English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

A

character

The first letter of the English alphabet.

aa

noun

A type of volcanic lava that cools into a rough, jagged, broken-up surface, as opposed to smooth pahoehoe lava.

AAA

noun

The top tier of minor-league baseball, one level below the major leagues; also used loosely for "top-tier" in other contexts.

aaagh

intj

A stretched-out cry of shock, pain, or fear, longer and more intense than a plain "agh".

aagh

intj

A cry expressing sudden horror, disgust, or frustration.

aah

intj

Used to express amazement, pleasure, or relief.

Aarav

name

A male given name of Indian origin, popular among Hindi speakers.

aardvark

noun

A nocturnal, burrowing African mammal that eats ants and termites and somewhat resembles a pig with a long snout.

Aaron

name

A male given name, from the biblical figure who was the brother of Moses.

aarti

noun

A Hindu ritual of worship in which a small flame, often from a lamp fed with clarified butter, is offered to a deity.

Aaru

name

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the heavenly paradise ruled by Osiris, pictured as endless reed fields like the Nile Delta.

ab

noun

Informal short form of "abdominal muscle", usually used in the plural "abs" for the stomach muscles.

aba

noun

A simple, loose-fitting robe traditionally worn in parts of the Middle East, often made from coarse woven wool or camel hair.

aback

adv

Used in the phrase "taken aback": caught by surprise, startled, or momentarily thrown off guard.

abacus

noun

A manual calculating tool made of a frame with rows of sliding beads, used to add, subtract, and perform other arithmetic.

Abaddon

name

In the Bible, the angel or personification of destruction who rules over the bottomless pit; by extension, the pit itself.

abalone

noun

An edible sea snail with a flattened, ear-shaped shell lined with mother-of-pearl; also, its meat.

abandon

verb

To leave someone or something behind for good, especially when you have a duty to stay.

abandoned

adj

Left behind and no longer cared for, used, or lived in.

abandoning

noun

The act of leaving something or someone behind for good.

abandonment

noun

The act of leaving someone or something behind completely, or the state of having been left that way.

abandons

noun

Children who have been abandoned by their parents or guardians; foundlings.

abate

verb

To become less strong or severe; to die down.

abattoir

noun

A place where animals are killed for food; a slaughterhouse.

abba

noun

An Aramaic word for "father", used as a religious title and, in the New Testament, as an intimate name for God.

Abbas

name

A male given name and surname of Arabic origin.

abbess

noun

A woman who heads a convent of nuns, holding the same authority over her community that an abbot holds over monks.

abbey

noun

A monastery or convent, or the buildings that house it, led by an abbot or abbess.

Abbi

name

A diminutive of the female given name Abigail.

Abbie

name

A unisex nickname, most often short for Abigail, and occasionally for Albert.

abbot

noun

The monk who is head of an abbey or monastery.

Abbott

name

A surname, originally referring to someone who worked for or was connected to an abbot.

abbreviation

noun

A shortened form of a word or phrase, standing in for the full version.

Abbs

name

A surname derived from a short form of the name Abel.

Abby

name

A common diminutive of the given name Abigail, also used as a standalone name.

ABC

noun

The alphabet, or the basics of a subject.

abdicate

verb

To formally give up a position of power, especially a throne.

abdomen

noun

The part of the body between the chest and the pelvis, containing the stomach and other digestive organs.

abdominal

adj

Relating to the abdomen.

abduct

verb

To take a person away by force, usually secretly and against their will; to kidnap.

abducted

adj

Having been taken away by force; kidnapped.

abduction

noun

The crime of taking a person away by force or deception, typically to hold them against their will.

abductor

noun

Someone who unlawfully takes a person away by force; a kidnapper.

Abdul

name

A male given name from Arabic used by Muslims.

Abdullah

name

A male given name of Arabic origin, meaning "servant of God".

Abe

noun

A five-dollar bill, in American slang.

abed

adv

In or on a bed; confined to bed.

Abel

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, also the name of the biblical son of Adam and Eve killed by his brother Cain.

Abercrombie

name

A Scottish surname, also the name of several small places in Scotland and North America.

Aberdeen

name

A port city and council area in northeastern Scotland, also the name of several towns in the United States and elsewhere.

aberrant

adj

Differing from what is normal or expected; deviating from the usual pattern.

aberration

noun

Something that departs noticeably from what is normal, expected, or typical.

abetting

noun

The act of helping or encouraging someone to do something wrong, especially a crime.

Abhay

name

A male given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "fearless", used in India.

Abhi

name

A diminutive form of Indian given names such as Abhinav, Abhishek, or Abhilasha.

Abhimanyu

name

A male given name from Sanskrit, borne by a hero of the Mahabharata, son of Arjuna and Subhadra.

abhor

verb

To hate or detest something intensely; to regard it with disgust.

abhorrent

adj

Causing intense disgust or hatred; utterly repugnant.

Abi

name

A diminutive of the female given name Abigail.

abide

verb

To accept and follow a rule, decision, or agreement (used with "by").

abiding

adj

Lasting for a long time; enduring; not fading.

abigail

noun

(dated) A lady's personal maid or servant.

Abilene

adj

Of or relating to Abila

ability

noun

The capacity or power to do something.

abject

adj

Experienced or done in the most extreme or miserable degree, especially poverty or failure.

ablaze

adj

On fire; burning fiercely.

able

adj

Having the power, skill, resources, or opportunity to do something.

Abner

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "father of light", borne by a cousin of Saul in the Old Testament.

abnormal

adj

Different from what is usual, expected, or average; not normal.

abnormality

noun

A feature or condition that departs from what is normal or expected.

abnormally

adv

In a way that is not normal; unusually.

aboard

adv

On or into a ship, plane, train, or other vehicle.

abode

noun

A place where someone lives; a home or dwelling.

abolish

verb

To officially end a law, system, or practice.

abolition

noun

The act of officially ending a law, system, or practice, especially slavery.

abominable

adj

Extremely unpleasant or disgusting; causing strong hatred or disapproval.

abomination

noun

Something that causes intense disgust or hatred.

Aboriginal

adj

Relating to the original, native inhabitants of a region, especially before colonization.

aborigines

noun

The original or earliest known inhabitants of a region.

abort

verb

To stop an action, plan, or process before it is finished, usually because of a problem.

aborted

adj

Stopped or ended before completion, usually due to a problem.

abortion

noun

The deliberate ending of a pregnancy before the foetus can survive on its own.

abound

verb

To exist in large numbers or amounts; to be plentiful.

about

prep

Concerning a particular subject; on the topic of.

above

prep

In a position higher than something else; overhead of.

abra

noun

A narrow pass or gap through hills or a mesa.

abracadabra

noun

A magic word traditionally chanted as part of a spell or charm.

Abraham

name

A prophet in the Old Testament, Qur'an and Aqdas; a Semitic patriarch son of Terah who practiced monotheism, father of the Jewish patriarch Isaac by Sarah and the Arab patriarch Ishmael by Hagar.

abram

adj

Auburn.

Abramoff

name

A surname of Russian origin.

Abrams

name

A surname derived as a patronymic from the given name Abraham.

abrasion

noun

A scraped area of skin where the surface has been rubbed or scratched off.

abrasive

adj

Rough enough to grind or wear away a surface through friction.

abreast

adv

Side by side, facing the same direction.

abroad

adv

In or to a foreign country.

abrupt

adj

Happening suddenly and without warning.

abruptly

adv

Suddenly and without warning.

Abs

name

A diminutive of the female given name Abigail.

abscess

noun

A swollen, pus-filled pocket in the body, usually caused by infection.

absence

noun

The state of not being in a place where one is expected.

absent

adj

Not present in a place where one is expected to be.

absentee

noun

Someone who is not present where they are expected to be, such as work or school.

absinthe

noun

A strong, anise-flavoured spirit traditionally distilled with wormwood.

absolute

adj

Complete and total, with no exceptions or limits.

absolutely

adv

Completely and without qualification.

absolution

noun

A formal declaration of forgiveness for sins, especially one given by a priest.

absolve

verb

To officially clear someone of blame, guilt, or responsibility.

absolved

adjective

Formally cleared of blame, guilt, or a wrongdoing.

absorb

verb

To soak up a liquid, gas, or other substance.

absorbed

adj

Completely focused on something, to the exclusion of everything else.

absorbent

adj

Able to soak up liquid easily.

absorbing

adj

Extremely interesting; holding someone's full attention.

absorption

noun

The process of taking in and incorporating a substance, such as light, heat, or liquid.

abstain

verb

To deliberately not take part in something, especially eating, drinking, or voting.

abstinence

noun

The practice of deliberately avoiding something one wants, such as food, alcohol, or sex.

abstract

noun

A short summary of a longer document, especially an academic paper.

abstraction

noun

The process of considering an idea or quality separately from any specific object.

absurd

adj

So unreasonable or illogical that it seems ridiculous.

absurdity

noun

The quality of being absurd or ridiculous.

absurdly

adv

In a way that is ridiculous or illogical.

Abu

name

A language of Papua New Guinea.

abuela

noun

A grandmother, especially in a Spanish-speaking or Hispanic family.

abundance

noun

A very large supply of something; more than enough.

abundant

adj

Existing in large quantities; plentiful.

abundantly

adv

In large quantities; plentifully.

abuse

noun

Cruel or violent treatment of a person, often repeated.

abused

adj

Having suffered mistreatment, especially violence or cruelty.

abuser

noun

A person who mistreats or is violent toward another person.

abusive

adj

Behaving in a cruel, violent, or insulting way toward someone.

abut

verb

To share a border with, or be right next to, something else.

abysmal

adj

Extremely bad; of very poor quality.

abyss

noun

A very deep, seemingly bottomless chasm or void.

ac

noun

Common abbreviation for air conditioning or an air conditioner.

acacia

noun

A tree or shrub with feathery leaves and small clustered flowers, common in warm and dry climates.

academia

noun

The world of universities, teaching, and scholarly research, considered as a whole.

academic

adj

Relating to schools, universities, or formal education and scholarship.

academically

adv

In a way that relates to school or university study and performance.

academics

noun

Schoolwork and scholarly study, especially as distinct from sports or social activities.

academy

noun

A school, college, or institution devoted to a particular subject or level of education.

Acapulco

name

A port city on the Pacific coast of Mexico, known as a beach resort destination.

accelerant

noun

A substance, especially a flammable one, used to speed up a fire or chemical reaction.

accelerate

verb

To go faster, or to make something go faster.

accelerated

adj

Moving or happening faster than normal.

accelerating

adj

Becoming faster over time.

acceleration

noun

An increase in speed, or the rate at which speed increases.

accelerator

noun

The pedal in a vehicle that controls speed.

accent

noun

A distinctive way of pronouncing a language, typical of a region, country, or social group.

accentuate

verb

To make something more noticeable or prominent; to emphasize.

accept

verb

To agree to receive or take something that is offered.

acceptable

adj

Good enough to be approved of or allowed; satisfactory.