MEANING1 the meaning of something2 the main meaning of something3 to have a particular meaning4 to intend a particular meaning5 when something has a meaning that is not directly stated6 to believe that something has a particular meaning7 someone's opinion about the meaning of something8 to be the most basic meaning of a statement9 when it is not clear which meaning is intended10 having no meaningRELATED WORDSsee alsoUNDERSTAND/NOT UNDERSTANDWORD/PHRASE/SENTENCELANGUAGETRANSLATE1 the meaning of something 某事的含义meaning /ˈmiːnɪŋ/ [countable/uncountable noun]what a word, sign, or statement means 含义；意思 This word ‘spring’ has several different meanings. “spring”这个词有几个不同的意思。 We convey meaning not only by our words but also by our actions. 我们不仅靠语言来表达意思，也通过行为来表达意思。meaning of There is a chart that explains the meaning of all the symbols on the map. 有张图表解释了地图上所有标记的含义。hidden meaninga meaning that is not directly stated 暗藏的意义 Was there a hidden meaning behind his words? 他是话中有话吗？sense /sens/ [countable noun]one of the meanings of a word that has several meanings 〔单词的〕词义，意思sense of In the dictionary the different senses of each word are marked by numbers. 这本词典中每个单词的不同义项用数字标出。in its broadest/fullest sensein the most general meaning of the word 其最广泛的含义 I'm using the word ‘education’ in its broadest sense here. 在这里我使用的“教育”一词是指其最广泛的含义。significance /sɪgˈnɪfɪkəns/ [uncountable noun]the important meaning that something has, especially if the meaning is not immediately clear 含义；意义〔尤指不是显而易见的〕significance of Freud explained the significance of some of the objects and situations in Anna's dream. 弗洛伊德解释了安娜梦见的一些物品和情景的含义。special significance Nothing can be more exciting than the first time you receive red roses. They have special significance. 什么也比不上第一次收到红玫瑰时的激动心情了。它们具有特别的意义。definition /ˌdefɪˈnɪʃən, ˌdefəˈnɪʃən/ [countable noun]the way that you explain the meaning of a word 〔单词的〕解释；定义definition of Could one of the class give me a definition of the word ‘equilibrium’? 班上有人能给我解释一下“均衡”一词的含义吗？somebody's definition of something Obviously your definition of ‘rich’ is very different from mine. 显然你给“富有”所下的定义与我的非常不同。connotation /ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃənǁˌkɑː-/ [countable noun]a feeling or an idea that a word makes you think of that is not its actual meaning 隐含意义 ‘Bermuda’ with its connotations of fun and sun “百慕大”一词带有玩乐和阳光的隐含意义。positive/negative connotation For most people ‘motherhood’ has a very positive connotation. 对大多数人而言，“母亲的身份”一词具有很积极的含义。define /dɪˈfaɪn/ [transitive verb]to explain the meaning of a word or phrase 解释；给…下定义 Each of us might define the concept of freedom in a slightly different way. 我们每个人对“自由”这一概念的定义可能都稍有差异。define something as something The dictionary defines it as ‘a narrow passage’. 词典中给它所下的定义是“狭窄的过道”。define something loosely/broadlydefine something in a way that is not very exact 笼统地/粗略地定义 Dietary fibre can be loosely defined as the cell-wall material of plants. 膳食纤维大致可定义为植物的细胞壁物质。2 the main meaning of something 某物的主要含义point /pɔɪnt/ [singular noun]the main idea of an argument, discussion, statement etc that shows its general or most important meaning 〔论述、讨论或说法等的〕要点；中心意思the point of something The point of the story did not emerge until the end of the film. 故事的中心思想直到电影的末尾才显现出来。somebody's point What's your point? Do you think I'm not good enough for your daughter? 你是什么意思？你觉得我配不上你女儿吗？miss the pointnot understand the main idea 不理解要点 The talk was about symbolism in art -- Len missed the point and thought it was about painting techniques. 讲座是有关艺术中的象征主义——莱恩没听懂主要意思，还以为讲的是绘画技巧。the point is....used for mentioning the most important thing 要点是… The point is, you should have told me where you were going. 问题的关键在于你那时候应该告诉我你要去哪里。come/get to the pointto reach the most important part of what you want to say 谈正题，谈关键问题 ‘I'll come straight to the point,’ said the doctor. ‘I think you are suffering from depression.’ “我就直说吧，”医生说道，“我认为你患有抑郁症。”gist /dʒɪst/ [singular noun]the main idea and meaning of something such as an article or a speech 〔文章或演讲等的〕要点，主旨the gist of something I don't know the whole story but this is the gist of it. 我不知道故事的全部，不过这就是大意。get the gist (of something)understand the gist of something 理解〔某事物的〕大意 Read the article once through to get the gist of it. 把文章通读一遍以抓住要点。 Students are encouraged to read the text, getting the gist, then go deeper into the meaning. 鼓励学生要通读课文，找出主旨，然后再深入发掘其内涵。essence /ˈesəns/ [singular noun]the most important meaning of something such as an argument or piece of writing 〔论点或文章等的〕要点；要领the essence of something The essence of his argument is that human character is formed by society. 他论点的核心是人的性格是由社会决定的。drift /drɪft/ [singular noun]the main set of ideas involved in something such as an explanation, argument, or account of something 〔解释、论据或某事的〕大意；主旨the drift of something The drift of his letter is that he wants to come back. 他来信的大意是说他想回来。catch/get/follow somebody's driftunderstand the basic idea of what someone is saying 理解某人的大意 It was a complicated argument but I think I caught his drift. 那是个很复杂的论点，但我认为自己理解了他的大意。 I follow your drift, but I just don't believe it. 我明白了你的主要意思，可我就是不信。thrust /θrʌst/ [singular noun]the most important message of an argument, explanation etc, especially when it consists of a set of connected ideas leading to a final answer or idea 〔论述、解释等的〕要点；要旨〔尤指由一套相互关联的、能使人得出最终答案或主意的观点组成〕the thrust of something It is difficult to argue with the thrust of Davidson's analysis of the situation. 戴维森对局势所做的分析的要点难以辩驳。 The overall thrust of her argument was that women are still oppressed in all areas of life. 她论述的大致要点是妇女在生活的方方面面仍然受到压迫。substance /ˈsʌbstəns/ [singular noun]formalthe most important ideas contained in an argument or piece of writing 【正式】〔论述或文章中的〕中心意思the substance of something The substance of Marx's views is the same in both of these books. 马克思观点的中心意思在这两本书中是相同的。3 to have a particular meaning 含有某特定的意思mean /miːn/ [transitive verb not in progressive]to have a particular meaning - use this about words, signs, or statements 〔词语、指示牌或陈述〕表示…的意思，作…解释 What does ‘abandon’ mean? abandon一词是什么意思? ‘Poultry’ means chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese. “家禽”指的是鸡、鸭、火鸡和鹅。 It says ‘not suitable for children’, which means anyone under 16. 上面写着“儿童不宜”，指的是16岁以下的人。mean (that) The flashing light means we're running out of gas. 指示灯闪烁表示我们的汽油快用完了。 ‘Downsizing’ simply means that firms are tending to buy smaller computers to do jobs which used to require big ones. “缩小规模”就是说公司都倾向于购买较小型的电脑来完成过去需要大型电脑来做的工作。what is meant by something What is meant by the term ‘random access’? “随机存取”一词是什么意思？stand for /ˈstænd fɔː/ [transitive phrasal verb]if a letter or group of lettersstands for a word, name, or number, it is a short way of saying or writing it 〔简写〕代表 NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO代表北大西洋公约组织。 What does the F in John F. Kennedy stand for? 约翰·F.肯尼迪中的F代表什么？represent /ˌreprɪˈzent/ [transitive verb not in progressive]if a shape, letter, object etcrepresents something, it is used as a sign for that thing in a map, plan, calculation etc 〔图形、字母、物体等〕表示；代表 The red lines on the map represent railways. 地图上的红线代表铁路。 Single letters or combinations of letters represent different phonetic sounds. 单个字母或字母组合表示不同的发音。symbolizealsosymboliseBritish /ˈsɪmbəlaɪz/ [transitive verb not in progressive]if something such as an object or animalsymbolizes an idea or quality, it is used as a sign to mean that idea or quality, especially in a story, a ceremony, or a particular society 〔物体或动物等〕象征，标志〔尤用于故事、仪式或某社会中〕 The lion symbolizes strength, the lamb symbolizes gentleness. 狮子象征力量，小羊象征温柔。 In Europe, the colour white symbolizes purity but in Asia it is often the symbol of deep mourning. 在欧洲，白色象征纯洁，但在亚洲，它却经常是深切哀悼的象征。 Cowardice is symbolized in the painting by the white feathers on the soldier's coat. 在这幅画中，懦弱是通过士兵衣服上白色的羽毛作象征的。denote /dɪˈnəʊt/ [transitive verb not in progressive]if a word or numberdenotes something, it means it in a very exact sense - used especially in technical contexts 〔单词或数字〕确切表示〔尤用于技术方面〕 The dotted line on the graph denotes profits. 图上的虚线代表利润。 The English word ‘family’ used to denote all the people in the house, including servants. 英语中的“家庭”一词以前指的是家中所有的人，包括仆人。 The quantity denoted by the letter E varies from experiment to experiment. 字母E所代表的量在不同的实验中不一样。connote /kəˈnəʊt/ [transitive verb not in progressive]if a word connotes something, it makes you think of feelings and ideas that are not its actual meaning 〔词语〕意味着；暗含，暗示 The word ‘jolly’ often connotes that someone is fat. jolly〔乐呵呵的〕一词常暗含某人体胖的意思。4 to intend a particular meaning 指某特定的意思mean /miːn/ [transitive verb not in progressive]to intend a particular meaning when you say something 意指；意谓 When you said ‘the editor’, did you mean me? 你提到“编辑”，指的是我吗？ He said Sarah was a very close friend, but I'm not sure what he meant. 他说萨拉是他很亲密的朋友，可我不确定他是什么意思。mean (that) I meant that we would have to leave early, that's all. 我的意思是我们必须早点出发，仅此而已。if you know what I meanused to show that you are saying something in a less extreme way than you really mean 你知道我的意思 She's kind of irritable, if you know what I mean. 她有点易怒，你知道我的意思。what somebody means is that... So what he means is that we'll have to start the whole thing again. 那么他的意思是我们得全部重做。 What I meant was that I wouldn't have time to help, not that I didn't want to. 我的意思是我没时间帮忙，不是我不想帮忙。5 when something has a meaning that is not directly stated 某事有某种未直接说明的含义suggest /səˈdʒestǁsəg-/ [transitive verb not in progressive]if a statement, fact, event etcsuggests that something is true, it seems to mean that it is true or could be true, but this is not directly stated 〔说法、事实、事件等〕暗示；间接表明 It is still not clear what these facts suggest -- perhaps a new strain of the virus, or a completely new virus. 这些事实到底暗示什么还不清楚—也许是新的病毒品系，也许是一种全新的病毒。suggest (that) All the evidence suggests that the problem has improved in recent years. 所有证据都显示该问题近年来已有改进。 The victim had marks on his neck which seemed to suggest he had been strangled. 死者的脖子上留有印迹，这似乎显示出他是被掐死的。imply /ɪmˈplaɪ/ [transitive verb not in progressive]if a statement, fact, event etcimplies that something is true, it suggests very strongly that it is true 〔说法、事实、事件等〕表示；意味着 His criticisms implied a lack of confidence in my work. 他的批评意味着他对我的工作缺乏信心。imply (that) The way he greeted the boys seemed to imply that he knew them quite well. 他和那些男孩子打招呼的方式似乎表明他和他们很熟。 Just the fact that he's written to you implies he likes you. 他给你写了信，这就意味着他喜欢你。say /seɪ/ [transitive verb]tosay something in an indirect way - use this especially when you are saying what the real meaning of a statement is 表达，间接表示〔尤用于指想说的真正意思〕 What do you think the writer is saying in this story? 你认为这位作家想在这则故事中表达什么?say (that) Are you saying I'm fat? 你是在说我很胖吗？ So what you're saying, Mr President, is that you don't have a policy on this issue. 那么总统先生，你的意思是说在这一问题上你没有具体的政策。implication /ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən, ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/ [countable/uncountable noun]a meaning that is not directly stated, but which seems to be intended 暗示，含意 He didn't actually accuse me of stealing, but that was the implication. 他虽然没有明说我偷东西，但其实就是这个意思。implication that Staff members were asked to work on Sundays, with the implication that they would lose their jobs if they refused. 员工被要求星期日上班，暗里的意思是谁要是拒绝的话就会丢掉饭碗。by implicationthe intended meaning is that 含义是 The law bans organized protests and, by implication, any form of opposition. 这一法律禁止有组织的抗议活动，言下之意就是禁止任何形式的抗议活动。undertone /ˈʌndəʳtəʊn/ [countable noun]a feeling or attitude that seems to be part of a statement, even though it is not directly stated 〔说法中的〕含意；潜在的感情〔态度〕 a story with racist undertones 含有种族主义意味的故事undertone of There was an unmistakable undertone of nationalist resentment in many of their remarks. 他们的许多话都明白无误地带有民族主义仇恨情绪。6 to believe that something has a particular meaning 认为某物带有特殊意味interpret /ɪnˈtɜːʳprɪt, ɪnˈtɜːʳprət/ [transitive verb]to choose to believe that what someone says or does has a particular meaning, especially if it is not easy to understand or is not completely clear 把…理解为〔尤当意思不易理解或不完全清楚时〕 How would you interpret her letter? Is she really hostile or just being ironic? 你是如何理解她的信的？她是真的怀有敌意还是仅仅在讽刺? This dream can be interpreted in several different ways. 这个梦可以有几种不同的解释。interpret something as something I interpreted her silence as anger. 我把她的沉默理解为愤怒。 They are worried that the workers might interpret the new law as a restriction of their rights. 他们担心工人们会把这条新法律理解为对他们的权利进行限制。understand something to mean /ʌndəʳˌstænd something tə ˈmiːn/ [verb phrase]to think that something has a particular meaning even though you cannot be completely sure that this is what it means 把某事物理解为 Democracy was originally understood to mean the people governing themselves. 民主最初被人理解为人民自己管理自己。 The Victorians understood ‘The environment’ to mean the background to human activity, in particular, industrial activity. 维多利亚时代的人把“环境”一词理解成指人类活动的场所，尤指工业活动的场所。read into /ˈriːd ɪntuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]to think that something has a meaning that it does not in fact have, especially by thinking that it is more important than it really is 把〔不存在的意思〕牵强附会地理解到…中去read something into something Be careful not to read your own modern opinions into this story. 要当心，在读这则故事时不要把你个人的现代观点牵强附会地加进去。 The statement criticized journalists for reading too much into what he had said about the war. 这一声明批评了记者们对他所说的有关战争的话理解得过于牵强附会。read into something something Some critics have read into the more macabre scenes a subconscious hatred of his parents. 有些评论家从那些较骇人的场面牵强附会地认为这反映出他潜意识中对父母的怨恨。take something as /ˈteɪk æz something/ [transitive phrasal verb]to believe that what someone does or says has a particular meaning, especially if you think it shows their attitude towards you 把某事视为〔尤指认为表现出某人对自己的态度〕take something as an insult/compliment/criticism etc Had he spoken like this to anyone else, it would have been taken as an insult. 如果他对任何别的人这样说话，都会被人视为是一种冒犯。 I take it as a compliment when my students ask questions after class. 我把学生们下课后来提问视为一种恭维。take something as a sign/signal etc The investors took this interest rate cut as a sign that the Government was desperate. 投资者把这次削减利率视作政府绝望的表现。infer /ɪnˈfɜːʳ/ [transitive verb]formalto think that something is true because another fact makes it seem likely, even though it does not prove it completely 【正式】推断出 From this, astronomers can infer the presence of many more ‘black holes’. 天文学家可以由此推断还存在着更多的“黑洞”。infer (from something) that It seems reasonable to infer that the cause was not sabotage but a simple accident. 似乎有理由推断出起因不是颠覆活动，而只是一宗事故。 We can infer from the archaeological evidence that there was slavery in Carthage. 我们可以从考古学的证据推断出迦太基有蓄奴现象。read between the lines /ˌriːd bɪtwiːn ðə ˈlaɪnz/ [verb phrase]to guess the real meaning of something by thinking very carefully and noticing that the meaning is different from what it at first seems to be 领会言外之意 Perseverance is required to understand the story and you have to read between the lines to find the book's full meaning. 要读懂这个故事需要锲而不舍的精神，而想彻底弄懂此书的含义则需要领会言外之意。reading between the linesused to say what you think the real situation is 领会言外之意 Reading between the lines, I don't think they want to train people who might soon leave the company. 听其言外之意，我想这家公司不想培训很快就会跳槽的人。7 someone's opinion about the meaning of something 某人对某事的含义的看法interpretation /ɪnˌtɜːʳprɪˈteɪʃən, ɪnˌtɜːʳprəˈteɪʃən/ [countable/uncountable noun]someone's opinion about the probable meaning of a statement, result, someone's actions etc 解释 One possible interpretation is that they want you to resign. 一种可能的解释就是他们要你辞职。interpretation of the traditional interpretation of Marx's opinions 对马克思的观点的传统解释be open to interpretationto be able to be interpreted in more than one way 可以有不同的解释 The word ‘reasonable’ is vague and open to interpretation. “合理”一词语义模糊，可以有几种解释。understanding /ˌʌndəʳˈstændɪŋ/ [singular noun]someone's opinion about the meaning of a piece of writing or an action, used especially when they realize that there are other possible meanings 〔对文章或行为的〕理解〔尤用于当意识到还有其他可能的含义时〕somebody's understanding (of something) According to my understanding of the letter, it means something quite different. 根据我对这封信的理解，它具有全然不同的含义。 That was not my understanding of the regulations, and I resent your accusation that I failed to follow them correctly. 我对这些规则的理解可不是这样的，而且我讨厌你指责我没有遵守规则。reading /ˈriːdɪŋ/ [singular noun]someone's opinion about the meaning of a statement, an event, or a situation after considering all the available information 〔对说法、事件或情况的〕看法；理解somebody's reading of something What's your reading of the latest trade figures? 你是如何看最新的贸易数字的? My reading of the situation is that this conflict is likely to get worse over the next few months. 对于这一局势，我的看法是今后几个月内这场冲突会愈演愈烈。8 to be the most basic meaning of a statement 某一陈述的最基本含义basically/essentially /ˈbeɪsɪkli, ɪˈsenʃəli/ [adverb]you saybasically oressentially as a way of introducing the general meaning of a longer or more complicated statement 基本上，根本上 I won't read it all to you, but basically they want us to leave the house. 我不把它全部给你们念出来了，不过基本上他们是想我们离开这所房子。 Basically, the author is in favour of disarmament but with a few reservations. 基本上，文章的作者赞成裁军，但有一些保留。 This is essentially the same argument that Arnold used in ‘Culture and Anarchy’. 从根本上讲，这和阿诺德在《文化与无政府状态》中所表明的论点是一样的。boil down to/come down to /ˌbɔɪl ˈdaʊn tuː, ˌkʌm ˈdaʊn tə/ [transitive phrasal verb not in progressive]if a long statement, argument, discussion etcboils down to orcomes down to a simple fact, that is its simplest and most important meaning 〔长篇声明、论证、讨论等〕归结为；实质上意味着 The argument boiled down to him saying I did and me saying I didn't. 这场争论归纳起来就是他说我做了，我说我没做。 That's what it boils down to then: he's not prepared to help us. 那么这实质上就意味着：他不打算帮我们的忙。 They make a variety of points, but what their complaints come down to is, no one seems to care. 他们提了许多意见，但他们的投诉主要可以归结为一点：似乎没人关心此事。amount to /əˈmaʊnt tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb not in progressive]if a statementamounts to something, that is what it means or that is the effect it has, especially if this is something that the person making the statement was deliberately trying to avoid 〔说法〕意味着〔尤当这就是讲话人存心要避开的意思〕 The fact that he said he was sorry after the accident amounts to a confession of guilt. 事故后他说很抱歉，这意味着他承认有过错。 Their request for better working conditions amounted to a criticism of the management. 他们要求改善工作条件也就意味着是对管理层的批评。in other words /ɪn ˌʌðəʳ ˈwɜːʳdz/ [adverb]you sayin other words when you are going to make clear the meaning of something you have just said, using simpler words 换句话说 He prides himself on his powers of persuasion -- or, in other words, his salesmanship. 他对自己说服人的能力非常自豪—或者换句话说，也就是他的推销能力。 The books and materials are kept on closed access, in other words available only to the library staff. 这些书和材料采用闭架式存放，换句话说，只有图书馆工作人员可以取出。to that effect /tə ˌðæt ɪˈfekt/ [adverb]you say that someone said somethingto that effect, when you are giving the general meaning of what they said, even if you do not use the same words 表示那个意思 I thought he was wrong and I said something to that effect at dinner. 我认为他错了，而且我在晚饭时也表示了那个意思。words to that effect James said he was unhappy in his work or words to that effect. 詹姆斯说他上班不开心，或诸如此类的话。9 when it is not clear which meaning is intended 不清楚究竟是哪种意思ambiguous /æmˈbɪgjuəs/ [adjective]having more than one possible meaning, so that it is not clear which meaning is intended 含糊的；模棱两可的 Unfortunately the instructions were ambiguous and we didn't know which part of the program to run. 很糟糕，说明书非常含糊，我们搞不清执行程序的哪一部分。 She left a very ambiguous message on the answerphone last night. 昨晚她在留言电话上讲了些意思非常含糊的话。 The results of the experiments were ambiguous and they will have to be done again. 实验的结果模棱两可，不得不重做一遍。ambiguously [adverb] The declaration was ambiguously worded. 声明中的措辞模棱两可。10 having no meaning 毫无意义meaningless /ˈmiːnɪŋləs/ [adjective]something that ismeaningless has no meaning, and is therefore useless, wrong, or stupid 没有含义的；没有意义的 I wish politicians would tell us the truth, instead of repeating their meaningless prepared answers. 我希望政治家们能把真相告诉大家，而不是一遍又一遍地重复那些事先准备好的毫无意义的回答。 The statement issued by the authorities was meaningless. 当局发表的声明毫无意义。 It is meaningless to ask what is ‘real’ or ‘imaginary’ in a story. 要问清一个故事中哪部分真实、哪部分虚构是没有意义的。nonsense /ˈnɒnsənsǁˈnɑːnsens/ [uncountable noun]speech or writing that has no meaning 毫无意义的话 He described her comments as confused nonsense. 他把她的评论称为是让人摸不着头脑的废话。talk nonsense I don't intend to waste any more time listening to you talk nonsense. 我才不想浪费时间听你讲废话呢。gobbledygook /ˈgɒbəldiguːkǁˈgɑːbəldigʊk, -guːk/ [uncountable noun]informalcomplicated language, especially in an official document, that seems to have no meaning 【非正式】〔尤正式文件中的〕装腔作势的空洞语言，官样文章 I can't understand all this legal gobbledygook. 我理解不了这些装腔作势的法律语汇。