English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

freelancer

noun

A person who works independently for multiple clients rather than for a single employer.

freeloader

noun

A person who takes advantage of others' generosity without contributing or paying their fair share.

freely

adv

Without restriction or interference.

freeman

noun

A person who is not enslaved or bound in servitude.

freemason

noun

A skilled stonemason who travelled between jobs in medieval and early modern times, and belonged to a professional guild.

freephone

noun

A phone service that lets people call certain numbers without being charged.

freer

noun

A person who sets someone or something free.

freestanding

adj

Standing on its own, apart from other things.

freestone

noun

A soft rock, usually sandstone or limestone, that is easy to cut and shape.

freestyle

verb

To improvise, rather than following a set routine or script.

freethinking

noun

The habit of forming your own opinions rather than accepting authority or tradition.

freety

adj

(informal) Superstitious, or connected with superstition.

freeway

noun

A major road designed for fast traffic, with no intersections or traffic lights.

freeze

verb

To turn solid from cold, or to lower something's temperature until it does.

freezer

noun

An appliance, or a compartment within a refrigerator, used to store food at below-freezing temperatures.

freezing

adj

Extremely cold.

freight

noun

Goods transported in bulk by ship, train, truck, or aircraft.

freighted

adj

Carrying a load of goods, or filled with something.

freighter

noun

A large ship or aircraft built mainly to carry cargo.

frell

verb

A euphemistic swear word used as a stand-in for "fuck."

fremd

adj

Odd or unfamiliar; not what you would expect.

fremdling

noun

Someone who is not part of your family; a stranger.

French

name

The language spoken in France and by French-speaking communities around the world.

frenchie

noun

A condom; abbreviated form of French letter.

Frenchman

noun

A man from France.

frenchwoman

noun

A woman who is French, by birth, family background or nationality.

Frenchy

adj

Having an exaggerated or stereotypical French style or manner.

frenetic

adjective

Fast, intense and slightly out of control, in a way that suggests hurried energy or agitation.

frenzied

adj

Wildly excited, panicked, or frantic.

frenzy

noun

A state of wild excitement, panic, or uncontrolled activity.

frequency

noun

How often something happens over a given period of time.

frequent

adj

Happening often; occurring at short intervals.

frequently

adv

Often; at frequent intervals.

Frere

name

A surname of French origin.

fresco

noun

A painting made by applying pigment onto wet plaster, so the colour becomes part of the wall as it dries.

fresh

adjective

Newly made, picked, or obtained; not old or stale.

freshen

verb

To make something fresh, clean, or lively again.

freshener

noun

A product or device used to make something smell or feel fresher, such as a spray for a room.

freshening

noun

The act or process of making something fresh again.

fresher

noun

British informal: a first-year student at a university.

freshet

noun

A sudden rise in a river's water level, caused by heavy rain or melting snow.

freshie

noun

(informal) Someone who has recently arrived to live in a new country, especially the UK.

freshly

adverb

Very recently; just now.

freshman

noun

A student in their first year at a high school, college, or university.

freshness

noun

The quality of being fresh, new, or recently made.

freshwater

adjective

Living in or made of water that is not salty, such as rivers and lakes.

Fresno

name

A city in central California, United States.

fret

verb

To worry or feel anxious about something.

fretful

adj

Inclined to worry or fret.

fretfulness

noun

A state of feeling restless, anxious and irritable at the same time.

fretsaw

noun

A saw with a thin blade held tight in a metal frame, used for cutting curved shapes.

fretting

noun

Constant worrying or anxious complaining.

fretwork

noun

Decorative patterns cut into wood, either carved slightly into the surface or cut right through it.

Freud

name

A surname, most notably that of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.

Freudian

adjective

Relating to the theories of Sigmund Freud, especially ideas about the unconscious mind.

Frey

name

A surname of German origin; also the name of a Norse god associated with fertility and prosperity.

friar

noun

A man belonging to certain Christian religious orders, such as the Franciscans or Dominicans, who often lives among the public rather than in seclusion.

friary

noun

A building where a community of friars lives.

fribble

verb

To waste time or money on something unimportant.

fricative

noun

A consonant sound made by forcing air through a narrow gap, giving a hissing or buzzing noise.

Frick

name

A German surname, notably that of industrialist Henry Clay Frick.

fricking

adjective

Informal: used as a milder substitute for a much stronger swear word, to add emphasis.

friction

noun

The resistance created when one surface rubs against another.

frictionless

adj

Having no friction at all.

frictionlessly

adv

Smoothly, with no friction.

Frida

name

A feminine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "peace," notably that of painter Frida Kahlo.

Friday

noun

The day of the week between Thursday and Saturday, often the last working day of the week.

Fridays

adverb

On Friday, or on every Friday, as a repeated habit.

fridge

noun

An appliance used to keep food and drink cold.

fried

adjective

Cooked in hot oil or fat.

Frieda

name

A feminine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "peace," a variant spelling of Frida.

Friedman

name

A Jewish surname of German origin, notably that of economist Milton Friedman.

Friedrich

name

A masculine given name of German origin, meaning "peaceful ruler."

friend

noun

A person you know well and like, and who is not a family member or romantic partner.

friendhood

noun

The condition of being someone's friend.

friendless

adjective

Having no friends.

Friendlies

name

A traditional nickname for the Friendly Islands, an older name for Tonga.

friendliness

noun

The quality of being warm, kind, and welcoming toward others.

friendly

adjective

Kind, warm, and easy to get along with.

Friends

noun

The Religious Society of Friends, a Christian movement better known as the Quakers, founded on the idea that anyone can experience God directly without clergy or ritual.

friendship

noun

A relationship of mutual affection and trust between people who are not related or romantically involved.

Fries

noun

Strips of potato deep-fried until crisp; short for "French fries."

frieze

noun

The band of an architectural entablature between the architrave and the cornice, often decorated with sculpture.

frig

verb

Vulgar slang: used as a milder alternative to a stronger swear word, often to express annoyance.

frigate

noun

A fast, medium-sized warship, historically used for patrol and escort duties and today for anti-submarine and general naval operations.

frigatebird

noun

A frigatebird is any of five species of large seabird in the genus Fregata, the only genus in the family Fregatidae.

Frigg

name

In Norse mythology, the goddess of marriage, motherhood, and foresight, and the wife of Odin.

frigga

name

77 Frigga, a main belt asteroid.

frigging

adjective

A softened swear word used for emphasis, similar to "fricking."

fright

noun

A sudden, strong feeling of fear.

frighten

verb

To make someone feel afraid or alarmed; to scare.

frightened

adj

Feeling fear; scared.

frightening

adj

Causing fear; scary.

frighteningly

adv

In a way that causes fear.

frightensome

adj

Scary; causing fear.

frightful

adj

Causing shock, horror, or fear; dreadful.

frightfully

adv

In a shocking or dreadful manner.

frigid

adj

Extremely cold.

frigidity

noun

A lack of warmth; extreme cold.

frigidness

noun

Coldness; a lack of warmth.

frigorific

adj

Making something cold or cooler.

frill

noun

A narrow strip of gathered cloth or paper, added as decoration.

frilly

adj

Decorated with frills (small gathered strips of fabric).

frine

verb

To complain or whine in a low, unhappy voice.

fringe

noun

A decorative border of hanging threads or tassels.

fringie

noun

(informal) A member of a beatnik-style group in 1960s Seattle.

frippery

noun

Showy display, such as in elaborate dress.

Frisbee

noun

A flat, disc-shaped plastic toy that is thrown and caught, originally a trademarked brand name.

Frisco

noun

Informal nickname for the city of San Francisco.

frisk

verb

To search someone by running your hands over their body and clothing, usually checking for hidden items.

frisky

adj

Full of energy and playfulness.

frisson

noun

A brief rush of excitement.

frit

noun

A mixture of melted minerals used as the base for making glass and glaze.

frittata

noun

An Italian-style open-faced omelette made by mixing ingredients like vegetables or cheese directly into the eggs and cooking them together, often finished in the oven.

fritter

noun

A piece of food, often fruit or vegetable, coated in batter and deep-fried.

Fritz

noun

Informal: a broken or malfunctioning state, almost always used in the phrase "on the fritz".

frivol

noun

(informal) A person who does not take things seriously.

frivolity

noun

Playful, silly, or lighthearted behavior that lacks serious purpose.

frivolosity

noun

The quality of not being serious.

frivolous

adj

Silly or lacking seriousness, especially at a time when seriousness is expected.

frivolousness

noun

The state of not taking things seriously.

frizz

verb

Of hair, to twist into small, tight curls, often untidily.

frizzle

verb

To fry food until it goes crisp and curls up.

frizzy

adj

Made up of tight, wiry curls that stick out in different directions; unruly.

fro

adv

Away, back — now used almost only in the fixed phrase "to and fro" (back and forth).

Frobisher

name

An English surname, notably borne by the Elizabethan explorer Sir Martin Frobisher.

frock

noun

A dress, especially one for a woman or girl (somewhat old-fashioned in everyday use).

Frodo

name

A masculine given name popularized by the hobbit hero Frodo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings."

frog

noun

A small tailless amphibian with long hind legs built for jumping and swimming.

frogfish

noun

A fish that belongs to the genus Lophius.

froggy

adj

Resembling a frog, or full of frogs.

frogman

noun

(informal) A qualified scuba diver, especially one wearing a full diving suit.

frolic

verb

To play or move about happily and without restraint.

frolicking

noun

Playful, carefree activity; the act of frolicking.

frolicsome

adj

Full of fun and high spirits; playful.

from

prep

Used to show the origin, starting point, or source of something.

Fromm

name

A German surname, borne by figures such as the psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm.

fromward

adj

Facing away from something, or unwilling to accept it.

frond

noun

A large, divided leaf, especially of a fern or palm.

front

noun

The forward-facing part or side of something.

front end

noun

The part of a website or application that runs in the user's own browser or device and produces everything they see and interact with.

frontage

noun

The part of a building or piece of land that looks onto the road.

frontal

adj

Relating to, or situated at, the front.

fronted

adj

Having a specified kind of front, or arranged with a front facing forward.

frontier

noun

The border area between two countries, or the edge of settled and unsettled land.

frontiersman

noun

Someone who lives at the edge of settled land, in wild, unfarmed country.

fronting

noun

Slang: putting on a false or exaggerated image to impress or intimidate others.

frontline

adj

Located at, or closest to, the main area of action, conflict, or activity.

frontside

noun

The side facing you, as opposed to the side turned away.

frood

adj

Clever and careful, quick to spot danger.