Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: NEWSPAPERS, PUBLISHING

Language: Old English
Origin: boc

book

1 noun
     
book1 S1 W1
1

printed pages

[countable]TCN a set of printed pages that are held together in a cover so that you can read them:
I've just started reading a book by Graham Greene.
a cookery book
a special exhibition of children's books
book about/on
a book about cats
a cheap paperback book
I can't afford to buy hardback books.
2

to write in

[countable]TCN a set of sheets of paper held together in a cover so that you can write on them:
a black address book
a notebook
3

set of things

[countable] a set of things such as stamps, matches, or tickets, held together inside a paper cover:
a cheque book
4

books

[plural]
a) BBB

accounts

written records of the financial accounts of a business:
An accountant will examine the company's books.
a small firm that is having problems balancing the books (=keeping its profits and spending equal)
on the books
They have £50 billion worth of orders on the books.

➔ cook the books

at cook1 (3)
b)

jobs

BBC the names of people who use a company's services, or who are sent by a company to work for other people
on somebody's books
an agent with a lot of popular actors on his books
5

by the book

exactly according to rules or instructions:
She feels she has to go by the book and can't use her creativity.
do/play something by the book
The police were careful to do everything by the book.
6

a closed book

a subject that you do not understand or know anything about:
Chemistry is a closed book to me.
7

be in somebody's good/bad books

informal used to say that someone is pleased or annoyed with you
8

law

be on the books

if a law is on the books, it is part of the set of laws in a country, town, area etc
9

part of a book

[countable]TCN one of the parts that a very large book such as the Bible is divided into
book of
the Book of Isaiah
10

in my book

spoken said when giving your opinion:
In my book, nothing is more important than football.
11

bring somebody to book

SCL to punish someone for breaking laws or rules, especially when you have been trying to punish them for a long time:
War criminals must be brought to book.
➔ statute book

; ➔ take a leaf out of somebody's book

at leaf1 (2)

; ➔ read somebody like a book

at read1 (16)

; ➔ suit somebody's book

at suit2 (5)

; ➔ a turn-up for the book

at turn-up (2)

; ➔ throw the book at somebody

at throw1 (26)WORD FOCUS: book WORD FOCUS: book
a book about imaginary events: novel, thriller, mystery, horror story, love story, detective story, whodunit
books about imaginary events in general: fiction, science fiction, romantic fiction, crime fiction, chick lit informal
famous or important novels, poems etc : literature
books about real events: non-fiction
a book that gives information: reference book, encyclopedia, textbook
a book about someone's life: biography, autobiography, journal, diary
someone who writes books: writer, author, novelist
a book with a hard cover: hardback /hardcover American English
a book with a cover made of paper or card: paperback
Definition of book from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic NEWSPAPERS, PUBLISHING
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