lex|is /le ks I s/ N‑UNCOUNT In linguistics, the words of a language can be referred to as the lexis of that language. [TECHNICAL ]
LGBT /el dʒiːbiːtiː / LGBT is an abbreviation for 'lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender'.
LGBTI /el dʒiːbiːtiːa I / LGBTI is an abbreviation for 'lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex'.
lia|bil|ity /la I əb I l I ti/ (liabilities )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you say that someone or something is a liability , you mean that they cause a lot of problems or embarrassment. □ Team-mates and coach began to see him as a liability. □ What was once a vote-catching policy is now a political liability.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] A company's or organization's liabilities are the sums of money which it owes. [BUSINESS or LEGAL ] □ The company had assets of $138 million and liabilities of $120.5 million.
3 → see also liable
lia|ble /la I əb ə l/
1 PHRASE When something is liable to happen, it is very likely to happen. □ Only a small minority of the mentally ill are liable to harm themselves or others.
2 ADJ If people or things are liable to something unpleasant, they are likely to experience it or do it. □ [+ to n] She will grow into a woman particularly liable to depression. □ [+ to v] This volcanic rock is less liable to shatter than limestone.
3 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are liable for something such as a debt, you are legally responsible for it. □ [+ for ] The airline's insurer is liable for damages to the victims' families. □ As the killings took place outside British jurisdiction, the Ministry of Defence could not be held liable. ● lia|bil|ity /la I əb I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ He is claiming damages from London Underground, which has admitted liability but disputes the amount of his claim.
li|aise /lie I z/ (liaises , liaising , liaised ) VERB When organizations or people liaise , or when one organization liaises with another, they work together and keep each other informed about what is happening. □ [V + with ] Detectives are liaising with Derbyshire police following the bomb explosion early today. □ [V with pron-recip] The three groups will all liaise with each other to help the child. □ [V ] Social services and health workers liaise closely. [Also V + between ]
liai|son /lie I zɒn, [AM ] liː e I z-/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Liaison is co-operation and the exchange of information between different organizations or between different sections of an organization. □ [+ between ] Liaison between police forces and the art world is vital to combat art crime. □ [+ with ] The courses are designed by universities in liaison with employers.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] If someone acts as liaison with a particular group, or between two or more groups, their job is to encourage co-operation and the exchange of information. □ [+ with ] I have a professor on my staff here as liaison with our higher education institutions. □ [+ between ] She acts as a liaison between patients and staff.
3 N‑COUNT You can refer to a sexual or romantic relationship between two people as a liaison . □ [+ with ] She embarked on a series of sexual liaisons with society figures.
liar /la I ə r / (liars ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a liar , you mean that they tell lies. □ He was a liar and a cheat. □ 'She seems at times an accomplished liar,' he said.
lib /l I b/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Lib is used in the names of some movements that are concerned with achieving social and legal freedom for particular groups in society. Lib is an abbreviation for 'liberation'. □ …Women's Lib.
2 → see also ad-lib
li|ba|tion /la I be I ʃ ə n/ (libations ) N‑COUNT In ancient Greece and Rome, a libation was an alcoholic drink that was offered to the gods. [LITERARY ]
Lib Dem /l I b de m/ (Lib Dems ) N‑PROPER [N n] In Britain, you can refer to the Liberal Democrat Party or its members as the Lib Dems . □ They came just behind the Lib Dems in the seat in May last year. □ …Lib-Dem councillors.
li|bel /la I b ə l/ (libels , libelling , libelled ) in AM, use libeling , libeled 1 N‑VAR Libel is a written statement which wrongly accuses someone of something, and which is therefore against the law. Compare slander . [LEGAL ] □ Warren sued him for libel over the remarks. □ …a libel action against the paper.
2 VERB To libel someone means to write or print something in a book, newspaper, or magazine which wrongly damages that person's reputation and is therefore against the law. [LEGAL ] □ [V n] The newspaper which libelled him had already offered compensation.
li|bel|lous /la I bələs/ in AM, use libelous ADJ If a statement in a book, newspaper, or magazine is libellous , it wrongly accuses someone of something, and is therefore against the law. □ He claimed the articles were libellous and damaging to the interests of the team.
lib|er|al ◆◆◇ /l I bərəl/ (liberals )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Someone who has liberal views believes people should have a lot of freedom in deciding how to behave and think. □ She is known to have liberal views on divorce and contraception. ● N‑COUNT Liberal is also a noun. □ …a nation of free-thinking liberals.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A liberal system allows people or organizations a lot of political or economic freedom. □ …a liberal democracy with a multiparty political system. □ They favour liberal free-market policies. ● N‑COUNT Liberal is also a noun. □ Price controls go against all the financial principles of free market liberals.