From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishvocabularyvo‧cab‧u‧la‧ry /vəˈkæbjələri, vəʊ- $ -leri, voʊ-/ ●●● S3 noun (plural vocabularies) 1 [countable, uncountable]SL all the words that someone knows or uses Teachers were impressed by his vocabulary.2 [countable]SLL all the words in a particular language English has the largest vocabulary of any language.3 [countable, uncountable]SLLANGUAGE the words that are typically used when talking about a particular subject Most technical jobs use a specialized vocabulary.vocabulary of the vocabulary of politics4 [countable, uncountable] the range of possible features, effects, actions etc, especially in a type of music or artvocabulary of Charlie Parker expanded the vocabulary of jazz.5 → (the word) failure/guilt/compromise etc is not in somebody’s vocabulary6 [countable]SLLTCN old-fashioned a list of words with explanations of their meanings, especially in a book for learning a foreign languageCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2adjectiveslarge/wide/extensiveShe has a very wide vocabulary.limited/smallHe had just started learning English and his vocabulary was fairly limited.basic/essential vocabularyThe book teaches you the basic vocabulary that you need to know when you're on holiday.technical/specialized vocabularyThe instructions were full of technical vocabulary. somebody's active vocabulary (=the words they can use)Children of this age have an active vocabulary of about 1,000 words.somebody's passive vocabulary (=the words they can understand but do not use)Your passive vocabulary is much larger than your active vocabulary.verbshave a vocabularyBy eighteen months of age, the girl had a vocabulary of around 300 words.expand/improve your vocabulary (also enrich your vocabulary formal)Reading helps to expand your vocabulary.learn vocabularyWhat's the best way of learning new vocabulary?vocabulary + NOUNa vocabulary test/exerciseThe teacher gave us a vocabulary test.a vocabulary item formal (=a word, especially in a coursebook or a language class)The difficult vocabulary items are explained at the bottom of the page.
Examples from the Corpus
vocabulary• These stories are written for students with a vocabulary of about 2000 words.• a vocabulary test• The booksellers' and auctioneers' vocabulary concerning condition is a very extensive one and varies greatly from cataloguer to cataloguer.• Physical fear was somewhere in his emotional vocabulary but over the years he had mislaid its meaning.• Naomi has been using flash cards to increase her vocabulary.• Just teach me vocabulary and pronunciation.• There is no alternative to sitting down and slogging through long lists of vocabulary.• How big is the average 4-year-old's vocabulary?• Words such as privilege and poverty will either change their meaning or disappear from the vocabulary.• Reading is a good way to increase your vocabulary.vocabulary of• Mingus' sense of sound and feeling for rhythm expanded the vocabulary of jazz.Origin vocabulary (1500-1600) French vocabulaire, from Medieval Latin vocabularium, from Latin vocabulum “word, name”, from vocare; → VOCATION 