English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

acceptance

noun

The act of agreeing to receive, believe, or approve of something.

accepted

adj

Generally agreed upon, approved, or recognized as standard.

accepting

adj

Willing to tolerate or approve of people or ideas without judgment.

access

noun

The right or ability to enter, use, or obtain something.

accessible

adj

Easy to reach, enter, or obtain.

accessory

noun

An additional item that complements or completes something, especially an outfit.

accident

noun

An unplanned event, often unfortunate, that happens without anyone intending it.

accidental

adj

Happening by chance rather than on purpose.

accidentally

adv

By chance or mistake, without intending to.

accidently

adv

Nonstandard spelling of accidentally.

acclaim

verb

To praise enthusiastically and publicly.

acclaimed

adj

Widely praised and admired.

accommodate

verb

To provide someone with a place to stay or space to fit.

accommodating

adj

Willing to help or go along with what someone wants; obliging.

accommodation

noun

A place to stay, such as a room or house, especially for travellers or students.

accommodations

noun

Places to stay, or the arrangements made to meet someone's needs.

accompanied

adj

Having someone or something else present alongside; joined by a companion.

accompaniment

noun

Music played to support a main singer or instrument.

accompany

verb

To go somewhere with someone, or to be present alongside them.

accompanying

adj

Attached to or provided together with something else.

accomplice

noun

A person who helps someone else commit a crime.

accomplish

verb

To succeed in doing or finishing something, especially something difficult.

accomplished

adj

Highly skilled, especially through training or practice.

accomplishment

noun

Something achieved through effort; an achievement.

accord

noun

A formal agreement, especially between countries or groups.

accordance

noun

Agreement or conformity, especially with a rule or plan.

according

adv

Used before "to" to show where information comes from, or to mean "depending on."

accordingly

adv

In a way that fits the situation just described; as a result.

accordion

noun

A boxy musical instrument with folding bellows, played by pressing buttons or keys while squeezing air through it.

accosted

adj

(heraldry) Placed side by side, or supported on both sides.

account

noun

A written or spoken description of events; a report.

accountability

noun

Being responsible for one's actions and expected to explain or answer for them.

accountable

adj

Required to explain or answer for one's actions; responsible.

accountancy

noun

The professional practice of preparing and analysing financial records.

accountant

noun

A professional who prepares, checks, and manages financial records for a person or business.

accounting

noun

The system and practice of recording and analysing a business's or person's finances.

accredited

adj

Officially recognised as meeting a required standard.

accumulate

verb

To gradually gather or build up over time.

accumulation

noun

The gradual gathering of something into a larger amount; also the resulting mass.

accuracy

noun

The quality of being correct or exact, free from error.

accurate

adj

Correct and free from error; exact.

accurately

adv

In a correct or exact way; without error.

accursed

adj

Deeply hated or thought to be under a curse; wretched.

accusation

noun

A claim that someone has done something wrong.

accuse

verb

To claim that someone has done something wrong or committed a crime.

accused

noun

A person formally charged with a crime; the defendant.

accuser

noun

A person who accuses someone of wrongdoing.

accusing

adj

Suggesting blame; expressing an accusation.

accustomed

adj

Used to something through experience or habit.

ace

noun

A playing card marked with a single symbol, usually ranked highest or lowest in a game.

aces

intj

Used to say something is excellent or great.

acetone

noun

A colourless, strong-smelling liquid solvent that evaporates quickly; used to remove nail polish and to thin paints and resins.

acetylene

noun

A colourless, highly flammable gas made of two carbon and two hydrogen atoms, burned with oxygen to produce an extremely hot flame used for welding and cutting metal.

ach

noun

An old name for parsley or related plants such as wild celery and smallage.

ache

verb

To feel a dull, ongoing pain rather than a sharp, sudden one.

achieve

verb

To succeed in doing or reaching something, usually after effort.

achieved

adjective

Reached, completed, or accomplished successfully.

achievement

noun

Something accomplished through effort, skill, or courage; a notable success.

achieving

noun

The act of successfully reaching a goal or completing something difficult.

Achilles

name

The greatest warrior on the Greek side in Homer's Iliad, famous for his near-invulnerability except for his heel.

Achim

name

A male given name of German origin, also a town in Lower Saxony, Germany.

aching

adjective

Feeling or causing a continuous dull pain.

achoo

interjection

Used to represent the sound of a sneeze.

achy

adjective

Suffering from aches; sore all over.

acid

noun

In chemistry, a substance that reacts with a base, tastes sour, and can turn litmus paper red; on the pH scale it measures below 7.

acidic

adjective

Having the properties of an acid; sour or having a pH below 7.

acidity

noun

The quality or level of being acidic; sourness.

ACK

interjection

Used to express disgust, alarm, or annoyance.

acker

noun

A ripple or small wave on the surface of a river or lake.

Ackerman

name

A surname of occupational origin, denoting a farmer, also a town in Mississippi, United States.

acknowledge

verb

To accept or admit that something is true.

acknowledged

adjective

Widely accepted or recognized as true.

acknowledging

adjective

Recognizing or admitting something, often with a nod or gesture.

acknowledgment

noun

The act of admitting or recognizing something as true.

Ackroyd

name

An English surname of topographic origin, meaning someone who lived near an oak clearing.

Acme

noun

The highest point of achievement or development; the peak.

acne

noun

A skin condition, common in teenagers, causing spots and pimples from blocked and inflamed pores.

acorn

noun

The nut of the oak tree, oval-shaped and sitting in a small woody cup.

Acosta

name

A Spanish surname of Catalan origin.

acoustic

adjective

Relating to sound or the sense of hearing.

acoustics

noun

The scientific study of sound.

acquaint

verb

To make someone familiar with something, or to introduce people to each other.

acquaintance

noun

A person you know slightly, but who is not a close friend.

acquainted

adjective

Familiar with someone or something, usually not deeply.

acquire

verb

To get or obtain something, often through effort, purchase, or over time.

acquired

adjective

Developed during a person's life rather than present from birth.

acquisition

noun

The act of getting or gaining something, especially when a company buys another business.

acquittal

noun

A court decision that a person is not guilty of the crime they were charged with.

acquitted

adjective

Formally cleared of a criminal charge by a court.

acre

noun

A unit of land area equal to 4,840 square yards (about 4,047 square metres), historically the amount of land a team of oxen could plough in a day.

acreage

noun

The total size of an area of land, measured in acres.

acrobat

noun

A performer skilled in feats of balance, flexibility, and coordination, such as tumbling or tightrope walking.

acrobatic

adj

Relating to acrobats or the skills they use.

acrobatics

noun

The performance of gymnastic feats requiring balance, flexibility, and coordination.

acronym

noun

A word formed from the first letters of a longer phrase, especially one pronounced as a single word rather than spelled out.

Acropolis

noun

A fortified hill at the center of an ancient Greek city, used as a defensive stronghold and often home to major temples.

across

prep

From one side of something to the other.

acrylic

adj

Made from a synthetic resin or fiber derived from acrylic acid.

act

verb

To do something; to take action.

actin

noun

A protein that forms thin filaments inside cells, essential for muscle contraction and cell movement.

acting

adj

Temporarily performing the duties of another role or position.

action

noun

The process of doing something, especially to achieve a purpose.

actionable

adj

Able to be acted on immediately, especially with practical steps.

activate

verb

To make something start working or become active.

activation

noun

The act of making something active or bringing it into use.

active

adj

Engaging in physical movement or exercise regularly.

actively

adv

In a way that involves energetic or deliberate effort, rather than passively.

activism

noun

The use of vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.

activist

noun

A person who campaigns energetically for social or political change.

activity

noun

The state of being busy or full of movement and action.

actor

noun

A person who performs roles in plays, films, or television shows.

actress

noun

A woman who performs roles in plays, films, or television shows.

actual

adj

Existing in reality; real, not just imagined or planned.

actuality

noun

The fact or quality of being real, rather than theoretical or imagined.

actually

adv

In fact; used to indicate that something is true, especially when it may be surprising.

acumen

noun

The ability to make quick, accurate judgments and decisions, especially in a particular field.

acupuncture

noun

A traditional Chinese medical treatment involving inserting thin needles into specific points on the body, often used for pain relief.

acute

adj

Sudden and severe, especially describing an illness or pain.

acutely

adv

To a severe or intense degree.

ad

noun

An advertisement.

Ada

name

A female given name of Germanic origin, also an object-oriented programming language named after Ada Lovelace.

Adachi

name

A Japanese surname, also a special ward of Tokyo, Japan.

adage

noun

A short, well-known saying that expresses a general truth or piece of wisdom.

Adair

name

A male given name and Scottish surname derived from Scottish Gaelic, equivalent to English Edgar.

Adam

name

In the Bible, the first man created by God.

Adama

name

A city in Ethiopia, formerly the capital of the Oromia Region.

adamant

adj

Refusing to change one's mind or position; firmly determined.

Adams

noun

A style of dry fishing fly commonly used to catch trout.

Adamson

name

A surname derived as a patronymic, meaning "son of Adam".

adapt

verb

To change something so it becomes suitable for a new purpose or situation.

adaptability

noun

The capacity to adjust easily to new conditions or requirements.

adaptable

adjective

Able to be changed or adjusted to fit new conditions.

adaptation

noun

The process of adjusting something, or of adjusting to a new situation.

adapted

adjective

Changed or modified to suit a new purpose, audience, or environment.

adaptive

adjective

Able to adjust or change in response to new conditions.

add

verb

To combine numbers or amounts to get a total.

Addams

name

A surname derived as a patronymic, a rare spelling variant of Adams.

addendum

noun

Something added on afterward, especially extra text attached to a document.

adder

noun

A small venomous snake found across Europe, including Britain, marked with a dark zigzag pattern down its back.

Adderall

name

A brand name for a prescription stimulant medication used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.

addict

noun

A person who is dependent on a harmful substance and cannot easily stop using it.

addicted

adjective

Physically or psychologically dependent on a substance, unable to stop easily.

addiction

noun

A strong, often harmful, compulsion to keep using a substance or repeating a behavior, even when it causes problems.

addictive

adjective

Causing a strong dependency, so that a person finds it hard to stop.

Addie

name

A diminutive of the female given names Adele, Adeline, Adelaide, or Addison or other names beginning with Ad-.

adding

noun

The act of combining numbers or things to increase a total.

Addis

name

A surname derived as a patronymic from a diminutive of Adam.

Addison

name

A surname and, in modern use, a popular given name for both sexes, also the name of several towns in the United States.

addition

noun

The arithmetic operation of combining numbers to find a total.

additional

adjective

Extra; added on top of what already exists.