New Words 216

move, verb, /muv/

1 CHANGE PLACE to change from one place or position to another, or to make something do this.

Please keep the doors closed while the train is moving.

‘Come on,’ Sue said. No one moved.

Could you move your car, please? It’s blocking the road.

move quickly/slowly/steadily etc

The plane moved slowly along the runway, then stopped.

move away/out/to/towards etc

He moved closer to her.

Becca moved down the steps and into the yard.

move about/around

I could hear someone moving around upstairs.

The bar was so crowded you could hardly move.

At Christmas, you couldn’t move for toys in this house (=there were a lot of toys).

Paul couldn’t move a muscle (=could not move at all) he was so scared.

pedal, noun, /'pɛdl/

1 (also bicycle pedal) one of the two parts of a bicycle that you push round with your feet to make the bicycle go forward.

2 a part in a car or on a machine that you press with your foot to control it.

She put her foot down on the accelerator pedal.

3 a part on a piano or organ that you press with your foot to change the quality of the sound.

4put/press/push the pedal to the metal(American English)

a) to drive a car, truck etc very fast

b) to work harder or faster, especially so that you can win a game.

pedal, verb, /'pɛdl/

1 to ride a bicycle → cycle, ride.

pedal up/along/down etc

Andrew pedalled up the road towards the town centre.

2 to turn or push the pedals on a bicycle or other machine with your feet.

She was pedalling furiously (=very fast).

obesity, noun, /oˈbisɪti/

when someone is very fat in a way that is unhealthy.

tend, verb, /tɛnd/

1 tend to do something if something tends to happen, it happens often and is likely to happen again.

People tend to need less sleep as they get older.

My car tends to overheat in the summer.

2 (also tend to somebody/something) (old-fashioned) to look after someone or something.

Sofia was in the bedroom tending to her son.

3tend towards something to have one particular quality or feature more than others.

Charles tends towards obesity.

4tend bar(especially American English) to work as a bartender.

5 to move or develop in a particular direction.

tend upwards/downwards

Interest rates are tending upwards.