Dictionary: letter W
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+ | only common verbs here | any verb with many examples inwade in (insep) start doing something in a determined or forceful way
- After a few minutes the police waded in and started to break the crowds up.
- She has waded in on the row.
wade through [wade through something] (file, paperwork, report) spend a lot of time doing some boring or difficult job plough through
- It's amazing how much garbage you have to wade through on the Internet before finding what you want.
- He's been wading through hundreds of bills.
- I'm currently wading through the paperwork required for my visa application.
wait about/around (insep) spend a long time doing nothing while you wait for someone or something
- I don't have the time or the patience to wait around for a bus, especially during the winter when it's cold.
wait up (insep) not go to bed because you're waiting for someone
- I was shocked to see everybody still up, waiting for me. I gave my mother a big hug and kiss and told them that they shouldn't have waited up for me.
- I remember how Dad waited up for me when I had a date.
- I used to hate it when my parents waited up for me.Now, I'm the same way. I don't make it obvious, but I just can't get to sleep until my kids are home.
wake up to [wake up to something] (danger, fact, threat, problem, truth) become aware of a problem or dangerous situation
- In the 1980s, the world woke up to the threat of the ozone hole.
- One day they will wake up to the truth.
walk away from 1 [walk away from something] leave an unpleasant situation instead of dealing with it
- New rules about bankruptcy would make it tougher to walk away from your debts.
- Though at times you may feel discouraged, hurt or angry, do not walk away from your family, from all those who love you.
2 not be hurt
- If you are involved in a traffic accident, your seat belt may be the determining factor for whether you walk away from the accident uninjured or not.
- Fortunately the pilot was able to walk away from the accident with only a few bumps and bruises.
- Luckily, the driver walked away unharmed.
walk away/off with [walk away with something, walk off with something] (prize, title, competition, medal, award, degree) win something
- Unfortunately, he didn't win the million but he did walk away with $10,000 in his pockets as a consolation prize.
walk off [walk something off] (stress, anger, frustration, disquiet, headache, effect, pounds, kilos, excess weight, meal, lunch, dinner) get rid of it by walking work off
- Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and done regularly you can walk off those excess pounds.
walk on (insep) continue walking
- He stopped and had a chat with her and then walked on.
walk out (insep) 1 go on strike
- Airport workers will walk out in protest over a proposed pay deal.
2 abandon a negotiation, a meeting or a situation in protest
- He just walked out of the meeting.
walk over [walk all over someone] (insep) treat someone badly by making them do whatever you want
- I can't let them walk all over me.
ward off [ward off something] (insep) (attack, blow, cold, danger, disease, illness, intruders, injury, hunger, evil spirits, fatigue) prevent something from happening fend off, head off, stave off
- This popular herb has been used to help ward off the common cold and to relieve the symptoms of hay fever.
- Eating a healthy diet and exercising may not be enough to ward off disease if you spend most of your day sitting in a chair.
- London police is bolstering its relations with New York's DA's office to help ward off cyber-attacks.
- Improved flexibility can ward off injury.
wash down 1 [wash something down] clean a place with a lot of water hose down
- When washed down the sink, grease sticks to the insides of sewer pipes.
- Blockages are often caused by food scraps washed down the kitchen sink.
2 [wash something down] drink something with food
- It was a delicious hearty meal washed down with a pint of their local brew.
watch out for [watch out for something] (danger, difficulties, problems, pickpockets ) be careful with something
- What dangerous animals do I need to watch out for when hiking?
- Watch out for pickpockets.
water down 1 [water something down] add water to a drink so it's less strong
- I'm pretty sure they were watering down the drinks.
2 make something less extreme, forceful or controvesial
- Industrial lobbies are fighting hard to water down the law.
wave down [wave someone/something down] wave your hands to make a vehicle stop
- I waved down a cab and told the cabbie the directions.
- Shane waved down a passing car and met his family at the hospital
wave off [wave someone off] wave to someone as they leave see off
- Martin waved him off at the station wondering when he was likely to see him again.
wear off (insep) (effect, excitement, feeling, pain, shock, novelty, distress, stiffness, numbness) disappear gradually
- He's in pain when the effect of the drugs he's taking starts to wear off.
- The pain is beginning to wear off.
wear on (insep) (day, meeting, night, time, afternoon, week) when something wears on, it passes slowly drag on, drag out
- Dreams increase in bizarreness as the night wears on,
psychologists found.
- I'm always tired, doctor. I'm absolutely worn out at the end of the day.
2 [wear something out] (clothes, shoes, boots, carpet, batteries, excuse, patience) be damaged because you have used something a lot
- Running on the road all of the time will wear out your shoes quicker.
- Once your shoes are worn out, they must be replaced.
weed out [weed something out] remove unwanted things or people
- They intend to weed out those who abuse the system.
ween off [ween off something] (insep) gradually stop taking some drug or medicine
- If you are currently on anti-depressant therapy and wish to ween off it, get in touch with your physician, and ask for a specific programme.
well up (insep) (tears, anger) start to show an emotion
- Tear began to well up in his eyes.
- That's when he welled up.
weigh down be too heavy to carry or worry you
- We are sometimes weighed down by the pressure of life.
weigh up [weigh something up] (pros & cons, benefits) consider think about something carefully before taking a decision
- You will have to weigh up the benefits with other factors such as cost.
wheel out [wheel something out] (arguments, statistics) use something too often used or heard before
- They wheeled out the old arguments.
- You could always wheel out the same old dinner jacket you wore last year.
whip up [whip something up] (interest, hatred, enthusiasm, opposition, passions, support, feeling, meal) try and make people have strongs feeling about something
- The White House has waged a massive lobbying effort to whip up support for the plan.
win over [win someone over] manage to make someone like or accept you
- Stop trying so hard to win her over and gain her attention.
wind down 1 Relax try to relax, usually because you are tired or after a long day of work
- For those who want to wind down at the end of the week there are plenty of great bars and restaurants nearby to explore.
2 [wind something down] gradually reduce activity until something stops completely
- The board of directors voted to wind down the business after learning orders continued to drop in the second quarter.
wind up 1 end end in a certain situation or place end up
- If you do that, you could wind up in jail or find yourself being sued for millions.
2 annoy [wind someone up] say or do things to annoy or make someone nervous
- John's always winding me up saying that he will tell my friends at school and this girl who I really like.
- Why are you so wound up about all this?
wipe out [wipe something out] destroy completely
- The village was wiped out by a disastrous flood.
- Overfishing can wipe out stocks worldwide.
wise up [wise up, wise up to something] (esp. US) use your common sense and become more aware of things
- It's about time employers wised up to the fact that staff who are happy work more efficiently.
wish away [wish something away] (problem) do nothing and hope that something disappears
- We cannot wish away our problems.
wittle away [wittle away at something, wittle something away] (also wittle something down) (insep) (debts, savings) gradually make smaller
- The government has been wittling away at our right for years.
work off [work something off] (stress, anger, frustration, aggression, disquiet, energy, headache, steam, effect, pain, pounds, kilos, excess weight, calories, meal, lunch, dinner, debt, loan) get rid of something by doing some form of exercise walk off
- He went for a walk alone to clear your mind and work off his meal.
- I hope things work out with you and Lisa.
- I'm sorry things haven't worked out for you.
- If this works out, I'm gonna do it every month.
- It all worked out in the end.
2 understand [work something out] manage to understand something
- I couldn't work out how to switch the alarm off.
- They're still trying to work out what happened.
3 [work something out] (plan, proposal, agreement) plan something carefully or you arrange it
- I've got it all worked out.
- The meeting has been postponed until a concrete plan with measures is worked out.
- We worked out a plan to get everything done on time.
4 do physical exercise
- I try to work out three or four days a week.
work up [work something up] (appetite, enthusiasm, idea, support, sweat, thirst, nerve) gradually develop something
- It wasn’t long before I had worked up a sweat.
- Work up an appetite with a wander through the gardens at Kew and then enjoy a meal in one of the cafes or restaurants.
- She can never work up the nerve to ask.
wrap up 1 (insep) put on warm clothes
- Make sure you wrap up tight. It's getting a little windy out there.
- Wrap up warm, it's going to get cold.
- With winters as cold as ours you'll want to wrap up well.
2 [wrap something up] (job, agreement, deal) complete something in a satisfactory way wind up
- It has been a most enjoyable session. I think we will wrap it up there.
- I love wrapping up my day with a cup of tea.
- Liverpool are set to wrap up the deal before Monday night's transfer deadline.
3 [wrap something up] cover something in attractive paper
- Wrap the present up and leave it under the tree.
wriggle out [wriggle out of something] manage to avoid something you don't want to do
- He's trying to wriggle out of its commitments.
- The insurance company was trying to wriggle out of their obligations.
write down [write something down] write something on a piece of paper
- It wasn't enough for her simply to hear new sounds or words. She had to see them written down.
write out [write something out] (cheque, draft, plan, prescription) write something down in great detail or you complete the necessary information
- Many entrepreneurs find it difficult to write out a business plan.
- Ring me when it is ready and I will write out a cheque.
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