I. stress 1 S3 W3 AC /stres/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ stressed , ↑ stressful ; verb : ↑ stress ; noun : ↑ stress ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: distress ]
1 . WORRY [uncountable and countable] continuous feelings of worry about your work or personal life, that prevent you from relaxing ⇨ strain :
Your headaches are due to stress.
Janet’s been under a lot of stress since her mother’s illness.
all the stresses of public life
A lot of illnesses are stress-related.
2 . FORCE [uncountable and countable] the physical force or pressure on an object:
Shoes with high heels put a great deal of stress on knees and ankles.
3 . IMPORTANCE [uncountable] the special attention or importance given to a particular idea, fact, or activity SYN emphasis
put/lay stress on something
Pugh laid particular stress on the need for discipline.
4 . WORD/MUSIC [uncountable and countable] the degree of force or loudness with which a part of a word is pronounced or a note in music is played, which makes it sound stronger than other parts or notes
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ suffer from stress
If you are suffering from stress, you may be more likely to become ill.
▪ cause stress
Moving house often causes stress.
▪ cope with/deal with stress
People find different ways of dealing with stress.
▪ reduce/relieve stress
Don’t resort to alcohol to relieve your stress.
■ adjectives
▪ great/considerable/enormous
Staff experienced considerable stress as a result of the changes.
▪ mental/emotional stress
It was a time of great emotional stress for me.
■ phrases
▪ be under stress
She's been under a lot of stress lately.
▪ a cause of stress
Balancing work and family is the main cause of stress for many people.
▪ signs/symptoms/effects of stress
Headaches, migraines, and irritability are all signs of stress.
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The effects of stress are subtle and sometimes difficult to see.
▪ sb’s stress level ( also sb’s level of stress )
Exercise reduces stress levels.
▪ stresses and strains (=a lot of different worries that are caused by something)
the stresses and strains of everyday life
▪ stress management
Some patients may benefit from being taught stress management skills.
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THESAURUS
■ the feeling of being worried
▪ worry the feeling of not being happy or relaxed and thinking a lot about a problem or something that is wrong:
She was sick with worry over her daughter.
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the look of worry on his face
▪ anxiety the feeling of being worried because you think that something bad has happened or will happen, and you feel that you have no control over the situation:
The thought of having to give a speech filled me with anxiety.
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The increase in heating costs is causing a lot of anxiety among elderly people.
▪ concern a worried feeling – use this especially when many people are worried about a problem that affects everyone:
The shortage of water is beginning to cause widespread concern.
▪ stress the feeling of being worried all the time, for example about work or personal problems, which can make you ill or very tired:
Her financial problems were causing her a lot of stress.
▪ anguish a feeling of extreme mental suffering caused by worry:
How could her parents survive the anguish of not knowing what had happened to her?
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When she spoke, her voice was full of anguish.
▪ angst a strong feeling of worry and anxiety because you are worried about your life, your future, or what you should do in a particular situation:
The letter was full of teenage angst - would she ever be able to find another boyfriend?
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There was much angst about the decision.
II. stress 2 S3 W3 AC BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ stressed , ↑ stressful ; verb : ↑ stress ; noun : ↑ stress ]
1 . to emphasize a statement, fact, or idea
stress that
The report stressed that student math skills need to improve.
Crawford stressed the need for more housing downtown.
She stressed the importance of a balanced diet.
2 . to pronounce a word or part of a word so that it sounds louder or more forceful:
The word ‘machine’ is stressed on the second syllable.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ stress the importance of something
He has always stressed the importance of a stable family.
▪ stress the need for something
She stressed the need for more effective policing.
▪ stress a point
This point needs to be stressed.
▪ stress a fact
Medicines usually stress the fact that you must not exceed the stated dose.
▪ stress the role of somebody/something
In her speech, she stressed the role of parents in preventing youth crime.
▪ stress your commitment to (doing) something
The President stressed his commitment to tackling world poverty.
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THESAURUS
▪ emphasize to say strongly or show clearly that a fact, idea etc is especially important:
Our company emphasizes the need for good communication between staff.
▪ stress to emphasize something when you are talking about a subject:
Most schools stress the importance of parental involvement in their child’s learning.
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He stressed the need for parents to listen to their children.
▪ highlight to show that something is important, so that people will pay special attention to it:
This case highlights the need for tougher laws on gun ownership.
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The report highlights the decline in the numbers of native plants and insects.
▪ underline/underscore to help to show clearly that a fact is true, especially a fact that is already known:
These attacks underline the fact that the security situation here remains fragile.
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The president’s speech repeatedly underscored the progress that has been made.
▪ accentuate to show something clearly and make it easier to notice:
The recent economic crisis has accentuated the gap between the rich and the poor.
▪ overemphasize to emphasize something too much:
The relation between food and health is often overemphasized in my view.
▪ play up to emphasize something and make it seem more important than it really is, especially to get advantages for yourself:
The story has been played up by the media.
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The Labour party had a great time playing up the Conservatives’ problems.
stress somebody out phrasal verb informal
to make someone so worried or nervous that they cannot relax:
Studying for exams always stresses me out.