Mass
/mæs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A large quantity or amount of something without a definite shape: A coherent, typically shapeless body of matter.
- A large number of people or things forming a group: A multitude or crowd.
- (Physics) A measure of the amount of matter in an object: A property that determines the object's resistance to acceleration and its gravitational attraction.
- (Often "the masses") The ordinary people collectively: The bulk of the population, especially the working class or common people.
- (Christianity, often capitalized) The Eucharist or Eucharistic service: The central act of worship in many Christian churches.
Adjective:
- Involving or affecting a large number of people or things: Done on a large scale.
- Formed from a collection of separate units: Aggregate, collective.
Verb:
- To gather or assemble into a mass: To come or bring together in large numbers.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- A mass of clouds darkened the sky.
- The protesters formed a dense mass in the square.
- The mass of the object was measured in kilograms.
- The film appealed to the masses.
- They attend Mass every Sunday.
Adjective:
- The country is preparing for mass vaccination.
- The report presented the mass data clearly.
Verb:
- Troops began to mass at the border.
- Dark clouds massed on the horizon.
Advanced Usage
"Critical mass": The minimum amount of something required to start or maintain a process, especially a chain reaction.
- The project needs to reach a critical mass of users to become sustainable.
"In the mass": Considered as a whole; collectively.
- Viewed in the mass, the data reveals a clear trend.
"Mass of": Used to indicate a large, often shapeless, amount.
- He was faced with a mass of paperwork.
Variants and Related Words
Massive (adj): Exceptionally large, solid, or heavy.
- They built a massive stone wall.
Massify (v): To make something accessible or common to a large population.
- Technology has massified access to information.
Massless (adj): (Physics) Having no mass.
- Photons are massless particles.
Synonyms
- Noun: Bulk, heap, pile, multitude, crowd, majority.
- Verb: Assemble, congregate, gather, accumulate.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
Mass together: To gather or cluster closely.
- The sheep massed together for warmth.
Mass up: To accumulate or pile up.
- Snow massed up against the door.
Related Idioms
"A mass of contradictions": A person or thing full of conflicting qualities or ideas.
- His personality was a mass of contradictions.
"Make a mass of": To make a mess of; to handle something badly.
- He made a mass of repairing the engine.
Adjective
- formed of separate units gathered into a mass or whole
- aggregate expenses include expenses of all divisions combined for the entire year
- the aggregated amount of indebtedness
Noun
- a sequence of prayers constituting the Christian Eucharistic rite
- the priest said Mass
- a musical setting for a Mass
- they played a Mass composed by Beethoven
- the property of something that is great in magnitude
- it is cheaper to buy it in bulk
- he received a mass of correspondence
- the volume of exports
- the common people generally
- separate the warriors from the mass
- power to the people
- a body of matter without definite shape
- a huge ice mass
- (Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
- an ill-structured collection of similar things (objects or people)
- (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
- a batch of letters
- a deal of trouble
- a lot of money
- he made a mint on the stock market
- see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos
- it must have cost plenty
- a slew of journalists
- a wad of money
- the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
Verb
- join together into a mass or collect or form a mass
- Crowds were massing outside the palace