Outline - English meaning

noun

The action of abridging a text.

Usage examples:

It is true that herbert butterfield remarked that the trick of writing history lay in ‘the art of a…

noun

A book, play, or piece of writing that has been made shorter by removing some details or less important information

Usage examples:

The books are abridgments of well-known classics., in 1676 bauthumley published an abridgement of f…

noun

The act of making a book, play, or piece of writing shorter by removing some details or information

Usage examples:

Drastic abridgment makes this story even more difficult to understand., this version of the play is…

adjective

Existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence.

Usage examples:

Abstract concepts such as love or beauty

verb

Consider something theoretically or separately from (something else).

Usage examples:

To abstract science and religion from their historical context can lead to anachronism

noun

A summary of the contents of a book, article, or speech.

Usage examples:

An abstract of her speech

noun

Any of the pieces of hard whitish tissue making up the skeleton in humans and other vertebrates.

Usage examples:

His injuries included many broken bones

verb

Remove the bones from (meat or fish) before cooking, serving, or selling.

Usage examples:

Ask your butcher to bone the turkey for you

noun

Any of the hard parts inside a human or animal that make up its frame

Usage examples:

The child was so thin that you could see her bones., human/animal bones

noun

The enclosing boundary of a curved geometric figure, especially a circle.

Usage examples:

His last work was on the cycloid, the curve traced by a point on the circumference of a rolling cir…

noun

The line surrounding a circular space, or the length of this line

Usage examples:

The circumference of a circle

noun

The outside edge of an area or object that is round or curved, or the length of this edge

Usage examples:

The circumference of an orange

noun

An arrangement of parts or elements in a particular form, figure, or combination.

Usage examples:

The unrepeatable configuration of the stars at the moment of your birth

noun

The particular arrangement of the parts of something or of a group of things

Usage examples:

The two-lane configuration of the road leads to congestion.

noun

The way in which something, such as a computer system or software, is organized to operate

Usage examples:

When you press the spacebar, a message appears informing you that "set-up is inspecting your hardwa…

noun

An outline representing or bounding the shape or form of something.

Usage examples:

She traced the contours of his face with her finger

verb

Mould into a specific shape, especially one designed to fit into something else.

Usage examples:

The compartment has been contoured with smooth rounded corners

noun

The shape of a mass of land or other object, esp. of its surface, or the shape formed by its outer edge

Usage examples:

The distinctive contour of florida’s coast

verb

State or describe exactly the nature, scope, or meaning of.

Usage examples:

The contract will seek to define the client's obligations

verb

Show the form or outline of

verb

To describe the meaning of something, esp. a word, or to explain something more clearly so that it can be understood

Usage examples:

How would you define “jaded”?, the dark figures are sharply defined on the white background.

verb

Determine the limits or boundaries of.

Usage examples:

Agreements delimiting fishing zones

verb

To mark or describe the limits of something

Usage examples:

Police powers are delimited by law.

verb

Describe or portray (something) precisely.

Usage examples:

The law should delineate and prohibit behaviour which is socially abhorrent

verb

Represented accurately or precisely

verb

To mark the border of something

Usage examples:

The boundary of the park is delineated by a row of trees., the constitution carefully delineates th…

noun

The action of describing or portraying something precisely.

Usage examples:

The artist's exquisite delineation of costume and jewellery

noun

The action of describing or marking the edge of something

Usage examples:

He tried to make a clear delineation between his job and his private activities., they met to discu…

verb

Set the boundaries or limits of.

Usage examples:

Plots of land demarcated by barbed wire

verb

To show the limits of something

Usage examples:

Parking spaces are demarcated by white lines., responsibilities within the department are clearly d…

noun

A simplified drawing showing the appearance, structure, or workings of something; a schematic representation.

Usage examples:

A diagram of the living room

verb

Represent (something) in graphic form.

Usage examples:

The experiment is diagrammed on page fourteen

noun

A simple plan drawn to represent something, such as a machine, usually to explain how it works or how it is put together

Usage examples:

The teacher drew a diagram showing how blood flows through the heart.

verb

Break down (food) in the alimentary canal into substances that can be absorbed and used by the body.

Usage examples:

In terms of the western view of digestion, food is digested in the stomach and passed on to the sma…

noun

A compilation or summary of material or information.

Usage examples:

A digest of their findings

verb

(of the body of a living creature) to chemically change food into smaller forms that the body can absorb and use

Usage examples:

[ t ] some people have difficulty digesting milk., he could digest an enormous amount of informatio…

noun

A preliminary version of a piece of writing.

Usage examples:

The first draft of the party's manifesto

verb

Prepare a preliminary version of (a document).

Usage examples:

I drafted a letter of resignation

adjective

Us spelling of draught (noun).

noun

A person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type.

Usage examples:

She looked the epitome of elegance and good taste

noun

The typical or highest example of a stated quality, as shown by a particular person or thing

Usage examples:

He was the epitome of the fashionable gentleman., his recordings came to epitomize american popular…

noun

The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, which determines its character.

Usage examples:

Conflict is the essence of drama

noun

The basic meaning or importance of something

Usage examples:

The essence of punk was a revolt against both the sound and the system of popular music., in essenc…

noun

The basic or most important idea or quality of something

Usage examples:

The essence of his argument was that education should continue throughout life., yet change is the …

noun

A number, especially one which forms part of official statistics or relates to the financial performance of a company.

Usage examples:

The trade figures

verb

Have a significant part or role in a situation or process.

Usage examples:

The issue of nuclear policy figured prominently in the talks

noun

A number or an amount

Usage examples:

The collection was valued at $20 million, a figure that might cover the cost of having artists recr…

noun

The visible shape or configuration of something.

Usage examples:

The form, colour, and texture of the tree

verb

Variant spelling of forme.

combining form

Having the form of.

Usage examples:

Cruciform

noun

An essential supporting structure of a building, vehicle, or object.

Usage examples:

A conservatory in a delicate framework of iron

noun

A structure around or over which something is built

Usage examples:

The steel framework of a bridge, they’re operating within the framework of a military bureaucracy.,…

noun

A system of rules, ideas, or beliefs that is used to plan or decide something

Usage examples:

A framework for sth the future trade agenda can provide an important framework for restoring sustai…

noun

The substance or general meaning of a speech or text.

Usage examples:

It was hard to get the gist of pedro's talk

verb

Engage in chat or gossip.

Usage examples:

I need a good friend i can always gist with

noun

The main subject, without details, of a piece of information

Usage examples:

The gist of what she said was that i didn’t know what i was talking about.

verb

Point out; show.

Usage examples:

Dotted lines indicate the text's margins

verb

To show or signal a direction or warning, or to make something clear

Usage examples:

[ t ] these statistics might indicate quality problems., [ + that clause ] she did not move or indi…

verb

To show something, point to something, or make something clear

Usage examples:

Indicate sth to sb retailers should indicate to the consumer the exact weight of the produce., the …

noun

The way in which the parts of something are arranged or laid out.

Usage examples:

The road layout

noun

The way something is designed or arranged

Usage examples:

His house has three bedrooms and ours has four, but otherwise the layout is much the same., each ar…

noun

The way that something is designed or arranged

Usage examples:

Building/room/street layout the building layout has three floors and eight bathrooms., dashboard/ke…

noun

A long, narrow mark or band.

Usage examples:

A row of closely spaced dots will look like a continuous line

verb

Stand or be positioned at intervals along.

Usage examples:

A processional route lined by people waving flags

verb

Cover the inside surface of (a container or garment) with a layer of different material.

Usage examples:

A basket lined with polythene

noun

A distinctive feature or characteristic, especially of the face.

Usage examples:

I recognized those haggard lineaments

noun

An instrument for writing or drawing, consisting of a thin stick of graphite or a similar substance enclosed in a long thin piece of wood or fixed in a cylindrical case.

Usage examples:

Have a pencil and paper ready

verb

Write, draw, or colour with a pencil.

Usage examples:

A previous owner has pencilled their name inside the cover

noun

A thin, usually wooden, tube-shaped device for writing or drawing which has colored material in the center and a point at one end

Usage examples:

[ c ] colored pencils, [ u ] make your corrections in pencil (= using a pencil).

noun

The continuous line forming the boundary of a closed geometrical figure.

Usage examples:

The perimeter of a rectangle

noun

A summary or abstract of a text or speech.

Usage examples:

The precis accompanying the weekly summaries of incidents also make it possible to explore in more …

verb

Make a precis of (a text or speech).

Usage examples:

She wrote one of the best and most intelligent dissections of the case, and to precis her, she poin…

noun

A short form of a text that gives only the important parts

noun

An outline of something, especially a person's face, as seen from one side.

Usage examples:

The man turned and she caught his profile

verb

Describe (a person or organization) in a short article.

Usage examples:

He was to profile a backbench mp

noun

The action or fact of making something smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.

Usage examples:

Talks on arms reduction

verb

Begin again or continue after a pause or interruption.

Usage examples:

A day later normal service was resumed

noun

A summary.

Usage examples:

I gave him a quick résumé of events

verb

To start something again after a pause or period of time

Usage examples:

[ t ] the director hopes to resume filming next week., [ i ] government officials hoped talks will …

noun

The external form, contours, or outline of someone or something.

Usage examples:

She liked the shape of his nose

verb

Give a particular shape or form to.

Usage examples:

Most caves are shaped by the flow of water through limestone

abbreviation

Supreme headquarters allied powers europe.

noun

The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.

Usage examples:

She paused to see its silhouette against the dimming sky

verb

Cast or show (someone or something) as a dark shape and outline against a brighter background.

Usage examples:

The castle was silhouetted against the sky

noun

An internal or external framework of bone, cartilage, or other rigid material supporting or containing the body of an animal or plant.

Usage examples:

The human skeleton

noun

The frame of bones supporting a human or animal body

Usage examples:

We found a deer skeleton.

adjective

Used to describe something in its most basic form

Usage examples:

His solicitor confirmed he had faxed a skeleton argument supporting his client's application for ba…

noun

A rough or unfinished drawing or painting, often made to assist in making a more finished picture.

Usage examples:

A charcoal sketch

verb

Make a rough drawing of.

Usage examples:

As they talked, modigliani began to sketch her

noun

A simple, quickly made drawing

Usage examples:

A pen and ink sketch, she helped write a sketch for a comedy show., a biographical sketch, [ i ] i …

noun

A sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a film or television production.

Usage examples:

The storyboard montage consists of storyboards and scenes from the film edited together and then sh…

noun

The plot of a novel, play, film, or other narrative form.

Usage examples:

Are all loose ends, storylines and subplots seamlessly tied up in the conclusion?

noun

(in a book, film, play, etc.) the plot (= the series of events that happen in it)

verb

Give a brief statement of the main points of (something).

Usage examples:

These results can be summarized in the following table

verb

Briefly present the main points of something

verb

To provide a clear statement of the important points

Usage examples:

[ t ] before each episode, the narrator summarizes earlier events in the story.

noun

A brief statement or account of the main points of something.

Usage examples:

A summary of chapter three

adjective

Not including needless details or formalities; brief.

Usage examples:

Summary financial statements

noun

A brief, clear statement giving the most important facts about something

Usage examples:

The assignment was to write a summary of the news., in summary, chen’s book is a good introduction …

noun

A brief summary or general survey of something.

Usage examples:

A synopsis of the insurance cover provided is set out below

noun

A short description of the contents of something such as a film or book

idiom

Refer to or discuss briefly

phrasal verb

Deal briefly with a subject in written or spoken discussion.

Usage examples:

Her memoirs touch on her experiences in her long life

phrasal verb

Come near to being.

Usage examples:

A self-confident manner touching on the arrogant

verb

Find or discover by investigation.

Usage examples:

Police are trying to trace a white van seen in the area

noun

A mark, object, or other indication of the existence or passing of something.

Usage examples:

Remove all traces of the old adhesive

noun

Each of the two side straps, chains, or ropes by which a horse is attached to a vehicle that it is pulling.

Usage examples:

The horses pulling the carriage suddenly snapped the traces and bolted off

noun

A copy of a drawing, map, or design made by tracing.

Usage examples:

Leonardo's mural, with its tracings and smaller copies, is a locus of essential religious and aesth…

verb

Find or discover by investigation.

Usage examples:

Police are trying to trace a white van seen in the area

noun

A copy of a drawing or pattern made by drawing over it through a piece of thin, transparent paper

Usage examples:

He made a tracing of the picture.