hi p-hop N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Hip-hop is a form of popular culture which started among young black people in the United States in the 1980s. It includes rap music and graffiti art.
hip|pie /h I pi/ (hippies ) also hippy N‑COUNT Hippies were young people in the 1960s and 1970s who rejected conventional ways of living, dressing, and behaving, and tried to live a life based on peace and love. Hippies often had long hair and many took drugs.
hip|po /h I poʊ/ (hippos ) N‑COUNT A hippo is a hippopotamus. [INFORMAL ]
Hip|po|crat|ic oath /h I pəkræt I k oʊ θ/ N‑SING The Hippocratic oath is a formal promise made by recently-qualified doctors that they will follow the standards set by their profession and try to preserve life.
hippo|pota|mus /h I pəpɒ təməs/ (hippopotamuses ) N‑COUNT A hippopotamus is a very large African animal with short legs and thick, hairless skin. Hippopotamuses live in and near rivers. WORD HISTORY hippopotamus
A hippopotamus is literally a 'water horse'. The word comes from Greek hippos , meaning 'horse', and potamos , meaning 'river'.
hip|py /h I pi/ → see hippie
hip|ster /h I pstə r / (hipsters )
1 N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a hipster , you mean that they are very fashionable, often in a way that you think is rather silly. [HUMOROUS ]
2 N‑PLURAL [oft N n] Hipsters are trousers which are designed so that the highest part of them is around your hips, rather than around your waist. [mainly BRIT ]
hire ◆◇◇ /ha I ə r / (hires , hiring , hired )
1 VERB If you hire someone, you employ them or pay them to do a particular job for you. □ [V n] Sixteen of the contestants have hired lawyers and are suing the organisers. □ [V ] The rest of the staff have been hired on short-term contracts. □ [V -ing] He will be in charge of all hiring and firing at PHA. □ [V -ed] …the mystery assassin (who turned out to be a hired killer).
2 VERB If you hire something, you pay money to the owner so that you can use it for a period of time. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V n] To hire a car you must produce a passport and a current driving licence. □ [V -ed] Her hired car was found abandoned at Beachy Head. in AM, usually use rent 3 N‑UNCOUNT [usu n N , N n] You use hire to refer to the activity or business of hiring something. [mainly BRIT ] □ [+ of ] They booked our hotel, and organised car hire. in AM, usually use rental
4 PHRASE If something is for hire , it is available for you to hire. [mainly BRIT ] □ Fishing tackle is available for hire. in AM, usually use for rent
▸ hire out PHRASAL VERB If you hire out something such as a car or a person's services, you allow them to be used in return for payment. □ [V P n] Companies hiring out narrow boats report full order books. [Also V n P ] SYNONYMS hire VERB
1
employ: The company employs 18 staff.
take on: They decided to take Jack on as an office assistant.
engage: He had been able to engage some staff.
appoint: It made sense to appoint a banker to this job.
2
rent: He left his hotel in a rented car.
charter: She chartered a jet to fly her home from California to Switzerland. COLLOCATIONS hire VERB 1
hire + noun : consultant, staff, worker; detective, investigator, lawyer
hire|ling /ha I ə r l I ŋ/ (hirelings ) N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a hireling , you disapprove of them because they do not care who they work for and they are willing to do illegal or immoral things as long as they are paid. [DISAPPROVAL ]
hi re pu r|chase N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Hire purchase is a way of buying goods gradually. You make regular payments until you have paid the full price and the goods belong to you. The abbreviation HP is often used. [BRIT ] □ …buying a car on hire purchase. in AM, usually use installment plan
hir|sute /hɜː r sjuːt, [AM ] -suːt/ ADJ If a man is hirsute , he is hairy. [FORMAL ]
his ◆◆◆ The determiner is pronounced /h I z/. The pronoun is pronounced /h I z/. His is a third person singular possessive determiner. His is also a possessive pronoun. 1 DET You use his to indicate that something belongs or relates to a man, boy, or male animal. □ Brian splashed water on his face, then brushed his teeth. □ He spent a large part of his career in Hollywood. □ The dog let his head thump on the floor again. ● PRON His is also a possessive pronoun. □ Anna reached out her hand to him and clasped his.
2 DET In written English, his is sometimes used to refer to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman. Some people dislike this use and prefer to use 'his or her' or 'their'. □ Formerly, the relations between a teacher and his pupils were dominated by fear on the part of the pupils. ● PRON His is also a possessive pronoun. □ The student going to art or drama school will be very enthusiastic about further education. His is not a narrow mind, but one eager to grasp every facet of anything he studies.
His|pan|ic /h I spæ n I k/ (Hispanics ) ADJ A Hispanic person is a citizen of the United States of America who originally came from Latin America, or whose family originally came from Latin America. □ …a group of Hispanic doctors in Washington. ● N‑COUNT A Hispanic is someone who is Hispanic.
hiss /h I s/ (hisses , hissing , hissed )
1 VERB To hiss means to make a sound like a long 's'. □ [V prep] The tires of Lenny's bike hissed over the wet pavement as he slowed down. □ [V ] My cat hissed when I stepped on its tail. □ [V -ing] Caporelli made a small hissing sound of irritation. ● N‑COUNT Hiss is also a noun. □ …the hiss of water running into the burnt pan. ● hiss|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ …a silence broken only by a steady hissing from above my head.