Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

amid|ships /əm I dʃ I ps/ ADV [ADV after v] Amidships means halfway along the length of a ship. □  The ferry hit us amidships.

amidst /əm I dst/ PREP Amidst means the same as amid . [LITERARY ]

ami|no acid /əmiː noʊ æ s I d/ (amino acids ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Amino acids are substances containing nitrogen and hydrogen and which are found in proteins. Amino acids occur naturally in the body.

amiss /əm I s/

1 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you say that something is amiss , you mean there is something wrong. □  Their instincts warned them something was amiss. □ [+ in ] Something is radically amiss in our health care system.

2 PHRASE If you say that something would not go amiss or would not come amiss , you mean that it would be pleasant and useful. [BRIT ] □  A bit of charm and humour would not go amiss.

am|ity /æ m I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Amity is peaceful, friendly relations between people or countries. [FORMAL ] □  He wished to live in amity with his neighbour.

ammo /æ moʊ/ N‑UNCOUNT Ammo is ammunition for guns and other weapons. [INFORMAL ]

am|mo|nia /əmoʊ niə/ N‑UNCOUNT Ammonia is a colourless liquid or gas with a strong, sharp smell. It is used in making household cleaning substances.

am|mu|ni|tion /æ mjʊn I ʃ ^ə n/

1 N‑UNCOUNT Ammunition is bullets and rockets that are made to be fired from guns. □  He had only seven rounds of ammunition for the revolver.

2 N‑UNCOUNT You can describe information that you can use against someone in an argument or discussion as ammunition . □  The improved trade figures have given the government fresh ammunition.

am|ne|sia /æmniː ziə, -ʒə/ N‑UNCOUNT If someone is suffering from amnesia , they have lost their memory.

am|ne|si|ac /æmniː ziæk/ (amnesiacs ) ADJ Someone who is amnesiac has lost their memory. □  She was taken to hospital, apparently amnesiac and shocked. ● N‑COUNT An amnesiac is someone who is amnesiac. □  Even profound amnesiacs can usually recall how to perform daily activities.

am|nes|ty /æ mn I sti/ (amnesties )

1 N‑VAR An amnesty is an official pardon granted to a group of prisoners by the state. □  Activists who were involved in crimes of violence will not automatically be granted amnesty.

2 N‑COUNT An amnesty is a period of time during which people can admit to a crime or give up weapons without being punished. □ [+ for ] The government has announced an immediate amnesty for rebel fighters.

am|nio|cen|tesis /æ mnioʊsentiː s I s/ N‑SING If a pregnant woman has an amniocentesis , fluid is removed from her womb in order to check that her unborn baby is not affected by certain genetic disorders.

amoe|ba /əmiː bə/ (amoebae /əmiː bi/ or amoebas ) N‑COUNT An amoeba is the smallest kind of living creature. Amoebae consist of only one cell, and are found in water or soil.

amok /əmʌ k, əmɒ k/ PHRASE If a person or animal runs amok , they behave in a violent and uncontrolled way. □  There is a lack of respect for authority in some schools with kids running amok.

among ◆◆◆ /əmʌ ŋ/ The form amongst is also used, but is more literary. 1 PREP Someone or something that is situated or moving among a group of things or people is surrounded by them. □  They walked among the crowds in Red Square. □  …a little house among the trees.

2 PREP If you are among people of a particular kind, you are with them and having contact with them. □  Things weren't so bad, after all. I was among friends again. □  I was brought up among people who read and wrote a lot.

3 PREP If someone or something is among a group, they are a member of that group and share its characteristics. □  A fifteen year old girl was among the injured. □  Also among the speakers was the new American ambassador to Moscow.