season
[noun]
Synonyms:
- period, spell, term, time
[verb]
Synonyms:
- flavour, enliven, pep up, salt, spice

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Related Words: period, term, discipline, school, train, fit, prepare, case harden, steel

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English Thesaurus: beat, defeat, trounce, thrash, wipe the floor with somebody, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Season, the
⇒ London Season

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. sea‧son¹ S2 W1 /ˈsiːzən/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: saison, from Latin satio 'act of planting seeds', from serere 'to sow']

1. TIME OF YEAR [countable] one of the main periods into which a year is divided, each of which has a particular type of weather. The seasons are spring, summer, autumn, and winter:
the effect on plants as the seasons start to change

2. USUAL TIME FOR SOMETHING [countable usually singular] a period of time in a year during which a particular activity takes place, or during which something usually happens:
the first game of the season
the football/cricket etc season
the end of the football season
the racing/fishing/hunting etc season
The racing season starts in June.
Some footpaths are closed during the shooting season.
out of season (=when an activity is not allowed)
He was caught fishing out of season.
season for
The season for strawberries (=when they are available to buy) usually starts in early June.
the rainy/wet/dry season (=the time when it rains a lot or does not rain at all)
African rivers turn to hard mud during the dry season.
the growing/planting etc season
The planting season is in spring, with harvest in the fall.

3. HOLIDAY [singular, uncountable] the time of the year when most people take their holidays
high/peak season (=the busiest part of this time)
There are two boat trips a day, more in high season.
low/off season (=the least busy part of this time)
An off-season break costs £114.
out of season
It’s quieter out of season.
tourist season (also holiday season )British English:
We arrived at the height of the tourist season (=the busiest time).
the holiday season American English (=Thanksgiving to New Year, including Christmas, Hanukkah etc)
the festive season British English (=Christmas and New Year)

4. FASHION [singular] the time in each year when new styles of clothes, hair etc are produced and become fashionable:
This season’s look is fresh and natural.

5. be in/out of season vegetables and fruit that are in season are cheap and easily available because it is the time of year when they are ready to eat. If they are out of season, they are expensive or not available:
Vine tomatoes are in season from April to October.

6. FILMS, PLAYS ETC [countable usually singular] a series of films, plays, television programmes etc that are shown during a particular period of time
season of
a new season of comedy on BBC1
summer/fall etc season
The network has several new dramas lined up for the fall season.
Glyndebourne’s season opens with a performance of Tosca.

7. ANIMALS [singular] the time of the year when animals are ready to have sex
the mating/breeding season
Their dog was coming into season.

8. season’s greetings written used on cards to tell someone you hope they have a happy Christmas, Hanukkah etc

9. the season of goodwill old-fashioned the time around Christmas
⇒ close season, open season, silly season

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. season² verb [transitive]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: assaisoner 'to ripen, season', from saison; ⇒ season¹]

1. to add salt, pepper etc to food you are cooking
season something with something
Season the chicken with pepper.
Mix and season to taste (=add the amount of salt etc that you think tastes right).

2. to prepare wood for use by gradually drying it

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

season
noun
I. of the year
ADJ. dry, monsoon, rainy, wet In this climate there are no real changes of temperature, just a wet and a dry season.
summer, winter, etc.
VERB + SEASON be in, come into Melons are just coming into season.
be out of, go out of

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

season
II. period when an activity takes place
ADJ. holiday, tourist | high, peak The resort gets overcrowded in peak season.
low, off The hotel is almost empty in the off season.
breeding, mating | growing, planting | lambing | cricket, football, hunting, racing, etc. | championship, league | gruelling, hard It was the final race of a hard season.
successful | disappointing, disastrous | close The team trained hard during the close season and won its first five matches.
consecutive, successive Our team won the trophy for the second successive season.
Christmas, festive best wishes for the festive season
SEASON + NOUN ticket Season ticket holders do not have to queue.
PHRASES the height of the season

NOTE seasons

have ~    Perhaps we will have a good summer this year. spend summer/winter    I spent the winter indoors. ~ approach    The days become shorter and temperatures drop as autumn approaches. ~ arrive, begin, come    Autumn arrived early that year. winter sets in    The aid must reach the refugees before winter sets in. summer/winter pass, wear on, (come to an) end    As the summer wore on food became scarce. ~ months summer/winter period spring/summer/winter time (also springtime, etc.)    The museum is open daily during the summer months.    It was springtime and the slopes were ablaze with almond blossoms. ~ day/morning/night, etc.    It's hard to sleep on hot summer nights. during/in (the) ~    The wood is carpeted with bluebells in spring. over the summer/winter    The repairs will be carried out over the summer. through/throughout (the) ~    The meat is salted so it keeps through the winter. for (the) ~    She's gone to Ireland for the summer. the ~ of 2001, etc.    The winter of 2001 was especially cold. a summer's/winter's day/morning/night, etc.    a lazy summer's day all summer/winter long    It rained all summer long. the height of summer the depths of winter    He always wore a short-sleeved shirt, even in the depths of winter.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

season
verb
ADV. well
PREP. with Season the meat well with salt and pepper.
PHRASES highly seasoned highly seasoned food

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

season

a good/successful season
The club has had another successful season.
a poor/disappointing season
It's been a disappointing season for Arsenal.
the football/cricket etc season
The football season will be starting soon.
the hunting/shooting/fishing season
Autumn was traditionally the hunting season.
the holiday season (=when most people go on holiday)
The roads are always busy during the holiday season.
the tourist season (=when a lot of tourists visit an area)
It's almost impossible to get a hotel room in the tourist season.
the rainy/wet/dry season (=when the weather is rainy, wet, dry etc)
In the rainy season, roads became a quagmire.
the growing/planting etc season (=for growing or planting crops)
The growing season is short in these mountainous areas.
the festive season (=the period around Christmas)
More people are choosing to go abroad for the festive season.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat to get more points, votes etc than someone. Beat is used especially in spoken English:
We should have beaten them easily.
I always beat my brother at tennis.
defeat to beat someone. Defeat is more formal than beat and is used especially in writing:
England were defeated by 2 goals to 1.
Bush defeated Kerry in the election.
trounce /traʊns/ to defeat someone completely in a game:
They were trounced 20–0 by Kuwait.
thrash British English informal, cream American English informal to beat someone very easily in a game:
Of course, they totally creamed the other team.
I hope we thrash them!
wipe the floor with somebody informal to beat someone completely in a game or argument:
She wiped the floor with her opponent in the debate.
They won a £1,000 prize after wiping the floor with the opposition in a bowling competition.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
tired feeling that you want to sleep or rest:
I was really tired the next day.
the tired faces of the children
exhausted extremely tired:
I was exhausted after the long trip home.
He sat down, exhausted.
She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard:
With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time:
weary travellers
a weary sigh
He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
fatigued formal very tired:
They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.
Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone:
Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired:
I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.
I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use - do not use it in polite conversation:
By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired:
When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep:
I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
They chopped down the old tree.
finely chopped onion
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
fuse to combine different styles in order to form a new style:
The band fuses African rhythms with traditional Celtic music.
jumble to mix things together in an untidy way, so that they are not in any order:
The jigsaw pieces were all jumbled together in the box.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

season
ˈsi:zn
See: high season , in season , low season , out of season

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲