Phrases
10,000+ English phrases, collocations, and idioms, tagged by the CEFR level of the vocabulary they contain. Start with A1 — phrases built from the most common words.
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Showing 769–864 of 1744 phrases
Adjective + noun (31)
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multiple birth
a birth involving more than one baby from the same pregnancy
mural painting
the practice of creating paintings directly on walls
naval installation
a military facility used to support a navy
nervous breakdown
an informal term for a period of severe emotional distress that disrupts ordinary functioning
neural network
a connected system modeled on neurons that can learn from examples
nineteenth century
the period from 1801 through 1900
noble gas
an element in the helium group that reacts only very reluctantly with other substances
northern hemisphere
the half of the Earth lying north of the equator
nuclear testing
the carrying out of tests involving nuclear weapons
occupied territory
land controlled by an occupying military force
open fireplace
an uncovered recess connected to a chimney in which a fire can burn
organic chemistry
the branch of chemistry concerned mainly with compounds containing carbon
organized labor
workers represented collectively through trade unions
overhead projector
a device that projects enlarged images from transparent sheets onto a screen
overstuffed chair
an upholstered armchair filled with generous soft padding
pastoral letter
a letter from a religious leader giving guidance to members of a church
peripheral vision
sight of things outside the central area on which the eyes are focused
physical therapist
a professional who uses exercise and physical treatments to improve movement and function
pilot experiment
a small preliminary experiment used to guide a larger investigation
pointed arch
an arch whose sides meet in a point at the top
political dissident
a person who openly opposes accepted or official political views
political platform
a party's stated principles and proposed policies
political prisoner
a person imprisoned because of political beliefs or activities
prehistoric culture
human culture from the period before written records
presidential term
the period during which someone holds the office of president
preventive medicine
medical work focused on preventing illness before it develops
private corporation
a corporation whose shares are held privately rather than traded on a public market
progressive rock
a style of rock music combining extended structures with influences from other musical forms
protective tariff
a tax on imports intended to shield domestic producers from foreign competition
provincial capital
the city serving as the administrative center of a province
psychiatric hospital
a hospital specializing in the care of people with mental health conditions
Noun + noun (58)
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mutton chop
a cut of meat on the bone from an adult sheep
navel orange
a seedless orange with a small secondary fruit inside one end
navy yard
a shipyard where naval vessels are built or maintained
nipple shield
a rubber or plastic cover used to protect a nipple during nursing
nonsense verse
poetry that deliberately uses absurd ideas or meaningless language
notebook computer
a small portable computer that folds closed
novelty shop
a shop selling unusual small items and gifts
nutmeg tree
a tropical tree whose seeds provide nutmeg and whose seed covering provides mace
oat bran
the outer layers of oat grain separated during processing
object recognition
the ability or process of identifying objects from visual information
ocean liner
a large passenger ship operating on scheduled sea routes
oil refinery
a plant where crude petroleum is processed into usable products
oil shale
shale containing material from which oil can be produced by heating
oil stain
a mark left on a surface by oil
overtime period
additional playing time used to decide a tied sporting contest
oxygen mask
a face covering connected to a supply of oxygen for breathing
oyster shell
the hard outer covering of an oyster
ozone layer
a region of the upper atmosphere containing ozone that absorbs much solar ultraviolet radiation
packet boat
a boat used to transport mail
panel discussion
a discussion in which several invited speakers address a topic before an audience
panic button
a button pressed to call for help during an emergency
papaya juice
juice made from papaya fruit
parade ground
an open area used for ceremonial or military parades
paternity leave
time away from work taken by a father after a child's birth
pavement artist
an artist who draws on public paving, often for donations
peace initiative
an initial proposal or action intended to begin negotiations toward peace
peace treaty
a formal agreement between opposing sides to end hostilities
pearl fishery
a place or operation where oysters are collected for pearls
pedestal table
a table supported by one central column instead of separate legs
pedestrian traffic
the movement of people walking through an area
pelican crossing
a British pedestrian crossing with traffic lights activated by a pedestrian's button
pension plan
an arrangement for saving and providing income after retirement
pep rally
a gathering held to build enthusiasm before a sports event
performance capability
the ability of a system to carry out its intended work
persimmon tree
a tree that bears persimmons
personality assessment
an evaluation intended to describe a person's characteristic traits and behavior
petroleum geologist
a geologist who studies rock formations associated with oil deposits
phase transition
a change between physical states without changing a substance's chemical identity
phonograph record
a grooved disc that reproduces recorded sound when played with a needle
piano tuner
a specialist who adjusts piano strings to produce the correct pitches
picket fence
a fence made from a row of upright narrow boards with gaps between them
pickle barrel
a barrel used to hold cucumbers in pickling liquid
placement office
an office that helps people find suitable jobs
planning commission
an appointed body that considers plans for future development
pleasure seeker
a person who pursues enjoyable or sensual experiences
plough horse
a horse used to pull a plough across agricultural land
pomegranate tree
a small tree or shrub that bears pomegranates
pommel horse
a gymnastics apparatus with a padded body and two raised handles
pool cue
a long tapered stick used to strike balls in pool
popularity contest
a competition decided by how much support or approval contestants attract
poster child
a child whose image is used to raise awareness or funds for a charitable cause
price competition
competition in which sellers lower prices to attract customers
price tag
a label showing how much an item costs
primer coat
the first preparatory layer applied before the main layers of paint
programming language
a formal language used to write instructions for computers
protein molecule
a large molecule formed from chains of linked amino acids
pry bar
a strong metal lever with a shaped end for lifting or separating objects
pub crawl
an outing that visits several pubs in succession for drinks