it's a pity meaning, it's a pity definition | English Cobuild dictionary

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pity
( pities 3rd person present) ( pitying present participle) ( pitied past tense & past participle )

1       n-uncount   If you feel pityfor someone, you feel very sorry for them.
oft N for n
He felt a sudden tender pity for her..., She knew that she was an object of pity among her friends.
  →   self-pity

2 verb If you pity someone, you feel very sorry for them.
I don't know whether to hate or pity him. V n

3 n-sing If you say that it is a pity that something is the case, you mean that you feel disappointment or regret about it.
a N, oft it v-link N that/to-inf (feelings) It is a great pity that all pupils in the city cannot have the same chances..., It seemed a pity to let it all go to waste.

4 n-uncount If someone shows pity, they do not harm or punish someone they have power over.
One should avoid showing too much pity...

5    If you take pity on someone, you feel sorry for them and help them.
♦ take pity on someone      phrase   V inflects
No woman had ever felt the need to take pity on him before.

self-pity
Self-pity is a feeling of unhappiness that you have about yourself and your problems, especially when this is unnecessary or greatly exaggerated.      n-uncount
  (disapproval)    Throughout, he showed no trace of self-pity.

Translation English Cobuild Collins Dictionary

Collaborative Dictionary English Cobuild


it's a piece of cake	exp.	something is easy to do
it's got bits in it	n.	means a liquid is not clear: this tea's got bits in it, I don't like yogurt with bits in it	assez proche de l'idée de 'il y a à boire et à manger'
It's as broad as it is long	exp.	Used to express that it is impossible to decide between two options because they're equal	English expression
pocket call	n.	it's a unintended call which happens when the keys are not blocked in one's pocket
emoji	n.	a small digital image or icon used to express or convey an idea, a mood or an emotion in electronic communication. It's a loanword from japoneese coming from e 'picture'+ moji 'letter, character'.	[Internet] Althoug being coincidental, the resemblance of the term 'emoji' to the english word 'emoticon' (a facial expression composed of keyboard characters, such as :-)) helps its memorability. 😊
shovel list	n.	"It's a list of all the people and things I hate so much I want to hit them in the face with a shovel." Concept coming from the Marian Keyes novel, The Mystery of Mercy Close (2012).
MBWA	n.	management by walking/wandering around; it's a form of management based on frequent informal visits to the subordinates'work area and direct interaction with them	[Bus.]
it’s all Greek to me	id.	phrase used to qualify something appearing to you incomprehensible or hard to understand	According to Albert, this partial differential equation was beautiful, harmonious, speaking louder than any words while it was all Greek to me and just looked like fly droppings on a sheet of paper!
it sucks	exp.	it's disgusting ; the object or situation your refer to is really bad	[Fig.];[Slang]
in the air	exp.	When something is 'in the air', it means something exciting or significant is taking place or about to happen. Ex.: Spring is in the air - it's time for change!
! au sec	adj.	used in the process of sauce making: a liquid is reduced until it's nearly dry	[Gastr.]
bubblegum light	n.	vintage light on police car, i.e. a single dome with rotating lights inside. Thus nicknamed because of it's resemblance with bubblegum machines.	[US];[Coll.] Syn. bubble gum machine, gumball machine.
hold your horses!	exp.	it's said for determining someone to calm down, be patient, control his/her reactions
no-go neighborhood	exp.	neighborhood considered dangerous, where it's not recommended to go, especially as an outsider
zigged before you zagged	exp.	it's said when someone has done things in the wrong order

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