{
    "term": "sphere",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "academic": true,
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "image": "data/images/so/solids.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a solid figure that is completely round, with every point on its surface at an equal distance from the centre",
            "labels": "(geometry)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The Earth is not a perfect sphere."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Colours and Shapes"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "any object that is completely round, for example a ball",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "an area of activity, influence or interest; a particular section of society",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the political sphere"
                },
                {
                    "text": "This area was formerly within the **sphere of influence** of the US."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He and I moved in totally different social spheres."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Rome's sphere of influence extended across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Rome's sphere of influence extended as far as Scotland."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His work is little known outside the academic sphere."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In the novel, men and women enjoy separate spheres of action."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The matter is outside my sphere of responsibility."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The region is within the Russian sphere of influence."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Debate should be confined to the sphere of economics rather than politics."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The government had control over all spheres of life."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "domain",
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["wider", "separate", "academic"],
                "preposition": [
                    "in somebody’s/​the sphere",
                    "within somebody’s/​the sphere",
                    "outside somebody’s/​the sphere"
                ],
                "phrases": [
                    "a sphere of activity",
                    "a sphere of influence",
                    "a sphere of life"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a region that surrounds a planet, especially the earth",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "ionosphere"
                },
                {
                    "text": "atmosphere"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sfɪə(r)/",
                "audio": "sp/sphere/sphere__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sfɪr/",
                "audio": "sp/sphere/sphere__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French espere, from late Latin sphera, earlier sphaera, from Greek sphaira ‘ball’."
}