English Usage Notes from OAULD

# Ref: Free online dictionary definitions for learners of English | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

I was going through OAULD and found this which comes very handy so keeping it here for ready reference. I had copied it on FB but it is difficult to find it there so thought to archive it here on my Wordpress blog.

Animals

animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)

fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)

birds fly/migrate/nest/sing

insects crawl/fly/bite/sting

insects/bees/locusts swarm  

bees  collect/gather  nectar/pollen

spiders  spin/weave  a web

snakes/lizards  shed their skins  

bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate  

insect larvae  grow/develop/pupate  

an egg/a chick/a larva  hatches  

attract/find/choose  a mate

produce/release  eggs/sperm

lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch  eggs

inhabit  a forest/a reef/the coast

mark/enter/defend  (a) territory

stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill  prey

Plants and fungi

trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower

a seed germinates/sprouts

leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form

flower buds swell/open

a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something

pollinate/fertilize  a flower/plant

produce/release/spread/disperse  pollen/seeds/spores

produce/bear  fruit

develop/grow/form  roots/shoots/leaves

provide/supply/absorb/extract/release  nutrients

perform/increase/reduce  photosynthesis

Bacteria and viruses

bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply

bacteria/microbes live/thrive  in/on something

bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease

bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)  

a virus enters/invades  something/the body

a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)

be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to  a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria

contain/carry/harbour  (especially US ) harbor  bacteria/a virus

kill/destroy/eliminate  harmful/deadl bacteria