status

Everyday

1. Your status is your position or rank compared with other people, especially how important people think you are. tree →
2. The status of something is its situation or condition at a certain time: the status of the project, the status of a flight. tree →
3. A status (or status update) is a short message someone posts online about what they are doing or feeling. tree →
4. (formal) Your legal status is your official position: married, a citizen, a student. tree →

In the lessons

In history and social studies status means rank: kings had high status, servants low. In everyday life you check the status of an order or a train. Online, children see status updates (safety: think before you post). Phrases: social status, status symbol, status update, what's the status?, high status.

Examples

• In old times, a knight had a high status. tree →
• The airport screen shows the status of each flight. tree →
• What's the status of your homework? Nearly done! tree →
• She posted a status about her new puppy. tree →
• A fancy car can be a status symbol. tree →
• Fill in your status on the form: student or teacher. tree →
• Never share where you live in a status update. tree →
• They affected to ignore her as of an inferior social status to themselves, and she despised their light talk. tree →

Note

Pronounced STAY-tus (UK and US) or STAT-us (US too). Plural «statuses» is used for posts and conditions. «Status quo» means the way things are now. Do not mix up with «statue» (a carved figure).