term 1 S1 W1 / tɜm $ tɜrm / 名词
1 in terms of something if you explain or describe something in terms of a particular fact or event, you are explaining or describing it only in relation to that fact or event
describe/measure/evaluate etc something in terms of something
Femininity is still defined in terms of beauty.
It’s a mistake to think of Florida only in terms of its tourist attractions.
It’s too early to start talking in terms of casualties.
in terms of what/how/who etc
Did the experiment find any differences in terms of what children learned?
2 in general/practical/financial etc terms used to show that you are describing or considering a subject in a particular way or from a particular point of view
in general/broad/simple etc terms
We explain in simple terms what the treatment involves.
It would be wrong to describe society purely in economic terms .
The war, although successful in military terms , left the economy in ruins.
What do these statistics mean in human terms ?
in sb’s terms
In our terms, the scheme has not been a success.
in real/absolute terms (= accurate, true, or including any related changes )
Rail fares have fallen 17 per cent in real terms.
in relative terms (= compared with other, similar things )
Students have less money in relative terms, but spend more on books.
3 word [可数名词] a word or expression with a particular meaning, especially one that is used for a specific subject or type of language
term for
‘Multimedia’ is the term for any technique combining sounds and images.
in no uncertain terms (= in very clear and angry language )
Journalists were told in no uncertain terms that they were not welcome. → a contradiction in terms at contradiction ( 3 )
4 period of time [可数名词] a fixed period of time during which someone does something or something happens
term of/in office (= the time someone spends doing an important job in government )
The mayor was coming to the end of his term in office.
term of
the maximum term of imprisonment
The lease runs for a term of 99 years.
prison/jail term
The men each received a 30-year prison term. → fixed-term
5 school/university [可数和不可数名词] especially British English one of the periods of time that the school or university year is divided into. In Britain, there are usually three terms in a year. → half-term , semester , quarter
summer/autumn/spring term
The exams are at the end of the summer term.
Teachers often feel overworked in term time (= during the term ) .
first/last day of term
that all-important first day of term
6 in the long/short/medium term used to say what will happen or what happens generally over a long, short, or medium period of time :
The cost of living will go up in the short term.
In the long term, alcohol causes high blood pressure. → long-term , short-term
7 end [单数形式，不可数] technical the end of a particular period of time :
The agreement reaches its term next year.
a child born two months before full term (= of pregnancy )
We can prolong life beyond its natural term .
8 come to terms with something to accept an unpleasant or sad situation and no longer feel upset or angry about it :
George and Elizabeth have come to terms with the fact that they will never have children.
Counselling helped her come to terms with her grief.
9 conditions terms [复数形式]
a) the conditions that are set for an agreement, contract, arrangement etc :
Under the terms of the agreement, the debt would be repaid over 20 years.
your terms and conditions of employment
Delivery is within the terms of this contract.
equal/unequal/the same etc terms (= conditions that are equal, unequal etc )
Small businesses have to compete on equal terms with large organisations.
Men and women should be able to work on level terms .
on sb’s (own) terms (= according to the conditions that someone wants )
He wanted our relationship to be only on his terms.
b) the arrangements for payment that you agree to when you buy or sell something
reasonable/favourable/cheaper etc terms
Some insurance companies offer very reasonable terms.
This allowed tenant farmers to buy land on easy terms (= by paying small sums of money over a long period ) .
10 relationship terms [复数形式] if you are on good, bad etc terms with someone, you have a good, bad etc relationship with them
be on good/bad/friendly etc terms (with somebody)
By now, Usha and I were on familiar terms .
He is barely on speaking terms with his father (= they are angry and almost never speak to each other ) .
We were soon on first-name terms (= using each other’s first names, as a sign of friendship ) .
11 terms of reference formal the subjects that a person or group of people agree to consider :
the committee’s terms of reference
12 number/sign [可数名词] technical one of the numbers or signs used in a mathematical calculation
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + term
a legal/medical term The site provides a glossary of legal terms.
a technical term ‘Gender’ is a technical term in grammar.
a slang term ‘The Old Bill’ is a slang term for the police.
a derogatory/pejorative term (= one that is insulting or disapproving ) ‘Pinko’ is a derogatory term for someone with socialist ideas.
动词
use a term a term used by psychiatrists
coin a term (= invent it ) Funk coined the term ‘vitamin’ in 1912.
短语
a term of abuse (= a word that is offensive or deliberately rude ) ‘Geek’ is used as a term of abuse.
a term of endearment (= a word that expresses your love for someone ) terms of endearment like ‘love’, ‘dear’, and ‘honey’
in strong terms The Pope condemned both Nazism and Communism in strong terms.
in glowing terms (= praising someone or something highly ) Friends and relatives speak of him in glowing terms.
in layman’s terms (= using ordinary words, not technical words ) Can you explain to me in layman’s terms how my computer works?
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + term
a prison/jail term He faced a maximum prison term of 25 years.
a five-year/ten-year term The President is elected for a five-year term.
a fixed term The contract was for a fixed term of five years.
a maximum/minimum term The maximum term was life imprisonment.
短语
a term of/in office The Governor ends his term of office in September.
a term of imprisonment/detention She was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment.
动词
serve a term She served a term as chairwoman of the council.
COLLOCATIONS
短语
the beginning/start of term The beginning of term was only two days away.
the end of term We had a party at the end of term.
the first/last day of term On the last day of term we went home early.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + term
a school/university term The school term was about to start.
a new term Are you looking forward to the new term?
the spring/summer/autumn term Mrs Collins will be leaving us at the end of the summer term.
短语
in/during term time Parents need permission to take their children on holiday during term time.
THESAURUS
word a single group of letters that are used together with a particular meaning : ‘Casa’ is the Italian word for ‘house’. | I looked up the word in a dictionary.
name a word that you use for a particular thing, place, organization etc : Iberia is the ancient name for the Spanish Peninsula. | What’s the name of that type of dog?
term a word or group of words that is used in a specific subject or area of language : The medical term for losing your hair is ‘alopecia’. | People use the term ‘carbon footprint’ to talk about man’s polluting effect on the environment.
短语 a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion : We don’t really have a 短语 for ‘bon appétit’ in English. | Politicians keep using the 短语 ‘family values’. | an Italian 短语 book
expression a fixed 短语 which is used in a language and has a particular meaning : He uses a lot of obscure expressions that I don’t really understand. | What does the expression ‘wage slavery’ mean?
buzzword / bʌzwɜd $ -wɜrd / a word or group of words that people in a particular type of work or activity have started using a lot because they think it is important : E-learning is the buzzword in educational publishing at the moment. | For anthropologists, ethnodiversity has been a buzzword for quite a while.
idiom / ɪdiəm / a group of words that has a special meaning which you cannot guess from the meanings of each separate word : ‘Full of beans’ is an idiom which means feeling lively and energetic.
cliché / kliʃeɪ $ kliʃeɪ / a group of words that is used so often that it seems rather boring, annoying, or silly : It’s a bit of a cliché, but good communication skills are the key to success. | the old movie cliché ‘we can’t go on meeting like this’
slang very informal words used especially by a particular group of people such as young people, criminals, or soldiers : Grass is slang for marijuana. | prison slang | army slang
jargon words and 短语 used in a particular profession or by a particular group of people, which are difficult for other people to understand – often used to show disapproval : The instructions were full of technical jargon. | complicated legal jargon