2 N‑VAR Loin or a loin is a piece of meat which comes from the back or sides of an animal, quite near the tail end. □ Heat the honey and brush it on to the outside of the loin. □ [+ of ] …roast loin of venison.
loin|cloth /lɔ I nklɒθ, [AM ] -klɔːθ/ (loincloths ) N‑COUNT A loincloth is a piece of cloth sometimes worn by men in order to cover their sexual parts, especially in countries when it is too hot to wear anything else.
loi|ter /lɔ I tə r / (loiters , loitering , loitered ) VERB If you loiter somewhere, you remain there or walk up and down without any real purpose. □ [V ] Unemployed young men loiter at the entrance of the factory.
LOL LOL is the written abbreviation for 'laughing out loud', often used in text messages. [INFORMAL ]
loll /lɒ l/ (lolls , lolling , lolled )
1 VERB If you loll somewhere, you sit or lie in a very relaxed position. □ [V prep/adv] He was lolling on the sofa in the shadows near the fire. □ [V prep/adv] He lolled back in his comfortable chair.
2 VERB If something fairly heavy, especially someone's head or tongue, lolls , it hangs down in a loose, uncontrolled way. □ [V adv/prep] When he let go the head lolled sideways. □ [V ] Tongue lolling, the dog came lolloping back from the forest.
lol|li|pop /lɒ lipɒp/ (lollipops ) N‑COUNT A lollipop is a sweet consisting of a hard disc or ball of a sugary substance on the end of a stick.
lol|lop /lɒ ləp/ (lollops , lolloping , lolloped ) VERB When an animal or a person lollops along, they run along awkwardly and not very fast. [mainly BRIT , LITERARY ] □ [V prep/adv] A herd of elephants lolloped across the plains towards a watering hole.
lol|ly /lɒ li/ (lollies )
1 N‑COUNT A lolly is the same as a lollipop . [mainly BRIT ]
2 → see also ice lolly
lone /loʊ n/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] If you talk about a lone person or thing, you mean that they are alone. □ He was shot by a lone gunman.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A lone parent is a parent who is looking after her or his child or children and who is not married or living with a partner. [mainly BRIT ] □ Ninety per cent of lone parent families are headed by mothers.
lone|li|ness /loʊ nlinəs/ N‑UNCOUNT Loneliness is the unhappiness that is felt by someone because they do not have any friends or do not have anyone to talk to. □ I have so many friends, but deep down, underneath, I have a fear of loneliness.
lone|ly /loʊ nli/ (lonelier , loneliest )
1 ADJ Someone who is lonely is unhappy because they are alone or do not have anyone they can talk to. □ …lonely people who just want to talk. □ I feel lonelier in the middle of London than I do on my boat in the middle of nowhere. ● N‑PLURAL The lonely are people who are lonely. □ He looks for the lonely, the lost, the unloved.
2 ADJ A lonely situation or period of time is one in which you feel unhappy because you are alone or do not have anyone to talk to. □ I desperately needed something to occupy me during those long, lonely nights. □ …her lonely childhood.
3 ADJ A lonely place is one where very few people come. □ It felt like the loneliest place in the world. □ …dark, lonely streets.
lo ne|ly hea rts ADJ [ADJ n] A lonely hearts section in a newspaper or a lonely hearts club is used by people who are trying to find a lover or friend.
lon|er /loʊ nə r / (loners ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a loner , you mean they prefer to be alone rather than with a group of people. □ I'm very much a loner–I never go out.
lone|some /loʊ nsəm/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is lonesome is unhappy because they do not have any friends or do not have anyone to talk to. [mainly AM ] □ I've grown so lonesome, thinking of you.
2 ADJ A lonesome place is one which very few people come to and which is a long way from places where people live. [AM ] □ He was finding the river lonesome.
long
➊ TIME
➋ DISTANCE AND SIZE
➌ PHRASES
➍ VERB USES
➊ long ◆◆◆ /lɒ ŋ, [AM ] lɔː ŋ/ (longer /lɒ ŋgə r , [AM ] lɔː ŋgər/, longest /lɒ ŋg I st, [AM ] lɔː ŋg I st/)
1 ADV [ADV with v] Long means a great amount of time or for a great amount of time. □ Repairs to the cable did not take too long. □ Have you known her parents long? □ I learned long ago to avoid these invitations. □ The railway had obviously been built long after the house. □ …long-established social traditions. ● PHRASE The expression for long is used to mean 'for a great amount of time'. □ 'Did you live there?'—'Not for long.' □ Developing countries won't put up with the situation for much longer. □ For too long there was a huge gap in the market.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A long event or period of time lasts for a great amount of time or takes a great amount of time. □ We had a long meeting with the attorney general. □ They sat looking at each other for a long while. □ He must have started writing his book a long time ago.
3 ADV You use long to ask or talk about amounts of time. □ How long have you lived around here? □ He has been on a diet for as long as any of his friends can remember. □ She reflected no longer than a second before she decisively slit the envelope. ● ADJ Long is also an adjective. □ How long is the usual stay in hospital? □ The average commuter journey there is five hours long.