Phrases & Expressions

Of the number of products sold, to fall suddenly and by a very large amount.

• The chart shows that DVD sales plummeted between 2010 and 2020, while streaming subscriptions rose steadily.
• After the safety scandal hit the headlines, the company's sales plummeted by almost forty per cent in a single month.

To spread the remains of a dead person's body over a place after it has been burnt.

• In some places you need official permission to scatter someone's ashes on public land or in a river.
• Many families now prefer to scatter their loved one's ashes in a meaningful place rather than hold a burial.

To frown at someone in a way that shows you are annoyed or angry.

• The librarian scowled at the students who were chatting loudly near the computers.
• My elderly neighbour scowls at anyone who parks in front of his house, even for a minute.

Extremely honest and careful to do everything in a fair and correct way.

• Accountants must be scrupulously honest, since their clients trust them with highly sensitive financial information.
• She was scrupulously honest about the weaknesses of her research, which made her conclusions more convincing.

To try to start working in a particular profession or area.

• Students seeking a career in medicine need excellent grades in chemistry and biology.
• After ten years as an accountant, he decided to seek a career in teaching.

To ask someone to explain something more clearly because you are not sure what it means.

• Before signing the contract, she sought clarification from the landlord about who pays for repairs.
• Several business owners have sought clarification on how the new tax rules will affect them.

To try to get attention from newspapers, television and the public.

• Some politicians make shocking statements simply because they are seeking publicity.
• The young band sought publicity by performing free concerts in busy city squares.

To try or aim to do something.

• The new law seeks to protect workers who report illegal practices at their companies.
• In this essay, I will seek to show that social media has both benefits and drawbacks for teenagers.

Of the value of a company's shares, to fall suddenly and heavily.

• The airline's share price slumped after it warned that rising fuel costs would wipe out its profits.
• Investors panicked and share prices slumped across Asia when news of the trade dispute broke.

To get rid of workers in order to reduce costs, used about companies or industries.

• The car manufacturer plans to shed 3,000 jobs as it moves production to cheaper factories abroad.
• Traditional retailers have been shedding jobs steadily as more customers choose to shop online.