dear
dear [dear dears dearer dearest] adjective, exclamation, noun, adverb BrE [dɪə(r)] NAmE [dɪr]
adjective (dear·er, dear·est)
1. loved by or important to sb
• He's one of my dearest friends.
•~ to sb Her daughter is very dear to her.
•They lost everything that was dear to them.
2. Dearused at the beginning of a letter before the name or title of the person that you are writing to
•Dear Sir or Madam
•Dear Mrs Jones
3. not usually before noun (BrE)expensive; costing a lot of money
• Everything's so dear now, isn't it?
Opp: ↑cheap
more at close/dear/near to sb's heart at ↑heart, for dear life at ↑life, your nearest and dearest at ↑near adj.
Word Origin:
Old English dēore, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dier ‘beloved’, also to Dutch duur and German teuer ‘expensive’.
Thesaurus:
dear adj. (written becoming old-fashioned)
•He's one of my dearest friends.
much loved • • precious • • prized • • cherished • • treasured • |informal darling • |formal beloved •
dear/precious to sb
a/sb's dear/much loved/darling/beloved daughter/son
a much loved/prized/cherished/treasured possession
dear/darling Jack/Grace, etc.
Example Bank:
•It's always good to hear from dear old Harry!
•John is a very dear friend of mine.
•St Barnabas's Church was a place that would always be dear to him.
•That one mistake has cost him dear over the years.
•The puppy was a dear little thing.
•There was a shortage of potatoes, and they became dear.
•Everything's so dear now, isn't it?
•He's one of my dearest friends.
Idioms: dear old ▪ ↑hold somebody dear
exclamation used in expressions that show that you are surprised, upset, annoyed or worried
•Oh dear! I think I've lost my purse!
•Oh dear! What a shame.
•Dear me! What a mess!
•Dear oh dear! What are you going to do now?
Word Origin:
Old English dēore, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dier ‘beloved’, also to Dutch duur and German teuer ‘expensive’.
noun
1. (BrE, informal)a kind person
•Isn't he a dear?
•Be a dear and fetch me my coat.
2. used when speaking to sb you love
•Would you like a drink, dear?
•Come here, my dear.
3. used when speaking to sb in a friendly way, for example by an older person to a young person or a child
•What's your name, dear?
compare ↑duck
Word Origin:
Old English dēore, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dier ‘beloved’, also to Dutch duur and German teuer ‘expensive’.
adverb (BrE)
at a high price
•to buy cheap and sell dear
see cost sb dear at ↑cost v.
Word Origin:
Old English dēore, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dier ‘beloved’, also to Dutch duur and German teuer ‘expensive’.
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