English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

findings

noun

Results or conclusions from an investigation or study.

findlay

name

A male first name.

fine

adj

Of high quality; excellent.

finely

adv

Into small, thin, or delicate pieces.

fineness

noun

The quality of being fine or delicate.

finer

noun

A person or thing that refines or purifies something, especially metal.

finery

noun

Elaborate or showy clothing and decoration.

fines

noun

Very small particles of a material, whether floating in the air or not.

finesse

noun

Skilful and delicate handling of a difficult or sensitive situation.

finest

noun

A slang term for the police, or occasionally the military.

finfish

noun

Any type of fish, particularly one that isn't a flatfish.

finger

noun

One of the five slender parts extending from the hand, used for touching, holding, and grasping.

fingerboard

noun

A mostly flat piece running along an instrument's neck against which a player presses the strings to shorten them and so raise their pitch.

fingerbreadth

noun

A rough, informal unit of length based on the width of a person's finger.

fingered

adj

Having fingers, especially of a described type or number.

fingerer

noun

A person who touches or fingers something, especially in a sexual way.

fingering

noun

The technique or pattern of using particular fingers to play notes on an instrument.

fingermark

noun

A mark left on a surface by a dirty finger, such as a fingerprint.

fingernail

noun

The hard, flat covering at the tip of a finger.

fingerpost

noun

A sign that points the way, and often gives the distance, to a named place, particularly one of a set fixed to a milepost.

fingerprint

noun

The unique pattern of ridges on a fingertip, or the mark it leaves on a surface.

fingerstall

noun

A cover worn over a finger to protect it.

fingertip

noun

The very end of a finger.

finical

adj

Fussy about small details; too precise or dainty.

finicking

noun

Behaviour that is overly fussy or particular.

finickity

adj

Very fussy and hard to please, especially over small details.

finicky

adj

Overly fussy or hard to please, especially about small details.

finikin

adj

Overly dainty or fussy.

finis

noun

The ending of a book or other piece of writing.

finish

verb

To complete or bring something to an end.

finished

adj

Completed; done.

finishedness

noun

How complete or finished something is.

finisher

noun

Someone who completes or finishes a piece of work.

finishing

noun

The act or process of completing something, or the final details added to perfect it.

finite

adj

Having a limit or end; not infinite.

finito

adj

Finished; completely over, often used for emphasis.

finity

noun

The quality of being restricted in number or extent.

fink

noun

An informer, especially one seen as untrustworthy or contemptible.

Finland

name

A Nordic country in Northern Europe bordering Sweden, Norway, and Russia.

Finlay

name

A masculine given name and surname of Scottish Gaelic origin, meaning "fair-haired hero."

Finley

name

A given name and surname, a variant of Finlay, of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "fair-haired hero."

Finn

noun

A person from Finland, or someone of Finnish ethnic background.

finna

verb

Going to or about to do something, used before another verb to talk about the immediate future.

Finnegan

name

An Irish surname and given name, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnagáin, meaning "descendant of the fair one."

finneghan

name

A surname of Irish, and doublet of Finnegan origin.

Finnerty

name

An Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnachtaigh.

Finney

name

An English surname and given name.

Finnish

adj

Relating to Finland, its people, or its language.

finnley

name

A male first name that came from a family name.

Fiona

name

A feminine given name of Scottish Gaelic origin, meaning "fair" or "white."

fir

noun

An evergreen conifer tree with needle-like leaves, or its wood.

firangi

noun

A foreigner, especially a white or British person.

fire

noun

The chemical reaction of burning, producing heat, light, and flame.

firearm

noun

A weapon, such as a gun, that uses an explosive charge to fire a projectile.

fireball

noun

A ball or sphere of intense fire, especially from an explosion.

firebath

noun

A very hot bath, like a sauna.

firebird

noun

A legendary glowing bird from folklore, said to bring both fortune and doom.

firebomb

noun

A weapon made to start fires.

firebox

noun

The part of a steam engine or steam locomotive where fuel is burned.

firebrand

noun

A burning stick used as a torch.

firebug

noun

Pyrrhocoris apterus, a widespread red-and-black insect and the type species of family Pyrrhocoridae.

firecracker

noun

A small paper-wrapped explosive that makes a loud bang, used for celebrations.

fired

adj

Dismissed from a job.

firedrake

noun

A dragon that breathes fire.

firefight

noun

A short, intense exchange of gunfire between opposing sides.

firefighter

noun

Someone trained to put out fires and rescue people from them.

firefly

noun

A small beetle that glows in the dark, especially at dusk.

firehouse

noun

A building where fire engines and firefighters are based; a fire station.

fireman

noun

Someone trained to fight fires (traditionally referring to a man).

firenze

name

The name of a city and comune, serving as capital of both the Tuscany region and the Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy.

fireplace

noun

An open recess at the base of a chimney where a fire is built for heat.

firepower

noun

The destructive capacity of weapons available to a military force.

fireproof

adj

Able to resist damage from fire.

fireraising

noun

Arson: the deliberate lighting of fires.

fireside

noun

The area near a fireplace or hearth.

firestorm

noun

A massive fire that generates and is fed by its own strong winds.

firetrap

noun

A building that is highly likely to catch fire and/or has too few ways out, so that people would be trapped there if a fire broke out.

firewall

noun

A fireproof barrier built to stop fire from spreading between parts of a building or vehicle.

firewater

noun

A strong alcoholic drink, especially whisky, particularly as sold to or drunk by Native Americans.

firewood

noun

Wood cut and kept for burning, usually for heat.

firework

noun

A device that burns or explodes to produce coloured light, sparks, or noise, used for celebrations.

fireworks

noun

A display or event featuring fireworks.

firing

noun

The act of shooting a weapon.

firm

noun

A business, especially one run as a partnership, such as a law or accounting practice.

firmament

noun

The sky, especially thought of as a vast dome or vault overhead.

firmer

noun

An exercise or product meant to tighten or tone part of the body.

firmly

adv

In a strong, steady, or definite way.

firmness

noun

The quality of being solid or resistant to pressure.

firmware

noun

Software stored permanently inside a piece of hardware that controls how that device behaves at the most basic level, from a router or camera to a printer or a hard drive.

firn

noun

A form of old snow that has been through several cycles of melting and refreezing, leaving it made up of many small grains of ice; it holds far less water than slush from a snow-cone, and its hardness varies with recent and current weather.

first

adj

Coming before all others in order, rank, or time.

first generation

adjective

Describing a person who was born in a country to parents who immigrated there, or, in other uses, the immigrant who arrived first; the term is applied both ways depending on who is speaking.

first of all

adverb

Before anything else; used to introduce the first item in a list of points, steps or objections.

firstborn

noun

The first child born into a family.

firstcomer

noun

The first person or thing to arrive, or to come in a sequence.

firsthand

adj

Coming directly from personal experience, without any middleman.

firstly

adv

Used to introduce the first point in a list or argument.

firth

noun

A narrow inlet of the sea, especially in Scotland, or a river estuary.

fisc

noun

The state treasury of ancient Rome.

fiscal

adj

Relating to government revenue, spending, or public finances.

fiscal year

noun

A twelve-month period that an organisation or government uses for accounting, budgeting and tax reporting, which need not begin in January.

fiscally

adv

In a way that relates to money or public finance.

Fischer

name

A German surname, an occupational name for a fisherman.

fish

noun

A cold-blooded animal that lives in water, breathes through gills, and swims using fins.

fishbone

noun

A bone from a fish.

fished

adjective

Containing fish, or stocked/loaded with fish.

fisher

noun

A person who catches fish, whether for a living or for sport.

fisherman

noun

A person who fishes, whether as a job or a hobby.

fisherwoman

noun

A woman who goes fishing.

fishery

noun

The business of catching, preparing and selling fish or seafood.

fishes

noun

Plural of fish, used especially to mean several different kinds of fish.

fishhook

noun

A small curved hook with a barb, normally made of metal, that is used to catch fish.

fishify

verb

To turn something, such as flesh, into a fish.

fishing

noun

The activity or sport of catching fish.

Fishman

noun

A man who sells fish.

fishmonger

noun

A person or shop that sells fish.

fishnet

noun

A net used for catching fish.

fishwife

noun

A woman who sells fish or works in the fish trade.

fishworm

noun

A worm used to catch fish on a hook.

fishy

adj

Tasting, smelling, or resembling fish.

fisk

verb

To move about briskly or restlessly; to whisk around.

Fiske

name

An English surname, a variant occupational name for a fish seller.

fissile

adj

Capable of being split apart.

fission

noun

The splitting of an atomic nucleus into smaller pieces, releasing large amounts of energy.

fissure

noun

A long, narrow crack or split, especially in rock, ground, or body tissue.

fist

noun

A hand with the fingers curled tightly inward, typically for punching or gripping.

fistball

noun

A sport played in Europe where competitors strike a ball back and forth over a net using their fists or forearms.

fistfight

noun

A fight in which people hit each other with their bare fists rather than weapons.

fistful

noun

The amount of something that fits in one closed hand.

fisticuffs

noun

A fight that breaks out suddenly, using just the fists, normally between two people.

fistula

noun

An unusual channel connecting two body parts, such as organs or blood vessels, that are not normally joined.

fit

adj

Physically healthy and in good shape.

fitch

noun

A polecat, or the fur taken from one.

fitchew

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

fitchie

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

fitful

adj

Marked by sudden convulsions or seizures.

fitfully

adv

In an irregular, uneven way.

fitna

noun

Conflict or civil war within the Muslim community, particularly in the early centuries of Islam.

fitness

noun

The condition of being physically healthy and strong, usually through exercise.

fitted

adj

Shaped to closely match the contours of something, especially a body or piece of furniture.

fitter

noun

A skilled worker who assembles, installs, or adjusts machinery or equipment.

fitting

adj

Appropriate or suitable for the occasion.

Fitz

name

A surname or nickname, often a shortened form of names beginning with "Fitz-," itself meaning "son of."

Fitzgerald

name

An Irish surname meaning "son of Gerald."

fitzhugh

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

Fitzpatrick

name

An Irish surname meaning "son of Patrick."

Fitzroy

name

A surname historically given to illegitimate sons of English kings, meaning "son of the king."

fitzwilliam

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

five

num

The number after four and before six; 5.

fiver

noun

(informal, chiefly UK) A five-pound or five-dollar banknote.