FBI /e f biː a I / N‑PROPER The FBI is a government agency in the United States that investigates crimes in which a national law is broken or in which the country's security is threatened. FBI is an abbreviation for 'Federal Bureau of Investigation'.
fe|al|ty /fiː əlti/ N‑UNCOUNT In former times, if someone swore fealty to their ruler, they promised to be loyal to him or her.
fear ◆◆◆ /f I ə r / (fears , fearing , feared )
1 N‑VAR Fear is the unpleasant feeling you have when you think that you are in danger. □ I was sitting on the floor shivering with fear. □ [+ of ] …boyhood memories of sickness and fear of the dark.
2 VERB If you fear someone or something, you are frightened because you think that they will harm you. □ [V n] Many people fear change because they do not like the old ways to be disrupted.
3 N‑VAR [N that] A fear is a thought that something unpleasant might happen or might have happened. □ [+ of ] These youngsters are motivated not by a desire to achieve, but by fear of failure. □ Then one day his worst fears were confirmed.
4 VERB If you fear something unpleasant or undesirable, you are worried that it might happen or might have happened. □ [V that] She had feared she was going down with pneumonia or bronchitis. □ [V n] More than two million refugees have fled the area, fearing attack by loyalist forces.
5 N‑VAR [oft N that] If you say that there is a fear that something unpleasant or undesirable will happen, you mean that you think it is possible or likely. □ There is a fear that the freeze on bank accounts could prove a lasting deterrent to investors.
6 VERB If you fear for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger. □ [V + for ] Carla fears for her son. □ [V + for ] He fled on Friday, saying he feared for his life.
7 N‑VAR If you have fears for someone or something, you are very worried because you think that they might be in danger. □ [+ for ] He also spoke of his fears for the future of his country's culture.
8 VERB You say that you fear that a situation is the case when the situation is unpleasant or undesirable, and when you want to express sympathy, sorrow, or regret about it. [FORMAL ] □ [V that] I fear that a land war now looks very probable. □ [V so/not ] 'Is anything left at all?'—'I fear not.'
9 PHRASE If you are in fear of doing or experiencing something unpleasant or undesirable, you are very worried that you might have to do it or experience it. □ The elderly live in fear of assault and murder.
10 PHRASE If you take a particular course of action for fear of something, you take the action in order to prevent that thing happening. □ She was afraid to say anything to them for fear of hurting their feelings.
11 CONVENTION You use ' no fear ' to emphasize that you do not want to do something. [BRIT , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ When I asked him if he wanted to change his mind, William said 'No fear.' COLLOCATIONS fear NOUN 3
noun + fear : safety, security, terrorism; inflation, recession
adjective + fear : irrational, unfounded; genuine, grave, intense, well-founded; deep, deep-seated
fear + be + adjective : groundless, unjustified
verb + fear : prompt, raise, spark; fuel, stoke; allay, calm, dispel, ease; express, voice
fear|ful /f I ə r fʊl/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , ADJ that] If you are fearful of something, you are afraid of it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] Bankers were fearful of a world banking crisis. □ I had often been very fearful, very angry, and very isolated.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] You use fearful to emphasize how serious or bad a situation is. [FORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ …the fearful consequences which might flow from unilateral military moves.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Fearful is used to emphasize that something is very bad. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED , EMPHASIS ] □ You gave me a fearful shock!
fear|less /f I ə r ləs/ ADJ If you say that someone is fearless , you mean that they are not afraid at all, and you admire them for this. [APPROVAL ] □ …his fearless campaigning for racial justice.
fear|some /f I ə r səm/ ADJ Fearsome is used to describe things that are frightening, for example because of their large size or extreme nature. □ He had developed a fearsome reputation for intimidating people. □ …a fearsome array of weapons.
fea|sible /fiː zəb ə l/ ADJ [oft ADJ to-inf] If something is feasible , it can be done, made, or achieved. □ She questioned whether it was feasible to stimulate investment in these regions. ● fea|sibil|ity /fiː zəb I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The committee will study the feasibility of setting up a national computer network.
feast /fiː st/ (feasts , feasting , feasted )
1 N‑COUNT A feast is a large and special meal. □ [+ of ] Lunch was a feast of meat and vegetables, cheese, yoghurt and fruit, with unlimited wine. □ The fruit was often served at wedding feasts.
2 VERB If you feast on a particular food, you eat a large amount of it with great enjoyment. □ [V + on ] They feasted well into the afternoon on mutton and corn stew.
3 VERB If you feast , you take part in a feast. □ [V ] Only a few feet away, their captors feasted in the castle's banqueting hall. ● feast|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ The feasting, drinking, dancing and revelry continued for several days.