abhorrent

əˈbændən v. 1 give up or over, yield, surrender, leave, cede, let go, deliver (up), turn over, relinquish: I can see no reason why we should abandon the house to thieves and vandals. 2 depart from, leave, desert, quit, go away from: The order was given to abandon ship. 3 desert, forsake, jilt, walk out on: He even abandoned his fianc÷e. 4 give up, renounce; discontinue, forgo, drop, desist, abstain from: She abandoned cigarettes and whisky after the doctor's warning. --n. 5 recklessness, intemperance, wantonness, lack of restraint, unrestraint: He behaved with wild abandon after he received the inheritance.

əˈbændənd adj. 1 left alone, forlorn, forsaken, deserted, neglected; rejected, shunned, cast off or aside, jilted, dropped, outcast: An abandoned infant was found on the church steps. Totally alone, she felt abandoned by her friends. 2 bad, immoral, amoral, wicked, sinful, evil, corrupt, unprincipled, unrestrained, uninhibited, reprobate; loose, wanton, debauched, wild, dissolute, dissipated, profligate; depraved, lewd, lascivious, flagitious: His abandoned behaviour soon landed him in jail.

əˈbri:vɪeɪt v. 1 shorten, compress, contract, truncate, trim, reduce, curtail: We abbreviated some of the longer words to save space. 2 shorten, cut, condense, abridge, abstract, digest, epitomize, summarize, US synopsize: The school presented an abbreviated version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

adj. skimpy, brief, revealing: The dancers' abbreviated costumes shocked some members of the audience.

əˌbri:vɪˈeɪʃən n. initialism; acronym; shortening, contraction: UK is one kind of abbreviation, or initialism; NATO, which is pronounced as a word, is another, usually called an acronym.

ˈæbdɪkeɪt v. give up, renounce, disclaim, waive, disown, surrender, yield, relinquish, abandon, resign, quit: He abdicated all responsibility for care of the children. She abdicated the throne to marry a commoner.

æbˈdʌkt v. kidnap, carry off, make away or off with, seize, Slang US snatch, grab: The child that was abducted is safe.

əˈbet v. 1 encourage, urge, instigate, incite, provoke, egg on, prod, goad; aid, help, assist: The jury found that his wife had abetted him in the murder. 2 countenance, approve (of), support, endorse, second, sanction, condone; further, advance, promote, uphold: By failing to inform on the terrorists, the neighbours abetted the bombing.

əˈbeɪəns n. in abeyance. pending, abeyant, reserved, in reserve, shelved, pushed or shoved or shunted aside, postponed, put off, suspended, US tabled; temporarily inactive, dormant; latent; Colloq in a holding pattern, on the back burner; Slang on hold, in the deep-freeze, on the shelf, on ice, hanging fire: Legal proceedings were held in abeyance so that talks could take place to reach an out-of-court settlement.

əbˈhɔ: v. hate, loathe, detest, abominate, execrate; regard or view with horror or dread or fright or repugnance or loathing or disgust, shudder at, recoil or shrink from; be or stand aghast at: He said that he abhorred any violation of human rights.

əbˈhɔrənt adj. hateful, detestable, abhorred, abominable, contemptible, odious, loathsome, horrid, heinous, execrable, repugnant; repulsive, repellent, revolting, offensive, disgusting, horrifying, obnoxious: The idea of war was totally abhorrent to her.

əˈbaɪd v. 1 stand, endure, suffer, submit to, bear, put up with, accept, tolerate, brook: How can you abide the company of such a fool? 2 live, stay, reside, dwell, sojourn: Local people believe that the rain god abides in these mountains. 3 remain, stay, continue, tarry; linger, rest: He'll abide in my care till he can walk again. 4 abide by. consent to, agree to, comply with, observe, acknowledge, obey, follow, submit to, conform to, keep to, remain true to, stand firm by, adhere to, hold to: You must abide by the rules of the club if you become a member.

əˈbaɪdɪŋ adj. lasting, permanent, constant, steadfast, everlasting, unending, eternal, enduring, indestructible; unchanging, fast, hard and fast, fixed, firm, immutable, changeless: Her abiding love is a solace to him.

əˈbɪlɪtɪ n. 1 adeptness, aptitude, facility, faculty, capacity, power, knack, proficiency, Colloq know-how: I have perceived your ability to manipulate situations to your own advantage. 2 talent, skill, cleverness, capacity, wit, gift, genius, capability: He has such extraordinary ability it is difficult to see why he doesn't accomplish more. 3 abilities. faculty, faculties, talent(s), gift(s), skill(s): Her abilities have made her one of the finest cellists of our time.

əˈbleɪz adj. 1 aflame, afire, burning, on fire, alight, blazing: By the time the firemen arrived, the roof was ablaze. 2 lit up, alight, brilliantly or brightly-lit, sparkling, gleaming, aglow, bright, brilliant, luminous, illuminated, radiant: The ballroom was ablaze with the light from thousands of candles.

ˈeɪbl adj. 1 capable, qualified, competent, proficient: I feel quite able to take care of myself, thank you. He is an able tennis player. 2 talented, clever, skilled, masterful, masterly; adept, skilful, gifted, superior, expert, accomplished: There is no doubt that Wellington was a very able general.

æbˈnɔ:məl adj. 1 deviant, deviating, irregular, unusual, unconventional, aberrant, Psych jargon exceptional: The wing of a bat is an abnormal structure. 2 peculiar, unusual, odd, strange, queer, freakish, unnatural, extraordinary, weird, eccentric, bizarre, anomalous, aberrant, perverse, deviant, irregular, Colloq offbeat, Slang oddball, kinky, weirdo: They certainly make the contestants on that TV show do some very abnormal things.

ˌæbnɔ:ˈmælɪtɪ n. 1 irregularity, unconformity, unusualness, singularity, eccentricity, unconventionality, uncommonness, deviation, aberration, idiosyncrasy: The desire in a man to wear women's clothing is viewed as an abnormality. 2 distortion, anomaly, malformation, deformity: The child was born with an abnormality of the right foot.

̈ɪəˈbəud n. residence, dwelling, dwelling-place, house, home, domicile, habitation, quarters, lodging, accommodation Military billet; Colloq Brit digs, diggings: He was described as being of no fixed abode.

əˈbɔlɪʃ v. eliminate, end, put an end to, terminate, destroy, annihilate, annul, void, make void, demolish, do away with, nullify, repeal, cancel, obliterate, liquidate, destroy, stamp out, quash, extinguish, erase, delete, expunge; eradicate, extirpate, deracinate, uproot: The best way to abolish folly is to spread wisdom. Prohibition in the US was abolished in 1933.

ˌæbəuˈlɪʃən n. elimination, end, termination, annulment, nullification, repudiation, cancellation; destruction, annihilation: 1837 marks the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

əˈbɔmɪnəbl adj. 1 offensive, repugnant, repulsive, vile, monstrous, loathsome, odious, execrable, detestable, despicable, base, disgusting, nauseous, nauseating, foul, abhorrent, horrid, deplorable: He was accused of crimes too abominable to detail in open court. 2 terrible, unpleasant, disagreeable; awful, distasteful, in bad taste, horrible, frightful , Colloq Brit beastly: No one wants to go out in this abominable weather. The d÷cor in this hotel is simply abominable.

ˌæbəˈrɪdʒənl n. native, indigene, autochthon; Colloq Australian Abo, Offensive Australian aborigine , Slang Australian contemptuous boong: Many aboriginals are not assimilated to modern life.

əˈbaund v. 1 prevail, thrive, flourish: Disease abounds among the undernourished peoples of Africa. 2 abound in. be crowded or packed or jammed with, be abundant or rich in, proliferate (in or with): The ship abounds in conveniences. 3 abound with. teem or swarm or throng with, be filled or infested with, overflow with: The ship abounds with rats.

̈ɪəˈbaut adv. 1 round, around, close by, nearby, on every side: Gather about, for I have something to tell you. 2 approximately, around, nearly, roughly, more or less, almost, close to or upon; give or take: In 1685 London had been, for about half a century, the most populous capital in Europe. Light travels at about 186,000 miles a second. 3 to and fro, up and down, back and forth, here and there, hither and yon, far and wide, hither and thither: He wandered about aimlessly for several days. 4 here and there, far and wide, hither and yon, hither and thither, helter-skelter: My papers were scattered about as if a tornado had struck. 5 around, prevalent, in the air: There is a lot of flu about this year. 6 approximately, nearly, close to, not far from, almost, just about, around: It is about time you telephoned your mother. --prep. 7 around, surrounding, encircling: There is a railing about the monument. 8 round, around, all round, everywhere, in all directions, all over: Please look about the room for my hat. 9 near, nearby, adjacent to, beside, alongside, close by, nigh: There were a lot of trees about the garden. 10 with, at hand, Colloq on: I am sorry, but I haven't my cheque-book about me. 11 touching, concerning, connected with, involving, in or with reference to, in or with regard to, regarding, in the matter of, with respect to, respecting, relative to, relating to, apropos, Formal anent: He wrote a book about the Spanish Armada.

n. reversal, reverse, turn-about, turn-round, U-turn, volte-face, US about-face: There has been a complete about-turn in the policy concerning immigration.

əˈbʌv adv. 1 overhead, on high, aloft, in the sky or heavens: Far above, the clouds scudded swiftly by. 2 upstairs: They lived on the ground floor and the landlady lived above. --prep. 3 on, on (the) top of, upon, over, atop: The plume of smoke remained fixed above the volcano. He hasn't got a roof above his head for the night. 4 over, more than, exceeding, in excess of, beyond, greater than, surpassing: The operations are controlled by gears, of which there are above fifty in number. 5 insusceptible to, unaffected by, out of reach of, not susceptible or vulnerable or exposed to, superior to: The judge is above bribery or other influence. 6 above all. before or beyond everything, first of all, chiefly, primarily, in the first place, mainly, essentially, at bottom: Above all, serve God and country before you serve yourself.

əˈbʌvˈbɔ:d adv. 1 openly, candidly, freely, publicly, frankly, straightforwardly, plainly, for all to see, out in the open, in the open: Donald has always dealt completely above-board with everyone. --adj. 2 open, candid, frank, straight, direct, honourable, straightforward, forthright, guileless, undeceiving, artless, ingenuous, undeceptive, undeceitful, straight from the shoulder; honest, genuine: The company's dealings have always been above-board.

əˈbrɪdʒ v. shorten, reduce, condense, cut, abbreviate, cut back, trim, curtail, pare down, contract, compress, digest, summarize, epitomize, abstract, US synopsize: We abridged the original edition of 1000 pages to 480 pages.

n. 1 shortening, reduction, abbreviation, condensation, contraction, truncation, trimming: The abridgement took ten years. 2 curtailment: We protested against the abridgement of our right to picket. 3 digest, condensation, epitome, compendium, concise edition or version, cut edition or version; synopsis, abstract, summary, pr÷cis, outline, r÷sum÷: The one-volume abridgement of the dictionary is easier to use.

əˈbrɔ:d adv. 1 overseas, in foreign lands or parts: We were abroad on assignment for a few years. 2 broadly, widely, at large, near and far, far and wide, everywhere, extensively, publicly: Don't spread rumours abroad. 3 outside, out of doors, away, out and about: There are few people abroad this early in the morning.

əˈbrʌpt adj. 1 sudden, hasty, quick, precipitate, snappy; unexpected, unannounced, unplanned, unforeseen, unanticipated: The general's abrupt departure has been linked with the disappearance of a great deal of money. 2 precipitous, steep, sheer, sudden: From the ridge there is an abrupt drop of 1000 metres into the valley. 3 curt, short, brusque, blunt, bluff, gruff, uncivil, rude, discourteous, impolite, unceremonious, snappish: My bank manager gave me an abrupt reply when I asked for an increased overdraft.

ˈæbsəns n. 1 non-attendance, non-presence, non-appearance, truancy: This is Jason's third absence from class in a week. She runs the place in my absence. 2 lack, want, deficiency, non-existence; insufficiency, scantiness, paucity, scarcity, dearth: In the absence of new evidence, the matter must remain undecided.

̘. ̈a.ˈæbsənt adj. 1 away, out, off, elsewhere, not present, missing, gone: Twenty people attended, but Harold was conspicuously absent. 2 missing, lacking, wanting, deficient: All warmth is absent from her singing. --v. 3 absent (oneself) from. keep or stay away from; withdraw or retire from: He absented himself from the court during his father's trial for murder. Absent thee from felicity awhile.

ˈæbsəntˈmaɪndɪd adj. preoccupied, inattentive, unattentive, absorbed, unmindful, absent, off, withdrawn, unheeding, heedless, unheedful, inadvertent; distracted, abstracted, day-dreaming, in a brown study, in the clouds, unaware, oblivious, in a trance, distrait(e), mooning, (far) away (somewhere), star-gazing, wool-gathering: The absent-minded professor delivered his lecture to an empty lecture hall.

ˈæbsəlu:t adj. 1 perfect, complete, total, finished, thorough, through-and-through, consummate, flawless, faultless, unadulterated, pure, unmixed, unalloyed, undiluted; rank: Alan behaved like an absolute gentleman. 2 complete, outright, downright, genuine, real, pure, out-and-out, transparent, unmitigated, categorical, unqualified, unconditional, utter, veritable, unconditioned: Peace is an absolute requirement for prosperity. 3 unrestricted, unrestrained, unconstrained, unlimited, unmitigated, arbitrary, despotic, dictatorial, totalitarian, supreme, almighty, arbitrary, autocratic, tyrannical: The days of absolute monarchy are numbered. 4 positive, certain, sure, unambiguous, unquestionable, authoritative, verifiable, uncompromised: Few intelligent people would claim absolute knowledge of anything.

ˈæbsəlu:tlɪ adv. 1 unqualifiedly, unconditionally, unreservedly, unexceptionally, unequivocally, unquestionably, positively, definitely, really, genuinely, decidedly, surely, truly, certainly, categorically: She is absolutely the best dancer I have ever seen. I absolutely refuse to go. 2 totally, utterly, completely, entirely, fully, quite, altogether, wholly: It is absolutely necessary that you undergo surgery. --interj. 3 certainly, assuredly, positively, definitely, of course, naturally, indubitably, yes, to be sure: 'Are you sure you want to go?' 'Absolutely!'

adj. engrossed, lost, wrapped up, occupied, engaged, immersed, buried, preoccupied, concentrating, rapt: He was absorbed in his reading.

əbˈsɔ:bɪŋ adj. engrossing, engaging, riveting, captivating, fascinating, spellbinding, gripping: Maria was watching an absorbing thriller on television.

̘. ̈n.ˈæbstrækt adj. 1 theoretical, unapplied, notional, ideational, conceptual, metaphysical, unpractical, intellectual: It is difficult to capture abstract ideas on paper. 2 non-representational, symbolic, non-realistic: Museums began buying abstract art in the 1930s. --n. 3 summary, epitome, synopsis, essence, digest, condensation, survey, conspectus, extract; outline, pr÷cis, r÷sum÷: By reading the abstracts, you can determine which articles merit reading in full. --v. 4 epitomize, abbreviate, digest, summarize, condense, shorten, abridge, cut, cut down, US synopsize: The service abstracts articles that appear in scientific journals.

əbˈsə:d adj. 1 ridiculous, silly, nonsensical, senseless, outlandish, preposterous, farcical, mad, stupid, foolish, idiotic, imbecilic or imbecile, moronic, childish; laughable, ludicrous, risible, inane, Colloq crazy, nutty, nuts , Chiefly Brit daft: The notion that the moon is made of green cheese is absurd. 2 asinine, senseless, illogical, irrational, unreasoned, unreasonable, incongruous, paradoxical, unsound, meaningless: Today, most people view it absurd to believe that the earth is flat.

əbˈsə:dɪtɪ n. 1 folly, silliness, ridiculousness, foolishness, ludicrousness, nonsense, senselessness, meaninglessness, illogicality, irrationality, unreasonableness, incongruity, stupidity, Colloq craziness, nuttiness , Chiefly Brit daftness: Many comics rely on absurdity rather than cleverness for humour. 2 paradox, self-contradiction, error, fallacy: No one can abide the man's pretentiousness and other absurdities.

əˈbʌndəns n. overflow, superfluity, over-abundance, superabundance, excess, surplus, oversupply, glut, satiety, over-sufficiency; plenty, plenteousness, plentifulness, plenitude, copiousness, profusion, Formal nimiety: The days when there was an abundance of fresh drinking-water have come to an end.

əˈbʌndənt adj. 1 plentiful, overflowing, ample, copious, over-sufficient, superabundant, plenteous, profuse, inexhaustible, replete, bountiful, bounteous: The abundant rainfall fills the reservoirs every day. 2 abounding (in), full (of), rich (in), luxuriant, lavish: We know a stream that is abundant in trout. The abundant vegetation of the rain forest is an ecological wonder.

̘. ̈n.əˈbju:s v. 1 misuse, misemploy, pervert, misapply, exploit: The officer abused his authority in ordering the forced march at midnight. 2 maltreat, ill-use, injure, wrong, hurt, mistreat, manhandle, ill-treat; damage: I cannot stand by and watch that drunk abuse his wife and family. 3 malign, revile, censure, upbraid, assail, objurgate, lambaste, berate, rebuke, scold, reproach, disparage, traduce, defame, insult, swear at, curse (at), calumniate, slander, libel, decry, deprecate, vilify, rail against: In the report the director was abused in the most virulent terms. --n. 4 misuse, misusage, misemployment, perversion, misapplication, misappropriation, Rhetoric catachresis: Beware of imitating his abuse of the language. 5 addiction, dependence: They are being treated for drug abuse at the local clinic. 6 maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill use, fault: It seemed perfectly natural that he should defend abuses by which he profited. 7 self-abuse, self-pollution, masturbation, violation, defilement; corruption: The schoolmasters consistently lectured the boys against any abuse of themselves. 8 revilement, reviling, execration, vituperation, malediction, imprecation, tongue-lashing, calumny, calumniation, vilification, obloquy, scurrility, invective, maligning, upbraiding, berating, objurgation, scolding; billingsgate: The two parties, after exchanging a good deal of abuse, came to blows.

adj. 1 misused: Permission to use the office copying machine has become an abused privilege. 2 maltreated, ill-treated, mistreated, hurt: It was explained that he had been an abused child.

əˈbju:sɪv adj. 1 insulting, scurrilous, vituperative, calumnious, offensive, slanderous, libellous, defamatory, censorious, opprobrious, disparaging, deprecatory, depreciatory, derogatory, derisory, derisive, reviling, vilifying, vituperative, reproachful; profane; rude, filthy, dirty, foul, vulgar, obscene, smutty, vile, thersitical: The Crown refuses to tolerate abusive satire directed at the king. If I hear another word of abusive language out of you, I'll wash out your mouth with soap! 2 perverted, misapplied, improper, wrong, incorrect; exploitive, exploitative, exploitatory; brutal, cruel, injurious, hurtful, harmful, destructive: Despite the abusive treatment of wives, married women commanded much respect. 3 corrupt, venal, dishonest, crooked: The politicians exercised abusive power over the townspeople.

əˈbɪzməl adj. 1 awful, appalling, dreadful, terrible, profound: The government of Nero presented a spectacle of abysmal degradation. 2 abyssal, bottomless, profound, unfathomable, unfathomed: The abysmal depths have been plumbed in the diving bell.

əˈbɪs n. deep, abysm, bottomless gulf, yawning chasm, gaping void, unfathomable cavity, impenetrable depth(s): The path led straight down into the abyss. In the scandal the MP was plunged into the abyss of disgrace.

ˌækəˈdemɪk adj. 1 scholastic, collegiate; scholarly, learned, lettered, erudite: Green's academic background qualifies him for the professorship. The university began publishing academic journals in the 19th century. 2 theoretical, hypothetical, conjectural, speculative, abstract; ivory-tower, visionary, idealistic; impractical, unrealistic, unpractical: The car doesn't run, so the question of miles per gallon is purely academic.

̘. ̈n.ˈæksənt n. 1 emphasis, stress, force, prominence, accentuation; intensity, inflection; cadence, beat: The accent is on the second syllable in 'reward'. 2 diacritic, diacritical mark, mark, accent mark: There is an acute accent on the 'e' in 'clich÷'. 3 pronunciation, articulation, intonation, speech pattern, inflection: Even after forty years in the country, he still speaks English with an Italian accent. --v. 4 accentuate, emphasize, stress, give prominence to, mark, underline, underscore, distinguish, highlight, set off or apart: In her speech, the psychologist accented the 'id' in 'idiot'. Why must he always accent the negative aspect of everything?

əkˈsept v. 1 receive, take, allow, permit: Sorry, but we cannot accept any more applications. 2 accede (to), agree (to), assent (to), consent (to), acknowledge, admit, allow, recognize: We accept your request for a hearing. 3 assume, undertake, take on or up, agree to bear: I'll accept the responsibility for replying. 4 reconcile oneself to, suffer, undergo, experience, stand, withstand, stomach, endure, bear, resign oneself to, brook, allow, tolerate, take: I think I have accepted enough criticism for one day.

əkˈseptəbl adj. 1 satisfactory, adequate, tolerable, all right, sufficient, admissible, passable, Colloq OK, okay: The bread and meat were acceptable, but the beer was awful. 2 agreeable, pleasing, welcome, satisfying, delightful, pleasant, pleasing: Most people find her compliments quite acceptable.

əkˈsesəbl adj. approachable, open, available, attainable, obtainable, reachable, ready, at hand, Colloq get-at-able: The president is always accessible to those seeking help. The mechanism is accessible if the cover is removed.

əkˈsesərɪ n. 1 extra, addition, adjunct, attachment, component, frill, Slang bells and whistles, doodah, US and Canadian doodad: My food processor has more accessories than I could ever need. 2 accessary, accomplice, helper, assistant, confederate, colleague, abettor, aide, collaborator, co-conspirator, conspirator, fellow-criminal, associate or partner in crime: Although he did not rob the bank, he drove the getaway car, which legally makes him an accessory before the fact. A seller of stolen goods is an accessory after the fact. --adj. 3 extra, subordinate, auxiliary, additional, ancillary, supplemental, supplementary, secondary, adventitious, Formal adscititious: For no apparent reason, the salamander grew an accessory limb near its hind leg.

ˈæksɪdənt n. 1 mishap, misfortune, mischance, misadventure, blunder, mistake; casualty, disaster, catastrophe, calamity: A high percentage of the road accidents were caused by drunken drivers. 2 chance, fortune, luck, fortuity, fluke; serendipity: I came across the gold ring by accident, when cleaning out a disused cupboard. 3 non-essential, accessory or accessary, extra, addition: Melancholy is an almost inseparable accident of old age.

ˌæksɪˈdentl adj. chance, fortuitous, lucky, unlucky, serendipitous; undesigned, unpremeditated, uncalculated, unintended, unintentional, unwitting, inadvertent; unexpected, unplanned, unforeseen, unanticipated, adventitious; casual, random: Our meeting was entirely accidental.

əˈkɔmədeɪt v. 1 fit, suit, adapt, adjust, modify; customize: I shall do my best to accommodate the equipment to your needs. 2 harmonize, make consistent, reconcile, adapt: It is uncertain whether his version of the incident can be accommodated to ours. 3 equip, supply, provide, furnish: Can you accommodate me with five pounds till tomorrow? 4 put up, house, lodge, shelter, quarter, Military billet: The innkeeper is unable to accommodate us tonight. 5 suit, oblige, convenience, serve: I was willing to accommodate you by selling your old car.

əˈkɔmədeɪtɪŋ adj. 1 obliging, cooperative, helpful, hospitable; considerate, conciliatory, easy to deal with, pliant, yielding, compliant, polite, friendly, complaisant, kind, kindly: The lady at the complaints desk in the store was most accommodating. 2 pliable, accessible, corruptible, subornable, get-at-able; bribable: If you want to get off scot-free, we'll have to find an accommodating judge.

əˌkɔməˈdeɪʃən n. 1 adaptation, adjustment, modification, change, alteration, conformation, conformity: Her skilful accommodation to her boss's demands kept the peace in the office. 2 settlement, treaty, compromise: Negotiations were now opened for an accommodation between the belligerents. 3 convenience, favour: Would you take the mail to the post office as an accommodation to me? 4 lodging(s), room(s), quarters, shelter, housing; facility, premises, Brit digs, US accommodations: We were able to arrange for accommodation at the hotel. Have you seen our new office accommodation? 5 loan, (financial) assistance or aid; grant, grant-in-aid: The man was able to obtain an accommodation from his brother-in-law.

əˈkʌmpənɪ v. 1 convoy, escort, chaperon or chaperone, go along with; attend; usher, squire: Allow me to accompany you to your taxi. 2 go (along) with, come with, be associated with, belong with, go together with, be linked with: The roast was accompanied by a bottle of claret.

əˈkɔmplɪs n. accessory or accessary, partner in crime, confederate, ally, associate, colleague, fellow, henchman, collaborator, conspirator, co-conspirator, abettor, assistant, fellow-criminal, Colloq US cohort: The police arrested the safe-cracker and three accomplices within hours of the robbery.

əˈkɔmplɪʃ v. fulfil, perform, achieve, carry out, execute, carry off, do, complete, carry through, finish, effect, bring to an end, conclude, wind up, end; attain, reach, gain; Colloq bring off, knock off, polish off, Slang pull off, US swing, hack, cut: I don't know how she accomplished it, but she sailed around the world single-handed. Has he accomplished his goal yet?

əˈkɔmplɪʃt adj. consummate, perfect, expert, adept, skilful, proficient, practised, gifted, talented, skilled, professional: Did you know that she is also an accomplished flautist?

əˈkɔmplɪʃmənt n. 1 fulfilment, consummation, completion, realization, attainment, achievement, conclusion, culmination, realization: After the accomplishment of the task they were all taken out to celebrate. 2 coup, feat, exploit, triumph, tour de force: Among her many accomplishments was climbing Mount Everest. 3 skill, skilfulness, talent, gift, ability: Playing the violin is another of his accomplishments.

əˈkɔ:d v. 1 agree, harmonize, concur, be at one, correspond, agree, be in harmony, be consistent, go (together), coincide, conform: His principles and practices do not accord with one another. --n. 2 agreement, unanimity, concord, reconciliation, harmony, mutual understanding, conformity, accordance, rapport, concert: The countries are in accord on a beneficial trade balance. 3 agreement, treaty, pact, contract: The accords will be signed at the summit meeting in May. 4 agreement, harmony, congruence; correspondence: The colours of the curtains are in perfect accord with those of the carpet.

adv.phr. 1 on the authority of, consistent with, in conformity or agreement with, as said or believed or maintained etc. by: We are going to play this game according to Hoyle. According to his lawyer, he should never have been acquitted. 2 conformable to, consistent with, in conformity with, commensurate with: The queen greeted them in order, according to rank.

əˈkɔ:dɪŋlɪ adv. 1 hence, therefore, consequently, thus, in consequence (where)of, (and) so: Smoking was forbidden; accordingly, we put out our cigars. 2 suitably, in conformity, in compliance; conformably, appropriately, compliantly: Dinner-jackets were required, and the men dressed accordingly.

əˈkaunt v. 1 account for. explain, give a reason for, give or render a reckoning for, answer for, justify, reckon for: The treasurer has been able to account for every penny of expense. His desire to conceal his background accounts for his secrecy. --n. 2 calculation, accounting, reckoning, computation, (financial) statement; enumeration: The accounts show that the company has ample funds in reserve. Williams hasn't submitted his expense account for the trip. 3 interest, profit, advantage, benefit, favour; sake: Nigel turned his convalescence to good account by writing a best seller. Don't read the book on my account. 4 explanation, statement, description, report, recital, narrative, history, chronicle: The defendant gave a credible account of his whereabouts at the time of the crime. 5 consideration, use, worth, importance, consequence, note, value, merit; standing, significance, estimation, esteem: The committee decided that length of service is of some account in determining retirement pensions. 6 story, narration, narrative, report, tale, relation, description: Alice's account of the rabbit wearing a waistcoat is unbelievable. 7 take into account or take account of. notice, take note of, consider, take into consideration, allow for: In passing sentence, the judge took into account the child's poverty and the fact that it was Christmas time.

əˌkauntəˈbɪlɪtɪ n. answerability, responsibility, liability, culpability, accountableness: In a democracy, there can be no reducing the accountability of the government to the citizens.

əˈkauntəbl adj. answerable, responsible, liable, obliged, obligated: I am accountable to no man, but the greatest man in England is accountable to me.

əˈkju:mjuleɪt v. collect, gather, amass, mass, pile or heap up, aggregate, cumulate; assemble, store, stock, hoard, stockpile, put or lay away: Overnight, the snow accumulated in six-foot drifts about the house. Ill fares the land, to hast'ning ills a prey,/Where wealth accumulates, and men decay.

əˌkju:mjuˈleɪʃən n. 1 collecting, amassing, gathering, piling or aggregation, heaping up: One effect of the strike was the accumulation of rubbish in the streets. 2 growth, increase, build-up: The accumulation of wealth has never proved a valid purpose in life. 3 heap, pile, mass, collection, hoard, store, stockpile, stock, aggregation; assemblage: Our gardener made sure that there was an ample accumulation of compost.

ˈækjurəsɪ n. exactness, correctness, Loosely precision, preciseness: The translation from the Greek has been accomplished with great accuracy. Rifling the inside of the barrel of a firearm increases its accuracy.

ˈækjurɪt adj. 1 exact, correct, error-free, precise: She gave an accurate description of the events. There is a nice distinction between 'accurate' and 'precise'. 2 careful, meticulous, nice, with an eye to or for detail, scrupulous, conscientious: Marvin is a very accurate typist. 3 unerring, on target, Colloq on the mark, spot on (target): This rifle is accurate if you allow for the wind.

ˌækju:ˈzeɪʃən n. charge, allegation, indictment, charge, citation, arraignment, complaint; imputation, incrimination, denunciation, impeachment: The politician denied the accusation of having accepted a bribe.

əˈkju:z v. 1 accuse (of or with). blame, censure, hold responsible (for), charge (with), denounce (for), point the finger (at), cite, call to account: She accused the Knave of Hearts of lying. 2 accuse (of or with). charge, indict, impeach, arraign, incriminate; attribute, impute: The prisoner is accused of assault, criminal damage, and disorderly conduct.

əˈkʌstəm v. familiarize, acquaint, habituate, train, season; acclimatize or acclimate: Start off by wearing your contact lenses for an hour at a time in order to accustom your eyes to them. She soon accustomed herself to the new surroundings.

əˈkʌstəmd adj. 1 customary, habitual, usual, traditional, normal, regular, set, routine, ordinary, familiar, wonted, common, habituated: The old man took his accustomed place near the fire. 2 used: I've grown accustomed to her face.

eɪk v. 1 pain, hurt, smart, throb, pound; sting: My jaw has been aching since that tooth was extracted. 2 yearn, long, hunger, hanker, pine; crave: A hostage for a year, he was aching to see his wife and children. --n. 3 pain, pang, throbbing, pounding, smarting, soreness: I have had this ache in my back, Doctor, and I can't stand up straight. 4 pang, pain; distress; longing: There's been an ache in my heart, my darling, ever since you went away.

əˈtʃi:v v. 1 accomplish, carry out, execute, succeed in, complete, fulfil, bring off or about; realize, effect: When the fund reaches its goal, we shall have achieved our purpose. 2 accomplish, attain, reach, gain, get, acquire, win, obtain: She achieved her ends by cheating and conniving.

əˈtʃi:vmənt n. 1 attainment, accomplishment, acquisition, acquirement: As he was still in his thirties, the achievement of great fame still lay ahead for him. 2 accomplishment, attainment, feat, deed, exploit, victory: The winning of the Nobel prize was her greatest achievement. 3 fulfilment, realization, accomplishment, attainment, completion: What virtue lies more in achievement than in the desire for it?

əkˈnɔlɪdʒ v. 1 admit, confess, allow, concede, own, recognize, accept, accede, acquiesce; own up to: We acknowledge that we might have been mistaken. She finally acknowledged my presence by looking up. 2 answer, reply to, respond to, react to: She couldn't possibly acknowledge personally every letter she receives.

əkˈnɔlɪdʒmənt n. 1 acknowledging, confessing, admitting, owning, admission, confession, avowal, affirmation: His acknowledgement of his involvement in the crime saved the police a great deal of time. 2 approval, acceptance, recognition, allowance: By acknowledgement of the parliament, the king was the commander of the army and navy. 3 reply, response, answer, recognition: Our acknowledgement will be in tomorrow's post.

ˈækmɪ n. peak, apex, top, summit, pinnacle, zenith; climax, culmination: Roger has reached the acme of perfection as a diamond-cutter.

əˈkweɪnt n. acquaint with. familiarize with, inform of or about, make aware of, apprise of, advise of: The management requires employees to acquaint themselves with the safety rules.

əˈkweɪntəns n. 1 familiarity, knowledge, acquaintanceship, understanding, awareness; experience: His acquaintance with the works of Coleridge is sparse at best. 2 associate, fellow, colleague: She's not a friend of mine, only an acquaintance.

əˈkweɪntɪd adj. 1 known to each other or one another, familiar with each other or one another, on speaking terms: I have known Rory for years, but his wife and I are not acquainted. 2 acquainted with. familiar with, known to, aware of, informed of, knowledgeable of, conversant with: I have studied trigonometry, but I am not acquainted with calculus.

əˈkwaɪə v. get, obtain, gain, win, earn, procure, secure, come by or into; receive, come into possession of; buy, purchase: He acquired great wealth by marrying rich old dying widows.

ˌækwɪˈzɪʃən n. 1 obtaining, getting, acquiring, acquirement, gain, procurement: The acquisition of property entails many obligations. 2 possession(s), property, purchase; object: This first edition is a recent acquisition.

ækt n. 1 deed, action, undertaking, operation, step, move; feat, exploit; accomplishment, achievement: The first act of the new commission was to ban smoking in public places. 2 performance, show, bit, skit, stand, routine, turn, sketch, Colloq thing, Slang US shtick: Stand-up comedians do their acts in nightclubs. 3 performance, pretence, posture, stance, feigning, front, fake, dissimulation, show, deception, hoax, affectation: She didn't mean what she said - it was just an act. 4 bill, law, decree, edict, statute, order, ordinance, command, mandate, resolution, measure, enactment: Are the opening hours of public houses in England regulated by act of Parliament? --v. 5 behave (oneself), carry on, deport oneself, comport oneself, conduct oneself: I don't know how she'll act when we're in public. 6 perform, play, do: She is acting in the West End. 7 portray, represent, impersonate, act out, personify, take or play the part or role of, personate: Reginald acts the fool whenever he has had too much to drink. 8 feign, pretend, counterfeit, fake, dissemble, make believe, sham, simulate, dissimulate, posture: You may think him sincere, but I know he is just acting. 9 take effect, work, operate, function, perform: This drug will act only if taken with meals.

ˈækʃən n. 1 activity, performance, movement, motion, energy, liveliness, vim, vigour, spirit, vitality; enterprise, initiative: Being a man of action, he hates just sitting and reading. 2 influence, effect, power, force, strength: The action of the moon's gravitational pull causes tides on earth. 3 deed, act, undertaking, exertion, exercise: The very action of breathing caused me pain. 4 remedy, proceeding, process: If they don't stop beating their dog we shall take action against them. 5 fighting, combat: We saw action in the Far East. 6 fight, battle, engagement, encounter, clash, fray, sortie, skirmish, affray: How many men were lost in last night's action? 7 effect, effectiveness, activity, function, performance, functioning, reaction: What is the action of steroids on the lymph system? 8 actions. behaviour, conduct, deportment, demeanour, ways, manner, manners: She must be held responsible for her actions.

ˈæktɪveɪt v. move, actuate, set in motion, get started, energize, get or set going, start, initiate, switch or turn on, trigger; motivate, rouse, arouse, prompt, stimulate, stir, mobilize, animate, impel, galvanize, Colloq US light a fire under: The sensor in the pavement activates the traffic signal. Her enthusiasm activated him to go into business for himself.

ˈæktɪv adj. 1 strenuous, vigorous, full, dynamic, physical; energetic, lively, busy, brisk, bustling, occupied, on the move, Colloq on the go, running: She is healthier for having led a very active life. He always seems to be active. 2 acting, effective, efficacious, effectual, working, functioning, operative, potent, influential; powerful: The active ingredient in her medicine is an antihistamine. 3 energetic, lively, hyperactive, animated, spry, nimble, quick, agile, sprightly: There is no keeping up with an active child.

ækˈtɪvɪtɪ n. 1 action, movement, motion, vigour, vim, energy, liveliness, bustle: Last week there wasn't much activity in the stock market. 2 pursuit, occupation, vocation, work, function, operation, job, labour, endeavour, enterprise, project, undertaking, venture, interest: What sort of business activity are you engaged in?

ˈæktʃuəl adj. 1 existing, existent, real, genuine, factual, true, authentic, verified, verifiable, true to life, manifest, realized, realistic, Colloq solid: The actual cost of the project turned out to be double the estimate. 2 present, current, existent, real, genuine, physical, tangible: No telescope has detected any actual volcanic eruption on the moon.

ˈæktʃuəlɪ adv. really, in reality, in fact, in actuality, in point of fact, in truth, absolutely, as a matter of fact, indeed, truly, literally: The interest rates actually charged by banks may vary from those quoted publicly.

əˈkju:t adj. 1 sharp, pointed, narrow: The two roads meet at an acute angle. 2 severe, intense, critical, crucial, dangerous, grave, serious, severe: This is the ward for patients with acute illnesses. 3 sharp, cutting, intense, severe, violent, penetrating, exquisite, excruciating, fierce, shooting, stabbing, piercing, sudden: The onset of the disease is marked by acute pains in the abdomen. 4 keen, sharp, sensitive: The bloodhound is known for its acute sense of smell. 5 keen, sharp-witted, shrewd, clever, ingenious, astute, sharp, canny, incisive, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious, intelligent, penetrating, insightful, percipient, wise, sensitive, discriminating; alert, aware, on the qui vive: Such a circumstance could not be lost upon so acute an observer.

əˈdæpt v. 1 suit, fit, make suitable, qualify: The structure of the outer ear is adapted to collect and concentrate the vibrations. 2 alter, modify, change, remodel, tailor, reshape, shape, fashion; adjust, accommodate, accustom, acclimatize or acclimate, habituate: He adapted the play from an old French comedy. The whale adapts itself to great changes in pressure when it dives thousands of feet.

əˈdæptəbl adj. flexible, pliable, pliant, compliant, accommodative, tractable, malleable, ductile, versatile; alterable, changeable: Men, in general, are not as adaptable as women.