2 N‑COUNT An Olympian is a competitor in the Olympic Games. [TRADEMARK ] □ The importance of being an Olympian will vary from athlete to athlete.
Olym|pic /əl I mp I k/ (Olympics )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Olympic means relating to the Olympic Games. [TRADEMARK ] □ …the reigning Olympic champion.
2 N‑PROPER The Olympics are the Olympic Games. [TRADEMARK ] □ She won the individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Olym|pic Ga mes N‑PROPER [with sing or pl verb] The Olympic Games are a set of international sports competitions which take place every four years, each time in a different country. [TRADEMARK ] □ At the recent Olympic Games she won gold medals in races at 200, 400, and 800m.
om|buds|man /ɒ mbʊdzmən/ (ombudsmen ) N‑COUNT The ombudsman is an independent official who has been appointed to investigate complaints that people make against the government or public organizations. □ The leaflet explains how to complain to the banking ombudsman.
ome|lette /ɒ mlət/ (omelettes ) in AM, use omelet N‑COUNT An omelette is a type of food made by beating eggs and cooking them in a flat pan. □ …a cheese omelette.
omen /oʊ men/ (omens ) N‑COUNT If you say that something is an omen , you think it indicates what is likely to happen in the future and whether it will be good or bad. □ [+ for ] Could this at last be a good omen for peace?
OMG OMG is the written abbreviation for 'Oh my God!', used especially in emails and text messages.
omi|nous /ɒ m I nəs/ ADJ If you describe something as ominous , you mean that it worries you because it makes you think that something unpleasant is going to happen. □ There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone. ● omi|nous|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ The bar seemed ominously quiet. □ Ominously, car sales slumped in August.
omis|sion /oʊm I ʃ ə n/ (omissions )
1 N‑COUNT An omission is something that has not been included or has not been done, either deliberately or accidentally. □ [+ from ] There is one striking omission from the plot.
2 N‑VAR Omission is the act of not including a particular person or thing or of not doing something. □ [+ of ] …the prosecution's seemingly malicious omission of recorded evidence.
omit /oʊm I t/ (omits , omitting , omitted )
1 VERB If you omit something, you do not include it in an activity or piece of work, deliberately or accidentally. □ [V n] Omit the salt in this recipe. □ [V n + from ] Our apologies to David Pannick for omitting his name from last week's article.
2 VERB If you omit to do something, you do not do it. [FORMAL ] □ [V to-inf] His new girlfriend had omitted to tell him she was married.
om|ni|bus /ɒ mn I bʌs/ (omnibuses )
1 N‑COUNT [usu N n] An omnibus edition of a radio or television programme contains two or more similar programmes that were originally broadcast separately. [BRIT ] □ I enjoy the omnibus edition of the show on Sunday.
2 N‑COUNT An omnibus is a book which contains a large collection of stories or articles, often by a particular person or about a particular subject. □ [usu N n] …a new omnibus edition of three thrillers.
om|nipo|tence /ɒmn I pətəns/ N‑UNCOUNT Omnipotence is the state of having total authority or power. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …the omnipotence of God.
om|nipo|tent /ɒmn I pətənt/ ADJ Someone or something that is omnipotent has complete power over things or people. [FORMAL ] □ Doug lived in the shadow of his seemingly omnipotent father.
om|ni|pres|ent /ɒ mnipre z ə nt/ ADJ Something that is omnipresent is present everywhere or seems to be always present. [FORMAL ] □ The sound of sirens was an omnipresent background noise in New York.
om|nis|ci|ent /ɒmn I siənt, [AM ] -n I ʃənt/ ADJ If you describe someone as omniscient , you mean they know or seem to know everything. [FORMAL ] □ …a benevolent and omniscient deity. □ …the Financial Times's omniscient data-gathering network. ● om|nis|ci|ence N‑UNCOUNT □ …the divine attributes of omnipotence, benevolence and omniscience.
om|niv|or|ous /ɒmn I vərəs/
1 ADJ An omnivorous person or animal eats all kinds of food, including both meat and plants. [TECHNICAL , FORMAL ] □ Brown bears are omnivorous, eating anything that they can get their paws on.
2 ADJ Omnivorous means liking a wide variety of things of a particular type. [FORMAL ] □ As a child, Coleridge developed omnivorous reading habits.
on ◆◆◆ The preposition is pronounced /ɒn/. The adverb and the adjective are pronounced /ɒ n/. In addition to the uses shown below, on is used after some verbs, nouns, and adjectives in order to introduce extra information. On is also used in phrasal verbs such as 'keep on', 'cotton on', and 'sign on'. 1 PREP If someone or something is on a surface or object, the surface or object is immediately below them and is supporting their weight. □ He is sitting beside her on the sofa. □ On top of the cupboards are vast straw baskets which Pat uses for dried flower arrangements. □ On the table were dishes piled high with sweets.
2 PREP If something is on a surface or object, it is stuck to it or attached to it. □ I admired the peeling paint on the ceiling. □ The clock on the wall showed one minute to twelve. □ There was a smear of gravy on his chin. ● ADV [ADV after v] On is also an adverb. □ I know how to darn, and how to sew a button on.
3 PREP If you put, throw, or drop something on a surface, you move it or drop it so that it is then supported by the surface. □ He got his winter jacket from the closet and dropped it on the sofa. □ He threw a folded dollar on the counter.