English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

hunger

noun

The physical need or desire to eat.

hungover

adjective

Suffering the after-effects of drinking too much alcohol, such as headache and nausea.

hungree

adj

An eye dialect spelling of hungry.

hungriness

noun

The feeling or state of wanting food; hunger.

hungry

adjective

Feeling the need or desire to eat.

hunk

noun

A large, thick piece of something.

hunker

verb

To crouch or squat down close to the ground.

hunks

noun

(dated) A bad-tempered or stingy person.

hunky

adjective

(informal) Muscular and attractive, in a masculine way.

Hunnicutt

name

An American surname.

hunt

verb

To chase and kill wild animals for food or sport.

hunted

adjective

Being chased or pursued, or having the fearful look of someone being pursued.

hunter

noun

A person who tracks and kills wild animals for food or sport.

hunting

noun

The activity of pursuing and killing wild animals for food, sport, or their parts.

Huntington

name

An English habitational surname, and the name of many towns across England and the United States, including the city in West Virginia named for railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington.

Huntley

name

An English surname, also the name of villages and towns in England, Canada, and the United States.

huntress

noun

A woman who hunts.

huntsman

noun

A man who hunts, especially one who manages the hounds during a traditional hunt.

Huntsville

name

The name of several towns and cities in the United States and Canada, most notably Huntsville, Alabama, a major center for aerospace and rocket research.

Huo

name

A Chinese surname.

hup

intj

A shouted command used to start a marching step or spur a horse into action, especially to turn right.

Hur

name

A surname of Korean origin.

hurdle

noun

A barrier that a runner or horse must jump over during a race.

hurdles

noun

A track and field event in which runners sprint while jumping over a series of barriers.

hurl

verb

To throw something with great force.

hurley

noun

The curved wooden stick used to hit the ball in hurling.

hurling

noun

A fast Irish team sport played with a wooden stick called a hurley and a small leather ball called a sliotar.

Huron

noun

A member of the Wyandot, an Indigenous people originally from the Great Lakes region of North America.

hurrah

intj

An exclamation of approval, joy, or celebration.

hurray

intj

An exclamation of joy or approval; a cheer.

hurricane

noun

A powerful rotating tropical storm with sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour, typically forming over the Atlantic or eastern Pacific.

hurried

adj

Done quickly, often too quickly, because of a lack of time.

hurriedly

adv

In a rushed or hasty way.

hurriedness

noun

The state of doing something quickly because there is little time.

hurry

verb

To move or act with speed, or to make someone or something move faster.

hurrying

noun

Fast, hasty movement or action.

hurst

noun

A wood, thicket, or small wooded hill (chiefly found today in place names).

hurt

verb

To cause physical pain or injury.

hurtful

adj

Causing emotional pain, especially by being unkind or insulting.

hurtfulness

noun

The quality of causing pain or upset to someone.

hurting

adj

Experiencing pain or distress, physical or emotional.

hurtle

verb

To throw something with great force.

hurtling

noun

The act of moving forcefully and rapidly, often out of control.

hurty

adj

Covered with a scattered pattern of small blue circular shapes called hurts, a term used in heraldry.

Hus

name

A surname of Czech origin, notably borne by the religious reformer Jan Hus.

husayn

name

A son of Ali and brother of Hassan; a martyr, and Shi'a Imam.

husband

noun

A man who is married to someone.

husbandly

adj

Typical of or suitable for a husband; relating to marriage.

husbandman

noun

A person who grows crops and looks after animals; a farmer.

husbandry

noun

The work of farming, including growing crops and keeping animals.

Husbands

name

An English surname.

hush

verb

To become quiet, or to make someone or something quiet.

hushed

adj

Very quiet; spoken softly.

hushing

noun

The act of telling someone to be quiet, or of making something go quiet.

husk

noun

The dry outer covering of certain fruits, seeds, or vegetables, such as corn.

huskiness

noun

The quality of being husky.

husking

noun

The action of taking the husk off something, such as a seed or fruit.

husky

adj

Describing a voice that is low, rough, and slightly hoarse.

Hussain

name

A male given name and surname of Arabic origin, a variant spelling of Husayn, meaning "handsome" or "good."

hussar

noun

A soldier who served in the national cavalry forces of Hungary, Croatia or Poland.

Hussein

name

A male given name of Arabic origin, another common spelling of Husayn.

hussy

noun

A woman regarded as behaving in a sexually inappropriate or overly bold way (dated, disapproving).

hustle

verb

To push, shove, or move someone quickly and often roughly.

hustler

noun

A person who works energetically and resourcefully, especially to make money.

hustling

noun

The act of working hard and fast to get something done, often to earn money quickly or through a side venture.

Huston

name

A surname, notably borne by the film director John Huston.

huswifely

adj

Like a skilled housewife; capable, careful with money and sensible.

hut

noun

A small, simple shelter, usually just one room, built from whatever materials are on hand.

hutch

noun

A cage or coop for keeping small animals such as rabbits.

Hutchins

name

An English surname, also the name of a city in Texas, United States.

hutchinsonite

noun

An uncommon mineral, a sulfosalt containing thallium, arsenic and lead.

Hutton

name

An English habitational surname, and the name of several villages in England and Scotland.

Hutu

noun

A member of an ethnic group found mainly in Rwanda and Burundi.

Huw

name

A Welsh male given name, equivalent to the English name Hugh.

Huxley

name

An English surname, notably borne by biologist Thomas Henry Huxley and writer Aldous Huxley; also a village in Cheshire, England.

Huxtable

name

An English surname, particularly associated in popular culture with the fictional family on The Cosby Show.

Huygens

name

A Dutch surname, notably borne by physicist Christiaan Huygens.

huynh

name

A surname of Vietnamese origin.

huzzah

intj

An old-fashioned cheer of triumph, joy, or approval.

hwan

noun

The unit of currency used in South Korea between 1953 and 1962, before it was replaced by the won.

Hwang

name

A Korean surname.

Hy

name

A surname, and also a male given name used as a short form of Hyman.

hyacinth

noun

A bulb plant with clusters of small, fragrant, brightly coloured flowers, native to the Mediterranean region.

hyaenid

noun

An animal that belongs to the hyena family, such as a hyena or an aardwolf.

hyah

intj

A shout used to urge a horse or other animal to move forward.

hyaline

adj

Clear and glass-like, with no fixed shape or structure.

hyaluronan

noun

Another name for the substance hyaluronic acid.

hyaluronic acid

noun

A substance that occurs naturally in skin, joints and eyes, made of long chains of sugar molecules, and able to hold a large amount of water relative to its weight. It is widely added to skincare products and is also used in medicine, including in injectable fillers.

Hyatt

name

An English surname, from a Hebrew word for "tailor" or a variant of Highet.

hybrid

noun

The offspring produced by crossing two different species, breeds, or varieties.

Hyde

name

An English topographic surname for someone living on a "hide" of land, also the name of a town in Greater Manchester and several other English places.

Hyderabad

name

The capital city of Telangana, India, also the name of a city in Sindh, Pakistan.

hydra

noun

A many-headed serpent from Greek mythology that grew two new heads whenever one was cut off.

hydrangea

noun

A garden shrub, genus Hydrangea, valued for its rounded flower heads made up of many small blooms in shades of white, pink or blue.

hydrant

noun

An upright pipe connected to a water main, fitted with a valve so firefighters (or others) can tap into the water supply.

hydrargyrum

noun

The chemical element mercury.

hydrate

noun

A chemical compound that has water molecules bound into its structure.

hydrated

adj

Containing water as part of its chemical makeup.

hydration

noun

The process of giving the body (or another substance) an adequate supply of water.

hydraulic

adj

Operated by the pressure of a liquid moving through pipes or cylinders.

hydraulics

noun

The branch of engineering concerned with how liquids move and can be used to transmit force or energy.

hydro

adj

(informal) Short for hydroelectric.

hydrocarbon

noun

A chemical compound made up of only carbon and hydrogen atoms.

hydrocephalus

noun

A usually congenital condition in which fluid builds up abnormally in the brain's fluid-filled cavities, enlarging the skull and pressing on and damaging the brain.

hydrochloric

adj

Relating to hydrochloric acid, a strong acid made from hydrogen and chlorine.

hydroelectric

adj

Generating electricity from the energy of moving water.

hydroforming

noun

A cheap method of shaping soft metals into light but strong parts using fluid under high pressure.

hydrogen

noun

The lightest chemical element, with the symbol H and atomic number 1.

hydrogenium

noun

The element hydrogen, in the past sometimes classed as a metal.

hydrology

noun

The scientific study of how water occurs, moves and behaves on land, underground and in the air.

hydrometeor

noun

Rain, snow or any other form of water that falls from the sky after forming in the atmosphere.

hydronium

noun

A positively charged particle formed when a hydrogen ion joins with water.

hydrophilic

adjective

Attracted to water: readily mixing with, dissolving in or absorbing water.

hydrophobia

noun

A dislike of water caused by rabies, or the disease of rabies itself.

hydrophobic

adj

Having rabies, or connected with the disease.

hydroplane

verb

To skim fast across the top of water, barely touching it.

hydroponic

adj

Grown in water containing dissolved nutrients, without using soil.

hydrops

noun

(medicine) An unusual build-up of watery fluid in a body tissue or cavity.

hydroxide

noun

A negatively charged ion made of one oxygen and one hydrogen atom (OH⁻), or any compound containing it.

hydroxy

adj

(chemistry) Containing, or made up of, a hydroxyl group.

hydroxyl

noun

(chemistry) A chemical group made of one oxygen atom joined to one hydrogen atom, found in alcohols and related compounds.

hyena

noun

A medium-to-large carnivorous mammal native to Africa and Asia, known for a call that sounds like laughing.

hygge

noun

A feeling of warm, cosy contentment, especially one created by simple pleasures such as candlelight, soft blankets, good food and the company of people you like.

hygiene

noun

The practices and conditions that keep people healthy and clean, especially by preventing disease.

hygienic

adj

Clean and free from anything that could spread disease.

hygienist

noun

A trained professional in hygiene, especially a dental worker who cleans teeth and checks gum health.

hygrometer

noun

An instrument that measures how much moisture is in the air or another gas.

hyle

noun

Another word for physical matter or substance.

hylic

adj

Physical, material, or of a low, basic kind.

hylical

adj

Physical or made of matter.

hymen

noun

A thin membrane that partly covers the opening of the vagina.

hymn

noun

A song sung in praise or worship, typically in a religious setting.

hynes

name

A surname of Irish origin.

hyoid

adjective

Shaped like the letter U, or resembling a small U-shaped bone in the throat.

hyoscine

noun

(chemistry) An oily alkaloid, also called scopolamine, once used to calm people down.

hype

noun

Exaggerated promotion or buzz around something, often overselling how good it really is.

hyped

adjective

Promoted with exaggerated enthusiasm, often beyond what the thing deserves.

hyper

adjective

Informal: overly excited, energetic, or wound up.

hyperactive

adjective

Unusually restless and constantly in motion, more active than is typical or healthy.

hyperbola

noun

A conic section produced where a cone is cut by a plane that also crosses the cone's base and does not merely touch the cone's surface. The curve y(x) = 1/x is an example of a hyperbola.

hyperbole

noun

Exaggeration used for effect, not meant to be taken literally.

hyperbolic

adj

Relating to hyperbole, or to exaggerated language.

hyperbolize

verb

To exaggerate when describing something.

hypercapnia

noun

(medicine) A condition in which there is too much carbon dioxide in the blood.

hypercorrection

noun

The nonstandard use of language that results from applying a perceived grammar rule too broadly.

hypercritical

adj

Far too quick to find fault with things.

hyperdrive

noun

In science fiction, an engine that lets a spaceship travel faster than light by entering hyperspace.

hyperglycemia

noun

An unusually high level of sugar in the blood.

hyperinflation

noun

A very high rate of inflation in an economy.

Hyperion

name

A Titan in Greek mythology, father of Helios, Selene, and Eos, and also the name of one of Saturn's moons.