com|mun|ion /kəmjuː njən/ (communions )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] Communion with nature or with a person is the feeling that you are sharing thoughts or feelings with them. □ [+ with ] …communion with nature.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Communion is the Christian ceremony in which people eat bread and drink wine in memory of Christ's death. □ Most villagers took communion only at Easter.
com|mu|ni|qué /kəmjuː n I ke I , [AM ] -ke I / (communiqués ) N‑COUNT A communiqué is an official statement or announcement. [FORMAL ] □ The communiqué said military targets had been hit.
com|mun|ism /kɒ mjʊn I zəm/ also Communism N‑UNCOUNT Communism is the political belief that all people are equal and that workers should control the means of producing things. □ …the ultimate triumph of communism in the world.
com|mun|ist ◆◆◇ /kɒ mjʊn I st/ (communists )
1 N‑COUNT A communist is someone who believes in communism.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Communist means relating to communism. □ …the Communist Party.
com|mu|nity ◆◆◆ /kəmjuː n I ti/ (communities )
1 N‑SING [with sing or pl verb] The community is all the people who live in a particular area or place. □ He's well liked by people in the community. □ The growth of such vigilante gangs has worried community leaders, police and politicians.
2 N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] A particular community is a group of people who are similar in some way. □ The police haven't really done anything for the black community in particular. □ …the business community.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Community is friendship between different people or groups, and a sense of having something in common. □ Two of our greatest strengths are diversity and community. COLLOCATIONS community NOUN 2
noun + community : faith, immigrant, minority; arts, business, farming, fishing, mining
adjective + community : gay; Christian, Jewish, Muslim; Aboriginal, Asian, black, ethnic, Indian; close-knit, thriving, vibrant; broad, entire, international, local, whole; medical, scientific
verb + community : benefit, help, serve SYNONYMS community NOUN 1
society: …the complexities of South African society.
public: The poll is a test of the public's confidence in the government.
population: …the local population.
com|mu |nity cen|tre (community centres ) in AM, use community center N‑COUNT A community centre is a place that is specially provided for the people, groups, and organizations in a particular area, where they can go in order to meet one another and do things.
com|mu |nity co l|lege (community colleges ) N‑COUNT A community college is a local college where students from the surrounding area can take courses in practical or academic subjects. [AM ]
com|mu |nity po|li c|ing N‑UNCOUNT Community policing is a system in which police officers work only in one particular area of the community, so that everyone knows them.
com|mu |nity se r|vice N‑UNCOUNT Community service is unpaid work that criminals sometimes do as a punishment instead of being sent to prison. □ He was sentenced to 140 hours' community service.
com|mute /kəmjuː t/ (commutes , commuting , commuted )
1 VERB If you commute , you travel a long distance every day between your home and your place of work. □ [V + to/from ] Mike commutes to London every day. □ [V + between ] McLaren began commuting between Paris and London. □ [V ] He's going to commute. ● com|mut|er (commuters ) N‑COUNT □ The number of commuters to London has dropped by 100,000. □ …a commuter train. ● com|mut|ing N‑UNCOUNT
2 N‑COUNT A commute is the journey that you make when you commute. [mainly AM ] □ The average Los Angeles commute is over 60 miles a day.
3 VERB [usu passive] If a death sentence or prison sentence is commuted to a less serious punishment, it is changed to that punishment. □ [be V -ed + to ] His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. □ [be V -ed] Prison sentences have been commuted.
com|mu t|er belt (commuter belts ) N‑COUNT A commuter belt is the area surrounding a large city, where many people who work in the city live. □ …people who live in the commuter belt around the capital.
com|pact (compacts , compacting , compacted ) The adjective and verb are pronounced /kəmpæ kt/. The noun is pronounced /kɒ mpækt/. 1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Compact things are small or take up very little space. You use this word when you think this is a good quality. [APPROVAL ] □ …my compact office in Washington. □ …the new, more compact Czech government. ● com|pact|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The very compactness of the cottage made it all the more snug and appealing.
2 ADJ A compact person is small but strong. □ He was compact, probably no taller than me.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A compact cassette, camera, or car is a small type of cassette, camera, or car.
4 VERB To compact something means to press it so that it becomes more solid. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The Smith boy was compacting the trash. □ [be V -ed + by ] The soil settles and is compacted by the winter rain.
co m|pact di sc (compact discs ) in AM, also use compact disk N‑COUNT [oft on N ] Compact discs are small shiny discs that contain music or computer information. The abbreviation CD is also used.