voucher
1542
read this report carefully and I can vouch for its correctness. 2 to take the responsibility for the future good behaviour of: I'll vouch for my son, officer.
vouch·er /'vaʊtʃər/ n 1 BrE a kind of ticket that may be used instead of money for a particular purpose: a travel voucher | Some firms give their workers luncheon vouchers. (=tickets with which they can buy a meal in certain restaurants) 2 law a RECEIPT or official declaration given to prove that accounts are correct or that money has already been paid
'voucher ,system also 'voucher plan n (in the US) a system in which parents receive a voucher worth an amount of money which they can use to go to any public school or to help pay for a private school (a school one must pay for)
vouch·safe /vaʊtʃ'seɪf/ v [T] lit or fml to offer, give, say, or do (something) as an act of favour or kindness, especially to someone lower in rank or position than oneself: He did not vouchsafe a reply. (=did not reply)
vow¹ /vaʊ/ n [(of)] a solemn promise or declaration of intention: All the men took/made a vow of loyalty to their leader. | The members of this religious community are under a vow of silence. (=have promised to God that they will not speak) | [+to-v] a vow to avenge their deaths
vow² v [T] 1.[+to-v/(that); ] to declare or swear solemnly: He vowed to kill his wife's lover. | When young Phil was caught stealing he vowed he'd never do it again. 2 [(to)] fml to promise to give by swearing solemnly, especially to God: Priests vow their lives to the service of the church.
vow·el /'vaʊəl/ n 1 any of the human speech sounds in which the breath is let out without any closing of the air passage in the mouth or throat: The simple vowel sounds of British English are represented in this dictionary by /i:, ɪ, e, æ, ɑ:, ɒ, ɔ:, ʊ, u:, ʌ, ɜ:, ə/ 2 not tech a letter used for representing any of these: The vowels in the English alphabet are a, e, i, o, u, and, sometimes, y. → compare CONSONANT
vox pop /vɒks 'pɒp||vɑ:ks 'pɑ:p/ n BrE infml an inquiry carried out in the street by a television, radio, or newspaper reporter who tries to find out people's opinions on a matter of public interest
voy·age¹ /'vɔɪ-ɪdʒ/ n a journey, usually long, made by boat or ship: The voyage from England to India used to take six months. | When I give up work I shall go on/make/take a long sea voyage. | on the outward/homeward voyage → see TRAVEL (USAGE)
voyage² v [I;T] lit or fml to make a long journey by (sea); travel over (the sea)
voy·ag·er /'vɔɪ-ɪdʒər/ n a person who travels by sea, especially where risks or difficulties may be met
Voyager also 'Voyager ,Program, the a US government space programme in which NASA sent two spacecraft without people inside, called Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, to collect information about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The Voyager spacecraft were sent in 1977 and are still sending back information from space.
voy·eur /vwɑ:'jɜ:r/ n 1 a person who obtains sexual excitement from watching the sexual activities of others, especially in secret 2 a person who enjoys watching the private and especially unpleasant activities of others →-ism n [U] →-istic /vwɑ:jə'rɪstɪk/ adj →-istically /kli/ adv
VP /,vi: 'pi:/ abbrev. for VICE PRESIDENT
vs. /'vɜ:səs||'vɜ:s-/ AmE for V.
V-sign /'vi: saɪn/ n 1 a sign made by holding up the first two fingers of your hand with the front of your hand facing forwards. During World War II it was used to mean victory, and it was used again by HIPPIES in the 1960s and 1970s to mean peace. 2 BrE a rude sign used to show that you are angry with someone or do not like them, made by holding up the first two fingers of your hand, with the back of your hand facing towards the person that you are insulting: He gave the driver a V-sign.
VSO /,vi: es 'əʊ/ abbrev. for Voluntary Service Overseas; a British organization which sends people to developing countries for at least two years, to live and work there and to share their skills and knowledge with the local people
VT written abbrev. for VERMONT
VTOL /vi: ti: əʊ 'el, 'vi:tɒl -tɔ:l/ adj [only before n] a VTOL aircraft is one that can begin or end its flight without having to move along the ground. The letters stand for 'vertical take-off and landing'. → compare STOL
V-2 /,vi: 'tu:/ n a type of MISSILE (=a large weapon that can fly over long distances, and that explodes when it hits the place it has been aimed at) used by the Germans in World War II
Vul·can /'vʌlkən/ in Roman MYTHOLOGY, the god of fire and of making things from metal
vul·can·ize also -ise BrE /'vʌlkənaɪz/ v. [T] to strengthen (rubber) .: by ., chemical . treatment .: . —ization /,vʌlkənər'aɪzeɪʃən||-nə-/ n [U]
vul·gar /'vʌlgər/ adj. 1 showing a lack of fine feeling or good judgment in the choice of what is suitable or beautiful: The house was full of expensive but very vulgar furniture. | a vulgar display of wealth 2 extremely rude or bad-mannered: vulgar habits →-ly adv
,vulgar 'fraction also common fraction especially AmE — a FRACTION expressed by a number above, and a number below a line, rather than as a DECIMAL: ¾ is a vulgar fraction
vul·gar·i·ty /vʌl'gærəti/ n 1 [U] the state or quality of being vulgar: her appalling vulgarity 2 [C often pl.] a particular example of vulgar speech or action
vul·gar·ize also -ise BrE /'vʌlgəraɪz/ v· [T] :to spoil the quality of; lower the standard of (something that is good) —ization /,vʌlgəraɪ'zeɪʃən||-gərə-/ n [C;U]
,Vulgar 'Latin n [U] the form of Latin spoken in ancient Rome by the ordinary people, which is different from the 'classical' Latin written by well-known ancient writers. Modern ROMANCE LANGUAGES like Spanish and Italian developed from Vulgar Latin.
Vul·gate, the /'vʌlgeɪt, -gət/ a Latin translation of the Bible completed in about 405 AD and formerly used in the Roman Catholic Church
vul·ner·a·ble /'vʌlnərəbəl/ adj [(to)] 1 (of a place or thing) weak; not well protected; able to be easily attacked: They were in a vulnerable position, with the enemy on the hill above them. | Your arguments are rather vulnerable to criticism. 2 (of a person or their feelings) easily harmed, hurt, or wounded; sensitive: a young and vulnerable girl —bly adv —bility /,vʌlnərə'bɪləti/ n [U(to)]
vul·pine /'vʌlpaɪn/ adj fml relating to FOXES, or similar to a fox
vul·ture /'vʌltʃər/ n 1 a large ugly bird with an almost featherless head and neck, which feeds on dead animals. In jokes and humorous drawings, vultures often fly or sit above a person who is dying, especially in a desert: vultures circling overhead 2 a person who uses people, especially weak and helpless people, for his or her own advantage and gain: He says moneylenders are the vultures of society. → see also CULTURE VULTURE
vul·va /'vʌlvə/ n pl. -vae /vi:/ or -vas the place where the passage leading to the female sex organs has its opening on the body
VW /,vi: