Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

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.

postý 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° 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 n. placard, notice, bill, advertisement, announcement, broadside, broadsheet; circular, flier: Who designed that striking poster for the new play?

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, derriŠre, 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 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

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

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 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

n. delay, adjournment, abeyance, suspension, stay, deferment, deferral, moratorium: There has been a postponement of the meeting till Monday.

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.

corporation, beer belly, spare tyre, US bay window: If he exercised more, Patrick wouldn't have such a pot.

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 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 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

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 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 n. earthenware, ceramics, terracotta, crockery, stoneware, porcelain, china, delftware: Ornamented pottery has been found in pre-Columbian digs.

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° 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.

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:

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 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 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 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 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.

16.7 practicable...

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practicable

adj. doable, feasible, workable, performable, achievable, attainable, accomplishable, possible, viable: We climbed up the glacier as far as was practicable. At last we had a practicable flying machine.

practical adj. 1 pragmatic, useful, usable or useable, functional, realistic, reasonable, sound, utilitarian, applicable, serviceable, empirical, efficient: Whether the device is practical will depend on its cost effectiveness. 2 sensible,

reasonable, common-sense or common-sensical, everyday, ordinary, down-to-earth, expedient, matter-of-fact, mundane,

business-like, hard-headed, judicious, Colloq hard-nosed: Put theory aside and focus on a practical solution to the problem. 3 applied, field, hands-on, personal, everyday: She has had practical experience in nursing the elderly.

practically

adv. 1 almost, (very) nearly, wellnigh, virtually, in effect, just about, essentially, fundamentally, at bottom, basically, when all is said and done, at the end of the day, to all intents and purposes: We are practically there. I have practically finished the ironing. 2 realistically, matter-of-factly, clearly, simply, reasonably, rationally, sensibly: Practically, there was nothing to be done except let the fire burn itself out.

practice n. 1 custom, wont, habit, routine, convention, tradition, rule, procedure, usage, mode, style, way, modus operandi, technique or technic, Formal praxis, Colloq MO (= 'modus operandi'): She makes a practice of swimming for an hour every day. It is our practice to get patients out of bed as soon as possible after surgery. 2 exercise, discipline, drill, practising, repetition, rehearsal, training, preparation; workout, warm-up; application, study: She needs more practice on the beginner's slope before going down the main piste. 3 pursuit, exercise, work,

profession, career, vocation, conduct; business, office: He genuinely enjoys the practice of law. I heard of a veterinary practice for sale in Yorkshire. 4 in practice. practically, actually, day-to-day, realistically, in real life: In practice

no one would ever treat an injury the way this book recommends. 5 out of practice. inexperienced, unpractised, unaccustomed, rusty: I once played a good game of chess, but I'm out of practice now.

practise v. 1 drill, exercise, work out, train, prepare, rehearse, run through, repeat, study, US practice: I am practising for Sunday's tennis tournament. She practises the piano every day.

You should practise your routine for the show. 2 carry on, make a practice of, perform, do, act, carry out, put into practice,

US practice: She practises law. You should practise what you preach.

practised adj. 1 accomplished, proficient, expert, skilled, experienced, capable, adept, seasoned, able, qualified, gifted, talented, skilful, masterful, consummate, superb, superior, US practiced: She is a practised liar. 2 trained, rehearsed, versed,

cultivated, schooled, finished, perfected, US practiced: He greeted them with the practised air of an veteran diplomat.

praise n. 1 acclaim, approval, approbation, applause, plaudits, kudos, endorsement, acclamation, tribute, accolade, compliments, commendation, encomium, eulogy, panegyric, ovation: Sheila has received well-deserved praise for her work with paraplegic children. Would you expect me to sing the praises of my rival? 2 honour, glorification, adoration, exaltation, devotion, homage, worship, veneration, adulation, reverence, glory, hymn or song

of praise, paean, hosanna: The king rejoiced and said, 'Praise be to God'.

--v. 3 acclaim, approve, laud, applaud, endorse, pay tribute to, compliment, commend, eulogize, extol, honour, sing the praises (of): The speaker praised Read for his many contributions to linguistics. 4 worship, revere, reverence, exalt, glorify, adore, pay homage to, venerate, give thanks to, hallow: Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

praiseworthy

adj. commendable, laudable, admirable, creditable, worthy, meritorious, deserving, exemplary: However praiseworthy your motives were, you did not stop to consider the consequences.

stunt, lark, jest, jape, monkey tricks or esp. US monkeyshines, mischief: Those schoolboy pranks we once thought hilarious now seem quite silly.

prattle v. 1 prate, babble, blather or blether, blither, gibber, jabber, jibber-jabber, palaver, tattle, twaddle, gabble, chatter, patter, drivel, twitter, rattle on, go on (and on),

maunder, Brit natter, Colloq witter (on), gas, gab, spout, gush, run (on), US run off at the mouth, Slang jaw, ya(c)k, ya(c)kety-ya(c)k, shoot off one's mouth: Do I have to listen to him prattle on and on about his grandchildren?

prayer n. 1 petition, supplication, request, entreaty, plea, suit, appeal, Rare obsecration: Our prayers were answered, and she returned safely. 2 devotion, praying, invocation, (divine) service, Literary orison: Man ascends to God through prayer.

preach v. 1 deliver a sermon, evangelize, spread the Word or the Gospel; catechize: The Most Reverend John Attwood will preach next week at Winchester. 2 moralize, sermonize, advise, counsel, admonish, reprimand, lecture, harangue, pontificate; urge, inculcate, advocate: Mother used to preach to us about being charitable. Father preached restraint in all things.

preacher n. minister, evangelist, clergyman, clergywoman, cleric, ecclesiastic, reverend, divine, Colloq tub-thumper: He studied for many years to become a preacher.

preamble n. introduction, foreword, prologue, preface, Formal proem, prolegomenon, exordium: As a preamble to today's proceedings, I should like to welcome our honoured guests.

precarious

adj. uncertain, unreliable, unsure, risky, hazardous, unpredictable, insecure, unstable, unsteady, unsettled, shaky, doubtful, dubious, questionable, tricky, delicate, ticklish, sensitive, slippery, touch-and-go, (hanging) in the balance, hanging by a thread, Damoclean, perilous, treacherous, dangerous, difficult, problematic, Colloq chancy, Brit dodgy, dicey, US iffy, Slang hairy: If sales continue to drop, the company will be in precarious condition. We followed a precarious trail down the mountainside.

precaution

n. 1 provision, preventive measure, safety measure, safeguard, insurance, protection, cover, escape: Unfortunately, he had failed to take any precautions against storm damage. 2 foresight, prudence, providence, forethought, caution, cautiousness, circumspection, care, attention, watchfulness, vigilance, alertness, wariness, chariness, apprehension, far-sightedness, anticipation: Precaution is wiser than hindsight.

precede v. come or go or proceed before or first, go ahead or in advance (of), lead (the way), pave the way (for), herald, usher in, introduce, antecede; foreshadow, antedate, predate: His wife preceded him into the room. The Decameron preceded The Canterbury Tales by about fifty years.

precedence

n. precedency, priority, pre-eminence, superiority, supremacy, preference, privilege, prerogative, importance, rank, position, primacy: Your school work must take precedence over football practice.

precedent n. prototype, model, example, exemplar, pattern, paradigm, yardstick, criterion, standard, lead: The French considered the