Collocations
Collocations
Explore English words that belong together, with meanings, examples, and sentence practice. Browse by CEFR level or pattern, and add collocations to your deck for regular review.
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Showing 3649–3744 of 7341 phrases
Adjective + noun(32)
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kinetic energy
energy that an object has because it is moving
labyrinthine artery
an artery supplying blood to structures of the inner ear
lacrimal gland
a gland near the eye that produces tears
lactic acid
an organic acid found in substances such as sour milk
last breath
the final breath a person takes before dying
latent hostility
hostile feeling that is present but not openly expressed
lateral ventricle
one of the two large fluid-filled cavities in the brain's hemispheres
leading indicator
a measure whose changes tend to precede a broader economic trend
leafy vegetable
a vegetable grown mainly for its edible leaves
leeward side
the side facing away from the incoming wind
legal residence
a person's officially recognized home for legal purposes
legal separation
a formally recognized arrangement in which spouses live apart while remaining married
legendary creature
a being described in traditional stories rather than established as a real animal
legislative assembly
a body of representatives empowered to debate and make laws
lenticular nucleus
a lens-shaped group of structures forming part of the brain's basal ganglia
liberal party
a political party that advocates liberal principles or reforms
lightweight concrete
concrete made less dense by adding air spaces or lightweight materials
linear algebra
the branch of mathematics concerned with vectors, matrices, and linear relationships
linear perspective
a drawing method that represents depth using lines that appear to converge with distance
linguistic competence
a speaker's internal knowledge of how their language works
linguistic context
the surrounding words and sentences that help establish an expression's meaning
liquid bleach
a bleaching substance dissolved in liquid, often used for washing clothes
liquid nitrogen
nitrogen cooled until it becomes a liquid
literal interpretation
an understanding based on the direct meaning of the words
literary composition
a piece of creative writing such as a story or poem
literary criticism
the analysis and evaluation of literature
lithic sandstone
sandstone containing a substantial proportion of fragments from other rocks
littoral zone
the area along the shore of a lake or sea
living organism
an individual life form carrying out biological processes
local celebrity
a person well known within a particular town or region
logical argument
a connected set of reasons intended to support a conclusion
logical implication
a relationship in which the truth of one statement requires another to be true
Noun + noun(53)
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kilogram calorie
a unit of heat equal to one thousand small calories
kilowatt hour
the energy used by one kilowatt of power operating for one hour
king cobra
a large Asian venomous snake known for raising its body and spreading a hood
kitchen utensil
a handheld tool used to prepare, cook, or serve food
knee breeches
short trousers that reach approximately to the knees
koala bear
an informal name for the koala, an Australian marsupial rather than a true bear
labor organizer
a person who helps workers organize collectively, especially into a union
lace making
the craft of producing decorative openwork fabric from thread
lance corporal
a junior military rank below corporal in some armed forces
land reform
changes to land ownership or distribution intended to improve access and fairness
land tenure
the arrangement of rights under which land is held or occupied
landing approach
an aircraft's final movement toward a runway before touching down
landscape architect
a professional who plans the layout of outdoor spaces
landscape gardener
a gardener who designs and develops attractive outdoor planting areas
landscape gardening
the planning and creation of attractive gardens and outdoor grounds
language requirement
a condition that someone must know or study a particular language
lap joint
a connection made by overlapping the ends or edges of two pieces
lard oil
oil separated from lard and used in industrial products
laser beam
a narrow, concentrated stream of light produced by a laser
latchkey child
a child who regularly comes home to an empty house after school
latency period
a stage in psychoanalytic theory when childhood sexual interests are thought to recede
law enforcement
the work of ensuring that laws are obeyed and violations investigated
lawn tennis
the racket game in which two or four players hit a ball across a net
leavening agent
a substance added to dough or batter to help it rise
lecture demonstration
a demonstration accompanied by spoken explanation for an audience
lee side
the side sheltered from the wind
leisure class
a social group whose wealth allows its members to live without working
lemon balm
an aromatic herb with leaves that smell and taste of lemon
lemon zest
the thin, aromatic outer peel of a lemon used for flavoring
lemonade mix
a prepared mixture used with water to make lemonade
lentil soup
a soup made with lentils as a main ingredient
leprosy bacillus
the rod-shaped bacterium responsible for leprosy
liberation theology
a Christian approach to theology emphasizing social justice and freedom from oppression
library catalog
an organized record of the books and other materials held by a library
life assurance
insurance that provides a payment connected with the insured person's death
life coaching
guidance intended to help someone identify and pursue personal goals
life imprisonment
a prison sentence formally imposed for the remainder of a person's life
life preserver
a buoyant device worn or held to help a person stay afloat
life raft
a buoyant emergency craft used when people must leave a vessel
light intensity
the strength of light in a particular setting or direction
lighthouse keeper
a person responsible for operating and maintaining a lighthouse
lightning conductor
a metal system that carries lightning safely from a structure toward the ground
line segment
the part of a straight line bounded by two endpoints
linoleum knife
a short, rigid knife with a curved tip for cutting linoleum flooring
literacy rate
the proportion of people in a population who can read and write
lithium carbonate
a white lithium compound used in glassmaking, ceramics, and certain medicines
litter basket
a container in a public place for discarded rubbish
liver fluke
a parasitic flatworm that lives in the liver or bile ducts
livery stable
a stable where horses and vehicles are kept for hire
loan approval
formal agreement by a lender to provide a loan
lobby group
an organization seeking to influence government decisions in its members' interests
lobster stew
a dish of lobster pieces cooked or served in milk or cream
locker room
a room where people change clothes and store belongings in lockers
Verb + adverb(7)
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knuckle under
to give in reluctantly to pressure or authority
latch on
to begin to understand or grasp an idea
leak out
to become known despite an intention to keep information secret
led astray
guided away from the correct direction or into error
left behind
departed without taking something or someone along
lift up
to raise someone or something to a higher position
lighten up
to become more cheerful or less serious