How to use the dictionary The definition uses words from a list of under 2.

000 common words (see Defining Vocabulary at the end of the dictionary). Words not in this list are in SMALL CAPITALS. When a word has more than one meaning, the GUIDEWORDS help you to find the right one quickly. Example sentences in italics are based on natural written and spoken English and show how the word is most commonly used. Meanings that are slightly different from the main definition are explained: . by a word or phrase in round brackets (= oo.) within an example sentence . by a complete sentence. not in italics. among the example sentences A single word in bold shows that it is often found with the word being looked up. Sometimes the main word and one or more other words are shown in bold together. This means that this group of words has a special meaning which is not clear from the meanings of the separate words. For further explanation see the Language Portrait on Words used together at WORD. Special symbols mark words which learners might confuse with similar words in their own language. The dictionary contains useful lists of these words: see Language Portrait on False Friends at FALSE for an explanation of how to use these symbols and lists. Labels in italics give style and usage information. When they are placed before the definition they are true for all uses of the word. See the list at the front of the dictionary and the Language Portrait on Labels. Well-known phrases from popular songs, television, films, books, plays and sayings by famous people are sometimes included after the examples. Parts of speech (verb. noun. adjective etc.) are given in italics. See the notes on grammar on the following pages. Some words are given more than one part of speech. In these cases, a single definition explains all the parts of speech mentioned. obj. after a verb shows that it always has an object (it is transitive). (obj) after a verb shows that it sometimes has an object (it can be transitive or

intransitive). Grammar information is explained using example sentences. Grammar codes are given in square brackets [ ]. See the list at the front of the dictionary . . When grammar information is given before the defntion, the grammar pattern is true for all uses of the word. . When grammar information is given after an eXilmple, that grammar pattern is true only for particular uses of the word. Irregular verb forms, plurals, comparatives and superlatives are shown. British (f) and American ($) pronunciations are given using the international phonetic alphabet. The symbols are explained in the Pronunciation Table at the end ofthe dictionary. Labels in italics show differences between British. American and Australian English. Words and phrases, spellings and particular meanings are labelled. See the Language Portrait on Varieties of English at VARIETY.