English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

cleary

noun

A plain, undecorated marble used in children's marble games.

cleat

noun

A strip of wood or metal fixed across something to make it stronger or hold it in place.

cleats

noun

Athletic shoes with studs or ridges on the sole for grip on grass or turf; also the studs themselves.

cleavage

noun

The visible gap between a woman's breasts, especially when shown by a low neckline.

cleave

verb

To split something apart, typically with a sharp tool or a forceful blow.

cleaver

noun

A heavy, wide-bladed knife used mainly by butchers for chopping through meat and bone.

cleaving

noun

The act of splitting or cutting something apart.

Cleese

name

An English surname.

cleft

noun

A narrow opening, crack, or V-shaped gap, especially in rock or in part of the body.

Clegg

name

An English surname, also a small community in North Carolina.

clem

verb

(dialect, chiefly northern English) To go hungry or starve.

clemence

noun

An older word for clemency — mercy or leniency shown by someone in power.

clemency

noun

Mercy or leniency shown toward someone who could rightfully be punished.

Clemens

name

A surname and male given name equivalent to Clement.

clement

adj

Merciful or lenient in judging or punishing others.

clementine

noun

A small, sweet, easy-to-peel citrus fruit, a cross between a mandarin and a sweet orange.

Clements

name

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

clemmy

name

A diminutive of the female given name Clementine.

clench

verb

To hold something very tightly.

clenched

adj

Shut or gripped tightly, as a fist, jaw, or teeth.

clenching

noun

The act of gripping or closing something tightly, such as a fist or jaw.

clenchpoop

noun

A rude person with no manners.

Cleo

noun

A given name, often used as a short form of Cleopatra or Cleon.

Cleopatra

noun

A woman regarded as strikingly and seductively beautiful, in reference to the famous Egyptian queen.

clepe

verb

To call out loudly, or to make an appeal.

clergy

noun

People who are formally trained and ordained to lead religious services, such as priests, ministers, and rabbis.

clergyman

noun

A man who is an ordained member of the clergy, such as a priest or minister.

clergyperson

noun

A religious official, especially a Christian minister who has been formally ordained.

cleric

noun

A member of the clergy, such as a priest, imam, or minister.

clerical

adj

Relating to routine office work, such as filing, typing, or record-keeping.

clerk

noun

An office worker who handles records, correspondence, or accounts.

Cletus

name

A male given name of Greek origin, a short form of Anacletus.

cleve

noun

An old word for a small room or chamber.

Cleveland

noun

A major city in Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie, and the name of an area in North Yorkshire, England.

clever

adj

Mentally quick, smart, and good at coming up with ideas or solving problems.

cleverly

adv

In a smart, skillful, or ingenious way.

cleverness

noun

The quality of being intelligent, quick-witted, or resourceful.

CLI

noun

A way of using a computer program by typing text commands and reading text results, rather than clicking buttons and menus; short for command-line interface.

cliché

noun

A phrase or idea that has been used so often it no longer has any force or freshness.

click

noun

A short, sharp sound, like that made by a switch, latch, or a mouse button.

clickbait

noun

Online content, especially a headline or thumbnail, written to tempt people into clicking rather than to inform them, usually by withholding the point or overstating it.

clicker

noun

A video game in which you repeatedly click or tap to earn currency, then spend it on upgrades that earn currency faster; also called a clicker game.

clicking

noun

The sound or repeated action of something clicking.

client

noun

A person or organisation that pays a professional or firm for services such as legal advice, accountancy, design, consultancy or therapy.

clientele

noun

The customers or clients of a business, especially considered as a group with shared habits or tastes.

cliff

noun

A high, steep face of rock, often found along a coastline.

cliffdrop

noun

A cliff face that falls away sharply, also used to describe a steep drop more generally.

cliffhanger

noun

A dramatic ending that leaves a story unfinished so the audience is left wondering what happens next.

Cliffie

noun

A student or graduate of Radcliffe College.

Clifford

noun

A surname and given name, originally an English place name meaning roughly "ford by the cliff."

Cliffs

noun

The plural of cliff: steep, high rock faces, often along a coastline.

Clifton

noun

A surname and given name, originally an English place name meaning "town by the cliff."

climactic

adjective

Relating to or forming the most exciting or decisive point of something.

climate

noun

The typical weather patterns of a region, measured over a long period of time.

climate change

noun

The long-term shift in global temperatures and weather patterns driven mainly by human emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, deforestation and agriculture, producing warming, sea-level rise and more frequent extreme weather.

climatic

adj

Relating to or caused by climate.

climatologist

noun

A person who studies or works professionally in climatology.

climatology

noun

The scientific study of climates, including their features and causes.

climatory

adj

Relating to the climate.

climax

noun

The most intense, exciting, or important point in a story, event, or series of events.

climb

verb

To move upward, especially using effort — going up a hill, ladder, stairs, or rock face.

climbdown

noun

A change of mind in which someone gives up a position or opinion they held before.

climber

noun

A person who climbs, especially as a sport or hobby, such as mountains or rock faces.

climbing

noun

The sport or activity of ascending rock, walls, or mountains using holds, often with ropes for safety.

clime

noun

An area of the world known for its particular kind of weather.

clinch

verb

To settle something definitely, or make a deal or victory certain.

clincher

noun

A fact, event, or argument that settles something once and for all.

cline

noun

A gradual change in a trait across a range of related populations or forms.

cling

verb

To hold on tightly to something so as not to fall or be separated.

clinging

adj

Tending to hold on tightly, or emotionally dependent to an uncomfortable degree.

clingsome

adj

Tending to stick or cling to things.

clingy

adj

Overly dependent on or attached to another person, especially a partner.

clinic

noun

A medical facility, often smaller than a hospital, that treats outpatients for a particular condition or type of care.

clinical

adj

Relating to the direct treatment and observation of patients, as opposed to theoretical research.

clinically

adv

In a way that relates to medical treatment or diagnosis.

clinician

noun

A doctor, nurse or other health professional who treats patients directly.

clink

noun

A short, sharp ringing sound, as of glass or metal striking together.

clinker

noun

A very hard brick, traditionally made in the Netherlands, used for paving.

clinking

noun

A repeated light ringing noise, as of glasses or coins striking together.

Clint

noun

A flat block of exposed limestone between the cracks (grikes) of a limestone pavement.

Clinton

name

A surname and male given name, also the name of numerous towns across the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Clio

noun

A trophy statuette awarded at the Clio Awards, which honour creative excellence in advertising and design.

cliometrics

noun

The study of economic history using statistical and mathematical methods.

clip

noun

A device used to fasten or hold things together.

clipboard

noun

A flat board with a clip at the top for holding paper steady while writing.

clipped

adj

Cut short or trimmed neatly.

clipper

noun

A fast sailing ship with a long, narrow hull, built for speed in the 19th century.

clippers

noun

A hand or electric tool with blades used for cutting hair, nails, or hedges.

clipping

noun

A small piece cut from something larger, especially an article cut from a newspaper.

clique

noun

A small, exclusive group of people who spend time together and often exclude others.

cliquey

adj

Behaving like a small, exclusive group that keeps others out.

cliquish

adj

Relating to a small, exclusive group of people.

clit

verb

To sexually stimulate the clitoris.

clitic

noun

In linguistics, a short word-like unit that cannot stand on its own and is always joined to the word before or after it.

clitoris

noun

A small, highly sensitive erectile organ located at the front of the vulva in female mammals, including humans.

Clive

verb

An old or dialect word meaning to climb or go upward.

clivus

noun

A shallow, sloping part of the skull base, found behind a bony ridge called the dorsum sellae.

CLM

noun

In text and social media, an initialism of career limiting move: something said or done at work that damages your prospects, usually posted about with wry humour.

cloaca

noun

A single body opening, found in animals such as reptiles, birds and amphibians, used for both waste and reproduction.

cloak

noun

A long, loose outer garment that hangs from the shoulders, often without sleeves.

cloaked

adj

Wearing a cloak, or covered and hidden from view.

cloaking

noun

The act of covering or hiding something, including, in web search, showing search engines different content than users see.

cloakroom

noun

A room where coats and bags can be left, such as at a theatre or event venue.

clobber

verb

To hit or defeat someone or something forcefully and decisively.

clobbered

adj

British slang for very drunk.

clobbering

noun

A heavy beating, or a complete defeat.

clochard

noun

A homeless person who begs, particularly in France.

clock

noun

A device that displays or measures the time of day.

clocked

adj

Set or running at a specific speed, such as a computer processor.

clocking

noun

A measurement of time or speed taken with a clock or timer.

clockwise

adv

In the same direction that the hands of a clock move.

clockwork

noun

A mechanism driven by a wound spring and gears, used in clocks, toys, and other devices.

clod

noun

A lump of earth, clay, or turf.

clodhopper

noun

A sturdy, heavy boot made for tough work.

clodpate

noun

A stupid or foolish person.

cloe

name

A female first name of Ancient Greek, an alternative spelling of Chloe origin.

clog

noun

A type of shoe with a thick, stiff sole, traditionally made of wood.

clogged

adj

Blocked up so nothing can flow through properly.

clogging

noun

The state of being blocked up.

cloister

noun

A covered walkway bordering a courtyard, typically in a monastery or similar religious building.

cloistered

adj

Living in seclusion, shut away from ordinary life.

clomp

noun

A loud, heavy sound made by feet striking the ground.

clone

noun

A living thing produced from a single ancestor so that it is genetically identical to it.

Clones

name

A small town in County Monaghan, Ireland.

cloning

noun

The process of producing an exact genetic copy of a living thing.

Clooney

name

An Irish surname, a variant of Cloney.

clop

noun

The sound made by a horse's hoof hitting the ground.

clopping

noun

The sound made by something clopping, or the act of making that sound.

close

verb

To shut something, removing a gap or opening.

closed

adj

Not open to entry, use, or trade.

closed caption

noun

On-screen text of a video's dialogue together with speaker labels and descriptions of relevant sounds, which the viewer can switch on or off — designed so that deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers get the audio information as well as the words.

closedown

noun

The moment a radio or television station ends its broadcast and goes off air for a set period, as once happened overnight.

closely

adv

In a careful, detailed, or near manner.

closemouthed

adj

Unwilling to share your thoughts, plans or information with others.

closeness

noun

The state of being near in distance, time, or relationship.

closer

adv

Nearer than before; comparative of "close."

closet

noun

A small enclosed storage space, especially for clothes (mainly American usage).

closeted

adj

Not open about one's sexual orientation or gender identity.

closing

noun

The act of shutting something, or the final part of an event.

closure

noun

The permanent or temporary shutting of a place or operation.

clot

noun

A thickened, partly solid lump formed from a liquid, especially blood.

cloth

noun

Woven, knitted, or felted material used for clothing, furnishing, or cleaning.

clothe

verb

To dress someone, or to supply them with clothing.

clothed

adj

Wearing clothes; dressed.

clothes

noun

Items worn on the body to cover it, keep it warm or present a chosen appearance — shirts, trousers, dresses, coats and the like — taken together.

clotheshorse

noun

A frame used for hanging clothes on so they can dry.

clothesline

noun

A rope or cord strung up outdoors for hanging washing to dry.

clothing

noun

Garments worn to cover the body.

Clotilde

noun

A female given name, of French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish origin.

clotted

adj

Thickened into lumps; coagulated.