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Dear Dearest Friends Adjective Bre Dɪə(R Dɪr Daughter

Word dear
WordType (adjective)
Phonetic BrE / dɪə(r) / NAmE / dɪr /
Example
  • he's one of my dearest friends.
  • her daughter is very dear to her.
  • they lost everything that was dear to them.
  • dear sir or madam
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Content

dear

(adjective)BrE / dɪə(r) / NAmE / dɪr /
  1. loved by or important to somebody
    • He's one of my dearest friends.
    • Her daughter is very dear to her.
    • They lost everything that was dear to them.
  2. used 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. expensive; costing a lot of money
    • Everything's so dear now, isn't it?
  4. having a lot of importance and interest for somebody
  5. used to describe somebody in a way that shows affection
    • Dear old Sue! I knew she'd help.
    • Their baby's a dear little thing.
  6. as hard or as fast as possible
    • She was holding on to the rope for dear life.
    • Run for your life!
  7. to care very much for somebody/something; to value somebody/something highly
    • He had destroyed everything we held dear.
  8. your close family and friends
  9. Extra Examples

    • 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.

    Word Origin

    • Old English dēore, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dier ‘beloved’, also to Dutch duur and German teuer ‘expensive’.
Copyright This card's content is collected from the following dictionaries: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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