Home UK English feature

Meaning of feature in English:

feature

Pronunciation /ˈfiːtʃə/

Translate feature into Spanish

noun

  • 1A distinctive attribute or aspect of something.

    ‘a well-appointed house with interesting decorative features’
    • ‘one salient feature of the case has been overlooked’
    • ‘Standard safety features include dual stage driver and passenger air bags and active front head restraints.’
    • ‘They would restore the familiar and now beloved silhouette to the skyline, but would have different detailing and updated safety features.’
    • ‘A host of safety features, including 10 airbags, are also incorporated.’
    • ‘Quality installation is crucial to ensure the gate's safety features work properly and last a long time.’
    • ‘Another major benefit lies in its safety features.’
    • ‘They distributed handbills and explained the salient features to those who showed interest in the policy.’
    • ‘Diversity of values, what philosophers calls the ‘fact of pluralism’, is the salient feature of modern societies in the West.’
    • ‘A small 1970s television sits in one corner - seemingly more of a decorative feature than anything else.’
    • ‘The salient feature of the battery-powered boat was that it had all scrap materials.’
    • ‘The idea is to provide an opportunity to the manufacturers to explain the salient features of their products to the consumers.’
    • ‘Frank Kermode touches lightly on the salient features of each play.’
    • ‘They reflect, and are determined, by significant external features of that environment.’
    • ‘These external features are significant because they constrain managers to act in particular ways.’
    • ‘The most significant feature appears to be the total restructuring of the town centre.’
    • ‘Such a capacity to identify and contrast peoples by distinguishing characteristics is a feature of a sense of national identity.’
    • ‘After all, speech is a dominant feature of our lives, and this very talk would be lost on you if it were to consist entirely of manual gestures.’
    • ‘It is both a distinguishing feature and hallmark of the field.’
    • ‘Barker suggests that metaphor is an essential feature of human communication.’
    • ‘It was the dominating feature of the news bulletins.’
    • ‘Not until 1900, however, did half-tone photographic images become a regular feature of newspapers and magazines.’
    characteristic, attribute, quality, property, trait, mark, hallmark, trademark
    View synonyms
    1. 1.1usually featuresA part of the face, such as the mouth or eyes, making a significant contribution to its overall appearance.
      ‘a dark-haired man with strong, regular features’
      • ‘Those who had any flaws in their facial features, waists, necks, shoulders or backs had to leave.’
      • ‘His mouth and facial features were twisted into a look of horror.’
      • ‘He had medium-length blonde hair, strong features, striking grey eyes.’
      • ‘He had regular features, brown round eyes, brown light hair and a slight growth of beard.’
      • ‘By mapping the face and focusing on features such as the eyes, nose and mouth, the system should be able to identify and help track down the closest match.’
      • ‘External features such as the eyes, nose, mouth and ears can be seen, and fingers and toes start to appear.’
      • ‘They had come from many parts of the world, as was apparent from their skin colour, facial features, their hair and the babble of languages spoken softly.’
      • ‘He has strong facial features, with a slightly pointy chin and strong cheek bones.’
      • ‘She is a doll made of grubby green satin, with satin stumps for hands and feet, features inked onto a round of calico for her face, and her pointed head of grubby green satin also.’
      • ‘The doctor inspects your facial features and neck to assess your skin tone and bone structure.’
      • ‘The similarities between the two men are stark - the same strong jaw, angular features and receding hairline.’
      • ‘He could have passed for an officer of the navy, with his young, strong features, floppy dark hair and twinkling eyes.’
      • ‘His features gave him the appearance of a college freshman, except for the lines that had begun to form at the corners of his eyes and mouth because of his nicotine addiction.’
      • ‘He pushed his sandy hair away from the strong features on his face.’
      • ‘The reader can almost see the characters' distinct features, smell the trailer-park they live in and hear their voices.’
      • ‘As soon as he saw me though, I could see the distinct softening in his features, in particular his eyes.’
      face, countenance, physiognomy, profile
      View synonyms
    2. 1.2Linguistics A distinctive characteristic of a linguistic unit, especially a speech sound or vocabulary item, that serves to distinguish it from others of the same type.
      ‘Over time the status of linguistic features can change strikingly, too.’
      • ‘Linguists and language teachers often take account of the frequency of occurrence of linguistic items and features.’
      • ‘For my part, therefore, I am inclined to see features of both monosemy and polysemy in a word's semantic structure.’
      • ‘If so, this peculiar morphologic feature is another distinguishing characteristic of this genus.’

  • 2A newspaper or magazine article or a broadcast programme devoted to the treatment of a particular topic, typically at length.

    ‘a special feature on children's reference books’
    • ‘Her commercial work includes newspaper and magazine features and book covers.’
    • ‘To mark the launch, the BBC Nairobi team will be broadcasting special features and interviews live from Kisumu during the week.’
    • ‘There are supplements in newspapers and features on television programmes.’
    • ‘At the time there was a craze for bingo games in the tabloid newspapers, so a feature was introduced where the day's bingo numbers were read out.’
    • ‘The same news director ordered a female reporter to do a feature on the ‘amateur strip night’ at a local club.’
    • ‘Work with the news department to promote your columnists or other special features.’
    • ‘Usually I write articles on my own but a colleague and I decided to cooperate on writing a big feature for a newspaper.’
    • ‘The press has devoted innumerable commentaries and special features to the topic - many of which are critical.’
    • ‘They used the opportunity to run new features such as news bulletins which they knew would be obligatory if they won a licence.’
    • ‘The site covers up-to-the minute news, features and analyses on Pakistan, India, South Asia and the rest of the world.’
    • ‘There he meets Catherine, a reporter doing a major magazine feature on him.’
    • ‘Special features show how news programming has been created over the years.’
    • ‘The sheer volume of press pieces and broadcast features about restaurants is witness to that.’
    • ‘However, a couple of recent newspaper features from that country do report on the issue.’
    • ‘A feature service which will engage journalists from all the countries and get them to produce features to feed to newspapers in the region.’
    • ‘These stories are found in numerous newspaper style sections and in soft magazine features.’
    • ‘She has co-written a number of books and also writes regular newspaper features on nutrition and healthy lifestyles.’
    • ‘Broadcasters could do a feature on children's perspective of daily news and create children's news bulletins.’
    • ‘This column is packed full of information and features about all aspects of careers, employment, recruitment and qualifications.’
    • ‘We want to be of service to our community, to become a clearing house for newsy features of all aspects of living in Japan.’
    article, piece, item, report, story, column, review, commentary, criticism, analysis, write-up, exposé
    View synonyms
    1. 2.1A full-length film intended as the main item in a cinema programme.
      ‘The film took nearly five years to move from the first pages of a script to a full-length feature film.’
      • ‘There's no explanation there for what it is, though, and I was hoping it might turn out to be a short film, a feature film, even.’
      • ‘The film at times looks not like a feature film but like a commercial.’
      • ‘This is a little like looking for the suitable scene for a feature film.’
      • ‘The piece was an abject failure if it was intended to be a serious comparison of the feature film and novel.’
      • ‘He has ambitious plans to make a full-length feature film, but again on his terms and in his own time.’
      • ‘The difference between a music video and a feature film is not as vast as one might think.’
      • ‘His dream is to make a full-length feature film for which he has already written the script.’
      • ‘The last time I saw her in London, she was excited about being cast in the main role of a feature film.’
      • ‘He appeared in advertisements for milk and watches, and even had a role in a full-length feature film.’
      • ‘From here Charlton plans to move on to make a full-length feature film on the same issue.’
      • ‘We are currently writing the full feature film and hope to be done soon.’
      • ‘I invested five years of my life and all the money I could find in making a feature film.’
      • ‘Much of the problem comes from trying to distill a novel into a short feature film.’
      • ‘The difference is that the director is only pretending to know how to make a feature film.’
      • ‘It's kind of an unlikely feature film to make but Roger put it together.’
      • ‘I rang many times until one of them gave me a job as a runner on a feature film.’
      • ‘I was looking forward to their first feature film and am relieved to report that for the most part it is a success.’
      • ‘He could have taken any one of these stories and developed them into a feature film on their own.’
      • ‘What was it like to get your first feature film credit in such a high calibre film?’

verb

[with object]

  • 1Have as a prominent attribute or aspect.

    ‘the hotel features a large lounge, a sauna, and a coin-operated solarium’
    • ‘In New York, several new hotels feature works by prominent artists.’
    • ‘All of these editions feature introductions by prominent gay writers who reflect on the impact the books had on them.’
    • ‘Twenty years later, his house at Soham would feature a prominent framed picture of a jet fighter on a wall of the living room.’
    • ‘It features a prominent campaign donation link on its front page.’
    • ‘The general concept that frozen foods do not mean junk foods is to be emphasised on packaging, which will feature prominent nutrition information.’
    • ‘It is assumed that this opportunity to feature the special attributes of a grand country house will be grasped by the operator.’
    • ‘The hotel also features excellent meeting facilities and boardrooms.’
    • ‘It may even feature a sky-high hotel on its top floors.’
    • ‘The complex will also feature luxury hotel and service apartment towers, due for completion in 2005.’
    • ‘A special leisure section, featuring events, hotels and cinemas, is also planned with the tourism market in mind.’
    • ‘Keeping the business executive in mind, the hotel also features an extensive business centre.’
    • ‘The hotel also features a new business centre, as well as seven meeting rooms.’
    • ‘Or, you can go to one of the private hotels which feature their own thermal bathing facilities.’
    • ‘The hotel will also feature a health and leisure club with swimming pool, gym, sauna and jacuzzi.’
    • ‘Almost every week, he is featured prominently and called an idiot or worse.’
    • ‘Official government tourist videos prominently feature Maasai customs and colorful beadwork.’
    • ‘In fact, this barely even felt like a movie about animals - it just happened to feature a horse prominently.’
    • ‘The magazine features articles by historians on both the left and the right.’
    • ‘In addition to our cover story, this edition features two articles about African American art.’
    • ‘The magazine also features articles centering on movie stars and their matches.’
    present, promote, make a feature of, give prominence to, focus attention on, call attention to, spotlight, highlight, accent
    View synonyms
    1. 1.1Have as an important actor or participant.
      ‘the film featured Glenn Miller and his Orchestra’
      • ‘Kung-fu has become popular in many countries, primarily through films which feature martial arts stars.’
      • ‘It's a tough thing to try to do, seeing as any indie film is going to feature cool stars, cool music and a cool aesthetic.’
      • ‘And it'll also save the advertisers money, since they'll be able to feature a film star and cricketer rolled into one.’
      • ‘There were massive fund-raising benefits featuring famous actors.’
      • ‘The film opens with a tender, candlelit love scene that features both actors in all their naked glory.’
      • ‘The evening buffet features the particular dishes from the selected province, plus fare from other areas.’
      • ‘From time to time I'll be drawn to a movie because it features an actor I adore.’
      • ‘The latest demonstration, which took place on Sunday, featured thousands of participants.’
      • ‘Strangely, these two movies feature the same actor, Kate Beckinsale, and they both involve vampires and werewolves.’
      • ‘Both movies feature the actors carrying out all their own stunts.’
      • ‘Opening next month, it's the first of five movies that will feature the actor this year.’
      • ‘When looking at the six films that featured the original crew, it is important to do a couple of things.’
      • ‘There is one deleted scene featuring actor Bill Hickey in an expanded role.’
      • ‘This episode features well-known actors such as Adam Pike, Terry Norton and Russel Savadier.’
      • ‘Its cast features a group of actors you've likely never seen before and will likely never see again.’
      • ‘It features the two actors that played two of the most iconic and legendary screen villains of all time.’
      • ‘One clip even features an actor dressed as a witch doctor dancing around a smoking cauldron.’
      • ‘It is curious, however, that so few of the work's prominent recordings feature French sopranos.’
    2. 1.2feature inno object Be a significant characteristic of or take an important part in.
      ‘his later paintings feature prominently in the exhibition’
      • ‘All these subjects have much in common and might be grouped together as important features in a wildlife garden.’
      • ‘Despite her personal life having often featured in the tabloid newspapers, she felt there was still an important story to tell.’
      • ‘Here is a run-down on their qualities and, more importantly, their chances of featuring in the tournament.’
      • ‘He had given his first important exhibition of his works and had also been featured in Time magazine.’
      • ‘There's more than a bit of outrage at the cathedral as a result of it featuring in an advert with a topless model being ‘crucified’ in front of it.’
      • ‘The police officer is the fourth officer from the police force to resign after featuring in the programme, screened on Tuesday night.’
      • ‘Since opening, the building has become an icon of America, featuring in films.’
      • ‘Atman has already won awards and is also featuring in the forthcoming International Film Festival of Kerala.’
      • ‘But that didn't stop him accepting payment for featuring in women's magazine stories.’
      • ‘The Howard government has been given a huge gift that will almost certainly still be featuring in their election advertising in 2007.’
      star, appear, participate, play a part, have a place, have prominence
      View synonyms

Origin

Late Middle English (originally denoting the form or proportions of the body, or a physical feature): from Old French faiture ‘form’, from Latin factura (see facture).