English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

amazing

adj

Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.

amazingly

adv

In a way that causes great surprise or wonder.

Amazon

noun

A member of a legendary race of female warriors said to live near the Black Sea in Greek mythology.

Amazonian

adj

Relating to the Amazon River or the surrounding rainforest region in South America.

ambassador

noun

A diplomat of the highest rank sent by one country to represent it in another.

amber

noun

A hard, translucent, yellow-to-brown fossilized tree resin, used in jewellery and sometimes containing preserved insects.

ambergris

noun

A firm, waxy material, greyish to blackish in colour, that can catch fire and is produced inside the gut of sperm whales; it is used in making perfume.

Amberson

name

A surname derived as a patronymic from Ambrose, also a community in Pennsylvania.

ambiance

noun

The particular mood or atmosphere created by a place or its surroundings.

ambidextrous

adjective

Able to use both hands equally well, especially for writing.

Ambien

noun

A brand name for zolpidem, a prescription drug used short-term to help people fall asleep.

ambience

noun

The mood or atmosphere of a place, created by things such as lighting, sound, decor and the people in it.

ambient

adj

Surrounding or existing on all sides; relating to the immediate environment.

ambiguity

noun

The quality of having more than one possible meaning or interpretation.

ambiguous

adj

Open to more than one interpretation; unclear in meaning.

ambisextrous

adj

Having qualities of both sexes; not clearly male or female.

ambisexual

adj

Having both male and female sex organs.

ambit

noun

The range covered by something, such as an action, an idea or the meaning of a word.

ambition

noun

A strong desire to achieve success, power, or a particular goal.

ambitious

adj

Having a strong desire for success, power, or achievement.

ambivalence

noun

The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings (such as love and hate) towards a person, object or idea.

ambivalent

adj

Having mixed or contradictory feelings about someone or something.

ambivert

noun

A person who falls between introvert and extrovert, drawing energy from both company and solitude depending on the situation.

amble

verb

To walk at a slow, relaxed pace with no particular hurry.

ambler

noun

A horse or mule that moves at an easy, gentle pace.

ambo

noun

A raised platform or podium in a church used for readings, sermons, or homilies.

ambon

name

The name of an island in the Moluccas, Indonesia.

Ambrose

name

A male given name of Ancient Greek origin, also used as a surname.

ambrosia

noun

In Greek mythology, the food or drink of the gods, said to grant immortality.

ambrosial

adj

Fit for the gods; wonderfully special.

ambulance

noun

A vehicle equipped to carry sick or injured people to a hospital, usually with emergency medical staff aboard.

ambulant

adj

Able to walk about.

ambulate

verb

To move from one place to another on foot.

ambulatory

adjective

In medicine, able to walk, or provided without an overnight stay — as in ambulatory care.

ambuscade

noun

A surprise attack set up to catch an enemy off guard.

ambush

noun

A surprise attack launched from a hidden position.

ambushed

adj

Caught by a surprise attack.

ambushing

noun

The act of launching a surprise attack from concealment.

ameen

noun

(India, law) An official appointed by a court to carry out tasks such as checking accounts, holding local inquiries, handing over property, or acting as a bailiff.

ameer

name

A male first name of Arabic origin.

Amelia

noun

A rare birth condition in which a baby is born missing one or more limbs.

ameliorate

verb

To make a bad or unpleasant situation better, or less severe.

amelioration

noun

The act of improving something.

amen

intj

Said at the end of a prayer to mean "so be it."

amenable

adj

Willing to go along with a suggestion or be persuaded.

amend

verb

To make formal changes to a document, law, or agreement in order to correct or improve it.

amended

adj

Changed from an earlier version, usually to fix or improve it.

amendment

noun

A formal change made to a law, bill, or constitution.

amends

noun

Something done to make up for harm or wrongdoing.

amenities

noun

Features or services that make a place more comfortable or convenient.

amenity

noun

A pleasant quality or feeling.

amenorrhoea

noun

The medical condition of not having menstrual periods.

amerce

verb

To make someone pay a fine.

amercement

noun

(law) A fine or forfeit that a court can order at its own discretion, without it being set by statute.

America

name

A continent or supercontinent of the Western Hemisphere, or informally the United States of America; also used as a female given name.

American

noun

A citizen or native of the United States.

Americana

noun

Objects, images, or ideas that capture traditional American culture and history.

americano

noun

A coffee made by diluting a shot of espresso with hot water.

Americas

name

The combined landmass of North America, Central America, and South America.

americium

noun

A chemical element with the symbol Am and atomic number 95.

amerind

adj

Describing a now largely rejected theory grouping together the native languages of the Americas, apart from Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene.

Ames

name

A surname, also a diminutive of the female given name Amy, and the name of a city in Iowa, United States.

amethyst

noun

A purple or violet variety of quartz used as a gemstone.

Amex

noun

Informal short form of American Express, referring to the company or one of its credit cards.

Ami

name

A town in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.

amiable

adj

Friendly, warm, and easy to like.

amianthus

noun

A soft, fine variety of asbestos made up of long thin fibres.

amicable

adj

Done or carried out in a friendly way, without hostility.

amicably

adv

In a friendly way, without conflict or hostility.

amid

prep

In the middle of; surrounded by.

amide

noun

In organic chemistry, a compound formed from a carboxylic acid by swapping its hydroxyl group for an amino group.

amidst

prep

In the midst of; surrounded by (a more old-fashioned form of "amid").

amie

name

A female first name of Latin, a less common spelling of Amy origin.

amiga

noun

A female friend (a term borrowed from Spanish, often used in English by Spanish speakers or in Spanish-influenced English).

amigo

noun

A friend (a term borrowed from Spanish, also used informally in English).

amin

name

A male given name of Arabic origin, meaning "trustworthy" or "faithful."

Amina

name

A female given name of Arabic origin, meaning "trustworthy" or "faithful."

aminah

name

A female first name of Arabic origin.

amino

adj

Relating to or containing an amine group, a nitrogen-based chemical structure found in many biological molecules.

Amir

name

A male given name and title of Arabic origin, meaning "commander" or "prince."

Amira

name

A female given name of Arabic origin, meaning "princess."

amirah

name

A female first name of Arabic origin.

Amis

name

A surname of Old French origin.

Amish

noun

A traditional Christian community, mostly living in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, known for simple living and limited use of modern technology.

amiss

adj

Wrong or out of order in some way.

amit

name

A male given name, from Sanskrit meaning "limitless" or from Hebrew meaning "friend."

Amitabh

name

A male given name of Indian origin, from Sanskrit meaning "boundless light."

amity

noun

Friendly feeling between people.

Amjad

name

A surname of Arabic origin, meaning "most glorious."

amma

noun

A word for "mother," used in several South Asian languages and borrowed into English in that context.

Amman

name

The capital city of Jordan.

ammeter

noun

A device that measures the size of an electric current, usually calibrated in amperes.

ammo

noun

Bullets, shells, or other material fired from weapons; ammunition.

ammon

name

The name of an ancient nation that lay east of the River Jordan, between the Arnon and Jabbok valleys, in what is now Jordan.

ammonia

noun

A colorless gas made of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH3), known for its sharp, unpleasant smell.

ammonium

noun

A positively charged particle (NH4+) formed when ammonia gains an extra hydrogen atom.

ammunition

noun

Bullets, shells, and other projectiles used in firearms and weapons.

amnesia

noun

A partial or total loss of memory, often caused by injury, illness, or trauma.

amnesiac

noun

A person who has lost part or all of their memory.

amnesic

adj

Relating to, affected by, or caused by loss of memory.

amnestic

adj

Another word for amnesic.

amnesty

noun

An official pardon granted by a government, especially to a group of people who committed a political offense.

amnion

noun

The innermost membrane around a developing reptile, bird or mammal, forming the fluid-filled sac it grows inside.

amniotic

adj

Relating to the amnion, the fluid-filled sac that surrounds and protects a developing embryo.

Amo

name

A surname.

amoeba

noun

A single-celled organism that moves and feeds by extending finger-like parts of itself called pseudopodia.

amoebiasis

noun

An illness caused by amoebas living in the body.

amok

adv

In a wild, uncontrolled, or violent manner (usually in the phrase "run amok").

among

prep

Surrounded by, or in the middle of, a group of people or things.

amongst

prep

A more formal or old-fashioned variant of "among".

amontillado

noun

A pale, dry sherry that comes from the Montilla region.

Amor

noun

A small asteroid, or a member of a class of asteroids, whose orbit lies between those of Earth and Mars.

amora

noun

One of the Jewish scholars, active roughly between 200 and 500 CE, who passed on the teachings of the Mishnah by word of mouth.

amoral

adj

Not concerned with, or not guided by, any sense of right and wrong.

amorality

noun

A lack of any sense of right and wrong.

amorally

adv

Without any regard for right or wrong.

amore

noun

Love, especially romantic love, used in English with a deliberately Italian flavour.

amorous

adj

Showing or feeling strong romantic or sexual desire.

amorousness

noun

The quality of being full of love or desire.

amorphous

adjective

Having no clear shape or outline.

amortisation

noun

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of amortization.

amortization

noun

The process of paying off a debt in regular instalments over a set period, so that each payment covers interest and part of the principal until the balance reaches zero.

Amory

name

A surname and male given name of Germanic origin, meaning roughly "vigorous ruler".

Amos

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, also a book of the Old Testament and the prophet who authored it.

amound

verb

To pile up or build up, so as to reach a certain total.

amount

noun

A quantity of something, especially something that can't easily be counted as separate units.

amour

noun

A romantic or sexual relationship, often a secret or illicit one.

amourette

noun

A brief, unimportant romance.

amoy

name

An earlier name for Xiamen, a prefecture-level and subprovincial city in Fujian, southeastern China.

amp

noun

Short for amplifier: a device that increases the volume or strength of an electronic signal.

amparo

noun

In several Latin American legal systems, a special court proceeding used to protect a person's constitutional rights, similar to habeas corpus.

amped

adj

Very excited or full of energy, sometimes to an extreme degree.

amperage

noun

The strength of an electric current, measured in amperes.

ampere

noun

The SI base unit of electric current, symbol A, often called an amp in everyday speech.

ampersand

noun

The symbol &, used to represent the word 'and'.

amphetamine

noun

A powerful stimulant drug that speeds up activity in the brain and nervous system, used medically for conditions like ADHD and also misused recreationally.

amphibian

noun

A cold-blooded animal, such as a frog or salamander, that typically starts life in water and can later live on land.

amphibiology

noun

The scientific study of amphibians.

amphibiotic

adj

Describing an insect that spends its early life in water and moves onto land once grown.

amphibious

adj

Able to live, travel, or operate both on land and in water.

amphibole

noun

Any of a group of similar minerals made of silicates combined with metals such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron or aluminium.

amphiboly

noun

A phrase or sentence that can be read in more than one way because of how it is put together.

amphitheater

noun

A large, usually open-air, oval or round building with tiered seating around a central performance or arena area.

amphitheatre

noun

An open-air theatre, which may have seating all around the stage or on just one side, especially one dating from classical Greek or Roman times, or a present-day venue built along similar lines.

amphora

noun

A tall, narrow-necked ceramic jar with two handles, used in ancient Greece and Rome for storing wine, oil, or grain.

amphoric

adj

Relating to an amphora, whether as a large storage jar or as an old Roman unit for measuring liquid.

ample

adj

Enough, or more than enough, for a particular purpose.

amplect

verb

(zoology) To grip a mate with the front legs during mating.

amplifiable

adj

Able to be made louder or stronger.

amplification

noun

The act, or result, of making something bigger, fuller or more extensive.