one part of the character of something
1 characteristic [countable noun usually plural] a part of the character of something that makes it clearly different from or similar to other things
• One of the characteristics of this species is the dark blue markings on its back.
• The main characteristics of capitalism are private ownership of capital and freedom of enterprise.
share characteristics/have characteristics in common (=have similar characteristics)
• The UK shares many characteristics with other European countries.
• The two diseases have a number of characteristics in common.
2 quality [countable noun] an important part of the character of something, especially a part that is good
• There are certain qualities in Orwell's prose that I greatly admire.
• Despite its many qualities, the school simply isn't getting results.
• This wine possesses a unique quality.
a quality of
• There is a wonderful quality of innocence in these paintings.
3 property [countable noun] a characteristic that a particular substance or chemical has
• The properties of the soil influence the growth of the plants.
• We test the chemical and biological properties of the samples.
• The conducting properties of solids vary widely.
4 feature [countable noun] an important, noticeable, or interesting characteristic of something
• The hotel's most attractive feature is its magnificent view of Mount Hood.
• Patriotism was a prominent feature in Bush's election campaign.
a feature of
• Information on employment is a central feature of this training course.
5 attribute [countable noun] a characteristic of an organization or system, especially a good characteristic
• He possesses the essential attributes of a journalist.
• She spent most of the interview describing the company's attributes to me.
6 thing [countable noun usually singular] informal a characteristic of something, especially one that you like or dislike
• The thing that I really hate about this job is having to work late at night.
• All that lovely fresh air -- that's the best thing about living in the country.
7 good points/bad points [plural noun] the good or bad things about a place or thing
• The city is big and noisy, but it does have its good points too.
8 there's something about something you say this when there's something about a thing, a place, someone's behaviour etc that you like or dislike, but you're not sure exactly what it is
• There's something very strange about this whole affair.
• There was something about the place that gave me the creeps.
the things that someone owns
1 property [uncountable noun] things someone owns, especially large expensive things such as houses, land, or cars
• Some of the stolen property was discovered in an empty warehouse.
school/church/army etc property
• The boys have been charged with damaging school property.
private property
• Many state documents were considered as the officer's private property.
2 possessions [plural noun] all the things that a person owns, which they keep in their home or carry with them
• They lost all their possessions in the floods.
personal possessions
• Prisoners are allowed no personal possessions such as photographs of their families.
somebody's most treasured/cherished/prized possessions
• One of my most treasured possessions is a small book of prayers.
3 things spoken also stuff spoken informal [plural noun] things such as clothes, records, books, furniture etc that you own
somebody's things/stuff
• She always leaves her things all over the floor.
• I don't how know I'm going to fit all my stuff into the new apartment.
4 belongings [plural noun] things you own such as clothes, equipment, bags etc, especially things you take with you when you are travelling somewhere
• They packed all their belongings into the car and left the city that night.
personal belongings
• It doesn't cost much to insure your personal belongings.
5 assets [plural noun] property that a person or a company owns and which they would be able to sell if they needed money - used especially in legal or business contexts
• The company has mining assets worth 8 billion Rand.
freeze somebody's assets (=not allow them to sell them)
• The government announced that it had frozen the assets of three senior bank officials.
6 worldly goods [plural noun] all the things that you own - use this especially as a joke when you do not own much
• Two old chairs, a broken jug, and half a candle: these were all his worldly goods.
• All her worldly goods were contained in four cardboard boxes.
when someone owns something
1 belong to [transitive verb not in progressive] if something belongs to someone, they own it
• This watch belonged to my grandfather.
• Who does that Walkman belong to?
• A car believed to belong to the bank robbers was found abandoned yesterday.
2 be the property of [verb phrase] formal to belong to someone - often written on books, clothes etc to show who owns them
• This hymn book is the property of Pitt Street Methodist Church.
• If he defaults on the loan, the land will become the property of the bank.
3 be mine/yours/John's etc [verb phrase] if something is mine/yours/John's etc, it belongs to me, you, John etc
• "Hey, that's my pen!" - "Sorry! I didn't know it was yours."
• "Whose bike is that?" "It's Martin's."
• The money wasn't Sara's to lend you in the first place (=Sara didn't have the right to lend it) .
4 my/your/his etc [determiner] belonging to me, you, him etc
• Please can you move your car? It's blocking my driveway.
• I've got a problem with my dishwasher.
• My grandmother lives near your place -- just around the corner in fact.
5 your own belonging to you and not to anyone else
• You can rent skis or you can bring your own.
• Joe left the company to set up his own business.
6 of your own [adjective phrase]
a room/car/computer etc of your own
one that belongs to you and no one else, especially when this is something you want to own
• Our neighbours let us use their garage, but we really need one of our own.
• The charity provides accommodation for homeless people, and helps them find homes of their own.
7 personal [adjective only before noun] belonging only to you - used especially in official contexts
somebody's personal possessions/property/belongings
• The dead man's personal possessions were sent back to his family.
my/their etc own personal
• You can arm and disarm the alarm system using your own personal access code. |