English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Chloe

name

A female given name of Ancient Greek origin, meaning "young green shoot."

chlorate

noun

(chemistry) A salt formed from chloric acid.

chloride

noun

A chemical compound formed when chlorine bonds with another element, such as sodium chloride (table salt).

chlorine

noun

A greenish, toxic gas element, widely used to disinfect water and as a bleaching agent.

chloroform

noun

A sweet-smelling, colourless liquid chemical once used as an anaesthetic and still used today as an industrial solvent.

chlorophyl

noun

A dated spelling of chlorophyll.

chlorophyll

noun

The green pigment in plants that captures sunlight and powers photosynthesis.

chlorpromazine

noun

A synthetic antipsychotic drug, with the chemical formula C₁₇H₁₉ClN₂S.

chnops

noun

An abbreviation standing for the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur.

Cho

name

A Korean or Cantonese surname.

choad

noun

A penis, particularly one that is short and wide.

chock

noun

A wedge or block placed against something, especially a wheel, to stop it from moving.

choco

noun

A short informal way to say chocolate.

chocolate

noun

A sweet food made from roasted, ground cocoa beans, eaten as a bar, candy, or used as an ingredient.

Choe

name

A Korean surname, a variant of Choi.

Choi

name

A common Korean surname, also used as a Chinese surname romanized from Cantonese.

choical

adj

Another term for something physical, material, or base.

choice

adj

Of especially high quality; specially selected.

choir

noun

A group of singers who perform together, often in a church or school.

choirboy

noun

A boy who sings in a church or school choir.

choirmaster

noun

The person in charge of a choir, who leads its performances and runs rehearsals.

choke

verb

To be unable to breathe because something is blocking the throat or windpipe.

choked

adj

Unable to breathe properly because the throat or airway is blocked.

chokehold

noun

A tight hold placed around someone's neck, usually with an arm from behind, that stops blood or air from reaching the head.

chokepoint

noun

A narrow point where traffic or movement can easily get stuck.

choker

noun

A close-fitting necklace worn snugly around the throat.

chokey

noun

A station used by officials such as police or customs agents.

choking

noun

The condition of having the airway blocked, making breathing difficult or impossible.

choler

noun

Another word for yellow bile.

cholera

noun

A severe intestinal infection caused by bacteria in contaminated water or food, causing extreme diarrhoea and dehydration.

choleric

adj

Relating to choler, the yellow bodily fluid once thought to affect mood.

cholesterin

noun

A dated form of cholesterol.

cholesterol

noun

A fat-like substance made by the liver and carried in the blood, needed by cells but linked to heart disease at high levels.

cholo

noun

(informal, sometimes offensive) A term, mainly used in the US, for a Mexican-American or Hispanic gang member or someone with that style.

chomp

verb

To bite or chew something noisily and heavily.

chomping

noun

The action or sound of biting and chewing noisily.

Chon

name

A surname.

Chong

name

A surname of Chinese or Korean origin.

choo

noun

A sound imitating a train whistle or the chugging of a steam locomotive.

chook

noun

(chiefly Australian/New Zealand informal) A chicken.

choon

noun

(slang) A song, especially a catchy or popular one, often in dance or club music.

choose

verb

To pick one option from among two or more possibilities.

choosing

noun

The act of selecting or deciding between options.

choosy

adjective

Careful and selective about what you pick, wanting things to match your exact tastes or standards.

chop

noun

A cut of meat, often including part of a rib bone.

chophouse

noun

A cheap restaurant known mainly for its chops or steaks.

Chopin

noun

An old unit of liquid measure roughly equal to half a pint.

chopine

noun

A small bottle, usually of Bordeaux wine, holding about a quarter of a litre.

chopped

adjective

Cut into small pieces.

chopper

noun

Informal: a helicopter.

choppers

noun

Informal: chopsticks.

choppiness

noun

The quality of being choppy.

chopping

noun

The act of cutting something into pieces.

choppy

adjective

Full of small, rough waves.

Chopra

name

A Punjabi surname.

chops

noun

(informal) A person's mouth, lips or jaw.

chopstick

noun

One of a pair of slender sticks used, held in one hand, to pick up and eat food, especially in East Asian cuisine.

chopsticks

noun

A pair of slender sticks, usually of wood, bamboo, or metal, held in one hand and used to pick up food, especially in East Asian cuisines.

choral

adjective

Relating to, written for, or performed by a choir.

chorale

noun

A type of hymn tune sung in Lutheran and other Protestant churches.

chord

noun

Three or more musical notes played together in harmony.

chore

noun

A routine task, especially one needed to keep a home running, such as cleaning or cooking.

choreographed

adjective

Carefully planned and arranged in advance, especially movements or a sequence of actions.

choreographer

noun

A person who designs and arranges dance movements or performance sequences.

choreography

noun

The art or practice of designing and arranging dance movements or sequences of staged movement.

chorine

noun

A woman who dances in a line of chorus girls.

chorion

noun

In higher animals, the membrane that joins an unborn baby to the womb and feeds and protects it.

chorizo

noun

A spicy Spanish or Latin American sausage flavoured with paprika.

chortling

noun

The act of laughing in a gleeful, half-snorting way.

chorus

noun

The part of a song that repeats after each verse, usually carrying the main hook.

chose

verb

Past tense of choose: selected or picked.

chosen

adjective

Picked out or selected, often as especially suitable or favoured.

chosenness

noun

The state of having been chosen.

chou

noun

A small round pastry made from choux dough, often filled with cream, as in a cream puff.

chow

noun

Informal: food, especially a meal or snack.

chowchow

noun

A type of preserve made in China.

chowder

noun

A thick, creamy soup usually containing seafood or vegetables and potatoes.

chowderheaded

adj

Stupid or foolish, with little common sense.

Choy

name

A surname from Korean or Cantonese, a variant of Choi.

Chris

name

A common diminutive of the given names Christopher, Christian, or Christina.

chrism

noun

A blessed mixture of oil and balm used for anointing in certain Christian ceremonies, particularly confirmation.

chrissake

interjection

Used in mild swearing to show frustration, annoyance, or impatience.

chrissakes

interjection

A variant of "for chrissake," used the same way to show annoyance or impatience.

Chrissie

name

A diminutive of the female given names Christina or Christine.

Chrissy

name

A diminutive of the female given names Christine or Christina.

Christ

noun

The title given to Jesus of Nazareth as the promised messiah in Christian belief.

Christa

name

A female given name of Greek origin, a contraction of Christina.

Christabel

name

A female given name meaning roughly "beautiful follower of Christ."

christabelle

name

A female forename that is a variant of Christabel.

christen

verb

To baptise someone, especially a baby, and give them a name in a Christian ceremony.

Christendom

noun

The Christian world collectively; all Christians and Christian nations considered as a whole.

christening

noun

The Christian ceremony of baptising and naming someone, usually a baby.

Christensen

name

A Danish and Norwegian surname.

Christer

noun

(informal, often mildly disparaging) A person who makes a show of being religious.

Christian

noun

A person who follows the teachings and faith of Jesus Christ.

Christianity

noun

The Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Christie

noun

A fast ski turn made by swinging the skis sideways while keeping them parallel.

Christina

name

A female given name of Greek origin, meaning "follower of Christ."

Christine

name

A female given name of Greek origin, a variant of Christina.

Christmas

noun

The Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, held on December 25th.

Christmassy

adj

Having the festive look or feeling associated with Christmas.

christmastide

noun

The twelve days running from Christmas Day to Epiphany.

Christmastime

noun

The period of the year around Christmas; the festive season.

Christopher

name

A male given name meaning "carrier of Christ," from the legend of Saint Christopher carrying the infant Jesus across a river.

Christos

name

A Greek male given name and surname, meaning "Christ."

christy

name

A diminutive of the male given name Christopher.

chroma

noun

How vivid a colour looks, measured against the brightness of the area around it.

chroma key

noun

A video and photography technique that removes a specific background colour from footage so it can be digitally replaced with a different image or scene, most commonly using a green or blue backdrop.

chromatography

noun

A laboratory technique for separating the components of a mixture by dissolving it in a fluid and passing it through a material that each component travels through at a different speed, so they arrive separated and can be identified or measured.

chrome

noun

A shiny, silvery coating of chromium applied to other metals.

chromium

noun

A hard, silvery-grey metallic chemical element, symbol Cr, often used for plating and in stainless steel.

chromo

noun

A colour picture made by chromolithography.

chromosome

noun

A thread-like structure of tightly coiled DNA and protein that carries an organism's genes.

chronic

adj

Lasting for a long time or recurring frequently, especially of an illness or problem.

chronically

adv

In a way that persists over a long time or keeps recurring.

chronicle

noun

A record of events set down in the order they happened.

chronicler

noun

A person who writes a record of events, especially historical ones.

Chronicles

noun

A written record of events set down in the order they happened.

chronograph

noun

Another word for a chronogram.

chronological

adj

Arranged in the order in which events happened, from earliest to latest.

chronological order

noun

An arrangement of events, items or records by time, starting with the earliest and moving forward to the most recent.

chronologically

adv

In a way that follows the order of time.

chronologist

noun

Someone who is an expert in chronology.

chronology

noun

The study of working out the order in which past events happened.

chronometer

noun

An instrument for measuring time very precisely, especially the exact time of day.

Chronos

noun

A measured, objective beat or rhythm of time, as distinct from subjective experience of it.

chrysalis

noun

The hard protective case a caterpillar forms around itself while it transforms into a butterfly.

chrysanthemum

noun

A garden plant, native to Asia, prized for its dense, colourful flower heads.

Chrysler

noun

An American car brand, and by extension a car made by it.

chrysoprase

noun

A pale green, translucent variety of quartz.

chthonian

adj

Belonging to the underworld; lying beneath the ground.

chthonic

adj

Living in the underworld.

chu

intj

A sound imitating a kiss.

chub

noun

A thick-bodied freshwater fish related to carp.

chubby

adj

Slightly overweight in a soft, rounded way.

chuck

noun

A cut of beef from the shoulder area, or the meat itself.

Chuckie

name

A diminutive of the male given name Chuck.

chucking

noun

The act of gripping a workpiece or tool firmly in a chuck.

chuckle

noun

A quiet, restrained laugh.

chucklehead

noun

A foolish or clumsy person.

chucklesome

adj

Funny enough to make people chuckle.

chuckling

noun

The act of laughing quietly to oneself, usually at something mildly funny.

chucks

intj

British schoolyard slang shouted as a warning that a teacher is approaching.

Chucky

noun

(British slang) A small stone, pebble, or piece of gravel.

chuff

adj

(informal) Bad-tempered, annoyed or in a sulk.

chuffed

adj

British informal: very pleased or proud.

chug

verb

To move or run with a repeated dull, laboured sound, as an engine does.

chugger

noun

British informal: a street fundraiser who stops passers-by to ask for charity donations.

chugging

noun

The repeated dull sound made by something running with effort, such as an engine.

Chui

name

A Chinese surname, romanized from Cantonese and Hokkien.