beckon
beck·on /ˈbekən/ verb
- [intransitive and transitive] to make a signal to someone with your hand, to
show that you want them to come towards you or to follow you
- I could see my husband beckoning me
- beckon (to) somebody to do something
- She beckoned to the waitress to bring more wine.
- beckon somebody forward/over etc
- He beckoned us over and introduced us to his wide
- [intransitive and transitive] if something such as a place or opportunity
beckons, it appears so attractive that you want to have it
- A career in the film industry beckoned
- [intransitive] if something beckons for someone, it will probably happen to them
- beckon for
- Early retirement beckoned for George.
chuckle
chuck·le /ˈtʃʌkəl/ verb [intransitive]
to laugh quietly
lounge
lounge2 verb [intransitive]
- [always + adverb/preposition] to stand, sit, or lie in a lazy or relaxed way
- Nathan was lounging on the grass bank outside the cottage
- lounge around (also lounge about British English) to spend time relaxing and
doing nothing, often when you should be doing something
- James does nothing but lounge around the apartment
pinch
pinch1 /pɪntʃ/ verb
- [transitive] to press a part of someone’s skin very tightly between your
finger and thumb, especially to that it hurts
- We have to stop her pinching her baby brother.
- He pinched her cheek
- [transitive] British English informal to steal something, especially
something small or not very valuable
- Someone’s pinched my coat!
- [transitive] to press something between your finger and thumb
- Pinch the edges of the pastry together to seal it.
- [intransitive and transitive] if something you are wearing pinches you, it
presses painfully on part of your body, because it is too tight
- Her new shoes were pinching
- somebody has to pinch themselves used when a situation is so surprising that
the person involved needs to make sure that they are not imagining it
- Sometimes she had to pinch herself to make sure it was not all a dream
- [transitive usually passive] British English old-fashioned to arrest someone
pinch something <-> out phrasal verb
- to remove a small part of a plant with your fingers
- Pinch out any side shoots to make the plant grow upwards.
scruffy
scruf·fy /ˈskrʌfi/ adjective
dirty and untidy
- a scruffy old pair of jeans
-
scruffy shops
- scruffily adverb
- scruffiness noun [uncountable]
Reference
- Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English