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81 pluck
1. verb1) (to pull: She plucked a grey hair from her head; He plucked at my sleeve.) arracher2) (to pull the feathers off (a chicken etc) before cooking it.) plumer3) (to pick (flowers etc).) cueillir4) (to pull hairs out of (eyebrows) in order to improve their shape.) épiler5) (to pull and let go (the strings of a musical instrument).) pincer2. noun(courage He showed a lot of pluck.) courage- plucky- pluckily - pluckiness - pluck up the courage - pluck up courage - energy -
82 polish
['poliʃ] 1. verb1) (to make smooth and shiny by rubbing: She polished her shoes.) cirer2) ((especially with up) to improve: Polish up your English!) perfectionner2. noun1) (smoothness and shininess: There's a wonderful polish on this old wood.) poli2) (a kind of liquid, or other substance used to make something shiny: furniture polish; silver polish.) cire•- polished- polish off -
83 practise
['præktis]1) (to do exercises to improve one's performance in a particular skill etc: She practises the piano every day; You must practise more if you want to enter the competition.) (s')entraîner2) (to make (something) a habit: to practise self-control.) (s')exercer (à)3) (to do or follow (a profession, usually medicine or law): He practises (law) in London.) exercer• -
84 presentation
[pre-]1) (the act of presenting: the presentation of the prizes; the presentation of a new play; ( also adjective) a presentation ceremony; a presentation gold watch.) (de) présentation2) (the manner in which written work etc is presented or set out: Try to improve the presentation of your work.) présentation3) (a performance, or set of repeated performances, of a play, opera etc: This is the best presentation of `Macbeth' that I've ever seen.) représentation -
85 progress
1. ['prəuɡres, ]( American[) 'pro-] noun1) (movement forward; advance: the progress of civilization.) progrès2) (improvement: The students are making (good) progress.) progrès2. [prə'ɡres] verb1) (to go forward: We had progressed only a few miles when the car broke down.) avancer2) (to improve: Your French is progressing.) faire des progrès•3. noun(the progressive (tense) (also the continuous tense): The sentence `They were watching TV'. is in the progressive.)- progressiveness - in progress -
86 refine
1) (to make (a substance eg sugar) pure by taking out dirt, waste substances etc: Oil is refined before it is used.) raffiner2) (to improve: We have refined our techniques considerably since the work began.) perfectionner•- refined- refinement - refinery -
87 sit tight
(to keep the same position or be unwilling to move or act: The best thing to do is to sit tight and see if things improve.) ne pas bouger -
88 sneer
[sniə] 1. verb1) (to raise the top lip at one side in a kind of smile that expresses scorn: What are you sneering for?) sourire d'un air méprisant2) ((with at) to show contempt for (something) by such an expression or by scornful words etc: He sneered at our attempts to improve the situation.) ricaner de3) (to say with contempt: `You haven't a chance of getting that job,' he sneered.) dire d'un ton de mépris2. noun(a scornful expression, words etc that express contempt.) sarcasme -
89 sort out
1) (to separate (one lot or type of) things from a general mixture: I'll try to sort out some books that he might like.) trier2) (to correct, improve, solve etc: You must sort out your business affairs.) mettre de l'ordre (dans)3) (to attend to, usually by punishing or reprimanding: I'll soon sort you out, you evil little man!) régler son compte à -
90 soup
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91 swing
[swiŋ] 1. past tense, past participle - swung; verb1) (to (cause to) move or sway in a curve (from side to side or forwards and backwards) from a fixed point: You swing your arms when you walk; The children were swinging on a rope hanging from a tree; The door swung open; He swung the load on to his shoulder.) (se) balancer2) (to walk with a stride: He swung along the road.) marcher d'un pas rythmé3) (to turn suddenly: He swung round and stared at them; He is hoping to swing the voters in his favour.) (se) retourner2. noun1) (an act, period, or manner, of swinging: He was having a swing on the rope; Most golfers would like to improve their swing.) balancement2) (a swinging movement: the swing of the dancers' skirts.) balancement3) (a strong dancing rhythm: The music should be played with a swing.) rythme entraînant4) (a change in public opinion etc: a swing away from the government.) revirement5) (a seat for swinging, hung on ropes or chains from a supporting frame etc.) balançoire•- swinging- swing bridge - swing door - be in full swing - get into the swing of things - get into the swing - go with a swing -
92 touch
1. verb1) (to be in, come into, or make, contact with something else: Their shoulders touched; He touched the water with his foot.) (se) toucher (à)2) (to feel (lightly) with the hand: He touched her cheek.) toucher3) (to affect the feelings of; to make (someone) feel pity, sympathy etc: I was touched by her generosity.) toucher4) (to be concerned with; to have anything to do with: I wouldn't touch a job like that.) être touché, concerné (par)2. noun1) (an act or sensation of touching: I felt a touch on my shoulder.) toucher2) ((often with the) one of the five senses, the sense by which we feel things: the sense of touch; The stone felt cold to the touch.) (le) toucher3) (a mark or stroke etc to improve the appearance of something: The painting still needs a few finishing touches.) touche4) (skill or style: He hasn't lost his touch as a writer.) touche, patte5) ((in football) the ground outside the edges of the pitch (which are marked out with touchlines): He kicked the ball into touch.) touche•- touching- touchingly - touchy - touchily - touchiness - touch screen - in touch with - in touch - lose touch with - lose touch - out of touch with - out of touch - a touch - touch down - touch off - touch up - touch wood -
93 touch up
(to improve eg paintwork, a photograph etc by small touches: The photograph had been touched up.) retoucher -
94 upgrade
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95 acquaintance
1 ( friend) connaissance f ; an acquaintance of mine une de mes connaissances ; a French acquaintance un ami français/une amie française m/f ;2 ( knowledge) connaissance f (with de) ; to improve on acquaintance gagner à être connu ; to have a nodding ou passing acquaintance with sb/sth connaître qn/qch vaguement ;3 ( relationship) relations fpl, rapports mpl ; to make sb's acquaintance faire la connaissance de qn ; to renew acquaintance with sb renouer avec une connaissance ; to strike up an acquaintance with sb nouer des relations avec qn ; on closer ou further acquaintance tout compte fait. -
96 advance
advance, US [transcription][-"v_ns"]A n1 ( forward movement) gen, Mil avance f (on sur) ; fig (of civilization, in science) progrès m ; with the advance of old age avec l'âge ; recent advances in medicine les progrès récents dans le domaine de la médecine ; a great advance for democracy un grand pas en avant pour la démocratie ;2 ( sum of money) avance f, acompte m (on sur) ; to ask for an advance on one's salary demander une avance sur son salaire ;B advances npl ( overtures) ( sexual) avances fpl ; ( other contexts) démarches fpl ; to make advances to sb ( sexually) faire des avances à qn ; ( other contexts) faire des démarches auprès de qn.C in advance adv phr [book, reserve, notify, know] à l'avance ; [thank, pay, arrange, decide] à l'avance, d'avance ; a month in advance un mois à l'avance ; here's £30 in advance voici 30 livres d'avance or d'acompte ; you need to book your seats well in advance il faut réserver vos places longtemps à l'avance ; to send on luggage in advance envoyer des bagages à l'avance ; to send sb on in advance envoyer qn en avant.D in advance of adv phr avant [person] ; she arrived half an hour in advance of the others elle est arrivée une demi-heure avant les autres ; a thinker in advance of his time un penseur en avance sur son temps or qui devance son époque.E vtr1 ( move forward) faire avancer [tape, film, clock] ; Mil avancer [troops] ; ( in chess) avancer [piece] ; ( move to earlier date) avancer [time, date] (to à) ; fig ( improve) faire progresser, faire avancer [career, knowledge, research] ;2 ( promote) servir [cause, interests] ;3 ( put forward) avancer [theory, explanation etc] ;4 ( pay up front) avancer [sum] (to à).F vi1 ( move forward) [person] avancer, s'avancer (on, towards vers) ; Mil [army] avancer (on sur) ; [morning, evening] avancer ; the procession advanced down the aisle le cortège progressait le long de l'allée centrale ;2 ( progress) [person, society, civilization, knowledge, technique] progresser, faire des progrès ; to advance in one's career progresser dans sa carrière ;3 ( increase) [prices] augmenter, être en hausse ; -
97 aesthetically
aesthetically, esthetically US adv [satisfying, pleasing] esthétiquement ; [restore, improve] avec goût. -
98 better
I.II.❢ When better is used as an adjective it is translated by meilleur or mieux depending on the context (see below, and note that meilleur is the comparative form of bon, mieux the comparative form of bien). The choice between meilleur and mieux in the construction to be better than depends on whether bon or bien would be used originally with the noun. Other constructions translate as follows: this is a better bag/car = ce sac/cette voiture est mieux ; it is better to do = il vaut mieux faire or il est mieux de faire. As an adverb, better can almost always be translated by mieux. For more examples and particular usages, see the entry below.A n1 (something preferable, more excellent) the better le/la meilleur/-e m/f ; much ou by far the better of the two de loin le/la meilleur/-e des deux ;2 ( more desirable state of affairs) to deserve/expect/hope for better mériter/attendre/espérer mieux ; so much the better, all the better tant mieux ; a change ou turn for the better une amélioration ; to change ou take a turn for the better s'améliorer ; the weather changed, and not for the better le temps a changé, et pas en mieux ;1 (more pleasing, satisfactory) [weather, day, news, joke, forecast, review, salary, price, range] meilleur ; [party, game, book, film, activity] mieux ; playing is better than watching jouer, c'est mieux que de regarder ; to get better s'améliorer ; the weather is no better le temps n'est pas meilleur or ne s'est pas amélioré ; things are getting better ça va mieux ; ‘good news?’-‘it couldn't be better!’ ‘bonnes nouvelles?’-‘on ne peut meilleures!’ ; to look/sound better être/sonner mieux ; to taste/smell better être/sentir meilleur, avoir un/-e meilleur/-e goût/odeur ; it would taste all the better for some salt ce serait meilleur avec du sel ; it looked all the better for it cela n'en était que mieux ; that's better! voilà qui est mieux! ;2 (well, recovered) to be better [patient, cold, headache] aller mieux ; to feel all the better for se sentir mieux après [rest, meal] ; better than I/it was mieux qu'avant ;3 ( happier) [mood] meilleur ; to feel better se sentir mieux ; I'd feel better if you did/didn't do je me sentirais mieux si tu faisais/ne faisais pas ; if it makes you feel any better ( less worried or awkward) si ça t'aide à te sentir mieux ; ( less sad) si ça peut te consoler ; to feel better about doing ( less nervous) se sentir à même de faire ; (less worried, guilty) avoir moins de scrupules à faire ;4 (of superior quality, class) [food, result, film, book, quality] meilleur ; [car, carpet, district, family] mieux ; [land, school, hotel] meilleur, mieux ; [coat, shoes, furniture] de meilleure qualité ; one of the better schools une des meilleures écoles ; he went to a better school than I did ou than me il est allé dans une école meilleure que la mienne ;5 (more virtuous, commendable) [person] mieux ; [life, influence, nature] meilleur ; to be a better man/woman than être mieux que ; you're a better man than I am! tu es mieux que moi! ; to be no better than sb ne pas être mieux que qn ; to be no better than a thief être un voleur ni plus ni moins ;6 ( more skilled) [doctor, actor, teacher] meilleur ; to be a better poet than sb être meilleur poète que qn ; to be a better swimmer than sb nager mieux que qn ; to be a better singer than dancer chanter mieux que l'on ne danse ; to be a better father than husband être meilleur père que mari ; to be better at être meilleur en [subject, sport] ; to be better at doing faire mieux ; he's no better at driving than she is ou than her il ne conduit pas mieux qu'elle ;7 (more suitable, valid, appropriate) [tune, tool, way, word, idea, example, reason, excuse, choice] meilleur ; to be better for être meilleur pour [purpose, task] ; to be better for doing être mieux pour faire ; to be better than nothing être mieux que rien ; better a part-time job than no job mieux vaut un travail à mi-temps que pas de travail ; the bigger/sooner the better le plus grand/vite possible ; the faster you work the better plus tu travailles vite, mieux ça vaudra ; the less said about that the better mieux vaut ne pas parler de ça ; who better to play the part? qui mieux pourrait jouer le rôle? ; where/how better to do…? quel meilleur endroit/moyen pour faire…? ;8 ( more beneficial) [exercise, food] meilleur ; swimming is better for you than running nager est meilleur pour la santé que courir ;9 ( more accurate) [description, recollection, view, understanding] meilleur ; in order to get a better look pour mieux voir ; to be a better likeness être plus ressemblant.1 ( more adequately or excellently) mieux ; to fit/behave better than aller/se comporter mieux que ; better made/organized than mieux fait/organisé que ; to think better of sb avoir une meilleure opinion de qn ; better behaved/educated plus sage/cultivé ; to be better tempered/mannered avoir meilleur caractère/de meilleures manières ; to do better (in career, life) réussir mieux ; (in exam, essay) faire mieux ; ( in health) aller mieux ; ‘could do better’ ‘pourrait or peut mieux faire’ ; the better to see/hear pour mieux voir/entendre ; the more she talked, the better I understood plus elle parlait, mieux je comprenais ;2 ( more advisably or appropriately) mieux ; it couldn't have been better timed ça n'aurait pu mieux tomber ; the money would be better spent on il vaudrait mieux dépenser l'argent en ; he is better left alone il vaut mieux le laisser seul ; you would be better advised to do tu serais mieux avisé de faire ; you would do better to do tu ferais mieux de faire ; you had better do, you'd better do ( advising) tu ferais mieux de faire ; ( warning) tu as intérêt à faire ; I'd better go je ferais mieux de m'en aller ; ‘will she come?’-‘she'd better! ou she better ○ !’ ‘est-ce qu'elle viendra?’-‘elle a intérêt!’ ; ‘will it be open?’-‘it had better be! ou it better had be! ou it better be ○ !’ ‘est-ce que ça sera ouvert?’-‘il y a intérêt!’ ; ‘more cake?’-‘I'd better not’ ‘encore du gâteau?’-‘non merci’ ; ‘shall I come?’-‘better not’ ‘est-ce que je viens?’-‘il vaut mieux pas’ ; better still,… ou mieux,…D vtr1 ( surpass) améliorer [score, one's performance, achievement] ; faire mieux que [rival's performance, achievement] ; to better sb's offer offrir un meilleur prix que qn ;2 ( improve) améliorer [condition, quality].for better (or) for worse gen advienne que pourra ; ( in wedding vow) pour le meilleur et pour le pire ; to get the better of [person] triompher de, vaincre [enemy, opponent, problem] ; his curiosity got the better of him sa curiosité a pris le dessus ; the problem got the better of her le problème l'a dépassée ; to go one better faire encore mieux (than que) ; to think better of it changer d'avis. -
99 clear
A nB adj2 ( distinct) [image, outline, impression] net/nette ; [writing] lisible ; [sound, voice] clair ; I didn't get a clear look at the car je n'ai pas bien vu la voiture ; he had a clear view of the man il voyait très bien l'homme ;3 ( comprehensibly plain) [description, instruction, text] clair ; to make sth clear to sb faire comprendre qch à qn ; he made it clear to her that he disapproved il lui a bien fait comprendre qu'il désapprouvait ; I wish to make it clear that je tiens à préciser que ; is that clear?, do I make myself clear? est-ce que c'est clair? ; to make one's views/intentions clear exprimer clairement ses opinions/intentions ; let's get this clear que les choses soient claires ;4 ( obvious) [lack, need, sign] évident ; [advantage, lead] net/nette ; [example] beau (before n) ; [majority] large (before n) ; it is clear that il est clair que ; it's a clear case of fraud il est clair qu'il s'agit d'une fraude ;5 ( not confused) [idea, memory] clair ; [plan] précis ; to have a clear picture in one's mind of sth avoir une idée très claire de qch ; to have/keep a clear head avoir/garder les idées claires ; we need someone with a clear head on a besoin de quelqu'un qui a les idées claires ; a clear thinker un esprit lucide ; I'm not clear what to do/how to start je ne sais pas très bien quoi faire/par où commencer ; I have no clear idea how it happened je ne sais pas très bien comment ça s'est passé ; he had a clear understanding of the problem il comprenait très bien le problème ; she's quite clear about what the job involves elle sait exactement en quoi consiste le travail ;6 ( empty) [road, view, area] dégagé ; [table] débarrassé ; [space] libre ; the road is clear of obstacles/snow il n'y a plus d'obstacles/de neige sur la route ;7 ( not guilty) [conscience] tranquille ;8 ( unblemished) [skin, complexion] net/nette ;9 Med [X-ray, scan] normal ;10 ( cloudless) [sky] sans nuage, clair (after n) ; [day, night] clair ; on a clear day par temps clair ;11 ( frank) [gaze, look] franc/franche ;12 ( pure) [sound, tone, voice] clair ;14 ( exempt from) to be clear of être libre de [debt] ; être exempt de [blame] ; être lavé de [suspicion] ;15 ( free) [day, diary] libre ; keep the 24th clear, I'm having a party ne prévois rien d'autre le 24, je fais une fête ;16 ( whole) [week, day] entier/-ière ; you must allow three clear days il faut compter trois jours entiers ;17 ( net) [gain, profit] net inv (after n) ;18 Ling clair.C adv ( away from) to jump clear sauter sur le côté ; to jump clear of ( jump out of) sauter hors de [vehicle] ; ( avoid) he leapt clear of the car/rock il a évité la voiture/pierre en sautant sur le côté ; to pull sb clear of extraire qn de [wreckage] ; to stay ou steer clear of éviter [town centre, rocks] ; éviter [alcohol, trouble, troublemakers] ; he kept the boat clear of the rocks il a gardé le bateau au large des rochers ; stand clear of the gates! éloignez-vous des portes! ; to get clear of sortir de [traffic, town].D vtr1 ( remove) abattre [trees] ; arracher [weeds] ; enlever [debris, papers, mines] ; dégager [snow] (from, off de) ; to clear demonstrators from the streets, to clear the streets of demonstrators débarrasser les rues des manifestants ;2 ( free from obstruction) déboucher [drains] ; dégager [road] ; débarrasser [table, surface] ; déblayer [site] ; défricher [land] ; to clear the road of snow/obstacles dégager la neige/les obstacles de la route ; to clear sth out of the way (from table, seat) enlever qch ; ( from floor) enlever qch du passsage ; to clear the way for sth/sb lit libérer le passage pour qch/qn ; fig ouvrir la voie pour [developments] ; fig laisser la place à [person] ;4 ( empty) vider [desk, drawer] (of de) ; débarrasser [room, surface] (of de) ; lever [post box] ; évacuer [area, building] ; the judge cleared the court le juge a fait évacuer la salle ; to clear the office of furniture débarrasser le bureau de tous ses meubles ; you're fired, clear your desk vous êtes renvoyé, débarrassez votre bureau ; his singing cleared the room la pièce se vida au son de sa voix ;7 ( unblock) dégager [nose] ; to clear one's throat se racler la gorge ; the fresh air will clear your head un peu d'air frais t'éclaircira les idées ;8 Cosmet faire disparaître [dandruff, spots] ;9 Wine clarifier ;10 ( destroy) détruire [building] ;11 Comput effacer [screen, data] ;12 ( dispose of) liquider [stock] ; to clear the backlog rattraper le retard sur le travail ; ‘reduced to clear’ ‘solde’ ;15 ( make) se faire [profit] ;16 ( free from blame) [jury] innocenter [accused] (of de) ; to be cleared of suspicion être lavé de tout soupçon ; to clear one's name/reputation blanchir son nom/sa réputation ;17 Admin, Mil ( vet) mener une enquête administrative sur [employee] ; I've been cleared j'ai fait l'objet d'une enquête administrative ; she's been cleared to see the documents elle a été déclarée apte à consulter les documents ;18 ( officially approve) approuver [proposal, request] ; dédouaner [goods] ; to clear sth with sb obtenir l'accord de qn pour qch ; to be cleared for take-off/landing recevoir l'autorisation de décoller/atterrir ;19 ( jump over) franchir [fence, hurdle, wall] ; she cleared 2 m at the high jump elle a réussi 2 m au saut en hauteur ;20 ( pass through) passer sous [bridge] ; passer entre [gateposts] ; to clear customs passer à la douane ;21 Sport dégager [ball].E vi1 (become transparent, unclouded) [liquid, sky] s'éclaircir ;2 ( disappear) [smoke, fog, cloud] se dissiper ;3 ( become pure) [air] se purifier ;5 Fin [cheque] être compensé.the coast is clear fig le champ est libre ; to be in the clear ( safe) être hors de danger ; ( free from suspicion) être lavé de tout soupçon■ clear away:▶ clear away débarrasser ;▶ clear [sth] away, clear away [sth] balayer [snow, leaves] ; enlever [debris, rubbish] ; ranger [papers, toys].■ clear off:▶ clear off ○ GB1 ( run away) filer ○, se sauver ;2 ( go away) ficher le camp ○ ; clear off, I'm busy fiche le camp ○, je suis occupé ; clear off! fichez le camp ○ ! ;▶ clear off [sth] US débarrasser [table].■ clear out:▶ clear [sth] out, clear out [sth]2 ( empty) vider [room, house] ;3 ( throw away) jeter [old clothes, newspapers].■ clear up:▶ clear up1 ( tidy up) faire du rangement ; they must clear up after themselves ils doivent tout ranger derrière eux ;▶ clear up [sth], clear [sth] up1 ( tidy) ranger [mess, toys, papers] ; ramasser [litter, broken glass] ; ranger [room] ; nettoyer [beach, garden] ;2 ( resolve) résoudre [problem, difficulty] ; dissiper [misunderstanding] ; tirer [qch] au clair [mystery]. -
100 close
I.A n1 ( road) passage m ;2 ( of cathedral) enceinte f.B adj1 ( with close links) [relative] proche ; [resemblance] frappant ; to bear a close resemblance to sb/sth ressembler beaucoup à qn/qch ; close links with Pol liens étroits avec [country] ; liens d'amitié avec [group, twinned town etc] ; to work in close collaboration with sb collaborer étroitement avec qn ; in close contact with en contact permanent avec [government department etc] ; en contact avec [friend etc] ; in close harmony Mus dans une tessiture rapprochée ;2 ( intimate) [friend, adviser] proche (to de) ; they have a close friendship ils sont très bons amis ;3 ( almost equal) [contest, finish, result, vote] serré ; ‘is it the same?’-‘no but it's close’ ‘c'est le même?’-‘non mais c'est proche’ ; a close copy of his signature une imitation presque parfaite de sa signature ; it's a close match (of colour, hairpiece) c'est presque la même couleur ;4 (careful, rigorous) [scrutiny, examination, study] minutieux/-ieuse ; [supervision] étroit ; to pay close attention to sth faire une attention toute particulière à qch ; to keep a close watch ou eye on sb/sth surveiller étroitement qn/qch ;5 ( compactly aligned) [texture, grain] dense ; [print, military formation] serré ; [handwriting] ramassé ;7 ○ ( secretive) she's been very close about it elle n'a rien voulu dire.C adv1 ( nearby) to live/work quite close (by) habiter/travailler tout près ; they look closeer than they are ils semblent plus près qu'ils ne le sont ; how close is the town? est-ce que la ville est loin? ; it's close, I can hear it il ne doit pas être loin, je l'entends ; the closer he came plus il approchait ; to bring sth closer approcher qch ; to follow close behind suivre de près ; to hold sb close serrer qn ; close together serrés les uns contre les autres ; to come closer together se rapprocher ; ⇒ draw ;2 ( close temporally) the time is close when dans peu de temps ; how close are they in age? combien ont-ils de différence d'âge? ; Christmas is close Noël approche ; ⇒ draw ;3 ( almost) that's closer (to) the truth ça c'est plus proche de la vérité ; ‘is the answer three?’-‘close!’ ‘est-ce que la réponse est trois?’-‘tu y es presque’.1 ( sufficiently near) that's close enough ( no nearer) tu es assez près ; ( acceptable as answer) ça ira ; to be/come close enough to do être assez près/s'approcher suffisamment pour faire ;2 ( approximately) there were 20 yachts or close enough il y avait à peu près 20 yachts.1 lit près de [place, person, object] ; close to where près de l'endroit où ; closer to plus près de ; how close are we to…? à quelle distance sommes-nous de…? ;2 ( on point of) au bord de [tears, hysteria, collapse] ; to be close to doing être sur le point de faire ;3 ( almost at) closer to 30 than 40 plus proche or plus près de 40 ans que de 30 ; to come closest to s'approcher le plus de [ideal, conception] ; to come close to doing faillir faire ; he came close to giving up il a failli abandonner ; how close are you to completing…? est-ce que vous êtes sur le point de finir…? ; close to the time when à peu près au moment où ; it's coming close to the time when we must decide l'heure de nous décider approche ;4 ( also close on ○) ( approximately) close to ou on ○ 60 people près de or presque 60 personnes ; close to ou on ○ a century ago il y a près d'un siècle.F close by prep phr, adv phr près de [wall, bridge] ; the ambulance is close by l'ambulance n'est pas loin.(from) close to ○, (from) close up de près ; it was a close call ○ ou shave ○ ou thing je l'ai/tu l'as etc échappé belle.II.A n1 gen, Sport fin f ; to bring sth to a close mettre fin à qch ; to draw to a close tirer à sa fin ; to come to a close se terminer ; at the close of day littér à la tombée du jour liter ;B vtr1 ( shut) fermer [container, door, window, eyes, mouth, mind, book, file, museum, office, shop] ;2 ( block) fermer [border, port, airport] ; boucher [pipe, opening] ; barrer [road] ; interdire l'accès à [area of town] ;3 = close down ;4 ( bring to an end) mettre fin à [meeting, discussion, investigation, case] ; fermer [account] ; to close the meeting, we have pour clore la réunion nous avons ; the subject is now closed le sujet est clos ; ‘this correspondence is now closed’ journ ‘cette rubrique est interrompue’ ;5 ( reduce) to close the gap fig réduire l'écart (between entre) ; to close the gap on sb/sth lit, fig rattraper qn/qch ; to close the gaps ( improve fault) remédier aux lacunes (in dans) ;6 ( agree) conclure [deal, contract, sale] ;7 Elec fermer [circuit].C vi1 ( shut) [airport, factory, office, polls, shop, station] fermer (for pour) ; [door, window, container, lid, eyes, mouth] se fermer ; [hand, arms] se (re)fermer (around sur) ; the museum has closed le musée est fermé au public ;2 ( cease to operate) [business, factory, mine, institution] fermer définitivement ;3 ( end) [meeting, enquiry, play, concert, season] prendre fin ; to close with se terminer par [scene, event, song] ;4 Fin [currency, index, shares, market] clôturer (at à) ; the market closed down/up le marché a clôturé en baisse/en hausse ; the pound closed up against the euro la livre (sterling) a clôturé en hausse contre l’euro ;5 ( get smaller) se réduire ; the gap is closing between X and Y fig l'écart entre X et Y se réduit ; lit la distance entre X et Y se réduit ;6 ( get closer) [pursuer, enemy] se rapprocher (on de) ;7 ( heal) [wound] se refermer.1 ( shut) [door, window, container, business, public building, shop] fermé ; [fist, mouth, eyes] fermé ; ‘closed’ ( sign in shop) ‘fermé’ ; ( in theatre) ‘relâche’ ; ‘closed for lunch/for repairs’ ‘fermé pour le déjeuner/pour cause de réparations’ ; ‘road closed’ ‘route barrée’ ; ‘closed to the public’ ‘interdit au public’ ; ‘closed to traffic’ ‘circulation interdite’ ; behind closed doors fig à huis clos ;2 ( restricted) [community, circle, meeting, organization, economy] fermé ; to have a closed mind avoir l'esprit fermé ;3 Math [set] fermé ;4 Ling [syllable] fermé.■ close down:▶ close down [shop, business, club, institution] fermer définitivement ; GB, Radio, TV we are now closing down nos émissions sont terminées pour ce soir ;▶ close down [sth], close [sth] down fermer [qch] définitivement [business, factory].■ close in [pursuers, enemy] se rapprocher (on de) ; [winter, night] approcher ; [darkness, fog] descendre (on sur) ; [jungle, forest] se refermer ; the nights are closing in les jours commencent à raccourcir.■ close off:▶ close off [sth], close [sth] off fermer [qch] au public [district, street, wing].■ close out:■ close up:▶ close up1 [flower, petals, wound] se refermer ; [group] se serrer ; [troops] serrer les rangs ;2 [shopkeeper, caretaker] fermer ;3 he just closes up il refuse d'en parler ;▶ close up [sth], close [sth] up1 fermer [bank, office, shop] ;2 boucher [hole, entrance, pipe].■ close with:▶ close with [sb]1 Comm tomber d'accord avec [dealer, trader] (for pour) ;2 Mil engager le combat avec [enemy] ;
См. также в других словарях:
improve — im‧prove [ɪmˈpruːv] verb 1. [intransitive, transitive] FINANCE if shares, prices etc improve by a particular amount, they rise by that amount: • Jaguar improved 21p, closing at 665p. improve by • Hungary s dollar current account improved by a… … Financial and business terms
improve — 1 Improve, better, help, ameliorate are comparable when denoting to mend or correct in part or in some de gree. Improve, the general term, and better, more vigorous and homely, apply both to objects and to states or conditions that are not of… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Improve — Im*prove , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Improved}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Improving}.] [Pref. in in + prove, in approve. See {Approve}, {Prove.}] 1. To make better; to increase the value or good qualities of; to ameliorate by care or cultivation; as, to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Improve — Im*prove , v. i. 1. To grow better; to advance or make progress in what is desirable; to make or show improvement; as, to improve in health. [1913 Webster] We take care to improve in our frugality and diligence. Atterbury. [1913 Webster] 2. To… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
improve — [im pro͞ov′] vt. improved, improving [earlier improw < Anglo Fr emprower < en , in + prou, gain, advantage < LL prode, advantage (back form. < L prodesse, to be of advantage): see PRO 2 & IS1] 1. Now Rare to use profitably or to good… … English World dictionary
Improve — Im*prove , v. t. [Pref. im not + prove: cf. L. improbare, F. improuver.] 1. To disprove or make void; to refute. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Neither can any of them make so strong a reason which another can not improve. Tyndale. [1913 Webster] 2. To… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
improve\ on — • improve (up)on v To make or get one that is better than (another). Dick made good marks the first year, but he thought he could improve on them. Charles built a new model racer for the derby race, because he knew he could improve upon his old… … Словарь американских идиом
improve — I verb advance, ameliorate, amend, appreciate, beautify, correct, cultivate, cure, develop, doctor, edify, edit, elaborate, elevate, embellish, emend, enhance, ennoble, enrich, fix, flourish, gain, gain strength, heighten, help, increase,… … Law dictionary
improve — (v.) late 15c., to use to one s profit, to increase (income), from Anglo Fr. emprouwer to turn to profit (late 13c.), from O.Fr. en , causative prefix, + prou profit, from L. prode advantageous (see PROUD (Cf. proud)). Spelling with v was rare… … Etymology dictionary
improve — ► VERB 1) make or become better. 2) (improve on/upon) achieve or produce something better than. 3) (improving) giving moral or intellectual benefit. DERIVATIVES improvability noun improvable adjective improver … English terms dictionary
Improve — means to make something better. It may also refer to:Improver* Bread improver * Improver Corporation: Improver v Remington, a 1990 United Kingdom patent infringement law court caseImproved* Improved clinch knot, a knot * Most Improved Player, a… … Wikipedia