dear

dear

I

dear¹ S1 /dɪə $ dɪr/ interjection
Oh dear!/Dear oh dear! (also Dear me! old-fashioned) used to show that you are surprised, upset, or annoyed because something bad has happened:
    Oh dear, I’ve broken the lamp.
    ‘I think I’m getting a cold.’ ‘Dear oh dear!’

II

dear² S2 noun [countable]
1. used when speaking to someone you love:
    How did the interview go, dear?
2. spoken used when speaking in a friendly way to someone, especially someone who is much younger or much older than you. This use can sometimes sound rather patronizing:
    Can I help you, dear?
    Come along, my dear, take a seat.
3. British English spoken someone who is kind and helpful:
    Be a dear and make me a coffee.
4. old dear British English a fairly rude expression meaning an old woman

III

dear³ S2 W2 adjective (comparative dearer, superlative dearest)1. Dear used before someone’s name or title to begin a letter:
    Dear Sir or Madam, ...
    Dear Mrs. Wilson, ...
    Dear Meg, ...
2. British English expensive
   OPP  cheap:
    Cars are 59% dearer in Britain than in Europe.
3. formal a dear friend or relative is very important to you and you love them a lot:
    Mark became a dear friend.
    be dear to somebody
    His sister was very dear to him.
4. hold something dear to think that something is very important:
    Household economy was something my mother held very dear.
5. dear old ... British English spoken used to describe someone or something in a way that shows your love or liking of them
   SYN  good old:
    Here we are, back in dear old Manchester!
6. for dear life written if you run, fight, hold on etc for dear life, you do it as fast or as well as you can because you are afraid:
    She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life.
7. the dear departed British English literary a person you love who has died
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ expensive costing a lot of money: an expensive car | Apartments in the city are very expensive. | An underground train system is expensive to build.
   ▪ high costing a lot of money.You use high about rents/fees/prices/costs. Don’t use expensive with these words: Rents are very high in this area. | Lawyers charge high fees. | the high cost of living in Japan
   ▪ dear [not before noun] British English spoken expensive compared to the usual price: £3.50 seems rather dear for a cup of coffee.
   ▪ pricey /ˈpraɪsi/ informal expensive: The clothes are beautiful but pricey.
   ▪ costly expensive in a way that wastes money: Upgrading the system would be very costly. | They were anxious to avoid a costly legal battle.
   ▪ cost a fortune informal to be very expensive: The necklace must have cost a fortune!
   ▪ exorbitant /ɪɡˈzɔːbətənt, ɪɡˈzɔːbɪtənt $ -ɔːr-/ much too expensive: Some accountants charge exorbitant fees.
   ▪ astronomical astronomical prices, costs, and fees are extremely high: the astronomical cost of developing a new spacecraft | the astronomical prices which some people had paid for their seats | The cost of living is astronomical.
   ▪ overpriced too expensive and not worth the price: The DVDs were vastly overpriced.
   ▪ somebody can’t afford something someone does not have enough money to buy or do something: Most people can’t afford to send their children to private schools.

IV

dear⁴ adverb
cost somebody dear written to cause a lot of trouble and suffering for someone:
    Carolyn’s marriage to Pete cost her dear.