
liability | liability: n. 1 answerability, responsibility, burden, onus, accountability: Who bears the liability for the company''s losses? 2 obligation, debt, indebtedness, arrear(s), debit: Outstanding shares are treated as a liability of the corporation. 3 disadvantage, drawback, hindrance, impediment, encumbrance, snag, hitch, barrier, obstacle, obstruction, burden, onus: Her biggest liability is her inability to read. 4 exposure, susceptibility, vulnerability: The insurer''s liability is spread amongst many underwriters.
liable | liable: adj. 1 likely, apt, prone, inclined, disposed: She is liable to want payment for her contribution. 2 answerable, responsible, accountable, obligated, blameable, blameworthy, Law actionable: An owner is liable for damage done by his dog. 3 exposed, susceptible, vulnerable, open, subject: Certain kinds of plants are more liable to disease.
liaison | liaison: n. 1 connection, communication, contact, linkage, affiliation, relationship, relations: Liaison between the ministries is improving. 2 contact, intermediary, link, tie, medium, go-between, agent: She acts as liaison between the heads of research and manufacturing. 3 (love) affair, amour, relationship, affaire d''amour, affaire de coeur, intrigue, romance, entanglement, flirtation: David''s wife soon found out about his liaison with the girl in the typing pool.
liar | liar: n. fabricator, prevaricator, perjurer, falsifier, teller of tales, false witness, Ananias, Baron von M�nchhausen, Colloq fibber: He''s a liar if he says he saw me that night - I was ill in bed.
libel | libel: n. 1 defamation, vilification, denigration, denunciation, deprecation, depreciation, belittlement, disparagement, derogation, disgrace, ill repute, dishonour, obloquy, shame, humiliation, mortification: His entire conversation is a perpetual libel on his acquaintances. 2 slander, calumny, lie, falsehood, prevarication, untruth, misrepresentation, aspersion, innuendo, insinuation, slur, smear, blot, stain, smirch, stigma: For years he suffered the libels circulated by his ex-mistress. --v. 3 defame, vilify, denigrate, denounce, deprecate, depreciate, belittle, disparage, derogate, disgrace, dishonour, shame, humiliate, mortify: He claims to have been libelled by an article in the newspaper. 4 slander, calumniate, lie about, misrepresent, asperse, insinuate, slur, smear, malign, stain, blacken, discredit, besmirch, stigmatize, traduce, vilify, Rare vilipend, Colloq chiefly US bad-mouth: There is often a fine line between libelling a person and exercising freedom of speech.
liberal | liberal: adj. 1 generous, bountiful, free, open-hearted, open, open-handed, bounteous, charitable, philanthropic, munificent, magnanimous, big, big-hearted, unstinting, unselfish, unsparing; lavish, abundant, ample, large, handsome, plentiful, copious: Lady Browning is a liberal benefactor of our cause. Thank you for your liberal contributions. 2 progressive, libertarian, reformist, humanistic, left (of centre), latitudinarian, non-partisan, unaligned or non-aligned, individualistic, South African verligte: The liberal voters found little to attract them in the latest election. 3 free, not literal, flexible, lenient, loose, broad, open, disinterested, impartial, dispassionate, fair, broad-minded, open-minded, unprejudiced, unbigoted, unjaundiced, unopinionated, tolerant: Judge Reid is known for his liberal interpretation of the law. --n. 4 progressive, libertarian, reformer, progressivist, latitudinarian, independent, freethinker, leftist, left-winger, South African verligte: They think of themselves as liberals, not as conservatives.
liberalize | liberalize: v. 1 broaden, widen, extend, expand, stretch, enlarge: The purpose of the law is to liberalize the functions of solicitors. 2 loosen, ease, slacken, relax, modify, change, moderate, soften: The police really ought to liberalize the parking regulations in this area.
liberate | liberate: v. 1 (set) free, release, set at liberty, disenthral, emancipate, manumit, deliver, enfranchise, (let) loose, let go, let out, let off: When the enemy retreated, the army liberated the prisoners of war. After her divorce, she felt like a liberated woman. 2 steal, pilfer, purloin, take, appropriate: She was caught liberating some books from the library.
liberation | liberation: n. freeing, liberating, deliverance, emancipation, enfranchisement, enfranchising, delivery, rescue, rescuing, release, releasing, loosing, unfettering, unshackling, unchaining: The liberation of the prisoners occurred on May Day, 1945.
libertine | libertine: n. 1 lecher, reprobate, profligate, rake, rakehell, rou�, debaucher, womanizer, seducer, fornicator, adulterer, debauchee, whoremonger, philanderer, Don Juan, Lothario, Casanova, Colloq wolf, lady-killer, (old) goat, dirty old man: He fancied himself a libertine, but women shunned him like the plague. --adj. 2 licentious, lecherous, reprobate, profligate, rakish, rakehell, philandering, dissolute, immoral, degenerate, depraved, debauched, decadent, dirty, filthy, amoral, wanton, lewd, lascivious, prurient, lubricious or lubricous, salacious, Paphian, libidinous, ruttish, goatish, hircine, satyric(al), carnal, bestial, Colloq randy, Slang horny: A paragon of prudery to his family, Viscount Guarnier secretly led a life of wild, libertine abandon.
liberty | liberty: n. 1 freedom, independence, self-determination, autonomy, self-rule, self-government, self-direction, sovereignty: People have always been willing to die for their liberty. 2 right, freedom, franchise, carte blanche, privilege, prerogative, licence, leave, permission, authorization: I was given the liberty to go where I pleased. 3 freedom, licence, initiative, exemption, exception, privilege: On a strict diet, she allowed herself no liberties whatever. 4 at liberty. free, uninhibited, unfettered, unconstrained, unrestricted, unrestrained, liberated: I was at liberty to do as I pleased. 5 take a liberty or the liberty or often liberties. be unrestrained or presumptuous or bold or uninhibited or overfamiliar or forward or aggressive or impudent or impertinent or audacious or improper; display or exercise boldness or impropriety or presumption or presumptuousness or indecorum or unseemliness or boldness or arrogance: She thought he was taking liberties in asking her to dance. I took the liberty of asking her to accompany me.
licence | licence: n. 1 leave, permission, liberty, authorization, authority, entitlement, dispensation, right, carte blanche, freedom, latitude, free choice, privilege, charter: Merely being eighteen does not give you licence to do exactly as you please. 2 permit, certificate, credential(s), paper(s): Bring along your driving licence. 3 disregard, deviation, departure, nonconformity, non-compliance, divergence: Such grammatical abnormalities are an exercise of poetic licence.
license | license: v. 1 authorize, allow, permit, certify, sanction, approve, commission: The government once had the power to license books for publication. 2 certify, document, accredit, entitle, validate, enable, empower: Whoever licensed him to drive a car made a grave mistake.
lie� | lie�: v. 1 prevaricate, fabricate, misrepresent, invent, commit perjury, perjure or forswear oneself, Colloq fib: If he says that I ate the last cake, he''s lying. --n. 2 falsehood, untruth, falsification, misrepresentation, fiction, invention, prevarication, fib, fabrication, Colloq story, cock-and-bull story, (tall) tale, whopper, US fish story, fish tale: His claim of having been attacked was found to be a lie.
lie� | lie�: v. 1 recline, stretch out, be prostrate or recumbent or prone or supine: I''m going to lie down for a nap before dinner. 2 rest, repose; can be found, be, be situated: The book is lying on the table. The land lies on the Berkshire-Surrey border. 3 rest, repose, be, reside, dwell, abide, remain, belong: The responsibility lies with you. 4 press, burden, weigh, rest, be: The onus for the crime lies heavily on him. 5 lie low. hide, remain concealed or in hiding, keep out of sight, Colloq Brit lie doggo: You''d better lie low till the affair is forgotten. --n. 6 lie of the land. state, status, condition, situation, atmosphere, mood, spirit, temper, character: You ought to determine the lie of the land before submitting your proposal.
life | life: n. 1 existence, entity, being; sentience, viability: Who can imagine the possible forms of life in the universe? 2 existence, survival, living, subsistence, sustenance: Certain nutriments are necessary to life on earth. 3 existence, living, way of life, lifestyle: What kind of life does he lead? I enjoy country life. 4 existence, lifetime, time; duration: She did much during her short life. The life of a light-bulb depends on how often it is switched off and on. 5 person, mortal, human (being), individual, soul: The new drug might save millions of lives. 6 biography, autobiography, memoir(s), (life) story: He has written a life of Mozart. 7 soul, spirit, spark of life, vital spark, moving spirit, life-force, �lan vital; lifeblood; animation, vitality, liveliness, sprightliness, vivacity, sparkle, dazzle, dash, �lan, vigour, verve, zest, flavour, pungency, freshness, effervescence, brio, flair, vim, energy, exuberance, enthusiasm, Colloq pep, zing, get-up-and-go: We must breathe some life into these people. Eva is always the life of the party. 8 obsession, preoccupation, passion, fixation, compulsion: Model railways are his life. 9 bounce, resilience, spring, elasticity: There''s no life in this old tennis ball.
lifeless | lifeless: adj. 1 dead: I stared at the lifeless body of the man. 2 unconscious, inanimate, insensate, inert, unmoving, dead, insensible: At the news of the accident, she sank, lifeless, to the floor. 3 dull, boring, tiresome, heavy, lacklustre, torpid, tedious, flat, stale, uninteresting, colourless, uninspiring, vapid, wooden: The production was a success apart from Ellen''s lifeless performance as Portia. 4 barren, desert, desolate, bare, sterile, bleak, empty, uninhabited, unoccupied, dreary, waste: We gazed at the lifeless landscape of the moon.
lifelike | lifelike: adj. authentic, realistic, natural, true to life, real, faithful, graphic, vivid: She painted a very lifelike picture of her cat.
lift | lift: v. 1 raise, elevate; hoist, heave (up): She lifted her eyes to the heavens. The pallbearers lifted the coffin to their shoulders. 2 Often, lift up. exalt, raise, elevate, uplift, boost, upgrade, promote, advance; improve, ameliorate, better, dignify, enhance, ennoble, enshrine, deify, immortalize: His unusual talents lifted him up from the ranks of ordinary mortals. 3 discontinue, end, terminate, stop: The siege was lifted after six months. 4 withdraw, cancel, confiscate, take away, rescind, void, annul: They charged him with driving while intoxicated and lifted his licence. 5 rise, disappear, dissipate, vanish: When the fog lifted, I saw that we were about to run aground. 6 steal, appropriate, pilfer, pocket, thieve, take, purloin; plagiarize, copy, Colloq pinch, crib, liberate, Slang Brit nick, Old-fashioned half-inch: He went into the supermarket and lifted a bottle of scotch. This passage was lifted from my book in its entirety. --n. 7 ride: She looked tired so I gave her a lift home. 8 US and Canadian elevator: Take the lift to the tenth floor. 9 encouragement, boost, stimulus, inducement, inspiration, reassurance, cheering up, Colloq shot in the arm: Winning first prize has given Susan the lift she needed to continue with her writing.
light� | light�: n. 1 illumination, brightness, daylight, lamplight, candlelight, firelight, gaslight, torchlight, starlight, moonlight, sunlight; gegenschein, counterglow: There is just enough light for me to read the label. 2 lamp, light-bulb, torch, beacon, lantern, candle, flare, headlight or headlamp, street-light or street lamp, US and Canadian flashlight: I saw a light in the distance. Someone turned off the lights. 3 radiance, radiation, luminescence, glare, gleam, glow, reflection, luminosity, shine, sparkle, scintillation, incandescence, phosphorescence, fluorescence: The light of the full moon shone through the window. 4 daybreak, dawn, sunrise, US sun-up: We leave at first light. 5 clarification, enlightenment, insight, understanding, elucidation, simplification, explanation: After an hour''s talk with his lawyer, he finally saw the light and confessed. Can you shed a little light on this problem, Robyn? 6 window, window-pane: The west wall has three windows of six lights each. 7 match, lighter, spill, taper, fire, flame, ignition: Can you give me a light for my cigarette? 8 highlight: Note the chiaroscuro effect from the lights and shadows in the drawing. 9 bring to light. reveal, unearth, find, uncover, unveil, discover, expose, disclose, make known: A vital fact has recently been brought to light. 10 come to light. be revealed, be unearthed, be uncovered, be unveiled, be discovered, be exposed, be disclosed, appear, come out, turn up, transpire, develop, evolve, emerge: The truth about her parents has finally come to light. 11 Brit in the light of or US in light of. considering, in view of, in consideration of, taking into account, keeping or bearing in mind: In the light of his condition, he has decided to pull out of the competition. 12 shed or throw (some, a little) light on. explain, elucidate, simplify, clarify: Perhaps you could throw some light on the reason why she refuses to leave the house. --adj. 13 (well-)illuminated, bright, alight, (well-)lit, (well-)lighted, shining, luminous, effulgent, brilliant, beaming, incandescent, phosphorescent, fluorescent: The lightest room in the house is the kitchen. 14 pale, light-hued: Put the light blue chair over here. --v. 15 ignite, set alight, set or put a match to, kindle; burn, touch off, set fire to, fire: It''s getting chilly, so you''d better light the fire. When the bomb was in place, they lit the fuse. 16 illuminate, light up, lighten, brighten: Take this candle to light your way to the bedroom. 17 turn on, switch on, put on: Light the lamps. 18 light up. lighten, brighten, cheer up, liven up: The moment she walked in, the whole room lit up. Her face lit up when she saw him.
light� | light�: adj. 1 lightweight, portable: I bought some light garden furniture. 2 underweight, skinny, slight: Isn''t Ted a bit light for his height? 3 faint, dim, obscure, indistinct, unclear, faded, imperceptible: There is a very light pencil mark on the paper. 4 faint, gentle, mild, slight, delicate, insignificant: A light breeze rippled the surface of the pool. 5 dainty, graceful, delicate, gentle, slight: He felt the light brush of her lips on his. 6 not weighty, frivolous, unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, inconsiderable, trivial, trifling, evanescent, unsubstantial, slight, superficial: The party was a very light affair. 7 nimble, agile, active, swift, spry, lithe, sprightly, lightsome, light-footed, limber, lissom or lissome: When dancing, he may be light on his feet, but he''s not very light on mine. 8 simple-minded, light-headed, scatterbrained, rattle-brained, bird-brained, feather-brained, hare-brained, flighty, giddy, dizzy, silly, inane, foolish, frivolous, empty-headed, vacant, vacuous, shallow, superficial: Featherstone is a bit too light in the head to be a good manager. 9 cheerful, happy, gay, sunny, merry, light-hearted, happy-go-lucky, easygoing, joyful, jovial, jolly: No�l has written another light drawing-room comedy. 10 easy, not burdensome, endurable, bearable, tolerable, supportable, undemanding, effortless, untaxing, moderate: After my surgery, I was able to resume light duties at the office. The tax on such a small income is very light. You should take some light exercise every day. 11 amusing, entertaining, witty, diverting: The book hasn''t much substance, but it makes good light reading. 12 make light of. dismiss, write off, shrug off; trivialize; ridicule: The teacher made light of my attempts to play the concerto. --v. 13 alight, land, come or go down, descend, settle; deplane, disembark or debark, detrain, dismount: The bird was so tame it lighted on my finger. 14 light into. attack, assail, lambaste, assault, pounce or fall on or upon, beat, belabour; abuse, tongue-lash, harangue, upbraid, scold, berate, Colloq lace into; Slang clobber: He really lit into the challenger in the third round. Her mother lit into her for not doing her homework. 15 light on or upon. chance or happen or stumble or hit on or upon, come across, encounter, find, meet up with: She claimed she lit upon the formula when reading some ancient hieroglyphics.
lighten� | lighten�: v. 1 illuminate, brighten, light up: Opening the curtains would lighten up the room. 2 cheer (up), brighten, gladden, shine; smile: Her face lightened when he said he would be home for the holidays.
lighten� | lighten�: v. disencumber, disburden, relieve, alleviate, reduce, lessen, mitigate: To lighten my load, I had left my suitcase at the hotel.
like� | like�: adj., adv. 1 similar (to), akin (to), allied (to), parallel (to or with), comparable (to or with), equivalent (to), equal (to), identical (to), cognate (with), analogous (to), corresponding (to), correspondent (to), close (to), homologous (to or with), of a piece (with), (much) the same (as), along the same lines (as), not unlike: We hold like opinions. Her opinions are like mine. Her pies are like the ones my mother used to bake. Problems like this give me a headache. Opposite charges attract, like charges repel. 2 in the mood for, disposed to: Do you feel like a walk in the park? He felt like going with me. --adv. 3 as if, as though: He ran like mad. --prep. 4 similar to, identical to or with: Her daughter looks like her. He makes her feel like a perfect fool. 5 in the same way as, in the manner of, similarly to: Sometimes she acts like a maniac. The jacket fits him like a glove. He laughed like a drain. He treats his mother like a child. 6 such as, for example, for instance, e.g., that is (to say), i.e., in other words, namely, to wit, viz.: Mistletoe grows on various trees, like oaks and birches. --n. 7 match, equal, peer, fellow, opposite number, counterpart, twin: It is doubtful that we shall see his like again. 8 same or similar kind or sort or ilk or type or kidney or breed or mould or cast or strain: The book deals with music, literature, theatre, painting, and the like.
like� | like�: v. 1 be fond of, approve of, appreciate, be partial to, have a fondness or liking for, have a weakness for, take to, delight in, take pleasure in, derive or get pleasure from, delight in, find agreeable or congenial, feel attracted to, be or feel favourably impressed by, relish, love, adore, adulate, Colloq take a shine to, Slang go for, dig, get a kick out of, US get off on, groove on, get a bang or a charge out of: She likes a day at the seaside. He likes chocolate ice-cream. I think she likes me. 2 Usually, would or should like. prefer, want, wish, ask: I would like you to try to get to work on time in future. I''d like a drink. --n. 3 Usually, likes. preference, partiality, predilection, liking: We all have our different likes and dislikes.
likeable | likeable: adj. likeable, genial, amiable, congenial, pleasant, simpatico, agreeable, pleasing, attractive, appealing, nice, friendly, winning, charming, engaging, good-natured, winsome: He is likeable enough, but not my ideal son-in-law.
likelihood | likelihood: n. probability, strong or distinct possibility, good chance: We must consider the likelihood that she will refuse to go.
likely | likely: adj. 1 probable, liable, expected: Three o''clock is the likely arrival time. 2 probable, conceivable, reasonable, credible, plausible, tenable: It seemed likely that Holmes would solve the case. 3 fitting, able, suitable, probable, seemly, meet, right, proper, qualified, acceptable, appropriate, apposite; favourite, odds-on, favoured, promising: Peters is the likely man for the job. 4 disposed to, apt to, inclined to, liable to: It''s likely to rain. You''re likely to think me mad, but I have my reasons for going. --adv. 5 probably, undoubtedly, indubitably, no doubt, in all probability, Colloq like as not: You would most likely say that I am wrong. He will very likely win the election.
liken | liken: v. compare, equate, match, juxtapose: How can you liken him to Mahatma Gandhi?
likeness | likeness: n. 1 similarity, resemblance, correspondence, analogy, agreement, parallelism: The artist has caught her likeness in the second painting. 2 copy, replica, facsimile, duplicate, reproduction, model, representation, portrait, painting, picture, drawing, photograph, sculpture,statue, statuette, image, simulacrum, icon or ikon: He sells miniature likenesses of the Eiffel Tower to tourists. 3 appearance, face, figure, image: The premier''s likeness appears on posters throughout the country.
likewise | likewise: adv. 1 similarly, in the same or like manner or way: Penny is sitting quietly and you should do likewise. 2 as well, too, also, furthermore, further, besides, in addition, moreover, to boot: There are many ways to take exercise and, likewise, many ways to avoid it.
liking | liking: n. 1 affinity, fondness, affection, love, partiality, bias, preference, bent, predilection, predisposition, inclination, appreciation, penchant; eye, appetite, soft spot, weakness: He has a liking for good claret and beautiful women. 2 taste, pleasure, fancy, preference: The chef will prepare the steak to your liking.
limbo | limbo: n. in limbo. up in the air, consigned to oblivion, in abeyance, suspended, hanging (fire), neither here nor there, Colloq on hold, treading water, holding one''s breath, US in a holding pattern, on the shelf, on the back burner: My career is in limbo till I learn the result of the interview.
limit | limit: n. 1 Sometimes, limits. extent, bound(s), end, limitation, check, curb, restriction, restraint: Is there no limit to how far you will go to get your own way? 2 Often, limits. border, edge, end, extent, boundary, bound(s), (boundary or border or partition) line, frontier, perimeter, periphery: That row of poplars marks the limit of the property to the east. 3 Often, limits. area, territory, confines, zone, region, quarter, district, precinct(s): Stay outside the three-mile limit. We have jurisdiction only within city limits. 4 the limit. a the end, the last straw, the straw that broke the camel''s back, all (that) one can take, enough, too much, Colloq it: Your presumption is the absolute limit - you can''t seriously expect me to lend you money. b outrage, joke, surprise, Colloq caution: Wasn''t Nigel the limit in that hat!? --v. 5 check, curb, bridle, restrict, restrain, hold in check: We must limit spending on arms. The shackles limited my movements. 6 restrict, confine, delimit, narrow, focus, guide, channel: Please limit your questions to the subject at hand. 7 set, define, determine, fix: The bank manager has limited my overdraft to half what it was.
limited | limited: adj. 1 circumscribed, restricted, fixed, predetermined; small, little, reduced, minimal: The theatre seats a limited number of people. She was awarded limited access to the children. 2 narrow, restricted, restrictive, meagre: Few original ideas presented themselves to his limited imagination.
limitless | limitless: adj. unrestricted, unrestrained, unconfined, unbounded, boundless, extensive, vast, immense, enormous, unlimited, illimitable; interminable, unceasing, incessant, undefined, immeasurable, innumerable, numberless, countless, myriad, unending, perpetual, everlasting, eternal: Dickens possessed a seemingly limitless capacity for characterization. In the depths of space exist limitless numbers of stars. God''s love is limitless.
limp� | limp�: v. 1 hobble, stagger, totter, dodder, falter: He limped slowly along the road. --n. 2 hobble, hobbling, stagger, staggering, totter, tottering, dodder, doddering, falter, faltering, claudication, Slang US gimp: He was easy to recognize at a distance because of his limp.
limp� | limp�: adj. 1 flaccid, flabby, lax, slack, soft, drooping, relaxed, unstarched, unstiffened, soft, flexible, pliable, floppy, loose: The banners hung limp in the still, sultry air. 2 exhausted, tired, fatigued, worn out, spent, enervated, wasted, debilitated, weak, feeble, frail: He felt limp with exhaustion after the day''s hiking. 3 weak, feeble, ineffective, ineffectual, flimsy, half-hearted, lukewarm, spineless, thewless, namby-pamby, Colloq wishy-washy Slang gutless: Having to visit her grandmother seemed a pretty limp excuse to me.
line� | line�: n. 1 mark, pencil-mark, pen-mark, rule, score; stroke, underline, underscore; diagonal, slash, virgule, shilling-mark, solidus, separatrix, oblique: The lines on this paper are very faint. Draw a red line under your name. A line separates the numerator from the denominator. 2 strip, belt, stripe, band, border, edge, edging: Do you see that line of trees? Put a heavy black line round the obituary notices. 3 wrinkle, crease, crinkle, furrow, crow''s-foot: He has many lines on his face. The palmist said I have a long lifeline. 4 border, borderline, frontier, limit, boundary; demarcation, threshold: We crossed the line into Italy. I don''t mind cooking dinner, but I draw the line at washing the dishes. There is a fine line between genius and insanity. 5 outline, silhouette, contour, figure, profile: The line of the skirt is too straight. 6 row, rank, column, file, train, parade, cortege or cort�ge, procession, Brit queue, Colloq Brit crocodile, tailback: I stood in line for six hours for tickets. The line wound all the way round the block. 7 field, area, activity, forte, speciality or chiefly US and Canadian also specialty, specialization, business, profession, occupation, (line of) work, job, vocation, pursuit, trade, calling, employment, Colloq racket, game: Saying that he was a computer programmer, he asked me my line. 8 note, word, card, postcard, letter, US postal card: Drop me a line when you get there. 9 course, direction, path, way, route, road, track, procedure, tack, policy, strategy, tactic(s), approach, plan: What line will our competitors take to win the account? I adopted the line of least resistance. 10 information, data, word, lead, clue, hint: Interpol is trying to get a line on where he might be found. 11 cord, string, thread, twine, yarn, strand, filament, rope, cable, hawser: The anchor line became entangled. Hang the clothes out on the line. 12 track, railway or US and Canadian also railroad: The accident on the southern line is delaying all the trains. 13 telephone, wire, cable: We have three lines at the office. He tried all day to get you on the line. 14 front (line), vanguard, formation: These men have been in the line for weeks. Captain Hughes was given command of a ship of the line. 15 ancestry, descent, stock, lineage, succession, family, parentage, extraction, heritage, genealogy: She comes from a long line of horsewomen. 16 assortment, stock, merchandise, offerings, goods, brand, make, type, kind, variety: What line of lawnmower do you distribute? 17 Often, lines. part, role, speech, script, words, Theatre US sides: I know my lines by heart for the school play. She has one line in the third act. 18 story, (sales) pitch, blarney, Colloq spiel, song and dance, Slang con: He handed her a line about being lonely, but she soon found out why. 19 in or into line. a aligned, in alignment, true, straight, in a row, plumb: Bring the balusters for the railing in line. b in agreement, in accord, in accordance, in conformity, in step, in harmony, US lined up: We are bringing the staffing requirements into line with the council''s recommendations. c Usually, into line. under or in control: Were you able to bring the other board members into line? 20 in line for. ready for, short-listed for, on the short list for, up for, being considered for, under consideration for, a candidate for, in the running for: We all think she''s in line for a promotion. --v. 21 rule, inscribe, score, underline, underscore: If you use lined paper, your writing wouldn''t be so wavy. 22 edge, border, fringe: Millions lined the streets for the parade. 23 line up. a organize, prepare, ready, assemble, set up, put or set in place, develop, formulate, arrange (for), coordinate: Everything is all lined up for the big event. b arrange for, secure, get (hold of), obtain, contract for; uncover, dig up, acquire, engage, hire, sign (up), contract with, hire, employ: We lined up an excellent after-dinner speaker. c queue (up), form a line, get in line, form ranks or columns: Hundreds of us lined up for meals three times a day. d align, array, straighten, order: These paragraphs should line up. Line up the troops for inspection at 0600.
line� | line�: v. 1 interline, cover, face; ceil: The coat is lined with fur. 2 line one''s pockets. accept bribes, graft, US sell out, Colloq US be on the take: He was secretly lining his pockets during his years on the council.
lineage | lineage: n. 1 extraction, ancestry, family tree, pedigree, descent, stock, bloodline, parentage, genealogy: She has spent a lot of time tracing the lineage of the village''s families. 2 forebears, forefathers, foremothers, family, people, clan; descendants, succession, progeny, offspring: Does Debrett list his lineage? Peerages were confined to the lineage of the person ennobled.
linen | linen: n. Often, linens. bedclothes, bed linen(s), sheets and pillowcases; table linen(s), napery, tablecloths and napkins; bath linen(s), towels and wash-cloths: The soiled linen is sent to the laundry.
linger | linger: v. 1 Sometimes, linger on. stay (behind), remain, tarry, loiter, persist, hang on, endure, persevere, survive, Colloq hang or stick about or around: The smell of tobacco lingered for hours after he had gone. He lingered on for a day, then died from his wounds. 2 pause, dawdle, dally, lag, idle: She lingered for a moment at the jeweller''s window. 3 Often, linger on or over. dwell on, elaborate, harp on, labour: I shall not linger over the details of the crime. 4 procrastinate, dither, shilly-shally, temporize: You must stop lingering and decide today.
lingering | lingering: adj. 1 long, persistent, protracted, remaining: I was left with the lingering feeling that I had forgotten to tell her something. 2 slow, long-drawn-out, gradual: She died a lingering, painful death.
lingo | lingo: n. jargon, argot, cant, patois, pidgin, Creole, parlance, vernacular, dialect, idiom, language, talk, speech; gobbledegook or gobbledygook, gibberish, mumbo-jumbo: In medical lingo, he is suffering from coryza - in other words, a cold.
link | link: n. 1 tie, bond, coupling, connector, vinculum; element, constituent, component: A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. 2 connection, tie-up, tie-in, relation, relationship, association, affiliation, interdependence: What is the link between her arrival and his sudden departure? He thinks he''s identified the missing link. --v. 3 Often, link up. couple, join, fasten (together), unite; concatenate: They linked arms to form a barrier. 4 connect, tie (up or in or together), associate, relate, identify with: I cannot help feeling that this murder links up with the others.
liquid | liquid: n. 1 fluid, liquor, juice, solution: Mixing these two liquids could be dangerous. --adj. 2 fluid, flowing, running, runny, fluent, liquefied, watery, molten, melted: Her hair was the colour of liquid gold. 3 bright, shining, brilliant, clear, transparent, translucent, limpid: The surface of the lake gleamed like liquid sunshine. 4 convertible; solvent, profitable: Government bonds are regarded as liquid assets. The company remains liquid despite losses.
liquor | liquor: n. 1 spirits, alcohol, (strong) drink, intoxicants, John Barleycorn, schnapps, whisky or US and Irish whiskey, demon rum, moonshine, US white lightning, white mule; Colloq booze, pick-me-up, hard stuff, fire-water, juice, mother''s ruin (= ''gin''), US Kickapoo mountain joy juice; Slang rot-gut, Chiefly US and Canadian hooch or hootch, US sauce, red-eye, mountain dew: I don''t drink liquor, but I will have some tea. 2 liquid, fluid, extract, broth, stock, distillate, concentrate, infusion: After poaching the fish, pour off the liquor and save it.
list� | list�: n. 1 listing, roster, roll, rota, catalogue, directory, register, index, record, schedule, muster, slate, beadroll, laundry list, shopping list, inventory, file, tabulation; bibliography, liber veritatis, catalogue raisonn�: Select what you need from this list. --v. 2 catalogue, register, index, record, note, itemize, enumerate, schedule, tabulate, chronicle, book, enter, enrol: Those eligible to vote are listed in this computer printout.
list� | list�: v. 1 lean (over), tilt, slant, heel (over), tip, careen, cant, incline: The ship suddenly listed to starboard and I was thrown onto the deck. --n. 2 lean, tilt, slant, heel, tip, cant, slope, inclination: The leak caused a severe list to port.
listen | listen: v. 1 hear, pay attention (to), attend, lend an ear (to), prick up one''s ears, keep one''s ears open, Archaic hark (to), hearken or US also harken (to): I was listening to the radio when you phoned. 2 obey, heed, mind, pay attention (to), do as one is told: You wouldn''t be in this trouble if you''d listened to me.
listless | listless: adj. sluggish, lethargic, weary, weak, enervated, spent, languid, lifeless, heavy, phlegmatic, unemotional, impassive; unenthusiastic, indifferent, apathetic, unconcerned, lukewarm, tepid, cool, uncaring, insouciant; pococurante, Laodicean: She was just over an illness and feeling quite listless.
litany | litany: n. 1 prayer, invocation, supplication, petition: The monks trudged through the streets, chanting their litany. 2 recitation, recital, enumeration, listing, list, cataloguing, catalogue, inventorying, inventory: We had to sit through an interminable litany of the names of contributors to the fund.
literal | literal: adj. 1 word-for-word, verbatim, line-for-line, letter-for-letter, literatim, exact, precise, faithful, strict: In a literal translation the spirit of the original is often lost. 2 denotative, etymological, semantic, dictionary, lexical, basic, essential, pure, simple, simplistic, real, objective, true, genuine, bona fide, unvarnished, unadulterated, unembellished, simple-minded, uncomplicated, unbiased, unprejudiced, Colloq honest-to-goodness, honest-to-God: ''Female parent'' may be the literal definition of mother, but it doesn''t convey the emotional and connotative senses of the word. 3 prosaic, matter-of-fact, colourless, dull, down-to-earth, literal-minded, unimaginative, humdrum, boring, tedious: His literal approach to everything spoils the conversation for those who have any spirit.
literally | literally: adv. 1 word for word, verbatim, line for line, letter for letter, literatim, faithfully, strictly, exactly, precisely, closely; thus, sic: Generally cordon sanitaire means ''buffer zone'', but literally it means ''sanitary line''. 2 actually, truly, in fact, really: When I said he''d spilled the beans, I meant it figuratively, not literally.
literary | literary: adj. 1 erudite, well-read, cultured, learned, bookish, scholarly, lettered, cultivated, refined, educated; literate: Her latest book has been scorned by the literary �lite. 2 written, formal, scholarly, pedantic, learned, academic, scholastic, school-marmish: His writing contains literary words rarely heard in ordinary conversation.
literature | literature: n. 1 writing(s), letters, belles-lettres, creative writing(s): These works are representative of the literature of the period. 2 information, facts, data, publicity; propaganda; brochures, pamphlets, hand-outs, handbills, leaflets, circulars: As a member, you will be sent literature about future events. They print subversive literature.
litigant | litigant: n. litigator, party, plaintiff, appellant, suitor, petitioner, suer, defendant, appellee, accused: The judge suggested that the litigants settle out of court.
litigation | litigation: n. lawsuit, suit, action, case, legal remedy: The costs of litigation are extremely high.
litter | litter: n. 1 rubbish, debris, refuse, fragments, odds and ends, US and Canadian trash, Colloq junk: The room was strewn with food wrappers, cigarette butts, and other litter. 2 brood, issue, offspring, young: Note the differences in the young of the same litter. 3 stretcher, palanquin or palankeen, sedan chair: The potentate was borne in on a litter carried by four huge Nubians. --v. 4 clutter, strew, scatter: The streets were littered with bricks and broken glass.
little | little: adj. 1 small, short, slight, tiny, minute, diminutive, miniature, mini, baby, doll-sized, undersized, dwarf, midget, pygmy, elfin, toy, bantam, petite, wee, infinitesimal, minuscule, Lilliputian, teeny, teeny-weeny, teensy-weensy, itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy, microscopic: I live in a little house. A little red-faced man suddenly appeared. They sat drinking coffee out of little white cups. 2 young, small, youthful: You are asking a lot from a little boy. 3 small, sparse, skimpy, meagre, scant, insufficient, inadequate, not enough, scanty, barely or hardly any: A little crowd gathered round us. You will get little help from her. There''s too little milk for us to make custard. 4 short, brief: We had only a little time together before he was sent overseas. 5 trifling, trivial, small, minor, petty, paltry, insignificant, inconsiderable, unimportant, inconsequential, negligible: He seemed to consider my safety of little importance. He does a little business on the side. You are too concerned about little things. 6 small(-minded), petty, picayune, mean, ungenerous, illiberal, cheap, narrow(-minded), unimaginative, shallow: What is going on in his cunning little brain? --adv. 7 seldom, rarely, hardly ever, scarcely: I travel very little these days. 8 (but or only) slightly, barely, hardly, scarcely, no, not any, not much: She arrived with little more than what she was wearing. 9 scarcely, hardly: Little does he care whether he wins his wager. --pron. 10 bit, dab, dollop, particle, spoonful, taste, thimbleful, speck, spot, scrap, crumb, particle, Colloq smidgen or smidgin: If you could spare me a little of your time, I''d be grateful.
live | live: adj. 1 living, breathing, animate, viable, existent; material, physical, tangible, real, actual, palpable: She said she''d rather be a live beggar than a dead countess. My cat brought me a live mouse into the house the other day. 2 energetic, lively, spirited, vigorous, active, dynamic, busy; current, contemporary: Our new advertising agency seems to have some live ideas. The other party made nuclear disarmament a live issue in the election. 3 burning, glowing, flaming, alight, red-hot, white-hot: A live coal popped out of the grate onto the carpet. 4 loaded, explosive, unexploded, combustible: Builders have dug up a live bomb in London. 5 charged, electrified: Don''t touch a live wire or you''ll get a shock. --v. 6 breathe, exist; function: There has never lived a more gifted scholar. She lives as a recluse. 7 survive, persist, last, persevere, endure; spend, continue, live out, complete, end, conclude, finish: He lived out his days happily in Torquay. 8 reside, dwell, be; abide, stay, remain, lodge, room: He normally lives in Acton, but at the moment he''s living with his mother in Kent. 9 subsist, get along, survive, fare: Many old-age pensioners complain that they have barely enough to live on.
lively | lively: adj. 1 full of life, vigorous, energetic, vivacious, spirited, brisk, spry, active, animated, frisky, sprightly, agile, nimble, perky, chirpy, bouncy, buoyant, gay, cheery, cheerful, Colloq chipper, full of pep, peppy: His speech sparked off a lively discussion. The carriage was drawn by a pair of lively horses. 2 strong, intense, vivid, keen, pointed, eager, energetic, active: She takes a lively interest in current affairs. 3 active, busy, bustling, stirring, eventful, swarming, teeming; astir, alive: We joined the lively crowd at the antiques fair. The streets near the square were lively with people rushing to and fro. 4 vivid, bright, gay, cheerful, glowing, brilliant, gorgeous, rich: Some lively colours in the upholstery and curtains would brighten up the sitting-room.
liven | liven: v. Often, liven up. 1 brighten, cheer, enliven, perk up: You need some fresh paint to liven up the outside of the house. 2 invigorate, stimulate, energize, inspirit, activate, animate, fire, stir (up), put (some) life into, enliven, perk up, Colloq pep up: We need a good dance band to liven up the place in the evenings.
