
pace | pace: n. 1 step, stride: Please walk forward two paces. 2 rate (of speed), tempo, speed, velocity, Colloq clip: We were proceeding at a pace of five miles per hour. --v. 3 walk, stride, tread; traverse: Alistair paced up and down nervously, waiting for word from the surgeon. 4 measure, gauge or gage, judge, rate, estimate, determine, reckon, figure, compute: I was trying to pace myself to conserve some energy for a sprint finish.
pack | pack: n. 1 parcel, package, packet, bundle, bale, backpack, knapsack, rucksack, haversack, kitbag, kit, duffle or duffel bag: The stranger hoisted his pack onto his shoulder and loped off. 2 load, lot, bunch, multitude, heap, pile, accumulation, mass, amassment, mess, barrel, peck: She told the jury a pack of lies. 3 group, collection, assembly, assemblage, congregation, gathering, crowd, number, throng, horde, mass, crew, gang, body, lots, loads, band, company, party, set, flock, herd, drove, mob, swarm, bevy, covey, circle, coterie, clique: A huge pack of people were waiting at the stage door for the star to emerge. 4 deck: We ought to have two packs of cards for bridge. --v. 5 Often, pack in or into. package, bale, bundle, compact, crowd, cram, jam, fill, stuff, squeeze, ram, press, wedge, tamp: They packed us into the train like sardines. I packed as much as I could into the short time I had left. 6 pack it in. stop, cease, end, finish, quit, wind up, terminate, give up, call it a day, Colloq chuck: Edward finally packed it in because they were giving him too much trouble. 7 pack off. dismiss, send off or away, bundle off or out, hustle off or out or away, get rid of, drive off or away, order off or away or out, send (someone) about his or her business: At the beginning of the war, Sally''s mother packed her off to America to stay with her aunt. 8 pack up. a get or gather together, put away, store: Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile. b quit, stop, break down, fail, give out, stall, die, give up the ghost, Colloq conk out, have had it: After three days crossing the desert, the engine finally packed up.
package | package: n. 1 packet, parcel, box, container, case, carton, bundle: I am donating a package of clothing to the relief fund. 2 combination, unit, package deal: Included in the package from the car dealer are several luxury features. --v. 3 wrap, pack, containerize, carton, case, encase, enclose, include; combine, unite, coupled, incorporate: More and more merchandise comes packaged in plastic these days. A special sponge is packaged with the cleaning liquid.
packed | packed: adj. filled, full, loaded, crowded, stuffed, jammed, crammed, brim-full, chock-a-block, chock-full, jam-packed, overloaded, overflowing, loaded or filled to the gunwales, up to there, bursting, groaning, swollen, replete, Colloq wall-to-wall: The gallery was packed with the soprano''s relatives, who cheered every note. The publicity for the show promised a packed programme of mirth and merriment.
packet | packet: n. 1 package, parcel, pack, batch: We found a packet of your old love-letters in a trunk in the lumber room. 2 loads, lot(s), great deal, fortune, mint, Colloq bundle, pretty penny, pile(s), tidy sum, king''s ransom, Brit bomb: He lost a packet on that property when they built a sewage plant alongside it.
pact | pact: n. agreement, treaty, bargain, alliance, contract, compact, concord, covenant, concordat, entente, understanding, arrangement, deal: The companies entered into an illegal pact not to compete in the same markets.
pad | pad: n. 1 cushion, pillow, wad, wadding, stuffing, padding, filling, filler: Wrap a soft cotton pad over the wound to protect it. 2 writing-pad, note-pad, memo pad, block (of paper), jotter, US filler: You''d best take a pad with you to make notes at the lecture. 3 flat, apartment, room(s), home, place, quarters, Colloq hang-out, Brit digs or diggings, Slang US flop: A few friends are crashing at my pad while they''re in town. --v. 4 cushion, wad, stuff, fill; upholster: The chair seats are padded with foam rubber, but the arms are bare. 5 Sometimes, pad out. expand, inflate, stretch, dilate, lengthen, protract, extend, blow up, flesh out, puff up, augment, spin out, amplify: He pads his weekly newspaper column with trivia in order to fill the space.
paddle | paddle: n. 1 oar, sweep, scull: A ''crab'' occurs when you catch the water with the paddle blade on the return stroke. --v. 2 row, scull, oar: Deftly she paddled the canoe over to the pier. 3 wade: The children were paddling at the water''s edge. 4 spank, paddywhack, thrash, beat, whip, flog: Dad threatened to paddle me if he caught me playing hookey again.
paddy | paddy: n. rage, (fit of) temper, fit, tantrum, Colloq Brit paddywhack or paddywack, wax: She was in a proper paddy when she found out what you''d done.
pagan | pagan: n. 1 heathen, unbeliever, idolater, polytheist, infidel, Gentile: He joined the religion of the pagans and worshipped the golden calf. --adj. 2 heathen, infidel, idolatrous, polytheistic, heathenish, Gentile: Many churchmen condemned Renaissance scholars for their interest in pagan and pre-Christian writers.
page� | page�: n. 1 leaf, folio, side, sheet, verso or recto: On which page does the index begin? 2 episode, phase, period, time, stage, point, era, epoch, age, chapter: The early 1940s were among the darkest pages in Britain''s history. --v. 3 paginate, folio, number: Roman numerals were used in paging the preface to the book.
page� | page�: n. 1 attendant, page-boy, servant, errand-boy, messenger, Brit foot-boy, US bellman, bellhop, Offensive used of an adult bellboy: Please have a page deliver this message to Mr Simmonds. --v. 2 announce, summon (forth), send for or after, call, call for, call out: They are paging your wife now to give her your message.
pageant | pageant: n. spectacle, display, grandeur, tableau, show, parade, procession, ceremony, formality, ritual, event, affair, extravaganza, presentation, gala: The children stage a medieval mystery play as a part of the annual Christmas pageant.
pageantry | pageantry: n. pomp, ceremony, display, magnificence, extravagance, panorama, showiness, show: The pageantry of the Oberammergau passion play should be experienced at least once.
pain | pain: n. 1 hurt, suffering, discomfort, soreness, ache, aching, pang, spasm, smarting, cramp: I feel the pain in my back from lifting that box. 2 anguish, agony, affliction, distress, grief, woe, suffering, misery, travail, wretchedness, despair, torment, tribulation, trial, torture, dolour, discomposure, ordeal, disquiet: No one who has not experienced it can imagine the pain of losing a child. 3 irritation, vexation, annoyance, bother, nuisance, pest, Colloq pain in the neck, headache, drag, bore, Taboo slang pain in the Brit arse or US ass: What a pain it is that you have forgotten your keys again! David can really be a pain when he goes on about the book he''s writing. 4 pains. effort, trouble, exertion, toil, labour: She went to great pains to make our stay comfortable. --v. 5 hurt, distress, grieve, wound, injure; trouble, depress, sadden, sorrow, cut to the quick: It pained us to learn of Mrs McArthur''s illness.
painful | painful: adj. 1 hurting, grievous, hurtful, sore, distressing, distressful, excruciating, torturous, agonizing, smarting, stinging, aching, achy, throbbing, burning, piercing, stabbing, sharp, tender, sensitive, raw, bitter, Formal nociceptive: The bullet caused a painful wound in the knee. Mother''s arthritis can be quite painful at times. 2 vexing, vexatious, annoying, harassing, irritating, irksome, aggravating, galling, exasperating, unpleasant, afflictive, harrowing, worrisome, worrying, troubling, disquieting, disturbing, distressing: Fighting in the front lines was a painful experience for Rupert. 3 painstaking, laborious, careful, rigorous, arduous, assiduous, sedulous, diligent, earnest, conscientious, meticulous, scrupulous, detailed, thorough, thoroughgoing, exacting, demanding: A great deal of painful research went into discovering the cause of yellow fever.
painfully | painfully: adv. agonizingly, distressingly, disagreeably, unpleasantly, unfortunately, sadly, woefully, lamentably, ruefully, unhappily: I became painfully aware that much of the relief destined for the poor never reached them.
painkiller | painkiller: n. anodyne, analgesic, anaesthetic, sedative, palliative: When he wrenched his back, the doctor gave him a painkiller so that he could walk.
painless | painless: adj. trouble-free, easy, simple, comfortable, effortless, Colloq easy as 1, 2, 3 or as ABC, easy as pie, a piece of cake, pushover, child''s play, Slang cinch, no sweat: The procedure for assembling the bicycle is relatively painless.
painstaking | painstaking: adj. See painful, 3, above.
paint | paint: n. 1 colour, tint, dye, colouring, pigment, stain: I bought the paint and brushes, and started work on the kitchen walls. 2 coating, coat, surface; enamel: The rust has come through the paint here and there. 3 make-up, cosmetics, maquillage, greasepaint, Colloq warpaint, face: Sheila is in her room putting on some paint before we go out. --v. 4 depict, portray, picture, show, represent, delineate, render, draw, limn, characterize, describe: Whistler painted a portrait of my grandmother. Correspondents painted a very grim picture of the plight of the hostages. 5 coat, brush, apply, cover, daub: The doctor painted the area with some medication that soothed the pain. 6 colour, tint, dye, stain, decorate: We are planning to paint the nursery pale blue. 7 paint the town red. make merry, carouse, revel, go on a spree, go out on the town, Colloq whoop it up, live it up, (go on a) pub-crawl, step out, Slang make whoopee, go on a bender or drunk or binge, booze it up: Saturday nights a few of the boys would go out and paint the town red till the wee hours.
pair | pair: n. 1 couple, twosome, two of a kind, set of two, matched set, duo, dyad, twins, double, doublet; brace, span, yoke, team, tandem: A pair of silver candelabra disappeared during the party. --v. 2 match (up), mate, pair off or up, team (up), put together, partner, twin, double, join, unite, yoke; wed, marry, join in wedlock or in holy matrimony: Pair these gloves for me, would you? Husbands may not pair off with wives for the next dance.
pal | pal: n. 1 friend, consort, comrade, alter ego, crony, companion, amigo, playmate, classmate, Colloq chum, sidekick, mate, Chiefly US and Canadian buddy: Jim left a little while ago with a few of his pals. --v. 2 pal (up) with or about or US around (with). associate (with), be or become friendly or friends (with), be or get or become on friendly or intimate terms (with), go (around or about) with, fraternize (with), consort (with), spend time together or with, keep company (with), Colloq hang out or about or around (with), knock about or around (with): Fiona and Isabel palled up last year. Do you still pal about with Timothy?
palace | palace: n. mansion, castle, stately or palatial home or residence, manor (house), (country) estate, ch�teau, palazzo, villa: After the wedding, they went to the prince''s palace and lived happily ever after.
palatial | palatial: adj. luxurious, de luxe, magnificent, splendid, stately, sumptuous, opulent, majestic, magnificent, grand, elegant, palatine, Slang posh, ritzy, swanky, classy: After winning the pools, they moved into a palatial house in Belgravia.
palaver | palaver: n. 1 nuisance, procedure, red tape, to-do, rigmarole or rigamarole, Colloq song and dance, bother, nonsense, business, carry-on, performance: He lost the certificates, so she now has to go through all the palaver of getting new ones. 2 chatter, babble, jabber, (empty or small) talk, blather or blether, gossip, prating, prattle, prattling, palavering, Brit natter, nattering, Scots clishmaclaver, Colloq jawing, hot air, Colloq Brit witter, wittering: There is so much palaver at the annual meeting that nothing important ever gets said. 3 parley, talk, conference, discussion, colloquy, conversation, confabulation, meeting, get-together, round table, powwow, Colloq confab, huddle, chin-wag: The annual palaver of the regional general managers is scheduled for next week. --v. 4 chatter, babble, jabber, blather or blether, gossip, prattle, prate, chit-chat, gabble, Brit natter, witter, Colloq jaw, chin-wag, US and Canadian shoot the breeze, Slang yack, yackety-yack: Peter and I were palavering outside the supermarket when Sophie came along. 5 confer, consult, discuss, parley, talk, converse, powwow, meet, get together, sit down (together), confabulate, negotiate, Colloq confab, huddle, chew the fat or the rag: Management and union representatives will palaver tomorrow.
pale� | pale�: adj. 1 colourless, white, wan, sallow, waxen, livid, ashen, ashy, pallid, bloodless, whitish, pasty, whey-faced, washed out, anaemic, blanched, drained, ghostly, ghastly, peaky or peakish, peaked, cadaverous: If you had been through an ordeal like that, you''d look pale, too. 2 faint, light, dim, washed out, pastel: She was wearing a pale green evening gown tonight. 3 feeble, weak, flimsy, meagre, enfeebled, ineffective, ineffectual, puny, insignificant, paltry, lame, poor, inadequate, half-hearted, tame, spiritless, whey-faced, empty, sterile, lifeless, uninspired, anaemic, Colloq half-baked: The sequel was a pale imitation of the original film. --v. 4 blanch, blench, dim, whiten: He paled when they told him of the car crash. 5 diminish, lessen, fade (away), decrease, abate: The works of most modern writers pale in comparison with those of the Elizabethans.
pale� | pale�: n. 1 paling, palisade, picket, upright, post, stake: The pales are attached to horizontal rails to form a fence. 2 boundary, limit(s), restriction, bounds, border(s), confines: Nothing is outside the pale of the imagination of a great novelist. 3 beyond the pale. improper, irregular, unseemly, unsuitable, indecent, unacceptable, inadmissible, forbidden, anathema, disallowed, prohibited, verboten, interdicted; US unusual, bizarre, peculiar, outr�, weird, abnormal, strange: The committee have found your behaviour to be beyond the pale, Frances, and we demand your resignation.
pall� | pall�: n. 1 shroud, covering, mantle, cloth, veil: A black velvet pall covered the coffin. 2 gloomy or melancholy or sombre or grave or depressing air or mood or atmosphere; damper, cold water, Colloq wet blanket: The recently uncovered scandals have cast a pall over his successes in office.
pall� | pall�: v. 1 Often, pall on or upon. bore, tire, weary, jade, irk, irritate, sicken: His position lost all its charm when the work began to pall on him. 2 sate, satiate, cloy, glut, surfeit, gorge: I had reached the point where even the finest foods began to pall me.
paltry | paltry: adj. trifling, trivial, petty, small, insignificant, worthless, pitiful, pathetic, pitiable, puny, sorry, wretched, miserable, inconsequential, inconsiderable, unimportant, meagre, mean, beggarly, base, low, contemptible, Colloq piddling, Brit twopenny, twopenny-halfpenny, mingy, US penny-ante, Slang Mickey Mouse: Despite his wealth, his charitable contributions are paltry. We all recognize Denison for the paltry pedant he is.
pamper | pamper: v. baby, coddle, cosset, (over)indulge, spoil, mollycoddle, cater to, pet, Rare cocker, Irish cosher: The Simpsons pamper their children far too much.
pamphlet | pamphlet: n. booklet, brochure, tract, essay, folder, leaflet, circular; handbill, bill, notice, bulletin, advertisement, hand-out, ad, Brit advert, US flyer, throw-away: He was arrested for printing a pamphlet that denounced the government''s repression of free speech. Yesterday we received our sixteenth pamphlet promoting replacement windows.
pan | pan: n. 1 saucepan, frying-pan, skillet, pot, casserole, US spider: Melt a teaspoonful of butter in the pan, add the mixture, and stir briskly over a medium heat. 2 face, visage, mien, fa�ade, Slang kisser, mug, puss: The worst part of Alf''s not working is that I have to look at his ugly pan all day. 3 depression, indentation, concavity, cavity, hollow, pit, hole, crater: In a rain-shower, the pans fill with water and the desert blooms. --v. 4 wash, separate, sift: For years prospectors have panned for gold in these hills. 5 criticize, censure, find fault, put down, reject, flay, excoriate, Brit hammer, Colloq knock, roast, slate, Slang Brit rubbish, US trash: The critics panned the play and it closed after a week. 6 pan out. succeed, thrive, prosper, flourish, fare well, make it; work out, turn out, result, come out, end (up), conclude, culminate, eventuate: Your grandiose plans for irrigating the Sahara didn''t pan out, either! How did the election pan out?
panache | panache: n. flourish, dash, �lan, �clat, chic, sophistication, savoir faire, savoir vivre, flamboyance, verve, style, cultivation, (good) taste, flair, smartness, boldness, self-assurance, swagger, vigour, liveliness, spirit, brio, gusto, zest, animation, enthusiasm, energy: Whatever needs to be done, you can count on Irena to carry it off with panache.
pandemonium | pandemonium: n. bedlam, chaos, turmoil, disorder, tumult, frenzy, uproar, Brit furore or US furor, confusion: Pandemonium reigned after the first bomb struck.
pander | pander: v. 1 Usually, pander to. satisfy, gratify, humour, indulge, fulfil, bow to, yield to, truckle to, cater to: She is tired of pandering to his every wish. 2 procure, pimp, solicit: I didn''t believe he would sink so low as to pander for his business clients. --n. 3 panderer, pimp, procurer, solicitor, whoremonger, White slaver, Slang flesh-pedlar or US also flesh-peddler or flesh-pedler, Brit ponce, mack: The word pander is an eponym for Pandarus, who acted as a sycophantic go-between for Troilus in Chaucer''s Troilus and Criseyde .
pane | pane: n. panel, sheet, glass, window-pane, light, quarrel, bull''s-eye: Ring up the glazier and have that pane replaced in the door.
pang | pang: n. 1 pain, stab, ache, pinch, twinge, stitch, spasm: I felt a sharp pang of hunger. 2 qualm, hesitation, scruple, misgiving, remorse, regret, contrition, contriteness, self-reproach, mortification, guilt, anguish, discomfort, malaise: Does Claire feel the slightest pangs for treating him badly?
panic | panic: n. 1 terror, alarm, fear, fright, dread, horror, dismay, consternation, hysteria; anxiety, apprehension, apprehensiveness, nervousness: As the speeding car veered towards us, a feeling of panic gripped me. --v. 2 be terrified or alarmed or fearful or frightened or terror-stricken or terror-struck, dread, fear, lose one''s nerve; frighten, scare; Colloq go to pieces, fall apart, Brit lose one''s bottle: I panicked, turned the wheel the wrong way, and crashed the car into a tree. Gregory panics at the slightest sign of danger. 3 frighten, scare, alarm, terrify, unnerve: Something panicked the horses and one kicked out his stall door.
panic-stricken | panic-stricken: adj. panic-struck, terrified, alarmed, horrified, aghast, terror-stricken or terror-struck, panicky, frenzied, in a frenzy, hysterical, besides oneself with fear or terror, fearful, afraid, scared (stiff), petrified, horror-struck or horror-stricken, frightened or scared out of one''s wits, appalled, stunned, stupefied, perturbed, unnerved, nervous, distressed, upset, jittery, jumpy, (all) worked up, Colloq in a cold sweat, in a flap, in a tizzy, Taboo slang scared shitless, shitting green: At the news of the leak at the nuclear plant, hundreds of panic-stricken people fled from the area.
panoramic | panoramic: adj. sweeping, commanding, extensive, comprehensive, wide, overall, scenic, far-reaching, all-embracing, far-ranging, all-encompassing, inclusive, bird''s-eye, general: This room affords a panoramic view of the sea-coast.
pant | pant: v. 1 gasp, huff (and puff), blow, heave, breathe hard, wheeze: He was panting when he came into the room, having run up the stairs. 2 Usually, pant for or after. crave, hanker after, hunger or thirst for or after, yearn for, ache for, want, desire, covet, wish for, long or pine or sigh for, have one''s heart set on, die for, be dying for, Colloq have a yen for, give one''s eye-teeth or right arm for: Margery was the girl that all the boys panted after when we were ten.
pants | pants: n.pl. 1 In Britain (men''s) drawers, small-clothes, smalls, drawers, underpants, boxer shorts, trunks, undershorts, Y-fronts, briefs, Colloq smalls; (women''s) knickers, camiknickers, panties, drawers, bloomers, pantalettes, tights, pantihose, undies: The baby was dressed in a frilly dress and matching pants. 2 In US: trousers, slacks, breeches, (Oxford) bags, knickerbockers, flannels, shorts, Bermuda shorts or Bermudas, pedal pushers, bell-bottoms, peg-tops, hip-huggers, (blue) jeans, dungarees, denims, Trade Mark Levis, Scots trews; Scots and No. Eng. breeks, US knickers, Colloq cut-offs: Americans who go into British shops asking for a pair of pants are embarrassed to be offered only underwear.
paper | paper: n. 1 newspaper, tabloid, daily, weekly, journal, gazette, publication, periodical, newsletter, organ, Colloq rag, sheet: She is feature editor of a paper in Manchester. 2 Often, papers. a document(s), instrument, legal papers, form, certificate, deed, ownership papers; credential(s), identification: Bring the papers to my office for signing. His papers are not in order. Many people lost their papers during the war. b docket, files, dossier, record(s), archive(s): Your papers seem to have disappeared from our office. 3 stationery, letterhead, writing-paper, letter-paper, notepaper; foolscap; scrap or US also scratch paper; wrapping paper; gift-wrapping, gift-wrap; wallpaper: She wrote to me on the most beautiful engraved paper. We buy our Christmas paper from a museum shop. 4 article, composition, essay, assignment, report, thesis, study, tract, analysis, critique, exegesis, treatise, dissertation, disquisition, manuscript, MS or ms, autograph, holograph, typescript, script, speech: Adelaide will present her paper at the meeting of the Royal Academy this year. --v. 5 (hang) wallpaper, line; post, distribute: The entire area was papered with posters announcing the meeting.
par | par: adj. 1 standard, normal, average, expected: A success rate of two per cent is par for these candidates. --n. 2 level, rank, standing, scale, standard: How can you place yourself on a par with her as a tennis player? 3 above par. above average, superior, outstanding, excellent, exceptional; choice, select, prime: Since I stopped taking that medication, I''ve been feeling above par. I am pleased to announce that the test results were above par for the school as a whole. 4 at par. average, level, even, equal, equivalent, standard; par value: The shares are selling at par, or below their true market value. 5 below or under par. a below average, substandard, inferior, second-rate, mediocre, middling, not up to par, poor, inadequate, unsatisfactory, wanting, bad, wretched, miserable, awful, terrible, Colloq lousy, not up to snuff or scratch: Ian''s goal-keeping has been below par all season. b ill, sickly, unhealthy, unwell, not (very) well, not oneself, not in good or the best shape, in bad shape, Brit off form, off colour; Colloq under the weather, poorly, not up to snuff: I was feeling below par. 6 up to par. all right, adequate, average, satisfactory, good enough, passable, acceptable, Colloq OK or okay, up to scratch or snuff, fair to middling: If your game had been up to par, Davis would not have won.
parable | parable: n. allegory, fable, lesson, morality tale: When we first read Aesop''s Fables we didn''t know they were parables.
parade | parade: n. 1 procession, march, train, file, promenade, cort�ge, column; entourage: They held a parade to celebrate the soldiers'' safe return from the war. 2 exhibition, (ostentatious) display, show, spectacle, array, pomp, splash: She often makes a parade of her knowledge of architecture. 3 promenade, walk, (pedestrian) way, mall, esplanade: Let''s meet in the Parade when you have finished shopping. --v. 4 march, pass in review, promenade, walk, file: The generals saluted smartly as the troops paraded past. 5 strut, flaunt, show (off), brandish, wave, vaunt, display, air: Why does he feel it necessary to parade every new girlfriend in front of all the neighbours?
paradise | paradise: n. 1 heaven, City of God, Zion, Elysium, Elysian Fields, happy hunting-grounds, Abraham''s bosom, heavenly kingdom, Promised Land, Celestial City, New Jerusalem, Avalon, Valhalla, Hesperides, Isles or Islands of the Blessed, seventh heaven: People all have their own ideas of paradise, but everyone agrees it''s a nice place to be. 2 heaven on earth, (Garden of) Eden, (land of) Goshen, Utopia, Shangri-La, Land of Beulah: Early settlers of California thought it a paradise. 3 bliss, happiness, rapture, heaven, delight, blessedness, ecstasy, seventh heaven, joy, dreamland, nirvana: Being with you has been sheer paradise.
paradox | paradox: n. contradiction, self-contradiction, incongruity, inconsistency, absurdity, ambiguity, enigma, puzzle, mystery, quandary, problem, dilemma: Can you explain away Zeno''s paradox of Achilles and the tortoise? The paradox was that although it was Edward''s fifth birthday, he was 20 years old.
paradoxical | paradoxical: adj. contradictory, self-contradictory, conflicting, oxymoronic, impossible, improbable, incongruous, illogical, inconsistent, absurd, ambiguous, confusing, equivocal, enigmatic, puzzling, baffling, incomprehensible, bewildering, perplexing, mysterious, problematic: It would be true, though it might sound paradoxical, to say that the Norman Conquest made England Saxon.
paragon | paragon: n. epitome, archetype, model, prototype, quintessence, pattern, standard, exemplar, ideal, beau id�al, criterion: He had previously regarded Michael as a paragon of virtue and was deeply shocked by the revelations.
parallel | parallel: adj. 1 similar, corresponding, congruent, analogous, analogic(al), correspondent, like, matching, homologous, coordinate, equivalent, coequal, proportional, proportionate, pari passu, mutatis mutandis, in proportion, uniform; contemporary or cotemporary, contemporaneous or cotemporaneous: The situation in Northern Ireland could be compared with a parallel situation in Lebanon. --n. 2 analogue, match, homologue, equivalent, complement, counterpart, equal, coequal: Campbell found many parallels among the legendary heroes of other cultures. 3 analogy, parallelism, equivalence, complementarity, relationship, kinship, correspondence, resemblance, likeness, similarity, symmetry, equality, coequality, parity, correlation; proportion, balance, equiponderance, equipoise, counterbalance, offset: One can draw parallels between the human arm, the fish''s fin, and the bird''s wing. By way of parallel, consider the flood in the Bible and that in the Gilgamesh epic. --v. 4 correspond to or with, match, equate to or with, be likened to, correlate to or with, compare with or to, imitate, repeat, echo, iterate, reiterate, duplicate, follow, agree with; keep pace with, conform (to), balance, set off, offset, even off or up, be accompanied by, coincide with, Colloq jibe with: In many respects, your attitudes towards life parallel mine when I was your age. A decrease in the rate of inflation supposedly parallels a rise in interest rates.
paralyse | paralyse: v. 1 immobilize, inactivate, deactivate, transfix; halt, stop: The stroke paralysed his entire left side. As the thing approached, the children became paralysed by fear. 2 deaden, numb, freeze, anaesthetize, benumb, render insensible: This injection will paralyse your thumb so that we can operate on it. 3 disable, cripple, incapacitate, disenable: His left leg was paralysed in the accident.
paramount | paramount: adj. pre-eminent, chief, supreme, dominant, main, predominant, cardinal, first, prime, primary, principal, essential, vital, requisite, basic: The company feel that the independence of researchers is paramount. It is of paramount importance that you study trigonometry before calculus.
paramour | paramour: n. lover, love, inamorato or inamorata, amorist, mistress, gigolo, concubine, cicisbeo, kept woman, Colloq flame, sugar-daddy, US POSSLQ (= ''Person of the Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters''), Slang fancy man or woman: At eighty, she liked to reminisce about her many paramours.
paraphernalia | paraphernalia: n. usually pl equipment, apparatus, accessories, outfit, appliances, utensils, gear, rig, material(s), mat�riel, things, tackle, equipage, accoutrements, effects, chattels, possessions, belongings, appurtenances, trappings, property, baggage, impedimenta, supplies, stuff, Colloq junk, Brit rubbish, clobber, Slang crap, Taboo slang US shit: Bring along your scuba paraphernalia. It took us a month just to pack up all the paraphernalia we had in the flat.
paraphrase | paraphrase: n. 1 rephrasing, rephrase, rewording, restatement, rewriting, rewrite, rehash, rendition, rendering, version, Technical paraphrasis: The editor wanted a revision, not merely a paraphrase of the original. --v. 2 rephrase, reword, restate, rewrite, explicate, explain: Please paraphrase the specialized jargon to make it understandable to non-professionals.
parasite | parasite: n. leech, hanger-on, Colloq freeloader, sponger or sponge, bloodsucker, cadger, scrounger or scrounge, barnacle, jackal, hyena or hyaena: That parasite lives off Gemma''s money and has never worked a day in his life.
parcel | parcel: n. 1 package, packet, carton, box, container, case: We are sending food parcels to the needy. 2 portion, plot, plat, lot, piece, section, tract: We have bought a small parcel of land and plan to build on it next year. 3 lot, group, batch, collection, pack, bundle, set: She gathered a parcel of drawings and published them as a travel sketchbook. --v. 4 Often, parcel out. apportion, allot, deal (out), dole (out), mete (out), hand out, distribute, share (out), divide, Colloq divvy (up): Before he died he parcelled out his fortune amongst his grandchildren.
parch | parch: v. dry (out or up), desiccate, dehydrate, exsiccate; scorch, sear, burn, bake; shrivel (up), wither: The earth was parched by the unrelenting sun.
pardon | pardon: n. 1 forgiveness, forgiving, amnesty, remission, release, reprieval, absolution, indulgence, excuse, excusal, allowance, overlooking, condonation, exoneration, exculpation: Should there be any pardon for crimes against humanity? --v. 2 forgive, remit, release, reprieve, absolve, indulge, allow, overlook, let off, excuse, condone, exonerate, exculpate: There are some crimes that ought not be pardoned.
pare | pare: v. 1 trim, peel, skin, shave (off), shuck; decorticate, excoriate: Pare the apples and then grate them coarsely. 2 Often, pare down. reduce, diminish, decrease, cut (back or down), curtail, slash (back), lower, lessen: Since his illness, Bob has pared down his time at the office. We''ll have to pare our prices to stay competitive in the present climate.
parent | parent: n. 1 father or mother, progenitor, progenitrix, procreator, begetter, materfamilias or paterfamilias; foster-parent, stepmother or stepfather, guardian, Colloq old lady or old man, Brit old-fashioned or facetiousmater or pater: Most teenagers clash with their parents sooner or later. 2 source, origin, originator, well-spring, fountain-head, root: The liturgy of St James is undoubtedly the parent of the Armenian Rite.
parentage | parentage: n. lineage, ancestry, line, family, extraction, descent, origin, pedigree, stock, birth, strain, bloodline, heritage, roots: As he was separated from his mother at birth, he knows nothing of his royal parentage.
parenting | parenting: n. (of children) rearing, upbringing, raising, nurturing: Brian and Betty take their parenting very seriously.
parity | parity: n. 1 equality, equivalence, consistency, uniformity, par, likeness, similarity, analogy, congruity, similitude, conformity, congruence: The ministers agreed that they would observe parity of power amongst themselves at the conference. 2 proportion, parallelism, analogy, balance, correspondence: We are trying to maintain parity between the Deutschmark and the pound sterling.
park | park: n. 1 garden, green(s), common(s), preserve, reserve, greensward, parkland, woodland, estate, Chiefly Brit reservation: Twice a day he strolls through the nearby park. 2 Brit car park, US and Canadian and New Zealand parking-lot: I shall meet you in the car park at the railway station. --v. 3 leave, put, deposit, store: It is illegal to park in this street.
parlance | parlance: n. way or manner of talking or speaking, fa�on de parler, phrasing, phraseology, speech, wording, language, idiom, dialect, jargon, Colloq lingo: In the parlance of the yuppies, that''s a ballpark figure.
parley | parley: n. 1 conference, discussion, dialogue, palaver, deliberation, meeting, colloquy, colloquium, confabulation, powwow, talk(s), Colloq huddle, confab: The issue will be decided at the executive council''s parley. --v. 2 confer, discuss, palaver, deliberate, talk (over), negotiate, deal, Colloq huddle: Would Sitting Bull parley with General Custer?
parliament | parliament: n. 1 Parliament. Houses of Parliament, House of Lords and House of Commons, Westminster, the House, Mother of Parliaments: The new health bill got its second reading in Parliament today. 2 legislature, council, congress, diet, council, assembly, Upper and Lower House or chamber: The United States parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
parliamentary | parliamentary: adj. formal, ordered, orderly, procedural, conforming, conformist, US according to Roberts Rules of Order: The debate must follow parliamentary procedure.
parlour | parlour: n. living-room, Old-fashioned or Brit drawing-room, Chiefly Brit sitting-room, reception (room), lounge: She invited us into the parlour where tea was laid out.
parlous | parlous: adj. perilous, risky, precarious, uncertain, dangerous, hazardous, difficult, ticklish, awkward, Colloq chancy, iffy, Slang hairy: These are parlous times in the Middle East.
parochial | parochial: adj. regional, provincial, narrow, local, insular, isolated, limited, restricted, narrow-minded, petty, short-sighted, hidebound, conservative, conventional, illiberal, bigoted, prejudiced, intolerant, one-sided, partial, biased, stubborn, opinionated, dogmatic, rigid, stiff, stiff-necked, immovable, intractable, unchangeable, unchanging, close-minded, unsophisticated, unworldly, uncultivated, uncultured: Uneducated and untravelled, Mr Shriver maintained a very parochial view of the world.
parody | parody: n. 1 burlesque, lampoon, satire, caricature, mockery, mimicry, Colloq take-off, spoof, Brit send-up: The more serious the intent of the original author''s work, the easier it is to write a parody of it. 2 travesty, mockery, feeble or poor imitation, distortion, perversion, corruption, debasement: The Inquisition was a parody of justice and of religion. --v. 3 burlesque, lampoon, satirize, caricature, mock, mimic, ape, ridicule, deride, laugh at, poke fun at, guy, scoff at, sneer at, rib, tease, twit, roast, pillory, make a laughing-stock (of), make sport of, make fun of, make a monkey (out) of, Archaic fleer, Colloq take off, spoof, kid, Brit send up: Swift parodied English political figures and policies of the day in Gulliver''s Travels .
paroxysm | paroxysm: n. fit, convulsion, spasm, throe, seizure, spell, outburst, eruption, explosion, Colloq flare-up: At the sight of George dressed as Madame Pompadour Melissa rolled on the floor in a paroxysm of hysterical laughter.
parrot | parrot: n. 1 imitator, mimic, Colloq copycat: She never has an original idea of her own: she''s a mere parrot of others'' fashions and fancies. --v. 2 imitate, mimic, ape, copy, echo, repeat, reiterate: Mick doesn''t understand the issues and just parrots what he hears on TV.
part | part: n. 1 piece, portion, division, allotment, share, percentage, participation, interest; parcel, fragment, scrap, shard; some: I bought a part of the company when it was available. I want no part of the deal now. 2 portion, component, factor, constituent, element, ingredient: A part of her problem is that she doesn''t speak Japanese. 3 role, function, duty, responsibility, share; say, voice, influence, participation, involvement, business: Every man must do his part. Don''t thank me! I had no part in your getting the contract. 4 role, character: He plays the part of Tweedledum in the school play. 5 side, interest, cause, behalf, faction, party: Which part did you support in the argument? No explanation has been offered on either part. 6 neighbourhood, quarter, section, district, region, area, corner, vicinity, vicinage, Colloq neck of the woods: I come from the same part of the country as you. 7 piece, portion, segment, section; department, division, component, unit: Which part of the turkey do you prefer? In which part of the company do you work? 8 for the most part. mostly, generally, usually, mainly, in the main, by and large, on the whole, chiefly, principally, essentially, for all practical purposes, to all intents and purposes, in most cases or instances: The shops are for the most part closed on Sunday. 9 in part. partly, partially, to some extent or degree, in some measure, relatively, comparatively, somewhat: He is himself in part responsible for the present state of affairs. 10 on the part of (someone) or on (someone''s or one''s) part. by, on or US also in behalf of, (as) for, as regards, as far as (someone) is concerned, in the name of, for the sake of, in support of: Tyrannical acts on the part of the king were not condoned. For my part, I want nothing to do with it. 11 take (a) part (in). participate (in), join (in), be (a) party to, play a part or role (in), be involved (in or with), associate oneself (with), have or take a hand in, partake (of), contribute (to): Why insist that she take part in your nefarious plot? People began to sing, but she didn''t feel like taking part. --v. 12 separate, part company, split up, go his or her (or their) separate way(s), break up, say or bid goodbye (or adieu, etc.); leave, depart, go (away or off): We parted on the best of terms. 13 separate, divide, put or pull apart, put asunder: I saw a pale hand part the curtains for a brief moment. A fool and his money are soon parted. 14 part with. give up, yield, relinquish, release, sacrifice, forgo, renounce, forsake, let go, surrender: I doubt that you''ll persuade Rover to part with his bone. --adj. 15 partial, fractional, limited: Ronald is a part owner of the company.
partake | partake: v. 1 Usually, partake in. share (in), participate (in), take (a) part (in), enter (in or into): We share each other''s burdens and partake in each other''s joys. 2 Usually, partake of. a receive, get, have a share or portion or part (of), share: We were invited to partake of a meagre repast. b evoke, suggest, hint at, intimate, imply, possess or have the quality of: Greater knowledge often partakes of insolence.
partial | partial: adj. 1 incomplete, fragmentary, not total or whole, imperfect: They were able to afford only a partial restoration of the house. There will be a partial solar eclipse at noon. 2 prejudiced, biased, partisan, inclined, influenced, one-sided, jaundiced, unfair, discriminatory: It will be difficult to find a judge who is not partial. 3 partial to. in favour of, predisposed to, fond of, having a soft spot or weakness for, having a liking or taste or predilection for, having a fondness for, feeling an attraction or affinity to or toward(s), finding enjoyment in: She used to be partial to punk rockers. I am partial to Scotch beef.
partiality | partiality: n. 1 prejudice, bias, inclination, favouritism, predilection, predisposition, leaning, preference: The losers of the contest accused the judges of partiality. 2 preference, taste, relish, liking, fondness, appreciation, fancy, love, eye, weakness, soft spot, penchant; fetish or fetich: Alas, my wife has acquired a partiality for emeralds.
partially | partially: adv. partly, in part, to some extent or degree, to a limited or a certain extent or degree, not totally or wholly or entirely, restrictedly, incompletely, in some measure, relatively, comparatively, moderately, (up) to a (given or certain) point, somewhat: Jon found the meal only partially satisfying and ordered another bread pudding.
participant | participant: n. 1 participator, partaker, sharer, party, contributor, prime mover: The chief participants in the recent terrorist attack are in custody. --adj. 2 Usually, participant in or of. participating, partaking, sharing: As a shareholder, he will be participant in the profits.
participate | participate: v. Often, participate in. take part (in), share (in), partake (in or of), join (in), engage (in), get or become involved (in), be or become associated (with), enter (in or into), contribute (to): We invited her to join the group, but she refuses to participate. I would like to participate in the venture.
particle | particle: n. atom, molecule, scintilla, spark, mote, suggestion, hint, suspicion, gleam, bit, crumb, jot, tittle, whit, mite, speck, dot, spot, iota, grain, morsel, shred, sliver, scrap, Colloq smidgen or smidgin: There isn''t the slightest particle of evidence linking them with the murder.
particular | particular: adj. 1 certain, specific, special, peculiar, singular, single, isolated, individual, distinct, discrete, separate, definite, precise, express: These are not his particular sentiments but those of thousands of his followers. In this particular instance your theory does not apply. 2 marked, special, especial, exceptional, remarkable, noteworthy, notable, outstanding, unusual: The commendation is for her particular contribution to the treatment of nervous disorders. Vintage port is a particular favourite of mine. 3 detailed, itemized, item-by-item, thorough, minute, precise, exact, exacting, painstaking, nice, rigorous, close, blow-by-blow: The inscriptions reveal the particular care taken in keeping daily records. 4 fussy, meticulous, finicky, finical, fastidious, discriminating, selective, demanding, hypercritical, critical, Colloq pernickety or US also persnickety, choosy, picky: Daphne is very particular about whom she invites to dinner. --n. 5 Usually, particulars. detail, minutia, fine point, item, specific, element, fact, circumstance, information: The particulars may never be revealed, but we know in general what took place that fateful night. 6 in particular. particularly, specifically, precisely, exactly, especially, specially; particular, specific, special, definite: I told mother that I was just going out, not anywhere in particular.
particularly | particularly: adv. 1 especially, specially, exceptionally, peculiarly, singularly, distinctively, uniquely, unusually, uncommonly, notably, outstandingly, markedly, extraordinarily, very, extremely, strikingly, surprisingly, amazingly: Susannah went through a particularly bad patch but she''s better now. Holroyd is a good writer, particularly of biography. 2 in particular, specifically, especially, principally, mainly, exceptionally, expressly, explicitly, notably, markedly; only, solely: Maeterlinck was particularly interested in bees.
parting | parting: n. 1 separating, splitting, dividing, breaking (up or apart), sundering, cleaving; separation, split, division, break-up, rift, rupture: The high point of the film was the parting of the Red Sea. The parting between Harriet and Sam after twenty turbulent years was to be expected. 2 leave-taking, farewell, saying goodbye, departure, leaving, going (away), making one''s adieus or adieux; valediction: Parting is such sweet sorrow. --adj. 3 closing, final, concluding, last, departing, valedictory; deathbed, dying: Her parting comment was, ''If you''re leaving, take the rubbish''.
partisan | partisan: n. 1 partizan, devotee, follower, supporter, adherent, backer, champion, enthusiast, fan, zealot, fanatic, Chiefly US and Canadian booster, Colloq US rooter: He has long been a partisan of surrealism. 2 guerrilla or guerilla, freedom fighter, underground or resistance fighter, irregular: During the war the Yugoslav partisans were led by Marshal Tito. --adj. 3 one-sided, factional, biased, tendentious, sectarian, opinionated, partial, bigoted, prejudiced, parochial, myopic, short-sighted, near-sighted, narrow, narrow-minded, limited: She refuses to become involved in partisan politics. 4 guerrilla or guerilla, freedom, underground, resistance, irregular: They were both members of the Maquis, the French partisan group who fought against the Nazis.
partition | partition: n. 1 separation, division, splitting (up), split-up, partitionment, break-up, breaking up, segmenting, segmentation: One of the results of World War II was the partition of Germany. 2 allotment, allotting, apportionment, apportioning, distribution, distributing, meting out, doling out, rationing (out), sharing (out), dividing (up), giving or handing or passing out, parcelling out, Colloq divvying up: The partition of the estate is in the hands of our solicitors. 3 (room) divider, (dividing) wall, barrier, screen, separator: Let''s put up a partition to divide this office into two. 4 compartment, room, chamber, section, part, area, division, subdivision, cell, stall, booth: In open floor planning, furniture, plantings, and other movables are used to create the partitions where people work. --v. 5 divide (up), separate, cut up, subdivide, split (up): It is always a mistake to partition a country into smaller, potentially quarrelsome units. 6 Often, partition off. divide, separate, subdivide, wall off, screen (off), fence off: We must partition off the machine room so that the office staff are not disturbed by the noise.
partly | partly: adv. See partially, above.
partner | partner: n. 1 sharer, partaker, associate, colleague, participant, accomplice, accessory, confederate, comrade, ally, collaborator, companion, team-mate, fellow, alter ego, friend, Colloq pal, sidekick, mate, US and Canadian buddy, cohort: His partner in the bank robbery was arrested this morning. 2 wife or husband, spouse, mate, helpmate, helpmeet, consort: She became my life partner more than 50 years ago. 3 companion, fellow-dancer: Won''t you change partners and dance with me?
party | party: n. 1 (social) gathering, (cocktail or dinner) party, celebration, f�te or fete, function, reception, soir�e, levee, festivity, festivities, festival, frolic, spree, romp, carousal or carouse, saturnalia, bacchanalia, debauch, orgy, Colloq get-together, bash, bust, shindig or shindy, ball, at-home, do, Brit beanfeast, beano, knees-up, US blow-out, Slang Brit rave or rave-up, Chiefly US and Canadian wingding, bust-up, US hop: Campbell said he had a marvellous time at your birthday party. 2 group, company, band, body, corps, gang, crew, team, squad, troop, platoon, detachment, detail, cadre, unit, Colloq bunch, outfit: A small party of men is trapped on the other side of the river. 3 side, interest, faction, league, club, coalition, bloc, division, sect, denomination, clique, coterie, set, cabal, junta or junto, partisans, adherents, confederacy, confederation, federation, Chiefly US and Canadian caucus: The proliferation of political parties confuses the electorate. 4 participant, participator, confederate, associate, ally, accomplice, accessory, approver, ratifier, upholder, contributor, supporter, advocate, backer, aid, helper, seconder, promoter, partisan, defender, exponent, proponent, champion: I refuse to be a party to any illegal act. 5 individual, person, litigant, plaintiff, defendant, side, interest, signer, signatory, co-signatory, participant, US co-signer: The party of the first part accuses the party of the second part of infidelity. How many parties are there to this contract?
parvenu | parvenu: n. 1 parvenue, upstart, arriviste, nouveau riche, intruder, adventurer, social climber: Usually one generation has to pass before a parvenu is accepted by the class with which his money associates him. --adj. 2 nouveau riche, upstart, intrusive: This parvenu industrialist tried to use his wealth to make up for his lack of refinement.
pass | pass: v. 1 Often, pass by. proceed or move past, go by or past: She passed me in the street. I didn''t recognize her till she had passed. We met like ships that pass in the night. 2 proceed, move (onwards), go (ahead), progress, extend, lie, run, flow, fly, roll, course, stream, drift, sweep: A flock of geese passed overhead. 3 let pass, let go (by), overlook, disregard, ignore, pay no heed, omit, skip: I think I''ll pass on making a decision till the proper time comes. 4 qualify (in), pass muster (in), get or come through, succeed: Deirdre didn''t believe she would pass chemistry, but pass she did. 5 spend, devote, use (up), expend, employ, occupy, fill, while away, take (up); dissipate, waste, fritter away, kill: He passed his time on Devil''s Island planning ways to escape. 6 surpass, exceed, outdo, transcend, go beyond, overshoot, outstrip, outrun, surmount, outdistance: She passed her own expectations in winning the scholarship. How Alan ever got a degree passes all comprehension. 7 allow, tolerate, permit, approve, sanction, accept, authorize, endorse, carry, agree to, confirm: The customs inspectors passed my luggage without question. The bill passed the committee and came up for voting. 8 give, hand round or along or over, transfer, pass on or over, deliver, convey, Sports US hand off, Colloq toss, throw, reach: Please pass the salt. The sweeper passed the ball back to the goalkeeper. 9 utter, express, issue, declare, pronounce, deliver, set forth, offer: Who is she to pass judgement on abstract paintings? 10 go away, disappear, vanish, evaporate, fade away, melt away, evanesce, cease (to exist), (come to an) end, die out, go by the board, terminate, Literary evanish, Colloq blow over: For an instant I was gripped by a horrible fear, but the feeling passed. 11 go (by), expire, elapse; slip by or away, fly; crawl, creep, drag: Weeks have passed since we last met. Time passes quickly when you''re having fun. 12 evacuate, void, eliminate, excrete, defecate, urinate: The tests showed that he had passed some gravel in his urine. 13 come to pass. befall, happen, occur, take place, come about, arise, Colloq come off: And it came to pass that a great pestilence was abroad in the land. 14 pass away. a die, expire, perish, succumb, breathe one''s last, pass on, go to one''s reward, go to one''s final or last resting-place, (go to) meet one''s Maker, Colloq go west, give up the ghost, Slang croak, kick the bucket, Chiefly US bite the dust, turn up one''s toes: He was the sole beneficiary when she passed away. b vanish, disappear, go away, stop, cease, end: The feeling of vertigo simply passed away when the plane landed. 15 pass by. See 1, above: The strikers were urging people to pass by the shop. 16 pass for or as. a be taken for, be mistaken for, be regarded as, be accepted as: He wrote a book about being a man who passed for a woman. b impersonate, imitate, mimic, pass (oneself) off as, come or go as, be disguised as, disguise oneself as, assume the guise of, masquerade as, pose as, assume the role of, act the part of, act like, pretend to be, play: Using her best cockney accent, she tried to pass as a Londoner. 17 pass off. evaporate, disappear, evanesce, be emitted: The water passes off as steam, leaving the distillate in the flask. 18 pass on. a proceed, continue, progress: Let us now pass on to the next lesson. b bequeath, hand down or on, transfer, make over, will, cede, give: The old gambler passed on to me the secret of never losing - Don''t gamble. c See 14, (a), above. 19 pass (oneself) off as. See 16, (b), above. 20 pass out. a faint, collapse, swoon, black out, drop, Colloq conk out, keel over: When they told her of the accident, she passed out on the spot. b distribute, dole out, mete out, deal (out), hand out: After we took our seats, the cabin staff passed out glasses of champagne. 21 pass over. See 3, above: I shall pass over his latest misdeeds without comment. 22 pass up. reject, decline, refuse, waive, turn down, dismiss, spurn, renounce; deny (oneself), skip, give up, forgo, let go (by), abandon, forswear, forsake, let pass, ignore, pay no heed, disregard, pay no heed, omit: If you don''t buy this car, you are passing up an opportunity of a lifetime. --n. 23 defile, gorge, col, cwm, cut, canyon or ca�on, notch, gap, gully, couloir; passage, opening, way, route, road: We had mined the pass to prevent the enemy''s advance. 24 authorization, permit, licence, approval, safe conduct, green light, go-ahead; permission, freedom, liberty, authority, clearance; Colloq OK or okay: He bribed an official for a pass to leave the country. 25 free pass, complimentary ticket, Slang US twofer, Annie Oakley: I have two passes to the opera tonight - Want to go? 26 state (of affairs), condition, situation, stage, juncture, status, crux; predicament, crisis: At that critical pass, it was too late to change policy. Things had come to a pretty pass. 27 attempt, trial, try, effort, endeavour: Anita''s first pass at a perfect score resulted in disaster. We made a pass at docking while under sail. 28 (sexual or indecent) overture or advance(s), proposition, indecent proposal: That lecher has made a pass at every secretary he''s ever had. 29 manoeuvre, approach; passage, flight, fly-by, transit: The pilot''s first pass over the airfield was at 500 feet. 30 transfer, toss, throw, US hand-off: A forward pass is illegal in rugby.
passable | passable: adj. 1 satisfactory, acceptable, tolerable, all right, adequate, admissible, allowable, presentable, average, fair (enough), fair to middling, fairly good, middling, not bad, unexceptional, sufficient, indifferent, Colloq OK or okay, so so: I thought the play passable, but not up to his usual standard. 2 traversable, navigable, open, unobstructed, unblocked: The channel is passable till October, when the river freezes over.
passage | passage: n. 1 movement, moving, going, transition, transit, traversal, traverse, progress, crossing, passing: The queen''s passage through the town was attended by much jubilation. We observed the passage of Mercury across the sun''s disc. 2 extract, excerpt, selection, section, part, portion, text, paragraph, canto, stanza, verse, line, sentence, phrase, citation, quotation: I recognize this passage from The Faerie Queene . 3 way, route, avenue, course, channel; road, thoroughfare: Amundsen found a navigable passage between the Atlantic and Pacific across North America. 4 corridor, hall, passageway, hallway, vestibule, lobby, foyer: As I stepped into the passage outside my room I heard a door slam. 5 change, mutation, shift, conversion, progression, passing: In sublimation, the passage is directly between the solid and gaseous or vaporous states, without an intermediate liquid stage. 6 passing, elapse, progress, progression, flow, march, advance: She may become more tractable with the passage of time. 7 voyage, trip, journey, cruise, crossing, sail, run, travel, travelling; Brit accommodation or US accommodations, arrangement(s), facilities: In 1942 the trans-Atlantic passage was fraught with danger. The refugees were guaranteed safe passage to the border. We have been unable to book a passage to Majorca for tomorrow. 8 safe conduct, permission, privilege, liberty, freedom, visa, authorization, allowance: Our troops were denied passage through Nepal. 9 enactment, ratification, sanction, approval, acceptance, passing, adoption, endorsement, endorsing, legitimatization or legitimization, legalization, legislation, constitutionalization, ordainment: It appears that there is enough support to ensure passage of the bill. 10 traffic, trafficking, dealing, shipment, shipping, commerce, trade, exchange, transaction: Representatives of several governments discussed putting a halt to the passage of narcotics from Colombia. 11 aperture, hole, orifice, opening; entry, access, inlet; exit, outlet: We found a tiny passage through which the termites were entering and leaving.
pass� | pass�: adj. old-fashioned, unfashionable, dated, out of date, behind the times, outmoded, obsolete, obsolescent, antiquated, archaic, d�mod�, quaint, antique, superseded, Colloq out, not or no longer in, old hat, back number: She persisted in dressing in a style that had been pass� at the turn of the century.
passenger | passenger: n. rider, fare, traveller, voyager, commuter: The cruise ships have very comfortable accommodation for their passengers.
passing | passing: adj. 1 disappearing, vanishing, ephemeral, brief, going, fading (away), slipping away, short-lived, expiring, transient, transitory, temporary, momentary, fleeting, transitional, impermanent: I hope that Anne''s obsession with acid rock is a passing fancy. 2 hasty, superficial, cursory, casual, quick, fleeting, brief, summary, abrupt, dismissive; glancing: The speaker paid only passing attention to those he disagreed with. 3 in passing. by the way, incidentally, by the by, parenthetically, en passant: I might mention, in passing, that my train was late owing to the strike. --n. 4 death, dying, demise, end, loss, expiry, expiration, dying out, extinction, disappearance, vanishment: Her passing is a great sorrow to all of us. Who thought we would live to see the passing of the steam engine?
passion | passion: n. 1 Often, passions. ardour, ardency, eagerness, intensity, fervour, fervency, fervidness, zeal, zealousness, avidity, avidness, zest, zestfulness, vivacity, vivaciousness, gusto, verve, emotion, feeling, animation, spirit, spiritedness, vigour, enthusiasm, eagerness; zealotry, fanaticism, feverishness: The passions of the mob are uncontrollable. Passion and prejudice govern the world. Passions ran high at the political convention. 2 fit, outburst, frenzy, paroxysm, seizure, spasm, convulsion, eruption, whirlwind, tempest, storm, ferment, fury, furore or US furor: Henry fell on his knees in a passion of grief. 3 infatuation, mania, obsession, craze, craving, lust, (unquenchable) thirst, (insatiable) hunger, itch, yearning, longing, desire, concupiscence, love, affection, enthusiasm, compulsion, fondness, predilection, keenness, fancy, fascination, partiality, liking, interest, weakness, Colloq yen: Would the world be a better place if the passion for spiritual values were as great as for material things? She has a passion for chocolates. 4 love, heart''s desire, beloved, idol, hero or heroine, obsession, Colloq heartthrob, dream-girl or dream-boy: He may not look much to you but he is the passion of every teenage girl. 5 Usually, Passion. pain, suffering, agony, martyrdom: Christ underwent his Passion at Calvary.
passionate | passionate: adj. 1 ardent, eager, intense, fervid, zealous, avid, eager, earnest, zestful, feverish, fanatic(al), vehement, impassioned, emotional, animated, spirited, enthusiastic, vigorous, invigorated, energetic: Passionate environmentalists campaign for better governmental control of carbon dioxide emissions. 2 aroused, lustful, lecherous, erotic, sexual, amorous, sensual, Colloq hot: She tried to resist his passionate advances. 3 quick-tempered, irascible, hotheaded, fiery, testy, huffy or huffish, peevish, cranky, peppery, choleric, touchy, bilious, snappish, volatile, cross, temperamental, irritable, quarrelsome, pugnacious, argumentative, contentious, belligerent, Rare atrabilious or atrabiliar: Valerie gets into a passionate mood whenever she thinks she is being treated unjustly.
passive | passive: adj. 1 inactive, non-aggressive, inert, motionless, unresponsive, quiet, calm, tranquil, serene, placid, still, idle, unmoving, unmoved, impassive, untouched, cool, indifferent, phlegmatic, uninterested, uninvolved, dispassionate, apathetic, lifeless, listless, quiescent, unperturbed, unaffected, imperturbable, unshaken, Colloq laid-back, out of it: The comic was unable to get a reaction from the passive audience. 2 submissive, repressed, deferential, yielding, compliant, complaisant, receptive, flexible, malleable, pliable, tractable, docile, subdued, sheepish, ovine, lamblike, cow-like, bovine, tame, gentle, meek, patient, unresisting, unassertive, forbearing, tolerant, resigned, long-suffering, Colloq US excuse-me-for-living: People tend to bully those of a more passive nature. 3 unexpressed, tacit, unrevealed, undisclosed, implicit, unasserted: We can no longer take a passive position regarding crime. Your passive support, while welcome, is not as effective as active campaigning.
password | password: n. watchword, shibboleth, open sesame, countersign: If you don''t know the password, the guard won''t let you in.
past | past: adj. 1 over, done, finished, (over and) done with, gone (and forgotten), dead (and buried or gone), defunct: The day of the horse and carriage is past. 2 late, former, one-time, sometime, previous, prior, erstwhile, quondam, whilom; last, recent: Past owners of the house had no idea that this treasure was buried in the basement. --adv. 3 on, (close) by, nearby: I was standing here when he ran past. 4 ago, before, heretofore, since: The previous owners moved out two years past. --n. 5 history, background, life, lifetime, existence, career, lifestyle, biography: She reveals all about her past in her new book. 6 days or years or times gone by, days of yore, old times, olden times or days, former times, (good) old days, days of old, days beyond recall: In the past, life proceeded at a more leisurely pace.
pastiche | pastiche: n. mixture, medley, blend, compound, composite, patchwork, olla podrida, pot-pourri, motley, miscellany, omnium gatherum, m�lange, gallimaufry, farrago, mishmash, hotchpotch or US and Canadian hodgepodge, tangle, Colloq mess: The room was furnished in a pastiche of styles from every imaginable period.
pastime | pastime: n. hobby, avocation, recreation, diversion, distraction, amusement, entertainment, fun, play, leisure-time activity, relaxation, leisure, sport, divertissement: As a pastime, she collects books.
pastor | pastor: n. vicar, clergyman, clergywoman, parson, minister, churchman, churchwoman, rector, canon, reverend, father, divine, ecclesiastic, priest, bishop: The pastor led the congregation in prayer.
pastoral | pastoral: adj. 1 bucolic, idyllic, Edenic, innocent, simple, tranquil, serene, quiet, restful, peaceful, peaceable, placid, pacific, harmonious, simple, uncomplicated, Literary Arcadian, georgic: After a week in those pastoral surroundings, she felt inspired. Theocritus is noted for his pastoral poetry. 2 country, rural, rustic, provincial, farming, agricultural, agrarian; humble: He has chosen a pastoral setting for the play, which contrasts sharply with the emotional intensity of the characters. 3 clerical, ministerial, ecclesiastic(al), church(ly): Our vicar discharges his pastoral duties with energy and sincerity. --n. 4 idyll, eclogue, georgic: Flambeau did these marvellous engravings for a book of pastorals.
pasture | pasture: n. meadow, meadow-land, pasture land, grassland, grass, lea, range; pasturage: How much pasture is needed for 200 head of cattle?
pasty | pasty: adj. wan, pallid, pasty-faced, sallow, pale, pale-faced, whey-faced, sickly, anaemic: He had the pasty complexion of a child raised in an industrial city.
pat� | pat�: v. 1 tap, touch, dab, pet, stroke, caress: Being short, he hated it when people affectionately patted him on the head. Pat down the coverlet to smooth out the wrinkles. 2 pat on the back. congratulate, commend, praise, compliment, encourage, reassure: The sales manager patted me on the back for clinching the contract. --n. 3 tap, touch, dab, stroke, caress: Give the dog a pat and he''ll leave you alone. 4 (small) piece, patty, lump, cake, portion; patty: The waiter put a pat of butter on my plate. 5 pat on the back. commendation, praise, compliment, flattery, encouragement, credit, reassurance, approval, endorsement, recognition; honeyed words: I was expecting a big bonus, but all I got was a pat on the back.
pat� | pat�: adv. 1 perfectly, exactly, precisely, faultlessly, flawlessly, just so or right, Brit off pat: She has the new technique pat. 2 aptly, suitably, appositely, readily, appropriately, fittingly, relevantly: His reply came out a little too pat. --adj. 3 apt, suitable, apposite, ready, appropriate, fitting, relevant: The poet made a very pat comparison.
patch | patch: n. 1 piece, scrap, reinforcement; shred, snip, snippet, tatter; pad: Mother sewed colourful patches over the holes in my jeans. 2 area, section, segment, plat, plot, lot, tract, ground, parcel, field: All he ever wanted was a little house on a little patch of land. 3 responsibility, area, bailiwick, territory: The handling of customer complaints is in your patch, Gordon. 4 period, interval, spell, stage, episode, time; experience: She went through a bad patch shortly after Starkey died. --v. 5 patch up or over, mend, repair, vamp, revamp, darn, sew (up), reinforce, cover: I had my trousers patched where the dog bit me. Her father always wore the same patched jacket to the club. 6 Often, patch up. fix (up), doctor, jury-rig, improvise, knock together or up: Can you patch it up so I can drive it home? 7 patch up. settle, set right or straight, straighten out, reconcile, resolve, heal; come or bring to terms, bury the hatchet, kiss and make up, call a truce: Will the two girls ever patch up their differences?
patchwork | patchwork: n. pastiche or pasticcio, mixture, confusion, hotchpotch or US also hodgepodge, gallimaufry, olio, olla podrida, mishmash, jumble, m�lange, medley, hash, US crazy quilt, Colloq mixed bag: The landscape is a patchwork of ploughland and pasture, with little copses and rivers. The concerto by Lindslade is ''derivative'' - that is, it is a patchwork.
patent | patent: n. 1 certificate of invention, letters patent, trade name, trade mark, copyright, US service mark; licence, permit, charter, franchise, grant; control: My brother holds the patent on a new piece of laboratory equipment. You think you have a patent on misery, but I have news for you. --adj. 2 obvious, clear, transparent, manifest, apparent, plain, evident, self-evident, unmistakable or unmistakeable, unequivocal, explicit, palpable, tangible, physical, conspicuous, flagrant, blatant, prominent: The results are as patent as the fact that two and two make four.
paternal | paternal: adj. 1 fatherly, kindly, indulgent, solicitous, fond, concerned, devoted, loving; patriarchal: Uncle Charles takes a paternal interest in the welfare of his nieces and nephews. 2 patrilineal or patrilinear, patriclinous or patroclinous or patriclinal or patroclinal or patriclinic or patroclinic, patrilateral, patrimonial: She resembles her paternal grandmother. His fortune is partly paternal, partly acquired.
paternity | paternity: n. fatherhood, fathership; parentage, descent, heritage, line, lineage, extraction, family, stock, strain, blood, patrilineage: The child''s paternity was established through DNA tests.
path | path: n. 1 footpath, pathway, tow-path, track, trail, walk, walkway, Brit footway: A little kitten was sitting on the garden path. 2 way, course, track, route, road; orbit, trajectory, circuit: She had to overcome many obstacles in her path to the directorship. The path of the missile will take it outside the atmosphere. 3 course, approach, channel, direction, procedure, process, way, avenue, means, method, technique, strategy, scheme, plan, Colloq US game plan, scenario: What path would you follow to accomplish your ends?
pathetic | pathetic: adj. 1 moving, stirring, affecting, affective, touching, emotional, emotive, poignant, tragic, heart-rending, heart-breaking, pitiful, pitiable, piteous, plaintive, wretched, miserable, sorrowful, grievous, sad, doleful, dolorous, mournful, woeful, lamentable: The boat people told a pathetic tale of the hardship of weeks in the open sea. 2 meagre, paltry, feeble, inadequate, poor, petty, puny, sorry, piddling, Colloq measly, Slang crummy: He made a pathetic effort to pull himself together. A return of three per cent a year is pathetic.
patience | patience: n. 1 tolerance, forbearance, restraint, toleration, sufferance, leniency, submission, resignation, self-control, imperturbability, even temper, unflappability, composure, calmness, serenity, equanimity: Many parents lose their patience when dealing with children. 2 diligence, tenacity, doggedness, indefatigability, endurance, assiduity, perseverance, constancy, persistence, steadfastness, pertinacity, determination, resolve, resolution, firmness, stoicism, fortitude, Colloq US stick-to-it-iveness: Where do you get the patience to wait in those long queues?
patient | patient: adj. 1 resigned, submissive, stoical, long-suffering, compliant, acquiescent, passive, self-possessed, philosophical, serene, unaggressive: The staff who handle complaints must be extremely patient. 2 diligent, dogged, tenacious, persistent, assiduous, sedulous, steadfast, staunch, perseverant, unwavering, unswerving, constant, unfaltering, unfailing, untiring, tireless, indefatigable, pertinacious, determined, resolved, resolute, firm, unyielding: Be patient, and don''t do anything rash. 3 forbearing, tolerant, forgiving, lenient, accommodating: We have been patient long enough and must now put a stop to the vandalism. --n. 4 invalid, sufferer, case, valetudinarian: Doctors were called in to treat patients who developed the symptoms.
patriot | patriot: n. nationalist, loyalist; flag-waver, jingo, jingoist, chauvinist: She was among the patriots ready to do battle for their country.
patriotic | patriotic: adj. nationalist(ic), loyalist; flag-waving, jingoist(ic), chauvinist(ic): The fact that they criticize the government may show that they are more rather than less patriotic.
patrol | patrol: n. 1 guard, sentry, watch, watchman, sentinel, patrolman: The patrol passes here once every hour. 2 rounds, policing, patrolling, beat; protecting, protection, guarding, safeguarding, defending, watchfulness, vigilance: The patrol must be maintained night and day. --v. 3 police, guard, protect, defend, watch over, walk a beat, make (the) rounds, stand or keep guard or watch (over), keep vigil: Some of the local residents have taken to patrolling the neighbourhood at night.
patron | patron: n. 1 patroness, benefactor, benefactress, philanthropist, Maecenas, protector, supporter, defender, advocate, champion, guardian (angel), sponsor, backer, promoter, sympathizer, friend, US booster; friend at court; Colloq angel: Lady Agnes is a well-known patron of the arts. 2 customer, client, purchaser, buyer, patronizer, habitu�, regular, frequenter: The patrons habituate her shop because of the bargains to be found there.
patronage | patronage: n. 1 sponsorship, support, backing, promotion, encouragement, boosting, aid, help, sympathy, financing, auspices, protection, guardianship, aegis: The exhibition was organized with the duke''s patronage. 2 trade, business, custom, trading, traffic: The shop could never succeed with our patronage. 3 condescension, disdain, scorn, contempt, contumely, superiority, patronizing, stooping, deigning, humiliation: There is an air of patronage about him when he finally does allow me a visit. 4 favouritism, partiality, preference, bias, nepotism, political patronage, granting of indulgences, US spoils (system): Politicians have always used patronage to reward support.
patronize | patronize: v. 1 look down on, scorn, look down one''s nose at, treat condescendingly, talk down to, treat as (an) inferior, disdain, demean, put down, humiliate, Formal contemn: He patronizes people by patting them on the head. 2 bring trade to, deal or trade or do or transact business with, buy or purchase from, frequent, shop at, be a customer or client of: You should patronize the local merchants in your town. 3 sponsor, support, back, promote, encourage, boost, aid, assist, help, fund, contribute or subscribe to, underwrite, foster: The fund has patronized the arts in this town for many years.
patter� | patter�: v. 1 tiptoe; scurry, scuttle, skip, trip: I could hear the squirrels pattering across the metal roof. 2 spatter, pitter-patter, tap, pit-a-pat; beat, pelt: The rain pattered on the tent with increasing intensity. --n. 3 spatter, spattering, pit-a-pat, pitter-patter, tattoo, drum, thrum, beat, beating, tap, ratatat, tap-tap: The rhythmical patter of the rain lulled me to sleep.
patter� | patter�: n. 1 pitch, sales talk, spiel, line: Anyone listening to his patter might be inclined to buy a time-share holiday. 2 chatter, prattle, prate, babbling, babble, gabble, gabbling, cackle, cackling, palaver, jabber, jabbering, chit-chat, small talk, gossip, blather or blether, gibberish or gibber, Chiefly Brit natter, nattering, Scots clishmaclaver, Colloq gab, gabbing, Slang gas, hot air, yackety-yack, yack: The chap tapping our phone had to listen to the teenagers'' patter for hours on end. --v. 3 chatter, prattle, prate, babble, gabble, cackle, palaver, jabber, rattle (on), chit-chat, chaffer, gossip, blather or blether, gibber, Chiefly Brit natter, witter (on), Colloq gab, Slang gas, yackety-yack, yack, jibber-jabber: They just patter on about nothing in particular.
pattern | pattern: n. 1 model, original, archetype, prototype, exemplar, paragon, ideal, standard, yardstick, criterion, gauge, measure: Their life together could serve as a pattern for any couple. 2 figure, motif, design, device, decoration, ornament: The pattern of the wallpaper clashes with that of the curtains. 3 system, order, arrangement, plan, theme; repetition, consistency, orderliness, regularity, sequence, cycle: By carefully noting the movements of the heavenly bodies, ancient observers were able to detect a pattern. 4 blueprint, diagram, plan, layout, design, draft, guide, template or templet, stencil, mould, matrix: These new lighting fixtures are made to a 19th-century pattern. 5 sample, example, instance, specimen, representation: Were you able to match up your fabric pattern with one of those in the tailor''s book? 6 layout, configuration, figure, formation, composition: The geese often flew in a V-shaped pattern. --v. 7 Often, pattern on. model on, imitate, copy, mimic, duplicate, follow, emulate, simulate: She tried to pattern her behaviour on that of her older sister. 8 decorate, figure, ornament: Cynthia''s gifts were wrapped in a beautifully patterned paper.
paunch | paunch: n. belly, pot-belly, Colloq corporation, US bay window, Slang beer-belly: Capitalism is often conventionalized as a top-hatted older man, in tails, with a huge paunch and a cigar.
pauper | pauper: n. have-not, indigent, down-and-out(er), bankrupt, insolvent; beggar, mendicant; tramp, hobo, vagrant, US bum: The mortgage payments on such a lavish house soon made him a pauper.
pause | pause: v. 1 hesitate, interrupt, delay, hold up, discontinue, break, wait, mark time, suspend, intermit, falter, rest: He paused for a moment to allow late-comers to take their seats. --n. 2 hesitation, interruption, delay, lull, lapse, moratorium, hold-up, wait, break, breather, breathing-space, discontinuity, lacuna, hiatus, abeyance, discontinuation, discontinuance, Prosody caesura, Music fermata, Colloq let-up: There was a brief pause, then the altercation in the neighbouring flat resumed.
pave | pave: v. 1 macadamize, tarmac, asphalt, tile, flag, concrete, cover, surface: Europeans thought that the streets of America were paved with gold. 2 pave the way for or to. prepare or smooth the way for, open the door for, make easy or easier for; facilitate, ease: If I talk to him first, perhaps I can pave the way for you to make your proposal.
pawn� | pawn�: v. 1 pledge, mortgage, hypothecate, plight, deposit, Formal pignorate, Archaic gage, Colloq Brit pop, Chiefly US and Canadian hock: I had to pawn my watch to get enough money to eat. 2 venture, stake, risk, gamble, hazard, chance, jeopardize: By agreeing to donate one of his kidneys, he pawned his life to save hers. --n. 3 collateral, guaranty or guarantee, pledge, surety, security, assurance, bond, bail, deposit: She gave her jewels as pawn for the safe return of the children.
pawn� | pawn�: n. tool, cat''s-paw, puppet, instrument, dummy, dupe, Colloq stooge: He''s not important: he''s just being used as a pawn by the powerful interests involved.
pay | pay: v. 1 recompense, compensate, remunerate, reward, indemnify; repay, refund, reimburse; pay off, pay out, pay up, satisfy, clear, remit, discharge, liquidate, settle, honour, meet: Do you think that nurses are poorly paid? You have 30 days to pay this invoice. 2 reward, benefit, recompense, requite, compensate: Thurlew has been amply paid by having his name engraved on the roll of honour. 3 extend, bestow, transmit, pass on, give, deliver: Please pay my respects to your wife. 4 benefit, profit, avail, (turn out to) be or prove profitable or worthwhile, yield a return, be advantageous, produce results, pay off: It no longer pays to complain about the service in the shops. Honesty pays. 5 pay back, repay, retaliate, settle (accounts) (with), even the score or a score, reciprocate, requite, take or get revenge on, avenge oneself for or on, treat in kind, hit or strike or get back (at), settle or pay off or even a score or the score (with), exact one''s pound of flesh (from), make (someone) pay (for), punish, chastise, castigate, Brit pay out, Colloq get even (with): If I catch him, I''ll pay him for turning informer. 6 suffer (the consequences), answer (for), make amends (for), atone (for), get one''s (just) deserts, undergo punishment (for), be punished (for): If I catch him, I''ll make him pay. Society requires that he pay for his crime. 7 produce or make or generate or earn money, yield a return, pay off: His vending-machine business certainly pays well. 8 pay back. a recompense, compensate, remunerate, reward, indemnify; repay, pay off, refund, reimburse: I paid back every penny I borrowed from the bank. I''ll pay her back if it''s the last thing I do. b See 5, above. 9 pay for. See 6, above. 10 pay off. a See 4 and 7, and 8(a), above. b bribe, suborn, buy off, grease (someone''s) palm, give (someone) a bribe or a rebate, Colloq give (someone) a kickback, slip (someone) something: Did he really pay off the judges to select his daughter as Miss Tyneside? 11 pay out. a distribute, deal out, give out, disperse, disburse: The managing director paid out bonuses to the entire staff. b disburse, expend, spend, contribute, Colloq shell out, lay out, US and Canadian and Australian and New Zealand kick in with, Slang cough up, fork out or over or up: In the office, we are forever paying out for leaving presents. c release, loosen, let out, slack or slacken off (on): Pay out more rope so that he can reach it. d See 5, above: We''ll pay him out for everything he''s done to you, never fear! --n. 12 payment, compensation, recompense, settlement, return; remuneration, consideration, reward, money, wages, salary, fee, honorarium, remittance, stipend, income, takings, take-home (pay), gain, profit, Colloq US take: His sole pay for painting the kitchen was a big hug and a kiss. The work is tedious, but the pay isn''t bad.
payable | payable: adj. due, owed, owing, outstanding, unpaid, receivable, mature: This bill is payable at the end of the month.
payment | payment: n. 1 See pay, 12, above. 2 expenditure, disbursement, distribution, outlay, fee, contribution, charge, expense, payout: You are not authorized to make payment of any amount over �100.
pay-off | pay-off: n. 1 See pay, 12, above. 2 result, outcome, upshot, conclusion, wind-up, settlement, final reckoning, Colloq punch-line, crunch, grand finale, Slang US and Canadian kicker: The pay-off was that permission to march on Sunday was denied. 3 bribe, graft, rebate; ransom, blood-money, Colloq kickback, hush money, Chiefly US payola, US plugola: The pay-off was always made in cash, in used notes.
