| a statue, stone, etc. that is built in order to remind people of an important past event or of a famous person who has died | a MEMORIAL to victims of the Holocaust |
| an experienced person who advises and helps somebody with less experience over a period of time | She was a friend and MENTOR to many young actors. |
| a person who buys and sells goods in large quantities, especially one who imports and exports goods | a coal/wine MERCHANT |
| a kind or forgiving attitude towards somebody that you have the power to harm or right to punish | to ask/beg/plead for MERCY |
| used when you want to emphasize how small, unimportant, etc. somebody/something is | A MERE 2 per cent of their budget has been spent on publicity. |
| used meaning ‘only’ or ‘simply’ to emphasize a fact or something that you are saying | It is not MERELY a job, but a way of life. |
| to combine or make two or more things combine to form a single thing | His department will MERGE with mine. |
| the act of joining two or more organizations or businesses into one | a MERGE between the two banks |
| (formal) the quality of being good and of deserving praise or reward | The plan is entirely without MERIT. |
| a set of methods and principles used to perform a particular activity | recent changes in the METHODOLOGY of language teaching |
| the middle part of something | Such beauty was unexpected in the MIDST of the city. |
| the movement every year of large numbers of birds or animals from one place to another | the seasonal MIGRATION of blue whales |
| using, or willing to use, force or strong pressure to achieve your aims, especially to achieve social or political change | MILITANT groups/leaders |
| a person who uses, or is willing to use, force or strong pressure to achieve their aims, especially to achieve social or political change | Student MILITANTS were fighting with the police. |
| a group of people who are not professional soldiers but who have had military training and can act as an army | He said he would call out the state MILITIA if the rebels did not surrender. |
| a building fitted with equipment for grinding grain into flour; a machine for grinding grain | The old MILL has been converted into apartments. |
| very small in size or amount; as small as possible | The work was carried out at MINIMAL cost. |
| to reduce something, especially something bad, to the lowest possible level | Good hygiene helps to MINIMIZE the risk of infection. |
| the process of getting coal and other minerals from under the ground; the industry involved in this | a MINING company/community/engineer |
| a government department that has a particular area of responsibility | The MINISTRY of Defence has issued the following statement. |
| extremely small | MINUTE amounts of chemicals in the water |
| an act or event that does not follow the laws of nature and is believed to be caused by God | the MIRACLE of rising from the grave |
| great physical or mental pain | Fame brought her nothing but MISERY. |
| giving the wrong idea or impression and making you believe something that is not true | It would be seriously MISLEADING to suggest that television has no effect on children. |
| a weapon that is sent through the air and that explodes when it hits the thing that it is aimed at | nuclear MISSILES |
| a large crowd of people, especially one that may become violent or cause trouble | The MOB was/were preparing to storm the building. |
| the ability to move easily from one place, social class or job to another | The high cost of living acts as an obstacle to MOBILITY of labour. |
| to work together in order to achieve a particular aim; to organize a group of people to do this | The unions MOBILIZED thousands of workers in a protest against the cuts. |
| that is neither very good, large, hot, etc. nor very bad, small, cold, etc. | Even MODERATE amounts of the drug can be fatal. |
| the act or process of changing something in order to improve it or make it more acceptable; a change that is made | Considerable MODIFICATION of the existing system is needed |
| the ability to keep increasing or developing | The fight for his release gathers MOMENTUM each day. |
| a member of a religious group of men who often live apart from other people in a monastery and who do not marry or have personal possessions | Benedictine/Buddhist MONKS |
| (business) the complete control of trade in particular goods or the supply of a particular service; a type of goods or a service that is controlled in this way | In the past central government had a MONOPOLY on television broadcasting. |
| principles relating to right and wrong or good and bad behaviour | Standards of MORALITY seem to be dropping. |
| a reason for doing something | There seemed to be no MOTIVE for the murder. |
| a person driving a car | The accident was reported by a passing MOTORIST. |
| connected with or belonging to a town, city or district that has its own local government | MUNICIPAL elections/councils |
| used to describe feelings that two or more people have for each other equally, or actions that affect two or more people equally | I don't like her, and I think the feeling is MUTUAL (= she doesn't like me either). |
| used to introduce more exact and detailed information about something that you have just mentioned | We need to concentrate on our target audience, NAMELY women aged between 20 and 30. |
| happening or existing in all parts of a particular country | he police conducted a NATIONWIDE hunt for the missing prisoners. |
| connected with the navy of a country | the country’s NAVAL forces |
| the fact of not giving enough care or attention to something/somebody; the state of not receiving enough care or attention | The law imposes penalties for the NEGLECT of children. |
| to fail to take care of somebody/something | Local communities have been NEGLECTED in favour of private sector interests. |
| located or living near or next to a place or person | a NEIGHBOURING house |
| a hollow place or structure that a bird makes or chooses for laying its eggs in and sheltering its young | sparrows building a NEST of twigs and dry grass |
| a net amount of money is the amount that remains when nothing more is to be taken away | What do you earn NET of tax? |
| a report containing news of the activities of a club or organization that is sent regularly to all its members | Our sailing club produces a monthly NEWSLETTER. |
| a comfortable or suitable role, job, way of life, etc. | He eventually found his NICHE in sports journalism. |
| having or showing fine personal qualities that people admire, such as courage, honesty and care for others | He died for a NOBLE cause. |
| if you nod, nod your head or your head nods, you move your head up and down to show agreement, understanding, etc. | I asked him if he would help me and he NODDED. |
| to formally suggest that somebody/something should be chosen for an important role, prize, position, etc. | She has been NOMINATED for the presidency. |
| the act of suggesting or choosing somebody as a candidate in an election, or for a job or an award; the fact of being suggested for this | Membership of the club is by NOMINATION only. |
| a person who has been formally suggested for a job, a prize, etc. | He was chosen as the party's presidential NOMINEE. |
| (of an organization) without the aim of making a profit | an independent NON-PROFIT organization |
| despite this fact | The book is too long but, NONETHELESS, informative and entertaining. |
| ideas, statements or beliefs that you think are silly or not true | it's NONSENSE to say they don't care. |
| 12 o’clock in the middle of the day | The conference opens at 12 NOON on Saturday. |
| deserving to be noticed or to receive attention; important | His eyes are his most NOTABLE feature. |
| used for giving a good or the most important example of something | This argument has been put forward by many politicians, most NOTABLY by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary. |
| to formally or officially tell somebody about something | he police must be NOTIFIED of the date of the demonstration |
| well known for being bad | The bar has become NOTORIOUS as a meeting-place for drug dealers. |
| different from anything known before; new, interesting and often seeming slightly strange | Job-sharing is still a NOVEL concept and it will take a while for employers to get used to it. |
| a place where young children are cared for while their parents are at work; a day nursery or nursery school | Her youngest child is at NURSERY now. |
| a reason why you do not like or are opposed to something; a statement about this | The main OBJECTION to the plan was that it would cost too much. |
| to force somebody to do something, by law, because it is a duty, etc. | I felt OBLIGED to ask them to dinner. |
| to completely fill your mind so that you cannot think of anything else, in a way that is not reasonable or normal | She's completely OBSESSED with him. |
| the state in which a person’s mind is completely filled with thoughts of one particular thing or person in a way that is not reasonable or normal | There's a national OBSESSION with celebrity in England. |
| happening or done sometimes but not often | The OCCASIONAL sweet treat won't do you any harm. |
| something that happens or exists | The program counts the number of OCCURRENCES of any word within the text. |
| the degree to which something is likely to happen | The ODDS are very much in our favour (= we are likely to succeed). |
| something that is produced for other people to use, watch, enjoy, etc. | the latest OFFERING from the Canadian-born writer |
| a child of a particular person or couple | the problems parents have with their teenage OFFSPRING |
| connected with the way in which a business, machine, system, etc. works | OPERATIONAL activities/costs/difficulties |
| to choose to take or not to take a particular course of action | After graduating she OPTED for a career in music. |
| connected with the sense of sight or the relationship between light and sight | OPTICAL effects |
| a feeling that good things will happen and that something will be successful | a mood of cautious OPTIMISM |
| spoken rather than written | a test of both ORAL and written French |
| connected with the way in which the different parts of something are arranged; connected with an organization | ORGANIZATIONAL changes within the party |
| a person’s basic beliefs or feelings about a particular subject | a person’s sexual ORIENTATION (= whether they are attracted to men, women or both) |
| to happen or appear for the first time in a particular place or situation | The disease is thought to have ORIGINATED in the tropics. |
| the sudden start of something unpleasant, especially violence or a disease | OUTBREAKS of rain are expected in the afternoon. |
| a trip that you go on for pleasure or education, usually with a group of people and lasting no more than one day | Every year she organized an OUTING to the countryside. |
| a shop or an organization that sells goods made by a particular company or of a particular type | The business has 34 retail OUTLETS in this state alone. |
| the attitude to life and the world of a particular person, group or culture | He had a practical OUTLOOK on life. |
| a strong feeling of shock and anger | She was filled with a strong sense of moral OUTRAGE. |
| to make somebody very shocked and angry | He was OUTRAGED at the way he had been treated. |
| a person who is not accepted as a member of a society, group, etc. | Here she felt she would always be an OUTSIDER. |
| to fail to see or notice something | In my hurry to finish the exam I had OVERLOOKED part of one of the questions. |
| too; very | We think you are being OVERLY optimistic. |
| to watch somebody/something and make sure that a job or an activity is done correctly | United Nations observers OVERSAW the elections. |
| if something overturns, or if somebody overturns it, it turns into a position in which the top of it is where the bottom of it normally is or on its side | He stood up quickly, OVERTURNING his chair. |
| to have such a strong emotional effect on somebody that it is difficult for them to resist or know how to react | The beauty of the landscape OVERWHELMED me. |
| very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react | The OVERWHELMING majority of those present were in favour of the plan. |
| a thick piece of soft material that is used, for example, for cleaning or protecting something or for holding liquid | medicated cleansing PADS for sensitive skin |
| something that decides or limits the way in which something can be done | to set/define the PARAMETERS |
| connected with a parent or parents | PARENTAL responsibility/rights |
| an area that has its own church and that a priest is responsible for | He is vicar of a large rural PARISH. |
| connected with a parliament; having a parliament | PARLIAMENTARY elections |
| not complete or whole | It was only a PARTIAL solution to the problem. |
| partly; not completely | The road was PARTIALLY blocked by a fallen tree. |
| the process of time going by | The colour of the wood darkens with the PASSING of time. |
| accepting what happens or what people do without trying to change anything or oppose them | She wore a PASSIVE expression on her face as if she didn’t care what happened. |
| a minister in charge of a Christian church or group, especially in some Nonconformist churches | He was ordained a PASTOR in the Lutheran Church. |
| a small area of something, especially one which is different from the area around it | a black dog with a white PATCH on its back |
| an official right to be the only person to make, use or sell a product or an invention; a document that proves this | to apply for/obtain/take out a PATENT on an invention |
| a track that serves as a path | They came out of the woods and onto a PATHWAY. |
| the act of going to different parts of a building, an area, etc. to make sure that there is no trouble or crime | Security guards make regular PATROL at night. |
| to go around an area or a building at regular times to check that it is safe and that there is no trouble | Troops PATROLLED the border day and night. |
| a person who gives money and support to artists and writers | Frederick the Great was the PATRON of many artists. |
| an account written by somebody, especially somebody famous, about their life and experiences | O'Connor published a childhood MEMOIR. |
