amplifier 40
am·pli·fi·er /'æmplɪfaɪər/ also amp informal — n an instrument, as used in radios and record players, that makes electrical current or power stronger, especially so as to make sound louder
am·pli·fy /'æmplɪfaɪ/ v 1 [(on, upon);T] fml to increase in size, effect etc, especially by explaining in greater detail; EXPAND: He amplified (on) his remarks with a graph showing the latest sales figures. 2 [T] to increase the strength of (something, especially sound coming through electrical instruments): an amplified guitar —·fi·ca·tion /ˌæmplfɪ'keɪʃən/ n [S;U]
am·pli·tude /'æmplɪtjuːd||-tuːd/ n [U] 1 fml the quality of being ample, especially a) great quantity; ABUNDANCE b) largeness of space 2 tech the distance between the middle and the top (or bottom) of a wave such as a sound wave
see AM
am·poule /'æmpuːl/ also am·pule /'æmpjuːl/ n a small usually glass container for medicine that is to be taken by INJECTION (=by being put under a person's skin through a needle)
am·pu·tate /'æmpjʊteɪt/ v [I;T] to cut off (all or part of a limb), especially for medical reasons: to amputate a finger | Her leg was so badly damaged that the doctors had to amputate (it). → compare EXCISE² —·ta·tion /ˌæmpjʊ'teɪʃən/ n [C;U]
am·pu·tee /ˌæmpjʊ'tiː/ n a person who has had an arm or leg amputated
Am·rit·sar /æm'rɪtsə/ a city in the Punjab, in northwest India. It is a holy place for members of the Sikh religion, who visit its famous GOLDEN TEMPLE. In 1919, British soldiers stopped a peaceful political meeting by shooting at the crowd, and 379 people were killed. This event is called the 'Amritsar massacre'.
Am·ster·dam /'æmstədæm||-tər-/ the capital city of the Netherlands, known for its CANALS (=artificial rivers), its MUSEUMS and art galleries (GALLERY), and its relaxed attitude to sex and drugs
Am·strad /'æmstræd/ trademark a British company that produces electronic goods, and was known especially in the 1980s for producing WORD PROCESSING equipment that was not expensive. Amstrad was started by the businessman Sir Alan Sugar.
Am·trak /'æmtræk/ trademark the company which runs passenger trains in the US: Will you fly or take Amtrak? → compare CONRAIL
a·muck /ə'mʌk/ adv AMOK
am·u·let /'æmjʊlət, -leɪ||'æmjʊlət/ n an object worn in the belief that it will protect one against evil, disease, bad luck etc
Am·und·sen, Ro·ald /'æmʊndsən||'ɑː-, 'rɒʊld/ (1872-1928) a Norwegian EXPLORER. He was the first person to sail through the NORTHWEST PASSAGE in 1903-06, and in 1911 he beat Captain Robert SCOTT in the race to become the first person to reach the SOUTH POLE. → see colour photo on page A36
a·muse /ə'mjuːz/ v [T] 1 to excite the sense of humour of; cause to laugh or smile: His silly jokes amused the children. | We were greatly amused to hear about him sitting on the wet paint. | She was not at all amused (=very annoyed) when she heard what they had done. | an amused expression on her face 2 to cause to spend time in a pleasant manner; entertain; DIVERT: The new toys amused her/kept her amused for hours. | The children amused themselves by playing games. 3 we are not amused a phrase which is believed to have been used by Queen Victoria, now often used humorously
a·muse·ment /ə'mjuːzmənt/ n. 1 [U] the state of being amused; enjoyment; I listened in amusement. | To everyone's amusement the actor fell off the stage. 2 [C] something that makes one's time pass pleasantly; DIVERSION: Big cities have theatres, films, football matches, and many other amusements.
a·muse·ment ar·cade || usually video arcade AmE — n a place where you can play games on machines after putting coins in them
a·muse·ment park n AmE a park in which a person can ride on machines such as ROLLER COASTERS. The best-known amusement parks in the US are DISNEYLAND and DISNEY WORLD.
a·mus·ing /ə'mjuːzɪŋ/ adj causing amusement; funny: an amusing book/incident/person | I don't find his jokes very amusing. —ly adv
Am·way /'æmweɪ/ trademark 1 a US company that sells various products, including cleaning products, beauty products and kitchen equipment. The products are not sold in stores, but by people who sell them in their free time and then receive a payment from the company based on how much they have sold. People who sell Amway often hold parties at which they sell the products to friends, NEIGHBOURS etc 2 products made by this company: Jill and Bob sell Amway to earn extra cash.
an /ən; strong æn/ indefinite article, determiner (used when the following word begins with a vowal sound) a: an awful noise | an elephant | an hour | an RAF pilot | an LP
When putting a or an before a set of letters such as RAF, you must consider how the letters are said, not whether the letters themselves are vowels or consonants. RAF begins with the consonant r but the letter is said with the vowel sound /ɑː/. Thus you say an RAF officer and a UN official.
An·a·bap·tist /ˌænə'bæptɪst/ n a member of a group within the Christian religion that thinks that only people who believe (and therefore not very young children) should be baptized (BAPTIZE)
an·a·bol·ic ster·oid /ˌænəbɒlɪk 'stɪərɔɪd, -'ste-||-baɪ-/ n any of various artificial substances that make muscles grow quickly and are taken, especially by ATHLETES, to increase strength. Competitions, such as the Olympic Games, do not allow athletes who use anabolic steroids to compete.
a·nach·ro·n·ism /ə'nækrənɪzəm/ n a person, thing, or idea that is or appears to be in the wrong period of time: Some people believe that the British House of Lords is an anachronism. —·nis·tic /ˌəˌnækrə'nɪstɪk/ adj —·nis·ti·cal·ly /kli/ adv
an·a·con·da /ˌænə'kɒndə||-'kɑn-/ n a large S American snake that crushes its food to death
a·nae·mi·a also anemia AmE /ə'niːmɪə/ n [U] an unhealthy condition in which there are too few red cells in the blood
a·nae·mic also anemic AmE /ə'niːmɪk/ adj 1 suffering from anaemia 2 lacking forcefulness or spirit: an anaemic performance —·al·ly /kli/ adv
an·ae·ro·bic /ˌænə'rəʊbɪk/ adj tech not needing oxygen in order to live or happen
an·aes·the·si·a also anes- AmE /ˌænəs'θiːziəl-ʒə/ n [U] the state of being unable to feel pain, especially as a result of a physical wound, illness of the mind, drugs etc
an·aes·thet·ic also anes- AmE /ˌænəs'θetɪk/ n [C;U] a substance that produces an inability to feel pain, either in a limited area (local anaesthetic) or in the whole body, together with unconsciousness (general anaesthetic): The patient was under an anaesthetic during the operation.
a·naes·the·tist also anes- AmE /ə'niːsθətɪst||ə'nes-/ n a doctor who gives an anaesthetic to a patient
a·naes·the·tize also anes- AmE, -tise BrE /ə'niːsθətaɪz||ə'nes-/ v [T] to make unable to feel pain by giving an anaesthetic, especially in order to perform an operation
an·a·gram /'ænəgræm/ n a word or phrase made by changing the order of the letters in another word or phrase: 'Silent' is an anagram of 'listen'.
An·a·heim /'ænəhaɪm/ a city in southern California, near Los Angeles, which many people go to in order to visit Disneyland
a·nal /'eɪnəl/ adj of, concerning, or near the ANUS
an·al·ge·si·a /ˌænəl'dʒiːziəl-ʒə/ n. [U]. tech the condition of being unable to feel pain even though conscious
an·al·ge·sic /ˌænəl'dʒiːzɪk/ n [C;U] a substance that causes