{
    "term": "weaken",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "weaken",
            "heSheIt": "weakens"
        },
        "pastSimple": "weakened",
        "pastParticiple": "weakened",
        "ingForm": "weakening"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to make somebody/something less strong or powerful; to become less strong or powerful",
            "sensetop": "weaken (somebody/something)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The team has been weakened by injury."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The new evidence weakens the case against her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This new story has severely weakened the President’s position."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His authority is steadily weakening."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The British pound continued to weaken against the dollar."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The division of Germany had served to weaken the party."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The military was badly weakened by the sanctions."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The regime was fatally weakened by the unrest and violence."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a move designed to weaken the rebels"
                },
                {
                    "text": "exchange rates that dramatically weakened the dollar"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["considerably", "greatly", "seriously"],
                "verb + weaken": ["begin to", "start to", "continue to"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to make something less physically strong; to become less physically strong",
            "sensetop": "weaken (something)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The explosion had weakened the building's foundations."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His health was weakened by overwork."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She felt her legs weaken."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The explosion had weakened the building's foundations considerably."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She felt her legs weaken further as she climbed higher up the slope."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He began to weaken as his opponent continued the onslaught."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Health problems"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["considerably", "greatly", "seriously"],
                "verb + weaken": ["begin to", "start to", "continue to"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to become or make somebody become less determined or certain about something",
            "sensetop": "weaken something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You must not agree to do it. Don't weaken."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Nothing could weaken his resolve to continue.",
                    "contextForm": "weaken something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The judgement serves to weaken public confidence in the courts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She felt herself beginning to weaken in the face of his persuasion."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Doubt, guessing and certainty"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to become less strong",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The storm eventually weakened."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to become less strong; to make a currency or economy less strong",
            "sensetop": "weaken (against something)weaken something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The dollar has weakened against the euro.",
                    "contextForm": "weaken (against something)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "measures that could weaken the economy",
                    "contextForm": "weaken something"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkən/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weaken__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkənz/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weakens__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkənd/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weakened__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkənɪŋ/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weakening__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkən/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weaken__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkənz/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weakens__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkənd/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weakened__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwiːkənɪŋ/",
                "audio": "we/weaken/weakening__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": null
}