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AWOL
avoir·du·pois /ˌævədəˈpɔɪz, ˌævwadjuːˈpwɑː
ˌævərdəˈpɔɪz/ n [U] the system of weights in which the
standard measures are the OUNCE, POUND, and TON: 16 ounces
avoirdupois ➔ compare metric system (METRIC) see
TABLE 2
A·von¹ /ˈeɪvɒn/ 1 a river in south central England that flows
through Stratford-upon-Avon 2 a former county in south-
west England ➔ see also BARD OF AVON
A·von² /ˈeɪvɒn‖-vɑːn/ trademark a US company that sells
products for the skin and hair. Avon representatives sell
their products by visiting people's houses and also now by
using the Internet. Many people remember an old Avon
advertisement in which a woman rings someone's doorbell
and says 'Avon calling!'
Avon la·dy /ˈeɪvɒn ˌleɪdi‖-vɑːn-/ n a woman who sells
products made by Avon by calling at people's houses
a·vow /əˈvaʊ/ v [T] fml to state openly; admit: The prisoner
avowed his guilt. | [+that] He avowed that he was guilty. | Their
avowed aim (=which they have openly admitted) is to over-
throw the government. —al n [C;U]
a·vun·cu·lar /əˈvʌŋkjʊlər/ adj of or like an uncle, especially
by being kind and caring: his friendly avuncular manner
• —ly adv
AWACS /ˈeɪwæks/ n 1 [U] abbrev. for Airborne Warning and
Control System; a type of RADAR used by special US military
aircraft which makes it possible for them to find out the
position of enemy aircraft and the direction they are travel-
ling in when they are still very far away 2 [C] an aircraft
that uses this system
a·wait /əˈweɪt/ v [T] 1 fml to wait for: I am awaiting their
reply. | She is in prison awaiting trial. | a long-awaited
holiday 2 to be ready for: A warm welcome awaits you. ➔
see WAIT (USAGE)
a·wake¹ /əˈweɪk/ adj [F] not asleep: She lay awake for hours
thinking about him. | The children are still wide awake.
(=not at all sleepy) |(fig.) The company is awake to (=conscious
of) these new developments.
a·wake² v awoke /əˈwəʊk/ or awaked or awoken
/əˈwəʊkən/ [|T] 1 to (cause to) stop sleeping; wake: The
noise awoke me. | I awoke to the sound of birds chirruping. |
He awoke to find himself alone. (=when he awoke, he found
he was alone) 2 [(to)] to (cause to) become conscious or
active: His letter awoke old memories. | They awoke to the
danger of the situation too late to do anything about it. ➔ see
WAKE (USAGE)
a·wak·en /əˈweɪkən/ v [I;T] to awake: I was awakened by
their shouts. ➔ see WAKE (USAGE)
awaken sbdy. to sthg. phr v [T] to cause to understand or
become conscious of: We must awaken people to the need to
protect our environment.
a·wak·en·ing /əˈweɪkənŋ/ n 1 the act of waking from
sleep: (fig.) a spiritual awakening 2 rude awakening a sud-
den consciousness of an unpleasant or threatening situation
a·ward¹ /əˈwɔːd‖-ɔːrd/ v [T(to)] to give, especially as the
result of an official decision: The referee awarded a free kick. |
The judge awarded substantial damages to the victims of the
explosion. | [+obj[(+obj)]] She's been awarded a scholarship to
study at Oxford.
award² n something, especially a prize or money, given as
the result of an official decision: an award of £5000 to those
injured in the explosion | The award for this year's best actress
went to Meryl Streep.
a·ware /əˈweər/ adj 1 [F] having knowledge or understand-
ing: [+of] He said that the government was acutely (=very)
aware of the problem. | [+that/wh-] I'm well aware that this is a
risky investment/well aware how risky this investment is. ➔
opposite UNAWARE 2 [after adv] having knowledge or con-
sciousness of the stated type: politically/artistically
aware 3 showing understanding of oneself, one's surround-
ings, and other people; SENSITIVE: She's a very aware person.
---ness n [U]
a·wash /əˈwɒʃ‖əˈwɔːʃ, əˈwɑːʃ/ adj [F (with)] level with and
washed over by waves: The river overflowed until the streets
were awash. |(fig.) The country is awash with oil. (=has a large
amount of it)
a·way¹ /əˈweɪ/ adv 1 [(from)] from here or from there; to or at
another place: Go away. | They're away on holiday. (compare
They're out for lunch.) | The ship moved slowly away from the
shore. | The police tried to keep people away from the acci-
dent. 2 [after n] at a stated distance in space or time: He lives
three miles away. | The exams are still six weeks away. 3 into
a safe or enclosed place: I've put the milk away (in the
fridge). 4 so as to be gone or used up: The sounds died
away. | Their house was swept away in the flood. | He gave all
his money away. | Don't throw this opportunity away. | They
danced the night away. (=danced all night) | He cut away the
dead branch. 5 all the time; continuously: They worked
away all day. | I heard him hammering away. 6 away with!
take away; remove: Away with him, guards! 7 get away
(with you)! infml, especially BrE you can't deceive me!; I don't
believe you! (used in answer to something the speaker
thinks is improbable or untrue): 'I'm getting married.' 'Get
away (with you)!' 8 get away from it all infml to escape from
the problems and worries of daily life, especially by taking a
holiday: You need to go away for a while and get away from it
all. ➔ see also far and away (FAR¹), right away (RIGHT⁵)
away² adj [A] (of a sports match) played at the place, sports
field etc of one's opponent: an away match ➔ opposite
HOME
A·way in a 'Manger a popular Christmas CAROL (=a
traditional religious song) and HYMN, sung especially by
children
awe¹ /ɔː/ n [U] a feeling of respect mixed with fear and
wonder: The sight filled us with awe. | He always stood in
awe of his father.
awe² v present participle aweing [ˈɔɪŋ(to)] fml to fill with awe: They
were awed into silence by the enormous ancient buildings.
'awe-in·spiring adj causing feelings of awe —ly adv
awe·some /ˈɔsəm/ adj 1 expressing or causing feelings of
awe: an awesome account of the terrors of war | an awesome
achievement/task/responsibility 2 AmE infml very good; MAR-
VELLOUS
awe·struck /ˈɔːstrʌk/ also awe·strick·en /ˈɔːstrkən/ adj
filled with, made silent by, or showing awe: We sat in
awestruck silence after hearing the truth at last.
aw·ful /ˈɔːfəl/ adj 1 very bad or unpleasant; terrible; shock-
ing: The pain was awful. | What awful weather! | It must have
been awful for you/an awful dilemma for you. It was awful to
see him in such pain. | an awful thing to say | It would be
awful if they found out. 2 [A] infml (used to add force) very
great: I've got an awful lot of work to do. | He made an awful
fuss about me being late. 3 lit or old use awe-inspiring ---ness
n [U]
aw·ful·ly /ˈɔfəli/ adv infml very: awfully cold | awfully nice
a·while /əˈwaɪl/ adv especially lit for a short time: We rested
awhile at the side of the road.
awk·ward /ˈɔːkwəd‖-ərd/ adj 1 lacking skill in moving
(parts of) the body easily; CLUMSY: an awkward movement |
He's rather awkward with his hands. 2 difficult to use or
handle: It's rather an awkward shape. | I had to bang in the
nail at a rather awkward angle. | [+to-v] It's an awkward
machine to use. 3 causing difficulty or uncomfortable feel-
ings; inconvenient or embarrassing: Our visitors came at an
awkward time. | [+to-v] It was an awkward time to call. | a
long awkward silence | He made things (=the situation) very
awkward for me taking me into his confidence. | They've been
asking some very awkward questions. | Don't go too near the
dog - he's an awkward customer. (=is dangerous to deal
with) 4 unwilling to help or agree; PERVERSE: Don't be so
awkward—we've got to get this finished by tonight. 5 awk-
ward age the time when a child is changing into an adult
and is known as an ADOLESCENT: He'll soon be reaching that
awkward age - too young to do all the things he wants to do
and too old to act like a baby. —ly adv ---ness n [U]
awl /ɔːl/ n a small pointed tool, often with a broad handle,
for making holes in leather
aw·ning /ˈɔːnɪŋ/ n a movable soft covering, especially one
made of CANVAS used to protect shop windows, ships' DECKS
etc from sun or rain
a·woke /əˈwəʊk/ past tense of AWAKE
a·wok·en /əˈwəʊkən/ past participle of AWAKE
AWOL /ˌeɪ ˌdʌbəluː ˈəʊ ˈel, ˈeɪwɒl‖ˈeɪwɔːl/ adj 1 absent