pri ce war (price wars ) N‑COUNT If competing companies are involved in a price war , they each try to gain an advantage by lowering their prices as much as possible in order to sell more of their products and damage their competitors financially. [BUSINESS ] □ [+ between ] A vicious price war between manufacturers has cut margins to the bone.
pricey /pra I si/ (pricier , priciest ) also pricy ADJ If you say that something is pricey , you mean that it is expensive. [INFORMAL ] □ Medical insurance is very pricey.
prick /pr I k/ (pricks , pricking , pricked )
1 VERB If you prick something or prick holes in it, you make small holes in it with a sharp object such as a pin. □ [V n] Prick the potatoes and rub the skins with salt. □ [V n prep] He pricks holes in the foil with a pin.
2 VERB If something sharp pricks you or if you prick yourself with something sharp, it sticks into you or presses your skin and causes you pain. □ [V n] She had just pricked her finger with the needle. [Also V pron-refl]
3 VERB If something pricks your conscience , you suddenly feel guilty about it. If you are pricked by an emotion, you suddenly experience that emotion. □ [V n] Most were sympathetic once we pricked their consciences.
4 N‑COUNT A prick is a small, sharp pain that you get when something pricks you. □ At the same time she felt a prick on her neck.
5 N‑COUNT A man's prick is his penis. [INFORMAL , VERY RUDE ]
▸ prick up PHRASAL VERB If someone pricks up their ears or if their ears prick up , they listen eagerly when they suddenly hear an interesting sound or an important piece of information. □ [V P n] She stopped talking to prick up her ears. □ [V P ] …ears which prick up at the mention of royalty.
prick|le /pr I k ə l/ (prickles , prickling , prickled )
1 VERB If your skin prickles , it feels as if a lot of small sharp points are being stuck into it, either because of something touching it or because you feel a strong emotion. □ [V ] He paused, feeling his scalp prickling under his hat. ● N‑COUNT Prickle is also a noun. □ [+ of ] I felt a prickle of disquiet.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Prickles are small sharp points that stick out from leaves or from the stalks of plants. □ …an erect stem covered at the base with a few prickles.
prick|ly /pr I kəli/
1 ADJ Something that is prickly feels rough and uncomfortable, as if it has a lot of prickles. □ The bunk mattress was hard, the blankets prickly and slightly damp.
2 ADJ Someone who is prickly loses their temper or gets upset very easily. □ You know how prickly she is.
3 ADJ A prickly issue or subject is one that is rather complicated and difficult to discuss or resolve. □ The issue is likely to prove a prickly one.
pri ck|ly hea t N‑UNCOUNT Prickly heat is a condition caused by very hot weather, in which your skin becomes hot, uncomfortable, and covered with tiny bumps.
pri ck|ly pea r (prickly pears ) N‑COUNT A prickly pear is a kind of cactus that has round fruit with prickles on. The fruit, which you can eat, is also called a prickly pear .
pricy /pra I si/ → see pricey
pride ◆◇◇ /pra I d/ (prides , priding , prided )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Pride is a feeling of satisfaction which you have because you or people close to you have done something good or possess something good. □ [+ in ] …the sense of pride in a job well done. □ [+ in ] We take pride in offering you the highest standards. □ They can look back on their endeavours with pride.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Pride is a sense of the respect that other people have for you, and that you have for yourself. □ It was a severe blow to Kendall's pride.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Someone's pride is the feeling that they have that they are better or more important than other people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ His pride may still be his downfall.
4 VERB If you pride yourself on a quality or skill that you have, you are very proud of it. □ [V pron-refl + on ] Smith prides himself on being able to organise his own life.
5 PHRASE Someone or something that is your pride and joy is very important to you and makes you feel very happy. □ The bike soon became his pride and joy.
6 PHRASE If something takes pride of place , it is treated as the most important thing in a group of things. □ A three-foot-high silver World Championship cup takes pride of place near a carved wooden chair.
priest ◆◇◇ /priː st/ (priests )
1 N‑COUNT A priest is a member of the Christian clergy in the Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox church. □ He had trained to be a Catholic priest.
2 N‑COUNT In many non-Christian religions a priest is a man who has particular duties and responsibilities in a place where people worship.
3 → see also high priest
priest|ess /priː stes/ (priestesses )
1 N‑COUNT A priestess is a woman in a non-Christian religion who has particular duties and responsibilities in a place where people worship.
2 → see also high priestess
priest|hood /priː sthʊd/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Priesthood is the position of being a priest or the period of time during which someone is a priest. □ He spent the first twenty-five years of his priesthood as an academic.