NW NW is a written abbreviation for north-west . □ …Ivor Place, London NW 1.
ny|lon /na I lɒn/ (nylons )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Nylon is a strong, flexible artificial fibre. □ I put on a new pair of nylon socks.
2 N‑PLURAL Nylons are stockings made of nylon. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ This woman wore seamed nylons and kept smoothing her skirt.
nymph /n I mf/ (nymphs )
1 N‑COUNT In Greek and Roman mythology, nymphs were spirits of nature who appeared as young women.
2 N‑COUNT A nymph is the larva, or young form, of an insect such as a dragonfly.
nym|pho|ma|ni|ac /n I mfəme I niæk/ (nymphomaniacs ) N‑COUNT If someone refers to a woman as a nymphomaniac , they mean that she has sex or wants to have sex much more often than they consider normal or acceptable. [DISAPPROVAL ]
Oo
O , o /oʊ / (O's, o's )
1 N‑VAR O is the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet.
2 NUM O is used to mean zero, for example when you are telling someone a phone number, or mentioning a year such as 1908. [SPOKEN ]
3 EXCLAM O is used in exclamations, especially when you are expressing strong feelings. [LITERARY , FEELINGS ] □ O how mistaken you are! □ O God, I want to go home.
4 → see also oh
o' /ə/
1 PREP O' is used in written English to represent the word 'of' pronounced in a particular way. □ I lost a lot o' blood. □ Can we have a cup o' coffee, please?
2 → see also o'clock
oaf /oʊ f/ (oafs ) N‑COUNT [oft adj N ] If you refer to someone, especially a man or boy, as an oaf , you think that they are impolite, clumsy, or aggressive. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Leave the lady alone, you drunken oaf.
oaf|ish /oʊ f I ʃ/ ADJ If you describe someone, especially a man or a boy, as oafish , you disapprove of their behaviour because you think that it is impolite, clumsy, or aggressive. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The bodyguards, as usual, were brave but oafish. □ …oafish humour.
oak /oʊ k/ (oaks ) N‑VAR An oak or an oak tree is a large tree that often grows in woods and forests and has strong, hard wood. □ Many large oaks were felled during the war. □ …forests of beech, chestnut, and oak. ● N‑UNCOUNT Oak is the wood of this tree. □ The cabinet was made of oak.
OAP /oʊ e I piː / (OAPs ) N‑COUNT An OAP is a person who is old enough to receive an old age pension from the government. OAP is an abbreviation for 'old age pensioner'. [BRIT ] □ …tickets only £6 each and half that for OAPs and kids.
oar /ɔː r / (oars ) N‑COUNT Oars are long poles with a wide, flat blade at one end which are used for rowing a boat.
oar|lock /ɔː r lɒk/ (oarlocks ) N‑COUNT The oarlocks on a rowing boat are the U-shaped pieces of metal that keep the oars in position while you move them backwards and forwards. [AM ] in BRIT, use rowlock
oasis /oʊe I s I s/ (oases /oʊe I siːz/)
1 N‑COUNT An oasis is a small area in a desert where water and plants are found.
2 N‑COUNT You can refer to a pleasant place or situation as an oasis when it is surrounded by unpleasant ones. □ [+ in ] The immaculately tended gardens are an oasis in the midst of Cairo's urban sprawl.
oath /oʊθ / (oaths )
1 N‑COUNT An oath is a formal promise, especially a promise to be loyal to a person or country. □ [+ of ] He took an oath of loyalty to the government.
2 → see also Hippocratic oath
3 N‑SING [oft on/under N ] In a court of law, when someone takes the oath , they make a formal promise to tell the truth. You can say that someone is on oath or under oath when they have made this promise. □ His girlfriend had gone into the witness box and taken the oath. □ Under oath, Aston finally admitted that he had lied. □ Three officers gave evidence on oath against him.
4 N‑COUNT An oath is an offensive or emphatic word or expression which you use when you are angry or shocked. [WRITTEN ] □ Wellor let out a foul oath and hurled himself upon him.
oat|meal /oʊ tmiːl/
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Oatmeal is a kind of flour made by crushing oats. □ …oatmeal biscuits.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Oatmeal is a thick sticky food made from oats cooked in water or milk and eaten hot, especially for breakfast. [mainly AM ] in BRIT, usually use porridge
oats /oʊ ts/ The form oat is used as a modifier. 1 N‑PLURAL Oats are a cereal crop or its grains, used for making biscuits or a food called porridge, or for feeding animals. □ Oats provide good, nutritious food for horses. □ …oat bran.
2 PHRASE If a young person sows their wild oats , they behave in a rather uncontrolled way, especially by having a lot of sexual relationships. □ The kids need to sow a few wild oats.
ob|du|ra|cy /ɒ bdjʊrəsi, [AM ] -dʊr-/ N‑UNCOUNT If you accuse someone of obduracy , you think their refusal to change their decision or opinion is unreasonable. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ MPs have accused the government of obduracy and called on ministers to reverse their decision.
ob|du|rate /ɒ bdjʊrət, [AM ] -dʊr-/ ADJ If you describe someone as obdurate , you think that they are being unreasonable in their refusal to change their decision or opinion. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ …obdurate defenders of the status quo.