Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

1 VERB If you tug something or tug at it, you give it a quick and usually strong pull. □ [V + at ] A little boy came running up and tugged at his sleeve excitedly. □ [V n] She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. [Also V ] ● N‑COUNT Tug is also a noun. □ [+ at ] I felt a tug at my sleeve.

2 N‑COUNT A tug or a tug boat is a small powerful boat which pulls large ships, usually when they come into a port.

tu g-of-lo ve N‑SING [usu N n] Journalists sometimes use tug-of-love to refer to a situation in which the parents of a child are divorced and one of the parents tries to get the child from the other, for example by taking him or her illegally. [BRIT ] □  A mother yesterday won a tug-of-love battle for custody of her twin daughters.

tu g-of-wa r (tugs-of-war ) also tug of war

1 N‑VAR A tug-of-war is a sports event in which two teams test their strength by pulling against each other on opposite ends of a rope.

2 N‑VAR You can use tug-of-war to refer to a situation in which two people or groups both want the same thing and are fairly equally matched in their struggle to get it. □  The team's No 8 was at the centre of a tug-of-war for his services between England and Wales.

tui|tion /tju I ʃ ^ə n, [AM ] tu-/

1 N‑UNCOUNT If you are given tuition in a particular subject, you are taught about that subject. □ [+ in ] The courses will give the beginner personal tuition in all types of outdoor photography.

2 N‑UNCOUNT You can use tuition to refer to the amount of money that you have to pay for being taught particular subjects, especially in a university, college, or private school. □  Angela's tuition at University this year will be paid for with scholarships.

tu|lip /tjuː l I p, [AM ] tuː -/ (tulips ) N‑COUNT Tulips are brightly coloured flowers that grow in the spring, and have oval or pointed petals packed closely together. WORD HISTORY tulip

Tulip comes from Turkish tulbend , meaning 'turban', because of the shape of the flowers.

tulle /tjuː l, [AM ] tuː l/ N‑UNCOUNT Tulle is a soft nylon or silk cloth similar to net, that is used for making evening dresses.

tum /tʌ m/ (tums ) N‑COUNT Your tum is your stomach. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]

tum|ble /tʌ mb ^ə l/ (tumbles , tumbling , tumbled )

1 VERB If someone or something tumbles somewhere, they fall there with a rolling or bouncing movement. □ [V prep/adv] A small boy tumbled off a third floor fire escape. □ [V prep/adv] He fell to the ground, and the gun tumbled out of his hand. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Tumble is also a noun. □ [+ from ] He injured his ribs in a tumble from his horse.

2 VERB If prices or levels of something are tumbling , they are decreasing rapidly. [JOURNALISM ] □ [V + by/from/to ] House prices have tumbled by almost 30 per cent in real terms since mid-1989. □ [V ] Share prices continued to tumble today on the stock market. □ [V -ing] …tumbling inflation. [Also V amount] ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Tumble is also a noun. □  Oil prices took a tumble yesterday.

3 VERB If water tumbles , it flows quickly over an uneven surface. □ [V prep] Waterfalls crash and tumble over rocks. □ [V -ing] …the aromatic pines and tumbling streams of the Zonba Plateau. [Also V ]

4 VERB If you say that someone tumbles into a situation or place, you mean that they get into it without being fully in control of themselves or knowing what they are doing. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V + into ] The whole region seemed to be tumbling into crisis.

5 → see also rough and tumble

▸  tumble down PHRASAL VERB If a building tumbles down , it collapses or parts of it fall off, usually because it is old and no-one has taken care of it. □ [V P ] The outer walls looked likely to tumble down in a stiff wind.