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general::
noun period/state in progress/development ADJ. distinct The process has three distinct stages. | early, first, initial, opening, preliminary | advanced, closing, final, last, late, latter, terminal Her husband was in the advanced stages of cancer. | halfway, intermediate, secondary | transitional | successive | critical, crucial, important, key, main | easy The book guides you through making your own website in easy stages. | difficult | delicate, vulnerable | embryonic, larval, pupal | experimental, exploratory | committee, design, development/developmental, formative, planning The scheme is still at the planning stage. | knockout, semi-final, etc. Colombia's win sent them through to the knockout stage of the tournament. VERB + STAGE go/move/pass through The water goes through three stages of purification. | enter, reach We've entered a crucial stage in the project. PREP. at a/the ~ You should read this article at some stage. | by ~s The university was put together by stages. | during/in a/the ~ in the early stages of the job | in ~s We renovated the house in two stages. | ~ in an important stage in her life | ~ of the latter stages of the race PHRASES the beginning/end of a stage Pupils are tested at the end of each stage of the course. | a/one stage further take the investigation one stage further | a stage of development/life in a theatre, etc. ADJ. centre (often figurative) A new actress will take centre stage in next month's production of ‘The Doll's House’. | revolving VERB + STAGE go on, take (to) He was too nervous to go on stage. I was shaking as I took the stage. She took to the stage when she was at university. | leave She left the stage to tumultuous applause. | set (often figurative) The thrilling semi-finals set the stage for what should be a great game. | boo sb off STAGE + NOUN management, manager | direction Shakespeare's famous stage direction: ‘Exit, pursued by a bear.’ | play, production, show | appearance, performance, role | set The stage set is the most expensive ever built. | door | name David Harries adopted the stage name Dixon Hare when he became a full-time actor. | left, right | fright Even experienced actors can suffer from stage fright. PREP. off ~ A trumpet sounded off stage. | on ~ The entire cast is on stage in the final scene., verb ADV. carefully The event was very carefully staged. | elaborately an elaborately staged drama
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
stage
adjectives
the early/initial stages
• Sometimes there are problems in the early stages of a project.
the later/final/closing stages
• She was well cared for during the final stages of her life.
the halfway stage
• He was in the lead at the halfway stage.
an advanced stage
• Negotiations are at an advanced stage.
a new stage
• It marked the beginning of a new stage in my life.
a critical/crucial stage
(= very important because it affects the future success of something )
• The football season is reaching a crucial stage.
a formative stage
(= when someone or something is developing )
• This plan is still in its formative stages.
a difficult/an awkward stage
• He was 13 and going through that awkward stage.
verbs
reach/get to a stage
• We have reached the stage where no-one is safe to walk our streets at night.
enter a stage
• He is entering a new stage of his career.
go through a stage
• Most young people go through a rebellious stage.
mark a stage
• The election marks an important stage in the rebuilding of the country.
take something a stage further
• We then took the experiment a stage further.
a stage of development
• We have several ideas in various stages of development.
at one stage
(= at a time in the past )
• At one stage I had to tell him to calm down.
at some stage
• Four out of ten people are likely to contract cancer at some stage in their lives.
at this/that stage
• At this stage his wife did not realise he was missing.
at an early/late stage
• I can’t change my plans at this late stage.
at a later stage
• These points will be dealt with at a later stage.
stage 2
verbs
be on stage
• He was on stage for most of the first act.
appear on stage
• Recently she has appeared on stage in 'Private Lives'.
go/come on stage
• I never drink before going on stage.
walk on stage/onto the stage
• The audience broke into applause as soon as he walked on stage.
take the stage
(= go on stage )
• The Charlatans took the stage in LA yesterday.
leave the stage
• Everyone except the main character gradually leaves the stage.
come off stage
• I came off stage last night and just collapsed in a heap.
walk off the stage
(= leave the stage, especially before you should )
• The pianist walked off the stage after playing only a few notes.
transnet.ir
4
general::
stage
one of several parts of a long process, which happen one after another:
• At this stage of the election campaign, it is impossible to predict who will win. • She is still in the early stages of pregnancy. • Piaget famously divided childhood into four separate stages. • the opening stages of the race
step
one of the parts of a process that you have to do or deal with in order to go on to the next one:
• The first step is to make a list of what you need. • What’s the next step? • You have to do this one step at a time.
phase
one of the clearly separate stages of a process or activity, during which a type of activity takes place that is different from those in other phases:
• the initial phase of the campaign • They were now entering the final phase of their journey.
round
one of the parts that an event or activity is divided into, especially talks or a sports competition:
• the first round of the negotiations • the final round of the competition • The next round of the trade talks will be held in Geneva.
point
a specific time or moment during the course of something:
• What do you really want at this point in your life? • By this point they were startng to feel more confident.
Longman-Thesaurus