'Urban 'Programme, the a British government programme that provides money to help improve cities where there are bad social conditions and a lot of people with no jobs
, urban re'newal n [U] the redevelopment of decayed city areas by building new houses, shops, business areas etc: a Federal urban renewal program
ur·chin /'3:tʃɪnɪl'3:r-/ n old-fash or humor a small dirty untidy child, especially a boy → see also SEA URCHIN
Ur-du /ˈuːduː, ˈɜːduːl/ ˈuər-/ .n [U] an official language of Pakistan which is also widely used in India, especially by Muslims. Urdu is related to Hindi and is usually written in Persian SCRIPT.
u·re·thra /juəˈriːθrə/ n med the tube which carries waste liquid from the BLADDER, and in male animals also carries SEMEN
urge² n a strong wish or need: powerful sexual urges | [+to-v] I had a sudden urge to tell the boss what I thought of him.
urge¹ /ɜːrdʒ‖ɜːrdʒ/ v [T] 1 [+obj+to-v] to try very hard to persuade: They urged us to give our support. 2 [(on)] to suggest very strongly; draw attention to the importance of or need for: The speaker urged immediate action against the illegal regime. | They urged on us the need for cooperation. 3 [+obj+adv/prep] to drive or force (forward): He urged the horses on with a whip. | The captain urged his team to greater efforts.
ur·gent /'ɜːdʒənt/ 3:r-/ adj 1 very important and needing to be dealt with quickly or first: It's not urgent; it can wait until tomorrow. | a very urgent message | in urgent need of medical attention 2 fml showing that something must be done or dealt with quickly; PERSISTENT: He was urgent in his demands.
——ly adv —gency n [U] a matter of great urgency
U·ri·ah Heep → see HEEP, URIAH
u·ric /'juərɪk/ adj [A] tech of or found in urine: uric acid
u·ri·nal /'juərɪnəl, ju'rai-l/ juərɪ-/ n 1 an apparatus fitted to a wall into which men may urinate 2 a building containing urinals
u·ri·na·ry /'juərɪnəri/ -neri/ adj of or being the organs and passages of the body used for collecting and passing out urine: the urinary tract
u·ri·nate /'juərəneit/ v [|] to pass urine from the body
—nation /,juərə'neifən/ n [U]
u·rine /'juərən/ n [U] liquid waste passed from the body
U·ris, Le·on /'juerɪs, 'liːnˈlɑːn/ (1924-2003) an American writer, whose best-known NOVELS include Exodus, about the beginning of the state of Israel, and Trinity, about Ireland
URL /,ju: air 'el/ abbrev. for Uniform Resource Locator; the words and letters you type into your computer in order to find a particular WEBSITE. Many URLs start with the letters http://:www.urn /3:n||3:rn/ n 1 a large often decorative container (VASE), especially one in which the ashes of a burnt dead body are kept 2 a large metal container in which large quantities of tea or coffee may be heated and kept
Ur-sa Ma-jor /ˌɜːsəˈmeɪdʒər/ also the Great Bear a large CONSTELLATION (=group of stars) near the North Pole, which can easily be seen from Earth. The seven brightest stars in Ursa Major are called the Plough (in the UK) or the Big Dipper (in the US).
,Ursa 'Minor a group of stars in the northern sky, close to Ursa Major, which can easily be seen from Earth, and which includes the POLE STAR. It is also called the Little Bear or the Little Dipper (in the US)
U-ru-guay /'juʊrəɡwai/ a country in South America, between Argentina and Brazil. Population 3,413,329 (2003). Capital: Montevideo. —Uruguayan /,juʊrə'gwaɪən• / n, adj
us /es, s; strong √s/ pron 1 (object form of WE): Did he see us? | She bought us a drink. | That house is too small for us. 2 BrE nonstandard (used especially as an INDIRECT OBJECT) me: 'Lend us a pound, mister', he said. → see ME (USAGE)
US /juːˈɛsɪ/ n also USA /,juːˈɛsɪ/ abrev. for the United States of America —US adj: the US Navy
us·age /ˈjuːzɪdʒ, ˈjuːsɪdʒ/ n 1 [C;U] (a) generally accepted way of using a language: 'Do you have?' is a common American usage; British speakers would be more likely to say 'Have you got?' | a book on modern English usage 2 [U] the way of using or treating something: a radio designed for rough usage 3 [U(əf)] USE
USAID /,ju: es ei ai 'di:/ abbrev. for the United States Agency for International Development; the US government organization that is responsible for providing FOREIGN AID, but not weapons, to the developing world. It claims that its aim is to encourage the spread of DEMOCRACY and FREE MARKETS, and also to improve the quality of people's lives, but some people have criticized it for helping countries for military or political reasons.
USA To'day trademark a newspaper that is sold in every state of the US and is also available in many countries around the world
USDA /, jui es di: 'ei/ abbrev. for United States Department of Agriculture; the US government organization which helps farmers and makes sure they follow the laws concerning food production
use¹ /juːz/ v used /juːzd/ [T] 1 to employ for a purpose; put into action or service: During the war the castle was used as a prison/used for keeping prisoners in. | The company uses a computer to do its accounts. | We used the money to buy a new car. | The crowd refused to move, so the police had to use tear gas. | I use the buses a lot. | What sort of film does this camera use? | (infml) I think he's using (=taking) drugs. | (infml) I could use (=I would like) a cold drink! 2 to finish; CONSUME: All the paper has been used. | The car's using too much petrol. → see also USE UP 3 to take unfair advantage of (someone); EXPLOIT: He's just using you for his own ends. 4 [+obj+adv/prep] fml to treat in the stated manner: He considered that he had been ill (=badly) used. —usable adj
use sthg. ↔ up phr v [T] to finish completely: Try not to use up all the flour
use² /juːs/ n 1 [S;U(of)] the act or way of using or fact of being used: a wasteful use of valuable resources | The use of water is being restricted during the drought. | the increasing use of computers in education | She put her knowledge of German to good use. (=used it in a profitable way) 2 [U(of)] the ability or right to use something: I gave him the use of my car while I was away. | He lost the use of both his legs in the accident. 3 [C;U] the purpose or reason for using something: What use does this tool have/serve? | a machine with many uses 4 [U] the usefulness or advantage given by something: Is this book any use? (=is it useful/good) | I think you'll find this book of use (=useful) (to you). | What's the use of worrying? | It's no use (your) complaining; they won't do anything about it. 5 have no use for to think that (especially someone) is of no value; dislike: She has no use for modern art - she prefers Renaissance painting. 6 in use being used 7 make use of to use; take advantage of: He made good use of his time there by learning the language. 8 out of use no longer used: That expression has gone out of use.
use³ /juːs/ v used /juːst/ negative short form (also usedn't or usen't /'juːsənt/ ) BrE [|+to-v] (used in the past tense following that something always or regularly happened): A used to go to the cinema a lot, but I never get the time now. | He didn't use to/used not to like fish (but now he does). | It used to be thought that the Earth was flat. | She doesn't work her now, but she used to. | Didn't she use to live in Coventry? | I'm surprised to see you smoking; you didn't use to/you used not to. | (fml) Used there to be a hotel on that corner? | (old-fash BrE) use(d)n't to like wine, but I'm quite fond of it now.
1 Used to and would are both used of habits or states that existed in the past, but no longer exist. But would is not used at the beginning of a story: We used to swim every day when we were children — we would run down to the lake and jump in. 2 Used to has various negative forms. Some people think that He used not to is better than He didn't used/use to but all are possible. He never used to expresses the same idea. The best question form is probably Did/Didn't he use/used to? but Used/Usedn't he to?/Used he not to? also exist.