im|mor|tal / I mɔː r t ə l/ (immortals )
1 ADJ Someone or something that is immortal is famous and likely to be remembered for a long time. □ …Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte's immortal love story. ● N‑COUNT [usu pl] An immortal is someone who is immortal. □ [+ of ] He called Moore 'one of the immortals of soccer'. ● im|mor|tal|ity / I mɔː r tæ l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ Some people want to achieve immortality through their works.
2 ADJ Someone or something that is immortal will live or last for ever and never die or be destroyed. □ The pharaohs were considered gods and therefore immortal. ● N‑COUNT [usu pl] An immortal is an immortal being. □ …porcelain figurines of the Chinese immortals. ● im|mor|tal|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The Greeks accepted belief in the immortality of the soul.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] If you refer to someone's immortal words, you mean that what they said is well-known, and you are usually about to quote it. □ …Roosevelt's immortal words, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick.'
im|mor|tal|ize / I mɔː r təla I z/ (immortalizes , immortalizing , immortalized ) in BRIT, also use immortalise VERB If someone or something is immortalized in a story, film, or work of art, they appear in it, and will be remembered for it. [WRITTEN ] □ [be V -ed] The town of Whitby was immortalised in Bram Stoker's famous Dracula story. □ [V n] D H Lawrence immortalised her in his novel 'Women in Love'.
im|mov|able / I muː vəb ə l/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An immovable object is fixed and cannot be moved.
2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is immovable in their attitude to something, they will not change their mind. □ On one issue, however, she was immovable.
im|mune ◆◇◇ / I mjuː n/
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are immune to a particular disease, you cannot be affected by it. □ [+ to ] Most adults are immune to rubella. ● im|mun|ity / I mjuː n I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ to ] Birds in outside cages develop immunity to airborne bacteria.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are immune to something that happens or is done, you are not affected by it. □ [+ to ] Football is not immune to economic recession.
3 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] Someone or something that is immune from a particular process or situation is able to escape it. □ [+ from ] Members of the Bundestag are immune from prosecution for corruption. ● im|mun|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ The police are offering immunity to witnesses.
4 → see also diplomatic immunity SYNONYMS immune ADJ 3
exempt: Men in college were exempt from military service.
be excused from: She is usually excused from her duties during the school holidays.
im|mu ne sys|tem (immune systems ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] Your immune system consists of all the organs and processes in your body which protect you from illness and infection.
im|mun|ize / I mjʊna I z/ (immunizes , immunizing , immunized ) in BRIT, also use immunise VERB [usu passive] If people or animals are immunized , they are made immune to a particular disease, often by being given an injection. □ [be V -ed + against ] We should require that every student is immunized against hepatitis B. □ [be V -ed] The monkeys had been immunized with a vaccine made from infected cells. □ [have n V -ed] All parents should have their children immunized. ● im|mun|iza|tion / I mjʊna I ze I ʃ ə n/ (immunizations ) N‑VAR □ [+ against ] …universal immunization against childhood diseases.
im|mu|table / I mjuː təb ə l/ ADJ Something that is immutable will never change or cannot be changed. [FORMAL ] □ …the eternal and immutable principles of right and wrong.
imp / I mp/ (imps )
1 N‑COUNT In fairy stories, an imp is a small, magical creature that often causes trouble in a playful way.
2 N‑COUNT People sometimes refer to a naughty child as an imp . [INFORMAL ]
im|pact ◆◆◇ (impacts , impacting , impacted ) The noun is pronounced / I mpækt/. The verb is pronounced / I mpæ kt/. 1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The impact that something has on a situation, process, or person is a sudden and powerful effect that it has on them. □ [+ on ] They say they expect the meeting to have a marked impact on the future of the country. □ When an executive comes into a new job, he wants to quickly make an impact.
2 N‑VAR An impact is the action of one object hitting another, or the force with which one object hits another. □ The plane is destroyed, a complete wreck: the pilot must have died on impact.
3 VERB To impact on a situation, process, or person means to affect them. □ [V + on/upon ] Such schemes mean little unless they impact on people. □ [V n] …the potential for women to impact the political process.
4 VERB If one object impacts on another, it hits it with great force. [FORMAL ] □ [V + on/upon/with ] …the sharp tinkle of metal impacting on stone. □ [V n] When a large object impacts the Earth, it makes a crater. COLLOCATIONS impact NOUN
1
adjective + impact : dramatic, immediate, major, potential; economic, environmental, psychological; adverse, negative, positive