📖 V — The English dictionary · page 15

vocation — Everyday, meaning 1: A vocation is the work or calling that a person feels is right for them, such as teaching or healing.↗ Example: Her vocation was teaching children to read.↗ · He felt a vocation to help the sick.↗ · The goddess had a vocation as protector of married women.↗

vocational — Everyday, meaning 1: Vocational means to do with the skills needed for a particular job or trade.↗ Example: My brother is taking a vocational course in plumbing.↗ · Vocational schools teach skills like cooking and building.↗ · She chose vocational training to become a hairdresser.↗ · Vocational qualifications can lead straight to a job.↗ · The college offers academic and vocational subjects.↗ · Woodwork is a vocational skill.↗

vocative — Everyday, meaning 1: In grammar, the vocative is the word or name used to speak directly to someone, as in «Tom, come here!».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In some languages (Latin, Ukrainian, Polish), the vocative is a special case: the name changes its ending when you call someone (Ukrainian «Ivan» becomes «Ivane»).↗ Example: In «Hurry up, Sam», «Sam» is a vocative.↗ · Use a comma before the vocative: «Thanks, Dad.»↗ · «Let's eat, Grandma!» — the comma saves Grandma.↗ · In Ukrainian, «mama» becomes «mamo» in the vocative.↗ · «O Lord» is an old vocative used in prayers.↗

vodka — Everyday, meaning 1: Vodka is a strong, clear alcoholic drink, first made in Russia and Poland, from grain or potatoes.↗ Example: Vodka is a strong alcoholic drink for adults only.↗ · It looks like water, but vodka is alcohol.↗ · Children must never drink vodka or any alcohol.↗ · The bottle of vodka was locked in a cupboard.↗ · Vodka is made from grain or potatoes.↗ · Alcohol like vodka can be very dangerous for young people.↗

vogue — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A fashion that is popular at a certain time.↗

voice — Everyday, meaning 1: Your voice is the sound you make when you speak or sing.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A voice can be loud, quiet, high, low, kind or angry.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Having a voice means having the right to say what you think.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To voice an opinion means to say it.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: The sound made when speaking; in "hearken to thy voice" it means a command or word that must be obeyed.↗ Example: She has a beautiful singing voice.↗ · Please use your inside voice in the library.↗ · I lost my voice because I had a sore throat.↗ · He spoke in a shaking voice because he was scared.↗ · Don't raise your voice at your sister.↗ · I recognised Grandma's voice on the phone.↗ · Every pupil should have a voice in the class rules.↗ · Your voice comes from your vocal cords vibrating.↗ · “Boat ahoy!” again came the voice.↗ · And they shall hearken to thy voice.↗ (Torah EXO.3.18, JPS 1917)↗ · And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.↗ (Torah GEN.29.11, JPS 1917)↗ · Now therefore, my son, hearken to my voice according to that which I command thee.↗ (Torah GEN.27.8, JPS 1917)↗ · And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice?↗ (Prophets ISA.37.23, JPS 1917)↗ · And canst thou thunder with a voice like Him?↗ (Writings JOB.40.9, JPS 1917)↗ · To-day, if ye would but hearken to His voice!↗ (Writings PSA.95.7, JPS 1917)↗ · And they shall hearken to thy voice.↗ (Torah EXO.3.18, JPS 1917) · “Boat ahoy!” again came the voice.↗ (Peter Pan) · The Voice, Spirit and Word are QUL, RUCh.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)

void — Everyday, meaning 1: A void is a completely empty space.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A void is also a feeling that something important is missing, for example after losing someone.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (law) Void means no longer valid or legal.↗ e.g. "The ticket is void."↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To void something is to cancel it officially.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Void of (formal) means completely without something.↗ Example: The spaceship drifted into the dark void.↗ · After Grandad died, there was a void in our family.↗ · The contract was declared null and void.↗ · The shop voided the sale and gave me a refund.↗ · His face was void of expression.↗ · Getting a puppy filled the void after our old dog passed away.↗ · Her tears and her prayers echoed through the dark void that surrounded the tormented captive soul, and the unexpected mercy was obtained for it through an angel's tears.↗ · For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.↗ (Torah DEU.32.28, JPS 1917)↗ · But if he shall make them null and void after that he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.↗ (Torah NUM.30.15, JPS 1917)↗ · Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may let it stand, or her husband may make it void.↗ (Torah NUM.30.13, JPS 1917)↗ · Wilt thou even make void My judgment?↗ (Writings JOB.40.8, JPS 1917)↗ · It is time for the LORD to work; they have made void Thy law.↗ (Writings PSA.119.126, JPS 1917)↗ · And I beheld among the thoughtless ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, (Writings PRO.7.7, JPS 1917)↗

voile — Everyday, meaning 1: A thin, light, see-through cloth made of cotton, silk or polyester, used for curtains, dresses and blouses.↗ Example: We hung white voile curtains in the kitchen.↗ · The summer dress was made of light cotton voile.↗ · Sunlight shone softly through the voile.↗ · Nan sewed a blouse from blue voile.↗ · Voile is so thin you can almost see through it.↗ · The shop sells voile by the metre.↗

volatile — Everyday, meaning 1: In science, a volatile liquid turns into a gas (evaporates) very easily, like petrol or nail-polish remover.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A volatile situation can change suddenly and become dangerous or violent.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A volatile person has sudden changes of mood and loses their temper easily.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (money) Volatile prices go up and down quickly and unpredictably.↗ Example: Petrol is volatile, so its smell spreads quickly.↗ · Keep volatile liquids away from flames.↗ · The situation at the border is volatile.↗ · The giant in the story had a volatile temper.↗ · Fuel prices have been volatile this year.↗ · Nail-polish remover is volatile and evaporates fast.↗

volatilize — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: To turn into vapor, or to make something rise like steam or gas.↗ Example: The Three are Water, Air and Fire ; Fire above, Water below, and Air conciliating between them ; and the sign of these things is that the Fire sustains (volatilizes) the waters ; Mem is mute.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

volcanic — Everyday, meaning 1: Volcanic means made by, coming from or to do with a volcano, like volcanic rock or volcanic ash.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A volcanic area or island has volcanoes or was formed by them.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (figurative) A volcanic temper or anger bursts out suddenly and strongly, like a volcano erupting.↗ Example: Hawaii is made of volcanic islands.↗ · Pumice is a light volcanic rock that can float on water.↗ · Volcanic ash covered the cars and roads.↗ · Scientists watch for volcanic activity near the mountain.↗ · New Zealand has many volcanic lakes and hot springs.↗ · The soil near the volcano is rich and good for farming.↗ · Planes could not fly because of the volcanic ash cloud.↗ · The giant had a volcanic temper and roared at everyone.↗

volcanically — Everyday, meaning 1: Volcanically means because of volcanoes or in the way of a volcano: «volcanically active», «formed volcanically».↗ Example: Iceland is volcanically active, with hot springs and geysers.↗ · The Hawaiian islands were formed volcanically.↗ · Volcanically active areas often have earthquakes too.↗ · The rock here was formed volcanically millions of years ago.↗ · Rotorua in New Zealand is a volcanically active town that smells of sulphur.↗ · Mount Etna is one of the most volcanically active mountains in Europe.↗

volcano — Everyday, meaning 1: A volcano is a mountain or opening in the Earth's surface where hot melted rock (lava), ash and gases come out from deep inside.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An active volcano can still erupt; a dormant one is sleeping and might erupt again; an extinct one is not expected to erupt again.↗ Example: A volcano erupted and lava flowed down the mountain.↗ · Hawaii's islands were made by volcanoes.↗ · We made a model volcano with baking soda and vinegar.↗ · Mount Vesuvius buried the town of Pompeii in ash.↗ · An extinct volcano will not erupt again.↗ · Scientists watch volcanoes for signs of danger.↗ · New Zealand has several active volcanoes.↗ · Ash from the volcano stopped planes from flying.↗ · Does the crater of the volcano know that the glowing lava is pouring from it?↗

vole — Everyday, meaning 1: A vole is a small, plump rodent like a mouse, with a short tail, small ears and a blunt nose, that lives in fields, woods and riverbanks.↗ Example: A barn owl swooped down and caught a vole.↗ · Voles have shorter tails than mice.↗ · Ratty in «The Wind in the Willows» is really a water vole.↗ · Water voles dig burrows in riverbanks.↗ · We found vole tunnels in the long grass.↗ · Voles eat grass, roots and seeds.↗ · The kestrel hovered, looking for voles.↗

volleyball — Everyday, meaning 1: A team game in which two teams hit a ball with their hands over a high net, trying to make it land on the other side.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The ball used in this game.↗ Example: We played volleyball in PE today.↗ · A volleyball team has six players on the court.↗ · Beach volleyball is played in pairs on sand.↗ · She served the volleyball over the net.↗ · Our volleyball team won 25 to 20.↗ · How many players are on court if both volleyball teams are playing?↗ Twelve.↗

volt — Everyday, meaning 1: A volt is the unit used to measure voltage, the "push" that makes electricity flow around a circuit.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The short form is V: a 1.5 V battery.↗ Example: An AA battery gives 1.5 volts.↗ · Two 1.5-volt cells in series make 3 volts.↗ · Mains electricity in Britain is about 230 volts.↗ · The sign said "Danger: high voltage".↗ · The bulb shone brighter when we added another volt.↗ · The volt is named after Alessandro Volta.↗

voltage — Everyday, meaning 1: Voltage is the push that makes electric current flow around a circuit.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Voltage is measured in volts (V); a higher voltage gives a bigger push.↗ Example: The battery has a voltage of 9 volts.↗ · Two 1.5 V cells give a voltage of 3 V.↗ · Higher voltage made the bulb shine brighter.↗ · Danger: high voltage — keep out!↗ · Mains voltage in the UK and Australia is about 230 volts.↗ · We measured the voltage with a voltmeter.↗ · Too much voltage can blow a bulb.↗

voluble — Everyday, meaning 1: Talking a lot, quickly and easily, often with feeling.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Of speech: long, fast and full of words.↗ Example: Toad was voluble about his new motor car.↗ · My voluble aunt told us every detail of her holiday.↗ · The voluble guide never stopped talking.↗ · She became voluble when she was excited.↗ · He gave a voluble explanation that no one could follow.↗ · The parrot was voluble all morning.↗

volume — Everyday, meaning 1: How loud a sound is (turn the volume up or down).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: How much space something takes up or holds, measured in cubic units or in litres and millilitres.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: An amount of something, especially a large one (the volume of traffic).↗ Everyday, meaning 4: One book of a set or series (volume 3).↗ Example: Please turn the volume down, I'm trying to sleep.↗ · The volume of a box 2 cm by 3 cm by 4 cm is 24 cubic centimetres.↗ · We measured the volume of water in the jug: 500 millilitres.↗ · Loud volume through headphones can damage your hearing.↗ · The encyclopedia has twenty volumes.↗ · Ice has a bigger volume than the same water as a liquid.↗ · There was a huge volume of traffic on the motorway.↗ · And the bandmaster wrote a work of twenty-five volumes about the artificial bird.↗ · The substance of this little volume was read as a (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · The sense of the whole volume appears to need their translation as Numbers, Letters and Sounds.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · In the volume entitled "La Kabbale" by the eminent French scholar and Membre de L'Institut, Adolphe Franck, there is a chapter on the "Sepher Yetzirah.'↗ He writes as follows: (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

voluminous — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Very large, or filling many pages or books.↗

voluntarily — Everyday, meaning 1: Because you choose to, without being forced or paid.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Of your own free will.↗ Example: She voluntarily stayed behind to tidy the classroom.↗ · He voluntarily gave back the money he had found.↗ · Many people voluntarily give blood.↗ · The children voluntarily raised money for the shelter.↗ · Nobody asked him; he did it voluntarily.↗ · The player voluntarily left the game to let others play.↗ · He became, however, so attached to Aphrodite that he voluntarily devoted to her the time at his own disposal.↗

voluntary — Everyday, meaning 1: Voluntary means done because you want to, not because you are forced: voluntary help, voluntary work.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Voluntary work is done without being paid, to help others.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) A voluntary muscle or movement is one you control on purpose, such as moving your arm.↗ Example: Gran does voluntary work at the animal shelter.↗ · Coming to the after-school club is voluntary.↗ · Moving your arm is a voluntary action, but your heartbeat is not.↗ · The museum asks for a voluntary donation.↗ · He gave up his seat voluntarily.↗ · Voluntary helpers cleaned the beach.↗ · After the voluntary abdication of Oedipus, his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, took possession of the crown and reigned over the city of Thebes.↗