sign on the dotted line to place one’s signature on a contract or other important paper.. sign someone in to record that someone has arrived somewhere and at what time by recording the i
Trang 1doing what one has been doing
and leave, go to bed, etc
(Figura-tive.)
sign off on something to sign a
paper, indicating that one has
fin-ished with something or agrees
with the state of something
sign on to announce the beginning
of a broadcast transmission
sign on the dotted line to place
one’s signature on a contract or
other important paper
sign one’s own death warrant to
do something that ensures the
fail-ure of one’s endeavors
sign out to indicate in writing that
one is leaving or going out
tem-porarily
sign someone in to record that
someone has arrived somewhere
and at what time by recording the
information on a paper or a list
sign someone out (of someplace)
to make a record of someone’s
departure from someplace
sign someone up (for something)
to record the agreement of
some-one to participate in something
sign someone up (with someone or
something) to record the
agree-ment of someone to join a group
of people or an organization
sign something away to sign a
paper in which one gives away
one’s rights to something
sign something in to record that
something has been received at a
particular time by recording the
information on a paper or a list
sign something out (of someplace)
to make a record of the borrowing
of something from someplace
sign something over (to someone)
to sign a paper granting the rights
to or ownership of something to a specific person
sign up (for something) to record
one’s agreement to participate in something
signal ["sIg n@l] 1 n something
that conveys a message by affect-ing one of the senses; a sound, light, movement, etc., that conveys
a message 2 n the waves sent by
a radio or television transmitter
3 tv to indicate something (The
object can be a clause with that U.)
signal to someone to do something
[for someone] to give someone a command or instruction using a signal
signature ["sIg n@ tS#] n a person’s
name, handwritten by the person
signed ["saInd] adj marked with
someone’s signature
signed, sealed, and delivered
formally and officially signed; [for
a formal document to be] exe-cuted
significance [sIg "nIf @ k@ns] n.
importance; meaning (No plural.)
significant [sIg "nIf @ k@nt] adj.
important; having meaning (Adv:
significantly.)
signify ["sIg n@ faI] tv to mean
something; to indicate something;
to be a sign of something (The object can be a clause with that U.)
sign off on something
556
Trang 2silence ["saI l@ns] 1 n absolute
quiet; the absence of all sound
(No plural.) 2 n the absence of
comments about something (No
plural.) 3 tv to cause someone to
be quiet; to cause someone to stop
talking or to stop making noise
silent ["saI l@nt] 1 adj quiet; not
speaking or making noise; done
without making noise (Adv:
silently.) 2 adj [of a (spelling)
let-ter] not pronounced; not
repre-senting a sound (Adv: silently.)
silk ["sIlk] 1 n a smooth, fine
thread that is created by a
silk-worm when making its cocoon
(No plural.) 2 n cloth woven
from Q (Plural only for types
and instances.) 3 adj made of W.
→ make a silk purse out of a sow’s
ear
silkworm ["sIlk w#m] n a creature
that makes a cocoon of silk
silky ["sIl ki] adj like silk; soft and
smooth; [of cloth] soft and
shim-mering (Adv: silkily Comp:
silkier; sup: silkiest.)
sill ["sIl] n the bottom ledge of a
window or door frame
→ windowsill
silly ["sIl i] adj foolish; not sensible.
(Comp: sillier; sup: silliest.)
silly season the time of year,
usu-ally in the summer, when there is a
lack of important news and
news-papers contain articles about
unimportant or trivial things
instead
silver ["sIl v#] 1 n a bright, white,
valuable metallic element, which
in its pure form is soft and easily
shaped (No plural.) 2 n coins,
rather than paper money (From a
time when major U.S coins were
made of Q No plural.) 3 adj.
made of Q
→ born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth
silverware ["sIl v# wEr] 1 n
eat-ing or serveat-ing utensils that are made from or plated with silver (No plural.) 2 n knives, forks, and spoons made of steel, nickel,
or metals other than silver (No plural.)
silvery ["sIl v@ ri] adj looking like
silver
similar ["sIm @ l#] adj resembling
something else, but not exactly the
same (Adv: similarly.)
similarity [sIm @ "lEr I ti] n a way
or an aspect in which someone or something is like or resembles someone or something else
simmer ["sIm #] 1 tv to boil
something gently; to cook some-thing at or just below its boiling point 2 iv to boil gently; to cook
at or just below the boiling point
3 iv to be angry without letting
other people know that one is angry (Figurative on W.) 4 iv [for a situation] to be currently somewhat calm but progressing toward violence
simple ["sIm p@l] 1 adj easy; not
complicated; not complex (Adv:
simply Comp: simpler; sup: sim-plest.) 2 adj plain; not
compli-cated; not fancy (Adv: simply Comp: simpler; sup: simplest.)
simplicity [sIm "plIs I ti] n the
quality of being simple or not complicated (No plural.)
simplify ["sIm pl@ faI] tv to make
something simpler; to make
some-simplify
557
Trang 3thing easier to do or understand;
to make something clearer
simplistic [sIm "plIs tIk] adj too
simple; having been simplified too
much (Adv: simplistically [ Ik
li].)
simply ["sIm pli] 1 adv easily;
without difficulty 2 adv merely;
only 3 adv absolutely;
com-pletely; very
simulate ["sIm j@ let] tv to show
the nature or effects of something,
allowing the observer to learn
about it without experiencing it
simulation [sIm j@ "le S@n] 1 n a
demonstration of the nature or
effects of an event without anyone
really experiencing it 2 n
some-thing that has been simulated
simultaneous [saI m@l "te ni @s]
adj happening or existing at the
same time (Adv: simultaneously.)
sin ["sIn] 1 n evil; something that
is wicked or wrong; an act that is
in opposition to a religious or
moral principle (Plural only for
types and instances.) 2 iv to
break a religious or moral
princi-ple
since ["sIns] 1 conj from a certain
time in the past until now 2 conj.
because 3 prep from a certain
time in the past until now 4 adv.
from a certain time in the past
until now
since time immemorial since a
very long time ago
sincere [sIn "sIr] adj honest; real;
genuine; true (Adv: sincerely.
Comp: sincerer; sup: sincerest.)
sincerely [sIn "sIr li] 1 adv
hon-estly; really; genuinely; truly
2 adv a word used as a polite way
to finish a letter, before one’s sig-nature
sincerity [sIn "sEr I ti] n the
qual-ity of being sincere; honesty (No plural.)
sinful ["sIn fUl] 1 adj full of sin;
having committed a sin (Adv:
sinfully.) 2 adj wicked; bad; evil;
leading people into sin (Adv:
sinfully.)
sing ["sIN] 1 iv., irreg to make
music with one’s voice, uttering a melody with words (Past tense: sang;past participle: sung.) 2 tv.,
irreg to make music as in Q.
sing out to sing more loudly sing someone’s praises to praise
someone highly and enthusiasti-cally
sing something out to sing or
announce something loudly
singe ["sIndZ] tv to burn
some-thing slightly; to burn the edge or end of something
single ["sIN g@l] 1 adj one and only one (Adv: singly.) 2 adj.
individual; meant for one thing or
person (Adv: singly.) 3 adj not married (Adv: singly.) 4 adj
hav-ing only one part; not double; not
multiple (Adv: singly.) 5 n
some-thing that is meant for one person
6 n a $1 bill 7 n someone who is
not married
single someone or something out (for something) to choose or pick
someone or something for some-thing; to select an eligible person
or thing for something
simplistic
558
Trang 4single-minded ["sIN g@l "maIn dId]
adj having only one purpose.
(Adv: single-mindedly.)
singular ["sIN gj@ l#] 1 adj
refer-ring to only one person or thing;
the opposite ofplural 2 adj.
unusual; exceptional; remarkable
(Adv: singularly.) 3 n the form of
a noun that refers to only one
per-son or thing; the opposite of
plural.
sink ["sINk] 1 iv., irreg to go
beneath a surface; to fall beneath a
surface (Past tense: sankor sunk;
past participle: sunk.) 2 iv., irreg
to become smaller in number; to
decrease 3 iv., irreg [for
some-one] to collapse or fall to the
ground because of weakness, fear,
respect, etc 4 tv., irreg to cause
something to go lower and lower
beneath the surface of water or
some other liquid 5 n a
perma-nent hollow bowl or basin,
espe-cially in a kitchen or bathroom,
for washing dishes, one’s hands or
face, etc
→ desert a sinking ship
→ everything but the kitchen sink
→ leave a sinking ship
sink back (into something) to lean
back and relax in something, such
as a soft chair
sink down to sink or submerge.
sink in(to someone or something)
to penetrate someone or
some-thing (Used figuratively in
refer-ence to someone’s brain or
thinking.)
sink one’s teeth into something
1 to take a bite of some kind of
food, usually a special kind of
food 2 to get a chance to do,
learn, or control something
sink or swim either fail or succeed sink something in((to) someone or something) 1 to drive or push
something into someone or
some-thing 2 to invest time or money
in someone or something (Some-times implying that it was wasted.)
sinking ["sIN kIN] adj going further
downward into a liquid
sinner ["sIn #] n someone who
sins
sinus ["saI n@s] 1 n one of a
num-ber of spaces inside the bones of the face that are connected to the outside air by way of the nose
2 the adj use of Q.
sip ["sIp] 1 tv to drink something a little bit at a time 2 n a small
drink of something; a little taste of something liquid
siphon and syphon ["saI f@n] n a
tube that has one end in a con-tainer of liquid and, through pres-sure and gravity, pulls the liquid downward into another container placed at a lower level
siphon something (off ) to remove
liquid from a container by using a siphon
sir ["s#] n a word used to address a
male politely
siren ["saI r@n] n a device that
makes a loud noise of warning, such as that found on police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances
sissy ["sIs i] n a weak and shy boy;
a boy who behaves like a girl (Derogatory.)
sissy
559
Trang 5sister ["sIs t#] 1 n a female
sib-ling; a daughter of one’s mother or
father 2 n a nun (Also a term of
address Capitalized when written
as a proper noun.)
sit ["sIt] 1 iv., irreg to be in a
posi-tion where the upper part of the
body is straight, and the buttocks
are supported by a chair, a seat,
the floor, or some other surface
(Past tense and past participle:
sat.) 2 iv., irreg [for something]
to be in a certain position; to be in
a place 3 iv., irreg [for an
ani-mal] to be positioned with the
back end resting on a surface
4 tv., irreg to make someone sit
as in Q in a location
→ like a sitting duck
sit around to relax sitting; to waste
time sitting
sit around (somewhere) to sit
somewhere and relax or do
noth-ing; to sit idly somewhere
sit at someone’s feet to admire
someone greatly; to be influenced
by someone’s teaching; to be
taught by someone
sit back to push oneself back in
one’s seat; to lean against the back
of one’s seat
sit down to be seated; to sit on
something, such as a chair
sit in (for someone) to act as a
sub-stitute for someone
sit in (on something) to attend
something as a visitor; to act as a
temporary participant in
some-thing
sit on its hands [for an audience]
to refuse to applaud
sit on one’s hands to do nothing;
to fail to help
sit on the fence not to take sides
in a dispute; not to make a clear choice between two possibilities
sit (something) out to elect not to
participate in something
sit through something to remain
seated and in attendance for all of something
sit tight to wait; to wait patiently.
(Does not necessarily refer to sit-ting.)
sit up 1 to rise from a lying to a sitting position 2 to sit straighter
in one’s seat; to hold one’s posture more upright while seated
sit up and take notice to become
alert and pay attention
sit up with someone to remain
awake and attend someone throughout the night
site ["saIt] n a location where
something is, or was happening, has happened, or will happen
sitting on a powder keg in a
risky or explosive situation; in a situation where something serious
or dangerous may happen at any time
sitting target someone or
some-thing in a position that is easily attacked
situate ["sIt Su et] tv to place
something; to have or make a place for something
situation [sIt Su "e S@n] n a
condi-tion; the circumstances of an event; a state of affairs
six ["sIks] 6 Go to four.
→ at sixes and sevens sister
560
Trang 6six of one and half a dozen of
the other about the same one
way or another
six-pack ["sIks pAk] n a package of
six things, especially six cans of
beer or soft drinks
sixteen ["sIks "tin] 16 Go to four.
sixteenth ["sIks "tinT] 16th Go to
fourth.
sixth ["sIksT] 6th Go to fourth.
sixth sense a supposed power to
know or feel things that are not
perceptible by the five senses of
sight, hearing, smell, taste, and
touch
sixtieth ["sIks ti @T] 60th Go to
fourth.
sixty ["sIks ti] 60 Go to forty.
sizable ["saIz @ b@l] adj large;
rather large; much (Adv: sizably.)
size ["saIz] 1 n the degree to
which someone or something is
large or small (No plural.) 2 n.
one measurement in a series of
measurements, used to describe Q
of a product one wants, such as an
article of clothing, a portion of
food or drink, certain hardware,
etc
size someone or something up to
scrutinize someone or something
and form a judgment
sizzle ["sIz @l] 1 n the hissing
noise made when frying fat or
fry-ing food in fat (No plural.) 2 iv.
[for fat or cooking oil] to make a
hissing noise when it is fried; to
sound like fat when it fries
sizzling ["sIz lIN] 1 adj frying;
making the noise that fat does
when it is heated 2 adj very hot.
skate ["sket] 1 n an ice skate;a roller skate 2 iv to move (over a surface) while wearing ice skates
or roller skates
→ ice skate
→ roller skate
skate on thin ice to be in a risky
situation
skater ["sket #] n someone who
ice-skates or roller-skates
skeleton ["skEl @ t@n] 1 n the
bones of a person or an animal, usually connected in their proper
arrangement 2 n an outline; the
basic structure that supports something (Figurative on Q.)
skeleton in the closet a hidden
and shocking secret; a secret fact about oneself
skeptic ["skEp tIk] n someone who
doubts faith, claims, theories, or facts; someone who questions the truth of something, especially reli-gion
skeptical ["skEp tI k@l] adj
doubt-ing; questiondoubt-ing; finding some-thing hard to believe (Adv:
skeptically [ Ik li].)
skepticism ["skEp t@ sIz @m] n.
doubt; the condition of being skeptical; skeptical attitude or behavior (No plural.)
sketch ["skEtS] 1 n a simple
draw-ing; a rough drawing that is
quickly made 2 n a brief description; an outline 3 n a
short skit; a very short play that is
usually funny 4 tv to draw
some-one or something roughly and quickly; to make a quick drawing
5 iv to draw roughly and quickly.
→ thumbnail sketch
sketch
561
Trang 7sketchy ["skEtS i] adj not complete;
without details (Adv: sketchily.
Comp: sketchier; sup: sketchiest.)
ski ["ski] 1 n one of two long,
nar-row, thin strips of wood or plastic
used to travel on the surface of
snow or water 2 iv to move on
the surface of snow or water on a
pair of Q
skid ["skId] 1 iv [for a wheel of a
vehicle] to continue to move over
a surface after the brakes have
been applied 2 iv to slip forward
or sideways while moving 3 n a
forward or sideways slipping
movement as with Q or W
skier ["ski #] n someone who skis
on water or snow
skiing ["ski IN] n the sport or
activ-ity of moving over snow or water
on skis (No plural.)
skill ["skIl] n the ability to do
something well, especially because
of talent, experience, or practice
skilled ["skIld] adj having skill;
experienced
skillet ["skIl @t] n a shallow pan
used for frying foods
skillful ["skIl fUl] adj having skill;
experienced; able to do something
very well (Adv: skillfully.)
skim ["skIm] 1 tv to remove
some-thing from the surface of a liquid
2 tv to glide over the surface of
something; to go over the surface
of something quickly 3 tv to scan
reading material; to read
some-thing quickly
skim over something 1 to glide
over the surface of something,
without touching it 2 to read
something quickly but not care-fully
skim through something to go
through something hastily; to read through something hastily
skin ["skIn] 1 n the outer covering
of humans and most animals; the outer covering of many fruits and vegetables (Plural only for types
and instances.) 2 tv to remove
the skin from something
→ all skin and bones
→ by the skin of one’steeth
→ get under someone’sskin
→ jump out of one’sskin
→ no skin off someone’snose
→ no skin off someone’steeth
→ nothing but skin and bones
skinny ["skIn i] adj very thin;
with-out much fat (Comp: skinnier; sup: skinniest.)
skip ["skIp] 1 iv to move so that
one takes a step with one foot, hops on that foot, takes a step with the second foot, and then hops on
the second foot, repeatedly 2 tv.
to pass someone or something
over; to omit something 3 tv to
avoid attending a school class or other event and go someplace else
skip about and skip around to
move in a random order; to be random in doing things
skip around Go to skip about skip over someone or something
Go to skip past someone or something
skip past someone or something and skip over someone or
some-thing to pass over someone or something
skip rope to jump over an arc of
rope that is passed beneath one’s sketchy
562
Trang 8feet then over one’s head,
repeat-edly
skirmish ["sk# mIS] n a small
bat-tle or argument
skirt ["sk#t] 1 n an item of
women’s clothing that wraps
around the waist and hangs down,
without separate sections for each
leg 2 tv to move along the edge
of something; not to move
through the center of something
3 tv to evade an issue, topic, or
question; to fail to address an
issue, topic, or question
skit ["skIt] n a short performance
that is usually funny or that
addresses a certain topic
skull ["sk^l] n the bones of the
head; the bones that protect the
brain
→ get somethingthrough someone’s
thick skull
skunk ["sk^Nk] n a small animal
that has black fur with a white
stripe down its back and a bushy
tail, and that releases a very bad
smell when attacked or frightened
sky ["skaI] n the space above the
earth; the air above the earth
(Sometimes plural.)
→ (as) high as the sky
→ out of a clear blue sky
→ pie in the sky
skydive ["skaI daIv] 1 iv to jump
from an airplane, fall through the
air, and then open a parachute
(Past tense and past participle:
skydived.) 2 n an instance of
jumping from an airplane as in Q
skylight ["skaI laIt] n a window in
the roof or ceiling of a building
The sky ’s the limit There is no
limit to the success that can be
achieved or the money that can be gained or spent
skyscraper ["skaI skre p#] n a
very tall building
slab ["slAb] n a thick slice of
thing; a thick, flat piece of some-thing
slack ["slAk] 1 adj loose; not tight;
not taut (Adv: slackly Comp:
slacker; sup: slackest.) 2 adj not
strict; relaxed (Figurative on Q
Adv: slackly Comp: slacker; sup:
slackest.) 3 adj not active; not
busy (Adv: slackly Comp: slacker;
sup: slackest.) 4 n looseness; a
part of something that is not pulled tight
slack off to be lazy; to work only
when absolutely necessary; to wane or decline; to decrease in intensity
slacken ["slAk @n] iv to reduce,
especially in speed or tightness; to become slower or looser
slacks n pants; trousers (Treated
as plural Number is expressed
with pair(s) of slacks Also
counta-ble Rarely singular.)
slain ["slen] past participle ofslay.
slam ["slAm] 1 tv to shut some-thing noisily and with force 2 tv.
to insult or criticize someone or something very strongly
(Infor-mal.) 3 iv [for something] to shut very noisily and with force 4 n a
loud and violent closing or crash
slam into someone or something to
run into someone or something very forcefully; to crash into someone or something with great force
slam into someone or something
563
Trang 9slam someone or something
against someone or something to
shove someone or something
against someone or something
slander ["slAn d#] 1 n a spoken
or written lie that is meant to hurt
someone’s reputation; something
false that is said in order to hurt
someone’s reputation (No plural.)
2 tv to damage someone’s
reputa-tion by lying about that person
slanderous ["slAn d# @s] adj.
understood or intended to be
slan-der (Adv: slanderously.)
slang ["slAN] 1 n words or
expres-sions that are not expected in
for-mal, educational, or business
settings (Not usually plural.)
2 the adj use of Q.
slant ["slAnt] 1 n a slope; an
angle (No plural.) 2 iv to slope;
to angle; to move at an angle; to
rise or fall while moving in a
cer-tain direction 3 tv to cause
something to be angled; to cause
something to move at an angle
4 tv to express something in a
way that favors one point of view
over another
slap ["slAp] 1 tv to hit someone or
something with one’s open hand;
to hit someone or something with
something flat 2 tv to put
some-thing on a surface carelessly and
with force 3 n a hit with one’s
open hand or with something flat
4 n the noise made when
one or something is hit with
one’s open hand or with
some-thing flat
slap in the face an insult; an act
that causes disappointment or
dis-couragement
slap something on to dress in
something hastily
slap something on(to someone or something) to place something
onto someone or something by slapping
slap something together to make
up something very quickly
slash ["slAS] 1 tv to cut something
violently with a sharp object, using large, sweeping movements
2 tv to reduce numbers or amounts greatly 3 n a cut made
by a violent movement as in Q; a
gash 4 n the (/) symbol; the (\)
symbol
slate ["slet] 1 n a rock that splits
easily into flat, thin layers (No
plural.) 2 n a group of candidates
offered by a political party in an
election 3 adj made of Q.
→ start (off) with a clean slate
slaughter ["slO t#] 1 tv to kill and cut up an animal for food 2 tv to
kill living creatures ruthlessly
→ like a lamb to the slaughter
→ like lambs to the slaughter
slave ["slev] n someone who is
owned by someone else; someone who is the property of someone else
→ be a slave to something
slavery ["slev (@) ri] n the
owner-ship of slaves (No plural.)
slay ["sle] tv., irreg to kill someone
or some animal; to murder some-one (Past tense: slew;past partici-ple: slain.)
slaying ["sle IN] n a murder; the
killing of someone or some ani-mal
slam someone or something against someone or something
564
Trang 10sleazy ["sli zi] adj cheap and crude;
having a bad reputation (Adv:
sleazily Comp: sleazier; sup:
sleazi-est.)
sled ["slEd] 1 n a flat platform
attached to long, thin blades that
move easily over snow 2 iv to
ride somewhere on Q; to play
with Q; to travel by Q
sleek ["slik] 1 adj smooth and
shiny (Especially used to describe
hair or fur—of people or
ani-mals—that is healthy or well cared
for Adv: sleekly Comp: sleeker;
sup: sleekest.) 2 adj having neat,
smooth lines; stylish (Adv: sleekly.
Comp: sleeker; sup: sleekest.)
sleep ["slip] 1 n the period of rest
when the mind is not conscious;
the period of rest when the body is
not awake (No plural.) 2 iv.,
irreg not to be awake; to rest the
body and mind in an unconscious
condition (Past tense and past
participle: slept.) 3 tv., irreg to
provide space for a certain
num-ber of people to sleep as in W; to
have enough space for a certain
number of people to sleep as in W
→ doze off (to sleep)
→ lull someoneto sleep
→ not sleep a wink
→ put someone or some creatureto sleep
→ put someoneto sleep
sleep in to remain in bed, sleeping
past one’s normal time of arising
sleep like a log to sleep very
soundly
sleep on something to think about
something overnight; to weigh a
decision overnight
sleep something off to sleep away
the effect of alcohol or drugs
sleep through something to
remain sleeping through some event
sleepless ["slip l@s] adj without
sleep; unable to sleep (Adv: sleep-lessly.)
sleepwalk ["slip wOk] iv to walk
while sleeping
sleepwalker ["slip wOk #] n
some-one who walks around while sleeping
sleepy ["slip i] adj tired; drowsy;
needing to sleep (Adv: sleepily Comp: sleepier; sup: sleepiest.)
sleet ["slit] 1 n partly frozen rain;
partly frozen rain mixed with
snow or hail (No plural.) 2 iv.
[for Q] to fall from the sky
sleeve ["sliv] n the part of an item
of clothing that covers the arm
→ laugh up one’ssleeve
sleeveless ["sliv l@s] adj without
sleeves (Adv: sleevelessly.)
sleigh ["sle] n a large sled; a
plat-form or carriage—usually pulled
by horses or dogs—attached to long, metal blades for traveling over snow
slender ["slEn d#] adj slim; thin,
in a pleasant or graceful way
(Adv: slenderly Comp: slenderer; sup: slenderest.)
slept ["slEpt] past tense and past
participle ofsleep.
slew ["slu] 1 past tense ofslay.
2 n a large amount of something.
(Informal.)
slice ["slaIs] 1 n a thin, flat piece that is cut from something 2 n a part; a portion; a share 3 tv to
cut a thin, flat piece from
some-slice
565