M

(71 words)

machinery

noun [ U ]

a group of large machines or the parts of a machine that make it work:

magistrate

noun [ C ]

a person who acts as a judge in a law court that deals with crimes that are less serious:

magnetic

adjective

with the power of a magnet

magnificently

make time

to make certain you have some time when you are not busy in order to do something you think you should do:

make a point of doing sth

to always do something or to take particular care to do something:

mammal

noun [ C ]

any animal of which the female feeds her young on milk from her own body. Most mammals give birth to live young, not eggs:

mansion

noun [ C ]

a very large, expensive house:

march

PUBLIC EVENT

noun

[ C ] an event in which a large number of people walk through a public place to express their support for something, or their disagreement with or disapproval of something:

WALK

verb

[ I ] to walk through a public place as part of a public event to express support for something, or disagreement with or disapproval of something:

[ I or T ] to walk with regular steps and keeping the body stiff, usually in a formal group of people who are all walking in the same way:

mark

SYMBOL

noun

[ C ] a symbol that is used for giving information:

DAMAGE/MAKE DIRTY

[ I or T ] to make a mark on something or someone:

market

noun [ C ]

the people who might want to buy something, or a part of the world where something is sold:

masculine

adjective

having characteristics that are traditionally thought to be typical of or suitable for men:

mass

adjective [ before noun ]

having an effect on or involving a large number of people or forming a large amount:

Master’s degree

informal Master’s

noun [ C ]

an advanced college or university degree:c1

mat

noun [ C ]

a small piece of strong material that covers and protects part of a floor:

match

verb

[ T ] to be as good as someone or something else:

by no means/not by any means

not at all:

mechanism

MACHINE PART

noun [ C ]

a part of a machine, or a set of parts that work together:

SYSTEM

a way of doing something that is planned or part of a system:

meet

verb

[ T ] to fulfil, satisfy, or achieve:

membership

noun

[ C, + sing/pl verb ] all the people who belong to an organization:

memo

noun [ C ]

a message or other information in writing sent by one person or department to another in the same business organization:

mentality

noun [ C usually singular ]

a person’s particular way of thinking about things:

I can’t understand the mentality of people who hurt animals.
He hopes that closer links between Britain and the rest of Europe will change the British mentality towards foreigners.

*I realized that the residents had this same mentality.

merit

noun [ C or U ]

formal the quality of being good and deserving praise:

mess around/about

informal to spend time doing various things that are not important, without any particular purpose or plan:

middle

adjective [ before noun ]

neither high nor low in importance, amount, or size:

mild

adjective

not violent, severe, or extreme:

the military

the armed forces:

set/put sb’s mind at rest/ease

to stop someone from worrying about something:

set/put your mind to sth

to decide you are going to do something and to put a lot of effort into doing it:

be in two minds

uk us be of two minds

to be unable to decide about something:

miner

noun [ C ]

a person who works in a mine:

mingle

verb

[ I ] to move around and talk to other people at a social event:

minimal

adjective

very small in amount:

minimise/minimize

verb [ T ]

to reduce something to the least possible level or amount:

mining

noun [ U ]

the industry or activity of removing substances such as coal or metal from the ground by digging:

ministry

noun

[ C ] in Britain and some other countries, a department of the government led by a minister:

minority

noun

[ C ] any small group in society that is different from the rest because of their race, religion, or political beliefs, or a person who belongs to such a group:

misbehave

verb [ I ]

to behave badly:

misfortune

noun [ C or U ]

bad luck, or an unlucky event:

misinform

verb [ T ]

to tell someone information that is not correct:

mislead

verb [ T ]

to cause someone to believe something that is not true:

give sth a miss

uk informal

to avoid or not do something:

mistaken

adjective

wrong in what you believe, or based on a belief that is wrong:

misuse

verb [ T ]

to use something in an unsuitable way or in a way that was not intended:

noun [ C or U ]

an occasion when something is used in an unsuitable way or in a way that was not intended:

mode

noun

[ C or U ] formal a way of operating, living, or behaving:

moderate

adjective

neither small nor large in size, amount, degree, or strength:

moderation

noun [ U ]

the quality of doing something within reasonable limits:

modest

adjective

approving not usually talking about or making obvious your own abilities and achievements:

modestly

modification

noun

[ C or U ] a change to something, usually to improve it:

modify

verb [ T ]

to change something such as a plan, opinion, law, or way of behaviour slightly, usually to improve it or make it more acceptable:

monitor

verb [ T ]

to watch and check a situation carefully for a period of time in order to discover something about it:

monotonous

adjective

not changing and therefore boring:

moral

adjective

behaving in ways considered by most people to be correct and honest:

for the most part

mostly or usually:

motivate

verb

[ T often passive ] to cause someone to behave in a particular way:

[ T ] to make someone want to do something well:

motivation

noun

[ C ] the need or reason for doing something:

move on

NEW PLACE

to leave the place where you are staying and go somewhere else:

NEW ACTIVITY

to start a new activity:

move

CHANGE OF PLACE

noun

[ C ] an occasion when you go to live or work in a different place:

ACTION

[ C ] an action taken to achieve something:

movement

noun

[ C, + sing/pl verb ] a group of people with a particular set of aims:

much

pronoun, adverb

(something) of good quality:

multiple

adjective

very many of the same type, or of different types:

mundane

adjective

very ordinary and therefore not interesting:

municipal

adjective

of or belonging to a town or city:

face the music

to accept criticism or punishment for something you have done

pull a muscle

to injure a muscle by stretching it too far so that it is very painful:

musical

adjective

If you are musical, you have a skill in or a great liking for music:

mustard

noun [ U ]

a thick yellow or brown sauce that tastes spicy and is eaten cold in small amounts, especially with meat

mutual

adjective

(of two or more people or groups) feeling the same emotion, or doing the same thing to or for each other:

mysteriously

adverb

in a way that is strange, not known, or not understood:

myth

noun

[ C + that ] disapproving a commonly believed but false idea: