worse ◆◇◇ /wɜː r s/
1 Worse is the comparative of bad .
2 Worse is the comparative of badly .
3 Worse is used to form the comparative of compound adjectives beginning with 'bad' and 'badly.' For example, the comparative of 'badly off' is 'worse off'.
4 PHRASE If a situation goes from bad to worse , it becomes even more unpleasant or unsatisfactory. □ For the past couple of years my life has gone from bad to worse.
5 PHRASE If a situation changes for the worse , it becomes more unpleasant or more difficult. □ The grandparents sigh and say how things have changed for the worse.
6 PHRASE If a person or thing is the worse for something, they have been harmed or badly affected by it. If they are none the worse for it, they have not been harmed or badly affected by it. □ Father came home from the pub very much the worse for drink. □ They are all apparently fit and well and none the worse for the fifteen hour journey.
7 for better or worse → see better
wors|en /wɜː r sən/ (worsens , worsening , worsened ) VERB If a bad situation worsens or if something worsens it, it becomes more difficult, unpleasant, or unacceptable. □ [V ] The security forces had to intervene to prevent the situation worsening. □ [V n] These options would actually worsen the economy and add to the deficit. □ [V -ing] They remain stranded in freezing weather and rapidly worsening conditions.
wor|ship /wɜː r ʃ I p/ (worships , worshipping , worshipped ) in AM, use worshiping , worshiped 1 VERB If you worship a god, you show your respect to the god, for example by saying prayers. □ [V n] I enjoy going to church and worshipping God. □ [V ] …Jews worshipping at the Wailing Wall. ● N‑UNCOUNT Worship is also a noun. □ St Jude's church is a public place of worship. ● wor|ship|per (worshippers ) N‑COUNT □ At the end of the service, scores of worshippers streamed down to the altar.
2 VERB If you worship someone or something, you love them or admire them very much. □ [V n] She had worshipped him for years.
wor|ship|ful /wɜː r ʃ I pfʊl/ ADJ [ADJ n] If someone has a worshipful attitude to a person or thing, they show great respect and admiration for them. □ …Franklin's almost worshipful imitation of his cousin.
worst ◆◇◇ /wɜː r st/
1 Worst is the superlative of bad .
2 Worst is the superlative of badly .
3 N‑SING The worst is the most unpleasant or unfavourable thing that could happen or does happen. □ Though mine safety has much improved, miners' families still fear the worst. □ [+ of ] The country had come through the worst of the recession.
4 Worst is used to form the superlative of compound adjectives beginning with 'bad' and 'badly'. For example, the superlative of 'badly-affected' is 'worst-affected'.
5 PHRASE You say worst of all to indicate that what you are about to mention is the most unpleasant or has the most disadvantages out of all the things you are mentioning. □ I felt tired and depleted, but worst of all I felt all my confidence drop away.
6 PHRASE You use at worst or at the worst to indicate that you are mentioning the worst thing that might happen in a situation. □ At best Nella would be an invalid; at worst she would die.
7 PHRASE When someone is at their worst , they are as unpleasant, bad, or unsuccessful as it is possible for them to be. □ This was their mother at her worst. She was ready to be angry at anyone.
8 PHRASE You use if the worst comes to the worst to say what you might do if a situation develops in the most unfavourable way possible. The form if worst comes to worst is also used, mainly in American English. □ If the worst comes to the worst I guess I can always ring Jean. □ He was asked whether he would walk out if the worst came to the worst.
wor|sted /wʊ st I d/ (worsteds ) N‑VAR Worsted is a kind of woollen cloth.
worth ◆◆◇ /wɜː r θ/
1 ADJ If something is worth a particular amount of money, it can be sold for that amount or is considered to have that value. □ These books might be worth £80 or £90 or more to a collector. □ The contract was worth £25 million a year.
2 N‑COUNT Worth combines with amounts of money, so that when you talk about a particular amount of money's worth of something, you mean the quantity of it that you can buy for that amount of money. □ [+ of ] I went and bought about six dollars' worth of potato chips. ● PRON Worth is also a pronoun. □ 'How many do you want?'—'I'll have a pound's worth.'
3 N‑COUNT Worth combines with time expressions, so you can use worth when you are saying how long an amount of something will last. For example, a week's worth of food is the amount of food that will last you for a week. □ [+ of ] You've got three years' worth of research money to do what you want with. ● PRON Worth is also a pronoun. □ There's really not very much food down there. About two weeks' worth.
4 ADJ If you say that something is worth having, you mean that it is pleasant or useful, and therefore a good thing to have. □ He's decided to get a look at the house and see if it might be worth buying. □ Most things worth having never come easy.
5 ADJ If something is worth a particular action, or if an action is worth doing, it is considered to be important enough for that action. □ I am spending a lot of money and time on this boat, but it is worth it. □ This restaurant is well worth a visit. □ It is worth pausing to consider these statements from Mr Davies.