ali|bi /æ l I ba I / (alibis ) N‑COUNT If you have an alibi , you can prove that you were somewhere else when a crime was committed.
al|ien /e I liən/ (aliens )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Alien means belonging to a different country, race, or group, usually one you do not like or are frightened of. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ He said they were opposed to the presence of alien forces in the region.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use alien to describe something that seems strange and perhaps frightening, because it is not part of your normal experience. □ His work offers an insight into an alien culture.
3 ADJ If something is alien to you or to your normal feelings or behaviour, it is not the way you would normally feel or behave. [FORMAL ] □ [+ to ] Such an attitude is alien to most businessmen.
4 N‑COUNT An alien is someone who is not a legal citizen of the country in which they live. [FORMAL , LEGAL ]
5 N‑COUNT In science fiction, an alien is a creature from outer space.
al|ien|ate /e I liəne I t/ (alienates , alienating , alienated )
1 VERB If you alienate someone, you make them become unfriendly or unsympathetic towards you. □ [V n] The government cannot afford to alienate either group.
2 VERB To alienate a person from someone or something that they are normally linked with means to cause them to be emotionally or intellectually separated from them. □ [V n + from ] His second wife, Alice, was determined to alienate him from his two boys.
alight /əla I t/ (alights , alighting , alighted )
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If something is alight , it is burning. □ Several buildings were set alight.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If someone's eyes are alight or if their face is alight , the expression in their eyes or on their face shows that they are feeling a strong emotion such as excitement or happiness. [LITERARY ] □ [+ with ] She paused and turned, her face alight with happiness.
3 VERB If a bird or insect alights somewhere, it lands there. [LITERARY ] □ [V prep/adv] A thrush alighted on a branch of the pine tree.
4 VERB When you alight from a train, bus, or other vehicle, you get out of it after a journey. [FORMAL ] [Also V ]
align /əla I n/ (aligns , aligning , aligned )
1 VERB If you align yourself with a particular group, you support them because you have the same political aim. □ [V pron-refl prep] There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals. □ [V n prep] He has attempted to align the Socialists with the environmental movement. [Also V prep]
2 VERB If you align something, you place it in a certain position in relation to something else, usually parallel to it. □ [V n] A tripod will be useful to align and steady the camera. [Also V n prep]
align|ment /əla I nmənt/ (alignments )
1 N‑VAR An alignment is support for a particular group, especially in politics, or for a side in a quarrel or struggle. □ The church should have no political alignment.
2 N‑UNCOUNT The alignment of something is its position in relation to something else or to its correct position. □ [+ of ] …the alignment of mirrors in the telescope.
alike /əla I k/
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If two or more things are alike , they are similar in some way. □ We looked very alike.
2 ADV [ADV after v] Alike means in a similar way. □ …their assumption that all men and women think alike.
3 ADV You use alike after mentioning two or more people, groups, or things in order to emphasize that you are referring to both or all of them. [EMPHASIS ] □ The techniques are being applied almost everywhere by big and small firms alike.
4 → see also lookalike USAGE alike
Don’t use ‘alike’ in front of a noun. Don’t say, for example, ‘
ali|men|ta|ry ca|nal /æl I me ntri kənæ l/ (alimentary canals ) N‑COUNT The alimentary canal in a person or animal is the passage in their body through which food passes from their mouth to their anus.
ali|mo|ny /æ l I məni, [AM ] -moʊni/ N‑UNCOUNT Alimony is money that a court of law orders someone to pay regularly to their former wife or husband after they have got divorced. Compare palimony .
A -list
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An A-list celebrity is a celebrity who is very famous indeed. □ …an A-list Hollywood actress. □ Quinn's connections are strictly A-list.
2 N‑SING An A-list of celebrities is a group of celebrities who are very famous indeed. □ [+ of ] …the A-list of Hollywood stars.
alive ◆◇◇ /əla I v/
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If people or animals are alive , they are not dead. □ She does not know if he is alive or dead. □ They kept her alive on a life support machine.
2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you say that someone seems alive , you mean that they seem to be very lively and to enjoy everything that they do. □ Our relationship made me feel more alive.
3 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If an activity, organization, or situation is alive , it continues to exist or function. □ The big factories are trying to stay alive by cutting costs. □ Both communities have a tradition of keeping history alive.