English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

chauvinistic

adj

Showing or relating to chauvinism.

chav

noun

(informal) A young working-class person seen as loud, badly behaved and dressed in a certain flashy style, used as an insult.

chava

name

A female first name of Hebrew origin.

chaver

noun

A close friend or companion.

Chavez

name

A Spanish surname, notably borne by labor leader Cesar Chavez and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

chavismo

noun

An alternative letter-case form of Chavismo.

chavista

noun

A supporter of Hugo Chávez and his political movement.

chawbacon

noun

(informal) An unsophisticated or uneducated person from the countryside.

Chaz

name

A diminutive of the given names Charles or Charlotte.

chazza

name

A pet form of the male forename Charles.

che

noun

The Cyrillic letter Ч, ч, used in Russian and other Slavic languages.

cheap

adj

Costing little money.

cheapass

adj

(informal) Mean with money and reluctant to spend it.

cheapen

verb

To lower the price or value of something.

cheapie

noun

Something that does not cost much money.

cheaply

adv

At a low cost; without spending much money.

cheapness

noun

The quality of being unwilling to spend money.

cheapo

adj

(informal) Costing very little and not made well.

cheapskate

noun

A person who is reluctant to spend money, even when they can afford to.

cheat

verb

To break rules in order to gain an unfair advantage.

cheated

adj

Deceived or unfairly deprived of something.

cheater

noun

Someone who cheats, especially by breaking rules for an unfair advantage.

cheaters

noun

An informal term for reading glasses, especially cheap, non-prescription ones.

cheating

noun

The act of deceiving or breaking rules for unfair gain, or being unfaithful to a partner.

Chechen

noun

A person from the Nakh ethnic group native to the northern Caucasus, most of whom live in the Russian republic of Chechnya.

Chechens

name

A Nakh people of the northeastern Caucasus, mostly Sunni Muslim, and the majority population of Chechnya.

Chechnya

name

A republic within Russia, located in the northern Caucasus mountains, with Grozny as its capital.

check

noun

An inspection to make sure something is correct, safe, or working.

checkbox

noun

A small box on a printed form where you mark a tick to show a choice.

checked

adj

Having a pattern of squares.

checker

noun

A person or thing that checks or verifies something.

checkerberry

noun

A small plant also known as the teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens).

checkerboard

noun

A board split into sixty-four squares of two alternating colours, used for chess, draughts or checkers.

checkered

adj

Patterned with a grid of alternating light and dark squares.

checkers

noun

A board game for two players who try to capture all of the opponent's pieces by jumping over them.

checking

noun

The act of examining or verifying something.

checklist

noun

A list of tasks, items, or conditions to be reviewed one by one.

checkmate

noun

In chess, the winning move that traps the opponent's king with no way to escape capture.

checkout

noun

The counter or area where customers pay for items in a shop.

checkpoint

noun

A location where people or vehicles are stopped for inspection, such as at a border or on a road.

checks and balances

noun

A system in which the separate parts of a government or organisation each hold powers that limit the others, so that no single part can act without restraint.

checkup

noun

A routine visit to a doctor or dentist to make sure everything is healthy.

Cheddar

noun

A firm, pale yellow cheese, originally from the English village of the same name.

chee

noun

A traditional Chinese unit of weight, also called a mace.

Cheech

name

An informal nickname for Christchurch, New Zealand.

cheek

noun

The soft, fleshy part on either side of the face, below the eye.

cheekbone

noun

The bone that forms the upper part of the cheek, just below the eye.

cheekiness

noun

Behaviour or speech that is playfully rude or disrespectful.

cheeky

adj

Disrespectful or bold in a way that's often seen as playful or amusing rather than truly rude.

cheep

verb

To make the short, high-pitched sound of a small bird or chick.

cheer

noun

A shout of approval, encouragement, or celebration.

cheerful

adj

Visibly happy and full of good spirits.

cheerfully

adv

In a happy, upbeat way.

cheerfulness

noun

A feeling of happiness and a positive, upbeat mood.

cheerily

adv

In a happy, upbeat way.

cheeriness

noun

A bright, happy, and upbeat mood.

cheering

noun

Loud shouting in support or celebration, typically from a crowd.

cheerio

intj

Goodbye, used mainly in British English.

Cheerios

name

A brand of ring-shaped toasted oat cereal made by General Mills.

cheerleader

noun

A person who performs organized chants, dance, and stunts to encourage fans at a sports game.

cheerleading

noun

An activity combining dance, gymnastics, and chants, performed to support a sports team or compete in its own right.

cheerly

adj

Happy and lively rather than sad.

cheers

intj

Said as a toast before drinking together.

cheery

adj

Happy and cheerful in a light, easygoing way.

cheese

noun

A solid food made from curdled milk, typically aged and eaten in slices, blocks, or grated.

cheeseburger

noun

A hamburger with a slice of cheese melted on the patty.

cheesecake

noun

A sweet dessert made from a mix of cream cheese or cottage cheese, eggs, and sugar, usually on a crumb base.

cheeseparing

noun

A thin strip or small piece cut off something.

cheeses

noun

The plural of cheese, the dairy food made by curdling and aging milk.

cheesy

adj

Tasting or smelling of cheese.

cheetah

noun

A large, spotted wild cat known for being the fastest land animal, native mainly to Africa.

Cheetos

noun

A brand of crunchy, cheese-flavored cornmeal snack.

chef

noun

A trained, professional cook, especially one who leads a kitchen.

cheka

name

The earliest in a series of Soviet state security organisations, established in 1917.

Chekhov

name

A Russian surname, most famously borne by playwright and author Anton Chekhov.

chela

noun

The claw of an animal such as a crab or spider, used for gripping.

chelid

noun

A turtle of the family Chelidae.

chelonian

adj

Belonging to the group of reptiles that contains turtles and tortoises.

chelp

verb

(informal) To chat or gossip in a very direct, blunt way.

Chels

name

A diminutive of the female given name Chelsea.

Chelsea

name

An affluent district in west London, on the north bank of the Thames.

chelsey

name

A female given name taken from the place name, a variant of Chelsea.

Cheltenham

name

A spa town in Gloucestershire, England, well known for its horse-racing festival.

chemic

adj

(dated) Relating to chemistry, or to what used to be called alchemy.

chemical

adj

Relating to chemistry or to substances and their reactions.

chemically

adv

By means of a chemical reaction or process.

chemicals

noun

Substances used or produced in chemistry, especially manufactured compounds rather than natural ones.

chemise

noun

A loose, shirt-like piece of underwear, worn mainly by women.

chemist

noun

A scientist who studies or works in chemistry.

chemistry

noun

The branch of science concerned with the composition, properties, and reactions of substances.

chemo

noun

Short for chemotherapy, a medical treatment that uses drugs to destroy cancer cells.

chemosynthesis

noun

The process by which certain bacteria and fungi make carbohydrates from simple substances like carbon dioxide, getting their energy from chemical reactions instead of sunlight.

chemotherapy

noun

Medical treatment using drugs, especially to destroy or slow cancer cells.

Chen

name

A common Chinese surname.

chenappapatam

name

Former name of Chennai: the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, India.

Cheney

name

An English surname, also the name of several small towns and communities in the United States.

Cheng

name

A Chinese surname, romanized from Mandarin, Cantonese, or Hokkien depending on the family.

Chennai

name

The capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, formerly known as Madras.

chennapatnam

name

An earlier name for Chennai, the largest city and capital of Tamil Nadu, India.

chennapattanamu

name

The name formerly used for Chennai, the largest city and capital of Tamil Nadu, India.

Cheon

name

A Korean surname.

Cheong

noun

Any of several sweet Korean syrups or fruit preserves, often used to sweeten tea or dressings.

cheque

noun

A written instruction to a bank to pay a specific sum from your account to a named person or business.

chequebook

noun

A booklet of preprinted cheques issued to a bank account holder for making payments.

chequer

noun

The edible fruit of the wild service tree, Sorbus torminalis.

chequers

name

A 16th-century manor house in Buckinghamshire, England, serving as the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Cher

name

A short form of the female given name Cherilyn, made famous as a stage name by the American singer Cher.

Cherbourg

name

A coastal town in Normandy, France, historically an important naval port.

Cheri

name

A female given name, a coinage related to the word "cherished" or the French chérie ("darling").

Cherie

name

A female given name, a variant spelling of Cheri.

cherish

verb

To care for someone or something deeply and protect it tenderly.

cherished

adj

Held dear; treated as precious because of deep personal meaning.

Chernobyl

name

A city in northern Ukraine, largely abandoned since the 1986 nuclear disaster there.

Chernov

name

A Russian surname.

Cherokee

noun

A member of the Cherokee Nation, an Indigenous people originally from the southeastern United States.

cheroot

noun

A cigar that has flat, square ends rather than pointed ones.

cherries

noun

The plural of cherry, the small round stone fruit.

cherry

noun

A small, round stone fruit, usually deep red, that grows on a tree of the genus Prunus.

chersonese

name

A synonym for Gallipoli, a peninsula in Turkey.

chert

noun

A hard, usually dull-coloured and opaque mineral similar to flint, such as quartzite or chalcedony.

cherub

noun

In art, a chubby winged child or baby's head with wings, often used to represent an angel.

cherubic

adj

Looking like an angel, or connected with angels.

cherubical

adj

An archaic form of cherubic.

cherubimic

adj

Connected with cherubim, a type of angel.

cherubimical

adj

To do with cherubim, a kind of angel.

cherublike

adj

Looking like or typical of a cherub.

chervil

noun

A leafy herb related to parsley, grown for use in cooking.

Cheryl

name

A female given name, coined in the early 20th century, possibly blending Cherie and Beryl.

Chesapeake

name

The Chesapeake Bay, a large estuary on the east coast of the United States, bordering Maryland and Virginia.

Cheshire

name

A county in north-west England, bordered by the Rivers Mersey and Dee.

Chesney

noun

In some regional dialects, a dent or groove in the slate bed of a table (such as a billiard or shuffleboard table) that alters how a ball rolls.

chess

noun

A strategy board game for two players, played on a chequered board with sixteen pieces per side, aiming to trap (checkmate) the opponent's king.

chessboard

noun

The square board of 64 alternating light and dark squares used to play chess.

chessie

name

A nickname used for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.

chest

noun

The front part of the body between the neck and the stomach, containing the ribs, heart, and lungs.

Chester

noun

Vulgar slang for a man who sexually abuses children.

chesterfield

noun

A sofa with padded arms and a back of the same height, often with buttoned leather upholstery.

Chesterton

name

An English surname, most famously associated with the writer G. K. Chesterton.

chestnut

noun

A tree that produces glossy brown edible nuts, or the nut itself.

Chet

name

A short form of the male given name Chester.

cheugy

adjective

Slightly out of fashion in a way that suggests trying too hard, especially by clinging to styles that were popular a few years earlier.

Cheung

name

A Cantonese surname.

cheval

noun

A stand or frame used to hold something up.

chevalier

noun

A knight, or a member of certain French orders of chivalry or merit.

Cheveley

name

A village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England.

Chevrolet

noun

An American car brand owned by General Motors, or a vehicle made by it.

chevron

noun

A V-shaped stripe or pattern, often used as a badge of military or police rank.

chevy

noun

Informal short form of "Chevrolet," or a car made by that brand.

chew

verb

To repeatedly bite and grind food with the teeth before swallowing.

chewed

adj

Having been bitten and ground up with the teeth; gnawed.