Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus

2449 Pages·2013·23.511 MB·English

by  Pearson Education

Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [1]
Letter A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
Letter B ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 155
Letter C ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 268
Letter D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 532
Letter E ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 670
Letter F ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 804
Letter G ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 938
Letter H ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1004
Letter I ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1084
Letter J ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1183
Letter K ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1203
Letter L ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1215
Letter M ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1300
Letter N ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1426
Letter O ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1477
Letter P ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1531
Letter Q ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1735
Letter R ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1748
Letter S ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1894
Letter T ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2174
Letter U ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2296
Letter V ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2337
Letter W ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2373
Letter X ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2442
Letter Y ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2443
Letter Z ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2446

Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [2]
Letter A
abandon AC /əˈbændən/ verb 1. to leave someone or something
completelyNOUNSabandon a car/ship The thieves abandoned the car when it ran out
of fuel. | The captain gave the order to abandon ship.abandon a building We had
to abandon the building when the roof began to collapse.abandon a
child/family The child was found abandoned outside a hospital. | He abandoned his
family and went to live with another woman.ADVERBSquickly/hastily abandon
sb/sth They had to hastily abandon the ship when it started sinking.largely/virtually
abandon sb/sth (=almost completely) Her family had largely abandoned her, and she
only saw her son occasionally.temporarily abandon sb/sth (=for a short
time) Residents were forced to temporarily abandon their homes due to a flood
warning.VERBSbe forced to abandon sth Guests were forced to abandon the hotel
because of the fire.have to abandon sth The soldiers had to abandon the tanks which
had become bogged down in the mud.PHRASESabandon sb to their fate (=leave
someone in a bad situation with no one to help them) The wounded soldier had
been abandoned to his fate.2. to decide not to do something because you are unlikely
to succeedNOUNSabandon an attempt/effort Poor weather forced them
to abandon their attempt to climb the mountain.abandon a search When night fell,
the police decided to abandon their search for the missing boy.abandon a
plan/policy Because of the rain, we abandoned our plan to go for a walk. | The
government was forced to abandon its economic policies.abandon a project The
research project had to be abandoned due to a lack of funds.abandon an
idea Helen abandoned the idea of becoming a doctor, and studied law
instead.abandon a decision He showed no sign of abandoning his decision to earn a
living as a writer.abandon your principles The party was accused
of abandoning its principles in order to win votes.abandon hope She never abandoned
hope of seeing him again.ADVERBSabandon sth
altogether/completely/totally They abandoned their plans to start up a
business altogether.largely/virtually abandon sth (=almost completely) She
appeared in a few films in the 1990s, but has largely abandoned her acting
career.finally/eventually abandon sth The police finally abandoned their hunt for the
man when all sign of him had disappeared.never abandon sth He never
abandoned his ambition to rule the country.temporarily abandon sth (=for a short
time) The rescue attempt was temporarily abandoned until the weather
improved.VERBSbe forced to abandon sth Severe storms forced them to abandon the
expedition.have to abandon sth He had to abandon the idea of travelling to Italy on
account of his ill health.PHRASESabandon sth in favour of sth else (=use something
else instead) The original plan was abandoned in favour of a cheaper one.

abbreviation /əˌbriːviˈeɪʃən/ noun a group of letters used as a short way of
saying or writing a word or group of wordsVERBSuse an abbreviation People
often use the abbreviation ‘US’ instead of saying the ‘United States’.ADJECTIVESa
written abbreviation 'BTW' is a written abbreviation which means ‘by the way’.a
Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [3]
common abbreviation At the back of the book there is a list of common
abbreviations used in English.the standard abbreviation The standard
abbreviation for ‘for example’ is 'e.g.'.PREPOSITIONSthe abbreviation for/of sth ‘PC’
is the abbreviation for ‘personal computer’. | ‘Dr’ is the abbreviation
of ‘Doctor’.PHRASESan abbreviation is short for sth The abbreviation ‘WHO’ is short
for ‘World Health Organization’.an abbreviation stands for
sth The abbreviation ‘mph’ stands for ‘miles per hour’.

ability /əˈbɪləti, əˈbɪlɪti/ noun someone’s level of skill at doing
somethingADJECTIVESgreat/considerable ability He was a young man of great
ability. | These drawings required considerable ability on the part of the
artist.remarkable/outstanding/exceptional ability a writer of remarkable
ability | The company aims to select people of outstanding ability. | his exceptional
ability as a swimmerhigh/low/average ability a group of low ability pupils | Many of
these students are of above average ability. | Children of high ability demand more
absorbing tasks.mixed ability (=with students who have different levels of ability) It
can be difficult to teach a mixed ability class.natural ability also innate
ability formal (=one that you are born with) The human body has a natural ability to
fight infection. | Babies have an innate ability to do simple maths.physical/athletic
ability He has considerable athletic ability.mental ability The exercises are supposed
to help you improve your mental ability.intellectual/academic ability No one doubts
his intellectual abilities. | A degree is evidence of your academic ability in a particular
subject area.mathematical ability These students have a higher level of mathematical
ability.artistic/creative/musical ability You do not need to have any artistic
ability to do the course. | Johann showed great musical ability at an early age.acting
ability Her acting abilities were obvious straightaway.verbal/linguistic
ability (=language skills) The test is intended to measure the children’s linguistic
ability.an uncanny ability (=one that is unusual and difficult to explain) He has
an uncanny ability for spotting investment opportunities.a unique/rare ability The
princess showed a unique ability to relate to ordinary people.proven ability (=that you
have proved through your achievements) Companies often value the proven ability and
reliability of older employees.VERBShave the ability to do sth also possess the
ability to do sth formal She has the ability to make people feel
relaxed.develop/acquire an ability to do sth Students are encouraged to develop an
ability to work independently.show/demonstrate the ability to do sth Jones
quickly demonstrated his ability to score goals.lack the ability to do sth As a young
man, he lacked the ability to communicate his feelings.lose the ability to do
sth Roger lost the ability to walk following a horrific accident.affect sb’s ability to do
sth The noise was affecting her ability to concentrate.limit/reduce sb’s ability to do
sth He has a medical condition which limits his ability to work.improve/increase sb’s
ability to do sth Surely anything which improves your ability to learn is a good
thing.PREPOSITIONSability in sth Applicants for the job need to demonstrate an ability
in English.ability as sth She thought they were criticizing her ability as a
mother.PHRASESsb’s level of ability/ability level The children were of the same age
and ability level.a range of ability/ability range There is a wide range of ability
within the class. | Disruptive behaviour is more prominent in the lower ability range.a
Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [4]
test of ability/ability test Examinations are not always a good test of ability. | The
class was given a verbal ability test.an ability group (=a group that students are
taught in, based on their level of ability) Children are divided into different ability
groups.play/perform/do sth to the best of your ability (=as well as you
can) Players must perform to the best of their ability every week.

abnormal /æbˈnɔːməl $ -ˈnɔːr-/ adjective not normal, especially when this
seems strange or has a bad effectNOUNSabnormal behaviour BrE abnormal
behavior AmE A reduction in oxygen reaching the brain can cause changes in mood
and abnormal behaviour.abnormal cells Doctors can detect abnormal cells that may
become cancerous.abnormal conditions The damage was caused by abnormal
weather conditions.abnormal signs/symptoms (=unusual things that show that
something may be wrong) Patients should report any abnormal symptoms to their
doctor.something/nothing/anything abnormal There was nothing abnormal about
him – he was just like anyone else.ANTONYMS → normal

abort verb THESAURUS > stop1 (3)

abortion /əˈbɔːʃən $ əˈbɔːr-/ noun a medical operation to end a pregnancy so
that the baby is not born alive, or these operations in generalVERBShave an
abortion She had an abortion when she was 16.carry out/perform an
abortion Doctors have a legal right to refuse to carry out an abortion.legalize
abortion In 1973, the Supreme Court took the decision to legalize abortion.ban
abortion They want to ban abortion because it is against their religion.oppose/be
against abortion The Catholic Church fiercely opposes abortion.ADJECTIVESan illegal
abortion Doctors performing illegal abortions and their assistants would have faced up
to two years in prison.a backstreet abortion (=a secret illegal abortion) Many young
women died after having backstreet abortions.a late-term abortion (=an abortion at
a late stage in pregnancy) The law bans certain types of late-term abortion.abortion +
NOUNSan abortion clinic A group of protesters were standing outside the abortion
clinic.the abortion law They want the abortion laws to be changed.PHRASESabortion
on demand (=the right to have an abortion if you want one) Many women see no
wrong in abortion on demand.anti-abortion Anti-abortion activists have organized a
protest march. People who oppose abortion call themselves pro-life. People who
support abortion call themselves pro-choice.

abortive /əˈbɔːtɪv $ əˈbɔːr-/ adjective THESAURUS > unsuccessful

about /əˈbaʊt/ preposition concerning or relating to a particular subject: I’m
reading a book about American politics. He lied about his age in order to get into the
Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [5]
army.PHRASESall about sth (=all the details relating to something) Naturally, my
mother wanted to know all about what I was doing.It’s about... spoken (=used when
saying why you wanted to talk to someone) It’s about Tommy. He’s been sick
again.About that... spoken (=used when you want to ask someone about
something) About that car of yours. How much are you selling it for?sb said
something about... spoken She said something about meeting a friend in
town.THESAURUS: aboutonabout a particular subject:a book on English
grammar | a report on poverty in rural
areasconcerning/regarding formalabout:Prince Saiid answered questions concerning
Kuwait’s future. | The report raises a number of questions regarding food safety.with
regard to formalabout – used especially when you want to start talking or writing
about something:Dear Sir, I’m writing with regard to your advertisement in The
Times.reused in business letters and in emails to introduce the subject that you are
going to write about:Re: Friday’s meeting

absence /ˈæbsəns/ noun 1. a situation in which someone is not at their school,
office, a meeting etcADJECTIVESa long absence Henry returned to school after a long
absence.a lengthy/prolonged absence (=unusually long) Her prolonged
absences were causing concern among her colleagues.a brief/short absence He had
a brief absence from work after his first child was born.a temporary absence No one
noticed her temporary absence from the meeting.frequent absences His job
involves frequent absences from home.repeated absences Ian’s repeated
absences from work got him into trouble with his boss.a continued absence They
became concerned about Helen’s continued absence from school.an enforced
absence formal (=caused by something you cannot control) Williams’ enforced
absence due to injury caused problems for the team.an unexplained
absence (=without giving a reason) They had no choice but to sack him after
his unexplained absences from the factory.an unauthorized absence formal (=one
without permission) It was counted as an unauthorized absence because he had not
informed his manager.VERBSexplain your absence He explained his absence from
class by saying that he had not been feeling well.apologize for your
absence Jim apologized for his absence from last week’s meeting.NOUNS
+ absencesickness absence Employers are looking at ways of reducing sickness
absence.PREPOSITIONSabsence from school/work etc His absence from work was
due to illness.during/in sb’s absence During my absence, Sally Greene will be in
charge of the office.PHRASESa week’s/month’s absence After several weeks’
absence, he returned home.a period of absence Workers receive sick pay for
each period of absence caused by illness.a reason/explanation for your
absence His explanation for his absence was not very convincing.be conspicuous by
your absence (=be absent from somewhere, in a way that seems very noticeable) The
US ambassador was conspicuous by her absence at the conference.2. a situation in
which someone or something does not existADJECTIVESa complete/total absence of
sth There was a complete absence of windows and very little light entered the room.a
virtual absence of sth (=almost none) There is still a virtual absence of female
Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [6]
employees.a relative/comparative absence of sth There is a relative absence
of trees in this city.a notable/conspicuous/marked absence of sth (=very
noticeable) Despite a conspicuous absence of information to support his theories, many
people accepted them as being true.PREPOSITIONSan absence of sth An absence
of clean water has meant that the disease is very common in this part of the world.in
the absence of sth In the absence of any other evidence, they assumed that the man
was innocent. Absence or lack?In many sentences, you can use lack instead
of absence. For example you can say a lack of information or an absence of
information.Absence sounds more formal than lack. Absence is also stronger – it
usually means there is none at all, whereas lack means there is not enough of
something.

absent /ˈæbsənt/ adjective not at work, school, a meeting etc, because you are
sick or decide not to goPHRASESabsent from work She had been absent from work for
some time.absent from school/college Some students are regularly absent from
school.absent without leave (=absent without permission, especially from the armed
forces) The soldier is being held in a US prison in Germany after going absent without
leave.

absolutely /ˈæbsəluːtli, ˌæbsəˈluːtli/ adverb THESAURUS > very1

absorbing adjective THESAURUS > interesting

abstract1 AC /ˈæbstrækt/ adjective 1. based on ideas rather than specific
examples or real eventsabstract + NOUNSan abstract
idea/concept/principle Children gradually learn the words they need to deal
with abstract ideas such as time.abstract thought Do you think animals are capable
of abstract thought?abstract theory The course will cover not only abstract theory,
but also includes practical work.the abstract quality/nature of sth The
highly abstract nature of the theory makes it difficult to understand.ADVERBShighly
abstract People often regard philosophy as a highly abstract subject.PHRASESin
abstract terms We’ve discussed the subject in abstract terms, but haven’t made any
concrete suggestions.2. abstract art consists of shapes and patterns that do not look
like things or peopleabstract + NOUNSabstract art The gallery is holding an exhibition
of abstract art.an abstract painting/picture The room was decorated with brightly
coloured abstract paintings.an abstract pattern/design The wallpaper comes in
various abstract designs.an abstract artist/painter Miró was famous as an abstract
artist.ADVERBSpurely abstract (=only abstract) The artist’s work became more purely
abstract in later years.

Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [7]
abstract2 AC /ˈæbstrækt/ noun a written summary of an article or
speechVERBSwrite an abstract Write the abstract in a less formal style than the article
itself.provide/submit an abstract Editors of journals will expect you to provide an
abstract of the article.publish an abstract The magazine publishes abstracts of all the
presidents’ speeches to Congress.PREPOSITIONSin sb’s abstract In your abstract, you
hould outline the main points of the paper you have written.

abuse /əˈbjuːs/ noun 1. rude, offensive, or cruel wordsADJECTIVESracial/racist
abuse Some of the children had experienced racial abuse at
school.VERBSshout/scream/hurl abuse The other driver started hurling abuse at
me (=shouting abuse).shower sb with abuse/heap abuse on sb (=give someone a
lot of abuse) Workers who refused to join the strike were showered with abuse. | Those
who did not like him heaped abuse and scorn on him.PHRASESa term of abuse (=an
offensive word or phrase) In Australia, ‘Pom’ is a term of abuse for someone from the
UK.a torrent/stream of abuse (=a lot of offensive words) When I disagreed, he
directed a stream of abuse at me.a target for/of abuse Williams became a target for
abuse when he failed to stop the opposing team’s winning goal.2. cruel, violent, or
unfair treatment of someoneADJECTIVESphysical abuse He experienced physical
abuse when he was a child.verbal abuse I was subjected to verbal abuse on many
occasions.domestic abuse (=abuse inside the home) Doctors see evidence
of domestic abuse when women are treated for bruises and broken bones.sexual
abuse In his book, he revealed that he was a victim of sexual abuse as a
teenager.emotional/psychological abuse Constant criticism can be a form
of emotional abuse.VERBSsuffer/experience/endure abuse Women who suffer
abuse may still be unwilling to leave their violent husbands.be subjected to
abuse (=be made to suffer abuse by someone) He was subjected to constant abuse by
his older brother.NOUNS + abusechild abuse The man was arrested for child
abuse.wife abuse Wife abuse is more common than people imagine.elder abuse (=of
old people) Cases of elder abuse have increased as more people live to an advanced
age.PHRASESa victim of abuse Children who have been victims of abuse sometimes
grow up to be abusers themselves.3. the use of something in a way that it should not
be usedNOUNS + abusedrug/alcohol abuse Drug and alcohol abuse are common in
areas where there is high crime and poverty.substance abuse formal (=taking illegal
drugs) The patient had a history of substance abuse.solvent abuse Solvent abuse is
extremely dangerous and can cause death.ADJECTIVESwidespread abuse (=by many
people) The system for claiming expense money was subject to widespread
abuse.flagrant abuse (=very obvious and bad) The arrest was a flagrant abuse of
police power.PHRASESthe abuse of power Nixon approved illegal actions during his
political campaign, which is a clear case of an abuse of power.be open to abuse (=be
easily used in the wrong way for dishonest purposes) The system for claiming welfare
benefits is open to abuse.

bysmal /əˈbɪzməl/ adjective THESAURUS > terrible

academic AC /ˌækəˈdemɪk◂/ adjective relating to education, especially at
college or university levelNOUNSacademic research/study He has been carrying
out academic research into the effects of computer games on children.an academic
Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [8]
subject also academic discipline formal Linguistics is a well-established academic
discipline in universities.academic qualifications What academic qualifications do you
need for the job?academic achievements Girls’ academic achievements are better
than those of boys in some subjects.academic performance The purpose of an exam
is to measure a student’s academic performance.academic success Academic
success is important, but it’s not the only reason for studying hard at school.academic
ability The students are placed in groups according to academic ability.academic
standards The college prides itself on its high academic standards.the academic
year The academic year starts in October.an academic institution The university is
one of the oldest academic institutions in Britain.an academic career She is hoping to
pursue an academic career as a university lecturer.the academic
world/community Watkins shocked the academic world when he published the results
of his research.academic freedom Universities want to protect the academic
freedom of both staff and students.PHRASESin academic circles (=among people who
study at university or do research) His name is well known in academic circles. You
can also use academic to describe a person who likes studying and is good at
subjects that people study at school or university: My brother is much
more academic than I am – he studied law at Harvard.

accelerator /əkˈseləreɪtə $ -ər/ noun the part of a car or other vehicle that you
press with your foot to make it go fasterVERBSput your foot on the
accelerator/step on the accelerator She put her foot on the accelerator and the car
picked up speed.press/depress the accelerator Take your foot off the brake, and
press the accelerator gently.hit the accelerator Suddenly, McDonald hits the
accelerator and the car shoots forward (=presses the accelerator down to the
floor).take your foot off the accelerator I took my foot off the accelerator and
changed into higher gear.pump the accelerator (=press on the accelerator several
times to let petrol into the engine when starting it) He pumped the accelerator and
turned the ignition key again.accelerator + NOUNSthe accelerator pedal Nick pressed
down on the accelerator pedal on his motorcycle and roared off down the road. In
American English, accelerator sounds rather formal. People usually say the
gas or the gas pedal.

accent /ˈæksənt $ ˈæksent/ noun [C] the way someone pronounces the words of
a language, showing which country or which part of a country they come
fromVERBShave an accent The girl had a Russian accent.speak with an accent The
old man spoke with an accent which I couldn’t recognize.pick up an accent He used to
work in Sydney and picked up an Australian accent while he was over there.lose your
accent Although she was born in the US, Sally had lost her American accent after living
in London for over 30 years.put on an accent (=deliberately speak with a different
accent from your usual one) Some people put on an accent when they’re speaking on
Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus [9]