Oxford Business English Dictionary for Learners of English

ambiguity /,Јembi'gju:ati/ noun (plural ambiguities)

{Law) [u,C] (about a legal document) the state of having more than one possible meaning; words or phrases that can be understood in more than one way: Agreements should be drafted clearly so as to avoid ambiguity, о ambiguities in the terms of the contract

[u] the state of not being certain about the best way to do sth or to deal with sth: the ways

in which managers cope with ambiguity

ambition /eem'bijn/ noun

[C] {often used in the plural) sth that you want to achieve: He has ambitions for his group to become one of the world's top ten retailers, о She believes the new drug will help the company achieve its ambition to increase profits by 40%. о the group's global/ international ambitions

[c.u] the desire be successful, powerful, etc. in your job: We have been disappointed with your lack of ambition.

ambitious /eem'bijas/ adjective

impressive but difficult to achieve because a lot of work or effort is needed: They have an ambitious five-year plan to double the size of the business.

determined to be successful in your career: a fiercely ambitious young manager

amend /a'mend/ verb [+ obj] to make a small change to sth such as a law or legal document, especially in order to make it better or more correct: The pension plan should be amended to allow early retirement, о the company's amended tax return alter ► a'mendment noun [C,u]:7 would like to make some slight amendments to clause 3.

amenity /a'mr.nati; AmEa'menati/ noun [C, usually pi.] {pluralamenities)

a feature of sth, especially a house, hotel, etc. that makes it pleasant or more comfortable: The hotel's amenities include a gym, a terrace and two restaurants.

A'merican De positary Re ceipt noun [c] {abbr ADR)

{Stock Exchange) a certificate issued by a US bank that represents a number of shares in a foreign company and is bought and sold on stock exchanges in the US: This is the second German company to offer shares on the New

York Stock Exchange in the form ofADRs. European Depositary Receipt

A.rnerican 'Eagle = Eagle

AMEX /'eemeks/ noun [sing.] {also spelled Amex) American Stock Exchange the second largest stock exchange in the US after the New York Stock Exchange. It is based in New York and deals in the shares of new and smaller companies and many foreign organizations: At the Amex, the market value index closed at 298.25.

amortize, -ise /a'mo:taiz; AmE 'eemartaiz/ verb [+ obj]

1 {Accounting) to reduce the cost of an asset in a company's accounts over a period of time, especially an intangible asset (= one you cannot touch): Goodwill was amortized against

prof its every quarter for up to 20 years. depreciate (2), write off

19 analysis

2 (Finance) to pay back a debt by making small regular payments over a period of time ► amortizable,-isable /a'mD:taizabl; AmE 'aemart-/ adjective: the amortizable assets/costs о an amortizable loan amortization, -isation /a,mD:tai'zeiJn; AmE .aemarta'z-/ noun [U,C]: Excluding goodwill amortization, pre-tax prof its fell to $16.7 million, о The lenders agreed to an improved amortization schedule. -> depreciation, write-off

a.mortizing'loan noun [c] {Accounting) a loan which is paid back in small regular payments

amount /a'maunt/ noun, verb

noun [C,U]

see also: face amount

a quantity of money: You will receive a bill for the full amount, о The insurance company will refund any amount due to you. о Small amounts will be paid in cash.