I. dear 1 S1 /dɪə $ dɪr/ BrE AmE interjection
Oh dear!/Dear oh dear! ( also Dear me! old-fashioned ) used to show that you are surprised, upset, or annoyed because something bad has happened:
Oh dear, I’ve broken the lamp.
‘I think I’m getting a cold.’ ‘Dear oh dear!’
II. dear 2 S2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . used when speaking to someone you love:
How did the interview go, dear?
2 . spoken used when speaking in a friendly way to someone, especially someone who is much younger or much older than you. This use can sometimes sound rather ↑ patronizing :
Can I help you, dear?
Come along, my dear, take a seat.
3 . British English spoken someone who is kind and helpful:
Be a dear and make me a coffee.
4 . old dear British English a fairly rude expression meaning an old woman
III. dear 3 S2 W2 BrE AmE adjective ( comparative dearer , superlative dearest )
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: deore ]
1 . Dear used before someone’s name or title to begin a letter:
Dear Sir or Madam, ...
Dear Mrs. Wilson, ...
Dear Meg, ...
2 . British English expensive OPP cheap :
Cars are 59% dearer in Britain than in Europe.
3 . formal a dear friend or relative is very important to you and you love them a lot:
Mark became a dear friend.
be dear to somebody
His sister was very dear to him.
4 . hold something dear to think that something is very important:
Household economy was something my mother held very dear.
5 . dear old ... British English spoken used to describe someone or something in a way that shows your love or liking of them SYN good old :
Here we are, back in dear old Manchester!
6 . for dear life written if you run, fight, hold on etc for dear life, you do it as fast or as well as you can because you are afraid:
She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life.
7 . the dear departed British English literary a person you love who has died
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ expensive costing a lot of money:
an expensive car
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Apartments in the city are very expensive.
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An underground train system is expensive to build.
▪ high costing a lot of money.You use high about rents/fees/prices/costs. Don’t use expensive with these words:
Rents are very high in this area.
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Lawyers charge high fees.
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the high cost of living in Japan
▪ dear [not before noun] British English spoken expensive compared to the usual price:
£3.50 seems rather dear for a cup of coffee.
▪ pricey /ˈpraɪsi/ informal expensive:
The clothes are beautiful but pricey.
▪ costly expensive in a way that wastes money:
Upgrading the system would be very costly.
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They were anxious to avoid a costly legal battle.
▪ cost a fortune informal to be very expensive:
The necklace must have cost a fortune!
▪ exorbitant /ɪɡˈzɔːbət ə nt, ɪɡˈzɔːbɪt ə nt $ -ɔːr-/ much too expensive:
Some accountants charge exorbitant fees.
▪ astronomical astronomical prices, costs, and fees are extremely high:
the astronomical cost of developing a new spacecraft
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the astronomical prices which some people had paid for their seats
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The cost of living is astronomical.
▪ overpriced too expensive and not worth the price:
The DVDs were vastly overpriced.
▪ somebody can’t afford something someone does not have enough money to buy or do something:
Most people can’t afford to send their children to private schools.
IV. dear 4 BrE AmE adverb
cost somebody dear written to cause a lot of trouble and suffering for someone:
Carolyn’s marriage to Pete cost her dear.