- something that is not usually available but is provided for a particular purpose or on one occasion
- an election-night special on television
- The menu changes regularly and there are daily specials to choose from.
Extra ExamplesTopics Cooking and eatingc2- Eric Sykes returned with this one-off special for ITV.
- The restaurant has an extensive menu and daily specials.
- There are lots of TV Christmas specials for children this year.
- the Dick Van Dyke Show reunion special
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- daily
- television
- TV
- …
- (informal, especially North American English) a price for a particular product in a shop or restaurant that is lower than usual
- There's a special on coffee this week.
Word OriginMiddle English: shortening of Old French especial ‘especial’ or Latin specialis, from species ‘appearance’, from specere ‘to look’.
Idioms
See special in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryon special
- (especially North American English) on sale at a lower price for a short period of time
- The chocolates were on special at my local store.
- You can often find them on special.
Check pronunciation:
special