The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

collision, Colloq smash-up: Thirty cars were involved in that pile-up on the motorway. 2 accumulation, heap, stack, mass, Colloq mountain: How will you ever get through that pile-up of work on your desk?

pilfer v. steal, rob, plunder, thieve, filch, embezzle, misappropriate, purloin, take, walk off with, palm, Colloq appropriate, pinch, snatch, grab, lift, borrow, Brit nick, snaffle, US boost, Slang hook, snitch, swipe, rip off: The

auditors found that he had pilfered small sums from the company for years.

pilgrim n. hajji or hadji or haji, Medieval history palmer; crusader: The pilgrims visited holy places in and near Jerusalem.

pilgrimage

n. hajj or hadj, holy expedition, crusade; expedition, journey, trek, voyage, tour, trip, excursion: Every year the entire family made a pilgrimage to grandfather's grave.

pill n. 1 tablet, capsule, bolus, pellet, pilule; medicine, medication, medicament, drug, pharmaceutical, remedy, cure; cough drop, pastille, lozenge, troche: Doctor, can't you give me some kind of pill for this headache? 2 nuisance, bore, pest, Colloq pain (in the neck), crank, drag: I don't understand what she sees in Leonard - he's such a pill.

pillage v. 1 plunder, raid, ravage, sack, despoil, rob, loot, ransack, rifle, maraud, depredate, devastate, vandalize, ruin, demolish, raze, level, strip: The Goths pillaged every community they conquered and carried off the booty.

--n. 2 plunder, rapine, despoliation, looting, robbery, sack, sacking, ransacking, marauding, brigandage, piracy, freebooting, buccaneering, banditry, depredation, devastation, vandalization, defilement, destruction, laying waste, destruction, razing, demolition, levelling, ruin, stripping: Pirates from Tripoli

were responsible for the pillage of one coastal town after another. 3 plunder, loot, booty, spoils: In the cave Ali Baba found the pillage from a thousand robberies.

pillar n. 1 column, pilaster, pile, piling, pier, upright, post, shaft, prop; atlas, caryatid: The roof is supported by a single

pillar. Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt. 2 mainstay, supporter, worthy, upholder, backbone, (tower of) strength, leader: Cummings has been a pillar of strength in our community.

pilot n. 1 aviator, aviatrix, flier, airman, airwoman, aeronaut, captain: The pilot announced that we would land in five minutes. 2 steersman, helmsman, navigator, US wheelman or wheelsman; guide, leader, cicerone, conductor: The pilot knows his way through the shoals. A student acted as our pilot in our tour of Oxford.

--v. 3 guide, steer, run, direct, shepherd, control, lead, navigate, drive; fly: Only someone with local knowledge can pilot the ship into that harbour. The chairman piloted the company through turbulent times.

--v. 2 procure, pander, solicit, Slang US hustle: He was well known as having pimped for three generations of the nobility.

drawing-pin, US push-pin: The table is held together by wooden pins. We need some more pins for the notice-board. 2 brooch, clip; stickpin, tie-pin, scarf-pin, US tie tack: She is wearing

the cameo pin that her mother gave her. I had George's pin made into a brooch.

--v. 3 attach, fix, affix, fasten, secure, tack; hold, staple, clip: Let's play 'Pin the tail on the donkey'. Pin these papers together. 4 pin down. a force, make, compel, coerce,

constrain, press, Brit pressurize, US pressure: We must pin him down to give his decision by tomorrow. b define, specify, pinpoint, name, identify, determine, name, put or lay one's finger on, home or zero in on, focus on: The doctor was unable

to pin down what is wrong with her. c confine, hold (down), fix, immobilize, tie down, constrain: We were pinned down by enemy fire. 5 pin on. blame, hold responsible or accountable, point the finger at, accuse; lay at (someone's) door: They'll never be able to pin the murder on Drayton.

pinched my finger in the drawer. 2 squeeze, cramp, confine, crush, hurt: These shoes really pinch badly. 3 steal, thieve, rob, take, shoplift, filch, pilfer, purloin, Colloq lift, Brit

nick, US boost, Slang swipe, knock off: I think it was Andrew who pinched my book. 4 arrest, apprehend, take into custody, Colloq nab, run in, collar, bust, run in, Brit nick: She was pinched for driving while under the influence. 5 pinch pennies. scrimp, save, skimp, economize: We're pinching pennies now so that we can afford a nice holiday later.

--n. 6 squeeze, nip, tweak, twinge: Montrose gave the girl's cheek an affectionate pinch. 7 touch, (tiny or wee) bit, soup‡on, jot, mite, taste, Colloq US tad, smidgen or smidgin: Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. 8 predicament, emergency, crisis, difficulty, dilemma, (ticklish or delicate) situation, complication, Colloq pickle, jam, scrape, Chiefly Brit crunch: Sue will help me out in a pinch.

pink° n. 1 in the pink. at one's best, healthy, hearty, in the best

of health, in top form, in good shape, Colloq US up: I saw Rob the other day, and he's in the pink.

--adj. 2 rosy, rose, rose-coloured, pinkish, flesh-colour(ed), salmon(-colour(ed)): The designer suggests pink curtains for the bedroom.

pinký v. serrate, notch, scallop; perforate, puncture, prick: Pink the edge of the fabric to prevent fraying.

pinnacle n. top, peak, apex, acme, summit, zenith, maximum, climax, crowning point, consummation, utmost, extreme, perfection; tip, cap, crest, crown: Being elected chairman was the pinnacle of Mark's career. The climbers reached the pinnacle, where they

will rest overnight.

pioneer n. 1 pathfinder, frontiersman, frontierswoman, trail-blazer, explorer, colonist, (early) settler; ground-breaker, forerunner, precursor, predecessor, innovator, leader, trend-setter, pacemaker, pace-setter: The pioneers who explored and settled the American west were daring men and women. Marconi was a pioneer in the development of radio.

quieter, quieten down, make less noise, hush (up), shush (up), whisper, Colloq belt up, shut up: I wish they'd pipe down, I can't sleep. 8 pipe up. speak (up), say, raise one's voice, make oneself heard, offer, volunteer: Sally piped up with the correct answer from the back of the classroom.

pipeline n. 1 pipe, tube, duct, hose, line, main, conduit, passage, conveyor, channel: Pipelines carry gas from the North Sea

pitch-black

adj. black, dark, ebon(y), Stygian, inky(-black), unlit, unlighted, pitch-dark, coal-black, jet-black; raven, sable: The cellar was pitch-black. Her pale complexion was in stark contrast to her pitch-black hair.

mournful, sad, doleful, dolorous, tearful, lamentable, deplorable, regrettable, rueful, woeful, moving, emotional: We heard the piteous wailing of the mothers who had lost children in the disaster.

pitfall n. 1 trap, pit: Pitfalls were often used in Burma for trapping

quintessence: As usual, Randolph came immediately to the pith of the argument. 2 weight, burden, gravamen, gravity, force, moment, import, importance, significance, substance, depth, matter: I have something of great pith to tell you about.

married to such a brute. 2 (crying or damned) shame, sad thing, disgrace, misfortune, sin, sacrilege, Colloq crime: It's a pity

that no one can do anything.

--v. 3 sympathize, feel for, commiserate with, feel sorry for, feel or have compassion or tenderness for, bleed for, weep for: I pity any mother whose son goes off to war.

pivot n. 1 pintle, gudgeon, hinge, swivel, pin, kingpin, spindle, fulcrum: Use this stone as a pivot for the lever to lift the rock. 2 centre, heart, focal point, hub, nave, crux: The finance minister regards the interest rate as the pivot on which the economy turns.

--v. 3 rotate, revolve, turn, spin, twirl, whirl, swivel: The flywheel pivots on a bearing that requires constant lubrication. 4 hinge, depend, hang, be contingent, revolve around, rely: The whole deal pivots on the cooperation of the banks.

pivotal adj. critical, central, focal, crucial, significant, important, essential, vital, pressing, urgent, radical: The attitude of the judge is pivotal in the jury's decision.

16.5 place...

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place n. 1 location, site, position, point, spot, locus, area, locale, scene, setting: This looks like a nice place for a picnic. She likes to see a place for everything and everything in its place. 2 locale, area, neighbourhood, vicinity, district, section, part of the country, quarter, region; city, town,

village, hamlet: She comes from some place near Glasgow. 3 status, station, standing, grade, rank, position, niche, slot, situation, estate, state, circumstance(s): Angela was just saying how difficult it is today to find a servant who knows his place. 4 function, role, part, purpose, duty, obligation, task, responsibility, charge, chore, burden, concern, mission: It is scarcely my place to remind you of your appointments with the dentist. 5 position, job, post, berth, appointment, livelihood; employment, occupation, Colloq billet: Is there a chance of my earning a place in your new company? 6 home, house, flat,

apartment, room(s), quarters, lodgings, Rather formal residence, domicile, dwelling, abode, Colloq digs or diggings, pad: Why not stop by my place for tea on Sunday? 7 stead; lieu: As I

cannot go, would you go in place of me? 8 position, situation, circumstances, condition: Put yourself in my place and I think you would have done exactly the same. 9 seat, chair, position: Kevin, please take your place at the head of the table. 10 go places. succeed, become successful, get ahead, advance, prosper, thrive, flourish, go up in the world, make good, strike it rich, Colloq arrive, make a splash, US and Canadian hit pay dirt, luck out: That boy will go places one day. 11 in place. a fitting, suitable, appropriate, right, proper, correct, good form: I

don't think it in place for you to tell me what to do. b in situ, in (the right or proper or correct) position, ready, all set, set up, in order, all right, Colloq OK or okay: Is everything in place for tonight's party? 12 out of place. awkward, uncomfortable, unsuitable, inappropriate, wrong,

improper, misplaced: Compassion is out of place when dealing with war criminals. 13 put (someone) in his or her or their place. humble, mortify, bring down, embarrass, squelch, Colloq cut down to size, take down a peg (or two): Aunt Agatha used to put Uncle Wilfred in his place by reminding him who held the purse-strings. 14 take place. happen, occur, go on, come about; arise, Colloq transpire: We shall never know what took place behind those locked doors.

--v. 15 put (out), position, situate, locate, dispose, arrange, order, set (out), lay, deposit; station, post, spot, pinpoint, Colloq stick, Brit bung: Place the forks on the left and the knives on the right. They placed guards at the door of my room. 16 class, classify, sort, order, arrange, rank, group,

categorize, bracket, grade; regard, view, see, consider: She places love of family above love of country. Critics place him among the best writers of the century. 17 identify, put one's finger on, recall, remember, recognize; associate: I just can't place her for the moment. He finally placed me with those who had ragged him at school. 18 put, set, assign, give: People place too much importance on material things.

placement n. 1 arrangement, placing, position, distribution, array, disposition, deployment, positioning, stationing, organization, order, ordering, location, locating, arraying, emplacement, emplacing: The placement of the chairs is all wrong for tonight's meeting. 2 employment, appointment, engagement, hiring: Placement of qualified engineers has not been a problem.