Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - spirit

(spirits, spiriting, spirited) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Your spirit is the part of you that is not physical and that consists of your character and feelings. The human spirit is virtually indestructible... N-SING see also kindred spirit 2. A person’s spirit is the non-physical part of them that is believed to remain alive after their death. His spirit has left him and all that remains is the shell of his body. = soul N-COUNT: usu poss N 3. A spirit is a ghost or supernatural being. ...protection against evil spirits. N-COUNT see also Holy Spirit 4. Spirit is the courage and determination that helps people to survive in difficult times and to keep their way of life and their beliefs. She was a very brave girl and everyone who knew her admired her spirit. N-UNCOUNT 5. Spirit is the liveliness and energy that someone shows in what they do. They played with spirit. N-UNCOUNT 6. The spirit in which you do something is the attitude you have when you are doing it. Their problem can only be solved in a spirit of compromise... N-SING 7. A particular kind of spirit is the feeling of loyalty to a group that is shared by the people who belong to the group. There is a great sense of team spirit among the British Olympic squad... N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft n N 8. A particular kind of spirit is the set of ideas, beliefs, and aims that are held by a group of people. ...the real spirit of the Labour movement. N-SING 9. The spirit of something such as a law or an agreement is the way that it was intended to be interpreted or applied. The requirement for work permits violates the spirit of the 1950 treaty. N-SING: the N of n 10. You can refer to a person as a particular kind of spirit if they show a certain characteristic or if they show a lot of enthusiasm in what they are doing. I like to think of myself as a free spirit... N-COUNT: usu adj N 11. Your spirits are your feelings at a particular time, especially feelings of happiness or unhappiness. At supper, everyone was in high spirits... N-PLURAL 12. If someone or something is spirited away, or if they are spirited out of somewhere, they are taken from a place quickly and secretly without anyone noticing. (WRITTEN) He was spirited away and probably murdered... His parents had spirited him away to the country... It is possible that he has been spirited out of the country. VERB: be V-ed away, V n away, be V-ed prep/adv 13. Spirits are strong alcoholic drinks such as whisky and gin. N-PLURAL 14. Spirit or spirits is an alcoholic liquid that is used as a fuel, for cleaning things, or for other purposes. There are many kinds of spirit. N-UNCOUNT see also methylated spirits, surgical spirit