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 385–480 of 1339 phrases
Verb + noun (1)
Adjective + noun (49)
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kinetic energy
energy that an object has because it is moving
lactic acid
an organic acid found in substances such as sour milk
latent hostility
hostile feeling that is present but not openly expressed
leading indicator
a measure whose changes tend to precede a broader economic trend
leeward side
the side facing away from the incoming wind
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
logical implication
a relationship in which the truth of one statement requires another to be true
longitudinal study
research that follows the same people or subjects over an extended period
lymphatic vessel
a tube in the body that carries lymph toward the bloodstream
magnetic stripe
a strip on a card that stores information magnetically
major premise
the premise of a syllogism that contains the term used as the conclusion's predicate
marginal utility
the additional benefit obtained from one more unit of a good or service
masculine rhyme
a rhyme involving a final single stressed syllable
maternal grandmother
the mother of someone's mother
mathematical induction
a proof method that establishes a starting case and shows each case implies the next
maximum exposure
the greatest financial amount potentially at risk
medical diagnosis
the identification of an illness or condition from symptoms and other evidence
mental measurement
the use of measurement methods to quantify psychological abilities or functions
mental quickness
the ability to understand or respond accurately without much delay
mental reservation
an unspoken doubt that limits full agreement or acceptance
military censorship
the control or suppression of information by armed forces
military posture
a country's or force's readiness and capacity for military action
minimal art
art that uses strongly simplified forms and colors
molar concentration
the amount of dissolved substance in moles per liter of solution
moral certainty
a strong inward conviction that something is true despite lacking absolute proof
motley crew
a group made up of very different kinds of people
municipal government
the governing authority responsible for a city or town
narcissistic personality
a personality strongly focused on self-admiration and personal importance
nasal septum
the wall of bone and cartilage separating the two nasal cavities
nautical mile
a navigation unit of distance equal to 1,852 meters
nocturnal emission
ejaculation that occurs during sleep
nominal phrase
a phrase functioning like a noun as a subject or object
normal distribution
a symmetric bell-shaped probability distribution centered on its mean
nuclear cataract
a cataract affecting the central part of the eye's lens
nuclear terrorism
terrorism involving nuclear weapons or threats using radioactive material
nutrient artery
an artery that carries blood into the internal cavity of a long bone
objective lens
the lens nearest the object being viewed in a microscope or telescope
occupational hazard
a feature of a job that may cause injury or illness
old bachelor
an older man who has never married
optical illusion
a visual effect that makes something appear different from how it actually is
orderly sergeant
a company's first sergeant, historically responsible for passing on orders
ordinal number
a number indicating position in a sequence, such as first or second
original sin
in Christian belief, a sinful condition inherited by humanity from Adam
outer boundary
the edge marking the outside limit of an area or object
oval window
an opening in the ear to which the base of the stapes bone is attached
overseas cap
a soft wedge-shaped cap worn as part of a military uniform
Noun + noun (40)
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kitchen utensil
a handheld tool used to prepare, cook, or serve food
koala bear
an informal name for the koala, an Australian marsupial rather than a true bear
lace making
the craft of producing decorative openwork fabric from thread
land tenure
the arrangement of rights under which land is held or occupied
lap joint
a connection made by overlapping the ends or edges of two pieces
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
leisure class
a social group whose wealth allows its members to live without working
liberation theology
a Christian approach to theology emphasizing social justice and freedom from oppression
life preserver
a buoyant device worn or held to help a person stay afloat
light intensity
the strength of light in a particular setting or direction
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
machine politician
a politician belonging to an organized group that controls a party for private advantage
manganese steel
steel containing manganese that gives it high resistance to wear and impact
mercy killing
the intentional ending of a life to relieve severe suffering
merit badge
a badge awarded in scouting for completing work or demonstrating a skill
meteor swarm
a group of meteoroids traveling along similar paths
methane series
the family of saturated hydrocarbons beginning with methane
mink coat
a coat made from mink fur
mitre box
a guide that holds a saw at set angles for cutting joints
motorcycle cop
a police officer who patrols on a motorcycle
mulberry tree
a tree that bears small, clustered edible fruits resembling blackberries
murder conviction
a legal finding that someone is guilty of murder
murder indictment
a formal accusation charging someone with murder
mustard plaster
a traditional skin application containing powdered mustard
nail varnish
a cosmetic coating applied to nails to add color or shine
nerve pathway
a connected route of nerve fibers carrying signals through the nervous system
neutralization reaction
a chemical reaction in which an acid and a base interact to form a salt
neutron star
an extremely dense collapsed star made largely of neutrons
nursing aide
a worker who helps nurses with basic care tasks
oil pipeline
a long pipe system used to carry petroleum
oil tycoon
a wealthy and powerful businessperson in the petroleum industry
opera cloak
a large cloak worn over formal evening clothes
opium den
a place where opium is sold and used
ordnance store
a stock of military weapons, ammunition, or equipment
overdraft credit
bank credit that covers payments exceeding the available account balance
pain threshold
the lowest level of a stimulus at which someone begins to feel pain