afoot /əfʊ t/ ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you say that a plan or scheme is afoot , it is already happening or being planned, but you do not know much about it. □ Everybody knew that something awful was afoot.
afore|men|tioned /əfɔː r menʃ ə nd/ ADJ [ADJ n] If you refer to the aforementioned person or subject, you mean the person or subject that has already been mentioned. [FORMAL ] □ A declaration will be issued at the end of the aforementioned U.N. conference.
afore|said /əfɔː r sed/ ADJ Aforesaid means the same as aforementioned . [FORMAL ] □ …the aforesaid organizations and institutions.
afoul /əfaʊ l/ PHRASE If you run afoul of someone or something, you do something which causes problems with them. [AM ] □ All of them had run afoul of the law at some time or other.
afraid ◆◇◇ /əfre I d/
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ , ADJ to-inf] If you are afraid of someone or afraid to do something, you are frightened because you think that something very unpleasant is going to happen to you. □ She did not seem at all afraid. □ [+ of ] I was afraid of the other boys. □ [+ to ] I'm still afraid to sleep in my own bedroom.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are afraid for someone else, you are worried that something horrible is going to happen to them. □ [+ for ] They were afraid for their own safety.
3 ADJ [v-link ADJ , ADJ that, ADJ to-inf] If you are afraid that something unpleasant will happen, you are worried that it may happen and you want to avoid it. □ I was afraid that nobody would believe me. □ [+ of ] The Government is afraid of losing the election.
4 PHRASE If you want to apologize to someone or to disagree with them in a polite way, you can say I'm afraid . [SPOKEN , POLITENESS ] □ We don't have anything like that, I'm afraid. □ I'm afraid I can't help you. USAGE afraid
Don’t use ‘afraid’ in front of a noun. For example, don’t say ‘
afresh /əfre ʃ/ ADV [ADV after v] If you do something afresh , you do it again in a different way. □ They believe that the only hope for the French left is to start afresh.
Af|ri|can /æ fr I kən/ (Africans )
1 ADJ African means belonging or relating to the continent of Africa, or to its countries or people. □ …the African continent. □ …African countries.
2 ADJ African means belonging or relating to black people who come from Africa. □ …traditional African culture. □ …dance music with African roots.
3 ADJ African is used to describe someone, usually a black person, who comes from Africa. □ …African women. ● N‑COUNT An African is someone who is African. □ Fish is a staple in the diet of many Africans.
A frican-Ame rican (African-Americans ) N‑COUNT African-Americans are black people living in the United States who are descended from families that originally came from Africa. □ Today African-Americans are 12 percent of the population. ● ADJ African-American is also an adjective. □ …a group of African-American community leaders.
A frican-Caribbe an (African-Caribbeans ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] African-Caribbean refers to people from the Caribbean whose ancestors came from Africa. □ …modern African-Caribbean culture. ● N‑COUNT An African-Caribbean is someone who is African-Caribbean.
Af|ri|kaans /æ fr I kɑː ns/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Afrikaans is one of the official languages of South Africa.
Af|ri|kan|er /æ fr I kɑː nə r / (Afrikaners ) ADJ Afrikaner means belonging or relating to the white people in South Africa whose ancestors were Dutch. ● N‑COUNT An Afrikaner is someone who is Afrikaner.
Afro /æ froʊ/ (Afros )
1 ADJ Afro hair is very tightly curled and sticks out all around your head.
2 N‑COUNT An Afro is an Afro hairstyle.
Afro- /æ froʊ-/ COMB Afro- is used to form adjectives and nouns that describe something that is connected with Africa. □ …very well known Afro-American family. □ …an Afro-centric fashion show.
A fro-Caribbe an (Afro-Caribbeans ) ADJ Afro-Caribbean refers to people from the Caribbean whose ancestors came from Africa. □ …Britain's Afro-Caribbean community. ● N‑COUNT An Afro-Caribbean is someone who is Afro-Caribbean.
aft /ɑː ft, æ ft/ ADV [ADV after v, be ADV ] If you go aft in a boat or plane, you go to the back of it. If you are aft , you are in the back.
af|ter ◆◆◆ /ɑː ftə r , æ ftə r / In addition to the uses shown below, after is used in phrasal verbs such as 'ask after', 'look after', and 'take after'. 1 PREP If something happens after a particular date or event, it happens during the period of time that follows that date or event. □ After 19 May, strikes were occurring on a daily basis. □ After breakfast Amy ordered a taxi. □ It wasn't until after Christmas that I met Paul. ● CONJ After is also a conjunction. □ Marina cared for him after he seriously injured his eye several years ago.
2 PREP [PREP v-ing] If you do one thing after doing another, you do it during the period of time that follows the other thing. □ After completing and signing it, please return the form to us in the envelope provided. □ …women who have changed their mind after deciding not to have children.