world

Universal Words noun the earth / its people 1 (the world) [sing.] the earth, with all its countries, peoples and natural features: to sail around the world * travelling (all over) the world * a map of the world * French is spoken in many parts of the world. * Which is the largest city in the world? * He's the world's highest paid entertainer. * a meeting of world leaders * campaigning for world peace 2 [C,usually sing.] a particular part of the earth; a particular group of countries or people; a particular period of history and the people of that period: the Arab world * the English-speaking world * the industrialized and developing worlds * the ancient / modern world seealsoTHEFIRSTWORLD, THENEWWORLD, THEOLDWORLD, THETHIRDWORLD another planet 3 [C] a planet like the earth: There may be other worlds out there. type of life 4 [C] the people or things belonging to a particular group or connected with a particular interest, job, etc: the animal / plant / insect world * the world of fashion * stars from the sporting and artistic worlds 5 [usuallysing.] (usually used with an adjective) everything that exists of a particular kind; a particular kind of life or existence: the natural world (= animals, plants, minerals, etc.) * the dream world of travel brochures * They are a couple in the real world as well as in the movie. * The island is a world of brilliant colours and dramatic sunsets. * They had little contact with the outside world (= people and places that were not part of their normal life). person's life 6 [sing.] a person's environment, experiences, friends and family, etc: Parents are the most important people in a child's world. * When his wife died, his entire world was turned upside down. society 7 [sing.] our society and the way people live and behave; the people in the world: We live in a rapidly changing world. * He's too young to understand the ways of the world. * The whole world was waiting for news of the astronauts. * She felt that the world was against her. * The eyes of the world are on the President. 8 (the world) [sing.] a way of life where possessions and physical pleasures are important, rather than spiritual values: monks and nuns renouncing the world seealsoOLDEWORLDE, OLD-WORLD human existence 9 [sing.] the state of human existence: this world and the next (= life on earth and existence after death) IDIOMS be all the world to sb to be loved by and very important to sb the best of both / all possible worlds the benefits of two or more completely different situations that you can enjoy at the same time: If you enjoy the coast and the country, you'll get the best of both worlds on this walk. be worlds apart to be completely different in attitudes, opinions, etc. come / go down / up in the world to become less/more important or successful in society come into the world (literary) to be born do sb/sth the world of good to make sb feel much better; to improve sth: A change of job would do you the world of good. for all the world as if / though...