gird|er /gɜː r də r / (girders ) N‑COUNT A girder is a long, thick piece of steel or iron that is used in the framework of buildings and bridges.
gir|dle /gɜː r d ə l/ (girdles , girdling , girdled ) N‑COUNT A girdle is a piece of women's underwear that fits tightly around the stomach and hips.
girl ◆◆◆ /gɜː r l/ (girls )
1 N‑COUNT A girl is a female child. □ …an eleven year old girl. □ I must have been a horrid little girl.
2 N‑COUNT You can refer to someone's daughter as a girl . □ We had a little girl.
3 N‑COUNT Young women are often referred to as girls . This use could cause offence. □ …a pretty twenty-year-old girl.
4 N‑COUNT Some people refer to a man's girlfriend as his girl . [INFORMAL ] □ I've been with my girl for nine years.
gi rl band (girl bands ) N‑COUNT A girl band is a band consisting of young women who sing pop music and dance.
girl|friend ◆◇◇ /gɜː r lfrend/ (girlfriends )
1 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's girlfriend is a girl or woman with whom they are having a romantic or sexual relationship. □ He had been going out with his girlfriend for seven months. □ Has he got a girlfriend?
2 N‑COUNT A girlfriend is a female friend. □ I met a girlfriend for lunch.
Gi rl Gui de (Girl Guides ) also girl guide
1 N‑PROPER In Britain, the Guides used to be called the Girl Guides .
2 N‑COUNT In Britain, a Girl Guide was a girl who was a member of the Girl Guides.
girl|hood /gɜː r lhʊd/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft poss N ] Girlhood is the period of a female person's life during which she is a girl. □ She had shared responsibility for her brother since girlhood. □ Her girlhood dream had been to study painting.
girlie /gɜː r li/ (girlies ) also girly
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Girlie magazines or calendars show photographs of naked or almost naked women which are intended to please men. [INFORMAL ]
2 ADJ Girlie things are suitable for girls or women rather than men or boys. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ She swapped her plain suit for an absurdly girlie dress. □ I'm a very girlie person while Polly is one of the lads.
3 N‑COUNT Some people refer to women as girlies , especially when they think they are not as intelligent or able as men. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ They think we're just a bunch of girlies who don't know what we're doing.
girl|ish /gɜː r l I ʃ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe a woman as girlish , you mean she behaves, looks, or sounds like a young girl, for example because she is shy, excited, or lively. □ She gave a little girlish giggle.
Gi rl Scout (Girl Scouts )
1 N‑PROPER [with sing or pl verb] In the United States, the Girl Scouts is an organization similar to Guides .
2 N‑COUNT In the United States, a Girl Scout is a girl who is a member of the Girl Scouts.
girth /gɜː r θ/ (girths )
1 N‑VAR [oft poss N ] The girth of an object, for example a person's or an animal's body, is its width or thickness, considered as the measurement around its circumference. [FORMAL ] □ A girl he knew had upset him by commenting on his increasing girth.
2 N‑COUNT A girth is a leather strap which is fastened firmly around the middle of a horse to keep the saddle or load in the right place.
gist /dʒ I st/ N‑SING The gist of a speech, conversation, or piece of writing is its general meaning. □ He related the gist of his conversation to Naseby.
git /g I t/ (gits ) N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] If you refer to another person as a git , you mean you dislike them and find them annoying. [BRIT , OFFENSIVE , DISAPPROVAL ]
give
➊ USED WITH NOUNS DESCRIBING ACTIONS
➋ TRANSFERRING
➌ OTHER USES, PHRASES, AND PHRASAL VERBS
➊ give ◆◆◆ /g I v/ (gives , giving , gave , given )
1 VERB [no cont] You can use give with nouns that refer to physical actions. The whole expression refers to the performing of the action. For example, She gave a smile means almost the same as 'She smiled'. □ [V n] She stretched her arms out and gave a great yawn. □ [V n n] He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
2 VERB You use give to say that a person does something for another person. For example, if you give someone a lift, you take them somewhere in your car. □ [be V -ed n] I gave her a lift back out to her house. □ [V n n] He was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. □ [V n] Sophie asked her if she would like to come and give art lessons.
3 VERB You use give with nouns that refer to information, opinions, or greetings to indicate that something is communicated. For example, if you give someone some news, you tell it to them. □ [V n] He gave no details. □ [V n n] Would you like to give me your name? □ [V n + to ] He asked me to give his regards to all of you. □ [V n + as ] He gave the cause of death as multiple injuries.
4 VERB You use give to say how long you think something will last or how much you think something will be. □ [V n n] A poll last week gave the opposition a narrow six-point lead.
5 VERB [no cont, no passive] People use give in expressions such as I don't give a damn to show that they do not care about something. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ [V n] They don't give a damn about the country.