From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgroupgroup1 /ɡruːp/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 1 GROUP OF PEOPLEGROUP OF THINGSseveral people or things that are all together in the same placegroup of a group of children a small group of islands Get into groups of four. He was surrounded by a group of admirers.in groups Dolphins travel in small groups. A group of us are going to London.2 GROUP OF PEOPLEGROUP OF THINGSseveral people or things that are connected with each other a left-wing terrorist groupgroup of She is one of a group of women who have suffered severe side-effects from the drug.age/ethnic/income etc group (=people of the same age, race etc) Minority groups are encouraged to apply.3 BBCseveral companies that all have the same owner → chain a giant textiles groupgroup of He owns a group of hotels in southern England.4 APMa number of musicians or singers who perform together, playing popular music SYN band → blood group, focus group, interest group, playgroup, pressure group, working groupGRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• Group is usually followed by a singular verb: This group has a higher risk of heart disease.His group plays jazz.• In British English, you can also use a plural verb: This group have a higher risk of heart disease.His group play jazz.COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2phrasesa member of a group/a group memberFrank was invited to be a member of the group.a group of three, four, five etcThere was a group of three at the bar, two men and a woman.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + groupan age groupOlder people are being affected by the economic downturn more than other age groups.an ethnic group (=one whose members belong to a particular race or nation)The university welcomes enquiries and applications from all ethnic groups.a minority group (=one whose members belong to a different race, religion etc from most other people in a country)Conditions for many minority groups have worsened.a racial groupSchools should not stereotype pupils from certain racial groups as troublemakers.a social group (=a group of people from a particular class in society)Lower social groups had a higher average family size.an income groupThe budget will affect people differently, according to their income group.somebody’s peer group (=people of the same age, social group etc)Many girls at school derive enormous strength from their peer groups.a pressure group (=one that tries to make the government do something)Friends of the Earth is Britain’s leading environmental pressure group.a protest groupThey formed a protest group and a petition of 50,000 signatures was presented at the town hall.a splinter group (=that has separated from another political or religious group)A Social Democratic Party ( SDP), formed as a splinter group of the Socialist Party of Serbia.a close-knit/closely-knit/tightly-knit group (=in which everyone knows each other well and gives each other support)The young mothers in the village are a fairly close-knit group.a support group (=a group that meets in order to help the people in it deal with a difficult time)She set up a support group for people suffering from the same illness.a control group (=a group used in an experiment or survey to compare its results with those of another group)A control group had to be examined as well as the group that we are studying.group + NOUNa group decisionBeing involved in a group decision can help motivate workers.a group discussionThe course includes both individual work and group discussions.a group leaderThere were three groups of eight people, each with a group leader.verbsbelong to a groupBen belonged to an environmental group.get into groupsThe teacher asked the students to get into groups.organize something into groupsSmall children work best when they are organized into very small groups.join a groupHe joined a self-help group for divorced men.leave a groupRebecca left the group following a disagreement. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 4: a number of musicians or singers who perform together, playing popular musicNOUN + groupa pop/rock/jazz groupThey’re one of the most exciting pop groups around at the moment.phrasesa member of a groupJeremy was a member of a heavy metal group.be in a groupShe's in a jazz group, playing the saxophone.verbsstart a groupBen and some friends started a rock group at school.found a group formal (=start a group)Mick Jagger and Keith Richards founded the group in the early Sixties.a group splits up (=the members decide not to play together anymore)The group split up because of ‘musical differences’.a group re-forms (=the members decide to play together again)The group has re-formed and is planning a series of comeback concerts. THESAURUSof peoplegroup several people together in the same placeA group of boys stood by the school gate.Arrange yourselves in groups of three.crowd a large group of people who have come to a place to do somethingThere were crowds of shoppers in the streets.The crowd all cheered.mob a large, noisy, and perhaps violent crowdAn angry mob of demonstrators approached.mass a large group of people all close together in one place, so that they seem like a single thingThe square in front of the station was a solid mass of people.bunch informal a group of people who are all similar in some wayThey’re a nice bunch of kids.gang a group of young people, especially a group that often causes trouble and fightsHe was attacked by a gang of youths.rabble a noisy group of people who are behaving badlyHe was met by a rabble of noisy angry youths.horde a very large group of people who all go somewhereIn summer hordes of tourists flock to the island.There were hordes of people coming out of the subway.crew a group of people who all work together, especially on a ship or planethe ship’s crewThe flight crew will serve drinks shortly.party a group of people who are travelling or working togetherA party of tourists stood at the entrance to the temple.of animalsherd a group of cows, deer, or elephantsA herd of cows was blocking the road.team a group of animals that work togetherThe carriage was pulled by a team of horses.flock a group of sheep or birdsa flock of seagullsThe farmer has over 100 sheep in his flock.pack a group of dogs or wolvesSome dogs are bred to work in packs.litter a group of kittens or puppies born at one time to a particular motherHe was one of a litter of seven puppies.school/shoal a group of fish or dolphinsPiranha fish live in shoals in the wild.of thingsbunch a group of things held or tied together, especially flowers or keysHe handed me a bunch of daffodils.bundle several papers, clothes, or sticks held or tied together in an untidy pileBundles of papers and files filled the shelves.cluster a group of things of the same kind that are close together in a placea cluster of starsOur road ended at a cluster of cottages.
Examples from the Corpus
group• The factory was burned down by a group of animal-rights activists.• We got all the family together for a group photo.• News International is a group of companies that produce newspapers and TV programmes.• an old photograph of a group of soldiers sitting on the ground• Each one of perhaps a group of four should prepare a brief summary of an article of general interest.• A group of new houses is to be built on the old playing-field.• A group of us went out for a drink to celebrate Sonia's birthday.• The good thing about the class is that all the students belong to the same age group.• The hospital is desperate for donors from the rhesus negative blood group.• Locally we already have two Pittses and a Chipmunk group operating, and have aerobatic training available at both Perth and Dundee.• He was one of the very few posters when the Weekly briefly tried to maintain an online discussion group.• Men stood in groups on street corners.• Robberies were common on the lonely roads, so people usually travelled in groups.• Families in the lowest income group could not afford to educate their children.• The teacher told us to get into groups of three.• Outside the school, little groups of friends were talking to each other.• Today you will learn a new group of verbs.• The Pearson Group owns a diverse array of companies.• Their policy was to keep demonstrators from different political groups apart.• a rock group• The tickets are expensive, but there is a discount for school groups.• A small group had gathered outside the stage door.• Inter-Company and Consortium programmes are run for organisations sponsoring smaller groups and provide a useful cross cultural experience.• The house was hidden behind a tall group of trees.• The talks I had with members of the group I recreated in my Conversations in Bloomsbury.• The group is to be featured in a full-length movie later this year and recently signed a contract to promote Pepsi.• These research subjects are presumed to be ignorant and vulnerable groups in society and almost always include students.in groups• Many of you have been in groups of one sort or another.• Angry, alienated fanatics can come in groups or alone.• Men clustered and chattered lively in groups.• The comparison of results in groups D and E highlights the important assessment role of occupational therapists as cited by other workers.• Skinny old men stood around talking in groups, or counted up their change for a visit to the rum shop.• You can hear them talking in groups, wondering.• Application Have the students work in groups to brainstorm all the examples of compressed air they can.• This is achieved by professional workshops where students working in groups address problems taken from industrial, commercial and public sector organizations.age/ethnic/income etc group• Nations and ethnic groups, similarly, would have equal rights, at least within the Soviet federation.• Exactly the same principles apply as with any age group.• The same ranging of, or variability in, Piagetian developmental levels is found at any chronological age group.• Different ethnic groups within the country have been engaged in a civil war for more than forty-five years.• A national survey showed there was a similar problem in Britain, particularly among the 46-52 year old age group.• The state is the most important single source of income for the older age groups.• The focus of this latter approach is of enumerating the dependency of the older age groups.• The differences in responses from one age group to another were eye-opening.groupgroup2 ●●○ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]GROUP/PUT INTO GROUPS to come together and form a group, or to arrange things or people together in a groupgroup (something) together/round/into etc The photo shows four men grouped round a jeep. Different flowers can be grouped together to make a colourful display. small producers who group together to sell their produce2 [transitive always + adverb/preposition]GROUP/PUT INTO GROUPS to divide people or things into groups according to a system We were grouped into six age bands. We’ve grouped the questions under three headings.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
group• The plates were grouped according to color and size.• Students grouped around the notice board to read their exam results.• The main body spots are grouped in rosettes.• One metric by which collocations may be measured and grouped is to rate them on a scale of probability.• Julia sat down at the piano, and the others grouped together to sing.• Second, services were grouped together with respect to the scale upon which they needed to be provided.group (something) together/round/into etc• This group has developed into an effective, nationwide organization in the United States.• The planning will need to take account of the fact that the groups should come together at a later stage.• It consists of a number of locally-based groups, linked together by a holding committee on which the district groups are represented.• Levine and Siegel grouped these excuses into four categories.• Yesterday the group moved into its growth phase.• Voices raised with excitement came from a fourth group, clustered round the sink in the corner of the room.• Anti-ERA groups had rounded up hundreds of supporters from rural communities all across the Florida panhandle and bused them to the capitol.From Longman Business Dictionarygroupgroup /gruːp/ noun [countable]1 (also group of companies)ORGANIZATIONS a large business organization that consists of several companies that all have the same ownerBurmah Castrol, the lubricants groupthe sale of the Rover Group to BMWa dramatic surge in group profitsthe group chairman2several people or things considered together → see also control group, newsgroup → buzz group → consumer group → focus group → income group → peer group → reference group → special interest groupOrigin group1 (1600-1700) French groupe, from Italian gruppo 