English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Hanks

name

A surname, originally formed as a patronymic meaning "son of Hank."

Hanley

name

A town in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and one of the historic "Potteries" towns.

Hanlon

name

A surname of Irish origin.

Hanna

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Hannah.

Hannah

noun

A common female given name of Hebrew origin, also the name of the mother of the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament.

Hannibal

noun

A male given name, historically famous as the name of the Carthaginian general who led an army over the Alps to invade Rome.

Hannigan

name

A surname of Irish origin.

Hanoi

noun

The capital city of Vietnam.

Hanover

noun

A city in Lower Saxony, Germany, and the former royal house that ruled Britain from 1714 to 1901.

Hans

noun

A male given name of German origin, a short form of Johannes.

Hansel

name

An anglicized form of the German given name Hänsel, and a character in the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.

Hansen

name

A surname of Danish and Norwegian origin, and the name of small towns in Idaho and Wisconsin.

hanson

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

Hansson

name

A surname of Swedish origin.

hantle

noun

A large amount or number of something.

Hanukkah

noun

The eight-day Jewish festival of lights, celebrated in November or December, marking the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees' victory.

Hanuman

noun

In Hindu mythology, a monkey-god known for his devotion and loyalty to the god Rama.

Hanyang

name

A district of Wuhan, China, and a historical name for Seoul, South Korea.

hanzi

noun

An alternative letter-case form of Hanzi.

hao

noun

A former Vietnamese unit of currency equal to one-tenth of a dong.

haoma

noun

A plant linked to the god Haoma.

hap

noun

(archaic) Luck or fortune, good or bad; chance.

haphazard

adj

Done without any clear plan or order; disorganized and random.

haphazardly

adv

In a disorganised, random way, without any clear plan.

hapless

adj

Unlucky, especially in a way that invites pity or mild amusement.

Happ

name

A surname of German origin.

happen

verb

To take place; to occur.

happening

noun

An event or occurrence, especially something unusual or notable.

happenstance

noun

The fact that something happens purely by chance.

happenstantial

adj

Happening purely by chance.

happily

adv

In a happy, contented, or cheerful way.

happiness

noun

The state of feeling joyful, content, or satisfied with life.

happy

adj

Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.

haptics

noun

The technology that lets a device communicate through touch, using vibrations, taps and resistance to simulate the feel of buttons, textures or impacts.

har

noun

(archaic, dialectal) A hinge.

Hara

name

An epithet of the Hindu god Shiva, and a Japanese surname.

Harada

name

A Japanese surname.

haram

adj

Forbidden under Islamic law.

harangue

noun

A forceful public speech that argues strongly for something.

harass

verb

To repeatedly trouble, pester, or intimidate someone, especially in a way that is unwanted or illegal.

harassed

adj

Worn out or stressed by repeated pressure, demands, or attacks.

harassing

adj

Involving repeated, unwanted pestering, intimidation, or attacks.

harassment

noun

Repeated unwanted behavior intended to disturb, intimidate, or upset someone.

Harbin

noun

The capital city of Heilongjiang province in northeastern China, known for its ice and snow festival.

harbinger

noun

A person or sign that shows something is about to happen, especially something important.

harbor

noun

A sheltered area of water where ships can dock or anchor safely.

harborside

noun

An area (especially a residential area) near a harbor (often in the form of converted warehouses etc)

harbour

noun

British spelling of harbor: a sheltered area of water where ships can dock.

Harcourt

name

An English surname, and the name of several places in France, England, Canada, and Australia.

hard

adj

Solid and firm; not easily broken, cut, or dented.

hard copy

noun

A printed version of a document or image on paper, as opposed to a file held on a computer.

hard work

noun

Sustained effort that demands real energy, concentration or persistence.

hardball

noun

Baseball, as distinguished from softball — or, more commonly, tough, uncompromising tactics.

Hardcastle

name

An English surname.

hardcore

adj

Deeply committed or dedicated to something, often to an extreme degree.

harden

verb

To become hard, or to make something hard or harder.

hardened

adj

Made physically hard or tough, often through a deliberate process.

hardening

noun

The process of becoming, or making something, harder or tougher.

hardhat

noun

A worker, such as someone on a building site, who wears a protective hard hat.

hardhead

noun

A person who is stubborn and very practical.

hardheaded

adj

Stubborn and unwilling to change one's mind.

hardhearted

adj

Showing no kindness or sympathy towards others.

hardihood

noun

Great courage and determination when facing danger or difficulty.

Hardin

name

A surname and male given name, also the name of towns in several U.S. states, including the county seat of Big Horn County, Montana.

hardiness

noun

Toughness; the ability to endure difficult or demanding conditions.

Harding

name

An English and Irish surname, notably borne by U.S. President Warren G. Harding, and the name of several places in the United States.

Hardison

name

A surname, likely a variant of Hardison or Harrison.

hardline

noun

A range of shop goods made up mainly of tools and equipment for home improvement.

hardly

adv

Barely; only just; almost not at all.

hardman

noun

A tough, physically imposing man, especially one known for using or threatening violence.

hardness

noun

The quality of being physically hard or resistant to scratching, cutting, or denting.

hards

noun

The rough, short fibres left over from flax or hemp.

hardship

noun

A period of severe difficulty, suffering, or lack; hard times.

hardstone

noun

A precious or semi-precious stone carved or shaped for items such as engraved gems or mosaics.

hardsub

noun

A subtitle that is permanently burned into a video's picture, so it can't be turned off.

hardtack

noun

A big, hard biscuit made only from flour and water, once eaten by sailors as food that kept well.

hardware

noun

The physical parts of a computer or electronic system — the processor, memory, drives, screen, cables and casing — as opposed to the programs that run on them.

hardway

noun

In dice games, a bet that only pays out if the chosen number comes up as two matching dice, such as two threes for six.

Hardwick

name

An English surname, and a common place name for villages and suburbs throughout England and the United States.

Hardwicke

name

An English surname, and the name of villages in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, England.

hardwired

adj

Built into a device's physical circuitry, so its function can't be changed by software.

hardwood

noun

Wood from broad-leaved trees such as oak or maple, often prized for furniture and flooring.

hardworking

adj

Putting in a lot of effort and diligence at one's job or tasks.

hardy

adj

Able to endure difficult conditions, fatigue, or hardship; tough and resilient.

hare

noun

A fast-running, long-eared mammal related to the rabbit but generally larger, with longer legs.

harebell

noun

Campanula rotundifolia: a perennial plant native to the Northern Hemisphere, flowering with blue, bell-shaped blooms.

harebrained

adj

Foolish, reckless, or poorly thought out.

harelip

noun

A congenital split in the upper lip, present from birth.

harem

noun

Historically, the private living quarters reserved for the women of a household, especially in a Muslim family, off-limits to men outside the family.

Hargreaves

name

An English surname.

Hargrove

name

An English surname derived from a place name.

Hari

name

An epithet of the Hindu god Vishnu, and a male given name and surname from Sanskrit used in India.

harish

adj

Resembling a hare in appearance or behaviour.

Harishchandra

name

A legendary Indian king celebrated in Hindu tradition for his unwavering commitment to truth.

hark

verb

To listen attentively, typically used in the old-fashioned command "hark!"

Harken

name

A surname of German origin.

Harker

name

An English surname, notably borne by Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

Harkness

name

A surname, and a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

Harlan

name

A surname and male given name, and the name of the county seat of Harlan County, Kentucky.

Harland

name

An English surname.

Harlee

name

A male given name, a fanciful spelling variant of Harley.

harlequin

noun

A comic pantomime character traditionally dressed in a diamond-patterned, multicoloured costume.

harlequinade

noun

A comic stage show built around the character of the harlequin, similar to a pantomime.

Harley

noun

Informal shorthand for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

harlot

noun

An old-fashioned, disapproving term for a prostitute or a woman considered sexually promiscuous.

harlotry

noun

Prostitution; the work of a prostitute.

Harlow

name

A town in Essex, England, and a surname and unisex given name derived from it.

harm

noun

Physical injury or damage.

Harman

noun

Old-fashioned British slang for a police officer.

harmful

adj

Likely to cause harm, injury, or damage.

harmfulness

noun

How harmful something is.

harmless

adj

Not capable of causing injury or harm; safe.

Harmon

name

An English or Irish surname, and the name of several small U.S. communities.

harmonic

adj

Relating to harmony; pleasant and well-balanced in sound.

harmonica

noun

A small handheld wind instrument played by blowing and drawing air across a row of metal reeds.

harmonicon

noun

Another word for a harmonica.

harmonious

adj

Free of conflict; showing agreement and cooperation.

harmoniously

adv

In a way that shows agreement and balance between the different parts.

harmonisation

noun

A non-Oxford British standard spelling of harmonization.

harmonise

verb

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of harmonize.

harmonium

noun

A keyboard instrument that produces sound by pushing air through small reeds, worked with foot pedals or a hand pump.

harmonize

verb

To make things agree or fit together smoothly.

harmony

noun

A state of peaceful agreement, cooperation, or balance.

Harms

name

A surname, often of German or Dutch origin.

harness

noun

A set of straps used to control or support an animal, person, or piece of equipment.

harnessing

noun

The straps and equipment used to fit a harness onto an animal.

Harold

noun

In improvised comedy theatre, a long-form structure in which several scenes, characters, and themes are set up early and then woven back together throughout the show.

haroun

name

The leading figures of the Daraawiish (such as commanders, governors, representatives, judges etc.) considered collectively.

harp

noun

A large stringed musical instrument played by plucking strings stretched across an open frame.

harper

noun

A person who plays the harp.

harpist

noun

A person who plays the harp, especially a pedal harp.

harpoon

noun

A long spear-like weapon with a barbed point, thrown or fired to catch large sea animals such as whales.

Harps

name

A surname, a patronymic form of Harp.

harpsichord

noun

A keyboard instrument, popular before the piano, in which each key plucks a string rather than striking it with a hammer.

harpsichordist

noun

A person who plays the harpsichord.

harpy

noun

In Greek mythology, a monstrous creature with the body of a bird and the face of a woman.

harquebus

noun

An early portable firearm fired by a matchlock mechanism, sometimes braced on a tripod or trestle to fire.

harridan

noun

An unpleasant, bad-tempered woman who nags at people, often an older one.

harried

adj

Feeling stressed, hurried and under too much pressure.

harrier

noun

A harrier is a bird of prey in the genus Circus that flies low over meadows and marshes hunting small mammals or birds.

Harriet

name

A feminine given name of Germanic origin, an anglicized form of the French Henriette, popular in England during the 18th and 19th centuries.

harriette

name

A female given name of Germanic origin, a variant of Harriet.

Harrigan

name

A surname of Irish origin.

Harriman

name

A surname, and the name of a city in Roane County, Tennessee.

Harrington

noun

A short, waist-length jacket with a zip front, often with a tartan lining, associated with 1950s-60s British youth style.

Harris

noun

Slang for a dried, resin-rich preparation made from cannabis flowers, smoked as a drug.

Harrisburg

name

The state capital of Pennsylvania, and the name of several smaller towns across the United States.

Harrison

name

A northern English surname originating as a patronymic, a male given name, and the name of numerous towns across the United States.

Harrogate

name

A spa town in North Yorkshire, England.

harrow

noun

A heavy farming tool with rows of spikes or discs, dragged over ploughed soil to break it up.