
pocket | pocket: n. 1 pouch, sack, bag, receptacle, reticule, satchel: You should always have a clean handkerchief in your pocket. 2 cavity, pit, hollow, crater: We found water that had collected in pockets in the surface of the rock. 3 area, island, camp, centre, cluster, concentration: Leaders encountered pockets of resistance to the new policies among the farmers. --v. 4 take, appropriate, keep; filch, embezzle, steal, purloin, thieve, pilfer, help oneself to, palm, Colloq walk off or away with, pinch, swipe, rip off, hook, lift, snitch, Brit nick, snaffle: While collecting for charity, Johnson was known to have pocketed occasional contributions.
poem | poem: n. verse, lyric, rhyme or archaic rime, song, ode, rhapsody, jingle, ditty: The anthology contains poems by politicians.
poet | poet: n. poetess, versifier, metrist, lyricist or lyrist, versemaker, sonneteer, elegist, bard, minstrel; rhymester or rimester or rhymer or rimer, poetaster: A widely published poet, Constance is often invited to give readings.
poetic | poetic: adj. 1 poetical, lyric(al), metrical, musical, melodic; idyllic, elegiac, georgic, rhapsodic, epic, dithyrambic: She bought a volume of the poetic works of John Keats. 2 artistic, aesthetic, Parnassian, Hippocrenian, melodious: The novel contains some poetic passages of surpassing quality.
poetry | poetry: n. verse, versification, metrical composition, metrics, rhyme, Archaic poesy: Modern poetry is often rather obscure.
po-faced | po-faced: adj. stern-visaged, austere, dour, disapproving, frowning, grave, saturnine, solemn, sombre, humourless, grim, forbidding, severe, strait-laced, uncompromising, puritanical, prim, prudish, gruff, bluff, curmudgeonly: Despite having a po-faced approach to his work, William has a keen sense of humour when off duty.
poignant | poignant: adj. 1 distressing, upsetting, agonizing, grievous, painful, woeful, melancholy, blue, sad, sorrowful, tragic, disastrous, heart-rending, heart-breaking, excruciating, bitter, pathetic, pitiable, piteous, pitiful, miserable, moving, touching: The biography also covers the poignant early years, spent largely in orphanages and foster homes. 2 keen, acute, intense, incisive, sharp, stinging, pointed, piercing, penetrating, barbed, cutting, caustic, acid, acerbic, bitter, biting, mordant, sarcastic, sardonic, severe: The headmaster''s poignant remarks about honesty and loyalty really hurt. 3 sincere, earnest, heartfelt, deep, profound, dramatic, deeply felt, stirring, moving, touching, emotional: The reunion of the little boy and his dog was the most poignant moment in the film.
point | point: n. 1 dot, mark, speck; (full) stop, period; decimal point: The writing is smudged, but that looks like a point at the end of the line. 2 tip, peak, apex, spike, spur, prong, sharp end: Be careful of the point of that knife. 3 spot, place, stage, position; site, station, location, locale: We have reached the point of no return on that subject. I stopped at a few points along the way to admire the view. 4 time, moment, instant, juncture: At that point, we were summoned by the dinner bell. 5 focus, essence, meat, pith, quiddity, substance, heart, nucleus, crux, nub, core, bottom, details, Colloq guts, nitty-gritty: I wish he would stop all the palaver and get to the point. 6 purpose, intent, intention, aim, goal, object, objective, sense: What was the point of bringing that piece of gossip into the discussion? 7 thrust, drift, theme, purport, burden, import, implication, significance, signification, sense, meaning; application, applicability, relevancy, appropriateness: We found it difficult to see the point of the argument. 8 promontory, projection, headland, cape, peninsula: It may take us a day to sail round the point. 9 brink, verge: We were on the point of leaving when the guest of honour finally arrived. 10 detail, particular, item, element, nicety, aspect, facet, matter, issue, subject, question; specifics: Some of the points in her speech need clarification. 11 pointer, hint, suggestion, piece of advice, tip: The golf pro at the club gave me some good points on improving my swing. 12 thought, idea, consideration; notion, view, plan, tactic; something: That''s a point to keep in mind if you buy another sailing-boat. 13 unit, tally, score: She made her point and went on to win the match. 14 attribute, characteristic, feature, aspect, trait, quality, side, property: I suppose he has his good points, too. 15 beside the point. irrelevant, inapt, inappropriate, malapropos, incidental, immaterial, unimportant, pointless, inconsequential: The fact that she''s my sister is beside the point. 16 in point of. in reference to, regarding, as regards, in the matter of, concerning, with respect to: In point of date, the two events coincide perfectly. 17 make a point of or US also make (it) a point to. make an effort (to), put or place emphasis on, go out of one''s way (to); emphasize, single out, stress: He made a point of apologizing to the hostess for his behaviour. She made a special point of forgiving him. 18 to the point. relevant, pertinent, appropriate, fitting, apropos, germane, apt, applicable, apposite: The speech was short and to the point. --v. 19 Often, point to. indicate, call or direct attention to: Desir�e pointed to the building and asked what it was. 20 direct, level, aim, train: I awoke to find her pointing a gun at my head. 21 point out. a designate, call or direct attention to, show, exhibit, indicate, identify: The taxi driver pointed out all the sights as we drove along. b say, bring up, mention, allude to, bring up, emphasize, stress, point up, single out; allude to, call attention to, remind: I''d like to point out that you have rarely won at bridge. She pointed out the fallacy in his argument. 22 point up. emphasize, stress, accentuate, underline, underscore, accent, spotlight: Such errors point up the need to double-check everything.
point-blank | point-blank: adj. 1 direct, straight, blunt, flat, straightforward, abrupt, categorical, explicit, uncompromising, unmitigated, unalloyed, downright, outright, to the point, straight from the shoulder, (open and) above-board, unreserved: I asked her out to dinner and got a point-blank refusal. 2 close, short, nearby: He was shot at point-blank range. --adv. 3 directly, straight (away), right away, bluntly, flat, flatly, abruptly, categorically, unqualifiedly, explicitly, uncompromisingly, unmitigatedly, outright,, unreservedly, plainly, frankly, openly, candidly: He turned her down point-blank when she offered him the job. 4 directly, straight: He fired point-blank at the target.
pointed | pointed: adj. 1 needle-shaped, sharp, acute, barbed, peaked, spiked, spiky, Technical acuminate, cuspidate, aciform, acicular, aciculiform, aculeous, apiculate, spiculate, serrate(d), acuminate, mucroniform, mucronulate, mucronate(d), muricate, hebetate: The child was poking holes in the sand with a pointed stick. 2 incisive, piercing, cutting, sharp, pungent, keen, penetrating, telling, trenchant, biting, unmistakable or unmistakeable: The critic made a few pointed remarks about the actors'' reading of the lines.
pointer | pointer: n. 1 indicator, rod, stick; index, sign, arrow, Typography fist: The pointer is used to call attention to something important. 2 tip, advice, hint, suggestion, recommendation, piece of advice: McLeod gave me a few pointers on how to improve the restaurant service.
pointless | pointless: adj. purposeless, aimless, worthless, ineffective, meaningless, ineffectual, futile, unproductive, fruitless, bootless, useless, vain, senseless, absurd, silly, stupid, inane, asinine, fatuous, preposterous, nonsensical, ridiculous, empty, hollow: After her paper, someone rose and wasted half an hour making pointless remarks.
point of view | point of view: n. 1 viewpoint, perspective, approach, position, angle, slant, orientation, outlook, stance, standpoint, vantage point: From his point of view, I can see why Fred thinks the research is a waste of time. 2 opinion, view, belief, (way of) thinking, principle, doctrine: Shouldn''t everyone be entitled to express a point of view?
poise | poise: n. 1 balance, equilibrium, equipoise, equiponderance, parity, par: The chariots of the gods in even poise, obeying the rein, glide rapidly. 2 composure, control, self-possession, aplomb, assurance, dignity, equanimity, sang-froid, cool-headedness, imperturbability, presence of mind, coolness, staidness, reserve, sedateness, calmness, serenity, tranquillity, Colloq cool: Jane''s poise is remarkable, despite the heckling by the audience. --v. 3 balance, be balanced, hover, hang, float; make or be or get ready, prepare: The boulder was poised on the edge of the cliff.
poised | poised: adj. 1 composed, controlled, self-possessed, unflappable, (self-)confident, (self-)assured, dignified, cool-headed, imperturbable, unruffled, cool, staid, reserved, sedate, calm, serene, tranquil, Colloq together: For a lad of eleven, Richard is quite poised. 2 ready, standing by, waiting, prepared: Our commando unit is poised to attack at your signal. 3 teetering, hovering, tottering, wavering, suspended, trembling, wobbling, balanced: In the present business climate, the company is poised on the brink of bankruptcy.
poison | poison: n. 1 toxin, venom, bane; miasma, mephitis: The chemical plant was found to be releasing poisons into the atmosphere. He kills rats using poison. 2 virus, bane, cancer, canker, corrupt or evil influence, pestilence, plague, blight: The drug barons continue to spread their poison throughout the world. --v. 3 defile, adulterate, infect, taint, pollute; contaminate, debase, pervert, vitiate, subvert, warp, envenom: Chemicals from the nearby plant have poisoned the drinking-water. Why have you poisoned the child''s mind against eating spinach? 4 murder, kill, do away with, destroy, dispatch or despatch: Lucrezia Borgia poisoned her enemies in ingenious ways.
poisonous | poisonous: adj. 1 lethal, deadly, fatal, mortal, toxic, septic, virulent, noxious or rare nocuous, venomous, malignant, pernicious, miasmic, mephitic: Poisonous effluents were leaked into the rivers by the chemical plant. 2 malicious, malevolent, malignant, corruptive, vicious, baleful, evil, foul, diabolic(al), defamatory, libellous, slanderous, dangerous, deleterious,: They have been spreading poisonous gossip about him again.
poke | poke: v. 1 jab, stick, prod, dig, goad, stab, thrust, push, elbow, nudge, jog, jostle, butt, shove: Be careful not to poke someone in the eye with your umbrella. He tells a joke, then pokes me in the ribs to make sure I''ve got it. 2 punch, hit, strike, box, cuff, smite, smack: I made a suggestive remark and she poked me in the jaw. 3 pry, nose (about or around), stick one''s nose into, intrude, dig, probe, investigate; meddle, interfere, butt in, tamper; Colloq snoop: I wish they would stop poking into my affairs. 4 poke fun (at). tease, ridicule, mock, make fun of, jeer (at), chaff, taunt, twit, make sport of, needle, Colloq kid, rib, Brit send up, take the mickey out of: People who don''t understand something often poke fun at it. Stop poking fun at my hat. --n. 5 jab, prod, dig, stab, thrust, push, elbow, finger, nudge, jog, jostle, butt, shove: Every time Rodney wants to emphasize a point, he gives you a poke. 6 punch, hit, box, jab, cuff, smack, blow: If anyone says anything bad about you, I''ll give him a poke in the nose.
polar | polar: adj. 1 Arctic, Antarctic, frigid, icy, glacial, freezing, frozen, numbing, Siberian, hibernal, hyperborean, brumal, wintry: It is positively polar in the house without the heat turned on. 2 opposite, opposed, antithetical, contrary, contradictory, diametric, antipodal, antagonistic, hostile: Dante felt Good and Evil to be the two polar elements of the Creation, on which it all turns.
pole� | pole�: n. rod, stick, staff, spar, shaft, mast, standard, upright; flag-pole, flagstaff, jackstaff; beanpole, hop-pole: We had to use a long pole to get the kite down from the tree.
pole� | pole�: n. 1 extremity, end, limit, extreme: Their views are at opposite poles and they cannot agree. 2 from pole to pole. everywhere, all over, far and wide, high and low, leaving no stone unturned, throughout the world or the length and breadth of the land, Colloq US everyplace: He searched for her from pole to pole. 3 poles apart. (very or completely) different, worlds apart, at opposite extremes, at opposite ends of the earth, at odds, irreconcilable: I''m afraid that the union and management remain poles apart on the issue of working hours.
police | police: n. 1 constabulary, policemen, policewomen, police officers, Colloq boys in blue, the (long arm of the) law, the cops, the gendarmes, Slang the coppers, the fuzz, Brit the (Old) Bill, US the heat: There was a bit of an argument, so we called the police. --v. 2 patrol, guard, watch, protect: Additional officers were assigned to police the neighbourhood. 3 enforce, regulate, administer, oversee, control, observe, supervise, monitor: A unit was established to police the terms of the agreement.
police officer | police officer: n. officer, policeman, policewoman, constable, Brit police constable, PC, WPC, Chiefly US peace officer, patrolman, patrolwoman, Colloq cop, gendarme, Brit bobby; Slang copper, fuzz, flatfoot, Brit rozzer, Old Bill, Offensive and derogatory pig, Historical peeler, US bull, fuzz ball: The police officers then asked if I wouldn''t mind helping with their inquiries.
policy | policy: n. approach, procedure, (game) plan, design, scheme, programme, method, system, management, conduct, behaviour, strategy, tactic(s), principle(s), protocol, regulation, rule, custom, way, practice, ways and means, action: What policy should we follow regarding interest rates?
polish | polish: v. 1 shine, brighten, burnish, buff, furbish, wax, clean, smooth, rub, gloss: He polished up the handles so carefully That now he is the ruler of the Queen''s navy. 2 Often, polish up. refine, improve, perfect, finish, cultivate, ameliorate, enhance; correct, emend: If you polish up the article we might consider it for publication. 3 polish off. a conclude, end, terminate, finish: Ned polished off his homework in less than an hour. b kill, slay, murder, dispatch or despatch, destroy, dispose of, do away with, liquidate, eliminate, Slang bump off, rub out, do in, take for a ride: Three platoons were polished off quickly. c dispose of, put away, eat, consume, wolf (down): In a few minutes, MacGregor had polished off the entire meal. 4 polish up. study, review, learn, Archaic con, Colloq bone up (on), Slang Brit swot up (on): If you''re going to M�laga, you''d better polish up your Spanish. --n. 5 gloss, shine, lustre, sheen, glaze, smoothness, brilliance, sparkle, gleam, glow, brightness, radiance: You cannot imagine what a fine polish she put on that old table. 6 wax, oil: The new polish really put a shine on the desk.
polished | polished: adj. 1 accomplished, adept, proficient, expert, fine, outstanding, skilful, gifted, masterful, masterly, virtuoso, excellent, superior, superb, superlative; flawless, faultless, perfect, impeccable: Edna is quite a polished cellist. She gave a polished performance. 2 refined, elegant, cultivated, graceful, debonair, sophisticated, urbane, soign�(e), courtly, genteel, cultured, civilized, well-bred, well-mannered, polite: Under her guidance, James has become a polished gentleman.
polite | polite: adj. 1 civil, respectful, well-mannered, mannerly, courteous, deferential, diplomatic, tactful, formal, proper, cordial: We asked our new neighbours to tea but were met with a polite refusal. 2 See polished, 2, above.
politic | politic: adj. 1 ingenious, shrewd, crafty, canny, cunning, designing, scheming, clever, wily, foxy, tricky, artful, Macchiavellian, evasive, shifty, Colloq cagey: Daniel is politic enough to know how to manoeuvre situations to his benefit. 2 tactful, diplomatic, discreet, prudent, judicious, wise, sage, sagacious, sensible, intelligent, percipient, discriminating, far-sighted, expedient, perceptive: It was politic of the winner to share the prize with those who had helped him most.
political | political: adj. 1 governmental, civic, civil, public, state, national, federal; administrative, bureaucratic: The movement began as an attempt to gain political freedom. 2 partisan, factious, factional: A coalition government was formed by the major political parties.
politician | politician: n. legislator, lawmaker, statesman, stateswoman; minister, Brit Member of Parliament, MP, US public or civil servant, administrator, official, bureaucrat, office-bearer, senator, congressman, congresswoman, representative, assembly-man, assembly-woman, selectman; Colloq US derogatory politico, (political) boss or hack, machine politician, ward-heeler, wirepuller: Some politicians have given a bad name to the art of politics.
politics | politics: n. 1 public affairs, political science, civics, civil affairs, government, statecraft, diplomacy, statesmanship: Hume viewed politics as people united in society and dependent on each other. 2 manoeuvring, manipulation, wirepulling, machination: Office politics are such that they wouldn''t dare dismiss that department head.
poll | poll: n. 1 voting, vote, returns, tally, figures: The poll shows that the incumbents are not as secure as they thought. 2 opinion poll, survey, canvass, census, ballot, count: A poll of home-owners shows that most would like to own washing machines. --v. 3 sample, survey, question, canvass, ballot, ask, interview; count, enumerate, tally, register, record: We polled teenagers to determine their reaction to a youth centre; those in favour polled 73 per cent. 4 receive, get, win, register, tally: Cavendish polled more than 60 per cent of the votes cast.
pollute | pollute: v. 1 contaminate, adulterate, befoul, foul, soil, spoil, taint, stain, dirty, sully, blight, poison: These factories must be prevented from continuing to pollute the atmosphere. 2 corrupt, desecrate, profane, defile, violate: The altar was polluted because it had been touched by a non-believer.
pollution | pollution: n. contamination, adulteration, corruption, polluting, fouling, befouling, soiling, spoiling, tainting, staining, dirtying, sullying, blighting, poisoning, vitiation: Laws were passed to prosecute those responsible for the pollution of the environment.
pomp | pomp: n. glory, grandeur, magnificence, splendour, show, extravaganza, pageantry, ceremony, spectacle, brilliance, ceremoniousness: The Chinese court''s pomp and display of wealth had never before been seen by a westerner.
pompous | pompous: adj. 1 vain, vainglorious, proud, arrogant, pretentious, ostentatious, showy, grandiose, haughty, overbearing, conceited, egotistical, self-important, boastful, braggart, inflated, snobbish, magisterial, imperious, pontifical, affected, exhibitionist, Colloq uppity, highfalutin or hifalutin, hoity-toity, high-hat, Slang snooty, snotty: Don''t you despise the pompous way Marshall struts about in that ridiculous uniform? 2 bombastic, flowery, grandiloquent, pedantic, stuffy, fustian, orotund, ornate, embroidered, flatulent, windy, turgid, inflated, high-flown, euphuistic: He''s always making long-winded, pompous speeches because he loves the sound of his own voice.
ponder | ponder: v. consider, muse (over or on), brood (over or upon or on), mull over, deliberate (over), meditate (upon or on), think (over or on or about), weigh, ruminate (over), chew over, cogitate, excogitate, reflect (on or over), contemplate: I shall need a while to ponder the answer to that question. Give me a little more time to ponder.
ponderous | ponderous: adj. 1 weighty, unwieldy, heavy, massive, huge, big, large, awkward, clumsy, cumbersome or cumbrous: A ponderous juggernaut bore down on us, completely out of control. 2 dull, tedious, laboured, laborious, tiresome, turgid, boring, dreary, pedestrian, stilted, windy, inflated, long-winded, wordy, verbose, prolix, elephantine, pompous, grandiloquent, overdone: Many students faced with textbooks written in ponderous prose become disenchanted with learning.
pool | pool: n. 1 pond, lake, tarn, mere, lagoon; swimming-pool, leisure pool, wading pool, Brit paddling pool, US wading pool, Formal natatorium: We found an icy mountain pool where we went for a swim. 2 collection, fund(s), purse, stakes, reserve(s), bank, Colloq pot, jackpot, kitty: So far we have too little money in the pool for an office party at Christmas. 3 syndicate, trust, group, consortium, cartel, combine: The object of the pool was the private regulation of market prices, which is illegal. --v. 4 accumulate, collect, gather, combine, merge, consolidate, amalgamate, league, bring or come or band or get together, team (up) with: We would do better if we pooled our resources.
poor | poor: adj. 1 needy, destitute, indigent, in want, in need, penniless, poverty-stricken, impoverished, badly off, necessitous, poor as a church-mouse, straitened, pinched, in reduced circumstances, impecunious, financially embarrassed, down and out, out of pocket, ruined, insolvent, bankrupt, Colloq broke, hard up, on one''s uppers, short, US wiped out, Brit in Queer Street, Slang Brit skint: They were poor and didn''t know where their next meal was coming from. 2 low, bad, skimpy, meagre, scant, scanty, inadequate, deficient, insufficient, sparse: How can a family of five survive on such a poor salary? These days, 3 per cent would be considered a poor return on investment. 3 barren, unproductive, unfruitful, fruitless, infertile, sterile; depleted, exhausted, impoverished: This is poor soil, and no amount of cultivation is likely to make it productive. 4 bad, awful, inadequate, unsatisfactory, unacceptable, bumbling, inefficient, amateurish, unprofessional, inferior, second-rate, third-rate, low-grade, shabby, shoddy, mediocre, defective, faulty, flawed, substandard, sorry, not up to par or snuff, slipshod, below or under par, Colloq rotten, lousy: They did a poor job repairing my car. Her latest recital was pretty poor. 5 insignificant, slight, paltry, inconsequential, mean, modest, trivial, trifling: They made only a poor attempt to correct the problem. 6 unfortunate, unlucky, pathetic, luckless, pitiful, pitiable, ill-fated, miserable, wretched, ill-starred, star-crossed, jinxed, hapless: The poor chap lost his entire family in the disaster. 7 bad, ill: Aunt Theresa has been in poor health lately.
poorly | poorly: adv. 1 badly, inadequately, unsatisfactorily, incompetently, inexpertly, improperly, crudely, unprofessionally, amateurishly: The decorators you recommended have done their work very poorly indeed. --adj. Colloq 2 unwell, indisposed, ailing, sick, below par, Colloq rotten, under the weather: Charles is rather poorly, I''m afraid.
pop | pop: v. 1 burst, explode, bang, go off: The balloon popped, making me jump. 2 Often, pop in or out or by. visit, stop, call, appear, Colloq drop in, Brit nip in: Guess who popped in to see me on his way to the airport. 3 bulge, protrude, stick out, US bug out: The little boy''s eyes popped when they brought in the birthday cake. --n. 4 explosion, bang, report, crack: The Christmas cracker went off with a loud pop. 5 soft drink, soda (water); cola, Brit fizzy drink, lemonade, US soda (pop): A bottle of pop for my daughter and a pint of bitter for me, please.
populace | populace: n. people, masses, commonalty, (general) public, commoners, multitude, hoi polloi, crowd, throng, rabble, peasantry, proletariat, common folk, rank and file, working class, bourgeoisie, mob, Derogatory great unwashed, riff-raff, rabble, canaille, ragtag and bobtail: Some MPs act on behalf of their own constituencies rather than the populace at large.
popular | popular: adj. 1 favourite, favoured, in favour, accepted, well-received, approved, (well-)liked, fashionable, in fashion, stylish, in vogue, celebrated, renowned, acclaimed, famous, in demand, sought-after, all the rage, Colloq trendy, in, hot: You would become a millionaire overnight if you could accurately predict the popular music of the coming year. 2 conventional, stock, commonplace, public, normal, standard, general, universal, average, everyday, ordinary, routine, common, habitual, prevalent, current, prevailing, dominant, predominant, predominating, customary: His films cater to popular tastes in science fiction. 3 lay, non-professional, amateur, understandable, accessible, popularized, simplified: He presents a popular astronomy programme on TV.
popularity | popularity: n. favour, acceptance, approval, esteem, regard, repute, reputation, vogue, trend, stylishness, renown, acclaim, fame, celebrity, lionization, (hero-) worship, Colloq trendiness: The immense popularity of her novels in America has made her very rich.
popularly | popularly: adv. commonly, generally, ordinarily, usually, universally, widely, regularly, customarily, prevalently, habitually: It is a popularly held belief among the French that their wine is the best in the world.
populate | populate: v. colonize, settle, people, occupy; inhabit, dwell in, reside in, live in: Shiploads of families braved the voyage to populate the New World.
population | population: n. people, populace, inhabitants, residents, natives, denizens, citizenry, citizens, folk: In those days there was no one to look after the legal rights of the population.
populous | populous: adj. crowded, (heavily) populated, peopled, teeming, thronged, crawling, swarming, jammed, jam-packed, packed: The populous cities contrast with the sparsely inhabited rural areas.
pore� | pore�: v. pore over. study, examine, scrutinize, peruse, read, go over, Colloq con: Hamilton sits in the library, day after day, poring over books of forgotten lore.
pore� | pore�: n. opening, orifice, hole, aperture, vent, perforation, Technical spiracle, stoma: A hot bath opens the pores in the skin.
pornographic | pornographic: adj. obscene, lewd, offensive, indecent, prurient, smutty, taboo, blue, dirty, salacious, licentious, nasty, X-rated, Colloq porno, US raunchy: Some prudes consider anything concerning sex to be pornographic.
pornography | pornography: n. obscenity, smut, filth, dirt, erotica, Colloq porn: The council voted to forbid the sale of pornography within the town precincts.
porous | porous: adj. spongy, spongelike, permeable, pervious, penetrable: The rainwater runs through the porous rock and collects in the pools below.
port | port: n. harbour, haven, seaport; mooring, anchorage; refuge: We were bound east for the port of Cardiff.
portable | portable: adj. transportable, manageable, carriable, handy, light, lightweight, compact, pocket, pocket-sized, little, small, US carry-on, vest-pocket, shirt-pocket: He needs a van just to transport his portable television, portable radio, portable hi-fi, portable typewriter, portable computer, and portable calculator.
portentous | portentous: adj. 1 ominous, threatening, momentous, sinister, fateful, alarming, menacing, foreboding, ill-omened, inauspicious, unfavourable, ill-starred, ill-fated, star-crossed, lowering or louring, gloomy, unpromising, unpropitious: Precisely at midnight they appeared with the most portentous news. 2 extraordinary, amazing, astonishing, astounding, prodigious, awesome, awe-inspiring, remarkable, marvellous, phenomenal, fabulous, fantastic, mind-boggling, wondrous, miraculous: The coronation of a British monarch is truly a portentous event.
porter� | porter�: n. bearer, (baggage) carrier or attendant, US airports skycap, US railways redcap: I tipped the porter to carry our bags to a taxi.
porter� | porter�: n. 1 concierge, cleaner, caretaker, Chiefly US and Canadian janitor, superintendent, Colloq US super: When we are away, the porter keeps our mail for us. 2 door-keeper, watchman, doorman, gatekeeper, concierge, US tiler: He went to my club, but the porter would not let him in.
portico | portico: n. porch, veranda or verandah, gallery, colonnade, galilee: At the front of the mansion, six corinthian pillars support a wide portico.
portion | portion: n. 1 segment, part, section, division, subdivision, parcel, piece, hunk, chunk, lump, wedge, slice, sliver, fraction, fragment, bit, morsel, scrap: A portion of the masonry fell into the street in the earthquake. 2 share, part, allotment, quota, ration, apportionment, allowance, allocation, assignment, percentage, measure, division, quantity: The size of an investor''s portion depends on the amount invested. 3 helping, serving; ration, plate, platter: He complained that the portions in nouvelle cuisine are too small. --v. 4 Often, portion out. apportion, share out, allocate, ration, allot, partition, assign, consign, dole out, deal (out), parcel out, distribute, administer, dispense, disperse, divide, split up, carve up, cut up, break up, section, Colloq divvy up: The conquered territories were then portioned out among the victors.
portrait | portrait: n. picture, likeness, image,sketch, rendering, vignette; representation, description, profile, thumbnail sketch, portrayal, picturization, depiction; account, story, characterization, study, record, file, dossier: We have the culprit''s portrait in our rogues'' gallery. We need a more accurate portrait of the kidnapper.
portray | portray: v. 1 represent, picture, show, depict, paint, render, characterize, describe, delineate: She is portrayed wearing the Castelli tiara. Why must I always be portrayed as the villain? 2 act or play (the part or role of), take the part or role of, represent, pose as, impersonate: She portrays an aged crone who regains her youth in the last act.
pose | pose: v. 1 sit, model; position, place, arrange, set (up), put: Would you let your husband or wife pose in the nude? She posed the model standing, looking out of the window. 2 Usually, pose as. portray, act or play (the part or role of), take the part or role of, represent, impersonate, be disguised as, masquerade as, pretend or profess to be, pass (oneself off) as, pass for, imitate, mimic; attitudinize, posture, put on airs, Colloq show off: She posed as an art expert from Switzerland. She thinks him a rou�, but he''s only posing. 3 set, put, ask, submit, broach, posit, advance, present, predicate, postulate: The interviewer posed some questions that were quite embarrassing. --n. 4 position, attitude, posture, stance: Her profile is not shown to best advantage in that pose. 5 affectation, act, pretence, attitudinizing, affectedness, display, fa�ade, show, ostentation: His interest in art is just a pose to impress her.
poseur | poseur: n. posturer, exhibitionist, pretender, impostor, masquerader, attitudinizer; fake, faker, dissembler, fraud, Colloq show-off, phoney or US also phony: He talks about literature, but he''s a poseur who just spouts the opinions of others.
posh | posh: adj. (de) luxe, luxurious, elegant, sumptuous, lavish, opulent, rich, royal, regal, luxury, grand, fashionable, Colloq swank(y), classy, ritzy, Slang snazzy: You ought to see what a posh office my son has!
posit | posit: v. postulate, hypothesize, propound, put or set forth, put forward, advance, propose, pose, offer, submit, predicate: If we posit a downturn in prices next year, how does that affect our profit forecasts?
position | position: n. 1 posture, attitude, stance, pose; disposition, arrangement, disposal: Once in a while, he would change his position so that he faced the sun. With the pieces in this position the chess game is a draw. 2 site, placement, situation, whereabouts, placing, emplacement, location: Those bearings put his present position about 20 miles west of C�diz. 3 viewpoint, point of view, outlook, attitude, angle, slant, stance, stand, opinion, inclination, leaning, bent, sentiment, feeling, way of thinking: My solicitor is pessimistic about my position in this case. 4 status, condition, state, circumstances, situation: Our financial position vis-�-vis investment in gilt bonds has changed. 5 class, caste, place, rank, standing, station, status, importance: They insist on knowing the social position of the girl''s family. 6 job, occupation, situation, post, office, function, appointment, capacity, place, role, Colloq billet, berth, Australian possie or possy My mother''s position as managing director had nothing to do with my getting a promotion. 7 hypothesis, thesis, principle, contention, assertion, predication, belief, proposition, postulate: His position is based on the implications of the third law of thermodynamics. --v. 8 put, place, situate, site, set, fix, settle, dispose, arrange: The pointer is again positioned at zero. Position your forces along this ridge and stay on full alert. 9 place, locate, establish, determine, fix, localize: The scientists positioned the seismic activity as being along the San Andreas fault.
positive | positive: adj. 1 sure, certain, definite, unequivocal, categorical, absolute, unqualified, unambiguous, unmistakable or unmistakeable, clear-cut, clear, explicit, express, decisive, indisputable, indubitable, unquestionable, unquestioned, incontestable, uncontested, undeniable, reliable, persuasive, convincing, irrefutable: The police have positive evidence that the men are innocent of any crime. Spending this evening with you has been a positive delight. 2 definitive, emphatic, decided, forceful, firm, peremptory, definite: He gave a positive denial when asked if he had agreed to let the hostages go. She made a positive commitment to meet me here at noon. 3 sure, certain, confident, convinced, satisfied: Are you positive that the last train is at midnight? 4 beneficial, favourable, complimentary, productive, useful: I heard many positive things about the way she handled herself at the interview. 5 overconfident, dogmatic, doctrinaire, pontifical, opinionated, pigheaded, stubborn, obstinate, obdurate, arbitrary, overweening, arrogant, assertive, dictatorial, despotic, imperious, Rare thetic(al): His problem is that he is quite positive about things that simply are not so. 6 practical, realistic, utilitarian, productive, functional, pragmatic(al), realistic, matter-of-fact, Colloq hard-nosed: They have taken a positive approach to studying the economics of small businesses. 7 encouraging, supportive, constructive, reassuring, enthusiastic, favourable, affirmative, yes, confirming: Our plan to buy out the company has received a positive reaction from our bankers. Asked if they would buy our product, businessmen gave a positive response. 8 auspicious, promising, propitious, encouraging; optimistic, favourable, cheerful, confident; Colloq bullish, upbeat: In the long run, the picture for home-owners looks positive. It pays to maintain a positive outlook and not get depressed. 9 complete, utter, total, perfect, out-and-out, consummate, unmitigated, thorough, thoroughgoing; egregious, glaring, stark, sheer, outright, unqualified, unequivocal: You were a positive idiot not to let me know you needed help. All attempts at reconciliation ended in positive disaster.
positively | positively: adv. definitely, absolutely, unquestionably, certainly, (most) assuredly, undeniably, undoubtedly, surely, to be sure, emphatically, unmistakably or unmistakeably, unqualifiedly, categorically, indisputably, beyond or without (a shadow of) a doubt, indubitably, beyond question: The wine list at Le Ma�tre''s is positively the best in the area.
possess | possess: v. 1 be possessed or in possession of, have, own, enjoy, be blessed or endowed with: In the 19th century, the family possessed great wealth. 2 have, be born or gifted or endowed with, contain, embody, embrace, include: He possesses a talent to amuse people. Man does not possess as keen a sense of smell as many animals. 3 dominate, control, govern, consume, take control of, preoccupy, obsess; charm, captivate, enchant, cast a spell over, bewitch, enthral: What possessed her to think that I could help? He behaves as if he is possessed by the devil. 4 be possessed with or of. have, be held or influenced or dominated by, be imbued or inspired or permeated or affected with: She became possessed with the notion that she could sing. Fiona believes herself the only person possessed of reason. 5 possess oneself of. acquire, achieve, get, come by, gain, come into, win, obtain, procure, secure, take, seize, take or gain possession of: Kevin has possessed himself of the only comfortable bed in the place.
possessed | possessed: adj. obsessed, driven, controlled, dominated, ridden, bedevilled, consumed, haunted, pressed, maddened, crazed, demented, frenzied, Colloq eaten up: He behaved like a man possessed.
possession | possession: n. 1 ownership, title, proprietorship, control, hold, tenure, keeping, care, custody, guardianship, protection: The paintings are now in my possession. 2 holding, territory, province, dominion, colony, protectorate: How long will the Falkland Islands remain a possession of the Crown? 3 possessions. belongings, property, effects, chattels, assets, worldly goods, things: The prison clerk placed all my possessions in an envelope, explaining that they would be returned when I was released. 4 take or gain possession of. seize, capture, take, conquer, occupy, acquire, win, possess oneself of, secure, obtain; repossess: The raiding party gained possession of the port and surrounding area. The finance company has taken possession of my car.
possessive | possessive: adj. 1 greedy, unyielding, selfish, ungiving, ungenerous, stingy, niggardly, materialistic, covetous, acquisitive: He refuses to see anyone, as he is very possessive of his time. 2 overprotective, controlling, grasping, dominating, domineering, overbearing: Anyone with a possessive parent finds it difficult to leave home.
possibility | possibility: n. 1 chance, odds, prospect, conceivability, feasibility, plausibility, likelihood, admissibility: There is a possibility of my leaving work early to meet you. What is the possibility that he might be honest? They deny even the possibility of God''s existence. 2 Often, possibilities. opportunity, potentiality, potential, capacity, promise: The old house has many large rooms and offers great possibilities.
possible | possible: adj. 1 feasible, plausible, imaginable, conceivable, thinkable, credible, tenable, reasonable, admissible: It is remotely possible, though improbable, that she committed the crime. 2 realizable, practicable, workable, practical, doable, achievable, attainable, reachable, accomplishable, viable, Colloq on: In the present state of the art, a fully interactive computer, operating in real time, is still not possible.
possibly | possibly: adv. 1 maybe, perhaps, God willing, Deo volente, if possible, Archaic or literary perchance, mayhap, peradventure: She is possibly the best person for the job. 2 in any way, under any circumstances, by any chance, by any means, at all: Could you possibly help me find my contact lens? The weather forecast couldn''t possibly be correct.
post� | post�: n. 1 pole, stake, upright, column, pillar, pale, picket, shaft, standard, newel, pier, pylon, pile, piling, strut, shore, stanchion, leg, prop, stay, support, brace: A huge central post held up the roof. --v. 2 advertise, announce, proclaim, publish, circulate, propagate, promulgate; put or pin or tack or stick or hang up, affix: The notice of the meeting has been posted for all to see.
post� | post�: n. 1 assignment, appointment, position, situation, job, place, duty, role, function, employment, work, task, chore: Clarke was given a post as consul in some forgotten country. --v. 2 place, put, station, assign, appoint, position, situate, set, locate: Guards have been posted around the enclosure.
post� | post�: n. 1 postal service, mail; delivery; collection: I am expecting an important letter in the post. It hasn''t come in the first post. --v. 2 send, dispatch or despatch, transmit, Chiefly US and Canadian mail: I posted your cheque this morning. 3 record, enter, register, list: We post the daily receipts in this ledger. 4 keep (someone) posted. inform, advise, brief, notify, Colloq fill (someone) in on: Our observers have kept me posted as to your whereabouts every step of the way.
poster | poster: n. placard, notice, bill, advertisement, announcement, broadside, broadsheet; circular, flier: Who designed that striking poster for the new play?
posterior | posterior: adj. 1 hind, rear, back, after, hinder, rearward, Nautical aft: The posterior legs are somewhat longer. 2 later, after, latter, ensuing, following, succeeding, subsequent: Analysis has yielded evidence of the posterior origin of the lava. --n. 3 buttocks, bottom, rump, seat, derri�re, Colloq behind, rear, backside, tail, Colloq hinie, Slang Brit bum, Taboo slang Brit arse, US ass, butt, Yiddish tokus or tochis or tuchis: The term describing a person with a fat posterior is ''steatopygous''.
posterity | posterity: n. descendants, successors, heirs, children, offspring, issue, progeny: It is good that these buildings will be preserved for posterity. Posterity will be the judge of our success.
post-haste | post-haste: adv. quickly, at once, without delay, immediately, directly, straightaway, right away, promptly, speedily, swiftly, instantly, before one can say ''Jack Robinson'', before you can say ''knife'', rapidly, at full tilt, in a wink, in a trice, in the twinkling of an eye, Colloq pronto, chop-chop, p.d.q. (= ''pretty damned quick''), US and Canadian lickety-split, like greased lightning: He got me the report post-haste.
post-mortem | post-mortem: n. 1 autopsy, necropsy: We''ll know the cause of death after the post-mortem. 2 review, analysis, Slang US Monday-morning quarterbacking: We can do without the post-mortem on every bridge hand.
postpone | postpone: v. delay, adjourn, defer, keep in abeyance, put off or aside, lay aside, suspend, shelve, put or keep on ice, temporize, dally, Colloq put on the back burner, US table: We ought to postpone further discussion till we have the facts.
postponement | postponement: n. delay, adjournment, abeyance, suspension, stay, deferment, deferral, moratorium: There has been a postponement of the meeting till Monday.
posture | posture: n. 1 pose, position, attitude, stance, appearance, carriage: She stood there in a defiant posture, with arms akimbo. 2 position, condition, situation, state, disposition; arrangement, organization, layout, array, format: The government adopted a conciliatory posture in the matter. 3 attitude, stance, position, feeling, sentiment, outlook, (point of) view, viewpoint, orientation, disposition, frame of mind, mood: The interviewer tried to determine the general''s posture on disarmament. --v. 4 pose, attitudinize, affect, put on a show, do for effect, Colloq show off: Despite all her posturing, we believe her to be sincere.
pot | pot: n. 1 pan, saucepan, cauldron, cook-pot, stewpot; kettle: How many politicians have promised the people ''a chicken in every pot''? 2 jackpot, bank, kitty: You will have to add �5 to the pot to see my hand. 3 pot-belly, paunch, gut, Colloq corporation, beer belly, spare tyre, US bay window: If he exercised more, Patrick wouldn''t have such a pot.
potent | potent: adj. 1 powerful, strong; mighty, vigorous, forceful, formidable, authoritative, influential, Literary puissant: A potent poison will kill those weeds. We have to reckon with an enemy that is quite potent. 2 effective, convincing, cogent, persuasive, compelling, efficacious, telling, sound, valid, impressive: Their argument is potent enough to convince the biggest sceptics.
potential | potential: adj. 1 possible, likely, implicit, implied, imminent, developing, budding, embryonic, dormant, hidden, concealed, covert, latent, quiescent, passive, future, unrealized, undeveloped: We are dealing with a potential threat to our liberty. --n. 2 capacity, capability, possibility, aptitude, potency, Colloq the (right) stuff, what it takes: All teenagers have potential; the problem is to teach them to exploit it to the best advantage.
potion | potion: n. draught, brew, beverage, drink, philtre, potation, elixir, tonic, cup, dose, concoction, decoction: The old crone gave him a tiny bottle containing the love potion.
pot-pourri | pot-pourri: n. mixture, medley, miscellany, assortment, olla podrida, smorgasbord or sm�rg�sbord, gallimaufry, salmagundi, patchwork, collection, hotchpotch or US and Canadian hodgepodge, m�lange or melange, motley, pastiche or pasticcio, mishmash, jumble, mess: What a pot-pourri of styles is represented in that art gallery!
potter | potter: v. Chiefly Brit dabble (in or with), toy with, trifle with, fribble, fool (with or about or around), fritter (away), mess (about or around or with), tinker (with), meddle (with), monkey (about or around or with), fidget (with), US putter (around or with), Colloq fiddle (about or around or with), footle (around or about): On Sundays I like to potter about in the garden.
pottery | pottery: n. earthenware, ceramics, terracotta, crockery, stoneware, porcelain, china, delftware: Ornamented pottery has been found in pre-Columbian digs.
pouch | pouch: n. pocket, sack, bag, purse, reticule, Dialect poke: A Highlander''s pouch is called a sporran. As I was going out, I filled my tobacco pouch.
pounce | pounce: v. 1 Often, pounce on or upon. spring (on or upon), leap (at or on), swoop down (on or upon), fall upon, jump (at or on), strike, take by surprise or unawares, attack, ambush, Colloq mug: As I rounded the corner, three youths pounced on me, stole my bag, and ran off. --n. 2 spring, leap, swoop, jump: The cat was on the mantel shelf in a single pounce.
pound� | pound�: v. 1 beat, batter, pelt, hammer, pummel; thump, belabour, thrash, bludgeon, cudgel, maul, strike, Colloq lambaste, Slang paste, clobber, work over, give (someone) the works or a pasting: She pounded on the door till someone came. It was satisfying to see him pound the class bully into submission. 2 crush, powder, pulverize, bray, comminute, triturate, mash, pulp: The corn must be pounded into a fine meal before use. 3 beat, throb, hammer, pulse, pulsate, palpitate: My heart was pounding, waiting to see if the tiger would attack. 4 pound into. instil, din into, drill into, drub into, hammer into, beat into: Her parents have pounded into her that she must show respect to her elders. 5 pound out. rid, expel, clear, cleanse, empty, purge, beat out, hammer out: The last bit of stubbornness was pounded out of me at school. 6 beat out; hammer out, produce: The jungle drums pounded out the message that Tarzan was coming. --n. 7 pounding, beat, beating, thump, thumping: The pound of horses'' hooves heralded the arrival of the cavalry.
pound� | pound�: n. enclosure, pen, compound, confine, yard: My car was towed to the pound, and it cost a fortune to retrieve it.
pour | pour: v. 1 flow, run, gush, rush, flood, stream, course, spout, discharge, spurt, spew out, cascade: Water was pouring from a crack in the dam. 2 empty, discharge, let out: Pour the boiling water over the tea leaves and let them steep for a few minutes. 3 rain, teem, Colloq come down in buckets or by the bucketful, bucket down, rain cats and dogs, US rain pitchforks: It poured all night. 4 stream, swarm, crowd, throng, teem, emerge, sally forth, issue (forth), go (forth): The show over, people poured into the streets.
pout | pout: v. 1 mope, brood, sulk, make a moue, pull a long face, frown, lour or lower, knit one''s brows: Don''t pout - I''ll buy you an ice-cream. --n. 2 frown, moue, long face: Her pout was occasioned by her father''s scolding.
poverty | poverty: n. 1 want, penury, indigence, insolvency, destitution, pauperism, impecuniousness, neediness, beggary: Her childhood was spent in poverty. 2 scarcity, scarceness, want, need, lack, meagreness, insufficiency, shortage, dearth, paucity, inadequacy: They criticized the poverty of talent among the current crop of actors.
powder | powder: n. 1 dust; talc: I couldn''t remember whether the jar contained cornflour or baking powder. She dabbed her body all over with scented powder. 2 take a (run-out) powder. run away, abscond, escape, vanish, disappear, Slang Brit scarper, do a moonlight flit, US take it on the lam: The cops are coming, so I''m taking a powder. --v. 3 pulverize, bray, grind, crush, pound, granulate, triturate, comminute, levigate: The rocks must first be crushed, then powdered. 4 sprinkle, besprinkle, dust, dredge, cover, coat: Lightly powder the top of the cake with icing sugar, and it is ready to serve.
power | power: n. 1 Sometimes, powers. capacity, capability, ability, potential, faculty, competency or competence, faculty, potentiality, Colloq what it takes, US the (right) stuff, the goods: Fishes have the power to change their buoyancy. He has remarkable powers of observation. 2 control, dominance, authority, mastery, rule, influence, sway, command, ascendancy, sovereignty, dominion, weight, clout, Colloq pull, US drag: He maintains a Svengali-like power over her. The prime minister has the power to appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers. 3 control, command, authority: The party might not be in power for very long. 4 strength, might, vigour, energy, force, mightiness, potency, forcefulness, brawn, muscle, Literary puissance: His speech was delivered with great power and a certain wit. Has she the power it takes to toss the caber? 5 talent, skill, ability, faculty, gift, aptitude, genius, knack: They say that she has the power to see into the future. 6 authority, licence, right, authorization, privilege, warrant, prerogative: By the power vested in me, I now declare you man and wife. It is within her power to grant a stay of execution. 7 Often, powers. activity, effectiveness, effect, ability, capacity, active ingredient(s): This mushroom has hallucinogenic powers. 8 energy, momentum, impetus, drive, force, inertia: The car rolled halfway up the next hill under its own power. 9 (mechanical or electrical or atomic) energy, electricity, fuel: Yesterday there was another demonstration against the use of nuclear power. 10 powers that be. government, administration, authorities, incumbents: It is up to the powers that be to investigate corruption.
powerful | powerful: adj. 1 potent, strong, mighty, vigorous, robust, energetic, sturdy, stalwart, tough, resilient, dynamic: Leslie has a powerful physique. The cities of the Hanseatic League had powerful economies. 2 influential, strong, compelling, forceful, potent, substantial, weighty, authoritative, effective; important, impressive, telling, effectual, formidable, persuasive: Powerful arguments have been brought to bear against taking such action. She has many powerful friends. 3 strong, potent; intense, substantial, great, high: The drug is too powerful to be taken regularly. A powerful electrical charge was sent through the wire to test the connection.
powerless | powerless: adj. 1 helpless, incapable, unable, unfit, incompetent, ineffectual, ineffective: Without his wand, the magician was powerless. 2 incapacitated, helpless, weak, feeble, debilitated, crippled, paralysed, disabled: He is completely powerless without the use of his right hand.
