united
1510
[+to-v] The two governments have united to combat terrorism. |
The threat of war united the various political groups in the
country.
u·nit·ed /juˈnaɪtɪd/ adj. 1 firmly joined in a state of love,
agreement etc: They are a very united family. 2 with every-
one concerned having the same aim: a united effort | We are
united in our determination to eradicate famine. 3 [A] (cap. in
names) politically joined —ly adv
United n a word used in the names of many British football
clubs: Manchester United | We're going to the football on
Saturday – United are playing Arsenal.
United Air-lines Flight 93 /ˌjuːˌnaɪtɪd ˈeəlaɪnz flaɪt
ˌnaɪnti ˈθɜːriːlˌeər-/ a US flight on United Airlines on 11
September 2001 that was intended to go from Newark, New
Jersey to San Francisco but that crashed into a field in
Pennsylvania after it was HIJACKED by TERRORISTS. At some
point during the flight the terrorists took control of the plane
and began to fly it in the direction of Washington, D.C. Some
of the passengers and CREW (=the people who were working
on the plane) decided to try to stop the terrorists because
they heard about the attack on the World Trade Center and
thought their plane was about to be used for something
similar. The terrorists lost control of the plane, possibly after
a fight with some of the passengers and crew, and this
caused the plane to crash. Everyone on the plane was killed.
One of the passengers, Todd Beamer, was heard over the
telephone to say 'Let's roll' just before he and a group of
people went to attack the hijackers, and this has become a
popular phrase in the US. It means 'let's go'.
United Arab 'Emirates, the abbrev. UAE a country in
the Middle East, between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman,
made up of seven small EMIRATES, including Abu Dhabi and
Dubai. Population: 2,800,000 (1998). Capital: Abu Dhabi. The
land is mainly desert, but has a lot of oil. Many people from
other countries work there because of the oil industry.
United 'Artists trademark a large US film company based in
Hollywood, which has made many famous films
United 'Farm Workers abbrev UFW a TRADE UNION in
the US for people who work on farms, especially poor
MIGRANT workers who pick fruit and vegetables at many
different farms in order to earn enough to live
United 'Kingdom, the abbrev. UK a country in northwest
Europe, officially called the United Kingdom of Great Brit-
ain and Northern Ireland, made up of England, Wales,
Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Population: 58,789,194
(2001). Capital: London. The name 'United Kingdom' was
first used in 1707, when the parliaments of England and
Scotland united to form one country. The country's govern-
ment consists of a Queen or King, a Prime Minister, and two
Houses of Parliament, the House of Commons and the
House of Lords. The United Kingdom has been a member of
the EU (European Union) since 1972. ➔ see UK (USAGE); see
also ENGLAND, NORTHERN IRELAND, SCOTLAND, WALES
United 'Nations, the the full name of the UN
United Nations High Com,mission for Refu'gees
the full name of the UNHCR
United Negro 'College Fund a CHARITY organization
in the US which gives money and support to African-
American students and African-American universities
United Re'formed Church a Christian religious group
that formed in 1972 when the PRESBYTERIAN Church of
England joined with the Congregational Church of England
and Wales
United States of A'merica, the also the United
'States, abbrev. the US, the USA a country in North
America, made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia,
where the capital is. Population: 293,027,000 (2004). Capi-
tal: Washington, D.C. The United States is the world's most
important industrial nation, and one of its richest countries.
With its powerful armed forces, it is the world's only real
military 'superpower'. The US is often called 'America.' ➔
see usage note at AMERICA; see map on page A2
CULTURAL NOTE People The Native American people, who
lived in the US before Europeans came, now form only
about 1% of the population. The rest is made up mainly of
people whose families were IMMIGRANTS (=people who
leave their own country to go and live somewhere else)
and of African-Americans whose families were originally
brought to the US from Africa to work as SLAVES.
European immigrants, from places such as Britain, Ireland,
Poland, Italy, and Scandinavia, came to the US mainly in
the 19th and early 20th centuries. More recently, many
HISPANIC people have come to the US from places such
as Puerto Rico and Mexico, and there have also been
immigrants from Asian countries such as Korea, Japan,
and China. History British people first went to live in the
US in the 17th century and took control of the land and
built towns and cities. Growing disagreement between
Britain and the Americans led to the American
Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence in
1776. More land was added to the nation over the
following century. Disagreements between the North and
the South led to the Civil War from 1861 to 1865.
Government Government in the US is divided between
the 'federal' government (=the national government),
which is based in Washington D.C. and consists of the
President and the Congress, and the 'state' governments,
the local government of each separate state. The states
have quite a lot of power to make their own laws and set
their own taxes, and each state has its own state capital
and law-making system.
United 'Way a CHARITY organization in the US which
collects money from the public, and then divides this
money to give to many different charities
unit 'trust BrE || mutual fund AmE — n a company through
which one can buy SHARES in many different businesses
u·ni·ty /ˈjuːnɪti/ n 1 [S;U] the state of being united, joined,
or in agreement together: church unity | Her speech was an
appeal for party unity. | a new unity of purpose 2 [C] a single
whole thing made from related parts 3 [U] tech the number
one: A number less than unity is zero or a minus number.
Univ written abbrev. for university
u·ni·ver·sal /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəl ǁ -ɜːr-/ adj 1 concerning or
shared by all members of a group: There was universal
agreement as to who should become chairman. (=everyone
agreed) | universal rejoicing 2 of or for everyone or every-
thing; widespread; general: a subject of universal interest |
universal primary education (=for all the children in a
country) —ity /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsælɪti ǁ -ɜːr-/ n [U]
Universal trademark a large US film company based in Holly-
wood, which has made many famous films
Universal Decla,ration of Human 'Rights an official
statement made by the UN in 1948 which says all people in
the world should have HUMAN RIGHTS, such as the right to