mere

adj.

1. 仅仅的；只不过
   used when you want to emphasize how small, unimportant, etc. sb/sth is
   1. It took her a mere 20 minutes to win.
      她只花了20分钟就赢了。
   2. A mere 2% of their budget has been spent on publicity.
      他们的预算开支只有2%用于宣传。
   3. He seemed so young, a mere boy.
      他看来那么年轻，只是个孩子。
   4. You've got the job. The interview will be a mere formality.
      你已经得到了这份工作。面试不过是个形式。
2. 只凭…就足以
   used when you are saying that the fact that a particular thing is present in a situation is enough to have an influence on that situation
   1. His mere presence (= just the fact that he was there) made her feel afraid.
      他当时在场，这就足以让她害怕了。
   2. The mere fact that they were prepared to talk was encouraging.
      他们愿意商谈，这就很不错了。
   3. The mere thought of eating made him feel sick.
      他一想到吃饭就觉得恶心。
   4. The merest (= the slightest) hint of smoke is enough to make her feel ill.
      最细微的一丝烟就能使她感到不舒服。

noun

1. 小湖；池塘
   a small lake

Mere does not have a comparative form. The superlative form merest is used to emphasize how small something is, rather than in comparisons.
mere 没有比较级，最高级 merest 并无比较之义，而是用来强调极其微小。

1. ADJ 只不过;仅仅
   You use mere to emphasize how unimportant or inadequate something is, in comparison to the general situation you are describing.
   1. ...successful exhibitions which go beyond mere success...
      不仅仅是成功而是大获成功的展览
   2. There is more to good health than the mere absence of disease...
      身体健康不仅仅指不生病，还包括更多。
   3. In Poland, the faith has always meant more than mere religion...
      在波兰，信仰的含义向来不仅仅指宗教。
   4. She'd never received the merest hint of any communication from him.
      她从未得到他准备沟通的一丁点儿暗示。
2. ADJ 极小的，微不足道的，单单(表示虽小却有重要影响)
   You use mere to indicate that a quality or action that is usually unimportant has a very important or strong effect.
   1. The mere mention of food had triggered off hunger pangs...
      单单提到食物就引起了阵阵饥饿感。
   2. Whenever there was a gap in the traffic the merest pressure on the accelerator was enough to close it...
      每当车流里出现了一点儿空距，只要稍稍一踩油门，空距就没有了。
   3. The team manager has been quick to clamp down on the merest hint of complacency.
      球队主教练很快就消除了自满的小苗头。
3. ADJ 只不过，仅仅(用于强调数量之小)
   You use mere to emphasize how small a particular amount or number is.
   1. Sixty per cent of teachers are women, but a mere 5 percent of women are heads and deputies...
      有60%的教师是女性，但是担任校长和副校长的女性仅占5%。
   2. Tickets are a mere £7.50 at the door...
      门口买票只要7.5英镑。
   3. For the past two decades, North Carolina taxed cigarettes at a mere 2 cents a packet.
      过去20年里，北卡罗来纳州的香烟税仅为每包2美分。

1. Macmillan must have loathed being judged as a mere appendage to domestic politics.
   麦克米伦肯定极不喜欢只被当成国内政治的附属品。
2. I think their crime is a blacker one than mere exploitation.
   我想他们的罪行比单纯的剥削更残忍。
3. With the Cold War almost over, the talks were a mere formality.
   随着冷战即将结束，对话就只是一种形式了。
4. There is more to good health than the mere absence of disease
   身体健康不仅仅指不生病，还包括更多。
5. In Poland, the faith has always meant more than mere religion
   在波兰，信仰的含义向来不仅仅指宗教。
6. She'd never received the merest hint of any communication from him.
   她从未得到他准备沟通的一丁点儿暗示。
7. The mere mention of food had triggered off hunger pangs
   单单提到食物就引起了阵阵饥饿感。
8. Whenever there was a gap in the traffic the merest pressure on the accelerator was enough to close it
   每当车流里出现了一点儿空距，只要稍稍一踩油门，空距就没有了。
9. The team manager has been quick to clamp down on the merest hint of complacency.
   球队主教练很快就消除了自满的小苗头。
10. For the past two decades, North Carolina taxed cigarettes at a mere 2 cents a packet.
    过去20年里，北卡罗来纳州的香烟税仅为每包2美分。
11. The mere mention of John had touched a very raw nerve indeed.
    提到约翰就真的让人心痛。
12. Of the sonnet eleven of the lines are mere padding and say nothing.
    那首十四行诗中有11行都是废话，毫无意义。
13. He's a mere slip of a lad compared to his brother
    跟他哥哥一比，他不过是个小毛孩。
14. The American came from behind to snatch victory by a mere eight seconds
    美国人后来居上，仅以8秒钟的优势赢得了胜利。
15. He flung himself down in the flat submissive posture of a mere supplicant.
    他以一个卑微的哀求者绝对谦恭的姿态猛地趴在地上。
16. It is mere surmise that Bosch had Brant's poem in mind when doing this painting
    认为博斯在画这幅画时脑子里想着布兰特的诗，这仅仅是猜测而已。
17. Is his promotion evidence of the minorities 'advance, or mere tokenism?
    他的晋升是证明了少数族裔的进步，还是仅仅为了装点门面？
18. Believe me, it's the least I can do, a mere trifle.
    相信我，这是我最起码能做的了，只是小事一桩。
19. This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper.
    这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。
20. Mere talk and no action won't do.
    只说不做，那是不成的。
21. It is a mere coincidence that they see eye to eye on this point.
    他们在这一点上见解一致完全是偶合。
22. I am a mere beginner.
    我只不过是一个初学者。
23. What he has said is a mere commonplace view.
    他所说的不过是尘俗之见而已。
24. He is already assured of the job and his interview is a mere formality.
    他已经肯定获得那份工作了，口头审查仅是形式而已。
25. The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.
    这条小河变成细流了。
26. His love was a mere sham; what he really wanted was her money.
    他的爱情完全是虚假的，他真正要的是她的钱。
27. No historical phenomenon is a mere repetition of the past.
    任何历史现象都不会是简单的重复。

noun

1. a small pond of standing water