19 CONVENTION You can say ' I see ' to indicate that you understand what someone is telling you. [SPOKEN , FORMULAE ] □ 'He came home in my car.'—'I see.'


20 CONVENTION People say ' I'll see ' or ' We'll see ' to indicate that they do not intend to make a decision immediately, and will decide later. □ We'll see. It's a possibility.


21 CONVENTION People say ' let me see ' or ' let's see ' when they are trying to remember something, or are trying to find something. □ Let's see, they're six–no, make that five–hours ahead of us. □ Now let me see, who's the man we want?


22 PHRASE If you try to make someone see sense or see reason , you try to make them realize that they are wrong or are being stupid. □ He was hopeful that by sitting together they could both see sense and live as good neighbours.


23 CONVENTION You can say ' you see ' when you are explaining something to someone, to encourage them to listen and understand. [SPOKEN ] □ Well, you see, you shouldn't really feel that way about it.


24 CONVENTION ' See you ', ' be seeing you ', and ' see you later ' are ways of saying goodbye to someone when you expect to meet them again soon. [INFORMAL , SPOKEN , FORMULAE ] □ 'Talk to you later.'—'All right. See you love.'


25 CONVENTION You can say ' You'll see ' to someone if they do not agree with you about what you think will happen in the future, and you believe that you will be proved right. □ The thrill wears off after a few years of marriage. You'll see.


26 to have seen better days → see day


27 to be seen dead → see dead


28 as far as the eye can see → see eye


29 to see eye to eye → see eye


30 as far as I can see → see far


31 to see fit → see fit ➊


32 to see red → see red


33 it remains to be seen → see remain


34 wait and see → see wait


▸ see about PHRASAL VERB When you see about something, you arrange for it to be done or provided. □ [V P n] Tony announced it was time to see about lunch. □ [V P v-ing] I must see about selling the house.


▸ see off


1 PHRASAL VERB If you see off an opponent, you defeat them. [BRIT ] □ [V P n] There is no reason why they cannot see off the Republican challenge. [Also V n P ]


2 PHRASAL VERB When you see someone off , you go with them to the station, airport, or port that they are leaving from, and say goodbye to them there. □ [V n P ] Dad had planned a steak dinner for himself after seeing Mum off on her plane. [Also V P n (not pron)]


▸ see through


1 PHRASAL VERB If you see through someone or their behaviour, you realize what their intentions are, even though they are trying to hide them. □ [V P n] I saw through your little ruse from the start.


2 → see also see-through


▸ see to PHRASAL VERB If you see to something that needs attention, you deal with it. □ [V P n] While Franklin saw to the luggage, Sara took Eleanor home. USAGE see


If you are talking about the present, you usually use can see . Don’t say ‘ I see the sea ’. Also, don’t use see in progressive forms. Don’t say ‘ I am seeing the sea ’. Say ‘I can see the sea’. □ I could see someone approaching in the distance.

seed ◆◆◇ /siː d/ (seeds , seeding , seeded )


1 N‑VAR A seed is the small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant grows. □ I sow the seed in pots of soil-based compost. □ …sunflower seeds.


2 VERB If you seed a piece of land, you plant seeds in it. □ [V n] Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them. □ [V pron-refl] The primroses should begin to seed themselves down the steep hillside. □ [V -ed] …his newly seeded lawns.


3 N‑PLURAL You can refer to the seeds of something when you want to talk about the beginning of a feeling or process that gradually develops and becomes stronger or more important. [LITERARY ] □ [+ of ] He raised questions meant to plant seeds of doubts in the minds of jurors.


4 N‑COUNT In sports such as tennis or badminton, a seed is a player who has been ranked according to his or her ability. □ …He is Wimbledon's top seed and the world No.1.


5 VERB [usu passive] When a player or a team is seeded in a sports competition, they are ranked according to their ability. □ [be V -ed adv/prep] In the UEFA Cup the top 16 sides are seeded for the first round. □ [V -ed ord] He could be seeded second at the French Open. □ [V -ed] The top four seeded nations are through to the semi-finals.


6 PHRASE If vegetable plants go to seed or run to seed , they produce flowers and seeds as well as leaves. □ If unused, winter radishes run to seed in spring.


7 PHRASE If you say that someone or something has gone to seed or has run to seed , you mean that they have become much less attractive, healthy, or efficient. □ He was a big man in his forties; once he had a lot of muscle but now he was running to seed.

seed|bed /siː dbed/ (seedbeds ) also seed-bed


1 N‑COUNT A seedbed is an area of ground, usually with specially prepared earth, where young plants are grown from seed.


2 N‑COUNT You can refer to a place or a situation as a seedbed when it seems likely that a particular type of thing or person will develop in that place or situation. □ [+ for/of ] TV is using radio as a seedbed for ideas.

see d capi|tal N‑UNCOUNT Seed capital is an amount of money that a new company needs to pay for the costs of producing a business plan so that they can raise further capital to develop the company. [BUSINESS ] □ [+ for ] I am negotiating with financiers to raise seed capital for my latest venture.

see d corn N‑UNCOUNT Seed corn is money that businesses spend at the beginning of a project in the hope that it will eventually produce profits. [mainly BRIT , BUSINESS ] □ The scheme offers seed corn finance with loans at only 4% interest.

seed|less /siː dləs/ ADJ A seedless fruit has no seeds in it. □ …seedless grapes.

seed|ling /siː dl I ŋ/ (seedlings ) N‑COUNT A seedling is a young plant that has been grown from a seed.

see d mon|ey N‑UNCOUNT Seed money is money that is given to someone to help them start a new business or project. [BUSINESS ]

seedy /siː di/ (seedier , seediest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe a person or place as seedy , you disapprove of them because they look dirty and untidy, or they have a bad reputation. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Frank ran dodgy errands for a seedy local villain. □ We were staying in a seedy hotel close to the red light district. ● seedi|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ …the atmosphere of seediness and decay about the city.

see ing-e ye dog (seeing-eye dogs ) also Seeing Eye dog , seeing eye dog N‑COUNT A seeing-eye dog is a dog that has been trained to lead a blind person. [AM ] in BRIT, use guide dog

seek ◆◇◇ /siː k/ (seeks , seeking , sought )


1 VERB If you seek something such as a job or a place to live, you try to find one. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] They have had to seek work as labourers. □ [V n] Four people who sought refuge in the Italian embassy have left voluntarily. □ [be V -ed + for ] Candidates are urgently sought for the post of Conservative Party chairman.


2 VERB When someone seeks something, they try to obtain it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The prosecutors have warned they will seek the death penalty. □ [V n] Haemophiliacs are seeking compensation for being given contaminated blood.


3 VERB If you seek someone's help or advice, you contact them in order to ask for it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Always seek professional legal advice before entering into any agreement. □ [V n + from ] The couple have sought help from marriage guidance counsellors.


4 VERB If you seek to do something, you try to do it. [FORMAL ] □ [V to-inf] He also denied that he would seek to annex the country.


▸ seek out PHRASAL VERB If you seek out someone or something or seek them out , you keep looking for them until you find them. □ [V P n] Now is the time for local companies to seek out business opportunities overseas. □ [V n P ] Ellen spent the day in the hills and sought me out when she returned. SYNONYMS seek VERB 1


look: I had gone to Maine looking for a place to work.


search: They searched for a spot where they could sit on the floor.


hunt: A forensic team was hunting for clues.

seek|er /siː kə r / (seekers )


1 N‑COUNT [usu pl, usu n N ] A seeker is someone who is looking for or trying to get something. □ I am a seeker after truth. □ The beaches draw sun-seekers from all over Europe.


2 → see also asylum seeker , job seeker

seem ◆◆◆ /siː m/ (seems , seeming , seemed )


1 V‑LINK [no cont] You use seem to say that someone or something gives the impression of having a particular quality, or of happening in the way you describe. □ [V adj] We heard a series of explosions. They seemed quite close by. □ [V adj] Everyone seems busy except us. □ [V n] To everyone who knew them, they seemed an ideal couple. □ [V n] £50 seems a lot to pay. □ [V to-inf] The calming effect seemed to last for about ten minutes. □ [V prep] It was a record that seemed beyond reach. □ [V -ed] The proposal seems designed to break opposition to the government's economic programme. □ [V that] It seems that the attack this morning was very carefully planned to cause few casualties. □ [V adj that] It seems clear that he has no reasonable alternative. □ [V as if] It seemed as if she'd been gone forever. □ [V to-inf] There seems to be a lot of support in Congress for this move. □ [V n] There seems no possibility that such action can be averted. □ [V ] This phenomenon is not as outrageous as it seems.


2 V‑LINK [no cont] You use seem when you are describing your own feelings or thoughts, or describing something that has happened to you, in order to make your statement less forceful. [VAGUENESS ] □ [V to-inf] I seem to have lost all my self-confidence. □ [V to-inf] I seem to remember giving you very precise instructions. □ [V to-inf] Excuse me, I seem to be a little bit lost.


3 PHRASE If you say that you cannot seem or could not seem to do something, you mean that you have tried to do it and were unable to. □ No matter how hard I try I cannot seem to catch up on all the bills.


4 → see also seeming SYNONYMS seem VERB 1


appear: The aircraft appears to have crashed near Katmandu.


look: They look like stars to the naked eye.


come across: When sober he can come across as an extremely pleasant young man.

seem|ing /siː m I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] Seeming means appearing to be the case, but not necessarily the case. For example, if you talk about someone's seeming ability to do something, you mean that they appear to be able to do it, but you are not certain. [FORMAL , VAGUENESS ] □ Wall Street analysts have been highly critical of the company's seeming inability to control costs.

seem|ing|ly /siː m I ŋli/


1 ADV [ADV adj/adv] If something is seemingly the case, you mean that it appears to be the case, even though it may not really be so. □ A seemingly endless line of trucks waits in vain to load up.


2 ADV [ADV before v] You use seemingly when you want to say that something seems to be true. [VAGUENESS ] □ He has moved to Spain, seemingly to enjoy a slower style of life.

seem|ly /siː mli/ ADJ Seemly behaviour or dress is appropriate in the particular circumstances. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ Self-assertion was not thought seemly in a woman.

seen /siː n/ Seen is the past participle of see .

seep /siː p/ (seeps , seeping , seeped )


1 VERB If something such as liquid or gas seeps somewhere, it flows slowly and in small amounts into a place where it should not go. □ [V prep/adv] Radioactive water had seeped into underground reservoirs. □ [V prep/adv] The gas is seeping out of the rocks. ● N‑COUNT Seep is also a noun. □ …an oil seep.


2 VERB If something such as secret information or an unpleasant emotion seeps somewhere, it comes out gradually. □ [V prep/adv] …the tide of racism which is sweeping Europe seeps into Britain.

seep|age /siː p I dʒ/ N‑UNCOUNT Seepage is the slow flow of a liquid through something. □ Chemical seepage has caused untold damage.

seer /siː ə r / (seers ) N‑COUNT A seer is a person who tells people what will happen in the future. [LITERARY ] □ …the writings of the 16th-century French seer, Nostradamus.

see|saw /siː sɔː/ (seesaws , seesawing , seesawed ) also see-saw


1 N‑COUNT A seesaw is a long board which is balanced on a fixed part in the middle. To play on it, a child sits on each end, and when one end goes up, the other goes down. □ There was a sandpit, a seesaw and a swing in the playground.


2 ADJ [ADJ n] In a seesaw situation, something continually changes from one state to another and back again. □ …a seesaw price situation. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Seesaw is also a noun. □ Marriage, however, is an emotional seesaw.


3 VERB If someone's emotions see-saw , or a particular situation see-saws , they continually change from one state to another and back again. □ [V ] The Tokyo stock market see-sawed up and down.

seethe /siː ð/ (seethes , seething , seethed )


1 VERB When you are seething , you are very angry about something but do not express your feelings about it. □ [V ] She took it calmly at first but under the surface was seething. □ [V + with ] She grinned derisively while I seethed with rage. □ [V at ] He is seething at all the bad press he is getting. □ [V -ing] …a seething anger fuelled by decades of political oppression.


2 VERB If you say that a place is seething with people or things, you are emphasizing that it is very full of them and that they are all moving about. [EMPHASIS ] □ [V + with ] The forest below him seethed and teemed with life. □ [V -ing] Madrigueras station was a seething mass of soldiers. [Also V ]

see -through ADJ [usu ADJ n] See-through clothes are made of thin cloth, so that you can see a person's body or underwear through them.

seg|ment ◆◇◇ (segments , segmenting , segmented ) The noun is pronounced /se gmənt/. The verb is pronounced /segme nt/. 1 N‑COUNT A segment of something is one part of it, considered separately from the rest. □ [+ of ] …the poorer segments of society. □ [+ of ] …the third segment of his journey.


2 N‑COUNT A segment of fruit such as an orange or grapefruit is one of the sections into which it is easily divided.


3 N‑COUNT A segment of a circle is one of the two parts into which it is divided when you draw a straight line through it.


4 N‑COUNT A segment of a market is one part of it, considered separately from the rest. □ [+ of ] Three-to-five day cruises are the fastest-growing segment of the market. □ Women's tennis is the market leader in a growing market segment–women's sports.


5 VERB If a company segments a market, it divides it into separate parts, usually in order to improve marketing opportunities. [BUSINESS ] □ [V n + into ] The big multinational companies can segment the world markets into national ones. SYNONYMS segment NOUN 1


section: …a geological section of a rock.


part: It was a very severe accident and he lost part of his foot.


piece: …a piece of cake.

seg|men|ta|tion /se gmente I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Segmentation is the dividing of something into parts which are loosely connected. [TECHNICAL ]

seg|ment|ed /segme nt I d/ ADJ [ADJ n] Segmented means divided into parts that are loosely connected to each other. □ …segmented oranges.

seg|re|gate /se gr I ge I t/ (segregates , segregating , segregated ) VERB To segregate two groups of people or things means to keep them physically apart from each other. □ [V n] Police segregated the two rival camps of protesters. □ [V n prep] They segregate you from the rest of the community.

seg|re|gat|ed /se gr I ge I t I d/ ADJ Segregated buildings or areas are kept for the use of one group of people who are the same race, sex, or religion, and no other group is allowed to use them. □ …racially segregated schools. □ John grew up in Baltimore when that city was segregated.

seg|re|ga|tion /se gr I ge I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Segregation is the official practice of keeping people apart, usually people of different sexes, races, or religions. □ Racial segregation in schools was ruled unconstitutional.

seg|re|ga|tion|ist /se gr I ge I ʃən I st/ (segregationists ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A segregationist is someone who thinks people of different races should be kept apart. □ …a segregationist on the far Right.

segue /se gwe I / (segues , segueing , segued ) VERB If something such as a piece of music or conversation segues into another piece of music or conversation, it changes into it or is followed by it without a break. □ [V + into ] The piece segues into his solo with the strings. [Also V from n, V ] ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Segue is also a noun. □ [+ into ] …a neat segue into an arrangement of 'Eleanor Rigby'.

seis|mic /sa I zm I k/


1 ADJ [ADJ n] Seismic means caused by or relating to an earthquake. □ Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A seismic shift or change is a very sudden or dramatic change. □ I have never seen such a seismic shift in public opinion in such a short period of time.

seis|mo|graph /sa I zməgrɑːf, -græf/ (seismographs ) N‑COUNT A seismograph is an instrument for recording and measuring the strength of earthquakes.

seis|mol|ogy /sa I zmɒ lədʒi/ N‑UNCOUNT Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes. ● seis|mo|logi|cal ADJ [usu ADJ n] □ …the Seismological Society of America. ● seis|molo|gist (seismologists ) N‑COUNT □ Peter Ward is a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

seize ◆◇◇ /siː z/ (seizes , seizing , seized )


1 VERB If you seize something, you take hold of it quickly, firmly, and forcefully. □ [V n] 'Leigh,' he said, seizing my arm to hold me back. □ [V n] …an otter seizing a fish.


2 VERB When a group of people seize a place or seize control of it, they take control of it quickly and suddenly, using force. □ [V n] Troops have seized the airport and railroad terminals. □ [V n] Army officers plotted a failed attempt yesterday to seize power.


3 VERB If a government or other authority seize someone's property, they take it from them, often by force. □ [V n] Police were reported to have seized all copies of this morning's edition of the newspaper.


4 VERB When someone is seized , they are arrested or captured. □ [be V -ed] Two military observers were seized by enemy troops yesterday. □ [V n] Men carrying sub-machine guns seized the five soldiers and drove them away.


5 VERB When you seize an opportunity, you take advantage of it and do something that you want to do. □ [V n] During the riots hundreds of people seized the opportunity to steal property.


▸ seize on PHRASAL VERB If you seize on something or seize upon it, you show great interest in it, often because it is useful to you. □ [V P n] Newspapers seized on the results as proof that global warming wasn't really happening.


▸ seize up


1 PHRASAL VERB If a part of your body seizes up , it suddenly stops working, because you have strained it or because you are getting old. □ [V P ] We are all born flexible but as we grow older, we tend to seize up a little.


2 PHRASAL VERB If something such as an engine seizes up , it stops working, because it has not been properly cared for. □ [V P ] She put diesel fuel, instead of petrol, into the tank causing the motor to seize up. SYNONYMS seize VERB 1


grab: I managed to grab her sleeve.


grasp: He grasped both my hands.


snatch: Mick snatched the cards from Archie's hand.

sei|zure /siː ʒə r / (seizures )


1 N‑COUNT If someone has a seizure , they have a sudden violent attack of an illness, especially one that affects their heart or brain. □ …a mild cardiac seizure. □ I was prescribed drugs to control seizures.


2 N‑COUNT If there is a seizure of power or a seizure of an area of land, a group of people suddenly take control of the place, using force. □ [+ of ] …the seizure of territory through force.


3 N‑COUNT When an organization such as the police or customs service makes a seizure of illegal goods, they find them and take them away. □ [+ of ] Police have made one of the biggest seizures of heroin there's ever been in Britain. □ …arms seizures.


4 N‑COUNT If a financial institution or a government makes a seizure of someone's assets, they take their money or property from them because they have not paid money that they owe. □ [+ of ] A court ordered the seizure of two ships for non-payment of the debt.

sel|dom /se ldəm/ ADV [ADV before v] If something seldom happens, it happens only occasionally. □ They seldom speak. □ We were seldom at home.

se|lect ◆◇◇ /s I le kt/ (selects , selecting , selected )


1 VERB If you select something, you choose it from a number of things of the same kind. □ [V n] Voters are selecting candidates for both U.S. Senate seats and for 52 congressional seats. □ [V -ed] The movie is being shown in selected cities. [Also V n + for/from ]


2 VERB If you select a file or a piece of text on a computer screen, you click on it so that it is marked in a different colour, usually in order for you to give the computer an instruction relating to that file or piece of text. [COMPUTING ] □ [V n] I selected a file and pressed the Delete key.


3 ADJ [ADJ n] A select group is a small group of some of the best people or things of their kind. □ …a select group of French cheeses.


4 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as select , you mean it has many desirable features, but is available only to people who have a lot of money or who belong to a high social class. □ The couturier is throwing a very lavish and very select party. SYNONYMS select VERB 1


choose: They will be able to choose their own leaders in democratic elections.


pick: I had deliberately picked a city with a tropical climate.


opt for: Depending on your circumstances you may wish to opt for one method or the other.

se|le ct com|mi t|tee (select committees ) N‑COUNT A select committee is a committee of members of a parliament which is set up to investigate and report on a particular matter.

se|lec|tion ◆◇◇ /s I le kʃ ə n/ (selections )


1 N‑UNCOUNT Selection is the act of selecting one or more people or things from a group. □ …Darwin's principles of natural selection. □ Dr. Sullivan's selection to head the Department of Health was greeted with satisfaction.


2 N‑COUNT A selection of people or things is a set of them that have been selected from a larger group. □ [+ of ] …this selection of popular songs.


3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The selection of goods in a shop is the particular range of goods that it has available and from which you can choose what you want. □ [+ of ] It offers the widest selection of antiques of every description in a one-day market. SYNONYMS selection NOUN 1


choice: It's available in a choice of colours.


pick: We had the pick of suits from the shop.


option: What other options do you have?


preference: Parents can express a preference for the school their child attends.

se|lec|tive /s I le kt I v/


1 ADJ [ADJ n] A selective process applies only to a few things or people. □ Selective breeding may result in a greyhound running faster. ● se|lec|tive|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ Within the project, trees are selectively cut on a 25-year rotation. ● se|lec|tiv|ity /s I le kt I v I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ The emphasis on selectivity of audience by advertisers has created problems for the industry.


2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] When someone is selective , they choose things carefully, for example the things that they buy or do. □ Sales still happen, but buyers are more selective. ● se|lec|tive|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ …people on small incomes who wanted to shop selectively.


3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you say that someone has a selective memory, you disapprove of the fact that they remember certain facts about something and deliberately forget others, often because it is convenient for them to do so. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ We seem to have a selective memory for the best bits of the past. ● se|lec|tive|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ There was something dubious about selectively forgetting a bad performance.

se|le c|tive se r|vice N‑UNCOUNT In the United States, selective service is a system of selecting and ordering young men to serve in the armed forces for a limited period of time.

se|lec|tor /s I le ktə/ (selectors ) N‑COUNT A selector is someone whose job is to choose which people will be in a particular sports team or will take part in a particular sports contest. □ …the England cricket selectors.

self ◆◇◇ /se lf/ (selves )


1 N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] Your self is your basic personality or nature, especially considered in terms of what you are really like as a person. □ You're looking more like your usual self. □ She was back to her old self again.


2 N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] A person's self is the essential part of their nature which makes them different from everyone and everything else. □ I want to explore and get in touch with my inner self.

self- /se lf-/


1 COMB Self- is used to form words which indicate that you do something to yourself or by yourself. □ He is a self-proclaimed racist. □ …self-destructive behaviour.


2 COMB Self- is used to form words which describe something such as a device that does something automatically by itself. □ …a self-loading pistol.

se lf-abso rbed ADJ Someone who is self-absorbed thinks so much about things concerning themselves that they do not notice other people or the things around them.

se lf-a ccess ADJ In a school or college, a self-access centre is a place where students can choose and use books, tapes, or other materials. [BRIT ] □ …a self-access study centre.

se lf-addre ssed ADJ [usu ADJ n] A self-addressed envelope is an envelope which you have written your address on and which you send to someone in another envelope so that they can send something back to you. □ Please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope.

se lf-adhe sive ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is self-adhesive is covered on one side with a sticky substance like glue, so that it will stick to surfaces. □ …self-adhesive labels.

self-aggrandizement /se lf əgræ nd I zmənt/ in BRIT, also use self-aggrandisement N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone is guilty of self-aggrandizement , you mean that they do certain things in order to make themselves more powerful, wealthy, or important. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was interested in service, not self-aggrandisement.

se lf-appoi nted ADJ [usu ADJ n] A self-appointed leader or ruler has taken the position of leader or ruler without anyone else asking them or choosing them to have it. □ …the new self-appointed leaders of the movement.

se lf-asse mbly ADJ [usu ADJ n] Self-assembly is used to refer to furniture and other goods that you buy in parts and that you have to put together yourself. □ …a range of self-assembly bedroom furniture.

se lf-asse rtion N‑UNCOUNT Self-assertion is confidence that you have in speaking firmly about your opinions and demanding the rights that you believe you should have. □ …her silence and lack of self-assertion.

se lf-asse rtive ADJ Someone who is self-assertive acts in a confident way, speaking firmly about their opinions and demanding the rights that they believe they should have. □ If you want good relationships, you must have the confidence to be self-assertive when required.

se lf-asse ssment N‑SING In Britain, self-assessment refers to a system for paying tax in which people have to fill in an official form giving details of how much money they have earned in the previous year.

se lf-assu rance N‑UNCOUNT Someone who has self-assurance shows confidence in the things that they say and do because they are sure of their abilities.

se lf-assu red ADJ Someone who is self-assured shows confidence in what they say and do because they are sure of their own abilities. □ He's a self-assured, confident negotiator.

se lf-awa re ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is self-aware knows and judges their own character well. □ Doing a degree has increased my confidence and I feel much more self-aware. ● self-awareness N‑UNCOUNT □ It is assumed that you are interested in achieving greater self-awareness.

se lf-belie f N‑UNCOUNT Self-belief is confidence in your own abilities or judgment.

se lf-ca tering N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] If you go on a self-catering holiday or you stay in self-catering accommodation, you stay in a place where you have to make your own meals. [BRIT ] □ The self-catering flats are usually reserved for postgraduate students.

se lf-ce ntred in AM, use self-centered ADJ Someone who is self-centred is only concerned with their own wants and needs and never thinks about other people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was self-centred, but he wasn't cruel.

se lf-confe ssed ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone as a self-confessed murderer or a self-confessed romantic, for example, you mean that they admit openly that they are a murderer or a romantic. □ Lewis has made millions out of a being a self-confessed financial geek.

se lf-co nfidence N‑UNCOUNT If you have self-confidence , you behave confidently because you feel sure of your abilities or value. □ With the end of my love affair, I lost all the self-confidence I once had.

se lf-co nfident ADJ Someone who is self-confident behaves confidently because they feel sure of their abilities or value. □ She'd blossomed into a self-confident young woman.

se lf-congratula tion N‑UNCOUNT If someone keeps emphasizing how well they have done or how good they are, you can refer to their behaviour as self-congratulation . [DISAPPROVAL ] □ This is not a matter for self-congratulation.

se lf-congratula tory ADJ If you describe someone or their behaviour as self-congratulatory , you mean that they keep emphasizing how well they have done or how good they are. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Officials were self-congratulatory about how well the day had gone.

se lf-co nscious


1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is self-conscious is easily embarrassed and nervous because they feel that everyone is looking at them and judging them. □ I felt a bit self-conscious in my swimming costume. □ [+ about ] Bess was self-conscious about being shorter than her two friends. ● self-consciously ADV [ADV with v] □ She was fiddling self-consciously with her wedding ring. ● self-consciousness N‑UNCOUNT □ …her painful self-consciousness.


2 ADJ If you describe someone or something as self-conscious , you mean that they are strongly aware of who or what they are. [FORMAL ] □ Putting the work together is a very self-conscious process. ● self-consciously ADV [ADV adj] □ The world which the book inhabits seems too self-consciously literary, too introverted.

se lf-contai ned


1 ADJ You can describe someone or something as self-contained when they are complete and separate and do not need help or resources from outside. □ He seems completely self-contained and he doesn't miss you when you're not there. □ …self-contained economic blocs.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Self-contained accommodation such as a flat has all its own facilities, so that a person living there does not have to share rooms such as a kitchen or bathroom with other people.

se lf-contradi ctory ADJ If you say or write something that is self-contradictory , you make two statements which cannot both be true. □ He is notorious for making unexpected, often self-contradictory, comments.

se lf-contro l N‑UNCOUNT Self-control is the ability to not show your feelings or not do the things that your feelings make you want to do. □ I began to wish I'd shown more self-control.

se lf-contro lled ADJ Someone who is self-controlled is able to not show their feelings or not do the things that their feelings make them want to do. □ My father, who had always been very self-controlled, became bad-tempered.

se lf-dece ption N‑UNCOUNT Self-deception involves allowing yourself to believe something about yourself that is not true, because the truth is more unpleasant. □ Human beings have an infinite capacity for self-deception.

se lf-decla red ADJ [ADJ n] Self-declared means the same as self-proclaimed . □ …the self-declared interim president. □ He is a self-declared populist.

se lf-defea ting ADJ A plan or action that is self-defeating is likely to cause problems or difficulties instead of producing useful results. □ Dishonesty is ultimately self-defeating.

se lf-defe nce in AM, use self-defense 1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft in/of N ] Self-defence is the use of force to protect yourself against someone who is attacking you. □ He acted in self-defence when a gang of burglars stormed his home with a machete. □ …courses in karate or some other means of self-defence.


2 N‑UNCOUNT Self-defence is the action of protecting yourself against something bad. □ Jokes can be a form of self-defence.

se lf-delu sion N‑UNCOUNT Self-delusion is the state of having a false idea about yourself or the situation you are in. □ …the grandiose self-delusion of the addict.

se lf-deni al N‑UNCOUNT Self-denial is the habit of refusing to do or have things that you would like, either because you cannot afford them, or because you believe it is morally good for you not to do them or have them. □ Should motherhood necessarily mean sacrifice and self-denial?

se lf-deny ing ADJ Someone who is self-denying refuses to do or have things that they would like, either because they cannot afford them, or because they believe it is morally good for them not to do them or have them. □ They believed that good parents should be self-sacrificing and self-denying.

se lf-de precating ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone's behaviour as self-deprecating , you mean that they criticize themselves or represent themselves as foolish in a light-hearted way. □ Sharon tells the story of that night with self-deprecating humour.

se lf-destru ct (self-destructs , self-destructing , self-destructed ) VERB If someone self-destructs , they do something that seriously damages their chances of success. □ [V ] They're going to be famous, but unless something happens, they're going to self-destruct.

se lf-destru ctive ADJ Self-destructive behaviour is harmful to the person who behaves in that way. □ He had a reckless, self-destructive streak.

se lf-determina tion N‑UNCOUNT Self-determination is the right of a country to be independent, instead of being controlled by a foreign country, and to choose its own form of government.

se lf-di scipline N‑UNCOUNT Self-discipline is the ability to control yourself and to make yourself work hard or behave in a particular way without needing anyone else to tell you what to do. □ Exercising at home alone requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline.

se lf-di sciplined ADJ Someone who is self-disciplined has the ability to control themselves and to make themselves work hard or behave in a particular way without needing anyone else to tell them what to do. □ Most religions teach you to be truthful and self-disciplined.

se lf-dou bt N‑UNCOUNT Self-doubt is a lack of confidence in yourself and your abilities.

se lf-drive


1 ADJ [ADJ n] A self-drive car is one which you hire and drive yourself. [BRIT ] □ Any holiday in the U.S.A. and Canada is enhanced by renting a self-drive car. in AM, use rental car 2 ADJ [ADJ n] A self-drive holiday is one where you drive yourself to the place where you are staying, rather than being taken there by plane or coach. [BRIT ] □ …the growth in popularity of self-drive camping holidays.

se lf-e ducated ADJ People who are self-educated have acquired knowledge or a skill by themselves, rather than being taught it by someone else such as a teacher at school. □ …a self-educated man from a working-class background.

se lf-effa cement N‑UNCOUNT Someone's self-effacement is their unwillingness to talk about themselves or draw attention to themselves. □ He was modest to the point of self-effacement.

se lf-effa cing ADJ Someone who is self-effacing does not like talking about themselves or drawing attention to themselves. □ As women we tend to be self-effacing and make light of what we have achieved.

se lf-emplo yed ADJ If you are self-employed , you organize your own work and taxes and are paid by people for a service you provide, rather than being paid a regular salary by a person or a firm. [BUSINESS ] □ There are no paid holidays or sick leave if you are self-employed. □ …a self-employed builder. ● N‑PLURAL The self-employed are people who are self-employed. □ We want more support for the self-employed.

se lf-estee m N‑UNCOUNT Your self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. For example, if you have low self-esteem , you do not like yourself, you do not think that you are a valuable person, and therefore you do not behave confidently. □ Poor self-esteem is at the centre of many of the difficulties we experience.

se lf-e vident ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] A fact or situation that is self-evident is so obvious that there is no need for proof or explanation. □ It is self-evident that we will never have enough resources to meet the demand. ● self-evidently ADV [ADV adj] □ The task was self-evidently impossible.

se lf-examina tion


1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] Self-examination is thought that you give to your own character and actions, for example in order to judge whether you have been behaving in a way that is acceptable to your own set of values. □ The events in Los Angeles have sparked a new national self-examination.


2 N‑UNCOUNT Self-examination is the act of examining your own body to check whether or not you have any signs of a particular disease or illness. □ Breast self-examination is invaluable for detecting cancer in its very early stages.

se lf-expla natory ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Something that is self-explanatory is clear and easy to understand without needing any extra information or explanation. □ I hope the graphs on the following pages are self-explanatory.

se lf-expre ssion N‑UNCOUNT Self-expression is the expression of your personality, feelings, or opinions, for example through an artistic activity such as drawing or dancing. □ Clothes are a fundamental form of self-expression.

se lf-fulfi lling ADJ If you describe a statement or belief about the future as self-fulfilling , you mean that what is said or believed comes true because people expect it to come true. □ Fear of failure can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

se lf-go verning ADJ A self-governing region or organization is governed or run by its own people rather than by the people of another region or organization. □ …a self-governing province.

se lf-go vernment N‑UNCOUNT Self-government is government of a country or region by its own people rather than by others.

self-ha rm (self-harms , self-harming , self-harmed ) VERB If you self-harm , you deliberately hurt yourself, for example by cutting yourself, because of mental illness. □ [V ] Her parents discovered that she had been self-harming.

se lf-he lp


1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Self-help consists of people providing support and help for each other in an informal way, rather than relying on the government, authorities, or other official organizations. □ She set up a self-help group for parents with over-weight children.


2 N‑UNCOUNT Self-help consists of doing things yourself to try and solve your own problems without depending on other people. □ …a society that encourages competitiveness and self-help among the very young. □ …a self-help book.

self|ie /se lfiː/ (selfies ) N‑COUNT A selfie is a photograph that you take of yourself, especially using a mobile phone. [INFORMAL ] □ He took a selfie in front of the Taj Mahal.

se lf|ie stick (selfie sticks ) N‑COUNT A selfie stick is a long device with a holder for your phone at one end and a button at the other that you can press to take a photograph of yourself. [INFORMAL ] □ The square is full of tourists with selfie sticks.

se lf-i mage (self-images ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] Your self-image is the set of ideas you have about your own qualities and abilities. □ …children who have a positive self-image.

se lf-impo rtant ADJ If you say that someone is self-important , you disapprove of them because they behave as if they are more important than they really are. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was self-important, vain and ignorant. ● self-importance N‑UNCOUNT □ …his bad manners and self-importance.

se lf-impo sed ADJ [usu ADJ n] A self-imposed restriction, task, or situation is one that you have deliberately created or accepted for yourself. □ He returned home in the summer of 1974 after eleven years of self-imposed exile.

se lf-indu lgence (self-indulgences ) N‑VAR Self-indulgence is the act of allowing yourself to have or do the things that you enjoy very much. □ Going to the movies in the afternoon is one of my big self-indulgences.

se lf-indu lgent ADJ If you say that someone is self-indulgent , you mean that they allow themselves to have or do the things that they enjoy very much. □ To buy flowers for myself seems wildly self-indulgent.

se lf-infli cted ADJ A self-inflicted wound or injury is one that you do to yourself deliberately. □ He is being treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

se lf-i nterest N‑UNCOUNT If you accuse someone of self-interest , you disapprove of them because they always want to do what is best for themselves rather than for anyone else. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Their current protests are motivated purely by self-interest.

se lf-i nterested ADJ If you describe someone as self-interested , you disapprove of them because they always want to do what is best for themselves rather than for other people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …self-interested behaviour.

self|ish /se lf I ʃ/ ADJ If you say that someone is selfish , you mean that he or she cares only about himself or herself, and not about other people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I think I've been very selfish. I've been mainly concerned with myself. □ …the selfish interests of a few people. ● self|ish|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ Cabinet Ministers are selfishly pursuing their own vested interests. ● self|ish|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The arrogance and selfishness of different interest groups never ceases to amaze me.

se lf-kno wledge N‑UNCOUNT Self-knowledge is knowledge that you have about your own character and nature. □ The more self-knowledge we have, the more control we can exert over our feelings and behaviour.

self|less /se lfləs/ ADJ If you say that someone is selfless , you approve of them because they care about other people more than themselves. [APPROVAL ] □ …the selfless love of a mother for her child. ● self|less|ly ADV □ I've never known anyone who cared so selflessly about children. ● self|less|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ I have enormous regard for his selflessness on behalf of his fellow man.

se lf-loa thing N‑UNCOUNT If someone feels self-loathing , they feel great dislike and disgust for themselves.

se lf-ma de ADJ [usu ADJ n] Self-made is used to describe people who have become successful and rich through their own efforts, especially if they started life without money, education, or high social status. □ He is a self-made man. □ …a self-made millionaire.

se lf-obse ssed ADJ If you describe someone as self-obsessed , you are criticizing them for spending too much time thinking about themselves or their own problems. [DISAPPROVAL ]

se lf-pa rody (self-parodies ) N‑VAR Self-parody is a way of performing or behaving in which you exaggerate and make fun of the way you normally perform or behave. □ By the end of his life, his vocals often descended close to self-parody.

se lf-pi ty N‑UNCOUNT Self-pity is a feeling of unhappiness that you have about yourself and your problems, especially when this is unnecessary or greatly exaggerated. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Throughout, he showed no trace of self-pity.

se lf-pi tying ADJ Someone who is self-pitying is full of self-pity. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ At the risk of sounding self-pitying, I'd say it has been harder on me than it has on my sister.

se lf-po rtrait (self-portraits ) N‑COUNT A self-portrait is a drawing, painting, or written description that you do of yourself.

se lf-posse ssed ADJ Someone who is self-possessed is calm and confident and in control of their emotions. □ She is clearly the most articulate and self-possessed member of her family.

se lf-posse ssion N‑UNCOUNT Self-possession is the quality of being self-possessed. □ She found her customary self-possession had deserted her.

se lf-preserva tion N‑UNCOUNT Self-preservation is the action of keeping yourself safe or alive in a dangerous situation, often without thinking about what you are doing. □ The police have the same human urge for self-preservation as the rest of us.

se lf-proclai med


1 ADJ [ADJ n] Self-proclaimed is used to show that someone has given themselves a particular title or status rather than being given it by other people. □ …a self-proclaimed expert. □ He is President of his own self-proclaimed republic.


2 ADJ [ADJ n] Self-proclaimed is used to show that someone says themselves that they are a type of person which most people would be embarrassed or ashamed to be. □ One of the prisoners is a self-proclaimed racist who opened fire on a crowd four years ago.

se lf-promo tion N‑UNCOUNT If you accuse someone of self-promotion , you disapprove of them because they are trying to make themselves seem more important than they actually are. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Simpson's ruthless ambition and weakness for self-promotion has not made him the most popular journalist in the BBC.

se lf-rai sing flour N‑UNCOUNT Self-raising flour is flour that makes cakes rise when they are cooked because it has chemicals added to it. [BRIT ] in AM, use self-rising flour

self-referential /se lf re fəre nʃ ə l/ ADJ If you describe something such as a book or film as self-referential , you mean that it is concerned with things such as its own composition or with other similar books or films. □ …self-referential novels about writer's block.

se lf-regula tion N‑UNCOUNT Self-regulation is the controlling of a process or activity by the people or organizations that are involved in it rather than by an outside organization such as the government. □ Competition between companies is too fierce for self-regulation to work.

se lf-regula tory also self-regulating ADJ [usu ADJ n] Self-regulatory systems, organizations, or activities are controlled by the people involved in them, rather than by outside organizations or rules. □ For a self-regulatory system to work, the consent of all those involved is required.

se lf-reli ance N‑UNCOUNT Self-reliance is the ability to do things and make decisions by yourself, without needing other people to help you. □ People learned self-reliance because they had to.

se lf-reli ant ADJ If you are self-reliant , you are able to do things and make decisions by yourself, without needing other people to help you. □ She is intelligent and self-reliant, speaking her mind and not suffering fools gladly.

se lf-respe ct N‑UNCOUNT Self-respect is a feeling of confidence and pride in your own ability and worth. □ They have lost not only their jobs, but their homes and their self-respect.

se lf-respe cting ADJ [ADJ n] You can use self-respecting with a noun describing a particular type of person to indicate that something is typical of, or necessary for, that type of person. □ He died as any self-respecting gangster should–in a hail of bullets.

se lf-restrai nt N‑UNCOUNT If you show self-restraint , you do not do something even though you would like to do it, because you think it would be better not to.

se lf-ri ghteous ADJ If you describe someone as self-righteous , you disapprove of them because they are convinced that they are right in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour and that other people are wrong. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He is critical of the monks, whom he considers narrow-minded and self-righteous. ● self-righteousness N‑UNCOUNT □ …her smug self-righteousness.

se lf-ri sing flour N‑UNCOUNT Self-rising flour is flour that makes cakes rise when they are cooked because it has chemicals added to it. [AM ] in BRIT, use self-raising flour

se lf-ru le N‑UNCOUNT Self-rule is the same as self-government . □ The agreement gives the territory limited self-rule.

se lf-sa crifice N‑UNCOUNT Self-sacrifice is the giving up of what you want so that other people can have what they need or want. □ I thanked my parents for all their self-sacrifice on my behalf.

se lf-sa crificing ADJ Someone who is self-sacrificing gives up what they want so that other people can have what they need or want. □ He was a generous self-sacrificing man.

se lf-same also selfsame ADJ [ADJ n] You use self-same when you want to emphasize that the person or thing mentioned is exactly the same as the one mentioned previously. [EMPHASIS ] □ You find yourself worshipped by the self-same people who beat you up at school.

se lf-sa tisfaction N‑UNCOUNT Self-satisfaction is the feeling you have when you are self-satisfied. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He tried hard not to smile in smug self-satisfaction.

se lf-sa tisfied ADJ If you describe someone as self-satisfied , you mean that they are too pleased with themselves about their achievements or their situation and they think that nothing better is possible. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ She handed the cigar back to Jason with a self-satisfied smile.

se lf-see king ADJ If you describe someone as self-seeking , you disapprove of them because they are interested only in doing things which give them an advantage over other people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He said that democracy would open the way for self-seeking politicians to abuse the situation.

se lf-se rvice ADJ A self-service shop, restaurant, or garage is one where you get things for yourself rather than being served by another person.

se lf-se rving ADJ If you describe someone as self-serving , you are critical of them because they are only interested in what they can get for themselves. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …corrupt, self-serving politicians.

se lf-sta nding


1 ADJ An object or structure that is self-standing is not supported by other objects or structures. □ …self-standing plastic cases.


2 ADJ A company or organization that is self-standing is independent of other companies or organizations. [BUSINESS ] □ Five separate companies, all operating as self-standing units, are now one.

se lf-stu dy N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Self-study is study that you do on your own, without a teacher. □ Individuals can enrol on self-study courses in the university's language institute.

se lf-sty led ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone as a self-styled leader or expert, you disapprove of them because they claim to be a leader or expert but they do not actually have the right to call themselves this. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Two of those arrested are said to be self-styled area commanders.

se lf-suffi ciency N‑UNCOUNT Self-sufficiency is the state of being self-sufficient.

se lf-suffi cient


1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If a country or group is self-sufficient , it is able to produce or make everything that it needs. □ [+ in ] This enabled the country to become self-sufficient in sugar. □ Using traditional methods poor farmers can be virtually self-sufficient.


2 ADJ Someone who is self-sufficient is able to live happily without anyone else. □ Although she had various boyfriends, she was, and remains, fiercely self-sufficient.

se lf-suppo rting ADJ Self-supporting is used to describe organizations, schemes, and people who earn enough money to not need financial help from anyone else. □ The income from visitors makes the museum self-supporting.

se lf-sustai ning ADJ A self-sustaining process or system is able to continue by itself without anyone or anything else becoming involved. □ Asia's emerging economies will be on a self-sustaining cycle of growth.

se lf-tau ght ADJ If you are self-taught , you have learned a skill by yourself rather than being taught it by someone else such as a teacher at school. □ …a self-taught musician.

se lf-wi ll N‑UNCOUNT Someone's self-will is their determination to do what they want without caring what other people think. □ She had a little core of self-will.

se lf-wi lled ADJ Someone who is self-willed is determined to do the things that they want to do and will not take advice from other people. □ He was very independent and self-willed.

se lf-wo rth N‑UNCOUNT Self-worth is the feeling that you have good qualities and have achieved good things. □ Try not to link your sense of self-worth to the opinions of others.

sell ◆◆◆ /se l/ (sells , selling , sold )


1 VERB If you sell something that you own, you let someone have it in return for money. □ [V n] I sold everything I owned except for my car and my books. □ [V n + to ] His heir sold the painting to the London art dealer Agnews. □ [V n + for ] The directors sold the business for £14.8 million. □ [V ] It's not a very good time to sell at the moment. [Also V n n, V to n]


2 VERB If a shop sells a particular thing, it is available for people to buy there. □ [V n] It sells everything from hair ribbons to oriental rugs. □ [be V -ed] Bean sprouts are also sold in cans. [Also V n n]


3 VERB If something sells for a particular price, that price is paid for it. □ [V + for/at ] Unmodernised property can sell for up to 40 per cent of its modernised market value.


4 VERB If something sells , it is bought by the public, usually in fairly large quantities. □ [V ] Even if this album doesn't sell and the critics don't like it, we wouldn't ever change. □ [V adv] The company believes the products will sell well in the run-up to Christmas.


5 VERB Something that sells a product makes people want to buy the product. □ [V n] It is only the sensational that sells news magazines. □ [V ] …car manufacturers' long-held maxim that safety doesn't sell.


6 VERB If you sell someone an idea or proposal, or sell someone on an idea, you convince them that it is a good one. □ [V n n] She tried to sell me the idea of buying my own paper shredder. □ [V n + to ] She is hoping she can sell the idea to clients. □ [V n + on ] An employee sold him on the notion that cable was the medium of the future. □ [V -ed] You know, I wasn't sold on this trip in the beginning.


7 PHRASE If someone sells their body , they have sex for money. □ 85 per cent said they would rather not sell their bodies for a living.


8 PHRASE If someone sells you down the river , they betray you for some personal profit or advantage. □ He has been sold down the river by the people who were supposed to protect him.


9 PHRASE If you sell someone short , you do not point out their good qualities as much as you should or do as much for them as you should. □ They need to improve their image–they are selling themselves short.


10 PHRASE If you talk about someone selling their soul in order to get something, you are criticizing them for abandoning their principles. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …a man who would sell his soul for political viability.


▸ sell off


1 PHRASAL VERB If you sell something off , you sell it because you need the money. □ [V P n] The company is selling off some sites and concentrating on cutting debts. □ [V n P ] We had to sell things off to pay the brewery bill.


2 → see also sell-off


▸ sell on PHRASAL VERB If you buy something and then sell it on , you sell it to someone else soon after buying it, usually in order to make a profit. □ [V n P ] Mr Farrier bought cars at auctions and sold them on. □ [V n P + to ] The arms had been sold to a businessman; he sold them on to paramilitary groups.


▸ sell out


1 PHRASAL VERB If a shop sells out of something, it sells all its stocks of it, so that there is no longer any left for people to buy. □ [V P + of ] Hardware stores have sold out of water pumps and tarpaulins. □ [V P ] The next day the bookshops sold out.


2 PHRASAL VERB If a performance, sports event, or other entertainment sells out , all the tickets for it are sold. □ [V P ] Football games often sell out well in advance.


3 PHRASAL VERB When things sell out , all of them that are available are sold. □ [V P ] Tickets for the show sold out in 70 minutes.


4 PHRASAL VERB If you accuse someone of selling out , you disapprove of the fact that they do something which used to be against their principles, or give in to an opposing group. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V P ] The young see him as a politician who will not sell out or make compromises. □ [V P + to ] …a new play about an ageing British punk band tempted to sell out to corporate capitalism.


5 PHRASAL VERB Sell out means the same as sell up . [AM ] □ [V P ] I hear she's going to sell out and move to the city.


6 → see also sell-out , sold out


▸ sell up PHRASAL VERB If you sell up , you sell everything you have, such as your house or your business, because you need the money. [BRIT ] □ [V P ] …all these farmers going out of business and having to sell up. □ [V P n] He advised Evans to sell up his flat and move away to the country. in AM, use sell out

se ll-by date (sell-by dates )


1 N‑COUNT The sell-by date on a food container is the date by which the food should be sold or eaten before it starts to decay. [BRIT ] □ …a piece of cheese four weeks past its sell-by date. in AM, use expiration date


2 PHRASE If you say that someone or something is past their sell-by date , you mean they are no longer effective, interesting, or useful. [BRIT , DISAPPROVAL ] □ As a sportsman, he is long past his sell-by date.

sell|er /se lə r / (sellers )


1 N‑COUNT [n N ] A seller of a type of thing is a person or company that sells that type of thing. □ …a flower seller. □ [+ of ] …the world's largest seller of organic food.


2 N‑COUNT In a business deal, the seller is the person who is selling something to someone else. □ In theory, the buyer could ask the seller to have a test carried out.


3 N‑COUNT [adj N ] If you describe a product as, for example, a big seller , you mean that large numbers of it are being sold. □ Our biggest seller is a heavy jersey tailored dress.


4 → see also best seller

se l|ler's ma r|ket N‑SING When there is a seller's market for a particular product, there are fewer of the products for sale than people who want to buy them, so buyers have little choice and prices go up. Compare buyer's market . [BUSINESS ]

se ll|ing point (selling points ) N‑COUNT A selling point is a desirable quality or feature that something has which makes it likely that people will want to buy it. [BUSINESS ]

se ll|ing price (selling prices ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] The selling price of something is the price for which it is sold. [BUSINESS ]

se ll-off (sell-offs ) also selloff N‑COUNT The sell-off of something, for example an industry owned by the state or a company's shares, is the selling of it. [BUSINESS ] □ The privatisation of the electricity industry–the biggest sell-off of them all.

Sel|lo|tape /se ləte I p/ (Sellotapes , Sellotaping , Sellotaped )


1 N‑UNCOUNT Sellotape is a clear sticky tape that you use to stick paper or card together or onto a wall. [BRIT , TRADEMARK ] in AM, use Scotch tape 2 VERB If you Sellotape one thing to another, you stick them together using Sellotape. [BRIT , TRADEMARK ] □ [V n adv/prep] I sellotaped the note to his door. in AM, use tape

se ll-out (sell-outs ) also sellout


1 N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft N n] If a play, sports event, or other entertainment is a sell-out , all the tickets for it are sold. □ Their concert there was a sell-out.


2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you describe someone's behaviour as a sell-out , you disapprove of the fact that they have done something which used to be against their principles, or given in to an opposing group. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ For some, his decision to become a Socialist candidate at Sunday's election was simply a sell-out.

se ll-through ADJ [ADJ n] A sell-through video is a film on video that you can buy.

selves /se lvz/ Selves is the plural of self .

se|man|tic /s I mæ nt I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Semantic is used to describe things that deal with the meanings of words and sentences. □ He did not want to enter into a semantic debate.

se|man|tics /s I mæ nt I ks/ N‑UNCOUNT Semantics is the branch of linguistics that deals with the meanings of words and sentences.

sema|phore /se məfɔː r / N‑UNCOUNT Semaphore is a system of sending messages by using two flags. You hold a flag in each hand and move your arms to various positions representing different letters of the alphabet.

sem|blance /se mbləns/ N‑UNCOUNT If there is a semblance of a particular condition or quality, it appears to exist, even though this may be a false impression. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] At least a semblance of normality has been restored to parts of the country.

se|men /siː men/ N‑UNCOUNT Semen is the liquid containing sperm that is produced by the sex organs of men and male animals.

se|mes|ter /s I me stə r / (semesters ) N‑COUNT In colleges and universities in some countries, a semester is one of the two main periods into which the year is divided.

semi /se mi/ (semis )


1 N‑COUNT A semi is a semi-detached house. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]


2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] In a sporting competition, the semis are the semi-finals. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ He reached the semis after beating Lendl in the quarterfinal.

PREFIX semi-


forms nouns and adjectives that refer to people and things that are partly, but not completely, in a particular state. For example, if you are semiconscious , you are partly, but not completely, conscious.

se mi-a nnual ADJ [usu ADJ n] A semi-annual event happens twice a year. [AM ] □ …the semi-annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund. in BRIT, usually use biannual

semi|breve /se mibriːv/ (semibreves ) N‑COUNT A semibreve is a musical note that has a time value equal to two half notes. [BRIT ] in AM, use whole note

se mi-circle (semi-circles ) also semicircle N‑COUNT A semi-circle is one half of a circle, or something having the shape of half a circle. □ They stood in a semi-circle round the teacher's chair and answered questions.

se mi-ci rcular also semicircular ADJ Something that is semi-circular has the shape of half a circle. □ …a semi-circular amphitheatre.

se mi-co lon (semi-colons ) in AM, usually use semicolon N‑COUNT A semi-colon is the punctuation mark; which is used in writing to separate different parts of a sentence or list or to indicate a pause.

semi|con|duc|tor /se mikəndʌ ktə r / (semiconductors ) also semi-conductor N‑COUNT A semiconductor is a substance used in electronics whose ability to conduct electricity increases with greater heat.

se mi-deta ched ADJ A semi-detached house is a house that is joined to another house on one side by a shared wall. [mainly BRIT ] □ …a semi-detached house in Highgate. ● N‑SING Semi-detached is also a noun. □ It was an ordinary, post-war semi-detached.

se mi-final (semi-finals ) in AM, usually use semifinal N‑COUNT A semi-final is one of the two matches or races in a competition that are held to decide who will compete in the final. □ The Canadian canoeist won the first semi-final in 35.595 sec. ● N‑PLURAL The semi-finals is the round of a competition in which these two matches or races are held. □ He was beaten in the semi-finals by Chris Dittmar.

se mi-fi nalist (semi-finalists ) in AM, usually use semifinalist N‑COUNT A semi-finalist is a player, athlete, or team that is competing in a semi-final.

semi|nal /se m I n ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Seminal is used to describe things such as books, works, events, and experiences that have a great influence in a particular field. [FORMAL ] □ …author of the seminal book 'Animal Liberation'.

semi|nar /se m I nɑː r / (seminars )


1 N‑COUNT A seminar is a meeting where a group of people discuss a problem or topic. □ …courses and seminars on nutrition and natural health.


2 N‑COUNT A seminar is a class at a college or university in which the teacher and a small group of students discuss a topic. □ Students are asked to prepare material in advance of each weekly seminar.

semi|nar|ian /se m I neə riən/ (seminarians ) N‑COUNT A seminarian is a student at a seminary.

semi|nary /se m I nəri, [AM ] -neri/ (seminaries ) N‑COUNT A seminary is a college where priests, ministers, or rabbis are trained.

se|mi|ot|ics /se miɒ t I ks/ N‑UNCOUNT Semiotics is the academic study of the relationship of language and other signs to their meanings.

se mi-pre cious in AM, also use semiprecious ADJ [usu ADJ n] Semi-precious stones are stones such as turquoises and amethysts that are used in jewellery but are less valuable than precious stones such as diamonds and rubies.

se mi-profe ssional in AM, also use semiprofessional ADJ Semi-professional sports players, musicians, and singers receive some money for playing their sport or for performing but they also have an ordinary job as well. □ …a semi-professional country musician.

se mi-ski lled also semiskilled ADJ [usu ADJ n] A semi-skilled worker has some training and skills, but not enough to do specialized work. [BUSINESS ]

se mi-skimmed mi lk N‑UNCOUNT Semi-skimmed milk or semi-skimmed is milk from which some of the cream has been removed. [BRIT ] in AM, use one percent milk , two percent milk

Se|mit|ic /s I m I t I k/


1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Semitic languages are a group of languages that include Arabic and Hebrew.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Semitic people belong to one of the groups of people who speak a Semitic language. □ …the Semitic races.


3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Semitic is sometimes used to mean Jewish.


4 → see also anti-Semitic

semi|tone /se mitoʊn/ (semitones ) N‑COUNT In Western music, a semitone is the smallest interval between two musical notes. Two semitones are equal to one tone.

se mi-trai ler (semi-trailers ) also semitrailer N‑COUNT A semi-trailer is the long rear section of a truck or lorry that can bend when it turns. [AM ] in BRIT, use trailer

se mi-tro pical also semitropical


1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Semi-tropical places have warm, wet air. □ …a semi-tropical island.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Semi-tropical plants and trees grow in places where the air is warm and wet. □ The inn has a garden of semi-tropical vegetation.

semo|li|na /se məliː nə/ N‑UNCOUNT Semolina consists of small hard grains of wheat that are used for making sweet puddings with milk and for making pasta.

Sen|ate ◆◆◇ /se n I t/ (Senates )


1 N‑PROPER [with sing or pl verb] The Senate is the smaller and more important of the two parts of the parliament in some countries, for example the United States and Australia. □ The Senate is expected to pass the bill shortly. □ …a Senate committee.


2 N‑PROPER [with sing or pl verb] Senate or the Senate is the governing council at some universities. □ The new bill would remove student representation from the university Senate.

sena|tor ◆◇◇ /se n I tə r / (senators ) N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A senator is a member of a political Senate, for example in the United States or Australia.

sena|to|rial /se n I tɔː riəl/ ADJ [ADJ n] Senatorial means belonging to or relating to a Senate. [FORMAL ] □ He has senatorial experience in defence and foreign policy.

send ◆◆◆ /se nd/ (sends , sending , sent )


1 VERB When you send someone something, you arrange for it to be taken and delivered to them, for example by post. □ [V n n] Myra Cunningham sent me a note thanking me for dinner. □ [V n + to ] I sent a copy to the minister for transport. □ [V n] He sent a basket of exotic fruit and a card. □ [V n with adv] Sir Denis took one look and sent it back. □ [be V -ed + from ] A huge shipment of grain had been sent from Argentina to Peru.


2 VERB If you send someone somewhere, you tell them to go there. □ [V n with adv] Inspector Banbury came up to see her, but she sent him away. □ [V n + to ] …the government's decision to send troops to the region. □ [V n + for ] I suggested that he rest, and sent him for an X-ray. □ [be V -ed + from ] Reinforcements were being sent from the neighbouring region…


3 VERB If you send someone to an institution such as a school or a prison, you arrange for them to stay there for a period of time. □ [V n + to ] It's his parents' choice to send him to a boarding school, rather than a convenient day school.


4 VERB To send a signal means to cause it to go to a place by means of radio waves or electricity. □ [V n + to ] The transmitters will send a signal automatically to a local base station. □ [V n with adv] …in 1989, after a 12-year journey to Neptune, the space probe Voyager sent back pictures of Triton, its moon. [Also V n, V n n]


5 VERB If something sends things or people in a particular direction, it causes them to move in that direction. □ [V n v-ing] The explosion sent shrapnel flying through the sides of cars on the crowded highway. □ [V n prep] The slight back and forth motion sent a pounding surge of pain into his skull.


6 VERB To send someone or something into a particular state means to cause them to go into or be in that state. □ [V n + into ] My attempt to fix it sent Lawrence into fits of laughter. □ [V n v-ing] …before civil war and famine sent the country plunging into anarchy. □ [V n adj] An obsessive search for our inner selves, far from saving the world, could send us all mad.


7 to send someone to Coventry → see Coventry


8 to send someone packing → see pack


▸ send away for → see send for 2


▸ send down


1 PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If a student is sent down from their university or college, they are made to leave because they have behaved very badly. [BRIT ] □ [be V -ed P ] She wondered if he had been sent down for gambling. in AM, use be expelled 2 PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If someone who is on trial is sent down , they are found guilty and sent to prison. [BRIT ] □ [be V -ed P ] The two rapists were sent down for life in 1983. in AM, use send up


▸ send for


1 PHRASAL VERB If you send for someone, you send them a message asking them to come and see you. □ [V P n] I've sent for the doctor.


2 PHRASAL VERB If you send for something, you write and ask for it to be sent to you. □ [V P n] Send for your free catalogue today.


▸ send in


1 PHRASAL VERB If you send in something such as a competition entry or a letter applying for a job, you post it to the organization concerned. □ [V P n] Applicants are asked to send in a CV and a covering letter. [Also V n P ]


2 PHRASAL VERB When a government sends in troops or police officers, it orders them to deal with a crisis or problem somewhere. □ [V P n] He has asked the government to send in troops to end the fighting. [Also V n P ]


▸ send off


1 PHRASAL VERB When you send off a letter or package, you send it somewhere by post. □ [V P n] He sent off copies to various people for them to read and make comments. [Also V n P ]


2 PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If a football player is sent off , the referee makes them leave the field during a game, as a punishment for seriously breaking the rules. □ [be V -ed P ] The player was sent off for arguing with a linesman.


3 → see also sending-off


▸ send off for → see send for 2


▸ send on PHRASAL VERB If you send on something you have received, especially a document, you send it to another place or person. □ [V n P ] We coordinate the reports from the overseas divisions, and send them on to headquarters in Athens. [Also V P n]


▸ send out


1 PHRASAL VERB If you send out things such as letters or bills, you send them to a large number of people at the same time. □ [V P n] She had sent out well over four hundred invitations that afternoon. [Also V n P ]


2 PHRASAL VERB To send out a signal, sound, light, or heat means to produce it. □ [V P n] The crew did not send out any distress signals. [Also V n P ]


3 PHRASAL VERB When a plant sends out roots or shoots, they grow. □ [V P n] If you cut your rubber plant back, it should send out new side shoots. [Also V n P ]


▸ send out for PHRASAL VERB If you send out for food, for example pizzas or sandwiches, you phone and ask for it to be delivered to you. □ [V P P n] Let's send out for a pizza and watch a film.


▸ send up


1 PHRASAL VERB If you send someone or something up , you imitate them in an amusing way that makes them appear foolish. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [V n P ] You sense he's sending himself up as well as everything else. □ [V P n] …a spoof that sends up the macho world of fighter pilots.


2 → see also send-up


3 PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If someone who is on trial is sent up , they are found guilty and sent to prison. [AM ] □ [be V -ed P ] If I'm going to be sent up for killing one guy, then I might as well kill three more. in BRIT, use send down

send|er /se ndə r / (senders ) N‑COUNT The sender of a letter, package, or radio message is the person who sent it. □ [+ of ] The sender of the best letter every week will win a cheque for £20.

se nding-o ff (sendings-off ) N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] If there is a sending-off during a game of football, a player is told to leave the field by the referee, as a punishment for seriously breaking the rules. □ He is about to begin a three-match ban after his third sending-off of the season.

se nd-off (send-offs ) N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] If a group of people give someone who is going away a send-off , they come together to say goodbye to them. [INFORMAL ] □ All the people in the buildings came to give me a rousing send-off.

se nd-up (send-ups ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A send-up is a piece of writing or acting in which someone or something is imitated in an amusing way that makes them appear foolish. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [+ of ] The film was a send-up of Airport and other disaster movies.

Sen|ega|lese /se n I gəliː z/ (Senegalese )


1 ADJ Senegalese means belonging or relating to Senegal, or to its people or culture. □ …the Senegalese navy.


2 N‑COUNT A Senegalese is a Senegalese citizen, or a person of Senegalese origin.

se|nile /siː na I l/ ADJ If old people become senile , they become confused, can no longer remember things, and are unable to look after themselves. ● se|nil|ity /s I n I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ The old man was showing unmistakable signs of senility.

se |nile de|me n|tia N‑UNCOUNT Senile dementia is a mental illness that affects some old people and that causes them to become confused and to forget things. □ She is suffering from senile dementia.

sen|ior ◆◆◇ /siː njə r / (seniors )


1 ADJ [ADJ n] The senior people in an organization or profession have the highest and most important jobs. □ …senior officials in the Israeli government. □ …the company's senior management. □ Television and radio needed many more women in senior jobs.


2 ADJ If someone is senior to you in an organization or profession, they have a higher and more important job than you or they are considered to be superior to you because they have worked there for longer and have more experience. □ [+ to ] The position had to be filled by an officer senior to Haig. ● N‑PLURAL Your seniors are the people who are senior to you. □ He was described by his seniors as a model officer.


3 N‑SING Senior is used when indicating how much older one person is than another. For example, if someone is ten years your senior , they are ten years older than you. □ She became involved with a married man many years her senior.


4 N‑COUNT Seniors are students in a high school, university, or college who are the oldest and who have reached an advanced level in their studies. [AM ]


5 ADJ [ADJ n] If you take part in a sport at senior level, you take part in competitions with adults and people who have reached a high degree of achievement in that sport. □ This will be his fifth international championship and his third at senior level. SYNONYMS senior ADJ 2


superior: …negotiations between the mutineers and their superior officers.


better: The train's average speed was no better than that of our bicycles.

se n|ior ci ti|zen (senior citizens ) N‑COUNT A senior citizen is an older person who has retired or receives an old age pension.

sen|ior|ity /siː niɒ r I ti, [AM ] -ɔː r I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT A person's seniority in an organization is the importance and power that they have compared with others, or the fact that they have worked there for a long time. □ He has said he will fire editorial employees without regard to seniority.

sen|sa|tion /sense I ʃ ə n/ (sensations )


1 N‑COUNT A sensation is a physical feeling. □ Floating can be a very pleasant sensation. □ [+ of ] A sensation of burning or tingling may be experienced in the hands.


2 N‑UNCOUNT Sensation is your ability to feel things physically, especially through your sense of touch. □ The pain was so bad that she lost all sensation.


3 N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] You can use sensation to refer to the general feeling or impression caused by a particular experience. □ It's a funny sensation to know someone's talking about you in a language you don't understand.


4 N‑COUNT If a person, event, or situation is a sensation , it causes great excitement or interest. □ …the film that turned her into an overnight sensation.


5 N‑SING If a person, event, or situation causes a sensation , they cause great interest or excitement. □ She was just 14 when she caused a sensation in Montreal.

sen|sa|tion|al /sense I ʃən ə l/


1 ADJ A sensational result, event, or situation is so remarkable that it causes great excitement and interest. □ The world champions suffered a sensational defeat. ● sen|sa|tion|al|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ The rape trial was sensationally halted yesterday.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You can describe stories or reports as sensational if you disapprove of them because they present facts in a way that is intended to cause feelings of shock, anger, or excitement. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …sensational tabloid newspaper reports.


3 ADJ You can describe something as sensational when you think that it is extremely good. □ Her voice is sensational. □ Experts agreed that this was a truly sensational performance. ● sen|sa|tion|al|ly ADV □ …sensationally good food.

sen|sa|tion|al|ism /sense I ʃənəl I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Sensationalism is the presenting of facts or stories in a way that is intended to produce strong feelings of shock, anger, or excitement. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The report criticises the newspaper for sensationalism.

sen|sa|tion|al|ist /sense I ʃənəl I st/ ADJ Sensationalist news reports and television and radio programmes present the facts in a way that makes them seem worse or more shocking than they really are. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …sensationalist headlines.

sen|sa|tion|al|ize /sense I ʃənəla I z/ (sensationalizes , sensationalizing , sensationalized ) in BRIT, also use sensationalise VERB If someone sensationalizes a situation or event, they make it seem worse or more shocking than it really is. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V n] Local news organizations are being criticized for sensationalizing the story.

sense ◆◆◆ /se ns/ (senses , sensing , sensed )


1 N‑COUNT Your senses are the physical abilities of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. □ She stared at him again, unable to believe the evidence of her senses. □ [+ of ] …a keen sense of smell.


2 → see also sixth sense


3 VERB If you sense something, you become aware of it or you realize it, although it is not very obvious. □ [V that] She probably sensed that I wasn't telling her the whole story. □ [V n] He looks about him, sensing danger. □ [V wh] Prost had sensed what might happen.


4 N‑SING [N that] If you have a sense that something is the case, you think that it is the case, although you may not have firm, clear evidence for this belief. □ Suddenly you got this sense that people were drawing themselves away from each other. □ [+ of ] There is no sense of urgency on either side.


5 → see also sense of occasion


6 N‑SING If you have a sense of guilt or relief, for example, you feel guilty or relieved. □ [+ of ] When your child is struggling for life, you feel this overwhelming sense of guilt.


7 N‑SING If you have a sense of something such as duty or justice, you are aware of it and believe it is important. □ [+ of ] We must keep a sense of proportion about all this. □ [+ of ] She needs to regain a sense of her own worth.


8 N‑SING [oft n N ] Someone who has a sense of timing or style has a natural ability with regard to timing or style. You can also say that someone has a bad sense of timing or style. □ [+ of ] He has an impeccable sense of timing. □ Her dress sense is appalling.


9 → see also sense of humour


10 N‑UNCOUNT Sense is the ability to make good judgments and to behave sensibly. □ …when he was younger and had a bit more sense. □ When that doesn't work they sometimes have the sense to seek help.


11 → see also common sense


12 N‑SING [with neg, N in v-ing] If you say that there is no sense or little sense in doing something, you mean that it is not a sensible thing to do because nothing useful would be gained by doing it. □ [+ in ] There's no sense in pretending this doesn't happen.


13 N‑COUNT A sense of a word or expression is one of its possible meanings. □ …a noun which has two senses. □ [+ of ] Then she remembered that they had no mind in any real sense of that word.


14 PHRASE Sense is used in several expressions to indicate how true your statement is. For example, if you say that something is true in a sense , you mean that it is partly true, or true in one way. If you say that something is true in a general sense , you mean that it is true in a general way. □ In a sense, both were right. □ In one sense, the fact that few new commercial buildings can be financed does not matter. □ He's not the leader in a political sense. □ Though his background was modest, it was in no sense deprived.


15 PHRASE If something makes sense , you can understand it. □ He was sitting there saying, 'Yes, the figures make sense.'


16 PHRASE When you make sense of something, you succeed in understanding it. □ This is to help her make sense of past experiences.


17 PHRASE If a course of action makes sense , it seems sensible. □ It makes sense to look after yourself. □ The project should be re-appraised to see whether it made sound economic sense.


18 PHRASE If you say that someone has come to their senses or has been brought to their senses , you mean that they have stopped being foolish and are being sensible again. □ Eventually the world will come to its senses and get rid of them.


19 PHRASE If you say that someone seems to have taken leave of their senses , you mean that they have done or said something very foolish. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ They looked at me as if I had taken leave of my senses.


20 PHRASE If you say that someone talks sense , you mean that what they say is sensible.


21 PHRASE If you have a sense that something is true or get a sense that something is true, you think that it is true. [mainly SPOKEN ] □ Do you have the sense that you are loved by the public?


22 to see sense → see see

sense|less /se nsləs/


1 ADJ If you describe an action as senseless , you think it is wrong because it has no purpose and produces no benefit. □ …people whose lives have been destroyed by acts of senseless violence.


2 ADJ [ADJ after v, v-link ADJ ] If someone is senseless , they are unconscious. □ They were knocked to the ground, beaten senseless and robbed of their wallets.

se nse of di|re c|tion


1 N‑SING Your sense of direction is your ability to know roughly where you are, or which way to go, even when you are in an unfamiliar place. □ He had a poor sense of direction and soon got lost.


2 N‑SING If you say that someone has a sense of direction , you mean that they seem to have clear ideas about what they want to do or achieve. [APPROVAL ] □ The country now had a sense of direction again.

se nse of hu |mour in AM, use sense of humor N‑SING Someone who has a sense of humour often finds things amusing, rather than being serious all the time. □ He had enormous charm and a great sense of humour.

se nse of oc|ca |sion N‑SING If there is a sense of occasion when a planned event takes place, people feel that something special and important is happening. □ There is a great sense of occasion and a terrific standard of musicianship.

se nse or|gan (sense organs ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Your sense organs are the parts of your body, for example your eyes and your ears, which enable you to be aware of things around you. [FORMAL ]

sen|sibil|ity /se ns I b I l I ti/ (sensibilities )


1 N‑UNCOUNT Sensibility is the ability to experience deep feelings. □ Everything he writes demonstrates the depth of his sensibility.


2 N‑VAR [usu poss N ] Someone's sensibility is their tendency to be influenced or offended by things. □ The challenge offended their sensibilities.

sen|sible ◆◇◇ /se ns I b ə l/


1 ADJ Sensible actions or decisions are good because they are based on reasons rather than emotions. □ It might be sensible to get a solicitor. □ The sensible thing is to leave them alone. □ …sensible advice. ● sen|sibly /se ns I bli/ ADV [ADV with v] □ He sensibly decided to lie low for a while.


2 ADJ Sensible people behave in a sensible way. □ She was a sensible girl and did not panic. □ [+ about ] Oh come on, let's be sensible about this.


3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Sensible shoes or clothes are practical and strong rather than fashionable and attractive. □ Wear loose clothing and sensible footwear. ● sen|sibly ADV [ADV after v, ADV -ed] □ They were not sensibly dressed.

sen|si|tive ◆◇◇ /se ns I t I v/


1 ADJ If you are sensitive to other people's needs, problems, or feelings, you show understanding and awareness of them. [APPROVAL ] □ [+ to ] The classroom teacher must be sensitive to a child's needs. □ He was always so sensitive and caring. ● sen|si|tive|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ The abuse of women needs to be treated seriously and sensitively. ● sen|si|tiv|ity /se ns I t I v I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ for ] A good relationship involves concern and sensitivity for each other's feelings.


2 ADJ If you are sensitive about something, you are easily worried and offended when people talk about it. □ [+ about ] Young people are very sensitive about their appearance. □ Take it easy. Don't be so sensitive. ● sen|si|tiv|ity (sensitivities ) N‑VAR □ [+ about ] …people who suffer extreme sensitivity about what others think.


3 ADJ A sensitive subject or issue needs to be dealt with carefully because it is likely to cause disagreement or make people angry or upset. □ Employment is a very sensitive issue. □ …politically sensitive matters. ● sen|si|tiv|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] Due to the obvious sensitivity of the issue he would not divulge any details.


4 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Sensitive documents or reports contain information that needs to be kept secret and dealt with carefully. □ He instructed staff to shred sensitive documents.


5 ADJ Something that is sensitive to a physical force, substance, or treatment is easily affected by it and often harmed by it. □ [+ to ] …a chemical which is sensitive to light. □ …gentle cosmetics for sensitive skin. ● sen|si|tiv|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of/to ] …the sensitivity of cells to damage by chemotherapy.


6 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A sensitive piece of scientific equipment is capable of measuring or recording very small changes. □ …an extremely sensitive microscope. ● sen|si|tiv|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the sensitivity of the detector.

sen|si|tize /se ns I ta I z/ (sensitizes , sensitizing , sensitized ) in BRIT, also use sensitise 1 VERB If you sensitize people to a particular problem or situation, you make them aware of it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n + to ] It seems important to sensitize people to the fact that depression is more than the blues. □ [be V -ed] How many judges in our male-dominated courts are sensitized to women's issues? [Also V n]


2 VERB [usu passive] If a substance is sensitized to something such as light or touch, it is made sensitive to it. □ [be V -ed] Skin is easily irritated, chapped, chafed, and sensitized. □ [V -ed] …sensitised nerve endings.

sen|sor /se nsə r / (sensors ) N‑COUNT A sensor is an instrument which reacts to certain physical conditions or impressions such as heat or light, and which is used to provide information. □ The latest Japanese vacuum cleaners contain sensors that detect the amount of dust and type of floor.

sen|so|ry /se nsəri/ ADJ [ADJ n] Sensory means relating to the physical senses. [FORMAL ] □ …sensory information passing through the spinal cord.

sen|sual /se nʃuəl/


1 ADJ Someone or something that is sensual shows or suggests a great liking for physical pleasures, especially sexual pleasures. □ He was a very sensual person. □ …a wide, sensual mouth. ● sen|su|al|ity /se nʃuæ l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ The wave and curl of her blonde hair gave her sensuality and youth.


2 ADJ Something that is sensual gives pleasure to your physical senses rather than to your mind. □ …sensual dance rhythms. ● sen|su|al|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ These perfumes have warmth and sensuality.

sen|su|ous /se nʃuəs/


1 ADJ Something that is sensuous gives pleasure to the mind or body through the senses. □ The film is ravishing to look at and boasts a sensuous musical score. ● sen|su|ous|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ She lay in the deep bath for a long time, enjoying its sensuously perfumed water.


2 ADJ Someone or something that is sensuous shows or suggests a great liking for sexual pleasure. □ …his sensuous young mistress, Marie-Therese. ● sen|su|ous|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ The nose was straight, the mouth sensuously wide and full.

sent /se nt/ Sent is the past tense and past participle of send .

sen|tence ◆◆◇ /se ntəns/ (sentences , sentencing , sentenced )


1 N‑COUNT A sentence is a group of words which, when they are written down, begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark. Most sentences contain a subject and a verb.


2 N‑VAR In a law court, a sentence is the punishment that a person receives after they have been found guilty of a crime. □ They are already serving prison sentences for their part in the assassination. □ He was given a four-year sentence. □ The offences carry a maximum sentence of 10 years. □ …demands for tougher sentences. □ The court is expected to pass sentence later today.


3 → see also death sentence , life sentence , suspended sentence


4 VERB When a judge sentences someone, he or she states in court what their punishment will be. □ [V n + to ] A military court sentenced him to death in his absence. □ [be V -ed] He has admitted the charge and will be sentenced later. [Also V n to-inf] SYNONYMS sentence NOUN 2


punishment: The usual punishment is a fine.


verdict: Three judges will deliver their verdict in October.


judgment: The Court is expected to give its judgement within the next ten days. VERB 4


convict: There was insufficient evidence to convict him.


condemn: He was condemned to life imprisonment.


penalize: Use of the car is penalized by increasing the fares of parking lots.

se n|tence ad|verb (sentence adverbs ) N‑COUNT Adverbs such as 'fortunately' and 'perhaps' which apply to the whole clause, rather than to part of it, are sometimes called sentence adverbs .

sen|ti|ent /se ntiənt, -ʃ ə nt/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A sentient being is capable of experiencing things through its senses. [FORMAL ]

sen|ti|ment /se nt I mənt/ (sentiments )


1 N‑VAR A sentiment that people have is an attitude which is based on their thoughts and feelings. □ Public sentiment rapidly turned anti-American. □ …nationalist sentiments that threaten to split the country.


2 N‑COUNT A sentiment is an idea or feeling that someone expresses in words. □ I must agree with the sentiments expressed by the previous speaker. □ The Foreign Secretary echoed this sentiment.


3 N‑UNCOUNT Sentiment is feelings such as pity or love, especially for things in the past, and may be considered exaggerated and foolish. □ Laura kept that letter out of sentiment.

sen|ti|ment|al /se nt I me nt ə l/


1 ADJ Someone or something that is sentimental feels or shows pity or love, sometimes to an extent that is considered exaggerated and foolish. □ [+ about ] I'm trying not to be sentimental about the past. ● sen|ti|men|tal|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ Childhood had less freedom and joy than we sentimentally attribute to it. ● sen|ti|men|tal|ity /se nt I mentæ l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ In this book there is no sentimentality.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Sentimental means relating to or involving feelings such as pity or love, especially for things in the past. □ Our paintings and photographs are of sentimental value only.

sen|ti|men|tal|ist /se nt I me ntəl I st/ (sentimentalists ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a sentimentalist , you believe that they are sentimental about things.

sen|ti|men|tal|ize /se nt I me ntəla I z/ (sentimentalizes , sentimentalizing , sentimentalized ) in BRIT, also use sentimentalise VERB If you sentimentalize something, you make it seem sentimental or think about it in a sentimental way. □ [V n] He seems either to fear women or to sentimentalize them. □ [V ] He's the kind of filmmaker who doesn't hesitate to over-sentimentalize. □ [V -ed] …Rupert Brooke's sentimentalised glorification of war.

sen|ti|nel /se nt I n ə l/ (sentinels ) N‑COUNT A sentinel is a sentry. [LITERARY , OLD-FASHIONED ]

sen|try /se ntri/ (sentries ) N‑COUNT A sentry is a soldier who guards a camp or a building. □ The sentry would not let her enter.

se n|try box (sentry boxes ) also sentry-box N‑COUNT A sentry box is a narrow shelter with an open front in which a sentry can stand while on duty.

Sep. Sep. is a written abbreviation for September . The more usual abbreviation is Sept. □ …Friday Sep. 21, 1990.

sepa|rable /se pərəb ə l/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If things are separable , they can be separated from each other. □ [+ from ] Character is not separable from physical form but is governed by it.

sepa|rate ◆◆◇ (separates , separating , separated ) The adjective and noun are pronounced /se pərət/. The verb is pronounced /se pəre I t/. 1 ADJ If one thing is separate from another, there is a barrier, space, or division between them, so that they are clearly two things. □ Each villa has a separate sitting-room. □ They are now making plans to form their own separate party. □ [+ from ] Business bank accounts were kept separate from personal ones. ● sepa|rate|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ from ] …establishing Australia's cultural separateness from Britain.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you refer to separate things, you mean several different things, rather than just one thing. □ Use separate chopping boards for raw meats, cooked meats, vegetables and salads. □ Men and women have separate exercise rooms. □ The authorities say six civilians have been killed in two separate attacks.


3 VERB If you separate people or things that are together, or if they separate , they move apart. □ [V n] Police moved in to separate the two groups. □ [V n + from ] The pans were held in both hands and swirled around to separate gold particles from the dirt. □ [V + from ] The front end of the car separated from the rest of the vehicle. □ [V ] They separated. Stephen returned to the square. □ [be V -ed + from ] They're separated from the adult inmates.


4 VERB If you separate people or things that have been connected, or if one separates from another, the connection between them is ended. □ [V n + from ] They want to separate teaching from research. □ [V n] It's very possible that we may see a movement to separate the two parts of the country. □ [V + from ] …Catalan parties vowing to separate from Spain. [Also pl-n V ]


5 VERB If a couple who are married or living together separate , they decide to live apart. □ [V ] Her parents separated when she was very young. □ [V + from ] Since I separated from my husband I have gone a long way.


6 VERB An object, obstacle, distance, or period of time which separates two people, groups, or things exists between them. □ [V n + from ] …the white-railed fence that separated the yard from the paddock. □ [V n] They had undoubtedly made progress in the six years that separated the two periods. □ [get V -ed] But a group of six women and 23 children got separated from the others.


7 VERB If you separate one idea or fact from another, you clearly see or show the difference between them. □ [V n + from ] It is difficult to separate legend from truth. □ [V n] It is difficult to separate the two aims. ● PHRASAL VERB Separate out means the same as separate . □ [V P n + from ] How can one ever separate out the act from the attitudes that surround it?


8 VERB A quality or factor that separates one thing from another is the reason why the two things are different from each other. □ [V n + from ] The single most important factor that separates ordinary photographs from good photographs is the lighting.


9 VERB If a particular number of points separate two teams or competitors, one of them is winning or has won by that number of points. □ [V n] In the end only three points separated the two teams.


10 VERB If you separate a group of people or things into smaller elements, or if a group separates , it is divided into smaller elements. □ [V n + into ] The police wanted to separate them into smaller groups. □ [V + into ] Let's separate into smaller groups. □ [V ] So all the colours that make up white light are sent in different directions and they separate. ● PHRASAL VERB Separate out means the same as separate . □ [V P ] If prepared many hours ahead, the mixture may separate out.


11 N‑PLURAL Separates are clothes such as skirts, trousers, and shirts which cover just the top half or the bottom half of your body.


12 → see also separated


13 PHRASE When two or more people who have been together for some time go their separate ways , they go to different places or end their relationship. □ Sue and her husband decided to go their separate ways.


▸ separate out


1 PHRASAL VERB If you separate out something from the other things it is with, you take it out. □ [V P n + from ] The ability to separate out reusable elements from other waste is crucial. [Also V n P ]


2 → see also separate 7 , separate 10

sepa|rat|ed /se pəre I t I d/


1 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] Someone who is separated from their wife or husband lives apart from them, but is not divorced. □ Most single parents are either divorced or separated. □ [+ from ] Tristan had been separated from his partner for two years.


2 ADJ If you are separated from someone, for example your family, you are not able to be with them. □ [+ from ] The idea of being separated from him, even for a few hours, was torture.

sepa|rate|ly /se pərətli/ ADV [ADV with v] If people or things are dealt with separately or do something separately , they are dealt with or do something at different times or places, rather than together. □ Cook each vegetable separately until just tender. [Also + from ]

sepa|ra|tion /se pəre I ʃ ə n/ (separations )


1 N‑VAR The separation of two or more things or groups is the fact that they are separate or become separate, and are not linked. □ [+ between ] …a 'Christian republic' in which there was a clear separation between church and state.


2 N‑VAR During a separation , people who usually live together are not together. □ [+ from ] All children will tend to suffer from separation from their parents and siblings.


3 N‑VAR If a couple who are married or living together have a separation , they decide to live apart. □ They agreed to a trial separation.

sepa|ra|tism /se pərət I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Separatism is the beliefs and activities of separatists.

sepa|ra|tist /se pərət I st/ (separatists )


1 ADJ [ADJ n] Separatist organizations and activities within a country involve members of a group of people who want to establish their own separate government or are trying to do so. □ …the Basque separatist movement.


2 N‑COUNT Separatists are people who want their own separate government or are involved in separatist activities. □ The army has come under attack by separatists.

se|pia /siː piə/ COLOUR Something that is sepia is deep brown in colour, like the colour of very old photographs. □ The walls are hung with sepia photographs of old school heroes.

Sept. or Sep. Sept. is a written abbreviation for September . □ I've booked it for Thurs. 8th Sept.

Sep|tem|ber /septe mbə r / (Septembers ) N‑VAR September is the ninth month of the year in the Western calendar. □ Her son, Jerome, was born in September. □ They returned to Moscow on 22 September 1930. □ They spent a couple of nights here last September.

sep|tic /se pt I k/ ADJ If a wound or a part of your body becomes septic , it becomes infected. □ …a septic toe.

sep|ti|cae|mia /se pt I siː miə/ in AM, use septicemia N‑UNCOUNT Septicaemia is blood poisoning. [MEDICAL ]

se p|tic ta nk (septic tanks ) N‑COUNT A septic tank is an underground tank where faeces, urine, and other waste matter is made harmless using bacteria.

sep|tua|genar|ian /se ptʃuədʒ I ne əriən/ (septuagenarians ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A septuagenarian is a person between 70 and 79 years old. [FORMAL ] □ …septuagenarian author Mary Wesley.

se|pul|chral /s I pʌ lkrəl/


1 ADJ Something that is sepulchral is serious or sad and rather frightening. [LITERARY ] □ 'He's gone,' Rory whispered in sepulchral tones.


2 ADJ A sepulchral place is dark, quiet, and empty. [LITERARY ] □ He made his way along the sepulchral corridors.

sep|ul|chre /se p ə lkə r / (sepulchres ) in AM, use sepulcher N‑COUNT A sepulchre is a building or room in which a dead person is buried. [LITERARY ]

se|quel /siː kw ə l/ (sequels )


1 N‑COUNT A book or film which is a sequel to an earlier one continues the story of the earlier one. □ [+ to ] She is currently writing a sequel to her first novel.


2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The sequel to something that has happened is an event or situation that happens after it or as a result of it. □ [+ to ] The police said the clash was a sequel to yesterday's nationwide strike.

se|quence /siː kwəns/ (sequences )


1 N‑COUNT A sequence of events or things is a number of events or things that come one after another in a particular order. □ [+ of ] …the sequence of events which led to the murder. □ [+ of ] …a dazzling sequence of novels by John Updike.


2 N‑COUNT A particular sequence is a particular order in which things happen or are arranged. □ …the colour sequence yellow, orange, purple, blue, green and white. □ The chronological sequence gives the book an element of structure.


3 N‑COUNT A film sequence is a part of a film that shows a single set of actions. □ The best sequence in the film occurs when Roth stops at a house he used to live in.


4 N‑COUNT A gene sequence or a DNA sequence is the order in which the elements making up a particular gene are combined. □ The project is nothing less than mapping every gene sequence in the human body. □ [+ of ] …the complete DNA sequence of the human genome.


5 VERB To sequence genes is to determine the order in which the elements that make them up are combined. □ [V n] The technique offers a means of sequencing the human genome much more quickly. ● se|quenc|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ DNA sequencing has become more advanced.

se|quenc|er /siː kwənsə r / (sequencers ) N‑COUNT A sequencer is an electronic instrument that can be used for recording and storing sounds so that they can be replayed as part of a new piece of music.

se|quenc|ing /siː kwəns I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Gene sequencing or DNA sequencing involves identifying the order in which the elements making up a particular gene are combined. □ …the U.S. government's own gene sequencing programme.

se|quen|tial /s I kwe nʃ ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is sequential follows a fixed order. [FORMAL ] □ …the sequential story of the universe. ● se|quen|tial|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ The pages are numbered sequentially.

se|ques|ter /s I kwe stə r / (sequesters , sequestering , sequestered )


1 VERB Sequester means the same as sequestrate . [LEGAL ] □ [be V -ed] Everything he owned was sequestered. [Also V n]


2 VERB If someone is sequestered somewhere, they are isolated from other people. [FORMAL ] □ [be V -ed] This jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months.

se|ques|tered /s I kwe stə r d/ ADJ A sequestered place is quiet and far away from busy places. [LITERARY ]

se|ques|trate /siː kwestre I t/ (sequestrates , sequestrating , sequestrated ) VERB [usu passive] When property is sequestrated , it is taken officially from someone who has debts, usually after a decision in a court of law. If the debts are paid off, the property is returned to its owner. [LEGAL ] □ [be V -ed] He tried to prevent union money from being sequestrated by the courts. ● se|ques|tra|tion /siː kwestre I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the sequestration of large areas of land.

se|quin /siː kw I n/ (sequins ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Sequins are small, shiny discs that are sewn on clothes to decorate them. □ The frocks were covered in sequins, thousands of them.

se|quinned /siː kw I nd/ also sequined ADJ [usu ADJ n] A sequinned piece of clothing is decorated or covered with sequins. □ …a strapless sequinned evening gown.

ser|aph /se rəf/ (seraphim /se rəf I m/ or seraphs ) N‑COUNT In the Bible, a seraph is a kind of angel.

Serbo-Croat /sɜː r boʊ kroʊ æt/ N‑UNCOUNT Serbo-Croat is one of the languages spoken in the former Yugoslavia.

ser|enade /se r I ne I d/ (serenades , serenading , serenaded )


1 VERB If one person serenades another, they sing or play a piece of music for them. Traditionally men did this outside the window of the woman they loved. □ [V n] In the interval a blond boy dressed in white serenaded the company on the flute. ● N‑COUNT Serenade is also a noun. □ [+ of ] The tenor sang his serenade of love.


2 N‑COUNT [oft in names] In classical music, a serenade is a piece in several parts written for a small orchestra. □ …Vaughan Williams's Serenade to Music.

ser|en|dipi|tous /se rend I p I təs/ ADJ A serendipitous event is one that is not planned but has a good result. [LITERARY ] □ …a serendipitous discovery.

ser|en|dip|ity /se rend I p I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Serendipity is the luck some people have in finding or creating interesting or valuable things by chance. [LITERARY ] □ Some of the best effects in my garden have been the result of serendipity.

se|rene /s I riː n/ ADJ Someone or something that is serene is calm and quiet. □ She looked as calm and serene as she always did. ● se|rene|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ We sailed serenely down the river. ● se|ren|ity /s I re n I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ I had a wonderful feeling of peace and serenity when I saw my husband.

serf /sɜː r f/ (serfs ) N‑COUNT In former times, serfs were a class of people who had to work on a particular person's land and could not leave without that person's permission.

serf|dom /sɜː r fdəm/


1 N‑UNCOUNT The system of serfdom was the social and economic system by which the owners of land had serfs.


2 N‑UNCOUNT If someone was in a state of serfdom , they were a serf.

serge /sɜː r dʒ/ N‑UNCOUNT Serge is a type of strong woollen cloth used to make clothes such as skirts, coats, and trousers. □ He wore a blue serge suit.

ser|geant /sɑː r dʒ ə nt/ (sergeants )


1 N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A sergeant is a non-commissioned officer of middle rank in the army, marines, or air force. □ A sergeant with a detail of four men came into view. □ …Sergeant Black.


2 N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE In the British police force, a sergeant is an officer with the next to lowest rank. In American police forces, a sergeant is an officer with the rank immediately below a captain. □ The unit headed by Sergeant Bell.

se r|geant ma|jor (sergeant majors ) also sergeant-major N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A sergeant major is the most senior non-commissioned officer in the army and the marines.

se|rial /s I ə riəl/ (serials )


1 N‑COUNT A serial is a story which is broadcast on television or radio or is published in a magazine or newspaper in a number of parts over a period of time. □ …one of BBC television's most popular serials, Eastenders. □ Maupin's novels have all appeared originally as serials.


2 ADJ [ADJ n] Serial killings or attacks are a series of killings or attacks committed by the same person. This person is known as a serial killer or attacker. □ The serial killer claimed to have killed 400 people.

se|riali|za|tion /s I ə riəla I ze I ʃ ə n/ (serializations ) in BRIT, also use serialisation 1 N‑UNCOUNT Serialization is the act of serializing a book.


2 N‑COUNT A serialization is a story, originally written as a book, which is being published or broadcast in a number of parts. □ [+ of ] …in the serialisation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

se|rial|ize /s I ə riəla I z/ (serializes , serializing , serialized ) in BRIT, also use serialise VERB [usu passive] If a book is serialized , it is broadcast on the radio or television or is published in a magazine or newspaper in a number of parts over a period of time. □ [be V -ed] A few years ago Tom Brown's Schooldays was serialised on television.

se |rial num|ber (serial numbers )


1 N‑COUNT [oft with poss] The serial number of an object is a number on that object which identifies it. □ …the gun's serial number. □ …your bike's serial number.


2 N‑COUNT The serial number of a member of the United States military forces is a number which identifies them.

se |rial po rt (serial ports ) N‑COUNT A serial port on a computer is a place where you can connect the computer to a device such as a modem or a mouse. [COMPUTING ]

se|ries ◆◆◇ /s I ə riːz/ (series )


1 N‑COUNT A series of things or events is a number of them that come one after the other. □ [+ of ] …a series of meetings with students and political leaders. □ [+ of ] …a series of explosions.


2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A radio or television series is a set of programmes of a particular kind which have the same title. □ Lisa Kudrow became famous for her role as Phoebe in the world's most popular TV series, Friends.

se|ri|ous ◆◆◆ /s I ə riəs/


1 ADJ Serious problems or situations are very bad and cause people to be worried or afraid. □ Crime is an increasingly serious problem in modern society. □ The government still face very serious difficulties. □ Doctors said his condition was serious but stable. ● se|ri|ous|ly ADV [ADV adj/adv, ADV with v] □ If this ban was to come in it would seriously damage my business. □ They are not thought to be seriously hurt. ● se|ri|ous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the seriousness of the crisis.


2 ADJ Serious matters are important and deserve careful and thoughtful consideration. □ I regard this as a serious matter. □ Don't laugh boy. This is serious.


3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] When important matters are dealt with in a serious way, they are given careful and thoughtful consideration. □ We had never discussed marriage in any serious way. □ It was a question which deserved serious consideration. ● se|ri|ous|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ The management will have to think seriously about their positions.


4 ADJ [ADJ n] Serious music or literature requires concentration to understand or appreciate it. □ There is no point reviewing a blockbuster as you might review a serious novel.


5 ADJ If someone is serious about something, they are sincere about what they are saying, doing, or intending to do. □ [+ about ] You really are serious about this, aren't you? □ I hope you're not serious. ● se|ri|ous|ly ADV [ADV adj/adv, ADV with v] □ Are you seriously jealous of Erica? ● se|ri|ous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ In all seriousness, there is nothing else I can do. [Also + of ]


6 ADJ Serious people are thoughtful and quiet, and do not laugh very often. □ He's quite a serious person. ● se|ri|ous|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ They spoke to me very seriously but politely.

se|ri|ous|ly ◆◇◇ /s I ə riəsli/


1 ADV You use seriously to indicate that you are not joking and that you really mean what you say. □ But seriously, we've had really positive feedback from all sorts of people.


2 CONVENTION You say ' seriously ' when you are surprised by what someone has said, as a way of asking them if they really mean it. [SPOKEN , FEELINGS ] □ 'I tried to chat him up at the general store.' He laughed. 'Seriously?'


3 → see also serious


4 PHRASE If you take someone or something seriously , you believe that they are important and deserve attention. □ It's hard to take them seriously in their pretty grey uniforms.

ser|mon /sɜː r mən/ (sermons ) N‑COUNT A sermon is a talk on a religious or moral subject that is given by a member of the clergy as part of a church service.

sero|to|nin /se roʊtoʊ n I n/ N‑UNCOUNT Serotonin is a chemical produced naturally in your brain that affects the way you feel, for example making you feel happier, calmer, or less hungry.

ser|pent /sɜː r pənt/ (serpents ) N‑COUNT A serpent is a snake. [LITERARY ] □ …the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

ser|pen|tine /sɜː r pənta I n/ ADJ Something that is serpentine is curving and winding in shape, like a snake when it moves. [LITERARY ] □ …serpentine woodland pathways.

ser|rat|ed /sere I t I d/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A serrated object such as a knife or blade has a row of V-shaped points along the edge. □ Bread knives should have a serrated edge.

ser|ried /se rid/ ADJ [ADJ n] Serried things or people are closely crowded together in rows. [LITERARY ] □ …serried rows of law books and law reports. □ …the serried ranks of fans.

se|rum /s I ə rəm/ (serums )


1 N‑VAR A serum is a liquid that is injected into someone's blood to protect them against a poison or disease.


2 N‑UNCOUNT Serum is the watery, pale yellow part of blood.

serv|ant ◆◇◇ /sɜː r v ə nt/ (servants )


1 N‑COUNT A servant is someone who is employed to work at another person's home, for example as a cleaner or a gardener.


2 N‑COUNT You can use servant to refer to someone or something that provides a service for people or can be used by them. □ The question is whether technology is going to be our servant or our master.


3 → see also civil servant

serve ◆◆◇ /sɜː r v/ (serves , serving , served )


1 VERB If you serve your country, an organization, or a person, you do useful work for them. □ [V n] It is unfair to soldiers who have served their country well for many years. □ [V n] I have always said that I would serve the Party in any way it felt appropriate.


2 VERB If you serve in a particular place or as a particular official, you perform official duties, especially in the armed forces, as a civil servant, or as a politician. □ [V prep/adv] During the second world war he served with RAF Coastal Command. □ [V prep/adv] For seven years until 1991 he served as a district councillor in Solihull.


3 VERB If something serves as a particular thing or serves a particular purpose, it performs a particular function, which is often not its intended function. □ [V + as/for ] She ushered me into the front room, which served as her office. □ [V n] I really do not think that an inquiry would serve any useful purpose. □ [V to-inf] Their brief visit has served to underline the deep differences between the two countries. □ [V n + as/for ] The old drawing room serves her as both sitting room and study.


4 VERB If something serves people or an area, it provides them with something that they need. □ [V n] This could mean the closure of thousands of small businesses which serve the community. □ [be V -ed + by ] Cuba is well served by motorways.


5 VERB Something that serves someone's interests benefits them. □ [V n] The economy should be organized to serve the interests of all the people.


6 VERB When you serve food and drink, you give people food and drink. □ [V n prep] Serve it with French bread. □ [V n adj] Serve the cakes warm. □ [V n] Prepare the garnishes shortly before you are ready to serve the soup. □ [V n n] …the pleasure of having someone serve you champagne and caviar in bed. □ [V ] They are expected to baby-sit, run errands, and help serve at cocktail parties. [Also V n + to ] ● PHRASAL VERB Serve up means the same as serve . □ [V P n] After all, it is no use serving up TV dinners if the kids won't eat them. □ [V n P ] He served it up on delicate white plates.


7 VERB [no cont] Serve is used to indicate how much food a recipe produces. For example, a recipe that serves six provides enough food for six people. □ [V n] Garnish with fresh herbs. Serves 4.


8 VERB Someone who serves customers in a shop or a bar helps them and provides them with what they want to buy. □ [V n] They wouldn't serve me in any pubs 'cos I looked too young. □ [V ] Auntie and Uncle suggested she serve in the shop.


9 VERB When the police or other officials serve someone with a legal order or serve an order on them, they give or send the legal order to them. [LEGAL ] □ [V n + with ] Immigration officers tried to serve her with a deportation order. □ [V n + on ] Police said they had been unable to serve a summons on 25-year-old Lee Jones. [Also V n]


10 VERB If you serve something such as a prison sentence or an apprenticeship, you spend a period of time doing it. □ [V n] …Leo, who is currently serving a life sentence for murder.


11 VERB When you serve in games such as tennis and badminton, you throw up the ball or shuttlecock and hit it to start play. □ [V n] He served 17 double faults. □ [V ] If you serve like this nobody can beat you. ● N‑COUNT Serve is also a noun. □ His second serve clipped the net.


12 N‑COUNT When you describe someone's serve , you are indicating how well or how fast they serve a ball or shuttlecock. □ His powerful serve was too much for the defending champion.


13 → see also serving


14 PHRASE If you say it serves someone right when something unpleasant happens to them, you mean that it is their own fault and you have no sympathy for them. [FEELINGS ] □ [+ for ] Serves her right for being so stubborn.


▸ serve out PHRASAL VERB If someone serves out their term of office, contract, or prison sentence, they do not leave before the end of the agreed period of time. □ [V P n] The governor has declared his innocence and says he plans to serve out his term. [Also V n P ]


▸ serve up → see serve 6

serv|er /sɜː r və r / (servers )


1 N‑COUNT In computing, a server is part of a computer network which does a particular task, for example storing or processing information, for all or part of the network. [COMPUTING ]


2 N‑COUNT [oft adj N ] In tennis and badminton, the server is the player whose turn it is to hit the ball or shuttlecock to start play. □ …a brilliant server and volleyer.


3 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A server is something such as a fork or spoon that is used for serving food. □ …salad servers.

ser|vice ◆◆◆ /sɜː r v I s/ (services , servicing , serviced ) For meaning 14 , services is both the singular and the plural form. 1 N‑COUNT A service is something that the public needs, such as transport, communications facilities, hospitals, or energy supplies, which is provided in a planned and organized way by the government or an official body. □ Britain still boasts the cheapest postal service. □ We have started a campaign for better nursery and school services. □ The authorities have said they will attempt to maintain essential services.


2 N‑COUNT [oft in names] You can sometimes refer to an organization or private company as a particular service when it provides something for the public or acts on behalf of the government. □ …the BBC World Service. □ …Careers Advisory Services.


3 N‑COUNT If an organization or company provides a particular service , they can do a particular job or a type of work for you. □ The kitchen maintains a twenty-four-hour service and can be contacted via Reception. □ The larger firm was capable of providing a better range of services.


4 N‑PLURAL Services are activities such as tourism, banking, and selling things which are part of a country's economy, but are not concerned with producing or manufacturing goods. □ Mining rose by 9.1%, manufacturing by 9.4% and services by 4.3%.


5 N‑UNCOUNT The level or standard of service provided by an organization or company is the amount or quality of the work it can do for you. □ Taking risks is the only way employees can provide effective and efficient customer service.


6 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] A bus or train service is a route or regular journey that is part of a transport system. □ A bus service operates between Bolton and Salford.


7 N‑PLURAL [with poss] Your services are the things that you do or the skills that you use in your job, which other people find useful and are usually willing to pay you for. □ [+ of ] I have obtained the services of a top photographer to take our pictures.


8 N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to someone's service or services to a particular organization or activity, you mean that they have done a lot of work for it or spent a lot of their time on it. □ [+ to ] You've given a lifetime of service to athletics. □ …the two policemen, who have a total of 31 years' service between them.


9 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The Services are the army, the navy, and the air force. □ In June 1945, Britain still had forty-five per cent of its workforce in the Services and munitions industries.


10 N‑UNCOUNT Service is the work done by people or equipment in the army, navy, or air force, for example during a war. □ The regiment was recruited from the Highlands specifically for service in India.


11 N‑UNCOUNT When you receive service in a restaurant, hotel, or shop, an employee asks you what you want or gives you what you have ordered. □ Bill was £68 including service and a couple of bar drinks and wine.


12 N‑COUNT A service is a religious ceremony that takes place in a church. □ After the hour-long service, his body was taken to a cemetery in the south of the city.


13 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] A dinner service or a tea service is a complete set of plates, cups, saucers, and other pieces of china. □ …a 60-piece dinner service.


14 N‑COUNT A services is a place beside a motorway where you can buy petrol and other things, or have a meal. [BRIT ] □ They had to pull up, possibly go to a motorway services or somewhere like that. in AM, use rest area 15 N‑COUNT [oft with poss] In tennis, badminton, and some other sports, when it is your service , it is your turn to serve. □ She conceded just three points on her service during the first set.


16 ADJ [ADJ n] Service is used to describe the parts of a building or structure that are used by the staff who clean, repair, or look after it, and are not usually used by the public. □ He wheeled the trolley down the corridor and disappeared with it into the service lift.


17 VERB If you have a vehicle or machine serviced , you arrange for someone to examine, adjust, and clean it so that it will keep working efficiently and safely. □ [have n V -ed] I had my car serviced at the local garage. □ [be V -ed] Make sure that all gas fires and central heating boilers are serviced annually. [Also V n] ● N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft N n] Service is also a noun. □ The car needs a service. □ The company sends a service engineer to fix the disk drive before it fails.


18 VERB If a country or organization services its debts, it pays the interest on them. □ [V n] Almost a quarter of the country's export earnings go to service a foreign debt of $29 billion.


19 VERB If someone or something services an organization, a project, or a group of people, they provide it with the things that it needs in order to function properly or effectively. □ [V n] Fossil fuels such as oil and gas will service our needs for some considerable time to come.


20 → see also active service , Civil Service , community service , emergency services , in-service , National Health Service , national service , public service , room service


21 PHRASE To be at the service of a person or organization means to be available to help or be used by that person or organization. □ The intellectual and moral potential of the world's culture must be put at the service of politics.


22 CONVENTION You can use ' at your service ' after your name as a formal way of introducing yourself to someone and saying that you are willing to help them in any way you can. [FORMULAE ] □ She bowed dramatically. 'Anastasia Krupnik, at your service,' she said.


23 PHRASE If you do someone a service , you do something that helps or benefits them. □ You are doing me a great service, and I'm very grateful to you.


24 PHRASE If a piece of equipment or type of vehicle is in service , it is being used or is able to be used. If it is out of service , it is not being used, usually because it is not working properly. □ Cuts in funding have meant that equipment has been kept in service longer.


25 PHRASE If someone or something is of service to you, they help you or are useful to you. □ That is, after all, the primary reason we live–to be of service to others.

ser|vice|able /sɜː r v I səb ə l/ ADJ If you describe something as serviceable , you mean that it is good enough to be used and to perform its function. □ His Arabic was not as good as his English, but serviceable enough.

se r|vice area (service areas ) N‑COUNT A service area is a place beside a motorway where you can buy petrol and other things, or have a meal. [BRIT ] in AM, use rest area

se r|vice charge (service charges ) N‑COUNT A service charge is an amount that is added to your bill in a restaurant to pay for the work of the person who comes and serves you. □ Most restaurants add a 10 per cent service charge.

se r|vice in|dus|try (service industries ) N‑COUNT A service industry is an industry such as banking or insurance that provides a service but does not produce anything.

ser|vice|man /sɜː r v I smən/ (servicemen ) N‑COUNT A serviceman is a man who is in the army, navy, or air force.

se r|vice pro|vi d|er (service providers ) N‑COUNT A service provider is a company that provides a service, especially an internet service. [COMPUTING ]

se r|vice sta|tion (service stations )


1 N‑COUNT A service station is a place that sells things such as petrol, oil, and spare parts. Service stations often sell food, drink, and other goods.


2 N‑COUNT A service station is a place beside a motorway where you can buy petrol and other things, or have a meal. [BRIT ] in AM, use rest area

ser|vice|woman /sɜː r v I swʊmən/ (servicewomen ) N‑COUNT A servicewoman is a woman who is in the army, navy, or air force.

ser|vi|ette /sɜː r vie t/ (serviettes ) N‑COUNT A serviette is a square of cloth or paper that you use to protect your clothes or to wipe your mouth when you are eating. [BRIT ] in AM, use napkin

ser|vile /sɜː r va I l, [AM ] -v ə l/ ADJ If you say that someone is servile , you disapprove of them because they are too eager to obey someone or do things for them. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was subservient and servile. ● ser|vil|ity /sɜː r v I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ She's a curious mixture of stubbornness and servility.

serv|ing /sɜː r v I ŋ/ (servings )


1 N‑COUNT A serving is an amount of food that is given to one person at a meal. □ [+ of ] Quantities will vary according to how many servings of soup you want to prepare. □ Each serving contains 240 calories.


2 ADJ [ADJ n] A serving spoon or dish is used for giving out food at a meal. □ Pile the potatoes into a warm serving dish.

ser|vi|tude /sɜː r v I tjuːd, [AM ] -tuːd/


1 N‑UNCOUNT Servitude is the condition of being a slave or of being completely under the control of someone else. □ …a life of servitude.


2 → see also penal servitude

sesa|me /se səmi/ N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Sesame is a plant grown for its seeds and oil, which are used in cooking. □ …sesame seeds.

ses|sion ◆◆◇ /se ʃ ə n/ (sessions )


1 N‑COUNT [oft in N ] A session is a meeting of a court, parliament, or other official group. □ [+ of ] …an emergency session of parliament. □ After two late night sessions, the Security Council has failed to reach agreement. □ The court was in session.


2 N‑COUNT [oft in N ] A session is a period during which the meetings of a court, parliament, or other official group are regularly held. □ The parliamentary session ends on October 4th.


3 N‑COUNT A session of a particular activity is a period of that activity. □ The two leaders emerged for a photo session. □ …group therapy sessions.


4 ADJ [ADJ n] Session musicians are employed to play backing music in recording studios. □ He established himself as a session musician. COLLOCATIONS session NOUN 3


noun + session : coaching, gym, practice, training; counselling, therapy; bonding, drinking, recording


verb + session : attend, run


set


➊ NOUN USES


➋ VERB AND ADJECTIVE USES


➊ set ◆◆◆ /se t/ (sets )


1 N‑COUNT A set of things is a number of things that belong together or that are thought of as a group. □ [+ of ] There must be one set of laws for the whole of the country. □ [+ of ] I might need a spare set of clothes. □ [+ of ] The computer repeats a set of calculations. □ [+ of ] Only she and Mr Cohen had complete sets of keys to the shop. □ The mattress and base are normally bought as a set. □ …a chess set.


2 N‑COUNT In tennis, a set is one of the groups of six or more games that form part of a match. □ Graf was leading 5-1 in the first set.


3 N‑COUNT In mathematics, a set is a group of mathematical quantities that have some characteristic in common.


4 N‑COUNT A band's or musician's set is the group of songs or tunes that they perform at a concert. □ The band continued with their set after a short break.


5 N‑SING You can refer to a group of people as a set if they meet together socially or have the same interests and lifestyle. □ He belonged to what the press called 'The Chelsea Set'.


6 → see also jet set


7 N‑COUNT [oft on/off N ] The set for a play, film, or television show is the furniture and scenery that is on the stage when the play is being performed or in the studio where filming takes place. □ From the first moment he got on the set, he wanted to be a director too. □ [+ for ] …his stage sets for the Folies Bergeres.


8 N‑SING The set of someone's face or part of their body is the way that it is fixed in a particular expression or position, especially one that shows determination. □ [+ of ] Isabelle opened her mouth but stopped when she saw the set of his shoulders and the look in his eyes.


9 N‑COUNT A set is an appliance. For example, a television set is a television. □ Children spend so much time in front of the television set.

➋ set ◆◆◆ /se t/ (sets , setting ) The form set is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle of the verb. → Please look at categories 25 to 31 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.


1 VERB If you set something somewhere, you put it there, especially in a careful or deliberate way. □ [V n prep] He took the case out of her hand and set it on the floor. □ [V n with adv] When he set his glass down he spilled a little drink.


2 ADJ If something is set in a particular place or position, it is in that place or position. □ [+ in ] The castle is set in 25 acres of beautiful grounds.


3 ADJ If something is set into a surface, it is fixed there and does not stick out. □ [+ in ] The man unlocked a gate set in a high wall and let me through.


4 VERB You can use set to say that a person or thing causes another person or thing to be in a particular condition or situation. For example, to set someone free means to cause them to be free, and to set something going means to cause it to start working. □ [V n v-ing] Set the kitchen timer going. □ [V n v-ing] A phrase from the conference floor set my mind wandering. □ [be V -ed adj/adv] Dozens of people have been injured and many vehicles set on fire. □ [V n with prep] Churchill immediately set into motion a daring plan.


5 VERB When you set a clock or control, you adjust it to a particular point or level. □ [V n adv/prep] Set the volume as high as possible. □ [V n] I forgot to set my alarm and I overslept.


6 VERB If you set a date, price, goal, or level, you decide what it will be. □ [V n] The conference chairman has set a deadline of noon tomorrow. □ [be V -ed + for ] A date will be set for a future meeting.


7 VERB If you set a certain value on something, you think it has that value. □ [V n + on ] She sets a high value on autonomy.


8 VERB If you set something such as a record, an example, or a precedent, you do something that people will want to copy or try to achieve. □ [V n] The outcome could set a precedent for other businesses with similar objections. □ [be V -ed] The previous record of 128,100ft was set by Felix Baumgartner.


9 VERB If someone sets you a task or aim or if you set yourself a task or aim, you need to succeed in doing it. □ [V n n] I have to plan my academic work very rigidly and set myself clear objectives.


10 VERB To set an examination or a question paper means to decide what questions will be asked in it. [BRIT ] □ [V n] He broke with the tradition of setting examinations in Latin. in AM, usually use make up 11 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use set to describe something which is fixed and cannot be changed. □ Investors can apply for a package of shares at a set price.


12 ADJ [ADJ n] A set book must be studied by students taking a particular course. [BRIT ] □ One of the set books is Jane Austen's Emma. in AM, use required 13 ADJ If a play, film, or story is set in a particular place or period of time, the events in it take place in that place or period. □ [+ in ] The play is set in a small Midwestern town.


14 ADJ If you are set to do something, you are ready to do it or are likely to do it. If something is set to happen, it is about to happen or likely to happen. □ Cristiano Ronaldo was set to become one of the greatest players of all time.


15 ADJ If you are set on something, you are strongly determined to do or have it. If you are set against something, you are strongly determined not to do or have it. □ [+ on/against ] She was set on going to an all-girls school.


16 VERB If you set your face or jaw, you put on a fixed expression of determination. □ [V n] Instead, she set her jaw grimly and waited in silence.


17 VERB When something such as jelly, melted plastic, or cement sets , it becomes firm or hard. □ [V ] You can add ingredients to these desserts as they begin to set.


18 VERB When the sun sets , it goes below the horizon. □ [V ] They watched the sun set behind the distant dales. □ [V -ing] …the red glow of the setting sun.


19 VERB To set a trap means to prepare it to catch someone or something. □ [V n + for ] He seemed to think I was setting some sort of trap for him.


20 VERB When someone sets the table, they prepare it for a meal by putting plates and cutlery on it.


21 VERB If someone sets a poem or a piece of writing to music, they write music for the words to be sung to. □ [V n + to ] He has attracted much interest by setting ancient religious texts to music.


22 → see also setting , set-to


23 PHRASE If someone sets the scene or sets the stage for an event to take place, they make preparations so that it can take place. □ The convention set the scene for a ferocious election campaign.


24 PHRASE If you say that someone is set in their ways , you are being critical of the fact that they have fixed habits and ideas which they will not easily change, even though they may be old-fashioned. [DISAPPROVAL ]


25 to set eyes on something → see eye


26 to set fire to something → see fire ➊


27 to set foot somewhere → see foot


28 to set your heart on something → see heart


29 to set sail → see sail


30 to set great store by or on something → see store


31 to set to work → see work


▸ set against


1 PHRASAL VERB If one argument or fact is set against another, it is considered in relation to it. □ [be V -ed P n] These are relatively small points when set against her expertise on so many other issues. [Also V n P n]


2 PHRASAL VERB To set one person against another means to cause them to become enemies or rivals. □ [V n P n] The case has set neighbour against neighbour in the village.


▸ set apart PHRASAL VERB If a characteristic sets you apart from other people, it makes you different from the others in a noticeable way. □ [V n P + from ] What sets it apart from hundreds of similar small French towns is the huge factory. □ [V n P ] Li blends right into the crowd of teenagers. Only his accent sets him apart.


▸ set aside


1 PHRASAL VERB If you set something aside for a special use or purpose, you keep it available for that use or purpose. □ [V P n] Some doctors advise setting aside a certain hour each day for worry. □ [be V -ed P + for ] £130 million would be set aside for repairs to schools. [Also V n P ]


2 PHRASAL VERB If you set aside a belief, principle, or feeling, you decide that you will not be influenced by it. □ [V P n] He urged them to set aside minor differences for the sake of peace. [Also V n P ]


▸ set back


1 PHRASAL VERB If something sets you back or sets back a project or scheme, it causes a delay. □ [V n P ] It has set us back so far that I'm not sure if we can catch up. □ [V P n] There will be a risk of public protest that could set back reforms.


2 PHRASAL VERB If something sets you back a certain amount of money, it costs you that much money. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n P amount] In 1981 dinner for two in New York would set you back £5.


3 → see also setback


▸ set down


1 PHRASAL VERB If a committee or organization sets down rules for doing something, it decides what they should be and officially records them. □ [V P n] The Safety at Sea Bill set down regulations to improve safety on fishing vessels. [Also V n P ]


2 PHRASAL VERB If you set down your thoughts or experiences, you write them all down. □ [V P n] Old Walter is setting down his memories of village life. [Also V n P ]


▸ set forth PHRASAL VERB If you set forth a number of facts, beliefs, or arguments, you explain them in writing or speech in a clear, organized way. [FORMAL ] □ [V P n] Dr. Mesibov set forth the basis of his approach to teaching students.


▸ set in PHRASAL VERB If something unpleasant sets in , it begins and seems likely to continue or develop. □ [V P ] Then disappointment sets in as they see the magic is no longer there. □ [V P ] Winter is setting in and the population is facing food and fuel shortages.


▸ set off


1 PHRASAL VERB When you set off , you start a journey. □ [V P prep/adv] Nichols set off for his remote farmhouse in Connecticut. □ [V P ] I set off, full of optimism.


2 PHRASAL VERB If something sets off something such as an alarm or a bomb, it makes it start working so that, for example, the alarm rings or the bomb explodes. □ [V P n] Any escape, once it's detected, sets off the alarm. □ [V n P ] It could take months before evidence emerges on how the bomb was made, and who set it off.


3 PHRASAL VERB If something sets off an event or a series of events, it causes it to start happening. □ [V P n] The arrival of the charity van set off a minor riot as villagers scrambled for a share of the aid. [Also V n P ]


▸ set on PHRASAL VERB To set animals on someone means to cause the animals to attack them. □ [V n P n] They brought the young men in and set the dogs on them.


▸ set out


1 PHRASAL VERB When you set out , you start a journey. □ [V P prep/adv] When setting out on a long walk, always wear suitable boots. [Also V P ]


2 PHRASAL VERB If you set out to do something, you start trying to do it. □ [V P to-inf] He has achieved what he set out to do three years ago.


3 PHRASAL VERB If you set things out , you arrange or display them somewhere. □ [V P n] Set out the cakes attractively, using lacy doilies. [Also V n P ]


4 PHRASAL VERB If you set out a number of facts, beliefs, or arguments, you explain them in writing or speech in a clear, organized way. □ [V P n] He has written a letter to The Times setting out his views. [Also V n P ]


▸ set up


1 PHRASAL VERB If you set something up , you create or arrange it. □ [V P n] The two sides agreed to set up a commission to investigate claims. □ [V n P ] Tell us when and why you started your business and how you went about setting it up. ● set|ting up N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The British government announced the setting up of a special fund.


2 PHRASAL VERB If you set up a temporary structure, you place it or build it somewhere. □ [V P n] They took to the streets, setting up roadblocks of burning tyres. [Also V n P ]


3 PHRASAL VERB If you set up a device or piece of machinery, you do the things that are necessary for it to be able to start working. □ [V P n] I set up the computer so that they could work from home. [Also V n P ]


4 PHRASAL VERB If you set up somewhere or set yourself up somewhere, you establish yourself in a new business or new area. □ [V P prep/adv] The mayor's scheme offers incentives to firms setting up in lower Manhattan. □ [V pron-refl P ] He set himself up in business and became a successful agent. □ [V n P prep/adv] Grandfather set them up in a liquor business.


5 PHRASAL VERB If you set up home or set up shop, you buy a house or business of your own and start living or working there. □ [V P n] They married, and set up home in Ramsgate.


6 PHRASAL VERB If something sets up something such as a process, it creates it or causes it to begin. □ [V P n] The secondary current sets up a magnetic field inside the tube. [Also V n P ]


7 PHRASAL VERB If you are set up by someone, they make it seem that you have done something wrong when you have not. [INFORMAL ] □ [be V -ed P ] Both men deny any involvement and claim they were set up by the British secret service. □ [V n P ] Maybe Angelo tried to set us up. [Also V P n (not pron)]


8 → see also set-up


▸ set upon PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If you are set upon by people, they make a sudden and unexpected physical attack on you. □ [be V -ed P ] We were set upon by about twelve youths and I was kicked unconscious.

se t-aside N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] In the European Union, set-aside is a scheme in which some areas of farmland are not used for a period of time, either because too much is being produced already, or so that a crop does not become too cheap. □ The farm is paid £87 per acre for the 1,700 acres it has in set-aside.

set|back /se tbæk/ (setbacks ) also set-back N‑COUNT A setback is an event that delays your progress or reverses some of the progress that you have made. □ [+ for/in/to ] The move represents a setback for the peace process.

se t pie ce (set pieces ) also set-piece


1 N‑COUNT [oft N n] A set piece is an occasion such as a battle or a move in a game of football that is planned and carried out in an ordered way. □ Guerrillas avoid fighting set-piece battles.


2 N‑COUNT A set piece is a part of a film, novel, or piece of music which has a strong dramatic effect and which is often not an essential part of the main story. □ …the film's martial arts set pieces.

sett /se t/ (setts ) N‑COUNT A sett is the place where a badger lives.

set|tee /setiː / (settees ) N‑COUNT A settee is a long comfortable seat with a back and arms, which two or more people can sit on.

set|ter /se tə r / (setters ) N‑COUNT A setter is a long-haired dog that can be trained to show hunters where birds and animals are.

set|ting /se t I ŋ/ (settings )


1 N‑COUNT A particular setting is a particular place or type of surroundings where something is or takes place. □ [+ for ] Rome is the perfect setting for romance.


2 N‑COUNT A setting is one of the positions to which the controls of a device such as a cooker, stove, or heater can be adjusted. □ You can boil the fish fillets on a high setting.


3 N‑COUNT A table setting is the complete set of equipment that one person needs to eat a meal, including knives, forks, spoons, and glasses.

set|tle ◆◆◇ /se t ə l/ (settles , settling , settled )


1 VERB If people settle an argument or problem, or if something settles it, they solve it, for example by making a decision about who is right or about what to do. □ [V n] They agreed to try to settle their dispute by negotiation. □ [V n] Tomorrow's vote is unlikely to settle the question of who will replace their leader.


2 VERB If people settle a legal dispute or if they settle , they agree to end the dispute without going to a court of law, for example by paying some money or by apologizing. □ [V n] In an attempt to settle the case, Molken has agreed to pay restitution. □ [V ] She got much less than she would have done if she had settled out of court. □ [V + with ] His company settled with the authorities by paying a $200 million fine.


3 VERB If you settle a bill or debt, you pay the amount that you owe. □ [V n] I settled the bill for my coffee. □ [V + with ] They settled with Colin at the end of the evening.


4 VERB [usu passive] If something is settled , it has all been decided and arranged. □ [be V -ed] As far as we're concerned, the matter is settled.


5 VERB When people settle a place or in a place, or when a government settles them there, they start living there permanently. □ [V prep/adv] Refugees settling in Britain suffer from a number of problems. □ [V n] Thirty-thousand-million dollars is needed to settle the refugees. [Also V n prep/adv, V ]


6 VERB If you settle yourself somewhere or settle somewhere, you sit down or make yourself comfortable. □ [V pron-refl prep/adv] Albert settled himself on the sofa. □ [V prep/adv] Jessica settled into her chair with a small sigh of relief.


7 VERB If something settles or if you settle it, it sinks slowly down and becomes still. □ [V prep/adv] A black dust settled on the walls. □ [V ] Once its impurities had settled, the oil could be graded. □ [V n] Tap each one firmly on your work surface to settle the mixture.


8 VERB If your eyes settle on or upon something, you stop looking around and look at that thing for some time. □ [V + on/upon ] The man let his eyes settle upon Cross's face.


9 VERB When birds or insects settle on something, they land on it from above. □ [V + on ] Moths flew in front of it, eventually settling on the rough painted metal.


10 → see also settled


11 when the dust settles → see dust


12 to settle a score → see score


▸ settle down


1 PHRASAL VERB When someone settles down , they start living a quiet life in one place, especially when they get married or buy a house. □ [V P ] One day I'll want to settle down and have a family. □ [V P prep/adv] As a southerner, he did not want to move north, fearing that he 'might never settle down in the provinces'.


2 PHRASAL VERB If a situation or a person that has been going through a lot of problems or changes settles down , they become calm. □ [V P ] Though previously troubled by civil strife, Kashmir has settled down.


3 PHRASAL VERB If you settle down to do something or to something, you prepare to do it and concentrate on it. □ [V P to-inf] He got his coffee, came back and settled down to listen. □ [V P + to ] They settled down to some serious work.


4 PHRASAL VERB If you settle down for the night, you get ready to lie down and sleep. □ [V P ] They put up their tents and settled down for the night.


▸ settle for PHRASAL VERB If you settle for something, you choose or accept it, especially when it is not what you really want but there is nothing else available. □ [V P n] Virginia was a perfectionist. She was just not prepared to settle for anything mediocre.


▸ settle in PHRASAL VERB If you settle in , you become used to living in a new place, doing a new job, or going to a new school. □ [V P ] I enjoyed King Edward's School enormously once I'd settled in.


▸ settle on PHRASAL VERB If you settle on a particular thing, you choose it after considering other possible choices. □ [V P n] I finally settled on a Mercedes estate.


▸ settle up PHRASAL VERB When you settle up , you pay a bill or a debt. □ [V P ] When we approached the till to settle up, he reduced our bill by 50 per cent.

set|tled /se t ə ld/


1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you have a settled way of life, you stay in one place, in one job, or with one person, rather than moving around or changing. □ He decided to lead a more settled life with his partner.


2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A settled situation or system stays the same all the time. □ There has been a period of settled weather.

set|tle|ment ◆◆◇ /se t ə lmənt/ (settlements )


1 N‑COUNT A settlement is an official agreement between two sides who were involved in a conflict or argument. □ Our objective must be to secure a peace settlement. □ [+ of ] They are not optimistic about a settlement of the eleven-year conflict.


2 N‑COUNT A settlement is an agreement to end a disagreement or dispute without going to a court of law, for example by offering someone money. □ She accepted an out-of-court settlement of £4,000.


3 N‑UNCOUNT The settlement of a debt is the act of paying back money that you owe. □ [+ of ] …ways to delay the settlement of debts.


4 N‑COUNT A settlement is a place where people have come to live and have built homes. □ [+ of ] The village is a settlement of just fifty houses. COLLOCATIONS settlement NOUN


1


noun + settlement : dispute, divorce, pay, peace


adjective + settlement : amicable; political


verb + settlement : achieve, announce, reach, secure; negotiate, propose


2


noun + settlement : cash; lawsuit, libel


adjective + settlement : confidential, out-of-court


verb + settlement : accept, agree, negotiate

set|tler /se tələ r / (settlers ) N‑COUNT Settlers are people who go to live in a new country. □ [+ from ] The village was founded by settlers from the Volga region.

se t-to (set-tos ) N‑COUNT A set-to is a dispute or fight. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ between ] This was the subject of a bit of a set-to between Smith and his record company.

se t-top bo x (set-top boxes ) N‑COUNT A set-top box is a piece of equipment that rests on top of your television and receives digital television signals.

se t-up ◆◆◇ (set-ups ) also setup


1 N‑COUNT A particular set-up is a particular system or way of organizing something. [INFORMAL ] □ It appears to be an idyllic domestic set-up. □ [+ of ] I gradually got rather disillusioned with the whole setup of the university.


2 N‑COUNT If you describe a situation as a set-up , you mean that people have planned it in order to deceive you or to make it look as if you have done something wrong. [INFORMAL ] □ He was asked to pick somebody up and bring them to a party, not realizing it was a setup.


3 N‑SING The set-up of computer hardware or software is the process of installing it and making it ready to use. [COMPUTING ] □ The worst part of the set-up is the poor instruction manual.

sev|en ◆◆◆ /se v ə n/ (sevens ) NUM Seven is the number 7. □ Sarah and Ella have been friends for seven years.

sev|en|teen ◆◆◆ /se v ə ntiː n/ (seventeens ) NUM Seventeen is the number 17. □ Jenny is seventeen years old.

sev|en|teenth ◆◆◇ /se v ə ntiː nθ/ (seventeenths )


1 ORD The seventeenth item in a series is the one that you count as number seventeen. □ She gave birth to her daughter just after her seventeenth birthday.


2 FRACTION A seventeenth is one of seventeen equal parts of something.

sev|enth ◆◆◇ /se v ə nθ/ (sevenths )


1 ORD The seventh item in a series is the one that you count as number seven. □ I was the seventh child in a family of 11.


2 FRACTION A seventh is one of seven equal parts of something. □ A million people died, a seventh of the population.

Sev|enth Day Ad|vent|ist /se v ə nθ de I ædve nt I st/ (Seventh Day Adventists )


1 ADJ [ADJ n] Seventh Day Adventist churches are churches that believe that Jesus Christ will return very soon, and that have Saturday as their holy day.


2 N‑COUNT A Seventh Day Adventist is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church.

se v|enth hea v|en N‑UNCOUNT [in N ] If you say that you are in seventh heaven , you mean that you are in a state of complete happiness. [INFORMAL ]

sev|en|ti|eth ◆◆◇ /se v ə ntiəθ/ ORD The seventieth item in a series is the one that you count as number seventy. □ Richard Wagner died at Venice, in his seventieth year.

sev|en|ty ◆◆◆ /se v ə nti/ (seventies )


1 NUM Seventy is the number 70. □ Seventy people were killed.


2 N‑PLURAL When you talk about the seventies , you are referring to numbers between 70 and 79. For example, if you are in your seventies , you are aged between 70 and 79. If the temperature is in the seventies , it is between 70 and 79. □ It's a long way to go for two people in their seventies.


3 N‑PLURAL The seventies is the decade between 1970 and 1979. □ In the late Seventies, things had to be new, modern, revolutionary.

sev|er /se və r / (severs , severing , severed )


1 VERB To sever something means to cut completely through it or to cut it completely off. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Richardson severed his right foot in a motorbike accident. □ [V -ed] …oil still gushing from a severed fuel line.


2 VERB If you sever a relationship or connection that you have with someone, you end it suddenly and completely. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] She severed her ties with England.

sev|er|al ◆◆◆ /se vrəl/ DET Several is used to refer to an imprecise number of people or things that is not large but is greater than two. □ I had lived two doors away from this family for several years. □ Several blue plastic boxes under the window were filled with record albums. □ Several hundred students gathered on campus. ● QUANT Several is also a quantifier. □ [+ of ] Several of the delays were caused by the new high-tech baggage system. ● PRON Several is also a pronoun. □ No one drug will suit or work for everyone and sometimes several may have to be tried. SYNONYMS several DET


some: He went to fetch some books.


a few: I gave a dinner party for a few close friends.


a handful: One spring morning a handful of potential investors assembled in Quincy.

sev|er|ance /se vərəns/


1 N‑UNCOUNT Severance from a person or group, or the severance of a connection, involves the ending of a relationship or connection. [FORMAL ] □ [+ from ] …his bitter sense of severance from his family. □ [+ of ] …the complete severance of diplomatic relations.


2 ADJ [ADJ n] Severance pay is a sum of money that a company gives to its employees when it has to stop employing them. [BUSINESS ] □ We were offered 13 weeks' severance pay.

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