Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

3 N‑COUNT A particular area is a piece of land or part of a building that is used for a particular activity. □  …a picnic area. □  …the main check-in area located in Terminal 1.

4 N‑COUNT An area is a particular place on a surface or object, for example on your body. □  You will notice that your baby has two soft areas on the top of his head.

5 N‑VAR The area of a surface such as a piece of land is the amount of flat space or ground that it covers, measured in square units. □  The islands cover a total area of 625.6 square kilometers.

6 N‑COUNT You can use area to refer to a particular subject or topic, or to a particular part of a larger, more general situation or activity. □  …the politically sensitive area of old age pensions.

7 N‑COUNT [usu sing] On a football pitch, the area is the same as the penalty area . [INFORMAL ]

8 → see also catchment area , disaster area , grey area , penalty area COLLOCATIONS area NOUN 1

adjective + area : residential, rural, urban; isolated, remote; deprived, disadvantaged; huge, large, vast, wide

a rea code (area codes ) N‑COUNT The area code for a particular city or region is the series of numbers that you have to dial before someone's personal number if you are making a telephone call to that place from a different area. [mainly AM ] in BRIT, use dialling code

arena /əriː nə/ (arenas )

1 N‑COUNT An arena is a place where sports, entertainments, and other public events take place. It has seats around it where people sit and watch. □  …the largest indoor sports arena in the world.

2 N‑COUNT You can refer to a field of activity, especially one where there is a lot of conflict or action, as an arena of a particular kind. □  He made it clear he had no intention of withdrawing from the political arena.

aren't ◆◆◇ /ɑː ^r nt, [AM ALSO ] ɑː rənt/

1Aren't is the usual spoken form of 'are not'.

2Aren't is the form of 'am not' that is used in questions or tags in spoken English.

Ar|gen|tine /ɑː ^r dʒənta I n/ (Argentines ) ADJ Argentine means the same as Argentinian . □  …Argentine agricultural products. ● N‑COUNT An Argentine is the same as an Argentinian .

Ar|gen|tin|ian /ɑː ^r dʒənt I niən/ (Argentinians ) ADJ Argentinian means belonging or relating to Argentina or its people. □  …the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires. ● N‑COUNT An Argentinian is someone who comes from Argentina.

ar|gon /ɑː ^r gɒn/ N‑UNCOUNT Argon is an inert gas which exists in very small amounts in the atmosphere. It is used in electric lights.

ar|got /ɑː ^r goʊ/ (argots ) N‑VAR An argot is a special language used by a particular group of people, which other people find difficult to understand. [FORMAL ] □  …the argot of teenagers. □  …footballing argot.

ar|gu|able /ɑː ^r gjuəb ^ə l/

1 ADJ If you say that it is arguable that something is true, you believe that it can be supported by evidence and that many people would agree with it. [FORMAL ] □  It is arguable that this was not as grave a handicap as it might appear.

2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] An idea, point, or comment that is arguable is not obviously true or correct and should be questioned. [FORMAL ] □  It is arguable whether he ever had much control over the real economic power.

ar|gu|ably /ɑː ^r gjuəbli/ ADV [ADV before v] You can use arguably when you are stating your opinion or belief, as a way of giving more authority to it. □  Sausages are arguably the most popular food in the country.

ar|gue ◆◆◇ /ɑː ^r gjuː/ (argues , arguing , argued )

1 VERB If one person argues with another, they speak angrily to each other about something that they disagree about. You can also say that two people argue . □ [V + with ] The committee is concerned about players' behaviour, especially arguing with referees. □ [V ] They were still arguing; I could hear them down the road. [Also V + about/over ]