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closely 61 coach
closely
closely /kləυsli/
adverb
with a lot of at-
tention
ć She studied the timetable very
closely.
ć The prisoners were closely
guarded by armed soldiers.
closeness
closeness /kləυsnəs/
noun
the fact of
being close to something
close-up
close-up /kləυs p/
noun
a photograph
taken very close to the subject
˽ in
close-up taken very close to the subject
ć a photo of the leaf in close-up
cloth
cloth /klɒθ/
noun
1. soft material made
from woven fibres
ć Her dress is made
of cheap blue cloth.
ć This cloth is of a

very high quality.
2. a piece of material
used for cleaning
ć He wiped up the
milk with a damp cloth.
3. a piece of ma-
terial which you put on a table to cover
it
ć The waiter spread a white cloth
over the table.
clothes
clothes /kləυðz/
plural noun
things
which you wear to cover your body and
keep you warm, e.g. trousers, socks,
shirts and dresses
ć The doctor asked
him to take his clothes off.
ć The chil-
dren haven’t had any new clothes for
years.
˽ with no clothes on naked
clothing
clothing /kləυðŋ/
noun
clothes ć a
major clothing manufacturer
ć Take
plenty of warm clothing on your trip to

Iceland.
(NOTE: no plural:
some cloth-
ing; a piece of clothing
)
cloud
cloud /klaυd/
noun
a white or grey mass
of drops of water floating in the air
ć
Look at those grey clouds – it’s going to
rain.
ć The plane was flying above the
clouds.
cloudy
cloudy /klaυdi/
adjective
1. with clouds
ć The weather was cloudy in the morn-
ing, but cleared up in the afternoon.
2.
not clear ć The liquid turned cloudy
when I added the flour.
(NOTE: cloudier
– cloudiest)
club
club /klb/
noun
1. a group of people

who have the same interest or who form
a team
ć a youth club ć I’m joining a
tennis club.
ć Our town has one of the
top football clubs in the country.
2. a
stick for playing golf
(NOTE: A golf
club can either mean the place where
you play golf, or the stick used to hit the
ball.) 3.
a large heavy stick í
verb
1. to
hit with a club
ć She was clubbed to the
ground.
2. ˽ to club together (
of sever-
al people
) to contribute money jointly ć
They clubbed together and bought a
yacht.
(NOTE: clubs – clubbing –
clubbed)
clue
clue /klu/
noun
information which helps

you solve a mystery or puzzle
ć The de-
tective had missed a vital clue.
ć I don’t
understand the clues to this crossword.
ȣ to not have a clue to not know
something
ć The police still haven’t a
clue who did it.
ć I don’t have a clue
how to get there.
clumsy
clumsy /klmzi/
adjective
tending to
break things or knock things over
(NOTE: clumsier – clumsiest) í not
expressed or done in a good way
ć a
clumsy apology
ć a clumsy attempt to
hide the situation
cluster
cluster /klstə/
noun
a group of objects
or people that are close together
ć a
brooch with a cluster of pearls
ć He

photographed a cluster of stars.
clutch
clutch /kltʃ/
verb
to grip something
tightly
ć She clutched my arm as we
stood on the edge of the cliff.
í
noun
a
tight grip
ć She felt the clutch of his fin-
gers on her sleeve.
í
plural noun
clutches the power that a person or
group has over someone else
ć You
can’t escape the clutches of your family
so easily.
˽ in the clutches of, in some-
one’s clutches under the control of
ć
We want to avoid spending too much
and falling into the clutches of the bank
or the bank’s clutches.
coach
coach /kəυtʃ/
noun

1. a large bus for
travelling long distances
ć They went on
a tour of southern Spain by coach.
ć
There’s an coach service to Oxford eve-
ry hour.
2. one of the vehicles for pas-
sengers that is part of a train
ć The first
four coaches are for London.
3. a person
who trains sports players
ć The coach
told them that they needed to spend
more time practising.
ć He’s a profes-
sional football coach.
(NOTE: The plural
is coaches.)
í
verb
1. to train sports
people
ć She was coached by a former
Olympic gold medallist.
2. to give pri-
vate lessons to someone in a particular
sport, subject or activity
ć He coaches

young footballers.
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coal 62 collect
coal
coal /kəυl/
noun
a hard black substance
which produces heat when burnt
coarse
coarse /kɔs/
adjective
1. consisting of
large pieces
ć coarse grains of sand 2.
rough and hard ć coarse cloth
coast
coast /kəυst/
noun
parts of a country
that are by the sea
ć After ten weeks at
sea, Columbus saw the coast of Ameri-
ca.
ć The south coast is the warmest
part of the country.
coat

coat /kəυt/
noun
1. a piece of clothing
which you wear on top of other clothes
when you go outside
ć a winter coat 2.
a layer of something ć a coat of paint ć
a thick coat of dust 3. the fur of an ani-
mal
ć These dogs have thick shiny
coats.
cocoa
cocoa /kəυkəυ/
noun
1. a brown choc-
olate powder ground from the seeds of a
tree, used for making a drink
ć a tin of
cocoa
ć cocoa powder 2. a drink made
with cocoa and hot water or milk
(NOTE:
no plural)
code
code /kəυd/
noun
1. secret words or a
system agreed as a way of sending mes-
sages
ć We’re trying to break the ene-

my’s code.
ć He sent the message in
code.
2. a system of numbers or letters
which mean something
ć The code for
Heathrow Airport is LHR.
ć What is the
code for phoning Edinburgh?
3. a set of
laws or rules of behaviour
ć The hotel
has a strict dress code, and people
wearing jeans are not allowed in.
coffee
coffee /kɒfi/
noun
1. a hot drink made
from the seeds of a tropical plant
ć
Would you like a cup of coffee? ć I al-
ways take sugar in coffee.
2. a cup of
coffee
ć I’d like a white coffee, please.
ć Three coffees and two teas, please.
coffee shop
coffee shop /kɒfi ʃɒp/
noun
a small

restaurant serving drinks and light
meals
coffin
coffin /kɒfn/
noun
a long box in which
a dead person is placed before being
buried
coil
coil /kɔl/
noun
a roll of rope, or one loop
in something twisted round and round
ć
The sailors stacked the rope in coils on
the deck.
í
verb
to twist around some-
thing or into a coil
ć The snake had
coiled itself up in the basket.
ć The sail-
or coiled the ropes neatly.
coin
coin /kɔn/
noun
a piece of metal money
ć This machine only takes 20p coins.
cold

cold /kəυld/
adjective
1. with a low tem-
perature
ć They say that cold showers
are good for you.
ć The weather turned
colder in January.
ć It’s too cold to go
for a walk.
ć If you’re hot, have a glass
of cold water.
ć Start eating, or your
soup will get cold.
ć He had a plate of
cold beef and salad.
2. not friendly ć He
got a very cold reception from the rest of
the staff.
ć She gave him a cold nod.
(NOTE: colder – coldest) í
noun
1. an
illness which makes you blow your nose
ć He caught a cold from his colleague.
ć My sister’s in bed with a cold. ć Don’t
come near me – I’ve got a cold.
2. a cold
outdoor temperature
ć He was in the

cold waiting for a bus.
ć These plants
can’t stand the cold.
coldly
coldly /kəυldli/
adverb
in an unfriendly
way
collapse
collapse /kə

lps/
verb
1. to fall down
suddenly
ć The roof collapsed under
the weight of the snow.
2. to fail sudden-
ly
ć The company collapsed with
£25,000 in debts.
3. to fall down uncon-
scious
ć He collapsed after the mara-
thon.
í
noun
1. a sudden fall ć The col-
lapse of the old wall buried two work-
men.

2. a sudden fall in price ć the
collapse of the dollar on the foreign ex-
change markets
3. the sudden failure of
a company
ć They lost thousands of
pounds in the collapse of the bank.
collar
collar /kɒlə/
noun
1. the part of a piece
of clothing which goes round your neck
ć I can’t wear this shirt – the collar’s
too tight.
ć She turned up her coat col-
lar because the wind was cold.
ć He has
a winter coat with a fur collar.
2. a
leather ring round the neck of a dog or
cat
ć The cat has a collar with her name
and address on it.
colleague
colleague /kɒli/
noun
a person who
works with you, e.g. in the same compa-
ny or office
ć His colleagues gave him

a present when he got married.
ć She
was a colleague of mine at my last job.
collect
collect /kə

lekt/
verb
1. to bring things
or people together, or to come together
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collection 63 come
ć We collected information from all the
people who offered to help.
ć A crowd
collected at the scene of the accident.
2.
to get things and keep them together ć
Your coat is ready for you to collect from
the cleaner’s
ć The mail is collected
from the postbox twice a day.
ć I must
collect the children from school at 4
p.m.
3. to buy things or bring things to-

gether as a hobby
ć He collects stamps
and old coins.
4. to gather money to give
to an organisation that helps people
ć
They’re collecting for Oxfam.
collection
collection /kə

lekʃən/
noun
1. a group
of things that have been brought togeth-
er
ć He showed me his stamp collection.
ć The museum has a large collection of
Italian paintings.
2. money which has
been gathered
ć We’re making a collec-
tion for Oxfam.
college
college /kɒld/
noun
a teaching insti-
tution for adults and young people
ć
She’s going on holiday with some
friends from college.

ć He’s studying
art at the local college.
ć The college li-
brary has over 20,000 volumes.
collide
collide /kə

lad/
verb
to bump into
something
ć The car collided with a
bus.
collision
collision /kə

l(ə)n/
noun
1. an occa-
sion when someone or something hits
against something accidentally
ć Two
people were injured in the collision be-
tween a lorry and the bus.
˽ in collision
with involved in hitting into
ć She was
in collision with a bike.
2. a disagree-
ment or difference

ć a collision of ideas
colon
colon /kəυlɒn/
noun
1. the main part of
the part inside your body that removes
waste
ć The intestines are divided into
two parts: the small intestine and the
large intestine or colon.
2. a printing
sign (:)
color
color /klə/
noun
,
verb
US spelling of
colour
colour
colour /klə/
noun
1. the shade which
an object has in light, e.g. red, blue or
yellow
ć What colour is your bath-
room?
ć I don’t like the colour of the
carpet.
ć His socks are the same colour

as his shirt.
2. not black or white ć The
book has pages of colour pictures.
í
verb
to add colour to something ć The
children were given crayons and told to
colour the trees green and the earth
brown.
coloured
coloured /kləd/
adjective
in colour ć
a coloured postcard ć a book with col-
oured illustrations
-coloured
-coloured /kləd/
suffix
with a particu-
lar colour
ć She was wearing a cream-
coloured shirt.
colourful
colourful /kləf(ə)l/
adjective
1. with
bright colours
ć She tied a colourful silk
scarf round her hair.
2. full of excite-

ment and adventure
ć a colourful ac-
count of life in Vienna before the First
World War
column
column /kɒləm/
noun
1. a tall post, es-
pecially one made of stone
2. a narrow
block of printing on a page such as in a
newspaper
ć ‘Continued on page 7, col-
umn 4.’
3. a regular article in a newspa-
per
ć She writes a gardening column for
the local newspaper.
4. a series of num-
bers, one written or printed under the
other
ć to add up a column of figures ć
Put the total at the bottom of the col-
umn.
comb
comb /kəυm/
noun
an object with long
pointed pieces that you pull through
your hair to make it straight

ć Her hair
is in such a mess that you can’t get a
comb through it.
í
verb
to smooth your
hair with a comb
ć She was combing
her hair in front of the mirror.
combination
combination /kɒmb

neʃ(ə)n/
noun
several things joined or considered to-
gether
ć A combination of bad weather
and illness made our holiday a disaster.
come
come /km/
verb
1. to move to or to-
wards a place
ć Come and see us when
you’re in London.
ć The doctor came to
see him yesterday.
ć Some of the chil-
dren come to school on foot.
ć Don’t

make any noise – I can hear someone
coming.
ć Come up to my room and
we’ll talk about the problem.
2. to hap-
pen
ć How did the door come to be
open?
3. to occur ć What comes after R
in the alphabet?
ć P comes before Q. ć
What comes after the news on TV?
(NOTE: comes – coming – came
/
kem/ – has come) ȣ how come?
why?, how? ć How come the front door
was unlocked?
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comedy 64 commercial
come across
phrasal verb
to find
something by chance
ć I came across
this old photo when I was clearing out a
drawer.

come along
phrasal verb
to go with
someone
ć If you walk, the children can
come along with us in the car.
come back
phrasal verb
to return ć
They left the house in a hurry, and then
had to come back to get their passports.
ć They started to walk away, but the po-
liceman shouted at them to come back.
come in
phrasal verb
to enter a place
come off
phrasal verb
1. to stop being
attached
ć The button has come off my
coat.
ć I can’t use the kettle, the handle
has come off.
2. to be removed ć The
paint won’t come off my coat.
come on
phrasal verb
to hurry ć Come
on, or we’ll miss the start of the film.

come out
phrasal verb
1. to move out-
side
ć Come out into the garden, it’s
beautifully hot.
2. to be removed ć The
ink marks won’t come out of my white
shirt.
ć Red wine stains don’t come out
easily.
come to
phrasal verb
1. to add up to a
particular amount
ć The bill comes to
£10.
2. to become conscious again ć
When he came to, he was in hospital.
comedy
comedy /kɒmədi/
noun
1. entertain-
ment which makes you laugh
2. a play
or film which makes you laugh
(NOTE:
The plural is comedies.)
comfort
comfort /kmfət/

noun
1. something
which helps to make you feel happier
ć
It was a comfort to know that the chil-
dren were safe.
ć The long-awaited let-
ter gave me some comfort.
2. the state of
being comfortable
ć They live in great
comfort.
ć You expect a certain amount
of comfort on a luxury liner.
ć She com-
plained about the lack of comfort in the
second-class coaches.
í
verb
to make
someone feel happier
ć She was com-
forting the people who had been in the
accident.
comfortable
comfortable /kmf(ə)təb(ə)l/
adjec-
tive
1. soft and relaxing ć These shoes
aren’t very comfortable.

ć There are
more comfortable chairs in the lounge.
2. ˽ to make yourself comfortable to
relax
ć She made herself comfortable in
the chair by the fire.
comfortably
comfortably /kmftəbli/
adverb
in a
soft, relaxed or relaxing way
ć If you’re
sitting comfortably, I’ll explain to you
what we have to do.
ć Make sure you’re
comfortably dressed because it is rather
cold outside.
comic
comic /kɒmk/
noun
1. a children’s
magazine with pictures and stories
2. a
person who tells jokes to make people
laugh
ć a well-known TV comic í
ad-
jective
intended to make people laugh,
especially as a performance

ć a comic
poem
comical
comical /kɒmk(ə)l/
adjective
strange
or silly in a way that makes people laugh
ć He looked rather comical wearing his
dad’s jacket.
coming
coming /kmŋ/
adjective
which is
about to happen
ć The newspaper tells
you what will happen in the coming
week in parliament.
comma
comma /kɒmə/
noun
a punctuation
mark (,) showing a break in a sentence
command
command /kə

mɑnd/
noun
an order ć
Don’t start until I give the command. ć
The general gave the command to at-

tack.
˽ in command of in control of ć
They are not fully in command of the sit-
uation.
í
verb
1. to order someone to do
something
ć He commanded the troops
to open fire on the rebels.
2. to be in
charge of a group of people, especially
in the armed forces
ć He commands a
group of volunteer soldiers.
comment
comment /kɒment/
noun
1. words
showing what you think about some-
thing
ć His comments were widely re-
ported in the newspapers.
ć The man
made a rude comment accompanied by
some very offensive gestures.
2. discus-
sion about a particular issue
ć The scan-
dal aroused considerable comment in

the press.
(NOTE: no plural in this mean-
ing)
í
verb
to say what you think about
something
ć The minister refused to
comment.
ć The judges commented that
the standard had been very high.
commercial
commercial /kə

mʃ(ə)l/
adjective
1.
relating to business ć He is a specialist
in commercial law.
2. used for business
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commit 65 comparative
purposes and not private or military pur-
poses
ć The company makes commer-
cial vehicles such as taxis and buses.

(NOTE: [all adjective senses] only used
before nouns)
í
noun
an advertisement
on television
ć Our TV commercial at-
tracted a lot of interest.
commit
commit /kə

mt/
verb
1. to carry out a
crime
ć The gang committed six robber-
ies before they were caught.
ć He said
he was on holiday in Spain when the
murder was committed.
2. to promise, or
make someone promise, something or
to do something
ć Under my contract I
committed to work for them three days a
week.
ć The agreement commits us to
check the machine twice a month.
ć
They didn’t want to commit £5000 all at

once.
(NOTE: commits – committing –
committed)
commitment
commitment /kə

mtmənt/
noun
a
promise to do something such as pay
money
ć He has difficulty in meeting his
commitments.
committee
committee /kə

mti/
noun
an official
group of people who organise or discuss
things for a larger group
ć The company
has set up a committee to look into
sports facilities.
ć Committee members
will be asked to vote on the proposal.
common
common /kɒmən/
adjective
happening

often, or found everywhere and so not
unusual
ć It’s very common for people
to get colds in winter.
ć The plane tree
is a very common tree in towns.
commonly
commonly /kɒmənli/
adverb
often
common sense
common sense /kɒmən sens/
noun
the ability to make sensible decisions
and do the best thing
commotion
commotion /kə

məυʃ(ə)n/
noun
noise
and confusion
communicate
communicate /kə

mjunket/
verb
1.
to send or give information to someone
ć Although she is unable to speak, she

can still communicate using her hands.
ć Communicating with our office in
London has been transformed by email.
2. to be good at sharing your thoughts or
feelings with other people
ć He finds it
difficult to communicate with his chil-
dren.
communication
communication /kə

mjun

keʃ(ə)n/
noun
the act of passing information on
to other people
ć Email is the most rap-
id means of communication.
ć There is
a lack of communication between the
head teacher and the other members of
staff.
í
plural noun
communications
1.
a system of sending information be-
tween people or places
ć an improved

communications network
ć Telephone
communications have been restored.
2.
the ways people use to give information
or express their thoughts and feelings to
each other
ć There’s been a breakdown
in communications between the agen-
cies dealing with the case.
community
community /kə

mjunti/
noun
a group
of people living in one area
ć The local
community is worried about the level of
violence in the streets.
compact disc
compact disc /kɒmpkt dsk/
noun
a hard, round piece of plastic which can
hold a large amount of music or compu-
ter information
ć I usually get Dad a
CD for his birthday. Abbreviation
CD
companion

companion /kəm

pnjən/
noun
a per-
son who is with someone
ć She turned
to her companion and said a few words.
company
company /kmp(ə)ni/
noun
1. an or-
ganisation that offers a service or that
buys and sells goods
ć She runs an elec-
trical company.
ć He set up a computer
company.
ć It is company policy not to
allow smoking anywhere in the offices.
(NOTE: usually written Co. in names:
Smith & Co.
The plural is companies
in this sense.) 2.
the fact of being to-
gether with other people
ć I enjoy the
company of young people.
˽ in compa-
ny with, in the company of with

ć She
went to Paris in company with or in the
company of three other girls from col-
lege.
3. a group of people who work to-
gether
ć a theatre company
comparative
comparative /kəm

prətv/
adjective
to a certain extent, when considered
next to something else
ć Judged by last
year’s performance it is a comparative
improvement.
í
noun
the form of an ad-
jective or adverb showing an increase in
level or strength
ć ‘Happier’, ‘better’
and ‘more often’ are the comparatives
of ‘happy’, ‘good’ and ‘often.’
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compare 66 complaint
compare
compare /kəm

peə/
verb
1. to look at
two things side by side to see how they
are different
ć Compare the front with
the back.
ć The colour of the paint was
compared to the sample.
2. ˽ to com-
pare something to something else to
say how something is like something
else
ć He compared his mother’s home-
made bread to a lump of wood.
comparison
comparison /kəm

prs(ə)n/
noun
the
act of comparing two or more things
ć
He made a comparison of the different
methods available.
ć This year, July

was cold in comparison with last year.
˽
there is no comparison between them
one is much better than the other
compass
compass /kmpəs/
noun
an object
with a needle that points to the north
ć
They were lost in the mountains without
a compass.
compensate
compensate /kɒmpənset/
verb
to
make a bad thing seem less serious or
unpleasant
ć The high salary compen-
sates for the long hours worked.
˽ to
compensate someone for something to
pay someone for damage or a loss
ć
They agreed to compensate her for dam-
age to her car.
ć The airline refused to
compensate him when his baggage was
lost.
compensation

compensation /kɒmpən

seʃ(ə)n/
noun
1. something that makes some-
thing bad seem less serious or unpleas-
ant
ć Working in the centre of London
has its compensations.
ć Fou r we eks’
holiday is no compensation for a year’s
work in that office.
2. payment for dam-
age or loss
ć The airline refused to pay
any compensation for his lost luggage.
compete
compete /kəm

pit/
verb
to try to win a
race or a game
ć He is competing in
both the 100 and 200 metre races.
˽ to
compete with someone or something
to try to be more successful than some-
one or something in an activity, espe-
cially in business

ć We have to compete
with a range of cheap imports.
competence
competence /kɒmpt(ə)ns/
noun
1.
the quality of being able to do a job or
task well enough
ć Does she have the
necessary competence in foreign lan-
guages?
2. the quality of being legally
suitable or qualified to do something
ć
The case falls within the competence of
the tribunal.
ć This is outside the com-
petence of this court.
competent
competent /kɒmpt(ə)nt/
adjective
1.
efficient ć She is a very competent man-
ager.
2. legally or officially able to do
something
ć The organisation is not
competent to deal with this case.
competition
competition /kɒmpə


tʃ(ə)n/
noun
1.
an event in which several teams or peo-
ple compete with each other
ć France
were the winners of the competition.
ć
He won first prize in the piano competi-
tion.
(NOTE: The plural in this sense is
competitions.) 2.
a situation in busi-
ness in which one person or company is
trying to do better than another
ć Our
main competition comes from the big
supermarkets.
3. people or companies
who are trying to do better than you
ć
We have lowered our prices to try to
beat the competition.
ć The competition
is or are planning to reduce their prices.
(NOTE: singular in this sense, but can
take a plural verb)
competitive
competitive /kəm


pettv/
adjective
1.
liking to win competitions ć He’s very
competitive.
2. having a business advan-
tage, especially by being cheaper
ć
competitive prices ć We must reduce
costs to remain competitive.
competitor
competitor /kəm

pettə/
noun
1. a per-
son who enters a competition
ć All the
competitors lined up for the start of the
race.
2. a company which competes
with another in the same business
ć Two
German firms are our main competi-
tors.
complain
complain /kəm

plen/

verb
to say that
something is not good or does not work
properly
ć The shop is so cold the staff
have started complaining.
ć They are
complaining that our prices are too
high.
(NOTE: You complain to someone
about something or that something is
not good enough.)
complaint
complaint /kəm

plent/
noun
1. an oc-
casion when someone says that some-
thing is not good enough or does not
work properly
ć She sent her letter of
complaint to the directors.
ć You must
file your complaint with the relevant de-
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complete 67 conceited
partment. 2. an illness ć She was admit-
ted to hospital with a kidney complaint.
complete
complete /kəm

plit/
adjective
1. with
all its parts
ć He has a complete set of
the new stamps.
2. finished ć The build-
ing is nearly complete.
(NOTE: used af-
ter a verb) 3.
used for emphasis ć The
trip was a complete waste of money.
í
verb
1. to finish something ć The build-
ers completed the whole job in two days.
2. to fill in a form ć When you have
completed the application form, send it
to us in the envelope provided.
completely
completely /kəm

plitli/
adverb

totally
ć The town was completely destroyed in
the earthquake.
ć I completely forgot
about my dentist’s appointment.
complex
complex /kɒmpleks/
adjective
compli-
cated
ć This really is a complex prob-
lem.
í
noun
1. a group of buildings ć
The council has built a new sports com-
plex.
2. a worry or an unreasonable fear
ć He has a complex about going bald.
complicated
complicated /kɒmplketd/
adjective
difficult to understand, with many small
details
ć It is a complicated subject. ć
It’s all getting too complicated – let’s
try and keep it simple.
ć Chess has quite
complicated rules.
ć The route to get to

our house is rather complicated, so I’ll
draw you a map.
complication
complication /kɒmpl

keʃ(ə)n/
noun
1. something that causes difficulties 2.
an illness occurring because of or dur-
ing another illness
ć She appeared to be
getting better, but complications set in.
(NOTE: usually plural)
compliment
compliment
1
/kɒmplmənt/
noun
a
nice thing that you say to someone
about their appearance or about some-
thing good they have done
ć I’ve had so
many compliments about my new hair-
style today!
compliment
compliment
2
/kɒmplment/
verb

to
praise someone or tell them how nice
they look
ć I would like to compliment
the chef on an excellent meal.
ć She
complimented me on my work.
(NOTE:
Do not confuse with complement.)
component
component /kəm

pəυnənt/
noun
a
small part of something larger, especial-
ly a small piece of a machine
ć a manu-
facturer of computer components
ć
Each section of the plan is broken down
into separate components.
í
adjective
forming part of something larger
compose
compose /kəm

pəυz/
verb

to write
something, thinking carefully about it
ć
He sat down to compose a letter to his
family.
ć It took Mozart only three days
to compose his fifth piano concerto.
composition
composition /kɒmpə

zʃ(ə)n/
noun
1.
something which has been composed,
e.g. a poem or piece of music
ć We will
now play a well-known composition by
Dowland.
2. an essay or piece of writing
on a special subject
ć We had three
hours to write a composition on ‘pollu-
tion’.
compound
compound /kɒmpaυnd/
adjective
made up of several parts ć The word
‘address book’ is a compound noun.
í
noun

1. a chemical made up of two or
more elements
ć Water is a compound
of two gases, oxygen and hydrogen.
2.
buildings and land enclosed by a fence
ć Soldiers were guarding the prison
compound.
ć Guard dogs patrol the
compound at night.
compulsory
compulsory /kəm

plsəri/
adjective
essential, or required by a rule or law ć
a compulsory charge for admission ć It
is compulsory to complete all pages of
the form.
computer
computer /kəm

pjutə/
noun
an elec-
tronic machine which processes and
keeps information automatically, and
which can be used for connecting to the
Internet and sending emails
˽ on com-

puter kept in a computer
ć All our com-
pany records are on computer.
computing
computing /kəm

pjutŋ/
noun
the use
of computers
conceal
conceal /kən

sil/
verb
1. to hide some-
thing or put it where it cannot be seen
ć
He tried to conceal the camera by
putting it under his coat.
2. to prevent
someone from discovering some infor-
mation
ć He concealed the fact that he
had a brother in prison.
conceited
conceited /kən

sitd/
adjective

think-
ing that you are better, more intelligent,
or more talented than other people
ć
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concentrate 68 condition
He’s the most conceited and selfish per-
son I’ve ever known.
concentrate
concentrate /kɒnsəntret/
verb
to
give your careful attention to something
ć The exam candidates were all concen-
trating on their questions when the elec-
tricity went off.
concentration
concentration /kɒnsən

treʃ(ə)n/
noun
1. the act of thinking carefully
about something
ć A loud conversation
in the next room disturbed my concen-
tration.

ć His concentration slipped and
he lost the next two games.
2. a lot of
things together in one area
ć the con-
centration of computer companies in the
south of Scotland
ć The concentration
of wild animals round the water hole
makes it easy for lions to catch their
prey.
concept
concept /kɒnsept/
noun
an idea about
something or about how something
works
ć I’ll quickly explain the basic
concepts of safe working in this environ-
ment.
ć The concept of punctuation and
grammar is completely foreign to her.
ć
Our children have absolutely no con-
cept of tidiness.
concern
concern /kən

sn/
verb

1. to have a
particular thing as a subject
ć The film
concerns children growing up in the
1950s.
˽ to concern yourself with
something to deal with something
ć
You needn’t concern yourself with
cleaning the shop.
2. to make someone
worry
ć It concerns me that he is always
late for work.
í
noun
1. worry ć She’s
a cause of great concern to her family.
2. interest ć My main concern is to en-
sure that we all enjoy ourselves.
ć The
teachers showed no concern at all for
the children’s safety.
3. a company or
business
ć a big German chemical con-
cern
concerned
concerned /kən


snd/
adjective
1.
worried ć She looked concerned. ć I
could tell something was wrong by the
concerned look on her face.
ć We are
concerned about her behaviour – do
you think she is having problems at
school?
2. involved in or affected by
something
ć I’ll speak to the parents
concerned.
3. showing interest in some-
thing
ć I’m concerned to know what
people thought after the information
session.
concerning
concerning /kən

snŋ/
preposition
about; on the subject of (
formal
) ć He
filled in a questionnaire concerning hol-
idays.
ć I’d like to speak to Mr Robin-

son concerning his application for in-
surance.
ć Anyone with information
concerning this person should get in
touch with the police.
concert
concert /kɒnsət/
noun
an occasion on
which music is played in public
ć I
couldn’t go to the concert, so I gave my
ticket to a friend.
conclude
conclude /kən

klud/
verb
1. to end; to
come to an end
ć He concluded by
thanking all those who had helped ar-
range the exhibition.
ć The concert con-
cluded with a piece by Mozart.
2. to
come to an opinion from the informa-
tion available
ć The police concluded
that the thief had got into the building

through the broken kitchen window.
conclusion
conclusion /kən

klu(ə)n/
noun
1. the
end of something
ć At the conclusion of
the trial all the accused were found
guilty.
2. an opinion which you reach af-
ter thinking carefully
ć She came to or
reached the conclusion that he had
found another girlfriend.
ć What con-
clusions can you draw from the evi-
dence?
concrete
concrete /kɒŋkrit/
noun
a mixture of
a grey powder called cement, and sand,
used in building
ć Concrete was invent-
ed by the Romans.
ć The pavement is
made of slabs of concrete.
í

adjective
1. made of concrete ć a concrete path 2.
firm or definite, rather than vague ć The
police are sure he is guilty, but they have
no concrete evidence against him.
ć I
need to see some concrete proposals
very soon.
3. referring to something
with a physical structure
ć A stone is a
concrete object.
condemn
condemn /kən

dem/
verb
1. to say
strongly that you do not approve of
something
ć She condemned the police
for their treatment of the prisoners.
2. to
sentence a criminal
ć She was con-
demned to death.
condition
condition /kən

dʃ(ə)n/

noun
1. a state
that something or someone is in
ć The
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conduct 69 conflict
car is in very good condition. ć He was
taken to hospital when his condition got
worse.
2. something which has to be
agreed before something else is done
ć
They didn’t agree with some of the con-
ditions of the contract.
ć One of condi-
tions of the deal is that the company
pays all travel costs.
ȣ on condition
that
only if ć I will come on condition
that you pay my fare.
conduct
conduct
1
/kɒndkt/
noun

a way of be-
having
ć His conduct in class is becom-
ing worse.
ć Her conduct during the tri-
al was remarkably calm.
conduct
conduct
2
/kən

dkt/
verb
1. to do
something in an organised or particular
way
(
formal
) ć I don’t like the way they
conduct their affairs.
ć They are con-
ducting an experiment into the effect of
TV advertising.
˽ to conduct yourself
to behave in a particular way
ć I was im-
pressed by the calm way in which she
conducted herself.
ć The children con-
ducted themselves well during the long

speeches.
2. to direct or take someone to
a place
ć The guests were conducted to
their seats.
3. to direct the way in which
a musician or singer performs
ć The or-
chestra was conducted by a Russian
conductor.
4. to allow electricity or heat
to pass through
ć Copper conducts
electricity very well.
conductor
conductor /kən

dktə/
noun
1. the per-
son who sells tickets on a bus
2. the per-
son who directs the way an orchestra
plays
3. a metal or other substance
through which electricity or heat can
pass
ć Copper is a good conductor but
plastic is not.
cone

cone /kəυn/
noun
a shape which is round
at the base, rising to a point above
ć He
rolled the newspaper to form a cone.
confer
confer /kən

f/
verb
1. to discuss ć The
leader of the Council conferred with the
Town Clerk.
2. to give something such
as a responsibility, legal right or honour
to someone
(
formal
) ć the powers con-
ferred on the council by law
conference
conference /kɒnf(ə)rəns/
noun
1. a
large meeting where people who are in-
terested in the same thing come together
ć The organisation holds an annual
conference in Brighton.
2. a meeting of

a group or society
ć The annual confer-
ence of the Electricians’ Union.
ć 2000
people attended the conference on ge-
netic engineering.
confess
confess /kən

fes/
verb
to admit that you
have committed a crime or done some-
thing wrong
ć He confessed to six bur-
glaries.
ć She confessed that she had
forgotten to lock the door.
confession
confession /kən

feʃ(ə)n/
noun
a state-
ment in which someone admits they
have committed a crime or done some-
thing wrong
ć The prisoner said his
confession had been forced from him by
the police.

ć I was surprised by her con-
fession of ignorance about the correct
procedures to follow.
ć I have a confes-
sion to make – I forgot to send the
cheque.
confidence
confidence /kɒnfd(ə)ns/
noun
1. a
feeling of being sure about your own or
someone else’s abilities
ć The staff do
not have much confidence in their man-
ager.
ć I have total confidence in the pi-
lot.
ć He hasn’t got much confidence in
himself.
2. the fact of being secret ȣ in
confidence
as a secret ć He showed
me the report in confidence.
confident
confident /kɒnfd(ə)nt/
adjective
sure
that you or something will be successful
ć I am confident (that) the show will go
off well.

ć She’s confident of doing well
in the exam.
confidential
confidential /kɒnf

denʃəl/
adjective
secret or private ć This information is
strictly confidential.
confidently
confidently /kɒnfdəntli/
adverb
in a
way which shows that you are confident
ć She walked confidently into the inter-
view room.
confirm
confirm /kən

fm/
verb
to say that
something is certain
ć The dates of the
concerts have been confirmed by the
pop group’s manager.
ć The photo-
graph confirmed that the result of the
race was a dead heat.
ć We have been

told that she left the country last month
– can you confirm that?
conflict
conflict
1
/kɒnflkt/
noun
1. a strong
disagreement or argument
2. fighting ć
The government is engaged in armed
conflict with rebel forces.
˽ to come
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