From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspiritspir‧it1 /ˈspɪrɪt/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 character [singular, uncountable]RRMIND the qualities that make someone live the way they do, and make them different from other peoplein spirit I’m 85, but I still feel young in spirit.independent/proud/free etc spirit (=a person with a particular type of character) She is a strong and independent spirit. → kindred spirit at kindred2(1)2 → spirits3 soul [countable]RR the part of someone that you cannot see, that consists of the qualities that make up their character, which many people believe continues to live after the person has died → soul Although Laurie is dead, I can feel his spirit with me.4 no body [countable]ROGHOST a creature without a physical body that some people believe exists, such as an angel or a dead person, who has returned to this world and has strange or magical powers → ghost an evil spirit5 determination [uncountable]DETERMINED courage, energy, and determination – used to show approval Sandra is small, but she makes up for it with great spirit. a young team with strong fighting spirit When they took away his freedom, they broke his spirit (=made him lose his courage).6 attitude [singular, uncountable]ATTITUDE the attitude that you have towards something or while you are doing something You’ve got to approach this meeting in the right spirit.spirit of the spirit of cooperation between the two sides7 → team/community/public etc spirit8 typical qualitiesTYPICAL [countable usually singular] the set of ideas, beliefs, feelings etc that are typical of a particular period in history, a place, or a group of peoplespirit of Tourism has not destroyed the spirit of Bali.the spirit of the age/times His beliefs conflicted with the spirit of the age. 9 → in spirit10 → get/enter into the spirit (of something)11 intention [uncountable] the meaning or qualities that someone intended something to have, especially the meaning that a law or rule was intended to have Thoreau believed that his actions were in the spirit of American institutions. Miller’s actions may not be actually illegal, but they have violated the spirit of the law. → the letter of the law at letter1(4)12 → the Spirit13 drink [countable usually plural] a) especially British EnglishDFD a strong alcoholic drink such as whisky or brandy b) British EnglishDHC liquid such as alcohol, used for cleaning14 → that’s the spirit15 → when/as the spirit moves you16 → the spirit is willing (but the flesh is weak)COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: adjectiveshigh/good (=used when saying that someone is happy and excited)The players were all in high spirits.low/flagging (=used when saying that someone is sad)She was tired and her spirits were low.verbslift/raise/revive somebody’s spirits (=make them feel happier)A brisk walk helped to lift my spirits.keep somebody’s spirits up (=keep them feeling happy)He wrote home often, trying to keep his family’s spirits up.dampen somebody’s spirits (=make them feel less happy)They refused to let the rain dampen their spirits.somebody’s spirits rise/lift/soar (=they start feeling happier)Her spirits rose as they left the ugliness of London behind.somebody’s spirits sink (=they start feeling less happy)His spirits sank at the prospect.
Examples from the Corpus
spirit• I am sure that, given the great community spirit here, the fund-raisers will not give up.• My grandparents used to wear charms to protect themselves against evil spirits.• Firecrackers are lit to scare off evil spirits.• She never once thought of giving up. Everyone admired her fighting spirit.• This boisterous welcome restored the princess's good spirits.• The hours of interrogations and beatings were designed to break his spirit.• Then under the indifferent sky his spirit left the body with its ripped flesh, infections, its weak and damaged nature.• Indeed, the key question is whether the organization serves or squashes the human spirit.• All Annamese peasants - and that's about eighty percent of the population worship invisible spirits.• On the other hand, any name can work if you have the right spirit.• The crew enjoy working together and have developed an excellent team spirit.• Excellent schools and classrooms are clearly distinguishable by the spirit of community that pervades all they do.• Burning the bodies is supposed to convince the spirits of the dead to go to the next world.• They are usually distilled from barley malt cured with peat, giving the spirit a smoky flavour.• Again, the quality of the spirit finally collected depends upon the knowledge skill and experience of the stillman.• In Japan people believe that the spirits of the dead return to visit the earth every summer during the Obon festival.• Gere's actions may not actually be illegal, but they have violated the spirit of the law.• The fact that they reached the semi-final is a reflection of their spirit and commitment.independent/proud/free etc spirit• October 20 A free spirit, captured in his own words Jeanson par Jeanson by Rene• A free spirit has been and gone.• There is no point booking a package holiday - this contains the essentially free spirit of the tack traveller.• He could not remember having ever been in the company of such an exuberantly free spirit.• It was a celebration of freedom, free spirits and free enterprise.• Now, the 7-year-old Pescadero, Calif., girl is taking her independent spirit to the sky.• These free spirits were on average ten to fifteen years my senior and old hands in high finance.evil spirit• Blake was skeptical, wondering if it were really an evil spirit.• Ancient evil spirits went by a new name.• Two green glazed lions guarded the gates to keep evil spirits at bay.• On Wassail night, evil spirits are banished from the orchards and offerings ensure next year's apple crop.• The villagers then shoot guns into the branches to ward off evil spirits.• Garlands of turmeric and garlic are worn to ward off evil spirits.• It was commonly believed that some evil spirits lost their strength in daylight.• The evil spirits ascended from her mouth as a flock of blackbirds.broke ... spirit• They took away his freedom, they broke his spirit, and they ruined his health.spirit of• We need a new spirit of cooperation to solve the problems in this neighborhood.• The cookbook invokes the spirit of Sicily and southern Italy.• There is a true spirit of hope among the people.the spirit of the age/times• A stance which was appropriate for the Age of Brezhnev and Galtieri now seems out of date and out of touch with the spirit of the times.• It goes against the spirit of the age to admit this.• D., and the spirit of the age has changed.• He embodies the spirit of the age.• You should do your best to sink yourself in the spirit of the age.• Good art should represent the spirit of the times.• Clearly the appeal of the Virgo archetype belonged to the spirit of the age.• The suggested move towards a centrally-determined curriculum, however, was still out of keeping with the spirit of the times.• Tax-dodging is in line, it seems, with the spirit of the times.the spirit of the law• By sticking to the letter of the law, the spirit of the law may be lost.• This is certainly against the spirit of the law.• Mostly they turned out to be thinly disguised candidate ads, a violation of the spirit of the law at best.• This is a joyful response to the spirit of the law, as we see its deeper meaning and wider application.• To send a refugee to a country that he had not even heard of is to violate the spirit of the law.spiritspirit2 verb → spirit somebody/something away/off→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
spirit• She had been spirited away by the Poison Dwarf.• She might find herself not being carried down to London but spirited away to distant unknown suburbs such as Hendon and Colindale.SpiritSpirit a US spacecraft that landed on Mars in 2004. It moved around the surface of Mars to find signs of water, take samples of soil, and take photographs.Origin spirit1 (1200-1300) Anglo-French Latin spiritus “breath, spirit” 