his dear departed wifedear1 interjectiondear2 adjectivedear3 noundear4 adverb
deardear1 /dɪə $ dɪr/ ●●● S1 interjection 
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES his dear departed wife Oh, God, I forgot all about it!
his dear departed wife (=a friend who is very important to you)· I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine.
Oh, God, I forgot all about it!PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► old boy/my dear boy► cost somebody dear/dearly► Elementary, my dear Watson.► hold something/somebody dear
Oh dear!/Dear oh dear! (also Dear me! old-fashioned) used to show that you are surprised, upset, or annoyed because something bad has happened: - Oh dear, I can't find the meatloaf recipe anywhere.
- And come back to the Vicarage and have tea with me. Oh dear, I've forgotten again!
- It's half-past six already. Oh dear!
- Seeing him sitting there alone with his music and his drink I sometimes think: Oh dear, what a waste!
- They are right - I deserve to feel ashamed of myself. Oh dear!
- War work? Oh dear, no.
- His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
- I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
- It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
- One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
- Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
- The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
- The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
- Anabelle, my dear, you must try some.
- Hence my love for film and my desire to make films as a director and... actor.
- Oh, and give this bottle of Krug with my love to Charity when you see her.
- The measure of my outrage and anger was the measure of my love for you.
- Then, my dear Summerlee, it is that most wonderful of devices: a perpetual motion machine!
- I don't deal, not for anybody, not for my nearest and dearest.
- It will ensure that the memory of your wedding day will remain uppermost in the minds of your nearest and dearest.
- Novels may have changed, but dropping hints about your will remains a sure-fire way to annoy your nearest and dearest.
- Or heard yourself screaming in a high pitch while arguing fruitlessly with your nearest and dearest?
- Sentimental visits home were punctuated by heated and bitter political arguments with my nearest and dearest.
- She had come to this, to a limp white heap who had forgotten the names of her nearest and dearest.
- Those whose nearest and dearest suffer hearing loss are offered very little assistance to meet the situation!
- Which I most certainly am not, as nearest and dearest, and gangs of so-called friends will confirm.
Oh dear, I’ve broken the lamp. ‘I think I’m getting a cold.’ ‘Dear oh dear!’dear1 interjectiondear2 adjectivedear3 noundear4 adverb
deardear2 ●●● W1 adjective (comparative dearer, superlative dearest) WORD ORIGINdear3
Origin:
Old English deoreEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Mark had become a dear friend.
- No, you can't have an ice-cream - they're too dear.
- The blue jacket is slightly dearer, but it's much better material.
- Those strawberries look a bit dear.
- Congratulations to you my dear brother on all your fine accomplishments in school.
- Nina had had everything in the palm of her hand and now she had given Joe back to his dear little wife.
- No family, he knew, had not suffered the bereavement or tragic maiming of some one near and dear.
- Now Lizzy had taken all that her grandmother held dear and dragged it through the dirt.
- Please pray for me in this, my dearest Cynthia.
- That's a hundred more than dear old David Beckham gets from his Ferrari 550.
- That was how she felt - as though those dear supporting figures of her childhood were once again hovering over her.
- The pity is that you married this lady, dear sir.
THESAURUS
costing a lot of money: · an expensive car· Apartments in the city are very expensive.· An underground train system is expensive to build.
costing a lot of money. You use high about rents/fees/prices/costs. Don’t use expensive with these words: · Rents are very high in this area.· Lawyers charge high fees.· the high cost of living in Japan
[not before noun] British English spoken expensive compared to the usual price: · £3.50 seems rather dear for a cup of coffee.
informal expensive: · The clothes are beautiful but pricey.
expensive in a way that wastes money: · Upgrading the system would be very costly.· They were anxious to avoid a costly legal battle.
informal to be very expensive: · The necklace must have cost a fortune!
much too expensive: · Some accountants charge exorbitant fees.
astronomical prices, costs, and fees are extremely high: · the astronomical cost of developing a new spacecraft· the astronomical prices which some people had paid for their seats· The cost of living is astronomical.
too expensive and not worth the price: · The DVDs were vastly overpriced.
someone does not have enough money to buy or do something: · Most people can’t afford to send their children to private schools.
Longman Language Activatorexpensive something that is expensive costs a lot of money, more than other things of the same type: · She spends most of her money on expensive clothes.· Do you have any less expensive cameras?· Taxis are so expensive - that's why I usually take the bus.expensive to make/run/buy etc: · Movies are incredibly expensive to make these days.
especially spoken if something, especially something you do, costs a lot it is expensive: · I managed to find the bike I wanted but it cost a lot.· It costs a lot of money to go to medical school, you know.cost a lot (of money) to do something: · Did it cost a lot to fly to Rio?
if the price or cost of something is high , it costs a lot: · Rents in central London are very high.· The cost of living is higher in Denmark than in Germany.· Increased production costs will mean higher prices for consumers.
a plan, activity etc that is costly is too expensive and wastes money - used especially about plans carried out by governments or companies: · The finance committee rejected their plan because they said it was too costly.· Caring for the park's swans is a costly business - roughly $26,600 per year.costly mistake: · Buying all those computers was a costly mistake.
spoken informal if you say it's going to cost you or it'll cost you when someone wants to buy something, you mean it will be expensive for them: · You can get new parts specially made for these, but it'll cost you.· There are some places that can mend the suit in a couple of hours, but it's going to cost you.
informal to be expensive - use this especially when you think that even though something is expensive, it is still worth buying: · Gibson guitars sound great, but they don't come cheap.· It would be great if we could hire her, but with all her experience, she won't come cheap.
informal very expensive or too expensive - use this especially when you are deciding whether or not to buy something: · Let's not eat here - it's too pricey.· The tickets were kind of pricey, but the show was good.
British expensive - use this especially about things you buy in shops: · Those strawberries look a bit dear.· The blue jacket is slightly dearer, but it's much better material.· No, you can't have an ice-cream - they're too dear.
to suffer because of bad things you have done or mistakes you have made · If you tell lies, it is you who will suffer in the end.make somebody suffer · When his mother caught him cheating she really made him suffer.suffer for · All over the world, people are suffering for their political or religious beliefs.· I shouldn't have drunk all that wine - I'll suffer for it tomorrow morning.
to have a bad experience as a way of being punished for something bad that you have done, mistakes you have made etc: pay for: · Miller refused to testify and paid for it by being labelled a communist.make somebody pay: · They think I've forgotten what they did to me, but I'll make them pay.pay dearly: · She drank far too much at the party and paid dearly for it the next day.pay the price/the penalty: · Tony didn't do any studying all year but paid the price when it came to the exams.
British to suffer or start having problems as a result of mistakes or decisions you made at an earlier time: · The school overspent on its budget last year, and now it's having to count the cost.count the cost of: · We are now counting the cost of our earlier mistakes.
if a mistake costs someone dearly or costs someone dear , they suffer a great deal because of it: · This scandal could cost the government dearly.· It was only a small mistake, but it cost us very dear.
if you know or find out something to your cost , you realize that something that happened or something you did at an earlier time is now causing problems or is likely to cause problems in the future: · As we now know to our cost, the disease is highly contagious.· Many people have found out to their cost that insurance policies do not always cover damage from flooding.
if you do something at a cost to someone or something, that person suffers because you do it: · She's struggled to keep the family going on her own -- at considerable cost to herself.· Ms Gideon has defended her cause at great cost to her personal and political reputation.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Mark became a dear friend. She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES his dear departed wife Oh, God, I forgot all about it!COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
Mark became a dear friend. She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life. his dear departed wife (=a friend who is very important to you)· I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine.
Oh, God, I forgot all about it!· He was so quick, so dear, so light.· Was she also to be forbidden to see all others, even her sisters so dear to her?· Going a man down cost the visitors so dear.· S., the beacon of the west, the school we love so dear.· It effectively conjured up the mixture of religion, fighting prowess and romanticism which the Legion held so dear.· That would get back at them for their currency chicanery which cost us so dear.· In this way the sports pervert the very femininity they hold so dear.
· I remember two aunts and an uncle, all very dear to me, dying within a few months.· Giant tubeworms and clams were premium items, coveted by all of the science party and very dear.· The list included two acquaintances and one very dear friend of mine.· I have known her four years and she is a very dear friend of mine.· He was a little boy called Thomas Isaac, who must have been very dear to his poor parents.· I have done the first ... Very dear Siegfried.
NOUN· John's face, the dear boy.· I do not need it and will set it aside for you, my dear boy, to complete your studies.· It is all very agreeable but please, my dear boy, don't allow yourself to take it seriously.· The servants did not want to offend their young master, and Mrs Reed could see no fault in her dear boy.· I must have unnerved you, dear boy.· Perish the thought, dear boy.· You are always so impatient, my dear boy.
· I said that without my dear brother I had little care where I was, and no one I wished to speak to.· Your dear brother left quite a few problems behind when he failed to take that corner.· Neither, hopefully, will my dear brother.
· To me, dear child, you confided your secret.· I know that my happiness in this world depends on the good and noble character of my dear children.· Meantime it gives us great consolation to know that you and our dear children are well.· My dear child, Richard Talbot would never have left his widow alone.· I am driven to seek the man who sired that dear child.· One of my many dear children earned himself a creditable degree in environmental sciences a couple of years ago.· The Forsaken Merman came to mind: Come, dear children, let us away, he advised his sad family.
· She would see her dear father again, and have a cousin of the same age to play with.· I am the one who left my dear father and brought our children to the Pretty Country.· My dear Father, you were mentioning lunch?· I prayed a little and wept for my dear father, and for myself, my unhappy passion.
· But now, my dear fellows, let's just think about this a moment, shall we?· You say the secretary merely helped her to get away, my dear fellow?· Think of Cleary, the dear fellow, and Pindi and ... I could go on.· My dear fellow, why look so hard?· Otherwise, my dear fellow, you will soon be of no use to wife, man nor beast.· You see, my dear fellow, we cam-we literally camp.· Dada, dear fellow, was happy.
· A few days later Modigliani set him straight: My dear Friend, You're a fathead who doesn't understand a joke.· Him having so many dear friends and everything.· By her patience and charity she eventually overcame opposition and became the advisor and dearest friend of the whole household.· Well then, my dear friend, so what's all this gossip in the village about visions of Our Blessed Lady?· Here a dear friend struck dead by a ball through the head or heart!· He was a dear friend to many and will be greatly and sadly missed.· Had she been a man, his dear friend Aspasia could have filled the bill.
· My dear girl, it's a small fortune!· My dear girl, in spite of my years, I am a man of the modern age.· If Rainbow won't entertain these dear girls, then maybe I should.
· He stole your dear heart away with his lies.
· So forget all about vampires, dear ladies.· Whatever will the dear lady think of you?
· This wasn't easy either, because she was spooked and was clinging for dear life to the poor kid's hair.· The girl shut her eyes and gripped back for dear life.· The playing throughout the evening was truly superb, every instrumentalist bowing and blowing and thumping as though for dear life.· It turns on to its side and as I cling on for dear life I hear a startled cry from Nathan.· Nora had seen him first and was already running far dear life, not caring about her bag or the bicycle.· They often looked very strained to Anna, as if they were holding on to their loyalty for dear life.· With difficulty, he made his way towards her, Charlotte clinging to him for dear life.
· My dearest love to all of you.· I wish you were here, my dearest love.
· The pity is that you married this lady, dear sir.· My dear sir, we are Hoosiers, not Indianans.· My dear sir, you must credit me with the wits of an orangutan.· But, my dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call on me for anything.· Think of that, dear sir.· Have no fear, my dear sir.
· Both her dear sisters lay there in the basin, cruelly murdered, and cut in pieces.· A couple of weeks ago a dear sister was helping a sick brother in our fellowship, by doing his washing.
· Make Mrs. Jervis, my dear son, as happy as you can.· Her dear son Aeneas was all but ruined, she said.
· I thought about my dear wife, and for a short time I felt better.· My dear wife has joined me.· I returned to our room and lay on the bed next to my dear wife.· We send you and your dear wife best wishes for the New Year.
· Her dearest wish was to live another couple of years and see Neil Kinnock as prime minister.· He had two small children, and it was Miss Miggs's dearest wish to see them.· If, as you say, your sister will come and bring Oreste then surely you have achieved your dearest wish?· She was an only child, and well aware that her father's dearest wish was to have grandsons.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► old boy/my dear boy► cost somebody dear/dearly► Elementary, my dear Watson.► hold something/somebody dear
1Dear used before someone’s name or title to begin a letter: - Sherman held onto the bar for dear life.
- It turns on to its side and as I cling on for dear life I hear a startled cry from Nathan.
- The girl shut her eyes and gripped back for dear life.
- The playing throughout the evening was truly superb, every instrumentalist bowing and blowing and thumping as though for dear life.
- They often looked very strained to Anna, as if they were holding on to their loyalty for dear life.
- This wasn't easy either, because she was spooked and was clinging for dear life to the poor kid's hair.
- With difficulty, he made his way towards her, Charlotte clinging to him for dear life.
- Phoney psychics could milk their rich clients for years, charging fancy prices for rap sessions with the dear departed.
- Dear Dr. Ward:..
- Dear Sally,..
- Everything I held dear was destroyed in the war.
- He was a dear old gentleman who was very kind to me.
- Just like my ball club in Saint Louis, my dear old chums the Cardinals.
- So the evil monster had brought unhappiness and death to a dear old man who had never hurt anybody.
- That's a hundred more than dear old David Beckham gets from his Ferrari 550.
- The Republicans, like Chambers, soon decided they wanted to go back to dear old Nixie.
- You had to talk to those dear old folk at the Empress and I don't blame you.
- His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
- I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
- It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
- One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
- Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
- The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
- The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
- Anabelle, my dear, you must try some.
- Hence my love for film and my desire to make films as a director and... actor.
- Oh, and give this bottle of Krug with my love to Charity when you see her.
- The measure of my outrage and anger was the measure of my love for you.
- Then, my dear Summerlee, it is that most wonderful of devices: a perpetual motion machine!
- I don't deal, not for anybody, not for my nearest and dearest.
- It will ensure that the memory of your wedding day will remain uppermost in the minds of your nearest and dearest.
- Novels may have changed, but dropping hints about your will remains a sure-fire way to annoy your nearest and dearest.
- Or heard yourself screaming in a high pitch while arguing fruitlessly with your nearest and dearest?
- Sentimental visits home were punctuated by heated and bitter political arguments with my nearest and dearest.
- She had come to this, to a limp white heap who had forgotten the names of her nearest and dearest.
- Those whose nearest and dearest suffer hearing loss are offered very little assistance to meet the situation!
- Which I most certainly am not, as nearest and dearest, and gangs of so-called friends will confirm.
Dear Sir or Madam, ... Dear Mrs. Wilson, ... Dear Meg, ...2British English expensive OPP cheap: Cars are 59% dearer in Britain than in Europe.► see thesaurus at expensive3formal a dear friend or relative is very important to you and you love them a lot: Mark became a dear friend.be dear to somebody His sister was very dear to him.4hold something dear to think that something is very important: Household economy was something my mother held very dear.5dear old ... British English spoken used to describe someone or something in a way that shows your love or liking of them SYN good old: Here we are, back in dear old Manchester!6for dear life written if you run, fight, hold on etc for dear life, you do it as fast or as well as you can because you are afraid: She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life.7the dear departed British English literary a person you love who has dieddear1 interjectiondear2 adjectivedear3 noundear4 adverb
deardear3 ●●○ S3 noun [countable] EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- What's your name, dear?
- Make me some cheese on toast, there's a dear.
- Make up your mind to please your lord, my dear.
- My dear, I don't in the least want to hurry you but I think you should go.
- Oh, Charles dear, this is an honour you so richly deserve.
- Sophie dear, you do manage to look so very striking with so little in the way of decoration!
- They were two old dears and good fun, but this one... well!
- We were having tea at the same hotel when Mrs Harvey came in, with another old dear.
- You've not hurt your head, have you, my dear?
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Come along, my dear, take a seat.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES his dear departed wife Oh, God, I forgot all about it!COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
Come along, my dear, take a seat. his dear departed wife (=a friend who is very important to you)· I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine.
Oh, God, I forgot all about it!· The poor old dear has been having a hard time of late.· They were two old dears and good fun, but this one... well!· This week one old dear ignored her relatives and left £25,000 to her tortoise.· We were having tea at the same hotel when Mrs Harvey came in, with another old dear.· One old dear was doing her knitting.· Or perhaps the two old dears together.
· I called on Janet Dare. Poor dear!· When I married Martin, he paid off all my debts, poor dear, and bought me a new winter coat.· The poor old dear has been having a hard time of late.· Miss Selene's the housekeeper now, poor dear.· You poor little dear - my heart goes out to you, waiting all this time.· The most interesting fact revealed about Norma is that the poor dear is obviously deranged.· Daddy fell from grace, poor dear.· They knew their own taste wouldn't do, poor dears, but they weren't quite sure what would.
VERB· It was a study in how not to do something and it cost Chirac dear.· In part two: Let down ... the mis-kick that cost Swindon dear.
· Let me state a couple of fundamental principles that we hold dear.· It was a private charm, something about her to hold dear.· Those who hold the royal family dear could hardly wait for her downfall.
· That, my dear, she said, is why you can't look at her.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► old boy/my dear boy► cost somebody dear/dearly► Elementary, my dear Watson.► hold something/somebody dear
1used when speaking to someone you love: - One old dear was doing her knitting.
- Or perhaps the two old dears together.
- The poor old dear has been having a hard time of late.
- They were two old dears and good fun, but this one... well!
- This week one old dear ignored her relatives and left £25,000 to her tortoise.
- We were having tea at the same hotel when Mrs Harvey came in, with another old dear.
- His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
- I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
- It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
- One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
- Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
- The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
- The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
- Anabelle, my dear, you must try some.
- Hence my love for film and my desire to make films as a director and... actor.
- Oh, and give this bottle of Krug with my love to Charity when you see her.
- The measure of my outrage and anger was the measure of my love for you.
- Then, my dear Summerlee, it is that most wonderful of devices: a perpetual motion machine!
- I don't deal, not for anybody, not for my nearest and dearest.
- It will ensure that the memory of your wedding day will remain uppermost in the minds of your nearest and dearest.
- Novels may have changed, but dropping hints about your will remains a sure-fire way to annoy your nearest and dearest.
- Or heard yourself screaming in a high pitch while arguing fruitlessly with your nearest and dearest?
- Sentimental visits home were punctuated by heated and bitter political arguments with my nearest and dearest.
- She had come to this, to a limp white heap who had forgotten the names of her nearest and dearest.
- Those whose nearest and dearest suffer hearing loss are offered very little assistance to meet the situation!
- Which I most certainly am not, as nearest and dearest, and gangs of so-called friends will confirm.
How did the interview go, dear?2 spoken used when speaking in a friendly way to someone, especially someone who is much younger or much older than you. This use can sometimes sound rather patronizing: Can I help you, dear? Come along, my dear, take a seat.3 British English spoken someone who is kind and helpful: Be a dear and make me a coffee.4old dear British English a fairly rude expression meaning an old womandear1 interjectiondear2 adjectivedear3 noundear4 adverb
deardear4 adverb COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES his dear departed wife Oh, God, I forgot all about it!
his dear departed wife (=a friend who is very important to you)· I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine.
Oh, God, I forgot all about it!PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► old boy/my dear boy► cost somebody dear/dearly► Elementary, my dear Watson.► hold something/somebody dear
cost somebody dear written to cause a lot of trouble and suffering for someone: - His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
- I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
- It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
- One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
- Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
- The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
- The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
- Anabelle, my dear, you must try some.
- Hence my love for film and my desire to make films as a director and... actor.
- Oh, and give this bottle of Krug with my love to Charity when you see her.
- The measure of my outrage and anger was the measure of my love for you.
- Then, my dear Summerlee, it is that most wonderful of devices: a perpetual motion machine!
- I don't deal, not for anybody, not for my nearest and dearest.
- It will ensure that the memory of your wedding day will remain uppermost in the minds of your nearest and dearest.
- Novels may have changed, but dropping hints about your will remains a sure-fire way to annoy your nearest and dearest.
- Or heard yourself screaming in a high pitch while arguing fruitlessly with your nearest and dearest?
- Sentimental visits home were punctuated by heated and bitter political arguments with my nearest and dearest.
- She had come to this, to a limp white heap who had forgotten the names of her nearest and dearest.
- Those whose nearest and dearest suffer hearing loss are offered very little assistance to meet the situation!
- Which I most certainly am not, as nearest and dearest, and gangs of so-called friends will confirm.
Carolyn’s marriage to Pete cost her dear.- granddaughter
- grandee
- grandeur
- grandfather
- grandfather clock
- grand finale
- grandiloquence
- grandiloquent
- grandiose
- grand juror
- grand jury
- grand larceny
- grandly
- grandma
- grand mal
- Grandma Moses
- grand master
- grandmother
- Grand National
- Grand Old Duke of York
- Grand Old Man
- Grand Ole Opry
- grand opera
- grandpa
- grandparent