English dictionary — definitions & meanings

na

adv

Not; no (used to negate a word or statement, especially in dialect or informal speech).

nab

verb

To catch or arrest someone, especially a criminal.

nabla

noun

A Hebrew stringed instrument.

nabob

noun

An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire.

nacho

noun

A single tortilla chip, usually topped with melted cheese and other toppings, from a plate of nachos.

nachos

noun

A Mexican-inspired snack of tortilla chips topped with melted cheese and often other ingredients like jalapeños, salsa, or guacamole.

nack

verb

To acknowledge negatively; to send a NAK signal to.

nada

pron

Nothing at all (informal).

Nader

name

A surname of Arabic origin.

Nadezhda

name

A female given name of Russian or Bulgarian origin, meaning "hope."

Nadia

name

A female given name of Russian origin meaning "hope," popular since the twentieth century; also a district of West Bengal, India.

Nadine

name

A female given name of French origin, a diminutive form of Nadia.

nadir

noun

The lowest point of something, especially a low point in someone's fortunes or a situation.

Nadiya

name

A female given name of Ukrainian origin, meaning "hope."

nads

noun

Slang for the testicles.

naff

adj

Bad; tasteless, poorly thought out, not workable; tacky.

nag

verb

To repeatedly pester or criticize someone about something, in an annoying way.

naga

noun

In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, a semi-divine being that takes the form of a great serpent, often linked to water and the underworld.

Nagai

name

A Japanese surname.

Nagano

name

A city and prefecture in Japan, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Nagar

name

A surname of Indian or Hebrew usage.

Nagasaki

name

A port city and prefecture in southwestern Japan, historically significant as an early trading port and as the site of the second atomic bombing in 1945.

Nagata

name

A Japanese surname.

Nagel

name

A surname, chiefly German.

nagging

adj

Persistently annoying, worrying, or painful.

Nagi

name

A surname.

Nagoya

name

The capital city of Aichi Prefecture, in central Japan.

Nagy

name

A Hungarian surname meaning "grand" or "great."

nah

intj

An informal way of saying "no."

nahal

noun

A civilian settlement established by the military in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories to support growth and expansion.

nai

noun

A barber, especially in South Asian usage.

Naidu

name

An Indian surname common among Telugu-speaking communities of South India.

naik

noun

In South Asian militaries (India, Pakistan, Nepal), a non-commissioned officer rank roughly equal to a corporal.

nail

noun

The hard, flat plate at the tip of a finger or toe.

nailbourne

noun

A chalk stream that only flows intermittently.

nailed

adj

Fastened or fixed in place with a nail; also used informally to mean firmly settled or secured.

nailed it

phrase

Did something exactly right, or performed extremely well.

nailing

noun

The act of fastening something using nails.

nailor

name

A surname originating as an occupation.

Nails

name

An English surname, an occupational name for someone who made nails.

Naina

name

A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "eyes."

Nair

noun

A member of a group of Hindu castes from Kerala, in southern India.

Nairobi

name

The capital and largest city of Kenya.

naive

adj

Lacking experience, judgement, or worldly knowledge; too trusting or simple in one's thinking.

naivety

noun

The quality of being naive; a lack of experience or worldly judgement.

NAK

noun

In computing and networking, a signal indicating that a message was not received correctly (short for "negative acknowledgement").

naka

noun

A gathering spot where day labourers wait to be hired for work.

Nakagawa

name

A Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle river."

Nakai

name

A surname of Japanese origin.

Nakajima

name

A Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle island."

Nakamura

name

A common Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle village."

Nakano

name

A Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle field."

naked

adj

Wearing no clothes at all.

nakedness

noun

The state of being unclothed; bareness.

nakie

noun

A selfie of a nude person; a naked selfie.

namaste

intj

A respectful greeting used in Indian culture and, more loosely, in yoga and wellness settings.

namazi

noun

a person regular in salah; one who goes to the mosque (Islamic equivalent of a parishioner)

name

noun

A word or phrase used to identify a specific person, place, or thing.

nameable

adj

Capable of being distinguished and named; able to be called by a specific name.

named

adj

Given a specific name or identity.

nameless

adj

Having no name, or having a name that is unknown.

namelessness

noun

The state or quality of being nameless.

namely

adv

Used to introduce something more specific right after a general statement — "that is to say."

namesake

noun

A person or thing named after someone or something else, or the person that gave their name.

nametag

noun

A small tag or badge printed with a person's name.

nameword

noun

A designation or name given to an object, person or location.

nameworthy

adj

Worthy of being named or having a name; nameable; worthy of mention.

Namibia

name

A country in southern Africa; capital Windhoek.

naming

noun

The act of giving a name to something.

naming words

noun

Nouns, described in the simplified terms used to teach grammar to young children: words that name a person, place, thing or idea.

namous

verb

To run away; to leave; to depart.

nan

noun

An informal, affectionate word for one's grandmother, mainly used in Britain.

nana

noun

An informal word for grandmother.

Nanami

name

A female given name and surname of Japanese origin.

Nance

noun

A dated, derogatory slang term for an effeminate man.

nancy

noun

A dated, derogatory slang term for an effeminate man.

Nanda

name

A surname, and also the name of relatives of Gautama Buddha in Buddhist tradition.

Nandi

noun

The bull that serves as the sacred mount of the Hindu god Shiva.

Nandini

name

A female given name of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, meaning "daughter."

Nando

name

A short, informal form of the male given name Fernando.

nandu

noun

A rhea — a large, flightless South American bird related to the ostrich.

Nanette

name

A female given name, a French diminutive related to Anne.

nang

noun

British slang for a small canister of nitrous oxide, sold for whipping cream but misused as an inhalant.

nani

intj

A Japanese word for "what," widely known through anime and internet slang.

Nanjing

name

A major city in eastern China, capital of Jiangsu province and a former imperial capital.

nanna

noun

An informal, chiefly British word for grandmother.

Nanni

name

A surname of Italian origin.

nanny

noun

A person, usually a woman, employed to take care of children in their home.

nanosecond

noun

A unit of time equal to one billionth of a second.

nanotechnology

noun

The branch of science and engineering dealing with structures and machines built at the scale of atoms and molecules.

Nantes

name

A city in western France, historically part of Brittany and now capital of the Pays de la Loire region.

nantle

verb

To fondle or caress.

nao

noun

A type of Spanish or Portuguese sailing ship, similar to a carrack, used in early ocean exploration.

Naoko

name

A female given name of Japanese origin.

Naomi

name

A female given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "my pleasantness"; also a figure in the Book of Ruth.

naomie

name

A female given name from Hebrew.

nap

verb

To sleep briefly, especially during the day.

napa

noun

A variety of Chinese cabbage with a mild flavor and pale, tightly packed leaves, common in East Asian cooking.

napalm

noun

A thick, flammable jelly-like substance that clings to what it burns, used as a weapon.

nape

noun

The back of the neck.

Napier

name

A surname, historically referring to someone who managed household linen.

napkin

noun

A serviette; a (usually rectangular) piece of cloth or paper used at the table for wiping the mouth and hands for cleanliness while eating.

Naples

name

A historic port city in southern Italy, capital of the Campania region.

Napoleon

name

Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military leader and emperor.

Napoleonic

adj

Relating to Napoleon Bonaparte or his era, especially the Napoleonic Wars.

napoli

name

A port city and comune, the capital of the Metropolitan City of Naples and the region of Campania, Italy.

napping

noun

The act of taking a short sleep.

nappy

noun

An absorbent garment worn by babies (or others needing one) who cannot yet control their bladder or bowels; a diaper.

naps

noun

Tightly curled or frizzy hair.

Napster

noun

A website or service that lets people share files, especially music, for free.

Nara

name

A city and prefecture in Japan, once the country's ancient capital.

Narang

name

A South Asian surname, particularly common among Punjabis.

Narasimha

name

The half-man, half-lion incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.

Narayan

name

A name for the Hindu god Vishnu, also used as a given name.

Narayana

name

A name for the Hindu god Vishnu, also used as a given name.

Narayanan

name

A South Indian surname.

narc

noun

A police officer or agent who investigates illegal drugs.

narcissism

noun

An excessive focus on and admiration of oneself, often paired with looking down on others.

narcissist

noun

Someone with an excessive sense of their own importance and a constant need for admiration.

narcissistic

adj

Excessively self-admiring or self-centred.

narcissus

noun

A flowering bulb plant with white or yellow trumpet-shaped blooms, including the daffodil.

narco

noun

Someone who has narcolepsy.

narcolepsy

noun

A sleep disorder causing sudden, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep.

narcosis

noun

Unconsciousness caused by a drug, anaesthetic or other chemical substance.

narcoterrorism

noun

Use of terrorist tactics as an element of the traffic in illegal narcotics.

narcotic

noun

A drug that dulls pain and induces sleep, especially an opioid, often used illegally.

narcotics

noun

Drugs that dull pain and induce sleep, especially illegal opioids, considered as a category.

narcotize

verb

To use a narcotic in order to make (someone) drowsy or insensible; to anesthetize, to drug.

Nardo

name

A surname of Italian origin.

narghile

noun

A large Oriental tobacco pipe wherein the smoke is drawn through water to filter and cool it.

Narita

name

A city in Japan, best known as the site of Tokyo's main international airport.

nark

noun

A police spy or informer.

Narnia

name

The fictional magical land created by C. S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia.

narra

noun

A tropical tree valued for its hardwood, especially Pterocarpus indicus.

narrate

verb

To tell a story or describe a sequence of events, in speech or writing.

narrating

noun

The act of telling a story or recounting events.

narration

noun

The act of telling or recounting a story or sequence of events.

narrative

noun

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.

narratology

noun

The study of narrative structure.

narrator

noun

A person who tells a story, or whose voice or perspective is used to tell it.

narratory

adj

Relating to a narrator and/or narration.

narrow

adj

Having a small width compared to length; not wide.

narrower

adj

Comparative form of narrow: having less width.

narrowing

noun

The process of becoming smaller in width or scope.

narrowly

adv

By a small margin; barely.

narrows

noun

A narrow section of a river, strait, or other waterway.

Naruto

noun

A spiral-patterned fish cake slice, typically pink-rimmed, used as a topping in ramen and other Japanese noodle dishes.

nary

adj

Not any; not a single one — an old-fashioned or dialect way of saying "no."

Nasa

name

The United States government agency responsible for civilian space exploration, aeronautics research, and space science, founded in 1958.

nasal

adj

Relating to the nose.