E

(92 words)

play (sth) by ear

to play a piece of music by remembering the notes:

play it by ear

to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than acting according to plans made earlier:

fall on deaf ears

If a suggestion or warning falls on deaf ears, no one listens to it:

at the earliest

used after a date or time to show that something will not happen before then:

earn

verb [ I or T ]

to get something that you deserve:

echo

SOUND

noun [ C ]

a sound that is heard after it has been reflected off a surface such as a wall or a cliff:

verb

[ I ] If a sound echoes or a place echoes with a sound, you hear the sound again because you are in a large, empty space:

SIMILAR DETAILS

verb

[ T ] to repeat details that are similar to, and make you think of, something else:

edge

noun

[ S ] an advantage over other people:

on edge

nervous and not relaxed:

educated guess

a guess that is made using judgment and a particular level of knowledge and is therefore more likely to be correct

effect

noun

[ U ] use:

in effect

in fact, or in practice:

effectively

adverb

used when you describe what the real result of a situation is:

be an effort

to be difficult, tiring, or boring to do:

nest egg

an amount of money that has been saved or kept for a special purpose:

elaborate

adjective

containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts:

elapse

verb [ I ] formal

If time elapses, it goes past:

elated

adjective

extremely happy and excited, often because something has happened or been achieved:

elder

noun [ C ]

an older person, especially one with a respected position in society:

an element of sth

a small amount of an emotion or quality:

elimination

noun [ U ]

the process of removing something:

elusive

adjective

difficult to describe, find, achieve, or remember:

embarrass

verb [ T ]

to cause someone to feel nervous, worried, or uncomfortable:

embody

verb [ T ] formal

to represent a quality or an idea exactly:

She embodied good sportsmanship on the playing field.

*His life embodied the paradox of his music.

embrace

HOLD

verb

[ I or T ] literary to hold someone tightly with both arms to express love, liking, or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone:

She saw them embrace on the station platform.
He leaned over to embrace the child.

noun [ C ]

the act of holding someone tightly with both arms to express love, liking, or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone:

She greeted me with a warm embrace.

eminent

adjective

famous, respected, or important:

emit

verb [ T ]

to send out a beam, noise, smell, or gas:

empathy

noun [ U ]

the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation

empirical

adjective

based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory:

not be the end of the world

informal

If something is not the end of the world, it will not cause very serious problems:

at the end of your tether/rope

having no strength or patience left:

to the bitter end

until something is finished

odds and ends; odds and sods

informal

various things of different types, usually small and not important, or of little value:

a means to an end

something that you do because it will help you to achieve something else:

the tail end

the final part:

endorse

verb [ T ]

to make a public statement of your approval or support for something or someone:

be endowed with sth

to have a particular quality or feature:

endurance

noun [ U ]

the ability to keep doing something difficult, unpleasant, or painful for a long time:

engage in sth

formal

to take part in something:

engrossed

adjective

giving all your attention to something:

enjoy

verb [ T ]

to have something good or lucky:

sure enough

as expected:

entity

noun [ C ] formal

something that exists apart from other things, having its own independent existence:

entrance

noun

[ C usually singular ] the act of coming onto a stage, by an actor or dancer:

be the envy of sb

to be liked and wanted by a lot of people:

be green with envy

to be very unhappy because someone has something that you want:

equate

verb [ T ]

to consider one thing to be the same as or equal to another thing:

eradicate

verb [ T ] formal

to get rid of something completely or destroy something bad:

erode

verb [ I or T ]

DAMAGE PHYSICALLY

to rub or be rubbed away gradually:

HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECT

to slowly reduce or destroy something:

erosion

noun [ U ]

the fact of a good quality or situation being gradually lost or destroyed:

margin of error

an extra amount of something, such as time or money, that you allow because there might be a mistake in your calculations:

trial and error

a way of achieving an aim or solving a problem by trying a number of different methods and learning from the mistakes that you make:

erupt

verb [ I ]

When a volcano erupts, it explodes and flames and rocks come out of it:

a narrow escape

a situation in which you avoid danger although you very nearly do not:

essence

noun

[ S or U ] the basic or most important idea or quality of something:

in essence

formal

relating to the most important characteristics or ideas of something:

establish

verb

[ T ] formal to discover or get proof of something:

ethical

adjective

relating to beliefs about what is morally right and wrong:

morally right:

turn of events

a change in a situation:

eventful

adjective

full of interesting or important events:

eventual

adjective [ before noun ]

happening or existing at a later time or at the end, especially after a lot of effort, problems, etc.:

every so often

sometimes but not often:

examine

verb [ T ]

to test someone’s knowledge or skill in a particular subject:

excel

verb [ I ]

to be extremely good at something:

excel yourself

to do something better than you usually do:

take exception to sth/sb

to be offended or made angry by something or someone:

exclaim

verb [ I ]

to say or shout something suddenly because of surprise, fear, pleasure, etc.:

exclusive of sth

not including something:

execute

verb [ T ]

KILL

to kill someone as a legal punishment:

DO

formal to do or perform something, especially in a planned way:

exemplify

verb [ T ]

to be or give a typical example of something:

exercise

noun

[ C ] an action or actions intended to improve something or make something happen:

verb

[ T ] formal to use something:

exile

noun

[ U ] the condition of someone being sent or kept away from their own country, village, etc., especially for political reasons:

expenditure

noun

[ C or U ] the total amount of money that a government or person spends:

at the expense of sb; at sb’s expense

making another person look silly:

experimental

adjective

relating to tests, especially scientific ones:

expire

verb [ I ]

If something that lasts for a fixed length of time expires, it comes to an end or stops being in use:

explicit

adjective

clear and exact:

showing or talking about sex or violence in a very detailed way:

explosive

adjective

BURST

exploding or able to explode easily:

EMOTION

An explosive situation or emotion is one in which strong feelings are loudly or violently expressed:

noun [ C or U ]

a substance or piece of equipment that can cause explosions