
pub | pub: n. public house, alehouse, tavern, inn, bar, cocktail lounge, saloon, taproom, hostelry, Brit saloon or lounge bar, US bar-room, Colloq Brit local, Slang boozer, watering-hole, joint, dive, Chiefly Brit gin-palace, US barrelhouse, gin-mill, honky-tonk: We went down to the pub for a pint and a game of darts.
puberty | puberty: n. pubescence, sexual maturity, adolescence, juvenescence, teens; nubility: The anxiety of parents for the health of an infant is as nothing compared with their concerns when their child reaches puberty.
public | public: adj. 1 communal, community, common, general, collective, universal, catholic, popular, worldwide: One need only compare early and new films to see how public taste has changed. 2 civil, civic, social, societal, community, communal: Although they may seem restrictive, these laws are for the public good. 3 accessible, open, free, unrestricted, non-exclusive, communal, community, available: He does much of his research in the public library. 4 open, manifest, exposed, overt, projected, plain, obvious, apparent, patent, clear, clear-cut, acknowledged, known, admitted, visible, viewable, conspicuous: Her public image is quite different from her private persona. 5 visible, viewable, conspicuous, unconcealed, unshrouded, flagrant, blatant: Has Alfie made a public spectacle of himself again? 6 well-known, prominent, eminent, celebrated, famous, renowned, noted, notable, influential, illustrious; notorious, disreputable, infamous: Invite a well-known public figure to open the exhibition if you can. 7 make public. See publish. --n. 8 community, people (at large or in general), citizenry, citizens, nation, populace, population, society, masses, multitude, hoi polloi, bourgeoisie, plebeians, proletariat, rank and file, middle class, third estate, commonalty, voters, man or woman in the street, Brit admass, US John Q. Public, Mr or Mrs Average, Colloq (any or every) Tom, Dick, and Harry: The public has responded generously to the charity appeal. 9 clientele or Brit also clientage, customers, custom, patrons, followers, supporters, buyers, consumers, purchasers, following, business, trade: How can you expect to attract the public without advertising? 10 sector, segment, special-interest group, portion: The commuting public will no longer tolerate these excessive train delays. 11 in public. publicly, openly, in the open, Colloq out of the closet: Jarvis has finally confessed in public what we long suspected privately.
publication | publication: n. 1 dissemination, promulgation, publicizing, publishing, proclamation, issuance, reporting, announcement, advertisement, advertising, pronouncement, airing, putting out, revelation, declaration, appearance: The publication of the news about the sale of the company was no surprise to us. 2 book, booklet, pamphlet, brochure, leaflet, broadside or broadsheet, flier or flyer, handbill, hand-out; periodical, magazine, journal, newsletter, newspaper, paper, broadsheet, tabloid; annual, semi-annual, quarterly, bimonthly, monthly, semi-monthly, fortnightly, biweekly, weekly, hebdomadal or hebdomedary, semi-weekly, daily: He buys every publication he can find dealing with model railways.
publicize | publicize: v. promote, advertise, give publicity to, Colloq beat the drum for, plug, puff, US push, Slang hype: They once hired an elephant to publicize a huge department-store sale.
publish | publish: v. make public, put out, broadcast, spread (about or around), advertise, make known, let (something) be known, announce, publicize, report, proclaim, promulgate, bruit about, reveal, divulge, disclose, break the news (about), Colloq leak: The minister resigned the day the news of the scandal was published.
pucker | pucker: v. 1 gather, draw together, compress, purse, crinkle, ruck, shirr, ruffle, corrugate, furrow, wrinkle, crease, screw up, tighten, contract, squeeze: Pucker up your mouth and give me a kiss. The shirring is done by puckering up the fabric and stitching it through with decorative thread. --n. 2 gather, tuck, pleat, pleating, shirr, shirring, ruffle, ruck, ruche, ruckle, wrinkle, wrinkling, fold, crinkle, crinkling: The curtains have some puckers that need ironing.
puerile | puerile: adj. childish, immature, babyish, infantile, juvenile, silly, asinine, foolish, trivial, ridiculous, irresponsible, shallow, inconsequential, insignificant, US sophomoric: Stop that puerile horseplay and settle down.
puff | puff: n. 1 blow, breath, wind, whiff, draught, gust, blast, huff: A slight puff through the open window stirred the curtains. 2 draught, draw, pull, Colloq drag: She took a puff from her cigarette and blew the smoke in his face. 3 advertisement, praise, mention, word, item, review, notice, publicity, puffery, Colloq plug, blurb, Slang hype: The late editions of the papers carry puffs for your new restaurant. --v. 4 blow, breathe, huff, pant, gasp, wheeze: Victor came huffing and puffing up to the finishing line. 5 draw, pull (at or on), inhale, suck, smoke, Colloq drag: Holmes was puffing silently on his pipe. 6 Usually, puff up or out. inflate, distend, bloat, swell (up or out), stretch, balloon, expand, pump up, enlarge: Calvin swaggered in, all puffed up with pride about his new job. 7 publicize, advertise, promote, push, trumpet, ballyhoo, extol, commend, praise, Colloq plug, beat the drum (for): He has been shamelessly puffing his book on every radio and TV show.
pugilism | pugilism: n. boxing, prizefighting; the manly art of self-defence, fisticuffs; Colloq the boxing or fight game: His career in pugilism came to an abrupt end in the second minute of the third round.
pugilist | pugilist: n. boxer, prizefighter, fighter, contender, contestant, battler, combatant, Colloq bruiser, scrapper, champ, Slang slugger, pug: The pugilists came out of their corners and at once started jabbing away at each other.
pugnacious | pugnacious: adj. aggressive, belligerent, combative, quarrelsome, bellicose, antagonistic, argumentative, hostile, litigious, contentious, disputatious, disagreeable, fractious, petulant, testy, irascible, hot-tempered, choleric, unfriendly, curmudgeonly, irritable, short-tempered: The Gothic tribes were very pugnacious, always ready to fight with little or no provocation.
pukka | pukka: adj. 1 pukkah or pucka, well done or made, properly or perfectly done, first class: That was a pukka meal. 2 pukkah or pucka, genuine, good, authentic, reliable, honourable, fair, right, proper, thorough, out-and-out: They always referred to him as ''pukka sahib''.
puling | puling: adj. whining, wailing, querulous, whimpering, snivelling, weeping, caterwauling: The third-class carriage was filled with chickens, pigs, and puling infants.
pull | pull: v. 1 draw, haul, drag, lug, tow, trail: Do you think the car is strong enough to pull that load? 2 tug, jerk, yank, wrench, pluck: He suddenly pulled on the door and it opened. 3 Sometimes, pull out or up. pluck (out), withdraw, extract, uproot, pick (up or out), snatch out or up, tear or rip out or up, cull, select, draw out, take out, remove: We pulled out all the weeds and threw them on the compost heap. He has a collection of jokes pulled from his speeches. 4 Often, pull apart. tear or rip (up or apart), rend, pull asunder, wrench (apart), stretch, strain: This fabric is so weak it pulled apart as soon as I touched it. I think I pulled a muscle in my calf. 5 Often, pull in. attract, draw, lure, entice, allure, catch, captivate, fascinate, capture: We need something besides the ''Sale'' sign to pull the customers into the shop. 6 pull apart. pull to pieces or shreds, criticize, attack, pick or take apart or to pieces, flay, run down, Colloq put down, pan, knock, devastate, destroy, slate, Slang slam: The critics really pulled apart her new play. 7 pull away. withdraw, draw or drive or go or move away; outrun, outpace, draw ahead of: She pulled away abruptly when he touched her hand. The green car is pulling away from the others. 8 pull back. a withdraw, draw back, back off or away, recoil, shrink (away or back) from, shy, flinch (from), jump, start: The burglar pulled back when he saw the ferocious dog. b withdraw, (beat a) retreat, take flight, flee, turn tail, drop or fall back, back out: We cheered when we saw the enemy troops pulling back. 9 pull down. a demolish, raze, level, destroy, wreck: It takes only hours to pull down a house that it has taken generations to build. b draw, receive, get, be paid, earn: He pulls down much more at his new job. c lower, debase, diminish, reduce, degrade, dishonour, disgrace, discredit, humiliate: When his fortunes declined, he pulled down all his friends with him. 10 pull for. hope or pray for, be enthusiastic for, be supportive of, support, campaign for, cheer for, encourage, boost, US root for: We are all pulling for you to win. 11 pull in. a drive up, arrive, come, draw up or in, reach: The train finally pulled in at midnight. We need petrol, so pull in at the next filling station. b arrest, apprehend, take into custody, Colloq pinch, nab, collar, nail, Brit nick, Slang bust: The cops pulled him in for possession of narcotics. 12 pull off. a detach, rip or tear off, separate, wrench off or away: When he was cashiered from the army, they pulled off all his insignia and medals. b accomplish, do, complete, succeed, carry out, bring off, manage, perform: Three men pulled off the robbery in broad daylight. 13 pull oneself together. recover, get a grip on oneself, get over it, recuperate, Colloq snap out of it, buck up: Try to pull yourself together and stop crying. 14 pull out. a uproot, extract, withdraw: In the ensuing scrap, someone tried to pull out his hair. Two survivors were pulled out of the rubble. b withdraw, retreat, beat a retreat, recede, draw back, leave, depart, go or run away or off, evacuate, Colloq beat it, do a bunk, Brit do a moonlight flit: The artillery unit pulled out yesterday. c leave, go, depart, take off: When that train pulls out, I want you on it! d withdraw, quit, abandon, resign (from), give up, relinquish: You can still pull out of the deal if you want to. 15 pull someone''s leg. tease, chaff, rib, have on, rag, twit, poke fun at, make fun of, hoodwink, ridicule: He said that I''d just eaten a fly, but he was pulling my leg. 16 pull strings. use influence or connections, US use pull, pull wires: His uncle pulled strings to get him the job. 17 pull through. survive, recover, improve, get better, get over (it or some affliction), rally; live: Murphy was at death''s door, but luckily he pulled through. 18 pull up. a stop, halt, come to a standstill: We pulled up in a lay-by for a few minutes'' rest. b uproot, root out, dig out, deracinate, eradicate: Your dog has pulled up all the flowers in my garden. c draw even or level with, come up to, reach: On the fifth lap, Manson pulled up to, then passed Sabbatini. --n. 19 draw, tug; yank, jerk: Give the bell-rope a strong, steady pull, and try not to yank it suddenly. 20 attraction, draw, magnetism, appeal, drawing or pulling power, seductiveness, seduction, lure: The pull that golf has on certain people is hard to explain. 21 influence, authority, connections, prestige, weight, leverage, Colloq clout, muscle: You''d better treat her nicely, for she has a lot of pull with the boss. 22 puff, draw, inhalation, Colloq drag: He took a long, meditative pull on his cigarette and blew some smoke rings.
pulley | pulley: n. sheave, block: The rope is run through a system of pulleys, called a tackle, for lifting weights.
pulp | pulp: n. 1 marrow, pith, heart, soft part, flesh: After removing the seeds, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar and mix into the pulp. 2 mush, paste, mash, pap, pomace, mass, Technical triturate: Water is added to the waste paper, which the machines then reduce to a pulp. --v. 3 mash, squash, pulverize, Technical levigate, triturate: The entire print run of the book was pulped after she threatened to sue the publishers. --adj. 4 lurid, sensational, trashy, cheap: What he considers great literature you would call pulp fiction.
pulsate | pulsate: v. beat, pulse, throb, pound, thrum, drum, thump, thud, reverberate, hammer, palpitate, vibrate; oscillate, quiver: Throughout the voyage, I could feel the ship''s engines pulsating.
pulse | pulse: n. 1 beat, beating, throb, throbbing, pulsing, pulsating, pulsation, pounding, thrumming, drumming, thumping, thudding, reverberation, reverberating, hammering, palpitation, palpitating, vibration, vibrating: The pulse of the jungle drums became louder and faster. --v. 2 See pulsate, above.
pulverize | pulverize: v. 1 powder, comminute, grind, crush, mill, granulate, crumble, break up, bray, pound, Technical triturate, levigate: This machine pulverizes the rock, after which the binding agents are added. 2 devastate, destroy, demolish, crush, smash, shatter, ruin, wreck, annihilate: The four battalions were pulverized in the attack.
pump | pump: v. 1 send, force, deliver, push: The heart pumps blood around the body. 2 interrogate, question, examine, cross-examine, quiz, probe, Colloq grill, give (someone) the third degree: They pumped her for hours, but she told them nothing about my whereabouts. 3 pump out. pump dry or empty, empty, drain, bail out, draw or drive or force out, siphon (out): After the flood it took two days to pump out my basement. 4 pump up. a inflate, blow up; dilate, swell, bloat, expand, puff out or up: If you don''t repair the tyre, pumping it up will accomplish nothing. b excite, inspire, stimulate, animate, inspirit, electrify, galvanize, energize, motivate, Colloq enthuse: The coach is talking to the team, trying to pump them up before the big game. c intensify, concentrate, emphasize, stress, increase: We ought to pump up our promotion campaign just before Christmas.
pun | pun: n. play on words, quip, (bon) mot, witticism, double entendre, Literary equivoque, Technical paronomasia: Dennis made some awful pun on ''nose'' and ''knows'' that nobody got.
punch� | punch�: v. 1 hit, clip, jab, whack, thwack, knock, smack, box, pummel, strike, cuff, Colloq clout, bop, slug, wallop, thump, lambaste, slam, Slang sock, biff, plug, belt, lace (into), US paste: Anyone says anything about my girl, I''ll punch him in the jaw! --n. 2 clip, jab, whack, thwack, knock, smack, box, cuff, upper-cut, left or right, Colloq clout, bop, slug, wallop, thump, slam, Slang sock, belt, biff, haymaker, plug, paste: The punch knocked him down. 3 effect, impact, effectiveness, force, forcefulness, power, vitality, gusto, vigour, life, vim, zest, ginger, Colloq it, oomph, what it takes, Slang zing, zip: These advertisements are pretty, but they are lacking in punch.
punch� | punch�: n. 1 awl, auger, bodkin, perforator; drill, brace and bit: Use the punch to make another hole in your belt. --v. 2 pierce, stab, puncture, perforate; bore, drill: She uses a needle to punch a tiny hole in each end of the egg.
punctual | punctual: adj. on time, timely, prompt, Colloq on the dot: Please be punctual, as I don''t fancy waiting about in the street.
punctuate | punctuate: v. 1 interrupt, break, intersperse; pepper, sprinkle: The speeches were punctuated by frequent shouts from the audience. 2 accent, accentuate, underline, underscore, emphasize, stress, mark: He punctuated each element of his argument with a sharp rap of his pencil on the lectern.
puncture | puncture: n. 1 hole, perforation, opening, leak; flat (tyre): I haven''t the tools needed to patch the puncture in the tyre. 2 perforation, perforating, holing, puncturing, piercing, stabbing, punching: The puncture of the balloon means that we shall have to postpone our trip. --v. 3 perforate, hole, pierce, stab, penetrate, go through, prick, nick, rupture: An arrow punctured the side of the tent. 4 deflate, disillusion, bring up short, discourage, humble, dash, destroy, ruin: Any hopes I had of winning the marathon were punctured when I tripped and fell, spraining my ankle.
pungent | pungent: adj. 1 spicy, hot, sharp, strong, penetrating, aromatic, seasoned, peppery, piquant, tangy, flavourful, tasty, sapid: The pungent odours of devilled kidneys dominated the dining-room. 2 sharp, biting, stinging, caustic, severe, astringent, stern, acrid, harsh, sour, acid, tart, acrimonious, bitter, cutting, keen, barbed, trenchant, scathing, incisive, mordant, sarcastic: This week''s Review carries a pungent criticism of his new novel. 3 distressing, upsetting, poignant, painful, hurtful, penetrating, piercing, stabbing, intense, severe, acute, agonizing, oppressive, excruciating, racking, consuming: Only when surgery eased the pressure was he relieved of the pungent pain.
punish | punish: v. 1 penalize, chastise, castigate, discipline, chasten, scold, rebuke, take to task, reprove, dress down, admonish, correct, teach someone a lesson, give a lesson to, throw the book at, rap (someone''s) knuckles, slap (someone''s) wrist, have or US call on the carpet, Colloq take it out on (someone): A child''s first taste of injustice is being punished for something she did not do. 2 imprison, jail or Brit also gaol, incarcerate, lock up; fine, mulct, amerce; lash, flog, beat, scourge, spank, whip, cane, birch, put across or US also turn over (one''s) knee, US paddle; pillory, crucify; tar and feather, exile, banish, excommunicate, cashier, drum out of the corps; hang, execute, electrocute, draw and quarter, send to the gas chamber, Colloq put away, Slang Brit send down, US send up: They were punished for their crimes. 3 hurt, harm, injure, damage, abuse, maltreat, rough up, knock about or around, maul, thrash, beat, trounce, manhandle, batter, Slang beat up: The challenger punished the champion so badly that he could not come out for the tenth round.
punishing | punishing: adj. gruelling, hard, arduous, strenuous, laborious, exhausting, tiring, wearying, fatiguing, wearing, taxing, demanding, burdensome, back-breaking, torturous: Laying railway track was the most punishing job I ever had. This punishing schedule is beginning to tell on me.
punishment | punishment: n. 1 chastisement, chastising, castigation, castigating, discipline, disciplining, chastening, scolding, rebuke, reproof, dressing-down, admonishment, admonition, correction, punitive measures: Every society must continually revise its approach to the punishment of criminals. 2 penance, penalty, sentence, sentencing, just deserts; imprisonment, incarceration, jailing or Brit also gaoling; lashing, flogging, beating, whipping, scourging, spanking, caning, birching, US paddling; exile, banishment, excommunication, cashiering; hanging, execution, electrocution, drawing and quartering: Her punishment is to perform 20 hours a week of public service for a year. Stop whimpering and take your punishment like a man. 3 injury, harm, damage, abuse, maltreatment, mauling, beating, thrashing, trouncing, manhandling, battering, torture: How are professional wrestlers able to withstand so much punishment?
punitive | punitive: adj. chastening, castigatory, disciplinary, retributive, punitory, retaliatory, correctional: A punitive expedition was sent there to quell the colonists'' uprising.
punk | punk: n. 1 ruffian, hoodlum, hooligan, delinquent, tough, thug, vandal, yahoo, barbarian, Colloq goon, mug: A couple of young punks were standing at the bar, trying to look important. --adj. 2 inferior, rotten, unimportant, worthless, bad, poor, awful, Colloq lousy: I thought that the lead in the play was a punk actor.
punt | punt: v. 1 bet, wager, stake, gamble, speculate, lay a bet or stake or wager: Herbert spends all the grocery money punting at the races. --n. 2 bet, wager, stake, gamble: In roulette, Janet always placed her punt on number 14.
punter | punter: n. 1 Brit better or US also bettor, gambler, gamester, player, speculator, backer, wagerer, Brit punt, Colloq crap-shooter: The punters are putting all their money on United to win the cup. 2 fellow, chap, person, individual, man or woman in the street; customer, client, buyer, Colloq guy, Brit bloke, geezer: The average punter likes a beer now and then.
puny | puny: adj. 1 small, little, insignificant, petty, unimportant, inconsequential, paltry, trivial, trifling, minor, negligible, nugatory, of little or no account, inferior, worthless, useless, Colloq piddling, Slang Brit not much cop: Farr''s contribution to the success of the business was really quite puny. 2 small, little, diminutive, tiny, minute: Mattson looks so puny alongside that sumo wrestler. 3 weak, feeble, frail, sickly, weakly, underfed, undernourished, undersized, underdeveloped, stunted, dwarf, midget, pygmy: You cannot expect such a puny chap to lift such a great weight.
pup | pup: n. puppy, whelp, upstart, whippersnapper, popinjay, cub, jackanapes, show-off, braggart: That young pup had the gall to tell me I was too old to be running the company.
pupil | pupil: n. student, learner, scholar, schoolchild, schoolgirl, schoolboy, disciple, apprentice; beginner, novice, neophyte, tiro or tyro, Chiefly ecclesiastical catechumen: A number of Geoffrey''s former pupils have organized a dinner to honour him.
puppet | puppet: n. 1 hand puppet, finger-puppet, glove puppet, doll; marionette, string puppet: The children built a little theatre and put on a puppet show. 2 figurehead, cat''s-paw, pawn, dupe, tool, hireling, yes-man Colloq front (man), Slang stooge, sucker, patsy: He is without authority and is merely a puppet of the drug dealers. The army of occupation set up a puppet government to rule the country.
purchase | purchase: v. 1 buy, acquire, procure, obtain, get, secure, pay for: He recently purchased a new personal computer and cannot get it to work. Not long ago, a shilling purchased a loaf of bread. 2 win, gain, achieve, realize, attain, obtain: His liberty was purchased by the betrayal of his colleagues. --n. 3 acquisition, acquiring, buying, purchasing, obtaining, securing, procurement: The purchase of books for the university library is the responsibility of Monica Turnbull. 4 buy, acquisition: Tom returned from the shop carrying his purchases. 5 grip, hold, support, toe-hold, foothold, grasp; leverage, position, advantage, edge: The climber was having trouble getting a good purchase on the icy ledge.
pure | pure: adj. 1 unmixed, unadulterated, unalloyed, simon-pure; 24-carat or US also 24-karat, sterling, solid; real, genuine, authentic, flawless, faultless, perfect, natural, true, simple: We have made every effort to keep the blood-line of these horses completely pure. Pure gold is not used for coins or jewellery because it is too soft. She wore a dress of the purest white. 2 uncontaminated, clear, clean, wholesome, sanitary, uninfected, disinfected, pasteurized, sterilized, sterile, antiseptic, unpolluted, spotless, immaculate, unsullied, unbesmirched, unblemished, unmarred, unstained, untainted: It was refreshing to breathe pure air again. Stringent tests ensure that the substances are pure before they go on the market. 3 chaste, virginal, virgin, intact, maidenly, vestal, undefiled, innocent, guileless, virtuous, modest, moral, correct, proper, decent, decorous, uncorrupted, blameless, sinless, impeccable: As far as we can tell, she led a totally pure life. 4 theoretical, hypothetical, conjectural, speculative, abstract, conceptual, notional, philosophical, academic(al): His field is pure science, and he cares little how the results of his work might be applied to everyday life. 5 unalloyed, simple, unmitigated, sheer, utter, absolute, unqualified, complete, total, perfect, thorough, outright, downright, out-and-out, mere: Many regarded the notion that man could ever fly as pure nonsense. Any resemblance to a living person is pure coincidence. 6 honourable, (highly) principled, righteous, upright, honest, straightforward, high-minded, pious, worthy, good, ethical, virtuous, sincere, above suspicion, above reproach, like Caesar''s wife: Can anyone doubt that their motives in striving for international peace are pure?
pure-bred | pure-bred: adj. full-blooded, thoroughbred, pedigreed: We raise only pure-bred Angus cattle.
purgative | purgative: n. 1 laxative, cathartic, aperient, purge, physic, depurative: The doctor prescribed a mild purgative, and she felt much better next day. --adj. 2 laxative, cathartic, aperient, evacuant, diuretic, depurative; abstergent: We were totally unprepared for the purgative effects of the spicy food.
purge | purge: v. 1 cleanse, purify, clean (out), clear, scour (out), depurate, deterge, wash (out): The tanks must be purged before filling them with the new fuel. 2 eject, eradicate, expel, eliminate, get rid of, dismiss, clear out or away, sweep away or out, oust, remove, rout out, weed out, root out; do away with, exterminate, liquidate, kill, destroy: After the coup, the old guard was purged from all the governmental agencies. The rebels purged the entire council of elders. 3 clear, exonerate, absolve, forgive, purify, pardon, exculpate: He was given every opportunity to purge himself of the charge of contempt of court. --n. 4 ejection, eradication, expulsion, elimination, dismissal, clearing out or away, ousting, ouster, removal, routing out, weeding out, rooting out, unseating; defenestration; extermination, liquidation, killing, murder, slaughter: The bloody purge of dissidents was carried out by the secret police. 5 See purgative, 1, above.
purify | purify: v. 1 cleanse, clean, clarify, wash, sanitize, depurate, decontaminate, freshen, disinfect; fumigate: The water is then purified by passing it through sand. 2 exonerate, exculpate, absolve, clear, redeem, shrive, lustrate, acquit, pardon, forgive, excuse: Before the aspirants can be admitted to the church they must be purified.
purist | purist: n. pedant, precisian, formalist, stickler, blue-stocking, dogmatist, Pharisee, fanatic, Colloq die-hard, stuffed shirt: Language purists are often unaware of their own grammatical and semantic blunders.
puritan | puritan: n. 1 moralist, pietist, religionist, fanatic, zealot, purist: It seems to me that all religions have their puritans. --adj. 2 prudish, puritanical, prim, proper, strait-laced, ascetic, austere, moralistic, pietistic, intolerant, disapproving, bigoted, narrow-minded, stuffy, stiff-necked, rigid, uncompromising, hard-line, stern, severe, strict, Colloq uptight, hard-nosed: Puritan notions about women''s clothing have often put propriety before practicality.
purity | purity: n. 1 pureness, faultlessness, correctness, flawlessness, perfection, spotlessness, cleanness, cleanliness, clarity; healthfulness, wholesomeness, salubrity; innocuousness, harmlessness: The purity of the drinking-water has been affected by the nearby chemical plant. 2 chastity, chasteness, virginity, virtuousness, virtue, morality, propriety, honesty, integrity, rectitude, properness, innocence, guilelessness, decency, decorousness, modesty, blamelessness, sinlessness: We never had any reason to doubt the purity of their character.
purpose | purpose: n. 1 object, intention, intent, end, goal, ambition, objective, target, aim, principle, point, rationale, reason; scheme, plan, design, motive, motivation, view: What purpose was served by her confession? If your purpose in inviting me was to insult me, I shall leave now. I fail to understand Laura''s purpose in warning me against David. 2 resolution, firmness, determination, persistence, drive, single-mindedness, deliberation, deliberateness, purposefulness, steadfastness, tenacity, doggedness, will, resolve, resoluteness, perseverance, stubbornness: She admired the strong purpose behind his refusal to compromise with quality. 3 use, practicality, avail, effect, utility, usefulness, outcome, result; advantage, profit, gain, good, benefit: To what purpose are you planning to put this knowledge? I cannot see the purpose in pursuing this line of questioning. 4 on purpose. a purposely, intentionally, deliberately, wilfully, by design, consciously, knowingly, designedly, wittingly: That was no accident: you kicked me on purpose! b especially, specially, expressly, exactly, precisely, specifically, in particular: He kicked me on purpose, Mum, just to make me cry! --v. 5 plan, intend, design, resolve, mean, aim, have in mind or view, have a mind, propose, consider, contemplate, aspire, long, yearn: They purpose to open an office of their own.
purposeful | purposeful: adj. intentional, intended, planned, deliberate, resolved, settled, determined, resolute, decided, confirmed, affirmed, sure, certain, positive, definite, staunch, steadfast, persistent, strong-willed, dogged, tenacious, pertinacious, unfailing, unfaltering, firm, fixed: Her purposeful manner inclines other people to defer to her.
purposeless | purposeless: adj. pointless, bootless, meaningless, empty, vacuous, senseless, aimless, rambling, discursive, wandering, disorganized, unorganized: He made what we thought was a purposeless trip to the branch office, but it ultimately proved invaluable.
purse | purse: n. 1 pouch, (money-)bag, wallet, pocket, Dialect poke, Highland dress sporran, US and Canadian (woman''s) handbag, pocketbook, bag: The money goes out so fast I think there is a hole in my purse. 2 money, wealth, resources, funds, finances, exchequer, treasury, capital, revenue, income, means, cash, riches; pounds, shillings, and pence, L.S.D., dollars, shekels, Derogatory Mammon, pelf, (filthy) lucre, US almighty dollar, Slang Brit ready or readies, lolly, dosh, loot, dough, US and Canadian bucks, scratch: The spread of capitalism shows that the power of a man''s purse can transcend his political idealism. 3 prize, reward, award, present, gift: The purse for the next race will be 5,000 guineas. --v. 4 pucker (up), contract, wrinkle, compress, press together: Robert pursed his lips thoughtfully.
pursue | pursue: v. 1 follow, chase, go or run after, hunt (after or down or for or up), trace, trail, track, run down, take off after, dog, stalk, shadow, Brit chivvy or chivy or chevy, Colloq tail: The police pursued the escaped convicts across the moor. 2 follow (up or on with), trace, carry on with, continue, conduct, devote or dedicate oneself to, cultivate, undertake, practise, persist or persevere in, maintain, exercise, proceed with, adhere to, stay with, apply oneself to, Colloq stick with: If you pursue such a course, you are certain to land in jail. 3 aspire to, aim for, work for or toward(s), try or strive for, purpose, seek, search for, go in search of, quest after or for, be intent on, be bent upon or on: Jonathan is pursuing a doctorate in history at Oxford. 4 woo, (pay) court (to), seek the hand of, set (one''s) cap for, Formal press (one''s) suit with, pay suit or court or (one''s) addresses to, Colloq set one''s cap for, Slang chase (after): Jack is pursuing Jacquelyn with matrimony in mind.
pursuit | pursuit: n. 1 pursuing, chasing, following, hunting, hunt, going or running after, tracing, trailing, tracking, running down, dogging, stalking, shadowing, Brit chivvy or chivy or chevy, Colloq tailing: We all joined in the pursuit of the animal. The police set off in hot pursuit of the thieves. 2 pursuance, striving after, seeking, searching, search, looking for: Many think that the pursuit of wealth is the only worthwhile thing in life. 3 work, line (of work), employment, field, area, speciality or US and Canadian only specialty, specialization, business, profession, trade, vocation, calling, career, life-work, activity; hobby, pastime, avocation, interest; Slang racket: What pursuits are open to Jack Ketch now that hanging has been abolished?
push | push: v. 1 thrust, shove, drive, move, set in motion, get moving, propel; press: Push the boat away from the pier. He pushed the door shut. 2 press, depress: Push the button if you want anything. 3 shove, thrust, elbow, shoulder, force, jostle, nudge: We pushed our way through the crowd. 4 urge, encourage, press, induce, ask, persuade, get, egg on, press, prod, spur, goad, rouse, prompt, incite, move, motivate, stimulate, influence, impel, make, compel, force, dragoon, coerce, constrain; badger, hound, pester, harass, plague, nag, browbeat; beg, importune, entreat: His family is pushing him to find work. I''ll soon have the work done, but stop pushing me. 5 force, strain, overstrain, tax, overtax, burden, overburden: You might have got away with it this time, but don''t push your luck. 6 promote, publicize, advertise, boost, propagandize, puff, Colloq plug, Slang ballyhoo, hype: Because we have too much stock, we are pushing suntan oil this week. 7 push about or around. intimidate, bully, cow, domineer, tyrannize, bullyrag, torment, force, coerce: Don''t push people about if you want them to do what you want. 8 push away. reject, deny, brush off or aside, give (someone) the cold shoulder, rebuff, distance oneself from: She pushes everyone away and then wonders why she has no friends. 9 push off. a shove off, sail away or off: We stepped into the dinghy and pushed off. b leave, depart, go away, Colloq light out, take off, hit the road, skedaddle, scram, make oneself scarce, Slang beat it: I have to push off now if I''m to make that train. 10 push on or forward or along. move onwards or onward or ahead or forward, continue, proceed, advance, press on or onwards or onward: If we stay the night here, we shall have to push on first thing in the morning. 11 push through. force, press, Colloq railroad: The bill was pushed through committee without delay. 12 push (up) daisies. be dead (and buried), be six feet under: Her husband''s pushing up daisies. --n. 13 shove, thrust, nudge: My car needs a push to get it started. 14 effort, energy, dynamism, drive, force, enterprise, ambition, vigour, determination, initiative, eagerness, spirit, enthusiasm, zeal, verve, Colloq get-up-and-go, zing, zip, gumption, go: If he had a bit more push, he might succeed. 15 campaign, attack, assault, advance, offensive, charge, onslaught, foray, sortie, invasion, incursion, raid, sally, blitzkrieg, blitz, strike: The troops were massed along the coast, ready for the big push inland. 16 the push. dismissal, notice, Colloq marching orders, Chiefly Brit the sack, the boot, Chiefly US and Canadian walking papers, a pink slip: He''d been with the company for twenty years, but they still gave him the push when sales fell.
pushover | pushover: n. 1 sure thing, Colloq piece of cake, child''s play, snap, cinch, picnic, walk-over, US breeze, Slang cinch, Brit doddle, US lead-pipe cinch: The Latin exam was a pushover. 2 Colloq walk-over, chump, soft touch, soft or easy mark, easy prey or game, Slang patsy, sucker, stooge, sap, Brit mug, US and Canadian milquetoast: I spotted him at once as a pushover for the find-the-lady con.
pushy | pushy: adj. forward, (self-)assertive, forceful, aggressive, obnoxious, arrogant, bumptious, brassy, brazen, impertinent, insolent, pushing, presumptuous, officious, loud, showy, cocky, brash, offensive, bold, Colloq cheeky: I hate pushy salesmen who won''t take ''No'' for an answer.
pussyfoot | pussyfoot: v. 1 sneak, creep, slink, prowl, steal, tiptoe: I wish she''d stop pussyfooting about the house. 2 beat about the bush, hem or hum and haw, equivocate, hesitate, be evasive, evade the issue, prevaricate, tergiversate, be noncommittal, be or sit on the fence, blow hot and cold: Don''t pussyfoot with me - just come out and say what you really think.
put | put: v. 1 place, position, situate, set, lay, station, stand, deposit, rest, settle; locate: Please put all books where they belong. 2 assign, commit, cause, set, consign, subject: I joined the army to fight for my country, and they put me to work peeling potatoes. 3 subject, cause to experience or undergo or suffer, consign, send: He was put to death for his beliefs, not his actions. 4 express, word, phrase; say, utter, write: How did they put it? - ''We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...'' To put it to you straight, shape up or ship out! Can you put that into French? 5 offer, advance, bring forward, present, propose, submit, tender, set before: I put it to you that you have been lying to the court and that you did leave your house that night. 6 bet, gamble, wager, stake, play, chance, risk, hazard: I put two pounds on the horse to win. 7 throw, heave, toss, fling, cast, pitch, bowl, lob, send, shy, shoot, snap, catapult: How far did you say you can put a 10-pound shot? 8 place, assign, attribute, lay, pin, attach, fix: They try to put the blame on me for everything that goes wrong around here. 9 put about. broadcast, publish, make known, publicize, announce, spread about or around: They have been putting about some story linking the two of us romantically. 10 put across or over. make clear, get across, make (something or oneself) understood or understandable, explain, spell out, convey, communicate: She is quite adept at putting across her ideas. 11 put aside. set or lay aside, ignore, disregard, pay no heed to, push aside, shrug off: They put aside their differences and discovered they had much in common. Isn''t it time you put aside childish things? 12 put aside or by or away. lay aside or by, set aside; save, store, stow or store or salt or squirrel away, lay away, cache, bank: You ought to put a little money aside for a rainy day. 13 put away. a See 12, above. b jail or Brit also gaol, imprison, incarcerate, Colloq send, jug, confine, commit, institutionalize, remand, Brit send down, US send up: She wants rapists and child molesters put away for a long, long time. c See 16 (d), below. d consume, gorge, gormandize or US also gourmandize: It is unbelievable how much that man can put away at one sitting. 14 put back. return, replace, restore: He insists that he put back all the money he took. Put the pictures back where they belong. 15 put by. See 12, above. 16 put down. a record, register, write down, set down, enter, list; log, note (down), jot down, make a note or notation of: You may put me down for a contribution of �5. Please put down your name and address in the box provided. b depose, put an end to, topple, crush, overthrow, subdue, suppress, check, quash, quell: The loyalists put down the rebellion in short order. c ascribe, assign, attribute: The doctor put my feelings of fatigue and listlessness down to anaemia. d kill, exterminate, destroy, put to death, put to sleep, put away, do away with: We had to have our cat put down, which was very upsetting for us all. e abash, humiliate, crush, silence, mortify, lower, take down (a peg or a notch), shame, snub, deflate, slight, reject, dismiss: Waiters have a way of putting people down if they behave presumptuously. f take for, reckon, account, count, categorize, regard: Don''t put Martin down as a dunce just because he acts the fool now and then. g belittle, diminish, disparage, deprecate, depreciate, criticize, disdain, look down on, despise, contemn: They deny being prejudiced, but they put down everyone who isn''t exactly like them. 17 put forth. a propose, offer, set forth, advance: Several theories have been put forth on the function of mitochondrial DNA. b grow, produce, send out or forth, bud, flower: When the plant puts forth suckers, they must be pinched back. c begin, set out, set forth, start: We put forth on our voyage with great enthusiasm. d promulgate, issue, publish, make known, make public: The committee have not put forth any suggestions for improving traffic flow. 18 put forward. a propose, present, tender, nominate, name; recommend: Your name has been put forward as chair for next year''s committee. b suggest, offer, propose, set forth, put forth, present, submit, tender, proffer, introduce, advance, propound, air, make known, announce: No new solutions to the problem were put forward. 19 put in. a insert, introduce: Why did you put in a reference to your mother? b spend, devote: During the holiday season I plan to put in a lot of time to reading. c make: So, you finally decided to put in an appearance. 20 put in for. a apply for, request, ask for, petition for: He has put in for a transfer twice and has been refused both times. b seek, apply for, pursue, file: Do you really think that Jamieson will put in for re-election? 21 put off. a postpone, delay, defer, put back, stay, hold off, shelve, put or set aside, Chiefly US put over, table: Consideration of your request has been put off till tomorrow. b dismiss, get rid of, send away, turn away; discourage, Colloq give (someone) the brush-off, US brush off: The manager put me off when I went in to ask about a salary increase. c dismay, disconcert, upset, confuse, disturb, perturb, abash, distress, Colloq throw, rattle: Curiously, Michael didn''t seem a bit put off to learn about the murder. d repel, disgust, sicken, revolt, nauseate: That television programme on open-heart surgery really put me off. e leave, depart, go (off), set off: We put off tomorrow morning for Rockall. 22 put on. a don, clothe or attire or dress (oneself) in, get dressed in, change or slip into: We put on our best clothes to come to your party. b assume, take on, pretend, affect, feign, bluff, make a show of: She puts on an air of indifference, but she really does care. c add, gain: Bill put on quite a bit of weight when he stopped smoking. d stage, mount, produce, present, perform: Our local repertory group is putting on Hedda Gabler this weekend. e tease, mock, Colloq kid, pull (someone''s) leg, rib, rag, Brit have on: When he told you that all holidays had been cancelled he was only putting you on. 23 put out. a inconvenience, discommode, disturb, embarrass, trouble, bother, impose upon or on, Colloq put on the spot: Her arriving an hour early didn''t put me out one bit. b annoy, vex, irritate, anger, exasperate, irk, perturb, provoke, Slang bug: Donald was very much put out to discover that the appointment had gone to someone else. c snuff out, extinguish, blow out, douse, quench, smother: We put out the fire on the stove before it could spread. d exert, put forth, expend, use, exercise: We put out considerable effort moving the furniture before she decided she liked it the way it had been. e publish, issue, broadcast, make public, circulate, spread, make known, release: The information office put out the news that the summit meeting had been a great success. 24 put out of (one''s) misery. release, relieve, free, deliver, rescue, save, spare: Just tell him what they said and put him out of his misery. 25 put over. a put or get across, convey, communicate, set or put forth, relate: I am trying to put the point over to you that I cannot leave now. b See 21 (a), above. 26 put (one or something) over on (someone). fool (someone), pull (someone''s) leg, deceive (someone), mislead (someone), pull the wool over (someone''s) eyes, trick (someone), hoodwink (someone): She really put one over on me when she said she loved me. I think that Manfred is trying to put something over on you. 27 put through. a carry out or through, execute, (put into) effect, bring off, accomplish, complete, finish, conclude, Colloq pull off: If they succeed in putting through their plan, the company will be bankrupt. b process, handle, organize, see to, follow up on: I will personally see that your application is put through the proper channels. c connect, hook up: I asked the operator to put me through to the chairman himself. 28 put up. a erect, build, construct, raise, set up, put together, fabricate: They demolished a row of Georgian houses and put up some ugly County offices in their place. b accommodate, lodge, board, house, take in, quarter, Chiefly military billet: As our house is small, we were able to put up only three people. c preserve, can; cure, pickle: There are many foods that can be put up for later consumption. d contribute, pledge, offer (as collateral), stake, mortgage, post: We put up the house as security for the loan. e contribute, give, supply, donate, ante (up), advance, pay, invest: We put up all our savings to secure our retirement pension. f increase, raise, boost, elevate: As soon as there is a hint of an oil shortage, they put up the price of petrol. g See 18 (a), above. h offer, tender, put or place on the market: They put their house up for sale and are planning to move to the Riviera. 29 put up to. incite, urge, goad, spur, egg on, encourage, prompt, instigate: Was it you who put Reggie up to playing that prank on the teacher? 30 put up with. tolerate, abide, take, brook, stand (for), stomach, accept, resign oneself to, bear, endure, swallow: Why do you put up with his outrageous behaviour?
put-down | put-down: n. dig, sneer, snub, disparaging or denigrating remark, slight, offence, insult: The worst put-down was to tell her she looks like her sister, whom she hates.
put-on | put-on: n. 1 deception, hoax, trick, leg-pull, jest, (practical) joke, prank, pretence, Colloq spoof: He was completely taken in by my put-on about being from the Nobel prize committee. 2 take-off, parody, satire, burlesque, caricature, act, Brit send-up, Colloq spoof: You shouldn''t be offended, it was only a put-on.
putrefy | putrefy: v. rot, decompose, decay, moulder, go bad, spoil, deteriorate, go off: The battlefield was strewn with putrefying bodies.
putrid | putrid: adj. rotten, rotting, decomposed, decomposing, decayed, decaying, mouldy, mouldering, spoilt or spoiled, putrefied, putrescent, putrefying, foul, fetid, rank, tainted, corrupt: Only the vultures continued to hover about the putrid carcass.
put-up | put-up: adj. (secretly) preconceived, prearranged, plotted, preconcerted: If the butler had a hand in it, you know it was a put-up job.
put-upon | put-upon: adj. imposed upon, inconvenienced, put out, taken advantage of, exploited, abused: I shall be happy to help, and I don''t feel put-upon at all.
puzzle | puzzle: v. 1 baffle, bewilder, confuse, confound, mystify, flummox, perplex, nonplus, stymie, stump: I am completely puzzled by what you wrote in your last letter. 2 Usually, puzzle over. study, ponder (over), mull over, contemplate, meditate on or upon or over, consider, muse over or on, reflect on or over, think about or over or on: If you puzzle over it long enough, the problem may vanish of its own accord. 3 puzzle out. solve, decipher, crack (the code), unravel, work out, figure out, think through, sort out, unlock: I finally puzzled out the inscription on this old coin. It might take a while, but I can puzzle out the solution to this crossword. --n. 4 enigma, problem, question, paradox, poser, mystery, riddle, conundrum, Colloq brain-teaser: The puzzle is how the murder was committed when the door was locked from the inside.
puzzling | puzzling: adj. mystifying, enigmatic(al), bewildering, baffling, confounding, perplexing, confusing, ambiguous, contradictory, abstruse: It is a bit puzzling to see Catherine so often in the company of the husband she recently divorced.
