From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwordword1 /wɜːd $ wɜːrd/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 group of letters [countable]WORD, PHRASE, OR SENTENCE a single group of letters that are used together with a particular meaning Write an essay of about five hundred words. What does that word mean? 'Vater' is the German word for (=that means) 'father'. Perhaps 'lucky' is not exactly the right word. → buzzword, four-letter word, swear word2 → somebody’s words3 → the words 4 → have a word5 → want a word6 → not hear/understand/believe a word7 → without (saying) a word8 → say a word/say a few words9 → a word of warning/caution/advice/thanks etc10 → not say a word11 → put your feelings/thoughts etc into words12 → have/exchange words (with somebody)13 → a harsh/a cross/an angry etc word14 news/information [singular, uncountable]NEWS a piece of news or a message Word came that our duties would be changed. ‘Have you heard from Ann?’ ‘No, not a word.’ There was still no word from John.word gets out/around (=people hear about something) It’s a very small town and if you do something bad, word gets around.the word is (that)/word has it (that) (=people are saying that) The word is that the two companies are planning a merger.spread/pass the word (=tell other people some information or news) Health officials are encouraging people to spread the word about the benefits of exercise.send/bring word old-fashioned formal (=send or bring a message) The mayor sent word he’d be late. Word of mouth (=information you get by someone telling you) is one of the best ways of getting business.by word of mouth Much of this information is picked up by word of mouth from previous students.15 → the last/final word16 → my/his/your etc word17 → word for word18 → in a word19 → in words of one syllable20 → in so many words21 → take the words (right) out of somebody’s mouth22 → put words into somebody’s mouth23 an order [singular]TELL/ORDER somebody TO DO something an order to do something On the word ‘go’ everyone has to run to the end of the room and back. When I give the word, grab him.24 → (right) from the word go25 → too silly/complicated/ridiculous etc for words26 → (have/drop) a word in somebody’s ear27 → get a word in (edgeways)28 → put in a (good) word for somebody29 → words fail me30 → word!31 → (Upon) my word!32 → surprised/angry/pleased etc isn’t the word for it33 → a man/woman etc of few words34 → the Word (of God) → eat your words at eat(3), → four-letter word, → a good word for somebody/something at good1(31), → in other words at other(11), → be the last word in something at last1(10), → be lost for words at lost2(10), → mark my words at mark1(12), → not mince your words at mince1(3), → play on words at play2(6), → say the word at say1(26), → the spoken word at spoken2(2), → the written word at written2(3)COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa new wordComputer technology has brought many new words into our language.the right/exact word (=the word that has the meaning you want)He struggled to find the right word.a German/Italian etc wordProsciutto is the Italian word for ham.a long wordShe didn’t understand all the long words.a short worda short word beginning with ‘d’ and ending with ‘g’ big words (=words that sound very important or serious)It scares me, when you use big words like that. a five-letter/nine-letter etc wordCan you think of a six-letter word meaning ‘difficult’?a rude wordSomeone had written a rude word on the back of his chair.a swear wordHe learned a few swear words on the playground.a dirty word (=a rude word)You couldn’t say dirty words on television.a four-letter word (=a very rude word)The programme was full of four letter words.a taboo word (=one that people are not allowed to use)This has now become a taboo word.verbssay/speak a wordShe said the words ‘my husband’ in a firm voice.use a wordBe very careful how you use the word ‘natural’.pronounce a wordHow do you pronounce this word?spell a wordI always find that word hard to spell.have a wordIt is not true that Eskimos have more than forty words for snow.find the word (=succeed in thinking of the right word to use)She couldn’t find the words to explain how she felt.search for words (=try to think of words to use)She hesitated, searching for words.look up a word (=try to find it in a book)I looked the word up in my dictionary. THESAURUSword a single group of letters that are used together with a particular meaning‘Casa’ is the Italian word for ‘house’.I looked up the word in a dictionary.name a word that you use for a particular thing, place, organization etcIberia is the ancient name for the Spanish Peninsula.What’s the name of that type of dog?term a word or group of words that is used in a specific subject or area of languageThe medical term for losing your hair is ‘alopecia’.People use the term ‘carbon footprint’ to talk about man’s polluting effect on the environment.phrase a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasionWe don’t really have a phrase for ‘bon appétit’ in English.Politicians keep using the phrase ‘family values’.an Italian phrase bookexpression a fixed phrase which is used in a language and has a particular meaningHe uses a lot of obscure expressions that I don’t really understand.What does the expression ‘wage slavery’ mean?buzzword /ˈbʌzwɜːd $ -wɜːrd/ a word or group of words that people in a particular type of work or activity have started using a lot because they think it is importantE-learning is the buzzword in educational publishing at the moment.For anthropologists, ethnodiversity has been a buzzword for quite a while.idiom /ˈɪdiəm/ a group of words that has a special meaning which you cannot guess from the meanings of each separate word‘Full of beans’ is an idiom which means feeling lively and energetic.cliché /ˈkliːʃeɪ $ kliːˈʃeɪ/ a group of words that is used so often that it seems rather boring, annoying, or sillyIt’s a bit of a cliché, but good communication skills are the key to success.the old movie cliché ‘we can’t go on meeting like this’slang very informal words used especially by a particular group of people such as young people, criminals, or soldiersGrass is slang for marijuana.prison slangarmy slangjargon words and phrases used in a particular profession or by a particular group of people, which are difficult for other people to understand – often used to show disapprovalThe instructions were full of technical jargon.complicated legal jargon
Examples from the Corpus
word• In 500 words or less, write down why you want the scholarship.• It was too calculated a word to describe what had happened between them.• What's another word for 'way out'?• Are there any words in the passage that you don't understand?• Look up any words you don't know in a dictionary.• In fact different groups of people see the world in different ways and develop words for their concepts.• On 4 May it was played through an Auxetophone to the diners so they could all hear his words.• 'Casa' is the Italian word for 'house'.• It seems only fair to allow Wordsworth the last word.• Is 'lunchtime' one word or two?• It is obvious that Matson is a poet, if only for her precise word choice.• I don't know all the words to the song.• On the word "go" I want you to start running.• The word was before them, the fire ran through the brushwood.• The word 'origami' comes from Japanese.• However, he appreciated the cathartic nature of expressing himself through the written word.no word from• There's been no word from Susan since July.• Yes, he must have, though l had no word from mutual friends or my parents or sister.• They had no word from him the next day, nor the next, nor the next.• And there is still no word from Fred Couples, a favorite among the galleries at Riviera.• But as they attended a private cremation tonight there was still no word from the local criminal informants.• There was still no word from Jonna, though, which cast a blight over Annie's mood.• So far there was no word from the Patriarch, or from Abyssinia.• Constance found Nicky more attractive as the days passed with no word from or of him.• A week had passed with no word from Omar.word!word!American English informal used to say that you understand or agree with what someone has just said → wordwordword2 ●○○ verb [transitive] SAYto use words that are carefully chosen in order to express something SYN phrase How can we word the letter so as not to offend the parents?→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
word• Let me word the question a little differently.WordWord trademark a popular type of computer software used for word processing (=typing letters, reports etc and storing information), produced by the Microsoft CorporationOrigin word1 Old English 