weak /wiːk/ ●●● S3 W2 adjectiveadj → week1 physical 身体上的WEAK not physically strong 虚弱的,不强壮的 The illness left her feeling weak. 疾病使她感到身体虚弱。
Poor light produces weak plants. 光照不足,植物就生长不好。
be too weak to do something She’s too weak to feed herself. 她虚弱得吃不动东西。
weak with/from Nina was weak with hunger. 尼娜饿得没有力气。
The animal was weak from loss of blood. 那只动物因失血而虚弱无力。
weak heart/lungs etc My grandfather had a weak heart. 我祖父心脏不好。
2 likely to break 易破的TBCTEC unable to support much weight 不牢固的,易破的,易损坏的too weak to do something The branch was too weak to support his weight. 那根树枝不牢,支撑不住他的重量。
3 character 性格DECIDE easily influenced by other people – used to show disapproval 意志薄弱的,软弱的〔含贬义〕 a weak indecisive man 软弱而优柔寡断的男人
4 without power 无权力的POWER not having much power or influence 无权力的;无影响力的weak leader/ruler/king etc a weak and ineffective president 软弱无能的总统
The party was left weak and divided. 这个党被弄得软弱无力,四分五裂。
The country is in a weak position economically. 那个国家经济实力薄弱。
5 without interest 无吸引力的EFFECTIVE without the power to interest or amuse people 没有吸引力的,不逗人的 The play is well acted but the plot is weak. 戏演得很好,但情节乏味。
6 without energy 缺乏活力的 done without energy or confidence 无活力的,无生气的;没有自信的 He managed a weak smile. 他挤出一丝淡淡的微笑。
7 not good at doing STH 不擅长做某事的BAD AT not good at a particular skill or subject, or in a particular area of activity or knowledge 不擅长的,能力弱的,差的weak in New Zealand was weak in defence. 新西兰队防守薄弱。
weak on She speaks quite fluently but she’s weak on grammar. 她说得挺流利,不过语法不好。
Be honest about your weak points (=your faults or the things you do not do well). 要对自己的弱点实事求是。
8 money 金钱PEBF not financially successful 疲软的,萧条的weak currency/economy etc The pound was weak against the dollar. 英镑对美元的汇率疲软。
9 argument/idea 论点/观点 not likely to make people believe that something is true or right 没有说服力的,不能说服人的 She’s washing her hair? That sounds like a weak excuse! 她在洗头?这个理由也太牵强了!
There are some weak points in her argument. 她的论点有几处漏洞。
The defence lawyer clearly knew that his case was weak. 辩护律师心里清楚,他的论据没有说服力。
10. drink 饮料DFDLIQUID weak tea, beer etc contains a lot of water and has little taste 稀薄的;味淡的 OPP strong 11 light/sound 光线/声音CCC difficult to see or hear 暗淡的;微弱的 SYN faint a weak radio signal 微弱的无线电信号
He had only a weak light to see by. 他只能靠一线微弱的灯光来看东西。
12 weak points/spots the parts of something that can easily be attacked or criticized 薄弱环节;弱点 Check your house for weak spots where a thief could enter. 检查一下你的房子,看有没有容易让小偷溜进来的地方。
13 weak at the knees WEAKfeeling strange because of strong emotions 两腿发软的 His smile made her go weak at the knees. 他的微笑让她两腿发软。
weak at the knees• A quick bit of mental arithmetic was enough to make Chrissy weak at the knees.• Now we know the real meaning of going weak at the knees.• Or we would shower in our bathroom, whose tiles and design would make Martha Stewart weak at the knees.• Pain and nausea swept over him in waves that left him hot and sticky and weak at the knees.• The idea makes me feel weak at the knees.• Instead, here she was, going weak at the knees like an adolescent schoolgirl. 14 weak moment PERSUADEa time when you can be persuaded more easily than usual 意志薄弱的时刻 Dave caught me at a weak moment and I lent him £10. 戴夫正好碰到我心软的时候,我就借了他10英镑。
weak moment• For a weak moment she almost relented.• Indeed there are no really weak moments vocally, although I am not convinced by the style of all the vocal cadenzas. 15 the weak/weakest link the person or thing in a situation that is less strong, skilful etc than the others 薄弱环节/最薄弱的一环 Goalkeeper Gouter proved to be the weakest link. 守门员古特成了最薄弱的一环。
17. weak consonant/syllable one that is not emphasized 弱辅音/弱音节 —weakly adverbadv ‘I’m sorry, ’ she said, smiling weakly. “对不起。”她淡淡地笑着说。
He sank down weakly beside her. 他虚弱地在她旁边坐了下来。
THESAURUSnot physically strong 身体不好的weak not physically strong, sometimes because you are ill 〔有时因生病〕虚弱的Tom’s had flu and he’s still feeling weak. 汤姆得了感冒,仍觉得身体虚弱。
The doctors said she was too weak to have an operation. 医生说她太虚弱,不能动手术。
nHe suffered constantly from a weak chest.
frail weak and thin, especially because you are old 〔尤因年迈〕瘦弱的,衰弱的a frail 85-year-old lady 一位虚弱的85岁老妇
My grandfather’s becoming quite frail now. 我爷爷现在已经很虚弱了。
shaky feeling weak in your legs and only able to walk slowly and unsteadily 摇摇晃晃的,步履不稳的When I came out of hospital I was a bit shaky for a while. 我出医院时有一阵子感到有点站立不稳。
puny /ˈpjuːni/ especially disapproving small, thin, and looking very weak 瘦小的,孱弱的his puny white arms 他白白的细胳膊
He was a puny little boy who was often bullied at school. 他是个瘦小的男孩,在学校里常被人欺负。
feeble especially written weak and unable to do much because you are very ill, very old or very young 〔因病重、年迈或幼小〕虚弱的For a week she was too feeble to get out of bed. 她有一个星期虚弱得起不了床。
a tiny, feeble baby 一个弱不禁风的娇小婴儿
delicate weak and often becoming ill easily 娇弱的,易病的She had rather a delicate constitution (=her body easily became ill). 她身体很娇弱。
infirm formal weak or ill for a long time, especially because you are old 〔尤因年迈〕体弱多病的a residential home for people who are elderly and infirm 供老年体弱者居住的安老院
nThere are special facilities for wheelchair users and infirm guests.
nmalnourished formal weak or ill because you have not had enough good food to eatHalf a million people there are severely malnourished.
The organization provides emergency feeding for malnourished children.
likely to break 可能断裂的weak unable to support much weight, and likely to break 不牢固的,易损坏的The foundations of the building are rather weak. 这幢建筑的地基很不坚固。
an old chair with weak legs 一张椅腿不牢固的旧椅子
fragile made of a thin material that is easy to break or damage – used when something needs to be handled carefully 易碎的,易损坏的〔用于表示某物需要小心轻放〕a fragile china vase 易碎的瓷花瓶
Be careful of those glasses – they’re very fragile. 当心这些杯子,它们很容易碎的。
delicate easy to break or damage – used especially about soft materials, skin etc 〔尤指柔软的面料、皮肤等〕易损的,易碎的Wash delicate fabrics separately. 精细织物要分开洗涤。
This soap is good for delicate skin. 这种肥皂对娇嫩的皮肤很好。
flimsy not well-made from strong materials and so easily damaged – used about furniture, houses etc 〔家具、房屋等〕劣质的,不结实的,易损坏的a flimsy plastic table 一张劣质的塑料桌
This keyboard’s very cheap but it’s a bit flimsy. 这键盘很便宜,但不结实。
rickety /ˈrɪkəti/ in very bad condition and likely to break – used about a building, piece of furniture, vehicle etc 〔建筑物、家具、车辆等〕不结实的,易折断的a rickety old bicycle 快要散架的旧自行车
He lived in a rickety hut on the beach for several years. 他在海滩上一间摇摇欲坠的小屋子里住了几年。
weak heart/lungs etc• Because our usual enzymes can not tackle this large molecule, its presence may cause problems for people with weak hearts.• He also learned that Sir Charles believed these supernatural stories, and that he had a weak heart.• However, this often happens with deaths which are caused by weak hearts.• The nymph attempted a final arabesque but the effort proved too much for her weak heart.• My grandfather had a weak heart, and he died in this way.• A weak heart, another Vandervort inheritance, like the table and the portrait.• Sir Charles' weak heart had failed, and this had caused his death. too weak to do something• She was too weak to get out of bed by herself, but she might be calling Lester to help her.• He threw out no sounding parties too weak to guarantee their own safety, and he lost none of them.• First the active male adults were fed because if they were too weak to hunt, nobody would eat.• Industrialists reacted favourably to the measures, although many considered them too weak to improve competitiveness and cool the economy.• For a moment he felt weak and helpless, too weak to move.• One afternoon she realized that her friend was too weak to prepare his own meals.• A few cuts of sun break through the roof and walls but once there they are too weak to shift for themselves.• They'd been out of action because the church's spire was too weak to support them. weak position• A desperate seller is in a weak position.• It might seem, then, that the anti-realist is in a peculiarly weak position.• Parliament, however, has a far weaker position.• In fact the western Empire was probably in a much weaker position after 406 than the sources suggest.• Khrushchev was in the weaker position at home, since Eisenhower was almost immune to criticism, especially on military matters.• De Gaulle needed the Big Lie to help build up his otherwise weak position in the eyes of the allies.• Politically such change will almost certainly reduce even further the already weak position of high need interests.• The Bruins appear to have strengthened their weakest position, the secondary. weak smile• Bob gives me a weak smile.• She gave me a weak smile and a fluttery little wave.• Instead he gave a weak smile and fingered the locket, through the cloth of his lapels.• He gave me a weak smile and hiked his chest protector up to his nose.• He gives me a weak smile, the smile of a ma1n who knows he has been a fool. weak points• What are his strong and weak points?• We examined our weak points, and turned them into strengths.• However, in most of these, effusive approval is showered upon her, and her weak points are minimized.• Positive interpretation of weaknesses Be honest about assessing your weak points as well.• Scattered in pursuit, they provided perfect weak points for our counterattack.• And for my weaker points I put that um, communication, hot tempered, and I am very stressful.• That is why molecular studies designed to find the weak points in the viral attack must continue, Trono said.• He had not dealt with the bishop's weak points nor, according to Hooker, had he carried the audience with him. weak currency/economy etc• It builds in and reinforces their dominance, but it damages the weaker economies.• Rates may continue to fall, but earnings will have a tough time climbing in a weak economy.• The debt burden is weighing more and more heavily on the weakest economies.• While governments dither, funds leave those countries with weak currencies and go to those countries with strong currencies.• This could not support weak currencies indefinitely.• A weaker economy means inflation is less likely to eat into the value of bonds' interest and principal payments.• Attention on world money markets then switched to the next weakest currency - the pound.• That will lead them to seek weaker currencies to boost their exports, traders said. weak points• What are his strong and weak points?• We examined our weak points, and turned them into strengths.• However, in most of these, effusive approval is showered upon her, and her weak points are minimized.• Positive interpretation of weaknesses Be honest about assessing your weak points as well.• Scattered in pursuit, they provided perfect weak points for our counterattack.• And for my weaker points I put that um, communication, hot tempered, and I am very stressful.• That is why molecular studies designed to find the weak points in the viral attack must continue, Trono said.• He had not dealt with the bishop's weak points nor, according to Hooker, had he carried the audience with him.
weak light• Mrs Vanya turned on a weak light, and motioned for me to sit. From Longman Business Dictionary
weakweak /wiːk/ adjectiveadjFINANCE1if markets, investments, currencies etc are weak, their prices are fallingThe company reported a loss of C$16 million, mostly because ofweak metalsprices.
Theweak dollar has made many US products cheaper than those from Japan.
Revenue continued to decline in theweak economy.
2if a company is weak, it is not strong or successful financiallyOurweak financial position will force us to merge with our rivals.
The Club in Mayfair is considered the weakest of the three casinos because it has the heaviest debt load.