Dienstag, 27. Juli 2021, 22:54
Site: Learning English in context
Course: Learning English in context (Context)
Glossary: Global glossary


[transitive verb]



to treat someone in a cruel and violent way, often sexually

sexually/physically abused
She was sexually abused as a child


    She thought for a moment before answering.
    give (somebody) an answer


way somebody/something looks

[uncountable and countable]
the way someone or something looks to other people

He was always criticising his wife's appearance.
appearance of
They've changed the appearance of the whole building.
We are often attracted to somebody first by theirphysical appearance.



apply for
She applied for a job with the local newspaper.




The children are aware of the danger of taking drugs.



1 knowledge or understanding of a particular subject or situation
environmental/political/social awareness
2 the ability to notice something using your senses
awareness of
an artist's awareness of light and color






a bustling place is very busy



something difficult

[uncountable and countable noun]

challenge of
The company is ready to meet the challenges of the next few years.


[uncountable noun] formal

careful thought and attention, especially before making an official or important decision:

proposals put forward for consideration


making you believe that something is true or right

Courtenay played the role in an utterly convincing way.


in the course of last year = during last year


  • (verb)news
    I'd just returned from covering the Cambodian war.



the pieces of something that are left after it has been destroyed in an accident, explosion etc:

She was hit by flying debris from the blast.


done in a way that is intended or planned [= on purpose, intentionally]:

He deliberately upset her.


design (verb) context: is designed as

Definition: to plan or develop something for a specific purpose (Longman DCE 2008)

Example: These exercises are designed to sthrengthen your muscles. (Longman DCE 2008)

This textbook has been designed to explain the basic terminology of the subject area.


a piece of electronic equipment, such as alaptop computer or amobile phone, that is small and easy to carry


plural disabilities

[countable noun] a physical or mental condition that makes it difficult for someone to use a part of their body properly, or to learn normally with a disability
Public places are becoming more accessible to people with disabilities.
learning/physical/mental etc disability
children with severe learning disabilities



discrimination against
widespread discrimination against older people in the job market
discrimination in favour of
discrimination in favour of university graduates
positive discrimination, reverse discrimination


[uncountable and countable noun]

when someone is removed from their job:

Wilson was claiming compensation for unfair dismissal.



[countable noun usually singular] a particular type of character which makes someone likely to behave or react in a certain way [= temperament]
genetic disposition
of a nervous/sociable/sensitive etc disposition (=having a nervous etc character)
The film is not suitable for people of a nervous disposition.
have a cheerful/sunny etc disposition (=have a happy character)


city center



a human - used in science fiction stories


to send out gas, heat, light, sound



to start a company, organization, system, etc that is intended to exist or continue for a long time [= found]:
The city of Boerne was established by German settlers in the 1840s.
Our goal is to establish a new research centre in the North



a mainstream exhibition that excluded women artists



to demand that someone does something because it is a duty or seems reasonable

expect something from somebody
The officer expects complete obedience from his troops.
expect somebody to do something
I can't expect her to be on time if I'm late myself.
expect a lot of somebody/expect too much of somebody (=think someone can do more than may be possible)
The school expects a lot of its students.



[plural noun]

rooms, equipment, or services that are provided for a particular purpose:

All rooms haveprivate facilities (=private bathroom and toilet).
The hotel has its own pool andleisure facilities.
toilet facilities
childcare facilities


having an end or a limit [≠ infinite]:

the earth's finite resources







 [countable noun]

a space

gap in
a gap in the traffic
gap between
the gap between the two rows of seats


the gist

the main idea and meaning of what someone has said or written
the gist of
The gist of his argument is that full employment is impossible.


[uncountable noun]




the grass roots

the ordinary people in an organization, rather than the leaders
grass roots [adjective:]
We are hoping for full participation at grass roots level.


[uncountable noun]

when someone behaves in an unpleasant or threatening way towards you:
African-Americans have been complaining about police harassment for years.
sexual harassment (=because of someone's sex )
We need effective strategies to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.



Her boss humiliated her in front of all her colleagues.



impact on/upon
We need to assess the impact on climate change.
verb: to impact


if two situations, ideas etc are intertwined, they are closely related to each other

The problems of crime and unemployment are closely intertwined.


in‧tim‧i‧date [transitive verb]

to frighten or threaten someone into making them do what you want intimidate somebody into doing something

intimidation [uncountable noun]

She had endured years of intimidation and violence.
the intimidation of voters








You need specialist knowledge to do this job.
knowledge of
His knowledge of ancient civilizations is unrivalled.
knowledge about
the need to increase knowledge about birth control
He did nothavemuch knowledgeof American history.


[transitive verb] to move something or someone upwards into the air:

Sophie lifted the phone before the second ring.
He lifted the lid on the pot of soup.


to connect

to link up with somebody

linked-in (social media)


hear to



waste matter from animals that is mixed with soil to improve the soil and help plants grow




to treat a person or animal badly, especially in a cruel way [= ill-treat, maltreat]:

Security forces are accused of mistreating prisoners.


tidy and carefully arranged:

neat handwriting
His clothes were always neat and clean.



in spite of a fact that you have just mentioned [= nonetheless]:

What you said was true. It was, nevertheless, a little unkind.

noun phrase

A noun phrase or nominal phrase (abbreviated NP) is a phrase which has a noun (or indefinite pronoun) as its head word, or which performs the same grammatical function as such a phrase. They may be the most frequently occurring phrase type.

Examples: The noun phrases are underlined.

The election year politics are annoying for many people.

Almost every sentence contains at least one noun phrase.

Current economic weakness may be a result of high energy prices.

You find more information here.



[uncountable and countable]


on grounds of

on the basis of


1 if something is outdated, it is no longer considered useful or effective, because something more modern exists [↪ old-fashioned]:
outdated teaching methods
a factory with outdated equipment
His writing style is now boring and outdated.
2 outdated information is not recent and may no longer be correct:
This estimate was made on the basis of outdated figures.


[transitive verb not in progressive]

perceive something/somebody as something
perceive something/somebody to be something
That morning, he perceived a change in Franca's mood.
Cats are not able to perceive colour.
perceive that


per‧se‧cute [transitive]
1 to treat someone cruelly or unfairly over a period of time, especially because of their religious or political beliefs:
The Puritans left England to escape being persecuted.
2 to deliberately cause difficulties for someone by annoying them often [= harass]:
Like many celebrities, she complained of being persecuted by the press.
persecutornoun [countable]
persecutionnoun [uncountable and countable]
the persecution of writers who criticize the government


is a combination of two (or more) words or their sounds (morphemes) and their meanings into a single new word



[plural noun]

the buildings and land that a shop, restaurant, company etc uses:

Schools may earn extra money by renting out their premises.
business premises
do not enter these premises
off the premises
Keep off these premises
The manager escorted him off the premises.
on the premises
The wonderful desserts are made on the premises.


[only before noun]

1 existing or accepted in a particular place or at a particular time [= current]:
The prevailing mood of public opinion remained hostile.
the prevailing economic conditionsin Northern Ireland
2 dominant


[transitive verb]

The rules are intended to prevent accidents.
prevent somebody/something (from) doing something
His back injury may prevent him from playing in tomorrow's game.
We were prevented from entering the site.


[transitive verb]

Tea and biscuits will be provided.
provide something for somebody
The hotelprovidesa shoe-cleaning servicefor guests.
provide somebody with something
The project is designed to provide young people with work.
2 to produce something useful as a result:
provide somebody with something
The search provided the police with several vital clues.


[transitive verb]


Smacking is not an acceptable way of punishing a child.

put down

put-down [countable usually singular noun]
something you say that is intended to make someone feel stupid or unimportant [= snub]:
She was tired of his put-downs.
to put someone down



fairly, to some degree

Abigail's always been rather a difficult child.

rather than: instead of


receiving station

the satellite sends signals to the receiving station on the ground

There the raw data are being processed for further use.



I don't understand how the two ideas relate.


to continue to be in the same state or condition:

Please remain seated until all the lights are on.


far away

far from towns or other places where people live [= isolated]:

a remote border town

remote sensing

the use of satellites to obtain pictures and information about the Earth


1 small or limited in size, area, or amount:
It's difficult trying to work in such a restricted space.


2 limited or controlled, especially by laws or rules:
Access to these premises is restricted.
Press freedom is severely restricted.


deep-rooted also deeply rooted
a deep-rooted habit, idea, belief etc is so strong in a person or society that it is very difficult to change or destroy it [↪ deep-seated]:
a deep-rooted suspicion of lawyers


spread over a wide area or over a long period of time


the part of a country that is near the sea

the eastern seaboard of the US


appearing to have a particular quality, when this may or may not be true [= apparently]:

The new minister was faced with a seemingly impossible task.



capteur (fr.)


[uncountable and countable noun]

Reading and writing are two different skills.
Many jobs today require computer skills.
skill in/at
develop/acquire/learn a skill
opportunities to acquire new skills
with skill
The whole team played with great skill and determination.
technical/management/practical etc skill
the kinds of communication skills required of teachers
Students need to possess certainbasic skillsby the time they finish school.


beautiful and impressive [= magnificent]


[countable noun]

a line with irregular curves:


to spread out or cover a large area of land


the past tense and past participle of stick

something sticks, it becomes fixed in one position and is difficult to move:

This door keeps sticking.
If you get stuck, you don't know how to continue


  • able to continue without causing damage to the environment:
The government should do more to promote sustainable agriculture.
  • able to continue for a long time
  • good for the environment:environmentally friendly


[transitive verb]

to try to deal with a difficult problem:

There is more than one way to tackle the problem.
It took twelve fire engines totackletheblaze.



in satellite imagery:

the zone the satellite is observing


is another word for exercise


comparative tinier, superlative tiniest

extremely small:

The earrings were tiny.
a tiny little baby



a shop selling garden tools
Television is an important tool for the modern teacher.



We aim to provide a service that is balanced and unbiased.
an unbiased observer


done without an acceptable reason:

unjustified price increases


not asked for and often not wanted:





synonym of 'if'


past tense and past participle withheld [transitive]

to refuse to give someone something: