THESAURUS finish to complete the last part of something that you are doing : Have you finished your homework? | The builders say they should have finished by Friday. complete to finish making or doing something that has taken a long time to finish : The new bridge will be completed in two years’ time. | She has just completed her PhD. finalize to do the last things that are necessary in order to settle a plan or agreement in a satisfactory way : A spokesman said that they were hoping to finalize an agreement in the near future. conclude formal to officially finish something : The police have now concluded their investigations. | Ralph Ellis, Managing Director, concluded the conference with a review of the trading year. wrap something up informal to finish something successfully – used especially about agreements or sports competitions : Negotiators are meeting on Friday to wrap up the deal. | Liverpool had several chances to wrap up the game. round something off British English , round something out American English to do something as a way of ending a day, an evening, an event etc in an enjoyable or suitable way : They rounded off the day with a barbecue at the beach. | A concert in the park is being organized to round off the programme of events. get it over with/get it over and done with to do something that you have to do now, so that it is finished and you can stop worrying about it : Let’s go and do the shopping now and get it over with. | Just tell him how you feel and get it over and done with. be done/be through informal if you are done, you have finished – used especially when other people are waiting for you : We’re nearly done. | We should be through in half an hour. be through with something/be done with something informal to have finished using something – used especially when other people are waiting to use it : I’m done with the file. | I’ll let you know when I’m through with it. tie up the loose ends to finish dealing with the final details of something, so that is all finished : ‘Is the talk ready?’ ‘I just need to tie up a few loose ends
THESAURUS make used about things you make yourself, or things that are made in a factory : Diane makes all her own clothes. | My camera was made in China. produce to make something in large quantities to be sold, or to make something as the result of a natural process : The factory produces high-quality steel. | Japan produces some of the most advanced mobile phones. | The pancreas is a gland in your body which produces hormones. create to make something new and original : Tarantino created a whole new style of films. | Many companies invest a lot of money in creating new products. | Potter was famous for creating characters such as ‘Peter Rabbit’. | This technique is used to create images of beautiful forests. manufacture to make machines, cars, equipment etc in factories : The company manufactures aircraft parts. mass-produce to make very large quantities of something in a factory : They developed a way to mass-produce the drug. develop to design and make something new over a period of time : In 1962, Enders developed an effective vaccine against measles. | The company is developing new anti-virus software. form to make something as the result of a natural process or chemical reaction : Hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water. | The research will help us understand how planets are formed. generate to make something such as heat, electricity, or power : Wind can be used to generate electricity
THESAURUS cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors : Do you want me to cut the cake? | He cut off the lower branches. snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors : I snipped the label off. | The hairdresser snipped away at her hair. slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife : He slit the envelope open with a penknife. | She slit through the plastic covering. slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut : Someone had slashed the tyres on his car. | He tried to slash his wrists. saw to cut wood, using a saw (= a tool with a row of sharp points ) : Saw the wood to the correct length. chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces : Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe. | They chopped down the old tree. | finely chopped onion slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces : I’ll slice the cucumber. | Slice the bread thinly. dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces : First dice the apple into cubes. grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool : Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables. peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple : I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan. carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat : Uncle Ray carved the turkey. mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc : A gardener was mowing the lawn. trim ( also clip ) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater : He was trimming his beard. | Trim the excess fat off the meat
Break THESAURUS to break something break verb [ transitive ] to damage something and make it separate into pieces, for example by dropping it or hitting it : Careful you don’t break the chair. | He broke his leg. smash verb [ transitive ] to break something with a lot of force : A policeman smashed his camera. snap verb [ transitive ] to break something into two pieces, making a loud noise – used especially about long thin objects : He snapped the sticks in two. split verb [ transitive ] to separate something into two pieces along a straight line : Using a sharp knife, split the melon in half. fracture verb [ transitive ] to damage a bone, especially so that a line appears on the surface : I fell over and fractured my wrist. tear / teə $ ter / verb [ transitive ] to damage paper or cloth by pulling it so that it separates into pieces : She tore up the letter and put it in the bin. | I tore my jacket. to become broken break verb [ intransitive ] to become damaged and separate into pieces : Plastic breaks quite easily. smash verb [ intransitive ] to break after being hit with a lot of force : The bowl smashed as it hit the floor. shatter verb [ intransitive ] to break into a lot of small pieces : The glass shattered all over the pavement. crack verb [ intransitive ] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces : The ice was starting to crack. burst verb [ intransitive ] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it : She blew up the balloon until it burst. split verb [ intransitive ] to break in a straight line : The damp had caused the wood to split. crumble verb [ intransitive ] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces : The cork just crumbled in my hand
choose THESAURUS choose to decide which one of several things you want : I chose a black dress. | Which dessert should I choose? pick to choose something, especially without thinking carefully. Pick is more informal than choose : Pick any number from one to ten. select formal to choose something, especially after thinking carefully : The committee will meet to select a new chairman. | All our instructors are carefully selected. opt for/go for to choose one thing instead of another : Many car buyers opt for used vehicles. | I think I’ll go for the chocolate cake. decide on to choose something from many possible things, especially when the decision has been difficult or taken a long time : Thomas had decided on a career as a writer. single out to choose one person or thing from a group because they are better, worse, more important etc than the others : Why should he be singled out for special treatment? | One student was singled out for special attention. take your pick especially spoken to choose anything you want, especially when there are many different things available : You can take your pick from Bodrum’s many bars and restaurants
destroy THESAURUS destroy to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repaired : The earthquake almost completely destroyed the city. | The twin towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack. devastate to damage a large area very badly and destroy many things in it : Allied bombings in 1943 devastated the city. | The country’s economy has been devastated by years of fighting. demolish to completely destroy a building, either deliberately or by accident : The original 15th century house was demolished in Victorian times. | The plane crashed into a suburb of Paris, demolishing several buildings. flatten to destroy a building or town by knocking it down, bombing it etc, so that nothing is left standing : The town centre was flattened by a 500 lb bomb. wreck to deliberately damage something very badly, especially a room or building : The toilets had been wrecked by vandals. | They just wrecked the place. trash informal to deliberately destroy a lot of the things in a room, house etc : Apparently, he trashed his hotel room while on drugs. obliterate formal to destroy a place so completely that nothing remains : The nuclear blast obliterated most of Hiroshima. reduce something to ruins/rubble/ashes to destroy a building or town completely : The town was reduced to rubble in the First World War. ruin to spoil something completely, so that it cannot be used or enjoyed : Fungus may ruin the crop. | The new houses will ruin the view
eat THESAURUS eat to put food in your mouth and chew and swallow it : Experts recommend eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. have to eat a particular food : ‘What do you usually have for breakfast?’ ‘I usually just have coffee and toast.’ | We had the set meal. feed on something to eat a particular kind of food – used when talking about animals : Foxes feed on a wide range of foods including mice, birds, insects, and fruit. consume written to eat or drink something – used especially in scientific or technical contexts : Babies consume large amounts relative to their body weight. munch (on) something to eat something with big continuous movements of your mouth, especially when you are enjoying your food : He was munching on an apple. | They were sitting on a bench munching their sandwiches. nibble (on) something to eat something by biting off very small pieces : If you want a healthy snack, why not just nibble on a carrot? pick at something to eat only a small amount of your food because you are not hungry or do not like the food : Lisa was so upset that she could only pick at her food. stuff/gorge yourself to eat so much food that you cannot eat anything else : He’s always stuffing himself with cakes. | We gorged ourselves on my mother’s delicious apple tart. slurp to eat soup, noodle s etc with a noisy sucking sound : In England it’s considered rude to slurp your soup, but in some countries it’s seen as a sign of enjoyment. to eat something quickly gobble something up/down informal to eat something very quickly, especially because you like it very much or you are greedy : You’ve gobbled up all the ice-cream! | The children gobbled it down in no time. wolf something down informal to eat food quickly, especially because you are very hungry or in a hurry : The boy wolfed down everything on his plate and asked for more. bolt something down British English to eat food very quickly, especially because you are in a hurry : He bolted down his breakfast and was out of the door within 5 minutes. | You shouldn’t bolt your food down like that. devour / dɪˈvaʊə $ -ˈvaʊr / especially written to eat all of something quickly because you are very hungry : In a very short time, the snake had devoured the whole animal. to eat less food or stop eating be on a diet to be eating less or different food than normal in order to become thinner : No cake thanks – I’m on a diet. fast to not eat for a period of time, often for religious reasons : Muslim people fast during the month of Ramadan
enter THESAURUS enter to go or come into a place. Enter is more formal than go in : It appears the burglars entered the house through a back window. | Occupying troops entered the town on 8th April. go in/into something to enter a place. Go in/into is the usual phrase to use in everyday English : It was getting cold so we went in. | He went into the cafe and ordered a drink. come in/into something to enter a place – used when you are already in that place : Come in and sit down. | When you come into the village, you’ll see the church on your right. get in/into something to succeed in entering a place, especially when it is difficult or it takes a long time : I’d lost my key so I couldn’t get in. | You can’t get into the club if you are under 18. break in/into something to enter a building using force, for example in order to steal something : If anyone tries to break in, the alarm will go off. burst in/into something to enter a room or building very suddenly and noisily : Two men with guns burst in and told us to lie on the floor. | He burst into my office laughing and screaming like a maniac. barge in/into something to suddenly enter a room where you are not wanted because you are interrupting someone or you were not invited : She just barged into my room without knocking. | You can’t just go barging in. sneak in/into something to enter a place quietly and secretly hoping that no one will notice you : If you’re late, just try and sneak into the back of the class. slip in/into something to enter a place quietly and quickly : Maggie opened the door silently and slipped in. trespass formal to enter an area of land that belongs to someone else without permission : The sign said ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’. | Trespassing on the railway is a criminal offence in the UK.
find THESAURUS find to get or see something that you have been searching for : Have you found your passport yet? | Police later found the car abandoned in a wood. discover to find something that was hidden or that people did not know about before : A second bomb has been discovered in south London. locate formal to find the exact position of something : The airline are still trying to locate my luggage. | Online maps make it easy to locate almost any place in the world. come across something to find something unexpectedly when you are not looking for it : I came across some old letters from my father in my drawer. stumble on/across something to find something unexpectedly, especially something very important : They may have stumbled across some vital evidence. | Completely by chance we had stumbled on the biggest hit of the year. trace to find someone or something that has disappeared, especially by a careful process of collecting information : She had given up all hope of tracing her missing daughter. track somebody/something down to find someone or something that is difficult to find by searching in different places : I’ve been trying to track down a book that’s out of print. | The police managed to track down the killer. unearth to find something that has been hidden or lost for a long time, by digging or searching for it : In 1796, a carved stone was unearthed near the burial mound.
give THESAURUS give to let someone have something, without expecting to be paid for it : He was always giving me gifts. | They gave a free drink to all their customers. donate to give money to an organization that helps people or protects something, or to give your blood or part of your body to save someone’s life : The company donates 1 per cent of its profits to charity. | 70% of people wanted to donate their organs after death. award to officially give money or a prize to someone : She was awarded a million dollars in damages. | Hollywood awarded him an Oscar for his performance. present to formally or officially give something to someone by putting it in their hands, especially at a formal ceremony : They presented her with a bouquet of flowers. leave ( also bequeath / bɪˈkwiːð, bɪˈkwiːθ / formal ) to officially arrange for someone to have something that you own after your death : He left most of his property to his wife. lavish somebody with something/lavish something on somebody formal to give someone a lot of something, especially praise, attention, or gifts : After his team won, the press lavished him with praise. confer formal to give someone an honour, a university degree, or the right or power to do something : the powers conferred on him by Parliament | the highest honor that her country could confer on her bestow formal to give someone something to show how much they are respected, for example an honour, a title, or a gift – a very formal use : He was also bestowed the title of ‘Cultural Ambassador of Grenada’. to give something to a group of people hand something out/give something out to give something to each of the people in a group : The teacher handed out the test papers. | I’m going to give out some forms for you to fill in. distribute to give things to a large number of people, especially in the streets : Anti-war protesters were distributing leaflets. share ( also share something out British English ) to divide something into equal parts and give a part to each person : They shared the profits among the staff
