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Definition of gravity noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

gravity

noun
 
/ˈɡrævəti/
 
/ˈɡrævəti/
[uncountable]
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  1. (abbreviation g)
    the force that attracts objects in space towards each other, and that on the earth pulls them towards the centre of the planet, so that things fall to the ground when they are dropped
    • Newton’s law of gravity
    see also centre of gravity, zero gravity
    Extra Examples
    • Gravity bends light like a lens.
    • Gravity pulls objects together.
    • The building leans so much that it seems to defy gravity.
    • The water flows from the tank by gravity to the houses below.
    • the weak gravity on the moon
    Topics Spacec1, Physics and chemistryc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • low
    • weak
    • zero
    verb + gravity
    • defy
    gravity + verb
    • pull something
    • bend something
    preposition
    • by gravity
    phrases
    • centre/​center of gravity
    • the force of gravity
    • the law of gravity
    See full entry
  2. (formal) extreme importance and a cause for worry synonym seriousness
    • I don't think you realise the gravity of the situation.
    • Punishment varies according to the gravity of the offence.
    Extra Examples
    • The threat is not being treated with the gravity it deserves.
    • Criminal law does not treat traffic offences with the gravity they deserve.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • extreme
    verb + gravity
    • appreciate
    • realize
    • understand
    preposition
    • with gravity
    See full entry
  3. (formal) serious behaviour, speech or appearance
    • They were asked to behave with the gravity that was appropriate in a court of law.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • extreme
    verb + gravity
    • appreciate
    • realize
    • understand
    preposition
    • with gravity
    See full entry
  4. see also grave1
    Word Originlate 15th cent. (in sense (2)): from Old French, or from Latin gravitas ‘weight, seriousness’, from gravis ‘heavy’. Sense (1) dates from the 17th cent.
See gravity in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee gravity in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
dizzy
adjective
 
 
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