Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary

index noun

¹ list of names/topics in a book

ADJ. comprehensive, complete | detailed | general | alphabetical

VERB + INDEX appear in, be in Although the book was devoted to cancer, the word ‘cancer’ did not even appear in the index. | consult, look (sth up) in Why don't you look up her name in the index? | compile

INDEX + VERB give sth, list sth The index only gives the main towns.

PREP. in a/the ~ Is there any reference to it in the index? | ~ to It's a general index to the whole work.

² ordered record of books/files

ADJ. subject, title | card | computer, computerized

VERB + INDEX have, keep We keep a card index of all the titles on the shelves. | compile, create | consult, look (sth up) in, search Look up ‘The Waste Land’ in the index. Search the index to find the address of the data file.

INDEX + NOUN card

PREP. in a/the ~ cards in a card index

³ system showing the level of sth; measure of sth

ADJ. good, reliable, sensitive | high | low | weighted | official | general a general index calculated from death and population information | world The world index fell 3.1%. | cost-of-living, market, retail price | futures, share, stock | Dow Jones, FT-SE 100, etc.

VERB + INDEX have Those who lived in the inner cities had a high index of deprivation. | use (sth as) The test results were used as an index of language proficiency. | compile, construct, create | calculate, compute The index was calculated with a computer. | publish The retail price index is published monthly. | drag, drive, push, take A wave of frenzied buying pushed the index up 136.2 points.

INDEX + VERB measure sth an index designed to measure monthly changes in the volume of industrial production | be based on sth an index based on incidents causing a loss of production | be linked to sth The increase in our standard rates will be linked to the retail price index. | cover sth an index covering some 1,700 companies | open | close, end The hundred shares index closed down 15 points.

PREP. in an/the ~ dividends on shares in the index | on an/the ~ people dealing in options on the FT-SE 100 index

PHRASES a drop/fall in an index a 28.2 point drop in the FT-SE 100 index | changes in an index, an increase in an index, as measured by an index Inflation, as measured by the retail price index, is expected to drop. > Note at PERCENT (for more verbs)