English dictionary — definitions & meanings

daydreamer

noun

One who daydreams.

daydreaming

noun

The act or habit of drifting into daydreams instead of focusing on the present.

daylight

noun

The natural light present during the day, mostly coming from the sun.

Dayna

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Dana.

daypack

noun

A small backpack, suitable for a one-day hike or for carrying books around campus.

days

noun

A particular, somewhat loosely defined period of time, often used to refer to an era or phase of life.

dayspring

noun

The beginning of the day, or first appearance of light; the dawn; daybreak.

daystar

noun

The planet Venus as the morning star.

daytime

noun

The hours between sunrise and sunset, as opposed to nighttime.

Dayton

name

A city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and also used as a masculine given name and surname.

daze

verb

To leave someone feeling stunned, confused, or unable to think clearly, often from a shock, blow, or bright light.

dazed

adj

Stunned, confused, or unable to think clearly, often after a shock or blow.

dazzle

verb

To temporarily blind or confuse someone's vision with an intense light.

dazzled

adj

Overwhelmed by a bright light or by something impressively brilliant.

dazzling

adj

So bright that it temporarily blinds or overwhelms the eyes.

dBi

noun

A unit of antenna gain, measuring in decibels how much more strongly an antenna radiates or receives in its best direction compared with a theoretical isotropic antenna that radiates equally in every direction. A higher dBi figure means a narrower, more focused beam and greater range in that direction.

DC

abbreviation

Direct current: an electric current that flows steadily in one direction, of the kind supplied by batteries, solar panels and USB chargers.

DDLG

noun

Daddy dom/little girl: a consensual role-play dynamic between adults in which one partner takes a caregiving, authoritative 'daddy' role and the other takes a childlike, dependent 'little' role. It is a subset of BDSM age-play and caregiver/little dynamics, and can be sexual, non-sexual or both.

DDoS

noun

An attack that knocks a website or online service offline by flooding it with far more traffic or requests than it can handle, sent at the same time from a large number of separate machines.

DDT

noun

A professional-wrestling move where an attacker locks an opponent's head under their arm and falls backward, slamming the opponent's head into the mat.

de

preposition

Used in French (and some other European) surnames and titles of nobility, meaning "of" or "from."

de facto

adjective

Existing or holding power in reality, whether or not officially recognised or legally established.

de minimis

adjective

Too small or trivial to be worth taking into account, especially in law, tax and accounting, where amounts below a set threshold are ignored.

de nada

interjection

A Spanish phrase used in reply to thanks, meaning roughly 'you're welcome' or 'it's nothing'. It is also used in English speech as a light, informal way of brushing off gratitude.

DEA

noun

Diethanolamine, a chemical compound used in the manufacture of soaps, detergents, and some cosmetics.

deacon

noun

A church officer ranking below a priest, who assists with pastoral and administrative duties (the exact role varies by denomination).

deaconess

noun

A non-clerical role for women in some churches.

deactivate

verb

To turn something off or make it no longer work.

dead

adj

No longer alive.

deadbeat

noun

A person who avoids responsibility, especially someone who fails to pay debts or support their family.

deaden

verb

To render less lively; to diminish; to muffle.

deadening

noun

The process by which something is deadened.

deader

noun

Slang for a dead person, or someone about to die.

deadhead

noun

A person either admitted to a theatrical or musical performance without charge, or paid to attend.

deadland

noun

Wasteland; a desert or other place that does not support life.

deadliest

adj

Causing the most deaths, or most likely to cause death, of all being compared.

deadline

noun

The latest date or time by which something must be finished.

deadlock

noun

A complete standstill caused by two equally matched sides refusing to give way.

deadly

adj

Capable of causing death.

deadpan

adjective

Delivered with a completely blank, unsmiling face and a flat voice, so that the joke lands precisely because the speaker gives no sign of joking.

deadstock

noun

Merchandise that has not yielded any use yet: from the view of the businessperson, one that has failed to be sold or processed and is now stowed away for possible sale or manufacturing at a later date, from the view of the consumer, a piece that has been obtained but not found application and is now—perhaps even with original labelling or packaging—stored for future ideas.

deadwood

noun

Dead branches or wood still attached to a living tree, or fallen wood debris.

deaf

adj

Unable, or only partly able, to hear.

deafen

verb

To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently.

deafening

adj

So loud it seems to overwhelm the ability to hear anything else.

deafness

noun

The condition of being unable, or only partly able, to hear.

Deakins

name

An English surname, a patronymic form of Deakin, itself a variant of the occupational name Deacon.

deal

noun

An agreement or arrangement between parties, especially a business one.

dealer

noun

A person or business that buys and sells a particular kind of goods.

dealership

noun

A business that sells a particular product, especially cars, often as an authorised outlet for one brand.

dealie

noun

A thing, especially one seen as complex or having much associated with it.

dealing

noun

A business transaction or piece of trade.

dealings

noun

Relations or interactions someone has had with a person or organisation, especially in business.

dealy

noun

An object, especially a gadget, whose name the speaker currently cannot recall.

dean

noun

A senior official at a university or college, often heading a faculty or overseeing student affairs.

DeAndre

name

A modern male first name, especially common among African-American families.

Deane

name

A surname, originally a variant spelling of Dean.

deanimate

verb

To reverse the animation of; to remove the life force from.

Deanna

name

A female first name that became popular in the twentieth century as a variant of Diana.

Deano

name

A casual short form of the name Dean.

dear

adj

Regarded with deep affection or love.

Dearborn

noun

A light, four-wheeled horse-drawn wagon once common in North America.

dearest

noun

A term of affection for someone very much loved.

dearie

noun

An affectionate, often slightly old-fashioned term of address for someone dear, like "sweetie".

Dearing

name

An English surname.

dearly

adv

Very much; deeply.

dearth

noun

A serious shortage or scarcity of something.

dearthful

adj

Involving a dearth or lack; barren.

dearthy

adj

Marked by dearth; exhibiting scarcity, paucity, or lack.

deary

noun

A term of endearment; a variant spelling of dearie.

deassert

verb

To remove a signal on a line.

death

noun

The end of life; the permanent cessation of all vital functions in a living thing.

deathbed

noun

The bed a person is lying on when they die, or the final hours of their life.

deathless

adj

Undying or immortal.

deathlessness

noun

The state of being deathless; eternity; immortality.

deathly

adj

Resembling death, or so extreme it suggests death.

deathsman

noun

An executioner; a headsman or hangman.

deathtrap

noun

A building, vehicle, or structure so unsafe that it could easily kill someone.

Deauville

name

A seaside town in Normandy, France, known for its beach, casino, and film festival.

deb

noun

Informal short form of "debutante" — a young woman making her first formal appearance in society.

debacle

noun

A sudden, humiliating failure or collapse.

debacular

adj

Of, like, or pertaining to a debacle; calamitous; tragic; suddenly shameful.

debaptism

noun

A ceremony supposed to cancel a person's earlier baptism.

debar

verb

To exclude or shut out; to bar.

debark

verb

To unload goods from an aircraft or ship.

debase

verb

To lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade.

debased

adj

Brought low; degraded.

debasement

noun

The act of debasing or the state of being debased; a lowering or degradation, especially in character or quality.

debatable

adj

Not clearly settled — open to argument or doubt.

debatably

adv

In a way subject to challenge or worthy of debate.

debate

verb

To argue a topic formally, usually presenting opposing sides.

debated

adj

Argued over; still not settled.

debating

noun

The activity of taking part in formal debates.

debation

noun

Synonym of debating; debate

debauch

noun

An individual act of debauchery.

debauched

adj

Given over to excessive pleasure-seeking — heavy drinking, drugs, or sex — in a way seen as morally corrupt.

debauchee

noun

Somebody who is debauched; somebody who is dissolute and acts without moral restraint.

debaucher

noun

Somebody who debauches or corrupts others; a seducer.

debaucherous

adj

Excessively indulgent in sensual pleasures.

debauchery

noun

Excessive, unrestrained indulgence in pleasure — heavy drinking, sex, or drug use seen as scandalous.

debauchment

noun

The act of debauching or corrupting; the act of seducing from virtue or duty.

Debbie

name

A common short form of the female name Deborah.

Debby

name

An alternate spelling of the nickname Debbie, short for Deborah.

debilitate

verb

To make feeble; to weaken.

debilitated

adj

run down, damaged, in disrepair.

debilitating

adj

Draining someone's strength or energy so severely that it seriously limits them.

debilitation

noun

The act or process of debilitating, or the condition of one who is debilitated; weakness.

debility

noun

A state of physical or mental weakness.

debit

noun

Money taken out of an account, or the record of that withdrawal.

debonair

adj

Charming, confident, and elegantly dressed, especially of a man.

debora

name

A female given name from Hebrew, a less common spelling of Deborah.

Deborah

name

A female first name of Hebrew origin, especially popular from the 1940s through the 1970s.

Debra

name

A female first name popular in the 1950s and 1960s, a spelling variant of Deborah.

debrief

verb

To question someone right after an event or mission to gather information about what happened.

debriefing

noun

A session in which someone is questioned about a mission, project, or experience shortly after it ends.

debrine

verb

To remove a brine or saturated salt solution from.

debris

noun

Scattered pieces of wreckage, rubble, or litter left after something is destroyed or broken apart.

debs

noun

A debutante ball, especially in Irish English.

debt

noun

Money that one person or organisation owes to another.

debtholder

noun

An owner of a financial obligation of another party.

debtor

noun

A person or organisation that owes money to someone else.

debug

verb

To find and remove the faults in a computer program or system that stop it behaving as intended.

debunk

verb

To discredit, or expose to ridicule the falsehood or the exaggerated claims of something; to refute.

Debussy

name

A French surname, most famously borne by the composer Claude Debussy.

debut

noun

A first public performance or appearance.

debutant

noun

A person (especially a male) who débuts, or appears for the first time.

debutante

noun

A young woman making her first formal appearance in society, traditionally at a ball.

Dec

name

A short nickname for the male name Declan.

decad

noun

Archaic form of decade (“period of ten years”).

decadal

adj

Of or related to the number ten.

decade

noun

A period of ten years.

decadence

noun

A state of moral or cultural decline, often linked to excessive luxury or self-indulgence.

decadent

adj

Showing moral or cultural decline through excessive indulgence.

decadic

adj

of or relating to a decimal system

decaf

noun

Coffee (or occasionally tea) with the caffeine removed.

decagon

noun

A polygon with ten sides and ten angles.

decahedron

noun

A polyhedron with ten faces.

decal

noun

A design or picture produced in order to be transferred to another surface either permanently or temporarily.

decalogy

noun

A set of ten works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as ten individual works.

decamp

verb

To break camp and move on.

decanal

adj

Pertaining to a dean or deanery.

decant

verb

To pour off (a liquid) gently, so as not to disturb the sediment.

decanter

noun

A stoppered glass or crystal container used for serving wine or spirits after they've been poured off their sediment.

decapitate

verb

To cut off someone's head.

decapitated

adj

Having had the head cut off.

decapitation

noun

The act of cutting off a head; beheading.

decathlete

noun

An athlete who competes in the decathlon.

decathlon

noun

A track and field event made up of ten different disciplines, contested over two days.

Decatur

name

The name of several cities and towns across the United States, most named in honor of naval officer Stephen Decatur.

decay

verb

To rot or gradually break down, especially of organic matter.