26984 words

temper

14 definitions • 16 examples
1
the tendency to become angry very quickly:

Examples:

have a temper She has a real temper.
He's got a really bad temper.
2

Examples:

The children behaved so badly that I lost my temper.
3
to succeed in staying calm and not becoming angry:

Examples:

I found it hard to keep my temper with so many things going wrong.
4
to be feeling angry:

Examples:

I'd stay away from her if I were you - she's in a foul temper.
5

Examples:

He appears to be a man of calm and even temper.
6
to make something less strong, extreme, etc.:

Examples:

My enthusiasm for the venture was tempered by my knowledge of the hard work that would be involved.
I learned to temper my criticism.
7
to heat and then cool a metal in order to make it hard:

Examples:

8
to change the physical nature of a substance, using heat or a chemical process:

Examples:

Toughened or tempered glass used in car windscreens is usually made by cooling molten glass very rapidly to make it much harder.
9
to heat spices, usually in hot oil, in order to release their flavour:

Examples:

She tempered the spices in a separate pan and added them to the dhal at the end.
10
to heat and then cool chocolate in order to give it a smooth texture and shiny appearance:

Examples:

11
the state of your mind or feelings:

Examples:

[ C ] John has a bad temper.
12
Temper is also strong emotion, esp. anger:

Examples:

[ U ] a fit of temper
[ C ] You need to learn to control your temper.
13
A temper tantrum is a sudden show of great anger.
14
to lessen the force or effect of something:

Examples:

Perhaps you should temper your language.

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