6 PHRASE The ultimate in something is the best or most advanced example of it. □ [+ in ] This hotel is the ultimate in luxury. SYNONYMS ultimate ADJ 1
finaclass="underline" Astronauts will make a final attempt today to rescue a communications satellite.
eventuaclass="underline" The eventual aim is reunification.
last: This is his last chance as prime minister.
ul|ti|mate|ly ◆◇◇ /ʌ lt I mətli/
1 ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] Ultimately means finally, after a long and often complicated series of events. □ …a tough but ultimately worthwhile struggle.
2 ADV You use ultimately to indicate that what you are saying is the most important point in a discussion. □ Ultimately, Bismarck's revisionism scarcely affected or damaged British interests at all. SYNONYMS ultimately ADV
1
finally: The word was finally given for us to get on board.
eventually: The flight eventually got away six hours late.
in the end: I toyed with the idea of calling the police, but in the end I didn't.
2
fundamentally: He can be very charming, but he is fundamentally a bully.
essentially: Essentially, vines and grapes need water, heat and light.
basically: Battery charging systems remain basically the same as those in use half a century ago.
primarily: Public order is primarily an urban problem.
ul|ti|ma|tum /ʌ lt I me I təm/ (ultimatums or ultimata ) N‑COUNT An ultimatum is a warning to someone that unless they act in a particular way, action will be taken against them. □ [+ to ] I was given an ultimatum to lose weight or lose my place on the team.
PREFIX ultra-
forms adjectives that refer to people and things that possess a quality to a very large degree. For example, an ultra-light fabric is extremely light.
ultra|ma|rine /ʌ ltrəməriː n/ COLOUR Ultramarine is used to describe things that are very bright blue in colour. □ …an ultramarine sky.
ultra|son|ic /ʌ ltrəsɒ n I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Ultrasonic sounds have very high frequencies, which human beings cannot hear.
ultra|sound /ʌ ltrəsaʊnd/ N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Ultrasound is sound waves which travel at such a high frequency that they cannot be heard by humans. Ultrasound is used in medicine to get pictures of the inside of people's bodies. □ I had an ultrasound scan to see how the pregnancy was progressing.
ultra|vio|let /ʌ ltrəva I ələt/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Ultraviolet light or radiation is what causes your skin to become darker in colour after you have been in sunlight. In large amounts ultraviolet light is harmful. □ The sun's ultraviolet rays are responsible for both tanning and burning.
ulu|late /juː ljʊle I t, [AM ] ʌ l-/ (ululates , ululating , ululated ) VERB If someone ululates , they make quickly repeated loud sounds, often to express sorrow or happiness. [LITERARY ] □ [V ] At Hamid's daughter's school, teachers ululated in celebration. □ [V -ing] He let out this long ululating moan.
um Um is used in writing to represent a sound that people make when they are hesitating, usually while deciding what they want to say next. □ She felt her face going red–'I'm sorry Rob, it's just that I'm, um, overwhelmed.'
um|ber /ʌ mbə r / COLOUR Umber is used to describe things that are yellowish or reddish brown in colour. □ …umber paint.
um|bili|cal cord /ʌmb I l I k ə l kɔː r d/ (umbilical cords ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] The umbilical cord is the tube that connects an unborn baby to its mother, through which it receives oxygen and food.
um|brage /ʌ mbr I dʒ/ PHRASE If you say that a person takes umbrage , you mean that they are upset or offended by something that someone says or does to them, often without much reason. [FORMAL ] □ He takes umbrage against anyone who criticises him.
um|brel|la /ʌmbre lə/ (umbrellas )
1 N‑COUNT An umbrella is an object which you use to protect yourself from the rain or hot sun. It consists of a long stick with a folding frame covered in cloth. □ Harry held an umbrella over Dawn.
2 N‑SING [N n] Umbrella is used to refer to a single group or description that includes a lot of different organizations or ideas. □ [+ of ] Does coincidence come under the umbrella of the paranormal? □ Within the umbrella term 'dementia' there are many different kinds of disease.
3 N‑SING Umbrella is used to refer to a system or agreement which protects a country or group of people. □ [+ of ] As regulated investments, they come under the umbrella of the country's financial compensation scheme.
um|laut /ʊ mlaʊt/ (umlauts ) N‑COUNT An umlaut is a symbol that is written over vowels in German and some other languages to indicate the way in which they should be pronounced. For example, the word 'für' has an umlaut over the 'u'.
um|pire /ʌ mpa I ə r / (umpires , umpiring , umpired )
1 N‑COUNT An umpire is a person whose job is to make sure that a sports match or contest is played fairly and that the rules are not broken. □ The umpire's decision is final.
2 VERB To umpire means to be the umpire in a sports match or contest. □ [V n] He umpired baseball games. □ [+ for , V ] He umpired for school football matches until he was in his late 50s.
ump|teen /ʌ mptiː n/ DET Umpteen can be used to refer to an extremely large number of things or people. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ He was interrupted by applause umpteen times. □ He has produced umpteen books, plays and television series.