English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

clack

noun

A short, sharp sound made by two hard objects knocking together, between a click and a clunk.

clacker

noun

A percussion instrument producing a clacking sound.

clacking

noun

A repeated clack-like sound.

Clacks

name

An informal short form of Clackmannanshire, a council area in Scotland, often used in postal addresses.

clad

adj

Dressed or covered in something, especially clothing or a protective layer.

cladding

noun

Clothes that a person wears.

claes

noun

A Scots dialect word for clothes.

claim

verb

To state that something is true, often without having proved it yet.

claimable

noun

Something you are able to claim.

claimant

noun

A person who makes a claim.

claimed

verb

Past tense and past participle of claim: stated something as true without providing proof, especially something others doubt.

claimer

noun

Someone who makes a claim.

claiming

noun

The act of making a claim.

Clair

name

A given name of French origin, a less common spelling of Claire, used for both males and females.

claire

noun

A small enclosed pond used to gather and freshen oysters before sale.

clairvoyance

noun

The supposed ability to know about things, such as the past or future, without using the normal senses.

clairvoyant

adj

Supposedly able to perceive things beyond the normal senses, such as future events or hidden information.

clam

noun

An edible shellfish with two hinged shells, found buried in sand or mud.

clamant

adj

Demanding attention in a loud and urgent way.

clamber

verb

To climb over something using your hands and feet, often clumsily.

clambering

noun

The action of climbing somewhere clumsily, using your hands and feet.

clamjamfrey

noun

A chaotic crowd of people; a mob.

clammy

adj

Unpleasantly cold and damp to the touch, especially skin.

clamor

noun

A loud outcry or noisy demand, often from a crowd.

clamoring

noun

The act or sound of loudly demanding something.

clamorous

adj

Relating to loud shouting or noise.

clamour

noun

British spelling of clamor — a loud outcry or noisy demand.

clamouring

noun

British spelling of clamoring — the act or sound of loudly demanding something.

clamp

noun

A device used to hold or squeeze objects tightly together.

clampdown

noun

A sudden, strict move to control or restrict something.

clamped

adj

Held or fastened tightly, as if by a clamp.

clamping

noun

The act of fastening something with a clamp, or of immobilising a vehicle with a wheel clamp.

clamshell

noun

The hard outer shell of a clam.

clan

noun

A large group of related families claiming descent from a common ancestor.

clancy

noun

An overflow or spillage, especially of liquid.

clandestine

adj

Kept secret, especially because the activity is improper or illicit.

clandestinely

adv

Secretly, without other people knowing.

clandestineness

noun

Another word for clandestinity.

clang

verb

To make (or produce) a loud, ringing metallic sound.

clanger

noun

A thing that makes a clanging sound, such as a bell used to warn people.

clanging

noun

A repeated loud, ringing metallic noise.

clangor

noun

A Canada, US standard spelling of clangour.

clangour

noun

A loud, repeated ringing or crashing noise.

clank

noun

A loud, dull sound of metal striking metal.

clanker

noun

A thing that produces a clanking sound.

clanking

noun

A repeated dull, metallic clank sound.

clannish

adj

Relating to a clan.

clannishness

noun

The quality of favouring one's own close-knit group and keeping outsiders at a distance.

Clanton

name

An English surname, also the name of a city in Alabama, the county seat of Chilton County.

clap

verb

To strike the palms of the hands together to make a sharp sound, especially to applaud.

clapped

adj

Very ugly or unattractive (slang).

clapper

noun

The part inside a bell that swings and strikes it to make it ring.

clapperboard

noun

A hinged board used at the start of a film take, clapped shut to help line up the picture and sound during editing.

clapperclaw

verb

To attack someone by fighting and scratching them.

clapping

noun

The act of striking your hands together to applaud or make a rhythm.

Clapton

name

An English habitational surname, also the name of several places in England, including a district of Hackney, London.

claptrap

noun

Talk or writing that sounds impressive but is actually empty or nonsensical.

claque

noun

A group of people paid to attend a show and either clap or jeer.

Clara

name

A female given name of Latin origin, meaning "bright" or "clear."

Clare

noun

A nun belonging to the Poor Clares, a Franciscan religious order for women.

Claremont

name

A place name used for numerous towns, cities, and suburbs across the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and elsewhere.

clarence

noun

A light, closed four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a glass front, popular in the 19th century.

claret

noun

A dry red wine from the Bordeaux region of France, or a similar style made elsewhere.

claribel

name

A female first name of Latin origin.

Clarice

name

A female given name of French origin, related to Clarissa.

Claridge

name

An English surname, possibly derived from the given name Clarice or from a place in Sussex.

clarification

noun

The act of making something clearer or easier to understand.

clarified

adj

Made clear, especially a liquid with impurities strained or settled out.

clarify

verb

To make an idea, statement, or situation easier to understand.

clarifying

adj

Making something clearer or easier to understand.

clarinet

noun

A single-reed woodwind instrument with a smooth, rich tone that varies across its low, middle, and high registers.

clarinetist

noun

A clarinetist is someone who plays the clarinet.

clarion

noun

A medieval brass instrument with a narrow tube and a high, piercing sound, once used to signal in battle.

Clarissa

noun

A nun of the Poor Clares order (a less common synonym for "Poor Clare").

Clarisse

noun

A nun of the Poor Clares order, especially one following Saint Clare's original rule.

clarity

noun

The quality of being clear and easy to understand, see, or hear.

Clark

name

An English and Scottish surname originally denoting an occupation as a scribe or cleric, also used as a male given name.

Clarkson

name

An English surname meaning "son of Clark," also the name of several towns and suburbs.

claro

noun

A cigar with a light tan or yellowish wrapper leaf.

clart

noun

Thick, sticky mud or dirt.

clarty

adj

Muddy, dirty and unpleasantly sticky.

clary

noun

Clary sage, a herb (Salvia sclarea) used in cooking, herbal medicine, and perfumery.

clash

noun

A loud, jarring sound made when hard objects strike together.

clashing

adj

Not going well together; conflicting or mismatched, especially in appearance or opinion.

clasp

noun

A fastener with interlocking parts used to hold something closed, like a necklace or bag.

class

noun

A group of people or things sharing common features; a category.

class clown

noun

The pupil in a school class who constantly plays up for laughs — interrupting the teacher, pulling faces and performing for classmates instead of working.

classic

adj

Widely recognised as excellent and enduring; a standard example of its kind.

classical

adj

Relating to Western art music of the 18th and 19th centuries, or to orchestral music generally.

classically

adv

In a traditional or classical style; according to established, time-honoured methods.

classics

noun

The academic study of ancient Greek and Latin language, literature, and history.

classification

noun

The act or system of sorting things into groups based on shared characteristics.

classified

adj

Officially marked as secret and restricted from public disclosure by a government.

classifieds

noun

The section of a newspaper, magazine, or website listing small paid advertisements.

classify

verb

To sort into groups or categories based on shared traits.

classless

adj

Not split into separate social or economic groups.

classmate

noun

A fellow student in the same class or year at school.

classroom

noun

A room, usually in a school, where lessons take place.

classy

adj

Elegant, stylish, or showing good taste.

clat

noun

A lump of soil.

clatter

verb

To make a rapid series of short, sharp banging or rattling sounds.

clattering

noun

A series of rattling, banging sounds.

Claud

name

A male given name and surname of Latin origin, a variant of Claude.

Claude

name

A male given name of Latin origin, from the Roman family name Claudius.

Claudia

name

A female given name of Latin origin, the feminine form of Claudius.

claudication

noun

A medical condition that causes cramp-like pain in the leg during exercise, usually due to poor blood flow in the arteries.

Claudine

name

A female given name of French origin, also used as a surname.

Claudius

name

A male given name of Latin origin, notably borne by the Roman emperor Claudius.

clause

noun

A group of words with its own subject and verb, forming part of a sentence (or occasionally standing as one).

Clausen

name

A Danish surname.

claustral

adj

Relating to a cloister.

claustration

noun

The act of confining someone, usually within a religious cloister.

claustrophobia

noun

An intense, irrational fear of small or enclosed spaces.

claustrophobic

adj

Suffering from, or prone to, an intense fear of enclosed spaces.

claustrum

noun

A thin layer of brain tissue lying beneath the neocortex in mammals, thought to help link information from the different senses.

clave

noun

A repeating rhythmic pattern used in Latin music, most famously the two-bar 3-2 son clave.

claver

noun

(informal) Silly or pointless chatter.

clavichord

noun

A quiet early keyboard instrument in which small metal blades strike the strings when the keys are pressed.

clavicle

noun

The collarbone: the long, slender bone connecting the shoulder blade to the breastbone.

Clavin

name

An Irish surname, an anglicized form of Mac Fhláimhín, meaning "son of Flaithimhín."

clavis

noun

A key used in ancient Rome.

claw

noun

A sharp, curved nail on the toe of an animal, bird, or reptile.

clawed

adj

Having claws.

clawing

noun

The act of scratching or tearing with claws.

clay

noun

A fine-grained, sticky earth that becomes pliable when wet and hardens when fired or dried — used for pottery, bricks, and sculpture.

Claybourne

name

A surname.

Claymore

name

A suburb of Sydney, Australia, and the name of an American anti-personnel mine, itself named after the Scottish claymore sword.

clayton

name

A placename found in numerous places in the United States, a place in Canada, a few places in England, a village south-west of Guardbridge in Fife, Scotland, and a Melbourne, Victoria, Australia suburb named after landowner John Hughes Clayton.

Clea

name

A female given name.

clean

adj

Free of dirt, stains, or other unwanted matter.

cleaned

adj

Made clean; having had dirt or mess removed.

cleaner

noun

A person whose job is cleaning buildings, rooms, or other spaces.

cleaners

noun

A shop offering laundering or dry-cleaning services.

cleaning

noun

The process or activity of removing dirt and mess from something.

cleanliness

noun

The state or habit of keeping oneself or one's surroundings clean.

cleanly

adv

In a clean, neat manner, without mess.

cleanness

noun

Moral goodness and innocence.

cleanse

verb

To make thoroughly clean or free of impurities.

cleanser

noun

A substance, especially for skin or surfaces, used to clean thoroughly.

cleansing

noun

The act or process of removing dirt, impurities, or unwanted elements.

cleanup

noun

The act of tidying up or clearing away mess, often after a specific event.

clear

adj

Transparent, or free of clouds, mist, or obstruction.

clearance

noun

Official permission to proceed, access something, or travel.

clearer

noun

Someone or something that clears, especially a laborer who removes debris.

clearheaded

adj

Able to think clearly and act sensibly.

clearing

noun

An open area within a forest or wooded area with no trees.

clearly

adv

In a way that is easy to see, hear, or understand.

clearness

noun

Brightness or brilliance.

clears

noun

A strong, coarse type of flour that has been sifted only once, leaving more of the wheat behind than finer flours.

clearwater

adj

Describing a river or lake with clear, relatively unmuddied water.