English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

occupied

adj

Currently in use or taken, such as a seat, room, or toilet.

occupier

noun

A person or power that occupies a place, especially a foreign country controlling someone else's land.

occupy

verb

To live in, use, or take up a space.

occur

verb

To happen or take place.

occurred

verb

Past tense and past participle of occur: happened or took place, usually without being planned.

occurrence

noun

Something that happens; an event or instance.

occurrent

adj

Happening now; actually taking place at present.

occurring

adj

Happening, especially in a specified way or place.

OCD

adj

Showing obsessive, perfectionistic tendencies, often used loosely to describe someone who likes things a certain way (informally referencing obsessive-compulsive disorder).

ocean

noun

One of the huge bodies of salt water that cover most of the Earth's surface.

oceanarium

noun

A large aquarium-style park where people go to see sea creatures such as dolphins or fish.

oceanic

adj

Relating to, found in, or resembling the ocean.

oceanographer

noun

A person who studies oceanography, the science of the oceans.

oceanography

noun

The scientific study of the oceans and the ocean floor.

ocellated

adj

Marked with small, eye-like spots.

ocelot

noun

A spotted wild cat of the Americas, with blackish spots and blotches on its coat.

och

intj

A Scottish and Irish exclamation used to show agreement, mild annoyance, or resignation.

Ochoa

name

A Spanish surname of Basque origin, meaning "wolf."

ochre

noun

An earthy clay pigment made up of silica, aluminium and ferric oxide.

ock

noun

A slang, and now dated, New York term for a Middle Eastern deli or bodega owner.

oct

name

Alternative letter-case form of Oct (“October”).

octad

noun

A set of eight things.

octadecagon

noun

An octadecagon is a polygon with eighteen sides and eighteen corners.

octagon

noun

A shape with eight straight sides and eight angles.

octahedron

noun

A solid shape with eight flat faces.

octane

noun

Any of a group of hydrocarbon compounds found in petroleum and used as fuels and solvents.

octangular

adj

Having eight angles; eight-sided.

octant

noun

One eighth of a circle, equal to an angle of 45 degrees.

octathlon

noun

A sporting competition made up of eight separate events.

octave

noun

The musical distance between one note and another note with double or half its pitch frequency, spanning eight notes of the scale.

Octavia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, from the Roman family name Octavius, meaning "eighth."

Octavian

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, historically borne by Augustus Caesar before he took the name Augustus.

Octavius

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, meaning "eighth," from a prominent Roman family name.

octavo

noun

A sheet of paper of a specific size, folded three times from a larger sheet to give eight leaves.

octet

noun

A group of eight of something.

October

name

The tenth month of the year, between September and November, associated in the northern hemisphere with autumn and falling leaves.

octoberfest

name

The Bavarian festival called Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, or any similar festival, held between late September and early October, usually featuring German music, food, and beer-drinking among its prominent activities.

octocentenary

noun

The eight-hundredth anniversary of an event.

octocentennial

adj

Relating to an eight-hundredth anniversary.

octonary

adj

Coming eighth in order or rank.

octopus

noun

A soft-bodied sea creature with eight arms lined with suckers and no internal shell.

ocular

adj

Relating to the eye or to eyesight.

oculist

noun

A doctor who treats problems with the eyes.

od

verb

To take a dangerous excess of a drug; to overdose.

oda

noun

A private room set aside for women within a harem.

odal

noun

Land that could be passed down within a family, held under an old system used by early Scandinavian and other Germanic peoples.

odalisque

noun

A woman kept as a slave in a harem, especially in the palace of an Ottoman ruler.

odawa

name

The name of the Ottawa people.

odd

adj

Strange, unusual, or not what you would expect.

oddball

noun

A person who behaves in a strange or eccentric way.

oddity

noun

A strange or unusual thing, person, or detail.

oddly

adv

In a strange or unexpected way.

oddness

noun

How strange or unusual something is.

odds

noun

The likelihood of something happening, especially as expressed in betting.

ode

noun

A poem, often meant to be sung, that expresses strong feeling or praise for its subject.

Odell

name

A given name and surname, also the name of a village in England and several small towns in the United States.

Oder

name

A river running through central Europe, forming part of the border between Germany and Poland before reaching the Baltic Sea.

Odessa

name

A major port city in Ukraine on the Black Sea coast.

Odia

noun

The Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 40 million people, mainly in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, where it is the official language. It is written in its own rounded script and is one of India's classical languages.

Odie

name

A diminutive of several given names such as Odell, Odin, or Otis, also used as a formal given name and surname.

Odin

name

In Norse mythology, the chief god, associated with wisdom, war, and poetry.

odious

adj

Deeply unpleasant; causing strong dislike or disgust.

odium

noun

Strong dislike or hatred felt towards someone or something.

Odo

name

A masculine given name of historical usage, derived from Latin Otho.

odontiasis

noun

The process of a person's teeth coming through, also called teething.

odontology

noun

The scientific study of how teeth are formed and how they develop.

odor

noun

A smell, whether pleasant or unpleasant.

odorless

adj

Having no smell at all.

odorous

adj

Possessing a distinctive smell.

odour

noun

A smell, whether pleasant or unpleasant — the standard British spelling of "odor".

ods

intj

An old-fashioned mild oath, a euphemistic shortening of "God's" used in exclamations like "Ods bodkins!"

odum

noun

Another name for the iroko tree, a large West African hardwood tree valued for its durable timber.

Odysseus

name

A legendary Greek king and hero known for his cunning, famous for devising the Trojan Horse and for his long journey home after the Trojan War.

odyssey

noun

A long, eventful journey, especially one full of challenges.

odzookens

intj

An old-fashioned exclamation used to show surprise or shock.

OE

noun

A small island, especially in Scandinavian place names.

OED

noun

The Oxford English Dictionary, the largest historical dictionary of the English language, which records the meaning, spelling and recorded history of words with dated quotations showing how each sense has been used over time.

Oedipus

name

A figure from Greek mythology who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, later the subject of Sophocles's tragedies.

oei

name

A surname found mainly in Indonesia.

oesophagus

noun

The tube in the body that food travels through from the throat down to the stomach.

oestrogen

noun

Any of a group of steroid hormones produced by the ovaries that act as female sex hormones.

oestrus

noun

A type of fly that bites, also known as a botfly.

of

prep

Used to show that something belongs to, or is a part of, something else.

ofc

phrase

Of course: used in messaging as shorthand for agreement or for something taken as obvious.

off

adv

Away from a place, position, or reference point.

off-peak

adjective

Happening at, or applying to, a time when demand is low — so usually quieter and cheaper. It is used most often of travel tickets, electricity tariffs, phone calls and gym or venue bookings.

offal

noun

The internal organs of a butchered animal, such as liver or kidney, eaten as food.

offbeat

noun

(music) The beats in a bar of music that do not usually get the emphasis.

offboard

verb

To get off a vehicle, especially a bus, train, or plane.

offcut

noun

A small piece left over, and not needed, after a larger piece has been cut.

offence

noun

British spelling of "offense" — a crime or breach of the law, or a feeling of being hurt or insulted.

offend

verb

To hurt someone's feelings or upset them, often unintentionally.

offender

noun

A person who commits a crime or breaks the law.

offending

adj

Guilty of a wrongdoing; the one responsible for a problem.

offense

noun

A wrongdoing, crime, or breach of a rule.

offenseless

adj

Not causing any harm or offence.

offensive

adj

Causing anger, disgust, or hurt feelings.

offer

verb

To present something for someone to accept or refuse.

offering

noun

Something given, presented, or put up for consideration, especially as a gift, contribution, or for sale.

offertory

noun

A prayer sung or spoken while bread and wine are set on the altar during a Roman Catholic or Anglican church service.

offhand

adj

Said or done without preparation or careful thought.

offhandedly

adv

In a casual, careless way, without much thought or preparation.

office

noun

A room or building where people do administrative or professional work.

officeholder

noun

Someone who holds a position, especially one they were elected or appointed to in government.

officer

noun

Someone holding a position of authority, especially in the military, police, or government.

official

adj

Approved by, or coming from, a proper authority.

officialdom

noun

Officials as a group, especially those who work in government or the civil service.

officially

adv

According to official rules, procedures, or authority.

officiate

verb

To perform the official duties of a position, especially presiding over a ceremony.

offing

noun

The near future, especially something expected soon. Chiefly used in the phrase "in the offing".

offline

adj

Not connected to a network, especially the internet.

offload

verb

To remove a load or cargo from a vehicle.

offloading

noun

The act of unloading or getting rid of something.

offscouring

noun

Waste or dirt scrubbed off something.

offscreen

adj

Happening outside the visible frame of a film or television screen.

offset

noun

Something that balances out or compensates for something else.

offsetting

noun

The use of one thing to offset another; the practice of compensating for or counterbalancing one thing or amount by another contrary thing or amount

offshoot

noun

A new shoot or branch growing out from the main stem of a plant.

offshore

adj

Located in the sea some distance from the coast.

offside

adj

In an illegal position ahead of the ball or play, according to the rules of a sport such as soccer or hockey.

offsite

adj

Away from the main site, or somewhere that does not belong to a particular organisation.

offspring

noun

A person's child, or an animal's or plant's young.

offstage

adj

Happening in the part of a theater not visible to the audience.

offstand

verb

To resist or hold out against something.

oft

adv

Often; frequently. Now mostly literary or used in compound words.

often

adv

Frequently; many times.

oftentimes

adv

Often; frequently. A slightly old-fashioned or formal variant of "often".

oftest

adv

Most often (superlative form of oft: most oft)

ofttimes

adv

(archaic) Often, or many times.

OG

adj

Original, authentic, or old-school; the real or first version of something.

Ogata

name

A Japanese surname.

Ogawa

name

A Japanese surname, literally "small river."

Ogden

name

An English habitational surname and given name, and the name of a city in Utah and several other places in the United States and Canada.

ogdoad

noun

A group or set of eight things.

ogle

verb

To stare at someone or something in an obvious, often lustful or admiring way.

ogling

noun

The act of staring at someone in an obvious, often lustful way.

ogre

noun

A large, ugly, monstrous creature in folklore, known for its brutish strength and appetite for humans.

ogress

noun

A woman who is an ogre, a cruel giant from folk tales.

OH

intj

Used to express surprise, realization, understanding, or emotion.

ohana

noun

Family in the Hawaiian sense: not only blood relatives but everyone bound to you by loyalty and care, none of whom is left behind.

ohm

noun

The standard unit of electrical resistance.

Ohm's law

noun

The rule that the current through a conductor is proportional to the voltage across it and inversely proportional to its resistance, written V = IR: voltage equals current times resistance.

ohmigod

intj

An eye dialect spelling of oh my God.

oho

intj

Used to express surprise or a triumphant realization, similar to "aha".

OHS

noun

Occupational health and safety: the field concerned with keeping workers free from injury and illness at work, covering hazard assessment, safe systems of work, protective equipment and legal duties on employers.

oi

intj

Used to get someone's attention, often sharply, or to express annoyance or surprise.

oil

noun

A thick, greasy liquid, either from plants, animals, or petroleum, used for cooking, fuel, or lubrication.

oiled

adj

Coated or treated with oil.

oiler

noun

A person or thing that applies oil, especially to machinery.

oilfish

noun

A large fish, also called the snake mackerel, whose flesh contains waxy oils rather than ordinary fats.