Oxford Basic American Dictionary

the small things that you own that are worth a lot of money,

for example jewelry or a cell phone

You should put your valuables in the hotel safe.

Val . Ue 1 © / 'vselyu/ noun

[ count ] how much money you can sell something for The thieves stole goods with a total value of $100,000.

[ count, noncount ] how much something is worth compared with its price

The hotel is a good value, with rooms at $80 a night.

[ noncount ] how useful or important something is Their help was of great value .

values [ plural ] your beliefs about what is the right and

wrong way to behave

Do young people today have a different set of values?

val • ue 2 / ' valyu / verb ( val - ues , val - u - ing , val - ued )

1 to think that something is very important

value my freedom.

to say how much money something is worth The house was valued at $800,000.

valve / valv / noun [ count ]

( PHYSICS ) a part in a pipe or tube which lets air, liquid, or gas flow in one direction only

vam • pire / 'vampaiar / noun [ count ]

a person in stories who drinks people's blood

Vail / vsen/ noun Vclll

[count]

a kind of big car or small truck for carrying people or things

van • dal / ' vandl / noun [ count ]

a person who deliberately damages public property Vandals broke the benches in the park.

van • dal • ize / 'vandbaiz / verb ( van - dal iz es , van dal iz - ing , van - dal - ized )

to destroy or damage public property deliberately ►van • dal • ism / ' vandbizam / noun [ noncount ] Vandalism is a problem in this part of the city.

va • nil • la / va'nila / noun [ noncount ]

a substance from a plant that gives a taste to some sweet foods

vanilla ice cream

van • ish / ' vanif / verb

( van - ish - es ,van ish ing , van ished )

to go away; to stop being seen

The thief ran into the crowd and vanished.

—SYNONYM disappear

van • i • ty / ' vanati / noun [ noncount ]

being too proud of what you can do or how you look The adjective is vain .

va • por / ' veipar / noun [ count, noncount ]

( GENERAL SCIENCE ) very small drops of liquid that look like

a gas

water vapor

var • i • a • ble aw / ' veriabl /

not staying the same; often changing variable temperatures

/ |veri ' ei/n / noun

var • i • a • tion

[ count, noncount ]

a change or difference in the amount or level of something There was a lot of variation in the test scores.

var • ied1aw / ' verid / e

including a lot of different things I try to make my classes as varied as possible.

var • ied 2 aW form of vary var • ies awl" form of vary va .ri .e .ty Ф / va ' raiati /

( plural va . ri . e . ties )

[ singular ] a lot of different things There's a wide variety of dishes on the menu.

[ noncount ] the fact that you are not always doing the same things

There's a lot of variety in my new job.

[ count ] a type of something This variety of apple is very sweet.

var . i .ous © / vrrios / adjective

several different

We sell this shirt in various colors and sizes.

var • nish / ' varnif / [ noncount ]

a clear paint with no color, which you put on something to make it shine ►var • nish verb

( var . nish . es , var . nish . ing , var . nished )

The doors are then stained and varnished.

var • si • ty / ' varsati / noun [ count, noncount ] ( plural var . si . ties )

the main sports team that of a high school or college var • y Ф AWL / ' veri /verb ( var . ies, var . y . ing, var ied , has var . ied )

to be different from each other, or to change according to the situation

Class sizes vary from 8 to 15.

The price varies according to the quality.

to make something different by changing it often in some way

We try to vary the class to suit students' needs.