price 1 S1 W1 / praɪs / 名词
1 [可数和不可数名词] the amount of money you have to pay for something
price of
The price of fuel keeps going up.
price for
We agreed a price for the bike.
Supermarkets often offer you two products for the price of one. → asking price , cost price , list price , market price
2 [单数形式] something unpleasant that you must suffer in order to be successful, free etc, or that you suffer because of a mistake or bad action
price of
He’s never at home, but that’s the price of success.
The awful boat journey was a small price to pay for freedom.
They may pay a high price for their few years of glory.
The country will pay a heavy price for the government’s failure.
She was finally made senior executive, but at what price !
3 half/full price used to talk about half the usual price of something, or the actual usual price :
I bought these jeans at half price in the sale.
4 at a price for a lot of money :
You can get goat’s cheese at the local delicatessen – at a price!
5 at any price whatever the cost and difficulties may be :
She was determined to have a child at any price.
6 not at any price used to say that you would not do something, even for a lot of money :
Sorry, that painting’s not for sale at any price.
7 put a price on something to give something a financial value :
You can’t put a price on what a mother does for her children.
8 What price fame/glory etc? usually spoken used to suggest that something was not worth achieving because too many bad things have happened as a result :
What price progress?
9 be beyond price to be extremely valuable or important
10 price on sb’s head a reward for catching or killing someone
11 everyone has their price used to say that you can persuade people to do anything if you give them what they want
→ cheap at the price at cheap 1 ( 8 ) , → name your price at name 2 ( 7 ) , → pay the price at pay 1 ( 9 )
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + price
high House prices in the UK are very high.
low With such low prices, there are lots of eager buyers.
reasonable (= not too high ) The price was reasonable for such good food.
fair I am sure we can agree on a fair price.
astronomical (= extremely high ) Many fans paid astronomical prices for their tickets.
exorbitant/extortionate (= much too high ) £10,000 seemed an exorbitant price for the rug.
inflated (= higher than is usual or reasonable ) People seem willing to pay inflated prices for houses in central London.
house/food/oil etc prices A poor harvest led to higher food prices.
a good price (= quite high ) Did you get a good price for your car?
a bargain price ( also a knockdown/giveaway price ) (= much lower than usual ) We sell quality cars at bargain prices. | The house is available at a knockdown price of $195,000.
the market price (= the price of something on a market at a particular time ) We think the stock’s current market price is too high.
the asking price (= the amount of money that someone is asking for when they are selling something, especially a house ) The property is worth more than the asking price.
the purchase price formal (= the price that someone pays when they buy something, especially a house ) You can obtain a loan for up to 90% of the purchase price.
the retail price (= the price that the public pays for something in a shop ) Tax is 40% of the retail price of a typical bottle of wine.
the wholesale price (= the price that a business such as a shop pays to buy something ) Wholesale coffee prices have fallen.
动词
a price goes up/rises/increases When supplies go down, prices tend to go up.
a price goes down/falls/decreases In real terms, the price of clothes has fallen over the last ten years.
a price shoots up/soars/rockets (= increases quickly by a large amount ) The price of oil soared in the 1970s.
prices fluctuate (= keep going up and down ) Gas prices have continued to fluctuate in recent months.
prices start from £200/$300 etc Ticket prices start from £39.00.
prices range from £30 to £65 etc Over 1,000 paintings will be shown with prices ranging from £50 to £5,000.
put up/increase/raise a price Manufacturers have had to put their prices up.
cut/lower/reduce a price The company recently cut the price of its best-selling car.
slash a price (= reduce it by a very large amount ) Many carpet stores have slashed prices to bring in customers.
fix a price (= decide on it, sometimes illegally with others ) Publishers are not permitted to fix prices with one another.
agree on a price Now all we need to do is agree on a price.
pay a good/low etc price I paid a very reasonable price for my guitar.
get a good/reasonable etc price (= be paid a particular amount for something ) Farmers now get a decent price for their crop.
fetch a good/high etc price British English , bring a good, high etc price American English (= be sold for a particular amount of money ) I’m sure the painting would fetch a good price in London.
price + NOUN
a price rise/increase Consumers are facing more fuel price rises.
a price cut/reduction Holiday sales were down, even with drastic price cuts.
a price freeze (= when prices are kept at the same level by a company or by the government ) A price freeze on nine basic goods was an 名词 ced on June 14.
PHRASES
a fall/drop in prices Poor demand led to a sharp drop in prices.
a rise in prices The sharp rise in wholesale food prices will have to be passed onto customers.
in/outside sb’s price range (= used when saying that someone can/cannot afford to pay for something ) Unfortunately, there was nothing in our price range.
COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ’ a convenient price ‘. Say a reasonable price or a fair price .
COLLOCATIONS
动词
pay a price (= suffer ) We paid a heavy price for our mistakes this season.
come at a price ( also come at a high price ) (= involve suffering or a bad result ) She won fame, but it came at a high price.
exact a price formal (= make someone suffer ) The success of the nation’s businesses has exacted a dreadful price from the people.
形容词
a high price Smokers often pay a high price in terms of their health.
a heavy price Any country breaking international law will be made to pay a heavy price.
a terrible price The sport can exact a terrible price from its participants.
短语
something is a small price to pay (= something is worth suffering in order to achieve something more important ) Changing his job would be a small price to pay to keep his marriage intact.
THESAURUS
price 名词 [可数名词] the amount of money that you have to pay for something : The prices in that shop are rather high. | You can have a two-course meal for a special price of £9.95.
cost 名词 [可数名词] the amount of money that you have to pay for services, activities, or things you need such as food and electricity : The cost of the two-day course is $1,295. | Many banks are raising their borrowing costs. | a sudden increase in energy costs
value 名词 [可数和不可数名词] the amount of money that something is worth and that people are willing to pay if it is sold : The value of the painting was estimated at £500,000. | Fine wines may increase in value. | The shares have gone down in value.