diamond
(daɪəmənd )
Word forms: diamonds
1. variable noun B2
A diamond is a hard, bright, precious stone which is clear and colourless. Diamonds are used in jewellery and for cutting very hard substances.
...a pair of diamond earrings.
...a sphere made of diamond without impurity or flaw.
2. plural noun
Diamonds are jewellery such as necklaces and rings which have diamonds set into them.
Nicole loves wearing her diamonds, even with jeans and a white T-shirt.
3. countable noun B2
A diamond is a shape with four straight sides of equal length where the opposite angles are the same, but none of the angles is equal to 90°: ♦.
He formed his hands into the shape of a diamond.
4. uncountable noun [with singular or plural verb]
Diamonds is one of the four suits of cards in a pack of playing cards. Each card in the suit is marked with one or more red symbols in the shape of a diamond.
He drew the seven of diamonds.
A diamond is a playing card of this suit.
...win the ace of clubs and play a diamond.
5. countable noun
In baseball, the diamond is the diamond-shaped area of the playing field between the four bases.
Image of diamond
© Beautyimage, Shutterstock
Idioms:
a rough diamond [mainly British] or a diamond in the rough
someone, especially a man, that you like and admire because of their good qualities, even though they are not sophisticated or well-mannered
Marden was the rough diamond of the three men, feared for his ruthlessness but respected for his First World War Military Cross.
someone or something that has a lot of talent or potential but which needs hard work before this talent or potential can be revealed
First novels are usually rough diamonds, with flashes of inspiration.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
diamond earrings diamond encrusted diamond exports diamond fields diamond formation diamond heist diamond industry diamond jewellery diamond merchant diamond mine diamond miner diamond mining diamond pattern diamond pendant diamond price diamond ring diamond shape diamond stud diamond tiara diamond trade diamond trader diamond trading flawless diamond huge diamond rare diamond solitaire diamond steal a diamond synthetic diamond uncut diamond wear a diamond
These elegant diamond earrings are hand-set with 18 brilliant, full-cut genuine diamonds.
Times, Sunday Times
He has lived up to high expectations and has a huge salary and a couple of diamond earrings to show for it.
Times, Sunday Times
After all, she did run the marathon in diamond earrings and was reported to have spent a squillion pounds a day on her hair.
Times, Sunday Times
What it's like: surprisingly hard to dislike, dry ice, hair gel, fitted waistcoats and diamond earrings notwithstanding.
Times, Sunday Times
While club and country rage, he seemed unfazed by the fuss as he laughed through a press conference, his diamond earrings sparkling.
Times, Sunday Times
She wore a diamond encrusted wig and metallic gold jumpsuit.
The Sun
The diamond encrusted warlord get-up (right), complete with batteryoperated lights, was apparently a bit heavy for the 16st 7lb powerhouse.
The Sun
The drill uses a diamond encrusted drill bit (pictured on the right) to drill through the rock.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
This could lead to a drop in rough diamond exports of as much as 60 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times
Diamond exports must be accompanied by a certificate affirming that they come from a legitimate source.
Times, Sunday Times
For countries economically dependent on diamond exports, this can be a substantial punishment, as it disallows trade with much of the rest of the world.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
While imports make up relatively small volume, or carats, they drastically increase the value of rough diamond exports.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The drop in the value of diamonds on the world market meant that the value of diamond exports decreased by 20.68 percent in 2009 compared to 2008.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Yet more were buried in collapsed tunnels inside the diamond fields.
Times, Sunday Times
He cited similar deals in the country's diamond fields, which he said had been made without his knowledge.
Times, Sunday Times
He demands they give him his share of the diamond fields they all discovered together on the safari.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
He was also involved in legal and illegal diamond buying in the diamond fields, horse theft and highway robberies.
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Some are believed to consist of diamond fields.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
He must continue to show the tactical fluidity which brought success last night in the diamond formation, and keep working on that tactical balance.
Times, Sunday Times
Rovers have come from behind to win their last two away league games after switching to a diamond formation.
The Sun
He has introduced a diamond formation, which has proved hugely effective in containing opponents.
Times,Sunday Times
Pilots are assigned a position in the trademark nine-plane diamond formation and always fly in the same position.
Times, Sunday Times
If it took a series of substitutions to make the diamond formation work, perhaps that tells its own story.
Times, Sunday Times
The film tells the tale of university students who run a credit-card scam and attempt a diamond heist.
The Sun
They play criminals forced to lie low after a botched diamond heist leaves them injured and on the run from the police.
The Sun
It follows the progress and planning of the diamond heist, and reveals some of the events which only took place off-screen in the film itself.
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Blinded to the diamond heist, he claims to have jurisdiction because of the large number of animals that escaped.
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In his book he writes of his involvement in diamond heists.
Times, Sunday Times
Worries about consumer confidence made producer countries and the diamond industry promise to clean up this trade.
Times, Sunday Times
In the diamond industry, they didn't care, no matter how much money you had.
Times, Sunday Times
The diamond industry estimates that conflict diamonds represent 4 per cent of the total trade in rough diamonds.
Times, Sunday Times
She lists one old friend in the diamond industry who, when she started out, summed up the attitude.
Times, Sunday Times
But more was needed: the diamond industry had to inflate demand while stifling supply.
Times, Sunday Times
Instead, the hospitality suites and stalls offering everything from top hats to diamond jewellery were filled only by the wind that caused the cancellation.
Times, Sunday Times
She dazzled at the banquet in a floorlength frock with chiffon sleeves and simple diamond jewellery.
The Sun
Her simple veil, bouquet and diamond jewellery perfectly complemented the classy style.
The Sun
About 500 staff who hit sales targets received cars, 200 were given apartments and 525 received pieces of diamond jewellery.
Times, Sunday Times
Everyone shuffles into a dark room in the back to ogle the diamond jewellery.
Times, Sunday Times
I have given the matter careful thought and would not want another 1zillion from a diamond merchant (or anyone) because the horse had won so much.
The Sun
In 1898, however, she married a wealthy diamond merchant and retired from the stage.
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Along with his schooling education he managed to grab the diamond education as well that helps in building his career in the field of diamond merchant.
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I found that the mechanisms of a pre-modern economy are precisely the devices that allow diamond merchants to thrive in the 21st century.
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Diamond merchants – also known as “diamantaires” – openly do business on the sidewalk, negotiating terms for bundles of gemstones as if they were fruit in an open-air market.
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The largest open-cut diamond mine on the planet.
Times, Sunday Times
The chances of any reasonably well-informed exploration project resulting in a diamond mine are lower still, at 0.05 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times
In a breathlessly exciting second series, he also flies over a giant open-cast diamond mine, eats frozen raw horsemeat and goes on a remarkable scientific expedition.
The Sun
Somewhere out there, in a desolate corner of an unexplored wilderness, lies the next great diamond mine.
Times, Sunday Times
They fetch the highest average price per carat of any kimberlite diamond mine in the world, at $1,930 last year.
Times, Sunday Times
Not long after he launched the company as a diamond miner in 2005, it was privately censured by the stock market regulator for being too optimistic with its forecasts.
Times, Sunday Times
The disclosure came as the diamond miner revealed a 14 per cent decline in first-half revenue.
Times, Sunday Times
The cash call follows a dire year for the diamond miner and merchant, which suffered a collapse in sales as the recession battered the luxury goods market.
Times, Sunday Times
Most diamond miners reduced production after the credit crunch and are only just returning to full output.
Times, Sunday Times
Other diamond miners also struggled.
Times,Sunday Times
Foreign companies will be allowed to operate wholly-owned investments in diamond mining, natural-gas pipelines, petroleum ventures and airport construction projects.
Times, Sunday Times
Projects range from diamond mining and timber logging to cotton and telecoms.
Times, Sunday Times
At the mine's museum you can sift through diamondbearing gravel looking for your own best friend, and experience a diamond mining operation, complete with blastings.
Times, Sunday Times
Another company, which allegedly wants to buy concessions in the diamond mining sector, provided 500 vehicles to the president's campaign for 'transport and mobilisation', the documents state.
Times, Sunday Times
The best places to stay are these giant old mansions that used to belong to the diamond mining bosses.
Times, Sunday Times
Most of those pieces featured a diamond pattern which causes a strange blue halo to surround them.
Times, Sunday Times
Repeat at a 45-degree angle to make a diamond pattern.
Times,Sunday Times
Then lightly cut the loaf in a 1in diamond pattern all over, being careful not to cut all the way through.
The Sun
Score a diamond pattern on the surface of the exposed meat and rub in the spice mixture.
Times, Sunday Times
Measure the entire space, and plan your diamond pattern carefully.
Times, Sunday Times
When she turned around, he gave her a diamond pendant and later they chose a ring together.
Times, Sunday Times
Elsewhere, yellow diamonds channel the flaming glow of fireflies in a diamond pendant and ring.
Times, Sunday Times
So he presented her with a heart-shaped diamond pendant, engraved with her initials and reportedly worth 1m.
Times, Sunday Times
On their first day at the resort, the princesses were reported to have spent 676,000 on a single diamond pendant.
Times, Sunday Times
She wears a diamond pendant, identical to the cat's, around her neck.
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But lower diamond prices and cost-cutting offset rising gold prices.
The Sun
Revenue fell by 6 per cent to $463.6 million, with annual realised diamond prices down by 5 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times
This reflected an 8.8 per cent fall in diamond prices on a like-for-like basis compared with the previous quarter.
Times, Sunday Times
Diamond prices last year fared worse than many other commodities.
Times, Sunday Times
Diamond prices are already down by a third so, in theory, they could stage a comeback if the global recovery leads people to rediscover their passion for bling.
Times, Sunday Times
Then Lord Salmalin presented Danlo with a black diamond ring and told him, `With this ring, you are a pilot.
THE BROKEN GOD (2002)
He consoled himself with the thought of her reaction to his new diamond ring, a huge crusty solitaire in a high claw setting.
THREE KINDS OF KISSING - SCOTTISH SHORT STORIES
The diamond ring in the picture is worth £40,000 - yikes!
The Sun (2016)
Place your hands together and make a diamond shape with your thumbs and forefingers.
The Sun
Each circle has a huge diamond shape inscribed inside as a sign to aliens.
The Sun
Push a clove into the corners of each diamond shape.
Times, Sunday Times
Bring the soles of your feet together, but move them farther away until the legs form a diamond shape.
Times, Sunday Times
The team, which usually flies nine jets in a diamond shape, can start practising again next week after no problems were found.
The Sun
He has a diamond stud in his left ear, a silver cross dangles on his chest.
Times, Sunday Times
A diamond stud glinted in one ear but his tracksuit was zipped right up to the neck; he was buttoned up with his words, too.
Times, Sunday Times
Two chunky discs, one gold and one silver, swing from his neck and in each ear glints a small diamond stud.
Times, Sunday Times
A clean smooth bob with a nice pair of diamond stud earrings or pearls.
Times, Sunday Times
Ironically, she doesn't wear the most extravagant piece of jewellery she ever bought herself - a pair of diamond studs - because they're too big.
Times, Sunday Times
Insurers are offering the reward for 40 items stolen including a 400,000 diamond tiara and an emerald ring.
The Sun
The diamond tiara was altered in 1919 and 1969.
Times, Sunday Times
An individual buying a diamond tiara would pay a vast amount of tax, while the purchaser of a modest engagement ring would pay much less.
Times, Sunday Times
Someone stole the diamond tiara from the exhibition.
Times, Sunday Times
In 1963 a new sapphire and diamond tiara and bracelet were made to match the original pieces.
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The rebels are said to be weak because their commanders have grown rich from the diamond trade and lost interest in fighting.
Times, Sunday Times
After the second world war it became known as the 'diamond bank' for its role in financing the diamond trade.
Times, Sunday Times
Wealth from the diamond trade stimulated a further process of state centralization, and revenues paid for the state bureaucracy, infrastructure and education.
The Times Literary Supplement
He had made a fortune in the diamond trade and used his wealth to promote imperialism.
Times, Sunday Times
As a means of raising awareness about the diamond trade, it's hard to say how effective the film will be.
Times, Sunday Times
He decided the answer to his problems was to become a diamond trader.
Times, Sunday Times
While metals such as copper and zinc have stolen the headlines during the current commodity boom, diamond traders are now benefiting from their very own version of a 'super-cycle'.
Times, Sunday Times
Today it has become a hub for diamond traders and wholesalers of almost all the traditional businesses.
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To sidestep local laws on diamond trading, the traders register as governmentapproved mineral dealers.
Times, Sunday Times
A couple who ran a diamond trading business from their home have been jailed for a 53 million money-laundering operation.
Times, Sunday Times
It was founded to create an international regulatory system to remove blood diamonds from diamond trading.
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Major diamond trading corporations continue to fund and fuel these conflicts by doing business with armed groups.
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After all, even the most flawless diamond boasts its birthmark.
Times, Sunday Times
It will be the glittering, flawless diamond of his nerve.
Times, Sunday Times
The notable exception will be the platinum skull covered in 8,601 flawless diamonds, made in 2007.
Times, Sunday Times
In terms of sheer mass, it weighs in at over 160 grams of 14 karat gold and over 35 carats of flawless diamonds.
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Each circle has a huge diamond shape inscribed inside as a sign to aliens.
The Sun
The huge diamond badge hangs like a medallion on welltoned pecs.
The Sun
Taking his hand, her huge diamond wedding ring catches the light as they go to her hotel room.
The Sun
The huge diamond badge on its nose forms a striking spearhead, the shallow profile and swooping bonnet create a spaceship sleekness and classy 21in alloys inject even more raciness.
The Sun
The night before, rumours sparked engagement wearing a huge diamond on her e.
The Sun
He came over one evening with a single duck pancake on a plate, as if presenting a rare diamond.
Times, Sunday Times
There, he meets a fisherman separated from his family by guerrillas and pledges to help the man rescue his son - in return for a rare diamond.
The Sun
The squeamishness this induces feeds into the vibe of a tarnished world, in which no rare diamond can properly gleam.
Times, Sunday Times
The game also offers a bonus credit for collecting a rare diamond that appears on the playfield at random intervals.
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Inside the box was a solitaire diamond ring.
Times, Sunday Times
She raises her left hand, displaying a solitaire diamond set in gold and platinum, one far too tasteful to be accurately termed a sparkler but a sparkler nonetheless.
Times, Sunday Times
This type of enhancer literally wraps around the solitaire diamond, without completely encircling the center stone.
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It gets its price tag from the two solitaire diamonds it has as eyes.
The Sun
They play a trio of actors who are chased by an assortment of characters when they find a cache of stolen diamonds.
The Sun
Someone stole the diamond tiara from the exhibition.
Times, Sunday Times
Vulture then challenged the police, saying he was going to steal diamonds; however, he escaped through the sewer.
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A gang of thieves comes along and tries to steal any diamonds that they may find.
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The maid, seeing the armed officers running towards her, believes they are after her for stealing the diamond.
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He became the first to create a commerically viable synthetic diamond.
Times, Sunday Times
Hydrogen-related defects are very different in natural diamond and in synthetic diamond films.
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Those two processes still dominate the production of synthetic diamond.
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Characterization of synthetic diamond crystals by spatially resolved rocking curve measurements.
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Historically, it was thought that synthetic diamond should be structurally perfect to be useful.
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He had a thick neck torque of gold, and a single, enormous uncut diamond was bound to his forehead.
Times, Sunday Times
It was a small, uncut diamond.
Mail and Guardian
He was an uncut diamond: it was in there, we just had to get it out.
Times, Sunday Times
The uncut diamond wields a unique power and brings luck.
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A person found to possess uncut diamonds illegally could face ten years in jail or a 25,000 fine, or both.
Times, Sunday Times
Certainly not when you already wear a diamond earring.
Times, Sunday Times
It was her idea to be in the swimming pool and to wear the diamond hairpiece.
Times, Sunday Times
She wore a diamond encrusted wig and metallic gold jumpsuit.
The Sun
Wearing the diamonds and clothes already conned from other stores, she was able to build up trust with senior sales staff and auctioneers.
Times, Sunday Times
While guests wore their diamonds like armour, next year they'll be wearing the real thing - chest plates, gladiator sandals and bejewelled harnesses featured in many looks.
Times,Sunday Times
Translations:
Chinese: 钻石, 菱形
Japanese: ダイヤモンド, ひし形
- traditional rival
- traditional rivalry
- traditional robes
- traditional role
- traditional route
- traditional setting
- traditional singing
- traditional sitcom
- traditional society
- traditional song
- traditional structure
- traditional style
- traditional teaching
- traditional technique
- traditional territory
- traditional tune
- traditional twist
- traditional values
- traditional view
- traditional village
- traditional virtue
- traditional wedding
- tradition dating back
- tradition dictates
- traduce