COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (Collins Cobuild)

2 N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a voyeur , you disapprove of them because you think they enjoy watching other people's suffering or problems. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The media has made unfeeling voyeurs of all of us.

vo|yeur|ism /vwa I ər I zəm, [AM ] vɔ I ɜː r-/

1 N‑UNCOUNT Voyeurism is the practice of getting sexual pleasure by secretly watching other people having sex or taking their clothes off.

2 N‑UNCOUNT If you describe someone's behaviour as voyeurism , you disapprove of them because you think they enjoy watching other people's suffering or problems. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The BBC yesterday defended a series featuring dramatic crime reconstructions against suggestions of voyeurism.

vo|yeur|is|tic /vwa I ər I st I k, [AM ] vɔ I -/

1 ADJ Voyeuristic behaviour involves getting sexual pleasure from secretly watching other people having sex or taking their clothes off.

2 ADJ If you describe someone's behaviour as voyeuristic , you disapprove of them because you think they enjoy watching other people's suffering or problems. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ We as a society are growing more commercial and voyeuristic all the time.

vs. vs. is a written abbreviation for versus . □ …England vs. Brazil in the U.S. Cup.

V -sign (V-signs )

1 N‑COUNT In Britain, a V-sign is a rude gesture which is made by sticking up your first two fingers in a V shape, with the palm of your hand facing you.

2 N‑COUNT A V-sign is a gesture which is made by sticking up your first two fingers in a V shape, with the palm of your hand facing away from you, as a sign of victory.

VSO /viː es oʊ / N‑PROPER VSO is a British organization that sends skilled people to developing countries to work on projects that help the local community. VSO is an abbreviation for 'Voluntary Service Overseas'.

vul|gar /vʌ lgə ^r /

1 ADJ If you describe something as vulgar , you think it is in bad taste or of poor artistic quality. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The film is tasteless, vulgar and even badly shot. ● vul|gar|ity /vʌlgæ r I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] I hate the vulgarity of this room.

2 ADJ If you describe pictures, gestures, or remarks as vulgar , you dislike them because they refer to sex or parts of the body in a rude way that you find unpleasant. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The women laughed coarsely at some vulgar jokes. □ The lyrics were vulgar. ● vul|gar|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ There's a good deal of vulgarity.

3 ADJ If you describe a person or their behaviour as vulgar , you mean that they lack taste or behave rudely. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was a vulgar old man, but he never swore in front of a woman. ● vul|gar|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ It's his vulgarity that I can't take.

vul|ner|able ◆◇◇ /vʌ lnərəb ^ə l/

1 ADJ Someone who is vulnerable is weak and without protection, with the result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally. □ Old people are particularly vulnerable members of our society. ● vul|ner|abil|ity /vʌ lnərəb I l I ti/ (vulnerabilities ) N‑VAR □ David accepts his own vulnerability.

2 ADJ If a person, animal, or plant is vulnerable to a disease, they are more likely to get it than other people, animals, or plants. □ [+ to ] People with high blood pressure are especially vulnerable to diabetes. ● vul|ner|abil|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ to ] Taking long-term courses of certain medicines may increase vulnerability to infection.

3 ADJ Something that is vulnerable can be easily harmed or affected by something bad. □ [+ to ] Their tanks would be vulnerable to attack from the air. □ Goodyear could be vulnerable in a prolonged economic slump. ● vul|ner|abil|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ to ] …anxieties about the country's vulnerability to invasion.

vul|ture /vʌ ltʃə ^r / (vultures )

1 N‑COUNT A vulture is a large bird which lives in hot countries and eats the flesh of dead animals.

2 N‑COUNT If you describe a person as a vulture , you disapprove of them because you think they are trying to gain from another person's troubles. [JOURNALISM , DISAPPROVAL ] □ With no buyer in sight for the company as a whole, the vultures started to circle.

vul|va /vʌ lvə/ (vulvas ) N‑COUNT The vulva is the outer part of a woman's sexual organs. [TECHNICAL ]

vy|ing /va I I ŋ/ Vying is the present participle of vie .