deskdesk /desk/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [countable] 
Marie was sitting at her desk.2a place where you can get information or use a particular service in a hotel, airport etc: the reception desk the check-in desk3an office that deals with a particular subject, especially in newspapers or televisionthe news/sports deskCOLLOCATIONSadjectivestidy· How come your desk is always so tidy?cluttered (=covered with papers, books etc in an untidy way)· His desk is so cluttered he can't find anything.empty (=that no one is using)· There are one or two empty desks in the office.a school desk· The children are at their school desks by 8:30 in the morning.an office desk· I got back from holiday to find piles of papers on my office desk.a writing desk (=that you use for writing letters etc)· Under the window was a small writing desk.a wooden/mahogany/rosewood etc desk· He sat at a plain wooden desk.verbssit at a desk· I don't want to do a job in which I'm sitting at a desk all day.get up from your desk· He got up from his desk to welcome the visitors.tidy your desk· I need to tidy my desk.clear your desk (=remove all the papers etc from it)· It's a good idea to clear your desk regularly.desk + NOUNa desk job (=working mostly at a desk in an office)· He left his desk job to become a gardener.a desk drawer· I think I left my car keys in the desk drawer.a desk lamp· Don't forget to switch off the desk lamp.
WORD ORIGINdesk
Origin:
1300-1400 Medieval Latin desca, from Latin discus ‘dish, disk’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A nurse was seated at the reception desk.
- Lloyd is running the sports desk.
- Conway's secretary, Marie, was sitting at a desk.
- He pulled the crumpled bills from his shirt pocket and dropped them on the desk.
- His hunched figure padded across to the desk in the bay and Swod gestured for the police officer to sit down.
- If I had any class at all, I would get up from this desk and go buy bagels.
- Lucy Lane was sitting at the desk, turning the pages of a loose-leaf manuscript file.
- Or at a pinch he might be able to squeeze himself into the desk drawer and hide.
- The desk floated through the door into the hallway.
- The people placed on other desks were permitted to call themselves salesmen or traders.
WORD SETS
antique, nounarm, nounarmchair, nounback, nounbeanbag, nounbed, nounbedhead, nounbedpost, nounbedstead, nounbookcase, nounbookshelf, nounbuffet, nounbunk, nounbureau, nouncanopy, nouncard table, nouncarrycot, nouncart, nouncatchall, nounchair, nounchaise longue, nounchesterfield, nounchest of drawers, nouncoat rack, nouncoatstand, nouncoffee table, nouncommode, nouncot, nouncouch, nouncounter, nouncupboard, noundeckchair, noundesk, noundining table, noundivan, noundouble bed, noundrawer, noundresser, noundustsheet, nouneasy chair, nounescritoire, nounfireguard, nounfirescreen, nounfitment, nounfitted, adjectivefloor lamp, nounfoldaway, adjectivefolding, adjectivefootrest, nounfootstool, nounfour-poster bed, nounfuton, nounGeorgian, adjectivegramophone, noungrandfather clock, noungrate, nounhat stand, nounheadboard, nounheadrest, nounhighboy, nounhighchair, nounhorsehair, nounhot tub, nounhutch, nounJacuzzi, nounlamp, nounlampshade, nounlawn chair, nounleg, nounlooking glass, nounlove seat, nounmattress, nounnightlight, nounnightstand, nounoccasional table, nounottoman, nounpadded, adjectivepedestal, nounpouffe, nounradiogram, nounrocker, nounrocking chair, nounrococo, adjectiveseat, nounsettee, nounshelf, nounshelving, nounsideboard, nounslipcover, nounsofa, nounsofa bed, nounsprung, adjectivestand, nounstandard lamp, nounstool, nounstuffing, nounsuite, nounswivel chair, nountable, nountallboy, nountea chest, nounthree-piece suite, nounthrone, nountwin bed, noununit, nounupholster, verbupholstery, nounveneer, nounveneered, adjectivewardrobe, nounwashstand, nounwaterbed, nounWelsh dresser, nounwindow seat, nounwork-surface, nounwriting desk, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives a desk-bound sergeant (=having to work in an office, instead of doing a more active job) the check-in desk Leave the keys with the desk clerk.
1a piece of furniture like a table, usually with drawers in it, that you sit at to write and work: · How come your desk is always so tidy?
(=covered with papers, books etc in an untidy way)· His desk is so cluttered he can't find anything.
(=that no one is using)· There are one or two empty desks in the office.
· The children are at their school desks by 8:30 in the morning.
· I got back from holiday to find piles of papers on my office desk.
(=that you use for writing letters etc)· Under the window was a small writing desk.
· He sat at a plain wooden desk.
verbs· I don't want to do a job in which I'm sitting at a desk all day.
· He got up from his desk to welcome the visitors.
· I need to tidy my desk.
(=remove all the papers etc from it)· It's a good idea to clear your desk regularly.
desk + NOUN (=working mostly at a desk in an office)· He left his desk job to become a gardener.
· I think I left my car keys in the desk drawer.
· Don't forget to switch off the desk lamp.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· They offer a 24-hour advice service to customers.
a desk-bound sergeant (=having to work in an office, instead of doing a more active job) (=a big one for using on a desk)· He had a big fancy desk calculator.
the check-in desk Leave the keys with the desk clerk.· The passports are in my desk drawer.
· He read by the light of the bedside lamp.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· The unit is controlled from the front desk and it is programmed to accept cards with the correct codes.· They are used to keep track of what happens in the classrooms and at the front desk.· I marched to the front desk and enquired the price of single room for one night.· Economy hotels offer clean, comfortable rooms and front desk services without costly extras like restaurants and room service.· As front desk personnel come and go, training and retraining is crucial for the daily success of any system.· A large black man sat behind the front desk with his sleeves rolled up.· After checking in and taking a shower, I tried to ring Merrit from the front desk.· Soon the big fellow did the same, fixing his trousers even as he passed the front desk with wet face averted.
· Evans looked pleased with himself as he settled behind his large antique desk.· A large desk was opposite her, cluttered with paper, a typewriter and pencils.· She sat in a small, windowless cubicle behind a large desk with five telephones in front of her.· At one end stood a large desk.· He sat at a large desk covered with papers, journals, medical books, a portable typewriter pushed to one end.· The large mahogany writing desk was immaculately tidy.· He is sitting behind his large desk and does not gesture you to sit.· To 1982 again, to the high-ceilinged room in east Beirut where Pierre Gemayel sits behind his large oak desk.
NOUN· In a restaurant that place was the cash desk.· Loretta was paying for the tickets at the cash desk when she felt a hand on her shoulder.· He had planned to hold up the cash desk of an Oxford Street store.· I paid the woman at the cash desk and smiled at her.· Computer tags carry a coded message which the computer at the cash desk can read.
· The desk clerk was a worried, grey-haired man with steel-rimmed glasses and a medal.· Al Perry, Hotel Congress desk clerk.· There was no desk clerk in the notebook.· On the third night, she went up ahead while he uncorked a bottle and shared it with the desk clerk.· The same desk clerk was on duty when Kragan left the hotel two hours later, at nine in the evening.· It had to be the desk clerk.· At the time, he said, Jackson was working as a desk clerk at the hotel.
· Or at a pinch he might be able to squeeze himself into the desk drawer and hide.· He kept a gun in his desk drawer at the office and one night I took it out and shot him.· He opened the desk drawer and took out a page at random.· Keep the paper in a desk drawer or folder.· Taking his magnifying glass from a desk drawer, he fell upon the plans and scrutinized each one intently without speaking.· Notebooks filled margin to margin with my tiny scrawl spill out-of the desk drawers.· There was a silver cigarette lighter in the desk drawer, he remembered, rarely used now that he'd almost given up.· Put a copy in your locked desk drawer and another in the secret compartment of your briefcase.
· Upon contacting the help desk, your call will be logged and you will be asked to provide information concerning the problem.· By and large, Windows 95 fixes this problem, which is what your help desk is probably talking about.· In any organisation the most active and critical area is the computer support help desk.· A help desk provides immediate quotations and on the spot cover if required.· CustomerQ integrates customer support, call tracking, help desk and product defect tracking in a single module that includes Informix.· These include communication the corporate help desk, probably with the help of remote diagnostic probes.
· A police surgeon had advised him to find a desk job within the force, but none had been available.· Men who make a living working with their hands tend to believe the myth more than men with desk jobs.· And it's a desk job at a moderate salary in London terms.· You could find them working in the crime laboratory, the radio room, in desk jobs in headquarters.· Now that he was to become a father, Stewart hoped for an 055 desk job in Washington.
· An ideal gift for any student is an adjustable desk lamp, the more flexible the better.· The desk lamp with an emerald-green shade and small prints of Degas' dancers were the only distinctive features of the room.· There was a shaded desk lamp by the telephone, and that was it.· From the desk lamp, glassy nuclei of brightness followed the words he wrote.· The daylight did not penetrate far into the room where only his desk lamp was lit.· In the bald white light of my desk lamp I took another look-and there were more eggs now than before.· It is operated by the light from an ordinary desk lamp to provide an excellent level of illumination at its screen.· I switched the desk lamp off, and sat in darkness.
· This can cause problems on the news desk and does not create a very good impression.· But try telling that to the news desk.· That evening, Scott took his place at the news desk and ran an eye over his script.· Contacts: News editors and news desk reporters, picture editors, specialist editors and correspondents.· I told the news desk they should send some one else, one of the junior reporters.· When he was taken ill, I ran the news desk.
· Dragging her mind back to the matter in hand, and mumbling apologies, she wormed her way to the reception desk.· A recent high-school graduate sat at the reception desk.· The two women behind the reception desk avoided her eye.· I worked reception desk and switchboard.· And with this in mind she returned to the reception desk to ask Stella if she could use the phone.· As I walked through the door one of the two book-end bouncers began to saunter over to the reception desk.· The foyer, too, was empty as she walked across it, nodding to the girl behind the reception desk.· I wasn't sure if that girl at the reception desk understood my message when I asked you to phone me.
· Three feet of desk top separated them.· The desk top had a brown wood-grain Formica finish.· She was struggling to reach the bell under her desk top.· It always banged on the desk top, each morning, before he remembered to tuck it below his tie.· As he waited for it to be answered he drummed lightly on the desk top.· For example, the underlying metaphor for the working space on the screen, is a desk top.· They are quiet and clean, fit on a desk top and will soon match the quality of print produced by typesetting.· Dalgliesh saw that his desk top was almost clear.
VERB· They have to clock out when leaving their desk and clock back in before returning.· Our chairman, John Gutfreund, left his desk at the head of the trading floor and went for a walk.· The tape she left on the desk.· Every week we practice leaving our desks quickly, crossing our arms over our heads, lying still on the classroom floor.· For one thing this would prevent people from leaving their desks to find a more private area where they can light up.· A week into his job, he found a cartoon left anonymously on his desk.· They left their writing desks and poured into the streets, led by Master Ferrebourg himself.· By this means, scholars from other universities world-wide will have improved access to the library's collections without leaving their desks.
· He opened his diary which was lying on his desk and checked by name against his written entry.· He picked up the file that lay on the desk and flipped it open.· A long envelope from personnel relations lay on my desk with my name typed on it in bold print.· For four weeks I let it lie on my desk, unwilling to take the final step.· His hands trembled, lying on the desk.· Rust pointed to it lying on his desk.
· Emily moved to the desk and sat down, spreading the pages of figures out before her.· Ralph drew back his window curtain, moved his desk so that the sun kept his tea warm.· Kate saw his bulky form moving towards her desk.· With mounting excitement which neither betrayed they moved over to the desk and peered intently at the blotter.· By the time she came back Sylvia had moved her desk and found a new best friend.· As he moved from his desk he slipped and spattered the page with blots.· I have known a life transformed simply by moving a desk to a more advantageous position.· She moved behind the desk towards him.
· The passenger must pass through a security gate before reaching the check-in desk.· Each piece of legislation therefore still faces pitfalls before either reaches the president's desk for signature.· He reached into his desk and pulled out a current code manual.· Under current law, the president is required to either sign or veto in its entirety any legislation that reaches his desk.· Another batch of letters has reached my desk, some pleading, others offering help to my more unfortunate patients.· He agreed to restore the money once a testing bill he supported reached his desk.· He reached across his desk to a small black metal box and triggered a switch.
· He returned to his desk and checked the names of the fourteen banks.· Solution Use the computer in company library then return to desk to check voice mail every hour or two.· And with this in mind she returned to the reception desk to ask Stella if she could use the phone.· It would be a pleasure to return to one's desk in Septuagint College and resume one's ordinary work.· The woman had not yet returned to the desk.· He returned to his desk and sat down.· Southworth returned to his desk, taking the brandy with him.
· She seated herself at the desk, relocated a floral display and smiled as the first patient walked into the room.· Because I am seated at that very desk!· In his mind's eye, Vologsky could see Major Tzann seated at his desk, holding it between trembling fingers.· And they will be seated there at that desk.· The General was seated at his desk.· He was seated at a desk in front of an office with caged windows.· Canon Wheeler was seated at his enormous desk in front of the ghastly picture of Marsyas.· He shot Mark Kelley, seated at a nearby desk, three times in the face.
· He sat at a large desk covered with papers, journals, medical books, a portable typewriter pushed to one end.· Blue goes to his office every day and sits at his desk, waiting for something to happen.· Bogle himself sits at the desk by the door and takes the money.· So... you make a pot of coffee, boot up the computer, and sit at your desk.· As he sat at his desk, flicking through pieces of paper, it suddenly struck him that Jakowski really was dead.· Geoff wanted to sit at the head desk and be the man right off.· Julia sat on the desk and swung her legs.· Marsha sits at her office desk, casually dressed, as usual.
· This was Mr Ross's office and he was sitting behind a desk.· He was sitting at his desk in the study when he happened to glance up and look out the window.· Michele was sitting behind a leather-topped desk.· You notice a coworker sitting at her desk flipping through some papers.· He is sitting behind his large desk and does not gesture you to sit.· A recent letter from the senate of a local liberal arts college is sitting on my desk.· He was sitting behind the big desk in his office when the telephone rang.· They feel comfortable sitting behind a desk.
· By eleven o'clock I was standing in front of Patterson's desk laying down the law.· We stand around his desk, cursing Carolyn.· They were standing at the desk by now and the girl was working on the bill.· Pretend that the reader is standing by your desk.· The unit's underside is also well constructed, standing fast on a desk thanks to six strong non-slip feet.· Finally, unable to stomach the task anymore, Kim stood up from his desk and walked out of the room.· A few seconds later, William stands gloomily behind the desk.· Horton, standing at the desk when Truitte walked in, greeted him warmly.
· The government trading desk was a counterpoint to the visible gluttony and ethnicity of the mortgage department.· The mortgage trading desk evolved from corner shop to supermarket.· But on the municipal trading desk Samuels could not be touched.· They arrived at the Salomon Brothers mortgage trading desk hat in hand.· The good news was he had landed a plum job on the mortgage trading desk.· Banks with international operations, securities trading desks and other non-lending businesses fared best.· The mortgage trading desks on 4I were between the elevators and the corner in which I had chosen to hide.
· Keith walks to his desk at the front of the room.· We went inside and walked up to the desk.· She walked to the desk and put down the vase and by the time she had done this Gabriel was gone.· Then Bernstein was walking back to his desk with the first page of the story; soon he was typing.· With a thoughtful look Goebbels walked back to his desk.· She walks back to her desk, takes out a large yellow box of chocolates and passes them around the room.· Stone stood up and walked slowly round the desk.· Then he walked back to his desk in the room and turned to face me again.
Marie was sitting at her desk.2a place where you can get information or use a particular service in a hotel, airport etc: the reception desk the check-in desk3an office that deals with a particular subject, especially in newspapers or televisionthe news/sports deskCOLLOCATIONSadjectivestidy· How come your desk is always so tidy?cluttered (=covered with papers, books etc in an untidy way)· His desk is so cluttered he can't find anything.empty (=that no one is using)· There are one or two empty desks in the office.a school desk· The children are at their school desks by 8:30 in the morning.an office desk· I got back from holiday to find piles of papers on my office desk.a writing desk (=that you use for writing letters etc)· Under the window was a small writing desk.a wooden/mahogany/rosewood etc desk· He sat at a plain wooden desk.verbssit at a desk· I don't want to do a job in which I'm sitting at a desk all day.get up from your desk· He got up from his desk to welcome the visitors.tidy your desk· I need to tidy my desk.clear your desk (=remove all the papers etc from it)· It's a good idea to clear your desk regularly.desk + NOUNa desk job (=working mostly at a desk in an office)· He left his desk job to become a gardener.a desk drawer· I think I left my car keys in the desk drawer.a desk lamp· Don't forget to switch off the desk lamp.