5 PHRASE If someone drives a wedge between two people who are close, they cause ill feelings between them in order to weaken their relationship. □ I started to feel Toby was driving a wedge between us.
6 PHRASE If you say that something is the thin end of the wedge , you mean that it appears to be unimportant at the moment, but that it is the beginning of a bigger, more harmful development. [BRIT ] □ I think it's the thin end of the wedge when you have armed police permanently on patrol.
wed|lock /we dlɒk/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Wedlock is the state of being married. [OLD-FASHIONED ]
2 PHRASE If a baby is born in wedlock , it is born while its parents are married. If it is born out of wedlock , it is born at a time when its parents are not married. [FORMAL ]
Wednes|day /we nzde I , -di/ (Wednesdays ) N‑VAR Wednesday is the day after Tuesday and before Thursday. □ Come and have supper with us on Wednesday, if you're free. □ Did you happen to see her leave last Wednesday? □ David always collects Alistair from school on Wednesdays. □ On a Wednesday afternoon, the shop was shut.
wee /wiː / (wees , weeing , weed )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Wee means small in size or extent. [SCOTTISH , INFORMAL ] □ He just needs to calm down a wee bit.
2 VERB To wee means to urinate. Wee is an informal word used especially by children. [BRIT ] □ [V ] He said he wanted to wee. ● N‑VAR Wee is also a noun. □ The baby has done a wee in his potty.
weed /wiː d/ (weeds , weeding , weeded )
1 N‑COUNT A weed is a wild plant that grows in gardens or fields of crops and prevents the plants that you want from growing properly. □ …a garden overgrown with weeds.
2 N‑VAR Weed is a plant that grows in water and usually forms a thick floating mass. There are many different kinds of weed. □ Large, clogging banks of weed are the only problem.
3 VERB If you weed an area, you remove the weeds from it. □ [V n] Caspar was weeding the garden. □ [V ] Try not to walk on the flower beds when weeding or hoeing. ● weed|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ She taught me to do the weeding.
▸ weed out PHRASAL VERB If you weed out things or people that are useless or unwanted in a group, you find them and get rid of them. □ [V P n] He is keen to weed out the many applicants he believes may be frauds. □ [V n P ] A small group of neo-Nazis have infiltrated the ranks. We must weed them out as soon as possible.
weed|killer /wiː dk I lə r / (weedkillers ) N‑VAR Weedkiller is a substance you put on your garden to kill weeds.
weedy /wiː di/ (weedier , weediest )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A weedy place is full of weeds.
2 ADJ If you describe someone as weedy , you are criticizing them because they are thin and physically weak. [mainly BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
week ◆◆◆ /wiː k/ (weeks )
1 N‑COUNT A week is a period of seven days. Some people consider that a week starts on Monday and ends on Sunday. □ I had a letter from my mother last week. □ This has been on my mind all week. □ I know a wonderful restaurant where we can have lunch next week.
2 N‑COUNT A week is a period of about seven days. □ Her mother stayed for another two weeks. □ Only 12 weeks ago he underwent major heart transplant surgery. □ Three million people will visit theatres in the annual six-week season.
3 N‑COUNT Your working week is the hours that you spend at work during a week. □ It is not unusual for women to work a 40-hour week. □ …workers on a three-day week.
4 N‑SING The week is the part of the week that does not include Saturday and Sunday. □ …the hard work of looking after the children during the week.
5 N‑COUNT You use week in expressions such as 'a week on Monday', 'a week next Tuesday', and 'tomorrow week' to mean exactly one week after the day that you mention. □ The deadline to publish the document is a week tomorrow. □ The 800 metre final is on Monday week.
6 N‑COUNT You use week in expressions such as 'a week last Monday', 'a week ago this Tuesday', and 'a week ago yesterday' to mean exactly one week before the day that you mention. □ She returned home to Leicestershire a week last Sunday.
7 weeks on end → see end
week|day /wiː kde I / (weekdays ) N‑COUNT A weekday is any of the days of the week except Saturday and Sunday. □ If you want to avoid the crowds, it's best to come on a weekday.
week|end ◆◆◇ /wiː ke nd/ (weekends ) N‑COUNT A weekend is Saturday and Sunday. □ She had agreed to have dinner with him in town the following weekend. □ He told me to give you a call over the weekend.
week|end|er /wiː ke ndə r , [AM ] -endər/ (weekenders ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] A weekender is someone who goes to a place or lives at a place only at weekends. □ He converted his barns into cottages for weekenders.
week|ly ◆◇◇ /wiː kli/ (weeklies )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A weekly event or publication happens or appears once a week or every week. □ Each course comprises 10-12 informal weekly meetings. □ We go and do the weekly shopping every Thursday. □ …a weekly newspaper. ● ADV [ADV after v] Weekly is also an adverb. □ The group meets weekly. □ …a magazine published weekly since 2 January 1909.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Weekly quantities or rates relate to a period of one week. □ In addition to my weekly wage, I got a lot of tips.