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si|nusi|tis /sa I nəsa I t I s/ N‑UNCOUNT If you have sinusitis , the layer of flesh inside your sinuses is swollen and painful, which can cause headaches and a blocked nose.

SUFFIX -sion

forms nouns that refer to a state or process, or to an instance of that process. For example, expansion is the process of expanding.

sip /s I p/ (sips , sipping , sipped )

1 VERB If you sip a drink or sip at it, you drink by taking just a small amount at a time. □ [V n] Jessica sipped her drink thoughtfully. □ [V + at/from ] He sipped at the glass and then put it down. □ [V ] He lifted the water-bottle to his lips and sipped.

2 N‑COUNT A sip is a small amount of drink that you take into your mouth. □ [+ of ] Harry took a sip of bourbon.

si|phon /sa I f ^ə n/ (siphons , siphoning , siphoned ) also syphon

1 VERB If you siphon liquid from a container, you make it come out through a tube and down into a lower container by enabling gravity to push it out. □ [V n prep] She puts a piece of plastic tubing in her mouth and starts siphoning gas from a huge metal drum. [Also V n] ● PHRASAL VERB Siphon off means the same as siphon . □ [V P n] Surgeons siphoned off fluid from his left lung. [Also V n P ]

2 N‑COUNT A siphon is a tube that you use for siphoning liquid.

3 VERB If you siphon money or resources from something, you cause them to be used for a purpose for which they were not intended. □ [V n prep] He had siphoned thousands of pounds a week from the failing business. ● PHRASAL VERB Siphon off means the same as siphon . □ [V P n] He had siphoned off a small fortune in aid money from the United Nations. [Also V n P ]

sir ◆◆◇ /sɜː ^r / (sirs )

1 N‑COUNT People sometimes say sir as a very formal and polite way of addressing a man whose name they do not know or a man of superior rank. For example, a shop assistant might address a male customer as sir . [POLITENESS ] □  Excuse me sir, but would you mind telling me what sort of car that is? □  Good afternoon to you, sir.

2 N‑TITLE Sir is the title used in front of the name of a knight or baronet. □  She introduced me to Sir Tobias and Lady Clarke.

3 CONVENTION You use the expression Dear sir at the beginning of a formal letter or a business letter when you are writing to a man. You use Dear sirs when you are writing to an organization. □  Dear Sir, Your letter of the 9th October has been referred to us.

sire /sa I ə ^r / (sires , siring , sired ) VERB When a male animal, especially a horse, sires a young animal, he makes a female pregnant so that she gives birth to it. [TECHNICAL ] □ [V n] Comet also sired the champion foal out of Spinway Harvest.

si|ren /sa I ə rən/ (sirens )

1 N‑COUNT A siren is a warning device which makes a long, loud noise. Most fire engines, ambulances, and police cars have sirens. □  It sounds like an air raid siren.

2 N‑COUNT Some people refer to a woman as a siren when they think that she is attractive to men but dangerous in some way. [LITERARY ] □  He depicts her as a siren who has drawn him to his ruin. WORD HISTORY siren

The Sirens in Greek mythology were female sea spirits with beautiful voices who sang to tempt sailors to their deaths on the rocks where they lived.

sir|loin /sɜː ^r lɔ I n/ (sirloins ) N‑VAR A sirloin is a piece of beef which is cut from the bottom and side parts of a cow's back. □  …sirloin steaks.

si|sal /sa I z ^ə l/ N‑UNCOUNT Sisal is the fibre from the leaves of a plant that is grown in the West Indies, South America, and Africa. Sisal is used to make rope, cord, and mats.

sis|sy /s I si/ (sissies ) also cissy N‑COUNT Some people, especially men, describe a boy as a sissy when they disapprove of him because he does not like rough, physical activities or is afraid to do things which might be dangerous. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □  They were rough kids, and thought we were sissies.