📖 P — The English dictionary · page 57

prevailing — Everyday, meaning 1: Prevailing means most common or strongest at a certain time or place.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (geography) The prevailing wind is the wind that blows most often from one direction in a place.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Prevailing is also a form of prevail, meaning winning in the end.↗ Example: The prevailing wind here blows from the west.↗ · Trees lean away from the prevailing wind.↗ · Under the prevailing conditions, the race was cancelled.↗ · The prevailing view is that homework helps.↗ · Good sense is prevailing at last.↗ · Sailors used the prevailing winds to cross the ocean.↗ · The prevailing weather is wet and mild.↗ · Kindness prevailing over anger is the moral of the story.↗ · Contrary to the prevailing opinion, I believe that the Pythag- oreans regarded the Zero, 0, as the second element which was called the infinite, indeterminate duality, infinite binary, etc. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

prevalence — Everyday, meaning 1: How common or widespread something is in a place or group at a given time.↗ Example: The prevalence of head lice goes up when school starts.↗ · The survey studied the prevalence of short-sightedness.↗ · The prevalence of smartphones has changed how people talk.↗ · Scientists measured the prevalence of the disease.↗ · The prevalence of plastic on beaches is shocking.↗ · Allergies have a higher prevalence than they used to.↗

prevalent — Everyday, meaning 1: Common or widespread in a place or at a time: «Colds are prevalent in winter.».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Most common, strongest among others.↗ Example: Head lice are prevalent in primary schools.↗ · Malaria is prevalent in some hot, wet countries.↗ · The prevalent wind here blows from the west.↗ · Smartphones are prevalent among teenagers.↗ · Kangaroos are prevalent in many parts of Australia.↗ · Bullying online is more prevalent than many adults think.↗ · The second story will serve as an illustration of one of the Russian customs with respect to the dead, and also of the ideas about witchcraft, still prevalent in Russia.↗

prevent — Everyday, meaning 1: To prevent something means to stop it from happening.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To prevent someone from doing something means to stop them doing it.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: To come before or get ahead of something; to anticipate it.↗ Example: Washing your hands helps prevent the spread of germs.↗ · Sun cream can prevent sunburn.↗ · Brushing your teeth prevents tooth decay.↗ · The rain prevented us from playing outside.↗ · Fences prevent children from falling into the pool.↗ · Smoke alarms help prevent deaths in fires.↗ · The goalkeeper prevented a goal.↗ · What could we do to prevent accidents in the playground?↗ · Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · Four boys caught him to prevent the thud.↗ (Peter Pan) · Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) · This time they could not prevent him overhearing.↗ (Irish Fairy Tales)

preventable — Everyday, meaning 1: Preventable means able to be stopped before it happens.↗ Example: Most kitchen fires are preventable.↗ · Tooth decay is preventable if you brush.↗ · Measles is a preventable disease thanks to vaccines.↗ · The accident was completely preventable.↗ · Wearing a helmet makes many head injuries preventable.↗ · Sunburn is preventable with sunscreen.↗ · Many falls at home are preventable.↗ · The doctor said the illness was preventable.↗

preventative — Everyday, meaning 1: Preventative means meant to stop something bad from happening before it starts, such as illness, damage or crime.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A preventative is something used to prevent a problem, such as a medicine or treatment.↗ Example: Brushing your teeth is a preventative measure against tooth decay.↗ · The vet gave the dog a preventative treatment for fleas.↗ · Vaccines are preventative medicine.↗ · We took preventative steps and tied down the trampoline before the storm.↗ · Sun cream is a preventative against sunburn.↗ · Regular check-ups are preventative care.↗

prevention — Everyday, meaning 1: Prevention means stopping something bad from happening before it happens.↗ Example: Washing your hands is good for illness prevention.↗ · Fire prevention week teaches us about smoke alarms.↗ · Prevention is better than cure.↗ · The helmet is for injury prevention.↗ · The council spends money on flood prevention.↗ · Brushing your teeth is tooth decay prevention.↗

preview — Everyday, meaning 1: A preview is a chance to see something before it is shown to everyone, such as a film or a show.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A preview is a short look at something coming later, like a trailer or a summary of what a lesson will cover.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: On a computer, a preview shows how a file, photo or page will look before you print, send or open it.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To preview something is to look at it, or show it, in advance.↗ Example: We got a sneak preview of the school play at the dress rehearsal.↗ · Click print preview to check the page before you print.↗ · The teacher previewed tomorrow's lesson on fractions.↗ · Before reading, preview the headings and pictures.↗ · My phone shows a preview of each message.↗ · The film preview made it look really scary.↗ · Preview your email before you send it.↗

previous — Everyday, meaning 1: Happening or existing before the one you are talking about now: the previous page, the previous day.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: «Previous to» (formal) means before.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal, UK) Too quick or eager: «You're a bit previous!» — acting before it is time.↗ Example: Look back at the previous page.↗ · The previous owner left a cat in the house.↗ · In the pattern 5, 10, 15, the number previous to 15 is 10.↗ · She had been to the beach the previous day.↗ · No previous experience is needed to join the club.↗ · Use your answer from the previous question.↗ · Our previous teacher moved to Canada.↗ · This score is better than your previous one.↗ · The remainder of the day went like the previous one.↗

previously — Everyday, meaning 1: Previously means before, at an earlier time.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Previously means before the time being talked about.↗ Example: She had previously lived in Canada.↗ · As previously explained, the test is on Friday.↗ · (formal) Use the value previously calculated to find the total.↗ · The house was previously a shop.↗ · I had never previously been on a plane.↗ · Previously, the park closed at five; now it closes at six.↗ · In the course of conversation he had forgotten all that had happened previously.↗

prey — Everyday, meaning 1: Prey is an animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To prey on means to hunt and eat other animals.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Prey on can also mean to cheat or hurt people who are weak or easy to trick, like scammers do.↗ Example: The rabbit is prey for the fox.↗ · Eagles are birds of prey.↗ · Lions creep up on their prey.↗ · Spiders trap their prey in webs.↗ · Prey animals often live in large groups for safety.↗ · Owls prey on mice.↗ · Scammers prey on older people.↗ · The zebra became prey for the crocodile.↗ · It is coming for its prey!↗ · Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up.↗ (Torah GEN.49.9, JPS 1917)↗ · And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.↗ (Torah GEN.15.11, JPS 1917)↗ · And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast.↗ (Torah NUM.31.11, JPS 1917)↗ · Why is he become a prey?↗ (Prophets JER.2.14, JPS 1917)↗ · Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness?↗ (Writings JOB.38.39, JPS 1917)↗ · Are the birds of prey against her round about?↗ (Prophets JER.12.9, JPS 1917)↗

price — Everyday, meaning 1: The price is how much money you must pay to buy something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To price something is to decide or mark how much it costs.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A price can be a bad thing you must accept to get something: «the price of fame».↗ Example: The price of a pen is 2 dollars.↗ · The price went down by 5 dollars.↗ · What is the total price of 3 books?↗ · The sale price is half of the old price.↗ · Look at the price tag before you buy.↗ · Prices go up when things are hard to get.↗ · The shop priced the toys at 3 dollars each.↗ · Which shop has the better price for apples?↗ · He won, but at a price: he hurt his knee.↗ · The price of the ox is twenty roubles.↗ · Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price.↗ (Torah GEN.31.15, JPS 1917)↗ · If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.↗ (Torah LEV.25.51, JPS 1917)↗ · And if one man's ox hurt another's, so that it dieth; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the price of it; and the dead also they shall divide.↗ (Torah EXO.21.35, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou sellest Thy people for small gain, and hast not set their prices high.↗ (Writings PSA.44.13, JPS 1917)↗ · A woman of valour who can find? for her price is far above rubies.↗ (Writings PRO.31.10, JPS 1917)↗ · We have drunk our water for money; our wood cometh to us for price.↗ (Writings LAM.5.4, JPS 1917)↗

priceless — Everyday, meaning 1: Priceless means worth so much that no price could be put on it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Priceless means very funny or amusing.↗ Example: The museum has a priceless gold crown.↗ · Her face when she saw the cake was priceless!↗ · Friendship is priceless.↗ · The robbers stole a priceless painting.↗ · That joke was priceless.↗ · Old family photos are priceless to Nan.↗

pricey — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal) Pricey means expensive, costing a lot of money.↗ Example: That toy is a bit pricey.↗ · Cinema snacks are really pricey.↗ · The pricier trainers are not always better.↗ · London is a pricey place to live.↗ · It was the priciest ice cream in the shop.↗ · Mum said the hotel was too pricey.↗

prick — Everyday, meaning 1: To make a tiny hole in something with a sharp point, like a needle or a thorn.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A small sharp pain, or the tiny mark made by a sharp point.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: "Prick up its ears": when an animal raises its ears to listen carefully.↗ Example: I pricked my finger on a rose thorn.↗ · Prick the potatoes with a fork before baking them.↗ · The nurse pricked my finger to check my blood.↗ · The dog pricked up its ears when it heard the gate.↗ · I felt a little prick when I got the injection.↗ · In the fairy tale, the princess pricks her finger on a spinning wheel.↗ · Be careful not to prick yourself with the sewing needle.↗ · The Shepherd Dogs pricked up their ears.↗ · For my heart was in a ferment, and I was pricked in my reins.↗ (Writings PSA.73.21, JPS 1917)↗

prickle — Everyday, meaning 1: A small sharp point on a plant or animal, like on a hedgehog, holly leaf or bramble.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A tingling or stinging feeling on your skin.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To give a stinging, tingling feeling: «The wool prickled my neck.».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb) When your skin or the back of your neck prickles, you feel fear or excitement.↗ Example: The hedgehog's prickles kept the fox away.↗ · My new jumper prickles.↗ · I felt a prickle of fear when the door creaked.↗ · Watch out for the prickles on the rose stem.↗ · Her eyes prickled with tears.↗ · Mole felt the back of his neck prickle in the Wild Wood.↗ · Holly leaves have prickles on their edges.↗ · But one of the tree’s prickles pierced his finger and caused great pain and inflammation, so that the young Prince fell down in a fainting fit.↗

prickly — Everyday, meaning 1: Covered in sharp points or prickles, like a hedgehog, cactus or holly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Giving a stinging or tingling feeling: a prickly jumper.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (of a person) Easily annoyed or upset; grumpy.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (of a problem) Hard to deal with and likely to cause arguments.↗ Example: The hedgehog is prickly so foxes leave it alone.↗ · Be careful, the cactus is very prickly.↗ · This wool jumper feels prickly on my neck.↗ · Grandad gets prickly when he is tired.↗ · Money can be a prickly subject.↗ · Holly leaves are prickly.↗ · She got prickly heat on holiday in Spain.↗

pride — Everyday, meaning 1: Pride is the happy feeling you have when you or someone close to you does something good.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Pride is also the feeling that you are better than others, which can make you unkind (being too proud).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Pride is self-respect: not wanting to look weak or foolish.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A pride is a group of lions living together.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To pride yourself on something means to be proud of it.↗ Example: She felt pride when her picture won a prize.↗ · He takes pride in his neat handwriting.↗ · A pride of lions rested under a tree.↗ · Swallow your pride and say sorry.↗ · The new library is the pride of the town.↗ · His pride stopped him asking for help.↗ · The team prides itself on fair play.↗ · «Pride comes before a fall» means being too proud can lead to trouble.↗ · Affrighted though she was, Wendy swelled with pride.↗ · And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass.↗ (Torah LEV.26.19, JPS 1917)↗ · By pride cometh only contention; but with the well-advised is wisdom.↗ (Writings PRO.13.10, JPS 1917)↗ · Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.↗ (Writings PRO.16.18, JPS 1917)↗ · When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom.↗ (Writings PRO.11.2, JPS 1917)↗