advantage

Word family  noun advantage ≠ disadvantage the disadvantaged adjective advantageous ≠ disadvantageous advantaged ≠ disadvantaged verb disadvantage adverb advantageously ≠ disadvantageously

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++ad·van·tage /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ $ ədˈvæn-/ ●●● S2 W1 noun  1  [countable, uncountable]ADVANTAGE something that helps you to be more successful than others, or the state of having this 有利条件，优势 OPP disadvantageadvantage over Her experience meant that she had a big advantage over her opponent. 她的经验意味着她比对手有很大优势。 Younger workers tend to be at an advantage (=have an advantage) when applying for jobs. 年轻点的工人申请工作时往往处于优势地位。 It might be to your advantage (=it might help you) to take a computer course of some kind. 上一门计算机课程可能对你有利。2  [countable, uncountable]GOOD POINT OR CHARACTERISTIC a good or useful feature that something has 好处，优点advantage of One of the many advantages of living in New York is that you can eat out at almost any time of day. 住在纽约的诸多好处之一是几乎任何时候都可以外出吃饭。advantage over This printer has several advantages over conventional printers. 与传统打印机相比，这种打印机具有多项优点。3  take advantage of somebody USE A PERSONto treat someone unfairly in order to get what you want, especially someone who is generous or easily persuaded 〔不公正地〕利用某人，占某人的便宜 Don’t lend them the car – they’re taking advantage of you! 不要把车借给他们——他们在利用你！4  take advantage of something (to do something) USE somethingto use a particular situation to do or get what you want 利用某物（做某事） I took advantage of the good weather to paint the shed. 我趁天气好给棚屋刷上油漆。 You’ll want to take full advantage of the beach-front clubs. 你会想在海滨俱乐部里充分享受一番。5  use/turn something to your/good advantage to use something that you have or that happens in order to achieve something 利用某事物/将某事物转化为有利条件 How could he turn the situation to his advantage? 他是如何将形势转化为对自己有利的？ Burns used his family connections to good advantage. 伯恩斯很好地利用了家族的人脉。6  show something to (good/great) advantage IMPRESSto make the best features of someone or something very noticeable 使某物优点突出 Her dress showed her tanned skin to great advantage. 她的连衣裙很好地衬托出她晒黑的肤色。7. advantage somebody DSTused in tennis to show that the person named has won the next point after the score was 40–40 某人占先〔表示网球比赛局末平分后某人先得分〕 COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2verbshave an advantage (also enjoy an advantage formal) 具有优势Our parents didn’t have all the advantages that we have. 我们的父母过去并没有我们现在享有的那么多有利条件。nWestern countries enjoyed considerable advantages in terms of technology.get/gain an advantage 取得优势Both teams tried to get an advantage. 两队都试图占得优势。give somebody an advantage 给予某人优势His height gives him a big advantage. 他的身高使他具有很大优势。work to your advantage (=make you have an advantage – often used when this is unexpected) 〔常指出乎意料地〕对…有利Sometimes a lack of experience can work to your advantage. 有时候经验不足也会对你有利。see the advantage (=understand the advantage) 看到优势nI can see the advantage of living near the station.adjectivesa big/great/massive/huge advantage 大/巨大的优势It’s a great advantage to be able to speak some Spanish. 能说一点西班牙语是很大的优势。a slight advantage (=a small one) 微小的优势Karpov enjoyed a slight advantage over his opponent. 卡尔波夫比对手稍具优势。an unfair advantage 不公平的有利因素Companies that receive government subsidies have an unfair advantage. 享有政府补贴的公司具有不公平的有利条件。a definite/distinct advantage (=one that you can clearly notice) 绝对的/明显的优势nElectronic trading has a number of distinct advantages.a real advantage (=a definite advantage) 绝对的优势nThe new system has some real advantages.an added advantage (=an extra advantage) 额外优点nCandidates with experience in Sales and Marketing would have an added advantage.a political advantage 政治优势nRepublicans have a political advantage in most of those areas.a military advantage 军事优势nThe military advantage had shifted towards the rebels.a psychological advantage 心理优势nWinning the first game gives you a psychological advantage over your opponent.phrasesthe advantages and disadvantages of something 某事物的优点和缺点the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city 住在大城市的好处和坏处the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (=the advantages are more valuable) 优点超过缺点nWhen it comes down to working from home, you have to decide if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘a good advantage’. Say a big advantage or a real advantage. 不要说 ‘a good advantage’. 而要说 a big advantage 或 a real advantage. THESAURUS – Meaning 2: a good or useful feature that something has 好处，优点advantage a good feature that something has, which makes it better, more useful etc than other things 〔胜过其他事物的〕好处，优点The great advantage of digital cameras is that there is no film to process. 数码相机的一大优点就是无需冲洗胶卷。benefit a feature of something that has a good effect on people’s lives 〔对人体的〕好处，益处Regular exercise has many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease. 经常锻炼有许多好处，其中包括降低患心脏病的风险。merit a good feature that something has, which you consider when you are deciding whether it is the best choice 〔相对于其他事物的〕长处，优点The committee will consider the merits of the proposals. 委员会将考虑这些提议的优点。nThe merits and demerits of (=the good and bad features of)alternative funding systems were widely discussed in the newspapers.nThe chairman saw no great merit in this suggestion (=he did not think that it was a good idea).virtue an advantage that makes you believe that something is a good thing 优点，长处They believed in the virtues of culture, civilization, and reason. 他们坚信文化、文明和理性的好处。nHe’s always extolling the virtues of hard work (=saying that hard work is a good thing).the good/great/best thing about something especially spoken used when mentioning a good feature of something. This phrase is rather informal and you should not use it in formal essays 某事物的一个优点/一大优点/最大优点〔此短语相当不正式，不应在正式的文章中使用〕The good thing about cycling is that you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in a traffic jam. 骑自行车的好处就是不必担心遇到堵车。the beauty of something is that used when you want to emphasize that something has a very good or useful feature 某事物的妙处是The beauty of the plan is that it is so simple. 这个计划妙就妙在非常简单。

Examples from the Corpus

advantage• I had already lived in France for a year, so I had a big advantage over the other students.• People who have been to university have a big advantage when it comes to finding jobs.• The Big Three are making a lot of noise in hopes of gaining a political and competitive advantage.• The elongated nose, however, gave these animals a considerable advantage over their competitors.• There might, however, be other advantages to polyandry.• Electronically supported meetings not only solve pressing business problems but offer their own advantages.• This gives them at least two powerful advantages over their struggling counterparts.• None the less, everything important is included on Sony's single disc, which thus enjoys a considerable price advantage.• If you appear to be easy and soft, people take advantage of you.• The advantage will be smoother, more life-like, more in-depth games - and probably more vivid nightmares.• Taxes on imports gave Japanese companies an unfair advantage.be at an advantage• Children have several advantages over adults when it comes to learning another language.• Mitchell's height gives him a distinct advantage over the other players.• Younger kids were at an advantage.• So I've always thought that we were at an advantage.• Students with a strong math background will be at an advantage next year when the statistics course starts.• Applicants with computer skills will be at an advantage.advantage of• The advantages of a college education should not be underestimated.From Longman Business Dictionaryadvantagead‧van‧tage /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒədˈvæn-/ noun [countable, uncountable] something that helps you to be better or more successful than othersAmerica’s lead in aerospace is one of its most important competitive advantages.Government subsidies give these industries an unfair advantage.advantage overIt has an advantage over foreign manufacturers because of its flexible workforce. → absolute advantage → comparative advantage → competitive advantage → first-mover advantage → last-mover advantage → second-mover advantageOrigin advantage (1300-1400) Old French avantage, from avant “before”, from Latin abante; → ADVANCE2

ad·van·tage noun →COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

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advantage
ad‧van‧tage S2 W1 /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ $ ədˈvæn-/ noun1. [uncountable and countable] something that helps you to be more successful than others, or the state of having this
   OPP  disadvantage
    advantage over
    Her experience meant that she had a big advantage over her opponent.
    Younger workers tend to be at an advantage (=have an advantage) when applying for jobs.
    It might be to your advantage (=it might help you) to take a computer course of some kind.
2. [uncountable and countable] a good or useful feature that something has
    advantage of
    One of the many advantages of living in New York is that you can eat out at almost any time of day.
    advantage over
    This printer has several advantages over conventional printers.
3. take advantage of somebody to treat someone unfairly in order to get what you want, especially someone who is generous or easily persuaded:
    Don’t lend them the car – they’re taking advantage of you!
4. take advantage of something (to do something) to use a particular situation to do or get what you want:
    I took advantage of the good weather to paint the shed.
    You’ll want to take full advantage of the beach-front clubs.
5. use/turn something to your/good advantage to use something that you have or that happens in order to achieve something:
    How could he turn the situation to his advantage?
    Burns used his family connections to good advantage.
6. show something to (good/great) advantage to make the best features of someone or something very noticeable:
    Her dress showed her tanned skin to great advantage.
7. advantage somebody used in tennis to show that the person named has won the next point after the score was 40–40
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meanings 1 & 2)

■ verbs
   ▪ have an advantage (also enjoy an advantage formal) Our parents didn’t have all the advantages that we have. | Western countries enjoyed considerable advantages in terms of technology.
   ▪ get/gain an advantage Both teams tried to get an advantage.
   ▪ give somebody an advantage His height gives him a big advantage.
   ▪ work to your advantage (=make you have an advantage – often used when this is unexpected) Sometimes a lack of experience can work to your advantage.
   ▪ see the advantage (=understand the advantage) I can see the advantage of living near the station.
■ adjectives
   ▪ a big/great/massive/huge advantage It’s a great advantage to be able to speak some Spanish.
   ▪ a slight advantage (=a small one) Karpov enjoyed a slight advantage over his opponent.
   ▪ an unfair advantage Companies that receive government subsidies have an unfair advantage.
   ▪ a definite/distinct advantage (=one that you can clearly notice) Electronic trading has a number of distinct advantages.
   ▪ a real advantage (=a definite advantage) The new system has some real advantages.
   ▪ an added advantage (=an extra advantage) Candidates with experience in Sales and Marketing would have an added advantage.
   ▪ a political advantage Republicans have a political advantage in most of those areas.
   ▪ a military advantage The military advantage had shifted towards the rebels.
   ▪ a psychological advantage Winning the first game gives you a psychological advantage over your opponent.
■ phrases
   ▪ the advantages and disadvantages of something the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city
   ▪ the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (=the advantages are more valuable) When it comes down to working from home, you have to decide if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
■ COMMON ERRORS
    ► Do not say 'a good advantage'. Say a big advantage or a real advantage.
     

THESAURUS

(for Meaning 2)

   ▪ advantage a good feature that something has, which makes it better, more useful etc than other things: The great advantage of digital cameras is that there is no film to process.
   ▪ benefit a feature of something that has a good effect on people’s lives: Regular exercise has many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease.
   ▪ merit a good feature that something has, which you consider when you are deciding whether it is the best choice: The committee will consider the merits of the proposals. | The merits and demerits of (=the good and bad features of)alternative funding systems were widely discussed in the newspapers. | The chairman saw no great merit in this suggestion (=he did not think that it was a good idea).
   ▪ virtue an advantage that makes you believe that something is a good thing: They believed in the virtues of culture, civilization, and reason. | He’s always extolling the virtues of hard work (=saying that hard work is a good thing).
   ▪ the good/great/best thing about something especially spoken used when mentioning a good feature of something. This phrase is rather informal and you should not use it in formal essays: The good thing about cycling is that you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in a traffic jam.
   ▪ the beauty of something is that used when you want to emphasize that something has a very good or useful feature: The beauty of the plan is that it is so simple.