English dictionary — definitions & meanings

falsifying

noun

The act of dishonestly altering information or documents.

falsity

noun

Something that is false; an untrue assertion.

Falstaff

noun

A jovial, overweight, and boastful character, used allusively — from the Shakespeare character Sir John Falstaff.

falter

verb

To lose strength, confidence, or momentum; to hesitate or waver.

faltering

adjective

Weak, hesitant, or unsteady.

fam

noun

Clipping of family.

fame

noun

The state of being well known and widely recognized, especially for achievement.

famed

adjective

Well known; famous.

familia

noun

A family or household, especially used to emphasize closeness or a tight-knit group (from Spanish/Latin).

familial

adjective

Relating to a family, or passed down within one.

familiar

adjective

Well known to you, or easy to recognise.

familiarise

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of familiarize.

familiarity

noun

Good knowledge of something gained through experience.

familiarize

verb

To make yourself or someone else knowledgeable about something new.

familiarly

adv

With a lack of formality:

family

noun

A group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption, especially parents and their children.

famine

noun

A severe, widespread shortage of food, often causing mass starvation.

famished

adjective

Extremely hungry.

famishment

noun

The state or process of being famished.

famous

adjective

Known widely by many people.

famously

adverb

In a way that is widely known; used to flag a well-known fact.

fan

noun

A device, hand-held or powered, that moves air to cool someone or something down.

fanatic

noun

Someone with extreme, unshakeable enthusiasm for a cause, belief, or hobby.

fanatical

adjective

Showing extreme, often unreasonable enthusiasm or devotion.

fanaticism

noun

Extreme, unquestioning devotion to a cause or belief.

fanatism

noun

excessive intolerance of opposing views

fanciable

adj

Worthy or likely to be fancied; sexually attractive.

fancied

adjective

Existing only in the imagination.

fancier

noun

Someone with a strong interest in or enthusiasm for a particular hobby, especially breeding animals or plants.

fanciful

adjective

Based on imagination rather than fact or reality.

fancy

verb

British informal: to want or feel attracted to something or someone.

fancywork

noun

Ornamental (as opposed to plain or reparative) work in needlework, knitting or similar handicrafts; decorative embroidery.

fandangle

noun

A piece of nonsense or foolishness.

fandango

noun

A lively Spanish dance, or the music that accompanies it.

fane

noun

A temple or sacred place (literary or archaic).

fanfare

noun

A short, triumphant burst of trumpets or horns played to announce something.

fang

noun

A long, pointed tooth used for biting, tearing, or injecting venom.

fangirl

noun

A female fan who is obsessive about a particular subject (especially, someone or something in popular entertainment media).

fangle

verb

To fashion, manufacture, invent, or create.

fanlight

noun

A semicircular or semioval window over a door or other window, normally having a fan-like structure of ribs; sometimes hinged to the transom.

fanned

adjective

Spread out in the shape of a fan.

Fannie

name

A feminine given name, a diminutive of Frances, and part of the nickname for the Federal National Mortgage Association.

fanning

noun

The act of moving air with a fan, or of spreading out in a fan shape.

Fanny

noun

British slang for the female genitals; American slang for the buttocks.

Fanta

noun

A brand of fruit-flavoured fizzy soft drink made by Coca-Cola.

fantabulous

adj

Wonderful, marvelous, outstanding; both fantastic and fabulous.

fantasia

noun

A free-form musical piece that doesn't follow strict structure, often blending familiar melodies.

fantasise

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of fantasize.

fantasist

noun

One who creates fantasies.

fantasize

verb

To imagine something pleasant or desired, especially something unlikely to happen.

fantasizing

noun

The act of daydreaming or imagining something desired.

fantasm

noun

Archaic spelling of phantasm.

fantastic

adjective

Extremely good; wonderful.

fantastical

adjective

Existing only in fantasy or imagination; wildly strange or unreal.

fantastically

adverb

To an extreme or remarkable degree.

fantasy

noun

An imagined scenario, especially a pleasant or unrealistic one.

fanxian

name

Synonym of Fan (“a county of Puyang, Henan, China”).

fap

verb

Masturbate, of a man.

fappable

adj

Possible to masturbate to; sexually attractive.

fapworthy

adj

Worthy of being masturbated to; sexually attractive.

FAQ

noun

A section of a website, document or product manual that lists the questions people ask most often and gives short answers to them.

faqih

noun

An expert in Islamic law.

far

adjective

Distant in space or time.

far sighted

adjective

Able to see distant objects clearly while close objects appear blurred. The usual British term is long-sighted and the clinical term is hyperopic.

fara

name

A female given name.

Faraday

noun

A unit of electric charge used in electrolysis, roughly 96,487 coulombs.

Farage

name

An English surname, notably borne by a British politician known for his role in the Brexit campaign.

Farah

name

A given name of Arabic and Persian origin, meaning "joy" or "happiness."

faraway

adjective

Very distant; remote.

Farber

name

A German and Jewish surname, an occupational name for a dyer.

farce

noun

A comic play or film built on absurd situations, mistaken identity, slamming doors and characters behaving with wild improbability, written purely to get laughs rather than to say anything serious.

farcical

adj

Resembling a farce; ludicrous; absurd.

fare

noun

The money a passenger pays for a bus, train, taxi, or plane ticket.

Fares

name

An Arabic masculine given name and surname, meaning "knight" or "horseman."

farewell

intj

Goodbye — said when parting, especially for a long time or for good.

Fargo

name

A surname and the largest city in North Dakota, USA, also the title of a well-known film and television series.

Farhad

name

A masculine given name of Persian origin, associated with a legendary tragic hero of Persian literature.

Farid

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "unique" or "unparalleled."

faries

name

A surname transferred from the given name originating from Scotland. First found in Aberdeenshire, Scotland where they held a family seat from very early times.

Farley

name

An English surname and given name, originally denoting someone from a "fern clearing."

farlie

noun

An unusual or unexpected thing; a wonder.

farm

noun

Land, together with its buildings, used for growing crops or raising animals.

farmer

noun

Someone who owns or works land to grow crops or raise livestock.

farmhand

noun

A person hired to do manual work on a farm.

farmhouse

noun

The main house on a farm, traditionally where the farmer and family live.

farming

noun

The business or practice of growing crops and raising animals.

Farmington

name

A common American place name, used for towns and cities across several states.

farmland

noun

Land used or suitable for growing crops or raising livestock.

farmstead

noun

The main building of a farm.

farmworker

noun

A person who works on a farm, especially a hired hand.

farmyard

noun

The open area around a farm's buildings, as distinct from the fields.

farmyardy

adj

Resembling or characteristic of a farmyard.

Farnsworth

name

An English surname, notably borne by the American inventor credited with developing electronic television.

Farnum

name

An English surname, a variant of Farnham, meaning "homestead among ferns."

faro

noun

A gambling card game where players bet on which cards will be turned up next from the deck.

Farr

name

An English surname, originally a nickname for a handsome person.

Farrah

name

A feminine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "joy" or "happiness."

Farrell

name

An Irish surname, derived from a Gaelic name meaning "man of valor."

farrow

noun

A litter of baby pigs born together.

farrowing

adj

Producing a litter of piglets.

farse

noun

A vernacular paraphrase inserted into Latin liturgy.

Farsi

noun

The Persian language, especially the modern form spoken in Iran.

farsighted

adjective

Able to see things at a distance clearly while nearby objects look blurred; hyperopic. The usual American spelling, written without a hyphen.

farsightedness

noun

The condition of being unable to focus on near objects; presbyopia.

fart

verb

To release gas from the bowels through the anus.

farthing

noun

A former British coin worth a quarter of an old penny.

farthingless

adj

Without a farthing; very poor.

farthole

noun

A dirty, ugly, or disgusting place.

farting

noun

The act of passing gas from the anus.

fascia

noun

A wide band of material covering the ends of roof rafters, sometimes supporting a gutter in steep-slope roofing, but typically it is a border or trim in low-slope roofing.

fascinate

verb

To hold someone's intense interest or attraction.

fascinated

adj

Extremely interested in or captivated by something.

fascinating

adj

Extremely interesting; capable of holding someone's attention completely.

fascination

noun

A strong feeling of interest in or attraction to something.

fascism

noun

A far-right, authoritarian, and intensely nationalist political system marked by centralized dictatorial power and suppression of opposition.

fascist

noun

A supporter or member of a fascist movement or party.

fascistic

adj

Of or relating to or resembling fascism; fascistoid; fascist.

fashion

noun

Popular styles of clothing and appearance at a given time, or the industry built around them.

fashionable

adj

In keeping with current trends and considered stylish.

fashionably

adv

In a fashionable or stylish manner.

fashioned

adj

Made or shaped in a particular style (often as part of the phrase "old-fashioned").

fashioning

noun

The act or process of fashioning something; manufacture.

fast

adj

Moving or able to move at high speed; quick.

fast paced

adjective

Moving or happening quickly, with events following one another in rapid succession.

fastback

noun

A motor car having a continuous slope from the roof to the rear.

fastball

noun

A pitch in baseball thrown at high speed, usually with little curve or spin.

fasten

verb

To attach or close something securely.

fastener

noun

Something or someone that fastens.

fastening

noun

A hook or similar restraint used to fasten things together; fastener.

faster

adj

The comparative form of "fast" — moving with greater speed.

fastidious

adj

Extremely careful about small details, especially cleanliness and order; hard to please.

fastigium

noun

An apex or summit; culmination.

fasting

noun

Going without food, often for religious, spiritual, or health reasons.

fastness

noun

The quality or state of being fast (in various senses).

fat

noun

A soft, greasy substance stored in the body (or found in food) that provides energy.

Fatah

name

A major Palestinian political and nationalist movement.

fatal

adj

Causing death.

fatality

noun

A death caused by an accident, disaster, or violence.

fatally

adv

In a way that causes death.

fatberg

noun

A large accumulation of fat and discarded toiletries which clogs sewers.

fate

noun

The power thought to control everything that happens, seen as unavoidable; also, the eventual outcome awaiting someone or something.

fated

adj

Destined to happen; determined in advance as if by fate.

fateful

adj

Having major, often life-changing, consequences.

Fateh

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "conqueror" or "victor."

Fates

name

In Greek mythology, the three goddesses (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) said to control human destiny.

fatesome

adj

Characterised or marked by fate; fateful.

fathead

noun

(informal) A stupid or foolish person.

fatheaded

adj

Characteristic of a fathead; stupid

father

noun

A male parent.

fatherhood

noun

The state or experience of being a father.