pro|cure|ment /prəkjʊə r mənt/ N‑UNCOUNT Procurement is the act of obtaining something such as supplies for an army or other organization. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] Russia was cutting procurement of new weapons 'by about 80 per cent', he said.
prod /prɒ d/ (prods , prodding , prodded )
1 VERB If you prod someone or something, you give them a quick push with your finger or with a pointed object. □ [V n + with ] He prodded Murray with the shotgun. □ [V n] Prod the windowsills to check for signs of rot. □ [V + at ] Cathy was prodding at a boiled egg. ● N‑COUNT Prod is also a noun. □ He gave the donkey a mighty prod in the backside.
2 VERB If you prod someone into doing something, you remind or persuade them to do it. □ [V n + into ] The report should prod the Government into spending more on the Health Service. □ [V n to-inf] His remark prodded her to ask where Mora had gone.
3 → see also cattle prod
prodi|gal /prɒ d I g ə l/ (prodigals )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You can describe someone as a prodigal son or daughter if they leave their family or friends, often after a period of behaving badly, and then return at a later time as a better person. [LITERARY ] ● N‑COUNT Prodigal is also a noun. □ The prodigal had returned.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Someone who behaves in a prodigal way spends a lot of money carelessly without thinking about what will happen when they have none left. □ Prodigal habits die hard.
pro|di|gious /prəd I dʒəs/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is prodigious is very large or impressive. [LITERARY ] □ This business generates cash in prodigious amounts. ● pro|di|gious|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ She ate prodigiously.
prodi|gy /prɒ d I dʒi/ (prodigies ) N‑COUNT A prodigy is someone young who has a great natural ability for something such as music, mathematics, or sport. □ …a Russian tennis prodigy.
pro|duce ◆◆◆ (produces , producing , produced ) The verb is pronounced /prədjuː s, [AM ] -duː s/. The noun is pronounced /prɒ djuːs, [AM ] -duːs/ and is hyphenated prod|uce. 1 VERB To produce something means to cause it to happen. □ [V n] The drug is known to produce side-effects in women. □ [V n] Talks aimed at producing a new world trade treaty have been under way for six years.
2 VERB If you produce something, you make or create it. □ [V n] The company produced circuitry for communications systems.
3 VERB When things or people produce something, it comes from them or slowly forms from them, especially as the result of a biological or chemical process. □ [V n] These plants are then pollinated and allowed to mature and produce seed. □ [V -ed] …gases produced by burning coal and oil.
4 VERB If you produce evidence or an argument, you show it or explain it to people in order to make them agree with you. □ [V n] They challenged him to produce evidence to support his allegations.
5 VERB If you produce an object from somewhere, you show it or bring it out so that it can be seen. □ [V n] To hire a car you must produce a passport and a current driving licence.
6 VERB If someone produces something such as a film, a magazine, or a CD, they organize it and decide how it should be done. □ [V n] He has produced his own sports magazine.
7 N‑UNCOUNT Produce is food or other things that are grown in large quantities to be sold. □ We manage to get most of our produce in Britain. COLLOCATIONS produce NOUN 7
noun + produce : farm, garden
adjective + produce : agricultural, dairy; fresh, local, organic, seasonal
verb + produce : buy, grow, import, sell SYNONYMS produce VERB
1
cause: Attempts to limit family size among some minorities are likely to cause problems.
lead to: He warned yesterday that a pay rise for teachers would lead to job cuts.
result in: Fifty per cent of road accidents result in head injuries.
bring about: The only way they can bring about political change is by putting pressure on the country.
2
make: She made her own bread.
create: We set business free to create more jobs in Britain.
manufacture: They manufacture the class of plastics known as thermoplastic materials.
build: Workers at the plant build the F-16 jet fighter.
construct: The boxes should be constructed from rough-sawn timber.
pro|duc|er ◆◆◇ /prədjuː sə r , [AM ] -duː s-/ (producers )
1 N‑COUNT A producer is a person whose job is to produce plays, films, programmes, or CDs. □ Vanya Kewley is a freelance film producer.
2 N‑COUNT A producer of a food or material is a company or country that grows or manufactures a large amount of it. □ …Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil producer. SYNONYMS producer NOUN 2
manufacturer: …the world's largest doll manufacturer.
creator: I have always believed that a garden dies with its creator.
maker: …Japan's two largest car makers.
builder: The builders have finished the roof.
prod|uct ◆◆◆ /prɒ dʌkt/ (products )
1 N‑COUNT A product is something that is produced and sold in large quantities, often as a result of a manufacturing process. □ Try to get the best product at the lowest price. □ …the company's ability to produce cheap electronic consumer products.