English dictionary — definitions & meanings

drawstring

noun

A string or cord, encased in a fabric tube, with one or more small openings into the tube, on a bag or garment, allowing the item to be closed (as with a bag) or tightened (as with sweatpants or a bathing suit).

dray

noun

Any of various forms of low horse-drawn cart or wagon, often without sides or with removable sides, and used especially for heavy loads.

drayman

noun

A man who drives drays.

Drayton

name

A habitational surname, and the name of many villages across England.

Dre

name

A short form of the male given name Andre.

dread

verb

To feel great fear or anxiety about something that is going to happen.

dreaded

adj

Feared or anticipated with fear or unease.

dreadful

adj

Very bad, unpleasant, or shocking.

dreadfully

adv

Very badly or terribly.

dreadlock

noun

A single strand of dreadlocks.

dreadlocks

noun

Long ropes of hair formed by allowing strands to mat and twist together over time.

dreadnought

noun

A type of large early-20th-century battleship armed with heavy guns of matching caliber.

dreads

noun

Short for dreadlocks.

dream

noun

A series of images, thoughts, or feelings experienced during sleep.

dreamboat

noun

An extremely attractive person, especially someone considered a romantic ideal.

dreamer

noun

A person who has ambitious or unrealistic ideas and hopes.

dreaming

noun

The act or experience of having a dream, or a state of daydreaming.

dreamland

noun

The imaginary world experienced during sleep.

dreamlike

adj

Like something from a dream; having a sense of vagueness, insubstantiality, or incongruousness.

dreamscape

noun

The landscape within a dream.

dreamt

verb

A past tense and past participle form of dream.

dreamworld

noun

An imaginary world, such as experienced while dreaming.

dreamy

adj

Having a vague, hazy, or dreamlike quality.

dreary

adj

Dull, gloomy, and depressing.

dreck

noun

Trash; rubbish; useless or worthless stuff.

dredge

noun

A machine or device used to scoop up material from the bottom of a body of water.

dredging

noun

The act of clearing out or deepening a waterway, harbour, or channel using a dredger.

dree

verb

To bear or endure (something); to put up with, to suffer, to undergo.

dregs

noun

The gritty sediment that settles at the bottom of a drink, especially unfiltered wine or coffee.

dreich

adj

Extending for a long distance or time, especially when tedious or wearisome; long-drawn-out, protracted; also, of speech or writing: unnecessarily verbose; long-winded.

dreidel

noun

A small four-sided spinning top marked with Hebrew letters, traditionally spun as part of a Hanukkah game.

drekly

adv

At an unspecified time, ranging from straight away to a short or long time in the future; eventually

drench

verb

To soak someone or something completely by pouring or splashing liquid on it, or by immersing it.

drenched

adj

Completely soaked through with water or another liquid.

drencher

noun

One who, or that which, drenches.

drenching

adj

That causes one to become extremely wet.

Dresden

name

A city in eastern Germany, capital of the state of Saxony, known for its baroque architecture and its near-total destruction by Allied bombing in 1945.

dress

verb

To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.

dressed

adj

Wearing clothes, or wearing a particular outfit.

dresser

noun

A piece of furniture with drawers, used to store clothes, often with a mirror attached.

dressing

noun

A sauce added to a salad or dish, often oil-based.

dressmaker

noun

A person, usually working to order, who makes women's clothing.

dressy

adj

Smart, elegant, or formal in style, especially of clothing.

dretch

verb

To vex; grill; trouble; oppress.

Drew

verb

Past tense of "draw."

Drexel

name

A surname, notably borne by the Philadelphia banking family after whom Drexel University is named.

Drexler

name

A German surname.

Dreyer

name

A surname, notably borne by the Danish astronomer J. L. E. Dreyer, compiler of the New General Catalogue (NGC) of galaxies and nebulae.

Dreyfus

name

A surname, notably borne by French army officer Alfred Dreyfus, whose wrongful conviction caused a major political scandal in 1890s France.

Dreyfuss

name

A German surname, a variant of Dreyfus, borne by the American actor Richard Dreyfuss.

dribble

verb

In sports such as football or basketball, to move the ball forward by repeatedly bouncing or tapping it.

dribbling

noun

The technique of controlling a ball by bouncing or tapping it repeatedly while moving.

dribbly

adj

Prone to dribbling.

dried

adj

No longer containing moisture; having had water removed, often to preserve food.

Drier

adj

Comparative form of "dry"; having less moisture than something else.

drift

noun

A slow, gradual movement or change, often without direct control.

drifter

noun

A person who moves from place to place or job to job without settling down.

drifting

adj

Moving aimlessly, without a clear goal or direction.

driftwood

noun

Wood that has been carried along and washed ashore by water.

drill

verb

To make a hole in something using a rotating cutting tool.

drilling

noun

The process of boring holes into a surface or material.

Drina

name

A river forming part of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia; also a diminutive of the female given name Alexandrina.

drink

verb

To take liquid into the mouth and swallow it.

Drinker

noun

A person who drinks something, especially alcohol, often regularly.

drinkery

noun

A place where alcoholic drinks are served; a public house.

drinking

noun

The act of consuming a beverage, especially alcohol.

drinkle

verb

To drink (an alcoholic beverage); also, to cause (someone) to drink such a beverage; to drench; to drown.

drinks

noun

Plural of drink; beverages, or a social occasion involving alcoholic beverages.

drip

verb

To fall in individual drops.

drippage

noun

A dripping, the act of dripping; something that drips.

drippiness

noun

The state or condition of being drippy.

dripping

noun

Fat collected from meat as it roasts, often saved for cooking.

drippy

adjective

Very stylish, especially in clothes and accessories; showing off an impressive outfit.

Driscoll

name

An Irish surname, a variant of O'Driscoll.

drive

verb

To operate and steer a motor vehicle.

drivel

noun

Nonsensical or foolish talk or writing.

driven

adj

Strongly motivated and determined to succeed.

driver

noun

A person who operates a vehicle.

driveway

noun

A short private road or paved strip connecting a house or garage to the public street.

driving

noun

The activity of operating and steering a motor vehicle.

drizzle

noun

Very light rain made up of fine, closely spaced droplets.

drizzling

noun

An amount of liquid that is drizzled.

drizzly

adj

Abounding with drizzle; drizzling.

dro

noun

Marijuana grown hydroponically.

droid

noun

A robot, especially one built to look or move somewhat like a human.

droll

adj

Amusing in a dry, quirky, or understated way.

drollery

noun

Comical quality.

drome

noun

The crab plover, Dromas ardeola, of North Africa.

dromedary

noun

The single-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius).

drone

noun

An unmanned aircraft or vehicle controlled remotely or by autopilot.

drongo

noun

Any bird of the genus Dicrurus.

droning

noun

A continuous, dull humming sound, or flat and tedious speech.

drool

verb

To let saliva trickle from the mouth, often in anticipation of food.

drooling

noun

The act or state of saliva running from the mouth.

droop

verb

To bend or hang downward, especially from tiredness, weakness, or lack of support.

drooping

adj

Hanging or sagging downward.

droopy

adj

Tending to sag or hang down; lacking firmness.

drop

noun

A small round blob of liquid.

dropout

noun

A person who leaves school or a course before finishing it.

dropped

adj

Let fall, or suddenly disconnected.

dropping

noun

The act of something falling, or a small piece of animal waste.

dropsical

adj

Pertaining to, or afflicted with, dropsy (edema).

dross

noun

Waste or impure matter.

drought

noun

A long period of unusually low rainfall causing water shortages.

droughty

adj

Lacking rain.

drove

noun

A herd of animals being driven together, or a large moving crowd of people.

drover

noun

A person who drives animals (which are on foot or on the hoof, walking to some destination), especially cattle or sheep, and especially over long distances.

drown

verb

To die, or to kill, by being unable to breathe underwater.

drowned

adj

Having died by drowning.

drowning

noun

An instance of dying, or nearly dying, from being submerged in water.

drowse

verb

To make (someone or something) heavy with drowsiness or sleepiness.

drowsy

adj

Sleepy or heavy-eyed; ready to fall asleep.

Dru

name

A diminutive of the given names Andrew or Drusilla, also used as a formal given name.

drub

noun

Carbonaceous shale; small coal; slate, dross, or rubbish in coal.

drubbing

noun

A severe beating.

drucilla

name

A female given name from Latin, variant of Drusilla

drudge

noun

A person who works in a low servile job.

drudgery

noun

Hard, boring, and unrewarding work.

drug

noun

A substance taken for its effect on the body or mind, whether medicinal or intoxicating.

drugged

adj

Under the influence of, or secretly given, drugs.

druggie

noun

A person who habitually uses illegal drugs.

drugging

noun

The act of giving someone drugs, often secretly or without consent.

druggist

noun

A person who prepares and sells medicines; a pharmacist.

drugstore

noun

A shop selling medicines along with general goods such as toiletries and snacks.

druid

noun

A priest or wise figure among the ancient Celts, associated with nature and sacred groves.

druidcraft

noun

The practice, art, or skill of Druidry, casting spells; sorcery; witchcraft

drum

noun

A percussion instrument with a tight skin stretched over a hollow body, played by striking.

drumbeat

noun

The sound made by striking a drum, or a steady rhythmic pulse.

drumbeater

noun

One who beats a drum.

drumble

verb

To be sluggish or lazy.

drummer

noun

A person who plays drums, especially in a band.

drumming

noun

The act or sound of beating a drum, or any similar rhythmic tapping noise.

Drummond

name

A Scottish surname, and the name of several towns and places worldwide.

drumroll

noun

A rapid, continuous beating of a drum, often used to build suspense before an announcement.

drumstick

noun

A stick used to strike a drum.

drunk

adj

Impaired by drinking too much alcohol.

drunkard

noun

A person who is habitually drunk.

drunken

adj

Intoxicated with alcohol; drunk.

drunkenly

adv

In a way that shows the effects of being drunk.

drunkenness

noun

The state of being drunk, or a habitual pattern of drinking too much.

Drury

noun

(archaic) Romantic or sexual love, or a term of endearment for someone loved.

Drusilla

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin.

dry

adj

Free from moisture; not wet.

Dryden

name

An English and Scottish habitational surname, notably borne by the poet John Dryden; also the name of several towns in North America.

Dryer

noun

A machine that removes moisture from clothes, hair, or other items by heat or airflow.

drying

noun

The process of removing moisture from something.

dryness

noun

A lack of moisture.

drywall

noun

A building material made of gypsum board used for walls and ceilings.

DSA

abbreviation

Data structures and algorithms: the branch of computer science covering how data is organised in memory and the step-by-step methods used to process it, studied especially in preparation for technical interviews.

DSL

abbreviation

Digital subscriber line: a technology that carries broadband internet over ordinary copper telephone wires, allowing the line to be used for calls and data at the same time.