Definition of 'dear'
Word forms: comparative dearer
, superlative dearest
, plural dears
2. adjective
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You use dear in expressions such as 'my dear fellow', 'dear girl', or 'my dear Richard' when you are addressing someone whom you know and are fond of. You can also use expressions like this in a rude way to indicate that you think you are superior to the person you are addressing.
[British, feelings]
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Dear is written at the beginning of a letter or email, followed by the name or title of the person you are writing
to.
6. countable noun
7. exclamation
You can use dear in expressions such as 'oh dear', 'dear me', and 'dear, dear' when you are sad, disappointed, or surprised about something.
[feelings]
8. countable noun
You can call someone a dear when you are fond of them and think that they are nice.
9. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
10.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
dear in British English
adjective
2.
3. (postpositive; foll by to)
important; close
a wish dear to her heart
4.
a.
highly priced
b.
charging high prices
6. See for dear life
exclamation
7.
adverb
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
dearness (ˈdearness) noun
Word origin
Old English dēore; related to Old Norse dӯrrWord Frequency
dear in American English
adjective
1.
much loved; beloved
2.
much valued; highly thought of; esteemed
used with a title or name as a polite form of address, as in writing letters Dear Sir
3.
adverb
5.
with deep affection
6.
at a high cost
noun
7.
a loved person; darling
often a term of affectionate address interjection
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈcostly
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
dearly (ˈdearly)
adverb
dearness (ˈdearness)
noun
Word origin
ME dere < OE deore, precious, costly, beloved, akin to Du duur, Ger teuerWord Frequency
dear in American English 1
(dɪər) (adjective -er, -est)
adjective
1.
beloved or loved
a dear friend
2.
(used in the salutation of a letter as an expression of affection or respect or as a conventional greeting)
Dear Sir
6.
charging high prices
That shop is too dear for my budget
7.
excessive; high
a dear price to pay for one's independence
noun
11.
a beloved one
12. (sometimes cap)
an affectionate or familiar term of address (sometimes offensive when used to a stranger, subordinate, etc.)
adverb
13.
dearly; fondly
14.
at a high price
That painting cost me dear
interjection
SYNONYMS 1. darling, cherished. 5. See expensive.15.
(used as an exclamation of surprise, distress, etc.)
Oh dear, what a disappointment!
Dear me! What's all that noise?
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
dearly adverb
dearness
noun
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME dere, OE dēore; c. OHG tiuri, ON dȳrr]Word Frequency
dear in American English 2
(dɪər)
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[bef. 1000; ME dere, OE dēor brave, bold, severe]Examples of 'dear' in a sentence
dear
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In other languages
dear
British English: dear
/dɪə/ ADJECTIVE
friend You use dear to describe someone or something that you feel affection for.
Mrs Cavendish is a dear friend of mine.
- American English: dear /ˈdɪər/ loved
- Arabic: عَزِيز
- Brazilian Portuguese: querido
- Chinese: 亲爱的
- Croatian: dragi
- Czech: milovaný
- Danish: kære
- Dutch: dierbaar
- European Spanish: querido
- Finnish: rakas
- French: cher aimé
- German: lieb
- Greek: αγαπητός
- Italian: caro
- Japanese: 親愛な
- Korean: 사랑하는
- Norwegian: kjær
- Polish: kochany
- European Portuguese: querido
- Romanian: drag
- Russian: дорогой
- Latin American Spanish: querido
- Swedish: kär
- Thai: ซึ่งเป็นที่รักยิ่ง
- Turkish: sevgili
- Ukrainian: любий
- Vietnamese: thân yêu
British English: dear
/dɪə/ ADJECTIVE
expensive Something that is dear costs a lot of money.
Taxis here are too dear.
- American English: pricey /ˈpraɪsi/ expensive
- Arabic: غَالٍ
- Brazilian Portuguese: custoso
- Chinese: 昂贵的
- Croatian: skup
- Czech: drahý
- Danish: dyr kostbar
- Dutch: duur
- European Spanish: caro
- Finnish: kallis
- French: cher onéreux
- German: teuer Person
- Greek: πολύτιμος
- Italian: costoso
- Japanese: 高価な expensive
- Korean: 비싼
- Norwegian: dyr kostbar
- Polish: drogi kosztowny
- European Portuguese: caro
- Romanian: scump
- Russian: дорогой
- Latin American Spanish: costoso
- Swedish: dyr
- Thai: แพง
- Turkish: pahalı
- Ukrainian: дорогий
- Vietnamese: đắt đỏ
British English: dear
NOUN /ˈdɪə/
You can call someone dear as a sign of affection.
You're a lot like me, dear.
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BIRDS
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BIRDS
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