word-vault

{ "term": "principle", "partOfSpeech": "noun", "academic": true, "ox3000": true, "cefr": "b2", "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "a moral rule or a strong belief that influences your actions", "sensetop": "against your principles on principle", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "He has high **moral principles**." }, { "text": "**Stick to your principles** and tell him you won't do it." }, { "text": "I refuse to lie about it; it's against my principles.", "contextForm": "against your principles" }, { "text": "He doesn't invest in the arms industry on principle.", "contextForm": "on principle" }, { "text": "She refuses to allow her family to help her as **a matter of principle**." }, { "text": "I refuse to compromise my principles by eating meat." }, { "text": "As a man of principle, he would not cover up for his former friend." }, { "text": "As a matter of principle she won't be visiting the president." }, { "text": "I can't accept his offer without seriously compromising my principles." }, { "text": "The group never departed from its principle of non-violence." } ], "topics": ["Personal qualities"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["high", "founding", "guiding"], "verb + principle": ["abandon", "betray", "compromise"], "preposition": ["against your principles", "on principle"], "phrases": ["a matter of principle", "a man/woman of principle"] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "a law, a rule or a theory that something is based on", "sensetop": "principle of somethingprinciple of doing somethingprinciple for somethingprinciple for doing somethingprinciple behind something", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "The same **principles apply** to both humans and animals." }, { "text": "an important **legal principle**" }, { "text": "‘You learn **general principles** from studying particular things,’ he asserts." }, { "text": "the **basic principles** of car maintenance", "contextForm": "principle of something" }, { "text": "There are three **fundamental principles** of teamwork." }, { "text": "to learn the **basic/general principles** of something" }, { "text": "the **principles of justice/law**" }, { "text": "the principles and practice of writing reports", "contextForm": "principle of doing something" }, { "text": "draft principles for the management of shared natural resources", "contextForm": "principle for something" }, { "text": "a document setting out principles for resolving the dispute", "contextForm": "principle for doing something" }, { "text": "The principle behind it is very simple.", "contextForm": "principle behind something" }, { "text": "Discussing all these details will get us nowhere; we must get back to **first principles** *(= the most basic rules)*." }, { "text": "The court derived a **set of principles** from this general rule." }, { "text": "His novels reject chronology as an organizing principle." }, { "text": "She is interested in actual human relationships rather than abstract principles." }, { "text": "She went on to explain the principles behind what she was doing." }, { "text": "The house incorporates many principles of modern environmentally aware design." }, { "text": "This principle applies to all kinds of selling." } ], "topics": ["Scientific research"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["basic", "broad", "central"], "verb + principle": ["violate", "embody", "embrace"], "principle + verb": [ "apply", "underlie something", "underpin something" ], "preposition": ["in principle", "principle behind"], "phrases": [ "the pleasure principle", "the precautionary principle", "the uncertainty principle" ] } }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "a belief that is accepted as a reason for acting or thinking in a particular way", "sensetop": "principle that…in accordance with a principle", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "The welfare of the child is the **guiding principle** of the family courts." }, { "text": "They were accused of **violating the principles** of democracy." }, { "text": "The principle of equality is enshrined in the Constitution." }, { "text": "the application of the principle that men and women should receive equal pay for equal work", "contextForm": "principle that…" }, { "text": "The UN declaration sought to **establish the principle** that everyone is entitled to the same basic rights" }, { "text": "the principle that free education should be available for all children" }, { "text": "Ethical behaviour entails acting in accordance with established principles of right and wrong", "contextForm": "in accordance with a principle" }, { "text": "The order to show no mercy was contrary to the most basic principles of their religion." }, { "text": "Freedom is the founding principle of our Republic." }, { "text": "She sticks to the principle that everyone should be treated equally." }, { "text": "the principles underlying Western philosophy" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "a general or scientific law that explains how something works or why something happens", "sensetop": "principle that…in principle", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "O'Sullivan was among the first chemists to **apply** scientific **principles** to brewing beer." }, { "text": "the principle that heat rises", "contextForm": "principle that…" }, { "text": "A tidal current turbine is similar in principle to a windmill.", "contextForm": "in principle" } ], "topics": ["Scientific research"] }, { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "if something can be done in principle, there is no good reason why it should not be done although it has not yet been done and there may be some difficulties", "examples": [ { "text": "In principle there is nothing that a human can do that a machine might not be able to do one day." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "in general but not in detail", "examples": [ { "text": "They have agreed to the proposal in principle but we still have to negotiate the terms." }, { "text": "I agree with you in principle, but we'll need to discuss the details." } ] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/ˈprɪnsəpl/", "audio": "pr/principle/principal__gb_3.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/ˈprɪnsəpl/", "audio": "pr/principle/principle__us_2.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin principium ‘source’, principia (plural) ‘foundations’, from princeps, princip- ‘first, chief’." }