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Communist Party
there is a meeting each year for all its heads of govern-
ment. 2 [C] the official title of a) some states of the US, for
example Virginia and Kentucky, b) some countries that are
officially connected with the US, especially Puerto Rico, and
c) some countries made up of a group of states, such as
Australia 3 the Commonwealth England during the period
1649-60, when there was no king or queen and the country
was ruled by Oliver Cromwell.
Commonwealth 'Games, the an international sports
event in which the member countries of the British Com-
monwealth compete in various sports, held every four years
in one of the competing countries
com·mo·tion /kə'məʊʃᵊn/ n [C;U] (an example of) noisy
and excited movement or activity: 'What's all the commotion
about?' asked the angry teacher. | The announcement of the
new higher taxes caused quite a commotion in Parliament.
com·mu·nal /'kɒmjʊnᵊl, kə'mju:nᵊl║'kα:-/ adj 1 shared or
used by all the members of a group: communal ownership of
property | We organized the cleaning on a communal basis. | a
communal television room in a hotel 2 tech of, related to, or
based on racial, religious, or language groups: communal
riots in India
com·mune¹ /'kɒmju:n║'kα:- , kə'mju:n/ n 1 [+sing./pl. v] a)
a group of people who work as a team, especially in farming,
and usually give what they produce to the state b) a group
of people who live together, though not belonging to the
same family, and who share their lives and possessions. In
Britain and the US in the 1960s many HIPPIES lived in
communes: He ran away from home and joined a com-
mune. 2 the smallest division of local government in some
countries, such as France and Belgium
com·mune² / kə'mju:n / v [I(with)] lit to exchange thoughts or
feelings: I often walk by the sea to commune with nature.
com·mu·ni·ca·ble /kə'mju:nɪkəbᵊl/ adj fml (especially of
thoughts, ideas, illnesses etc) that can be (easily) passed
from one person to another —-bly adv
com·mu·ni·cant /kə'mju:nɪkənt/ n (in the Christian
church) a person who receives COMMUNION
com·mu·ni·cate /kə'mju:nɪkeɪt/ v 1 [T(to)] to make (opin-
ions, feelings, information etc) known or understood by
others, e.g. by speech, writing, or bodily movements: Our
teacher communicates his ideas very clearly. | The Prime
Minister has communicated his displeasure to the American
ambassador. 2 [I(with)] to share or exchange opinions, feel-
ings, information etc: He's a shy boy who can't communicate
very well. | Deaf people use sign language to communicate. |
Bats communicate (with each other) by making high-pitched
noises. 3 [T(to)] tech to pass on (a disease, heat etc): Some
diseases are easily communicated. 4 [I(with)] fml (especially of
rooms) to join; be connected: communicating bedrooms 5 [I]
(in the Christian church) to receive COMMUNION
com·mu·ni·ca·tion /kə,mju:nɪ'keɪʃᵊn/ n 1 [U] the act or
process of communicating: Communication with Europe was
difficult during the postal strike. | Radio is an important
means of communication. | We are in radio communication
with the spacecraft. | communication links/technology 2 [C]
fml something communicated; a message, letter etc: He
received a communication from the solicitors telling him that
his uncle had died. → see also COMMUNICATIONS
communication cord n BrE a chain which a passenger can
pull to stop a train in an EMERGENCY (=a sudden dangerous
situation). There is a punishment of a FINE for pulling it at
any other time.
com·mu·ni·ca·tions /kə,mju:nɪ'keɪʃᵊnz/ n [P(with)] the
various ways of travelling, moving goods and people, and
sending information, between places; connections by means
of roads, railways, radio, telephones etc: Moscow has excel-
lent communications with all parts of the Soviet Union. |
communications networks/systems | The new satellite has
improved communications between Europe and the US.
communication ,skills n [P] the ability to present your
ideas clearly in speech and writing. Good communication
skills are considered by employers to be a valuable personal
characteristic and are often requested in job advertisements:
The Chairman wants all our managers to take a course in
communication skills this year.
ommunic'ations ,satellite also communication
satellite n a man-made object in space which goes around
the Earth sending radio, television, and telephone signals
around the world
com·mu·ni·ca·tive /kə'mju:nɪkətɪv║-keɪtɪv/ adj 1 very
willing to talk or give information: You're not very communi-
cative this morning; is anything the matter? → opposite
UNCOMMUNICATIVE 2 related to communication: communi-
cative ability
com·mu·ni·ca·tor /kə'mju:nɪkeɪtər/ n someone who is
able to express ideas or their feelings clearly to other people:
a skilled communicator
com·mu·nion /kə'mju:njən/ n 1 [U(between, with)] fml or lit the
sharing or exchange of deep thoughts, ideas, and feelings,
especially of a religious kind: communion with nature | a
mystical communion between man and God | Through the
long hours of the night he held communion with (=talked
seriously and deeply with) the condemned man. 2 [C+sing./pl.
v] a group of people or religious organizations having the
same religious beliefs; DENOMINATION: He belongs to the Angli-
can communion.
Communion also Holy Communion n [U] the Christian
ceremony in which bread and wine are shared as a sign of
Christ's body and blood in order to remember him. The
Communion ceremony repeats the actions of Christ at the
Last Supper: The communicants came up to take/receive Com-
munion from the priest. (=by eating the bread and drinking
the wine) → compare MASS, EUCHARIST; see also CONSUB-
STANTIATION, TRANSUBSTANTIATION
com·mu·ni·qué /kə'mju:nɪkeɪ║kə,mju:nɪ'keɪ/ n an offi-
cial report or declaration, usually to the public or news-
papers: The palace has issued a communiqué denying the
allegations.
Com·mu·nis·m /'kɒmjʊnɪzᵊm║'kα:-/ n [U] 1 the belief in
an economic and political system in which everyone is equal
and there are no social classes, and the production of all
goods, food etc is controlled by the people. Communism is
based on the ideas of Karl MARX and Friedrich ENGELS. 2 a
system of government based on these principles, in which a
single party (the Communist Party) holds complete political
power, and the government controls all economic activity →
compare CAPITALISM, see also MARXISM
CULTURAL NOTE Most people in the US and the UK think
of Communism in relation to the former Soviet Union and
China. The end of Communism in the former Soviet Union
in 1991 meant the end of the COLD WAR, a period of bad
relations between the US and the Soviet Union, when
many people were afraid that there would be a NUCLEAR
WAR. In the US during the 1950s and 1960s people were
very afraid of Communism and believed that American
Communists were not loyal to their country. People who
supported Communist ideas were strongly disapproved of,
and were called 'Commies', 'Reds', or 'Pinkos'. Senator
Joseph MCCARTHY tried to find and punish American
Communists, and many people who were thought to be
Communists lost their jobs, and some were sent to
prison. In the UK and Europe, the idea of Communism
was not as strongly disapproved of as it was in the US.
There were Communist organizations in the UK, and they
had an influence on the TRADE UNION movement. → see
also HUAC, MCCARTHYISM
Com·mu·nist¹ /'kɒmjʊnɪst║'kα:-/ adj connected with Com-
munism: Communist countries | a communist regime
Communist² n 1 someone who is a member of a political
party that supports Communism 2 someone who believes
in Communism
'Communist ,bloc, the also the Eastern bloc the
former Soviet Union and the countries of eastern Europe
which had Communist governments and were under Soviet
influence, especially between the end of World War II and
about 1990 → see also WARSAW PACT
,Communist Mani'festo, the a book by Karl MARX and
Friedrich ENGELS, written in 1848, which explains the main
ideas of COMMUNISM and describes how society would need
to change in order to achieve this
'Communist ,Party n a political party based on the princi-
ples of MARXISM-LENINISM, that believes that most economic