amuse|ment /əmjuː zmənt/ (amusements )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Amusement is the feeling that you have when you think that something is funny or amusing. □ He stopped and watched with amusement to see the child so absorbed. □ Steamers tooted at us as sailors on deck waved in amusement.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Amusement is the pleasure that you get from being entertained or from doing something interesting. □ I fell flat on my back, much to the amusement of the rest of the lads.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Amusements are ways of passing the time pleasantly. □ People had very few amusements to choose from. There was no radio, or television.
4 N‑PLURAL Amusements are games, rides, and other things that you can enjoy, for example at a fairground or at the seaside.
amu se|ment ar|cade (amusement arcades ) N‑COUNT An amusement arcade is a place where you can play games on machines which work when you put money in them.
amu se|ment park (amusement parks ) N‑COUNT An amusement park is the same as a funfair . [mainly AM ]
amus|ing /əmjuː z I ŋ/ ADJ Someone or something that is amusing makes you laugh or smile. □ He had a terrific sense of humour and could be very amusing. ● amus|ing|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ It must be amusingly written.
an /ən, STRONG æn/
1 DET An is used instead of 'a', the indefinite article, in front of words that begin with vowel sounds.
2 → see also a
SUFFIX -an
is added to the names of some places in order to form adjectives or nouns that refer to people or things which come from that place. For example, the Australian foreign minister is the foreign minister for Australia.
ana|bol|ic ster|oid /æ nəbɒl I k ste rɔ I d, st I ə r-/ (anabolic steroids ) N‑COUNT Anabolic steroids are drugs which people, especially athletes, take to make their muscles bigger and to give them more strength.
anach|ro|nism /ənæ krən I zəm/ (anachronisms )
1 N‑COUNT You say that something is an anachronism when you think that it is out of date or old-fashioned. □ The President tended to regard the Church as an anachronism.
2 N‑COUNT An anachronism is something in a book, play, or film that is wrong because it did not exist at the time the book, play, or film is set. □ I noticed repeated linguistic anachronisms, which occur in every episode.
anach|ro|nis|tic /ənæ krən I st I k/ ADJ You say that something is anachronistic when you think that it is out of date or old-fashioned. □ Many of its practices seem anachronistic.
anaemia /əniː miə/ in AM, use anemia N‑UNCOUNT Anaemia is a medical condition in which there are too few red cells in your blood, causing you to feel tired and look pale.
anaemic /əniː m I k/ in AM, use anemic 1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is anaemic suffers from anaemia.
2 ADJ If you describe something as anaemic , you mean that it is not as strong or effective as you think it should be. □ We will see some economic recovery, but it will be very anaemic.
an|aero|bic /æneəroʊ b I k/
1 ADJ Anaerobic creatures or processes do not need oxygen in order to function or survive.
2 ADJ Anaerobic exercise is exercise such as weight training that improves your strength but does not raise your heart rate.
an|aes|the|sia /æ n I sθiː ziə, -ʒə/ also anesthesia N‑UNCOUNT Anaesthesia is the use of anaesthetics in medicine and surgery.
an|aes|thet|ic /æ n I sθe t I k/ (anaesthetics ) also anesthetic N‑VAR [oft under N ] Anaesthetic is a substance that doctors use to stop you feeling pain during an operation, either in the whole of your body when you are unconscious, or in a part of your body when you are awake. □ The operation is carried out under a general anaesthetic.
anaes|the|tist /əniː sθət I st/ (anaesthetists ) N‑COUNT An anaesthetist is a doctor who specializes in giving anaesthetics to patients. [BRIT ] in AM, use anesthesiologist
anaes|the|tize /əniː sθəta I z/ (anaesthetizes , anaesthetizing , anaesthetized ) The spellings anesthetize in American English, and anaesthetise in British English are also used. 1 VERB When a doctor or other trained person anaesthetizes a patient, they make the patient unconscious or unable to feel pain by giving them an anaesthetic.
2 VERB If something such as a drug anaesthetizes part or all of your body, it makes you unable to feel anything in that part of your body.
ana|gram /æ nəgræm/ (anagrams ) N‑COUNT An anagram is a word or phrase formed by changing the order of the letters in another word or phrase. For example, 'triangle' is an anagram of 'integral'.
anal /e I n ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Anal means relating to the anus of a person or animal.
an|alge|sic /æ n ə ldʒiː z I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] An analgesic drug reduces the effect of pain. [FORMAL ]
analo|gous /ənæ ləgəs/ ADJ If one thing is analogous to another, the two things are similar in some way. [FORMAL ] □ [+ to ] Marine construction technology is very complex, somewhat analogous to trying to build a bridge under water.
ana|logue /æ nəlɒg, [AM ] -lɔːg/ (analogues ) The spelling analog is used in American English, and also in British English for meaning 2 . 1 N‑COUNT If one thing is an analogue of another, it is similar in some way. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] No model can ever be a perfect analogue of nature itself.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Analogue technology involves measuring, storing, or recording an infinitely variable amount of information by using physical quantities such as voltage.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An analogue watch or clock shows what it is measuring with a pointer on a dial rather than with a number display. Compare digital .