dear 1 S1 / dɪə $ dɪr / interjection #

Oh dear!/Dear oh dear! ( also Dear me! old-fashioned ) used to show that you are surprised, upset, or annoyed because something bad has happened :

Oh dear, I’ve broken the lamp.

‘I think I’m getting a cold.’ ‘Dear oh dear!’

dear S2 noun [可数名词] #

1 used when speaking to someone you love :
How did the interview go, dear? 2 spoken used when speaking in a friendly way to someone, especially someone who is much younger or much older than you. This use can sometimes sound rather patronizing :
Can I help you, dear? Come along, my dear , take a seat. 3 British English spoken someone who is kind and helpful :
Be a dear and make me a coffee. 4 old dear British English a fairly rude expression meaning an old woman

dear 3 S2 W2 adjective ( comparative dearer , superlative dearest ) #

1 Dear used before someone’s name or title to begin a letter :
Dear Sir or Madam, … Dear Mrs. Wilson, … Dear Meg, … 2 British English expensive OPP cheap :
Cars are 59% dearer in Britain than in Europe. 3 formal a dear friend or relative is very important to you and you love them a lot :
Mark became a dear friend . be dear to somebody His sister was very dear to him. 4 hold something dear to think that something is very important :
Household economy was something my mother held very dear. 5 dear old … British English spoken used to describe someone or something in a way that shows your love or liking of them SYN good old :
Here we are, back in dear old Manchester! 6 for dear life written if you run, fight, hold on etc for dear life, you do it as fast or as well as you can because you are afraid :
She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life . 7 the dear departed British English literary a person you love who has died

THESAURUS

expensive costing a lot of money : an expensive car | Apartments in the city are very expensive. | An underground train system is expensive to build. high costing a lot of money.You use high about rents/fees/prices/costs. Don’t use expensive with these words : Rents are very high in this area. | Lawyers charge high fees. | the high cost of living in Japan dear [名词前不用] British English spoken expensive compared to the usual price : £3.50 seems rather dear for a cup of coffee. pricey / praɪsi / informal expensive : The clothes are beautiful but pricey. costly expensive in a way that wastes money : Upgrading the system would be very costly. | They were anxious to avoid a costly legal battle. cost a fortune informal to be very expensive : The necklace must have cost a fortune! exorbitant / ɪɡzɔbət ə nt, ɪɡzɔbɪt ə nt $ -ɔr- / much too expensive : Some accountants charge exorbitant fees. astronomical astronomical prices, costs, and fees are extremely high : the astronomical cost of developing a new spacecraft | the astronomical prices which some people had paid for their seats | The cost of living is astronomical. overpriced too expensive and not worth the price : The DVDs were vastly overpriced. somebody can’t afford something someone does not have enough money to buy or do something : Most people can’t afford to send their children to private schools.

dear 4 adverb #

cost somebody dear written to cause a lot of trouble and suffering for someone :
Carolyn’s marriage to Pete cost her dear.