English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

fledgling

noun

A young bird that has just grown the feathers needed to fly.

flee

verb

To run away from danger or a threatening situation.

fleece

noun

The woolly coat of a sheep, or wool shorn from it in one piece.

fleeceable

adj

Easily cheated or tricked; naive.

fleeced

adj

Having a soft, woolly lining or covering.

fleech

verb

To coax someone with flattering or persuasive talk.

fleed

noun

The raw internal fat of a pig, before it has been rendered down into lard.

fleeing

verb

Present participle of "flee": running away from danger.

fleet

noun

A group of ships, vehicles, or aircraft operated together, especially under one owner or command.

fleeting

adj

Lasting only a very short time; passing quickly.

fleetingly

adv

For a very short time; briefly.

fleetly

adv

Swiftly; in a rapid manner.

Fleetwood

name

An English surname and place name, also a town in Lancashire, England.

Fleischman

name

A surname of German and Jewish origin, an occupational name for a butcher.

Fleming

noun

A person from Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.

Flemish

adj

Relating to Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, or its culture and people.

Flemming

name

An English and German surname, a variant spelling of Fleming, originally denoting someone from Flanders.

flerovium

noun

A chemical element with atomic number 114, or a single atom of it.

flesh

noun

The soft tissue of a human or animal body, especially muscle and fat, as distinct from bone.

flesher

noun

Someone who scrapes the flesh from a hide during the making of leather.

fleshlight

noun

A sex toy shaped like a vagina, anus or mouth, used by men for masturbation.

fleshly

adj

Relating to the physical body.

fleshmonger

noun

Someone who trades in flesh, and so a pimp, procurer or pander.

fleshspace

noun

The physical, non-virtual world; meatspace.

fleshy

adj

Having a lot of soft body tissue; plump or fat.

fletch

noun

The feather-like vane near the back of an arrow that keeps it flying straight.

fletcher

noun

Someone whose trade is making arrows, especially fitting them with feathers (fletching).

fleur

noun

Short for fleur-de-lis, the stylised lily symbol used in heraldry.

Fleury

name

A French surname and given name.

flew

verb

Past tense of fly: moved through the air.

flex

verb

To bend a joint or tighten a muscle, often to show strength.

flexibility

noun

The physical ability to bend or stretch easily without damage.

flexible

adj

Able to bend easily without breaking.

flexile

adj

Able to bend repeatedly without snapping.

flexing

noun

The act of bending a joint or tightening a muscle.

flexure

noun

The act or process of bending something.

flibbertigibbet

noun

An unconventional, restless person, especially a young woman.

flibustier

noun

A French pirate who raided in the Americas.

flick

noun

A quick, light movement, often with the fingers or wrist.

flicker

verb

To shine or burn unsteadily, with light that wavers.

flickering

adj

Shining unsteadily or varying rapidly in brightness.

flicking

noun

The act of moving something with a quick, light motion.

flies

noun

In a theatre, the open space above the stage used for hanging scenery, lighting, and rigging out of the audience's sight.

flight

noun

A journey made by an aircraft, especially a scheduled trip between two places.

flightiness

noun

The characteristic of being flighty.

flightless

adj

Unable to fly, especially describing a species or individual bird.

flightling

noun

Someone who has fled or run away, such as a fugitive or refugee.

flighty

adj

Prone to unpredictable, impulsive, or silly behavior; lacking seriousness or commitment.

flimsy

adj

Easily broken or damaged; not sturdy.

flinch

verb

To make a sudden, involuntary movement away from something painful, frightening, or unpleasant.

flinching

noun

A sudden, involuntary jerk of the body away from something.

fling

verb

To throw something suddenly and with force.

flinging

noun

The act of throwing something with force.

flinn

name

The name of a unincorporated community in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States.

flint

noun

A hard, fine-grained rock that produces sparks when struck against steel.

flintstone

noun

A stone or pebble made of flint, a hard rock historically used to strike sparks or shape tools.

flip

verb

To turn something over quickly, often with a snapping motion.

flippant

adj

Showing a casual disrespect or lack of seriousness about something that deserves more care.

flipper

noun

A wide, flat limb used for swimming, found on animals such as whales, seals, and turtles.

Flippin

adj

An informal, mild substitute for a stronger swear word, used for emphasis.

flipping

adv

A mild intensifier used in place of a stronger swear word (informal, chiefly British).

flirt

verb

To behave in a playful, teasing way toward someone to show romantic or sexual interest.

flirtation

noun

Playful, teasing behavior meant to show romantic interest.

flirtatious

adjective

Behaving in a playful, teasing way that suggests romantic or sexual interest.

flirting

noun

Playful, teasing behaviour that signals romantic or sexual interest.

flirty

adjective

Inclined to flirt, or having a playful, teasing manner that suggests attraction.

flisk

noun

A playful leap or sudden whim.

flit

verb

To move quickly and lightly from one place to another.

flite

noun

A quarrel, argument or squabble.

flitter

verb

To break apart into fragments.

flitting

adjective

Lasting only a short time; brief and quickly passing.

flizz

adj

Silly and pointless in the way someone behaves.

Flo

name

A feminine given name, a short form of Florence or Flora.

float

verb

To rest or stay on the surface of a liquid instead of sinking.

floater

noun

Someone who floats.

floating

adjective

Resting on top of a liquid or drifting through the air rather than sinking or falling.

flock

noun

A group of birds, sheep, or other animals gathered or travelling together.

flocked

adjective

Covered with a soft, velvety texture of fine fibres, often used to describe wallpaper or fabric.

flocking

noun

The process of coating a surface with fine fibres to give it a soft, textured finish.

flog

verb

To whip or beat someone as a punishment.

flogger

noun

A person who flogs.

flogging

noun

A punishment involving repeated whipping or beating.

flood

noun

An overflow of water that covers land that is normally dry.

flooded

adjective

Covered or filled with water after a flood.

floodgate

noun

A gate that can be opened or closed to control water flowing through a channel.

flooding

noun

The occurrence of a flood, or water overflowing onto normally dry land.

floodlight

noun

A powerful light used to light up a stage or film set.

floodplain

noun

Flat land next to a river that often floods when there is heavy rain or a high tide.

floor

noun

The surface on which you walk inside a room or building.

floorboard

noun

One of the long wooden boards that make up a floor.

floored

adjective

Completely shocked or amazed.

flooring

noun

Material used to cover and finish a floor, or the floor itself.

floorshow

noun

A series of acts performed in a nightclub or restaurant during an evening.

floozie

noun

(informal) A woman seen as sexually promiscuous or disreputable.

flop

verb

To fall or drop down heavily and loosely.

flophouse

noun

A very cheap, run-down hotel or boarding house, usually with shared sleeping quarters.

flopping

noun

The action of falling or dropping heavily and loosely.

floppy

adjective

Soft and loose, tending to hang or flop rather than stay rigid.

FLOPS

noun

A measure of computing speed: the number of floating-point operations a computer can perform per second.

flor

noun

A layer of yeast that forms on top of certain wines during fermentation, deliberately encouraged when making sherry.

flora

noun

The plants of a particular region or time period, considered as a group.

floral

adjective

Relating to or decorated with flowers.

Florence

name

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

florentine

adjective

Of or relating to the Italian city of Florence.

Flores

name

A Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning "flowers."

florescence

noun

The period when a plant buds and comes into flower.

floresville

name

The name of a city that is the county seat of Wilson County, Texas, United States.

Florian

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, meaning "flowering" or "blooming."

florid

adj

Coloured rosy or light red; ruddy.

florilegium

noun

A gathered collection of flowers.

florin

noun

One of various gold coins first made in the Italian city of Florence, later copied elsewhere.

Floris

name

A Dutch and Flemish masculine given name, a form of Florence or Florian.

florist

noun

A person who sells or arranges flowers, or a shop that does so.

floss

noun

A thin thread used to clean between the teeth.

Flossie

noun

Dated, vulgar slang for a promiscuous woman or sex worker.

flossing

noun

The act of cleaning between the teeth with dental floss.

flossy

adj

Looking or feeling like floss.

flotilla

noun

A small group of warships, usually all the same type, or a group of small boats.

flotsam

noun

Wreckage or debris found floating on water, especially from a shipwreck.

flounder

verb

To struggle clumsily or act confused, especially when trying to make progress.

floundering

noun

The act of struggling clumsily or being confused.

flounderish

adj

Struggling to move smoothly, in an awkward, floundering way.

flour

noun

A fine powder made by grinding grain, especially wheat, used mainly for baking.

flourish

verb

To grow, develop, or succeed vigorously.

flourished

adj

Decorated with ornamental flourishes.

flourishing

adj

Growing, thriving, or doing very well.

flout

verb

To openly ignore or disobey a rule or law, showing no respect for it.

flow

noun

The continuous, smooth movement of a liquid, gas, or stream of things.

flower

noun

The colorful blooming part of a plant, often used for decoration or given as a gift.

flowerbed

noun

An area of a garden or park set aside for growing flowers.

flowered

adj

Decorated with a floral pattern.

flowering

noun

The period when a plant is in bloom.

flowerpot

noun

A container, usually made of clay or plastic, filled with soil for growing a plant.

flowery

adj

Decorated with or covered in flowers.

flowing

adj

Moving smoothly and continuously, like a liquid.

flown

adj

The past participle of "fly," used to describe travel through the air or an aircraft that has already departed.

Floyd

name

A masculine given name and surname, an Anglicized form of the Welsh "Lloyd," meaning "gray."

flu

noun

A common contagious viral illness causing fever, aches, and fatigue; short for influenza.

flub

noun

A silly mistake made while doing something.

fluctuate

verb

To rise and fall irregularly in number, amount or level.

fluctuating

adj

Rising and falling irregularly; unstable.

fluctuation

noun

An irregular rise and fall, especially in level, amount, or value.

flue

noun

A pipe or duct that carries smoke or hot gases away from a fire, furnace, or boiler.

fluency

noun

Smoothness and ease in the way something flows or moves.

fluent

adj

Able to speak or write a language accurately, smoothly, and with ease.

fluently

adv

In a smooth, confident, effortless manner, especially when speaking a language.

fluff

noun

Light, soft, fuzzy material such as fur, feathers, or lint.

fluffy

adj

Light, soft, and airy in texture.

fluid

noun

A substance, such as a liquid or gas, that flows and takes the shape of its container.

fluidic

adj

Relating to liquids or gases.