NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 48 pot

play up to
someone
to flatter
someone; to try to gain influence
with someone.
play (up)on
something
1. to make
music on a musical instrument.
2. to exploit something—includ-
ing a word—for some purpose; to
develop something for some pur-
pose.
play with fire to take a big risk.
played out (Informal.) 1. ex-
hausted.
2. no longer of interest
or influence.
player ["ple #] 1. n. someone who
plays a game or sport.
2. n. some-
one who plays a particular musical
instrument.
3. n. something that
plays a recording. (Compare this
with
recorder E.)
→
cassette player
playful ["ple fUl] 1. adj. liking to
play; full of fun. (Adv: playfully.)

2. adj. funny; humorous; not seri-
ous. (Adv: playfully.)
playground ["ple graUnd] 1. n. an
outdoor place for children to play.
2. the adj. use of Q.
plaything ["ple TIN] n. a toy; some-
thing that is played with.
plea ["pli] 1. n. a request; an appeal.
2. n. a statement in court in which
one declares that one is guilty or
innocent.
plead ["plid] 1. tv., irreg. to declare
in court that one is guilty or not
guilty before the trial actually
begins. (Past tense and past par-
ticiple: pleaded or
pled.) 2. tv.,
irreg. to claim something as an
excuse. (The object can be a clause
with
that U. Past tense and past
participle: pleaded or
pled.)
plead for
something
to beg for
something; to ask for something.
pleasant ["plEz @nt] 1. adj. [of
something] bringing or causing
enjoyment and pleasure. (Adv:

pleasantly.)
2. adj. [of someone]
friendly and nice. (Adv: pleas-
antly.)
please ["pliz] 1. adv. a word used to
make requests or commands more
polite.
2. tv. to cause someone to
be happy or satisfied.
→
aim to please
please yourself and suit your-
self to do what one wishes.
(Informal.)
pleasure ["plEZ #] n. a feeling of
happiness because of something
that one likes; enjoyment; a pleas-
ing feeling or emotion. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
pled ["plEd] a past tense and past
participle of
plead.
pledge ["plEdZ] 1. n. a promise; a
vow; a statement that one will do
something.
2. tv. to promise
something. (The object can be a
clause with
that U.)
pledge to

do something
to vow or
promise to do something.
plentiful ["plEn tI fUl] adj. having
enough or more than enough;
ample. (Adv: plentifully.)
plenty ["plEn ti] 1. n. a full supply;
more than enough. (No plural.)
2. adj. enough; almost too much.
(Not prenominal.)
→
There are plenty of other fish in
the sea.
plenty of
something
lots of some-
thing; an abundance of something;
enough of something.
play up to someone
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pliers ["plaI #z] n. a tool with
rough jaws, used to grasp objects.
(Usually treated as plural. Number
is expressed with pair(s) of pliers.
Also countable.)
plot ["plat] 1. n. the story of a
movie, book, opera, television
show, play, etc.

2. n. a secret plan
to do something wrong or illegal.
3. n. a small garden or part of a
garden; a small area of land.
4. iv.
to plan in secret.
5. iv. to make
plans to do something, especially
secretly.
6. tv. to plan in secret to
do something.
7. tv. to determine
the position of something on a
map, chart, or graph.
→
brew a plot
plot
something
out to map some-
thing out; to outline a plan for
something.
The
plot thickens. a phrase said
when things are becoming more
complicated or interesting.
plotter ["plat #] n. a machine that
marks points, lines, or curves on a
graph.
plow ["plaU] 1. n. a farm tool made
of a heavy metal blade used to

break up and turn over soil.
2. n. a
large, curved blade in front of a
vehicle that is used to move snow
off a road or path.
3. n. a vehicle
equipped with W.
4. iv. to use Q.
5. tv. to cut into land, making
rows for planting crops, with Q.
6. tv. to clear a road or path of
snow with W.
→
put
one’s
hand to the plow
plow
something
back into
some-
thing
to put something, such as a
profit, back into an investment.
plow
something
in to work some-
thing into the soil by plowing.
plow
something
under (

something
)
to push something under the sur-
face of the soil or of water.
plow through
something
to work
through something laboriously.
pluck ["pl^k] 1. tv. to remove the
feathers from a bird; to remove
hairs from the body of a person or
an animal.
2. tv. to clean a bird of
its feathers.
3. tv. to pull some-
thing from someplace.
pluck
something
off ((of)
someone
or something
) to pick something
off someone or something.
pluck
something
out (of
some-
thing
) to snatch something out of
something.

pluck up
someone’s
courage to
bolster someone’s, including one’s
own, courage.
plug ["pl^g] 1. n. a small device for
closing a hole, drain, or other
opening.
2. n. the connector that
is pushed into an electric recepta-
cle. (Short for
electric plug.) 3. n.
a statement made while speaking
on television or radio that encour-
ages people to buy something or
do something.
4. tv. to mention a
product and to encourage people
to buy it.
→
electric plug
plug away (at
someone or some-
thing
) to keep working at someone
or something.
plug
something
in(to
something

) to
connect something to something
else, usually by connecting wires
together with a plug and socket.
plug something in(to something)
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plug
something
up to fill up a hole;
to block a hole or opening.
plum ["pl^m] 1. n. a fruit with a
smooth skin and a soft, sweet,
juicy pulp with a large pit.
2. n. a
deep purple color.
3. adj. deep
purple in color.
plumber ["pl^m #] n. someone
who is trained to install and repair
sewer pipes, water pipes, and fix-
tures such as sinks, toilets, bath-
tubs, and drains.
plumbing ["pl^m IN] 1. n. the work
that a plumber does. (No plural.)
2. n. water pipes, sewer pipes, gas
pipes, and related fixtures. (No
plural.)
plume ["plum] 1. n. a feather, espe-

cially a bright, colorful one.
2. n.
something that looks like a feather,
especially a cloud of smoke or a jet
of water.
plump ["pl^mp] adj. a little fat or
swollen.
plump
something
up to pat or
shake something like a pillow into
a fuller shape.
plunge ["pl^ndZ] 1. n. a dive; a
jump into water.
2. iv. to dive into
a liquid.
plunge in(to
something
) to dive or
rush into something; to immerse
oneself in something.
plunge
something
in(to
someone
or something
) to drive or stab
something into someone or some-
thing.
plural ["pl# @l] 1. n. a form of a

word that refers to more than one
thing or person.
2. the adj. use of
Q.
plus ["pl^s] 1. prep. in addition to
someone or something; added to
someone or something. (Symbol-
ized by (ϩ).)
2. conj. and also.
3. adj. above zero; [marking a
number] greater than zero. (Sym-
bolized as (ϩ).)
4. n. an advan-
tage; an extra.
ply ["plaI] 1. n. a layer of some-
thing. (Hyphenated after a num-
ber.)
2. tv. to work doing one’s job,
especially at one’s trade.
plywood ["plaI wUd] n. a wooden
panel made of several thin sheets
of wood that are glued together.
(No plural.)
pocket ["pak It] 1. n. a small cloth
bag that is sewn into clothing and
is used to hold things, such as a
wallet or keys.
2. n. a small
amount of something that is sepa-
rated from other amounts of it; an

isolated amount of something.
3. adj. small enough to fit in Q;
meant to be put in Q.
4. tv. to put
something in one’s Q.
5. tv. to
steal something by putting it in
one’s Q.
→
have
someone
in
one’s
pocket
→ Money burns a hole in
someone’s
pocket.
pod ["pad] n. a long, soft, narrow
shell that holds the seeds of cer-
tain plants, such as peas and
beans.
poem ["po @m] n. a piece of writing
in a form that sometimes rhymes
and often has a rhythm, usually
expressing feelings, emotions, or
imagination.
poet ["po It] n. someone who writes
poetry.
plug something up
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poetic [po "Et Ik] 1. adj. [of
thoughts] expressed as a poem.
(Adv: poetically [
Ik li].) 2. the
adj. form of
poetry.
poetic justice the appropriate but
chance receiving of rewards or
punishments by those deserving
them.
poetry ["po @ tri] 1. n. a poem;
poems; a collection of poems. (No
plural. Treated as singular.)
2. n.
the art of writing poems. (No plu-
ral.)
point ["poInt] 1. n. the sharp end of
something.
2. n. the main idea of
something; the purpose of some-
thing.
3. n. one idea, argument, or
statement in a series of ideas,
arguments, or statements.
4. n. a
certain position in space or
moment in time; a certain degree
or position of something.

5. n. [in
geometry] the place where two
lines cross each other.
6. n. a dot; a
decimal point. 7. n. a feature, trait,
or ability of someone or some-
thing.
8. n. a unit of scoring in a
game.
9. n. a helpful hint; a piece
of advice.
10. tv. to aim someone
at someone or something; to direct
someone to someone or some-
thing.
11. iv. to indicate the loca-
tion of someone or something by
directing one’s finger toward the
location.
12. iv. to be facing in a
certain direction.
→
case in point
→ come to the point
→ decimal point
→ exclamation point
→ get to the point
→ have a low boiling point
→ jumping-off point
→ miss the point

→ no point in
doing something
point of view a way of thinking
about something; [someone’s]
viewpoint; an attitude or expres-
sion of self-interest.
point
someone or something
out to
identify someone or something in
a group; to select someone or
something from a group.
point the finger at
someone
to
blame someone; to identify some-
one as the guilty person.
poised for
something
ready for
something; in the right position
and waiting for something.
poised to
do something
ready to do
something; in the right position to
do something.
poison ["poI z@n] 1. n. a substance
that can injure or kill a living crea-
ture, especially if eaten, drunk,

breathed in, or absorbed through
the skin. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. tv. to kill or harm
someone or something with Q.
3. tv. to put Q in something, espe-
cially food, in order to kill or
harm someone or something.
4. tv. to have a harmful effect on
someone or something; to corrupt
someone or something. (Figura-
tive on W.)
poke ["pok] 1. n. a push with one’s
finger, fist, or elbow, or with a
blunt object.
2. tv. to push some-
one or something with one’s fin-
ger, fist, or elbow, or with a blunt
object.
poke a hole in
something
and
poke a hole through
something
to make a hole by pushing some-
thing through something.
poke a hole in something
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poke a hole through
something
Go to poke a hole in
something
.
poke fun (at
someone
) to make
fun of someone; to ridicule some-
one.
poke
one’s
nose in(to
something
)
and stick
one’s
nose in(to
some-
thing
) to interfere with something;
to be nosy about something.
poke out (of
something
) to stick
out of something; to extend out of
something.
poke
something
in(to

something
)
to stick or cram something into
something.
poker ["pok #] 1. n. a long, narrow
metal rod that is used to move logs
or coal in a fire.
2. n. a card game
where players win by having cards
with the highest value. (No plu-
ral.)
polar ["po l#] adj. of or about the
areas near the north or south pole.
pole ["pol] 1. n. a long, thin, solid
tube of wood, steel, plastic, or
other material.
2. n. one of the two
places where the imaginary axis on
which a planet spins meets the
surface of the planet—at the north
and south ends of the planet.
3. n.
either side of a magnet; either end
of a magnet; one of the two
strongest points of a magnet that
either pulls or pushes metal
objects.
→
be poles apart
→ north pole

→ south pole
police [p@ "lis] 1. tv. to patrol an
area; to control, regulate, or pro-
tect an area.
2. tv. to regulate or
control people, their behavior, or
their actions.
the
police n. people who have the
authority to maintain law and
order by arresting people who
break the law. (No plural. Treated
as plural, but not countable. Num-
ber is expressed with
police offi-
cer(s)
.)
police officer [p@ "lis O f@ s#] n. a
member of a police department; a
policeman; a policewoman.
policeman [p@ "lis m@n] n., irreg. a
police officer; a male member of a
police force. (Plural:
policemen or
police officers.)
policemen [p@ "lis m@n] plural of
policeman.
policewoman [p@ "lis wUm @n] n.,
irreg. a female police officer; a
female member of a police force.

(Plural:
policewomen or police
officers
.)
policewomen [p@ "lis wIm @n] plu-
ral of
policewoman.
policy ["pal @ si] n. a plan of action
used by management or govern-
ment; a regulation.
→
insurance policy
polish ["pal IS] 1. n. a substance
that is used to make something
shiny. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. tv. to make a surface
shiny or glossy, especially by rub-
bing it.
3. tv. to improve some-
thing; to make something better or
perfect; to refine something. (Fig-
urative on W.)
Polish ["po lIS] adj. of or about
Poland; describing a person born
in Poland.
polish
something
off to eat, con-
sume, exhaust, or complete all of

something.
poke a hole through something
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polish
something
up to rub some-
thing until it shines.
polite [p@ "laIt] adj. courteous; hav-
ing good behavior; having good
manners; doing things in a helpful
and kind way. (Adv: politely.)
political [p@ "lI tI k@l] adj. of or
about politics, politicians, or gov-
ernment. (Adv: politically [
Ik
li
].)
politician [pal @ "tI S@n] n. a person
whose business is politics, espe-
cially someone holding or seeking
a government office.
politics ["pal @ tIks] 1. n. the busi-
ness or operation of government;
the study of the management of
government. (Treated as singular
or plural, but not countable.)
2. n.
someone’s beliefs about political

issues. (Treated as singular or plu-
ral, but not countable.)
poll ["pol] 1. n. a survey that deter-
mines the popular opinion about
an issue.
2. tv. to ask someone
questions as part of a survey.
pollen ["pal @n] n. a yellow powder
made by flowers that is part of the
process of making seeds. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
polls n. the places where people
vote. (Treated as plural.)
pollute [p@ "lut] 1. tv. to cause
something to become dirty or
impure.
2. iv. to make something
dirty or impure.
pompous ["pamp @s] adj. arrogant;
too formal; too grand. (Adv:
pompously.)
pond ["pand] n. a small body of
water; a body of water smaller
than a lake.
→ a
big frog in a small pond
ponder ["pan d#] 1. iv. to think
carefully; to consider.
2. tv. to
think about something carefully;

to consider something.
ponder (up)on
something
to think
on something; to consider some-
thing.
ponderous ["pan d# @s] adj. slow
and awkward, especially because
of being large or heavy. (Adv: pon-
derously.)
pony ["pon i] n. a small horse.
ponytail ["pon i tel] n. a bunch of
hair pulled toward the back of the
head and tied.
poodle ["pud l] n. a kind of dog
that has very curly fur.
pool ["pul] 1. n. a puddle of water
or other liquid.
2. n. a game played
with a number of hard balls on a
felt-covered table having six pock-
ets and raised sides.
3. tv. to put
money or things together for com-
mon use.
→
swimming pool
poor ["por] 1. adj. not rich; having
very little money; not owning
many things. (Comp: poorer; sup:

poorest.)
2. adj. below a certain
level of quality; inferior in opera-
tion or function. (Adv: poorly.
Comp: poorer; sup: poorest.)
3. adj.
worthy of pity or sympathy.
→
(as) poor as a church mouse
→ in poor taste
the poor n. people who are poor Q.
(No plural. Treated as plural, but
not countable.)
pop ["pap] 1. n. a quick, loud noise,
like an explosion.
2. n. father.
(Informal. Also a term of address.
pop
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Capitalized when written as a
proper noun.)
3. n. popular music.
(No plural.)
4. n. soda pop. (Infor-
mal. No plural.)
5. adj. popular;
well liked; favored.
6. iv. to make a

sound as in Q; [for something
with air in it] to burst suddenly.
7. tv. to cause something to make
Q; to cause something with air in
it to burst suddenly.
→
soda pop
pop out (of
something
) to jump
out of something; to burst out of
something.
pop
something
in(to
something
) to
fit, snap, or press something into
place in something.
pop
something
on((to)
something
)
to snap something onto some-
thing.
pop
something
out (of
something

)
to release something from some-
thing so that it jumps or bursts
out, possibly with a popping
sound.
pop the question to ask someone
to marry one.
pop up (
someplace
) to appear sud-
denly and unexpectedly some-
place.
popcorn ["pap korn] 1. n. seeds of
various kinds of corn that explode
into a soft, white, fluffy mass
when heated. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. n.
exploded and puffed-up kernels of
Q eaten as food. (No plural.
Treated as singular.)
poplar ["pap l#] 1. n. a kind of tall,
thin tree that grows quickly.
2. n.
wood from Q. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
3. adj. made
from W.
poppy ["pap i] n. a flowering herb
with large red blossoms.

popular ["pap j@ l#] adj. liked by
many people; favored by many
people; well liked. (Adv: popu-
larly.)
populate ["pap j@ let] tv. [for living
creatures] to occupy an area.
(Usually passive.)
population [pap j@ "le S@n] 1. n.
the living creatures of one kind
that live in a certain area.
2. n. the
number of people or creatures liv-
ing in a certain place. (No plural.)
porch ["portS] n. a covered struc-
ture built in front of a house, usu-
ally at a doorway.
porcupine ["por kj@ paIn] n. a large
rodent covered with sharp needles
or spines that it uses to defend
itself.
pore ["por] n. a tiny opening in the
skin of plants and animals.
pore over
something
to study
something closely; to look over
something thoroughly.
pork ["pork] n. the meat of a pig,
eaten as food. (No plural.)
porpoise ["por p@s] n. a mammal

that lives in the sea, swimming in
groups.
port ["port] 1. n. a city on an ocean,
sea, or lake that has a harbor
where ships can be loaded and
unloaded.
2. n. a harbor. 3. adj.
on, at, or toward the left side of a
ship or aircraft when one is facing
the front of the ship or aircraft.
pop out (of something)
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porter ["por t#] n. someone who
carries luggage for other people,
especially at a hotel, airport, or
train station.
portrait ["por trIt] n. a painting,
especially of a person or a person’s
face.
pose ["poz] 1. n. a certain way that
someone sits or stands, especially
when one is getting one’s picture
taken or painted.
2. iv. to sit or
stand in a certain way when some-
one is taking or painting one’s pic-
ture.
3. tv. to place someone or

something, as in Q.
→
strike a pose
pose a question to ask a question;
to imply the need for asking a
question.
pose as
someone or something
to
pretend to be someone; to pretend
to have some role.
posh ["paS] adj. very lavish; elegant;
full of style. (Adv: poshly. Comp:
posher; sup: poshest.)
position [p@ "zI S@n] 1. n. the place
where someone or something is or
where someone or something
belongs.
2. n. the way that some-
one or something is placed or situ-
ated.
3. n. a point of view; an
opinion; the way someone thinks
about a certain subject or issue.
4. n. a job. 5. tv. to put someone or
something in a certain place.
→
jockey for position
→ jockey
someone or something

into
position
possess [p@ "zEs] 1. tv. to have
something; to own something.
2. tv. to influence someone or
something completely; [for some-
one or something, especially an
evil spirit or the devil] to control
someone or something completely.
possession [p@ "zE S@n] 1. n. own-
ership. (No plural.)
2. n. a belong-
ing; something that belongs to
someone; something that is owned
by someone.
possessive [p@ "zEs Iv] 1. adj. self-
ish; unwilling to share. (Adv: pos-
sessively.)
2. adj. [of a word]
showing possession or belonging
[to someone or something]. (Adv:
possessively.)
3. n. the form of a
word that shows possession.
possible ["pas @ b@l] adj. able to be
done; able to exist; able to happen;
able to be true, but not necessarily
true. (Adv: possibly.)
→
(as) soon as possible

→ everything humanly possible
post ["post] 1. n. an upright, thick
length of wood, steel, or other
material.
2. n. a job; a position in a
company or a government.
3. tv.
to place a written notice where
people can see it.
4. tv. to mail
something; to send something by
mail.
→
from pillar to post
→ keep
someone
posted
→ parcel post
post office ["post Of Is] n. a gov-
ernment building where mail is
taken, sorted, and sent to the
proper addresses, and where other
postal business can be taken care
of.
postage ["pos tIdZ] 1. n. the cost of
sending something through the
mail, usually paid for with stamps.
(No plural.)
2. n. the stamp or
stamps that are placed on some-

thing that is mailed. (No plural.
postage
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Number is expressed with postage
stamp(s).)
postal ["pos t@l] adj. of or about
mail or the post office.
postcard ["post kard] n. a card that
is thicker than paper, sometimes
has a picture on one side of it, and
is used to mail someone a short
letter, especially when one is trav-
eling.
poster ["pos t#] n. a large sheet of
thick paper carrying a message or
a picture.
postmaster ["post mA st#] n.
someone who is in charge of a
post office; the head of a post
office.
posture ["pas tS#] 1. n. the way
that one sits, stands, or moves; the
position of the body. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
2. iv. to
sit or stand in a certain way; to
strike a pose.
pot ["pat] 1. n. a large, deep, round

container, usually used to cook or
hold food or liquid.
2. n. a round
container that holds soil and a
flower or plant.
3. n. the contents
of Q or W.
4. tv. to put a plant in
soil in W.
→
go to pot
the pot calling the kettle black
[an instance of] someone with a
fault accusing someone else of
having the same fault.
potato [p@ "te to] 1. n. a vegetable
root shaped like a large egg.
(Plural ends in -es.)
2. n. the plant
that produces Q. (Plural ends in
-es.)
3. adj. made of or with Q.
potato chip [p@ "te to tSIp]] n. a
thin slice of potato, fried until it is
very crisp. (Often plural. Can be
shortened to
chip.)
potent ["pot nt] 1. adj. powerful;
having a strong effect. (Adv:
potently.)

2. adj. [of a male] able
to copulate. (Adv: potently.)
pottery ["pat @ ri] 1. n. dishes,
bowls, vases, and other objects
that are made from baked clay.
(No plural.)
2. n. the craft or art of
making objects out of clay and
baking them so that the clay hard-
ens. (No plural.)
pouch ["paUtS] n. a small bag that is
used to hold a small amount of
something.
poultry ["pol tri] n. chickens,
ducks, geese, and other birds that
are used as meat or for providing
eggs for humans to eat. (No plu-
ral.)
pounce (up)on
someone or some-
thing
to spring or swoop upon
someone or something; to seize
someone or something.
pound ["paUnd] 1. n. a unit of
measure of weight, equal to 16
ounces or about 0.454 kilogram.
2. n. the basic unit of money in the
United Kingdom. (Symbolized as
£.)

3. n. a place where stray ani-
mals are kept.
4. tv. to hit someone
or something very hard again and
again; to beat something into a
certain shape by hitting it very
hard again and again.
5. iv. [for
the heart or blood pressure] to
beat very hard.
pound a beat to walk a route.
(Usually said of a police patrol
officer.)
postal
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pound away (at
someone or some-
thing
) to hammer or batter con-
stantly on someone or something.
pound
something
down to ham-
mer, flatten, or batter something.
pound
something
in(to
someone

)
Go to hammer
something
in(to
someone
).
pound
something
in(to
something
)
Go to hammer
something
in(to
some-
thing
).
pound the pavement to walk
through the streets, looking for a
job.
pour ["por] 1. iv. to flow from a
place; to come out of a place
quickly and continuously.
2. tv. to
cause something to pour out of a
place quickly and continuously.
pour cold water on
something
and dash cold water on
some-

thing
; throw cold water on
something
to discourage doing
something; to reduce enthusiasm
for something.
pour it on thick Go to lay it on
thick.
pour money down the drain to
waste money.
pour oil on troubled water to
calm things down.
pour out (of
something
) [for
someone or something] to stream
or gush out of something or some-
place.
pour
something
off ((of)
some-
thing
) to spill liquid off the top of
something.
pouring rain very heavy rain.
poverty ["pav # ti] n. the lack of
the necessities for life. (No plural.)
powder ["paU d#] 1. n. a substance
that consists of tiny particles.

(Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. tv. to cover or dust
something with Q or a substance
that has been crushed or ground
into Q.
→
sitting on a powder keg
power ["paU #] 1. n. the ability to
do something; strength. (Plural
only for types and instances. Typi-
cally singular or plural with the
same meaning.)
2. n. the authority
to do something; control. (Plural
only for types and instances. Sin-
gular or plural with the same
meaning.)
3. n. the number of
times that a number is multiplied
by itself.
4. tv. to supply energy to
a machine or other device that
uses energy.
power
something
up to start some-
thing, such as an engine.
power up to start an engine.
powerful ["paU # fUl] adj. having a

lot of power, energy, or force; full
of strength or influence. (Adv:
powerfully.)
the
powers that be the people
who are in authority.
practical ["prAk tI k@l] 1. adj. use-
ful; able to be used; of or about
actions and results, as opposed to
ideas or theories. (Adv: practically
[
Ik li].) 2. adj. sensible; having
common sense. (Adv: practically
[
Ik li].)
practice ["prAk tIs] 1. n. doing an
action many times so that one will
do it better and better. (No plu-
ral.)
2. n. a custom; a tradition;
the way something is usually done;
a habit.
3. n. the business of a doc-
practice
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