Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft adj N ] Advancement is progress in your job or in your social position. □  He cared little for social advancement.

2 N‑VAR The advancement of something is the process of helping it to progress or the result of its progress. □ [+ of ] …her work for the advancement of the status of women.

ad|van|tage ◆◆◇ /ædvɑː nt I dʒ, -væ n-/ (advantages )

1 N‑COUNT An advantage is something that puts you in a better position than other people. □ [+ over ] They are deliberately flouting the law in order to obtain an advantage over their competitors. □ [+ to ] A good crowd will be a definite advantage to me and the rest of the team.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Advantage is the state of being in a better position than others who are competing against you. □  Men have created a social and economic position of advantage for themselves over women.

3 N‑COUNT An advantage is a way in which one thing is better than another. □ [+ over ] This custom-built kitchen has many advantages over a standard one.

4 PHRASE If you take advantage of something, you make good use of it while you can. □  I intend to take full advantage of this trip to buy the things we need.

5 PHRASE If someone takes advantage of you, they treat you unfairly for their own benefit, especially when you are trying to be kind or to help them. □  He felt the church was taking advantage of her and pushing her to work too many hours.

6 PHRASE If you use or turn something to your advantage , you use it in order to benefit from it, especially when it might be expected to harm or damage you. □  The government have not been able to turn today's demonstration to their advantage. SYNONYMS advantage NOUN 3

benefit:I'm a great believer in the benefits of this form of therapy.

asset:Her leadership qualities were the greatest asset of the Conservative Party.

perk:One of the perks of being a student is cheap travel.

plus:Experience of any career in sales is a big plus.

ad|van|taged /ædvɑː nt I dʒd, -væ n-/ ADJ A person or place that is advantaged is in a better social or financial position than other people or places. □  Some cities are always going to be more advantaged.

ad|van|ta|geous /æ dvənte I dʒəs/ ADJ If something is advantageous to you, it is likely to benefit you. □ [+ to ] Free exchange of goods was advantageous to all.

ad|vent /æ dvent/ N‑UNCOUNT The advent of an important event, invention, or situation is the fact of it starting or coming into existence. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …the leap forward in communication made possible by the advent of the mobile phone.

Ad|vent N‑UNCOUNT In the Christian church, Advent is the period between Advent Sunday, the Sunday closest to the 30th of November, and Christmas Day.

ad|ven|ture /ædve ntʃə ^r / (adventures )

1 N‑COUNT If someone has an adventure , they become involved in an unusual, exciting, and rather dangerous journey or series of events. □  I set off for a new adventure in the United States.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Adventure is excitement and willingness to do new, unusual, or rather dangerous things. □  Their cultural backgrounds gave them a spirit of adventure.

ad|ve n|ture pla y|ground (adventure playgrounds ) N‑COUNT An adventure playground is an area of land for children to play in, usually in cities or in a park. It has wooden structures and equipment such as ropes, nets, and rubber tyres. [BRIT ]

ad|ven|tur|er /ædve ntʃərə ^r / (adventurers ) N‑COUNT An adventurer is a person who enjoys going to new, unusual, and exciting places.