I. stud ‧ y 1 S2 W3 /ˈstʌdi/ BrE AmE noun ( plural studies )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ student , ↑ study , ↑ studiousness ; adjective : ↑ studious , ↑ studied ; verb : ↑ study ; adverb : ↑ studiously ]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: estudie , from Latin studium 'mental effort, eagerness, study' , from studere 'to be eager, try to be helpful, study' ]
1 . RESEARCH [countable] a piece of work that is done to find out more about a particular subject or problem, and usually includes a written report:
Recent studies show that women still get paid a lot less than men.
study of/into/on
a study of Australian wild birds
The study was carried out between January and May 2008.
⇨ ↑ case study
2 . LEARNING [uncountable] when you spend time learning, especially at home or by yourself rather than during school:
Set aside a period of time specifically for study.
ways to improve study skills (=skills that help you study efficiently and be successful in school)
3 . SUBJECT [uncountable] ( also studies [plural] )
a subject that people study at a college or university
study of
Linguistics is the study of language.
Environmental Studies
literary/historical/scientific etc study
the scientific study of earthquakes
4 . sb’s studies the work that someone does in order to learn about a particular subject, especially the courses they take at a college or university:
How are your studies coming along?
begin/continue/stop etc your studies
I gave up my studies when I had the baby.
5 . CAREFUL CONSIDERATION [uncountable] when you examine or consider something very carefully and in detail:
a report that deserves careful study
6 . ROOM [countable] a room in a house that is used for work or study ⇨ office
7 . ART [countable] a small detailed drawing, especially one that is done to prepare for a large painting:
Renoir’s studies of small plants and flowers
8 . MUSIC [countable] a piece of music, usually for piano, that is often intended for practice
9 . make a study of something to try to find out more about a subject
10 . be a study in something literary to be a perfect example of something:
His face was a study in fear.
11 . a quick study American English someone who learns things quickly
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ do a study/carry out a study ( also conduct a study formal )
The scientists are carrying out a study into the effects of global warming.
▪ a study finds something
The study found that men were more likely to take risks.
▪ a study shows something
Studies have shown that the drug works.
▪ a study suggests/indicates something
A British study suggests that older drivers are safer drivers.
▪ a study reveals something (=shows something, especially something surprising)
A recent study revealed that 74% of donuts are bought on impulse.
▪ a study confirms something (=shows that something is true)
The study confirms what we all know – smoking is also bad for the people around you.
▪ a study aims to do something
The study aimed to identify the housing needs of local people.
▪ publish a study
The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
▪ fund a study (=pay for it)
The study was funded by a major US drugs company.
▪ commission a study (=ask someone to carry out a study)
The government has commissioned a study into the health of residents living near the power station.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + study
▪ a research study
Research studies have found that young people are drinking no more than they were 20 years ago.
▪ a detailed study ( also an in-depth study )
They carried out a detailed study into the effects of the disease on mice.
▪ a two-year/three-month etc study
They are engaged in a five-year study into the effects of calcium on bone health.
▪ a huge/massive study
The journal published the results of a massive study of 87,000 women.
▪ a previous/earlier study
The report is a summary of the work done in earlier studies.
▪ a pilot study (=one done to find out if something will be successful)
The government has just completed a pilot study, with some encouraging results.
▪ a feasibility study (=one done to find out if something is possible or practical)
They commissioned a feasibility study into re-opening the whole railway line.
■ phrases
▪ the aims of a study
The aims of this study are to examine the reliability of current techniques.
▪ the results/findings of a study
The results of this study suggest that the drug is effective in over 80% of cases.
|
His research confirmed the findings of earlier studies.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ research noun [uncountable] careful detailed work that is done in order to find out more about a subject, especially as a part of a scientific or academic project:
Billions of dollars have been spent on research into the causes and treatment of cancer.
|
The University has for a long time been a leading centre for research in this field.
▪ work noun [uncountable] the studies that have been done on a particular subject:
Faraday is famous for his work on electricity.
|
A lot of work has been done on hydrogen-powered cars.
|
Their work had an enormous influence on the study of genetics.
▪ study noun [countable] a piece of work in which someone examines a particular subject in order to find out more about it, and writes about what they have found:
The study showed that 25 percent of adults do not eat breakfast at all, compared with 14 percent in 1961.
|
Recent studies suggest that our sense of smell is closely linked with the part of the brain that deals with memory.
▪ experiment noun [countable] a scientific test in order to find out what happens when you do something:
They carried out a series of experiments (=they did a series of experiments) in order to try to prove their theory.
|
Experiments have shown that there is an increased risk of some forms of cancer.
II. study 2 S2 W2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle studied , present participle studying , third person singular studies )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ student , ↑ study , ↑ studiousness ; adjective : ↑ studious , ↑ studied ; verb : ↑ study ; adverb : ↑ studiously ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to learn about a subject at school, university etc:
I’ve been studying English for six years.
I can’t study with that music playing all the time.
study law/business/history etc (=study a subject at a school or university)
Anna is studying French literature.
study at a university/school etc
Stephen is currently studying at Exeter University.
study to be a doctor/lawyer etc
My brother’s studying to be an accountant.
study for an exam/diploma etc
I’ve only got three weeks left to study for my exams.
study under somebody (=be trained by a famous teacher)
a psychologist who studied under Jung in Zurich
2 . [transitive] to try to find out more about a subject or problem, using scientific methods:
Goodall was studying the behavior of chimpanzees in the wild.
The scientists were studying the action of a protein called ubiquitin.
study how/what/why etc
They’re studying how stress affects body chemistry.
3 . [transitive] to look at something carefully SYN look at :
She studied his face.
They got out of the car and studied the map.
I haven’t had time to study the proposals yet.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ study verb [intransitive and transitive] to learn about a subject at school, university etc:
If you study hard, you’ll get a good job.
|
He studied law at Harvard University.
▪ take verb [transitive] to study a subject that you have chosen at school, college etc:
What classes are you taking next semester?
|
In my final year, I decided to take English and economics.
▪ do verb [transitive] British English informal to study a particular subject at school or university:
I can’t decide whether to do German or Spanish next year.
|
Did you do computing at school?
▪ major in something phrasal verb American English to study something as your main subject at a college or university:
Diane majored in psychology at the University of Washington.
▪ revise verb [intransitive] British English to study to prepare for an examination:
It’s best to start revising early.
|
He’s revising for his final exams.
▪ cram verb [intransitive] informal to study very hard and try to learn a lot of information just before an examination:
Everyone’s cramming for their final exams.
▪ do research to study something in a very detailed way, especially in order to discover new information about it:
He does research at Oxford University.
|
I’m doing research into second language learning.
|
It’s difficult to do research on humans.