Published on

beckon chuckle lounge pinch scruffy

beckon

beck·on /ˈbekən/ verb

  1. [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
    1. I could see my husband beckoning me
    2. beckon (to) somebody to do something
      1. She beckoned to the waitress to bring more wine.
    3. beckon somebody forward/over etc
      1. He beckoned us over and introduced us to his wide
  2. [intransitive and transitive] if something such as a place or opportunity beckons, it appears so attractive that you want to have it
    1. A career in the film industry beckoned
  3. [intransitive] if something beckons for someone, it will probably happen to them
    1. beckon for
      1. Early retirement beckoned for George.

chuckle

chuck·le /ˈtʃʌkəl/ verb [intransitive]

to laugh quietly

  • What are you chuckling about?

  • chuckle noun [countable]

    • Roise gave a little chuckle.

lounge

lounge2 verb [intransitive]

  1. [always + adverb/preposition] to stand, sit, or lie in a lazy or relaxed way
    1. Nathan was lounging on the grass bank outside the cottage
  2. lounge around (also lounge about British English) to spend time relaxing and doing nothing, often when you should be doing something
    1. James does nothing but lounge around the apartment

pinch

pinch1 /pɪntʃ/ verb

  1. [transitive] to press a part of someone's skin very tightly between your finger and thumb, especially to that it hurts
    1. We have to stop her pinching her baby brother.
    2. He pinched her cheek
  2. [transitive] British English informal to steal something, especially something small or not very valuable
    1. Someone's pinched my coat!
  3. [transitive] to press something between your finger and thumb
    1. Pinch the edges of the pastry together to seal it.
  4. [intransitive and transitive] if something you are wearing pinches you, it presses painfully on part of your body, because it is too tight
    1. Her new shoes were pinching
  5. 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
    1. Sometimes she had to pinch herself to make sure it was not all a dream
  6. [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

    • a scruffily dressed man

  • scruffiness noun [uncountable]

Reference

  • Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English