1 ADJ Land or soil that is fecund is able to support the growth of a large number of strong healthy plants. [FORMAL ] □ The pampas are still among the most fecund lands in the world.
2 ADJ If you describe something as fecund , you approve of it because it produces a lot of good or useful things. [FORMAL , APPROVAL ] □ It has now become clear how extraordinarily fecund a decade was the 1890s.
fed /fe d/ (feds )
1 Fed is the past tense and past participle of feed . See also fed up .
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The feds are federal agents, for example of the American security agency, the FBI, or of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. [AM , INFORMAL ]
fed|er|al ◆◆◇ /fe dərəl/ (federals )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A federal country or system of government is one in which the different states or provinces of the country have important powers to make their own laws and decisions. □ [+ of ] The provinces are to become autonomous regions in the new federal system.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Some people use federal to describe a system of government which they disapprove of, in which the different states or provinces are controlled by a strong central government. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He does not believe in a federal Europe with centralising powers.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Federal also means belonging or relating to the national government of a federal country rather than to one of the states within it. □ The federal government controls just 6% of the education budget. □ …a federal judge. ● fed|er|al|ly ADV [ADV -ed] □ …residents of public housing and federally subsidized apartments.
4 N‑COUNT Federals are the same as feds .
fed|er|al|ism /fe dərəl I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Federalism is belief in or support for a federal system of government, or this system itself. □ They argue that the amendment undermines Canadian federalism.
fed|er|al|ist /fe dərəl I st/ (federalists ) ADJ Someone or something that is federalist believes in, supports, or follows a federal system of government. □ …the federalist idea of Europe. ● N‑COUNT Federalist is also a noun. □ Many Quebeckers are federalists.
fed|er|at|ed /fe dəre I t I d/ ADJ [ADJ n] Federated states or societies are ones that have joined together for a common purpose. □ Staying in the federated state or becoming independent is for the people to decide.
fed|era|tion ◆◇◇ /fe dəre I ʃ ə n/ (federations )
1 N‑COUNT A federation is a federal country. □ …the Russian Federation.
2 N‑COUNT [oft in names] A federation is a group of societies or other organizations which have joined together, usually because they share a common interest. □ …the British Athletic Federation. □ The organization emerged from a federation of six national agencies. SYNONYMS federation NOUN 2
union: …the question of which countries should join the currency union.
association: …the British Medical Association.
alliance: The two parties were still too much apart to form an alliance.
coalition: It's a coalition of about 50 civil rights, women's and Latino organizations.
fe|do|ra /f I dɔː rə/ (fedoras ) N‑COUNT A fedora is a type of hat which has a brim and is made from a soft material such as velvet.
fe d u p ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are fed up , you are unhappy, bored, or tired of something, especially something that you have been experiencing for a long time. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ with ] He had become fed up with city life. □ I'm just fed up and I don't know what to do.
fee ◆◆◇ /fiː / (fees )
1 N‑COUNT A fee is a sum of money that you pay to be allowed to do something. □ He hadn't paid his television licence fee.
2 N‑COUNT A fee is the amount of money that a person or organization is paid for a particular job or service that they provide. □ Find out how much your surveyor's and solicitor's fees will be. COLLOCATIONS fee NOUN 1
noun + fee : course, school, university; admission, booking, entry, exit, registration
adjective + fee : annual, monthly; hefty, high; fixed, flat
verb + fee : pay; charge SYNONYMS fee NOUN 1
charge: We can arrange this for a small charge.
cost: Badges are also available at a cost of £2.50.
bilclass="underline" They couldn't afford to pay the bills.
tolclass="underline" We pay enough in toll charges to use their roads.
fee|ble /fiː b ə l/ (feebler , feeblest )
1 ADJ If you describe someone or something as feeble , you mean that they are weak. □ He told them he was old and feeble and was not able to walk so far. □ The feeble light of a tin lamp. ● fee|bly ADV [ADV with v] □ His left hand moved feebly at his side.
2 ADJ If you describe something that someone says as feeble , you mean that it is not very good or convincing. □ This is a particularly feeble argument. ● fee|bly ADV [ADV with v] □ I said 'Sorry', very feebly, feeling rather embarrassed.
feed ◆◆◇ /fiː d/ (feeds , feeding , fed )
1 VERB If you feed a person or animal, you give them food to eat and sometimes actually put it in their mouths. □ [V n] We brought along pieces of old bread and fed the birds. □ [V n + on/with ] In that part of the world you can feed cattle on almost any green vegetable or fruit. □ [V n + to ] He spooned the ice cream into a cup and fed it to her. [Also V pron-refl] ● N‑COUNT Feed is also a noun. [mainly BRIT ] □ She's had a good feed. ● feed|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ The feeding of dairy cows has undergone a revolution.