The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

of the exiles from Nazi Germany settled in Britain.

--v. 3 deport, expel, alienate, banish, expatriate, oust, eject, displace, transport, drive or run or cast out, outlaw, exclude, oust, evict, bar, ban; extradite; maroon: Many criminals were exiled to Australia.

exist v. 1 be, continue, prevail, endure, abide; live, breathe: Some believe that the universe exists only in our imagination. 2 survive, subsist, eke out a living or an existence, stay alive,

get by or along: How can the family exist only on his pension? 3 occur, happen, be found, be present, remain, persist; obtain, prevail: A two-foot gap exists between the wall and the roof. 'Status quo' refers to the circumstances that exist.

existence n. 1 being, presence, actuality, fact: Most cultures believe in the existence of one god or more. 2 life, living; continuance, continuation, persistence, permanence, duration, endurance: The early settlers had to struggle for existence. 3 entity, being, creature; ens, quiddity, essence: In Hindu philosophy, there is no limit to the number of existences.

exorbitant

adj. extraordinary, excessive, extravagant, outrageous, immoderate, extortionate, extreme, unreasonable, inordinate, disproportionate, unconscionable, preposterous, undue, unwarranted, unjustifiable, unjustified: The price of petrol in

Britain is exorbitant.

exotic adj. 1 foreign, alien, non-native, imported: She raises exotic plants. 2 strange, unfamiliar, unusual, bizarre, odd, peculiar, unique, singular, extraordinary, remarkable, out of the ordinary, different, outlandish, weird, crazy: His exotic clothes make him stand out in a crowd. 3 striptease, belly, go-go, topless, bottomless, nude: Her daughter is an exotic dancer at the new disco.

expand v. 1 enlarge, spread (out), extend, increase, open (out or up), swell, inflate, distend; unfold: His waistline began to expand

as he approached middle age. 2 prolong, lengthen, stretch, dilate: An elastic valve expands easily. 3 increase, extend, amplify, magnify, broaden, widen, augment, heighten, develop: The minister sought to expand his influence. 4 Often, expand on. detail, enlarge on, embellish, develop, amplify, expatiate on or upon, elaborate (on); flesh out: The speaker expanded on the topic of health insurance.

expanse n. stretch, extent, area, space, range, sweep, reach, length and breadth, spread: The vast expanses of space are yet to be explored.

expansion n. 1 increase, augmentation, development, enlargement, extension, burgeoning or bourgeoning, flourishing, growth, spread: How will the company finance its expansion in other markets? 2 dilatation or dilation, stretching, distension or distention, inflation, swelling: The animal moves by the alternate expansion and contraction of the muscle.

expansive adj. 1 expansible or expandable or expandible, inflatable, dilatable, extensible or extendible or extendable; extending, expanding, enlarging, spreading, opening or stretching (out): Increased temperature causes the enlargement of expansive materials. 2 effusive, open, free, easy, genial, amiable, friendly, warm, affable, sociable, outgoing, communicative, outspoken, extrovert(ed) or extravert(ed), talkative, loquacious, garrulous, frank, unreserved: William became relaxed, almost expansive over the meal. 3 broad, extensive, far-reaching, wide-ranging; comprehensive, widespread, all-embracing, (all-)inclusive: We stood on the edge of an

expansive desert. The company has expansive interests in Europe.

expect v. 1 anticipate, look forward or ahead to, have or keep in view, await, envisage, watch or look for, wait for, contemplate, foresee, US envision: She expects to leave. He was expecting her at noon. 2 assume, presume, suppose, imagine, believe, think,trust, surmise, conjecture; foresee, US and Canadian guess: I expect you will be hungry when you return. 3 look for, want, require, wish, need, demand, reckon on or upon, hope for, calculate or count on or upon: What did you expect me to do?

expectant adj. expecting, (a)waiting, ready, eager, apprehensive, anxious, with bated breath, hopeful, looking, watchful, anticipating: The understudy waited, expectant, in the wings.

expectation

n. 1 anticipation, confidence, hopefulness, watchfulness, apprehension, apprehensiveness, expectancy, suspense: There was an air of expectation in the room. 2 hope, assumption, presumption, surmise, supposition, belief, conjecture, US and Canadian guess: Our expectation is that he will come on the

next train. 3 demand, requirement, wish, desire, want, insistence, reliance: I think your expectations might be too optimistic. 4 prospects, outlook: He had great expectations from his rich uncle.

expecting adj. pregnant, gravid, with child, in a family way, enceinte, Brit in the family way, US in a family way, Colloq in the club, Brit preggers, Slang US with a bun in the oven: Monica is expecting and will give birth any day.

expedient adj. 1 suitable, appropriate, fitting, fit, befitting, proper, apropos, right, correct, meet, pertinent, applicable, practical, pragmatic, worthwhile, politic: To cross the river, a bridge would prove expedient. 2 advantageous, beneficial, advisable, desirable, recommended, useful, practical, utilitarian, prudent, wise, propitious, opportune, helpful, effective: Count on him to do what is expedient and ignore what is honest.

--n. 3 device, resource, means, measure, contrivance, resort, recourse: Life jackets are a useful expedient if the boat sinks.

expedite v. 1 hasten, rush, hurry, speed or step up, accelerate; dispatch or despatch: The shipment has been expedited and should reach you tomorrow. 2 advance, facilitate, promote, forward, ease, enable: The growing process can be expedited by adding this chemical.

expedition

n. 1 exploration, journey, voyage, field trip, trip, tour, excursion; enterprise, undertaking, mission, quest: She went on an expedition up the Amazon to research herbal medicines. 2 speed, promptness, celerity, alacrity, dispatch or despatch, haste, rapidity, swiftness, quickness: He was ordered to complete his chores with expedition.

expeditious

adj. ready, quick, rapid, swift, fast, brisk, speedy, fleet, efficient, diligent: We made an expeditious passage round Cape Horn. The problem requires an expeditious solution.

expel v. 1 eject, dislodge, throw or cast out, drive or force out, evict, put or push out, remove, run (someone) off or out, displace, dispossess, show the door, suspend, dismiss, let go, Colloq fire, Brit sack, turf out: They will expel the tenant at the earliest opportunity. 2 banish, deport, exile, expatriate, outlaw, maroon; proscribe, ban, bar, debar, dismiss, exclude, blackball, drum out, cashier, discharge, oust: The leader of the opposition was expelled from the country. The committee voted to expel Horace from the club.

expend v. 1 pay out, spend, disburse, use, employ, Slang lay or dish out, fork or shell out: Reduce the money expended on entertainment. 2 use up, consume, exhaust, deplete, finish (off), dissipate, sap, drain: I expended all my energies eking out a bare living.

expendable

adj. dispensable, disposable, non-essential, inessential or unessential, unnecessary, replaceable; unimportant, insignificant: In terms of military strategy, the commando unit was expendable.

expenditure

n. outlay, outgoings, disbursement, spending, payment, expense,

cost; price, charge, fee: The financial director must closely examine all expenditures. I cannot justify that kind of expenditure for a car.

expense n. 1 Often, expenses. payment, costs, outlay, outgoings, disbursement, expenditure, spending, out-of-pocket (expenses); cost, price, charge, fee, rate: Keep your expenses to a minimum. Expenses for travel and entertainment will be reimbursed by the company. 2 detriment, sacrifice, cost, loss, impairment, ruin, destruction: They continue to smoke at the expense of their health.

expensive adj. costly, dear, high-priced, up-market, valuable, precious, priceless, extravagant; overpriced: Richard and Elizabeth flew off for an expensive holiday in the sun.

experience

n. 1 knowledge, contact, involvement, practice, familiarity, acquaintance, exposure; participation, observation: Her book on nursing is based on personal experience. 2 incident, event, happening, affair, episode, occurrence, circumstance, adventure, encounter; trial, test, ordeal: He has lived through some harrowing experiences. 3 common sense, wisdom, sagacity, knowledge, know-how, savoir faire, savoir vivre, sophistication, skill, judgement, Slang savvy: She is a woman of experience.

--v. 4 undergo, live or go through, suffer, endure, sustain, face, encounter, meet (with), feel, sense, taste, sample, be familiar with, know: Your problem is that you have never experienced genuine hunger.

experienced

adj. 1 adept, skilled, skilful, accomplished, practised, proficient, knowledgeable, knowing, wise, sage, sagacious, shrewd, prepared, (well-)informed, trained, (well-)versed, expert, master, masterly, qualified, professional, competent, efficient, capable, au fait; Slang on the ball, US savvy: She is an experienced surgeon. 2 mature, seasoned, sophisticated,

battle-scarred, seasoned, veteran; Slang in the know, US savvy: We need an experienced leader.

experiment

n. 1 test, trial, investigation, inquiry or enquiry,

examination, experimentation, research, proof: Experiment has shown that the ointment cures many minor skin ailments. 2 procedure, policy: Totalitarianism seems to have failed as a political experiment.

--v. 3 experiment on or with. test, try, examine, investigate, research, probe: The time has come to experiment on human subjects. Artists now experiment with many media, from canvas to computers.

experimental

adj. 1 hypothetical, theoretical, tentative, speculative, conjectural, exploratory: Man's first attempts at flying were purely experimental. 2 empirical, experiential: She has profound experimental knowledge of what is involved.

expert n. 1 authority, professional, specialist, scholar, master, connoisseur, pundit, Colloq wizard, whiz, pro, ace, Brit dab hand, boffin, Slang US maven or mavin: We rely on experts to verify the age of works of art.

--adj. 2 skilful, skilled, trained, knowledgeable, learned, experienced, practised, qualified, adept, proficient, accomplished, au fait, adroit, dexterous, polished, finished, masterful, masterly, first-rate, excellent, superb, wonderful, superior, champion(ship), A-one, A-1, virtuoso, Colloq top-notch, Brit whizzo, wizard, US crackerjack, crack: Davis is an expert snooker player.

expertise n. expertness, skill, knowledge, know-how, judgement, mastery; dexterity, adroitness, Slang savvy: You need a great deal of expertise to be a museum curator.

expiration

n. expiry, finish, (coming to an) end, termination, running out, ending, conclusion, concluding, close, closing, discontinuance, discontinuation: The expiration of the option is in March.

expire v. 1 cease, (come to an) end, close, finish, terminate, run out, conclude, discontinue: Your subscription expires with the next issue. 2 die, breathe one's last, decease, perish, pass away: His grandmother expired only last year, at the age of

110. 3 exhale, breathe out, expel: In the daytime we expire more carbon dioxide than during the night.

explain v. 1 interpret, define, explicate, detail, delineate, make plain, simplify, spell out, resolve, get across, clarify, clear up, elucidate, illustrate, expound, describe, disclose, unfold, unravel, untangle: The teacher explained the theory so that even I could understand it. 2 Also, explain away. justify, account for, excuse, rationalize, legitimate, legitimatize, extenuate, palliate: You will be required to explain your absence.

explanation

n. 1 interpretation, definition, explication, delineation, simplification, resolution, clarification, elucidation, description, illustration, exposition, account, disclosure; exegesis, commentary, criticism, analysis: The encyclopedia contains detailed explanations of how machines work. 2 excuse, rationalization, justification, vindication: What is your explanation for such outrageous behaviour? 3 cause, motive, reason, key, signification, solution: The explanation for aberrant behaviour often lies in hormonal imbalance.

explanatory

adj. explanative, elucidative, revelatory, interpretive or interpretative, expository, descriptive; critical, exegetic(al): Please read the explanatory notes below.

expletive adj. 1 wordy, verbose, prolix, repetitious, redundant, tautological, iterative, reiterative, pleonastic; unnecessary, unneeded, needless, unessential, non-essential, gratuitous, superfluous: Her speech is punctuated by expletive words and phrases, like 'like, you know', and so forth.

--n. 2 oath, swear-word, curse, obscenity, epithet, Colloq cuss-word, dirty word, four-letter word: Expletives sometimes lend an air of naturalness to written dialogue. 3 filler,

padding, redundancy, tautology, pleonasm: Some grammarians term the 'It' in 'It is raining' an expletive.

explicit adj. 1 specific, categorical, (crystal-)clear, definite, well-defined, distinct, unambiguous, precise, exact, unequivocal, express, stated, plain, manifest, unmistakable,

positive, absolute, final, peremptory, unqualified, unconditional: The children had explicit instructions to keep away from the canal. 2 open, outspoken, unreserved, unrestrained, candid, frank, direct, forthright, straightforward, definite: She was explicit in her orders.

explode v. 1 blow up, burst, blast, fly apart, go off, erupt, fulminate; set off, detonate: Police exploded the bomb after clearing the area. Rockets exploded in the night sky. 2 reject, discredit, refute, repudiate, disprove, debunk, belie, give the lie to, Slang pick holes in, poke or shoot full of holes: Ptolemy's geocentric theory has been thoroughly exploded. 3 lose one's temper, rant, rave, rage, storm, throw a tantrum, Colloq get into a tizzy, blow one's top, fly off the handle, go through or hit the roof, hit the ceiling; Slang lose one's cool, go up the wall, US blow one's stack or cool, flip (one's lid),

freak out: He exploded when he learned his car had been smashed up.

exploit n. 1 achievement, deed, feat, attainment, accomplishment: The speaker regaled them with tales of his exploits as an explorer.

--v. 2 use, take advantage of, manipulate, make capital out of, profit from, utilize, turn to account, manoeuvre, work: Far from being your friends, they are exploiting you for their own purposes. They need capital to exploit the country's natural resources.

exploration

n. examination, investigation, search, probe, inquiry or enquiry, study, research, analysis, review, scrutiny, inspection, survey, reconnaissance, observation; expedition: Exploration of the intestine revealed the presence of polyps. He is noted for his exploration of the sources of the Nile.

explore v. 1 survey, tour, travel, reconnoitre, traverse: They are on safari, exploring the Congo. 2 investigate, scrutinize, examine, inquire or enquire into, inspect, probe, search, research, look into, study, analyse, review, observe: We ought to explore the possibility of your working for us.

explosion n. 1 blast, bang, report, burst, boom, clap, crack, eruption, crash, outburst, fulmination; detonation: The explosion shook

the entire house. 2 outburst, outbreak, paroxysm, upheaval, flare-up, eruption, burst, fit, spasm, tantrum, Colloq Brit

paddy or paddywhack or paddywack, wax: The unrest among the people is building up to an explosion. 3 increase, burgeoning

or bourgeoning, expansion, welling up, mushrooming: The population explosion has caused a housing shortage.

explosive adj. 1 volatile, sensitive, delicate, tense, anxious, fraught, touch-and-go, touchy, inflammable, (highly) charged, unstable, uncertain, unsound, shaky, hazardous, chancy, unpredictable, precarious, dangerous, perilous, critical, nasty, ugly, Colloq dicey, iffy: The explosive situation between the strikers and management may lead to bloodshed.

--n. 2 dynamite, TNT, gunpowder, gelignite, plastic, plastique: The car was blown up by a powerful charge of explosive.

expose v. 1 (lay) bare, reveal, uncover, show, exhibit, present, display, disclose; divulge, unveil, unmask, discover, air, ventilate, let out, leak, betray, bring to light, make known: He unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his hairy chest. The facts of

the case will be exposed tomorrow. Will he expose the names of his accomplices? 2 risk, imperil, endanger, jeopardize, hazard: Do not expose your house to danger of flooding by building it so close to the river. 3 expose to. subject to, introduce to,

acquaint with, bring into contact with: Today children are not taught, but 'exposed to education'.

exposition

n. 1 exhibition, show(ing), presentation, display, demonstration, US exhibit , Colloq expo: There is a special exposition of medieval farming implements in the museum. 2 description, declaration, statement, explanation, explication, clarification, interpretation, exegesis: The exposition of his argument was remarkably lucid. 3 paper, theme, article, essay, thesis, dissertation, treatise, disquisition, study, critique, commentary: She received high marks for her exposition on Zoroastrianism.

exposure n. 1 baring, uncovering, laying open, unveiling, disclosure, disclosing, unmasking, revealing, revelation, expos‚, airing, publication, publishing, communicating, communication, leaking, leak, divulging: The exposure of the spy was part of the plan.

2 jeopardy, risk, hazard, endangerment, vulnerability, imperilment; danger, peril: By diversifying your investments, you reduce your exposure to a loss in just one. 3 familiarity, knowledge, acquaintance, experience, contact, conversancy: My exposure to Chinese philosophy has been negligible. 4 aspect, view, outlook, orientation, frontage; setting, location,

direction: She said that she preferred a bedroom with an easterly exposure.

express v. 1 articulate, verbalize, phrase, utter, voice, state, word, put (into words), set or put forth, put or get across, communicate, depict, portray; say, speak, tell: She expressed her thoughts on the subject very clearly. 2 show, indicate, demonstrate, manifest, exhibit, evince, evidence, reveal, expose, disclose, divulge, make known, intimate, betoken, signify, embody, depict, designate, denote, convey: His tone of voice expressed his resentment. 3 symbolize, represent, signify, stand for, denote, designate: The ratio can be expressed in the form of a fraction. 4 press or squeeze or wring or force out, expel, extract: The oil is expressed from ripe olives.

--adj. 5 explicit, clear, plain, unambiguous, unmistakable, unqualified, outright, definite, out-and-out, downright, straightforward, categorical, direct, specific, well-defined, distinct, precise, accurate, exact, positive: We had an express understanding not to enter into competition with one another. 6 specific, special, particular, clear-cut; true: Our express purpose in coming was to see you. 7 quick, speedy, swift, fast,

rapid, prompt, immediate; direct, non-stop: The documents must be sent by express delivery.

expression

n. 1 verbalization, airing, representation, declaration, utterance, assertion, enunciation, asseveration, pronouncement, communication, voicing, announcement: Any expression of criticism of government is forbidden in many countries. 2 representation, manifestation, sign, token, symbol, show, demonstration, indication, evidence: A curled lip is an expression of scorn. 3 look, mien, air, appearance, face,

aspect, countenance: He had long straight hair and a completely blank expression. Her smile twisted into an expression of frustration. 4 tone, note, nuance, intonation, accent, touch,