2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If someone is not with it , they do not feel alert and therefore fail to understand things. [INFORMAL ] □ She wasn't really with it. She hadn't taken in the practical consequences.
with|out ◆◆◆ /w I ðaʊ t/ In addition to the uses shown below, without is used in the phrasal verbs 'do without', 'go without', and 'reckon without'. 1 PREP You use without to indicate that someone or something does not have or use the thing mentioned. □ I don't like myself without a beard. □ She wore a brown shirt pressed without a wrinkle.
2 PREP If one thing happens without another thing, or if you do something without doing something else, the second thing does not happen or occur. □ He was offered a generous pension provided he left without a fuss. □ They worked without a break until about eight in the evening. □ Alex had done this without consulting her.
3 PREP If you do something without a particular feeling, you do not have that feeling when you do it. □ Janet Magnusson watched his approach without enthusiasm. □ 'Hello, Swanson,' he said without surprise.
4 PREP If you do something without someone else, they are not in the same place as you are or are not involved in the same action as you. □ I told Franklin he would have to start dinner without me. □ How can I rebuild my life without you?
wi th-pro fits ADJ [ADJ n] A with-profits savings scheme or financial plan is one in which the people who put money into the scheme receive extra money each year based on how successful the investment has been. [BUSINESS ] □ Returns on with-profits bonds have improved.
with|stand /w I ðstæ nd/ (withstands , withstanding , withstood /w I ðstʊ d/) VERB If something or someone withstands a force or action, they survive it or do not give in to it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] …armoured vehicles designed to withstand chemical attack.
wit|less /w I tləs/ ADJ If you describe something or someone as witless , you mean that they are very foolish or stupid. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …a witless, nasty piece of journalism.
wit|ness ◆◇◇ /w I tnəs/ (witnesses , witnessing , witnessed )
1 N‑COUNT A witness to an event such as an accident or crime is a person who saw it. □ [+ to ] Witnesses to the crash say they saw an explosion just before the disaster. □ No witnesses have come forward.
2 VERB If you witness something, you see it happen. □ [V n] Anyone who witnessed the attack should call the police.
3 N‑COUNT A witness is someone who appears in a court of law to say what they know about a crime or other event. □ In the next three or four days, eleven witnesses will be called to testify. [Also + for ]
4 N‑COUNT A witness is someone who writes their name on a document that you have signed, to confirm that it really is your signature.
5 VERB If someone witnesses your signature on a document, they write their name after it, to confirm that it really is your signature. □ [V n] Ask a friend to witness your signature.
6 VERB If you say that a place, period of time, or person witnessed a particular event or change, you mean that it happened in that place, during that period of time, or while that person was alive. □ [V n] India has witnessed many political changes in recent years.
7 PHRASE If a person or thing bears witness to something, they show or say that it exists or happened. [FORMAL ] □ Many of these poems bear witness to his years spent in India and China. COLLOCATIONS witness NOUN 3
noun + witness : defence, prosecution
adjective + witness : credible, reliable, unreliable; expert, key
verb + witness : call, summon; cross-examine, interview, question VERB 2
witness + noun : accident, event, incident
witness + adverb : first-hand
wi t|ness box N‑SING The witness box in a court of law is the place where people stand or sit when they are giving evidence. [BRIT ] in AM, use witness stand
wi t|ness stand N‑SING The witness stand is the same as witness box . [AM ]
wit|ter /w I tə r / (witters , wittering , wittered ) VERB If you say that someone is wittering about something, you mean that they are talking a lot about things that you think are silly and boring. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V + about ] They just sat there wittering about what lectures they had tomorrow. [Also V ] ● PHRASAL VERB Witter on means the same as witter . □ [V P + about ] They started wittering on about their last trip to Provence. [Also V P ]
wit|ti|cism /w I t I s I zəm/ (witticisms ) N‑COUNT A witticism is a witty remark or joke. [FORMAL ]
wit|ting|ly /w I t I ŋli/ ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] If you do something wittingly , you are fully aware of what you are doing and what its consequences will be. [FORMAL ] □ The private sector would never wittingly expose itself to substantial risk.
wit|ty /w I ti/ (wittier , wittiest ) ADJ Someone or something that is witty is amusing in a clever way. □ His plays were very good, very witty. □ He is a very witty speaker.
wives /wa I vz/ Wives is the plural of wife .
wiz|ard /w I zə r d/ (wizards )
1 N‑COUNT In legends and fairy stories, a wizard is a man who has magic powers.
2 N‑COUNT If you admire someone because they are very good at doing a particular thing, you can say that they are a wizard . [APPROVAL ] □ …a financial wizard.
3 N‑COUNT A wizard is a computer program that guides you through the stages of a particular task. [COMPUTING ] □ Wizards and templates can help you create brochures, calendars, and Web pages.