noun
1 what sth means
ADJECTIVE
▪ clear , exact , precise
▪
The context makes the ~ clear.
▪
What is the exact ~ of this phrase?
▪ intended , true , underlying
▪ correct
▪ original
▪ double , hidden
▪
There's often a double ~ in jokes and riddles.
▪
I'm sure there's no hidden ~ in what he says.
▪ figurative , metaphorical , symbolic
▪ cultural
▪
He explores the deeper cultural ~ of ‘home’.
▪ literal
VERB + MEANING
▪ comprehend , get , grasp , understand
▪
I can't grasp the ~ of this quotation.
▪ decipher , interpret , work out
▪
Historians are trying to decipher the ~ of the documents.
▪ explore , ponder
▪
The movie ends with scenes that are supposed to leave us pondering its ~.
▪ assign , attach , attribute , discern
▪
She assigns a ~ to his words they just didn't have.
▪ clarify , explain
▪
The copy editor uses her skill to clarify the ~.
▪ redefine
▪
That night redefined the ~ of the word ‘love’ to him.
▪ alter , change , distort
▪
These translation errors alter the ~ of the sentence.
▪ misinterpret , misunderstand
▪
I think you misunderstood my ~.
▪ determine
▪
The context largely determines the ~.
▪ bear , carry , have
▪
Some of the symbols carry ~ and some just represent sounds.
▪
a word that has more than one ~
▪ acquire , take on
▪
The word ‘gay’ took on its modern ~ in the 1960s.
▪ communicate , convey , express
PREPOSITION
▪ in a/the ~
▪
ambiguity in the ~ of a phrase
▪ with a/the ~
▪
I am using the word with its original ~.
▪ ~ behind
▪
the ~ behind an event
PHRASES
▪ a nuance of ~ , a shade of ~
▪
It is difficult for a non-Italian to grasp all the nuances of ~.
2 purpose/importance
ADJECTIVE
▪ deep , real , true
▪
She's searching for the deeper ~ of life.
▪ spiritual
▪
He found spiritual ~ through religion.
▪ intrinsic
▪
For him, art held little intrinsic ~.
VERB + MEANING
▪ have
▪
Her work no longer had any ~ for her.
▪ acquire
▪
As parents, our lives acquired new ~.
▪ find
▪ lose
▪
After his death, she felt life had lost all ~.
▪ give
▪
Falling in love gave ~ to his life.
▪ contemplate , explore , ponder
▪
You can't sit around contemplating the ~ of life all day.
PREPOSITION
▪ without ~
▪
Young people can feel that life is without ~.