vacuum
part of speech
noun (a vacuum, vacuums); verb (vacuum, vacuums, vacuumed, vacuuming)
meaning for a pupil
1) A vacuum cleaner: a machine that sucks up dust and dirt from floors and carpets. tree →
2) To clean with a vacuum cleaner. tree →
3) In science, a vacuum is a space with no air or anything else in it, like outer space. tree →
4) A gap left when something is missing: the vacuum left after a friend moves away. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life, children help by vacuuming their rooms; in British English people also say "hoover". In safety, never put fingers near the brush while it spins, and do not pull the cable from the socket. In science, sound cannot travel through a vacuum because there is no air to carry the vibrations, so space is silent; light can travel through a vacuum, which is why we see the Sun and stars. A vacuum flask keeps drinks hot or cold because a vacuum stops heat travelling. Phrases: "vacuum cleaner", "vacuum the carpet", "in a vacuum", "vacuum-packed", "vacuum flask".
examples
- Please vacuum your bedroom on Saturday. tree →
- The vacuum cleaner sucked up all the crumbs. tree →
- Space is almost a vacuum, so there is no air to breathe. tree →
- Sound cannot travel through a vacuum. tree →
- Coffee in a vacuum flask stays hot for hours. tree →
- The cheese is vacuum-packed so it stays fresh. tree →
- I'm vacuuming the stairs. tree →
- Keep small toys off the floor before you vacuum. tree →
note
Spelling trap: one c and two u's: v-a-c-u-u-m. Past: vacuumed. "Hoover" (UK, Ireland) is a brand name used to mean vacuum (cleaner). Outer space is very nearly, but not perfectly, a vacuum.
In the corpora
- A vet gives pets flea treatment, and people vacuum carpets and wash pet beds.
- Before vacuuming, pick up small things, socks and cords, and keep the vacuum away from hair and pets' tails.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «vacuum» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.