- [countable] a living thing that grows in the earth and usually has a stem, leaves and roots, especially one that is smaller than a tree or bush
- All plants need light and water.
- flowering plants
- native/medicinal/wild plants
- a tomato/potato plant
- It's becoming more popular to grow plants organically.
- The area is home to many rare plant species.
- the animal and plant life of the area
Collocations The living worldThe living worldAnimals- animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
- fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
- birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
- insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
- insects/bees/locusts swarm
- bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
- spiders spin/weave a web
- snakes/lizards shed their skins
- bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
- insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
- an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
- attract/find/choose a mate
- produce/release eggs/sperm
- lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
- inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
- mark/enter/defend (a) territory
- stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
- trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
- a seed germinates/sprouts
- leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
- flower buds swell/open
- a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
- pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
- produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
- produce/bear fruit
- develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
- provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
- perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
- bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
- bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
- bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
- bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
- a virus enters/invades something/the body
- a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
- be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
- contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
- kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
Extra ExamplesTopics Plants and treesa1- Plants absorb carbon in the form of carbon dioxide.
- The butterfly's sole food plant is wild lupine.
- food plants of rare butterflies
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- delicate
- wild
- native
- …
- cultivate
- grow
- water
- …
- develop
- grow
- flourish
- …
- roots
- growth
- life
- …
Definitions on the go
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- [countable] a factory or place where power is produced or an industrial process takes place
- a nuclear power plant
- a processing/manufacturing plant
- Japanese car plants
- a water treatment plant
- a chemical/steel/coal plant
Synonyms factoryfactoryplant ▪ mill ▪ works ▪ yard ▪ workshop ▪ foundryThese are all words for buildings or places where things are made or where industrial processes take place.factory a building or group of buildings where goods are made, mainly by machine:- a chocolate/cigarette/clothing factory
- a nuclear power plant
- a manufacturing plant
- a cotton/paper/textile/woollen mill
- a brickworks
- a steelworks
- Raw materials were carried to the works by barge.
- a shipyard
- a car repair workshop
- an iron foundry
- a car/chemical/munitions factory/plant
- an engineering plant/works
- to manage/run a factory/plant/mill/works/yard/workshop/foundry
- to work in/at a factory/plant/mill/yard/workshop/foundry
- factory/mill/foundry owners/managers/workers
Extra ExamplesTopics Businessb1- a waste reprocessing plant
- a nuclear power plant
- a sewage (treatment) plant
- an assembly plant
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- industrial
- assembly
- manufacturing
- …
- build
- manage
- run
- …
- produce something
- manager
- [uncountable] the large machines that are used in industrial processes
- The company has been investing in new plant and equipment.
- [countable, usually singular] (informal) something that somebody has deliberately placed among another person’s clothes or possessions in order to make them appear guilty of a crime
- He claimed that the drugs found in his house were a plant.
- [countable] a person who joins a group of criminals or enemies in order to get and secretly report information about their activities
living thing
factory
machines
something illegal
person
Word OriginOld English plante ‘seedling’, plantian (verb), from Latin planta ‘sprout, cutting’ (later influenced by French plante) and plantare ‘plant, fix in a place’.
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plant