons were built for convicted offenders serving long fixed sentences or life imprisonment for the most serious crimes.

This penalty, which is rarely invoked, is the most serious that can be inflicted on a bank.

really

Surely in time and eternity only death and hell were really serious .

We thought this was a good beginning for some really serious outreach efforts.

Out of the sky came another really serious menace.

Next month, the battle gets really serious .

Was that because it was really serious .

But if we are really serious about personal responsibility, and believe that everyone should be equal, things must change.

Vologsky had not monitored all his automatic recording, but he had seen enough to know that things were really serious .

If you want something really serious to do, there are lots of causes crying out for energetic, capable people.

so

The financial constraints on wives are also not so serious , as an increasing proportion of married women are in full-time work.

Woodward had never known him to be so guarded, so serious .

Making out it was all so serious , instead of a few smokes with other kids and a little shop-lifting to pay for it.

I could have cried had our situation not been so serious .

He says didn't realise it was so serious and sent him back to class with an ice pack.

But the magistrates chairman said the offence was so serious , they may have to send both men to jail.

But I must resist the temptation to treat so serious a matter with levity.

He hadn't realised she was so serious .

too

Condensation: a little during morning and evening but nothing too serious .

The potential is too great to ignore-and the hazards too serious to be underestimated.

But I don't think Marea was too serious about this.

In the end, no subject is too serious for opera to treat, or necessarily too unpleasant, or too poignant.

She was clever, and he thought she was a bit too serious , although she had a sense of humour.

She didn't want him to think it was too serious .

The expression on Vologsky's face was too serious and pensive for what he had in mind.

She dared not allow them to become too serious .

very

There is no doubt that some very serious and remarkable studies have been devoted to Modigliani.

She was listed in very serious condition Sunday night.

In recent years, especially since 1982, a number of countries have developed very serious international debt problems.

This is a very serious matter.

The man had been accused of raping a local girl and was in very serious trouble.

But something very serious had been sacrificed in this generous and possibly inescapable transaction-intellectual vitality.

She came from a very serious , Puritan family.

I think that is very , very serious .

■ NOUN

accident

They're warning that overloaded vehicles are dangerous and can cause serious accidents .

The reason is that serious accidents are so infrequent, safety experts said.

But it could mean the difference between financial security and financial disaster for you and your family should a serious accident strike.

But, serious accidents can happen along the way when you use the passive voice.

He invented a serious accident for his wife as an excuse not to see Eleanor for a while.

According to a report commissioned by Greenpeace, a serious accident could occur.

Subsequently, a serious accident at the company's water-theme park in Surrey had a detrimental effect on its public profile.

But serious accidents can and do happen every day of the year.

attempt

Yet most managers in most companies make no serious attempt to do that.

It was too early in the trip for a serious attempt and all of us were decidedly under the weather.

This had been consolidated in power by the end of the fourteenth century, after the one serious attempt to overthrow it.

The 1970s saw the beginning of serious attempts to develop remedial services in local authorities.

It should be emphasized that they were not serious attempts to take her life but cries for help.

Scientists confirmed that the addition of chlorine was unlikely to protect against any serious attempt to interfere with the water supply.

When comprehensive schools became the norm there was still no serious attempt to rethink the curriculum or the values incorporated within it.

attention

The view that women are on average better on language tasks and men on spatial tasks continues to receive serious attention .

Although I am not in complete agreement with all of Lacanian theory, I believe it deserves serious attention .

Contradictory discourses and practices within and between these agencies of socialization are given little serious attention .

These questions in turn suggest further lines of research that deserve serious attention by historians of both science and art.

Book publishing is another important aspect of the print media to which private organisations and the government should pay serious attention .

International debt relief is at last getting serious attention , but personal debt continues to be a festering problem.

In a sense, one can only be delighted that Leapor and other poets like her are receiving such serious attention .

blow

Like the contagious diseases defeat, Simon's resignation was received as a serious blow by the medical profession.

This year, that amount could plummet to $ 1 million, a serious blow to the already financially struggling tribe.

The Taff Vale decision was a serious blow to trade unionism.

A person who is quickly back on his or her feet after a serious blow .

The decision also represented a serious blow to the morale of the regulatory authorities.

His departure will, of course, be a serious blow to our hopes of pulling away from the foot of the table.

It is being said with some conviction that Labour inflicted a serious blow on itself with that Sheffield monster rally.

If implemented, this will be a serious blow to takeover specialists.

business

Food and its enjoyment are very serious business and are not to be hurried.

Save yourself for the serious business of eating. 7 Treat alcohol with care.

For them the climb was a serious business .

Fun would have to take second place to the serious business of home-making and saving money.

Meanwhile we set about the serious business of replacing the broken foremast.

Mostly it means concentrating on having fun, but for some it's all a very serious business .

Still, to her, reading is very serious business .

case

Once again, it may be doubted whether this is sufficiently high for the most serious cases .

Since then, my head has snapped back fast enough to get a serious case of whiplash.

In serious cases the aim is to shut down the system safely.

In several other less serious cases , Reno asked for an independent counsel.

For the more serious cases , there was air transport direct to base hospital, possibly hundreds of miles to the rear.

Nevertheless, I do believe that Al presents a serious case which must be respected and reckoned with.

In more serious cases your doctor may prescribe you an oral antibiotic which will reduce the number of sore and inflamed spots.

But no serious case has been made.

challenge

The rising number of landless and marginal farmers poses a serious challenge .

The businessman is no longer subject to a serious challenge of any sort.

The accelerating destruction of the environment is one of the most serious challenges we face today.

But next year's election could be a serious challenge .

The most serious challenge to Keynesian macroeconomic policies, however, has come from Friedman and the monetarists.

To my mind, the most serious challenge is to minimize the cost of establishing the smallest possible profit-making power system.

The paper claims this represents a serious challenge to other Risc vendors jostling for position in the software arena.

We were a shot over in the second round and I began to wonder whether he would be mounting a serious challenge .

concern

This must be a matter of serious concern for the Church.

Such critics are trivialized and placed firmly at the margins of serious concern .

In the meantime, there is serious concern about the future of secondments for courses longer than one term.

They have returned, in more technical terms, to a serious concern with ontology.

I also learnt of untoward knock on effects and serious concerns about fragmentation and dis-enfranchisement.

Detectives said she was known to be upset over personal problems and ex-pressed serious concern for her safety.

Rural depopulation is a matter of serious concern .

As the memorandum was written, serious concerns arose about whether the child's interests would paramount.

consequence

Very serious consequences can and do follow from people or organisations being indifferent to the results of their actions.

Beating up women is unacceptable and offenders must pay serious consequences .

Boston employers are facing an acute labour shortage with potentially serious consequences for economic growth.

Douglas also developed some mild paranoia that, in a president, might have had far more serious consequences .

They may catch other infections such as measles or chicken-pox, with serious consequences due to their deficient immune system.

If unfavorable patterns emerged, we could address them quickly before they had serious consequences .

Obviously it has had serious consequences in this case.

Another assault on Neil Francis could have serious consequences for the perpetrator.

consideration

Please be on the lookout for talent in your classes and give serious consideration to auditioning yourself.

Gas-coal is not yet under serious consideration .

It does not mean that money has to rule, but it is a necessary and serious consideration .

The daily specials posted at Takamatsu demand serious consideration .

The question of introducing nitrate protection zones got serious consideration only through the Nitrate Coordination Group in 1987.

But his critique of capitalism is still worth serious consideration .

The fact is that I had already begun to give serious consideration to the possibility of doing away with Dennis Parsons.

Throw anything you want into our cage and we will give it serious consideration .

contender

We were looking at a very serious contender indeed.

The best-film voting went to three ballots and no big studio film was a serious contender .

I was now a serious contender for the gold medal.

Teal was not, after all, a serious contender .

The only serious contender left in the presidential race is Guei himself.

As this process continues to develop, more serious contenders for political leadership will come to the fore.

A serious contender for Vibes album of the year.

Not that I think Carrick will win very much but at least they would be recognised as serious contenders .

crime

For every 100 persons convicted of these serious crimes , 85 are male.

Naturalization Service improperly permitted naturalization of immigrants convicted of serious crimes .

Bigamy, for example, is a serious crime in Britain yet it is normal and accepted practice in other countries.

He said the law should specifically target violent offenders, rather than drug-related offenses and less serious crimes .

In the last decade, the ouija board has been a feature in several serious crimes .

Although the Navy had substantial evidence of several serious crimes , there was never a trial for any of them.

The total of forty-two sins ranged from serious crimes like murder to minor wrongdoings like listening to gossip.

The second man faces charges for being an accomplice to a serious crime .

damage

Nothing around us spoke of serious damage .

Unlike Washington state, there were no reports of injuries or serious damage .

However, an effective competition policy needs power to control mergers because of the serious damage they may inflict on competition.

The Rockets are concerned the operation could reveal serious damage , although no official diagnosis has been made.

The explosion sparked a fire which caused serious damage to their flat above a shop in Pensby, Wirral.

No serious damage was being done to the fort.

Now they can use it to predict - and thus forestall - more serious damage .

The Nimbus was undamaged but the K8 had one wing severed at about half-span as well as other serious damage .

danger

Certain deficiencies, of vitamins or iodine, can be harmful, and there are serious dangers from mercurial or lead poisoning.

Downsizing often cut out coordinators, the people most important to these informal networks, leaving them in serious danger of collapse.

Cases sometimes tread uneasily between being trying to be funny and pointing to serious danger .

Malnutrition is one of the most serious dangers .

Erosion and rising sea levels are now posing a serious danger to the lowest-lying islands.

And in this there is serious danger .

We ought to take that serious danger into account.

If heterosexuals in developed countries provide such a niche, they will be in serious danger .

doubt

A number of methodological criticisms have been made of these studies which cast serious doubt on the validity of their findings.

In cases of serious doubt , there are a variety of techniques for assessing employees' reactions.

The awful thing was that, as I said it, I began to have serious doubts about it.

Even among some Taft supporters, however, there were serious doubts that the controversial senator could win the presidency.

Indeed, there must be serious doubts about the decision to hold them this year.

Such questions cast serious doubts on the likelihood of to having no meaning in these uses.

He had come to entertain serious doubts about it himself.

This raises serious doubts about his qualities as a statesman.

effect

All these points can be acknowledged without serious effect upon the method.

The more serious effects include acute confusional states, tachycardia, urinary retention, and aggravation of glaucoma.

These cuts will also have a serious effect on the availability of legal help in criminal cases.

The conflict was regularly reported in the mass media and had a serious effect on public confidence in the party.

Nearly 80 percent of Party membership was unemployed, with serious effects on Party finance and organization.

An act of ill-treatment may be significant because it has a serious effect upon the child.

Scientists have been warning for at least 30 years that humankind's pollution of the atmosphere was about to have serious effect .

The fact that there is now total deregulation will have a serious effect on small shops.

error

But they had all made a serious error , himself included.

To me this is a serious error , the source of all our troubles.

The resource person may correct a serious error and repeat the phrase again but with no trace of disapproval or reproach.

A serious error could easily result in every semi-conductor in the project being destroyed, possibly in spectacular fashion.

This on its own is not a serious error .

He had suddenly made a serious error .

In the past few years it has suffered from serious errors in planning and a lack of investment.

The company had claimed that Mrs Ashgrove was replaced because of serious errors in her work.

flaw

However, this analogy possesses two serious flaws .

In general, any new cryptosystem could harbor serious flaws that are discovered only after years of scrutiny by cryptographers.

Expert reveals serious flaws in museum and gallery security.

Globalisation, accelerated by the internet, is exposing serious flaws in the world's tax systems.

Remember your ideas may have a serious flaw .

Critics have, however, found serious flaws in the whole approach.

Similarly, a model in which a market is identified and then the technology sought to fill it also has serious flaws .

This account contains a serious flaw .

harm

A few weeks back here in the World won't do my career serious harm .

The crime will depend on whether the wound was serious harm or not.

Yet if you can see it still protruding, you can retrieve it before serious harm is caused.

Actual bodily harm need not be serious harm and it has been held to include a hysterical and nervous condition.

Actual bodily harm must mean something less than serious harm.

illness

It can cope with a cold, fight off a serious illness and with time, even mend a broken bone.

The writers blame serious illnesses and various other family misfortunes on their larcenous behavior.

This is why the germs seldom cause serious illnesses .

When you've faced a serious illness , feeling better is the best feeling there is in the world.

But no complaints: up to now, I have never had a serious illness .

In the event of injury or serious illness abroad a 24 hour service is available for immediate help.

A pregnancy undertaken at a time of serious illness or death of a family member will bear added stress.

injury

Both riders walked away and escaped serious injury .

Two in five elderly people involved in accidents are killed or sustain serious injury .

All were treated at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, five of them for serious injuries , a spokeswoman said.

One scored a direct hit but, despite being showered with glass, there were no serious injuries .

Jody understood the devastation of serious injury .

The hospital says he'd risk serious injury if he were to fall while using the legs.

Should it be the larger one who is aggressive, the fish should be separated before serious injury occurs.

issue

But is a birthday the right occasion to raise such serious issues ?

The audience is attracted by the promise of the bizarre, then is exposed to serious issues .

Let's concentrate on the important, serious issues and spend less time worrying about such matters as the quality of the beer.

A more serious issue centers on the noise made by the Hunter and other remote-control planes that fly out of Fort Huachuca.

The serious issue was the dispute over the proper amount of remuneration.

Deciding on optimal resource allocations for different research projects is a serious issue .

But now water is a serious issue .

For those graduate students seeking acceptance of a research proposal the problem of feasibility is a more serious issue .

matter

It is a serious matter , attacking a white person, let alone a white minister.

Inquiry is a serious matter and should be done boldly, whether applied to innovation or ponderous theoretical matter.

Mr. Howard I agree that it is a serious matter .

A politicized game is made out of serious matters to scholars and the field.

This was clearly a serious matter .

The loss of potential output resulting-from involuntary unemployment is clearly a serious matter for an economy.

Q: Do your congressional colleagues consider this a serious matter ?

money

This was money , serious money.

It is all about serious money .

Or should they hang on in the hope that these assets will soon be worth serious money ?

Judging by its state-of-the-art studios, the owners have put some serious money into NewsTalk.

Bricks and mortar used to much more than a sound investment - it was the best way to make serious money .

Most have a core of solid businesses that ensure that at least parts of the firm are making serious money .

To serious money and serious business, however, all this was anathema.

offence

That phrase is read narrowly to convict the accused of handling rather than theft, handling being a more serious offence than theft.

He justifies this view on the ground that rape is a very serious offence to which serious penalties attach.

Adultery is seen as natural for a man, but a serious offence for a woman.

Dismissal following automatically if a third serious offence was committed.

Jailing Murray, Lord Kirkwood described the charge he had been convicted of as a very serious offence .

If, however, their conduct is itself disorderly, they may commit the less serious offence .

This was a serious offence , and she was dismissed.

His most serious offence in that time was taking part in a robbery while armed with a crossbow.

problem

Alcoholism and heart disease are also serious problems .

The Coast Guard also has said it has found no serious problems caused by adding the two towers.

Repudiation of a claim under this clause can cause serious problems .

And the fact that both doctors were insured by the same company must have posed a serious problem for the company.

These are serious problems , which need to be addressed carefully.

Fire officials said bee stings and poison oak were the most serious problems .

In its place we shall have the serious problem of gearing for London.

High levels of coliform bacteria may indicate more serious problems in a water supply, such as the infiltration of fecal material.

question

These works raise a serious question as to whether their subjects are suitable cases for treatment - that is, by librettists and composers.

I had serious questions involving it.

Military intervention would raise serious questions about the stability of the regime.

And community goodwill is in serious question .

But there is a serious question mark over whether fundholding at the level of single practices will remain viable.

Such an inquiry could have produced serious questions and a thorough analysis regarding the precepts of Centralism that underlay the entire scheme.

This evidence alone poses a serious question of ethics with regard to the pharmaceutical industry.

But the episode has raised serious questions .

risk

Most patients coming to hospital after an overdose are not at serious risk .

Both the capability-building priority and the unusual time commitments bore serious risks to their professional advancement and reward.

Under that case the accused must take an obvious and serious risk .

This material is at serious risk of being stolen.

He took a much greater and more serious risk , one which his relatives to this day gloss over or fudge.

With that political cover, the White House figured it could authorize the move without serious risk .

Its leaders knew there was a serious risk of trouble if it took a mass march into Gqozo's lair.

If this fails, then clearly the eggs or young are at a serious risk .

side

A small amount of Lentizol can kill and a wrong dose of Stelazine can cause serious side effects.

Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction was a lot of fun but it had a serious side too.

Of course, there was a more serious side to all this.

Part of his serious side stems from Williams' friendship with paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve.

But there is a more serious side to it all.

Orthostatic hypotension occasionally is a serious side effect.

Although I may be seeming to make light of my brain's struggles, there is a serious side to it.

But like the drugs that made it possible, the plan had serious side effects.

thought

They were not good, serious thoughts .

He said he received a couple of calls from job-placement agencies yesterday, but has not given a new job serious thought .

But little serious thought has been given to this problem.

Not a serious thought in my head.

He also gave some serious thought to how he should look.

It was high time she got down to serious thought about her doctorate.

President Yoweri Museveni's government is the first to give serious thought to the Karimojong problem.

You could be spending a lot of time in serious thought , much to the consternation of those around you.

threat

Decide whether the pest is a serious threat or merely a nuisance.

Surely they realized that I posed no serious threat .

The embryonic plot appeared to have been an amateurish operation which did not pose a serious threat to the government.

The Village Leagues posed a serious threat since they affected many West Bank villages.

No one sees them as a serious threat .

I have always found such liaisons a serious threat to the order in a house.

As the summer of 1862 began, the regime seemed to be under serious threat .

Now we read of the most direct and serious threat of all.

trouble

If it had been left any longer he could have been in serious trouble .

Today, the pension plan for the owner and ten office workers is in serious trouble .

If the forester finds green wood in your woodpile, you're in serious trouble .

This can lead to serious trouble .

It is a star in serious trouble , with bright bloated lobes of gas swelling off it, announcing its death throes.

He refused to discuss suspects, but made it clear that some one is in serious trouble .

After serious trouble at Sham gigs, for example the one at the London School of Economics, they also deserted their followers.

But whenever Clinton finds himself in serious trouble , he has dialed up Morris, 48.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

deadly serious/dull/boring etc

And at a time which - surely it was obvious - was deadly serious.

He's a deadly dull little man as far as I can see.

He was deadly serious and I knew it.

His companion chuckled at the jest, but Gravelet, whose stage name was Blondin, was deadly serious.

It was now clear, however, that the position was becoming deadly serious.

Suppose, for example, you regularly attend a weekly meeting which tends to be deadly dull.

The noise level was high in both languages; all faces were deadly serious.

The primary indicator is Attempts to be deadly serious invariably result in unintended comedy.

grim-faced/serious-faced etc

serious-minded/evil-minded etc

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

All the other people in the office seemed to have a very serious attitude towards their work.

At school we had to read works by serious writers like Shakespeare and Milton.

Ben's been involved in a serious car accident.

Friends described him as a serious and thoughtful man.

He's always serious , but he still makes me laugh.

I must admit I find the serious newspapers rather boring.

In the last two weeks, the situation has become more serious , with riots and strikes spreading across the country.

JJ and Chuck seemed pretty serious .

Laura was always very serious about her work.

My brother is a serious golfer.

Paying serious attention to public opinion is a recent phenomenon.

That's a pretty serious Swiss Army knife.

The band are only young, but they're very serious about their music.

The boy was taken to hospital with serious head injuries.

The climbers got into serious difficulties and had to be air-lifted to safety.

The recent storms have caused serious damage.

Violent crime is a serious and growing problem throughout the country.

Violent crime is a serious problem in and around the capital.

We'll give your point serious consideration.

We both chuckled for a second, then got serious again.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

A pregnancy undertaken at a time of serious illness or death of a family member will bear added stress.

All were treated at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, five of them for serious injuries, a spokeswoman said.

First, because markets are imperfect in various ways they will tolerate serious levels of inefficiency.

I've just had a serious phone call.

I have serious reservations about the power supply being installed inside the box, it really isn't safe enough.

One scored a direct hit but, despite being showered with glass, there were no serious injuries.

Stahl is serious , well educated, obedient, ambitious, and keeps his sense of humor out of sight.

Unfortunately it was more serious than that.

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.