Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
a bare, draughty interviewing room = empty, wanting, mean, lacking, deserted, vacant, void, scarce, barren, uninhabited, unoccupied, scanty, unfurnished ◼ OPPOSITE: full 4 Reporters were given nothing but the bare facts. = plain, hard, simple, cold, basic, essential, obvious, sheer, patent, evident, stark, manifest, bald, literal, overt, unembellishedbarely ADVERB = only just, just, hardly, scarcely, at a push, almost not ◼ OPPOSITE: completelybargain NOUN 1 At this price these chocolates are a bargain. = good buy, discount purchase, good deal, good value, steal (informal), snip (informal), giveaway, cheap purchase 2 The treaty was based on a bargain between the governments. = agreement, deal (informal), understanding, promise, contract, negotiation, arrangement, settlement, treaty, pledge, convention, transaction, engagement, pact, compact, covenant, stipulation ▸ VERB 1 Shop in small local markets and don't be afraid to bargain. = haggle, deal, sell, trade, traffic, barter, drive a hard bargain 2 They prefer to bargain with individual clients, for cash. = negotiate, deal, contract, mediate, covenant, stipulate, arbitrate, transact, cut a deal ● bargain for or on something The effects of this policy were more than they had bargained for. = anticipate, expect, look for, imagine, predict, plan for, forecast, hope for, contemplate, be prepared for, foresee, foretell, count uponbarge NOUN He lives on a barge and only works when he has to. = canal boat, lighter, narrow boat, scow, flatboat ● barge in (on something or someone) Sorry to barge in like this, but I need your advice. = interrupt, break in (on), muscle in (on) (informal), intrude (on), infringe (on), burst in (on), butt in (on), impose yourself (on), force your way in (on), elbow your way in (on) ● barge into someone He would barge into them and kick them in the shins. = bump into, drive into, press, push against, shoulder, thrust, elbow into, shove into, collide with, jostle with, cannon intobark1 VERB 1 Don't let the dogs bark. = yap, bay, howl, snarl, growl, yelp, woof 2 I didn't mean to bark at you. = shout, snap, yell, snarl, growl, berate, bawl, bluster, raise your voice ▸ NOUN The Doberman let out a string of roaring barks. = yap, bay, howl, snarl, growl, yelp, woofbark2 NOUN The spice comes from the inner bark of the tree. = covering, casing, cover, skin, protection, layer, crust, housing, cortex (Anatomy, Botany), rind, husk ▸ VERB She barked her shin off the edge of the drawer. = scrape, skin, strip, rub, scratch, shave, graze, scuff, flay, abradebarmy or balmy (slang) ADJECTIVE This policy is absolutely barmy. = stupid, bizarre, foolish, silly, daft (informal), irresponsible, irrational, senseless, preposterous, impractical, idiotic, inane, fatuous, dumb-ass (slang)baroque ADJECTIVE = ornate, fancy, bizarre, elegant, decorated, elaborate, extravagant, flamboyant, grotesque, convoluted, flowery, rococo, florid, bedecked, overelaborate, overdecoratedbarrack VERB = heckle, abuse, mock, bait, criticize, boo, taunt, jeer, shout down, diss (slang)barracks PLURAL NOUN = camp, quarters, garrison, encampment, billet, cantonment, casernbarrage NOUN 1 a barrage of anti-aircraft fire = bombardment, attack, bombing, assault, shelling, battery, volley, blitz, salvo, strafe, fusillade, cannonade, curtain of fire 2 a barrage of angry questions from the floor = torrent, attack, mass, storm, assault, burst, stream, hail, outburst, rain, spate, onslaught, deluge, plethora, profusionbarren ADJECTIVE 1 the Tibetan landscape of the high barren mountains = desolate, empty, desert, waste 2 He also wants to use water to irrigate barren desert land. = unproductive, dry, useless, fruitless, arid, unprofitable, unfruitful ◼ OPPOSITE: fertile 3 My life has become barren. = dull, boring, commonplace, tedious, dreary, stale, lacklustre, monotonous, uninspiring, humdrum, uninteresting, vapid, unrewarding, as dry as dust ◼ OPPOSITE: interesting 4 a three-year-old barren mare = infertile, sterile, unproductive, nonproductive, infecund, unprolificbarricade NOUN Large areas of the city have been closed off by barricades. = barrier, wall, railing, fence, blockade, obstruction, rampart, fortification, bulwark, palisade, stockade ▸ VERB The doors had been barricaded. = bar, block, defend, secure, lock, bolt, blockade, fortify, fasten, latch, obstructbarrier NOUN = barricade, wall, bar, block, railing, fence, pale, boundary, obstacle, ditch, blockade, obstruction, rampart, bulwark, palisade, stockadebarter VERB = trade, sell, exchange, switch, traffic, bargain, swap, haggle, drive a hard bargainbase1 NOUN 1 Line the base and sides of a 20cm deep round cake tin with paper. = bottom, floor, lowest part, deepest part ◼ OPPOSITE: top 2 The mattress is best on a solid bed base. = support, stand, foot, rest, bed, bottom, foundation, pedestal, groundwork 3 The family base was crucial to my development. = foundation, institution, organization, establishment, starting point 4 Gunfire was heard at an army base close to the airport. = centre, post, station, camp, settlement, headquarters 5 For most of the spring and early summer her base was in Scotland. = home, house, territory, pad (slang, old-fashioned), residence, home ground, abode, stamping ground, dwelling place 6 Oils may be mixed with a base and massaged into the skin. = essence, source, basis, concentrate, root, core, extract ▸ VERB 1 He based his conclusions on the evidence given by the prisoners. = ground, found, build, rest, establish, depend, root, construct, derive, hinge 2 We will base ourselves in the town. = place, set, post, station, establish, fix, locate, install, garrisonbase2 ADJECTIVE Love has the power to overcome the baser emotions. = dishonourable, evil, corrupt, infamous, disgraceful, vulgar, shameful, vile, immoral, scandalous, wicked, sordid, abject, despicable, depraved, ignominious, disreputable, contemptible, villainous, ignoble, discreditable, scungy (Austral. & N.Z.) ◼ OPPOSITE: honourablebaseless ADJECTIVE = unfounded, false, fabricated, unconfirmed, spurious, unjustified, unproven, unsubstantiated, groundless, unsupported, trumped up, without foundation, unjustifiable, uncorroborated, ungrounded, without basis ◼ OPPOSITE: well-foundedbash VERB My mother bashed her shin with a suitcase. = hit, break, beat, strike, knock, smash, punch, belt (informal), crush, deck (slang), batter, slap, sock (slang), chin (slang), smack, thump, clout (informal), whack (informal), biff (slang), clobber (slang), wallop (informal), slosh (Brit. slang), tonk (informal), lay one on (slang), beat or knock seven bells out of (informal)bashful ADJECTIVE = shy, reserved, retiring, nervous, modest, shrinking, blushing, constrained, timid, self-conscious, coy, reticent, self-effacing, aw-shucks (slang, chiefly U.S.), diffident, sheepish, mousy, timorous (literary), abashed, shamefaced, easily embarrassed, overmodest ◼ OPPOSITE: forwardbasic ADJECTIVE 1 Access to justice is a basic right. = fundamental, main, key, essential, primary, vital, principal, constitutional, cardinal, inherent, elementary, indispensable, innate, intrinsic, elemental, immanent 2 shortages of even the most basic foodstuffs = vital, needed, important, key, necessary, essential, primary, crucial (informal), fundamental, elementary, indispensable, requisite 3 There are certain ethical principles that are basic to all the great religions. = essential, central, key, vital, fundamental, underlying, indispensable ◼ OPPOSITE: secondary 4 There are three basic types of tea. = main, key, essential, primary 5 the extremely basic hotel room = plain, simple, classic, severe, straightforward, Spartan, uncluttered, unadorned, unfussy, bog-standard (informal), unembellished, bare-bones, lo-fi ▸ PLURAL NOUN Let's get down to basics and stop horsing around. = essentials, facts, principles, fundamentals, practicalities, requisites, nuts and bolts (informal), hard facts, nitty-gritty (informal), rudiments, brass tacks (informal), necessariesbasically ADVERB = essentially, firstly, mainly, mostly, principally, fundamentally, primarily, at heart, inherently, intrinsically, at bottom, in substance, au fond (French)basis NOUN 1 We're going to be meeting there on a regular basis. = arrangement, way, system, footing, agreement 2 The UN plan is a possible basis for negotiation. = foundation, support, base, ground, footing, theory, bottom, principle, premise, groundwork, principal element, chief ingredientbask VERB Crocodiles bask on the small