Oxford Basic American Dictionary

( formal )

to say something or make a sound with your mouth She did not utter a word .

U-turn / ' yu tarn /

a type of movement where a car, etc. turns around so that it goes back in the direction it came from

UV / ,yu 'vi /

( physics ) short for ultraviolet

Vv

V, v / vi / noun [ count, noncount ]

( plural V's, v's / viz / ) the twenty-second letter of the English alphabet

"Voice" begins with a "V."

V abbreviation of volt

v. ( also vs. ) abbreviation of versus the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade

va • can • cy / ' veikansi / noun

[count]

( plural va - can - cies )

a room in a hotel that no one is using

The sign outside the hotel says "no vacancies" (= the hotel is full ) .

a job that no one is doing

We have a vacancy for a secretary in our office.

va • cant / ' veikant / adjective

empty or not being used a vacant room

If a job in a company is vacant , no one is doing it and it is available for someone to do.

va .ca .tion Ф / vei'keifn / noun

[ count, noncount ]

a time when you do not go to work or school, and often go

and stay away from home

They're on vacation in Hawaii.

You've been working too hard. You need a vacation!

We're going to the beach for our summer vacation .

vac • ci • nate / 'vreksn^eit /verb

(vac - ci - nates, vac - ci - nat - ing , vac - ci nat ed )

( HEALTH ) to put a substance into a person's or an animal's blood using a needle, to stop them from getting a disease Have you been vaccinated against measles?

vac • ci • na • tion / ,vreksn^ ' eijn / noun

[ count, noncount ]

( HEALTH ) when a substance is put into a person's or an animal's blood with a needle, to stop them from getting a disease

a vaccination against measles

vac • cine

/ vrek ' sin / noun [ count ]

( HEALTH ) a substance that is put into a person's or an animal's blood using a needle, to stop them from getting a disease

vac • u • um1 / ' vrekyum / noun [ count ]

( PHYSICS ) a space with no air, gas, or anything else in it

another word for vacuum cleaner

vac • u • um 2 / ' vrekyum / verb ( vac - u - ums , vac - u - um - ing , vac - u - umed )

to clean a floor using a vacuum cleanervac • u • um clean • er

/ ' vakyum |klinar / ( also vac u

- um ) noun

[count]

a machine that cleans floors by sucking up dirt

va • gi • na / va 'd3aina / noun [ count ]

( BIOLOGY ) the part of a woman's or a female animal's body that leads to the place where a baby grows (called the uterus )

vague / veig / adjective ( vagu - er , vagu - est )

not clear or not exact

I couldn't find the house because he gave me very vague directions.

►vague • ly / 'veigli / adverb I vaguely remember what happened.

vain / vein / adjective ( vain - er , vain - est )

too proud of what you can do or how you look The noun is vanity .

not producing the result you want They made a vain attempt to save his life.

—SYNONYM useless

in vain

without success I tried in vain to sleep.

val • e • dic •to • ri •an / ^ьал ' torian /

noun [ count ]

the student who received the highest grades in their class in high school or college

Val • en • tine's Day / ' valantainz |dei / noun

[ singular ]

the day (February 14) when people send a card (called a valenti ne ) to the person that they love

val • id aw я / ' valad / adjective

able to be used; acceptable

Your bus ticket is valid for one week.

—ANTONYM invalid

Val . ley © / 'vseli / noun [ count ] ( plural val - leys )

( GEOGRAPHY ) the low land between mountains; the land that a river flows through

val u a ble s 'vaelyobl / adjective

worth a lot of money Is this ring valuable?

very useful

The book contains some valuable information.

val • u • a • bles / ' valyablz / noun [ plural ]