wise

[[t]wa͟ɪz[/t]]

♦♦♦

wises, wising, wised, wiser, wisest

1) ADJ-GRADED A wise person is able to use their experience and knowledge in order to make sensible decisions and judgements.

She has the air of a wise woman...

You're a wise old man: tell me what to do.

Ant:

foolish

Derived words:

wisely ADV-GRADED ADV with v

The three of us stood around the machine nodding wisely.

2) ADJ-GRADED: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf A wise action or decision is sensible.

It's never wise to withhold evidence...

She had made a very wise decision...

It is wise to seek help and counsel as soon as possible.

Syn:

sensible

Derived words:

wisely ADV-GRADED usu ADV with v

They've invested their money wisely...

Our man had wisely decided to be picked up at the farm.

3) PHRASE: PHR to-inf If someone says to you that it would be wise to do something, they are advising you to do it, because it is the most sensible and reasonable action or decision in a particular situation.

It would be wise to get his eyes checked to ensure there is no problem.

4) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n If you get wise to something, you find out about it, especially when someone has been trying to keep it secret. [INFORMAL]

Dealers have already got wise to the trend and increased their prices accordingly.

Syn:

wise up to

5) PHRASE: v-link PHR If you say that someone is none the wiser after an event or an explanation, or that nobody is any the wiser after it, you mean that they have failed to understand it, or are not fully aware of what happened.

The brewers are still none the wiser about the shape the Government envisages for the industry...

We could have stolen the original from the warehouse without you being any the wiser.

Phrasal Verbs:

- wise up