close1

　　 v.

　　 WINDOW / DOOR, etc.

　　 1 to put sth.. into a position so that it covers an opening; to get into this position shut: [vn] Would anyone mind if I closed the window? She closed the gate behind her. It's dark now-let's close the curtains. I closed my eyes against the bright light. [v] The doors open and close automatically.

　　 BOOK / UMBRELLA, etc.

　　 2 [vn] ~ sth.. (up) to move the parts of sth.. together so that it is no longer open shut: to close a book / an umbrella

　　 SHOP / STORE / BUSINESS

　　 3 ~ (sth..) (to sb./sth..) to make the work of a shop/store, etc. stop for a period of time; to not be open for people to use: [vn] [often passive]: The museum has been closed for renovation. The road was closed to traffic for two days. [v] What time does the bank close? We close for lunch between twelve and two. 4 (also close down, close sth..down) if a company, shop/store, etc. closes, or if you close it, it stops operating as a business: [vn] The club was closed by the police. [v] The hospital closed at the end of last year. The play closed after just three nights.

　　 END

　　 5 to end or make sth.. end: [vn] to close a meeting / debate to close a case / an investigation to close an account (= to stop keeping money in a bank account) The subject is now closed (= we will not discuss it again). [v] The meeting will close at 10.00 p.m. The offer closes at the end of the week.

　　 FINANCE

　　 6 [v] to be worth a particular amount at the end of the day's business: Shares in the company closed at 265p. closing prices [also v-adj]

　　 DISTANCE / DIFFERENCE

　　 7 to make the distance or difference between two people or things smaller; to become smaller or narrower: [vn] These measures are aimed at closing the gap between rich and poor. [v] The gap between the two top teams is closing all the time.

　　 HOLD FIRMLY

　　 8 ~ (sth..) about / around / over sb./sth.. to hold sth../sb. firmly: [vn] She closed her hand over his. [also v]

　　 close2

　　 adj. (closer, closest)

　　 NEAR

　　 1 [not usually before n.] ~ (to sb./sth..)| ~ (together) near in space or time: Our new house is close to the school. I had no idea the beach was so close. The two buildings are close together. This is the closest we can get to the beach by car. We all have to work in close proximity (= near each other). The President was shot at close range (= from a short distance away). The children are close to each other in age. Their birthdays are very close together.

　　 ALMOST / LIKELY

　　 2 [not before n.] ~ (to sth..)| ~ (to doing sth..) almost in a particular state; likely to do sth.. soon: He was close to tears. The new library is close to completion. She knew she was close to death. We are close to signing the agreement.

　　 RELATIONSHIP

　　 3 ~ (to sb.) knowing sb. very well and liking them very much: Jo is a very close friend. She is very close to her father. She and her father are very close. We're a very close family. 4 near in family relationship: close relatives, such as your mother and father, and brothers and sisters: The groom and his close family took their places. 5 very involved in the work or activities of sb. else, usually seeing and talking to them regularly: He is one of the prime minister's closest advisers. The college has close links with many other institutions. She has kept in close contact with the victims' families. We keep in close touch with the police.

　　 CAREFUL

　　 6 [only before n.] careful and thorough: Take a close look at this photograph. On closer examination the painting proved to be a fake. Pay close attention to what I am telling you.

　　 SIMILAR

　　 7 ~ (to sth..) very similar to sth.. else or to an amount: There's a close resemblance (= they look very similar). His feeling for her was close to hatred. The total was close to 20% of the workforce. We tried to match the colours, but this is the closest we could get.

　　 COMPETITION / ELECTION, etc.

　　 8 won by only a small amount or distance: a close contest / match / election It was a very close finish. I think it's going to be close. Our team came a close second (= nearly won). The game was closer than the score suggests. The result is going to be too close to call (= either side may win).

　　 ALMOST BAD RESULT

　　 9 used to describe sth.., usually a dangerous or unpleasant situation, that nearly happens: Phew! That was close-that car nearly hit us. We caught the bus in the end but it was close (= we nearly missed it).

　　 WITHOUT SPACE

　　 10 with little or no space in between: over 1 000 pages of close print The soldiers advanced in close formation.

　　 CUT SHORT

　　 11 cut very short, near to the skin: a close haircut / shave

　　 GUARDED

　　 12 [only before n.] carefully guarded: The donor's identity is a close secret. She was kept under close arrest.

　　 WEATHER / ROOM

　　 13 warm in an uncomfortable way because there does not seem to be enough fresh air: It's very close today-I think there's going to be a storm.

　　 PRIVATE

　　 14 [not before n.] ~ (about sth..) not willing to give personal information about yourself: He was close about his past.

　　 MEAN

　　 15 [not before n.] (BrE) not liking to spend money: She's always been very close with her money.

　　 trust

　　 n.

　　 1 [U] ~ (in sb./sth..) the belief that sb./sth.. is good, sincere, honest, etc. and will not try to harm or trick you: Her trust in him was unfounded. a partnership based on trust It has taken years to earn their trust. If you put your trust in me, I will not let you down. She will not betray your trust (= do sth.. that you have asked her not to do). He was appointed to a position of trust (= a job involving a lot of responsibility, because people trust him). a breach of trust If I were you, I would not place too much trust in their findings. 2 [C, U] (law) an arrangement by which an organization or a group of people has legal control of money or property that has been given to sb., usually until that person reaches a particular age; an amount of money or property that is controlled in this way: He set up a trust for his children. The money will be held in trust until she is 18. Our fees depend on the value of the trust.

　　 chat

　　 v. (-tt-) [v]

　　 1 ~ (away) (to / with sb.)| ~ (about sth../sb.) to talk in a friendly informal way to sb.: My kids spend hours chatting on the phone to their friends. Within minutes of being introduced they were chatting away like old friends. What were you chatting about? 2 to exchange messages with other people on the Internet, especially in a chat room: He's been on the computer all morning, chatting with his friends.

　　 chat sb. up (BrE, informal) to talk in a friendly way to sb. you are sexually attracted to: She went straight over and tried to chat him up. John was in the bar chatting up the barmaid.

　　 n.

　　 1 [C] (especially BrE) a friendly informal conversation: I just called in for a chat. I had a long chat with her. 2 [U] talking, especially informal conversation: That's enough chat from me-on with the music!

　　 note

　　 n.

　　 TO REMIND YOU

　　 1 [C] a short piece of writing to help you remember sth..: Please make a note of the dates. She made a mental note (= decided that she must remember) to ask Alan about it.

　　 SHORT LETTER

　　 2 [C] a short informal letter: Just a quick note to say thank you for a wonderful evening. She left a note for Ben on the kitchen table. a suicide note

　　 IN BOOK

　　 3 [C] a short comment on a word or passage in a book: a new edition of 'Hamlet', with explanatory notes See note 3, page 259.

　　 INFORMATION

　　 4 notes [pl.] information that you write down when sb. is speaking, or when you are reading a book, etc.: He sat taking notes of everything that was said. Can I borrow your lecture notes? Patients' medical notes have gone missing. 5 [C, usually pl.] information about a performance, an actor's career, a piece of music, etc. printed in a special book or on a CD case, record cover, etc.: The sleeve notes include a short biography of the performers on this recording. The catalogue contains detailed notes on each painting.

　　 MONEY

　　 6 (also banknote) (both especially BrE) (NAmE usually bill) [C] a piece of paper money: a ?5 note We only exchange notes and traveller's cheques.

　　 IN MUSIC

　　 7 [C] a single sound of a particular length and pitch (= how high or low a sound is), made by the voice or a musical instrument; the written or printed sign for a musical note: He played the first few notes of the tune. high / low notes

　　 QUALITY

　　 8 [sing.] ~ (of sth..) a particular quality in sth.., for example in sb.'s voice or the atmosphere at an event air: There was a note of amusement in his voice. The year ended on an optimistic note. On a more serious note (= speaking more seriously) ... On a slightly different note (= changing the subject slightly), let's talk about ...

　　 OFFICIAL DOCUMENT

　　 9 [C] an official document with a particular purpose: a sick note from your doctor The buyer has to sign a delivery note as proof of receipt. Students returning to school after absence must bring a note from their parents. 10 [C] (technical) an official letter from the representative of one government to another: an exchange of diplomatic notes

　　 hurt

　　 v. (hurt, hurt)

　　 1 to cause physical pain to sb./yourself; to injure sb./yourself: [vn] He hurt his back playing squash. Did you hurt yourself? Stop it. You're hurting me. My back is really hurting me today. Strong light hurts my eyes. [v] My shoes hurt-they're too tight. 2 [v] to feel painful: My feet hurt. Ouch! That hurt! It hurts when I bend my knee.

　　 it won't / wouldn't hurt (sb./sth..) (to do sth..) used to say that sb. should do a particular thing: It wouldn't hurt you to help with the housework occasionally

　　 adj.

　　 1 injured physically: None of the passengers were badly hurt. 2 upset and offended by sth.. that sb. has said or done: a hurt look / expression She was deeply hurt that she had not been invited. Martha's hurt pride showed in her eyes.

　　 n. [U, sing.] a feeling of unhappiness because sb. has been unkind or unfair to you: There was hurt and real anger in her voice. It was a hurt that would take a long time to heal.

　　 moody

　　 adj. (moodier, moodiest)

　　 1 having moods that change quickly and often: Moody people are very difficult to deal with. 2 bad-tempered or upset, often for no particular reason: Why are you so moody today? 3 (of a film / movie, piece of music or place) suggesting particular emotions, especially sad ones

　　 amount

　　 n. [C, U]

　　 1 a sum of money: The insurance company will refund any amount due to you. You will receive a bill for the full amount. Small amounts will be paid in cash. 2 ~ (of sth..) (used especially with uncountable n.s) a quantity of sth..: an amount of time / money / information We've had an enormous amount of help from people. The server is designed to store huge amounts of data.

　　 any amount of sth.. a large quantity of sth..: There's been any amount of research into the subject.

　　 no amount of sth.. used for saying that sth.. will have no effect: No amount of encouragement would make him jump into the pool.

　　 v.

　　 amount to sth..

　　 1 to add up to sth..; to make sth.. as a total: His earnings are said to amount to ?300 000 per annum. They gave me some help in the beginning but it did not amount to much (= they did not give me much help). 2 to be equal to or the same as sth..: Her answer amounted to a complete refusal. Their actions amount to a breach of contract. It'll cost a lot-well, take a lot of time, but it amounts to the same thing.

　　 fair

　　 adj. (fairer, fairest)

　　 ACCEPTABLE / APPROPRIATE

　　 1 ~ (to / on sb.) acceptable and appropriate in a particular situation: a fair deal / wage / price / question The punishment was very fair. Was it really fair to him to ask him to do all the work? It's not fair on the students to keep changing the timetable. It's only fair to add that they were not told about the problem until the last minute. It seems only fair that they should give us something in return. I think it is fair to say that they are pleased with this latest offer. To be fair, she behaved better than we expected. (especially BrE) 'You should really have asked me first.' 'Right, okay, fair comment.' In the end, a draw was a fair result. I give you fair warning, I'm not always this generous.

　　 TREATING PEOPLE EQUALLY

　　 2 ~ (to sb.) treating everyone equally and according to the rules or law: She has always been scrupulously fair. demands for a fairer distribution of wealth We have to be fair to both players. to receive a fair trial free and fair elections It's not fair! He always gets more than me. The new tax is fairer than the old system. They are fair and decent employers. his vision of a fairer, kinder society

　　 QUITE LARGE

　　 3 [only before n.] quite large in number, size or amount: A fair number of people came along. a fair-sized town We've still got a fair bit (= quite a lot) to do. My birthday's still a fair way off (= it's still a long time until my birthday).

　　 QUITE GOOD

　　 4 (especially BrE) quite good: There's a fair chance that we might win this time. It's a fair bet that they won't turn up. I have a fair idea of what happened. His knowledge of French is only fair.

　　 HAIR / SKIN

　　 5 pale in colour: a fair complexion She has long fair hair. All her children are fair (= they all have fair hair).

　　 WEATHER

　　 6 bright and not raining: a fair and breezy day The day was set fair with the spring sun shining down. 7 (literary) (of winds) not too strong and blowing in the right direction: They set sail with the first fair wind.

　　 BEAUTIFUL

　　 8 (literary or old use) beautiful: a fair maiden

　　 raise

　　 v.

　　 MOVE UPWARDS

　　 1 [vn] to lift or move sth.. to a higher level: She raised the gun and fired. He raised a hand in greeting. She raised her eyes from her work. 2 [vn] to move sth.. / sb. / yourself to a vertical position: Somehow we managed to raise her to her feet. He raised himself up on one elbow.

　　 INCREASE

　　 COLLECT MONEY / PEOPLE

　　 4 [vn] to bring or collect money or people together; to manage to get or form sth..: to raise a loan We are raising money for charity. He set about raising an army.

　　 MENTION SUBJECT

　　 5 [vn] to mention sth.. for people to discuss or sb. to deal with: The book raises many important questions. I'm glad you raised the subject of money.

　　 CAUSE

　　 6 [vn] to cause or produce sth..; to make sth.. appear: to raise doubts in people's minds The plans for the new development have raised angry protests from local residents. It wasn't an easy audience but he raised a laugh with his joke. It had been a difficult day but she managed to raise a smile. The horses' hooves raised a cloud of dust.

　　 CHILD / ANIMAL

　　 7 (especially NAmE) to care for a child or young animal until it is able to take care of itself: [vn] They were both raised in the South. kids raised on a diet of hamburgers [vn-n] They raised her (as) a Catholic. I was born and raised a city boy.

　　 FARM ANIMALS / CROPS

　　 8 [vn] to breed particular farm animals; to grow particular crops: to raise cattle / corn

　　 END STH..

　　 9 [vn] to end a restriction on sb./sth..: to raise a blockade / a ban / an embargo / a siege

　　 ON RADIO / PHONE

　　 10 [vn] to contact sb. and speak to them by radio or telephone: We managed to raise him on his mobile phone.

　　 DEAD PERSON

　　 11 [vn] ~ sb. (from sth..) to make sb. who has died come to life again: Christians believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.

　　 IN CARD GAMES

　　 12 [vnn] to make a higher bet than another player in a card game: I'll raise you another hundred dollars.

　　 MATHEMATICS

　　 13 [vn] to multiply an amount by itself a particular number of times: 3 raised to the power of 3 is 27 (= 3 × 3 × 3).

　　 swing

　　 v. (swung, swung /sw/)

　　 HANG AND MOVE

　　 1 to move backwards or forwards or from side to side while hanging from a fixed point; to make sth.. do this: [v] His arms swung as he walked. A set of keys swung from her belt. As he pushed her, she swung higher and higher (= while sitting on a swing). [vn] He sat on the stool, swinging his legs.

　　 2 [+adv. / prep.] to move from one place to another by holding sth.. that is fixed and pulling yourself along, up, etc.: [vn] He swung himself out of the car. [v] The gunshot sent monkeys swinging away through the trees.

　　 MOVE IN CURVE

　　 3 [+adv. / prep.] to move or make sth.. move with a wide curved movement: [v] A line of cars swung out of the palace gates. [vn] He swung his legs over the side of the bed. [v-adj, vn-adj] The door swung open. She swung the door open.

　　 TURN QUICKLY

　　 4 [+adv. / prep.] to turn or change direction suddenly; to make sth.. do this: [v] She swung back to face him. The bus swung sharply to the left. [vn] He swung the camera around to face the opposite direction.

　　 TRY TO HIT

　　 5 ~ (sth..) (at sb./sth..) to try to hit sb./sth..: [v] She swung at me with the iron bar. [vn] He swung another punch in my direction.

　　 CHANGE OPINION / MOOD

　　 6 ~ (from A) (to B)| ~ (between A and B) to change or make sb./sth.. change from one opinion, mood, etc. to another: [v] The state has swung from Republican to Democrat. His emotions swung between fear and curiosity. The game could swing either way (= either side could win it). [vn] I managed to swing them round to my point of view.

　　 DO / GET STH..

　　 7 (informal) to succeed in getting or achieving sth.., sometimes in a slightly dishonest way: [vn] We're trying to swing it so that we can travel on the same flight. [vnn] Is there any chance of you swinging us a couple of tickets?