Dictionary 1

Accept / verb ***

> 1 take something offered

> 2 agree to a suggestion
> 3 believe something is true/right
> 4 recognize a bad situation
> 5 let someone join/be part of something
> 6 consider good enough
> 7 take a form of payment
1

[transitive] to take something that someone gives you:

I am here to accept the award on Ms Winslets behalf.

Saunders has been convicted for accepting bribes.
1a. [intransitive or transitive] to say yes to an invitation or offer:
They offered her a job, and she accepted without hesitation.
2

[transitive] to agree to do what someone asks or suggests:

Our clients will never accept this proposal.

Most of the reports recommendations have been accepted by the government.
3

[transitive] to recognize that something is true, fair, or right:

Sam accepted her explanation without question.

This argument is unlikely to be accepted by the court.
accept that: Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions.
generally/widely accepted (=believed by most people): His views on genetics are not now widely accepted.
3a. to recognize that you are responsible for something:
accept blame/responsibility/liability: We cannot accept liability for items stolen from your car.
The media must accept their share of the blame.
4

[transitive] to recognize that a bad situation exists and cannot be avoided or changed:

I know its not fair, but youll just have to accept it.
They found it hard to accept defeat.
accept that: For a long time, he simply could not accept that she was dead.
5

[transitive] to allow someone to join an organization:

Under the new law, gay people will be accepted in the armed forces.
accept someone as something: Mexico was accepted as a member of the OECD in 1994.
5a. to allow someone to become part of a community or family, and make them feel welcome:
The local people never really accepted us.
accept someone into something: She was desperate for the children to accept her into the family.
6

[transitive] to consider that something is suitable or good enough for a particular purpose:

A publisher in New York has accepted her novel for publication.

7

[transitive] to take a particular form of payment:

The payphones here accept either coins or phonecards.

We accept personal cheques with proper identification.

Achieve / verb ***

[transitive] to succeed in doing or having what you planned or intended, usually after a lot of effort:
The Republic of Tunisia achieved independence from France in 1957.
the first signs that a breakthrough had been achieved
We have achieved what we set out to do.
a. [intransitive] to be successful by being determined or working hard:
Many managers are driven by a desire to achieve.
b. [transitive] to become popular, famous, or successful, especially after a long time or after a lot of effort:
actors who achieve fame and fortune in Hollywood
His paintings did not achieve the popularity of his books.

Act / verb ***

> 1 do something
> 2 do a particular job
> 3 behave in a certain way
> 4 have a particular effect
> 5 perform in plays/films
>+ PHRASES
1

[intransitive] to do something for a particular reason or in a particular way:

act in good faith (=believe that you are acting honestly): We acted in good faith we did not know the goods were stolen.
act out of necessity/desperation/love/compassion/curiosity etc: She claims that she acted out of necessity (=because she had to).
act on someones advice/suggestion/orders: Im acting on the advice of my lawyers.
1a. to do something immediately, especially in order to deal with an urgent problem:
Had the paramedics not acted so swiftly, he would have died.
act to do something: We must act now to prevent further damage to our rainforests.
1b. if you act for someone, you do something as their representative:
Lawyers acting for the family will issue a statement this morning.
act on someones behalf: a dealer acting on behalf of a private buyer
2

[intransitive] act as to do the job of a particular kind of person:

You speak Greek will you act as interpreter?

3

[intransitive] to behave in a particular way, especially a way that is unusual or annoying:

Stop acting stupidly!

act like: Ive acted like a total idiot.
act suspiciously/strangely: A man was seen acting suspiciously twenty minutes before the robbery.
act as if: Just act as if nothings happened.
3a. to behave in a particular way by doing something:
act reasonably/fairly/illegally/responsibly/dishonestly etc: Did the BBC act reasonably in sacking the journalist?
The court must establish whether the accused acted illegally.
4

[intransitive] act as to have a particular effect:

The drugs act as a brake on the spread of the disease.

4a. to start to have an effect:
Dont expect the medicine to act immediately.
5

[intransitive or transitive] to perform in plays or films:

Ive always wanted to act.

act the part/role (of someone/something): Philip Schofield acted the part of Joseph.
,act `out phrasal verb [transitive]
1

to copy the events that happened in a situation by pretending to be the people involved:

The scenarios that the trainees act out are videotaped.

2

to express your thoughts or feelings through your words or behaviour:

He was acting out his feelings of inferiority by being overly aggressive.

,act `up phrasal verb [intransitive] INFORMAL
1

if children act up, they behave badly:

The kids have been acting up again.

2

if a part of your body or a piece of equipment acts up, it starts to become painful or to develop problems:

I hope my back doesnt start acting up again.

Add / verb ***

1

[transitive] to put something with another thing or group of things:

When the sauce is thick, add the cheese.

add something to something: Theyve added two major companies to their impressive list of clients.
Heres another doll to add to your collection.
1a. [intransitive or transitive] to put numbers or amounts together to calculate their total:
What do you get if you add 75 and 63?
children who already know how to add and subtract
2

[transitive] to give something an extra quality:

The Italian chairs add a touch of elegance.

add something to something: Add some sparkle to a black dress with a brightly coloured scarf.
3

[transitive] to say something more that is related to what has been said already:

Dont worry, Jenny added hastily.

add that: I should add that I am not happy about this decision.
add to: Add to that the fact that shes incredibly wealthy, and it just doesnt make sense.
add fuel to the fire/flames
to make a bad situation even worse by saying or doing something that makes someone angry
add insult to injury
to make a bad situation even worse
,add `in phrasal verb [transitive]
to include something as part of something else:
We need to add in some information about his family background.
,add `on phrasal verb [transitive]

to include an extra thing or amount in something:

The referee added on eight minutes of injury time.
> ADD-ON
,add `on to phrasal verb [transitive]
add on to something to build an extra part onto a building:
You might want to add on to the kitchen at a later date.
`add to phrasal verb [transitive]
add to something to make a quality more extreme:
The arrival of five more guests only added to the confusion.
,add `up phrasal verb
1

[intransitive or transitive] to calculate the total of several numbers or amounts:

Now add up the number of calories you have eaten.

Im not very good at adding up in my head.
1a. [intransitive] if small amounts add up, they gradually produce a large total:
All these little expenses soon add up.
2
[intransitive usually in negatives] if a set of facts does not add up, you do not believe it is correct because it does
not match other information you have already:
Theres something about this case that just doesnt add up.
,add `up to phrasal verb [transitive] add up to something
1

if separate amounts add up to a total amount, together they form that total:

His business expenses add up to around 4,000 a year.

2

to combine to produce a particular result or effect:

These new measures do not add up to genuine reform.

Admit / verb ***

1

[intransitive or transitive] to agree that something is true, especially when you are unhappy, sorry, or surprised

about it:
Clarke admitted his disappointment at the courts decision, but said he would fight on.
I cant sing at all, he admitted.
admit (that): Rachel admits that she had a hard time understanding the assignment.
admit to: I reluctantly admitted to being nervous about the test.
admit doing something: He is unwilling to admit being jealous of his brother.
have (got) to admit/must admit: It was a surprisingly good effort, Ive got to admit.
1a. to say that you have done something wrong or illegal:
She admitted two charges of handling stolen goods.
admit (that): She freely admits that she made mistakes.
admit to: In court he admitted to lying about the accident.
admit doing something: Davis admitted causing death by careless driving.
1b. admit defeat to accept that you cannot succeed in doing something and stop trying to do it:
After months of protests, the government was forced to admit defeat and abandon the policy.
2

[transitive] to take someone into hospital for medical treatment:

After collapsing, she was rushed to hospital, where she was admitted.
admit someone to something: They admitted John to the psychiatric unit of the Royal Covenant Hospital.
3

[transitive] to allow someone to enter a place, especially a public place such as a theatre or museum:

Latecomers will not be admitted until the interval.

admit someone to something: A group ticket admits six people to the zoo and museum.
3a. to allow someone to become a member of an organization:
The Stock Exchange will admit six firms as new members.
admit someone to something: The Baltic States were admitted to the United Nations in 1991.
ad`mit of phrasal verb [transitive] FORMAL
admit of something to show that something is possible

Agree / verb [not usually progressive] ***

1

[intransitive or transitive] to have the same opinion as someone else:

Doreen thought that the house was too small, and Jim agreed.
agree with: I agree with my mother about most things.
I entirely agree with the comments you made about public transport.
agree (that): We all agree that we should celebrate this event.
it is agreed (that): It is generally agreed that we should eat less fat and more vegetables.
agree on/about: The committee members agreed on the need for more information.
2

[intransitive] to say that you will do something that someone else wants or suggests:

I asked her to marry me, and she agreed.

agree to do something: The school agreed to send the students on the course.
agree to: We have agreed to their request for a full investigation.
2a. [intransitive or transitive often passive] to decide together what will be done and how it will be done:
Yesterday management and unions agreed a pay deal.
agree on/upon: We need to agree on a date for our next meeting.
3

[intransitive] if two pieces of information agree, they are the same or suggest the same thing:

The statements given by the two witnesses did not agree.

agree with: The observations agree with the predictions we made earlier.
agree to differ/to disagree
to accept that someone else does not have the same opinion as you and agree not to argue about it any more
I couldnt agree more SPOKEN
used for emphasizing that you agree with something that someone has said

> ACCEPT
a`gree with phrasal verb [transitive]
1

agree with something to think that something is the right thing to do:

I dont agree with corporal punishment in schools.

agree with doing something: He doesnt agree with giving money to beggars.
2

agree with someone if something agrees with you, it does not make you feel ill:

Stop taking the medicine if it doesnt agree with you.

I find that country life really agrees with me.
3
agree with something LINGUISTICS if a word such as a verb or adjective agrees with a noun or pronoun, it has
the correct form for the noun or pronoun, according to whether it is singular or plural, MASCULINE or FEMININE