Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

1 ADJ Someone or something that is vibrant is full of life, energy, and enthusiasm. □  Tom felt himself being drawn towards her vibrant personality. □  Orlando itself is vibrant, full of affordable accommodation and great places to eat. ●  vi|bran|cy /va I brənsi/ N‑UNCOUNT □  She was a woman with extraordinary vibrancy and extraordinary knowledge.

2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Vibrant colours are very bright and clear. □  Horizon Blue, Corn Yellow and Pistachio Green are just three of the vibrant colours in this range. ●  vi|brant|ly ADV [ADV adj] □  …a selection of vibrantly coloured cast-iron saucepans.

vi|bra|phone /va I brəfoʊn/ (vibraphones ) N‑COUNT A vibraphone is an electronic musical instrument which consists of a set of metal bars in a frame. When you hit the bars they produce ringing notes that last for some time.

vi|brate /va I bre I t, [AM ] va I bre I t/ (vibrates , vibrating , vibrated ) VERB If something vibrates or if you vibrate it, it shakes with repeated small, quick movements. □ [V ] The ground shook and the cliffs seemed to vibrate. □ [V n] The noise vibrated the table. ●  vi|bra|tion /va I bre I ʃ ^ə n/ (vibrations ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] The vibrations of the vehicles rattled the shop windows.

vi|bra|to /v I brɑː toʊ/ (vibratos ) N‑VAR Vibrato is a rapidly repeated slight change in the pitch of a musical note. Singers and musicians use vibrato to make the music sound more emotional. □  I encourage oboe and clarinet players to use plenty of vibrato.

vi|bra|tor /va I bre I tə ^r , [AM ] va I bre I tər/ (vibrators ) N‑COUNT A vibrator is an electric device which vibrates. It is used in massage to reduce pain, or to give sexual pleasure.

vic|ar /v I kə ^r / (vicars )

1 N‑COUNT A vicar is an Anglican priest who is in charge of a church and the area it is in, which is called a parish. [mainly BRIT ]

2 N‑COUNT A vicar is a priest who is in charge of a chapel that is associated with a parish church in the Episcopal Church in the United States. [AM ]

vic|ar|age /v I kər I dʒ/ (vicarages ) N‑COUNT A vicarage is a house in which a vicar lives. [BRIT ]

vi|cari|ous /v I keə riəs, [AM ] va I kæ r-/ ADJ [ADJ n] A vicarious pleasure or feeling is experienced by watching, listening to, or reading about other people doing something, rather than by doing it yourself. □  She invents fantasy lives for her own vicarious pleasure. ●  vi|cari|ous|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □  …a father who lived vicariously through his sons' success.

vice ◆◇◇ /va I s/ (vices )

1 N‑COUNT A vice is a habit which is regarded as a weakness in someone's character, but not usually as a serious fault. □  Intellectual pretension was never one of his vices.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Vice refers to criminal activities, especially those connected with pornography or prostitution. □  He said those convicted of offences connected with vice should be deported.

3 N‑COUNT A vice is a tool with a pair of parts that hold an object tightly while you do work on it. [BRIT ] in AM, use vise

PREFIX vice-

is used before a rank or title to indicate that someone is next in importance to the person who holds the rank or title mentioned. For example, the vice-president of a country is a senior political leader who has a position that is immediately below that of the president.

vice-cha ncellor (vice-chancellors )

1 N‑COUNT In a British university, the vice-chancellor is the person in charge of academic and administrative matters.

2 N‑COUNT In an American university, the vice-chancellor is the person next in rank below the chancellor, who acts as the chancellor's deputy or substitute.