book (books plural & 3rd person present) (booking present participle) (booked past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A book is a number of pieces of paper, usually with words printed on them, which are fastened together and fixed inside a cover of stronger paper or cardboard. Books contain information, stories, or poetry, for example.
His eighth book came out earlier this year and was an instant best-seller..., ...the author of a book on politics., ...reference books.
2 n-count A bookof something such as stamps, matches, or tickets is a small number of them fastened together between thin cardboard covers.
usu N of n
Can I have a book of first class stamps please?
3 verb When you book something such as a hotel room or a ticket, you arrange to have it or use it at a particular time.
(=reserve)
British officials have booked hotel rooms for the women and children... V n
Laurie revealed she had booked herself a flight home last night. V n n
...three-star restaurants that are normally booked for months in advance. V-ed
4 n-plural A company's or organization's books are its records of money that has been spent and earned or of the names of people who belong to it. (BUSINESS)
For the most part he left the books to his managers and accountants..., Around 12 per cent of the people on our books are in the computing industry.
5 verb When a referee books a football player who has seriously broken the rules of the game, he or she officially writes down the player's name.
League referee Keith Cooper booked him in the first half for a tussle with the goalie. V n
6 verb When a police officer books someone, he or she officially records their name and the offence that they may be charged with.
(=charge)
They took him to the station and booked him for assault with a deadly weapon. V n
7 n-count In a very long written work such as the Bible, a book is one of the sections into which it is divided.
8
→
booking
→
cheque book
→
phone book
9 If you bring someone to book, you punish them for an offence or make them explain their behaviour officially.
bring sb to book phrase V inflects
Police should be asked to investigate so that the guilty can be brought to book soon.
10 If you say that someone or something is a closed book, you mean that you do not know anything about them.
closed book phrase v-link PHR
Frank Spriggs was a very able man but something of a closed book..., Economics was a closed book to him.
11 If a hotel, restaurant, theatre, or transport service is fully booked, or booked solid, it is booked up.
fully booked/booked solid phrase v-link PHR
The car ferries from the mainland are often fully booked by February.
12 In my book means `in my opinion' or `according to my beliefs'.
in my book phrase PHR with cl
(=to my mind)
The greatest manager there has ever been, or ever will be in my book, is retiring.
13 →
to cook the books →
cook →
to take a leaf from someone's book →
leaf book in , book into phrasal verb When you book into a hotel or when you book in, you officially state that you have arrived to stay there, usually by signing your name in a register. (BRIT)
(=check in, check into) (Antonym: check out, check out of)
He was happy to book into the Royal Pavilion Hotel... V P n Today Mahoney booked himself into one of the best hotels in Sydney... V n P n, Also V p, V n P in AM, use check in, check into
address book (address books plural )
1 n-count An address book is a book in which you write people's names and addresses.
2 n-count An address book is a computer file which contains a list of e-mail addresses. (COMPUTING)
blue book (blue books plural ), Blue Book A blue book is an official government report or register of statistics.
(BRIT) n-count
book club (book clubs plural )A book club is an organization that offers books at reduced prices to its members. n-count
book value (book values plural )In business, the book value of an asset is the value it is given in the account books of the company that owns it. (BUSINESS) n-count
The insured value of the airplane was greater than its book value.
cheque book (cheque books plural )
The spellings chequebook, and in American English checkbook, are also used. A cheque book is a book of cheques which your bank gives you so that you can pay for things by cheque. n-count
coffee-table book (coffee-table books plural )A coffee-table book is a large expensive book with a lot of pictures, which is designed to be looked at rather than to be read properly, and is usually placed where people can see it easily. n-count
colouring book (colouring books plural )
in AM, use coloring book A colouring book is a book of simple drawings which children can colour in. n-count
comic book (comic books plural )A comic book is a magazine that contains stories told in pictures.
(mainly AM) n-count
(=comic)
in BRIT, usually use comic
cookery book (cookery books plural )A cookery book is the same as a cookbook.
(BRIT) n-count
course book (course books plural ), coursebook A course book is a textbook that students and teachers use as the basis of a course. n-count
e-book (e-books plural )An e-book is a book which is produced for reading on a computer screen. E-book is an abbreviation for `electronic book'. n-count
The new e-books will include a host of Rough Guide titles.
electronic book (electronic books plural )An electronic book the same as an e-book. (COMPUTING) n-count
exercise book (exercise books plural )An exercise book is a small book that students use for writing in.
(mainly BRIT) n-count
in AM, usually use notebook
guest book (guest books plural )A guest book is a book in which guests write their names and addresses when they have been staying in someone's house or in a hotel. n-count
log book (log books plural )A log book is a book in which someone records details and events relating to something, for example a journey or period of their life, or a vehicle. n-count
order book (order books plural )When you talk about the state of a company's order book or order books, you are talking about how many orders for their goods the company has.
(mainly BRIT, BUSINESS) n-count
He has a full order book for his boat-building yard on the Thames.
pension book (pension books plural )In Britain, a pension book is a small book which is given to pensioners by the government. Each week, one page can be exchanged for money at a Post Office. n-count
phone book (phone books plural )A phone book is a book that contains an alphabetical list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the people in a town or area. n-count
phrase book (phrase books plural )A phrase book is a book used by people travelling to a foreign country. It has lists of useful words and expressions, together with the translation of each word or expression in the language of that country. n-count
We bought a Danish phrase book.
picture book (picture books plural ), picture-book A picture book is a book with a lot of pictures in and not much writing. Many picture books are intended for children. n-count
prayer book (prayer books plural )A prayer book is a book which contains the prayers which are used in church or at home. n-count
rule book (rule books plural )
1 n-count A rule book is a book containing the official rules for a particular game, job, or organization.
...one of the most serious offences mentioned in the Party rule book.
2 n-count If you say that someone is doing something by the rule book, you mean that they are doing it in the normal, accepted way.
the N
This was not the time to take risks; he knew he should play it by the rule book.
school book (school books plural ), schoolbook School books are books giving information about a particular subject, which children use at school. n-count usu pl
statute book (statute books plural )Thestatute book is a record of all the laws made by the government.
(mainly BRIT) n-count the/poss N
The Bill could reach the statute book by the summer if it attracts the support of Home Office ministers...
stud book (stud books plural ), studbook A stud book is a written record of the breeding of a particular horse, especially a racehorse. n-count
telephone book (telephone books plural )The telephone book is a book that contains an alphabetical list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the people in a particular area. n-count
(=telephone directory, phone book)
