English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

i

pronoun

Used by a speaker or writer to refer to themself as the subject of a sentence.

I believe

phrase

Used to introduce something you think is true but are not certain of, softening a statement so you are not claiming it as fact.

I owe you

noun

A signed note acknowledging a debt, usually written informally and stating what is owed rather than when it will be repaid; normally written IOU.

I plead the Fifth

phrase

A statement made by a witness in the United States refusing to answer a question because the answer might help prove them guilty of a crime.

I think

phrase

Used to show that you believe something but are not completely sure of it.

i.e.

abbreviation

Used before a restatement that explains or defines exactly what has just been said, meaning 'that is' or 'in other words'.

IA

interjection

Short for "inshallah," meaning "God willing," used to express hope that something will happen.

Iad

name

A river in Romania.

Iago

name

A male given name, best known as the villainous character in Shakespeare's Othello.

Iain

name

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic, equivalent to English John.

Ian

name

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic Eòin, equivalent to English John.

IB

noun

The International Baccalaureate: an international education programme, best known for its Diploma Programme for students aged sixteen to nineteen, which is taught in schools worldwide and accepted for university entry in many countries.

ibis

noun

A long-legged wading bird with a slender, downward-curving bill, found near water in warm climates.

Ibiza

name

An island of the Balearic Islands, Spain, known for its nightlife and beaches.

ibn

noun

An Arabic word meaning "son of," used before a father's name in traditional naming patterns.

Ibrahim

name

The Arabic form of the name Abraham, used both as the Islamic prophet's name and as a common male given name.

Ibsen

name

A Scandinavian surname, most famously borne by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.

ibuprofen

noun

A common over-the-counter drug used to relieve pain, reduce fever, and calm inflammation.

IC

phrase

Informal shorthand for "I see," used in texting or chat to acknowledge something.

Icarus

noun

In Greek myth, the youth who flew too close to the sun on wings of feathers and wax, causing them to melt, and fell into the sea; used to describe someone whose overreaching ambition leads to their downfall.

ice

noun

Water that has frozen solid.

iceberg

noun

A huge chunk of freshwater ice that has broken off a glacier or ice shelf and floats in the ocean.

icebox

noun

An old-fashioned insulated box or cabinet that used blocks of ice to keep food cool, before electric refrigerators were common.

icebreaker

noun

A ship built with a reinforced hull to smash through frozen sea ice, clearing a path for other vessels.

iced

adj

Served cold, with ice added.

Iceland

name

An island country in the North Atlantic, known for volcanoes, glaciers, and geothermal activity.

Icelandic

adj

Relating to Iceland, its people, or its language.

iceman

noun

Someone who delivers or sells block ice, especially from the days before home refrigerators.

ich

pronoun

Dialectal or archaic form of "I," found in some regional English dialects.

Ichabod

interjection

Used to express sorrow that something has lost its former glory or standards.

Ichikawa

name

A Japanese surname.

Ichiro

name

A Japanese male given name, borne by the famous baseball player Ichiro Suzuki.

icicle

noun

A thin, tapering spike of ice formed when dripping water freezes as it falls.

icing

noun

A sweet coating, usually made from sugar and often butter or egg white, spread or piped onto cakes and other baked goods.

ick

interjection

Used to express disgust or revulsion.

icky

adjective

Unpleasantly sticky, slimy, or disgusting.

ICL

abbreviation

Used online and in messages before a frank or blunt opinion, to signal that the speaker is being honest.

icon

noun

A small picture or symbol on a screen that represents a program, file, or action.

iconic

adjective

Widely recognised as a symbol or perfect representative example of something.

ICT

noun

Information and communications technology: computing, networks, telephony and the systems that let people store, send and access information — used especially of the technology infrastructure of a school, business or country.

ICU

noun

The part of a hospital that treats patients who are critically ill and need constant monitoring and life-support equipment.

icy

adjective

Covered with ice, or extremely cold.

ID

noun

In Freudian psychology, the part of the mind driven by basic, unconscious instincts and desires.

Ida

name

A female given name of Germanic origin, also the name of sacred mountains in Turkey and Crete.

Idaho

noun

A large baking potato variety, especially the Russet Burbank, associated with the U.S. state of Idaho where it is widely grown.

IDC

abbreviation

Used in messages and online to say that you have no preference or are not bothered about something.

ide

noun

A freshwater fish related to minnows and carp, native to rivers and lakes across northern Europe and Asia.

idea

noun

A thought, plan, or mental impression formed in the mind.

ideal

adjective

Perfect or the best possible for a given purpose.

idealism

noun

The tendency to hold high, sometimes unrealistic, principles or hopes about how things should be.

idealist

noun

Someone who holds onto high principles or a vision of how things ought to be, sometimes at the expense of practicality.

idealistic

adj

Driven by high ideals or an image of perfection rather than by practical concerns.

idealized

adj

Made to look better, purer, or more perfect than the real thing actually is.

ideally

adv

In the best or most perfect way possible.

ideation

noun

The process of coming up with new ideas, especially as a deliberate stage in design, marketing or product development.

ident

noun

A short audio or video clip a TV or radio station uses to identify itself, often between programs.

identical

adj

Exactly the same in every detail; impossible to tell apart.

identifiable

adj

Able to be recognized or named as a specific thing or person.

identification

noun

A document that proves who someone is.

identified

verb

The past tense and past participle of identify: to have recognised or established who or what someone or something is.

identify

verb

To work out or state exactly who or what someone or something is.

identifying

adj

Serving to show clearly who or what something is.

identity

noun

Who a person is, including their name, background, and sense of self.

ideological

adj

Relating to a system of ideas or beliefs, especially political or social ones.

ideology

noun

A connected set of beliefs, values, or principles held by a person, group, or movement, especially a political one.

ides

noun

In the ancient Roman calendar, the middle day of the month — the 15th in March, May, July, and October, the 13th in other months.

IDGAF

interjection

Used to state flatly that you do not care at all about something, often with a note of defiance.

idiocy

noun

Extremely foolish behavior or thinking; a stupid act.

idiom

noun

A phrase whose meaning can't be worked out just from the words in it, such as "kick the bucket."

idiosyncrasy

noun

An unusual habit or feature belonging to one particular person, which marks them out from everyone else.

idiot

noun

A foolish or stupid person, or someone who makes a very poor decision.

idiotic

adj

Extremely foolish or senseless.

IDK

abbreviation

Used in messages and online to say that you do not know something or have not made up your mind.

idle

adj

Not working, active, or in use.

idleness

noun

The state of not working or doing anything; laziness or inactivity.

idling

noun

The act of running an engine while it is not in gear or doing any work.

idly

adv

Without any real purpose or effort.

IDM

abbreviation

Used in messages to say that you are happy with any of the options offered.

Ido

name

A constructed international language created as a reform of Esperanto.

idol

noun

An object, often a statue or image, worshipped as a god or believed to hold spiritual power.

idolatry

noun

The worship of a physical image or object as a god, treated in Judaism, Christianity and Islam as a serious religious offence.

idolize

verb

To admire someone so much that you treat them as close to perfect.

Idris

name

A male given name of Welsh and Arabic origin, popularized in English by actor Idris Elba; also a prophet in Islam identified with the biblical Enoch.

idyllic

adj

Extremely peaceful, beautiful, or happy, like something out of a perfect picture.

if

conj

Used to introduce a condition: supposing that something is or were true.

Ife

name

The largest city in Osun State, Nigeria, considered a sacred center of Yoruba culture and religion.

iffy

adj

Uncertain, doubtful, or of questionable quality.

IFG

noun

Impaired fasting glucose: a blood-sugar level that is higher than normal after a period without eating, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It is one of the markers of prediabetes.

Ifield

name

A suburb in the borough of Crawley, West Sussex, England.

iframe

noun

An element of a web page that embeds a second, separate web page inside a rectangle on the first, so that things such as a video player, a map or a payment form can appear within a page while actually being served by another site.

IfS

name

A German policy institute, the Institut für Staatspolitik.

ig

abbreviation

Short for 'I guess', used in texting and online chat to show reluctant or half-hearted agreement.

Iga

name

An ancient province of Japan and a city in Mie Prefecture, central Japan.

iggy

verb

To ignore or block someone on a chat program or social platform.

ight

noun

Archaic word for possessions or property.

Iglesias

name

A Spanish surname, and also a commune in Sardinia, Italy.

igloo

noun

A dome-shaped shelter built from blocks of packed snow, traditionally used by Inuit people.

Ignacio

name

A Spanish male given name and surname.

Ignatius

name

A male given name of Latin origin, historically borne by Saint Ignatius of Antioch and Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

ignite

verb

To set something on fire, or to begin burning.

ignition

noun

The act or process of setting something on fire, or the point at which combustion begins.

ignoble

adjective

Lacking honour or moral worth; shameful or unworthy of respect.

ignominy

noun

Public shame and loss of respect, especially following a humiliating failure or disgrace.

ignoramus

noun

A person who is strikingly uninformed or unwilling to learn; a fool.

ignorance

noun

A lack of knowledge, information, or education about something.

ignorance is bliss

phrase

Said to mean that not knowing about something unpleasant makes a person happier than knowing would.

ignorant

adjective

Lacking knowledge or education, generally or about a particular subject.

ignore

verb

To deliberately pay no attention to someone or something.

ignoring

noun

The act of deliberately paying no attention to someone or something.

Igor

noun

A stock character depicting a hunched, loyal lab assistant to a mad scientist or vampire, popularized by horror and monster films.

iguana

noun

A large tropical lizard, often green, native to the Americas and sometimes kept as an exotic pet.

Ii

name

A Japanese surname.

IIRC

abbreviation

Written before or after a statement to signal that the writer is going from memory and might be slightly wrong.

Ik

name

An ethnic group in northeastern Uganda near the Kenyan border, and the language they speak.

Ike

noun

A nickname for a man named Isaac, or a familiar name for U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

IKEA

name

A Swedish multinational retailer known for flat-pack, self-assembled furniture.

Ikebukuro

name

A district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan, known for its shopping and entertainment.

Ikeda

name

A Japanese surname.

IKR

abbreviation

Used to agree enthusiastically with what someone has just said, especially when it confirms something you also thought.

Ilan

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "tree" or "oak tree."

Ilana

name

A female given name, a variant of Alana.

Ilene

name

A female given name.

Iliad

noun

Homer's ancient Greek epic poem about the final weeks of the Trojan War, centred on the rage of Achilles.

ilk

noun

A type or category of people or things sharing similar characteristics, often used slightly dismissively.

ill

adjective

Unwell or in poor health; sick.

illegal

adjective

Against the law; not authorised or permitted by legislation.

illegally

adverb

In a way that breaks the law.

illegitimate

adjective

Not legally or officially sanctioned; not proper or authorised.

illicit

adjective

Not permitted by law or social convention; forbidden.

Illinois

adj

Relating to the Illinois Confederacy, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Native American peoples, or to their language and culture.

illiterate

adjective

Unable to read or write.

illness

noun

A disease or period of poor health.

illogical

adjective

Not following the rules of logic; lacking sound reasoning.

illuminate

verb

To light up or shine light onto something.

illuminated

adjective

Lit up, or having light shone on it.

illuminating

adjective

Providing light.

illumination

noun

Light, or the act of providing light.

illusion

noun

A false or misleading impression created by something that appears real.

illusionist

noun

A performer who specialises in tricks that appear to defy the laws of reality; a magician.

illusive

adjective

Based on or producing an illusion; seeming real but in fact deceptive.

illustrate

verb

To explain or clarify something by using an example or comparison.

illustrated

adjective

Containing pictures or diagrams.

illustration

noun

A picture or diagram used to decorate or explain a text.

illustrator

noun

A person who creates pictures for books, magazines, or other publications.

illustrious

adjective

Widely admired and respected, especially for great achievements.

Ilona

name

A female given name, a Hungarian variant of Helen.

Ilsa

name

A female given name.

ILY

abbreviation

A short written way of saying 'I love you', used in texts and messages with family, partners and close friends.

Ilya

name

A male given name of Russian origin, a doublet of Elijah.

Ilyich

name

A Russian surname, used as a patronymic meaning "son of Ilya."