{
    "term": "envelope",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "image": "data/images/st/stationery.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a flat paper container used for sending letters in, with a part that you stick down to close it",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Writing paper and envelopes are provided in your room."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a padded/prepaid envelope"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He gave her the envelope of certificates."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She quickly stuffed the money back into the envelope."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I couldn't read the address on the envelope."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He had put the letter in the wrong envelope."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She scribbled his phone number on the back of an envelope."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Please enclose a self-addressed envelope if you would like a reply."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a self-addressed stamped envelope"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The envelope was marked ‘Personal’."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The letter was suspicious, and I considered steaming open the envelope."
                },
                {
                    "text": "To apply, use the enclosed reply-paid envelope (no stamp needed)."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You don't earn much stuffing envelopes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "an envelope addressed in my mother's round handwriting"
                },
                {
                    "text": "an official-looking manila envelope"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["bulky", "fat", "thick"],
                "verb + envelope": ["open", "rip open", "slit open"],
                "envelope + verb": ["contain something", "enclose something"],
                "preposition": [
                    "in an/​the envelope",
                    "into an/​the envelope",
                    "on an/​the envelope"
                ],
                "phrases": ["the back of an envelope"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a flat container made of plastic for keeping papers in",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Each item was tagged and sealed in a plastic envelope."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to talk about planning or calculating something in a way that is not detailed, exact or complete",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We added up our savings on the back of an envelope."
                },
                {
                    "text": "**back-of-the-envelope calculations**"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to go beyond the limits of what is allowed or thought to be possible",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He is a performer who consistently pushes the envelope of TV comedy."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈenvələʊp//ˈɒnvələʊp/",
                "audio": "en/envelope/envelope__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈenvələʊp//ˈɑːnvələʊp/",
                "audio": "en/envelope/envelope__us_1_rr.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘wrapper, enveloping layer’; originally as envelope): from French enveloppe, from envelopper ‘envelop’. The sense ‘covering of a letter’ dates from the early 18th cent."
}