talent | meaning of talent in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
talent
tal‧ent
/
ˈtælənt
/
●●●
W3
noun
1
[
countable, uncountable
]
GOOD AT
natural ability to do something well
He
has
a lot of
talent
, and his work is fresh and interesting.
talent for
She
showed
a
talent
for acting at an early age.
a persuasive speaker with
a natural talent
for leadership
His latest book reveals
hidden talents
.
Sadly, she inherited none of her father’s
musical talent
.
Your brother is
a man of many talents
.
There’s a
wealth of talent
in English football.
►
see
thesaurus
at
skill
2
[
uncountable
]
GOOD AT
a person or people with a natural ability or skill
Britain’s footballing talent
3
[
uncountable
]
British English
informal
ATTRACT
sexually attractive people
COLLOCATIONS
verbs
have talent
Greg has a real talent for drawing.
show talent
Zach was the only one who showed any natural talent.
use your talents
They have been using their artistic talents to brighten up the school.
develop your talent
Education allows people to develop their talents to the full.
waste your talents
They felt their son was wasting his talents and his time.
somebody’s talents flourish
(=
develop successfully
)
The school created an atmosphere in which young talent could flourish.
adjectives
great/considerable/exceptional talent
He had a great talent for making money.
real talent
She has real talent and with a little help she could go far.
natural talent
Ronaldo is a player of immense natural talent.
raw talent
(=
used to describe someone with natural ability who has not had much training
)
He’s got lots of raw talent but he needs a good coach.
a hidden talent
Have a go – you may discover a hidden talent!
musical/artistic/creative etc talent
It was at school that Brian’s musical talents were spotted.
talent + NOUN
a talent contest/show/competition
Don’t assume winning a talent contest is a passport to success.
phrases
a wealth of talent
(=
a large amount of talent
)
There’s a wealth of musical talent in New York and other large American cities.
a pool of talent
(=
lots of talented people
)
Employers can draw on an enormous pool of talent in this area.
