urn /ɜː r n/ (urns )
1 N‑COUNT An urn is a container in which a dead person's ashes are kept.
2 N‑COUNT An urn is a metal container used for making a large quantity of tea or coffee and keeping it hot.
us ◆◆◆ /əs, STRONG ʌs/ Us is the first person plural pronoun. Us is used as the object of a verb or a preposition. 1 PRON A speaker or writer uses us to refer both to himself or herself and to one or more other people. You can use us before a noun to make it clear which group of people you are referring to. □ Neither of us forgot about it. □ Heather went to the kitchen to get drinks for us. □ They don't like us much. □ He showed us aspects of the game that we had never seen before. □ Another time of great excitement for us boys was when war broke out.
2 PRON Us is sometimes used to refer to people in general. □ All of us will struggle fairly hard to survive if we are in danger. □ Each of us will have our own criteria for success.
3 PRON A speaker or writer may use us instead of 'me' in order to include the audience or reader in what they are saying. [mainly FORMAL ] □ This brings us to the second question I asked.
4 PRON In non-standard English, us is sometimes used instead of 'me'. [BRIT , SPOKEN ] □ 'Hang on a bit,' said Eileen. 'I'm not finished yet. Give us a chance.' USAGE us
In standard English, don’t use ‘us’ as the object of a sentence when we
is the subject. Don’t say, for example, ‘
US /juː e s/ also U.S. N‑PROPER [N n] The US is an abbreviation for the United States . □ The first time I saw TV was when I arrived in the U.S. in 1956. □ They are to inherit 100,000 U.S. dollars.
USA /juː es e I / also U.S.A. N‑PROPER The USA is an abbreviation for the United States of America .
us|able /juː zəb ə l/ ADJ If something is usable , it is in a good enough state or condition to be used. □ Charity shops and jumble sales welcome usable clothes. □ Half of the island's population has no usable English.
USAF /juː es e I e f/ also U.S.A.F. N‑PROPER The USAF is an abbreviation for the United States Air Force .
us|age /juː s I dʒ/ (usages )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Usage is the way in which words are actually used in particular contexts, especially with regard to their meanings. □ The word 'undertaker' had long been in common usage. □ [+ of ] He was a stickler for the correct usage of English.
2 N‑COUNT A usage is a meaning that a word has or a way in which it can be used. □ It's very definitely a usage which has come over to Britain from America.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Usage is the degree to which something is used or the way in which it is used. □ Parts of the motor wore out because of constant usage. □ If your water usage is very small, it may be worthwhile opting for a meter.
USB /ju ː es bi ː/ (USBs ) N‑COUNT A USB on a computer is a place where you can attach another piece of equipment, for example a printer. USB is an abbreviation for 'Universal Serial Bus'. [COMPUTING ] □ The device plugs into one of the laptop's USB ports.
USB stick (USB sticks ) N‑COUNT A USB stick is a small object for storing digital information that you can connect to the USB part of a computer or other device. [COMPUTING ] □ My history lectures are saved as PowerPoint files on a USB stick.
use
➊ VERB USES
➋ NOUN USES
➊ use ◆◆◆ /juː z/ (uses , using , used )
1 VERB If you use something, you do something with it in order to do a job or to achieve a particular result or effect. □ [V n] Trim off the excess pastry using a sharp knife. □ [V n] He had simply used a little imagination. □ [V n to-inf] Officials used loud hailers to call for calm. □ [V n prep] The show uses Zondo's trial and execution as its framework.
2 VERB If you use a supply of something, you finish it so that none of it is left. □ [V n] You used all the ice cubes and didn't put the ice trays back. □ [V n] They've never had anything spare–they've always used it all. ● PHRASAL VERB Use up means the same as use . □ [V P n] It isn't them who use up the world's resources. □ [V n P ] We were breathing really fast, and using the air up quickly.
3 VERB If someone uses drugs, they take drugs regularly, especially illegal ones. □ [V n] He denied he had used drugs.
4 VERB You can say that someone uses the toilet or bathroom as a polite way of saying that they go to the toilet. [POLITENESS ] □ [V n] Wash your hands after using the toilet. □ [V n] He asked whether he could use my bathroom.
5 VERB If you use a particular word or expression, you say or write it, because it has the meaning that you want to express. □ [V n] The judge liked using the word 'wicked' of people he had sent to jail.
6 VERB If you use a particular name, you call yourself by that name, especially when it is not the name that you usually call yourself. □ [V n] Now I use a false name if I'm meeting people for the first time.
7 VERB If you say that someone uses people, you disapprove of them because they make others do things for them in order to benefit or gain some advantage from it, and not because they care about the other people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V n] Be careful she's not just using you. □ [be V -ed] Why do I have the feeling I'm being used again?